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Although mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are extensively applied in the regenerative field, the majority of MSCs die after a few weeks of transplantation. Therefore, hypoxia pre-conditioning is a crucial step in increasing the MSCs' tolerance to physiological conditions. Meanwhile, induced pluripotent stem cell-derived MSCs (iMSCs) were proposed as a possible alternative to MSCs, and recently, the interest is growing in applying iMSCs in the regenerative field. This study examined the effect of hypoxia pre-conditioning on the proliferation, viability, and differentiation of iMSCs. Both iMSCs and MSCs were subjected to two rounds of severe short-term hypoxia (1 % O2 for 24h). After that, iMSCs and MSCs were characterized by testing their surface markers' expression, proliferation, viability, oxidative stress, and differentiation potential. Our findings revealed that hypoxia did not have a consistent effect among all the analyzed lines: the severe short-term hypoxia (1 % O2) reduced iMSCs proliferation, cell viability, and MMP while showing a benign effect on surface markers expression, colony formation, ROS accumulation, and osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. Though hypoxia adversely affected iMSCs’ proliferation, this does not necessarily mean that hypoxia is harmful to iMSCs; on the contrary, our results suggest that short-term hypoxia might have a beneficial long-term effect on the proliferation of iMSCs. Thus, the effect of hypoxia on proliferation, viability, and differentiation should also be tested after a long recovery period from iMSCs. Our next step will be to test the effect of hypoxia for a longer period besides uncovering the changes in the expression profile of hypoxic iMSCs.

Abstract Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is a frequently utilized approach to treat locally advanced breast cancer, but, unfortunately, a subset of tumors fails to undergo complete pathological response. Apoptosis and therapy-induced senescence (TIS) are both cell stress mechanisms but their exact role in mediating the pathological response to NAC is not fully elucidated. We investigated the change in expression of PAMIP1, the gene encoding for the pro-apoptotic protein, NOXA, following NAC in two breast cancer gene datasets, and the change in NOXA protein expression in response to NAC in 55 matched patient samples (pre- and post-NAC). PAMIP1 expression significantly declined in post-NAC in the two sets, and in our cohort, 75% of the samples exhibited a downregulation in NOXA post-NAC. Matched samples that showed a decline in NOXA post-NAC were examined for TIS based on a signature of downregulated expression of Lamin-B1 and Ki-67 and increased p16INK4a, and the majority exhibited a decrease in Lamin B1 (66%) and Ki-67 (80%), and increased p16INK4a (49%). Since our cohort consisted of patients that did not develop complete pathological response, such findings have clinical implications on the role of TIS and NOXA downregulation in mediating suboptimal responses to the currently established NAC.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is an inherited neurological disorder characterized by the progressive damage of the peripheral nerves. We generated a human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line JUCTCi019-A using dermal fibroblasts-derived from a 50-year-old CMT2A2 patient carrying a heterozygous missense substitution c.2119C > T (p.Arg707Trp) in the MFN2 gene. Fibroblasts were reprogrammed by Sendai viruses encoding for the reprogramming factors: OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and c-MYC. Characterization showed normal iPSC morphology and karyotype, expression of pluripotency markers and differentiation into three-germ layers. This iPSC line represents an ideal source for disease modelling and drug development of CMT2A2 disease.

Abstract Background Ductus deferens may manifest in a variety of anomalies such as its absence, duplication, ectopy, or diverticulum. Ectopic seminal tract opening has two main types, ectopic ejaculatory duct opening, and ectopic vas deferens opening. Generally, ductus deferens anomalies affect approximately 0.05% of the population. Patients may be asymptomatic or complaining of urinary tract infections and/or epididymitis. Most of these cases are associated with renal dysplasia. To confirm the diagnosis Cystourethroscopy catheterization and retrograde urethrogram should be performed, but the definitive diagnosis is done by vasography. The definitive treatment is complete surgical resection of the pathological urogenital connection. This case is commonly discovered while exploring other findings such as testicular torsion and inguinal hernia. Case presentation We report a rare case of an 11-year-old male who presented with gross hematuria and numerous congenital malformations including a left polydactyly clubfoot, polyorchidism, with several surgical procedures, and left kidney dysgenesis. Surgery was performed for a left inguinal hernia, during which a third undescended testicle was discovered incidentally and was eradicated. A retrograde urethrogram was performed to establish the diagnosis. A fistula- that is connected with the left ureter- was resected. The histopathologic findings confirmed the diagnosis of true duplication of the Vas deferens, with communication between the ureter and the vas deferens. By follow-up, the kidney function tests were within normal limits. Conclusions This case report aims to highlight the early diagnosis and management of the duplicated vas deferens and the associated congenital malformations to improve the prognosis and kidney function and to avoid long-term complications.

Abstract A new and easy-to-fabricate strain sensor has been developed, based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) technology embedded into a thermoplastic polyurethane filament using a 3-dimensional (3D) printer. Taking advantage of the flexibility and elastic properties of the thermoplastic polyurethane material, the embedding of the FBG provides durable protection with enhanced flexibility and sensitivity, as compared to the use of a bare FBG. Results of an evaluation of its performance have shown that the FBG sensors embedded in this way can be applied effectively in the measurement of strain, with an average wavelength responsivity of 0.013 5 nm/cm of displacement for tensile strain and −0.014 2 nm/cm for compressive strain, both showing a linearity value of up to 99%. Furthermore, such an embedded FBG-based strain sensor has a sensitivity of ∼1.74 times greater than that of a bare FBG used for strain measurement and is well protected and suitable for in-the-field use. It is also observed that the thermoplastic polyurethane based (TPU-based) FBG strain sensor carries a sensitivity value of ∼2.05 times higher than that of the polylactic acid based (PLA-based) FBG strain sensor proving that TPU material can be made as the material of choice as a “sensing” pad for the FBG.

Surface water contamination by various dyes and pigments is a global problem caused by rapid industry, particularly textile/dyeing. Bangladesh's export-oriented textile sector has exploded in recent decades, polluting local waterways significantly. In this study, nano-ZnO were prepared using surfactant-assisted sol–gel, hydrothermal and thermal methods. SEM, XRD, reflectance spectrophotometer, EDS and adsorption tests were used to characterize the synthesized nano-ZnO. BET isotherms were used to determine the surface area, pore volume, and pore size of the as-prepared nano-ZnO. The mixed surfactant assisted-sol gel method produced nanorod-ZnO, whereas the hydrothermal and/or thermal methods yielded clusters of needles ZnO, as proven by SEM images. XRD data revealed that the synthesized nanorod-ZnO had a mainly wurtzite crystalline structure and their size was estimated using the Scherrer equation to be about 23.90 nm. EDS spectra confirmed the synthesis of pure nanorod-ZnO. Using a UV–visible reflectance spectrophotometer, the band gap energy of the as-prepared nanorod-ZnO was found to be 3.35 eV. According to BET isotherms, the BET and Langmuir surface areas were 4 and 5.4 m2/g, respectively. Prior to analyzing photodegradation, the RB was adsorbing in the presence of various doses of the nanorod-ZnO in the dark, but no adsorption was observed. The photocatalytic activities of the synthesized nano-ZnO were compared to TiO2 (anatase) for the degradation of RB in an aqueous system under solar light, UV, fluorescence, and tungsten filament light irradiation. Nanorod-ZnO showed exceptional photocatalytic activity in degrading RB in an aqueous solution under solar light irradiation. The results suggest that 0.01 g/50 mL nanorod-ZnO with a solution pH of 7.8 is the best combination for complete degradation of 2.00 × 10-5 M RB under solar light irradiation. When nano-ZnO was exposed to light, the inhibiting effect of ethanol and/or tert-butanol on the degradation of RB confirmed the formation of mostly hydroxyl free radicals. The synthesized nanorod-ZnO shown substantial photocatalytic activity in the removal of pollutants from industrial effluents and contaminated river water under solar light irradiation. A mechanism of excellent photocatalytic activity of the nanorod-ZnO is discussed.

E-Quiz Systems is a system that replaces manual techniques, which are paperless methods often utilised in rural preschools. This paper presents an interactive web-based solution to assist students and teachers in rural regions with English language learning and instruction. This study attempts to motivate preschoolers in rural locations to learn English while providing instructors with interactive web-based methods to measure their students’ knowledge levels. A web-based application system is created to display e-quiz questions using the interactive multimedia principles of multiple media types and navigation with user input. Using interactive multimedia concepts, an E-Quiz System is designed to serve as an interactive quiz for English learning. ADDIE Model was the approach employed in this project. In addition, this project underwent testing for functionality and usability. As a contribution, it has been established that this study will give a pathway that piques children’s interest in learning English and makes it simpler for instructors to evaluate children’s growth using the E-Quiz System score.

Twenty elite yellow maize inbred lines were crossed as female parents with three different testers as male parents, i.e. Gem. Pop. (Broad genetic base), Single cross 101(Narrow genetic base) and Inbred line 100 (Narrow genetic base) at the Experiment Research Station of Moshtohor, Benha University, Egypt during 2014 growing summer season. The resulting 60 crosses with three commercial check hybrids i.e. SC 155, SC Pioneer 3080 and TWC 352 were evaluated in a yield trial in two sowing dates during 2015 growing summer season. The results showed that, sowing dates, crosses, lines, testers and line x testers mean squares were significant for all traits. The seven parental inbred lines (L-4, L-5, L-10, L-12, L-13, L-14 and L-19) possessed high GCA effects for grain yield and six lines (L-1, L-7, L-10, L-13, L-16 and L-18) possessed high GCA effects for earliness. These lines can be utilized as promising inbred lines in a hybridization program to develop high yielding and early maturity maize hybrids. The seven crosses (T-1 × L-7, T-1 × L-13, T-1 × L-17, T-2 × L-4, T-2 × L-5, T-2 × L-10 and T-2 × L-12) which had out-yielded significantly the best check SC. 3080 could be utilized for future breeding work as well as for direct release after confirming the stability of their performances observed in the current study. Hence, the information from this study may possibly be useful for researchers who would like to develop high yielding hybrids of maize.

The incorrect decision making that referee made during a football match is becoming unsatisfied game or biased game. The problem of how a decision made by the referee when coming to an error in football had been issues that being debate. The player or fans did not seem satisfied when referee decide such as a goal or no goal, penalty or no penalty, direct red card, and mistaken identity. Hence, there must be a plan to tackle the problem by using technology, especially in this era. Therefore, as an initial approach, this paper is focusing on developing a design for the ball out detection using the assistants of the IoT (Internet of Things). Correctly, the IoT approach was used for detecting the ball out of play, i.e. from a football match. Note that this proposed design was built based on data obtained from a survey questionnaire conducted with the experts in football and fans of football regarding the ball out of play system. The evaluation of the proposed design suggested that the proposed design promising to improve the decision-making made in the football match. It is hoped that the study can contribute to the improvement of overall decision making by the referee when coming to ball out or other error that player made.

Mannan oligosaccharide is one of the major components of the yeast cell wall. In the present study, the production, characterization, and bioactivity of yeast mannan were investigated. Four indigenous yeast isolates were obtained from various kinds of juice collected from local markets in Al-Ahsa, KSA, and analyzed using morphological and biochemical methods. Isolate RY1 showed the highest production of mannan. RY1 was identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae based on morphological characteristics and sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene (GenBank accession number LC479088.1). Mannan-RY1 was characterized by polymer analytical methods, 13C and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and infrared spectroscopy (IR). Interestingly, the mannan extracted from RY1 showed a significant ability to scavenge hydroxyl radicals and superoxide anions. In addition, mannan was found to have pronounced anti-tumor activity against liver (HepG2) and breast cancer (MCF7) cell lines. The results presented in this study confirm the bio-therapeutic activity of S. cerevisiae mannan, which could be used as a potential drug for cancer treatment.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is the third most important staple crop in Egypt. Sesamia cretica (S. cretica), the most prevalent corn borer in Egypt attacks young maize plants after emergence, causing death of these plants (dead hearts) and its capable of damaging older plants causing drastic yield losses. This study was carried out at the Experimental Research Station of Moshtohor, Benha University, Al-Qalyubiyah Governorate, Egypt during the two successive seasons 2014 and 2015. A half diallel cross between nine yellow inbred lines of maize (Zea mays L.) was evaluated in under two environments i.e. (under borer artificial infestation conditions and normal conditions) in RCBD with three replications to estimate the combing ability and the interaction of hybrids under the artificial infestation. Artificial infestation was done by newly hatched larvae of the pink stem borer S. cretica. Highly significant crosses mean squares were detected for all the studied traits indicating the wide diversity between the parental materials used in this study. General and specific combining ability (GCA and SCA) were significant for all the studied traits except SCA for days to 50% tasselling and ear height at the infestation condition. The parental inbred line P6 and P9 were considered as good combiners for grain yield under infestation and non-infestation conditions as well as the combined over them. Six crosses i.e. (P1×P6, P1×P7, P2×P4, P3×P5, P5×P7, and P8×P9) exhibited positive significant SCA effects (favourable). Therefore, they could be utilized for future breeding work as well as for direct release after confirming the stability of their performances across different environments.

Tilapia can be commercialised to produce sausages. However, the use of minced tilapia or tilapia surimi as the raw material and different mixing durations of the ingredients using the bowl cutter during the sausage production could affect the quality of the products. This study determined the effects of different mixing durations (10, 15 or 20 min) on the physicochemical, microstructural and sensorial properties of sausages made from minced tilapia and tilapia surimi. The washing of the minced tilapia during the surimi production significantly increased the tilapia surimi moisture content and pH, while reducing the protein, fat and ash contents. Subsequently, the addition of other ingredients to produce the sausages influenced the moisture, fat, ash and carbohydrate contents of both types of sausages. The type of raw material and mixing duration showed significant interactions in terms of linear expansion, water holding capacity and colour properties of the sausages. Individually, the tilapia surimi sausage had a better linear expansion, cohesiveness, colour and sensory acceptability than the minced tilapia sausage. The mixing times of 15 and 20 min produced better results for the physicochemical and sensory properties of both types of sausages. However, the gel strengths of both types of sausages were better when mixed for 15 min and the microstructure images supported this. Based on the results obtained, this study concluded that tilapia surimi as the raw material with 15 min of mixing duration is recommended to produce a better-quality sausage.

Heart disease may represent a range of conditions that affect our heart. Disease under heart diseases umbrella include coronary heart disease, heart attack, congestive heart failure, and congenital heart disease, is the leading cause of death. Moreover, heart disease not only attacks the elderly. In the present day, lots of younger people might be getting affected by the number of heart diseases. In order to decrease the mortality rate caused by heart disease, it is necessary for the disease, to be diagnosed at an early stage. In this paper, we have proposed the use of hierarchical fuzzy systems (HFSs) for early diagnosis of heart disease. However, to design the HFSs is challenging, especially for the complex system. Therefore, in this paper, we focus on designing a hierarchical fuzzy system to handle the complex medical application. The designed HFS consists of six key main steps implemented on heart disease. The input variables of heart disease includes shortness of breath, discomfort, pressure, heaviness, or pain in the chest, arm, or below the breastbone, fatigue, nausea, difficulties in climbing stairs, swelling in ankles, difficulty to sleep at night, irregular heartbeats, fullness, sweating, take frequent break during the day, dizzy and depressed. Additionally, the output of heart disease is to classify whether the patient is healthy or suspecting with heart disease. The study contributes to providing insight into a way of designing the HFSs, particularly for the complex medical application.

Rice bran (RB) is a good source of dietary fibre. Addition of rice bran into croissant interferes with the gluten formation of dough and hence affect the physicochemical properties of croissant. The effect of RB addition on physicochemical properties of croissant were determined by using 0%, 10% and 15% RB. Besides, additives such as emulsifiers and enzymes can be used in pastry to enhance the physicochemical properties of croissant. Diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono-diglycerides (DATEM) and transglutaminase (TGase) were used respectively on 0%, 10% and 15% RB to investigate the effect of such additives on physicochemical properties of croissant. Increased % RB and DATEM, produced a significant decrease in specific volume, together with a significant increase in colour, hardness and chewiness. With increased % RB, TGase caused significant increase in colour, hardness and chewiness but significant decrease in specific volume. The overall moisture sorption isotherm curves of the croissant belong to the Type III isotherm, also known as Flory-Huggins Isotherm (J-shaped). The critical aw obtained from the Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) equation showed that the shelf life of croissants were not positively impacted by the addition of DATEM and TGase and the addition of RB did not cause any significant positive effects on quality characteristics of croissants.

Environmentally green synthesis of stable polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)-capped silver nanoparticles (PVP-AgNPs) was successfully carried out. The present study focused on investigating the influence of adding PVP during the synthesis process on the size, optical properties and antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles produced. An aqueous extract of Eucalyptus camaldulensis leaves was used as a reducing agent. The effects of different PVP concentrations and reducing time on the synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized by UV–Vis spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrum (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and nano tracker analysis (NTA). The addition of PVP was studied. The prepared PVP-AgNPs were spherical with an average size of 13 nm. FTIR analysis confirmed that PVP protects AgNPs by a coordination bond between silver nanoparticles and both N and O of PVP. DLS results indicated the good dispersion of silver nanoparticles. PVP-AgNPs were found to be stable for nearly 5 months. Antibacterial studies through the agar well diffusion method confirmed that silver nanoparticles synthesized using PVP had no inhibitor activity toward Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as opposed to silver nanoparticles prepared without adding PVP, which showed a significant antibacterial activity towards some of the tested pathogens.

Trojan attacks are the most common and serious threat to network users. It is a program that appears to be useful program but actually harmful one. It is difficult to detect Trojan attacks because it uses special techniques to conceal its activities from antiviruses and users. Thus, this research intends to retrieve and investigate of Trojan attacks on the network using digital forensic tools namely Wireshark, FTK Imager and Volatility. Two types of Trojan attacks called Remote Access Trojan (RAT) and HTTP Trojan (HT) are created and experimented in this research. These Trojans are sent to the targeted computer in the network through email. Wireshark is used to capture the network packets and then analyze the suspicious packets. FTK Imager is used to capture RAM data on targeted computer. Volatility is used to analyze the captured RAM data and extract suspicious process. This suspicious process is dumped into file and scanned using the Avast antivirus to check whether this process is running Trojan or otherwise. This research may benefit and contribute to the computer security and forensic domain. It can be extends to investigate other Trojan attacks such as Zeus, SubSeven or Back Orifice by using the same digital forensic tools.

A tunable spacing dual-wavelength Q-switched fiber laser is experimentally demonstrated based on a fiber Bragg grating tunable device incorporated in an erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL). The system utilizes two identical fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) at 1547.1 nm origin to enable two laser lines operation. The wavelength separations between two laser lines are controlled by fixing one of the FBGs while applying mechanical stretch and compression to the other one, using a fiber Bragg grating tunable device. The seven steps of wavelength spacing could be tuned from 0.3344 to 0.0469 nm spacing. Pulse characteristics for both close and wide spacing of dual-wavelength Q-switched fiber laser are successfully being recorded. The findings demonstrate the latest idea of dual-wavelength fiber laser based on FBG tunable device, which offers a wide range of future applications.

Zearalenone are widely occurring food contaminants that cause hepatotoxicity. This research work aimed to investigate how zerumbone, a plant-derived dietary compound, can fight ZEA-induced hepatotoxicity. ZER is found to increase the cells’ toxin resistance. This study was performed on mice challenged with ZEA. The administration of ZER decreased the level of alkaline phosphatase and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Simultaneously, ZER attenuated the inflammatory response via significantly reducing the levels of pro-inflammatory factors, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in serum. Pretreatment with ZER reduced the hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, as well as the depletion of hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD), hepatic glutathione (GSH), and hepatic catalase (CAT). Moreover, it significantly ameliorated ZEA-induced liver damage and histological hepatocyte changes. ZER also relieved ZEA-induced apoptosis by regulating the PI3K/AKT pathway and Nrf2 and HO-1 expression. Furthermore, ZER increasingly activated Bcl2 and suppressed apoptosis marker proteins. Our findings suggest that ZER exhibits the ability to prevent ZEA-induced liver injury and present the underlying molecular basis for potential applications of ZER to cure liver injuries.

Plant extracts are rich in various bioactive compounds exerting antioxidants effects, such as phenolics, catechins, flavonoids, quercetin, anthocyanin, tocopherol, rutin, chlorogenic acid, lycopene, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, vitamin C, protocatechuic acid, vitamin E, carotenoids, β-carotene, myricetin, kaempferol, carnosine, zeaxanthin, sesamol, rosmarinic acid, carnosic acid, and carnosol. The extraction processing protocols such as solvent, time, temperature, and plant powder should be optimized to obtain the optimum yield with the maximum concentration of active ingredients. The application of novel green extraction technologies has improved extraction yields with a high concentration of active compounds, heat-labile compounds at a lower environmental cost, in a short duration, and with efficient utilization of the solvent. The application of various combinations of extraction technologies has proved to exert a synergistic effect or to act as an adjunct. There is a need for proper identification, segregation, and purification of the active ingredients in plant extracts for their efficient utilization in the meat industry, as natural antioxidants. The present review has critically analyzed the conventional and green extraction technologies in extracting bioactive compounds from plant biomass and their utilization in meat as natural antioxidants.

Background and Purpose: Otomycosis is a fungal infection that frequently involves the external auditory canal. The epidemiologic data on the etiologic agents of otomycosis in Syria are very limited. In this study, we aimed to determine the fungal agents, gender distribution, and clinical presentation of otomycosis. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and ninety nine patients (153 [51.17%] male and 146 [48.83%] female) clinically prediagnosed as otomycosis were studied at Al-mouassat University Hospital and ENT Crescent Syrian Clinic. Clinical samples were collected from the ear discharges and cultured on Sabouraud Agar. Results: Otomycosis was diagnosed in 70 (23.4%) cases, with the highest prevalence in males aged 16-75 years (73.6%). The isolation rates of mold and yeast fungi were 75.7% and 24.3%, respectively. The most common presentations were otorrhea (98.66%), otalgia (18.06%), and hearing loss (6.35%). Our results showed that 64.28% of otomycosis agents were Aspergillus species. A. niger was the most common agent (45.7%), and 24.3% of the pathogens were C. albicans. Conclusion: Otomycosis agents most commonly belonged to the genus of Aspergillus followed by Candida, which should be seriously considered by physicians for appropriate treatment.