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Background: Adjuvant Anthracyclines Chemotherapy (ANTC) and trastuzumab have been documented to prolong survival in patients with breast cancer (BC). However, these drugs are also well known to induce left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD). Multiple studies have shown that angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and beta blockers (BBs) can prevent LVSD among women with BC. Objectives: We aimed to prospectively evaluate the efficacy of enalapril (ACEI) and carvedilol (BB) in preventing the ANTC ± trastuzumab induced LVSD, in patients with non-metastatic BC. Patients and Methods: We randomized 126 patients with non-metastatic (M0) BC, who were scheduled to be treated with ANTC ± trastuzumab into the intervention group (group 1; n = 63), which received enalapril and carvedilol or the control group (group 2; n = 63), which did not receive enalapril or carvedilol. To evaluate left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic functions the conventional echocardiography (ECHO) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) were performed at baseline, after 3 therapy cycles, and at 1-year follow-up. The secondary endpoint was designed to detect the incidence of a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥ 10%, heart failure (HF), LVSD (defined as LVEF

In areas with limited water resources, the reuse of treated drainage water for non-potable purposes is increasingly recognised as a valuable and sustainable water resource. Numerous pathogenic bacteria found in drainage water have a detrimental impact on public health. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the current worldwide delay in the production of new antibiotics may make the issue of this microbial water pollution even more challenging. This challenge aided the resumption of phage treatment to address this alarming issue. In this study, strains of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and their phages were isolated from drainage and surface water from Bahr El-Baqar and El-Manzala Lake in Damietta governorate, Egypt. Bacterial strains were identified by microscopical and biochemical examinations which were confirmed by 16S rDNA gene sequencing. The susceptibility of these bacteria to several antibiotics revealed that most of the isolates had multiple antibiotic resistances (MAR). The calculated MAR index values (> 0.25) categorized study sites as potentially hazardous to health. Lytic bacteriophages against these multidrug resistant strains of E. coli and P. aeruginosa were isolated and characterized. The isolated phages were found to be pH and heat stable and were all members of the Caudovirales order as recognized by electron microscope. They infect 88.9% of E. coli strains and 100% of P. aeruginosa strains examined. Under laboratory conditions, the use of a phage cocktail resulted in a considerable reduction in bacterial growth. The removal efficiency (%) for E. coli and P. aeruginosa colonies increased with time and maximized at 24 hr revealing nearly 100% reduction after incubation with the phage mixture. The study candidates new phages for detecting and control other bacterial pathogens of public health concern to limit water pollution and maintain adequate hygiene.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have a huge development, which lead to decrease the fuel consumptions, emissions, and help in keeping the environment clean but, this development has an impact on distribution systems operation in case of the plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) which may not well managed. Subsequently, it is critical to select the ideal charging/discharging methods. A fuzzy logic controller (FLC) system is proposed to decide the charging/discharging priority level of each electric vehicle (EV) based on the associated state-of-charge (SOC) level of the battery. The fuzzy logic controller is utilized to control the electric vehicle (EV) charging/discharging process to achieve the benefits of the electricity network and electric vehicles (EVs) owners, as well. The benefit of the electricity network is related to improving the voltage profile. A 24-hour simulation of a Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) System is chosen as a case study in this paper to execute simulations. The methodology based on hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The power flow control and the Powertrain component sizing are emphatically related to their design will significantly influence the vehicle performance, cost, efficiency, and fuel economy. Subsequently, it is essential to evaluate the power flow management methodology at the Powertrain design stage in order to minimize component sizing, cost, and the vehicle fuel consumption for a given driving cycle. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the fuzzy logic controller strategy for hybrid energy storage in distributing power flow between the ultra-capacitors and the batteries.

Background The Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) is present throughout the world, and outbreaks in Egypt caused serious economic losses in the poultry industry. Actinobacteria are a phylum of bacteria known for their potential in producing structurally diversified natural products which promising natural compounds used to combat viruses are presented and evaluated. Streptomyces Misakimycin isolated from Egyptian soil, and evaluated for their efficacy in controlling NDV. On the basis of the biochemical characteristics S. Misakimycin metabolites, identified by infrared (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Results In this investigation, NDV was found to have been isolated in February from a chicken farm in the Dakahlia Governorate of Egypt by the Animal Health Research Institute in Dokki, Giza. Diethylpthalate (DEP), a secondary metabolite of S. misakimycin, completely inhibited the hemagglutination (HI) activity of the NDV strain (MN635617) at log107 infectivity titers (EID50/mL). With 0.5 percent and 0.75 percent of chicken RBCs, the HA of the NDV strain was 2 log2 and 5 log2, respectively. In the treated group that received DEP and NDV inoculations, chorioallantoic-membranes (CAM) structures were preserved along with dilated capillary networks. Histological changes in SPF-ECE liver were examined after inoculation in ova to further characterize the DEP effect. Diethylpthalate and NDV mixture inoculated group showed preserved cytoarchitecture of hepatocytes with the presence of perivascular foci of lymphocytes. The group that was inoculated with telomycin alone showed normal histology of hepatic acini, central veins, and portal triads. Conclusion A potentially bioactive substance called diethylpthalate has the potential to be a biological weapon against a fatal chicken NDV that quickly increase cost losses for farmers.

Graphical abstract Saudi poison control centers received 20,513 poisoning consultations calls in the year 2020., Highlights • Saudi poison control centers received 20,513 poisoning consultations calls in the year 2020. • Most of calls were from Riyadh City, less than 6 years old. • The majority of toxic exposures were accidental oral poisoning requesting help within one hour from poisons exposure. • Household substances toxic exposure represented about one third of toxic cases. • We recommended widespread awareness of the poisons risk. • The significant role of poison control centers that play in time management and saving lives in poisoning cases., Introduction Saudi poison control centers provide surveillance data that should be used to determine the magnitude of poisoning exposures and the level of public awareness that is to evaluate control measures. This work aimed to review and assess the characteristics of toxic events received by toxicological information center's hotline all over Saudi Arabia during 2020. Patients and Methods Data were collected from the poison control centers in Saudi Arabia. Cases of poisonings were studied during the period from 1st January to 31st December 2020. Results and Discussion The poison control center received 20,513 calls in the year 2020. Most of calls were from Riyadh city (40.9 %) and from public places (92.9 %). Regarding the patients, most of the cases were less than 6 years old and more than half of them were males. The majority of toxic exposures were accidental oral poisoning. About 84 % of patients (84.3 %) called for help within one hour from poisons exposure. Household substances toxic exposure represented about one third of toxic cases. Chemicals and alcohol sanitizers' poisoning were the highest among house hold substances toxicities (39.3 % and 17.7 % respectively of all household substances toxicity). In addition, the most frequently ingested drugs were vitamins poisoning. Conclusion Household chemicals represented the highest risk in exposures among children below 6 years. Finally, we recommended widespread awareness of the poisons risk and the importance of poison control that play a great role in time management and saving lives.

This study was designed to examine the role of social media as a tool in the library for social integration. Social integration is the process during which newcomers or minorities are incorporated into the social structure of the host society. Social integration, together with economic integration and identity integration are three main dimensions of newcomers' experiences in the society that is receiving them. Social Media’s presence is almost everywhere and the vision of the library within the last few years has been that library services should go to users not necessarily that users should come physically to the library. Social Media is expected to be a veritable tool in achieving this purpose. The study revealed that; privacy concern, low levels of technology penetration, network problem, lack of awareness, lack of funds etc. as the major challenge librarians encounter in the use of social media for promoting library and information services and enhancing social integration. It also concluded thatthe integration of the society via social media technology into library services is more than a management strategy; it is a tool that can be deployed to transform library services and bring cutting edge services to users in the face of dwindling budgets. And the finally this paper recommends that Libraries should design their services in such a way that they will fully employ the sharing capacity of social media tools towards provision and dissemination of their services to users, as this capacity is still currently underutilized and that Libraries should formulate a viable Social Media Policy to guide the full integration of social media tools to the provision of library services in public libraries so as to facilitate social integration.

The study was carried out to review the use of social media in Nigeria libraries and information services. The review dealt extensively with the dynamics social media brought into library services in Nigerian tertiary institutions. The technological advancement of the 21st century brought by advent of social media has great impacts on library and information services in Nigeria just like any other place across the globe. There is need for the professionals in library science or services to change their service delivery to end users along the line of social media usage with emergence of social sites such as Facebook, Myspace, Flickr, YouTube, Library Thing, Ning in which information can be easily sourced from by users Libraries in Nigeria are therefore facing challenges regarding the ability to provide proactive and more value added services to meet the ever changing needs of the end users. The reviewed article therefore made an attempt to examine the present scenario in library services delivery in Nigeria tertiary institution with these new and emerging social media technologies as well as looking at challenges facing Nigerian tertiary institution libraries in the use of these social media and to identify possible solutions to these challenges. The study concluded that to some extent social media utilization has been introduced by librarians in tertiary institutions libraries in Nigeria and that usage of social media by librarians in promoting library and information resources and services cannot be overemphasized. The study also discovered that lack or inadequate finance, poor power supply, lack of training of library staff on social media usage and limited bandwidth in the institution as the major challenges facing the usage of social media in Nigerian tertiary institution libraries. The study therefore, recommends that adequate finance should be promptly provided by the parent institutions to the libraries to enhances the use of social media to promote library and information resources and services in Nigerian tertiary institution libraries.

This study is a survey on state-of-the-art methods based on artificial intelligence and image processing for precision agriculture on Crop Management, Pest and Disease Management, Soil and Irrigation Management, Livestock Farming and the challenges it presents. Precision agriculture (PA) described as applying current technologies into conventional farming methods. These methods have proved to be highly efficient, sustainable and profitable to the farmer hence boosting the economy. This study is a survey on the current state of the art methods applied to precision agriculture. The application of precision agriculture is expected to yield an increase in productivity which ultimately ends in profit to the farmer, to the society increase sustainability and also improve the economy.

The effect of two probiotic products with Palm Kernel Cake (PKC) as source of dietary protein and/or energy in ruminant diets on the growth performance and some blood parame-ters of Barki lamps were evaluated. Two com-mercial probiotic formulas (ZAD and ICEC-Trol) were administrated directly with theirap-plications: P1 (without probiotic), P2 (ZAD), P3 (ZAD + ICEC-Trol), the combination of four different rations: R1 (control), R2 (PKC as source of energy), R3 (PKC as source of en-ergy and protein) and R4 (PKC as source of protein). Barki lambs (n=96, 35kg average body weight) were randomly assigned to 12 experimental groups in a completely random-ized block design. (8 lambs for each group) and fed for 47 days. ZAD probiotic was ap-plied at 2 ml/head/day and ICEC-TROL was applied at 3 g/head/day. Animals weight gain and average daily gain were measured and Glucose, total protein, albumin, calcium and phosphorus were measured. Results showed that animals fed control ration (R1) with P2, R2 with P3 and R4 with P3 showed highest (P

Herein, the building block synthon 2-cyano-3-(1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)acryloyl chloride 4 was synthesized and utilized for construction of a wide variety of nitrogen heterocycles encompassing a pyrazole scaffold via treatment with some nitrogen nucleophiles. The seven membered heterocycles 14–16 and 20 were constructed from the reaction of the acid chloride 4 with 1,4-binucleophilic reagents such as 2-aminophenol, 2-aminoaniline, 2-aminothiophenol, and thiosemicarbazide, respectively. The structures of all the synthesized heterocycles were elucidated from their elemental and spectral analysis. Antiviral activity screening of products obtained against rotavirus (RV) revealed that compounds 3, 12, 13, 15, and 16 exhibited high reduction effect on RV titer of ≥ 2 log10 TCID50. Thus, these compounds can be possible candidates of anti-RV agents.

As the impact of upcoming climate change scenarios on livestock feeding security (quality, availability, and price), applying alternative feedstuffs is a must. Fattening calves considered as a most process related to traditional feeding system. In the present study we purposed new feedstuffs for fattened calves consisting citrus pulp silage, wheat germ, barley sprout and molasses. Within the above feedstuffs we using mechanical, chemical, and biological treatments. Moreover, the present study evaluates the production performance of 14 male cross Friesian calves (7 per each group) for adding 10ml/calve/day probiotic ZAD in treated group. Weight data where used to calculate Average Daily Gains ADG, nutrients digestibility, boneless meat percent, and feed conversion rate. From our results applying probiotics (ZAD) increased significantly (P

The use of two probiotic products as a means of improving in vitro and ruminal dry matter digestibility, fermentation characteristics and growth performance of Barki lambs were evaluated. The probi...

Forty-eight lactating Holstein Friesian cows were utilized to assess impact of supplementing probiotic ZAD (mixture of live bacterial cells and enzymes) compared with T5X (antitoxins product) on some productive, reproductive and antitoxins activity parameters. we have divided the animals to three experimental categories (16 each). The first category, control treatment, was fed basal diet without any supplements. The second category, ZAD treatment, was fed basal diet supplemented with ZAD probiotic (1.1 L/ton). The third category, T5X treatment, was fed basal diet supplemented with T5X antitoxins product (1.1 Kg/ton). Milk yield was recorded. we have collected and analyzed milk samples, blood samples and feed samples in order to constitutes. Time-interval between calving and fertilizing artificial insemination and pregnancy rate were recorded. The gained outcomes demonstrated that milk yield was significantly raised by ZAD treatment than other treatment. Milk components yield were significantly raised by ZAD probiotic and T5X treatments than control. Blood serum total protein, albumin, globulin, glucose, urea and total lipids were not significantly influenced by treatments. Total aflatoxins in concentrate mixture and aflatoxin M1 in milk were significantly diminished by ZAD and T5X than control. Number of days between calving and fertilized artificial insemination were diminished by treatments than control. Pregnancy rate was significantly raised by ZAD probiotic than T5X and control treatments, respectively. The overall conclusion of this study illustrated that Probiotic ZAD, potentially, has antitoxins activity leading to reinforcing the productive and reproductive performance of lactating cows.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of ensiling and /or exogenous fibrolytic enzyme supplementation date press cake using in vitro batch culture technique . Untreated date press cake (DPC) and ensiled DPC with exogenous fibrolytic enzymes (ZAD1 and ZAD2) and with or without adding urea compared to corn grains were in vitro evaluated using batch culture technique. DM, NDF and ADF degradation and total gas production as well as fermentation parameters of the incubated samples were determined after 24 h of fermentation. Total VFAs, proportions are not affected (P > 0.05) by any of the treatments. However, value of ammonia concentration was higher (P 0.05) with the ensiling treatments. There were no significant differences in the values of DMD and OMD between the different treatments. But, the values of NDFD and ADFD were increased (P 0.05) between the corn grain and the DPC without any treatments. While, values of metabolizable protein (MP) and efficiency of microbial biomass production (EMP) were increased (p

Four common Egyptian Agricultural by products used for ruminant feeding were treated with different concentrations of Probiotic (ZAD) to study the effect of treatment on chemical composition of roughages. Roughages used were rice straw (RS), wheat straw (WS), corn stover (CS) and sugar cane bagasse (SCB). Concentrations of ZAD tested in this study were 0.05, 1.0, 1.5 and 2 ml/Kg of roughage. Roughages were mixed with ZAD solution and incubated anaerobically for 4 weeks. Results indicated that treatments decreased crude fiber (CF) contents of all roughages by 17 % in CS to 30% in SCB and increased EE by multiplication of 1.45 times in WS to 4.9 times in SCB. Statistical analysis showed no significant interaction between roughage source and ZAD concentration on chemical composition of roughages except for crude protein where interaction was significant (P

Two hundred multiparous Holstein dairy cows post-partum were randomly assigned into two groups. The first group (control, n=100) was fed total mixed ration (TMR) without a supplement of liquid probiotic enzymes. The second group (treatment, n=100) was fed TMR supplemented with a commercial probiotic (ZAD) prepared by Bactizad company, Cairo, Egypt. at the rate of 10 ml/head/day. According to the guide of the manufacture for 12 weeks ZAD was added and mixed to the TMR at the time of feeding once per day. Each group was placed in a shaded pen equipped with free stalls. Results obtained showed that Milk yield increased significantly from 39.57 kg/day for control group up to 41.73 kg/day for treated with ZAD group. Fat and protein milk percentage tended to be improved due to treated with ZAD but the difference was not significant. Lactose percentage was affected positively and significantly by treated of ZAD, lactose percentage was 4.79 for control group and 4.83 for ZAD group. Serum total protein increased significantly from 11.52 (g/dl) for control group up to 11.85(g/dl) for treated ZAD group. Albumin was significantly higher in control group. Results indicated that blood urea concentration in treated group being 34.77 (mg/dl) and for the control group 33.91 (mg/dl), was significantly higher. Alkaline phosphates increased significantly in treated group from 21.105 U/l for control group up to 26.92 U/l for treated group. Cholesterol concentration was reduced significantly due to treatment from 240.98 mg/dl in control cows to 190.13 mg/dl in treated cows. Triglycerides concentration declined significantly due to treatment of probiotic ZAD. In control cows triglycerides concentration was 27.871 (mg/dl) and treated cows was 20.9781 (mg/dl). T3 concentration increased significantly as a response to treatment by probiotic ZAD. T3 concentration was 117.29 ng/dl in treated group and 62.38 mg/dl in control group.

Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) show potential for the clean production of renewable and high-purity hydrogen. [1] The widespread implementation of PEMWE usage faces performance and economic hurdles. In order to improve cell performance and durability, thus reducing capital cost, identifying and understanding the origins of performance losses is crucial. Overpotentials fall into three categories: ohmic, kinetic, and mass transport, which relate to various resistances within the cell during operation. Traditionally, electrochemical equivalent circuits (EEC) have been used to analyze electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for polarizing processes, but this tool requires extensive background knowledge of both electrochemical processes and circuits. The use of distribution of relaxation times (DRT) as an EIS analysis tool allows for the objective distinguishing of individual and distinct electrochemical processes within the cell that contribute to these overpotentials [2,3,4]. DRT as an EIS analysis tool allows for more comprehensive understanding and comparison of overpotential processes, especially between cells of varying configurations. Understanding overpotential origins will provide a pathway for mitigating performance restricting processes and developing better performing, more durable, and more cost-effective build configurations. In this work, several configurations of a single cell 25 cm2 PEMWE were tested. Cell performance using titanium fiber porous transport layers (PTLs) is compared against the use of sintered titanium PTLs, in both unplated and plated configurations. Four PEMWE cells were built using Bekaert unplated and plated titanium fiber PTLs, and Mott 20 mil unplated and plated sintered titanium PTLs. Results show good cell performance. DRT analysis of diagnostic data allows for the objective identification, discussion, and comparison of overpotential contributions. References [1] Aricò, A. S., Siracusano, S., Briguglio, N., Baglio, V., Di Blasi, A., & Antonucci, V. (2012). Polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysis: Status of technologies and potential applications in combination with renewable power sources. Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, 43(2), 107–118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-012-0490-5 [2] Dierickx, S., Weber, A., & Ivers-Tiffée, E. (2020). How the distribution of relaxation times enhances complex equivalent circuit models for fuel cells. Electrochimica Acta, 355, 136764. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2020.136764 [3] Ivers-Tiffée, E., Weber, A. (2017). Evaluation of electrochemical impedance spectra by the distribution of Relaxation Times. Journal of the Ceramic Society of Japan, 125(4), 193–201. https://doi.org/10.2109/jcersj2.16267 [4] Gado, A., Ouimet, R. J., Bonville, L., Bliznakov, S., & Maric, R. (2021). Analysis of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy using distribution of relaxation times for proton exchange membrane fuel cells and electrolyzers. ECS Meeting Abstracts, MA2021-02(41), 1261–1261. https://doi.org/10.1149/ma2021-02411261mtgabs

This paper investigates the impact of an electric vehicle in vehicle to grid (V2G) framework on the grid after it is powered to the grid, examines the fundamental aspects of harmonic leakage caused by the charging and discharging unit of a V2G electric vehicle on the power grid. Also, introduced parallel active power filter (APF) with direct power control method for active control, terms of accomplishing the effect of elimination of harmonic pollution. The results of simulations demonstrate that this system is capable of ensuring both charging impact and power efficiency. This paper also proposes a hybrid active power filter design using particle swarm optimization (PSO) for DC-link control under ideal voltage conditions to boost power quality and minimize current source harmonics.

The research was performed at the Department of Animal Production's fish laboratory, National Research Center, Dokki, Egypt. The research was conducted to assess the impact of commercial powder probiotic (ZADO®) on growth efficiency of Nile tilapia mono-sex fish (O. niloticus), which were fed on basal experimental diet (the control group)and other 4 experimental diet, which was the basic diet augmented with 0.25,0.5,0.75 and 1% of ZADO® for T1, T2,T3,T4 andT5, respectively. The Five experimental treatments were performed in three replicates each, the experimental aquaria were part of closed recirculating system, where environmental parameters were kept constant throughout the experimental period. Fifteen aquaria 60 × 40 × 30 cm, width, depth, and height, respectively each was stocked with 15 fish. The mean individual initial body weight (4.04 g/fish) was recorded at the start of the experiment. All fish in each aquarium throughout the entire experimental period were weighed every two weeks. The experimental fish were fed 32 % crude proteinbased diet for (98 days). The daily feed allowances were calculated as 5% of fish body weight and were divided into 3 portions fed at 8 am, 12 pm and 4 pm. The Results of the experiment indicated that T2 had the largest significant (P 0.05) were found in protein productive value (PPV). Although significant effects (p

High prices of corn grains due to their shortage in some regions force researcher to explore nonconventional alternatives. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of replacing corn grains at 25% (dry matter (DM) basis) with date press cake (DPC) without/with exogenous enzymes at 2 L/ton feed in diets of Barki sheep (24 rams divided as 6 rams/treatment) and Egyptian buffaloes (16 buffaloes divided as 4 buffalo/treatment). Each experiment was conducted under 4 treatments regime: control diet containing only corn grains, T1 diet where the control diet supplemented with exogenous enzyme, T2 diet where the control diet contained DPC on corn replacement (25% DM basis), and T3 diet where the control diet contained DPC on corn replacement (25% DM basis) along with exogenous enzyme supplement. The control diet contained concentrate feed mixture, corn silage, and rice straw at 50:40:10, respectively. Data on nutrient intake, digestibility, and nitrogen balance in sheep, as well as on blood parameters, milk production, and composition in buffaloes, were analyzed using the PROC GLM/MIXED procedure of SAS. The sheep under T2 and T3 treatments demonstrated greater digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, and neutral detergent fibers, along with improved nitrogen balance. The milk yield and its constituents were improved in the buffaloes under T3 treatment followed by those buffaloes under T2 and T1 treatments. This investigation could conclude that replacing corn grains with DPC at 25% (DM basis) in ruminant diets had beneficial effects on nutrients digestibility and milk yield along with its composition.

Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) are a promising technology to produce zero-carbon emission, renewable, high-purity hydrogen. [1] There is a need to reduce capital cost while improving performance for the progression of widespread development. The crossover of hydrogen from the cathode into the anode not only restricts cell performance, but also poses a safety hazard, as the crossover reaches the lower explosive limit of hydrogen in oxygen. [2] Previous work has been conducted on the fabrication and testing of Pt recombination layers in PEMWEs. The addition of the Pt recombination layer has proven to be an effective mitigation strategy for hydrogen crossover while improving performance. [3, 4] Further investigation is needed to understand the mechanisms of the Pt recombination layer. In this work, reactive spray deposition technology (RSDT) was used to deposit two Pt recombination layers separated by a membrane. Testing of a single cell 25 cm2 PEMWE was conducted. Polarization analysis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and distribution of relaxation times were used to investigate the cell performance. Results show good cell performance and hydrogen crossover reduction, as well as insight to the mechanisms of the chemical reactions that occur on the dual recombination layer. References [1] Aricò, A. S., Siracusano, S., Briguglio, N., Baglio, V., Di Blasi, A., & Antonucci, V. (2012). Polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysis: Status of technologies and potential applications in combination with renewable power sources. Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, 43(2), 107–118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-012-0490-5 [2] Schalenbach, M., Carmo, M., Fritz, D, L., Mergel, J., Stolten, D. Pressurized PEM water electrolysis: Efficiency and gas crossover, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 38(35), (2013), 14921-14933. [3] Klose, C., Trinke, P., Bohm, T., Bensmann, B., Vierrath, S., Hanke-Rauschenbach, R., Thiele, S. Membrane Interlayer with Pt Recombination Particles for Reduction of the Anodic Hydrogen Content in PEM Water Electrolysis, Journal of Electrochemical Society, 165(16), (2018), F1271-F1277. [4] Mirshekari, G., Ouimet, R., Zeng, Z., Yu, H., Bliznakov, S., Bonville, L., Niedzwiecki, A., Capuano, C., Ayers, K., Maric, R. High-performance and cost-effective membrane electrode assemblies for advanced proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers: Long-term durability assessment. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Volume 46, Issue 2, 2021, Pages 1526-1539, ISSN 0360-3199, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.10.112.

Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs) are a leading industry solution to large scale production of green hydrogen, and as a form of energy storage [5]. The PEMWEs have the advantages of having greater energy efficiency, higher product purity, and are environmentally friendly. Within the construction of a PEMWE stack, there are many catalysts coated membranes (CCMs) sandwiched between anode porous transport layers (PTLs) and cathode Gas Diffusion Layers. The PTL is constructed of sintered titanium powder or fibers. The Ti-PTL is on the anode side of a PEMWE cell where the water diffuses towards the CCM. The anode half-cell reaction or oxygen evolution reaction (OER) occurs on this side of the cell. This is important as the PTL is in contact with the bipolar plate (BPP) and the anode catalyst layer [9]. A key aspect plaguing the PEMWEs is the highly oxidative and corrosive environment that is typically observed on the anode side. This significantly affects the interfacial contact resistance (ICR) of the components as the corrosion can cause the ohmic resistance of the PTL to increase. In order to combat the corrosion in the PTLs, in this work we use two thin film deposition methods, Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) and Vacuum Sputtering, to deposit protective metal layers on top of the state-of-the-art Ti PTLs [2]. The explored metal coatings of interest are Platinum (Pt) and Gold (Au) [9]. For the purposes of these experiments, Au and Pt coatings with various thicknesses are deposited on Ti-PTLs by using either PVD or vacuum spattering method. As deposited thin films are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), digital optical microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis. Also, the in-plane conductivity and the ICR of all samples of interest are measured before and after the electrochemical tests by using the 4-probe method and in-house build setup for ICR measurements. The optimal deposition parameters for fabrication of thin, continuous and smooth Pt and Au protective coatings that result in minimum ICR and improved in-plane conductivity of the PTLs of interest are identified, and the results will be reported at the ECS 241 meeting. References: [1] Mo, Jingke, Steen, Stuart, Kang, Zhenye, Yang, Gaoqiang, Taylor, Derrick A., Li, Yifan, Toops, Todd J., Brady, Michael P., Retterer, Scott T., Cullen, David A., Green, Johney B., and Zhang, Feng-Yuan. Study on corrosion migrations within catalyst-coated membranes of proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells. United States: N. p., 2017. Web. [2] Rojas, Nuria & Sevilla, Gema & Sánchez-Molina, Margarita & Amores, Ernesto & Bueno, Rebeca & Almandoz, Eluxka & Cruz, Marlon & Colominas, Carles. (2018). Materials selection for bipolar plates in PEMWE. [3] Oluwatosin Ijaodola, Emmanuel Ogungbemi, Fawwad Nisar. Khatib,Tabbi Wilberforce, Mohamad Ramadan, Zaki El Hassan, James Thompson andAbdul Ghani Olab. Evaluating the effect of metal bipolar plate coating on the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Energies, MDPI AG, 5 Oct. 2021 [4] Sigrid Lædre, Ole Edvard Kongstein, Anders Oedegaard, Frode Seland, and Håvard Karoliussen. Measuring In Situ Interfacial Contact Resistance in a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell. Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 166 (13) F853-F859 (2019) [5] Peter Holzapfela, Melanie Bühler, ChuyenVan Phamc, Friedemann Hegge, Thomas Böhm, David McLaughlin, Matthias Breitwieser, Simon Thielead. Directly coated membrane electrode assemblies for proton exchange membrane water electrolysis. Electrochemical Communications, volume 110, January 2020, 106640. [6] S. Stiber, N. Sata, T. Morawietz, S. A. Ansar, T. Jahnke, J. K. Lee, A. Bazylak, A. Fallisch, A. S. Gago and K. A. Friedrich. A high-performance, durable and low-cost proton exchange membrane electrolyser with stainless steel components. Journal, Energy & Environmental Science [7] Chang Liu, Marcelo Carmo, Guido Bender, Andreas Everwand, Thomas Lickert, James L. Young, Tom Smolinka, Detlef Stolten, Werner Lehnert, Performance enhancement of PEM electrolyzers through iridium-coated titanium porous transport layers, Electrochemistry Communications, Volume 97, 2018, Pages 96-99, ISSN 1388-2481, [8] Gago, Aldo & Ansar, Asif & Gazdzicki, Pawel & Wagner, Norbert & Arnold, Johannes. (2014). Low Cost Bipolar Plates for Large Scale PEM Electrolyzers. ECS Transactions. 64. 10.1149/06403.1039ecst. [9] Novel components in Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Water Electrolyzers (PEMWE): Status, challenges and future needs. A mini review, Electrochemistry Communications, Volume 114, 2020, 106704

High prices of corn grains due to their shortage in some regions force researcher to explore nonconventional alternatives. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of replacing corn grains at 25% (dry matter (DM) basis) with date press cake (DPC) without/with exogenous enzymes at 2 L/ton feed in diets of Barki sheep (24 rams divided as 6 rams/treatment) and Egyptian buffaloes (16 buffaloes divided as 4 buffalo/treatment). Each experiment was conducted under 4 treatments regime: control diet containing only corn grains, T

Glucocorticoid (GC) excess, either endogenously or exogenously, has been causally linked to the development of chronic diseases such as obesity and type-2 diabetes mellitus. Continuously elevated GC levels result in an expansion of white adipose tissue (WAT) depots and a dramatic decrease in the thermogenic capacity in brown and beige adipose tissue (BAT and BeAT, respectively). Herein we aimed to examine the interaction between GCs and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in the regulation of WAT, BAT, and BeAT. To this end, we utilized an altered environmental temperature as a non-invasive method for the modulation of sympathetic activity - cold is an activator of SNS-mediated non-shivering thermogenesis. Thus, during a 4-week treatment with either corticosterone or placebo, 10-week-old male C57BL/6NRj mice were maintained at two different temperature levels: 29°C (thermoneutrality) or 13°C (cold temperature). Body weight, as well as energy and water intake, were monitored throughout the study. At sacrifice, serum and adipose tissues were collected for analysis. GC-exposed mice showed a marked increase in circulating corticosterone concentrations compared to placebo controls with no appreciable difference between temperature levels. At thermoneutrality, GC-treated mice gained more weight and consumed more food than their placebo-treated littermates. This GC-induced body weight gain was accompanied by increased (visceral & subcutaneous) WAT weight as well as adipocyte hypertrophy. Interestingly, cold-acclimatized mice showed a marked reduction in GC-induced weight gain, hyperphagia, and fat accumulation. Moreover, the GC-induced rise in blood glucose and serum insulin concentrations - readily observed when mice were maintained at thermoneutrality - was absent in cold-exposed animals. In addition, GC treatment at thermoneutrality resulted in increased lipid deposition and decreased UCP1 expression in BAT, the ‘whitening’ of BAT. This GC-induced loss of thermogenic capacity was profoundly reduced in cold-adapted mice. Across all groups, UCP-1 protein levels in BAT closely correlated (r2 = 0.70, p < 0.0001) with those of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme of catecholamine synthesis. These results indicate that cold-acclimation prevents the development of GC-induced metabolic dysfunction in mice. Thus, environmental temperature is a potent modulator of GC-induced adiposity and body weight gain, potentially via an interaction between SNS and GC signaling.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of a mixture of (ZAD) and (Lacto bacillus plantarum) on chemical composition of green corn stover and corn stalks and the effect of these treatments in a metabolism trial on digestibility coefficients , rumen fermentation and some blood parameters. One ton of either green corn stover or corn stalks was chopped into (2-3 cm) and its mixed with 0. 5 cubic metre of water or one cubic metre of water, respectively. They were then mixed with 3%w/w molasses and 1.5%w/w urea and incubated for six weeks. The experiment included six treatments, three of them were on green corn stover and the rest were on corn stalks. The treatments on green corn stover were as follows: (T1) Untreated green corn stover (control). (T2) corn stover + lactobacillus palantarum + ZAD (2litres of ZAD + 1 liter of lactobacillus palantarum / 1ton). (T3) corn stover + ZAD ( 2 liters of ZAD/ 1 ton). The treatments on corn stalks were as follows: (T4) Untreated corn stalks (control). (T5) corn stalks + lactobacillus palantarum+ ZAD (2litres of ZAD +1 liter of lactobacillus palantarum /1ton) (T6) corn stalks + ZAD (2 liters of ZAD/ 1 ton). Eighteen Ossimi male lambs were divided to six group rations for 15 days in metabolism trials. Results indicated that biological treatment on T2 and T3 treatments on green stover and T5 and T6 on dry corn stalks decreased CF and NDF, ADF, ADL contents and increased CP content compared to the control. Feeding lambs on treated green corn stover or treated dry corn stalks significantly (P

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of anaerobic ensiling of raw agricultural wastes with a fibrolytic enzyme cocktail (EZ) as a cleaner and sustainable biological product for animal feed. Ten 1-kg samples of wheat straw, corn stalks and sugarcane bagasse were chopped at 5 cm length and mixed with EZ at three levels of 0, 1 or 3 L enzyme/ton of feed, moistened to a relative humidity of approximately 50% and ensiled in plastic bales for 30 days. Additionally, fibrous samples were incubated for 72 h with rumen liquor to determine the digestion of dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre. Increasing enzyme level lowered ether extract and nitrogen-free extract contents of fibrous feeds and increased the biodegradation of acid detergent lignin of wheat straw. Anaerobic ensiled corn stalks and sugarcane bagasse with EZ improved the biodegradation of DM and fibre fractions. It could be concluded that ensiling fibres of the three wastes with EZ improved and enhanced ...

Twenty Friesian cows were used to study the effect of dietary cation-anion differences on digestibility, rumen fermentation and milk production. Animals were divided into four groups. All groups were fed a basal diet consisting of 30 kg berseem, 6 kg concentrate feed mixture (CFM), 6 kg rice straw &75g soya bean meal (SBM) as a carrier for anionic salts/head/day. Anionic salts were used to control DCAD of the ration at the following levels (groups): treatment (1): Control group was fed the basal diet without anionic salts; treatment (2): DCAD was controlled to be 0 mEq/ Kg DM; treatment (3): DCAD was controlled to be negative 150mEq/Kg DM; treatment (4): DCAD was controlled to be negative 150mEq/Kg DM by using Anio - Norel (commercial product).Animals received treatments three weeks before expected calving date and stopped at delivery day.Results obtained showed that:1. Rumen pH was affected by treatment, values were 7.5, 6.9, 6.6 and 7.1 for groups (1, 2,3and 4 respectively).2. Organic matter digestibility ranged between 59.43% for group (3) and 57.23% for group (4).3. Crude fiber digestibility was not significantly (P 0.05).5. Treatments didn't affect milk components significantly (P< 0.05) except for milk fat where it was lower for treatment (4) compared with other treatments.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of feeding Atriplex halimus (AH) silage treated with two developed enzyme cocktails to sheep on feed intake, nutrient digestibility and ruminal fermentation. The AH silage was treated without or with 2 L of ZAD1® or ZAD2®/1000 kg with 5% molasses and ensiled for 30 days. Barley grain (300 g/head/day) was fed as an energy supplement once daily at 10.00 hours and AH silage with or without enzyme treatment was offered ad libitum to animals twice daily at 09.00 and 16.00 hours. Sheep were fed on four experimental forage diets comprised of AH silage and barley (D1), AH silage treated with ZAD1® and barley (D2), AH silage treated with ZAD2® and barley (D3) and AH silage treated with a combination of ZAD1® and ZAD2® (1:1) and barley (D4). Ensiling AH with enzymes reduced its contents of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber. The dry matter intake of AH of D2, D3 and D4 decreased (P

Summary Background The reduced availability of data from non-Western countries limits our ability to understand attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment outcomes, specifically, adherence and persistence of ADHD in children and adolescents. This analysis assessed predictors of treatment outcomes in a non-Western cohort of patients with ADHD treated with atomoxetine or methylphenidate. Methods Data from a 12-month, prospective, observational study in outpatients aged 6–17 years treated with atomoxetine (N = 234) or methylphenidate (N = 221) were analysed post hoc to determine potential predictors of treatment outcomes. Participating countries included the Russian Federation, China, Taiwan, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. Factors associated with remission were analysed with stepwise multiple logistic regression and classification and regression trees (CART). Cox proportional hazards models with propensity score adjustment assessed differences in atomoxetine persistence among initial-dose cohorts. Results In patients treated with atomoxetine who had available dosing information (N = 134), Cox proportional hazards revealed lower (

Forty crossbred steers (Baladi×Friesian, average BW 153±5.14kg) were used to evaluate the effects of exogenous enzyme (ENZ) addition on nutrient intake, digestion, ruminal fermentation and feed conversion in beef steers. Steers were randomly assigned to two groups of 20 animals and fed individually a total mixed ration (TMR) without (CTRL) or with addition of 40g/hd/d of an enzyme mixture (ZADO®). The ENZ mixture was added for 220 days and in vivo apparent digestibility was measured on days 210-220. Enzyme addition did not affect (P=0.1) DM intake, whereas it increased (P

A one-pot method for the synthesis of chromone derivatives from the reaction of 2-hydroxyacetophenones with aliphatic or aromatic acid chlorides is reported. Esterification and Baker–Venkataraman rearrangement were promoted by t-BuOK, which was followed directly by acid-catalyzed cyclization in one pot. Some of 2-cyclohexyl- and 2-cyclohexylmethyl-substituted chromones displayed activity against plant pathogenic fungal strains. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Synthetic Communications® to view the free supplemental file.

This study was conducted to investigate effects of increasing doses: 0 (control), 6 (low), 12 (medium) and 24 (high) mg/g DM of ZADO ® enzyme preparation mixture (ENZ) on in vitro gas production (GP) and some ruminal fermentation parameters of the fibrous feeds Saccharum officinarum (leaves), Andropogon gayanus (leaves), Pennisetum purpureum (leaves) and Sorghum vulgare (straw). Rumen liquor was obtained from two Brown Swiss cows fitted with permanent rumen cannulae fed a total mixed ration of a 500:500 commercial concentrate and alfalfa hay ad libitum . The GP was recorded at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h of incubation. After 96 h, the incubation was stopped and the pH of the mixture was determined and filtrate used to determine dry matter degradability (DMD), partitioning factor (PF 96 ), gas yield (GY 24 ), in vitro organic matter digestibility (OMD), metabolizable energy (ME), short chain fatty acids (SCFA), and microbial crude protien production (MCP). In general, the crude protein (CP) content of the fibrous feeds was low and ranged from 23 g/kg DM ( S. officinarum) to 44 ( A. gayanus ). The fibre contents ( i.e. , NDFom and ADFom) were highest (P S. officinarum . Increasing ENZ dose linearly increased (P P. purpureum and S. vulgare and rate of gas production in S. officinarum and S. vulgare. Addition of ENZ also quadratically increased (P S. officinarum and S. vulgare , and A. gayanus , but only at 72 h in A. gayanus . The parameters of ruminal fermentation of OMD, ME, GY 24 and SCFA linearly increased (P