Search

The niche and fitness differences of modern coexistence theory separate mechanisms into stabilizing and equalizing components. Although this decomposition can help us predict and understand species coexistence, the extent to which mechanistic inference is sensitive to the method used to partition niche and fitness differences remains unclear. We apply two alternative methods to assess niche and fitness differences to four well-known community models. We show that because standard methods based on linear approximations do not capture the full community dynamics, they can sometimes lead to incorrect predictions of coexistence and misleading interpretations of stabilizing and equalizing mechanisms. Specifically, they fail when both species occupy the same niche or in the presence of positive frequency dependence. Conversely, a more recently developed method to decompose niche and fitness differences, which accounts for the full non-linear dynamics of competition, consistently identifies the correct contribution of stabilizing and equalizing components. This approach further reveals that when the true complexity of the system is taken into account, essentially all mechanisms comprise both stabilizing and equalizing components and that local maxima and minima of stabilizing and equalizing mechanisms exist. Amidst growing interest in the role of non-additive and higher order interactions in regulating species coexistence, we propose that the effective decomposition of niche and fitness differences will become increasingly reliant on methods that account for the inherent non-linearity of community dynamics.

This article describes high-yield procedures for protection of purine ribonucleosides based on a reaction that allows highly regioselective 2'-silylation. Each protocol makes use of two transient protection steps. In the case of tritylation of the 5' hydroxyl, the 2',3'-diol is protected by reaction with N,N-dimethylformamide dimethylacetal (Zemlicka, 1963) to prevent the small, but potentially troublesome, tritylation of the 2'-hydroxyl that otherwise accompanies tritylation of the 5'-hydroxyl (Zhang et al., 1997). The phenoxyacetylation of the amino group is carried out after transient hydroxyl and guanine O

Total bacterial count (TBC) is a widely accepted index for assessing microbial quality of milk, and cultivation-based methods are commonly used as standard methods for its measurement. However, these methods are laborious and time-consuming. This study proposes a method combining E-nose technology and artificial neural network for rapid prediction of TBC in milk. The qualitative model generated an accuracy rate of 100% when identifying milk samples with high, medium, or low levels of TBC, on both the testing and validating subsets. Predicted TBC values generated by the quantitative model demonstrated strong coefficient of multiple determination (R2 > 0.99) with reference values. Mean relative difference between predicted and reference values (mean ± standard deviation) of TBC were 1.1 ± 1.7% and 0.4 ± 0.8% on the testing and validating subsets involving 24 and 28 tested samples, respectively. Paired t-test implied that the difference between predicted and reference values of TBC was insignificant for both the testing and validating subsets. As low as ~1 log cfu/mL of TBC present in tested samples were precisely predicted. Results of this study indicated that combination of E-nose technology and artificial neural network generated reliable predictions of TBC in milk. The method proposed in this study was reliable, rapid, and cost efficient for assessing microbial quality milk, and thus would potentially have realistic application in dairy section.

Rapid and accurate pathogen identification is necessary for appropriate treatment of pneumonia. Here, we describe the use of shotgun metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of bronchoalveolar lavage for pathogen identification in pneumonia in a large-scale multicenter prospective study with 159 patients enrolled. The results of mNGS were compared with standard methods including culture, staining, and targeted PCR, and the clinical impact of mNGS was evaluated. A positive impact was defined by a definitive diagnosis made using the mNGS results, or change of management because of the mNGS results, leading to a favorable clinical outcome. Overall, mNGS identified more organisms than standard methods (117 versus 72), detected 17 pathogens that consistently were missed in all cases by standard methods, and had an overall positive clinical impact in 40.3% (64 of 159) of cases. mNGS was especially useful in identification of fastidious and atypical organisms causing pneumonia, contributing to detection of definitive pathogens in 45 (28.3%) cases in which standard results were either negative or insufficient. mNGS also helped reassure antibiotic de-escalation in 19 (11.9%) cases. Overall, mNGS led to a change of treatment in 59 (37.1%) cases, including antibiotic de-escalation in 40 (25.2%) cases. This study showed the significant value of mNGS of bronchoalveolar lavage for improving the diagnosis of pneumonia and contributing to better patient care.

Objective Our objectives were to evaluate nutrient mass balance in feedlots and to determine climactic and management factors affecting nutrient recovery in manure, and to understand sources of variability. Materials and Methods Data from 15 summer- and winter-feeding periods at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Education Center feedlot, including 416 independent pen measurements, were summarized for nutrient mass balance and used to determine sources of variability affecting nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) using linear regression. Results and Discussion The quantity of manure N collected was less (P ASABE (2014) standard of 88.5 g/steer daily. Likewise, the quantity of manure P collected for summer was less than winter (P ASABE, 2014 ). The season (summer vs. winter) cattle were fed affected manure nutrient retention and loss. Additionally, feed N intake partially predicted manure N (R2 = 0.22, P Implications and Applications Our analysis identifies challenges associated with planning based on standard methods for estimating manure characteristics. Nutrient composition based on seasonal specific manure analysis is critical. If not available, timing of seasonal feeding period and dietary nutrient concentration may assist with adjusting standardized estimates.

Ayurved advocates that drug should be collected with proper classical methods. In Ayurvedic texts, specific time, season and procedures or methods have been highlighted for getting better potency, efficacy and therapeutic properties of drug by describing the standard methods of drug collection and preservation in details. Now a day, due to lack of proper traditional knowledge and time very few people bother to follow all these methods of collection given by Acharya. Hence, the potency of medicines is of question. Aragvadha (Cassia fistula Linn.) has been popular as a common drug of choice treatment since ancient time. Classic text like Charaka Samhita has quoted the classical and particular method for the collection and preservation of Aragvadha Phalamajja (Cassia fistula Linn.). Acharya Charaka has quoted this collection method of Aragvadha Phalamajja(Cassia fistula Linn.)as follows- The good qualities of collected pods should be kept covered in river bed sand for seven days. After seven days these pods should be removed and kept in sunlight for some time. And thereafter, fruit pulp (phalamajja) should be extracted and stored in a clean vessel. Therefore, study of classically collected Aragvadha Phalamajja (Cassia fistula Linn.) and Market sample of Aragvadha Phalamajja (Cassia fistula Linn.) was carried out.

The outbreak of the coronavirus is in its growing stage due to the lack of standard diagnosis for the patients. The situation of any populous area in a geographic location is very critical due to the quick virus spread from an infected individual to the rest. Currently, medical administration is at a crisis point due to the rapidly increasing number of cases and limited medical facilities. Thus, it is time to explore and design an intelligent model to monitor patient health symptoms remotely and predict and detect the abnormality of the patient’s health status in quick succession. Thus, the health status of a coronavirus-affected patient can be identified via a well-adjusted predictive model by analyzing the observed parameters of the health. In the proposed model, an Auto-regressive Integrated Moving Average is incorporated to design a predictive model to find the kth forecast of the observed health symptoms of a patient, and Akaike Information Criteria based selection is introduced to find the current best-fit prediction model. Further, the features are extracted from the forecast over each symptom to find a pattern of each patient, and the patterns are learned by the K-Means algorithm to detect the symptomatic and asymptomatic patient intelligently. To demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed model, we evaluate the model using a synthetic dataset, generated from the health symptoms of 400 patients and compare the performance of the model with the standard methods.

A vast amount of works is devoted to studying the heart rate variability (HRV). The article covers a literature review on modern concepts about heart rate variability as a method for estimation of mechanisms of physiological functions regulation in a human body, standard methods of the analysis and opportunities of clinical application. The heart rhythm is the indicator of the deviations arising in vegetative nervous system, and change of heart rhythm — the earliest prognostic sign of many diseases. In clinical practice, the analysis of HRV finds wider application in basic diseases in gastroenterological practice (gastroesophageal reflux disease, peptic ulcer, irritable bowel syndrome), interaction of compartments of the vegetative nervous system in various gastroenterological pathologies. Patients with different pathologies of digestive system are examined using the up-to-date Precise-diagnostics to determine adaptive and vegetative disorders in State Institution “Institute of Gastroenterology of Medical Sciences of Ukraine”. Precise-diagnostics defines stress level and possible risk to predict complications in patients with gastrointestinal diseases. The treatment using the virtual reality is used for patients with revealed disorders. The Precise-diagnostics uses a unique cloud-based algorithm to quickly analyze an ECG interpretation and produces within seconds a detailed report based on HRV аnalysis and the full range of the standardized Minnesota Code classification system for electrocardiographic findings. Cloud and the PRECISE Report are the latest medical innovations developed and being brought to market by Precise Cardiology Limited. They are unique detailed cloud-based electrocardiogram instant interpretation products aimed initially at the GP and medical diagnostic companies but with wider potential beyond including artificial intelligence enhancement.

A hardware and software system for point-of-care (bedside) testing of the functional state of the hemostasis system using the patient’s native blood has been developed. The block diagram of the system is presented and the main hardware and software solutions are described. A piezotransducer for low-frequency piezotromboelasto-graphy has been designed. The developed hardware and software system has been used for real-time monitoring of vascular platelet hemostasis in volunteers. The test has demonstrated a high degree of compliance with the standard methods for assessing the functional state of the hemostasis system. An advantage of the system is that it provides point-of-care testing of whole blood.

Studies have found that the CEN and NFRC methods produce different U-values for the same window. A comparative evaluation of the NFRC and CEN U-value calculation methods was conducted for North American residential high performance window products, as well as several parameters that are most influential in determining the whole window U-value for high performance windows, when utilizing different assumptions and boundary conditions, in North America’s eight climate zones. Using 2-D simulation software, THERM and WINDOW, four North American high performance frame types with double, triple and quad glazing combinations, were simulated and calculated according to the NFRC and CEN standard methods. Overall, the trend showed that for the specific window combinations of this study, the higher the performance of the IGU, the lesser the differences in the whole window U-value of both methods. Several strategies were proposed to support the possibility of the harmonization of both calculation methods.

Background Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) detection in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can provide additional value in the diagnosis of germinoma. However, matrix effects can influence the results when alternative sample types are used. Therefore, modified-cleared/approved methods, which are standard methods used outside their intended scope, are of interest. The aim of the present study was to establish a model to validate modified-approved methods in agreement with the College of American Pathologists (CAP) accreditation requirements. Methods Concentrations of hCG in CSF were determined by means of electrochemiluminescence immunoassay using a Roche Cobas e 602 immunoassay analyzer. Based on the intended use, the following performance characteristics were evaluated: precision, the limit of quantitation (LoQ), and the analytical measurement range (AMR). The reference interval (RI) was also established. For the clinical application study, CSF and serum hCG were measured in 10 patients diagnosed with germinoma. Results The intra- and inter-assay precisions at two levels (10, 250 IU/L) were 0.64 and 0.57% and 4.26 and 3.54%, respectively. The LoQ for hCG was determined to be 0.25 IU/L. The AMR was set from 0.2 to 1,200 IU/L. The RI for hCG in CSF was below 0.40 IU/L. The CSF hCG levels of 10 patients were all above 0.4 IU/L before therapy. Conclusion Modified-approved methods were validated and showed that the quality specifications of the medical laboratory have a positive value in the clinical context. The illustration of quantification of hCG in CSF resulted in compliance with the CAP accreditation requirements.

Sustainability Rating Systems are standard methods for achieving sustainable development of buildings and urban landscapes. However, they suffer from low adoption and implementation rates, mainly d...

Key Message: Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) can perform similarly or better than standard genomic prediction methods when sufficient genetic, environmental, and management data are provided. Abstract: Predicting phenotypes from genetic (G), environmental (E), and management (M) conditions is a long-standing challenge with implications to agriculture, medicine, and conservation. Most methods reduce the factors in a dataset (feature engineering) in a subjective and potentially oversimplified manner. Deep neural networks such as Multilayer Perceptrons (MPL) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) can overcome this by allowing the data itself to determine which factors are most important. CNN models were developed for predicting agronomic yield from a combination of replicated trials and historical yield survey data. The results were more accurate than standard methods when tested on held-out G, E, and M data (r = 0.50 vs. r = 0.43), and performed slightly worse than standard methods when only G was held out (r = 0.74 vs. r = 0.80). Pre-training on historical data increased accuracy compared to trial data alone. Saliency map analysis indicated the CNN has “learned” to prioritize many factors of known agricultural importance.

Students’ academic performance in the university environment changes from one academic year to another as they climb up the ladder of their academic programme. Predicting students’ academic performance in higher educational institutions is challenging due to the lack of a central database of students’ performance records. The other challenge is the lack of standard methods for predicting students’ performance and other moderating factors like physical, economic and health that affect students’ progress. In this work, we predicted students’ performance based on previous academic results. A model to predict students’ performance based on their Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) was developed using Linear Regression Algorithm. A dataset of 70 undergraduate students studying Computer Science was analyzed and the results show that the model was able to predict the 4th year CGPA of the Students using the previous Cumulative Grade Point of the past three years with an accuracy of 87.84%, and a correlation of 0.9338. This study also identified students’ second semester CGPA in the first year and their first semester CGPA in the second year as the most important CGPAs that affect the accuracy

The glacier mass balance is an important variable to describe the climate system and is used for various applications like water resource management or runoff modelling. The direct or glaciological method and the geodetic method are the standard methods to quantify glacier mass changes, and both methods are an integral part of international glacier monitoring strategies. In 2011, we established two glacier mass-balance programmes on Yala and Rikha Samba glaciers in the Nepal Himalaya. Here we present the methods and data of the directly measured annual mass balances for the first six mass-balance years for both glaciers from 2011/2012 to 2016/2017. For Yala Glacier we additionally present the directly measured seasonal mass balance from 2011 to 2017, as well as the mass balance from 2000 to 2012 obtained with the geodetic method. In addition, we analysed glacier length changes for both glaciers. The directly measured average annual mass-balance rates of Yala and Rikha Samba glaciers are −0.80 ± 0.28 and −0.39 ± 0.32 m w.e. a−1, respectively, from 2011 to 2017. The geodetically measured annual mass-balance rate of Yala Glacier based on digital elevation models from 2000 and 2012 is −0.74 ± 0.53 m w.e. The cumulative mass loss for the period 2011 to 2017 for Yala and Rikha Samba glaciers is −4.80 ± 0.69 and −2.34 ± 0.79 m w.e., respectively. The mass loss on Yala Glacier from 2000 to 2012 is −8.92 ± 6.33 m w.e. The winter balance of Yala Glacier is positive, and the summer balance is negative in every investigated year. The summer balance determines the annual balance. Compared to regional mean geodetic mass-balance rates in the Nepalese Himalaya, the mean mass-balance rate of Rikha Samba Glacier is in a similar range, and the mean mass-balance rate of Yala Glacier is more negative because of the small and low-lying accumulation area. During the study period, a change of Yala Glacier's surface topography has been observed with glacier thinning and downwasting. The retreat rates of Rikha Samba Glacier are higher than for Yala Glacier. From 1989 to 2013, Rikha Samba Glacier retreated 431 m (−18.0 m a−1), and from 1974 to 2016 Yala Glacier retreated 346 m (−8.2 m a−1). The data of the annual and seasonal mass balances, point mass balance, geodetic mass balance, and length changes are accessible from the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS, 2021), https://doi.org/10.5904/wgms-fog-2021-05.

Acoustical consultants often receive inquiries regarding noise complaints, particularly from occupants of multi-unit residential buildings. The noise complaints are typically regarding building services noise, other transient noises caused by the building or building elements, or due to noise from neighbours. While guidelines with respect to "acceptable" noise intrusion and levels for some sources exist, often the guideline criteria are not applicable, and the assessment must be based on proposed criteria by the acoustical consultant. This can leave uncertainty and ambiguity in terms of what is and what is not a valid noise complaint. The development of a standard procedure and criteria for the assessment of noise complaints would be a significant undertaking, but would be invaluable to acoustical engineers, multi-unit residential strata/condominium/co-op board members, property management, and the general public. This paper reviews relevant literature, outlines the major components for consideration in the development of a standard procedure and criteria, and will put forth a recommended framework for a standard approach.

The aim of the present work was to perform nutritional analysis of Dracaena camerooniana Baker. Nutrient determination was carried out according to standard methods. The nutritional profile of the leaves, roots and stems of D. camerooniana showed that these organs are rich in fibre (14.20-53.65%), proteins (4.47-18.58%), lipids (1.53-5.42%) carbohydrates (23.67-70.94%), ash (2.17-15.59%) and mineral elements, namely, K (535.07-1690.00 mg/100 g), Ca (315.87-1459.97 mg/100 g), Mg (95.41-498.83 mg/100 g), P (76.72-149.56 mg/100 g), Na (105.83-113.60 mg/100 g), Se (75.87-128.51 mg/100 g), Fe (40.88-228.30 mg/100 g), Mn (7.41-11.39 mg/100 g), Zn (2.94-5.83 g/100 g), Cu (2.30-2.80 mg/100 g), and Co (0.65-2.80 mg/100 g) The different levels of nutrient contents observed in the analyzed organs of D. camerooniana would be attributed to the accumulative capacities of the plant organs. It is therefore recommended (desirable) that further studies be conducted to determine the content of anti-nutritional factors in this plant on the one hand and to evaluate its pharmaco-biological properties on the other. Domestication of the plant should be done to ensure its conservation with the support of local farmers. Thus, the use of biotechnology would allow the availability of healthy plant material for both present and future generations.

The object of research is the technology of functional fruit and vegetable juice products enriched with collagen. The subject of research is various types of collagen, formulations and parameters of technological operations for the production of functional juice drinks. The research is aimed at the develop technology, recipes for a new assortment of fruit and vegetable drinks enriched with collagen. Also it is aimed at the preserve the functional properties of collagen in canned juice products after high-temperature processing and create food products for everyday consumption to solve age-related and other problems associated with human health. In the course of the study, standard methods were used to determine the organoleptic indicators of various types of collagen, juice products, as well as to determine the mass fraction of moisture, carbohydrates, fats, proteins in the developed fruit and vegetable drinks enriched with collagen. Also, to confirm the presence and preservation of collagen in finished products, the electrophoresis method was used to determine the atomic mass unit of the constituent substances after complete drying of the samples. The proposed methods make it possible to assess the quality of the developed collagen-enriched drinks, prove the presence and preservation of a biologically active additive in the finished product after using the sterilization mode parameters – temperature and time, when receiving canned products. The developed formulations and technology make it possible to consider functional fruit and vegetable juice-containing products enriched with a biologically active additive collagen as effective and useful. An easily digestible food product for everyday consumption is proposed for solving age-related and other problems related to human health, with regulation of the pH value for effective use of the beneficial properties of this additive. In contrast to existing functional juice products, the proposed formulations and technology make it possible to obtain juice-containing fruit and vegetable blended products with a biologically active additive collagen. The technology minimizes the impact of collagen on the organoleptic characteristics of the developed recipe compositions of finished products and preserves its beneficial biologically active properties in the finished canned product after heat sterilization.

Indonesia continues to follow the development of building standards in the world which are dynamically changing for the better and safer, both in loading regulations, planning for concrete structures, steel structures, and planning for earthquake resistance. The latest planning standard methods reviewed in this study are SNI-03-1726-2019, SNI-03-2847-2019 and RSNI-03-1727-2020 replacing SNI-03-1726-2012, SNI-03-1727-2013, and SNI-03-2847-2013. The basic difference in SNI-03-1726:2012 compared to SNI-03-1726:2019 is in the coefficients of Fa and Fv, namely the coefficient of soil sites for a long earthquake period of 1 second and in SNI-03-2847:2019 which refers to ACI 318M-14 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete. The results of this study found that this change in the modeling of the West Pasaman Regional General Hospital met the requirements for the SNI-03-1726-2019 earthquake design and the SNI-03-2847-2019 reinforced concrete design.

Aim. This study was an attempt by the authors to identify the impact of oil production in the Caspian Sea on the quality of waters surrounding oil and gas-production platforms.Material and Methods. In 2018, by order of the Committee for Forestry and Wildlife of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazekoproekt carried out comprehensive marine research to assess the state of biological resources in the eastern part of the Caspian Sea. All studies were carried out according to standard methods accepted in international practice. Samples were collected in summer (July-August) 2018 and autumn (September) 2018.Results. An analysis of the materials of environmental studies carried out in the water area of the eastern part of the Caspian Sea in 2018 established the absence of biogenic concentrations in sea water in excess of the standard indicators. It was found that in the waters surrounding several stations in summer and autumn, concentrations of oil products were exceeded. The concentrations of pesticides in the waters of the northern Caspian Sea recorded in 2018 were not detected.Conclusion. It was found that in the eastern part of the Caspian Sea in 2018 there was no concentration of biogenic elements in sea water above the standard indicators. Of the heavy metals, an excess of maximum permissible concentrations was found only at one station - of copper in the summer over 159 sq. m and in the autumn over 121 sq. m. Of particular concern is the fact that at several stations in summer and autumn excessive concentrations of petroleum products were recorded. The concentrations of pesticides in the waters of the northern Caspian Sea recorded in 2018 were not detected.

Denoising noisy datasets is a crucial task in this data-driven world. In this paper, we develop a persistence-guided discrete Morse theoretic denoising framework. We use our method to denoise point-clouds and to extract surfaces from noisy volumes. In addition, we show that our method generally outperforms standard methods. Our paper is a synergy of classical noise removal techniques and topological data analysis.

Objective:The relationship between dietary nut intake and hyperuricemia risk remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between different nut intake and hyperuricemia risk with a cross-sectional study.Design:A semi-quantitative FFQ was adopted to collect dietary information. Biochemical and anthropometric parameters were measured by standard methods. Multivariate-adjusted logistic regression models were implemented to analyse the relationship between individual nut intake and hyperuricemia risk.Setting:Qingdao University in Shandong Province, China.Participants:During 2018–2019, a total of 14 056 undergraduates (6862 males and 7194 females) aged 15–25 years participated in the study.Results:After adjusting for multiple confounding factors, compared with the lowest quartile, the highest quartile intakes of pine nut (95 % CI (0·51, 0·98)) was significantly associated with 29 % reduction in hyperuricemia risk, the highest quartile intake of walnut (OR = 0·78; 95 % CI (0·58, 1·05)) was marginally negatively associated with hyperuricemia risk.Conclusions:The present study showed that the relationships between intakes of different nuts and hyperuricemia risk were different. Increased dietary intakes of walnut and pine nut are negatively associated with the hyperuricemia.

Incorrect work posture is often caused by stations and work facilities that are not suitable for workers, this period is an important factor for companies that do not pay attention to the needs and interests of workers. There are still many companies whose work processes are not supported by standard methods and ergonomic work facilities so that workers often complain about their body parts. Complaints that arise due to the absence of ergonomic work facilities that are in accordance with the worker's body posture, causing workers to feel uncomfortable. The working posture that needs to be evaluated using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) method is bending and squatting because it provides the highest value. The value of work posture presented in the RULA method obtained from the operator's lift book is a grand score of 6. The immediate position of the body is to add work facilities in the form of table scissors so that there is no potential for injury when lifting and carrying books.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of abnormal biochemical parameters among neonates with perinatal asphyxia in comparison to their non-asphyxiated controls.Methodology: This is a prospective case - control study involving 54 asphyxiated term neonates and 54 non-asphyxiated term babies at LAUTECH teaching hospital, Osogbo. Serum levels of Sodium, Bicarbonate, Chloride, Calcium and Potassium were determined daily for 72 hours in both groups using standard methods. The results were compared.Results: The overall prevalence of abnormal biochemical parameters namely hyponatraemia, hypocalcaemia, metabolic acidosis, hypochloraemia and hypokalaemia among the asphyxiated versus non-asphyxiated babies in the first 72 hours of life were 30.9% vs 19.8% (p < 0.020); 28.4% vs 4.9% (p < 0.000); 30.9% vs 3.1% (p < 0.0001); 27.2% vs 25.9% (p < 0.200) and 24.7% vs 3.1% (p < 0.070) respectively.Conclusion: Babies with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy stage III significantly showed the worst biochemical parameters; early estimation of serum electrolytes in neonates with perinatal asphyxia may be appropriate for timely intervention.

White and red cocoyam starches were physically modified by heat moisture treatment at 16, 24 and 32 % moisture levels. The functional and pasting properties of the modified and native starches were evaluated using standard methods. The swelling power at 60oC, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, least gelation concentration, packed bulk density and loose bulk density of heat moisture treated white and red cocoyam starches ranged between 1.90 - 2.18 and 1.89 – 2.21; 1.00 – 1.80 ml/g and 0.80 – 1.60 ml/g; 1.40 – 1.80 ml/g and 1.20 – 1.40 ml/g; 8.00 – 10.00% and 8.00 – 10.00%; 0.51 – 0.62 g/ml and 0.54 – 0.64 g/ml; 0.41 – 0.51 g/ml and 0.43 – 0.53 g/ml respectively. For both white and red cocoyam starches, heat moisture treated starches at 16% moisture content level had the highest swelling power in the temperature range 60oC to 90oC; also starches treated at 32% moisture level had the highest water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, packed bulk density and loose bulk density. Red cocoyam native starch had higher peak, trough, breakdown, final and setback viscosity than white cocoyam starch. Heat moisture treatment generally increased the pasting properties of white cocoyam starch. The modification of red cocoyam starch at moisture levels of 16% and 24% reduced the pasting properties, however at higher moisture level, the pasting properties increased. These results suggest that moisture level of cocoyam starches influence their physicochemical properties during heat moisture modification; this will increase the array of food products in which the starches can be used.

The purpose of this study was reconstruction of dominant paleo-environments on northern and southern slopes of Alborz Mountain based on the modern and old environmental evidences preserved in the soils. Totally 691 soil profiles in 14 separate segments (9 segments in northern slope and 5 segments in southern slope) with an area of 783,850 ha (251 pedons in northern slope with about 123,600 ha; 440 pedons in southern slope with about 660,350 ha) in Alborz Mountains were studied. Morphological, physical, chemical, mineralogical, micromorphological, and geochemical analyses of the studied sites carried out using standard methods and demonstrated significant differences between the soils of northern and southern slopes. Micromorphological data showed that the calcite coatings in northern slope pedons have formed before the clay coatings however, while the opposite conditionings for calcite and clay coatings in southern slope were observed. The geochemical analyses results were in agreement with the results obtained from micromorphological analyses and further confirmed the addition of aeolian materials into the studied pedons in southern slope. Biological features and the organic and inorganic residues were extremely different in the northern and southern slopes. The maximum and minimum mean residence times (MRTs) in the subsurface layers were 4467 ± 50 years in deciduous forest and 4410 ± 48 years in coniferous forest in northern slope. However, the MRTs for burnt woods from the depths of 1.6 and 2.68 m of soil in southern slope were 3665 ± 61 and 6083 ± 84 years, respectively. Soils as archives of ecosystems contain very informative data for paleo-environmental and paleogeographic reconstructions. The results of this study demonstrated that the southern slope has been heavily influenced by glacial and aeolian deposits that in some cases have led to the top-down reverse distribution of the element oxides in the soil.

We extract elliptically symmetric principal components from a panel of 17 OECD exchange rates and use the deviations from the components to forecast future exchange rate movements, following the method in Engel et al. (2015). Instead of using standard factor models, we apply elliptically symmetric principal component analysis (ESPCA), introduced by Solat and Spanos (2018), which captures both contemporaneous and temporal co-variation among the exchange rates. We find that ESPCA is more accurate than forecasts generated by existing standard methods and the random walk model, with or without including macroeconomic fundamentals.

Background Nayopayam kwatha (NK) is a well-known polyherbal formulation widely used to cure respiratory ailments, heart problems, and postnatal difficulties. Literature suggests that so far no standardization protocol was developed for NK to validate its quality and purity. Objective(s) To develop a standardization protocol for NK based on the marker phytoconstituents present in the individual herbs of the formulation. Materials and methods The roots of bala [Sida cordifolia (B1) and Sida retusa (B2)], seeds of jeeraka (Cuminum cyminum), and rhizomes of nagara (Zingiber officinale) were the ingredients of NK. Since there were two source plants for bala, two sets of NK (NKB1 and NKB2) were prepared in the ratio 3:2:1 as per Vaidya Manorama and 10:1:1 as per Arogyaraksha Kalpadruma along with 1:1:1 as per the general way of Ayurvedic polyherbal decoctions. Both the individual herbs and the kwatha (decoction) prepared were analyzed in terms of pharmacognostical, organoleptic, and physcicochemical parameters as per the standard methods. Phytochemical analysis of the individual herbs resulted in the isolation of major phytoconstituents and the kwatha was quantified in terms of marker compounds with the aid of HPLC. Results HPLC quantification suggests that appreciable amount of marker phytoconstituents of individual herbs are present in the kwatha. Thus, the isolated compounds luteolin (C. cyminum), 6-gingerol (Z. officinale), β-sitosterol (S. retusa), and ecdysterone (S. cordifolia) can be used as markers to standardize NK. Conclusion Characteristics of NK, as well as its individual drugs, were well-established. The present study of NK with respect to its phytochemistry revealed that the classical drug ratios of the polyherbal formulation are of utmost importance rather than the ingredients in equal proportion. The characterization parameters of individual herbs and kwatha described in this study may serve as a standard reference for quality control analysis of NK and the method developed in this study can be used as a reliable technique for standardization of NK to ensure the purity and quality of raw drugs used.

An investigation was made from April to September 2018 to detect some metals (cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead and zinc) in the fishes like Kribia nana, Chrysichthys filamentosus and Pegusa lascaris, as well as in water and sediment from three creeks i.e. Badagry (Station 1), Tomaro (Station 2) and Ajegunle (Station 3) in Lagos, Nigeria. Samples were collected and analyzed according to standard methods. Most of the water quality parameters are within standard recommended limits. Iron content in C. filamentosus (11.57±2.50mg/kg) from station 3 was higher (p

Mineral mining activities with environmental pollution in Nigeria resulted in lead intoxication in humans and livestock. The likelihood of lead contamination of the environment from non-mining sources may exist in Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria. The study was carried out to evaluate the bioaccumulation of lead in extensively reared local scavenger chickens-LSC (Gallus gallus domesticus) in Maiduguri. Two hundred samples each of the liver, kidney, intestine, muscle and blood were tested for lead using standard methods in toxicologic evaluation. There were significant (p0.05) sex differences existed in the frequency of lead detection. Mean lead level in the liver of males was significantly (p

Lack of clean water supply, sanitation and hygiene are major causes for the spread of waterborne diseases in a community. This study was conducted, to determine the quality of drinking water collected from Kosti City, White Nile State, Sudan. In this study, the quality levels of drinking water (physical, chemical and the microbial), were determined following the standard methods. Five sites were selected to sampling drinking water during Feb. 2021. The results showed that, some of pH, HCO3-, Hardness, SO-, Na+ and Ca++ values were not fall within the standard ranges. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Cl and K+ data agreed with standard ranges. CO3 show a very strong +ve correlation (0.99) with Na and -ve correlation (-0.98) with HCO3. E. coli were relatively high in comparison to standards (which should be zero). The study recommends evaluating the quality of the drinking water, and this should be routine work.

The study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional and sensory attributes of maize based complementary food fortified with pigeon pea and Moringa stenoptela leaves. Methods of laboratory analysis and required reagents to determine each proximate composition were of analytical grade. A total of five food samples (FS1, FS2, FS3, FS4 and FS5) were formulated. The formulated five food products were evaluated for proximate composition to determine the nutritional value by using standard methods. The sensory evaluation of the prepared food sample were determined by 30 untrained breast feeding farmers from the study area. The nutritional analysis result indicated that crude protein, crude fat, moisture content, ash content, crude fiber and total carbohydrate of maize+moringa+pigeon pea fortified complementary food were ranged between 8.48-16.32%, 4.56-4.79%,4.60-4.79%, 5.5-7.8%, 1.32-2.60%, 67.21-76.38% respectively and increased significantly (p≤0.05) with the increasing amount of pigeon pea and moringa. But moisture and total carbohydrate contents decreased significantly (p≤0.05) when compared with common complementary food that was purely maize based. The sensory evaluation results indicated that appearance, taste, texture, odor and over all acceptance of semi-solid complementary food were ranged between 2.7-4.7, 2.4-4.9, 3.2-4.9, 2.6-4.7 and 1.8-4.8 respectively. The significant (p≤0.05) difference for sensory evaluation was attained for maize alone (FS1) and food sample with 10% moringa fortified with 5% pigeon pea and 85% maize (FS2), 15% moringa fortified with 10% pigeon pea and 75% maize (FS3), 20% moringa fortified with 15% pigeon pea and 65% maize(FS4) attained at p≤0.05. In conclusion, increasing moringa and reducing maize during complementary food preparation increased almost all nutrients except its moisture content. However, sensory acceptability of the sample decreased due to lack of familiarization and awareness of the evaluators in the study area.

The physicochemical, microbiological and heavy metal studies of water samples obtained from Mbiaso River and Enang Stream were investigated. Water samples were collected from two locations with two sampling points from each location along the course of the water body based on their use by the community and analysed using standard procedures. The results obtained were compared with WHO standards for drinking and recreational water. Aside titratable acidity, titratable alkalinity and BOD, all other physicochemical parameters were within the permissible standards. All the heavy metals concentrations were above the permissible limits except for Lead (Pb) that ranged between 0.01mg/l to 0.05 mg/l for all the sampling points. All the water samples were found to harbor coliforms organisms in numbers greater than the required WHO standards for water except for Enang river that lacked the presence of Vibrio spp. The total viable counts for all the water samples were generally high exceeding the standard limit of 1.0 x 102 cfu/ml for water. The total heterotrophic bacteria count, total coliform count, faecal coliform count and total fungal count ranged between 1.9x104 - 52x104 cfu/ml, 2.3x104 -38 x104 cfu/ml, 1.7x104 - 30x104 cfu/ml and 2.5x104 - 5.3x104 cfu/ml respectively. The total salmonella-shigella counts and total staphylococcus counts were in the range of 0.2 x102-0.4 x102 cfu/ml and 0.3 x102 -0.6 x104 cfu/ml respectively. From the study, it is suggested that some regulations measures be put in place to control pollution of the water while the water be properly treated before use for domestic, potable or recreational purposes.

The article describes the peculiarities of drug provision for patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in the Republic of Karelia. We present a clinical case of effective treatment with interleukin 17 inhibitor ixekizumab (IXE) in a randomized clinical trial and real clinical practice in a patient with PsA. The distinctive feature of this case is the severity of PsA course that was not controlled by standard methods of therapy. IXE treatment was characterized by a rapid clinical improvement of both articular and skin symptoms and subsequent achievement of remission, which lasted for 3 years (on the therapy). The forced interruption of the treatment led to the relapse of the disease in a short amount of time. In 2 years IXE therapy was resumed; after 6 months of continuing treatment a stable remission of PsA was achieved. The patient is still in clinical remission (on therapy).

Aims: Present study aims to evaluate the presence of bioactive compounds of Semibarbula orientalis (Pottiales: Pottiaceae), a bryophyte whole plant methanolic extract by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) which are important medicinally as well flavouring and colouring agents. Study design: Qualitative preliminary phytochemical and GC-MS analysis. Place and duration of study: The study was carried out at Department of Botany, Center of Advanced Study, Jai Narain Vyas University, Jodhpur-Rajasthan (India) from January 2017 to December 2020. Methodology: The Preliminary phytochemical screening of S.orientalis was carried out qualitatively following the standard methods of Harbourne, Trease and Evans. GC-MS analysis was performed by GC-MS-QP 2010 Shimadzu, Japan equipped with thermal desorption system TD 20. Results: Preliminary phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of carbohydrates, proteins, phenols, sterols, flavonoids and terpenoids. GC-MS analysis of methanolic extract of whole plant revealed the presence of 49 bioactive phytoconstituents which include mainly n-Hexadecanoic acid, Cis-vaccenic acid, Azulene, Hexadecanoic acid metyl ester, 1,3-Propanediol, 2-(hydroxyl methyl)-2-nitro, 9-12 Octadecadienol chloride (z,z), Octadecanoic acid etc. Conclusion: Preliminary phytochemical and GC-MS profiling of methanolic extract Semibarbula orientalis whole plant showed the presence of high value bioactive compounds with important medicinal properties and other uses in food industries as flavouring and colouring agents.

The environment where fishes are caught often determines their microbial flora, many of which are potential spoilers and not necessarily pathogenic to fishes but are implicated as cause(s) of serious foodborne illnesses and toxin-infections in humans, hence, their presence above permissible levels portends food-safety threats. This study showed the microbial load in Oreochromis niloticus obtained from selected farms in Ibadan, Nigeria. A total of 156 samples consisting of gills, intestines and skins were collected from 52 O. niloticus obtained from Egbeda-(A), Ido-(B), Ibadan-north east-(C) and Ibadan north-west-(D) Local Government Areas of Ibadan for Microbial Load {Total Aerobic Count-(TAC) and Total Coliform Count-(TCC)} enumeration. TAC and TCC were performed using standard methods, and calculated in mean Log Colony Forming Unit ± Standard Deviation (logCFu ± SD). Data were analysed with ANOVA. Overall mean logCFu ± SD TAC and TCC from gills, intestine and skin for the 156 samples were 8.65 ± 0.28 and 6.82 ± 0.20, respectively. Mean TAC 8.64 ± 0.28, 8.69 ± 0.28and 8.62 ± 0.3 and mean TCC 8.69 ± 0.22, 8.66 ± 0.23 and 8.73 ± 0.22 were obtained for gills, intestine and, skin respectively, with p>0.05. Means TAC 8.63 ± 0.36, 8.70 ± 0.20, 8.68 ± 0.33 and 8.56 ± 0.14 and TCC 8.56 ± 0.25, 8.86±0.16, 8.65 ± 0.18and 8.69 ± 0.16 were observed for locations A, B, C, and D respectively with p

Cytogenetic studies were conducted to record the chromosomes in Apis dorsata population found at different geo-locations of Southern Karnataka by following standard methods. There were 32 chromosomes (2n=32) with long and short lengths observed. The total length of the long and the short chromosomes were measured and an ideogram was prepared based on the length of the chromosomes. However, the statistical analysis of chromosome length observed in A. dorsata population inhabited at different geo-locations of Southern Karnataka revealed no significant chromosome length variation and suggested no considerable variation among the individuals in A. dorsata population live at different geo-locations of Southern Karnataka. Surprisingly, it developed curiosity to undertake further in depth research to measure the variations, if any at molecular level. Results of such observations are published elsewhere.

Furfural is a toxic compound that is widely used in various industries. Prolonged inhalation exposure to this pollutant, especially at workplaces, can induce detrimental health effects. Therefore it is important to remove it from the environment. The present study aimed to investigate furfural removal from polluted air streams using a biofilter system. In this regard, a 4-section biofilter packed with perlite, ripe compost, and oak woodchips was operated for a 108 day-period under different operating conditions. The effects of pH (natural and acidic), inlet concentration (18.8–81.6 mg m−3), the height of biofilter layers (4 sections), and empty bed residence times (EBRTs) of 120, 70, and 30 s on removal efficiency (RE) of the biofilter were evaluated. All sampling and measurements were performed according to standard methods. The RE values under neutral and acidic conditions were 80 and 65 %, respectively. At furfural inlet concentrations in the ranges of 18.8–21.3, 35.25–42.7, and 78.4–81.6 mg m−3, the RE values were 81, 68, and 57 %, respectively. Also, the RE values at EBRTs of 120, 70, and 30 s were 83, 73, and 61 %, respectively. About half of the total RE was related to the first section of the biofilter, where the number of bacterial (6.2 log10 CFU g-1) and fungal (5.8 log10 CFU g-1) were higher than the other sections. Due to the high RE (72 %) and low pressure drop (below 43 Pa m-1) of the biofilter, it can be concluded that biofiltration is a suitable process to remove furfural from the air.

A new approach to calculating left ventricular (LV) early filling propagation velocity (VP) from color M-mode echocardiograms using wavelet analysis is described. Current methods for measuring VP do not account for the spatiotemporal variation in VP. They are confined by empirical assumptions and user inputs that hinder the accuracy of VP, limiting its clinical utility. We evaluated three methods for measuring LV early filling: conventional VP, the strength of propagation (VS) and wavelet propagation velocity (VW) determined from the most energetically significant wave (peak VW). Group A comprised 125 patients (n = 50 normal filling, n = 25 impaired relaxation, n = 25 pseudonormal filling and n = 25 restrictive filling), and group B comprised 69 patients (n = 32 normal, n = 15 dilated and n = 22 hypertrophic). Peak VW most accurately distinguished normal from diseased patients. For group A, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.92 for peak VW versus 0.62 for VP, 0.63 for VS and 0.58 for intraventricular pressure difference. These correspond to a 50%–70% improvement in classification ability. Similar improvements were measured in group B. Peak VW may provide a more accurate evaluation of diastolic function than standard methods and enable better diagnostic classification of patients with diastolic dysfunction.

Ofam is a Ghanaian indigenous cakelike product made mainly from senescent plantain and local flours from cereal, grain and/or tuber sources. The effect of three flour types (steeped corn flour (SCF), roasted corn flour (RCF) and kokonte flour (KF)) and flour concentrations (20, 17.5, 15, 12.5 and 10%) on the physicochemical characteristics and sensory acceptability ofam was investigated. Parameters such as moisture, pH, total soluble solids (TSS), viscosity, colour and texture profile were measured using standard methods. A 50-member untrained panelist was used to conduct a sensory acceptability test using a 9-point hedonic scale. Ofam batter were characterised by high moisture content (ranging from 52.7 to 55.1%), pH (ranging from 5.4 to 5.5), TSS (ranging from 2.30 to 2.62) and a dark colouration (L-value ranging from 30.39 to 45.55). The flour type and concentration affected the viscosity of the batter which also influenced the hardness of ofam. RCF ofam was the hardest (1541.49 g Force) while KF ofam was the softest (966.79 g Force). Generally, RCF ofam was the most preferred (7.0) whilst KF of was the least preferred (6.68). Also, ofam with flour inclusion of 15% was also the most preferred (7.89) while products with 20% flour inclusion were the least preferred (6.47). This would form the basis for the standardisation of the product and formulation of a convenient powder mix suitable for ofam. Key words: Senescent plantain, ofam, batter, physicochemical, sensory.

The aim is to assess the level of contamination of wound bacteria in operated patients in the surgical departments of the National Reference University Hospital (CHURN) of N’Djamena. From August 1, 2018 to August 1, 2019, an observational culture study on wound pus was carried out in patients operated on from the surgical services of the N’Djamena CHURN according to standard methods of medical microbiology. Of the 1092 patients operated on, 565 patients were released within a normal period of hospitalization and 527 in contact with the pathogens were maintained. Significant differences were observed between the proportions of positive (86%) and sterile (14%) cultures; female (30.36%) and male (69.63%) operated subjects with probabilities of 0.02 and 0.001 respectively. Escherichia coliwere the most common germs (32.7%), followed byStaphylococcusspp (20.9%). The bacteria isolated were resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics at an average rate of 40%, only imipenem, a last-resort antibiotic, was very sensitive (99.5%). In view of these results, we recommend that prescribers avoid prescribing antibiotics without laboratory evidence for fear of losing the beta-lactams permanently.

Вступ. Перетин доріг на одному рівні завжди є зоною підвищеної небезпеки, тому тут частіше трапляються ДТП. У процесі проєктування перехресть не завжди вда- ється повною мірою спрогнозувати інтенсивність руху на ньому, крім того, вели- чина інтенсивності з часом експлуатації перехрестя змінюється. Це своєю чергою має безпосередній вплив на безпеку руху та пропускну здатність цього перехрестя. Мета – підвищення безпеки руху на нерегульованому перехресті доріг одного рівня в процесі зміни організації дорожнього руху. Результати. Задачею досліджень було вдосконалення перехрестя доріг Р41 та Р39, де часто спостерігаються дорож- ньо-транспортні пригоди. Для досягнення поставленої мети виконано спостере- ження за інтенсивністю руху на перехресті відповідно до стандартних методик. За результатами обробки статистичних даних спостережень побудовано карто- грами інтенсивності руху транспорту для відповідних періодів пікових інтенсивнос- тей. Визначено коефіцієнт нерівномірності інтенсивності руху протягом доби. Про- ведено оцінювання порівняної безпеки руху під час переміщення транспорту ділянкою дороги з розглядуваним перехрестям на основі підсумкового коефіцієнта аварійнос- ті. Для перетину доріг Р41 та Р39, що знаходяться на одному рівні, побудовано схе- му конфліктних точок. За коефіцієнтом аварійності, що віднесений до 107 автомо- білів, які перетинають перехрестя, визначено ступінь небезпеки цього перехрестя. У роботі запропоновано змінити організацію дорожнього руху на розглядуваному перехресті, застосувавши схему кільцевого руху. Для нової схеми руху на перехресті виконано аналіз ймовірної аварійності, де встановлено значне зниження можливос- тей виникнення ДТП. Висновки. За результатами дослідження базової схеми пере- хрестя встановлено, що підсумковий коефіцієнт аварійності для цієї ділянки дороги (перехрестя) становить 65,3, що відносить її до «дуже небезпечної». Таке значен- ня коефіцієнта для ділянки дороги, що проходить через перехрестя на одному рівні, вказує на зміну організації дорожнього руху. Із розрахунку коефіцієнта аварійності ( Ka = 24,5), що віднесений до 107 автомобілів, які перетинають перехрестя, встанов- лено ступінь небезпеки цього перехрестя – «дуже небезпечне». Таким чином, резуль- тати дослідження вказують на те, що ділянка, де проходить перетин доріг Р41 та Р39 на одному рівні, потребує зміни організації дорожнього руху через її перепла- нування. Запропонована схема кругового руху на перехресті має позитивний ефект: зменшується кількість конфліктних точок з 32 до 20; коефіцієнт аварійності, що віднесений до 107 автомобілів, які перетинають перехрестя, становить Ka = 5,92 . За таких умов досліджуване перехрестя вважається «мало небезпечним».

Gari (roasted fermented cassava grits) is the most popular product consumed in West Africa and an important food product in the diet of millions of people in developing countries. The study investigated the effect of packaging materials (PM) and storage periods on the functional and pasting properties of Gari produced from white-fleshed cassava roots and sensory attributes of the cooked Gari dough ( eba ). Gari was produced using the standard method and packaged in a polypropylene woven sack (PP) and polyvinyl chloride container (PVC). Gari was stored for 24 weeks at room temperature and sampled at four-week intervals for functional and pasting properties, and sensory evaluation of the eba , using standard methods. The results showed that the storage periods significantly affected all the functional (except swelling power) and pasting properties of the Gari , and PM had no significant (p>0.05) effect on the functional (except bulk density) and pasting properties. Also, the PM had no significant effect on the sensory attributes of the eba except for the mouldability (p

This study was carried out to determine some physicochemical properties and heavy metals level in primary school playground located in Benin City, Southern Nigeria using standard methods. A total of 10 topsoil samples were collected from five primary school playgrounds from different locations in Benin metropolis, Southern Nigeria in February, 2017. The mean levels of pH and EC ranged from 5.53 to 7.02 and 200.05 - 410.00 µS/cm respectively. The mean concentrations for heavy metals ranged from 337.15±64.28 and 464.10±19.37 for Fe, 23.40±7.50 and 29.70±4.81 for Mn, 45.95±8.70 and 67.95±4.74 for Zn, 8.48±1.61 and 12.90±3.82 for Cu, 5.10±2.33 and 7.41±1.54 for Cd, 4.42±2.02 and 8.39±7.09 for Cr, 6.17±2.82 and 13.82±6.76 for Pb, 0.99±0.09 and3.24±3.73 for Ni respectively. Heavy metal concentrations were in the following order. In Ogiegbaen, Eresoyen and Ekosodin Primary schools (PS) playground, the order was Fe> Zn> Mn> Cu> Pb> Cd> Cr> Ni while the order in Agbado PS and Olua PS were Fe> Zn> Mn> Cu> Pb> Cr> Cd> Ni and Fe> Zn> Mn> Pb> Cu> Cd> Cr> Ni respectively. Enrichment factor (EF), Contamination factor (CF) and Geoaccumulation index (Igeo) were used to evaluate the pollution status of the soil. Keywords: Topsoil, Playground, Heavy metals, Assessment Indices

The development of resistance by Culex mosquitoes to synthetic insecticides has necessitated the continued search for alternative ones from plants. This study screened the preliminary qualitative phytochemicals and assessed the larvicidal efficacy of extracts of J. gossypiifolia leaf against third and fourth stage Culex quinquefasciatus larvae. The J. gossypiifolia was screened for the presence of phytochemicals using standard methods. After twenty-four (24) hours post exposure of both third and fourth stage C. quinquefasciatus larvae against different concentrations, (2.0mg/ml, 4.0mg/ml, 6.0mg/ml, 8.0mg/ml and 10 mg/ml) of various extracts. It showed that larval mortality increases significantly (p

In Ayurveda many Ayurvedic formulations are explained, which used to treat a variety of illness since ancient time and to protect patient faith in Ayurveda and Ayurvedic treatment, scientifically proven safety, standard and quality of herbs is the need of the hour. Nilotpaladi yoga (NY) is mentioned in Ayurvedic texts for the Treatment of Raktatisara (~haemorrhagic diarrohea). Nilotpaladi yoga consists of four ingredients such as Nilakamala (Nymphaea nouchali Burm. f.), Mocharasa (Salmalia malabarica Schott & Endl.), Lajavanti (Mimosa pudica Linn.) and Kamalakesara (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.). Nilotpaladi yoga ingredient like Mochrasa (Salmalia malabarica Schott & Endl.) is known to be effective as Shonita sthapaka gana (a group of drugs that act as haemostatics). Physiochemical analysis of Nilotpaladi yoga is not explored in detail. So, this article is an attempt to present a physiochemical analysis of ingredients of Nilotpaladi yoga by using Modern analytical Techniques. Physio-chemical analysis, HPTLC etc., were carried out as per standard methods.

Gross alpha-beta measurement is a worldwide applied technique to determine activity concentration in drinking water. Laboratories have implemented standard methods where standard sources measurements and routine methods are applied to achieve good analytical results. Proficiency testing is among the most used methods to assess the accuracy of the analytical data produced by laboratories, as this also represents a requirement for laboratories which have ISO 17025 and a quality assurance system implemented. The results presented in this paper show the performance of two laboratories for proficiency tests organized by IAEA, to which SALMROM laboratory and Personal Dosimetry Monitoring Laboratory (LDPM) have participated in 3 years. The feedback from the final reports from IAEA reports demonstrates the performance of the laboratories where 17 out of 18 results pass the acceptance criteria. Only one reported result has a warning which means that it did not pass all acceptance criteria. The results served as a basis to improve the laboratory analysis and to optimize accuracy measurements. The overall results of the PTs point out the reliability and traceability of the systems used for drinking water measurements.

Quality evaluation of blends of tomato, onion and pepper powder were studied using standard methods. Blends of tomato, onion and pepper were formulated at different ratio. Sample A (TOP100/0/0), sample B (TOP 70/25/5), Sample C (TOP 70/20/10), sample D TOP70/15/15 and Sample E (TOP 70/10/20). The functional chemical and sensory properties of the sample were evaluated. Result showed decrease in moisture content from 11.70 -9.15 % as the ration of the onion and pepper varies , also wettability of the sample decreases as the ration of onion and pepper were alternated from 2.5 -2.00 g/ml but density of samples increases from 0.80-0.78g/ml , reconstitution index shows that sample A has the highest value of 8.95g/ml while sample D has the least value of 6.00g/ml , water absorption capacity of sample B has the highest oil absorption capacity value of 2.10% while sample B and E has the least oil absorption capacity of 1.61%.Vitamin C content of sample increases as the ration of onion and pepper were varied with sample E having the highest value of 16.06mg/100g while sample A has the least value of 11.25mg/100g PH of sample decreases with sample E having the highest value of 7.20 while sample A has the least value of 6.95 . Sensory evaluation scores of the sample indicates that all sample were moderately liked based on appearance, aroma, taste and overall acceptability. Based on the functional, chemical and sensory properties sample E is preferred.

We assayed 31 milk samples collected from two African elephant cows housed at the Indianapolis Zoo across lactation (birth to calf age 973 days) for macronutrient composition (water, fat, protein, sugar, gross energy [GE], ash, calcium, and phosphorus). All assays were performed at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park Nutrition Laboratory, Washington, DC (SNZP) using standard methods developed at SNZP. Milk constituents are expressed on a weight-per-weight basis (%) and as a proportion each constituent contributes to milk energy. Calf weights were recorded, and growth rate calculated. The macronutrient composition of the African elephant milk samples was compared to previously published results for Asian elephants using analysis of covariance. African elephant milk is similar to Asian elephant milk, being moderately high in fat and energy and low in sugar. The mean values across lactation (excluding colostrum; n = 28) are 5.6 ± 0.3% crude protein, 3.1 ± 0.3% sugar, 13.0 ± 1.0% fat, and GE of 1.63 ± 0.10 kcal/g. Milk composition did not differ between cows. Milk composition significantly changed over lactation; fat and protein increased, and sugar decreased with calf age, comparable to previously reported data for African and Asian elephant milk. The proportion of milk energy from fat increased and that from sugar decreased over lactation, but the energy from protein was relatively constant. Protein contributed a higher proportion of energy to African elephant milk compared to Asian elephant milk (20.6% vs. 17.0%, p = .001). Despite this, calf growth rate was similar between the species, with the calves in this study gaining about 0.8 kg/day for the first 6 months.

This review presents publication trends, characteristics, and quality of systematic reviews (SRs) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of antihypertensive drugs (AHTDs). Between 1985 and 2017, 1,173 SRs were published, and in the last 20 years, 10, 35, and 116 were published in the year 1996, 2006, and 2016, respectively. Angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers were the most common class of drugs studied. Fourteen percent of the SRs were prospectively registered/published protocol. Three‐fourth of the SRs did not report a full search strategy, and 45% did not report a PRISMA or similar diagram. Of the 34 SRs published in the five high impact factor journals in the last 10 years, 15%, 21%, and 65% have unclear, low, and high risk of bias, respectively. There has been a steady increase in the publication of SRs of RCTs of AHTDs. However, adherence to standard methods of conduct and reporting continues to be low., Between 1985 and 2017, 1,173 SRs of antihypertensive drugs (AHTDs) were published. Angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers were the most common class of drugs studied. Fourteen percent of the SRs were prospectively registered/published protocol. Three‐fourth of the SRs did not report a full search strategy, and 45% did not report PRISMA diagram. Of the 34 SRs published in the five high impact factor journals in the last 10 years, 15%, 21%, and 65% have unclear, low, and high risk of bias, respectively. There has been a steady increase in the publication of SRs of RCTs of AHTDs. However, adherence to standard methods of conduct and reporting continues to be low.