Search

Small scale mining industry is considered more hazardous than other industries worldwide. Large number of workers receive minor and major injuries leading to disabilities or loss of lives due to frequent accidents in mines. Main causes of accidents in mines are fall of roof, improper ventilation system, gases, fires and mine explosions. Beside these hazards, violation of rules and regulations for mine workers are common, which also cause accidents. This paper is focused on issues associated with the health and safety of workers of Cherat Coal Mines (CCM), Abbottabad Coal Mine (ACM) and Abbottabad Soapstone Mine (ASM), Pakistan. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS computer statistics software. The data analyses indicated that the lack of education and violation of safety laws cause accidents in mines. Results show that problems that were rated higher by more than 60% of workers included slide and fall, dust, roof fall and explosive related hazards. In survey more than 50% of the workers admitted the existence of gases, fire and low height mines are common hazards in their workplace. The results also indicated that not only workers but management are also affected by accidents. More than 17% of worker in CCM faced serious accidents up to 3 times during one year. Up to 26% of workers in CCM, 13% in ACM and 15% in ASM suffered accidents for which they had 3 workdays off. It has been concluded that training should be arranged, especially the safety related training on regular basis to reduce the risk of accidents.

Gibberellic acid is a phytohormone that triggers the germination of seeds in a state of dormancy. Through the quantification of this hormone, the physiological condition of seeds of economic importance can be studded. In this work we validated a High-Performance Liquid Chromatography method to quantify gibberellic acid in germinated maize (Zea mays L.) seeds. Chromatographic conditions included the use of a C-18 reversed-phase column, acetonitrile-formic acid (1:9 %) as the mobile phase, flow of 0.5 mL min−1 , and detection at 195 nm. We evaluated our method for seven analytical parameters. The method was linear for gibberellic acid concentrations from 1.0 mg·kg−1 to 50.0 mg·kg−1 . The method’s limits were 0.3 mg·kg−1 and 1.0 mg·kg−1 for detection and quantification, respectively. The method was highly precise; we obtained variable but low relative standard deviations (2.62 % - 12.66 %) for the studied gibberellic acid concentrations. We assessed accuracy through recovery percentages, ranging from 52.85 % - 63.68 %, for three gibberellic acid concentrations. We conclude that our analytical method can be used to measure gibberellic acid during the early stages of maize germination. In addition, the method could be used for the analysis of other types of plant matrices.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to validate a fast method with low-solvent use, for the analysis of trans-resveratrol and quercetin in red wines. The wines were prepared, using a classical method, from the grape (Vitis vinifera) cultivars Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Ruby Cabernet, Syrah, Tannat, and Tempranillo. Samples were filtered and analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a diode array detector (DAD), at 306 and 371 nm, for trans-resveratrol and quercetin, respectively. An octylsilane column was used, and the mobile phase was composed by a gradient of methanol, water, and formic acid. The method was validated according to the following figures of merit: specificity, linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, precision, accuracy, and robustness. The proposed HPLC-DAD method may be established for the analysis of trans-resveratrol and quercetin in red wines.

Chlorophytum borivilianum (safed musli) is a medicinally important plant. Its roots are being employed in folk medicine. Presently, the crude extract of C. borivilianum has been consumed for the treatment such as anti-diabetic, antiaging, anti-oxidant, anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory and previous studies have been carried out to further confirm these remarkable bioactivities of C. borivilianum. In this research, 1’-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) was isolated from the roots of C. borivilianum. The structure of ACA was elucidated based on the spectral data of 1H NMR, 13C NMR, DEPT, COSY, HMBC, HMQC and also based on the comparison with the previous literature data. ACA was isolated in an isocratic elution that eluted with hexane and ethyl acetate in the ratio of 10:0.25. In the HPLC analysis, the separation of the crude methanol extract was completed within 20 min and the retention time of ACA in the sample was 7.31 min. The regression equation of the calibration curve was developed and the correlation coefficient was found to be 0.991. This is the first report regarding the presence of ACA in C. borivilianum as well as its genus. For the first time, a high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with photodiode array detection was developed for the quantitative determination and identification of ACA.

Spanish dictionaries and grammar textbooks usually describe the word aún (even) as an expression of time and aun as an expression of modality (concession). In the first case, it is interchangeable with todavía (yet) and it carries an accent mark. In the second case, the word carries no accent and it is interchangeable with hasta, incluso or siquiera (until, even, (not) even). Because of its wide variety of functions and semantic values, as pointed out much earlier by Bello (§1217), some grammarians (Pavon Lucero (1999) have included aún in the group of the so called ``particles'', a group formed by some prepositions, adverbs and conjunctions. Other authors (Sanchez Lopez 1999, Leonetti 2007 y NGRALE 2009) have placed it within the subgroup of focus words, i.e. words that show the sentence information structure. This paper points out that there is no sharp contrast between these two values -- aún/aun expressing time or concession-- and that they actually share a sense of quantification related to the word's incremental character. This shared value is clearly seen in sentences with a comparative structure, in which cases this word can be equally replaced by todavía or incluso.

Language is a sub-component of human cognition. One important, though often unattained goal for both cognitive scientists and linguists is to explicate how the meanings of words and sentences relate to the more general, non-linguistic, cognitive systems that are used to evaluate whether sentences are true or false. In the present paper, we explore one such relationship: an interface between the linguistic structures referring to individuals and non-individuals (specifically, count-nouns like ‘cows’ and mass-nouns like ‘beef’) and the non-linguistic cognitive systems that quantify and compare number and area. While humans may be flexible in how they use language across contexts, in two experiments using standard psychophysical testing we find that participants evaluate a count-noun sentence via numerical representations and evaluate a corresponding mass-noun sentence via non-numerical representations; consistent with a principled interface between language and cognition for evaluating these terms. This was the case even when the visual display was held constant across conditions and only the noun type was varied, further suggesting an important difference in how area and number, as well as count and mass nouns, are represented. These findings speak to issues concerning the semantics-cognition interface, the mass-count distinction, and the psychophysics of quantity representation.

Recent developments in X-ray optics have allowed the development of a range of commercially available benchtop micro-XRF (μ-XRF) instruments that can produce X-ray spot sizes of 20-30 μm on the sample, allowing major- and trace-element analysis on a range of sample types and sizes with minimal sample preparation. Such instruments offer quantitative analysis using fundamental parameter based 'standardless' quantification algorithms. The accuracy and precision of this quantitative analysis on geological materials, and application of micro-XRF to wider geological problems is assessed using a single benchtop micro-XRF instrument. Quantitative analysis of internal reference materials and international standards shows that such instruments can provide highly reproducible data but that, for many silicate materials, standardless quantification is not accurate.Accuracy can be improved, however, by using a simple type-calibration against a reference material of similar matrix and composition. Qualitative analysis with micro-XRF can simplify and streamline sample characterization and processing for subsequent geochemical and isotopic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fragile states agenda has recently converged with the so-called culture of measuring for results, creating standards often seen by critics as donor driven. The newly established Sustainable Development Goals now invite a data revolution that can see yet more intense practices of quantification. Nevertheless, this article argues such practices can be widening windows of opportunity for change. It looks at the g7+ group of self-labeled fragile states and its tools for self-measurement. These tools closely resemble mainstream quantification, but also bring key contributions. In fact, direct opposition on the part of fragile states is perhaps as possible as it once was for the so-called Third World; on the other hand, the article suggests subtle power can perhaps be countered by subtle change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticide resistance is a crucial factor to be considered when developing strategies for the minimal use of pesticides while maintaining pesticide efficacy. This goal requires monitoring the emergence and development of resistance to pesticides in crop pests. To this end, various methods for resistance diagnosis have been developed for different groups of pests. This review provides an overview of biological, biochemical, and molecular methods that are currently used to detect and quantify pesticide resistance. The agronomic, technical, and economic advantages and drawbacks of each method are considered. Emerging technologies are also described, with their associated challenges and their potential for the detection of resistance mechanisms likely to be selected by current and future plant protection methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Functionalization of carboxylated nanodiamonds by adsorption of cationic peptides. [•] The adsorption and desorption behaviors of cationic peptides were determined. [•] One to two shells of amphiphilic peptides are tightly adsorbed per mg of NDs. [•] Stable cationic nanoparticles may be prepared by adsorption of adequately peptide. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Nitrides of refractory metals are investigated as diffusion barriers for Cu metallization. The composition, thermal stability and inter diffusion in layered systems are characterized by depth profile analysis. For the quantification of depth profiles determination of sensitivity factors is essential. For nitrogen and other light elements matrix specific standards are often not available and compound standards are used for calibration. We have investigated the systems Ta–N and Ta–Si–N and for comparison Cr–N by means of Auger electron spectrometry (AES) and glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (GDOES). A non-linear calibration curve for the N/Cr intensity ratio was observed with GDOES in the Cr–N-system, probably caused by self-absorption of the Cr line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most common vehicles by which Escherichia coli O157:H7 may be introduced into crops is contaminated irrigation water. Water contamination is becoming more common in rural areas of the United States as a result of large animal operations, and up to 40% of tested drinking-water wells are contaminated with E. coli. In this study, 2 contrasting soil samples were inoculated with E. coli O157:H7 expressing green fluorescent protein through irrigation water. Real-time PCR and culture methods were used to quantify the fate of this pathogen in phyllosphere (leaf surface), rhizosphere (volume of soil tightly held by plant roots), and non-rhizosphere soils. A real-time PCR assay was designed with the eae gene of E. coli O157:H7. The probe was incorporated into real-time PCR containing DNA extracted from the phyllosphere, rhizosphere, and non-rhizosphere soils. The detection limit for E. coli O157:H7 quantification by real-time PCR was 1.2 × 103 in the rhizosphere, phyllosphere, and non-rhizosphere samples. E. coli O157:H7 concentrations were higher in the rhizosphere than in the non-rhizosphere soils and leaf surfaces, and persisted longer in clay soil. The persistence of E. coli O157:H7 in phyllosphere, rhizosphere, and non-rhizosphere soils over 45 days may play a significant part in the recontamination cycle of produce in the environment. Therefore, the rapidity of the real-time PCR assay may be a useful tool for quantification and monitoring of E. coli O157:H7 in irrigation water and on contaminated fresh produce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present day ultra-large scale integration technology exploits the variation of material properties on a nanometer scale and requires analytical methods that can provide adequate characterisation at that level. An overview is given of the consequences for SIMS depth profiling of this ongoing trend to smaller dimensions. After a general introduction to the technique, the necessity to use sub-keV primary ion impact energies is explained on the basis of the depth resolution function, which describes the profile distortion accompanying sputtering. Then the implications of lower energies are discussed by describing recent instrumental developments. Next the existing quantification schemes, for the conversion of a time-dependent secondary ion’s signal intensity to a true in-depth concentration distribution, are treated. These are limited to steady-state erosion conditions, i.e. effectively exclude the pre-equilibrium regime and transition regions around interfaces or associated with the onset of bombardment induced topography development. In advanced devices such areas often constitute an indispensable functional part and therefore reliable answers must be provided there too. The merits and limitations of the few proposed options for absolute quantification at all depths will be critically examined in the final part of this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Routinely fixed and processed gingival biopsies from childhood gingivitis, juvenile periodontitis and chronic adult periodontitis patients have been stained immunocytochemically with a monoclonal anti HLADr antibody to aid in the identification and quantification of cell types in the inflammatory infiltrates. Using immunoperoxidase staining and morphological criteria, 9 cell types were quantified in 30 patients. Lesions in the 3 groups were found to differ widely both in size and composition. In the small childhood gingivitis lesions, most cells were small lymphocytes, over half of which were HLADr positive, whereas in juvenile periodontitis biopsies, well over half the infiltrate was plasma cells. The chronic adult periodontitis samples showed greater variability in composition between these 2 extremes, perhaps reflecting differences in disease activity. These results suggest that, when disease is quiescent, the volume of inflamed gingival connective tissue is small and is dominated by B-small lymphocytes, whilst on activation, the lesion increases in size and much of the B-lymphocyte population is transformed to plasma cells. This view corroborates the results of other workers with regard to juvenile periodontitis, but suggests a different interpretation of the quiescent lesion of childhood gingivitis from that current in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When auditors perform analytical procedures, one concern is that they may render an incorrect conclusion about an observed fluctuation. In this paper, we argue that one way that auditors might make this kind of judgment mistake is to conclude that only one cause is responsible for an unexpected fluctuation when, in fact, multiple causes are responsible. We present a model of the evaluation of causes in analytical procedures that decomposes this task into two components-plausibility checking and sufficiency checking. We argue that auditors are more likely to make such judgment mistakes if they only perform the plausibility check. To address this prediction, we conducted an experiment in the context of analytical procedures using 72 experienced auditors as subjects. Our experimental results show that, as predicted, auditors who merely perform a plausibility check are more likely to erroneously conclude that one cause is responsible for a fluctuation when, in fact, other causes are operating. In contrast, auditors who perform both plausibility and sufficiency checks are much better at discerning when there is one vs. multiple causes responsible for a fluctuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We attempted to assess whether pannus volume measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used as an indicator of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Eleven women (mean age 46 yr) with uncontrolled RA were studied for 1 yr. Pannus formation in both hands was quantified using MRI at the start of the study, and at 6 and 12 months thereafter. The volume of enhancing pannus (VEP) was compared with changes in the radiological scores, grip strength, joint tenderness counts, joint swelling counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and serum C-reactive protein (CRP). Patients were classified into three groups based on VEP changes between 0 and 12 months: unchanged (n = 2), decreased (n = 6) and increased (n = 3). VEP at 6 months and at 12 months differed significantly between the three groups. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups in radiographic scores, physical parameters or laboratory parameters despite the fact that some of these parameters changed in the direction indicated by the changes in VEP. VEP can be used as a new indicator to assess disease activity in individual RA patients and, using this parameter, treatment outcome can be assessed in fewer subjects than with traditional measures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Adherence of Candida species to various host surfaces is an important prerequisite for colonization and pathogenesis. Researchers have problems in quantifying candidal adherence to plastic surfaces (used for fabrication of prostheses) due to coaggregation of adherent yeasts and to the laborious, time-consuming method of microscopic quantification. We describe here, a semi-automated image analysis system which is superior to conventional visual light microscopic techniques of quantifying yeasts attached to solid substrates such as acrylic. The results demonstrated a significant positive correlation between the number of cells quantified by traditional light microscopy and the corresponding area obtained by the semi-automated image analysis system (r=0.83, P<0.02). The new system is simple, less laborious and is particularly useful when the adherent attributes of a large battery of yeasts are characterized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Progression of aortic valve calcifications (AVC) leads to aortic valve stenosis (AS). Importantly, the AVC degree has a great impact on AS progression, treatment selection and outcomes. Methods of AVC assessment do not provide accurate quantitative evaluation and analysis of calcium distribution and deposition in a repetitive manner., Objective: We aim to prepare a reliable tool for detailed AVC pattern analysis with quantitative parameters., Methods: We analyzed computed tomography (CT) scans of fifty patients with severe AS using a dedicated software based on MATLAB version R2017a (MathWorks, Natick, MA, USA) and ImageJ version 1.51 (NIH, USA) with the BoneJ plugin version 1.4.2 with a self-developed algorithm., Results: We listed unique parameters describing AVC and prepared 3D AVC models with color pointed calcium layer thickness in the stenotic aortic valve. These parameters were derived from CT-images in a semi-automated and repeatable manner. They were divided into morphometric, topological and textural parameters and may yield crucial information about the anatomy of the stenotic aortic valve., Conclusion: In our study, we were able to obtain and define quantitative parameters for calcium assessment of the degenerated aortic valves. Whether the defined parameters are able to predict potential long-term outcomes after treatment, requires further investigation., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Accurate and reliable quantification of biomarkers in the blood is essential in disease screening and diagnosis. Here we describe an iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP)-linked immunosorbent assay (ILISA) for detecting biomolecules in human serum. Sandwich ILISA was optimized for the detection of four important serological markers, IgA, IgG, IgM, and C-reactive protein (CRP), and assessed with normal sera, simulated disease-state sera and the serum samples from patients infected with West Nile virus (WNV) or human herpes virus (HHV). Our study shows that using the detection assay formulated with 18.8 nm wüstite nanocrystals, ILISA can achieve sub-picomolar detection sensitivity, and all four markers can be accurately quantified over a large dynamic range. In addition, ILISA is not susceptible to variations in operating procedures and shows better linearity and higher stability compared with ELISA, which facilitates its integration into detection methods suitable for point of care. Our results demonstrate that ILISA is a simple and versatile nanoplatform for highly sensitive and reliable detection of serological biomarkers in biomedical research and clinical applications.

Within this study all three monochloronitrobenzenes were identified and quantified in water of the German Bight of the North Sea. The concentrations ranged from <0.02 to 8.9 ng/L. The latter high value was found in the estuary of the River Elbe, though. Additionally, 2,5-dichloronitrobenzene and 3,4-dichloronitrobenzene were identified and quantified. The concentrations of these compounds ranged from <0.05 to 7.7 ng/L. The major path of input for the chloronitrobenzenes to thismarine area is the River Elbe. A method for quantification is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]