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Variation in Genuine Handwriting While Writing on an Unusual Surface
No full textForensic handwriting analysis is a specialized field within forensic science that aims to identify and compare handwriting samples for investigative purposes. This scientific note provides an overview of the fundamental principles, methodologies, and techniques involved in the examination of handwriting evidence. The note explores the importance of handwriting analysis in criminal investigations, discusses the underlying scientific principles, and highlights the challenges faced by forensic experts in this field. Additionally, it explores the advancements in technology that have aided the analysis of handwriting and conclude with the potential future directions of research in forensic handwriting analysis. This study focuses on the natural variation that occurs due to the unusual surfaces of tables and bricks, the variation occurs mostly in the class characteristics of the person like slant, speed, line quality, alignment, etc. Samples are collected on two different surfaces; a table and a wall (smooth and rough surfaces). And on the basis of these two surfaces, the variations in the characteristics of the individual are observed. The significance of the research is to find out the range of natural variation that occurs in the individual handwriting whenever there is a change in the writing surface
Evaluation of Thyroid and Lipid Profile of Hiv Patients Seen in a Faith-Based Health Facility in Anambra State, Nigeria
No full textBackground: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and thyroid function have been described. Prevalence pattern and atherogenic status significantly differ from HIV-negative control in several studies. Unfortunately, few studies have determined the prevalence of thyroid function and lipids among Nigerians living with HIV. Objective: This study is to evaluate thyroid hormones and lipid profiles in HIV-positive subjects attending a faith-based health facility in Anambra State Nigeria.Materials and methods: The serum concentration of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), free Triiodothyronine (fT3), triiodothyronine (T3), free Thyroxine (fT4), Thyroxine (T4), Total Cholesterol [TC], Triglyceride [TG], High-Density Lipoprotein [HDL], Low-Density Lipoprotein [LDL] and Very Low-Density Lipoprotein [VLDL] was determined in 95 HIV positive subjects which include 48 patients who were on HAART- group 1 and 47 not on HAART- group 2; and compared to 30 HIV negative controls – group 3. Results: The level of TSH and fT3 was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in group 1 participants than in group 2 and the group 3 participants. The level of T4 was significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 and group 3 participants. The level of T3 was significantly lower in Control participants in comparison to both HAART and non-HAART participants. The prevalence of fT4 dysfunction across the groups was significantly different from each other. The total mean of Cholesterol (163.5 ± 22.7), Triglyceride (163.5 ± 22.7), and Very Low-Density Lipoprotein (14.2 ± 2.4) of the HIV-positive participants were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than that of the HIV negative participants.Conclusion: The results obtained from this study indicate that serum levels of thyroid hormones may be used as baseline periodic markers during antiretroviral therapy and many people living with HIV may benefit from supplementation if appropriate
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Acute Aluminum Phosphide (AlP) Poisoning
No full textIntroduction: Aluminum Phosphide (AlP) poisoning is a life-threatening condition that commonly occurs in developing countries, often resulting in cardiac, respiratory, and metabolic complications, leading to multi-organ failure and mortality. Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) has been proposed as a potential therapy for severe AlP poisoning cases refractory to conventional management, though its use remains controversial. Methodology: for this literature review, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of existing literature concerning the utilization of ECMO in patients with severe AlP poisoning. We meticulously examined available publications to explore the relationship between ECMO initiation and patient outcomes. Discussion: The review reveals that early ECMO initiation within 6 hours of presentation is associated with better outcomes and higher survival rates in severe AlP poisoning cases. However, uncertainties persist regarding the optimal timing and duration of ECMO support, and potential complications, including bleeding, acute renal injury, and ventilator-associated pneumonia, need careful consideration. Conclusion: Despite promising results in certain cases, the risks and benefits of ECMO in AlP poisoning require meticulous evaluation. Ethical considerations, encompassing resource allocation and implications for other patients, necessitate appropriate patient selection criteria
Conservation Threats to Ethnomedicinal plants in Kore District, South Eastern, Ethiopia
No full textThe study aimed to investigate the threats to the biodiversity of ethnomedicinal plants and to find consensus information on conservation and management practices of ethnomedicinal plants to contribute sustainable utilization of ethnomedicinal plants in Kore district, Southeastern Ethiopia. The result of the survey revealed that sixty-one medicinal plants were reported by the informants from the study area. These plants are distributed in 59 genera and 37 families. Family Lamiaceae and Asteraceae were represented by 5 (8.2%) species for each family and this is the highest number of species and followed by 4 (6.5%) species of Solanaceae and Fabaceae for each family. Preference ranking analysis shows that Eucalyptus globulus scored 47, indicating that it is the most used plant for firewood in the community, followed by Olea europaea (45) and the least used plant for firewood is Juniperus procera scored 36. Paired comparison analysis showed that Olea Europeae ranked first followed by Podocarpus falcatus for the use of charcoal production in the study area. The major purposes of plant species in the study area were construction, Charcoal, Firewood, Furniture, and Fences as well as for medicinal uses. Based on direct matrix ranking analysis Juniperus procera, Eucalyptus globulus, Podocarpus falactus, Olea europaea, Hagenia abyssinica, Croton macrostachyus, and Cordia africana were the most preferred medicinal plants by local people in the study area. The analysis's findings indicated that anthropogenic influences are endangering medicinal plants. In this study area, only about 13% of medicinal plants are collected from home gardens. This shows that the effort made by the community to conserve medicinal plants is not satisfactory. Therefore, encouraging NGOs and Government offices to participate in the conservation of medicinal plants to encourage the local people to plant indigenous trees for domestic use is necessary
Noninvasive Cuffless Blood Pressure Monitoring. How Mechanism-Driven and Data-Driven Models Can Help in Clinical Practice
No full textContinuous noninvasive cuffless blood pressure (BP) monitoring is essential for early detection and treatment of hypertension. In this paper, we provide an overview of the recent advancements in cuffless BP sensors. These include contact wearable sensors such as electrocardiography (ECG), photoplethysmography (PPG), contact non-wearable sensors such as ballistocardiography (BCG), and contactless sensors such as video plethysmography (VPG). These sensors employ different measuring mechanisms such as pulse arrival time (PAT), pulse transit time (PTT), and pulse wave analysis (PWA) to estimate BP. However, challenges exist in the effective use and interpretation of signal features to obtain clinically reliable BP measurements. The correlations between signal features and BP are obtained by mechanism-driven models which use physiological principles to identify mathematical correlations, and data-driven models which use machine learning algorithms to analyze observational data to identify multidimensional correlations. On the one hand, applying mechanism-driven models to non-linear scenarios and incomplete or noisy data is challenging On the other hand, data-driven models require a large amount of data in order to prevent physically inconsistent predictions, resulting in poor generalization. From this perspective, this paper proposes to combine the strengths of mechanism-driven and data-driven approaches to obtain a more comprehensive approach, the physiology-informed machine-learning approach, with the goal of enhancing the accuracy, interpretability, and scalability of continuous cuffless BP monitoring. This holds promise for personalized clinical applications and the advancement of hypertension management
Artificial awareness, as an innovative learning method and its application in science and technology
No full textThe creation of the information society is associated with the creation of new intellectual, cultural, spiritual and material values, as well as with new principles and methods of social and interpersonal communication. Achieving this goal is impossible without changes in teaching methodology, teaching technologies and teacher’s work.The article is an overview and focuses on the following issues. In the information society, the era of biocomputers and quantum computers is coming, which will use not only artificial intelligence, but also artificial consciousness for simulation. Artificial awareness builds the foundations for the development of robots that will be widely used in various fields of industry and science. - Artificial awareness combined with artificial intelligence can be an innovative method in education and communication; - Quantum computers and biocomputers will find wide application in human education and social life
Case report: contrast imaging in the setting of venous thrombosis
No full textDisruption to contrast agent supply chains for radiology investigations has become an additional consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Various recommendations, including dose reductions and choices of alternative agents, have been made to help account for this limited availability. This case demonstrated how two separate CT venograms with different contrast agents, undertaken on the same day for the same patient, yielded different results; venous thromboses were more prominent in the subsequent scan. Although there was some evidence of venous sinus thrombosis on the first scan, repeat imaging was required to further characterize the lesions identified. The case exemplifies the notion that diagnostic imaging should always be guided by a detailed history and examination. It also raises the discussion point of whether more strict or uniform protocols should be developed to facilitate contrast administration for radiology investigations. It is important that appropriate doses are always administered to maximize diagnostic yield
Clinical and immunological characteristics of depressive patients with a clinical high risk of schizophrenia
No full textObjective: To study clinical and immunological characteristics of depressive patients with high clinical risk of schizophrenia.Materials and methods: We examined 30 depressive patients with attenuated positive symptoms (APS), which indicates a clinically high risk of schizophrenia, 20 depressive patients without APS and 27 healthy volunteers with no mental disorders. APS identified according to the presence of three or more scores on at least one of the following items on the Scale of Prodromal Symptoms (SOPS) positive symptoms subscale: P1 (Unusual thought content/Delusional ideas), P2 (Suspiciousness/Persecutory ideas) and P4 (Perceptual abnormalities/Hallucinations). The psychometric assessment was carried out on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), SOPS, and the Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). The activity of leukocyte elastase (LE) and α1-proteinase inhibitor (α1-PI), the autoantibodies to neoantigens S100B and myelin basic protein, and the ratio of LE and α1-PI activity or Leukocyte Inhibitory Index (LII) were determined. Results: The activity of inflammatory markers LE and α1-PI was increased in patients in both clinical groups compared with controls. In the total group of patients, the associations between LII and the score on the positive subscale SOPS, and between LII and the score on the negative subscale SOPS and SANS scale with the most pronounced association with the SANS subscales «Affective Flattening or Blunting» and «Alogia» were established. Conclusion: The identified correlations between immune response features and positive and negative symptoms in depressive patients may have prognostic value for establishing a high risk of schizophrenia
The effects of hemp seed consumption on depression, anxiety and cognitive improvement based on machine learning
No full textBackground: Hemp seed (Cannabis sativa L.) is an annual herbaceous plant of the Cannabis genus that contains a large amount of protein, iron, and fatty acids, including linoleic, α-linolenic, and γ-linolenic acid. These compounds are involved in a number of biological activities, including immunity enhancement, hyperlipidemia, and inflammation reduction. Here, we investigated the antioxidant effects of hemp seed on human cognitive function.Methods: The test was administered to 34 healthy volunteers aged ≥ 20 years. Participants were selected according to age and sex and were administered 10 g of hemp seed three times daily (30 g/day) for 45 days. The outcome measurements were recorded using a survey, computerized neurocognitive tests, and artificial intelligence.Results: Survey analysis determined that both the Beck Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory measurements decreased significantly after hemp seed consumption when compared to measurements taken before consumption (p < 0.05). Additionally, significant results were observed in the Stroop and Tower of London tasks (p < 0.05). The prediction performance for the antidepressant effect was 0.83 for the area under the curve in the random forest algorithm, which was superior to that of other machine learning methods. Conclusion: These results suggest that hemp seeds have a beneficial effect on cognitive impairment
Qualitative Identification of Secondary Metabolites and Determination of the Toxicity of Extracts Obtained from the Flower of Kalanchoe Pinnata
No full textKalanchoe pinnata, also known as air leaf or life leaf, is a plant used in traditional medicine in different world regions. In Mexico, it is included in the Atlas de la Medicina Tradicional Mexicana with a wide variety of applications, such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antihistamine, among others. However, neither a secondary metabolite profile of the flower has been reported nor information on its possible toxicity. The latter is the purpose of this work. A phytochemical profile of extracts with solvents of different polarity (aqueous, methanol, ethanol, and ether) was carried out. In this profile, the structural compounds could be qualitatively determined by chemical reactions, and some changes in coloring or precipitation were observed. The acute toxicity test of the extracts was performed with an aquatic organism, Artemia sp, and a terrestrial organism Eisenia foetida, as well as the evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of the extracts in the organism of Eisenia foetida. The ABTS radical method and TROLOX were applied as synthetic antioxidants for the evaluation of the inhibition percentage. Most important secondary metabolites were qualitatively identified in the extracts of K. pinnata flowers. Mainly in the alcoholic extracts (methanol and ethanol) tannins, alkaloids, and flavonols were found. As mentioned above, they are reported to have toxicological effects. The toxicity and antioxidant activity tests confirm the preliminary results obtained in the identification of secondary metabolites. It is therefore concluded that the flower of Kalanchoe pinnata contains secondary metabolites that may be of great therapeutic interest