606 research outputs found
Structural health monitoring by probability density function of autoregressive-based damage features and fast distance correlation method
No full textIn this article, the autoregressive time series analysis is used to extract reliable features from vibration measurements of civil structures for damage diagnosis. To guarantee the adequacy and applicability of the time series model, Leybourne–McCabe hypothesis test is used. Subsequently, the probability density functions of the autoregressive model parameters and residuals are obtained with the aid of a kernel density estimator. The probability density function sets are considered as damage-sensitive features of the structure and fast distance correlation method is used to make decision for detecting damages in the structure. Experimental data of a well-known three-story laboratory frame and a large-scale bridge benchmark structure are used to verify the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. Results indicate the capability of the method to identify the location and severity of damages, even under the simulated operational and environmental variability
A comparison of hydroponic and soil-based screening methods to identify salt tolerance in the field in barley
No full textSuccess in breeding crops for yield and other quantitative traits depends on the use of methods to evaluate genotypes accurately under field conditions. Although many screening criteria have been suggested to distinguish between genotypes for their salt tolerance under controlled environmental conditions, there is a need to test these criteria in the field. In this study, the salt tolerance, ion concentrations, and accumulation of compatible solutes of genotypes of barley with a range of putative salt tolerance were investigated using three growing conditions (hydroponics, soil in pots, and natural saline field). Initially, 60 genotypes of barley were screened for their salt tolerance and uptake of Na+, Cl–, and K+ at 150 mM NaCl and, based on this, a subset of 15 genotypes was selected for testing in pots and in the field. Expression of salt tolerance in saline solution culture was not a reliable indicator of the differences in salt tolerance between barley plants that were evident in saline soil-based comparisons. Significant correlations were observed in the rankings of genotypes on the basis of their grain yield production at a moderately saline field site and their relative shoot growth in pots at ECe 7.2 [Spearman’s rank correlation (rs)=0.79] and ECe 15.3 (rs=0.82) and the crucial parameter of leaf Na+ (rs=0.72) and Cl– (rs=0.82) concentrations at ECe 7.2 dS m−1. This work has established screening procedures that correlated well with grain yield at sites with moderate levels of soil salinity. This study also showed that both salt exclusion and osmotic tolerance are involved in salt tolerance and that the relative importance of these traits may differ with the severity of the salt stress. In soil, ion exclusion tended to be more important at low to moderate levels of stress but osmotic stress became more important at higher stress levels. Salt exclusion coupled with a synthesis of organic solutes were shown to be important components of salt tolerance in the tolerant genotypes and further field tests of these plants under stress conditions will help to verify their potential utility in crop-improvement programmes.Ehsan Tavakkoli, Foad Fatehi, Pichu Rengasamy and Glenn K. McDonal
Antioxidant therapy: Current status and future prospects
No full textReactive oxygen species (ROS) are widely believed to cause or aggravate several human pathologies such as neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, stroke and many other ailments. Antioxidants are assumed to counteract the harmful effects of ROS and therefore prevent or treat oxidative stress-related diseases. In this report, recent human studies exploring the efficiency of antioxidants in prevention and treatment of various diseases are reviewed. Few antioxidants including edaravone (for ischemic stroke in Japan), N-acetylcysteine (for acetaminophen toxicity), alfa-lipoic acid (for diabetic neuropathy) and some flavonoids (polyphenolic compounds present in dietary plants), such as micronized purified flavonoid fraction (diosmin and hesperidin) and oxerutins (for chronic venous insufficiency) as well as baicalein and catechins (for osteoarthritis) have found accepted clinical use. However, despite much enthusiasm in the 1980s and 1990s, many well-known agents such as antioxidant vitamins and also more recently developed compounds such as nitrones have not successfully passed the scrutiny of clinical trials for prevention and treatment of various diseases. This has given rise to a pessimistic view of antioxidant therapy, however, the evidence from human epidemiological studies about the beneficial effects of dietary antioxidants and preclinical in vitro and animal data are compelling. We have probably wasted too much time on agents like antioxidant vitamins instead of focusing on more disease specific, target-directed, highly bioavailable antioxidants. We here discuss possible reasons for the lack of success in some clinical trials and seek to provide some suggestions to be considered if antioxidant therapy is to succeed as an effective therapeutic strategy
A hybrid of clustering and meta-heuristic algorithms to solve a p-mobile hub location–allocation problem with the depreciation cost of hub facilities
No full textHubs act as intermediate points for the transfer of materials in the transportation system. In this study, a novel p-mobile hub location–allocation problem is developed. Hub facilities can be transferred to other hubs for the next period. Implementation of mobile hubs can reduce the costs of opening and closing the hubs, particularly in an environment with rapidly changing demands. On the other hand, the movement of facilities reduces lifespan and adds relevant costs. The depreciation cost and lifespan of hub facilities must be considered and the number of movements of the hub's facilities must be assumed to be limited. Three objective functions are considered to minimize costs, noise pollutions, and the harassment caused by the establishment of a hub for people, a new objective that locates hubs in less populated areas. A multi-objective mixed-integer non-linear programming (MINLP) model is developed. To solve the proposed model, four meta-heuristic algorithms, namely multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO), a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), a hybrid of k-medoids as a famous clustering algorithm and NSGA-II (KNSGA-II), and a hybrid of K-medoids and MOPSO (KMOPSO) are implemented. The results indicate that KNSGA-II is superior to other algorithms. Also, a case study in Iran is implemented and the related results are analyzed
Novel indole-based melatonin analogues: evaluation of antioxidant activity and protective effect against amyloid β-induced damage
No full textOxidative stress has been recognized as a contributing factor in ageing and various diseases including cancer and neuropathological disorders. Indole derivatives such as the neurohormone melatonin (MLT) constitute an important class of therapeutic agent in medicinal chemistry. MLT can scavenge different reactive oxygen species and can also stimulate the synthesis of antioxidant enzymes. As a part of our ongoing studies, a series of new indole-based hydrazide/hydrazone derivatives were synthesized as MLT analogues. Their antioxidant activity was investigated in human erythrocytes by evaluating their reducing effect against oxidation of a redox-sensitive fluorescent probe. Possible inherent cytotoxicity of the compounds was investigated in CHO-K1 cells by lactate dehydrogenase leakage test. Protection of neuronal PC12 cells against amyloid β-induced damage was examined by MTT assay and their ability in reduction of ROS generation induced by amyloid β was tested. MLT analogues having an o-halogenated aromatic moiety exhibited effective antioxidant properties without having any membrane-damaging effect. Moreover, derivatives having o-halogenated and dihalogenated aromatic side chain significantly protected neuronal cells at concentrations of 10 and 100 μM. In conclusion, MLT derivatives represent promising scaffolds for discovery of effective antioxidant and neuroprotective agents
Ethical Aspect of Infertility Treatment through Surrogacy based on Utilitarian Principle: Surrogacy & utilitarianism
No full textBackground and Aim: One of the questions that may be raised about infertility treatment through surrogacy is the ethicality of this approach. There are many methods for the ethical clarification of the medical issues. If we accept the utilitarian philosophers’ views stating that an ethical measure is beneficial to the community and individuals, we may come up with the question whether the actions of the infertile couples or surrogate mother are considered ethical since these actions are beneficial for both individuals and community. Regarding this, the present study aimed to evaluate the infertile treatment through surrogacy based on the ethical theories of utilitarianism.
Materials and Methods: This analytical-descriptive research gathered relevant data in a literature search. After a description of the fundamentals and definitions, ethical texts were subsequently analyzed and one of the viewpoints regarding of Infertility Treatment through Surrogacy Based on Utilitarian Principle was selected.
Ethical Considerations: Ethical principles were considered in searching and citing the literature.
Findings: According to the rule utilitarianism, the ethicality of an action is measured based on its collective benefit and its placement in an ethical principle framework. Therefore, we cannot treat surrogacy like an accepted ethical principle, such as sacrifice, and provide a general rule for the determination of the effect of different social, cultural, economic, and political factors on the people involved in this act. However, the use of this method in different situations and for various people could be very beneficial and be considered ethical.
Conclusion: Although the comprehensive investigation of the harmful use of surrogacy has not been accomplished, the various problems and factors affecting the evaluation of the overall profit and loss of this act grab the possibility of determining its morality as a valid rule in the rule-based ethics. However, such a provision is justified in the utilitarian and pragmatic ethical systems.
*Corresponding Author: Saeid Nazari Tavakkoli; Email: [email protected]; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6398-521X
Please cite this article as: Nazari Tavakkoli A, Karachian Sani F. Ethical Aspect of Infertility Treatment through Surrogacy based on Utilitarian Principle. Bioeth Health Law J. 2021; 1:1-8: (e17). http://doi.org/10.22037/bhl.v1i1.3817
Behaviour of 9-Ethyl-9H-carbazole Hydrazone Derivatives Against Oxidant Systems: Protective Effect on Amyloid β-Induced Damage
No full textAntioxidants are helpful in prevention of several diseases related with oxidative stress including neurodegenerative disorders. In recent studies, carbazoles were given proof of promising antioxidant activities. In this article, 9-ethyl-9H-carbazole hydrazone derivatives were synthesized, characterized and their in vitro antioxidant activity and possible cytotoxic effects were investigated. Furthermore, protective effect of the synthesized derivatives against amyloid β-induced damage in PC12 neuronal cells was examined by using MTT assay. The newly synthesized carbazoles were found to have radical scavenging activity with a varying potency both in cell-free and cell-based in vitro assays. Several compounds, especially such as 3d and 3e, 3m and 3n bearing two halogen groups on the phenyl ring, were found to have cytotoxic activity. However, their cytotoxic activities were not higher than that of melatonin. Several compounds also significantly protected neuronal PC12 cells against amyloid β-induced damage, which can be defined as neuroprotective agents. (4-(2-((9-Ethyl-9H-carbazol-3-yl)methylene)hydrazinyl)benzonitrile) 3r was found as the most active compound with both radical scavenging activity and neuroprotective effects against amyloid β-induced damage. These findings might provide an alternative strategy for developing novel carbazole derivatives for management of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Extending the solid step fixed-charge transportation problem to consider two-stage networks and multi-item shipments
No full textThis paper develops a new mathematical model for a capacitated solid step fixed-charge transportation problem. The problem is formulated as a two-stage transportation network and considers the option of shipping multiple items from the plants to the distribution centers (DC) and afterwards from DCs to customers. In order to tackle such an NP-hard problem, we propose two meta-heuristic algorithms; namely, Simulated Annealing (SA) and Imperialist Competitive Algorithm (ICA). Contrary to the previous studies, new neighborhood strategies maintaining the feasibility of the problem are developed. Additionally, the Taguchi method is used to tune the parameters of the algorithms. In order to validate and evaluate the performances of the model and algorithms, the results of the proposed SA and ICA are compared. The computational results show that the proposed algorithms provide relatively good solutions in a reasonable amount of time. Furthermore, the related comparison reveals that the ICA generates superior solutions compared to the ones obtained by the SA algorithm
Carthamus, Salvia and Stachys species protect neuronal cells against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis.
No full textAbstract Context: Finding effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases is of utmost importance for the aging population. Plants growing in Iran are rich sources of antioxidants and active phytochemicals.The protective capacity of plants, with a special focus on those with reported antioxidant or neuroprotective potential or nervous system-related applications in folk medicine, was tested against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis.Aerial parts of 20 plants including Carthamus, Salvia, and Stachys species were extracted with 80\% methanol and dichloromethane and preincubated with neuronal PC12 cells for 3 h. Oxidative stress and apoptosis were induced by hydrogen peroxide (75 μM, 1 h exposure). Cell viability and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured by MTT and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein-diacetate (DCFH-DA) assays, respectively, while apoptosis was determined by annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide staining by a flow cytometer.Eighty percent methanol extracts of Carthamus oxyacantha Bieb. (Asteraceae), Salvia santolinifolia Boiss. (Lamiaceae), and Salvia sclarea L. (Lamiaceae) at the concentration of 100 μg/ml showed significant neuroprotection in the MTT assay by 38.7, 34.7, and 39.5\%, respectively, and inhibited intracellular ROS by 48.6, 61.9, and 61.4\%, respectively. The first two extracts also significantly inhibited apoptosis. Dichloromethane extracts of C. oxyacantha and Stachys pilifera Benth. (Lamiaceae) at the concentration of 25 μg/ml showed neuroprotection by 27.5 and 26.5\%, respectively, and inhibited ROS by 44.5 and 39.4\%, respectively.The above-mentioned plants seem to have important biological activities and their further study may lead to the discovery of new natural therapeutics useful against disorders such as Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases
What Do Deep Statistical Analysis on Gaming Motivation and Game Characteristics Clusters Reveal about Targeting Demographics when Designing Gamified Contents?
No full textThis paper presents the comprehensive results of the study of a cohort of college graduate and undergraduate students who participated in playing a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) as a gameplay rich with social interaction as well as intellectual and aesthetic features. We present the full results of the study in the form of inferential statistics and a review of our descriptive statistics previously reported in [46]. Separate one-way independent-measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA)'s were used to analyze the data from several instruments to determine if there were statistically significant differences first by gender, then by age group, and then by degree. Moreover, a one-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine if there was a statistically significant difference between the clusters in the 5 gaming clusters on the Game Characteristic Survey. Follow-up paired samples t-tests were used to see if there was a statistically significant difference between each of the 10 possible combinations of paired clusters. Our results support the hypotheses and outline the features that may need to be taken into account in support of tailoring gamified educational content targeting a certain demographic. Sections 1, 2, and 3 below from our pervious study [46] are included because this is the second part of the two-part study. [46] Tavakkoli, A., Loffredo, D., Ward, M., Sr. (2014). "Insights from Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games to Enhance Gamification in Education", Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics, and Informatics, 12(4), 66-78
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