Bilingual Publishing Co. (BPC): E-Journals
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Histopathological Characteristics of Folliculo-stellate Cells in Pituitary Glands of Wild Type, Obese and High-fat Diet Induced Mice
No full textThe anterior pituitary gland regulates growth, metabolism, and reproduction by secreting hormones. Folliculo-stellate cells (FSC) are non-endocrine cells located among hormone-producing cells in the anterior pituitary glands, but little is known about the exact roles of those cells. Although, with their net organization, they seem to have an important role in the hormonal cells regulation and maintenance. In this work, the first ever made in this area, 33 pituitaries of three groups of mice (18 wild type [WT], 11 genetically obese [OB] and 4 under a high fat diet [HFD]) were studied in order to determine if there was any relation between the number of FSC and alterations of the basal metabolism in each group of mice. For that, immunohistochemical staining using the S-100 protein was used and also the Image-J software, to calculate the percentage of FSC present in each sample. The authors found that, although there wasn’t any significant difference between WT and OB mice, the group of HFD mice tend to have substantially higher percentage of FSC than the mice from other groups. This might suggest some yet unknown link between diet, precisely with a high-fat diet, and the presentation of FSC in the anterior pituitary
A Baseline Study on the Quality and Safety of Consumption of a Pest Species (Sarotherodon melanotheron) in Bataan, Philippines: Basis for Its Productive Utilization in the Fisheries Sector
No full textThe baseline study profiled Black-chin Tilapia (Sarotherodon. melanotheron), a fish farm pest species in Bataan, Philippines, in terms of yield (processing and fillet), proximate composition (moisture, ash, crude fat, and crude protein), heavy metal load (cadmium [Cd], lead [Pb], arsenic [As], and mercury [Hg]), and microbial count (aerobic plate, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus counts). The purpose was to establish the species’ safety and quality for consumption and potential utilization in the processing of higher value fishery products. A completely randomized experiment using two factors, fish size (standard and small sizes) and collection season (dry and wet seasons), was employed. The collected data were also compared against food consumption and processing standards and/or previous reports on more valuable species. The results showed that the species has a comparable yield and mineral load with the more popularfarmed Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). It has high moisture and protein compositions. It is a lean fish that can serve as a cheaper functional raw material for processed fishery products. Moreover, the results showed that the species have no As, Cd, and Pb contamination, although traces of Hg, far below the permissible limits, were detected. The Hg load varies across collection season and fish maturity suggesting its manageability. For the microbial contents, the species’ aerobic plate, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus counts were far below the standard limits, although best post-capture practices are still suggested due to the kind of microbial parameters measured. It was concluded that the Sarotherodon melanotheron infesting Bataan farm ponds can be consumed safely and has the quality of potential raw material for processed fishery products. However, further information is still needed to establish the best post-capture handling on the species. Also, more studies must be done to determine the impact of storage and processing on its stability
UXO Assessment on the Romanian Black Sea Coast
No full textThis paper aims to provide the reader with the results of the Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) survey of the defensive historical naval minefields launched by the Romanian and German Navies on the Romanian Black Sea coast, during the Second World War. This UXO survey was carried out between 2015-2018 by the Romanian Navy’s hydrographic ship “Commander Alexandru Cătuneanu” and Romanian Mine Warfare Data Center, using towed side-scan sonar technology and oceanographic observations. After explaining the materials and methodology, the results are presented and discussed: mosaics of the minefields, side-scan images of UXO contacts, side-scan images of the wrecks that were sunk in the minefields and some visible natural geological features of the seafloor. It was concluded that most of the objects discovered are sinkers, wreck debris or parts of chains, which does not represent a danger to navigation.
Relationship between D90 and D100 with Biochemical and Local Failure in Low-risk Prostate Cancer Treated with Low-rate Brachytherapy (LDR)
No full textLow dose rate brachytherapy (LDR) is an accepted, effective treatment with few local side effects, used as monotherapy in patients with low-risk prostate cancer (PC). The aim of this paper is to analyse 245 patients treated with LDR in the Radiation Oncology Department of the Hospital Gómez Ulla, from 2004 to 2016, evaluating the relationship of dosimetric parameters with biochemical and local recurrence as well as genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicity derived from the technique. The results obtained show a clear relationship between the dose used and biochemical and local failure
Current Evidence and Diverse Perspectives on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review
No full textIntroduction: ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and adolescence. Although the disorder starts to manifest early in childhood, a significant proportion of cases often persists into adulthood. ADHD negatively and significantly impacts social and occupational functioning and academic performance. A number of extant theories and scientific evidence provide insight into the genesis and manifestations of ADHD and the attendant challenges of significant dysfunction that individuals may encounter at home, school, and the workplace. Method: This systematic review was conducted through a literature search for published peer-reviewed articles using standard PRISMA guidelines. The goal of the study was to explore current theories, models, concepts, and risk factors about ADHD in published in peer-reviewed literature,. We made use of use several online databases— including PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Medline in the process of searching for relevant studies. Relevant peer-reviewed publications since the 1980s when the term Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was introduced in DSM-III-R were included. Non-peer-reviewed publications, including dissertations, editorials, commentaries, and materials published in languages other than English were excluded. Results and Discussion: The results of the review indicated that ADHD is characterized by a behavioral reaction that interferes with personal and social functioning. The factors associated with ADHD fall into several major thematic areas, including genetic and hereditary factors; dietary and nutritional factors; parenting and behavioral factors; adverse early life events, and high-risk environmental factors, crystallized by a number of developmental and behavioral theories. The review also identified a number of extant models and theories that attempt to explain the diverse perspectives associated with ADHD. Conclusion: This study has attempted to identify the major risk factors and diverse models and theories associated with ADHD. The thematic risk factors include genetic and hereditary factors; dietary and nutritional factors; parenting and behavioral factors; adverse early life events, and high-risk environmental factors. The most prominent models identified include the biomedical model and the bio-psycho-social models, the latter being a more holistic approach which aims to treat both the patient and the disease. This review would provide an additional evidence base to individuals, families, and educators to make informed choices and decisions in the best interest of the affected children, including personal growth, healthcare, and medical needs, academic performance, and social skills development.
Determination of the Thresholds of the Climatic Classification According to the Discharges in the Upper Senegal River Basin
No full textFloods are the most common type of natural disaster in the world and one of the most damaging. Changes in weather conditions such as precipitation and temperature result in changes in discharge. To better understand the floods and eventually develop a system to predict them, we must analyze in more detail the flow of rivers. The purpose of this article is to analyze the discharges in the upper Senegal River Basin by focusing on determining the limits of the climatic classification according to past discharges. The daily discharges from May 1, 1950 to April 30, 2018 were chosen as the study period. These flow data have been grouped into annual discharges and classified as very wet, moist, medium, dry and very dry each year.Then, the flow data were divided into two seasons or periods each year:high water and low water. The statistical variables used in this study are the average, the standard deviation, the coefficient of variation and the skewness. The results of the climate classification that corresponds to a log-normal distribution indicate a total of 17 years classified as averages (25% of the series), 14 classified as wet (20.6%), 29 classified as dry (42.6%) and 8 classified as very wet (11.8%), very dry classifications being nil.Seasonal analysis showed that the months of the high water period, such as September, had the highest flow, and the period of low water, such as May,had the lowest flow. The results of the flow analysis were then compared with changes in rainfall. The results obtained show similar climatic classifications between rainfall and flow in the basin
Experimental Simulation of Red Sprites in a Laboratory
No full textOver the past three decades, research of high-altitude atmospheric discharges has received a lot of attention. This paper presents the results of experimental modeling of red sprites during a discharge in low-pressure air. To initiate ionization waves in a quartz tube, an electrodeless pulseperiodic discharge fed by microsecond voltage pulses with an amplitude of a few kilovolts and a repetition rate of tens of kHz were formed. In this case ionization waves (streamers) have a length of tens of centimeters. The main plasma parameters were measured at various distances along the tube. The measurements confirm the fact that ionization waves propagate in opposite directions from the zone of the main electrodeless discharge, just as it happens during the formation of red sprites
As-Cast Microstructures of High Entropy Alloys Designed to Be TaC-Strengthened
No full textIn this work two new alloys were obtained by extrapolation from a well known high entropy alloy, the equimolar CoNiFeMnCr one. This was done by the addition of carbon and of tantalum, Ta being one of the strongest MC-former elements. They were produced by conventional casting under inert atmosphere. The obtained microstructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, metallography, electron microscopy, and energy dispersion spectrometry. Their hardness was also measured by hardness indentation. In parallel, the original CoNiFeMnCr alloy was also synthesized and characterized for comparison. The reference HEA alloy is single-phased with an austenitic structure, while the two {Ta, C}-added alloys are double-phased, with an austenitic matrix and interdendritic script-like TaC carbides. The matrixes of these HEA/TaC alloy are equivalent toan equimolar CoNiFeMnCr alloy to which 2 wt.% Ta is present in solid solution. The presence of the TaC carbides caused a significant increase in hardness which suggests that the HEA/TaC alloys may be mechanically stronger than the HEA reference alloy at high temperature
Anti-bacterial Properties of Transition Metal Complexes of Copper Metal Ion: A Mini Review
No full textBacterial infections are a major cause for impulsive deaths in human beings.Bacterial infections of the respiratory, gastrointestinal and central nervoussystem account for the majority of cases of sudden casualties. Readily availabledrugs are getting ineffective by each passing day as the mutation is veryfast in these pathogenic microbes resulting in drug resistance. The growingresistance of bacteria necessitates the development of new and effectivecompounds of desired characteristics that could bar the rapid development ofbacterial cell inside of the host body. Along with cellular resistance for clinicalantibiotics, co-bacterial infections during microbial attacks (viz. virus, fungus,protozoans etc.) also demand for some novel antibacterial drugs having highefficacy and minimal side effects on human body. These antibiotics shouldalso be compatible with remedies ongoing for core microbial infections. So,in demand of search for effective antibacterial moieties, the scope of transitionmetal complexes as drug gives a good signal against the pathogenic bacteriaby inhibiting their growth. The action of metal complexes on bacterial cellmay be due to impremiablity, enzymatic interruptions, ribosomal interactions,disturbance in the path of protein synthesis, denaturing of genetic materialsetc. inside the cell. Metals in complexes may interrupt the lipophilisity throughthe bacterial cell wall. Inclusion of metal ions in organic moieties behavingas ligand delocalize π-electrons upon the entire chelate ring and this chelationresults in overlapping of ligand orbital and partial sharing of (+)ve chargeof metal ion with donor atoms. These structural modifications in metal andorganic lone pair donor species are the supposed reasons for their enhancedantimicrobial activities against pathogenic microbes. The present reviewfocuses on the impact of recently synthesized, well characterized mono andbinuclear transition metal complexes of Cu ions that have the potential to be the drug of the decade in medicinal inorganic chemistry for treating the bacterial diseases
Periodic Solution for a Complex-valued Network Model with Discrete Delay
No full textFor a tridiagonal two-layer real six-neuron model, the Hopf bifurcation was investigated by studying the eigenvalue equations of the related linear system in the literature. In the present paper, we extend this two-layer real six-neuron network model into a complex-valued delayed network model. Based on the mathematical analysis method, some sufficient conditions to guarantee the existence of periodic oscillatory solutions are established under the assumption that the activation function can be separated into its real and imaginary parts. Our sufficient conditions obtained by the mathematical analysis method in this paper are simpler than those obtained by the Hopf bifurcation method. Computer simulation is provided to illustrate the correctness of the theoretical results