Search

The stock solution 10% and half stock solution 5% of three oils namely; mineral oil (Diver oil 97 % EC), plant oils marjoram oil (Origanum majorana L.) and orange oil (Citrus aurantium L.), as well as two species of bacteria Bacillus megaterium and BTS1 (Bacillus poylmyxa)at two concentrations showed that nematicidal activity against egg-mass and second stage juveniles of Meloidogyne incognitaKofoid in vitro experiments. Egg hatching and juvenile mortality were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) influenced by tested materials, concentration and exposure time. B. megaterium, diver oil and marjoram oil gave a higher effect, while B. poylmyxa was the lowest effective one. In case of juvenile mortality, B. poylmyxa, diver oil and marjoram oil gave the highest percentage of juvenile mortality (75.14, 73.00 and 61.85 %) after exposure at stock solutions (10%) and (53.00 , 67.42 and 52.57 %) with exposure to half stock solution (5%) after seven days of treatment, respectively. Under greenhouse conditions, results indicated that, oxamyl, dry leaf powder of moringa and B. megaterium were the most effective in suppressing root galling of M. incognita infectingcucumber plants. The maximum percentage of increase in shoot fresh weight was recorded on cucumber 43.26 and 25.36% in pots treated with oxamyl and B. megaterium, respectively. A moderate effect on treated eggs with the tested eco-friendly materials was observed on invasion and reproduction of M.incognita under greenhouse conditions. All tested materials significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced nematode parameters and increased cucumber plant growth parameters as compared with control treatment. Strongly decrease in number of egg masses and galls diameter was recorded in pots treated with oxamyl, moringa and B. megaterium followed by oils. Minimum number and gall diameter particularly ≥ 4mm was recorded in cucumber plants treated by oxamyl, moringa and B. megaterium. Data showed that moringa and B. megaterium could be used to increase crop yield of cucumber plants and for controlling root – knot nematode, M. incognita.

Test cases prioritization has been excessively considered for continious regression and integration testing in Internet of Things based systems to apply multilevel testing activities. Various number of devices, sensors and acctuators are connected together through the internet using different technologies, which requires extensively testing the effeciency of these components and the transferred data between them. Due to the number of the connected components has dramatically increased, causing a direct proportional increase in the number of test cases.Studies that handle the augmentation of the number of test cases for traditional systems lack effeciency when applied for Internet of Things based systems. In this paper, we introduce an enhancement for test cases prioritization using Hill Climbing algorithm as a local search based technique, adapted to achieve tangible effeciency. It is integrated with the LSTM deep learning algorithm for test cases classification purposes. The results of the test cases prioritization using Hill Climbing for regression and integration testing are evaluated using precision, where it achieved 80% and 97% for regression testing, and 93% and 88% for integration testing using two Internet of Things-based system datasets.

Many studies have addressed e-learning, aiming to create a platform for the learning process that completes the traditional classroom work and maximizes the effectiveness of learning outcomes. Gamifying personalized adaptable educational systems have been recently considered to keep the learners motivated and positively progressing in a flow state. However, the current models remain inadequate, providing limited resources for comprehensive learning analytics. In this paper, a theoritical learning preferences adaptation model is proposed based on the Personalized Adaptive Gamified E-learning (PAGE) model. The PAGE model supports blended learning by enforcing the engagement of the traditional learning process’s parties, where effective learning analytics can be sustained to continuously improve the quality of the learning experience. The overall model has been evaluated for its validity through a survey from different perspectives. The overall mean value of the evaluation is 2.77 out of 3. Thus, the evaluation outcomes for the adaptation, gamification, and learning experience of the PAGE model ensure a promising vision for advancements in the learning processes and analytics.

Purpose To understand patient attitudes, access toward video calling to enhance efficiency of after-hours triage calls. Methods We surveyed patients aged 18 to 89 years. Questions included demographics, preferences, access to video calling devices, and perceived advantages and disadvantages of this technology. Answers were entered into Qualtrics database and analyzed using JMP 11 (SAS, Cary, NC). Results Two hundred ninety-eight patients agreed to participate. Mean age was 47.9 years; 71.6% were female; and 75.1% had access to video calling device. Device proficiency was inversely related to age and greatest in 18-to-32-years group (χ2 = 71.18, P Conclusions Patients seem to have access and interest in video communication for after-hours calls. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether addition of video component to after-hours triage calls will help reduce unnecessary emergency department visits.

Through a two-step procedure, 3-amino-7-chloro-2-methylquinazolin-4(3H)-one was synthesized from 2-amino-4-chlorobenzoic acid as a starting material. The latter reacted with chloro acetylchloride, then nucleophilically substituted with various secondary amines to produce acetamide derivatives (5a-e), or underwent condensation reaction with various aldehydes to produce arylidine derivatives (6a-e). In-silico study of drug-likeness and ADME descriptors was conducted for all compounds. Compounds showed good oral bioavailability, as well as good gastrointestinal absorption potential and no symptoms of liver or CNS adverse effects. In-vitro cytotoxic activity of the compounds was moderate to good when compared to staurosporine in three cell lines: HCT, MCF-7, and HepG-2. Compound 5c showed the highest cytotoxic activity against the HCT cell line (IC50 = 8.00 ± 0.33 μM), Compound 5d showed the highest cytotoxic activity against the HepG-2 cell line (IC50 = 17.78 ± 0.58 μM). Acetamide derivatives revealed higher cytotoxic activity compared to arylidine derivatives. Compound 5d had the highest enzyme inhibition activity in the in-vitro PI3k-δ enzyme inhibition assay (IC50 = 1.24 ± 0.03 μM) followed by 5c (IC50 = 8.27 ± 0.19 μM). Both 5c and 5d were able to bind at the ATP binding site of the PI3k-δ enzyme in a mode similar to the native ligand where they formed H-bond interactions with the hinge region amino acid Val828 and hydrophobic interactions with other amino acids indicating an agreement between molecular docking simulation study and the biological screening.

Substituted aldehydes, ethyl 2-(2-amino-thiazol-4-yl)acetate), and 2-mercaptoacetic acid, in a three-component one-pot green synthetic approach afforded 2-arylthiazolidin-4-one- thiazole hybrids(T1-T13). Compounds showed good anti-tubercular activity towards sensitive M. tuberculosis strain. Compound T8 was as potent as isoniazide (INH) with MIC = 0.12 μg/ml. Compounds T2 and T13 showed potent activity with MIC = 0.48 μg/ml. Other compounds showed moderate to good anti-tubercular activity towards MDR M. tuberculosis strain with MIC range 1.95-125 μg/ml. Compounds T2, T8, T9, and T13 showed anti-tubercular activity towards XDR M. tuberculosis strain with MIC range 7.81-125 μg/ml. Compounds T2 and T8 were capable of inhibiting M. tuberculosis InhA enzyme in-vitro with IC

Tremendous systems are rapidly evolving based on the trendy Internet of Things (IoT) in various domains. Different technologies are used for communication between the massive connected devices through all layers of the IoT system, causing many security and performance issues. Regression and integration testing are considered repeatedly, in which the vast costs and efforts associated with the frequent execution of these inflated test suites hinder the adequate testing of such systems. This necessitates the focus on exploring innovative scalable testing approaches for large test suites in IoT-based systems. In this paper, a scalable framework for continuous integration and regression testing in IoT-based systems (IoT-CIRTF) is proposed, based on IoT-related criteria for test case prioritization and selection. The framework utilizes search-based techniques to provide an optimized prioritized set of test cases to select from. The selection is based on a trained prediction model for IoT standard components using supervised deep learning algorithms to continuously ensure the overall reliability of IoT-based systems. The experiments are held on two GSM datasets. The experimental results achieved prioritization accuracy up to 90% and 92% for regression testing and integration testing respectively. This provides an enhanced and efficient framework for continuous testing of IoT-based systems, as per IoT-related criteria for the prioritization and selection purposes.

Background: Vitiligo is an acquired, multifactorial disorder of the skin and mucous membranes. An elevated homocysteine level has been described in vitiligo. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and cystathionine B synthase (CBS) are major determinants of the homocysteine metabolism. Objectives: Determine serum homocysteine levels in vitiligo patients as well as the association between MTHFR (C677T, A1298C) and CBSgene polymorphisms and susceptibility to vitiligo in a sample of those populations. Methods: Homocysteine levels were estimated by radioimmunoassay while MTHFR (C677T, A1298C) and CBSgene polymorphisms were detected by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique in 100 vitiligo patients and 80 healthy controls. Results: The homocysteine level was significantly higher in vitiligo patients than controls (p = 0.000). Significant differences in the genotype and allele distributions of single nucleotide polymorphisms of the MTHFR (C677T, A1298C) with the mutant genotypes are more common in the controls than patients (p = 0.001, 0.029, respectively). CBS gene mutant genotypes and alleles are more common in vitiligo patients than controls (p = 0.002). Conclusion: CBSand MTHFRgene polymorphisms may play a major role in the genetic susceptibility to vitiligo.

Enormous heterogeneous sensory data are generated in the Internet of Things (IoT) for various applications. These big data are characterized by additional features related to IoT, including trustworthiness, timing and spatial features. This reveals more perspectives to consider while processing, posing vast challenges to traditional data fusion methods at different fusion levels for collection and analysis. In this paper, an IoT-based spatiotemporal data fusion (STDF) approach for low-level data in–data out fusion is proposed for real-time spatial IoT source aggregation. It grants optimum performance through leveraging traditional data fusion methods based on big data analytics while exclusively maintaining the data expiry, trustworthiness and spatial and temporal IoT data perspectives, in addition to the volume and velocity. It applies cluster sampling for data reduction upon data acquisition from all IoT sources. For each source, it utilizes a combination of k-means clustering for spatial analysis and Tiny AGgregation (TAG) for temporal aggregation to maintain spatiotemporal data fusion at the processing server. STDF is validated via a public IoT data stream simulator. The experiments examine diverse IoT processing challenges in different datasets, reducing the data size by 95% and decreasing the processing time by 80%, with an accuracy level up to 90% for the largest used dataset.

Background: The purpose of this study was to detect whether antibiotic therapy during IVF-ET cycle is as effective as aspiration of hydrosalpinx fluid under ultrasound guidance in preventing the adverse effect of hydrosalpinx on IVF-ET results.Methods: During the period between November 2012 and January 2020, patients with ultrasound visible hydrosalpinges undergoing IVF-ET who refused to undergo laparoscopic salpingectomy or not eligible for laparoscopy were advised to receive antibiotic therapy during IVF-ET cycle or to undergo aspiration of hydrosalpinx fluid under ultrasound guidance at the time of ovum pick up. A retrospective analysis was done for the results of IVF-ET cycles of patients who received antibiotic therapy ( n = 52 ) or underwent aspiration of hydrosalpinx fluid under ultrasound guidance ( n = 76). In the aspiration group, the tip of the suction needle was introduced into the hydrosalpinx to aspirate the hydrosalpinx fluid after completing the ovum pick up. In the antibiotic group, doxycycline (100 mg/12 h) was commenced one week before ovum pick up and was continued for another week after ovum pick up.Results: The implantation, clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy and live birth rates were significantly higher in the aspiration group ( 16.67%% Vs. 8.33%, P value =0.029, 32.89% Vs. 15.38% P value = 0.026, 30.26% Vs. 13.46%,P value =0.028 and 28,95% Vs. 13.46% P value = 0.04 respectively). Conclusion: The aspiration of hydrosalpinx fluid under ultrasound guidance is more effective than antibiotic therapy in preventing the negative impact of hydrosalpinx on the results of IVF-ET. The results of the current study should be proved by subsequent randomized controlled studies.

Shereef Mohammed Abdelwahab, Abdelmonem M Hamed, Ahmed Sherin M Bayoumy, Maha Attaia Elfayoumi Ophthalmology Department, Benha College of Medicine, Benha University, Benha, EgyptCorrespondence: Abdelmonem M Hamed Tel +20 1221640288Email abdelmonem.abdelmonem@fmed.bu.edu.egPurpose: To assess the stability, safety, predictability, and efficacy of topography-guided myopic Femto-LASIK with two different treatment protocols.Setting: Ebsar Eye center, Benha, Qalyopia, Egypt.Design: Single-center, retrospective, COHORT control study.Methods: A total of 330 eyes enrolled in the study in group A and 322 eyes enrolled in group B underwent uncomplicated primary bilateral topography-guided Femto-LASIK. Group A was treated with the subjective clinical refraction; however, group B was treated with the modified refraction according to ALCON protocol.Results: The mean preoperative refractive spherical equivalent (MRSE) was − 4.85± 1.90D and − 5.0± 1.93D in group A and B, respectively (P = 0.86), and a cylinder of − 0.95± 0.80 D and − 0.92± 0.81D, respectively. At the 12 months’ postoperatively, the residual manifest SE within ± 0.5D was achieved by 82.86% of eyes in group A compared to 83.93% in group B. Of eyes, 92.06% had ≤ 0.5 astigmatism dioptre, while 100% of eyes had ≤ 1.0 astigmatism dioptre in group A (315 eyes); however, 91.80% of eyes had ≤ 0.5 astigmatism dioptre, while 100% of eyes had ≤ 1.0 astigmatism dioptre in group B.Conclusion: Topographic modification of the magnitude and axis of astigmatism treated using ALCON protocol when different from the clinical refraction may offer good refractive outcomes when we apply the Alcon precalculation considerations.Keywords: Femto-LASIK, topo-guided LASIK, kerato-refractive, LASER vision correction, modified refraction, measured astigmatism, Contoura calculator, Contoura LASIK

Failure of human body organs is believed to be one of the most important health problems all over the world. The application of stem cells in human regenerative medicine could be an alternative to organ transplantation, avoiding the problem of donor shortage and rejection. As few of the current treatment methods result in successful repair of damaged liver, the development of new procedures are warranted. The most recent type of liver regeneration approach is cell based therapy. The application of stem cell technology is gaining interest to be used for hepatic tissue engineering since stem cells have high proliferative capacity and multi-lineage differentiation potential. Stem cell-based therapy has received attention as a possible alternative to organ transplantation, owing to the ability of stem cells to repopulate and differentiate at the engrafted site. Advancements in the fields of stem cell biology and biomaterials science and engineering had been combined to produce strategies by which stem cell attachment; proliferation and differentiation in vitro were supported and enhanced. Before transplantation, cells were generally seeded on innovative modality of Nano scaffolds fabricated by electrospinning technique that recapitulate the extracellular matrix and provide cells with information that is important for tissue development. In this paper, we offer our view on the applying nanotechnology and present current and emergent approach in the field of hepatic tissue engineering for specific application. The application of nanotechnology to stem cell biology would be able to address the challenges of the failure of injected cells to engraft to target tissues.

Securing electronic medical information has a significant impact on data access which directly affects patient’s privacy and quality care rights. Medical professionals need to have full access to all patients' medical history to make accurate decisions regarding diagnosis and treatment plans. This paper introduces a novel Secure framework that integrates a new hybrid encryption scheme of medical images using chaotic maps and 2D Discrete wavelet transform (DWT) Steganography to increase key size and achieve high security level. In addition, a web-based monitoring platform has been deployed for tracking of electronic medical records during transmission. To validate the efficiency of the proposed framework, an application case-study has been introduced for securely transmitting retinal fundus medical images for diagnostic decisions on diabetic patients. Compared to the state-of-the-art approaches, the proposed framework demonstrated the ability to mask the context of the confidential patient into a transmitted cover image with high imperceptibility and limited degradation in the stego image provided in acceptable cryptographic overhead. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed framework outperforms other schemes in terms of accuracy, sensitivity and perceptibility.

Biodiversity forms the foundation of the vast array of ecosystem that critically contribute to human well being. Biodiversity is important in human managed as well as natural ecosystems. The changing status of insects and other invertebrates is the key indicator of biodiversity and environment that shapes it. The order Odonata comes under the class insecta. Odonata are divided into two suborders; Zygoptera (damselflies) and Anisoptera (dragonflies). Natural calamities can alter the ecosystem and thereby biodiversity drastically. This study was conducted in Tirurangadi taluk of kerala, India which is a flood prone taluk due to the over flow of the Kadalundi river during monsoon season. We reported a total of 12 species belonging to 10 genera and 2 families during the entire study. Sub-order Anisoptera was represented by the families, Libellulidae and Aeshnidae, comprising 11 species of Libellulidae and one species of Aeshnidae. On a long term, we aim at studying the impacts on insect biodiversity caused by floods.

Data streams have become a widely-adopted data representation format in many real-world applications. This data streaming may be published for different scientific research, mining, or analysis purposes. However, such streams may contain personal-specific data that could be considered as sensitive about individuals. This makes the privacy preserving of data streams against privacy disclosure attacks, while maintaining their utilization, is a real challenge. Some studies have considered privacy-preserving publishing over data streams with only Single Sensitive Attribute, in which they do not protect the published streams from all possible privacy attacks. In this paper, we propose a novel Restricted Sensitive Attributes-based Sequential Anonymization (RSA-SA) approach for privacy-preserving data stream publishing. Besides, two new privacy restrictions are introduced to restrict the published Sensitive Attributes values: Semantic-diversity and Sensitivity-diversity. RSA-SA can protect the sensitive values of the published data streams against the related privacy attacks, including the attribute disclosure, skewness, similarity, and sensitivity attacks. In addition, RSA-SA handles data streams that have either single or multiple sensitive attributes with minimum information loss and delay time. Thus, the data utility of the published data streams is efficiently maintained to provide more accurate mining and analytical results, where robust invulnerability to privacy attacks is sustained.