The effect of concentration and duration of normobaric oxygen in reducing caspase-3 and -9 expression in a rat-model of focal cerebral ischaemia.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different concentrations of normobaric oxygen (NBO) on neurological function and the expression of caspase-3 and -9 in a rat model of acute cerebral ischaemia. Sprague-Dawley rats (n=120) were randomly divided into four groups (n=30 per group), including 3 groups given NBO at concentrations of 33%, 45% or 61% and one control group given air (21% oxygen). After 2 h of ischaemic occlusion, each group was further subdivided into six subgroups (n=5) during reperfusion according to the duration (3, 6, 12, 24, 48 or 72 h) and concentration of NBO (33%, 45% or 61%) or air treatment. The Fluorescence Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry were used to detect caspase-3 and -9 mRNA and protein relative expression respectively. The Neurologic Impairment Score (NIS) was significantly lower in rats given 61% NBO ≥3 h after reperfusion when compared to the control group (P<0.05, Mann–Whitney U). NBO significantly reduced caspase-3 and -9 mRNA and protein expression when compared to the control group at all NBO concentrations and time points (P<0.05, ANOVA). The expression of caspase-3 and -9 was lower in the group given 61% NBO compared any other group, and this difference was statistically significant when compared to the group given 33% NBO for ≥48 h and the control group (both P<0.05, ANOVA). These findings indicate that NBO may inhibit the apoptotic pathway by reducing caspase-3 and -9 expression, thereby promoting neurological functional recovery after stroke.

A Comparison of Geo-tagging in Mobile Internet Browsing Applications on iOS and Android.

Nowadays there is almost no crime committed without a trace of digital evidence, and since the advanced functionality of mobile devices today can be exploited to assist in crime, the need for mobile forensics is imperative. Many of the mobile applications available today, including internet browsers, will request the user’s permission to access their current location when in use. This geolocation data is subsequently stored and managed by that application's underlying database files. If recovered from a device during a forensic investigation, such GPS evidence and track points could hold major evidentiary value for a case. The aim of this paper is to examine and compare to what extent geolocation data is available from the iOS and Android operating systems. We focus particularly on geolocation data recovered from internet browsing applications, comparing the native Safari and Browser apps with Google Chrome, downloaded on to both platforms. All browsers were used over a period of several days at various locations to generate comparable test data for analysis. Results show considerable differences not only in the storage locations and formats, but also in the amount of geolocation data stored by different browsers and on different operating systems.