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The current study assessed the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Cowpea-legumin (CPL) against antibiotic-resistant foodborne pathogens (FBP), the consequences on Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) quality and shelf-life, and the growth curves of inoculated FBPs. Fresh LTL-steaks were enriched with either 0.5 mg/g (CPL0.5) or 1 mg/g (CPL1) and evaluated over 15 chilling-days at 4 °C. Antibiotic-resistant Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli were inhibited by 25 and 3.125 mg/mL, respectively, while antibiotic-susceptible FBPs and antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were suppressed by 0.1 mg/mL CPL. CPL1-fortification produced fully tender LTL that was initially yellower/less red than the control, then turned brighter red with storage. CPL demonstrated promising dose-dependent antioxidant, and antibacterial activities against native spoilage and antibiotic-resistant/susceptible FBPs. CPL's proteinaceous composition, besides sample size, might impact stability. Conclusively, CPL demonstrated promising preservative stability in fresh meat for a maximum of fifteen-days and represents a viable antimicrobial alternative in battle against antibiotic-resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gut-brain axis plays an important role in mental health. The intestinal epithelial surface is colonized by billions of commensal and transitory bacteria, known as the Gut Microbiota (GM). However, potential pathogens continuously stimulate intestinal immunity when they find the place. The last two decades have witnessed several studies revealing intestinal bacteria as a key factor in the health-disease balance of the gut, as well as disease-emergent in other parts of the body. Various neurological processes, such as cognition, learning, and memory, could be affected by dysbiosis in GM. Additionally, the aging process and longevity are related to systemic inflammation caused by dysbiosis. Commensal GM affects brain development, behavior, and healthy aging suggesting that building changes in GM might be a potential therapeutic method. The innovation in GM dysbiosis is intervention by Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT), which has been confirmed as a therapy for recurrent Clostridium difficile infections and is promising for other clinical disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer's disease, and depression. Additionally, FMT may be possible to promote healthy aging, and extend longevity. This review aims to connect dysbiosis, neurological disorders, and aging and the potential of FMT as a therapeutic strategy to treat these disorders, and to enhance the quality of life in the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have received attention to be used in combination with antibiotics in antibacterial chemotherapy. However, this study is the first to explore the impact of dual encapsulation of diclofenac sodium and gentamicin within PLGA nanoparticles (DS-GEN-PLGA NPs) on inhibiting extracellular matrix components and biofilm eradication of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. DS-GEN-PLGA NPs were prepared using the double emulsion solvent evaporation (DESE) technique and characterized by various characterization techniques. Subsequently, the inhibition and eradication potential of DS-GEN-PLGA NPs against P. aeruginosa biofilm was explored. The DS-GEN-PLGA NPs are spherical and oval and 80–200 nm in diameter. DS-GEN-PLGA NPs significantly reduced biofilm formation by 76.28%, biofilm metabolic level by 69.8%, biofilm exopolysaccharide by 75.3%, alginate production by 32.56%, and eDNA release by 60.2%. The expression level of the lasI and rhlI decreased by 0.29 and 0.44 folds compared with untreated cells. This study indicates that DS-GEN-PLGA NPs have promising antibiofilm activity against P. aeruginosa, highlighting its potential as a novel therapeutic formulation to combat biofilm-related infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient C-S cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) has been achieved using rGO/Fe3O4-CuO as a robust nanocatalyst in the presence of TBHP and SDS as a surfactant for the thioesterification of cost-effective methylarenes with thiols in water. This heterogeneous Cu catalyst exhibited excellent performance and recyclability in the synthesis of thioesters without the assistance of any directing group. Magnetic reduced graphene oxide supported CuO catalyzed cross-dehydrogenative coupling of thiols and alkylbenzenes: Direct access to thioesters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater is a primary source of drinking water for billions worldwide. It plays a crucial role in irrigation, domestic, and industrial uses, and significantly contributes to drought resilience in various regions. However, excessive groundwater discharge has left many areas vulnerable to potable water shortages. Therefore, assessing groundwater potential zones (GWPZ) is essential for implementing sustainable management practices to ensure the availability of groundwater for present and future generations. This study aims to delineate areas with high groundwater potential in the Bankura district of West Bengal using four machine learning methods: Random Forest (RF), Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Voting Ensemble (VE). The models used 161 data points, comprising 70% of the training dataset, to identify significant correlations between the presence and absence of groundwater in the region. Among the methods, Random Forest (RF) and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) proved to be the most effective in mapping groundwater potential, suggesting their applicability in other regions with similar hydrogeological conditions. The performance metrics for RF are very good with a precision of 0.919, recall of 0.971, F1-score of 0.944, and accuracy of 0.943. This indicates a strong capability to accurately predict groundwater zones with minimal false positives and negatives. Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost) demonstrated comparable performance across all metrics (precision: 0.919, recall: 0.971, F1-score: 0.944, accuracy: 0.943), highlighting its effectiveness in predicting groundwater potential areas accurately; whereas, Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) outperformed the other models slightly, with higher values in all metrics: precision (0.944), recall (0.971), F1-score (0.958), and accuracy (0.957), suggesting a more refined model performance. The Voting Ensemble (VE) approach also showed enhanced performance, mirroring XGBoost's metrics (precision: 0.944, recall: 0.971, F1-score: 0.958, accuracy: 0.957). This indicates that combining the strengths of individual models leads to better predictions. The groundwater potentiality zoning across the Bankura district varied significantly, with areas of very low potentiality accounting for 41.81% and very high potentiality at 24.35%. The uncertainty in predictions ranged from 0.0 to 0.75 across the study area, reflecting the variability in groundwater availability and the need for targeted management strategies. In summary, this study highlights the critical need for assessing and managing groundwater resources effectively using advanced machine learning techniques. The findings provide a foundation for better groundwater management practices, ensuring sustainable use and conservation in Bankura district and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bangladesh, a sub-tropical monsoon climate with low-lying areas, is very susceptible to the impacts of climate change. However, there has been a shortage of studies about the periodicity and projected changes in extreme temperature in this area, which is a crucial part of adapting to climate change. A study employed a multimodal ensemble (MME) mean of 13 bias-corrected CMIP6 GCMs to fill this knowledge gap. The purpose of this study was to project changes in 8 extreme temperature indices (ETIs) across Bangladesh for the near future (2021–2060) and far future (2061–2100) under two different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs): medium (SSP2-4.5) and high (SSP5-8.5) scenarios. The research analyzed the average spatiotemporal changes by considering the reference period from 1995 to 2014 for each indicator in future periods. The results indicate that Bangladesh is projected to see a rise in average annual temperature in the 21st century, aligning with the global average. Warm days (TX90p) and nights (TN90p) were projected to increase, while cold days (TX10p) and nights (TN10p) were expected to decrease across the country for both the near (2021–2060) and far future (2061–2100). The projected highest increase in TX90p and TN90p was 6.90 days/decade in the northeast, and the highest decrease in TX10p and TN10p was 6.22 days/decade in the southwest. The study revealed a higher rise in TN90p than TX90p, indicating a faster decline in cold extremes than a rise in hot extremes. The rising temperature would cause an increase in the spell duration index (WSDI) and growing degree day (GDD) by 5–6 and 6–7 days/decade, respectively. Therefore, immediate measures must be taken to mitigate the detrimental effects of extreme temperatures, leading to heat stress. To reduce the effects on agriculture, ecosystems, human health, and biodiversity, policymakers and stakeholders must understand these anticipated changes and adopt appropriate actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maintaining a balance between generated and consumed power is crucial for the efficient operation of interconnected power grids. This paper focuses on the issue of load frequency management in thermal power systems. We present a metaheuristic approach to address this problem, leveraging the advantages of metaheuristic algorithms in solving complex optimization problems. Our approach is based on an improved Open-source Development model algorithm (ODMA). The proposed method, referred to as ODMA-GA, integrates ODMA with a Genetic algorithm (GA) to configure a hybrid optimization technique. This combination allows for the effective exploitation and exploration of the search space, leading to high-quality solutions. We evaluate the performance of ODMA-GA using several benchmark functions with varying scenarios. The results demonstrate that ODMA-GA outperforms its peer metaheuristic algorithms, showcasing superior optimization capabilities. This promising performance suggests that ODMA-GA offers an effective solution for the challenging task of load frequency management in thermal power systems, ensuring stable and efficient operation. Specifically, the finding shows that our method improves the frequency change area and tie-line power change by 2.3% compared to the best existing method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nile tilapia, a widely cultivated freshwater fish, faces significant stressors, such as hypoxia and cold temperatures, which can negatively impact its quality and growth. The current study explored the impact of Chlorella vulgaris (CV) powder and its nanoparticles (CVNPs) on the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, liver protection, and meat quality of Nile tilapia to alleviate hypoxia and cold stress. A total of 450 healthy 28-day-old Nile tilapia fingerlings (average weight 5.32 ± 1.1 g, length 3.1 ± 0.5 cm) were divided into five groups: T1 (2.5 g/kg CV), T2 (5 g/kg CV), T3 (2.5 g/kg CVNP), T4 (5 g/kg CVNP), and the control group received a basal diet without additives, each with three subgroups in tri-replicate (10 fish/replicate). After six weeks of feeding, growth metrics and meat quality parameters were assessed, and each group was subjected to hypoxia, cold stress, or optimal conditions. The results revealed that T4 exhibited the highest weight gain (WG) and lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR), whereas T1 showed the highest specific growth rate (SGR) and length gain. Hypoxia and cold stress significantly (p < 0.05) increased cortisol, oxidative markers (MDA, NO, and GSSG), and liver enzymes (ALT and AST) while reducing (p < 0.05) antioxidant markers (SOD and GSH) and total cholesterol (TC). ATP levels significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in hypoxic fish, indicating muscle energy depletion. T1 significantly (p < 0.05) lowered cortisol levels, whereas T2 and T3 significantly (p < 0.05) increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. T2 also significantly (p < 0.05) increased the TC level. ALT levels significantly (p < 0.05) decreased at T1, T2, and T4, with AST levels reduced at T4 only. CV and CVNP supplementation significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the muscle MDA levels under optimal and stressful conditions, notably at T1 and T4. Additionally, meat lightness, yellowness, and chroma significantly (p < 0.05) increased in stressed tilapia, whereas meat redness was improved under optimal conditions. Fatty acid profiles varied with CV and CVNP levels across different conditions. In conclusion, CV, particularly in the nanoparticle form, enhanced the growth, antioxidant activity, and meat quality of tilapia under physical stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless sensor network consists of many tiny sensors that can be a powerful tool for data collection in various environments. The optimal scenario for sensor networks is for all nodes to reach the end of their energy, together or through regular scheduling, to maximize the lifetime of network. Studies have shown that clustering helps conserve the limited energy resources of sensors. In this paper, an ink drop spread is used for clustering. Initially, ink drops are spread using the ink drop spread operator with a weight proportional to the energy of each node, and clustering as well as routing is performed based on it. Clustering is performed dynamically; in each round, clustering is redone, cluster heads are selected, and nodes with very low energy are marked as dead. Our proposed algorithm, EACM, is compared with the popular algorithms LEACH, PEGASIS, LEACH_EX, and the latest algorithms EECPK-means, RaCH, and C3HA. The proposed algorithm demonstrates an improvement in clustering quality, a reduction in node energy consumption, and an overall increase in the lifetime of network. On average, the proposed algorithm results in more active nodes within the network, with the remaining energy being at least 17% higher than that of the best existing algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypoxia is one of the main hallmarks of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) resulting from improper oxygenation and insufficient nourishment of the HCC microenvironment. The effect of hypoxia is mediated by hypoxia-inducible factor-1A (HIF-1A) via targeting various downstream pathways, including glycolysis, angiogenesis, and survival signaling. However, HCC cell lines in a 2-dimensional (2D) setting do not resemble the metabolic signature of HCC. Here we aim to overcome these limitations by developing an HCC organoid that recapitulates the HIF-1A metabolic shift. The enrichment analysis of the RNA-Seq data revealed that HIF-1A-driven glycolytic shift is of the significant pathways. The established organoid model, using xeno-free plasma-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) as a scaffold and nutritive biomatrix, maintained its structural integrity and viability for up to 14 days; the comparative analysis of the cobalt (II) chloride (CoCl2)-treated organoids to the untreated ones unveiled reduced size and proliferative capacity. Interestingly, our organoid model showed an elevated expression of HIF-1A and glycolysis enzymes compared to their counterparts in the CoCl2-treated organoids. HIF-1A molecular expression-translated biochemical signature is further assessed in our spontaneously growing organoids showing an increase in glucose uptake, intracellular pyruvate, extracellular lactate dehydrogenase expression, and extracellular lactate production, while hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a marker for oxidative metabolism, is reduced. Our data confirmed the potency of the established organoid model to mimic the molecular and biochemical HIF-1A-driven metabolism, which validates its potential use as an in vitro HCC model. Our model naturally simulates hypoxic conditions and simultaneous HIF-1A-dependent glycolysis within HCC rather than using of CoCl2-induced hypoxic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water pollution is a major concern for a decaying river. Polluted water reduces ecosystem services and human use of rivers. Therefore, the present study aims to assess the irrigation suitability of the Jalangi River water. A total of 34 pre-selected water samples were gathered from the source to the sink of the Jalangi River with an interval of 10 km and one secondary station's data from February 2012 to January 2022 were used for this purpose. The Piper diagram exhibits that the Jalangi River water is Na+–HCO3− types, and the alkaline earth (Ca2+ + Mg2+) outperforms alkalises (Na+ + K+) and weak acids (HCO3− + CO32−) outperform strong acids (Cl− + SO42−). SAR values ranging from 0.35 to 0.64 show that water is suitable for irrigation and poses no sodicity risks. The %Na results show that 91.18% of water samples are good and acceptable for irrigation. RSC levels indicate a significant alkalinity hazard, with 94.12% of samples considered inappropriate for irrigation. PI findings show that 91.18% of water samples are suitable for irrigation. Apart from the spatial water samples, seasonal water samples exhibit a wide variations as per the nature of irrigation hazards. Gibbs plot demonstrates that the weathering of rocks determined the hydro-chemical evolution of Jalangi River water. This study identifies very little evaporation dominance for pre- and post-monsoon water. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) test illustrates that there are no spatial variations in water quality while seasonal variations are widely noted (p < 0.05). The results also revealed that river water for irrigation during monsoon is suitable compared to the pre-monsoon season. Anthropogenic interventions including riverbed agriculture, and the discharge of untreated sewage from urban areas are playing a crucial role in deteriorating the water quality of the river, which needs substantial attention from the various stakeholders in a participatory, and sustainable manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cysteine protease inhibitor S (CST4) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of growth, invasion, and metastasis of a variety of malignancies. However, the potential mechanism behind how CST4 contributes to CST4 in lymph node metastasis (LNM) and tumor-associated lymphangiogenesis of esophageal cancer (EC) cells has not been elucidated previously. Short hairpin RNA technique was utilized to upregulate the CST4 gene expression. Different experiments, including the tubule formation assay and immunofluorescence, were conducted to observe the cellular behavior. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot analyses were employed to determine the expression levels of relevant proteins. In our study, we discovered that high expression of CST4 in EC cells had multiple effects. It stimulated cell proliferation, invasion, and migration and caused epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Moreover, it also inhibited the apoptosis of EC cells and caused them to stagnate in the G2/M phase. High expression of CST4 promoted the secretion of lymphangiogenic markers (TGFβ1, VEGF, VEGF-C/D) in EC cells. In addition, high expression of CST4 in EC cells not only enhanced the proliferation and migration of HLECs, but also stimulated the lumen formation and F-actin expression and rearrangement of HLECs. The elevated expression of CST4 also facilitated the secretion of p-ERK1/2, MMP9, and MMP-2 in HLECs. However, various tumor-promoting effects of high expression of CST4 on HLECs could be inhibited by VEGF inhibitors in EC cells. Overall, our findings indicate that CST4 plays a significant role in the accumulation, migration, and EMT of EC cells. CST4 can activate the VEGF-MAPK/ERK-MMP9/2 signaling axis to promote LNM and lymphangiogenesis in EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Metastasectomy is a common treatment option for patients with colorectal lung metastases (CLM). Challenges exist with margin assessment and identification of small nodules, especially during minimally invasive surgery. Intraoperative fluorescence imaging has the potential to overcome these challenges. The aim of this study was to assess feasibility of targeting CLM with the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) specific fluorescent tracer SGM-101. Methods: This was a prospective, open-label feasibility study. The primary outcome was the number of CLM that showed a true positive fluorescence signal with SGM-101. Fluorescence positive signal was defined as a signal-to-background ratio (SBR) ≥ 1.5. A secondary endpoint was the CEA expression in the colorectal lung metastases, assessed with the immunohistochemistry, and scored by the total immunostaining score. Results: Thirteen patients were included in this study. Positive fluorescence signal with in vivo, back table, and closed-field bread loaf imaging was observed in 31%, 45%, and 94% of the tumors respectively. Median SBRs for the three imaging modalities were 1.00 (IQR: 1.00–1.53), 1.45 (IQR: 1.00–1.89), and 4.81 (IQR: 2.70–7.41). All tumor lesions had a maximum total immunostaining score for CEA expression of 12/12. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the potential of fluorescence imaging of CLM with SGM-101. CEA expression was observed in all tumors, and closed-field imaging showed excellent CEA specific targeting of the tracer to the tumor nodules. The full potential of SGM-101 for in vivo detection of the tracer can be achieved with improved minimal invasive imaging systems and optimal patient selection. Trial registration: The study was registered in ClinicalTrial.gov under identifier NCT04737213 at February 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, two groups of functionalized aliphatic and aromatic ILs with the same anions were synthesized and used as asphaltene dispersants. The quartz crystal microbalance and ultraviolet spectroscopy were used in this study, and the results obtained from these two techniques were in relatively good agreement with each other. The results showed that aromatic ILs generally possess better inhibitory performance than aliphatic ones. The molecular structure of IL anions also greatly influenced the dispersion of asphaltenes in a toluene solution. It seems that π-π interactions between asphaltene molecules and aromatic cations represent the main cause of the better performance of aromatic ILs. This hypothesis was also confirmed by observing the high dispersion ability of a maleate anion, which has a carbon-carbon double bond, compared to other studied anions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated levels of metal(loid)s in soil may pose potential threats to the ecosystem and can be harmful for human health. The concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, Cr and Ni were determined in agricultural soil collected from 45 pistachio orchards around Feizabad city, Khorasan Razavi province, Iran using ICP-OES. Also, soil pollution indices including contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) were evaluated. In addition, non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk indices were estimated. The mean concentrations of metal(loid)s were in the order of Ni = 466.256 > Cr = 120.848 > Pb = 12.009 > As = 5.486 > Cd = 0.394 mg/kg. Concentrations of As, Cd and Pb in the soil samples were within their respective permissible limits set by World Health Organization (WHO). But concentrations of Cr and Ni in 84.4 and 100% of the samples, respectively exceeded the WHO allowable limits. The CF, PLI and Igeo showed that soil of some of the pistachio orchards was contaminated with some metals. The possible sources of the metals in the soil are application of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, manures as well as irrigation water. Hazard quotient (HQ) ad Hazard index (HI) values from soil of all the orchards were found to be well below the respective threshold limit (1), suggesting that there is no immediate non-cancer threat arising from the contamination at all the orchards with metal(loid)s for children and adults. The highest cancer risk values (1.13E-02 for children and 1.25E-03 for adults) were estimated for Ni in the soil. Collectively, this study provides valuable information to improve the soil in the pistachio orchards to reduce metal(loid)s contamination and minimize the associated health risks to the population in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the use of heat-activated persulfate (HAP) as a chemical oxidation technique for removing tinidazole (TNZ) antibiotic from aqueous solutions. The impact of various operating parameters, including TNZ initial concentration (20 μM), persulfate (PS) initial dose (0.2–2 mM), solution pH (3–11), solution temperature (20–60 °C), and reaction time (10–120 min), was examined. The results indicated that sulfate radicals were the primary species responsible for TNZ degradation. Higher temperatures and PS concentrations improved the process, while higher pH values and TNZ initial concentrations slowed it down. Additionally, chloride and bicarbonate ions reduced reaction rates, with chloride ions having a more significant effect. Under optimal conditions (including [TNZ]0 = 20 μM, pH = 7, [PS]0 = 1 mM, temperature = 60 °C, and reaction time = 120 min), the removal efficiency achieved was 91.15%, with a mineralization rate of 85.8%. These results suggest that the process is relatively safe. The degradation of TNZ was best described by the pseudo-first-order model compared to other models. Additionally, the process was found to be exothermic and spontaneous, with a negative Gibbs free energy change indicating that it is thermodynamically feasible. The study found HAP to be an effective and cost-efficient technique for removing TNZ antibiotic due to its ease of operation and the absence of the need for additional chemicals or waste handling. Based on these findings, HAP can be considered an advanced oxidation technique for treating antibiotic-contaminated water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years groundwater contamination through nitrate contamination has increased rapidly in the managementof water research. In our study, fourteen nitrate conditioning factors were used, and multi-collinearity analysis is done. Among all variables, pH is crucial and ranked one, with a value of 0.77, which controls the nitrate concentration in the coastal aquifer in South 24 Parganas. The second important factor is Cl−, the value of which is 0.71. Other factors like—As, F−, EC and Mg2+ ranked third, fourth and fifth position, and their value are 0.69, 0.69, 0.67 and 0.55, respectively. Due to contaminated water, people of this district are suffering from several diseases like kidney damage (around 60%), liver (about 40%), low pressure due to salinity, fever, and headache. The applied method is for other regions to determine the nitrate concentration predictions and for the justifiable alterationof some management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of edge intelligence (EI) in animation design, particularly when dealing with large models, represents a significant advancement in the field of computer graphics and animation. This survey aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state and future prospects of EI-assisted animation design, focusing on the challenges and opportunities presented by large model implementations. Edge intelligence, characterized by its decentralized processing and real-time data analysis capabilities, offers a transformative approach to handling the computational and data-intensive demands of modern animation. This paper explores various aspects of EI in animation and then delves into the specifics of large models in animation, examining their evolution, current trends, and the inherent challenges in their implementation. Finally, the paper addresses the challenges and solutions in integrating EI with large models in animation, proposing future research directions. This survey serves as a valuable resource for researchers, animators, and technologists, offering insights into the potential of EI in revolutionizing animation design and opening new avenues for creative and efficient animation production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research has analyzed the energy and exergy of a combined system of simultaneous power generation and cooling. To provide a comprehensive data sheet of this system, the system has been investigated in the temperature range of 300–800 °C, and 6 working fluids, including air, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, argon, xenon, and helium, have been investigated. The parameters affecting the performance of the system, namely the compressor inlet pressure, the compressor pressure ratio, and the intermediation pressure ratio were investigated. The power produced by the Brayton cycle at a pressure ratio of 5.2 is the highest due to the increase in compressor power consumption and turbine power generation. The results of the parametric study showed that the exergy efficiency of the system has the maximum value at the pressure ratio of 4.73. The results of the parametric study showed that increasing the pressure of the compressor does not have a significant effect on the electricity consumption and the temperature of the working fluid due to the constant pressure ratio. The input energy to the heat exchanger of the absorption chiller decreases with the increase in the Brayton cycle pressure ratio, and as a result, the cooling created by the chiller also decreases. In this method, three objective functions of exergy efficiency, energy efficiency, and total production power are considered as objective functions. The most optimal value of intermediation pressure ratio was obtained after the optimization process of 1.389. Also, the most optimal value of the pressure ratio of high-pressure and low-pressure turbines was reported as 2.563 and 1.845, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater can be contaminated with all kinds of microorganisms and small organisms, including bacteria, parasites, fungi and viruses. Therefore, it can be said that biological pollution is one of the most dangerous pollutions. These types of pollution can endanger human health and the environment. In this study, industrial wastewater disinfection has been investigated in a laboratory pilot. In this study, ultraviolet waves have been used for wastewater disinfection. In this research, treatment indicators such as wastewater pH, phosphate, nitrate, biological oxygen and chemical oxygen, organic carbon, and wastewater turbidity have been investigated. The results of this research show that if 4.5 g of dry ice is added to the wastewater entering the disinfection unit, the pH of the wastewater will decrease to about 7.9. The results presented from the disinfection unit show that the amount of chemical oxygen demand and biological oxygen demand have decreased by about 35% and 20.3%, respectively. The results of this unit show that the amount of phosphate and nitrate has decreased by 61.3 and 71.9%, respectively. Laboratory results show that the TDS of wastewater has decreased from 600 to 451 mg/l. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive communication abilities of 6G wireless systems that will contribute considerably to global environmental sustainability and provide huge support for different services to promote healthy and economic stability cannot be overemphasized. Wireless sensor network (WSN) contains less power and lowest price sensor nodes (SNs). Each SN is located in particular area and wireless system process via self-organizing. Still, data communication among nodes in a potential way is impossible because of different complicated factors, namely wireless links, limited energy, battery operation, and so on. Clustering is a famous method for creating data transmission more efficient. The clustering technique divided SNs into different groups. Each cluster in network takes exclusive cluster head (CH) nodes that send data to other SNs in cluster. In recent times, some considerations like high reliability and less energy consumption are essential to choosing the optimum CH nodes in clustering-related metaheuristic mechanisms. The selection of proper CHs using metaheuristic algorithms finds useful in design of energy-efficient WSNs. Therefore, this study presents a new Green Anaconda Optimization Based Energy Aware Clustering Protocol (GAOB-EACP) approach for WSN. The projected GAOB-EACP approach mainly inherits characteristics of green anaconda (GA) to choose CHs. The GAOB-EACP technique improves load balancing among nodes from the network to extend the lifetime and reduce energy utilization. In addition, an objective function is designed to accomplish Quality of Service (QoS) in WSN using three input parameters, namely energy, distance, and delay. The GAOB-EACP technique assured efficient clustering of the nodes, leading to high stability, minimal energy utilization, and maximum lifetime. To exhibit superior performance of GAOB-EACP method, an extensive range of simulations can be implemented. The complete comparative analysis underlined enhanced network efficacy of GAOB-EACP method compared to other clustering approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the degree of high groundwater arsenic (As) and fluoride (F−) risk is crucial for successful groundwater management and protection of public health, as elevated contamination in groundwater poses a risk to the environment and human health. It is a fact that several non-point sources of pollutants contaminate the groundwater of the multi-aquifers of the Ganges delta. This study used logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF) and artificial neural network (ANN) machine learning algorithm to evaluate groundwater vulnerability in the Holocene multi-layered aquifers of Ganges delta, which is part of the Indo-Bangladesh region. Fifteen hydro-chemical data were used for modelling purposes and sophisticated statistical tests were carried out to check the dataset regarding their dependent relationships. ANN performed best with an AUC of 0.902 in the validation dataset and prepared a groundwater vulnerability map accordingly. The spatial distribution of the vulnerability map indicates that eastern and some isolated south-eastern and central middle portions are very vulnerable in terms of As and F− concentration. The overall prediction demonstrates that 29% of the areal coverage of the Ganges delta is very vulnerable to As and F− contents. Finally, this study discusses major contamination categories, rising security issues, and problems related to groundwater quality globally. Henceforth, groundwater quality monitoring must be significantly improved to successfully detect and reduce hazards to groundwater from past, present, and future contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxic metals and freshwater fish's metalloid contamination are significant environmental concerns for overall public health. However, the bioaccumulation and sources of metal(loids) in freshwater fishes from Bangladesh still remain unknown. Thus, the As, Pb, Cd, and Cr concentrations in various freshwater fish species from the Rupsha River basin were measured, including Tenualosa ilisha, Gudusia chapra, Otolithoides pama, Setipinna phasa, Mystus vittatus, Glossogobius giuris, and Pseudeutropius atherinoides. An atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to determine metal concentrations. The mean concentrations of metal(loids) in the fish muscle (mg/kg) were found to be As (1.53) > Pb (1.25) > Cr (0.51) > Cd (0.39) in summer and As (1.72) > Pb (1.51) > Cr (0.65) > Cd (0.49) in winter. The analyzed fish species had considerably different metal(loid) concentrations with seasonal variation, and the distribution of the metals (loids) was consistent with the normal distribution. The demersal species, M. vittatus, displayed the highest bio-accumulative value over the summer. However, in both seasons, none of the species were bio-accumulative. According to multivariate statistical findings, the research area's potential sources of metal(loid) were anthropogenic activities linked to geogenic processes. Estimated daily intake, target hazard quotient (THQ), and carcinogenic risk (CR) were used to assess the influence of the risk on human health. The consumers' THQs values were < 1, indicating that there were no non-carcinogenic concerns for local consumers. Both categories of customers had CRs that fell below the permissible range of 1E − 6 to 1E − 4, meaning they were not at any increased risk of developing cancer. The children's group was more vulnerable to both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic hazards. Therefore, the entry of metal(loids) must be regulated, and appropriate laws must be used by policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulsed electric field (PEF) is a novel method in liquid/semi-solid food processing, which has attracted attention due to its less destructive effects on nutritional compounds. This study aimed to optimize PEF treatment condition of kiwi-carrot juice using response surface approach to achieve higher pectin methylesterase (PME) inactivation with lower changes in ascorbic acid (AA) and phenolic compounds. For this purpose, samples were processed at PEF intensities of 22.22 to 55.56 kV/cm for 2400 to 4800 μs. The temperature of the samples increased in proportion to the increase in the intensity of PEF and the time of the process. Up to 43.03% PME inactivation was observed as a result of electroporation and increasing the temperature of fruit juice. The highest degradation rates recorded for AA and phenolic compounds were 32.19 and 12.08%, respectively. The juice cloud stability and color were totally affected by PME inactivation and degradation of AA and phenolic compounds. Juice treatment at 35.86 kV/cm for 2400 μs was recorded as the optimum process condition. This research proves that the PEF process in controlled conditions can be a suitable alternative/combination for conventional thermal methods to improve the nutritional quality and increase the shelf life of fruit juice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop a standardized algorithm for gastroesophageal image acquisition and diagnostic assessment using real-time MRI. Patients with GERD symptoms undergoing real-time MRI of the esophagus and esophagogastric junction between 2015 and 2018 were included. A 10 ml bolus of pineapple juice served as an oral contrast agent. Patients performed Valsalva maneuver to provoke reflux and hiatal hernia. Systematic MRI assessment included visual presence of achalasia, fundoplication failure in patients with previous surgical fundoplication, gastroesophageal reflux, and hiatal hernia. A total of 184 patients (n = 92 female [50%], mean age 52.7 ± 15.8 years) completed MRI studies without adverse events at a mean examination time of 15 min. Gastroesophageal reflux was evident in n = 117 (63.6%), hiatal hernia in n = 95 (52.5%), and achalasia in 4 patients (2.2%). Hiatal hernia was observed more frequently in patients with reflux at rest (n = 67 vs. n = 6, p < 0.01) and during Valsalva maneuver (n = 87 vs. n = 8, p < 0.01). Real-time MRI visualized a morphologic correlate for recurring GERD symptoms in 20/22 patients (90%) after fundoplication procedure. In a large-scale single-center cohort of patients with GERD symptoms undergoing real-time MRI, visual correlates for clinical symptoms were evident in most cases. The proposed assessment algorithm could aid in wider-spread utilization of real-time MRI and provides a comprehensive approach to this novel imaging modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detecting land use/land cover change (LULCC) and assessing the risk of slope failure and debris flow has been a worldwide concern. This study is the first in Adama District, Ethiopia, to use deep learning (DL)-based remote sensing to assess LULCC and predict the risk of slope failures and debris flows using numerical simulation methods. This study uses DL and remote sensing to analyse the spatiotemporal changes in LULC and landslide sites. The enhanced detection of debris flow susceptibility areas enabled the precise prediction of these areas' location and sphere of influence and the precise evaluation of debris flow risk. This led to a reduction in the losses caused by such disasters. Changes in the six classes of LULC were assessed with an overall accuracy of above 87% and an overall kappa statistic of 85%. The results revealed a decreased trend in grassland, shrubland, and bareland over 30 years (1991–2021) of − 31.03 km2, − 38.15 km2, and − 114.19 km2, respectively. Also, a recent analysis of land-use maps from the past three decades reveals that the built-up area has increased significantly, from 0.95% to 5.64%. In contrast, shrubland has decreased notably, from 12.01 to 7.78% since 2021. These changes suggest that human activity significantly impacts the landscape, and that more needs to be done to protect our natural resources. The depth-integrated particle method flow simulation technique reveals high landslide risk in Adama City and Wonji sugar cane fields, aiding decision-makers in reducing damage and limiting over-cultivation in high-risk areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated techniques for evaluating sports activities inside dynamic frames are highly dependent on advanced sports analysis by smart machines. The monitoring of individuals and the discerning of athletic pursuits has several potential applications. Monitoring individuals, detecting unusual behavior, identifying medical issues, and tracking patients within healthcare facilities are examples of these applications. An assessment of the feasibility of integrating smart real-time monitoring systems across a variety of athletic environments is provided in this study. Motion and activity detection for recording sporting events has advanced due to the need for a large amount of both real-time and offline data. Through the use of deformable learning approaches, we extend conventional deep learning models to accurately detect and analyze human behavior in sports. Due to its robustness, efficiency, and statistical analysis, the system is a highly suitable option for advanced sports recording detection frameworks. It is essential for sports identification and administration to have a comprehensive understanding of action recognition. An accurate classification of human activities and athletic events can be achieved through the use of a hybrid deep learning framework presented in this study. Using innovative methodologies, we conduct cutting-edge research on action recognition that prioritizes users' preferences and needs. It is possible to reduce the error rate to less than 3% by using the recommended structure and the three datasets mentioned above. It is 97.84% accurate for UCF-Sport, 97.75% accurate for UCF50, and 98.91% accurate for YouTube. The recommended optimized networks have been tested extensively compared to other models for recognizing athletic actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatiotemporal rainfall trend analysis as an indicator of climatic change provides critical information for improved water resource planning. However, the spatiotemporal changing behavior of rainfall is much less understood in a tropical monsoon-dominated country like Bangladesh. To this end, this research aims to analyze spatiotemporal variations in rainfall for the period 1980–2020 over Bangladesh at seasonal and monthly scales using MAKESENS, the Pettitt test, and innovative trend analysis. Multilayer Perception (MLP) neural network was used to predict the next 8 years' rainfall changes nationally in Bangladesh. To investigate the spatial pattern of rainfall trends, the inverse distance weighting model was adopted within the ArcGIS environment. Results show that mean annual rainfall is 2432.6 mm, of which 57.6% was recorded from July to August. The Mann–Kendall trend test reveals that 77% of stations are declining, and 23% have a rising trend in the monthly rainfall. More than 80% of stations face a declining trend from November to March and August. There is a declining trend for seasonal rainfall at 82% of stations during the pre-monsoon, 75% during the monsoon, and 100% during the post-monsoon. A significant decline trend was identified in the north-center during the pre-monsoon, the northern part during the monsoon, and the southern and northwestern portions during the post-monsoon season. Predicted rainfall by MLP till 2030 suggests that there will be little rain from November to February, and the maximum fluctuating rainfall will occur in 2025 and 2027–2029. The ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis data findings suggested that changing rainfall patterns in Bangladesh may have been driven by rising or reducing convective precipitation rates, low cloud cover, and inadequate vertically integrated moisture divergence. Given the shortage of water resources and the anticipated rise in water demand, the study's findings have some implications for managing water resources in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinity is a pressing issue for sustainable food security in coastal regions. However, the coupling of machine learning and remote sensing was seldom employed for soil salinity mapping in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. The research aims to estimate the soil salinity level in a southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh. Using the Landsat OLI images, 13 soil salinity indicators were calculated, and 241 samples of soil salinity data were collected from a secondary source. This study applied three distinct machine learning models (namely, random forest, bagging with random forest, and artificial neural network) to estimate soil salinity. The best model was subsequently used to categorize soil salinity zones into five distinct groups. According to the findings, the artificial neural network model has the highest area under the curve (0.921), indicating that it has the most potential to predict and detect soil salinity zones. The high soil salinity zone covers an area of 977.94 km2 or roughly 413.51% of the total study area. According to additional data, a moderate soil salinity zone (686.92 km2) covers 30.56% of Satkhira, while a low soil salinity zone (582.73 km2) covers 25.93% of the area. Since increased soil salinity adversely affects human health, agricultural production, etc., the study's findings will be an effective tool for policymakers in integrated coastal zone management in the southwestern coastal area of Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living in groups requires individuals to make trade-offs to maintain group cohesion and enhance individual and inclusive fitness. One way animals can do this is by adjusting the way they allocate time to different behaviours. Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis) are highly social, cooperative breeders (only the dominant pair breeds and all members help to raise the litter), but solitary foragers. To investigate how Ethiopian wolves allocate their time to balance the costs and benefits of group living, we analysed the time budgets of 47 wolves across six behaviours. We hypothesized that group size and territory density would affect wolves' time allocation between solitary (foraging) and communal activities (patrolling and socialising) differently in relation to their age, dominance status or sex, and whether the pack was breeding or not. Our results showed that the time spent foraging alone increased at higher territorial densities, as expected from interference competition, particularly among subadults, subordinates and individuals in breeding packs. On the other hand, as pack size increased, adult wolves spent a lower proportion of time patrolling, while the time spent socialising did not change. Living in groups reduces the costs of communal activities, but crowded territories come at the cost of interference competition for solitary foragers, particularly the animals further down the hierarchy ranks, subadults, and individuals investing in breeding. Such trade-offs could impose an upper limit to group size and population growth within a limited space. Furthermore, anthropogenic disturbance could alter the balance of social and solitary activities of Ethiopian wolves. Significance statement: How does a species balance the costs and benefits of living in a group through time allocation? We studied a social carnivore that hunts alone: the Ethiopian wolf. Living in large packs is beneficial because wolves could spend less time on communal activities, but living in a crowded territory required more time spent hunting, especially for subadult or subordinate individuals, as well as for breeding packs. Wolves needed to adjust their behaviour to balance their solitary and communal activities effectively, and the demands of both of these contrasting activities could impose limits to group size. This can have conservation implications, as disturbances by humans or other species could negatively affect the balance between the social and solitary aspects of the life of the endangered Ethiopian wolf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diverse methods have been proposed for liquefying gases due to their need in different industries. This study examined the precooled Linde–Hampson cycle for liquefying six gases. First, the proposed system is analyzed from a thermodynamic perspective. Then, the effects of pressure ratio on performance parameters such as system required work, heat exchanger-specific heat capacity, number of transfer units, the liquefied gas mass ratio, Coefficient of Performance (COP), and exergy efficiency are examined. The results show that methane at a pressure ratio of 40 has the highest COP (1.606), while argon at a pressure ratio of 220 has the highest exergy efficiency (31.51%). Exergy analysis indicates that the Joule–Thomson valve destroys the most exergy, followed by heat exchanger-3 and compressor-1. Finally, the TOPSIS technique is used as a multi-objective optimization method to optimize the compressor-1 pressure ratio based on two objective functions, COP and exergy efficiency. The results show that in optimal conditions, COP and exergy efficiency are respectively 0.99 and 20.6% for air, 0.93 and 28.35% for argon, 0.97 and 20% for nitrogen, 1.46 and 14.76% for methane, 1.05 and 22.87% for fluorine, and 1.18 and 20.08% for oxygen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to examine individual nutritional and ameliorative effects of silica nanoparticles (SiO2NPs) and natural zeolite nanoparticles (ZeNPs) and their potential role as carriers to alter the bioavailability of curcumin. Common carps (Cyprinus carpio) were fed during 60 days with a control diet, and curcumin, turmeric, SiO2NPs, curcumin-loaded SiO2NPs, ZeNPs, and curcumin-loaded ZeNPs each at 1, 50, 6.15, 7.15, 39, and 40 g/kg diet, respectively. The highest weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) were observed in fish fed with turmeric (P < 0.05). Moreover, dietary curcumin and ZeNPs increased the content of monounsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.05). After exposure to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), the lowest amount of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was obtained in fish fed with curcumin (P < 0.05). In addition, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) decreased significantly in the negative control, curcumin, and curcumin-loaded SiO2NPs treatments in comparison to the positive control group (P < 0.05). The lowest silver accumulation was observed in the negative control and SiO2NPs groups (P < 0.05). This experiment demonstrated that while the nanoencapsulation of curcumin on SiO2NPs and ZeNPs did not enhanced the impact of curcumin on the growth and biochemical factors of carps, it can still be considered a potential dietary supplement for enhancing growth and antioxidant indices when added individually to the diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The elevated concentrations of heavy metals in soil considerably threaten ecological and human health. To this end, the present study assesses metals pollution and its threat to ecology from the mid-channel bar's (char) agricultural soil in the Damodar River basin, India. For this, the contamination factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), pollution index, and ecological risk index (RI) were measured on 60 soil samples at 30 stations (2 from each station, i.e., surface and sub-surface) in different parts of the mid-channel bar. The CF and EF indicate that both levels of char soil have low contamination and hence portray a higher potential for future enrichment by heavy metals. Moreover, Igeo portrays that soil samples are uncontaminated to moderately contaminated. Further, pollution indices indicate that all the samples (both levels) are unpolluted with a mean of 0.062 for surface soils and 0.048 for sub-surface soils. Both levels of the char have a low potentiality for ecological risk with an average RI of 0.20 for the surface soils and 0.19 for the sub-surface soils. Moreover, Technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) indicates that the sub-surface soils have lower pollution than the surface soils. The geostatistical modeling reveals that the simple kriging technique was estimated as the most appropriate interpolation model. The present investigation exhibits that reduced heavy metal pollution is due to the sandy nature of soils and frequent flooding. However, the limited pollution is revealed due to the intensive agricultural practices on riverine chars. Therefore, this would be helpful to regional planners, agricultural engineers, and stakeholders in a basin area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starch is a widely used carbohydrate polymer whose functional properties can be easily modified through chemical or physical modification. Modification can expand the use of starch in various industries such as food, pharmaceutical and textile industries. In this paper, the modification of normal corn starch through cross-linking with Sodium trimeta-phosphate/sodium tripolyphosphate at concentrations of 6 and 12% with or without pretreatment with annealing (Ann) at two distinct times (12 or 24 h) was investigated. The results showed that modification treatments increased the phosphorus content up to 233.01 ppm. Clarity and swelling power of the modified starches were about 68.4–77.1% and 29.3–42.7% less than native starches, respectively. Dual modified starches showed some changes in morphology determined by scanning electron microscopy. DSC results exhibited that the cross-linking and Ann processes caused a significant increase in the gelatinization onset temperature, while enthalpy (up to 20.2%) and temperature range of gelatinization (up to 29.8%) decreased in all cases. Regarding RVA data, dual modifications provided lower breakdown and setback viscosities compared to the cross-linking alone. Our study showed that cross-linking treatment and Ann pretreatment increases the thermal stability of corn starch and provides the possibility of its application in food products such as frozen and canned foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to prepare and characterize vancomycin-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Van-MSNs) to detect inhibitory effects on the planktonic and biofilm forms of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates, and study the biocompatibility and toxicity of Van-MSNs in vitro as well as antibacterial activity of Van-MSNs against Gram-negative bacteria. The inhibitory effects of Van-MSNs were investigated on MRSA using the determination of minimum inhibitory (MIC) and minimum biofilm-inhibitory concentrations (MBIC) as well as the effect on bacterial attachment. Biocompatibility was studied by examining the effect of Van-MSNs on the lysis and sedimentation rate of red blood cells (RBC). The interaction of Van-MSNs with human blood plasma was detected by the SDS-PAGE approach. The cytotoxic effect of the Van-MSNs on human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) was evaluated by the MTT assay. The antibacterial effects of vancomycin and Van-MSNs on Gram-negative bacteria were also investigated using MIC determination using the broth microdilution method. Furthermore, bacteria outer membrane (OM) permeabilization was determined. Van-MSNs showed inhibitory effects on planktonic and biofilm forms of bacteria on all isolates at levels lower than MICs and MBICs of free vancomycin, but the antibiofilm effect of Van-MSNs was not significant. However, Van-MSNs did not affect bacterial attachment to surfaces. Van-loaded MSNs did not show a considerable effect on the lysis and sedimentation of RBC. A low interaction of Van-MSNs was detected with albumin (66.5 kDa). The hBM-MSCs viability in exposure to different levels of Van-MSNs was 91–100%. MICs of ≥ 128 µg/mL were observed for vancomycin against all Gram-negative bacteria. In contrast, Van-MSNs exhibited modest antibacterial activity inhibiting the tested Gram-negative bacterial strains, at concentrations of ≤ 16 µg/mL. Van-MSNs increased the OM permeability of bacteria that can increase the antimicrobial effect of vancomycin. According to our findings, Van-loaded MSNs have low cytotoxicity, desirable biocompatibility, and antibacterial effects and can be an option for the battle against planktonic MRSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgery or transcatheter arterial embolization or are both considered as standard treatment of peptic ulcer bleeding (PUB) refractory to endoscopic hemostasis. Over-The-Scope clips (OTSC) have shown superiority to standard endoscopic treatment but a comparison with surgery has not been performed, yet. Patients and methods: In this retrospective, multicenter study, 103 patients treated with OTSC (n = 66) or surgery (n = 37) for refractory PUB in four tertiary care centers between 2009 and 2019 were analyzed. Primary endpoint was clinical success (successful hemostasis and no rebleeding within seven days). Secondary endpoints were adverse events, length of ICU-stay and in-hospital mortality. Univariable and multivariable regression models were performed to define predictive factors for allocation to surgical therapy and for mortality. Results: Age, comorbidities, anticoagulation therapy, number of pretreatments, ulcer location, and Rockall-Score were similar in both groups. In the surgical group, there were significantly more patients in shock at rebleeding (78.1% vs. 43.9%; p = 0.002), larger ulcers (18.6 ± 7.4 mm vs. 23.0 ± 9.4 mm; p = 0.017) and more FIa bleedings (64.9% vs. 19.7%; p < 0.001) were detected. Clinical success was comparable (74.2% vs. 83.8%; p = 0.329). In the surgical group, length of ICU-stay (16.2 ± 18.0 days vs. 4.7 ± 6.6 days; p < 0.001), severe adverse events (70.3% vs. 4.5%; p < 0.001) and in-hospital mortality (35.1% vs. 9.1%; p = 0.003) were significantly higher. Multivariable analysis defined shock at rebleeding as the main predictor for allocation to surgical therapy (OR 4.063, 95%CI {1.496–11.033}, p = 0.006). Postsurgical adverse events were the main reason for the in-hospital mortality (OR 5.167, 95% CI {1.311–20.363}, p = 0.019). Conclusion: In this retrospective study, OTSC compared to surgical treatment showed comparable clinical success but was associated with shorter ICU-stay, less severe adverse events and lower in-hospital mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport properties, containing the spin polarization and transmission probability, theoretically have been investigated on the exposure of an exterior magnetic field for single-layer phosphorene superlattice using the transfer matrix method. We illustrated that by controlling incoming energy, external magnetic field, or through varying the distance between two barriers, the number of barriers, and its thickness, spin transmission probabilities for phosphorene superlattice can be adjusted. The results have shown that the most transmission probability in the attendance of an exterior magnetic field happened for 5 barriers, as well as the transmission probability reduces by raising the width of the separation in the barriers for a specific magnetic field. As well, an electron beam whose spin polarization is zero can be converted into an ideal efficiency spin polarization by controlling the external magnetic field, which has a substantial role in qubit circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most crucial concern of hydrologists in analyzing water resources for planning and managing sustainable water resources is reliable and accurate streamflow prediction. In this regard, the application of data mining algorithms has grown significantly in recent decades. In the present study, seven standalone decision tree models, namely Random Forest (RF), Random Tree (RT), REP Tree (REPT), instance-based learning (IBK), KStar, M5P, and Bagging, and six hybrid models, namely, Additive Regression -M5P (AR-M5P), CVParameter Selection-M5P (CVP-M5P), Random SubSpace-M5P (RS-M5P), Random Committee-REP Tree (RC-REPT), and Random Committee-Random Tree (RC-RT), were used to predict streamflow in the Kurkursar River, Iran. A time series from 1989 to 2019 was used for training (80%) and testing (20%) phases. The RMSE, PSR, MAE, PBAIAS, and NSE statistical criteria were employed to evaluate the performance and accuracy of the models, and dimensional diagrams were drawn to assess them visually. The results showed that among all the standalone and hybrid models, BAGGING had the best performance (RMSE = 0.51615 m 3 s , MAE = 0.09201 m 3 s , NSE = 0.7467, PBIAS = -10.511%, and PSR = 0.50319) and the REP Tree (REPT) model the weakest performance (RMSE = 1.36649, MAE = 0.2451607, NSE = 0.3327, PBIAS -11.274, and PSR = 0.81685). The final result shows that all models provided good predictions and performance. Also, hybrid models were able to increase the accuracy of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the tight-binding Hamiltonian and non-equilibrium Green's function method, we have studied spin-dependent transport and controllable spin-flip effect in the presence of external Rashba spin–orbit interaction (RSOI) through armchair phosphorene nanoribbons (APNRs) with different widths. The results show that, by increasing the ribbon width, the spin-flip effect diminishes. Our probes suggest that creating splits in the effective positions in APNRs can improve the spin-flip effect which makes cleaved APNR structures a suitable candidate for designing improved spin inverters in future spintronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amino acid monomeric units can contribute significantly to a biomass-based and sustainable material because their biomass origin polymers composed of amino acids as in their backbone are biocompatible materials with unique physical properties. In this study, we developed a novel reduction and pH-sensitive poly(disulfide-amide) nanoparticles based on cystine amino acid loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) [(DOX/Cys-PA) NPS] as a fascinating class of nanocarriers that can be applied for targeting anticancer DOX drug delivery. The particle size of (DOX/Cys-PA) NPS with a size range between 200 and 250 nm and parent loading of 12% was prepared using the ionic gelation method by adding FeCl3 polyanion chelating agent, Fe3+ form cross-link between the polymer chain. As a result, a characteristic peak for iron appears in XRD analysis. Furthermore, the disulfide linkages enhance the (DOX/Cys-PA) NPS degradability by glutathione (GSH), and the chelating bond of Fe3+ enhances the response to pH change. Consequently, in vitro release of DOX at pH 7.4 demonstrates relative stability of the (DOX/Cys-PA) NPS in the bloodstream (pH 7.4) and rapid release of the DOX inside endosomes (pH 5.8 and 0.1 M GSH) of tumor cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a novel combined primary and secondary control approach for direct current microgrids, specifically in islanded mode. In primary control, this approach establishes an appropriate load power sharing between the distributed energy resources based on their rated power. Simultaneously, it considers the load voltage deviation and provides satisfactory voltage regulation in the secondary control loop. The proposed primary control is based on an efficient droop mechanism that only deploys the local variable measurements, so as to overcome the side effects caused by communication delays. In the case of secondary control, two different methods are devised. In the first, low bandwidth communication links are used to establish the minimum required data transfer between the converters. The effect of communication delay is further explored. The second method excludes any communication link and only uses local variables. Accordingly, a self-sufficient control loop is devised without any communication requirement. The proposed control notions are investigated in MATLAB/Simulink platform to highlight system performance. The results demonstrate that both proposed approaches can effectively compensate for the voltage deviation due to the primary control task. Detailed comparisons of the two methods are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing use of heavy metals in most industrial activities has led to it being considered as the most important environmental pollutant that may cause harm and toxicity to animals and humans. Chromium has been found in the environment in different oxidation states such as Cr0, Cr(III), and Cr(VI) and is released from a variety of anthropogenic and natural activities. At among, trivalent and hexavalent chromium are the most stable forms. Considerably, Cr(VI) is frequently more toxic than Cr(III) because of its particular solubility and high mobility. Chronic exposure and bioaccumulation of chromium, as a heavy metal, can cause toxicity and numerous pathophysiological defects, including allergic reactions, anemia, burns, and sores especially in the stomach and small intestine, damage to sperm along with the male reproductive system, and affect various biological systems. Chromium pollution can have severe consequences for water and the soil environment. This article reviews the toxicological effects of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) and their mechanisms of toxicity and carcinogenicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nowadays, 3D planning and static for dynamic aids play an increasing role in oral rehabilitation of the masticatory apparatus with dental implants. The aim of this study is to compare the accuracy of implant placement using a 3D-printed drilling guide and an intraoral real-time dynamic navigation system. Methods: A total of 60 implants were placed on 12 partially edentulous lower jaw models. 30 were placed with pilot drilling guides, the other half with dynamic navigation (DENACAM®). In addition, implant placement in interdental gaps and free-end situations were investigated. Accuracy was assessed by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Results: Both systems achieved clinically acceptable results, yet more accurate results regarding the offset of implant base and tip in several spatial dimensions were achieved using drilling guides (each p < 0.05). With regard to angulation, real-time navigation was more precise (p = 0.0016). Its inaccuracy was 3°; the template-guided systems was 4.6°. Median horizontal deviation was 0.52 mm at base and 0.75 mm at tip using DENACAM®. When using the pilot drill guide, horizontal deviation was 0.34 mm in the median and at the tip by 0.59 mm. Regarding angulation, it was found that the closer the drill hole was to the system's marker, the better navigation performed. The template did not show this trend (p = 0.0043; and p = 0.0022). Conclusion: Considering the limitations of an in vitro study, dynamic navigation can be used be a tool for reliable and accurate implantation. However, further clinical studies need to follow in order to provide an evidence-based recommendation for use in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an automatic parameter adjustment technique for synchronous power controllers in order to improve the dynamic frequency stability of the low inertia power systems. The proposed control method is based on a novel transfer function in which various grid and converter controller parameters involved in the stability studies have been thoroughly included. As the main contribution of this paper, the eigenvalue trajectory of the proposed transfer function has been determined, considering the variations of both virtual inertia and damping control parameters simultaneously. Furthermore, any corresponding operating point on this eigenvalue trajectory can be specified based on the desired frequency response characteristics of the system. Therefore, the inertia and damping coefficients of the converter controller can be simultaneously adjusted through the proposed controller algorithm as the second contribution of this paper. Also, as another novelty of this paper, it is demonstrated through analytical and theoretical studies that both damping ratio and natural frequency characteristics of a dynamic frequency response have profound effects on the controller parameter value adjustments. Simulation results have been employed in MATLAB/Simulink to confirm the performance of the proposed controller regarding the appropriate parameter value adjustments, development of the desired dynamic frequency responses, and the prominent interactions between the frequency response characteristics and the converter controller parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adsorptive removal of toxic metals from water using materials with high removal capability and sufficient environmental degradability is of great importance. In this study, a novel nanocomposite adsorbent was synthesized by reinforcing poly(vinyl alcohol)/alginate (PVA/Alg) hydrogel using cysteine-modified bentonite (Cys-BNT). The synthesized composite was characterized using XRD, FTIR, and TEM techniques and subsequently used to remove Pb from aqueous solutions. The factors that affect the Pb adsorption of the composite, including solution pH, Pb concentration, and time were also evaluated. The XRD and TEM results revealed the coexistence of exfoliated and intercalated BNT layers in the polymer matrix. The Pb removal was pH-dependent with the highest Pb removal efficiency at pH 5.0. The incorporation of Cys-BNT significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced the maximum Pb adsorption capacity of PVA/Alg hydrogel from 480 to 995 μmol g−1. The Elovich model was the best to fit the Pb adsorption kinetic data, and the adsorption equilibrium time was 4 h. The Pb removal rate was also significantly (P < 0.05) increased through embedding the Cys-BNT into the PVA/Alg hybrid. Overall, the prepared Cys-BNT/PVA/Alg nanocomposite exhibits a great adsorption efficiency and a rapid adsorption behavior, making it a suitable material to remove Pb from polluted waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Use of topical vasodilators in microsurgery to ameliorate intraoperative vasospasm after dissection of vessels is widely used. It not only facilitates the anastomosis but also enhances the flap survival outcome. Finding safe and effective agent is important in vitro. Studying it primarily in vivo will facilitate finding this agent before proceeding to in vitro application. This study aims to experimentally compare the efficacy of two vasodilators in relieving vasospasms. Methods: In this in vivo study, the effect of topical application of verapamil was compared to lidocaine in relieving the vasospasm of femoral vessel of 21 Sprague–Dawley rats. Results: Verapamil provided dilatation exceeding that of the lidocaine, as the mean of dilation after application of the verapamil was 0.28 mm and the maximum dilation was 0.6 mm. While after lidocaine application, the mean of dilation was 0.17 and the maximum dilation was 0.45 mm. The percentage of change in vessel diameter after application of drugs was 63.85% in the verapamil group and 33.57% in lidocaine group. Conclusions: In the current study, it was proven that both verapamil and lidocaine have statistically significant vasodilator effects. However, verapamil is superior to lidocaine in its topical vasodilator effect. It has also longer duration of vasodilator effect. Level of evidence: Not ratable [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]