bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison and predesign cost assessment of ozonation, membrane filtration and activated carbon for the treatment of recalcitrant organics, a conceptual study
Authors: Peyrelasse Christine , Jacob Matthieu , Lallement Audrey
Published: August 2021

The presence of micropollutants in the environment is today of major concern. These pollutants could have long-term impacts on the environment and on population health. Biological treatment of wastewater is generally insufficient to allow their complete elimination. The establishment of efficient treatments is then needed to degrade the refractory organic matter. Activated carbon adsorption, membrane filtration and oxidation processes are common suitable solutions. All of them have advantages and are effective to treat wastewaters but drawbacks are well known such as waste production, energy consumption or by-products formation. This study aims at defining a strategy to choose the best option according to the nature of the wastewater and the treatment objectives. A methodology was designed for the rating of theses processes to choose the best strategy regarding environmental, technical and economic criteria. A simulation of three wastewater treatment scenarios was carried out to compare the costs of ozonation, adsorption and reverse osmosis. According to the result obtained, a decision tree is proposed to define the best option for a tertiary treatment to reach reuse or discharge objectives.
Limit Cycle Oscillation Suppression Controller Design and Stability Analysis of the Periodically Time-varying Flapping Flight Dynamics in Hover
Authors: Wang Liang , Jiang Wuyao , Jiao Zongxia , Zhao Longfei
Published: August 2021

The periodically time-varying forces make the equilibrium state of Beihawk, an X-shaped flapping-wing aircraft, to be a periodic limit cycle oscillation. However, traditional controllers based on averaging theory fail to suppress this oscillation and the derived stability result may be inaccurate. In this study, a period-based method is proposed to design the oscillation suppression controller, locate the corresponding cycle and analyze its stability. A periodically time-varying wing–tail interaction model is built and Discrete Fourier Transform is applied to adapt the model for controller design. The harmonics less than quintuple flapping frequency account for more than 96 percent of the total harmonics and are reserved to present a concise model. Based on this model, Active Disturbance Rejection Controller (ADRC) is designed and its Extended State Observer can observe the disturbance to suppress the oscillation. Poincaré map is introduced to convert the stability analysis of the cycle to a fixed point. A multiple shooting method is adopted to locate several points on the cycle and the map is obtained by calculating the submaps between the adjacent points with the Floquet theory. The located points are proved to be accurate compared with the numerical solved cycle and the stability analysis result of the cycle is verified by the dynamic evolution. Compared with the State Feedback Controller, the ADRC performs better in suppressing the limit cycle oscillation and eliminating the attitude control error. The oscillation suppression is meaningful in maintaining a stable flight and capturing high quality images.
Developing effective subsoil reference model for seismic microzonation studies.
Authors: Pieruccini Pierluigi , Paolucci Enrico , Fantozzi Pier Lorenzo , Naldini Duccio Monaci , Albarello Dario
Published: August 2021

A general methodological approach is here discussed to integrate geological and geophysical information in seismic microzonation studies. In particular, the methodology aims at maximizing the exploitation of low-cost data for extensive preliminary assessment of ground motion amplification phenomena induced by the local seismostratigraphical configuration. Three main steps are delineated: a) the combination of geological/geomorphological analyses to develop an Engineering-Geological Model of the study area; b) targeted geophysical prospecting to provide an Engineering-Geological/Geophysical Model; c) evaluating effectiveness of Engineering-Geological/Geophysical Model by estimating expected ground motion amplification phenomena by the use of suitable computational tools. The workflow is illustrated by a case-study based on a set of villages in the Umbro-Marchean Apennine (Central Italy) damaged during the Seismic sequence occurred in Central Italy during 2016–2017.
Dual Operated Firefighting Robot
Authors: Sugathan Akash , Balakrishnan Manoj , Pillai Abhijith A. , R Arjun , Varghese Athul P.
Published: August 2021

In this study, a dual operated firefighting robot was designed, fabricated and analyzed. The robot can be operated in both RC and automatic modes. The robot consists of three different types of system units- fire detection system, extinguishing system and communication system. The fire detection system uses flame sensors for detection of fire. The extinguishing unit consists of fire extinguisher cylinder mounted on the robot which can be controlled by the user through a remote. . The fire extinguisher is operated with the help of a relay circuit. The whole set up is controlled and monitored by the main controller or microprocessor. Using a belt drive enables the robot to climb stairs. The main chassis consists of 400mm*390mm aluminum profile. Four motors, each of 60 rpm, are used which provides adequate thrust for motion. The power supply for the functioning of robot is provided by a 12V, 7 AH battery. The compact design of the firefighting robot enables it to enter small or narrow space with ease. More over the dual operation ability of the robot helps to increase the overall efficiency of the robot.
Returning to Work After a Sickness Absence Due to Cancer: A Cohort Study of Salaried Workers in Catalonia (Spain)
Authors: Ayala-Garcia Amaya , Serra Laura , Hernando-Rodriguez Julio C. , Benavides Fernando G.
Published: August 2021

Background: Cancer incidence and survival rates have increased in the last decades and as a result, the number of working age people diagnosed with cancer who return to work. In this study the probability of accumulating days of employment and employment participation trajectories (EPTs) in a sample of salaried workers in Catalonia (Spain) who had a sickness absence (SA) due to cancer were compared to salaried workers with SA due to other diagnoses or without SA.Methods: Each individual with SA due to cancer between 2012-2015 was matched by age, sex, and time at risk to a worker with SA due to other diagnoses and another worker without SA. Accumulated days of employment were measured, and negative binomial Poisson models were applied to assess differences between comparison groups. Latent class models were applied to identify EPTs and multinomial regression models to analyse the probability of belonging to one EPT of each group.Results: Men and women without SA or with SA due to other diagnoses had at least a 9% higher probability of continuing in employment compared to workers who had an SA due to cancer, especially among men without SA (adjusted IRR 1.27, 95% CI: 1.06‒1.53). Men without SA had the highest probability of having high stable EPT compared to workers who had an SA due to cancer (adjusted RRR 3.21, 95% CI: 1.87‒5.50). Conclusions: Even though workers with SA due to cancer continue working after an SA, they do it less often than matched controls and with a less stable employment trajectory. Health and social protection systems should guaranty cancer survivors the opportunity to continue voluntary participation in the labour market.
Effects of Starch Content on Hydrogen and Methane Productions, Rumen Fermentation and Microbial Protein Synthesis During in Vitro Ruminal Culture
Authors: Yi Siyu , Zhang Xiumin , Wang Min , Zou Caixia , Chen Xuezong , Zhou Juwang , Gao Cheng , Lin Bo , Tan Zhiliang
Published: August 2021

Background: Starch has faster rate of rumen fermentation than fiber, and always causes a rapid increase in ruminal molecular hydrogen (H2) partial pressure and microbial protein synthesis, which may promote other H2 sinks to compete H2 from methanogenesis. The study was designed to investigate the effects of increasing starch content on methane (CH4), hydrogen gas (gH2) production, rumen fermentation, metabolic hydrogen ([H]) production, microbial protein (MCP) synthesis through in vitro ruminal batch incubation. Methods: Seven different treatments was prepared by replacing corn straw with corn grain, and starch content were 72, 185, 297, 410, 525, 634 and 747 g/kg DM.Results: Elevating starch content increased DM degradation (Plinear < 0.001), and decreased the CH4 (Plinear and Pquadratic < 0.001) and gH2 (Plinear < 0.001) productions relative to DM degraded. Elevating starch content increased VFA concentration (Plinear < 0.001), propionate molar percentage (Plinear < 0.001; Pquadratic = 0.001) and MCP concentration (Plinear and Pquadratic < 0.001), and decreased acetate molar percentage (Plinear < 0.001), acetate to propionate ratio (Plinear < 0.001) and estimated net [H] production relative to DM degraded (Plinear < 0.001). Elevating starch content decreased molar percentage of [H] utilized for CH4 (Pquadratic = 0.003) and gH2 (Plinear < 0.001) production. Conclusion: Increasing starch content alters rumen fermentation pathway from acetate to propionate production with reduction in efficiency of [H] production, promotes H2 utilization with enhanced MCP synthesis and leads to the reduction in efficiency of CH4 and gH2 production.
Comparison of HPLC and NMR for Quantification of The Main Volatile Fatty Acids in Rumen Digesta
Authors: Wang Mengyuan , Wang Haiying , Zheng Huiru , Uhrin Dusan , Dewhurst Richard J. , Roehe Rainer
Published: August 2021

BackgroundAccurate quantification of volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations in rumen fluid are essential for research on rumen metabolism. HPLC analysis of VFAs has the advantages of relatively simple sample preparation, no derivatization and high sensitivity, but it can only be used to quantify metabolites when standards are used. 1H Nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) targeted metabolomics could provide more metabolism information by detecting the proton fingerprint of biochemical mixtures and chemometric analysis of metabolite concentration. This study comprehensively investigated the pros and cons of High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and 1H Nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) analysis methods for ruminal VFA. We also investigated the performance of several commonly used data pre-treatments for the two sets of data using correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Our work aimed primarily to verify the repeatability, precision, and limits of the methods. It provided insights into the methods used for metabolite data pre-treatment before downstream analysis. ResultsThe molar proportion and reliability analysis demonstrated that the two approaches produce highly consistent VFA concentrations. In the pre-processing of NMR spectra, line broadening and shim correction may reduce estimated concentrations of metabolites. We identified differences in results using different spectral clusters and the chemical shifts of the spectral clusters as quantitative references for VFAs were provided. Different data pre-treatment strategies tested with both HPLC and NMR significantly affected the results of downstream data analysis. “Normalized by sum” pre-treatment can eliminate the large number of positive correlations between NMR-based VFA, which is helpful for correlation analysis between metabolites. To make the differences between samples based on metabolites comparable, scaling should be used. ConclusionsRegarding the quantitative processing steps of NMR spectroscopy and subsequent data pre-treatments, the study provided the following practical suggestions. In the pre-processing of NMR spectra, line broadening and shim correction are recommended to use with caution. A “Combine” strategy should be the first choice when calculating the correlation between metabolites or between samples, but it is not applicable in PCA and PLS-DA analysis. However, the PCA and PLS-DA suggest that except for “Normalize by sum”, pre-treatments should be used with caution.
Steroid Metabolism In Thermophilic Actinobacteria Saccharopolyspora Hirsuta Subsp. Hirsuta VKM Ac-666T
Authors: Lobastova Tatyana Gennadyevna , Fokina Victoria V. , Tarlachkov Sergey V. , Shutov Andrey A. , Bragin Eugeny Yu. , Kazantsev Alexey V. , Donova Marina V.
Published: August 2021

Application of thermophile microorganisms opens new prospects in steroid biotechnology, however little is known on steroid catabolism by the thermophile strains.The thermophilic Saccharopolyspora hirsuta subsp. hirsuta strain VKM Ac-666T is capable of structural modification of different steroids, and fully degrades cholesterol. The intermediates of the cholesterol degradation pathway were identified as cholest-4-en-3-one, cholesta-1,4-dien-3-one, 26-hydroxycholest-4-en-3-one, 3-oxo-cholest-4-en-26-oic acid, 3-oxo-cholesta-1,4-dien-26-oic acid, 26-hydroxycholesterol, 3β-hydroxy-cholest-5-en-26-oic acid by MS, and H1- and C13-NMR analyses. The data evidence sterol degradation by the strain occurs simultaneously through the aliphatic side chain hydroxylation at C26 and the A-ring modification that are putatively catalyzed by cytochrome P450 monooxygenase CYP125 and cholesterol oxidase, respectively.The genes orthologous to those related to the sterol side chain degradation, steroid core rings A/B and C/D disruption and the steroid uptake were revealed. Most of the genes related to steroid degradation are grouped in three clusters. The sets of the genes putatively involved in steroid catabolism and peculiarities of their organization in S. hirsuta are discussed.Despite steroids abundancy in the environments, the ability to degrade them is not widespread among thermophilic bacteria as follows from the bioinformatic analysis of 52 publicly available genomes. Only seven candidate strains were revealed to possess the key genes related to the only known 9(10)-seco pathway of steroid degradation.The results contribute to the knowledge on diversity of microbial steroid degraders, the features of sterol catabolism by thermophilic actinobacteria and could be useful for application in the pharmaceutical and environmental biotechnology.
Profiling of microRNAs Targeting Survivin in The Iranian Patients with Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Chavoshi Hadi , Bornehdeli Soghra , Asadi Milad , Dolatkhah Roya , Shanehbandi Dariush , Raeisi Mortaza
Published: August 2021

Survivin is involved in the apoptosis of cells. Impaired levels of survivin have been associated with increased survival of tumor cells. In this study, we intended to profile the microRNAs (miRNAs) targeting survivin in the tumoral and marginal tissues obtained from Iranian patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Fifty CRC patients with Iranian Azari ethnicity were recruited. The RNA content of the tumoral and marginal tissues was isolated and the transcript levels of miR-34a, miR-16, miR-150, and miR-203a and survivin were determined through quantitative Real-time PCR. The mRNA expression of survivin was significantly increased (fold change = 3.21, P = 0.0029) in the tumoral tissues in comparison to the marginal tissues. There was significant downregulation of miR-16 (fold change = 0.28, P = 0.003) and miR-203a (fold change = 0.36, P = 0.014) in the tumoral samples in comparison to marginal samples. There was an inverse significant correlation (rho= -0.81; P < 0.001) between expression of miR-203a and mRNA expression of survivin in the tumoral tissues from CRC patients. mRNA expression of survivin was higher significantly in the tumoral tissues from CRC patients with lymph node metastasis in comparison to those without lymph node metastasis (P = 0.020). In addition, there was significantly higher miR-203 expression level in the tumoral tissues from CRC patients with lymph node metastasis in comparison to those without lymph node metastasis (P = 0.011). It is suggested that miR-203 play an oncogenic role in CRC cancer by regulating survivin and lymph node metastasis.
Comparison of Tomography Suspect Keratoconus Defined by Sirius and Pentacam in a Chinese Cohort
Authors: Feng Kang , Zhang Yu , Chen Yue-guo
Published: August 2021

Purpose: The study is to compare the proportion of tomography suspect keratoconus (TSK) defined by Sirius and Pentacam, and to explore the possible causes of the differences between them in a Chinese cohort.Methods: Single center prospective cohort study. All subjects were selected from the Peking University Third Hospital Ectasia Cornea Disease Cohort Project database, which included myopic patients seeking corneal refractive surgical corrections since the year of 2013. In this study, all cases which were examined by Sirius and Pentacam respectively and have been followed up at least 2 years without abnormalities after laser corneal refractive surgeries (LASEK, FS-LASIK or SMILE). The composition ratio of TSK from Sirius and Pentacam, corneal diameter and thickness, and variables of corneal tomographers between the ‘normal eyes’ and the ‘TSK eyes’ defined by Sirius and Pentacam were compared. Results: To the date of December 31, 2018, total 171 cases (278 eyes) were selected in this study. Total 167 (167/278, 60.1%) eyes were diagnosed of TSK by Sirius, and 203 (203/278, 73.0%) eyes were diagnosed of TSK by Pentacam (P<0.001). The corneal horizontal diameter is 11.40 and 11.60 mm in normal eyes and Sirius-TSK eyes (P<0.001). The corneal horizontal diameter is 11.74 and 11.43 mm in normal eyes and Pentacam-TSK eyes (P<0.001). The central corneal thickness measured by Sirius is 530.1 μm and 518.1 μm (P=0.001) in normal eyes and Sirius-TSK eyes. The central corneal thickness measured by Pentacam is 521.5 μm and 526.6 μm (P=0.102) in normal eyes and Pentacam-TSK eyes. Conclusions: The proportion of TSK eyes diagnosed by Sirius is less than those diagnosed by Pentacam in Chinese. Smaller corneal diameter is liable to be judged as false positive of keratoconus by Pentacam in Chinese compared with Sirius. Thinner corneal thickness is liable to be judged as false positive of keratoconus by Sirius in Chinese compared with Pentacam.
“The Effect of Atrial Septal Defect Closure on Cardiac Volumetric Changes in Adults, Transcatheter Versus Surgical Closure, and the Outcome of Tricuspid Regurgitation, a Pilot Cmr Study”
Authors: Mohamed Amr Mansour , Gamal Noha Mohamed , Mohamed Alaa Nady , Osman Amr Ibrahiem , El-maghraby Khaled Mohamed
Published: August 2021

BackgroundClosure of an atrial septal defect (ASD) reduces right heart volumes by eliminating shunting while improving left ventricle (LV) filling and function due to ventricular interdependence, thereby improving symptoms. Furthermore, studies on atrial volume changes following ASD closure are paucity. Functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is frequently seen in adult patients with ASD as a consequence of right ventricle (RV) dilatation. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is widely accepted as the gold standard method for measuring cardiac volume and mass.ObjectiveWe aimed at studying the cardiac volumetric changes preclosure and 6 months after transcatheter and surgical closure, as well as fate of TR, using CMR analysis. MethodsWe prospectively enrolled 30 adult patients with isolated secundum ASD who were referred for ASD closure. CMR evaluates the right and left atrial volumes, as well as the ventricular end diastolic and end systolic volume indexes (EDVI and ESVI), function, the mass index, and tricuspid regurgitant fraction.ResultsRV volumes decreased in both groups when compared to baseline (P value 0.001), with the device group experiencing more reduction in volumes and improvement in RV function after closure (P 0.001). In each group, the absolute value of RV mass decreased significantly from the baseline (P value (0.001)), but with no difference between groups (P value 0.31). Improvement in functional TR occurred in both groups. LVEDVI increased significantly in both groups (P values 0.001 and 0.005, respectively), with a significant improvement in the LV mass index (P value = 0.01) and a non-significant difference in LVESVI. Only device closure resulted in an improvement in LV function (63.53 ± 3.85 versus 67.13 ± 4.34, P value =0.01). There was a significant reduction in right atrial (RA) volume (P value = 0.5), with a trend to decrease in left atrial (LA) volume but it was insignificant, with no difference between groups.Conclusion﻿Our findings revealed that both procedures resulted in normalization of ventricular volume and reduction of RA volumes, with only the device group showing improvement in ventricular function. Functional TR improved after closure with either a device or a surgical approach.
Contribution of HLA Class II Genes, DRB4*01:01, DRB1*07:01, and DQB1*03:03:2 to Clinical Features of Vitiligo Disease in Iranian Population
Authors: Ghaffarnia Roya , Saffarian Zahra , Shahbazi Majid , Zamani Mahdi
Published: August 2021

Background: Vitiligo is a multifactorial depigmentation condition, which is due to skin melanocyte destruction. The increased expression of HLA class II genes in patients with pre-lesions of Vitiligo suggests an important role for the participation of immune response in the Vitiligo development. Recent studies progressively focused on HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 genes. In this study, we have evaluated the association and role of HLA-DRB4*01:01, -DRB1*07:01, and -DQB1*03:03:2 genes in different clinical subtypes of Vitiligo in the Iranian population.Methods: First, Genomic DNA from peripheral blood of 125 unrelated Vitiligo patients and 100 unrelated healthy controls were extracted through salting-out method. Then, HLA CLASS II genotyping were performed using sequence-specific primer PCR method. Finally, the clinical relevance of the testing for these genotypes were evaluated by applying the PcPPV (prevalence-corrected positive predictive value) formula.Results: Our results indicated the positive associations of DRB4*01:01 and DRB1*07:01 allelic genes with early-onset Vitiligo (P= 0.024 and 0.022, respectively). The DRB4*01:01 also showed a strong protection against late-onset Vitiligo (P= 0.0016, RR=0.360). Moreover, our data revealed that the DRB1*07:01 increases the susceptibility to Sporadic Vitiligo (P=0.030, RR=1.702). Furthermore, our findings proposed that elevated vulnerability of Vitiligo patients due to DRB4*01:01 and DRB1*07:01 alleles may be is correlated with the presence of amino acid Arginine at position 71 at pocket 4 on the antigen-binding site of the HLA-DRB1 receptor.Conclusion: Our findings on different subtypes of Vitiligo suggest that, despite a more apparent autoimmune involvement, a non-autoimmune nature for the etiology of Vitiligo could also be considered.
Enhancing the Methanol Tolerance of Candida antarctica Lipase B by Saturation Mutagenesis for Biodiesel Preparation
Authors: Tan Zhongbiao , Li Xiangqian , Shi Hao , Yin Xiulian , Zhu Xiaoyan , Bilal Muhammad , Onchari Mary Mongina
Published: August 2021

Methanol tolerance of a lipase is one of the important factors affecting its esterification ability in biodiesel preparation. By B factor indicated prediction of Candida antarctica lipase B (CalB) surface amino acids, 8 sites (Val139, Ala146, Leu147, Pro218, Val286, Ala287, Val306, and Gly307) with high B value indicating more flexibility were chosen to perform saturation mutagenesis. High-methanol-tolerant variants, CalB-P218W and -V306N, created larger haloes on emulsified tributyrin solid plate including 15% (v/v) methanol and showed 19% and 31% higher activity over CalB-WT (wild type), respectively. By modeling, a newly formed hydrogen bond in CalB-V306N and hydrophobic force in CalB-P218W contributing more stability in protein may have resulted in increased methanol tolerance. CalB-P218W and -V306N transesterified the soybean oil into biodiesel at 30 °C by 85% and 89% yield, respectively, over 82% by CalB-WT for 24 h reactions. These results may provide a basis for molecular engineering of CalB and expand its applications in fuel industries. The as-developed semi-rational method could be utilized to enhance the stabilities of many other industrial enzymes.
Using Machine Learning Techniques In Multi -Hazards Assessment of Golestan National Park, Iran
Authors: Faramarzi Hassan , Hosseini Seyed Mohsen , Pourghasemi Hamid Reza , Farnaghi Mahdi
Published: August 2021

Golestan National Park is one of the oldest biosphere reserves exposed to environmental hazards due to growing demand, geographical location of the park, mountainous conditions, and developments in the last five decades. The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential environmental hazards using machine-learning techniques. In this study, maximum entropy, random forest, boosted regression tree, generalized additive model, and support vector machine methods were applied to model environmental hazards and evaluate the impact of affecting agents, their area of influence, and interactions. After data collection and preprocessing, the models were implemented, tuned, and trained, and their accuracies were determined using the receiver operating characteristic curve. The results indicate the high importance of climatic and human variables, including rainfall, temperature, presence of shepherds, and villagers for fire hazards, elevation, transit roads, temperature, and rainfall for the formation of floodplains, and elevation, transit roads, rainfall, and topographic wetness index in the occurrence of landslides in the national park. The boosted regression tree model with a ROC value of 0.98 for flooding, 0.97 for fire, and 0.93 for landslide hazards, had the best performance. The modeling estimated that, on average, 16.2% of the area of Golestan National Park has a high potential for landslides, 14% has a high potential for fire, and 7.2% has a high potential for flooding.
Combination of Pigment Epithelium Derived Factor (PEDF) With Anti- Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) Therapy Protects the Retina From Ischemic Damage
Authors: Xi Lei
Published: August 2021

BackgroundOcular ischemia is a vision-threatening disease, and is a medical condition associated with many ocular diseases. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy successfully prevents the progression of retinal neovascularization caused by ocular ischemia. Anti-VEGF therapy has limitations related to its side effects and suppression of physiological revascularization. Pigment epithelium derived factor (PEDF) has anti-angiogenesis and neurotrophic neuroprotective functions. It is a promising agent in the treatment of ischemia-induced retinal neurodegeneration. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of PEDF and anti-VEGF and the combined therapy on the ischemic rat eye model ex vivo.MethodsWe have previously established an ex vivo model of rat ocular ischemia by incubating the freshly enucleated eye in Dulbecco's modified eagle medium (DMEM) at 4 ℃ for 14 hours. This ex vivo eye model has already been confirmed as an ocular ischemia model. In this study, 36 eyes of 18 rats were used and each group included 6 eyes. The PEDF protein (10μg, 4μl), anti-VEGF drug (Avastin, 50μg, 4μl) or combined PEDF/Avastin (10μg PEDF + 50μg Avastin, 4μl) were intravitreally injected after eye enucleation. Fourteen hours later, eyes were fixed by formalin and immunohistochemical staining for VEGF, PEDF and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was performed. The immunohistochemical staining intensity was analyzed for each group. Tunnel staining was used to determine the apoptosis of retinal neural cells.ResultsThe immunohistochemical staining intensity of VEGF and GFAP was significantly reduced in the neuroretina, the RPE cell layer and the choroidal vessels of the double treatment (PEDF/Anti-VEGF) eyes compared to the vehicle, PEDF, and anti-VEGF treatment alone. The intravitreally injected PEDF protein can penetrate the retina and locate in the neural retina, the RPE layer and the choroidal vessels. Compared to the vehicle-treated group, both the PEDF-treated and the double-treated groups showed significantly decreased number of TUNEL-positive nuclei, and the PEDF/Anti-VEGF treatment group had the least TUNEL-positive nuclei.Conclusions﻿PEDF/Anti-VEGF therapy shows a synergistic effect in the treatment of ischemic eye diseases. The combination of PEDF and anti-VEGF drug (Avastin) is a possible therapeutic strategy against ischemic retinal and choroidal diseases.
Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction Alleviates Symptoms in Rats With Functional Dyspepsia Through EGC-Derived NGF
Authors: li juanjuan , Xu Lin , Lv Lin , Zeng Enjin , Zhang Zedan , Wang Fengyun , Tang Xudong
Published: August 2021

Background: Xiangsha Liujunzi (XSLJZ) decoction is a traditional chinese prescription that shows to be effective in functional dyspepsia (FD). However, the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. Nerve growth factor (NGF) secreted from enteric glial cells (EGCs) is associated with visceral hypersensitivity (VH), which has been wildly accepted as the main pathological mechanism of FD. But it is not clear whether and how EGC-derived NGF contributes to VH in FD. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of XSLJZ decoction on FD and investigate whether XSLJZ decoction relieves VH by inhibiting EGC-derived NGF and TrkA-Akt-TRPV1 axis.Methods: FD rat models were established using iodoacetamide and modified multiple platform method. The validation of FD model and effects of XSLJZD decoction on FD were evaluated in terms of weight, food intake, hematoxylin-eosin staining and Von Frey test. The expression levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), NGF and transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) were detected by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis. The expression of TrkA and Akt was determined by western blot analysis. The co-localization of GFAP and NGF was observed by double-label immunofluorescence.Results: XSLJZ decoction increased the weight, food intake and pain threshold of FD rats. The expression levels of GFAP and NGF, together with NGF-positive EGCs were increased in FD rats, but decreased following XSLJZ decoction treatment. Furthermore, XSLJZ decoction downregulated the over-expression of TrkA, Akt and TRPV1 in FD rats.Conclusions: XSLJZ decoction can effectively improve the symptoms of FD and alleviate VH in FD, which may be mediated via EGC-derived NGF and TrkA-Akt-TRPV1 axis.
Alienated and unsafe: Life through the Covid-19 lockdown for vulnerable young people (aged 11-24 years) as revealed in web-based therapeutic sessions with mental health professionals
Authors: Mindel Charlotte , Oppong Crystal , Salhi Louisa , Lockwood Joanna
Published: August 2021

Background

The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have detrimentally and disproportionately affected young people, with those who are considered vulnerable due to their experiences or life circumstances disadvantaged further still. In this study, we seek to understand the experiences of vulnerable young people accessing web-based therapeutic support during the pandemic and early lockdown, as revealed through the observations of mental health professionals.
Methods

Four focus groups with twelve web-based mental health professionals from the service Kooth were conducted on Zoom, and data analysed using thematic analysis. Participatory workshops with young people with diverse experiences supplemented the study approach and design and involved young people in the co-design of the focus group topic guide and the interpretation and validation of analysis.
Results

Four main themes and additional sub-themes were identified relating to the experiences of vulnerable young people on a web-based mental health platform. These were Escalation of risk, The Experience and Consequence of Loss, Feeling Supported and Empowered, and Feeling Separate and Isolated.
Conclusions

Findings broadly reflect early data that suggests that those with existing vulnerability face increased risk of poor outcomes through the pandemic and the restrictions of lockdown, but evidence is also provided of positive outcomes from lockdown and its function as a catalyst for change. Results reinforce that focused support for vulnerable young people is a priority as we emerge from lockdown and points to support and protective factors of relevance to online and offline support provision. The study uniquely contributes qualitative insight from web-based mental health professionals who have provided continuity of care to vulnerable youth from pre-pandemic and during lockdown and are therefore well-positioned to understand the impact of lockdown on the lives of service users. The robust youth-based participatory design is an additional study strength.
Reinforcing the Supply Chain of Umifenovir and Other Antiviral Drugs with Retrosynthetic Software
Authors: Lin Yingfu , Zhang Zirong , Mahjour Babak , Wang Di , Zhang Rui , Shim Eunjae , McGrath Andrew , Shen Yuning , Brugger Nadia , Turnbull Rachel , Trice Sarah , Jasty Shashi , Cernak Tim
Published: August 2021

The global disruption caused by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic stressed the supply chain of many products, including pharmaceuticals. Multiple drug repurposing studies for COVID-19 are now underway. If a winning therapeutic emerges, it is unlikely that the existing inventory of the medicine, or even the chemical raw materials needed to synthesize it, will be available in the quantities required. We used retrosynthetic software to arrive at alternate chemical supply chains for the antiviral drug umifenovir, as well as eleven other antiviral and anti-inflammatory drugs. We have experimentally validated four routes to umifenovir and one route to bromhexine. In several instances, the software utilizes C–H functionalization logic, and one route to umifenovir employs functionalization of six C–H bonds. The general strategy we apply can be used to identify distinct starting materials, and relieve stress on existing supply chains.
The Cost-Effectiveness of B-type Natriuretic Peptide-Guided Care in Compared to Standard Clinical Assessment in Outpatients With Heart Failure in Tehran, Iran
Authors: Rezapour Aziz , Palmer Andrew J , Alipour Vahid , Hajahmadi Marjan , Jafari Abdosaleh
Published: August 2021

Background: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is commonly used as a diagnostic method for patients with heart failure. This study was designed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of BNP compared to standard clinical assessment in outpatients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in Tehran, Iran. Methods: This study was a cost-effectiveness analysis carried on 400 HFrEF outpatients > 45 years who were admitted to Rasoul Akram General Hospital of Tehran, Iran. A Markov model with a lifetime horizon was developed to evaluate economic and clinical outcomes for BNP and standard clinical assessment. Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), direct, and indirect costs collected from the patients. Results: The results of this study indicated that mean QALYs and cost were estimated to be 2.28 QALYs and $1835 for BNP and 1.9 and $2376 for standard clinical assessment, respectively. In terms of reducing costs and increasing QALYs, BNP was dominant compared to standard clinical assessment. Also, BNP had a 90% probability of being cost-effective versus standard clinical assessment if the willingness to pay threshold is higher than $20800/QALY gained.Conclusion:Based on the results of the present study, measuring BNP levels represents good value for money, decreasing costs and increasing QALYs compared to standard clinical assessment. It is suggested that the costs of the BNP test be covered by insurance in Iran. The result of the current study has important implications for policymakers in developing clinical guidelines for the diagnosis of heart failure.
Rapid brain atrophy after COVID-19 encephalitis; Disintegrata Furiosa!
Authors: MARAMATTOM BOBY VARKEY , Rao Tejaswi
Published: August 2021

Objectives: We had a patient with COVID-19 encephalitis who demonstrated striking brain atrophy on 3 MRI scans 60 days apart. We aimed to quantify the volume loss and brain atrophy. This is the first report that quantifies brain atrophy with COVID encephalitis.Methods: A 75 year old partially vaccinated man with COVID encephalitis underwent 3 serial MRI scans. Manual volumetry using PACS software was used to average and quantify brain atrophy between the three scans.Results: In 60 days, our patient had approximately 11.52 % (117 ml) of forebrain atrophy, which corresponded to 78 years of accelerated aging. Cerebellar atrophy of 6.2% (7.7 cc) was also noted. Discussion: We have demonstrated striking brain atrophy with COVID encephalitis. Brain involvement and atrophy or connectome disruptions might contribute to post COVID cognitive impairment. Serial MRI scans after COVID-19 and volumetric analysis may detect post COVID brain atrophy as a cause of cognitive dysfunction.
The Role of Risk Factors in the Development of Tuberculosis in Children Exposed to Rifampicin Resistant Tuberculosis
Authors: Nikiforenko N. A. , Lozovskaya M. E. , Novik G. А. , Derevyanko А. V. , Kochmarev N. V.
Published: August 2021

The objective: to identify factors of a higher risk to develop tuberculosis in children exposed to tuberculosis cases resistant or sensitive to rifampicin.

Subjects 161 children under 6 years old exposed to tuberculosis in their families were enrolled in the retrospective study. The children were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 (n = 92) – children free of TB; Group 2 (n = 69) – children ill with TB. In each group, two subgroups were identified: those with index cases susceptible to rifampicin (RS) 1A (n = 40) and 2A (n = 43) and those with index cases resistant to rifampicin (RR) 1Б (n = 52) and 2Б (n = 26).

Results. Exposure to isoniazid resistant tuberculosis increases the risk of TB in the child by 12 times, on the opposite, drug resistance to rifampicin provides no impact on the risk to develop tuberculosis. If the child is exposed to 2 cases of tuberculosis and more, the risk to develop tuberculosis increases by 2-14 times. BCG vaccination of the child exposed to tuberculosis reduces the risk to develop tuberculosis by 2-13 times.
Dexmedetomidine as the Component of Multimodal Analgesia in Vitreoretinal Surgery
Authors: Berlinsky Vadim V. , Maksimov V. Yu. , Chumakov L. A. , Kozlov S. A.
Published: August 2021

The study of efficacy and safety of using of the dexmedetomidine related to the group of central agonists of α2-adrenoceptor as the component of multimodal analgesia in vitreoretinal surgery was carried out. Objectives. For this purpose 2 groups of patients after vitreoretinal surgical interventions were examined prospectively. Materials and methods. Evaluation of anesthesia adequacy was performed using the following parameters: depth of sedation level and consciousness depression, which were estimated by means of Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale. The degree of collaboration with physician was also evaluated. Monitoring of arterial pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and SpO2 were conducted. Assessment of pain syndrome was performed with use of verbal descriptive scale of pain intraoperatively and at early postoperative period. The perioperative consumption of fentanyl was taken into consideration. Conclusions. Analysis of the results allowed to conclude that the usage of dexmedetomidine reduced perioperative consumption of opioid analgesics and severity of hemodynamic responses, it helped to maintain consciousness at a comfortable level both for patients and operators.
Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, Problems of Diagnosis and Therapy
Authors: Pоvzun A. S. , Krylov K. M. , Krylov P. K. , Furman I. B. , Belousova I. E. , Michunskii K. E. , Orlova Olga V.
Published: August 2021

The review discusses modern ideas about the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a potentially life-threatening muco-cutaneous reactions. Given a description of two clinical cases.
Modern Postoperative Pain to the Treatment Approaches in Oncogynecology
Authors: Khusainova I. I. , Bayalieva Aynagul Zh.
Published: August 2021

Effective postoperative analgesia is one of the successful rehabilitation conditions. Mechanisms of postoperative pain have been being studied by now, and more new analgesics and anesthesia techniques are introduced. The range of surgical interventions in oncogynecology is wide: from minimally invasive laparoscopic operations to radical hysterectomies involving healthy tissues and removal of regional lymph nodes. Postoperative pain following radical hysterectomy with an intensity of more than 6 on visual analogue scale (VAS) requires multimodal pain therapy. Inadequate pain management leads to its transformation to a chronic condition, a neuropathic pain, associated with not fully reversible changes in patient’s brain. This article is based on the results of a systematic literature review developed by PROSPECT (cooperation of surgeons and anaesthesiologists in developing guidelines for specific procedures and manipulations). It deals with optimization of pain management highlighting new post-operative care principles.
SINGLE PHASE REDUCED ORDER AC-AC RESONANT- FREQUENCY CONVERTER
Authors:   Electrical Engineering Department,Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology,Gorakhpur, India., Sharma Anukriti , Singh Navdeep ,   Electrical Engineering Department,Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology,Gorakhpur, India.
Published: August 2021

This paper presents the performance analysis of proposed circuit of Single-Phase Reduced Order AC-AC Resonant Frequency Converter. AC-AC converter is minimized number of switches for multi-operation and resonant converter is converter work on the principle of ZCS (Zero Current Switching) and ZVS (Zero Voltage Switching) combining both topology, which provide better output with reduce THD and switching losses. A mathematical modeling is done for proper value of used parameters in converter. The output of converter is improved by applying Modulation technique in this converter we are using Trapezoidal Pulse Width Modulation (TPWM) for the better performance and control. THD of the converter is calculated by using MATLAB simulation software. MATALB simulation of AC â€“AC Resonate Frequency Converter is done by using MOSFET as switch.
EFFECTIVENESS AND OUTCOMES OF H-ISDN IN ADDITION TO CONVENTIONAL THERAPY IN ACUTE HEART FAILURE PATIENTS WITH RENAL IMPAIRMENT
Authors:   Graduate Student(Pharm D), Darussalam, Aghapura, Hyderabad-500001,Telangana., Khan Faizah , Sultana Tayseen ,   Graduate Student(Pharm D), Darussalam, Aghapura, Hyderabad-500001,Telangana., Hafsa Syeda ,   Graduate Student(Pharm D), Darussalam, Aghapura, Hyderabad-500001,Telangana., Anjum Hafsa ,   Graduate Student(Pharm D), Darussalam, Aghapura, Hyderabad-500001,Telangana., Unnisa Begum Azmath ,   Professor, Department of Pharmacology,Deccan School of Pharmacy,Darussalam,Aghapura,Hyderabad-500001,Telangana., Rajashekar Reddy G. ,   Professor,Department of Cardiology,Princess Esra Hospital,Deccan College of Medical Sciences, Shah AliBanda,Hyderabad-500002,Telangana., Golla Abhishek ,   Assistant Professor,Department of Cardiology,Princess Esra Hospital,Deccan College of Medical Sciences,Shah Ali Banda,Hyderabad-500002,Telangana.
Published: August 2021

Objective:The primary objective of the study is todetermine whether the addition of H-ISDN to conventional therapy improves the cardiovascular outcomes and also to assess both short term(1 and 3 months) and long term outcomes(1 year). Materials and Methods:This is a prospective observational study.A total of 82 acute heart failure patients with renal impairment were divided into two groups based on exposure to H-ISDNGroup I-Patients on H-ISDN plus conventional therapyGroup II-Patients on conventional therapy. Followup of all the subjects to study the outcomes of improvement in NYHA class,rehospitalisation and mortality rate at 1 month,3 months and 1 year was done for both the groups. Results:We observed that out of the 82 acute heart failure patients with renal impairment,43 patients were receiving H-ISDN in addition to conventional therapy(Group I) and 39 patients were receiving conventional therapy(Group II) .The length of stay(6.03Â± 2.906 vs 6.93Â± 3.845) was shorter in the treated group when compared to the non treated group.A greater difference in reduced hospitalisation was seen at 3 months(2.32% vs 12.82%).The treated group had higher improvement in NYHA class at 1 month(67.44% vs 46.15%), 3 months(51.16% vs 41.02%) and 1 year (44.18% vs 20.51%P=0.023). Conclusion:Acute heart failure patients with renal impairment have poor prognosis. Randomised controlled trials are required to validate if the use of H-ISDN is associated with better outcomes in AHF patients.
SEVEREULCERATIVE COLITIS ASSOCIATED WITH COOMBS POSITIVE AUTOIMMUNE HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA TREATED WITH INFLIXIMAB
Authors: a Busbaih , Abdulmajeed Albatool , b Hodaya , Ali Ghufran , c Busbaih , Salman Jawad
Published: August 2021

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia is rarely associated with ulcerative colitis, and counts only for 0.2-0.7% of adult patient.Coombs positive autoimmune hemolytic anemia which account for only 1.82% in patient with ulcerative colitis without any hemolytic evidence(1). Here we report a case of sever ulcerative colitis associated with Coombs positive autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) in response to Infliximab.
IMPACT OF TRAINING ON THE AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE ON IMPROVED PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES IN RED GRAM AMONG FARMERS
Authors:   Assistant Professor (Agricultural Extension), Horticultural College and Research Institute, Periyakulam., Vanetha K.P.
Published: August 2021

The training of farmers is a critical input for the rapid transfer of agricultural technologies. The present rate of agricultural production can be doubled if the available technologies are brought to bear with the production process and programmes focusing more and more on transferring our new technologies away from the confines of laboratories and research institutions to the farmers and make them more result and work oriented. In this context, training plays an important role to the farming community in boosting their farm production. Training for the farmer proved to be a significant input in accelerating our farm production. The present study was undertaken in the three blocks of the Madurai District of Tamil Nadu , 120 farmers were selected for the study. These farmers were trained at KVK in different aspects of Red gram production technologies. A knowledge test was developed to ascertain the knowledge of farmers on various aspects of Red gram cultivation technologies. The result exhibits that majority of the respondents were in middle age group, had middle school education, The findings of the study revealed that very few farmers were aware of the new technologies like redgram transplanting, after attending training programme they have got awareness on seed treatment with biofertilizer, weed management, water management techniques (74.00%), respectively and there was an increase in knowledge gain by the farmers after attending the training programme.
A SUSTAINABILITY OPTION: A META-ANALYTIC EVALUATION OF RAIL SERVICE QUALITY IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION STUDY AND PASSENGER SATISFACTION
Authors:   Malaysia University of Science and Technology School of Transport and Logistics, LASU., Olayiwola Mojeed Giwa , Mohammadreza Ghadiri Seyed ,   Malaysia University of Science and Technology School of Transport and Logistics, LASU., Kayode Opeifa ,   Malaysia University of Science and Technology School of Transport and Logistics, LASU.
Published: August 2021

These contradictory findings, as well as the increased emphasis among transport professionals on having satisfied passengers, highlight the important information on passenger pleasure to appraise existing data. And also evaluate the meta-analytical relationship of the reported passenger satisfaction findings. However, the equity and disconfirmation model are most significantly associated with passenger satisfaction, according to the document. Discovery shows that the analysis measures and procedure elements often alter the strength of the association between satisfaction and its experiences and outcomes. The authors examined the consequences of these impacts and suggest numerous research avenues for future study.