Search

Abstract Background Evidence briefs for policy (EBP) draw on best-available data and research evidence (e.g., systematic reviews) to help clarify policy problems, frame options for addressing them, and identify implementation considerations for policymakers in a given context. An increasing number of governments, non-governmental organizations and research groups have been developing EBP on a wide variety of topics. However, the reporting characteristics of EBP vary across organizations due to a lack of internationally accepted standard reporting guidelines. This project aims to develop a STandard reporting guideline of Evidence briefs for Policy (STEP), which will encompass a reporting checklist and a STEP statement and a user manual. Methods We will refer to and adapt the methods recommended by the EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) network. The key actions include: (1) developing a protocol; (2) establishing an international multidisciplinary STEP working group (consisting of a Coordination Team and a Delphi Panel); (3) generating an initial draft of the potential items for the STEP reporting checklist through a comprehensive review of EBP-related literature and documents; (4) conducting a modified Delphi process to select and refine the reporting checklist; (5) using the STEP to evaluate published policy briefs in different countries; (6) finalizing the checklist; (7) developing the STEP statement and the user manual (8) translating the STEP into different languages; and (9) testing the reliability through real world use. Discussion Our protocol describes the development process for STEP. It will directly address what and how information should be reported in EBP and contribute to improving their quality. The decision-makers, researchers, journal editors, evaluators, and other stakeholders who support evidence-informed policymaking through the use of mechanisms like EBP will benefit from the STEP. Registration We registered the protocol on the EQUATOR network. ( https://www.equator-network.org/library/reporting-guidelines-under-development/#84 )

In response to the climate change, it is essential to provide smallholder farmers with improved field crop genotypes that may increase the resilience of their farming system. This requires a fast turnover of varieties in a system capable of injecting significant amounts of genetic diversity into productive landscapes. Crop improvement is a pivotal strategy to cope with and adapt to climate change. Modern breeding may rely on the genomics revolution to speed up the development of new varieties with adaptive potential. However, centralized breeding may not adequately address smallholder farmers’ needs for more locally acclimatized varieties or groups of varieties. This, in turn, constrains adoption of new varieties that reduces the effectiveness of a resource-intensive breeding process, an issue that may be overcome with participatory, decentralized approaches. Whether high-tech centralized breeding or decentralized participatory approaches are better suited for smallholder farmers in the global South is hotly debated. Sidestepping any false dichotomies and ideological issues in these debates, this review provides a perspective on relevant advances in a breeding approach that combines the two approaches and uses genomics for trait mining from ex situ collections of genetic materials, participatory multilocation trials and crowdsourced citizen science. It argues that this new combination of high-tech centralized and participatory decentralized methods can provide a coherent and effective approach to breeding for climate adaptation and the present review advocates on a different way forward for the future research.

Abstract Smallholder farming communities face highly variable climatic conditions that threaten locally adapted, low-input agriculture. The benefits of modern crop breeding may fail to reach their fields when broadly adapted genetic materials do not address local requirements. To date, participatory methods only scratched the surface of the exploitability of farmers’ traditional knowledge in breeding. In this study, 30 smallholder farmers in each of two locations in Ethiopia provided quantitative evaluations of earliness, spike morphology, tillering capacity and overall quality on 400 wheat genotypes, mostly traditional varieties, yielding altogether 192,000 data points. Metric measurements of ten agronomic traits were simultaneously collected, allowing to systematically break down farmers’ preferences on quantitative phenotypes. Results showed that the relative importance of wheat traits differed by gender and location. Farmer traits were variously contributed by metric traits, and could only partially be explained by them. Eventually, farmer trait values were used to produce a ranking of the 400 wheat varieties identifying the trait combinations most desired by farmers. The study scale and methods lead to a better understanding of the quantitative basis of Ethiopian smallholder farmer preference in wheat, broadening the discussion for the future of local, sustainable breeding efforts accommodating farmers’ knowledge.

Septoria tritici blotch (STB) is a devastating fungal disease affecting durum and bread wheat cultivation worldwide. The identification, development, and employment of resistant wheat genetic material is the key to overcoming costs and limitations of fungicide treatments. The search for resistance sources in untapped genetic material may speed up the deployment of STB genetic resistance in the field. Ethiopian durum wheat landraces represent a valuable source of such diversity. In this study, 318 Ethiopian durum wheat genotypes, for the most part traditional landraces, were phenotyped for resistance to different aspects of STB infection. Phenology, yield and yield component traits were concurrently measured the collection. Here we describe the distribution of STB resistance traits in modern varieties and in landraces, and the relation existing between STB resistance and other agronomic traits. STB resistance sources were found in landraces as well as in modern varieties tested, suggesting the presence of alleles of breeding relevance. The genetic material was genotyped with more than 16 thousand genome-wide polymorphic markers to describe the linkage disequilibrium and genetic structure existing within the panel of genotypes, and a genome-wide association (GWA) study was run to allow the identification of genomic loci involved in STB resistance. High diversity and low genetic structure in the panel allowed high efficiency GWA. The GWA scan detected five major putative QTL for STB resistance, only partially overlapping those already reported in the wheat literature. We report four putative loci for Septoria resistance with no match in previous literature: two highly significant ones on Chr 3A and 5A, and two suggestive ones on Chr 4B and 5B. Markers underlying these QTL explained as much as 10% of the phenotypic variance for disease resistance. We found three cases in which putative QTL for agronomic traits overlapped marker trait association deriving from STB GWA. Our results show that the Ethiopian untapped allelic diversity bears a great value in studying the molecular basis of STB resistance and in breeding for resistance in local and international material.

Smallholder agriculture involves millions of farmers worldwide. A methodical utilization of their traditional knowledge in modern breeding efforts may help the production of locally adapted varieties better addressing their needs. In this study, a combination of participatory approaches, genomics, and quantitative genetics is used to trace the genetic basis of smallholder farmer preferences of durum wheat traits. Two smallholder communities evaluated 400 Ethiopian wheat varieties, mostly landraces, for traits of local interest in two locations in the Ethiopian highlands. For each wheat variety, farmers provided quantitative evaluations of their preference for flowering time, spike morphology, tillering capacity, and overall quality. Ten agronomic and phenology traits were simultaneously measured on the same varieties, providing the means to compare them with farmer traits. The analysis of farmer traits showed that they were partially influenced by gender and location but were repeatable and heritable, in some cases more than metric traits. The durum wheat varieties were genotyped for more than 80,000 SNP markers, and the resulting data was used in a genome wide association (GWA) study providing the molecular dissection of smallholder farmers' choice criteria. We found 124 putative quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling farmer traits and 30 putative QTL controlling metric traits. Twenty of such QTL were jointly identified by farmer and metric traits. QTL derived from farmer traits were in some cases dependent on gender and location, but were consistent throughout. The results of the GWA study show that smallholder farmers' traditional knowledge can yield QTL eluding metric measurements of phenotypes. We discuss the potential of including farmer evaluations based on traditional knowledge in crop breeding, arguing for the utilization of this untapped resource to develop better adapted genetic materials for local agriculture.

Several road sections have failed due to volume changes of expansive soils during moisture variation. While there are various common stabilization techniques, the use of agricultural byproducts in stabilization works can minimize costs and environmental effects when compared to ordinary stabilization methods. This paper discusses an experimental approach used to study the influence of lupine hull ash on expansive soil as a subgrade material. The laboratory results show that the expansive soils belong to A-7-5 and CH classes according to AASHTO and USCS, respectively. The expansive soil was mixed with varying concentrations of lupine hull ash, namely, 3%, 6%, 9%, and 12%. The plasticity index and free swell index were reduced by 68.19% and 62.67%, respectively, when treated with a 12% lupine hull ash concentration. The compaction test revealed a decrement of MDD and increment in OMC values as the percentage of the stabilizer material increased. Additionally, the UCS and CBR values increased significantly as the concentration of the expansive soil increased. The mineralogical analysis showed that the untreated soil is composed of 46.2% silica, 28.7% montmorillonite, and 25.1% kaolinite minerals. The SEM and XRD analysis proved the microstructural and mineralogical changes when the expansive soil is mixed with the optimum lupine hull ash concentration. While the CBR value of natural soil is unsuitable for subgrade material, mixing it with a 9% concentration of lupine hull ash ensures that the expansive soil complies with the standard as subgrade material. The experimental findings of this study emphasize the suitability of lupine hull ash for treating expansive soil encountered in rural road construction works.

Though engaging communities in research processes has several advantages and implications, research efforts are poorly embedded in and linked with communities, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There is also a need for more empirical evidence on effectively engaging communities in research in LMICs, specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Thus, there is an urgent need to synthesize existing evidence on community engagement experiences in research in SSA. Therefore, this review aimed to synthesize the existing community engagement experiences and related barriers to engaging communities in health research focusing on infectious diseases of poverty in SSA. The systematic review was conducted following the JBI methodology for qualitative systematic reviews. The review included both published and unpublished studies. A thematic analysis approach was used for data synthesis. A total of 40 studies were included in the review. Community engagement in the conceptualization of the research project, analysis, dissemination, and interpretation of the result was rare. On top of this, almost all the research projects engaged the community at a lower level of engagement (i.e., informing or consulting the community at some point in the research process), suggesting the importance of integrating communities in the entire research cycle. The lack of shared control over the research by the community was one of the significant challenges mentioned. This review uncovered that community engagement in the research process is minimal. Nevertheless, the review generated valuable evidence that can inform researchers and research stakeholders to promote effective community engagement in the research process addressing infectious diseases of poverty. Despite these, it requires rigorous primary studies to examine the applicability and usefulness of community engagement, including developing valid metrics of engagement, standardizations of reporting community engagements, and views and understandings of communities and stakeholders on the values, expectations, and concepts of community engagement in research.

AbstractEfficient conservation and subsequent utilization of genetic resources are primarily dependent on the strength in the assessment of variation among genotypes. An experiment was carried out aiming at determining the extent of phenotypic variability present in a panel of 320 barley genotypes and identifying candidate lines for further evaluation in improvement programs and successive utilization. It was conducted at two locations in Ethiopia, Aris Negelle and Holetta in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 cropping seasons. Among the best 30 lines for grain yield across all the environments, lines from farmers’ varieties constitute 73% and lines that mature in less than 85 days were identified. Based on the spike row number, the best-performing lines combined across all the environments were six-rowed types. Based on the two years’ data at Arsi Negelle the two-rowed spike type dominates, and at Holetta the six-rowed type. After principal component analysis, the first three PCs with an eigenvalue greater than one explained 70% of the variation. The correlation coefficient between grain and biomass yield was significant and though low (r = 0.38***). Significant, high, and negative correlation coefficient (−0.72***) was observed between 1000 kernel weight and the number of seeds per spike. A positive correlation between biomass and grain yield attracts farmers as a feed and food crop as it has also been signified in the current research. Having the improved barley gene pool largely from international sources, combining the improved materials with farmers’ varieties may minimize the existing gap between the local and improved barley gene pool.

Abstract Background The serum lipid and immunohematological values of tuberculosis lymphadenitis (TBLN) patients is poorly documented relative to pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) cases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the serum lipid and immunohematological values of patients with TBLN in comparison with PTB (PTB) patients. Methods An institution-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in Northwest Ethiopia from March to December 2021. The study participants were bacteriologically confirmed PTB (n = 82) and TBLN (n = 94) cases with no known comorbidity and whose ages was greater than 18 years and with no current pregnancy. Independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, box plot, and correlation matrix were used to analyze the data. Results The body mass index (BMI), CD4 + T cell count, and high-density lipoprotein-Cholesterol (HDL-C) values were significantly higher among TBLN cases compared with PTB cases. Additionally, the total white blood cell (WBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb), total Cholesterol (CHO) and creatinine (Cr) values were relatively higher among TBLN than PTB (P > 0.05). On the reverse, the platelet count and triacylglycerol (TAG) values were relatively higher among PTB than in TBLN cases. While the mean days of culture positivity were 11.6 days for TBLN, the mean days of culture positivity were 14.0 days for PTB. Anemia and serum lipid values showed no correlation with sputum bacilli load and time to culture positivity. Conclusion Tuberculous lymphadenitis patients were well-endowed with serum lipid, immunological and nutritional status compared with PTB cases. Hence, the high incidence rate of TBLN in Ethiopia could not be explained by low peripheral immunohematological values, malnutrition, Anemia, and dyslipidemia. Further study for identifying the predictors for TBLN in Ethiopia is highly desirable.

Aim and Background: Women with marital conflict have less resilience in their lives, for this reason, the present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the therapeutic package of originality in the three worlds based on Rollo May existential theory on the resilience of women with marital conflict. Methods and Materials: The current research method was quantitative and of the type of quasi-experimental studies and pre-test and post-test design with a control group and a two-month follow-up period. The statistical population of this study included women who refer to the psychological clinics of Isfahan city, from which 26 were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly placed in two experimental and control groups. Resilience questionnaires were used to collect information. The experimental group received the therapeutic package during 14 sessions of 75 minutes, and the control group did not receive any intervention during this period. Data analysis was done with spss-24 software and with the statistical method of analysis of variance with repeated measures and chi-square test at the level of 0.05. Findings: Based on the chi-square test, no significant difference was observed in terms of age, education, and job between the two groups (P

microRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) that play an important role in the life cycle of human viruses. We sought to characterize human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1)-encoded miRNAs and determine their role in viral replication. Initially, a bioinformatic analysis was used to predict HIV-1-encoded miRNAs. Next, a representative number of these predicted sequences were verified using a miRNA microarray chip, reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), and the deep sequencing of RNA extracted from HIV-1-infected cells. Eight HIV-1-encoded sncRNA sequences conforming to the criteria that define miRNAs were identified in HIV-1-infected immortalized T cells and human primary CD4+ lymphocytes; five of the eight sequences have not been previously reported. Deep sequencing validated the presence of these virus-encoded miRNA sequences and uncovered large numbers of atypical sncRNA sequences, lacking characteristics of conventional miRNAs. We named these sequences small RNAs (smRNAs). The overexpression of four candidate HIV-1-encoded miRNAs and silencing of two smRNAs significantly increased HIV-1 viral replication. Our study uncovered novel HIV-1-encoded sncRNAs that, upon deregulated expression, alter viral titers in HIV-1-infected cells, suggesting that miRNAs and smRNAs play an important role in regulating viral replication. Future studies may reveal the function of HIV-1-encoded sncRNAs and their possible implications for diagnosis and treatment.

The vegetative coverage throughout the world is rapidly changing, which also directly affects the land degradation. Therefore, this study was intended to investigate the vegetation vulnerability analysis triggered by land use/land cover (LULC) dynamics as an indicator of land degradation conditions using Remote Sensing and GIS in Guna-tana watershed. Trend studies and cross-sectional research design was employed, which produces data from the population at a particular point in time and to examine patterns of change with a mixed research approach to examine the degree of influence to measure the sensitivity analysis. A multi-criteria decision evaluation was used to create a vegetation vulnerability map for the research area. The vulnerability model was run using four sets of parameters: closeness to the road, slope, settlement closeness, and land use planning. Landsat imageries of 1995 and 2020 was used to conduct a comparative study of land use pattern. The study area has experienced a sequence of land degradation from 1995 to 2020, according to the results of multitemporal data. Agricultural and built-up lands have increased throughout this time, while forest and shrub land has decreased. The vegetation vulnerability of the area also shows that 19.23% extreme vulnerable and 67.03% very strongly vulnerable which is more than 80% of the area is highly vulnerable to vegetation. Vegetation suitability and land management evaluation is critical for determining the risk of land deterioration, that shows the adverse effects on ecological elements due to a decrease in metabolic capacity and patch disintegration processes.

Sepiolite is a naturally occurring clay mineral of sedimentary origin and is a magnesium hydro silicate. Sepiolite has been widely used as an additive raw material in ceramics and cement industry, pharmaceutical, cleaning-detergent, paper, paint, cosmetic agriculture, fertilizer. In this study, the natural radioactivity levels, radon emanation coefficients and radon exhalation rates of 30 sepiolite samples collected from open three sepiolite quarries (Beylikova, Polath and Sivrihisar) in Central Anatolia region of Turkey were determined by using a gamma-ray spectrometry with an HPGe detector. The average absorbed gamma dose rates directly measured in Beylikova, Polath and Sivrihisar open three sepiolite quarries located in Central Anatolia region of Turkey were found as 59,65, and 64 nGyh-1, respectively. The average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in 30 sepiolite samples collected from those quarries were found as 38.6, 12.4, and 67.4 Bqkg-1, respectively. The average emanation coefficient and exhalation rate of radon of sepiolite samples were determined as 22 % and 0.065 Bqkg-1-h, respectively. Also, radiological parameters (outdoor absorbed gamma dose rate, annual effective dose rate, external and internal index) were estimated to evaluate the use of sepiolite samples as additive raw materials in the building sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study provides one of the earliest examples of fruit tree cultivation worldwide, demonstrating that olive (Olea europaea) and fig (Ficus carica) horticulture was practiced as early as 7000 years ago in the Central Jordan Valley, Israel. It is based on the anatomical identification of a charcoal assemblage recovered from the Chalcolithic (7200–6700 cal. BP) site of Tel Tsaf. Given the site’s location outside the wild olive’s natural habitat, the substantial presence of charred olive wood remains at the site constitutes a strong case for horticulture. Furthermore, the occurrence of young charred fig branches (most probably from pruning) may indicate that figs were cultivated too. One such branch was 14C dated, yielding an age of ca. 7000 cal. BP. We hypothesize that established horticulture contributed to more elaborate social contracts and institutions since olive oil, table olives, and dry figs were highly suitable for long-distance trade and taxation.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) adalah teknologi yang diyakini akan terus berkembang karena banyak memberikan manfaat terutama dalam membantu mengerjakan pekerjaan yang sifatnya berulang-ulang dan jumlah besar. Tulisan ini berisi tentang penelitian penggunaan perangkat lunak RPA dalam melakukan input data pada proses rekrutmen mahasiswa magang di PT. Telkom Indonesia. Proses rekrutmen ini ada 2 langkah proses yang dilakukan yaitu proses seleksi administrasi dan proses seleksi wawancara sehingga perlu dibuatkan sebuah bot RPA untuk mengotomatisasi masing-masing proses tersebut. Perangkat lunak RPA yang digunakan adalah perangkat lunak RPA yang dikembangkan oleh PT. Telkom Indonesia berbasis platform Open RPA. Penelitian dilakukan di laboratorium dan di lapangan melalui implementasi RPA secara langsung untuk proses rekrutmen mahasiswa magang. Penelitian di laboratorium untuk melihat perbandingan kecepatan proses dan akurasi antara proses menggunakan RPA dan dengan cara manual. Penelitian di lapangan untuk melihat sejauh mana keberhasilan menggunakan RPA dalam membantu proses rekrutmen mahasiswa magang serta mengetahui pendapat dari pegawai sebagai pengguna RPA. Penelitian di laboratorium menggunakan data simulasi sebanyak 40 sampel data, baik untuk proses seleksi administrasi maupun proses seleksi wawancara, Dari hasil percobaan dapat dilaporkan bahwa dengan menggunakan RPA dapat menghemat waktu sampai dengan 76% dan akurasi sebesar100%. Sementara itu untuk implementasi di lapangan, jumlah sampel data yang diproses sebanyak 1204 data untuk proses seleksi administrasi dan sebanyak 303 data untuk proses seleksi wawancara. Dari hasil implementasi RPA di lapangan, pegawai merasa sangat terbantu dan senang dengan keberadaan RPA Abstract Robotic Pocess Automation (RPA) is a technology that is believed to continue to grow because it provides many benefits, especially in helping to do repetitive and large amounts of work. This paper contains research on the use of RPA software in inputting data in the recruitment process of internship students at PT. Telkom Indonesia. This recruitment process has two processes, that are the administrative selection process and the interview selection process, so it is necessary to build an RPA bot to automate each of these processes. The RPA software used is the RPA software developed by PT. Telkom Indonesia is based on the Open RPA platform. Research is carried out in the laboratory and in the field through direct implementation of RPA for the recruitment process of internship students. Research in the laboratory to see the comparison of process speed and accuracy between processes using RPA and the manual method. Research in the field to see the extent to which the success of using RPA in helping the recruitment process of internship students and knowing the opinions of employees as users of RPA. Research in the laboratory using simulation data as much as 40 data samples, both for the administrative selection process and the interview selection process. From the experimental results it can be reported that using RPA can save time up to 76% and accuracy is 100%. Meanwhile, for implementation in the field, the number of data samples processed was 1204 data for the administrative selection process and 303 data for the interview selection process. From the results of the implementation of RPA in the field, employees feel very helpful and happy with the existence of RPA.

de Sousa et al. present a data-driven decentralized crop breeding approach called 3D-breeding that is geared toward improving yields for smallholder farmers. 3D-breeding is applied to a case study of durum wheat in Ethiopia, which demonstrates higher prediction accuracies for grain yield than the existing model.

Abstract Background Septoria tritici blotch (STB) (Zymoseptoria tritici) is a major disease of durum wheat, an economic crop grown in the highlands of Wollo in Ethiopia. Methods To determine the status of this disease, we conducted surveys in five districts of Wollo (Meket, Woreilu, Wadila, Jama, and Dessie Zuria) during the 2015 cropping season. We visited 75 farm plots to determine the prevalence, incidence, and severity of STB. Results STB prevalence varied among locations, genotypes, planting dates, growth stages, previous crops, plant population, weed population, and soil types. Similarly, disease intensity also varied along all independent variables. The level of incidence was high in all the visited districts, and the level severity ranged from 9.9 to 59.3% while the incidence varied from 50 to 100%. The mean differences in incidence and severity within the districts’ variable classes, altitude, varieties, growth stage, plant population, planting date, previous crop, weed population, and soil type were high. The independent variables, districts, altitude, varieties, growth stage, plant population, planting date, previous crops, weed population, and soil type, were significantly associated with high incidence and severity of STB as single predictor in the logistic regression model. A reduced multiple variable model was fitted using districts, altitude, varieties, growth stage, plant population, planting date, previous crop, weed population, and soil type as independent variables. High incidence (> 50%) and severity (> 25%) had a high probability of association to all independent variables, except previous crop. Low disease incidence (≤ 50%) and low disease severity (≤ 25%) had high probability of association to the previous crop. Conclusion Environmental variables, cultivation practice, and responses were important for the development of STB. Therefore, these factors must be considered in designing strategies for the effective management of STB.

Mandibuloacral dysplasias (MADs) are rare progeroid syndromes characterized by nuclear morphological and functional abnormalities. Here the authors report that loss of mitochondrial membrane protein MTX2 causes a progeroid MAD sharing clinical features with lamin-associated progeroid syndromes.

AbstractThe Ethiopian health system faces persistent inequities in health-care utilization and outcomes, despite continued efforts to expand health service coverage. There is little evidence in the literature describing the status of equity in the quality of healthcare. This paper aims to understand the disparities in quality of antenatal care (ANC) and family planning (FP) among the poor and non-poor communities. We used the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data to compute a Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), and the 2014 Service Provision Assessment (SPA) data to assess quality of ANC and FP services—defined as the level of adherence to World Health Organization (WHO) clinical and service guidelines. We merged the two datasets using geographical coordinates, and aggregated service users into facility catchment area clusters using a 2-km radius for urban and 10-km radius for rural facilities. We computed ANC and FP quality and MPI indices for each facility and assigned these to catchment areas. Using the international cutoff point for deprivation (MPI = 33.3%), we evaluated whether the quality of ANC and FP services varies by poor and non-poor catchment areas. We found that most of catchment areas (75.7%) were deprived. While the overall quality of ANC and FP services are low (33% and 34% respectively), we found little variation in the distribution of the quality of these services between poor and non-poor areas, urban and rural settings, or regionally. The short-term focus needs to be on improving the overall quality of services rather than on its distribution.

Titanium alloys have good biocompatibility and good mechanical properties, making them particularly suitable for dental and orthopedic implants. Improving their osseointegration with human bones is one of the most essential tasks. This can be achieved by developing hydroxyapatite (HA) on the treating surface using the plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) method in molten salt. In this study, a coating of titanium oxide-containing HA nanoparticles was formed on Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy by PEO in molten salt. Then, samples were subjected to hydrothermal treatment (HTT) to form HA crystals sized 0.5 to 1 μm. The effect of the current and voltage frequency for the creation of the coating on the morphology, chemical, and phase composition was studied. The anti-corrosion properties of the samples were studied using the potentiodynamic polarization test (PPT) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). An assessment of the morphology of the sample formed at a frequency of 100 Hz shows that the structure of this coating has a uniform submicron porosity, and its surface shows high hydrophilicity and anti-corrosion properties (4.90 × 106 Ohm·cm2). In this work, for the first time, the process of formation of a bioactive coating consisting of titanium oxides and HA was studied by the PEO method in molten salts.

Statement of the Problem: Quercetin is a pharmacological flavonoid that can inhibit high mobility group box1 (HMGB1) protein, a non-histone nuclear protein that is implicated in inflammation. Th17 cells are important cells in the pathogenesis of inflammation. Pulpitis is the inflammation of dental pulp, which usually is accompanied by pain. Quercetin may alleviate this inflammation. Purpose: The current study aimed to compare blocking of HMGB1 function and stimulation of HMGB1 function with quercetin and investigate the effects of the blockage on T helper 17 (Th17) cells and mitogen-activated protein kinase Toll-like receptor 4 (MAPK-TLR4) signaling pathway. Materials and Method: T cells isolated from the pulp involved with pulpitis and the normal pulp were cultured. The cells suspensions were plated in 6-wells culture plates and stimulated with 0.5 µg/ml of HMGB1 for 2, 4, 8, and 12 hours. For blocking TLR4, 10 µg/ml rabbit anti-human TLR4 antibody was added 1 hour before treatment with HMGB1. Results: The level of these cytokines decreased; moreover, western blot data showed that quercetin could decrease MAPK signaling pathway by means of inhibition of HMGB1 on T cells. The results showed the reduction of TLR4 pathway and Th17 cell polarization. Conclusion: Our results indicated that the levels of IL-17, IL-33, and IL-6 in supernatants from patients’ cultured T cells were increased after stimulation with HMGB-1 following employing quercetin. It also could inhibit MAPK signaling pathway, which subsequently could decrease Th17 production and IL-17. Quercetin could decrease pro-inflammatory cytokines and IL-17 production.

The interfacial electrochemical characteristics of unpassivated Mg metal electrodes have been studied using Staircase Galvano Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (SGEIS) in THF/C6H5MgCl/AlCl3 solutions over a wide range of applied dc currents. The results shed light on the mechanism of electrochemical deposition and dissolution of Mg. We found that at the stationary condition (at the OCV, when no current flows) there is a very high interfacial charge-transfer resistance of around 40,000 Ωcm2. The impedance decreases to several hundred Ωcm2 when dynamic, though steady, processes of Mg deposition or dissolution take place. The alternating process through which impedance spectroscopy is measured is superimposed on this system. We show that the high impedance measured at the OCV with a low direct current is due to interfacial adsorption phenomena. However, the adsorption phenomena affect the interfacial charge transfer in different ways depending on the direction of the reaction. During steady-state deposition, the adsorbed layer leads to a large distance for electron tunneling, which translates to a high charge-transfer impedance across the interface. Application of relatively large steady-state negative currents leads to changes in the composition of the adsorbed layer and a significant reduction in the charge-transfer resistance. During the opposite process, dissolution, the high interfacial impedance measured is probably predominantly due to migration of Mg ions away from the Mg metal surface, across the adsorbed layer, to the bulk solution. At relatively high direct currents (and overpotentials >100 mV) the interfacial resistivity obeys Butler–Volmer kinetics, which are not complicated by adsorption phenomena.

In the present study, the diversity of medicinal plants (MPs) and associated traditional knowledge of rural community herbalists to treat human and animals’ diseases were assessed in two districts in the Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Study participants were randomly selected for survey and focus group discussions, while key informant traditional healers were identified through snowball/chain-referral sampling. The informant consensus factor (FIC) by ailment category and fidelity level (FL) for some MPs were determined. About 97 MP species were identified. Leaves, roots, and seeds are the parts predominantly used for phytomedication preparation to treat 30 human and 5 animal diseases. Diseases, such as epilepsy, arthritis, otitis media, and fever, are treated with a combination of 2–4 MPs. The FIC value ranged from 0.29–1.00, with most human diseases showing an FIC value of above 0.7. The FL value for the MPs ranged from 53–100%, with plants used to treat more than one disease tending to have lower FL values. Higher values of FIC and FL indicate high levels of traditional knowledge used to identify and administer medicinal preparations. Despite the frequent use of MPs, the four-cell analysis showed that most of them risk extinction due anthropogenic and climate factors. We recommend botanical gardens as a solution to sustainable conservation, study, education and a source for these declining MP species.