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Background/Objectives: Rehmannia glutinosa, a highly valuable medicinal plant in China, is encountering severe replant disease. Replant disease represents a complex stress driven by multiple principal factors (RDFs), including allelochemicals, microbes, and their interactions. miRNAs are recognized as key regulators of plant response to stresses; however, their specific roles within RDFs are not entirely clear. Methods: This study builds six RDF treatments, comprising R. glutinosa continuously planted (SP), normally planted (NP), and NP treated with ferulic acid (FA), Fusarium oxysporum (FO), and a combination of FA with FO (FAFO). sRNA-seq technology was used to identify crucial miRNAs in response to diverse RDFs. Results: In total, 30 sRNA datasets were generated from the SP, NP, FA, FO, and FAFO samples. A total of 160 known and 41 novel miRNAs (RgmiRNAs) were identified in the R. glutinosa genome based on the sRNA database. Abundance analysis revealed that RgmiRNAs in SP exhibited a distinct expression profile in comparison with others. Of these, 124, 86, 86, and 90 RgmiRNAs were differentially expressed in SP, FA, FO, and FAFO compared with NP. Target analysis indicated that RgmiRNAs downregulated in both SP and RDFs impede the organism growth of R. glutinosa. RgmiRNAs upregulated in SP can disrupt root formation and nutrient metabolism, in which, two RgmiR398 were uniquely expressed in SP. It was confirmed to target RgCSD genes. The expression patterns of RgmiR398 and RgCSD indicated that replant disease induces the oxidative damage of R. glutinosa through RgmiR398. Conclusions: RgmiRNA profiling under RDFs provides a theoretical basis for the further clarification of RgmiRNA function in replant disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthetic properties are essential for the evaluation of phytoplankton photosynthetic efficiency as well as their physiological status in different waters. The present study measured in situ minimum and maximum fluorescence (Fo, Fm), variable fluorescence (Fv), and photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm) in Nha Trang Bay to estimate seasonal phytoplankton community responses to different environmental conditions. Photosynthetic efficiency of in situ phytoplankton in Nha Trang Bay varied from 0.03 to 0.55 among stations and sampling times. Stations near the shore (Cape Chut) and estuary had higher Fv/Fm values than offshore stations. Seasonal and spatial variation of photosynthetic efficiency along the transect from the river mouth to the open ocean reflected the impact of river inputs on phytoplankton communities. In situ measurements indicate the impacts of complex environmental conditions in Nha Trang Bay (e.g., light intensity and nutrients) on the physiological status and photosynthetic efficiency of phytoplankton.

The intersection of climate change and food production is emerging as a critical area of research, focusing on both the potential benefits and the significant challenges posed by changing climate conditions. Elevated levels of carbon dioxide alongside rising global temperatures could theoretically boost crop yields, benefiting both human and animal consumption. This study examines the impact of various climate variables—temperature, humidity, precipitation, and soil moisture—on the primary production of essential foods such as rice, wheat, livestock, milk, eggs, vegetables, and fruits. Utilizing data from different countries spanning from 2000 to 2020, drawn from world development indicators, this research employs econometric analysis coupled with deep learning-based cluster analysis. Additionally, it projects future production trends up to 2100 using the moving average time series forecasting method. The findings reveal a direct correlation between climate variables and the production levels of vegetables and other food items, highlighting the immediate effects of climatic changes on agriculture. The study also points out the uneven distribution of these climate impacts, with developing countries facing more severe challenges due to their limited resources and adaptive capacities. This uneven impact contributes to increased uncertainty in food supply and affects market stability. Furthermore, concerns about food safety are intensifying under the influence of climate change, although some regions have implemented effective food conservation and control measures to mitigate these risks. This research underscores a complex landscape where the risks and benefits of climate change on food production are not uniformly distributed, but rather are influenced by a myriad of factors including geographic location, economic conditions, and the level of technological advancement in food safety practices. The nuanced understanding of these dynamics is crucial for developing targeted strategies to enhance food security in the face of a changing climate.

Pressure-Retarded Osmosis (PRO) is an osmotically driven membrane-based process that has recently garnered significant attention from researchers due to its potential for clean energy harvesting from salinity gradients. The complex interactions between mixed-mode channel flows and osmotic fluxes in real PRO membrane modules necessitate high-fidelity modeling approaches. In this work, an efficient CFD framework is developed for the 3D simulation of osmotically driven membrane processes. This approach is based on a two-way coupling between a CFD solver, which captures external concentration polarization (ECP) effects, and an analytical representation of internal concentration polarization (ICP). Consequently, the osmotic water flux and reverse salt flux (RSF) can be accurately determined, accounting for all CP effects without any limitations on the geometrical complexity of the membrane chamber or its flow mode/regime. The proposed model is validated against experimental data, showing good agreement across various PRO case studies. Additionally, the model’s flexibility to simulate other types of osmotically driven processes such as forward osmosis (FO) is examined. Thus, the contributions of ECP and ICP effects in local osmotic pressure drop along the membrane chamber are comprehensively compared for FO and PRO modes. Finally, the capability of the CFD model to simulate a lab-scale PRO module is demonstrated across a range of Reynolds numbers from low-speed laminar up to turbulent flow regimes.

In this paper, the hydrophilic UiO-66-NH2 nanomaterial was synthesized by the solvent-thermal method and characterized. Then, UiO-66-NH2 was introduced into the casting membrane solution of cellulose acetate (CA) forward osmosis (FO) membrane, and CA/UiO-66-NH2 forward osmosis membrane was prepared by the phase inversion method. The optimum preparation conditions of CA/UiO-66-NH2 mixed matrix membranes were determined as follows: the content of UiO-66-NH2 was 0.4 wt%, the coagulation bath temperature was 35°C, the mixing temperature was 50°C and the heat treatment temperature was 50°C. FTIR, SEM, water contact angle and AFM were carried out on CA/UiO-66-NH2 forward osmosis membrane prepared under the best preparation conditions. Compared to the CA forward osmosis membrane, the permeability and selectivity of the CA/UiO-66-NH2 membrane were improved. The water flux and reverse salt flux of the CA/UiO-66-NH2 forward osmosis membrane reached 52.32 L/(m2·h) and 2.43 g/(m2·h), respectively. The permeability selectivity of CA membranes and CA/UiO-66-NH2 membranes did not change much during 180 min, indicating that the two membranes had good long-term stability. This study shows a potential advantage of UiO-66-NH2 as additives for improvement in the desalination performance of forward osmosis membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the attenuation regularity of membrane flux in the process of forward osmosis (FO) concentration, the fouling rule of FO membrane affected by different parameters including ionic strength, BSA concentration in the feed and membrane orientation was studied with Bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the primary typical pollutants. In order to improve the membrane flux and rejection rate, the type and concentration of draw solution and the flow rate of feed solution were optimized and the appropriate membrane cleaning scheme was optimized. The results showed that the initial flux of FO membrane decreased with the increasing of ionic strength in feed solution, but the flux of FO membrane with BSA solution containing salt ions was higher than that of pure BSA solution as the running time went on. The lower the concentration of BSA, the lighter the membrane fouling was, and the water flux in FO mode (13.82±3.2 L/m2·h) was higher than that in PRO mode (5.08±2.1 L/m2·h), which indicated that FO mode should be adopted for concentration. Under the optimal operating conditions, the 1.5 mol/L NaCl as the draw solution and the flow rate of both feed and draw solution controlled at 2.89 m/s, FO flux was 11.23±2.13 L/m2·h, BSA retention rate was 97.83%, and reverse solute flux Js was 0.14 mol/m2·h. After the fouled membrane was immersed in 0.05% NaOH for 4 min, the flux recovery rate reached 98.39% and the flux recovery rate was still exceed 98% after reusing and cleaning many times, which indicated that the membrane had good cleaning resistance. This study would provide a certain technical reference for protein recovery from food materials.

Since spring 2016, union organizations, as much as police forces charged with the control and surveillance of the masses of protesters, are being confronted regularly, whether it is in Paris and in other cities around the country, to a congregation of actors which, beyond its social and political heterogeneity, forms in front of the protest what as been designated and popularized by its founders under the name of the “head of the cortège” (“cortège de tête”). The stakes of this article are to make intelligible this wrongly identified object which intrigues, but also to realize the way union officials position themselves in front of this invasive and unruly collective actor, which deeply disturbs the protest order.

This paper studies a novel adaptive fractional-order non-singular terminal sliding mode (FO-NTSM) control strategy for omnidirectional mobile robot manipulator (OMRM) with unknown parameters and external disturbances. Firstly, we adopt the fuzzy wavelet neural networks (FWNNs) to estimate the dynamic uncertainty of the OMRM because it has superior function approximation capability. Secondly, we design the adaptive NTSM controller to attenuate external disturbances by virtue of adjusting the weights of the FWNNs online. Moreover, we obtain a fractional-order (FO) control criterion, which speed up the convergence of the algorithm. In addition, we prove the globally robust stability of the OMRM control system through a designed Lyapunov function. Finally, simulation and experiment researches indicate the feasible and validity of the presented method. • By applying fractional calculus, a novel adaptive sliding mode controller with FO is proposed to investigate the trajectory tracking for OMRM system in present of unknown parameters and external disturbances. • The superior combination of FWNNs and robust techniques not only largely overcomes the model uncertainty of the controlled object, but also is more robust to external unfavorable factors. • The designed controller is applied to a 3-DOF OMRM, accordingly. It is verified by experiments that the actual control performances are considerable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a maiden application of the fractional‐order proportional‐integral‐derivative plus the second‐order derivative controller called FOPIDD2 (PIλDμD2) to achieve better transient response at a terminal voltage of automatic voltage regulator (AVR). Multi‐verse optimizer (MVO) algorithm is used for tuning six optimization parameters of controller. MVO is a powerful optimization algorithm with great convergence speed and strong search mechanisms for an expanded number of decisions. The proposed FOPIDD2 controller is compared with proportional‐integral‐derivative (PID), PID plus second‐order derivative (PIDD2), fractional order PID (FOPID) and filtered FOPID controllers obtained using different algorithms in both time domain and frequency domain. According to the results, FOPIDD2 controller shows superior performance than compared studies in terms of transient response of terminal voltage of AVR. Additionally, frequency domain analysis shows that FOPIDD2 controller presents satisfactory results. Finally, the system is subjected to a robustness test with changes in time constants and gain constants values. AVR system with FOPIDD2 controller performs better in perturbed system parameters than compared controllers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The osmotic energy of cane molasses was used to drive the partial dewatering of sugarcane juice by Forward Osmosis. The studies were conducted at low molasses to juice ratio considering their relative abundances. Studies in recirculation mode provided insight into the maximum possible extent of dewatering and the variation of permeate flux ( J w ) with bulk osmotic pressure difference. Operation in continuous single pass (CSP) mode helped maximise the throughput and J w . Data on permeation selectivity, back diffusion and osmotic energy use efficiency were additionally obtained for both modes of operation. The optimised CSP mode process was evaluated in a sugar mill employing commercial process streams. Energy saving – owing to reduced juice evaporation load – and freshwater saving – owing to simultaneous dilution of molasses – were the twin gains from the process considering sugar and ethanol as the final products. Areas of process improvement were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) represents a common endocrine—metabolic disorder disease with chronic low-grade inflammation and alteration of intestinal flora. Serving as functional food, flaxseed oil (FO), which is rich in plant-derived α-linolenic acid of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, has been proven to benefit for chronic metabolic diseases. However, the exact role of dietary FO on PCOS remains largely unclear. In the present study, 6-week-old female Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (eight rats/group), including (a) pair-fed (PF) control (CON) group (PF/CON), (b) FO-fed CON group (FO/CON), (c) PF with letrozole-induced PCOS model (MOD) group (PF/MOD), and (d) FO-fed MOD group (FO/MOD). All rats were fed a standard diet. After 3 weeks of modeling and subsequent 8 weeks of treatment, the rats in diverse groups were euthanized and associated indications were investigated. The results showed that dietary FO ameliorated the disorder of estrous cycle and ovarian morphology. In parallel, dietary FO improved the sex steroid hormone disturbance (luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone, estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone), body weights, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. Moreover, FO treatment improved plasma and ovary inflammatory interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17A, tumor necrosis factor-α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. Additionally, FO intervention significantly modulated the composition of gut microbiota and vaginal microbiota by increasing the abundances of Allobaculum, Lactobacillus, Butyrivibrio, Desulfovibrio, Bifidobacterium, Faecalibacterium, Parabacteroides as well as decreasing the abundances of Actinobacteria, Bacteroides, Proteobacteria, and Streptococcus, the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes. A decrease in plasma lipopolysaccharide level and an increase in short-chain fatty acids, including acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid and pentanoic acid, were determined after dietary FO supplementation. Correlation analysis revealed close relationships among sex steroid hormones, inflammation, and gut/vaginal microbiota. Collectively, this study demonstrated that dietary FO ameliorated PCOS through the sex steroid hormones—microbiota—inflammation axis in rats, which may contribute to the understanding of pathogenesis and potentially serve as an inexpensive intervention in the control of PCOS.

Quadrotors are highly maneuverable drones, which are susceptible to the parameter uncertainties such as the mass, drag coefficients, and moment of inertia. Whose nonlinearities, aerodynamic disturbances, and higher coupling between the rotational and the translational dynamics stand for a problem that demands a robust controller. In the present paper, a fractional order (FO) improved super twisting proportional-integral-derivative sliding-mode control (STPIDSMC) is proposed for the quadrotor system. To improve the speed tracking performance, a FOPIDSM surface is designed. Moreover, the proposed FO control approach ensures fast convergence, high precision, good robustness against stochastic perturbations and uncertainties. Finally, the performance of the FOSTPIDSMC is investigated under different scenarios. The simulation results clearly show the high control performance, efficiency and high disturbance rejection capacity of the controller strategy proposed in this work in comparison with the nonlinear internal model control (NLIMC) and FO backstepping sliding mode control (FOBSMC) strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This literature review provides a review for publications in 2018 and 2019 and includes information membrane processes findings for municipal and industrial applications. This review is a subsection of the annual Water Environment Federation literature review for Treatment Systems section. The following topics are covered in this literature review: industrial wastewater and membrane. Bioreactor (MBR) configuration, membrane fouling, design, reuse, nutrient removal, operation, anaerobic membrane systems, microconstituents removal, membrane technology advances, and modeling. Other sub‐sections of the Treatment Systems section that might relate to this literature review include the following: Biological Fixed‐Film Systems, Activated Sludge, and Other Aerobic Suspended Culture Processes, Anaerobic Processes, and Water Reclamation and Reuse. This publication might also have related information on membrane processes: Industrial Wastes, Hazardous Wastes, and Fate and Effects of Pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Internacional de Ciencias Sociales Interdisciplinares is the property of Common Ground Research Networks and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Tikrit University for Humanities is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) represents a common endocrine—metabolic disorder disease with chronic low-grade inflammation and alteration of intestinal flora. Serving as functional food, flaxseed oil (FO), which is rich in plant-derived α-linolenic acid of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, has been proven to benefit for chronic metabolic diseases. However, the exact role of dietary FO on PCOS remains largely unclear. In the present study, 6-week-old female Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (eight rats/group), including (a) pair-fed (PF) control (CON) group (PF/CON), (b) FO-fed CON group (FO/CON), (c) PF with letrozole-induced PCOS model (MOD) group (PF/MOD), and (d) FO-fed MOD group (FO/MOD). All rats were fed a standard diet. After 3 weeks of modeling and subsequent 8 weeks of treatment, the rats in diverse groups were euthanized and associated indications were investigated. The results showed that dietary FO ameliorated the disorder of estrous cycle and ovarian morphology. In parallel, dietary FO improved the sex steroid hormone disturbance (luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone, estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone), body weights, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. Moreover, FO treatment improved plasma and ovary inflammatory interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17A, tumor necrosis factor-α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. Additionally, FO intervention significantly modulated the composition of gut microbiota and vaginal microbiota by increasing the abundances of Allobaculum, Lactobacillus, Butyrivibrio, Desulfovibrio, Bifidobacterium, Faecalibacterium, Parabacteroides as well as decreasing the abundances of Actinobacteria, Bacteroides, Proteobacteria , and Streptococcus , the ratio of Firmicutes / Bacteroidetes. A decrease in plasma lipopolysaccharide level and an increase in short-chain fatty acids, including acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid and pentanoic acid, were determined after dietary FO supplementation. Correlation analysis revealed close relationships among sex steroid hormones, inflammation, and gut/vaginal microbiota. Collectively, this study demonstrated that dietary FO ameliorated PCOS through the sex steroid hormones—microbiota—inflammation axis in rats, which may contribute to the understanding of pathogenesis and potentially serve as an inexpensive intervention in the control of PCOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fundamental frequency (f o) is often estimated based on electroglottographic (EGG) signals. Because of the nature of the method, the quality of EGG signals may be impaired by certain features like amplitude or baseline drifts, mains hum, or noise. The potential adverse effects of these factors on f o estimation have to date not been investigated. Here, the performance of 13 algorithms for estimating f o was tested, based on 147 synthesized EGG signals with varying degrees of signal quality deterioration. Algorithm performance was assessed through the standard deviation σ fo of the difference between known and estimated f o data, expressed in octaves. With very few exceptions, simulated mains hum, and amplitude and baseline drifts did not influence f o results, even though some algorithms consistently outperformed others. When increasing either cycle-to-cycle f o variation or the degree of subharmonics, the SIGMA algorithm had the best performance (max. σ fo = 0.04). That algorithm was, however, more easily disturbed by typical EGG equipment noise, whereas the NDF and Praat 's auto-correlation algorithms performed best in this category (σ fo = 0.01). These results suggest that the algorithm for f o estimation of EGG signals needs to be selected specifically for each particular data set. Overall, estimated f o data should be interpreted with care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the hydrophilic UiO-66-NH 2 nanomaterial was synthesized by the solvent-thermal method and characterized. Then, UiO-66-NH 2 was introduced into the casting membrane solution of cellulose acetate (CA) forward osmosis (FO) membrane, and CA/UiO-66-NH 2 forward osmosis membrane was prepared by the phase inversion method. The optimum preparation conditions of CA/UiO-66-NH 2 mixed matrix membranes were determined as follows: the content of UiO-66-NH 2 was 0.4 wt%, the coagulation bath temperature was 35°C, the mixing temperature was 50°C and the heat treatment temperature was 50°C. FTIR, SEM, water contact angle and AFM were carried out on CA/UiO-66-NH 2 forward osmosis membrane prepared under the best preparation conditions. Compared to the CA forward osmosis membrane, the permeability and selectivity of the CA/UiO-66-NH 2 membrane were improved. The water flux and reverse salt flux of the CA/UiO-66-NH 2 forward osmosis membrane reached 52.32 L/(m 2 ·h) and 2.43 g/(m 2 ·h), respectively. The permeability selectivity of CA membranes and CA/UiO-66-NH 2 membranes did not change much during 180 min, indicating that the two membranes had good long-term stability. This study shows a potential advantage of UiO-66-NH 2 as additives for improvement in the desalination performance of forward osmosis membranes.

Abstract Forward osmosis membranes based on ultrathin graphene oxide (GO) were fabricated. Suitable crosslinking agents were used to tune the interlayer spacing of GO sheets to achieve the desired membrane performance. The physicochemical properties of membranes were evaluated using different techniques. The interlayer spacing of GO-based membranes was controlled the interaction between the surface functionality of GO with the nature of crosslinking agents, such as polyvinyl alcohol, meta-phenylenediamine (MPD) and 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl chloride (TMC). The covalent bonds between the layer and crosslinking agents effectively suppressed the d-spacing stretching. Unlike other symmetric structures of membranes, the GO-MPD/TMC behaviour observed in the ultrathin polyamide (36 nm) asymmetric structure for the performance of pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) mode showed the highest flux of 20.8 LMH and low reverse salt flux of 3.4 gMH. A consistent water flux for a long-term PRO operation was achieved using GO-MPD/TMC membrane (∼98.7%). Therefore, the GO-MPD/TMC membrane can be used to suppress internal concentration polarisation. Graphical abstract The GO-MPD/TMC behaviour observed in the ultrathin polyamide (36 nm) asymmetric structure showed the highest flux of 20.8 LMH and low reverse salt flux of 3.4 gMH. A consistent water flux for a long-term operation was achieved using GO-MPD/TMC membrane (∼98.7%). Therefore, the ultrathin graphene oxide framework membrane may be used to suppress internal concentration polarisation. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of catalytic oxidation with forward osmosis (FO) holds promising potential to address two crucial challenges encountered by FO: fouling and unsustainable performance, but suitable approaches are still rare. Herein, we have successfully developed a photocatalysis-assisted forward osmosis (PFO) system. In the PFO, a self-made porous carbon nitride doped functional carbon nanotube photocatalytic hydrogel film (PCN@CNTM) was engaged in the FO process in an inventive way by simply sticking to the commercial FO membrane surface, preventing damage to the membrane from the catalyst's direct insertion and delaying the assault from the oxidation groups. PFO allowed organic pollutants to decompose in the feed solution (90%) and on the membrane surface, regulating the water chemical potential and giving the FO membrane antifouling properties. This resulted in sustainable water flux (11.8 LMH) with no significant membrane fouling in PFO, whereas in FO alone there was a significant fouling and flux drop (from 12.73 to 7.23 LMH in 4 h). Moreover, the expensive FO membrane was protected while the hydrogel film can be replaced on demand. The PFO exemplifies the concept of synergistic technology integration, presenting a new perspective on harnessing the strengths of distinct technologies in a mutually beneficial manner. [Display omitted] • Integrating photocatalysis and FO technology for the first time by a simple PFO. • FO membrane was protected by prepared carbon nitride-based catalytic hydrogel film. • A sustainable water flux of 11.8 LMH can be obtained in PFO. • PFO achieved water chemical potential and fouling control by removing pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As relics of history, ancient copper inscriptions are found in many countries. Information in the image or letter forms contained on copper ancient inscription has a very high value. The age and environmental factors caused damage to the surface of the inscription and also reduced the appearances of the image and letter. In this paper, we describe a novel segmentation methodology based on multi-texture features for ancient copper inscriptions which were severely damaged. The segmentation results of letters on ancient copper inscriptions by using the proposed method have an average accuracy of 90%. Based on these results, the proposed method is suitable for letter segmentation of the ancient copper inscriptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fouling models rely on knowledge of foulant accumulation and removal mechanisms. In this study, a fouling visualization apparatus is developed to elucidate centimeter-scale mechanisms of organic fouling and cleaning in reverse osmosis (RO) and forward osmosis (FO). Alginate is used as a model organic foulant and dyed with methylene blue, which is shown not to affect fouling or cleaning, and to sufficiently highlight the gel for visualization at low salinity (up to 1% NaCl). When cleaning by increasing the cross-flow velocity, with or without reverse permeation, foulant peels off the membrane in discrete pieces in both RO and FO. Videos of cleaning show that foulant cake swelling and wrinkling can facilitate gel detachment and removal. Despite their effectiveness in slowing fouling, spacers can hinder removal of detached foulant pieces by obstructing their path. Finally, photographs point to a new mechanism of internal fouling in FO: vapor formation due to sub-atmospheric pressure within the membrane. Awareness of these mechanisms allows for better modeling of fouling and motivates optimization of swelling-inducing cleaning procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing popularity of optimal design in drug development it is important to understand how the approximations and implementations of the Fisher information matrix (FIM) affect the resulting optimal designs. The aim of this work was to investigate the impact on design performance when using two common approximations to the population model and the full or block-diagonal FIM implementations for optimization of sampling points. Sampling schedules for two example experiments based on population models were optimized using the FO and FOCE approximations and the full and block-diagonal FIM implementations. The number of support points was compared between the designs for each example experiment. The performance of these designs based on simulation/estimations was investigated by computing bias of the parameters as well as through the use of an empirical D-criterion confidence interval. Simulations were performed when the design was computed with the true parameter values as well as with misspecified parameter values. The FOCE approximation and the Full FIM implementation yielded designs with more support points and less clustering of sample points than designs optimized with the FO approximation and the block-diagonal implementation. The D-criterion confidence intervals showed no performance differences between the full and block diagonal FIM optimal designs when assuming true parameter values. However, the FO approximated block-reduced FIM designs had higher bias than the other designs. When assuming parameter misspecification in the design evaluation, the FO Full FIM optimal design was superior to the FO block-diagonal FIM design in both of the examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feed to all Recirculation-multi-stage flash (R-MSF) desalting units in Qatar is pretreated with high temperature additive, which limits its top brine temperature (TBT) to 110°C. The daily capacity of these R-MSF units is about one Million cubic meters (Mm3/d). These units should continue their operation through their life time, (20–30 years). The capacity and performance of these units can be enhanced if Forward osmosis (FO) membrane system is used as pretreatment. The FO membranes can remove the scale constituents in the feed water and allows rising the TBT up to 135°C, and thus increases the capacity of these units. The viability of using FO as feed water pretreatment to an existing operating R-MSF unit is discussed in this paper. A suggested arrangement to use FO as MSF feed pretreatment is presented. Part of the cooling seawater leaving the heat rejection is directed to the FO pretreatment unit as feed solution (FS). The flashing brine leaving the last stage with the maximum brine salt concentration (about 1.5 times of the seawater feed) is directed to the FO unit as draw solution (DS) that absorbs an amount permeate water (D) from the FS while the Ca2+,, Mg2+, andare rejected. The diluted DS enters the last stage condenser of the heat recovery section. This arrangement allows to increase the TBT and thus the unit distillate capacity. The potential of calcium sulfate deposite index inside MSF condenser tubes is calculated at different TBTs and different FO recovery ratio. The calculations show that Skillman index in reference MSF (operates at TBT = 110°C) plant is greater than one which indicates the potential of scale deposit formation; however, antiscalant is used to disperse the crystalized scale. The simulation results showed that the potential of scale deposit is decreased as the FO recovery ratio increases due to the increase in divalent ions removal. The MSF can operate at TBT = 135°C safely without calcium sulfate scale at FO recovery ratio of 40%. On the other hand, the increase in the FO recovery ratio, will reduce the osmotic pressure difference across the membrane which requires higher membrane surface area. The impact of feed salinity is investigated, and the results showed that lowering the feed salinity gives better performance of FO unit. The cost of the FO membranes is a major factor in applying the suggested use of the FO as pretreatment for the R-MSF unit. The decision to apply this method depends on the availability and reasonable cost of the FO membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work investigates the effectiveness of sodium chloride and sucrose binary draw solutions in a forward osmosis pilot plant unit with either deionised or salt water feeds. Specifically, the effects of draw solution concentration on water flux through the membrane, the overall water recovery and the specific energy consumption of the unit are considered. For both feed types, sodium chloride draw solution exhibited a relatively high effectiveness in terms of all the measured performance indicators. Further, improvements in flux and recovery were also achievable with an increase in the sodium chloride (draw solution) concentration. In contrast, a sucrose-based draw solution led to a severe deterioration of the membrane performance that could not be effectively overcome by an increase in the draw solution concentration. This observation was attributed to the relatively large increase in the viscosity of the draw solution with increase in sucrose concentration. Interestingly, in the case of a salt water feed, an increase in the sucrose draw solution concentration led to a relatively small increase in flux and recovery, suggesting some complex but favourable interaction between the salt and sucrose due to the reverse diffusion of the salt into the draw solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Résumé Introduction L’hypertension artérielle maligne (HTAm), en pédiatrie, est particulière par sa présentation clinique, définie par une HTA sévère accompagnée d’une défaillance ischémique d’un ou plusieurs organes. Méthodes-patients Étude rétroprospective des dossiers d’enfants admis en réanimation pédiatrique. Nous avons choisi un recul de 10 ans allant de septembre 1994 à décembre 2004 pour la première période, et de janvier 2005 à décembre 2015 pour la seconde période ; et nous avons relevé les observations ayant présenté une HTAm. Résultats Soixante-six patients ont été inclus, une prévalence de 0,6 %. L’âge des patients varie de 12 mois à 16 ans. Les symptômes sont liés aux conséquences de l’HTA ou à l’affection en cause. Les signes les plus retrouvés sont des céphalées dans plus de 7 %. Un évènement vasculaire cérébral chez 6 % patients. Une encéphalopathie hypertensive convulsivante chez 33,3 %. L’atteinte rénale est commune, de sévérité variable. Un fond d’œil a retrouvé des rétinopathies stade 3 chez 47 %, stade 4 chez 51 %. L’HTAm définie pour des valeurs de PAS moyenne de 175 mmHg et de PAD moyenne de 112,5 mmHg est secondaire souvent à une cause rénale. Le traitement est symptomatique comportant des antihypertenseurs associé au traitement étiologique. L’évolution est bonne en dehors de 7 décès. Conclusion HTAm est une affection rare dans la population pédiatrique. La symptomatologie clinique est riche de signes fonctionnels qui relèvent de leur retentissement sur les organes vitaux. La prise en charge doit être précoce en soins intensifs. Introduction Malignant hypertension (HTA), pediatrics, is unique by its clinical presentation, defined as severe hypertension accompanied by ischemic failure of one or more organs. Methods-patients Retroprospective study of cases of children admitted to pediatric intensive care. We chose a decline of 10 years from September 1994 to December 2004 for the first time, and from January 2005 to December 2015 for the second period; and we identified the cases presenting malignant hypertension (mHTA). Results Sixty-six patients were included, a prevalence of 0.6%. The age of patients ranged from 12 months to 16 years. The symptoms are related to the consequences of hypertension or condition in question. The most found signs are headache in more than 7%. Cerebrovascular event in 6%. A hypertensive convulsive encephalopathy 33.3% of patients. Renal disease is common, of varying severity. A fundus retinopathy was found in 47% stage 3, stage 4 in 51%. mHTA defined for the mean SBP values of 175 mmHg and DBP average 112,5 mmHg is often secondary to renal causes. The treatment is symptomatic with antihypertensive associated with the etiological treatment. Evolution is good out of 7 deaths. Conclusion mHTA is a rare condition in the pediatric population. The clinical signs of functional rich under their impact on vital organs. The support must be early in intensive care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to evaluate the performance and economic feasibility of the forward osmosis (FO)-reverse osmosis (RO) hybrid process; to propose a guideline by which this hybrid process might be more price-competitive in the field. A solution-diffusion model modified with film theory was applied to analyze the effects of concentration polarization, water, and salt transport coefficient on flux, recovery, seawater concentration, and treated wastewater of the FO process of an FO-RO hybrid system. A simple cost model was applied to analyze the effects of flux; recovery of the FO process; energy; and membrane cost on the FO-RO hybrid process. The simulation results showed that the water transport coefficient and internal concentration polarization resistance are very important factors that affect performance in the FO process; however; the effect of the salt transport coefficient does not seem to be large. It was also found that the flux and recovery of the FO process, the FO membrane, and the electricity cost are very important factors that influence the water cost of an FO-RO hybrid system. This hybrid system can be price-competitive with RO systems when its recovery rate is very high, the flux and the membrane cost of the FO are similar to those of the RO, and the electricity cost is expensive. The most important thing in commercializing the FO process is enhancing performance (e.g.; flux and the recovery of FO membranes) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Se estudió el efecto de distintos tratamientos de esterilización sobre la calidad nutricional expresada como retención de tiamina y sobre la pérdida de color en conservas de salmón (Salmo salar). En la materia prima y en las conservas se determinó el contenido de tiamina mediante HPLC y la variación de color mediante colorímetro triestímulo Hunter. Las conservas se elaboraron en envase salmonero y se esterilizaron hasta alcanzar el valor Fo = 6 min. El valor nutricional representado por la tiamina se vio afectado por las altas temperaturas y por el tiempo de exposición al calor. La mayor retención de tiamina fue de 19,2% y se obtuvo en las conservas que se procesaron a 114°C por 89 min. El color de las conservas de salmón varió significativamente respecto a la materia prima, se produjo pérdida de coloración roja y mayor claridad de la carne.The present work studied the effect of different treatments at high temperatures on the nutritional properties of thiamine retention and color measurement experimentally. Canned salmon (Salmo salar) was processed under different temperatures and time conditions (110°C for 135 minutes; 114°C for 89 minutes; 118°C for 69 minutes and 121°C for 62 minutes). Thiamine was determined by HPLC before and after the process. Color changes, due to processing conditions, were also measured utilizing a Hunter colorimeter. The canning was prepared in 300 x 407 cans and sterilized until Fo value reached 6 min. The nutritional value or index represented by the B1 vitamin or thiamine was affected by high temperature and time exposition. The lowest loss of thiamine of 19.2% was obtained in the canned salmon sterilized at 114°C for 89 minutes. The color in canned salmon was different from the raw material, with a severe loss of red color and a greater clarity of the meat.

Protein domain dynamics and electron transfer chemistry are often associated, but real-time analysis of domain motion in enzyme-catalysed reactions and the elucidation of mechanistic schemes that relate these motions to the reaction chemistry are major challenges for biological catalysis research. Previously we suggested that reduction of human cytochrome P450 reductase with the reducing coenzyme NADPH is accompanied by major structural re-orientation of the FMN- and FAD-binding domains through an inferred dynamic cycle of 'open' and 'closed' conformations of the enzyme (PLoS Biol, 2011, e1001222). However, these studies were restricted to stopped-flow/FRET analysis of the reductive half-reaction, and were compromised by fluorescence quenching of the acceptor by the flavin cofactors. Here we have improved the design of the FRET system, by using dye pairs with near-IR fluorescence, and extended studies on human cytochrome P450 reductase to the oxidative half-reaction using a double-mixing stopped-flow assay, thereby analysing in real-time conformational dynamics throughout the complete catalytic cycle. We correlate redox changes accompanying the reaction chemistry with protein dynamic changes observed by FRET, and show that redox chemistry drives a major re-orientation of the protein domains in both the reductive and oxidative half-reactions. Our studies using the tractable (soluble) surrogate electron acceptor cytochrome c provide a framework for analysing mechanisms of electron transfer in the endoplasmic reticulum between cytochrome P450 reductase and cognate P450 enzymes. More generally, our work emphasizes the importance of protein dynamics in intra- and inter-protein electron transfer, and establishes methodology for real-time analysis of structural changes throughout the catalytic cycle of complex redox proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) and exercise testing are widely used for the evaluation of pediatric asthma. The evidence relating to the effects of strenuous exercise on FENOin children is conflicting. Little information is available on the association between exercise and FENOin relation to allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (AR). We aimed to investigate the effects of AR on children's FENOin response to a standardized treadmill exercise test.Methods: A total of 124 children with current asthma and 124 non-asthmatic children aged 8–16 years were studied. FENOwas measured at baseline, at 1 and 30 min after an exercise challenge test using the single breath technique with EcoMedics Exhalyzer®. A structured parental interview, spirometry, serum allergen-specific IgE and skin prick tests were performed.Results: Baseline FENOwas higher in both asthmatics and non-asthmatics with AR than without AR (bothp < 0.001). The FENOtime trend was dependent on AR (p = 0.039), irrespective of asthma (p = 0.876). In children with AR, FENOhad declined at 1 min by a mean of 6.1 ppb with a 95% confidence level of 5.1–7.5 ppb; at 30 min, the reduction was 2.8 (2.5–3.3) ppb. In children without AR, at 1 min the decline in FENOwas 2.7 (2.1–3.5) ppb and by 30 min post-exercise it was 1.6 (1.3–2.0) ppb.Conclusions: The impact of exercise on FENOwas dependent on the allergic phenotype, regardless of asthma status. FENOdecreased immediately after exercise, and did not return to baseline level within 30 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cisplatin is an effective chemotherapeutic agent that displays dose-limiting nephrotoxicity. In the present study, the efficacy of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE: 100 mg/kg/day) and fish oil (FO: 5 mL/kg/day) against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity was evaluated in terms of DNA damage, histopathological changes and expression levels of molecular markers of apoptosis. The administration of cisplatin (CP) (7 mg/kg) results in an increasing percentage of S-phase, G2/M and apoptosis. Furthermore, CP induces apoptosis as indicated by an elevation of renal caspase-3 and reduction in the expression of BCL-2. In addition to occurred renal histopathological changes as manifested by tubular degeneration, degenerative glomerulus, necrotic tubular cells, and cell debris. On the other hand, the administration of GSPE or FO pre-cisplatin treatment can be ameliorated the current DNA cell cycle alterations by the restoration of expression of proteins related to apoptosis and reduced the undesirable renal histopathological changes. So, it can be concluded that the consumption of GSPE or FO might be useful for minimizing nephrotoxicity caused by cisplatin chemotherapy through their anti-apoptotic and antioxidant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An exergetic efficiency is defined in order to compare brine concentration processes including forward osmosis (FO) across a wide range of salinities. We find that existing FO pilot plants have lower efficiency than reverse osmosis plants in the brackish and seawater salinity ranges. High salinity FO, in its current form, is still less efficient than mechanical vapor compression. We show that efficiency is the product of FO exchanger and draw regenerator efficiencies, and therefore FO system energy efficiency benefits from improvements to both. The mass flow rate ratio (between draw and feed flow rates) is identified as a crucial parameter in the design of efficient FO systems because of its effect on exchanger efficiency. We demonstrate a method of thermodynamically balancing an FO system by choosing flow rates that lead to equal osmotic pressure differences at both ends of the exchanger, and show the method's potential to increase the efficiency of current systems by 3–21%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are several softwares which have their normative values like MDVP, Dr Speech, and Vaghmi. The present study aims to establish a normative data for PRAAT software in the age range of 5-10 yrs. for Indian population. Two hundred and fifty children (between the age ranges of 5-10 years) participated in the study. Voice samples were elicited by asking each participant to produce sustained phonations of /a/, /i/ and /u/ sounds at his or her habitual levels of pitch and loudness lasting longer than 3 seconds. Each subject's Fundamental Frequency (Fo), jitter, shimmer, signal to noise ratio (SNR) and noise to harmonic ratio (HNR) were measured and analyzed using PRAAT software. Based on the acoustic analysis, the result of the current study is presented below, for children in the age range of 5-10 yrs a mean FO of for /a/ is 271.6,/i/ is 287.2 and /u/ is 292.3; jitter of 0.6851 % for /a/, 0.4752% for /i/ and 0.5657% for /u/; shimmer of 0.4549 for /a/, 0.3220 /i/ and 0.2775/u/;SNR of .0269 for /a/;0.0184 for/i/ and 0.0068 for /u/; HNR for /a/ is 17.5413, 19.9144 for /i/ and 25.5379 for /u/. Normatives obtained from PRAAT can be further used to compare the characteristics of abnormal and normal population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]