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Computer Numerical Control (CNC) face milling is commonly used to manufacture products from high-strength grade-H steel in both the automotive and the construction industry. The various milling operations for these components have key performance indicators: accuracy, surface roughness (Ra), and machining time for removal of a unit volume min/cm3 (Tm). The specified surface roughness values for machining each component is achieved based on the prototype specifications. However, poor adherence to specifications can result in the rejection of the machined parts, implying extra production costs and raw material wastage. An algorithm using an artificial neural network (ANN) with the Edgeworth-Pareto method is presented in this paper to optimize the cutting parameter in CNC face-milling operations. The set of parameters are adjusted to improve surface roughness and minimal unit-volume material removal rates, thereby reducing production costs and improving accuracy. An ANN algorithm is designed in Matlab, based on a 3–10-1 Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), which predicts the Ra of the workpiece surface to an accuracy of ± 5.78% within the range of the experimental angular spindle speed, feed rate, and cutting depth. An unprecedented Pareto frontier for Ra and Tm was obtained for the finished grade-H steel workpiece using an ANN algorithm that was then used to determine optimized cutting conditions. Depending on the production objective, one or the other of two sets of optimum machining conditions can be used: the first one sets a minimum cutting power, while the other sets a maximum Tm with a slight increase (under 5%) in milling costs.

Background and objective Iron is an essential element that involved in many vital physiological functions in fish, while excess iron concentration causes many toxic effects. Curcumin is a natural popular spice that used as a dietary supplementation and has iron chelating properties. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of curcumin on iron toxicity in catfish (Clarias gariepinus). Also this study assess the antibacterial effect of curcumin against Vibrio anguillarum infection. Materials and methods Clarias gariepinus were orally exposed to low and high doses of curcumin (40, 80 mg kg-1 fish) for 3 weeks. Fish were then exposed to 25 mg L-1 of ferric chloride as a source of iron toxicity for another 3 weeks. Some hematological parameters (Total and differential white blood cells count, total red blood cells count, hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit %) and biochemical parameters (Serum ferritin, transferrin, ALT, AST, protein and albumin) were assessed before and after exposure to iron. Iron residues in gills, spleen, liver, kidney, abdominal fats, gonads and muscles were also determined. Moreover the determination of fish survivability after bacterial challenge with Vibrio anguillarum was recorded. Results Iron caused decrease in total white blood cells count (WBCs), increase in ferritin level and elevation in liver function enzymes (ALT and AST). However, the pretreatment of fish with curcumin significantly increased WBCs, lymphocyte percentage, ferritin level and protein and albumin concentrations with significantly decreased transferrin, ALT and AST levels. Also there were significant decreases in iron concentration in serum, kidney, gonads and muscle in both low and high curcumin pretreated groups compared to Fe group. Conclusion Results indicated a modulatory effect of curcumin against iron toxicity in catfish, also curcumin had an immune-stimulant effect against Vibrio anguillarum infection.

The constant pressure on the manufacturers to innovate and implement sustainable processes has triggered researching on machining with low carbon footprint, minimum energy consumption by machine tools, and improved products at the lowest cost—this is exactly done in this paper. Herein, the advanced cooling lubrication, i.e., nanofluid assistance, besides dry and flood cooling, during machining has been experimented, and used as the basis for sustainability assessment. This assessment is carried out in respect of surface quality and power consumption as well as the impact on environment, cost of machining, management of waste, and finally the safety and health issues of operators. For a better sustainability, a systematic optimization has been performed. In addition, the solution for an improved machinability has been proposed along with the statistically verified mathematical models of machining responses. Results showed that the nanofluid minimum quantity lubrication showed the most sustainable performance with a total weighted sustainability index 0.7, and it caused the minimum surface roughness and power consumption. The highest desirable (desirability = 0.9050) optimum results are the cutting speed of 116 m/min, depth of cut 0.25 mm, and feed rate of 0.06 mm/rev. Furthermore, a lower feed rate is suggested for better surface quality while for reduced power consumption the lower control factors are better.

Deformation behavior of a rolled Al-15 vol% B4C composite was studied at high temperatures, using single- tensile tests over a wide range of strain rates. The deformation of the composite is characterized by high apparent stress exponent, na and high activation energy, Qa, which are higher than those reported in pure Al. The analysis showed the presence of threshold stress that its value increases with decreasing the testing temperature. Using the threshold stress in the analysis, the obtained values of the true stress exponents, nt of ~ 5 and the true activation energy, Qt of 130 kJ mol−1, were similar to those reported for pure Al. TEM results of subgrain formation along with the mechanical data (nt and Qt) suggest that dislocation climb in the Al matrix is the rate controlling mechanism. The elongation (ef %) showed a maximum value at 500 °C at intermediate value of Zener-Hollomon parameter, Z. The fracture surfaces of tested samples are characterized by mixed modes of ductile (dimple formation) and brittle (cleavage) failures, which were dependent on the deformation conditions of temperature and strain rate.

This paper takes a retrospective view of the year 2020, with a focus on how Higher Education policy development was undertaken on a Transnational Education (TNE) program between the University of Glasgow (UofG) and the University of Electronics, Science and Technology in Chengdu (UESTC), China in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It explores the approach to policy development under normal circumstances, contrasting this with the approach taken during the emergence of the epidemic and how the unfolding situation impacted on those policies. It demonstrates how the application of management tools for scenario planning and crisis management can be used effectively to develop a clear and prescriptive policy for staff. It also demonstrates how the use of such tools, combined with careful analysis and planning, can minimize disruption to student learning, teaching, and assessment. The paper then goes on to explain the creation and implementation of policies addressing three main areas: learning and teaching, Final Year Projects, and assessment. Finally, it reflects on the student and staff perspectives on the policies, considering how this information might be used to enhance the policy development process in future. © Copyright © 2021 Bremner, Ansari, MacDougall, Hussain, Ma, Ponciano, Liu, Gamage, Abbas and Imran.

Plant microbiota have co-evolved with their associated plants in the entire holobiont, and their assemblages support diversity, health and productivity on our planet. Of importance is the in vitro cultivation and identification of their hub taxa for possible core microbiome modification. Therefore, we recently introduced the in situ-similis culturing strategy, based on the use of plant leaves as platform for in vitro growth of plant microbiota. Here, we augment the strategy by the incorporation of the Most Probable Number (MPN) method, based on the use of leaf strips and root segments immersed in plain semi-solid water agar, as growth milieu. Cultivability of bacterial endophytes of sunflower plants (Helianthus annuus L.) was monitored in terms of MPN population estimates, community composition through PCR-DGGE analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing of representative isolates. The method efficiently enriched the plant endophytes as MPN estimates exceeded log 7.0 g-1 leaf/root. Results of PCR-DGGE analyses indicated divergence in community composition of cultivable bacterial endophytes primarily attributed to the type of culture media, signaling a certain degree of plant-organ specificity and compatibility. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing of representative bacterial isolates, 20 genera comprising 32 species were enriched in leaf strips- and root segments-based media. They belonged to the three phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, especially Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria. The MPN strategy furnished a diversified nutritive platform in terms of homologous/heterologous and ambient/limited oxygenic cultivation. As a result, cultivability was extended to more 8 genera - Bosea, Brevundimonas, Caulobacter, Chitinophaga, Pseudoxanthomonas, Scandinavium, Sphingobacterium, Starkeya - among them three genera, namely Caulobacter, Scandinavium and Starkeya, which were not yet reported for Sunflower, even with the use of metagenomics sequencing methods. Possible unknown species or even one new putative genus were enriched. Thus, not only potential members of the major microbiome but also the rare isolates of satellite microbiomes can be isolated using the presented in situ similis MPN-cultivation strategy. It is a feasible addition to traditional cultivation methods to probe deeper for both the major and rare taxa and fill the many cultivation gaps within plant microbiota.

This paper presents a block-chain enabled inkjet-printed ultrahigh frequency radiofrequency identification (UHF RFID) system for the supply chain management, traceability and authentication of hard to tag bottled consumer products containing fluids such as water, oil, juice, and wine. In this context, we propose a novel low-cost, compact inkjet-printed UHF RFID tag antenna design for liquid bottles, with 2.5 m read range improvement over existing designs along with robust performance on different liquid bottle products. The tag antenna is based on a nested slot-based configuration that achieves good impedance matching around high permittivity surfaces. The tag was designed and optimized using the characteristic mode analysis. Moreover, the proposed RFID tag was commercially tested for tagging and billing of liquid bottle products in a conveyer belt and smart refrigerator for automatic billing applications. With the help of block-chain based product tracking and a mobile application, we demonstrate a real-time, secure and smart supply chain process in which items can be monitored using the proposed RFID technology. We believe the standalone system presented in this paper can be deployed to create smart contracts that benefit both the suppliers and consumers through the development of trust. Furthermore, the proposed system will paves the way towards authentic and contact-less delivery of food, drinks and medicine in recent Corona virus pandemic.

Identified in 2012, the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes severe and often fatal acute respiratory illness in humans. No approved prophylactic or therapeutic interventions are currently available. In this study, we developed chicken egg yolk antibodies (IgY Abs) specific to the MERS-CoV spike (S) protein and evaluated their neutralizing efficiency against MERS-CoV infection. S-specific IgY Abs were produced by injecting chickens with the purified recombinant S protein of MERS-CoV at a high titer (4.4 mg/mL per egg yolk) at week 7 post immunization. Western blotting and immune-dot blot assays demonstrated specific binding to the MERS-CoV S protein. In vitro neutralization of the generated IgY Abs against MERS-CoV was evaluated and showed a 50% neutralizing concentration of 51.42 μg/mL. In vivo testing using a human-transgenic mouse model showed a reduction of viral antigen positive cells in treated mice, compared to the adjuvant-only controls. Moreover, the lung cells of the treated mice showed significantly reduced inflammation, compared to the controls. Our results show efficient neutralization of MERS-CoV infection both in vitro and in vivo using S-specific IgY Abs. Clinical trials are needed to evaluate the efficiency of the IgY Abs in camels and humans.

Recently, Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) is focused on by many researchers. VANET’s specific characteristics like high-speed, unstable communication link, network partitioning, and information transfer become a hard challenging problem. Access control depends on IEEE 802.11p and has been used for Vehicle to Everything (V2X) and Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communications. The high dynamics of VANET nodes which will cause frequent disconnection of links and even partitioning of networks causes the source vehicle is lost their message of data that disseminated to the destination region, and also may lead to the message redundancy, causing a broadcast storm. One of the suggested solutions for this in VANET is the clusters. This paper will focus on the dissemination of cluster-based data. The clustering algorithm is provided according to the highway road, the proposed algorithm seeks to increase the network stability by identifying the Cluster Head (CH) periodically. By using a suggested variable range of cluster head (R-of-CH) in this paper to be a measure of finding the CH for each new vehicle. The simulation results are performed by NetLogo, under different vehicle densities and different values of (R-of-CH). The results of the simulation show the proposed algorithm contributes to making the network more stable with a high delivery rate as the disseminated messages will reach all vehicles in the simulated area. It indicates that the coverage rate is also high and the lost message rate is very low.

Objective: Separate lines of research show that biracial people experience unique racial microaggressions (Johnston & Nadal, 2010), while also having elevated stroke risk (Kissela et al., 2021). However, research is lacking on the exact quantitative relationship between discrimination and perceived stroke risk in biracial individuals. Method: Biracial people (N = 421) completed the Brief Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire (PEDQ), the Intersectional Discrimination Index (InDI), and the Perceived Stroke Risk subscale of the ABCD Risk Questionnaire. Depression was measured via the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) as a covariate. One hierarchical linear regression was used, with depression in block 1, brief PEDQ in block 2, and the subscales of the InDI in block 3 to predict perceived stroke risk. Results: All participants were Biracial, ranging from 18-76 of age (M = 34.9, SD = 10.4). The sample was 62% non-Hispanic Biracial and 38% Hispanic Biracial. For block 1, depression was significantly and positively associated with stroke risk (β= .51, p < .001). In block 2, the Threat Harassment subscale of the PEDQ was positively and significantly associated with stroke risk (β= .42, p = .002). In block 3, anticipated (β= .168, p Discussion: Findings suggest race-based and intersectional discrimination are associated with perceived stroke risk among Biracial persons. Implications for Clinical Neuropsychology practice with Biracial people who have elevated stroke risk are discussed.

This paper presents the utility of a hybrid perovskite material, methyl-ammonium lead iodide (chemical formula, CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 ) in the design of a terahertz (THz) antenna. The proposed planar inverted cone antenna (PICA) operates in the frequency range of 0.6 - 2.4 THz. Full wave electromagnetic simulations show that antennas fabricated using a combination of the perovskite material and gold improve the antenna performance, and can be used for imaging in biomedical applications.

Water is considered to be the most essential and vital resources to sustaining life. Ensuring its delivery to people with no intrusion of harmful impurities, safe, reliable, and in an affordable manner is one of huge challenge amid to the ongoing climate transformations. This demands to introduce a cost effective and notion of real-time monitoring system that can detect the microbiological contaminants in aqueous solutions in timely manner to protect the public and environment health. In this paper, the prospects of integrating non-invasive terahertz (THz) waves with machine learning (ML) enabled technique is studied. The research explores a method of using Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) system to observe the absorption spectra and characteristics of three solvents solution , including salt, sugar and glucose with various quantity in aqueous solutions in the frequency range of 1 THz to 20 THz. In this study, due to the different molecular configuration and vibration modes of substances, distinct absorption spectra peaks were achieved for different concentrations of solvent solutions at certain sensitive THz region. Moreover, using measurements observations data, meaningful features are extracted and incorporated four algorithms such as random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), decision tree (D-tree) and k-nearest neighbour (KNN). The results demonstrated that RF obtained a higher accuracy of 84.74% in identifying the substance in aqueous solutions. Moreover, it was also found that RF with 97.98%, outperformed other classifiers for estimation of salts concentration added in aqueous solutions. However, for sugar and glucose concentrations, SVM exhibited a higher accuracy of 93.11% and 96.88%, respectively, compared to other classifiers. Thus, proposed technique incorporating ML with THz waves, may be significant in providing an efficient, cost-effective and real-time monitoring for water quality detection system.

Background This systematic review/meta-analysis aimed to synthesize empirical evidence from randomized controlled trials on the efficacy of culturally adapted interventions (CAIs) for substance use and related consequences for adults of color. Methods Six electronic databases were searched to identify eligible studies. Two reviewers independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed risks of bias. We used robust variance estimation in meta-regression to synthesize effect size estimates and conduct moderator analyses. Results Twenty-two studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The overall effect size was 0.23 (95 % Confidence Interval [CI] = 0.12, 0.35). The subgroup effect sizes for comparing CAIs with inactive controls and with active controls were 0.31 (CI = 0.14, 0.48) and 0.14 (CI=-0.02, 0.29), respectively. The effect sizes for alcohol use, illicit drug use, unspecified substance use outcomes, and substance use related consequences were 0.25 (CI = 0.08, 0.43), 0.35 (CI =-0.30, 1.00), 0.22 (CI=-0.17, 0.62), and 0.02 (CI=-0.11, 0.16), respectively. Moderator analysis showed that CAIs’ effects might not vary significantly by treatment model, dose, country, follow-up assessment timing, participant age, or gender/sex. Conclusions Research on substance use interventions that are culturally adapted for people of color is growing, and more high-quality studies are needed to draw definitive conclusions about CAIs’ treatment effects. Our study found CAIs to be a promising approach for reducing substance use and related consequences. We call for more efficacy/effectiveness and implementation research to further advance the development and testing of evidence-based CAIs that meet the unique needs and sociocultural preferences of diverse populations.

In this article, a printed series fed tri-slot coplanar Vivaldi antenna is studied and investigated for RADAR application. The antenna consists of three exponentially tapered slots excited by a single microstrip line. The three slots are series fed simultaneously with a radial stub on the microstrip feed line for impedance matching. The proposed antenna covers a frequency of 7.8-11.8 GHz at −10 dB impedance bandwidth. The antenna gain varies from 7.5 dB at the lowest operating frequency and increases to around 9.5 dB at the center frequency of 10 GHz. A key versatility of the proposed design is the ability to modify the ground plane size without affecting the antenna impedance and gain. This makes the antenna suitable to incorporate RADAR transceiver components without modifying the existing antenna design. The proposed antenna is fabricated and measured results show good agreement with simulated results.

This paper reports a fundamental investigation consisting of systematic trials into the response of Ti6Al4V alloy to high-speed machining using carbide inserts. It is a useful extension to work previously published, and aims at assessing the impact of the process parameters, depth of cut, cutting speed and feed rate in addition to cutting length, and their interrelations, on observed crater and flank wear and roughness of the machined surface. The results showed that abrasion was the most important flank wear mechanism at high speed. It also showed that increased cutting length accelerated crater wear more than exhibited flank wear and had considerable effect on surface roughness. In particular, crater wear increased by over 150% (on average), and flank wear increased by 40% (on average) when increasing cutting length from 40 to 120 mm. However, cutting the same length increased surface roughness by 50%, which helps explain how progression of tool wear leads to deteriorated surface quality. ANOVA was used to perform statistical analyses of the measured data and revealed that cutting length and depth of cut had the greatest effect on both crater and flank wear of the cutting tool. These results confirm that high-speed machining of Ti6Al4V alloy is a reliable process, with cutting speed identified as having a relatively small influence on the tool wear and resultant roughness of the machined surface relative to other parameters.

In this paper, an experimental investigation into the machinability of AISI 316 alloy during finishing end milling operation under different cooling conditions and with varying process parameters is presented. Three environmental-friendly cooling strategies were utilized, namely, dry, minimal quantity lubrication (MQL) and MQL with nanoparticles (Al2O3), and the variable process parameters were cutting speed and feed rate. Power consumption and surface quality were utilized as the machining responses to characterize the process performance. Surface quality was examined by evaluating the final surface roughness and surface integrity of the machined surface. The results revealed a reduction in power consumption when MQL and MQL + Al2O3 strategies were applied compared to the dry case by averages of 4.7% and 8.6%, respectively. Besides, a considerable reduction in the surface roughness was noticed with average values of 40% and 44% for MQL and MQL + Al2O3 strategies, respectively, when compared to the dry condition. At the same time, the reduction in generated surface roughness obtained by using MQL + Al2O3 condition was marginal (5.9%) compared with using MQL condition. Moreover, the results showed that the improvement obtained in the surface quality when using MQL and MQL + Al2O3 coolants increased at higher cutting speed and feed rate, and thus, higher productivity can be achieved without deteriorating final surface quality, compared to dry conditions. From scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, debris, furrows, plastic deformation irregular friction marks, and bores were found in the surface texture when machining under dry conditions. A slight smoother surface with a nano-polishing effect was found in the case of MQL + Al2O3 compared to the MQL and dry cooling strategies. This proves the effectiveness of lubricant with nanoparticles in reducing the friction and thermal damages on the machined surface as the friction marks were still observed when machining with MQL comparable with the case of MQL + Al2O3.

The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was identified in 2012 and causes severe and often fatal acute respiratory illness in humans. No approved prophylactic and therapeutic interventions are currently available. In this study, we have developed egg yolk antibodies (immunoglobulin Y (IgY)) specific for MERS-CoV spike protein (S1) in order to evaluate their neutralizing efficiency against MERS-CoV infection. S1-specific immunoglobulins were produced by injecting chickens with purified recombinant S1 protein of MERS-CoV at a high titer (5.7 mg/mL egg yolk) at week 7 post immunization. Western blotting and immune-dot blot assays demonstrated that the IgY antibody specifically bound to the MERS-CoV S1 protein. Anti-S1 antibodies were also able to recognize MERS-COV inside cells, as demonstrated by an immunofluorescence assay. Plaque reduction and microneutralization assays showed the neutralization of MERS-COV in Vero cells by anti-S1 IgY antibodies and non-significantly reduced virus titers in the lungs of MERS-CoV-infected mice during early infection, with a nonsignificant decrease in weight loss. However, a statistically significant (p = 0.0196) quantitative reduction in viral antigen expression and marked reduction in inflammation were observed in lung tissue. Collectively, our data suggest that the anti-MERS-CoV S1 IgY could serve as a potential candidate for the passive treatment of MERS-CoV infection.

This paper presents an experimental study into the comparative response of wiper and round-nose conventional carbide inserts coated with TiCN + AL2O3 + TiN when turning an AISI 4340 steel alloy. The optimal process parameters, as identified by pre-experiments, were used for both types of inserts to determine the machined surface quality, tool wear, and specific cutting energy for different cutting lengths. The wiper inserts provided a substantial improvement in the attainable surface quality compared with the results obtained using conventional inserts under optimal cutting conditions for the entire range of the machined lengths. In addition, the conventional inserts showed a dramatic increase in roughness with an increased length of the cut, while the wiper inserts showed only a minor increase for the same length of cut. A scanning electron microscope was used to examine the wear for both types of inserts. Conventional inserts showed higher trends for both the average and maximum flank wear with cutting length compared to the wiper inserts, except for lengths of 200&ndash, 400 mm, where conventional inserts showed less average flank wear. A higher accumulation of deposited chips was observed on the flank face of the wiper inserts than the conventional inserts. The experimental results demonstrated that edge chipping was the chief tool wear mechanism on the rake face for both types of insert, with more edge chipping observed in the case of the conventional inserts than the wiper inserts, with negligible evidence of crater wear in either case. The wiper inserts were shown to have a higher specific cutting energy than those detected with conventional inserts. This was attributed to (i) the irregular nose feature of the wiper inserts differing from the simpler round nose geometry of the conventional inserts and (ii) a higher tendency of chip accumulation on the wiper inserts.

The development of diabetes occurs due to elevated glucose levels in the bloodstream. Prevention of diabetes or the delayed onset of diabetes is crucial. It can be achieved if there exists a screening process that can accurately identify individuals who are at a higher risk of developing diabetes in the future. Although there are many works employing machine learning techniques in medical diagnostics, there is little work done regarding the long term prediction of disease, type 2 diabetes in particular. In this study, we propose a machine learning framework consists of finding the best features that are highly correlated with the future development of diabetes, followed by developing diabetes prediction models. The proposed models are evaluated using data from a longitudinal clinical study known as the San Antonio Heart Study. Our approach has managed to achieve a long-term prediction accuracy of 81.01%, a specificity of 81.2%, a sensitivity of 79.5%, and an AUC score of 87.1%.

The objective of this research is to develop a longterm risk model for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) because of type-2 diabetes (T2D). We use the support vector machine (SVM) and the K-nearest neighbours algorithms on the dataset collected from a longitudinal study called Framingham Heart Study, to develop the prediction models. The dataset was first balanced by the Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique algorithm. The SVM algorithm was then used to train the model, and after tuning the parameters and training for 1000 times, the average accuracy to correctly predict the prevalence of CVD due to T2D came out as 96.5% and the average recall rate was 89.8%. Similarly, we also applied the KNN algorithm to train the dataset, and the recall rate even reaches 92.9%. The advantages of our model are: 1) it can predict with high accuracy both the risk of development of T2D and CVD simultaneously; 2) it can be used without the expensive and tedious oral glucose tolerance test. The model yielded high-performance results after training on the Framingham Heart Study dataset.

This paper proposes a viable technique for the precise quantification of various amounts of salts added to distilled water using terahertz (THz) frequency. For this purpose, Fourier transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) system was employed to observe the absorption spectra and characteristics of salts solutions with varying level of salts. In this study, distinct absorption spectra peaks were achieved for different concentrations of salt solutions at certain sensitive THz region. The height of absorption peaks showed a strong correlation with the amount of salt added to the solution reflecting meaningful information about the presence of salts molecules added in distilled water. Through the outcomes of our study, we propose a method through which different minerals and potentially harmful contaminants can be found in water.

Cisplatin is an anticancer drug commonly used for solid tumors. However, it causes nephrotoxicity. OAT1 and OAT3 are organic anion transporters known to contribute to the uptake of cisplatin into renal tubular cells. The present study was designed to examine the protective role of ellagic acid nanoformulation (ellagic acid nano) on cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats, and the role of OAT1/OAT3 in this effect. Four groups of male Wistar rats were used (n = 6): (1) control, (2) cisplatin (7.5 mg/kg single dose, intraperitoneal), (3) cisplatin + ellagic acid nano (1 mg/kg), and (4) cisplatin + ellagic acid nano (2 mg/kg). Nephrotoxic rats treated with ellagic acid nano exhibited a significant reduction in elevated serum creatinine, urea, and oxidative stress marker, malondialdehyde (MDA). Additionally, ellagic acid nano restored renal glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Ellagic acid nano improved the histopathological changes induced by cisplatin, such as tubular dilatation, necrosis, and degeneration. Interestingly, OAT1 and OAT3 showed significantly lower expression at both mRNA and protein levels following ellagic acid nano treatment relative to the cisplatin-exposed group. These findings reveal a potential inhibitory role of ellagic acid antioxidant on OAT1 and OAT3 expression and thus explains its nephroprotective effect against cisplatin nephrotoxicity.

High-throughput cultivation methods have recently been developed to accelerate the recovery of microorganisms reluctant to cultivation. They simulate in situ environmental conditions for the isolation of environmental microbiota through the exchange of growth substrates during cultivation. Here, we introduce leaf-based culture media adopting the concept of the plant being the master architect of the composition of its microbial community. Pre-physical treatments of sunflower plant leaves, namely punching, freezing, and/or autoclavation, allowed the diffusion of electrolytes and other nutrients to configure the leaf surface as a natural pad, i.e., creating an “in situ similis” environment suitable for the growth of rarely isolated microbiota. We used surface inoculation and membrane-filtration methods to assess the culturability of endophytic bacteria from the sunflower phyllosphere and rhizosphere. Both methods supported excellent colony-forming unit (CFU) development when compared to standard R2A medium, with a special affinity to support better growth of epiphytic and endophytic populations of the phyllosphere compared with the rhizosphere. A 16S rRNA gene analysis of >122 representative isolates indicated the cultivation of a diverse set of microorganisms by application of the new methods. It indicated the predominance of 13 genera of >30 potential species, belonging to Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria, and especially genera not commonly reported for sunflower, e.g., Rhizobium, Aureimonas, Sphingomonas, Paracoccus, Stenotrophomonas, Pantoea, Kosakonia, and Erwinia. The strategy successfully extended diversity and richness in the endophyllosphere compared to the endorhizosphere, while CFUs grown on the standard R2A medium mainly pertain to Firmicutes, especially Bacillus spp. MALDI-TOF MS analysis clustered the isolates according to their niche and potential functions, where the majority of isolates of the endorhizosphere were clustered away from those of the endophyllosphere. Isolates identified as Gammaproteobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria were distinguishably sub-clustered, which was in contrast to the heterogeneous isolates of Firmicutes (Bacillus spp.). In conclusion, leaf in situ similis cultivation is an effective strategy to support the future application of culturomics of plant microbiota. This is an effort to access novel isolates that are more adapted and competitive in their natural environments, especially those subjected to abiotic stresses like those prevailing in arid/semi-arid zones, and, consequently, to support the application of agro-biotechnologies, among other technologies, to improving agriculture in such zones.

In the present work, aluminum alloy 6061 (AA6061) device chips were subjected to cold compaction monitored by an extrusion procedure at an extrusion ratio of 5:2 and elevated temperatures of 350, 425, and 500 &deg, C, respectively. The influence of changing temperature on the corrosion of the extruded alloys after 1 h and 24 h in 3.5% NaCl solutions was studied. The polarization (cyclic potentiodynamic polarization, CPP) results indicated that the corrosion decreases with the increase of extrusion temperature of AA6061 from 350 to 500 &deg, C. Impedance (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, EIS) experiments provided a remarkable increase in the corrosion resistance with rising the extrusion temperature. Potentiostatic current-time (PCT) curves indicated that the current initially increased then decreased for all alloys after 1 h measurements. Prolonging the exposure time to 24 h was observed to decrease the rate of corrosion for all AA6061 alloys as proved by CPP and EIS data. This effect was found to increase the pitting corrosion as indicated by the measured PCT curves and by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images for the surface of the alloys. The surface layers formed on AA6061 alloys were mostly composed of aluminum oxide as presented by the spectra of the energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDX). All results indicated that the increase of the temperature of extrusion increased the corrosion resistance via decreasing the corrosion current and corrosion rate, and that this effect was found remarkably increased when the immersion time increased from 1 to 24 h exposure to the chloride test solution.

Emergence of drug resistance among the causative organisms for respiratory tract infections represents a critical challenge to the global health care community. Further, although vaccination can prevent disease, vaccine development is impeded by several factors. Therefore, novel approaches to treat and manage respiratory infections are urgently needed. Passive immunization represents a possible alternative to meet this need. Immunoglobulin Y antibodies (IgYs) from the yolk of chicken eggs have previously been used against bacterial and viral infections in human and animals. Their advantages include lack of reaction with mammalian Fc receptors, low production cost, and ease of extraction. Compared to mammalian IgGs, they have higher target specificity and greater binding avidity. They also possess remarkable pathogen-neutralizing activity in the respiratory tract and lungs. In this review, we provide an overview of avian IgYs and describe their potential therapeutic applications for the prevention and treatment of respiratory infections.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is one of the most potent and widely used chemotherapeutic agents to treat several malignancies. However, the clinical use of DOX is seriously restricted due to its acute and chronic cardiotoxic side effects This study investigated the protective effect of (Ajwa) date aqueous extract (AJDAE) against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. Sixty Wister albino male rats (150-200 gms.) were comprised in our study and divided into six equal groups: group I (untreated control), group II, group III, rats were orally received AJDAE (0.75 & 1.5 gm/ kg.bw) respectively, for 4 weeks, rats of groups IV, V and VI were intraperitoneally injected with one dose of doxorubicin (5 mg/kg.bw) at the end of the 4th week of the study to induce cardiotoxicity, rats of groups V & VI were orally received AJDAE (0.75 & 1.5 gm/ kg.bw) respectively. Cardiac enzymes, lipid profile, SOD, GR, GST, GPx, CAT and MDA in rats’ hearts homogenate, urinary 8OHdG as well as DNA integrity and histopathological changes were investigated in all studied rats.Oral administration of AJDAE (0.75 & 1.5 gm/ kg.bw) attenuated the cardiotoxicity of DOX, improved the cardiac enzymes, lipid profile, reduced the urinary 8OHdG and prohibited the depletion of endogenous antioxidants and suppressed lipid peroxidation (MDA). Moreover, AJDAE enhanced DNA integrity. Histological findings showed that AJDAE (0.75 & 1.5 gm/ kg.bw) administration reduced cardiomyocytes alterations, congestion, edema and the intense cellular stress exerted on myocardial fibers as well as restored the cardiomyocytes architecture. Our data showed that AJDAE obviously resulted in protective effects against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in rat’s heart. It can be concluded that Ajwa date offers a considerable protection against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity.

Background: Stroke results in disability and rapid brain damage. Many studies reported that stem cells may be con-sidered as a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of strokes.Aim of Study: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of adding human Umbilical Cord Blood Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hUCB-MSCs) to cerebrolysin in improving the neurological function after stroke in rats.Material and Methods: Rats randomly divided into four groups: Group 1: Control group, Group 2: Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) untreated group, Group 3: (I/R) cerebrolysin-treated group, and Group 4: (I/R) both cerebrolysin and stem cell treated group. After 4 weeks' animals were sacrificed, Malond-ialdehyde (MDA), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Tumor Necrosis Factor-a (TNF-a), nuclear factor kB (NF-kB), ACH E, and P-AKT levels were measured. Also brain sections were examined histopathologically for GFAP and caspase-3 activ-ities.Results: hUCB-MSCs functioned as an effective stimulator for enhancing the neuroprotective effect of cerebrolysin through activation of the pro-survival protein Akt with subse-quent inhibition of the apoptotic signaling pathways. In addition, this combination can effectively inhibit intracellular ROS generation, inhibit neuro-inflammatory cytokines, reduce the infarct volume and improve the neurological deficits in the motor function.Conclusion: This combination also showed improvement in histological and immunohistochemical pictures of the brain tissue.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global healthcare problem; however until now, there is no effective treatment that can stop its progression. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of empagliflozin, a sodium-glucose linked transporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2I) in a model of unilateral ureteric obstruction (UUO) in rats, as a model of progressive renal interstitial fibrosis in vivo and the possibility of inclusion of klotho protein. Rats were randomly divided into five groups: group 1: control group, group 2: UUO untreated group, group 3: prophylactic SGLT2I treatment before UUO, group 4: immediate SGLT2I treatment after UUO, and group 5: delayed SGLT2I treatment (this group received distilled water 1 week after UUO then empagliflozin for 2 weeks). At the end of the experiment period, animals were sacrificed, and kidney fibrotic and inflammatory parameters were measured. Also kidney sections were examined histopathologically for CTGF expression. UUO resulted in renal dysfunction and fibrosis through upregulating inflammatory cascade (NF-κB-TLR4) as well as many fibrotic pathways (as TGF-β1, αSMA, Wnt, CTGF, and fibronectin) with significant reduction in the klotho protein expression. We hypothesized that both prophylactic and immediate treatment with empagliflozin after UUO in rats exert more renoprotective effect in comparison with delayed treatment via enhancement of renal klotho expression and activity, for further investigations.

Retigabine is a new antiepileptic drug. Its mechanism of action involves activation of voltage gated potassium channel (Kv7, KCNQ). Epilepsy is a disease of chronic nature and may be associated with other diseases that need therapy with other drugs as NSAIDs like diclofenac. Purpose. The current work is designed to study the spectrum of retigabine and diclofenac, on acute seizures in albino mice; also, it investigated the possible interactions between retigabine and diclofenac regarding their anticonvulsant activities and the role of KCNQ channel. Method. Convulsions were induced in mice using the picrotoxin model, the pilocarpine-induced-status epilepticus model, and lastly the maximal electroshock model. Results. The study revealed that combined administration of retigabine and diclofenac significantly increased percentage of protection from convulsions induced by picrotoxin model and MES test. Furthermore, the combination significantly prolonged the mean latency period of convulsion in pilocarpine-induced sustained epilepsy model. Conclusion. we concluded that retigabine has a broad spectrum antiepileptic effect and diclofenac potentiated retigabine action as an opener of potassium (KCNQ2/3) channels.

The save of soldier’s life in battlefield is an important thing in any battle plan. One of the solutions to economize the numbers of losses of soldiers’ life’s, is to use unmanned autonomous cart to perform some deadly functions in place of soldiers. This research proposes unmanned armed cart to support Iraqi army operations and to protect the soldiers from the snipers deadly shooting and from the explosion of mines. The proposed cart is armored and moving on four wheels. It is armed with machine gun and supplied with camera. All the commands of operations were performed using Programmable Logic Controller "PLC". The experimental performance passed successfully by the use of remote control.

The protective effects of both manuka and talh honeys were assessed using a rat model of cisplatin (CISP)-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. The results revealed that both honeys exerted a protective effect against CISP-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity as demonstrated by decreasing liver and kidney function. Manuka honey also prevented CISP-induced histopathological changes observed in the liver and decreased the changes seen in the kidneys. Talh honey decreased CISP-induced liver histopathological changes but had no effect on CISP-induced kidney histopathological changes. Both honeys reduced the oxidative stress in the liver. Conversely, they have no effect on kidney oxidative stress, except that manuka honey increased CAT activity. GC-MS analysis showed the presence of the antioxidant octadecanoic acid in talh honey while heneicosane and hydrocinnamic acid were present at a higher content in manuka honey. The molecular mechanism was to limit the expression of inflammatory signals, including COX-2 and NF-κB, and the expression of the apoptotic signal, BAX and caspase-3 while inducing Bcl-2 expression.

All manufacturing engineers are faced with a lot of difficulties and high expenses associated with grinding processes of AZ61. For that reason, manufacturing engineers waste a lot of time and effort trying to reach the required surface roughness values according to the design drawing during the turning process. In this paper, an artificial neural network (ANN) modeling is used to estimate and optimize the surface roughness (Ra) value in cutting conditions of AZ61 magnesium alloy. A number of ANN models were developed and evaluated to obtain the most successful one. In addition to ANN models, traditional regression analysis was also used to build a mathematical model representing the equation required to obtain the surface roughness. Predictions from the model were examined against experimental data and then compared to the ANN model predictions using different performance criteria such as the mean absolute error, mean square error, and coefficient of determination.

Schwannoma is a nerve sheath tumor originating from the Schwann cell. It is benign in nature and it arises from anywhere where Schwann cells can be found. It is rarely found in the parenchyma of the spinal cord. Intramedullary schwannomas (or neurilemmomas) without evidence of neurofibromatosis are rare spinal cord tumors. Intramedullary schwannoma was first reported in 1932 by Penfield. Our patient presented with neck pain, gradually worsening, weakness in the right upper and lower limbs, numbness in both shoulders, and a decrease in the grasping strength of both hands over a 4-year period. A magnetic resonance imaging of the spine showed a heterogeneously enhancing mass in the cervical spinal cord extending from the C2 to T1 levels with associated hemorrhagic changes. Histologically, the tumor was found to be composed of bland spindle cells with blunt-ended and sometimes wavy nuclei admixed with hyalinized vasculature. Surrounding reactive spinal cord parenchyma with frequent Rosenthal fibers was also observed. Focal Verocay bodies were evident, and with immunohistochemistry, there was diffuse and strong positivity for S100, which is confirmatory for the diagnosis of schwannoma. We report a case of cervical intramedullary schwannoma presented with syringobulbia in a young adult.

We investigated the possible protective effects of pentoxifylline (PTX) and cilostazol on doxorubicin (Dox)-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. Rats are randomly assigned into: saline, Dox (I.P. 2.5 mg/kg every other day six injections over two weeks), Dox (I.P. 2.5 mg/kg every other day six injections over two weeks then PTX (50 mg/kg/day/oral), Dox (I.P. 2.5 mg/kg) every other day six injections over two weeks then cilostazol (50 mg/kg/day/oral). After 21 days these animals were sacrificed and serum CK-MB and troponin I levels were determined. Malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and caspase-3 levels also were determined. Heart sections were examinedhistopathologically. Treatment with PTX and cilostazol decreased troponin I and CK-MB while increased SOD activity with decrements in MDA, IL-6, TNF-α, and caspase-3 levels with attenuation of the changes in cardiac histopathology. PTX and cilostazol exert protective effects against Dox-induced cardiotoxicity.

Titanium alloys are widely used in various applications including biomedicine, aerospace, marine, energy, and chemical industries because of their superior characteristics such as high hot strength and hardness, low density, and superior fracture toughness and corrosion resistance. However, there are different challenges when machining titanium alloys because of the high heat generated during cutting processes which adversely affects the product quality and process performance in general. Thus, optimization of the machining conditions while machining such alloys is necessary. In this work, an experimental investigation into the influence of different cutting parameters (i.e., depth of cut, cutting length, feed rate, and cutting speed) on surface roughness (Rz), flank wear (VB), power consumption as well as the material removal rate (MRR) during high-speed turning of Ti-6Al-4V alloy is presented and discussed. In addition, a backpropagation neural network (BPNN) along with the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS)-fuzzy integrated approach was employed to model and optimize the overall cutting performance. It should be stated that the predicted values for all machining outputs demonstrated excellent agreement with the experimental values at the selected optimal solution. In addition, the selected optimal solution did not provide the best performance for each measured output, but it achieved a balance among all studied responses.

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and the lock-down and social distancing strategies adopted to contain it have drastically affected our daily lives and the routine businesses. Provision of educational services in a continuous and useful manner in such circumstances is a massive challenge and requires innovative methods. Effective assessment and feedback play a pivotal role in traditional teaching and learning approaches and it is of even more vital importance in disruptive conditions. This paper discusses different assessment and feedback techniques in the online delivery of higher education courses in lockdown scenarios. The effectiveness of these approaches is evaluated through qualitative and quantitative study of student and staff feedback for an engineering course being delivered as part of a transnational education (TNE) program. In the light of the results, recommendations are made to improve the assessment and feedback activities in disruptive circumstances.

Epilepsy is a serious common neurological disease. Panax ginseng root has been identified as a potential therapy for many disorders. The present study investigated the possible anticonvulsant activity of Panax ginseng on maximal electroshock (MES) induced seizure in mice. Mice were divided into the following groups: Group A (control group): injected with normal saline then exposed to electric shock. Group B (test group): injected with sodium valproate (300 mg/kg, 600 mg/kg, 900 mg/kg). Then exposed to electric shock. Group C (test group): injected with Panax Ginseng (150, 250, 350 mg/kg) then exposed to electric shock. All animals were examined for motor coordination on rotarod test. We concluded that P. ginseng at moderate and high doses significantly decreased the HLE duration of convulsion in mice, denoting that P. ginseng has anticonvulsant effects. the antiepileptic activity of P. ginseng might be due to its antioxidative actions, anti-inflammatory, its regulating effect on sodium ion channels and/or due to its possible modulation of GABA receptor channel activity for further investigations.

This article reports an experimental assessment of surface quality generated in the precision turning of AISI 4340 steel alloy using conventional round and wiper nose inserts for different cutting conditions. A three-factor (each at 4 levels) full factorial design of experiment was followed for feed rate, cutting speed, and depth of cut, with resulting machined surface quality characterized by resulting average roughness (Ra). The results show that, for the provided range of cutting conditions, lower surface roughness values were obtained using wiper inserts compared with conventional inserts, indicating a superior performance. When including the type of insert as a qualitative factor, ANOVA revealed that the type of insert was most important in determining surface roughness and material removal rate, with feed rate as the second most significant, followed by the interaction of feed rate and type of insert. It was found that using wiper inserts allowed simultaneous increases in feed rate, cutting speed, and depth of cut, while providing better surface quality of lower Ra, compared to the global minimum value that could be achieved using the conventional insert. These findings show that wiper inserts produce better surface quality and a material removal rate up to ten times higher than that obtained with conventional inserts. This clearly indicates the tremendous advantages of high surface quality and productivity that wiper inserts can offer when compared with the conventional round nose type in precision hard turning of AISI 4340 alloy steel.

Background The demand for effective use of water resources has increased because of ongoing global climate transformations in the agriculture science sector. Cost-effective and timely distributions of the appropriate amount of water are vital not only to maintain a healthy status of plants leaves but to drive the productivity of the crops and achieve economic benefits. In this regard, employing a terahertz (THz) technology can be more reliable and progressive technique due to its distinctive features. This paper presents a novel, and non-invasive machine learning (ML) driven approach using terahertz waves with a swissto12 material characterization kit (MCK) in the frequency range of 0.75 to 1.1 THz in real-life digital agriculture interventions, aiming to develop a feasible and viable technique for the precise estimation of water content (WC) in plants leaves for 4 days. For this purpose, using measurements observations data, multi-domain features are extracted from frequency, time, time–frequency domains to incorporate three different machine learning algorithms such as support vector machine (SVM), K-nearest neighbour (KNN) and decision-tree (D-Tree). Results The results demonstrated SVM outperformed other classifiers using tenfold and leave-one-observations-out cross-validation for different days classification with an overall accuracy of 98.8%, 97.15%, and 96.82% for Coffee, pea shoot, and baby spinach leaves respectively. In addition, using SFS technique, coffee leaf showed a significant improvement of 15%, 11.9%, 6.5% in computational time for SVM, KNN and D-tree. For pea-shoot, 21.28%, 10.01%, and 8.53% of improvement was noticed in operating time for SVM, KNN and D-Tree classifiers, respectively. Lastly, baby spinach leaf exhibited a further improvement of 21.28% in SVM, 10.01% in KNN, and 8.53% in D-tree in overall operating time for classifiers. These improvements in classifiers produced significant advancements in classification accuracy, indicating a more precise quantification of WC in leaves. Conclusion Thus, the proposed method incorporating ML using terahertz waves can be beneficial for precise estimation of WC in leaves and can provide prolific recommendations and insights for growers to take proactive actions in relations to plants health monitoring.

This chapter aims to provide insights into the modulation and coding schemes (MCS) tailored for-and synchronization issues faced by-the nano-scale electromagnetic communication systems operating in the terahertz (THz) band. The MCS is of paramount importance for the works dealing with rate and power adaptation by the transmitter when channel state information at transmitter (CSIT) of the link is available. Synchronization, on the other hand, refers to frequency, phase, and timing synchronization and is the pre-requisite for many modern signal processing operations, advanced multi-antenna techniques, and advanced modulation techniques. Some prominent examples that require synchronization include decoding at the receiver, multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) systems, beamforming, and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM).

Nowadays, titanium alloys are achieving a significant interest in the field of aerospace, biomedical, automobile industries especially due to their extremely high strength to weight ratio, corrosive resistance, and ability to withstand higher temperatures. However, titanium alloys are well known for their higher chemical reactive and low thermal conductive nature which, in turn, makes it more difficult to machine especially at high cutting speeds. Hence, optimization of high-speed machining responses of Ti&ndash, 6Al&ndash, 4V has been investigated in the present study using a hybrid approach of multi-objective optimization based on ratio analysis (MOORA) integrated with regression and particle swarm approach (PSO). This optimization approach is employed to offer a balance between achieving better surface quality with maintaining an acceptable material removal rate level. The position of global best suggested by the hybrid optimization approach was: Cutting speed 194 m/min, depth of cut of 0.1 mm, feed rate of 0.15 mm/rev, and cutting length of 120 mm. It should be stated that this solution strikes a balance between achieving lower surface roughness in terms of Ra and Rq, with reaching the highest possible material removal rate. Finally, an investigation of the tool wear mechanisms for three studied cases (i.e., surface roughness based, productivity-based, optimized case) is presented to discuss the effectiveness of each scenario from the tool wear perspective.

In this paper, we estimate the effect of fatigue on physiological tremors in adults suffering from diabetes. We used a simple, wearable accelerometer to collect the acceleration data from 5 diabetic subjects with varying physical activity levels. Fatigue was induced via an intermittent submaximal isometric handgrip protocol, normalized for individual grip strength, until voluntary exhaustion. The overall results presented here show that the physiologic tremors in the range of 10-14 Hz are most noticeable under fatigue.