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A series of Tetrazole derivatives containing pyrrole‐2,5‐dione groups (5 a–e) were synthesized and comprehensively characterized using HRMS, FT‐IR, and 1H−, 13C‐NMR spectroscopic techniques. These compounds were evaluated for their ability to inhibit urease activity in vitro, demonstrating remarkable inhibitory potential with IC50 values ranging from 4.325±1 to 18.28±1 μM, surpassing the standard thiourea (IC50=17.386±1 μM). Notably, compounds 5 b (IC50=4.325±1 μM), 5 e (IC50=7.411±1 μM), 5 c (IC50=9.313±1 μM), and 5 a (IC50=10.46±1 μM) exhibited notably higher activity compared to the standard thiourea. In our exploration of the structure‐activity relationship (SAR), we investigated the impact of differently substituted aryl rings on inhibitory potential. Our results highlight the crucial role of substituent positioning on the aryl ring, independent of the nature of the substituents. Additionally, computational studies were conducted on all compounds, supporting our experimental findings. Molecular docking simulations revealed a strong correlation between biological evaluation results and computational predictions, affirming the promising inhibitory activity of the compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The main aim of this study is to study the effect of alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride on removing stains, yellowness and harmful metal ions on historical printed paper, as well as the effect of this cleaner on optical and chemical properties of treated paper. Design/methodology/approach: The assessments after and before treatment were carried out using digital microscopy, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), pH measurement, color change and finally scanning electron microscopy. Findings: The results showed that the concentrations used under study (1% and 3%) cleaned the paper efficiently without any observed effect on the chemical composition of cellulose, which was confirmed by IR spectra. The most stains that completely disappeared were the soil spots, also the pH values had improved significantly after treatment, which confirms that the detergent is effective in neutralizing the acidity of cellulose. Moreover, the color change revealed an increase in the chromatic lightness of the paper after treatment, which agreed with the results of the scanning electron microscopy examination, as the paper appeared free of dirt, and the fibers and bundles became more cohesive. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is a unique study, as there is no previous literature that has indicated the use of the effect of alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride washing treatments for printed historical paper, as it was limited only to making disinfection materials and water purification products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus (DM), a chronic, clinically heterogeneous condition, is becoming increasingly common all over the world. Insulin deficiency, resistance to insulin's actions on the body's surface, or both may lead to pancreatic beta-cell degeneration. Diabetes makes people more prone to its consequences, the most prevalent of which is diabetic retinopathy (DR). Deep learning algorithms surpass traditional classification models for illness diagnosis on photos of medical problems. Deep transfer learning models for medical DR detection were evaluated using the APTOS 2019 dataset. Deep transfer learning algorithms for medical diabetic retinopathy (DR) detection are being evaluated. MobileNet Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) architecture is used to detect the DR in binary class classification tasks, which leverages pre-trained weights collected during the training process using the ImageNet database. Cohen Kappa, F1 score, recall, accuracy, and precision are some of the performance indicators used. According to the data, the given model is the most effective in terms of accuracy and training time for handling our challenges. Overall, MobileNet is a good pick. The following metrics were found to be accurate: 0.9455, precise: 0.94651, recall: 0.9455, F1 score: 0.94556, and Cohen Kappa score: 0.89083. This method might aid medical personnel in the early detection of diabetic retinopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Objective: Diabetes is considered a condition that is characterized by an increase in oxidative stress and inflammation. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) belongs to the TGF-β subfamily of the TGF-β superfamily. Numerous biological processes, such as cell growth, differentiation, adhesion, proliferation, tissue repair, morphogenesis, and apoptosis, are regulated by the TGF-β subfamily. Five TGF-β isoforms in this subfamily have been found in vertebrates; however, only TGF-β 1-3 has been demonstrated to be expressed in mammals. Methodology: The current research comprised of a total of 130 individuals, all of whom were placed into one of three primary groups; 50 (25 males and 25 females) diabetic patients without nephropathy; 50 (25 males and 25 females) diabetic patients with nephropathy as cases, and 30 (15 males and 15 females) persons in good health, who were of the same age as the patients being studied. In order to measure the concentrations of the parameters, the standard procedures and techniques were used. Results: The mean value of serum TGF-β1was significantly higher in diabetic patients without nephropathy and diabetic patients with nephropathy (40.19 ± 3.56 ng/ml),(51.21 ± 5.20 ng/ml) respectively as compared to controls (24.80 ± 3.51 ng/ml) with a high significant difference (P < 0.01). The level of TGF β1 showed a positive correlation in the study population with fasting blood sugar (r = 0.273, P = 0.006), creatinine (r = 0.546, P = 0.004), and cystatin C (r = 0.597, P = 0.005). The main finding of the present study was that the mean value of serum TGF-β1 in diabetic patients without nephropathy was 40.19 ± 3.56, and for diabetic patients with nephropathy 51.21 ± 5.20, while for controls was 24.80 ± 3.51, a significant difference (P < 0.05). In addition, there was a statistically significant and positive link between the blood TGF 1 levels and the serum creatinine levels of the individuals who participated in the study (r = 0.611, P = 0.003). In addition, patients who had diabetes for a longer period of time (more than five years) had higher levels of TGF β1 than those who had just been diagnosed with the condition. This difference, however, was not statistically significant (P > 0.05), which may be due to the fact that the level of TGF 1 rises with increasing duration of the participant's cases. Conclusion: There is no significant correlation between cystatin-C with fasting blood sugar. There was a statistically significant and positive link between the blood TGF-β1 levels and the serum creatinine and cystatin-C levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperglycemia is a complication of diabetes (high blood sugar). This condition causes biochemical alterations in the cells of the body, which may lead to structural and functional problems throughout the body, including the eye. Diabetes retinopathy (DR) is a type of retinal degeneration induced by long-term diabetes that may lead to blindness. propose our deep learning method for the early detection of retinopathy using an efficient net B1 model and using the APTOS 2019 dataset. we used the Gaussian filter as one of the most significant image-processing algorithms. It recognizes edges in the dataset and reduces superfluous noise. We will enlarge the retina picture to 224×224 (the Efficient Net B1 standard) and utilize data augmentation methods to enhance the dataset photographs, and balance the dataset (which was quite uneven), to avoid overfitting. By using Transfer learning we save training time by using a previously learned deep CNN and transfer learning weights. In this research, EfficientNetB1 is compared against Xception, InceptionV3, MobileNet, and ResNet50 as a deep transfer learning model. The proposed model's accuracy, precision, recall, and f1-score are all examined. The EfficientNetB1 model outperforms all others in terms of overall testing accuracy (86.1%), sensitivity (87.24%), precision (97.6%), and F1-Score (89.32 percent). This approach might help physicians diagnose Diabetic Retinopathy earlier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In education, big data utilization has offered significant opportunities to support students in the era of e-learning platforms. The present research investigated the impact of big data utilization on learning management systems (LMSs) in the context of developing students' academic success. The sample consisted of 120 students of the third level of the Department of Education and Psychology in Najran University, Saudi Arabia. Participants were divided into two equal experimental groups, The first experimental group learnt through using reports derived from big data analysis while studying "Research Methods" course via Blackboard; while the second experimental group studied the same course via Blackboard only, without any data analytics intervention. An achievement test, at the end of the course, was administered on both groups to assess the level of academic success. Findings revealed that integration of big data reports as intervention via Blackboard significantly enhanced learner's academic success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. A gallbladder torsion typically presents as an acute abdomen presentation with nonspecific clinical signs. When not detected by a clinician preoperatively, it can lead to the delay of emergency surgery and possible misdiagnosis for other, more common causes of an acute abdomen. Case Presentation. We report the case of acute gallbladder volvulus in an 80-year-old woman complaining of constant pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. Conclusions. The patient was successfully treated with cholecystectomy. The case highlights the high index of suspicion required to diagnose the condition preoperatively in this population of patients to reduce complications such as biliary peritonitis and death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Street children are particularly susceptible to health-related adversities, including those resulting from substance abuse and child abuse. Information on street children is deficient in Sudan. This study provides basic data on characteristics, factors for leaving home, the pattern of child abuse and substance misuse among street children in Khartoum State, Sudan. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional, and community-based study. Data were collected through direct questioning of a sample of street children using a structured, standardized, and pretested interview-administered questionnaire. Two hundred and seventy-five (275) street children were interviewed. Most street children were males (83%). Of the interviewed children, 36.7% were illiterate, 66.1% had a single parent, and 36% did not recognize a home to return to. The commonest reported reasons for being on the streets were family conflicts and financial/economic difficulties (28.4 % and 27.5%), respectively. 89.1% of the children admitted to being substance abusers, mostly of glue (86.5%) and smoked tobacco (67.3%). Seventy-five-point three percent 75.3% of the children reported being subjected to a form of abuse, with physical and sexual abuse reported by 70.2% and 27%, respectively. Of the 74 children who reported sexual abuse, 49 were males (29% of males), and 25 were females (65% of females). The survey results are thought to guide further research and shape appropriate policymaking and coordinated interventions by concerned stakeholders, whether governmental or nongovernmental. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) can be generated from various somatic cells and can subsequently be differentiated to multiple cell types of the body. This makes them highly promising for cellular therapy in regenerative medicine. However, to facilitate their clinical use and to ensure safety, iPS culturing protocols must be compliant with good manufacturing practice guidelines and devoid of xenogenic products. Therefore, we aimed to compare the efficiency of using humanized culture conditions, specifically human platelet lysate to fetal bovine serum, for iPS generation from different sources, and to evaluate their stemness. Methods: iPS were generated via a platelet lysate or fetal bovine serum-based culturing protocol from matched dermal, buccal and gingival human fibroblasts, isolated from healthy donors (n = 2) after informed consent, via episomal plasmid transfection. Pluripotency, genotype and phenotype of iPS, generated by both protocols, were then assessed by various methods. Results: More attempts were generally required to successfully reprogram xeno-free fibroblasts to iPS, as compared to xenogenic cultured fibroblasts. Furthermore, oral fibroblasts generally required more attempts for successful iPS generation as opposed to dermal fibroblasts. Morphologically, all iPS generated from fibroblasts formed tight colonies surrounded by a reflective "whitish" outer rim, typical for iPS. They also expressed pluripotency markers at both gene (SOX2, OCT4, NANOG) and protein level (SOX2, OCT4). Upon stimulation, all iPS showed ability to differentiate into the three primary germ layers via expression of lineage-specific markers for mesoderm (MESP1, OSR1, HOPX), endoderm (GATA4) and ectoderm (PAX6, RAX). Genome analysis revealed several amplifications and deletions within the chromosomes of each iPS type. Conclusions: The xeno-free protocol had a lower reprogramming efficiency compared to the standard xenogenic protocol. The oral fibroblasts generally proved to be more difficult to reprogram than dermal fibroblasts. Xeno-free dermal, buccal and gingival fibroblasts can successfully generate iPS with a comparable genotype/phenotype to their xenogenic counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar-driven hydrogen production by water splitting using a photocatalyst is considered the most effective approach to produce hydrogen. Hydrogen is the most suitable renewable energy source. The efficiency of hydrogen production is still low. The efficiency of hydrogen production through photocatalysis can be enhanced by preparing a suitable and efficient photocatalyst. In this work, ZnO thin films were deposited on CdTe thin films at 600 °C, 650 °C, and 700 °C temperatures to form ZnO/CdTe heterostructure thin films by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) as photoelectrodes for water splitting. The photoelectrochemical properties showed that ZnO/CdTe heterostructure thin films have better photocurrent response compared to pristine ZnO and CdTe thin films. EIS results showed that the charge transfer at the electrode-electrolyte interface for ZnO/CdTe heterostructure thin films is much better than that of the pristine ZnO film. The ZnO/CdTe-700 °C heterostructure thin film has a 112-fold higher rate of photocatalytic hydrogen generation than pure ZnO. [Display omitted] • ZnO/CdTe heterostructures were prepared by chemical vapor deposition. • ZnO/CdTe heterostructure has less charge transfer resistance compared to pristine ZnO thin film. • ZnO/CdTe heterostructure showed better photocurrent response compared to its constituents. • The solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of ZnO/CdTe-700 °C was found to be 3.61%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of pandemic and natural catastrophe situations have created unprecedented challenges for global supply chains, resulting in uncertainty about the specific demand, cost, and supply of the commodities. This study proposes an integrated framework considering global supply chain uncertainties during sustainable supplier selection and order allocation. The suggested technique is divided into three phases. The best-worst method (BWM) is used to compute the criteria weights and suppliers' performance scores in the first phase. A scenario-based multi-objective linear programming (SMOBLP) model is developed in the second phase. Later, the ε-constraint and LP-metrics methods are utilized to determine the Pareto front of the developed SMOBLP model. The technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) is applied in phase three to get an ultimate optimal solution from the non-dominated solutions. Finally, a real-life case study of the garment manufacturing organization is offered to demonstrate the practicability of the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Due to the diversity of snakes in Iran, understanding the demographic characteristics of patients can be effective in better treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical symptoms of snakebites in children admitted to Abuzar Hospital of south of Iran from 2018-2020. Methods: The present study was descriptive-analytical and retrospective. A number of 145 snakebites children referred to Abuzar Hospital of south of Iran from 2018-2020 were selected by census and examined. The clarified was extracted from the analysis using SPSS software version 22. Results: The mean age of snakebite children was 10.73±3.41 years, 92 (63.4%) were male children. The mean of anti -venom intake in bitten children was 4.93±1.44, the mean BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) 13.70±4.01, and the mean creatinine 0.68±0.14. The mean duration of hospitalization 4.05±2.13 days and the mean duration of onset of symptoms after the bite in patients was 94.34±109.31 hours. The mean of coagulation problems in the first stage in patients was 2.76±1.91 and 82 (56.6%) of snake bred children received FFP blood product. The first symptom after a bite in 60 snakebite children (41.4%) was pain. Four patients (2.8%) were hospitalized for two days and two patients (1.4%) were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for three days. The location of 49 of the snakebite children was Ahvaz (33.8%) and none of the snakebite children died. Conclusion: According to the results of this study and understanding the epidemiology of snakebite in the Khozestan province, it is possible to play an effective role in preventing snakebites and other causes by educating all health care workers and physicians as well as raising public awareness in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Software Defect Prediction (SDP) is an integral aspect of the Software Development Life-Cycle (SDLC). As the prevalence of software systems increases and becomes more integrated into our daily lives, so the complexity of these systems increases the risks of widespread defects. With reliance on these systems increasing, the ability to accurately identify a defective model using Machine Learning (ML) has been overlooked and less addressed. Thus, this article contributes an investigation of various ML techniques for SDP. An investigation, comparative analysis and recommendation of appropriate Feature Extraction (FE) techniques, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Partial Least Squares Regression (PLS), Feature Selection (FS) techniques, Fisher score, Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE), and Elastic Net are presented. Validation of the following techniques, both separately and in combination with ML algorithms, is performed: Support Vector Machine (SVM), Logistic Regression (LR), Naïve Bayes (NB), K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Decision Tree (DT), and ensemble learning methods Bootstrap Aggregation (Bagging), Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Random Forest(RF), and Generalized Stacking (Stacking). Extensive experimental setup was built and the results of the experiments revealed that FE and FS can both positively and negatively affect performance over the base model or Baseline. PLS, both separately and in combination with FS techniques, provides impressive, and the most consistent, improvements, while PCA, in combination with Elastic-Net, shows acceptable improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve optimal vitrification, tissue structure and fragment size represent a challenge for obtaining sufficient cooling velocity. Theoretically, thin ovarian tissue fragments lead to higher surface contact, hence higher solute penetration. Another critical factor is the concentration of cryoprotectants (CPA): CPA toxicity may occur with high concentrations, and as such, this may induce local apoptosis. Therefore two experiments were conducted: In experiment I, we compared the effect of sucrose supplementation in vitrification solution along with ovarian fragments of different sizes on post-warming tissue viability and follicle architecture. Fragments of two different sizes, with a thickness and radius of 1.5 × 0.75 mm and 3 × 1.5 mm respectively were vitrified in vitrification solution without sucrose and with 0.5 M sucrose supplementation. Post-warming, fragments of ovarian tissue (fresh and vitrified) were evaluated for viability (Calcein AM/Propidium Iodide) and for morphology (hematoxylin-eosin). In experiment II, we aimed to reduce cryoprotectant toxicity by using lower CPA concentrations in combination with an optimized carrier medium (HypThermosol®; HTS). Ovarian tissue fragments were randomly allocated to five groups (A: fresh controls; B: vitrified in GLOBAL® TOTAL® LP w/HEPES with 15% ethylene glycol (EG) and 15% DMSO; C: vitrified in HTS with 5% EG and 5% DMSO; D: vitrified in HTS with 10% EG and 10% DMSO; E: vitrified in HTS with 15% EG and 15% DMSO). Fragments (fresh and vitrified) were evaluated for morphology (hematoxylin-eosin) and for apoptosis through the activity of caspase-3. Results showed that follicular morphology was affected by the size of the fragment; smaller sized fragments contained a greater proportion of intact follicles (53.8 ± 2.0%) compared to the larger fragments (40.3 ± 2.0%). Our results demonstrated that 1.5 × 0.75 mm sized pieces vitrified in a vitrification solution supplemented with 0.5 M sucrose had more intact follicles (54.8 ± 1.3%; P = 0.0002) after vitrification. In addition, HTS presented no additional protective effect as a base medium, neither for follicular morphology nor apoptotic rate. • Follicular morphology is affected by the size of the fragment during vitrification. • Small ovarian tissue fragments better preserve follicular morphology, post-warming, than large fragments. • Sucrose supplementation to the vitrification solution enhanced follicular morphology in cat ovarian tissue. • HypThermosol did not exhibited any additional protective effect as a base medium in cat ovarian tissue vitrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the recent advances in the domain of smart agriculture as a result of integrating traditional agriculture and the latest information technologies including the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI), there is an urgent need to address the information security-related issues and challenges in this field. In this article, we propose the integration of lightweight cryptography techniques into the IoT ecosystem for smart agriculture to meet the requirements of resource-constrained IoT devices. Moreover, we investigate the adoption of a lightweight encryption protocol, namely, the Expeditious Cipher (X-cipher), to create a secure channel between the sensing layer and the broker in the Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol as well as a secure channel between the broker and its subscribers. Our case study focuses on smart irrigation systems, and the MQTT protocol is deployed as the application messaging protocol in these systems. Smart irrigation strives to decrease the misuse of natural resources by enhancing the efficiency of agricultural irrigation. This secure channel is utilized to eliminate the main security threat in precision agriculture by protecting sensors' published data from eavesdropping and theft, as well as from unauthorized changes to sensitive data that can negatively impact crops' development. In addition, the secure channel protects the irrigation decisions made by the data analytics (DA) entity regarding the irrigation time and the quantity of water that is returned to actuators from any alteration. Performance evaluation of our chosen lightweight encryption protocol revealed an improvement in terms of power consumption, execution time, and required memory usage when compared with the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). Moreover, the selected lightweight encryption protocol outperforms the PRESENT lightweight encryption protocol in terms of throughput and memory usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to process and evaluate the chemical composition of ice cream made from camel milk, flavored with vanilla, baobab and papaya fruits. Camel milk, baobab and papaya were examined for chemical composition before the processing. Ice cream samples were made using one level of vanilla (3%) as control and two levels of each baobab and papaya (3% and 5%). Then ice cream samples were packed into plastic cups and stored in a freezer at -18 oC for 8 weeks. The chemical composition was examined every two weeks. The data showed significantly (P<0.05) higher total solids and ash in baobab (5%) ice cream samples, while high fat content was found in vanilla (3%) and papaya (5%). Also, high protein content was found in papaya ice cream samples. It was concluded that processing of ice cream using baobab (3%) and papaya (3%) gives ice cream with good chemical properties. The study recommended processing of ice cream from camel milk adding baobab and papaya fruits. Further studies should be conducted by adding local fruits and other additives to enhance the chemical properties of ice cream from camel milk as functional food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-noble metal containing catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are being targeted due to their low cost and availability. The rarity, high-cost, and self-poisoning of noble metals are the main drawbacks for the large-scale applications. Herein, a facile and simple synthetic strategy is adopted to prepare non-noble metal-based nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs). The cobalt oxides (CoOx) nanoparticles are in-situ encapsulated inside these N-CNTs which are then treated with acid (HCl) and phosphidized to obtain CoOx-CoP/N-CNTs. High resolution transmission electron spectroscopy (HR-TEM) results reveal that the ends of N-CNTs are closed with nanoparticles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirms the presence of cobalt oxide and cobalt phosphide nanoparticles. The catalyst CoOx-CoP/N-CNTs2 demonstrated E onset and E 1/2 of 0.96 V and 0.81 V, respectively in alkaline environment which is very much comparable to the state of art catalyst (20 wt% Pt/C). Acid treatment significantly enhances the electrocatalytic activity for ORR in comparison to material synthesized without prior treatment with acid. The catalyst exhibits excellent durability over 10,000 cycles and methanol tolerance to 0.5 M methanol addition. The enhanced ORR activity is attributed to synergistic effect of carbon matrix and encapsulated nanoparticles. • Cobalt oxides (CoOx) nanoparticles are in-situ encapsulated inside N-CNTs. • CoOx/N-CNTs treated with acid (HCl) and phosphidized to obtain CoOx-CoP/N-CNTs. • High resolution transmission electron spectroscopy results reveal that the ends of N-CNTs are closed with nanoparticles. • CoOx-CoP/N-CNTs2 demonstrated E onset and E 1/2 of 0.96 V and 0.81 V, respectively in alkaline environment. • The catalyst exhibited excellent durability over 10,000 cycles and methanol tolerance to 0.5 M methanol addition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was conducted during two successive seasons (2019 and 2020) on seven fruitful olive cultivars (Olea europaea L.). The environmental adaptability of species and varieties has a significant impact on sustainable agricultural development and adaptation to climate change in arid and semi-arid regions. The vegetative growth, flowering, yield, fruit characteristics, and oil contents as well as salinity stress tolerance of seven olive cultivars ("Aggizi Shami", "Dolce", "Picual", "Manzanillo", "Coratina", "Koroneiki" and "Arbequina") in saline calcareous soils were studied. The results showed that "Coratina" and "Koroneiki" produced the longest highest canopy volume in comparison with the other studied cultivars, while "Arbequina" had the smallest ones followed by "Dolce" cultivar. Sexual expression as a percentage of ideal flowers differed significantly among the cultivars studied and the seasons. The highest yield was recorded in "Aggizi Shami" at 23.44 and 43.08 in 2019 and 2020 respectively. In contrast, the "Arbequina" variety recorded the lowest yield weight (kg/tree) in both seasons. The "Koroneiki" and "Coratina" varieties recorded the highest percentage of oil, while "Aggizi Shami" and "Dolce" recorded the lowest percentage. Moreover "Picual" and "Arbequina" cultivars had the highest leaf proline contents while "Dolce" cultivar had the least ones. From these results it can conclude that "Coratina" "Koroneiki", "Picual" and "Aggizi Shami" are the most suitable olive varieties under the studied conditions. These four cultivars have appropriate salinity responses and are recommended for cultivation in salinity affected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the ability of antioxidants (curcumin and lipoic acid) to ameliorate the hazardous effects of aflatoxins in broiler chickens in terms of performance, liver and kidney functions, and histopathological structures as well as compare them with the effect of a mycotoxin adsorbent (Agrimos®), a specific combination of mannanoligosaccharides (MOS) and ß-glucans extracted from the yeast cell walls of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A total of 120 broilers were used and divided into 5 equal groups (n=24), each group subdivided into 2 replicates (12 birds/replicate). control negative (G1) received the basal diet, control positive (G2) basal diet+ 100μg AFB1/kg diet; Curcumin treated group (G3) received control Positive + 1 g Curcumin/kg diet; Lipoic acid treated group (G4) received control Positive + 300 mg Lipoic acid/kg diet; Agrimos treated group (G5) received control Positive + 1 g Agrimos/kg diet. All treatments were administered from 1-30 days of age. By the end of the experiment, antioxidants (curcumin and lipoic acid) ameliorated the harmful effects of aflatoxin on performance, histopathology of target organs and serum biochemical parameters in broilers as the same degree of improvement induced by Agrimos® (mycotoxin binders). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paranasal sinuses are hollowed, air-filled cavities surrounding the nasal cavity. Many pathological processes affect the sinuses, but inflammatory conditions are the commonest, even in asymptomatic patients who undergo head imaging for other indications showing one or more abnormalities of the sinuses. Our research aims to determine the prevalence of incidental paranasal sinuses abnormalities seen among patients who undergo head CT scanning. In addition, it provides baseline information for further investigations required. The study was designed to evaluate all patients who underwent head CT scanning for any reason unrelated to paranasal sinuses abnormalities. 1849 cases were selected and retrospectively analyzed from the elective and emergency CT in the last nine months, from August 2020 to April 2021. In order to meet the inclusion criteria, indications for imaging must not be sinus-related. The study was conducted on 1849 cases who had undergone head CT scans for pathology, 1204 (65%) were male and 645 (35%) were female. Abnormalities of the sinuses were found in about 617 (33%) of all patients, with a higher rate in males (22.23%) than females (11.14%). In addition, these abnormalities were found in younger patients at a higher rate than in middle and old ages 19.74%, 7.19%, and 6.44%, respectively. Our findings revealed that the prevalence of paranasal sinuses abnormalities in asymptomatic Saudi patients was high (33%). Most of the affected sinuses were the maxillary. The male patients were more affected than females in all findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Acute myeloid leukemia is a cancer originating in the bone marrow and peripheral blood. Genetic mutations observed with the disease are difficult to target therapeutically and patients often have different treatment responses to the standard of care. By finding epigenetic compounds that work in a variety of patients, we could discover better therapies to treat the disease apart from the current standard of care. Here we present an unbiased drug screen of a variety of epigenetic compounds, with some showing effective responses in all or most patient samples. The use of inhibitors of epigenetic modifiers in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has become increasingly appealing due to the highly epigenetic nature of the disease. We evaluated a library of 164 epigenetic compounds in a cohort of 9 heterogeneous AML patients using an ex vivo drug screen. AML blasts were isolated from bone marrow biopsies according to established protocols and treatment response to the epigenetic library was evaluated. We find that 11 histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, which act upon mechanisms of cell cycle arrest and apoptotic pathways through inhibition of zinc-dependent classes of HDACs, showed efficacy in all patient-derived samples. Other compounds, including bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET) protein inhibitors, showed efficacy in most samples. Specifically, HDAC inhibitors are already clinically available and can be repurposed for use in AML. Results in this cohort of AML patient-derived samples reveal several epigenetic compounds with high anti-blast activity in all samples, despite the molecular diversity of the disease. These results further enforce the notion that AML is a predominantly epigenetic disease and that similar epigenetic mechanisms may underlie disease development and progression in all patients, despite differences in genetic mutations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, we aimed to synthesize a new series of C-glycosides that have thiazole-4, 5-diamine base. C-glycosides 8 was prepared by coupling compound 7 with D-glucose in the presence of iodine used as an oxidant/promoter dissolved in acetic acid and stirring at room temperature. Compound 8 was protected by reaction with acetic anhydride in the presence of pyridine gave compound 9. Furthermore, cyclization compound 7 with hydrazine hydrate and D-glucose gave the cyclic glycosides analogs 10. The compound 7 was condensed with phenyl hydrazine hydrochloride and D-xylose gave C-glycoside 11. The anticancer activity of the newly synthesized compounds was tested in vitro for their anticancer activities against human colorectal carcinoma (HCT-116), human prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3), and human liver hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2) cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Retraction Note: An adaptive QoS computation for medical data processing in intelligent healthcare applications" has been retracted by the Editor-in-Chief and the publisher due to concerns regarding compromised editorial handling and peer review process, inappropriate references, and not being in scope of the journal or guest-edited issue. The investigation conducted by the publisher led to the loss of confidence in the results and conclusions of the article. The authors of the article disagree with the retraction. Springer Nature, the publisher, remains neutral regarding jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. [Extracted from the article]

Extra Nasopharyngeal Angiofibromas are rare benign vascular tumors typically affecting adolescent males. They have variable sites of origin. Only five cases of extra nasopharyngeal angiofibroma originating from the middle turbinate have been reported in the literature, here we present the sixth such case. A 44-year-old female presented with a history of left-sided nasal obstruction and spontaneous, profuse and recurrent epistaxis. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan showed a hyper vascular mass arising from the left middle turbinate. A provisional diagnosis of extra nasopharyngeal angiofibroma was made and it was successfully surgically excised using a midfacial degloving approach under general anaesthesia. The diagnosis was confirmed with post-operative histopathological analysis. Due to the extremely rare occurrence of Extra Nasopharyngeal Angiofibromas originating from the middle turbinate and their infrequent presentation in female patients, misdiagnosis poses a greater risk of complications. The surgeon must exercise caution before conducting misguided biopsies, which are contraindicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been linked to harmful effects in biota due to their widespread chemical persistence. In this paper, we report on the fabrication of electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) based nanofibers functionalized with TiO 2 nanoparticles. The PLA-based TiO 2 nanofibers were further stabilized with the incorporation of halloysite (HNT) particles. The nanofibers were fabricated in varied concentrations of HNT (5, 10, 15%), while TiO 2 was kept at 10% for all the prepared samples. The fabricated samples were evaluated for elimination of synthetic 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) hormone as a model EDC pollutant. By using combined adsorptive and photocatalytic processes, the as-prepared samples were evaluated in a continuous flow system under dark and UV-light irradiation for EE2 removal. The best-performing sample with an optimized concentration of PLA/TiO 2 /HNT (85, 10, 5%) was able to eliminate 71.6% of EE2 hormone under UV irradiation at a hormone concentration of 0.1 mg/L. The maximum removal capacity obtained was 1.26 mg/g in 2 h, which best fitted the pseudo-first-order kinetics model. The sample was further utilized for additional experiments by changing experimental parameters, such as contact time, solution pH, and flow rate. To elucidate the actual degradation of the EE2 hormone, LCMS analysis was carried out to monitor the formation of by-products, which indicated that EE2 was fragmented into different potentially benign molecules. Finally, the best-performing sample was utilized for ten cyclic runs under optimized conditions for which the sample maintained sufficiently high degradation without any loss in structural integrity. Overall, the results showed that the developed PLA/TiO 2 /HNT nanofibers have a high potential to target persistent organic pollutants. [Display omitted] • PLA-based nanofibers were functionalized with TiO 2 and HNT nanoparticles. • The as-prepared nanofibers were evaluated using ethinylestradiol hormone. • Elimination of EE2 by tandem synergistic adsorptive and photocatalysis processes. • Reusability of the fibers was determined after ten cyclic operations. • LCMS analysis was carried out to identify the formation of degraded byproducts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a quantum heat engine (QHE) and a quantum refrigerator (QR) are theoretically studied using a quantum Stirling cycle (SC). The machine works with a working substance consisting of a two-qubit Heisenberg XYZ model under both homogeneous and inhomogeneous magnetic fields, and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI). The influences of both magnetic fields are studied on the absorbed, and released heat, work done, efficiency, and performance coefficient (PC) of the Stirling engine and refrigerator. The findings show that the SC can operate as a QHE or QR. It depends on the proper selection of the system parameters. We can obtain a QHE or a QR with acceptable efficiency or performance coefficient. To this end, we increase both magnetic fields and choose suitable values for other system parameters thereby obtaining higher values for the PC. Also, we reduce both magnetic fields and obtain higher values for the efficiency of QHE. Considering homogeneous and inhomogeneous magnetic fields have different effects on machine efficiency, and refrigerator performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A complex and highly conserved set of cellular and molecular processes, inflammation. The carefully controlled process of inflammation, commonly referred to as "the fire inside," is necessary for host defence and tissue regeneration. Inflammation has evolved to help with survival and is generally beneficial. Yet, persistent and chronically activated inflammation can be dangerous, increasing tissue damage and shortening longevity. Maladaptive reactions include atherosclerosis and rheumatologic disease. Atherosclerosis was formerly believed to be a disease of passive cholesterol deposition in the subendothelial zone, despite evidence discovered by Virchow more than a century ago suggesting inflammatory white cells play a part in atherogenesis. The present review aimed to evaluate the contribution of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and other inflammatory markers to cardiovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The insertion of central venous catheters in patients with chronic renal failure and poisoning is a vital step for these patients. Therefore, it is necessary to know the complications and clinical applications of these catheters. The aim of this study was to identify catheter complications in patients with Shaldone dialysis catheter and the choice of the best method for preventing the occurrence of these complications in patients. Methods: The study population consisted of all patients, who were admitted in the ICU poisoning for dialysis and used Shaldon's catheter. Information including age, sex, cause of admission, duration of admission, duration of catheterization, the type of complication, and the use of Shaldon's catheter were extracted from patients' files and special forms. Results: Among the 80 patients, who had Shaldone's catheter, 59 were uncomplicated and 21 were complicated. The most common complication was catheter site infection (8.8%). There were 5% of patients with pneumothorax, 5% with bleeding, 2.5% with thrombosis, 1.3% hemothorax, 1.3% hematoma, 1.3 % pneumothorax plus hemothorax, and 1.3% catheter site infection along with thrombosis. Conclusions: According to the pertinent literature, if the experienced patients practice catheterization, the internal jugular catheter is a more appropriate and feasible approach than femoral. It is recommended to conduct catheterization by experienced individuals with the introduction of a catheter and under the guise of ultrasound to minimize the occurrence of some complications [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was conducted to assess a stepwise surgical procedure applied to treat a continuous series of patients with aseptic atrophic nonunion of long bones. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of the medical files of patients treated by the senior author between January 2014 and January 2021 for aseptic atrophic nonunion of long bones using a standard stepwise surgical procedure consisting of four successive surgical steps: bridge locked plating, aggressive osteoperiosteal decortication, copious autologous iliac bone grafting, and tight closure without drainage. Patients were clinically and radiographically evaluated until bone healing, then at final follow-up for the purpose of the study. The primary objective of the study was to assess completion of bone healing; secondary objectives were the time required reaching bone union, the occurrence of complications at the iliac bone graft donor site, and the achievement of bone consolidation after a second attempt of treatment when indicated following failure of the index procedure. Results: There were a total of 55 patients. One patient died from myocardial infarction before reaching bone healing and another one lost from early follow-up. There were remaining 53 patients with 37 years of mean age. The affected bone was the clavicle in five patients, humerus in 14, ulna in four, radius in one, femur in 13, and tibia in 16. The mean follow-up period was 3.4 years. A total of 52 patients (98.1%) achieved bone healing at a mean of 14.8 weeks from the index procedure. The only patient who did not reach bone healing after the index procedure was successfully revised using decortication-bone graft and new fixation with intra-medullary femoral nailing. Four patients (7.5%) developed local complications at the site of iliac bone harvesting. Conclusion: Our stepwise surgical procedure was very effective treating aseptic atrophic nonunion of long bones. However, as this study is a retrospective review of a limited series of one surgeon's experience, prospective comparative studies with large number of patients are suitable to define the advantages and indications of the procedure herein described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common injuries in wrestling. Even though there are several studies available in the literature about the changes in gait kinematics following ACL injury and ACL reconstruction surgery, none of these studies investigated the changes in gait kinematics following nonoperative rehabilitation protocol. So, this study is aimed at investigating the changes in gait kinematic following a supervised ACL rehabilitation protocol among wrestlers following a grade II ACL injury. Methods. Fifteen male professional wrestlers with recent grade II ACL injury with mean age: 19.93 ± 2.01 years, weight: 72.33 ± 7.46 kg , and height: 173 ± 4.95 cm volunteered for this single-arm pretest-posttest study. Kinematic parameters during walking pre- and postrehabilitation were examined by two-dimensional (2D) video graphic analysis. Paired sample t -test and Cohen's d were used to determine significant differences and effect size of segmental angle, cadence, step length, stride length, etc. Results. Injured wrestlers after the rehabilitation program walked significantly faster and had a 10.13% higher cadence, a 10.89% faster gait velocity, a 05% greater step length, and a 4.69% longer stride length, compared with a prerehabilitation program of injured wrestlers. Furthermore, joint angles at the hip, knee, and ankle were significantly different between pre- and postrehabilitation. Conclusion. Research findings suggest that rehabilitation programs significantly impact the gait pattern of injured wrestlers. A 19-week supervised rehabilitation protocol can increase gait velocity and related parameters in ACL injured wrestlers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The instep medial plantar flap is a well-known flap based on the medial plantar artery of the foot and usually used for coverage of soft tissue defects of the heel area. It has seldom been reported for coverage of anterior ankle area with exposure of the bone and metallic hardware after open reduction and internal fixation of distal tibial fractures. The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and viability of this flap as well as its reliability saving the internal fixation devices and efficiency protecting bone healing; the secondary purpose is to assess the condition of the flap and its cosmetic appearance, as well as occurrence of complications related to its harvesting. Material and methods: This is a retrospective review of medical records of patients operated from December 2015 to December 2020 with application of an instep flap for coverage of the anterior ankle area with exposure of the bone and metallic hardware secondary to open reduction and internal fixation of distal tibial fractures. All patients were reviewed for the purpose of this study; they were assessed for the viability and functional and sensory condition of the flap, signs of local infection, as well as for residual pain and sensory impairment of the toes; subjective cosmetic appearance of the flap was also judged. Results: There were four patients with 32 years mean age and 35 months mean follow-up. The mean flap size was 7.75 cm × 5.75 cm. At final follow-up, all fractures were completely consolidated, and all flaps were living, stable, and sensitive. No distal sensation disturbance was noticed, and none of the patients had pain or annoyance caused by the flap or presented signs of infection. Only one patient expressed mild aesthetic complain. Conclusion: The fascio-cutaneous instep medial plantar flap is a reliable solution to cover the anterior ankle area with exposure of the bone and metallic hardware after open reduction and internal fixation of distal tibial fractures, especially for defects measuring up to 9 cm × 6 cm. This flap is technically valid and reproducible; it offers good quality of soft tissue coverage with satisfactory cosmetic appearance and minimal morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out between April 2014 and March 2016. We counted 233 species dominated by diatoms (126 species) and dinoflagellates (97 species). The most common diatom species were Leptocylindrus danicus and Rhizosolenia styliformus, while Scrippsiella sp. was the most common dinoflagellate species. The richness and relative abundance of diatoms were greater during the spring of 2014–2015 and the winter of 2015 and present an increasing north–south gradient. However, those of dinoflagellates were greater during the summer and autumn seasons of the years 2014–2015 and the winter of 2016, with a decreasing north–south gradient. This could be mainly related to the difference between the requirements of these two groups and the spatiotemporal variability of the physicochemical characteristics of the waters governed by seasonal and inter-annual variations of the currents, by the floods and by the morphology of the coast in this area. Indeed, the increase in the richness and abundance of dinoflagellates coincides with the increase in temperature, transparency and the decrease in the concentration of nutrient salts in the environment. However, the increase in nutrient content, the decrease in temperature and transparency favours diatoms compared with dinoflagellates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost a decade ago, the sudden rise of breast muscle defects in fast-growing commercial broiler breeds challenged the broiler production industry and meat scientists to address the issue of these novel muscle abnormalities. After that, a widespread hypothesis showing a correlation between high muscle yield and incidence of these muscle myopathies received much acceptance from the research community. Increased muscle hypertrophy and unbalanced growth of connective tissues lead to an inadequate blood supply that ultimately causes hypoxia in muscle fibers. Reduced blood vascular density in muscle fibers induces oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to muscle fibrosis, lipidosis and myodegeneration. Along with physical changes, the myopathic muscles exhibit poor sensory properties, abnormal texture properties and a low nutritional profile. As these myopathies alter meat's physical appearance, they have a negative impact on customer's behavior and preference. A better production environment with proper dietary supplementation with balanced breeding strategies can minimize the incidence of muscle myopathies in broiler chicken. This review aims to address the underlying mechanism behind these myopathies and their impact on poultry meat quality, including nutritional value and consumer behavior. It describes the link between genetic and non-genetic elements influencing myopathies, along with the strategies to minimize the occurrence of breast muscle myopathies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile-cloud-based healthcare applications are increasingly growing in practice. For instance, healthcare, transport, and shopping applications are designed on the basis of the mobile cloud. For executing mobile-cloud applications, offloading and scheduling are fundamental mechanisms. However, mobile healthcare workflow applications with these methods are widely ignored, demanding applications in various aspects for healthcare monitoring, live healthcare service, and biomedical firms. However, these offloading and scheduling schemes do not consider the workflow applications' execution in their models. This paper develops a lightweight secure efficient offloading scheduling (LSEOS) metaheuristic model. LSEOS consists of light weight, and secure offloading and scheduling methods whose execution offloading delay is less than that of existing methods. The objective of LSEOS is to run workflow applications on other nodes and minimize the delay and security risk in the system. The metaheuristic LSEOS consists of the following components: adaptive deadlines, sorting, and scheduling with neighborhood search schemes. Compared to current strategies for delay and security validation in a model, computational results revealed that the LSEOS outperformed all available offloading and scheduling methods for process applications by 10% security ratio and by 29% regarding delays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secure and reliable sensing plays the key role for cognitive tracking i.e., activity identification and cognitive monitoring of every individual. Over the last years there has been an increasing interest from both academia and industry in cognitive authentication also known as biometric recognition. These are an effect of individuals' biological and physiological traits. Among various traditional biometric and physiological features, we include cognitive/brainwaves via electroencephalogram (EEG) which function as a unique performance indicator due to its reliable, flexible, and unique trait resulting in why it is hard for an un-authorized entity(ies) to breach the boundaries by stealing or mimicking them. Conventional security and privacy techniques in the medical domain are not the potential candidates to simultaneously provide both security and energy efficiency. Therefore, state-of-the art biometrics methods (i.e., machine learning, deep learning, etc.) their applications with novel solutions are investigated and recommended. The experimental setup considers EEG data analysis and interpretation of BCI. The key purpose of this setup is to reduce the number of electrodes and hence the computational power of the Random Forest (RF) classifier while testing EEG data. The performance of the random forest classifier was based on EEG datasets for 20 subjects. We found that the total number of occurred events revealed 96.1% precision in terms of chosen events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to restore the lost mechanical properties of the prints with carrageenan, methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose (Tylose) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (Methocel). Design/methodology/approach: The effect of these materials on the properties of the printed paper (modern and historical samples) has been evaluated under the influence of accelerated aging using pH measurement, the mechanical properties (tensile and elongation), FTIR and color changes. Findings: The three consolidates reduced the acidity of treated samples significantly, but after ageing, it was observed that the pH of aged treated samples decreased slightly as compared to the untreated samples. The results of the mechanical properties showed the superiority of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (Methocel) in improving the tensile and elongation forces of the samples compared to carrageenan and methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose even during the accelerated aging. Consolidation materials succeeded in reducing ΔE of the paper samples under accelerated aging, especially carrageenan. The IR spectra confirmed that no dramatic difference was observed in topically function vibrations of samples after treatment beside that the O-H stretching band intensity increased observably after treatment with the three consolidates, after ageing the treatment, and it protected the treated paper from oxidation processes as the infrared spectrum analysis showed a decrease in intensities of carbonyl and carboxyl groups as compared to aged untreated samples. Originality/value: The research provides new biopolymers in strengthening the historical printed paper, where printed papers lack studies related to their conservation. This makes the current study a promising step for treating historical printed paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulated condensation has been conducted on three wire wrapped tubes having same root diameter but different fin spacing of 1.5 mm, 2 mm, and 2.5 mm. Different fluids (ethanol, ethylene-glycol, and water) are used for condensation by providing them to the tubes through tiny holes in inter-fin spacing on the top of the surface of tubes. The major parameters are to be controlled in this research are fin spacing, vapor velocity, condensate flow rate and ratio of surface tension density of the fluid. Obtained results show that flooding angle (calculated from the top of the tube to the level where fluid fills the fin) rises by increasing fin spacing. Also, retention angles increase by reducing ratio of surface tension density of fluid. Acute flooding angles at zero air velocity and zero flow rate, elevates by increasing air velocity. However, obtuse flooding angles at static conditions drop by reducing air velocity. An interesting result is obtained regarding retention angle which remains almost even for the higher condensation flow rates until the tube gets inundated with condensation. Moreover, critical flow rates for all the tubes against using different working fluids are measured. Results obtained for static conditions have good correspondence with already available authentic data for flooding angle. Pictures showing condensate retention angles have been included in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine the outcomes of trabeculectomy in patients with open angle glaucoma at a newly established glaucoma clinic in a tertiary care hospital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Study Design: Retrospective chart review. Place and Duration of Study: Glaucoma Clinic, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar from May 2018 to December 2019. Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients of 18 years age or above and who underwent trabeculectomy for open angle glaucoma, with at least one follow-up visit were included. Data was collected for age, gender, type of glaucoma, preoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), number of preoperative/post-operative topical anti-glaucoma medications, indication for trabeculectomy, preoperative comorbidities and postoperative complications. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. The student's paired t-test was used for comparative analysis of the same group. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 20 eyes of 20 patients were included in this study, 13 (65%) patients were males, and the mean age was 54.60 ± 18.22 years. There was a statistically significant change in mean IOP postoperatively (35.60 ± 13.28 versus 11.2 ± 6.1, P < 0.001) and number of antiglaucoma medication (2.95 ± 1.19 versus 0.4 ± 0.99, P < 0.001). While there was no significant change in best-corrected visual acuity (1.35 ± 0.88 versus 1.06 ± 0.72, p = 0.36). Conclusion: Trabeculectomy performed at the newly established glaucoma clinic showed a significant reduction in Intraocular pressure without compromising the visual acuity of the study participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) is a rapid and sustainable solution for construction projects. However, it poses challenges in crane safety operations (CSO). This paper examines CSO in MiC, offering fresh perspectives and contributions. The research aims to identify patterns, knowledge gaps, and future directions in CSO within MiC. Scientometric and systematic review approaches are integrated to ensure a comprehensive analysis. CSO research is categorized into four primary problem-based categories: Crane-Related Fatalities, Accidents, and Hazards; Risk Analysis and Evaluation; Enhancing Lifting Process Efficiency and Crane Operator Safety; and Technological Solutions and Innovations. Each category is subdivided into methods-based subcategories. The paper provides insights into methodologies and global trends in CSO practices, facilitating safety improvements in MiC projects. It also outlines future research directions and practical recommendations for implementing strategies aligned with these directions. This paper serves as a catalyst for enhancing safety and implementing research findings in real-world MiC scenarios. [Display omitted] • MiC offers rapid, efficient construction but poses unique challenges, notably in CSO. • MiC's CSO research growth prompts pattern detection and gap analysis. • A mixed review method blends scientometrics and systematic reviews CSO in MiC. • Four problem-based categories: fatalities, risk, lifting, and technology. • The systematic review identifies five gaps and outlines future research opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tower cranes (TCs) are vital equipment highly sought after on construction sites due to their efficiency in handling and lifting heavy loads. Nevertheless, the use of TCs on construction sites is riddled with significant safety issues, resulting in numerous accidents across the globe. This study uniquely focuses on the emerging tower crane safety technologies (TCST) field and makes vital contributions by investigating and analyzing TCST research. It aims to explore knowledge gaps and propose future research directions through a systematic review. The uniqueness of this study is its comprehensive examination of TCST, which encompasses not only academic research but also industrial technologies and products. TCST has been categorized based on their purposes and specific aspects of crane management, leading to four key categories: (1) proactive preconstruction crane management technologies; (2) monitoring technologies during construction; (3) anti-collision technologies during construction; and (4) stability control technologies during construction. This study makes a threefold contribution. First, it identifies six crucial knowledge gaps, three in academia and three in the industrial sector. These gaps relate to data completeness, data scope, real-world application, post-construction dismantling, accuracy and data reliability, and data security. Second, it outlines future research opportunities in both academic and industrial contexts, providing a clear path to address these gaps and improve tower crane (TC) operation safety and efficiency. Lastly, it delivers valuable insights to industry practitioners by presenting the latest TCST applications in real-world scenarios, thereby promoting safer and more effective construction practices. • Tower cranes enhance construction efficiency but pose safety challenges. • Comprehensive systematic review of TCST conducted in academia and industry. • Four TCST categories identified: preconstruction, monitoring, anti-collision, stability. • A total of six critical knowledge gaps found in academia and industry. • Offers insights and future research directions for safer construction practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Well-timed initiation of HIV therapy enhances life expectancy, decreases mortality and morbidity, and inhibits the transmission of HIV and complications related to it. The purpose of the present survey is to investigate the frequency and reasons for delayed initiation of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and to determine its relationship with various socio-demographic variables and HIV-related characteristics. Methods: The analysis is based on a cross-sectional study involving 355 people living with HIV (diagnosed by PCR) who were more than 18 years of age and not receiving HIV therapy before enrolment at the HIV clinics of two selected tertiary-care teaching hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan. In this study, delayed initiation of ART was defined as not attending the HIV management centre or a clinic for ART within 3 months of a confirmed diagnosis. The participants were selected using a systematic probability sampling technique. Bivariate logistic regression was performed using a backward stepwise technique to establish the variables related to delayed onset of HIV therapy. Factors significant at p ≤ 0.20 were considered for multivariate analysis, which was used to describe the association between independent factors and delayed initiation of treatment. Results: Delayed onset of ART was observed in 28.5% of individuals. Factors such as no schooling (AOR = 5.92; 95% CI: 1.38–25.41; p = 0.017) and occasional household income (AOR = 3.88; 95% CI: 1.01–14.89; p = 0.048) were significantly associated with late onset of ART. Our research findings also indicated that the main reasons for late beginning of HIV therapy were: feeling healthy (45.5%), did not have time to go to the HIV treatment centre (42.6%), did not want to discuss HIV test result (37.6%), and fear of stigma and discrimination within their community (35.6%). Conclusions: Late commencement of HIV therapy in Pakistan is common, and an improved connection is needed between identification of HIV and beginning of therapy. HIV management centres should counsel and monitor patients from the time of a positive HIV test result until they initiate therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to introduce and study the generality differential operator involving the q-Mittag-Leffler function on certain subclasses of analytic functions. Also, we investigate the inclusion properties of these classes, by using the concept of subordination between analytic functions. A.M.S: 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification. 30C45, 30C50. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]