According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer is among the most common cancers worldwide. Most of the anticancer agents have been showing a variety of side effects. Recently, bacterial proteins have been investigated as promising anticancer agents. Azurin is a bacterial cupredoxin protein secreted from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and has been reported as a potent multi-targeting anticancer agent, which makes it an appropriate candidate for drug delivery. Azurin may be delivered to cancer cells using different carriers like polymeric micro and nanoparticles. In the present study, azurin was extracted from the bacterial host and loaded into chitosan particles. Then its effect on MCF-7 cell line was investigated. Chitosan-azurin particles were made using the ion gelation method. Results showed that chitosan-azurin particles are about 200 nm, and the loading of the protein in particles did not affect its integrity. The MTT assay showed a significant reduction in cell viability in azurin and chitosan-azurin-treated cells. The toxicity level after 5 days was 63.78% and 82.53% for free azurin and chitosan-azurin-treated cells, respectively. It seems using an appropriate carrier system for anticancer proteins like azurin is a promising tool for developing low side effect anticancer agents.

This paper is devoted to the determination of the dispersive component of the surface energy of two boron materials such as h-BN and BPO₄ surfaces by using the inverse gas chromatography (IGC) at infinite dilution. The specific interactions and Lewis’s acid-base parameters of these materials were calculated on the light of the new thermal model concerning the dependency of the surface area of organic molecules on the temperature, and by using also the classical methods of the inverse gas chromatography as well as the different molecular models such as Van der Waals, Redlich-Kwong, Kiselev, geometric, Gray, spherical, cylindrical and Hamieh models. It was proved that h-BN surface exhibits higher dispersive surface energy than BPO₄ material.

The specific properties of interaction of the two boron materials were determined. The results obtained by using the new thermal model taking into account the effect of the temperature on the surface area of molecules, proved that the classical IGC methods, gave inaccurate values of the specific parameters and Lewis’s acid base constants of the solid surfaces. The use of the thermal model allowed to conclude that h-BN surface has a Lewis basicity twice stronger than its acidity, whereas, BPO₄ surface presents an amphoteric character.

Over the past decade, Ontario has seen a renewal in efforts to stimulate economic growth by investing in infrastructures. In this paper, we analyze the impact of public infrastructure investment on economic performance in this province. We use a multivariate dynamic time series methodological approach, based on the use of vector autoregressive models to estimate the elasticities and marginal products of six different types of public infrastructure assets on private investment, employment and output. We find that all types of public investment crowd in private investment while investment in highways, roads, and bridges crowds out employment. We also find that all types of public investment, with the exception of highways, roads and bridges, have a positive effect on output. The relatively large range of results estimated for the impact of each of the different public infrastructure types suggests that a targeted approach to the design of infrastructure investment policy is required. Infrastructure investment in transit systems and health facilities display the highest returns for output and the largest effects on employment and labor productivity. In terms of the nature of the empirical results presented here it would be important to highlight the fact that investments in health infrastructures as well as investments in education infrastructures are of great relevance. This is a pattern consistent with the mounting international evidence on the importance of human capital for long term economic performance.

Excessive usage of chemicals in crops, especially in leafy vegetables, caused people exposed to health and environmental risks. In Iran, spinach used as a winter vegetable that believed has high Iron and is useful for anemia. The objective of the experiment was to determine the optimum use of each macronutrients to obtain safe maximum growth and yield for scaling up among farmers. Treatments were chemical fertilizers including ammonium sulfate, triple superphosphate and potassium sulfate at 50, 100, 150 and 200 kg/h against control in a randomized complete block design. Results showed that nitrogen caused elevation of fresh and dry weight in spinach as the maximum obtained in 200 kg/h ammonium sulfate. Results obtained from effect of phosphorus showed that super phosphate increased fresh and dry weight of spinach; but potassium sulfate had no effect on its growth and yield. Analysis of variance on cross effect of data showed significant differences in fresh and dry weight, number of leaves, chlorophyll content and nitrate, and non-significant differences in length and wide of leaves.

Beta macrocarpa, Guss is an interesting species showing very low germination rates. The leading objectives of this work were to investigate the dormancy mechanism and to find methods to break dormancy in order to achieve rapid, uniform and high germination. Macro and micro-morphologic analyses were performed by stereo microscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed two fruit coats. The yellow external coat or persistent perianth coat (PPC) was accrescent with 5 erect segments contiguous to the operculum of the seed capsule. This coat forms spongy layers (50 to 300 µm thick) that could be eliminated manually. The narrow internal coat or pericarp or achene coat (AC) forms woody joined seed capsules, each presenting a pressed operculum that cannot be manually opened. This coat was not adherent to seeds and was composed of compressed cells (50 to 200 µm thick) which form pockets for salt cristal. Seeds were lentiform (1 to 2 mm diameter and 0.5 to 0.8 mm thick) and highly fragile. The embryo was whitish surrounded peripherally by the perisperm with two highly developed cotyledons and radical. Polyphenol concentrations in both coats showed that after 4 months of collection, total polyphenol concentrations were 4-fold higher in the pericarp than in the persistent perianth. However, after one year, this parameter decreases significantly in the pericarp, whereas, it increases to a larger extent in the perianth. Different germination tests indicated that the pericarp provides a chemical and a physical resistance to seed germination during the first 4 months of the experiment after collection. The chemical dormancy was released to higher levels of total polyphenol compounds that inhibited seed germination and seedling growth. However, the physical dormancy was associated with the hardness of this intern coat which caused a mechanical resistance to radicle emergence. After one year of storage, total polyphenol pericarp concentration decreased notably, and chemical resistance disappeared, whereas the physical one persisted. Consequently, one year of storage pericarp removal is sufficient to break this exogenous dormancy.