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Background: Cardiovascular disease and low bone mineral density are major health problems in the elderly. These two conditions are considered independent of each other and age-related diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between low bone mineral density (BMD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidents, and the effect of vitamin D and calcium supplement on the incidence of CVD in patients with low BMD. Methods: A total of 1047 patients (597 females/450 males) with the age of 65 years and more were diagnosed with osteopenia for 13 years or more. The study also included 220 patients (107 females/113 males) with osteopenia who already took calcium and vitamin D continually since their diagnosis. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The incidence of any cardiovascular diseases in the study patients and the presence of corresponding risk factors were collected and analyzed. Results: In both elderly Arab females and males, there was an association between total hip and femoral neck BMD and the possibility to have CVD. On the other hand, the results showed that patients who use calcium and vitamin D supplements showed a significant reduction in the incidence of CVD comparing to the non-treated patients. Conclusion: Low total hip and femoral neck BMD were associated with a higher chance to have CVD incidents in both elderly Arab males and females; moreover, calcium and vitamin D supplements have a possible protective role in reducing cardiovascular disease in elderly patients with osteopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biosorption is a good choice for removal of pollutants from water. In this study, hull cell of thermally autolyzed baker yeast, was used as a low-cost biosorbent against U(VI) pollution. The changes of biomass properties due to autolysis were analyzed using SEM, FTIR and BET techniques. Uranium (VI) biosorption capacity was evaluated and the effective parameters were examined by Placket Burman Design and the levels of significant factors (including pH, biomass concentration, initial U(VI) concentration) were further optimized using Response Surface Methodology. Based on the results obtained from the proposed quadratic model, maximum U uptake (84 mg/g) was occurred under optimum conditions including: 2.0 g biomass/L, pH value of 4.5 and 300 mg/L of initial U(VI) concentration. Furthermore, the experimental data were fitted to pseudo-first-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.991) and Freundlich isotherm model (R2 = 0.965). Uranium is desorbed in the presence of diluted solutions of sulfuric acid (about 70%) indicated the potential of the metal recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The undesirable inflammation and the excessive M1 macrophage activity may lead to inflammatory diseases. Corticosteroids and stem cell therapy are used in clinical practice to promote anti-inflammatory responses. However, this protocol has limitations and is associated with numerous side effects. In this study, the synergistic anti-inflammatory effects of dexamethasone (Dex) and mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) were evaluated to enhance the polarization of M1 inflammatory macrophages into the anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotype. Hence, we designed different combinations of Dex and EVs using three methods, including EVs isolated from Dex-preconditioned MSCs (Pre-Dex-EVs), EVs loaded with Dex (L-Dex-EVs), and EVs and Dex co-administration (Dex + EVs). All designed EVs had a significant effect on reducing the expression of M1-related genes (iNOS, Stat1, and IRF5), cytokines (IL6 and TNF-a), and CD markers (CD86) in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages. On the other hand, these combinations promoted the expression of alternative-activated M2-related genes (Arg-1, Stat6, and IRF4), cytokine (IL10), and CD markers (CD206). The combination of Dex and MSC-EVs enhances the effectiveness of both and synergistically promotes the conversion of inflammatory macrophages into an anti-inflammatory state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) technology is a promising alternative to antibiotics. This technology is defined as the inhibition of bacterial growth with photosensitizers while irradiated with low-level laser light in the wavelength of 532 ± 2.08 nm. A challenging area in this field is selecting photosensitizers with antibacterial potential. In this paper, to enhance the antibacterial efficiency, the photosensitizers (the selected plant extracts) with a high absorption peak at the selected laser frequency, 532 nm, were prepared. Low-concentration ethanolic plant extracts of Hibiscus sabdariffa and Opuntia ficus-indica were found to exhibit significant antibacterial activity against, Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 19606 and, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 33591 as two important human pathogenic bacteria. The effectiveness of these natural photosensitizers was measured by determining their Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) values and by performing a time-killing assay in the absence and the presence of laser irradiation. Our results showed that the combination of low-level laser irradiation and the selected photosensitizers had excellent potential for treating in vitro bacterial infections. Therefore, PDI technology has great potential as a viable alternative to traditional antibiotics for combating bacterial infections. This study presents a promising avenue for further exploration of PDI and the use of laser technology in medical science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We perform numerical studies in the framework of QCD kinetic theory to investigate the energy and angular profiles of a high energy parton — as a proxy for a jet produced in heavy ion collisions — passing through a Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP). We find that the fast parton loses energy to the plasma mainly via a radiative turbulent quark and gluon cascade that transports energy locally from the jet down to the temperature scale where dissipation takes place. In this first stage of the system time evolution, the angular structure of the turbulent cascade is found to be relatively collimated. However, when the lost energy reaches the plasma temperature it is rapidly transported to large angles w.r.t. the jet axis and thermalizes. We investigate the contribution of the soft jet constituents to the total jet energy. We show that for jet opening angles of about 0.3 rad or smaller, the effect is negligible. Conversely, larger opening angles become more and more sensitive to the thermal component of the jet and thus to medium response. Our result showcases the importance of the jet cone size in mitigating or enhancing the details of dissipation in jet quenching observables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid global growth of plastic production and waste are harbingers of increasing pollution in terrestrial and marine ecosystems for which safe and effective methods of disposal and degradation must be pursued. In the present study, metabarcoding and culture-based studies have been carried out to provide insights into polyethylene terephthalate (PET) biodegradation potential. Post-consumer PET films and powder were exposed to soil samples obtained from an aged oil bitumen spring site in Southwest Iran. To investigate microbial community composition, metagenome was extracted and hypervariable V3-V4 were sequenced (metabarcoding). Comparison of 16S amplicon metagenomic profiles between samples shows that Bacillus spp. and Halomonas spp. were the most abundant among bacterial genera present in soil samples from the vicinity of the oil seep, while Sphingomonas genus was most frequent in sample C collected from a region ~ 0.5 km distant of the oil seep. In the culture-based approach, Brevibacillus and Pseudomonas spp were isolated and analyzed for PET degradation. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) analysis shows two isolates had been colonized on PET film surface forming biofilm-like structures. PET degradation components were investigated by Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) which revealed the presence of aliphatic and aromatic compounds in the bacterial media. In addition, X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed reduction in crystallinity region peaks after 90 days of incubation with bacteria at 32°C. The diversity of the microbial community and the presence of PET degrading bacteria indicate a potential of the native oil seep-contaminated ecosystem for plastic degradation which is acquired following long-term adaptation to petroleum compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthetic polymers, such as polyethylene (PE), are produced daily in large quantities and, due to their unique properties, like durability and low cost, consumed in various capacities worldwide, subsequently accumulating in terrestrial and marine environments. In recent years, several studies have focused on the toxicological effects of these plastic particles, and bioremediation approaches for the removal of these wastes. Easy access to nano and micro-sized PE particles in these approaches is crucial and urgent. In this research, we report a simple, fast, and cost-effective method for producing nano polyethylene particles (NPE) that are stable and capable of dispersion in water without chemical modifications. PE particles were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis. As a result, a wide size range of particles (mainly 500 and 810 nm) with a polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.88 was made, mainly amorphous in structure and as the initial polymer lacking functional groups. The non-toxic nature of these nanoparticles for bacteria was tested by MTT method. The application of this method to the production of NPE is prominent in the toxicity effects of these particles in living organisms, the efficient selection of polyethylene-degrading microorganisms from the environment, and for industrial use to facilitate the degradation process of polyethylene and convert waste into high-value products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Opioids have historically been a first-line therapy for surgical pain control. They were considered optimum and the mainstay of balanced anesthesia, but recently, concerns about their side effects have been raised. The concept of opioid free anesthesia (OFA) was introduced to provide a safer alternative that would provide benefits as well as enhance recovery after surgery. Results: Sixty patients were enrolled in the study, 30 patients in each group. The two groups, TBA and OFA, were comparable in demographic data (age, sex, body mass index (BMI), lean body weight (LBW)) and duration of surgery. The TBA group showed a statistically significant reduction in the time needed for extubation (P value 0.018) and reaching an Aldrete score of 9 (P value 0.02). There was a significant decrease in pain scores, and nalbuphine consumption in the OFA group that extended to 24 h post-operative. Conclusions: OFA has a better profile than TBA with regard to post-operative pain score and opioid consumption post-operative, but they have a relative increase in time to extubation and time to reach an Aldrete score of 9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little attention has been given to whether country of origin as well as perceptions of severity impact adolescents' attributions for public and private face-to-face and cyber victimization. The objective of the present study was to examine the role of medium (face-to-face, cyber), setting (public, private), and perceptions of severity in adolescents' attributions for victimization, while accounting for gender and cultural values. Participants included 3,432 adolescents (ages 11–15; 49% girls) from China, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, India, Japan, and the United States. Adolescents completed a questionnaire on their cultural values and read four hypothetical peer victimization scenarios, including public face-to-face victimization, private face-to-face victimization, public cyber victimization, and private cyber victimization. They rated the severity of each scenario and how likely they would use various attributions to explain the victimization scenarios, including self-blame, aggressor-blame, joking, normative, and conflict attributions. The findings revealed that attributions varied based on severity, and that this relationship was moderated by setting and medium of victimization, as well as varied by country of origin. Taken together, the results from this study indicate complex differences in attributions based on setting, medium, perceptions of severity, and country of origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We supply recently obtained results from lattice EQCD with the correct UV limit to construct the collisional broadening kernel C(b⊥) in a QCD plasma. We discuss the limiting behavior of C(b⊥) at small and large impact parameters b⊥, and illustrate how the results can be used to compute medium-induced radiation rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an ecological perspective, this one-year longitudinal study examined the moderating effect of sex in the associations among peer-related contexts (i.e., peer attachment, social preference goals) and cyberbullying involvement among adolescents from China, Cyprus, India, and the United States, along with investigating cross-cultural differences in these associations. Participants were 2,452 seventh and eighth grade adolescents (age range 12–16 years old; 49.1% girls) from China, Cyprus, India, and the USA. Adolescents completed questionnaires on peer attachment, social preference goals, and cyberbullying involvement (i.e., perpetration, victimization) at Time 1. Cyberbullying involvement was administered at Time 2 (one year later). Peer attachment and social preference goals were negative predictors of Time 2 cyberbullying involvement. Peer attachment and Time 2 cyberbullying perpetration were moderated by sex for Chinese adolescents only, as well as social preference goals and Time 2 cyberbullying perpetration for Chinese and the US adolescents. Sex did not moderate the associations among peer attachment, social preference goals, and Time 2 cyberbullying victimization. The findings of this study have implications for interventions focused on improving adolescents' interactions with their peers at school and urges the need to develop bullying prevention programs sensitive to culture and sex. The ecological framework contributes to a more complete understanding of how multiple contexts influence bullying dynamics and provides a clear basis for policy and intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the energy loss and equilibration of highly energetic particles/jets inside a QCD medium. Based on an effective kinetic description of QCD, including 2 ↔ 2 elastic processes, radiative 1 ↔ 2 processes, as well as the back-reaction of jet constituents onto the thermal medium, we describe the in-medium evolution of jets from the energy scale of the jet ∼ E all the way to the medium scale ∼ T. While elastic processes and back-reaction are important to describe the equilibration of soft fragments of the jet, we find that the energy loss is dominated by an inverse turbulent cascade due to successive radiative branchings, which has interesting implications for the energy spectra and chemistry of jet fragments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the tumor microenvironment, macrophages polarize into the M2 phenotype to facilitate tumorigenesis. Tumor-derived exosomes can act as mediators between the tumor microenvironment and stromal cells by transporting proteins, mRNAs, and miRNAs. Exosomal miRNAs play a pivotal role in modulating tumor microenvironment and macrophage polarization. Here, we overexpressed miR-130 and miR-33 in exosomes of MDA-MB-231 cells and investigated their effect on macrophage polarization and tumor progression. For this purpose, exosomes were extracted from MDA-MB-231 cells and characterized using dynamic light scattering, electron microscopy, and western blotting of exosomal markers. Then, miR-130 or miR-33 containing exosomes were used to treat IL4-induced M2 or tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). After treatment, the polarization status of macrophages, including the expression of M1 specific genes, and the secretion of cytokines were evaluated. Finally, the conditioned medium from exosome-treated macrophages was incubated with cancer cells to evaluate its effect on the migration and invasion ability of cancer cells and, in vivo experiments investigated the effect of exosome-treated macrophages on breast cancer progression. Exosomes characterization results approved the range of size and homogeneity of extracted exosomes. Overexpression of miR-130 and miR-33 in exosomes increased the expression of M1 signature genes (IRF5, MCP1, CD80) and secretion of cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α) as well as yeast phagocytic activity of macrophages. Besides, the conditioned medium of macrophages treated with miRNA containing exosomes declined the migration and invasion ability of cancer cells. The in vivo results indicated the inhibitory effect of exosome-treated macrophages on tumor growth. Furthermore, the results showed that in response to exosome-treated macrophages, the production of TNF-α by spleen cells increased, while the production of IL-10 and TGF-β by these cells decreased. These findings suggest that overexpression of miR-130 and miR-33 in exosomes can decrease tumor progression by shifting macrophage polarization from M2 to M1 phenotype and can be a potential therapeutic strategy for tumor interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species often include multiple ecotypes that are adapted to different environments1. However, it is unclear how ecotypes arise and how their distinctive combinations of adaptive alleles are maintained despite hybridization with non-adapted populations2–4. Here, by resequencing 1,506 wild sunflowers from 3 species (Helianthus annuus, Helianthus petiolaris and Helianthus argophyllus), we identify 37 large (1–100 Mbp in size), non-recombining haplotype blocks that are associated with numerous ecologically relevant traits, as well as soil and climate characteristics. Limited recombination in these haplotype blocks keeps adaptive alleles together, and these regions differentiate sunflower ecotypes. For example, haplotype blocks control a 77-day difference in flowering between ecotypes of the silverleaf sunflower H. argophyllus (probably through deletion of a homologue of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT)), and are associated with seed size, flowering time and soil fertility in dune-adapted sunflowers. These haplotypes are highly divergent, frequently associated with structural variants and often appear to represent introgressions from other—possibly now-extinct—congeners. These results highlight a pervasive role of structural variation in ecotypic adaptation. Resequencing analyses of three species of wild sunflower identify large non-recombining haplotype blocks that correlate with ecologically relevant traits, soil and climate characteristics, and that differentiate species ecotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some bismuth borate glasses containing an equal concentration of both ZnO and CaO were prepared using the fast cooling method, in the air. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared techniques were used to characterize these glasses. All samples showed amorphous natures, with short-range order networks. Introducing of both ZnO and CaO caused BO4 groups to convert to BO3 with an observable decreasing in the molar volume. Linear refractive index decreased with increasing the wavelength of the incident light, while the nonlinear refractive index increased. Linear and nonlinear susceptibilities decreased with introducing ZnO and CaO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease destroying the insulin-producing beta cells. Recently, stem cell therapy has been tested to treat T1D. In the present study, we aim to investigate the effects of intraperitoneal and intravenous infusion of multipotent mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) and MSC-conditioned medium (MSC-CM) in an experimental model of diabetes, induced by multiple injections of Streptozotocin (STZ). The adipose tissue-derived MSC and MSC-CM were isolated from C57Bl/6 male mice and characterized. Later, MSC and MSC-CM were injected intraperitoneally or intravenously into mice. The blood glucose, urinary glucose, and body weight were measured, and the percentages of CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+ T cells as well as the levels of IFN-γ, TGF-β, IL-4, IL-17, and IL-10 were evaluated. Our results showed that both intraperitoneal and intravenous infusions of MSC and MSC-CM could decrease the blood glucose, recover pancreatic islets, and increase the levels of insulin-producing cells. Furthermore, the percentage of CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+ T cells was increased after intraperitoneal injection of MSC or MSC-CM and intravenous injection of MSCs. After intraperitoneal injection of the MSC and MSC-CM, the levels of inflammatory cytokines reduced, while the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines increased. Together current data showed that although both intraperitoneal and intravenous administration had beneficial effects on T1D animal model, but intraperitoneal injection of AD-MSC and AD-MSC-CM was more effective than systemic administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change adaptation, mitigation and food security may be addressed at the same time by enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration through environmentally sound land management practices. This is promoted by the "4 per 1000" Initiative, a multi-stakeholder platform aiming at increasing SOC storage through sustainable practices. The scientific and technical committee of the Initiative is working to identify indicators, research priorities and region-specific practices needed for their implementation. The Initiative received its name due to the global importance of soils for climate change, which can be illustrated by a thought experiment showing that an annual growth rate of only 0.4% of the standing global SOC stocks would have the potential to counterbalance the current increase in atmospheric CO2. However, there are numerous barriers to the rise in SOC stocks and while SOC sequestration can contribute to partly offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, its main benefits are related to increased soil quality and climate change adaptation. The Initiative provides a collaborative platform for policy makers, practitioners, scientists and stakeholders to engage in finding solutions. Criticism of the Initiative has been related to the poor definition of its numerical target, which was not understood as an aspirational goal. The objective of this paper is to present the aims of the initiative, to discuss critical issues and to present challenges for its implementation. We identify barriers, risks and trade-offs and advocate for collaboration between multiple parties in order to stimulate innovation and to initiate the transition of agricultural systems toward sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cell culture medium is an intricate mixture of components which has a tremendous effect on cell growth and recombinant protein production. Regular cell culture medium includes various components, and the decision about which component should be included in the formulation and its optimum amount is an underlying issue in biotechnology industries. Applying conventional techniques to design an optimal medium for the production of a recombinant protein requires meticulous and immense research. Moreover, since the medium formulation for the production of one protein could not be the best choice for another protein, hence, the most suitable media should be determined for each recombinant cell line. Accordingly, medium formulation becomes a laborious, time-consuming, and costly process in biomanufacturing of recombinant protein, and finding alternative strategies for medium development seems to be crucial. In silico modeling is an attractive concept to be adapted for medium formulation due to its high potential to supersede laboratory examinations. By emerging the high-throughput datasets, scientists can disclose the knowledge about the effect of medium components on cell growth and metabolism, and via applying this information through systems biology approach, medium formulation optimization could be accomplished in silico with no need of significant amount of experimentation. This review demonstrates some of the applications of systems biology as a powerful tool for medium development and illustrates the effect of medium optimization with system-level analysis on the production of recombinant proteins in different host cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berberine (BBR) exerts documented protection against neurodegenerative disorders. However, data on the effect of nano-encapsulation on the neuroprotective effect of BBR are lacking. We investigated the effect of BBR loading into chitosan (CS) nanoparticles (NPs) and their surface modification with Tween 80 (T80), polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG), and miltefosine (MFS) against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neurodegenerative changes in addition to hepatotoxicity in rats. BBR-NPs were prepared by ionic gelation and characterized for morphology by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), colloidal properties, and entrapment efficiency (EE%). The neuroprotective and hepatoprotective effects of a 14-day pretreatment with four BBR-NPs formulations (4 mg/kg BBR/day) by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection were challenged by a single i.p. 4 mg/kg dose of LPS on the fifteenth day. Neuroprotective efficacy and potential toxicity of BBR-NPs relative to BBR solution were assessed biochemically and histopathologically. One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey's comparison test was used for statistical analysis. CS nano-encapsulation and surface modification of BBR-NPs altered the neuroprotective and hepatoprotective effects of BBR depending on the physicochemical and/or biological effects of BBR, CS, coating materials, and NP-related features. Similar to the prophylactic and treatment efficacy of NPs for brain delivery, safety of these nanostructures and their individual formulation components warrants due research attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resolving power of spectrophotometric assisted mathematical techniques was demonstrated for the simultaneous determination of the challenging ternary mixture of paracetamol (PAR), orphenadrine citrate (Or.cit), and caffeine (CAF), where PAR, which has the highest absorptivity, is formulated in a very high concentration compared with Or.cit and CAF. Simultaneous area ratio subtraction (SARS), derivative spectrophotometry (D), constant multiplication (CM), and dual wavelength (DW) resolution techniques were able to resolve the three drugs. In SARS, PAR concentration was determined directly at 304 nm in the division spectra using PAR normalized spectrum as a divisor. After subtraction of the constant and multiplying by PAR normalized spectrum; CAF and Or.cit can be determined by first and fourth derivative methods, respectively, from the division spectra. Also, Or.cit and CAF can be obtained by the DW method and CM method, respectively, upon the division of the obtained ratio spectra by CAF spectrum. The proposed methods were validated with good accuracy and precision over the concentration ranges of 20–90, 3–40, and 1–20 μg/mL for PAR, Or.cit, and CAF, respectively. Specificity of the proposed methods was assessed by analyzing laboratory prepared mixtures containing different ratios of the cited drugs. The proposed methods were applied successfully for the determination of PAR, Or.cit, and CAF in their dosage form without any interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During a study on the biodiversity of yeasts and yeast-like ascomycetes from wild plants in Iran, four strains of yeast-like filamentous fungi were isolated from a healthy plant of Euphorbia polycaulis in the Qom Province, Iran (IR. of). All four strains formed small hyaline one-celled conidia from integrated conidiogenous cells directly on hyphae and sometimes on discrete phialides, as well as by microcyclic conidiation. Two strains additionally produced conidia in conidiomata that open by rupture. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences suggested the placement of these strains in the genera Collophorina (Leotiomycetes) and Coniochaeta (Sordariomycetes), respectively. Blast search results on NCBI GenBank and phylogenetic analyses of ITS, the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and the translation elongation factor 1α (EF-1α) sequences, and the nuclear large subunit ribosomal gene (LSU), partial actin (ACT), and β-tubulin (TUB) sequences, respectively, revealed the isolates to belong to three new species, that are described here as Collophorina euphorbiae, Coniochaeta iranica, and C. euphorbiae. All three species are characterised by morphological, physiological, and molecular data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic growth and rising food consumption in the world have led to increased production of organic wastes due to an important intensification of the agricultural production systems. The analysis of macro elements (nitrogen [N], phosphorus [P], and potassium [K]) in organic wastes reveals that the economic loss is significant with the intensification of the agricultural system. The good management of those wastes would be an effective means of organic matter restoration through carbon restitution to the depleted soils through organic amendments. Composting is a type of waste processing that has gained increasing acceptance over the years. As a rule, the process consists of the natural biological decomposition of organic waste components and involves diverse species of microorganisms. Those organic residues could reconstitute soils and be an important fertilization backup. Composts prepared from different organic wastes differ in their quality and stability, which further depends upon the composition of raw material used for the compost production. Compost quality is closely related to its stability and maturity. The wide variety of chemical and biological variations that occur during composting, and the range of methods suggested in literature, has made it difficult to agree on methods for the practical assessment of maturity. A literature review of the main start-up, monitoring and maturity parameters are discussed concerning different raw materials used and different composting methods practiced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of publicity (private, public) and medium (face-to-face, cyber) on the associations between attributions (i.e., self-blame, aggressor-blame) and coping strategies (i.e., social support, retaliation, ignoring, helplessness) for hypothetical victimization scenarios among 3,442 adolescents (age range 11-15 years; 49% girls) from China, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, India, Japan, and the United States. When Indian and Czech adolescents made more of the aggressor-blame attribution, they used retaliation more for public face-to-face victimization when compared to private face-to-face victimization and public and private cyber victimization. In addition, helplessness was used more for public face-to-face victimization when Chinese adolescents utilized more of the aggressor-blame attribution and the self-blame attribution. Similar patterns were found for Cypriot adolescents, the self-blame attribution, and ignoring. The results have implications for the development of prevention and intervention programs that take into account the various contexts of peer victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 1 million tons of fresh organic wastes is produced in the Souss-Massa region in Morocco. Tomato organic residues represent more than 25% of the total organic wastes and are deposited in uncontrolled landfills. Thus, composting can represent a valuable and pertinent solution to this environmental problem. The objectives of this experiment are to identify the potential functional groups responsible for compost phytotoxicity and to determine the optimum initial carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N) for maximum recovery of tomato residues. The experiment consisted of the variation of the initial C/N ratios (25, 30, 35, and 40) using mixtures of different raw materials (tomato residues, melon residues, olive mill pomace, and sheep manure). Physicochemical parameters (pH, electrical conductivity, C/N ratio, and humic acid/fulvic acid ratio) were determined and spectroscopic analyses (UV-vis and NMR-13C) were performed during the composting process along with quality parameters (germination and phytotoxicity tests) at the end. The results showed that the compost with the initial C/N ratio of 35 is the most humified with the least phytotoxic effect. The germination and phytotoxicity tests were negatively correlated with the methoxyl/N-alkyl-C ratio and O-alkyl-C. These two functional groups are probably the origin of phytotoxicity expression in compost quality tests. Thus, a simple and precise quality test could be performed to evaluate directly the phytotoxicity and maturity of compost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: War-torn populations are often hard to screen for mental health disorders. Classical data collection approaches, such as paper-based, online, or SMS-operated, are either infeasible or lack accuracy due to a variety of challenges associated with dynamics and consequences of war.Methods: In this paper, we introduce a novel approach for accurate and fast screening using free open-source software, Open Data Kit (ODK) mobile application. This approach was developed by the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) to assess the mental health symptoms of 986 Palestinian children (age 6-18) in the aftermath of Israel's Operation Protective Edge (OPE) in 2014. The organization developed assessment questionnaires and trained local field workers on the use of the mobile application, and on recruiting and interviewing war victims.Results: War-affected children were found to suffer from several alarming symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and somatic symptoms. Children with highest number of psychological symptoms were referred for further evaluation and treatment.Conclusions: The use of ODK mobile technologies facilitated efficient screening of affected children in war zones. The offline data collection capability was crucial for handling the difficult conditions associated with war-torn areas, enabling timely intervention for urgent cases. Further applications of the novel mobile technology are to be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speciation in herbivorous insects has received considerable attention during the last few decades. Much of this group's diversity originates from adaptive population divergence onto different host plants, which often involves the evolution of specialized patterns of host choice behaviour. Differences in host choice often translates directly into divergence in mating sites, and therefore positive assortative mating will be created which will act as a strong barrier to gene flow. In this study, we first explored whether host choice is a genetically determined trait in the sympatric willow and birch host races of the leaf feeding beetle Lochmaea capreae, or whether larval experience influences adult host choice. Once we had established that host choice is a genetically based trait we determined its genetic architecture. To achieve this, we employed a reciprocal transplant design in which offspring from pure willow and birch cross-types, F1, F2 and backcrosses were raised on each host plant and their preference was determined upon reaching adulthood. We then applied joint-scaling analysis to uncover the genetic architecture of host preference. Our results suggest that rearing host does not have a pronounced effect on adult's host choice; rather the segregation pattern implies the existence of genetic loci affecting host choice in these host races. The joint-scaling analysis revealed that population differences in host choice are mainly influenced by the contribution of additive genetic effects and also maternally inherited cytoplasmic effects. We explore the implications of our findings for evolutionary dynamics of sympatric host race formation and speciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new smart simple validated spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of two drugs one of which is in a very low concentration compared to the other. The method is based on spiking and dilution then simple mathematical manipulation of the absorbance spectra. This method was applied for the determination of a binary mixture of vildagliptin and metformin hydrochloride in the ratio 50:850 in laboratory prepared mixtures containing both drugs in this ratio and in pharmaceutical dosage form with good recoveries. The developed method was validated according to ICH guidelines and can be used for routine quality control testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper surveys the problem of predictive / reactive scheduling of an integrated operating theatre with two types of demand for surgery: 1) elective or known demand; 2) emergency or uncertain demand. The stochastic arrival of emergency patients with uncertain surgery time enforces the scheduler to react to disruption and modify scheduling plan of elective patients. We focus on this predictive / reactive scheduling problem which has not been investigated in such way before. As in hospitals, at the time of occurrence a disruption in a surgical suite, the scheduler has not enough time to make the best decision; we propose a new approach based on two-stage stochastic programming model with recourse which determines the best recourse strategy in advance of any disruption occurrence. Using the proposed approach, the primary schedule is generated in such a way that it can absorb disruption with minimum effect on planned elective surgeries. For the first time in operating theatre planning, two new significant sets of performance measures comprising 'robustness' and 'stability' measures are considered in generation of primary schedule which will be shown to be of great importance in efficiency of surgical suite planning. Computational experiments performed on sets of generated problem based on the data obtained from a non-profit hospital. In order to demonstrate efficiency of the proposed method, computational results of the proposed approach are compared with classic approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two validated chromatographic methods developed for the analysis of S clopidogrel bisulphate in the presence of its related substances listed in the United States and British Pharmacopoeias including its inactive R enantiomer are described. The first method is a simple thin layer chromatographic (TLC) method where separation is performed on pre-coated silica gel 60 F254 plates using methanol/diethylamine/heptanes/water containing 20 mg vancomycin hydrochloride (7 : 7 : 1.5 : 0.5 vol. %) as a mobile phase. Rf values were found to be 0.69, 0.74, 0.78, 0.84 and 0.88 for R clopidogrel, S clopidogrel, related substances A, B1 and B2, respectively. The second method depends on the separation by HPLC on a Lux polysaccharide chiral column with UV detection at 220 nm using 0.1 vol. % diethyl amine in methanol pumped at a rate of 1 mL min−1. Retention times were found to be 1.90 min, 2.82 min, 3.00 min, 3.27 min and 3.71 min for the related substances A, B1, C which are clopidogrel R enantiomer, B2, and S clopidogrel, respectively. The proposed methods were validated in accordance with the ICH guidelines and successfully applied to the determination of S clopidogrel bisulphate in pure powder and dosage forms without interference from the excipients and to affirm the dosage form to be pure S clopidogrel and devoid of the R enantiomer, which is inactive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrocarbons are widespread in the environment, but because of the massive utilization of petroleum products, they are nowadays strongly involved in environmental pollution. Bioremediation is the obliging technology for the treatment of hydrocarbon-contaminated sites. Therefore, to investigate the potential of petrochemical hydrocarbon (HC)-degrading indigenous microorganisms in wastewater samples collected from Fajr petrochemical wastewater treatment plants, a strain of Acinetobacter baumannii was isolated from this hydrocarbon-contaminated wastewater and examined for its ability to utilize hexadecane. This strain was capable to grow on n-hexadecane as the sole source of carbon and energy. The ability of the isolate to degrade n-hexadecane was assessed by growth assays and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. Using GC analysis, it was shown that the strain KSS1060 was able to degrade 62 % of n-hexadecane within 6 days, which mostly (51.6 %) occurred within the first 24 h. Identification of this hexadecane-degrader bacterium was carried out using 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Additionally, characterization of chemical composition of wastewater samples by the use of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis indicated the presence of Hexanal, Benzene methanol, Indanol, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid diethyl ester, diisobutyl phthalate, and Phenol,4,4′-(1-methylethylidene) in the major constituents of wastewater. In conclusion, this study can focus on more cost-efficient applications of native bacterial strains for the large-scale biodegradation of wastewater samples from petrochemical plant in industry, where it causes disturbing problems due to its harmful effects on different organisms and human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The systematic position of two strains of a yeast-like fungus isolated from plant remnants on the Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf of Iran is evaluated using morphological, physiological and phylogenetic analyses. In culture, this fungus produced cylindrical cells that reproduced by polar budding on short stalks. Production of ballistoconidia and blastospores was observed. The carbon source assimilation spectrum was broad, but fermentation ability was absent. Phylogenetic analyses of the nuclear SSU, LSU (D1/D2 domain), and ITS rDNA revealed that this fungus represents a new lineage in the Urocystidales of the subphylum Ustilaginomycotina. Based on the comparison of phenotypic characters, physiology, and DNA sequences, a new genus and species Fereydounia khargensis (IBRC-M 30116 = CBS 13305) is described for this fungus and accommodated in the novel family Fereydouniaceae. This is the first report of anamorphic saprobic fungus residing in the Urocystidales, stressing the remarkable evolutionary diversity in the subphylum Ustilaginomycotina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]