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Field experiments were conducted at two locations, Grdarasha Research Field Station, College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, Salahaddin University – Erbil and Aquban special farm using randomized complete block design (RCBD) during two seasons 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 to study the effect of different plant densities and compost fertilizer of solid waste management and sorting of Akre district-Duhok province and NPK (20:20:20) fertilizer on growth and edible portion characteristics of Gundelia rosea. The results indicated that the plants of the two years age in the both locations produce the highest value of length, dimeter, fresh and dry weight of edible portion with space increasing between plants and rows. While, total fresh and dry weight increased with decreasing the distance between plants and rows. Compost and compost + NPK fertilizer significantly increasing all edible portion parameters in both locations. The interaction between density and fertilizer resulted that D5 and compost and compost +NPK treatment produce the maximum rate of length, dimeter, fresh and dry weight of edible portion, while D1 and compost and compost + NPK record the highest total fresh and dry weight production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A self-switching device (SSD) is a new device concept -which can be simply realized by forming insulating trenches into a semiconductor layer, using a single nanolithography process. SSDs can be utilized as rectifiers since the device's current-voltage (I-V) characteristic is comparable to that of a conventional diode. The simulation of two InGaAsbased SSDs with parallel connection using ATLAS device simulator for similar and different lengths of both SSDs (L1 and L2) is presented in this paper. The simulation results show that the InGaAs-based SSDs are able to operate up to sub-terahertz (THz) frequencies. As expected, lowering either L1 or L2 will not only increase the device's cut-off frequency, fc, but also degrading the device's rectification performance (i.e., reducing the value of curvature coefficient, γ). The highest cut-off frequency achieved in this work was 0.27 THz with γ ~18 V-1 when L1 = 0.8 µm and L2 = 0.4 µm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safety culture is broadly termed the attitude of employees regarding safety issues within an organization. It also refers to the fundamental beliefs and convictions of the employees of any organisation. Consequently, it is regarded as one of the drivers of safety performance in organisations. However, there are numerous definitions of safety culture, with no clear consensus on the definitions, influencing factors, and measurement instruments for the concept. This indicates that there is an urgent need to review the various definitions of safety culture, its various dimensions, influencing factors and instruments typically employed to measure the concept. Therefore, this paper presents a concise review of the proposed definitions, organizational factors, critical dimensions, and instruments for measuring the safety culture of organisations. Safety culture is a complex concept to define by even experts, despite its importance to the safety of industrial operations, systems and the public. Hence, researchers have proposed numerous dimensions (typically between 3 and 10) to examine safety culture. The paper also revealed that although there are numerous dimensions, the most consistently measured are management commitment and employee involvement. The proposed methods or tools used to measure safety culture are either quantitative or qualitative, which include semi-structured interviews, Q-sorts, surveys, questionnaires, and peer observations. In general, the paper observed that safety culture is a reflection of employee involvement and management's commitment to safety. Lastly, the review showed that safety culture is a multi-dimensional but complex concept that involves numerous dimensions, factors, and instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, LaFeO3 photocatalyst had been synthesized via a gel combustion method using glucose and citric acid as dual chelating agents. Furthermore, the effect of different calcination temperatures (400 °C, 500 °C and 600 °C) on the physicochemical properties of the synthesized LaFeO3 were also investigated. From the study, LaFeO3 nanoparticles calcined at 400 °C were selected as the most promising photocatalyst due to their amorphous nature which benefits from the presence of a surface defect. In addition, the amorphous LaFeO3 also recorded the highest surface area with a value of 70.02 m2/g which contributed to the enhancement of photocatalytic activity for the degradation of humic acid (HA). Besides that, effect of operational parameters such as photocatalyst loading (0.6–1.20 g/L), initial concentration of HA (10–40 mg/L) and aeration (presence of oxygen) for HA degradation under visible light irradiation was studied using the amorphous LaFeO3. Overall, the optimal values for degradation of HA were observed at a catalyst loading of 1.0 g/L and initial concentration of 10 mg/L. In a nutshell, the perovskite-based photocatalyst was successfully synthesized where the amorphous LaFeO3 outperformed the crystalline LaFeO3 as regards higher reaction rate constant 0.0305 min−1 (amorphous; 400 °C) compared to 0.0250 min−1 (crystalline; 500 °C) and 0.01329 min−1(crystalline; 600 °C), respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is the most important viral cause of severe acute respiratory tract infections in children worldwide. The disease burden of HRSV in low-income countries is poorly studied, but available data indicates that the virus is responsible for a high proportion of childhood acute respiratory tract infections. The aim of the current study was to elucidate the circulating genotypes of RSV strains in hospitalized children less than 5 years in Pakistan. A total of 1,121 children admitted with respiratory illness such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia were recruited in this study. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected and real- time-PCR was performed. To genetically characterize the RSV, targeting Matrix gene of RSV from real- time PCR positive samples was amplified using nested rt-PCR and sequenced. The sequences were subsequently aligned with RSV genotype A and B reference sequences and phylogenetic relationship of RSV Matrix gene and its epidemic dynamics was analyzed through a Maximum Likelihood tree. Global pattern of RSV sequenced by utilizing publicly available data from 12 countries and analyzed through Neighbor Joining tree. Out of the 1,121 samples, 226 (20%) were found positive for RSV using real- time PCR while M gene was amplified only from 46/226 (20%) samples. All the samples clustered with genotype B reference sequences indicating genotype B to be the prevalent strain in the infected children. Majority of the sequence formed a monophyletic cluster, indicating that most of the infection was carried out by a 'founder virus' sharing similar genetic characteristics. The study data shows the high prevalence of RSV genotype B in children in Pakistan. Genetic analysis indicated that the RSV infection is carried out by phylogenetically similar genotype B strains evolving from a common founder virus (ancestor). This information can further be explored to understand the epidemic dynamics of RSV in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravity and magnetic data were used to study the deep crustal structures in Karbala and surrounding areas in central Iraq. The space window method was used to separate the residual from regional anomalies of gravity and magnetic data, the spaces of window are equal to 48,36 and 24 km. The Total Horizontal Derivative (THD) techniques and local wavenumber of gravity and magnetic are used to identify the faults and their trends with the basement rocks. The N45W, N45E, N-S and rarely E-W trends of faults are detected in the basement rock. It is believed that some of these faults extending from the basement to the uppermost layer of the sedimentary rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out during 2014 and 2015 seasons for examining the effect of different concentrations (50,100 and 200 ppm) and frequencies of application (once, twice or thrice) of salicylic acid on fruit splitting%, yield and fruit quality of Manfalouty pomegranate trees grown under Minia region conditions. Treating Manfalouty pomegranate trees with salicylic acid once, twice or thrice at 50 to 200 ppm was very effective in stimulating all growth aspects, leaf pigments, N, P, K, Mg, Ca, Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu, initial fruit setting% and fruit retention%, gross and marketable yields, physical and chemical characteristics of the fruits relative to the control treatment. The promotion was materially associated with increasing concentrations from 50 to 200 ppm and frequencies of application from once to thrice. Fruit shape, fruit pomace% and reducing sugars were unaffected with salicylic acid treatments. Fruit splitting % was greatly declined with salicylic acid treatments. Carrying out two sprays of salicylic acid at 100 ppm at growth start and again just after fruit setting was responsible for controlling fruit splitting % and improving yield and fruit quality of Manfalouty pomegranate trees grown under Minia region conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main focus of this review article is the introduction of relevant parameters in spray coating processes to provide better understanding on controlling the morphology of spray coated thin films for producing high performance polymer solar cells (PSC). Three main parameters have been identified as major influences on the spray coating processes. These are nozzle to substrate distance, solvent and mixed solvents effects, and substrate temperature and annealing treatment. Such spray coating techniques show great potential for large scale production, since these methods have no limitation in substrate size and low utilization of polymers which is promising to substitute the conventional spin coating methods. Currently available printing and coating methods are also briefly discussed in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has investigated the effects of montmorillonite (MMT) as filler and post treatment in optical properties of bulk heterojunction P3HT:PCBM thin films. Annealing temperatures varied from 130 to 150 °C while annealing time was kept constant for 10 min. The absorption data has shown an increment in peak absorption at around 602 nm, suggesting that the addition of MMT improved the degree of crystallinity of P3HT. The addition of MMT exhibited absorption in the infrared region, suggesting that MMT improved the optical properties of the thin films. The post treatment effects have shown interesting results, with 130 °C demonstrating the highest degree of PL quenching with acceptable light absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) on improvement of physical and electrical properties of vanadyl phthalocyanine derivative. The correlation between the physical characteristics of the active layers, comprising vanadyl 2,9,16, 23-tetraphenoxy-29H,31H-phthalocyanine (VOPcPhO) and PCBM, and the electrical properties of metal/organic/metal devices have been studied. The use of soluble vanadyl phthalocyanine derivative makes it very attractive for a variety of applications due to its tunable properties and high solubility. Design/methodology/approach - The sandwich type structures Al/VOPcPhO/Al and Al/VOPcPhO:PCBM/Al were fabricated by spin casting the active organic layers between the top and bottom (aluminum) electrodes. The stand-alone (VOPcPhO) and composite (VOPcPhO:PCBM) thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, UV/Vis and Raman spectroscopy. The electronic properties of the metal/organic/metal devices were studied using current-voltage (I-V) characteristics in dark at room temperature. Findings - The values of barrier height for Al/VOPcPhO/Al and Al/VOPcPhO:PCBM/Al devices were obtained from the forward bias I-V curves and were found to be 0.7 eV and 0.62 eV, respectively. The present study indicates that the device employing VOPcPhO:PCBM composite film as the active layer, with better structural and morphological characteristics, results in reduced barrier height at the metal-organic film interface as compared to the one fabricated with the stand-alone film. Research limitations/implications - It is shown that doping VOPcPhO with PCBM improves the crystallinity, morphology and junction properties. Practical implications - The spin coating technique provides a simple, less expensive and effective approach for preparing thin films. The soluble VOPcPhO is conveniently dissolved in a number of organic solvents. Originality/value - The physical properties of the VOPcPhO:PCBM composite thin film and the electrical properties of the composite thin-film-based metal/organic/metal devices have not been reported in the literature, as far as our knowledge is concerned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to study the optical and electrical characteristics of a single-junction solar cell based on a green-colour dye vanadyl 2,9,16, 23-tetraphenoxy-29H, 31H-phthalocyanine (VOPcPhO). The use of soluble vanadyl phthalocyanine derivative makes it very attractive for photovoltaic applications due to its tunable properties and high solubility. Design/methodology/approach -- A photoactive layer of VOPcPhO has been sandwiched between indium tin oxide (ITO) and aluminium (Al) electrodes to produce a ITO/PEDOT:PSS/VOPcPhO/Al photovoltaic device. The VOPcPhO thin film is deposited by a simple spin coating technique. To obtain the optimal thickness for the solar cell device, different thicknesses of the photoactive layer, achieved by manipulating the spin rate, have been investigated. Findings -- The device exhibited photovoltaic effect with the values of Jsc, Voc and FF equal to 5.26 × 10-6 A/cm2, 0.621 V and 0.33, respectively. The electronic parameters of the cell have been obtained from the analysis of current-voltage characteristics measured in dark. The values of ideality factor and barrier height were found to be 2.69 and 0.416 eV, respectively. The optical examination showed that the material is sensitive to light in the UV region between 270 nm and 410 nm, as well as in the visible spectrum within the range of 630 nm and 750 nm. Research limitations/implications -- The solar cell based on a single layer of vanadyl phthalocyanine derivative results in low efficiency, which can be enhanced by introducing a variety of donor materials to form bulk heterojunction solar cells. Practical implications -- The spin coating technique provides a simple, less expensive and effective approach for preparing thin films. Originality/value -- A novel thin-film, single-junction organic solar cell, fabricated by using VOPcPhO, has been investigated for the first time ever. The vanadyl phthalocyanine derivative together with a donor material will have potential application for improved efficiency of the solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Toluene prevent coffee ring effects. [•] Increase crystallinity. [•] Increase absorption. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study an active layer of Vanadyl 2,9,16,23-tetraphenoxy-29H,31H-phthalocyanine (VOPcPhO) has been employed in surface type humidity sensor. On top of preliminary deposited asymmetric metal electrodes, a VOPcPhO thin film was spun cast to obtain a surface type Al/VOPcPhO/Au sensor. The gap between the electrodes was 40 um. A solution of 30 mg/ml was deposited at 3000 rpm. The thickness of the VOPcPhO film was 150 nm. The capacitive effect of the sample was evaluated in the relative humidity range 0–87%RH, at room temperature. It was observed that the capacitance of the sensor increases 10 times under the effect of entire humidity range in the relative humidity level. The optical properties of VOPcPhO thin film were also investigated. The humidity-dependent capacitive properties make the sensor suitable for the application in the instruments used for environmental monitoring of humidity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: The cross-linking modification of asymmetric Matrimid membranes with para-phenylenediamine (pPD) has been investigated. The modification was performed by immersing Matrimid membranes in 10% (w/v) pPD/methanol solution at ambient temperature for certain period of time. The effects of immersion time on degree of cross-linking, physicochemical properties and gas transport properties of the membrane have been studied. The cross-linked Matrimid membranes were characterized using gel test, FTIR, TGA, XRD and SEM. The FTIR spectra confirmed that the cross-linking process had taken place, which indicates that imide groups were turned to amide groups during modification process. The degree of cross-linking increased with increasing the immersion time. This study found that, there were small amounts of insoluble materials found from the gel test. The possible reasons were that the proposed cross-linking method using pPD solution occurs only on the surface of the membranes or only low degree of cross-linking takes place. The XRD results revealed that the d-space of the polymeric chains change after the modification due to the methanol swelling and structure-tightening effects induced by cross-linking. The TGA results indicated that the degradation temperature is sufficient for gas separation applications. The gas transport properties of the pure and cross-linked Matrimid membranes were investigated using gas permeation tests. The results showed that the cross-linked Matrimid membranes decrease the O2, N2 and CH4 permeance compared to the unmodified membranes. Interestingly, 10% pPD-120min samples showed an impressive enhancement of selectivity for O2/N2 compared to the unmodified membrane from 6.19 to 10.01 due to the affinity of nitrogen-containing molecules (pPD) towards oxygen. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A simple, specific and accurate reverse phase high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of cyclosporine in capsule dosage form. XTerra C18 column was used as stationary phase with mobile phase acetonitrile in combination with 0.1% trifluoro acetic acid buffer and pH is adjusted to 1.4. Method was developed in an isocratic run of 20% trifluoro acetic acid with 80% acetonitrile for 10 min, at flow rate of 1 ml/min. Effluents were monitored at 210 nm. Retention time of cyclosporine was 3.855 min. The method was validated for specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of quantification, limit of detection, robustness and solution stability. Limit of quantification and limit of detection of cyclosporine was found to be 100 ng/ml and 200 ng/ml. Recovery was found to be in the range of 98.08-101.55%. The proposed method was successfully applied for the quantitative determination of cyclosporine in a capsule dosage form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anomalous temperature dependence of the critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) of Cu-Ni alloys observed below a certain temperature, To = 50 K, has been accounted for by introducing a stress-concentration factor f(T) = [(T ' + To)/(T ' + T)] in the monotonic CRSS-T formulation of the kink-pair nucleation model of solid-solution hardening. The empirical constant T ' is found to depend not only on the solute concentration, c, but also on the nature of the solute distribution in the host lattice. It is found that the solute distribution is random for c ≤ 14 at.% Ni in the Cu lattice and for c ≤ 20 at.% Cu in the Ni lattice, whereas some sort of local ordering occurs for all other values of solute concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We set out to examine the attitudes of general practitioners in the West Norfolk area towards requests for abortion for various reasons and explore the factors that may influence their views, particularly their religious beliefs. This cross-sectional survey was conducted using a questionnaire, targeting 140 general practitioners. A response rate of 51.4% was achieved. All respondents were older than 30, and were mostly males (84.6%), married (93.8%) with children (90.9%). Most were either Church of England Christians (C of E) (48.5%) or had no stated religion (35.3%). The former were significantly less likely to agree with abortion than the latter for social reasons ( P  = 0.02) or in the case of teenage pregnancy ( P  = 0.006). A total of 73.8% of respondents followed-up patients after termination. Other associations were indicated, but were not statistically significant. Larger studies are needed to verify these associations for general practitioners in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Red blood cells (RBCs) are probably the most common target through the damaging action of reactive oxygen species on the cells. The photohemolysis activity of m -chloroperbenzoic acid (CPBA) was concentration- and exposure time-dependent. Twenty minutes photo exposure time and 200 μm of CPBA concentration were optimum to study the effect of generated superoxide (O 2 - ) and hydroxyl ( • OH) radicals on RBCs. RBCs lysis photosensitized by CPBA was investigated in the presence of [(VL 2 O)(VL 2 H 2 O)]Cl 6 , [MnL 2 O] 2 Cl 4 2H 2 O, [FeL 2 Cl 2 ]Cl H 2 O, [CoL 2 Cl 2 ] 4 H 2 O or [ZnL 2 Cl 2 ]H 2 O respectively, where L is 2-methylaminopyridine, with SOD-mimetic activities with the aim of ascertaining their protective activity towards the photo induced cell damage. The decrease of photolytic activity caused by these complexes was concentration-dependent and the maximum percentage of protective activity was 75, 70, 68, 57 or 24% for [(VL 2 O)(VL 2 H 2 O)]Cl 6 , [MnL 2 O] 2 Cl 4 2H 2 O, [FeL 2 Cl 2 ]Cl H 2 O, [CoL 2 Cl 2 ] 4 H 2 O or [ZnL 2 Cl 2 ]H 2 O complex respectively, against the cell irradiated without addition of metal complexes. The comparison between the decrease of photolytic activity caused by these complexes and their SOD-mimetic activity of these metal complexes showed an appreciable correlation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at evaluating the tolerance of four alfalfa (Medicgao sativa L.) populations to low phosphorus (P) in rooting medium. The experiment was carried out under controlled conditions. The seedlings of 15 old days were subjected to P deficiency using Ca3HPO4, insoluble form and P sufficiency using KH2PO4, as soluble form, at a final concentration of 250 µmol P plant-1. week-1. After 60 days P deficit, several agro-physiological and biochemical traits were measured and determined in both conditions. The obtained results indicated that the P-starvation significantly (P < 0.001) reduced the agroeconomic traits evaluated such as plant dry weight and leaf area. The root and shoot P contents were found (P < 0.001) decreased by low-P availability in the rooting medium. This constraint induced significant (P < 0.001) increase in phosphatase acid activity and caused lipid peroxidation and oxidative damage to cells, evaluated through malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide contents. Our results showed also, that low P availability significantly (P < 0.001) increased the enzymatic antioxidant responses reflected by the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), guaiacol peroxidase and catalase. The non-enzymatic antioxidant molecule such as proline and total polyphenols were found significantly increased in alfalfa stressed plants. The behavior of alfalfa populations tested was significantly different (P >0.05). The OL population was found to be the least affected and the DEM was most sensitive one, whereas the populations TATA and RICH showed a moderate tolerance. Our study advises that the tolerance of Moroccan alfalfa populations to low P-availability was associated with increased acid phosphate activity and ability to induce enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant responses leading to cell detoxification from reactive oxygen species (ROS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contamination by hexavalent chromium and organic pollutants is a serious health issue. Moreover, hexavalent chromium can react with organic pollutants to form a complex which is difficult to treat, and thus remains in the natural environment for long times. Simultaneous photocatalysis can remove both organic pollutants and hexavalent chromium. Here we review the use of period 4 metal oxide-based photocatalysts for the removal of organic pollutants and hexavalent chromium. Titanium dioxide exhibited the highest performance, up to 100%, in removing both hexavalent chromium and organic pollutants from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple microwave method was employed to prepare silica-doped mesoporous zirconia nanoparticles, SiO2/ZrO2 (SiZr) catalysts under various Si amount and then characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption–desorption analyses, Fourier-transform infrared, electron spin resonance, ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and photoluminescence analyses. The lower amount of Si fully stabilized the ZrO2 in the tetragonal phase (t-ZrO2), but the higher amount of Si occupied oxygen vacancies (OV) in the SiZr lattice to disrupt the catalysts with introduce low content of monoclinic phase. The catalyst activity towards on photodegradation of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) was ranked in the following order: 1SiZr (92%) > TiO2 (73%) > 2SiZr (67%) > 3SiZr (64%) > 4SiZr (56%) > ZrO2 (51%). This result demonstrated that 1SiZr gave the highest degradation percentage of 10 mg L−1 2-CP at pH 5 using 0.375 g L−1 catalyst under visible light irradation within 4 h. The highest photoactivity of 1SiZr is due to the larger surface area and crystallite size, which resulted in a good surface contact with light and thus accelerated the photocatalytic activity. Additionally, the highest amount of OV possesed by 1 SiZr effectively suppressed the electron–hole recombination by acting as an electron acceptors, which consequently affected the t-ZrO2 stabilization as well as the catalytic activity. The kinetics of photocatalytic degradation of 2-CP correlated with pseudo-first order model, with the surface reaction as the controlling step. The photogenerated hole was the most active species as confirmed by effect of scavenger study. The 1SiZr maintained the photocatalytic activities after five runs and has a great capability in degrading of various phenols derivatives, indicating its potential use in the phenol-based wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mixed matrix composite membrane offers high separation performance. • PEBAX/Aminated partially reduced graphene oxide enhanced CO 2 selectivity. • A -prGO in active layer hindered the transportation of other gases than CO 2. In this study, the capability of a mixed matrix composite membrane (MMCM) fabricated using polyether block amide polymer PEBAX MH1657 from Arkema and in lab synthesized aminated partially reduced graphene oxide (A -prGO) nanofiller as a selective layer has been studied for gas separation. Moreover, the effects of nanofiller addition on membrane structure properties and performance were examined. The PEBAX/ A -prGO membrane was fabricated as a selective layer on top of a supporting substrate layer of polysulfone 1700. MMCM was prepared in five different loadings of A -prGO nanofiller (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.6 (w/w)%) of the used PEBAX amount. The synthesized nanofiller and fabricated MMCM were characterized using different characterization tests (XRD, FTIR, EDX, and SEM). The optimum separation of the membrane was found when the loading of A -prGO was 0.1%. The permeability of the membrane for CO 2 , N 2 and CH 4 gases were 47.5 Barrer for CO 2, 0.45 Barrer for N 2 & 2 Barrer for CH 4 while the selectivity of CO 2 /N 2 and CO 2 /CH 4 are 105.6 and 23.75, respectively. Surprisingly, the fabricated membrane performance found to be above the Robeson 2008 upper bound of permeability- selectivity relation for CO 2 /N 2 gases separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The population prevalence of infectious intestinal diseases was 4%. • Female participants were 2.4 times more likely to report infectious intestinal diseases than male participants. • Prevalence was highest at the end of winter and the beginning of spring. • Prevalence estimates were similar to those reported in China and lower than those reported in Europe and North America. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a rapidly developing high-income country that has experienced significant population growth, urbanization, and improvements in the standard of living since its formation in 1971. Published estimates on the prevalence of infectious intestinal diseases (IID) in the UAE are scarce and exclusively based on hospital data. The aim of this study was to provide the first prevalence estimates of IID in the UAE. A population-based cross-sectional study design using a telephone-based questionnaire was used to estimate the IID prevalence in the previous 4 weeks in a representative sample of the Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) population from January to September 2017. Data were collected from 1254 participants (57.3% male; 25.2% <18 years). The prevalence of IID was 4.2% in the 4 weeks prior to the interview. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that being female (odds ratio (OR) 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2–5.1) and having a middle-range monthly household income (approx. USD 4080–<6800: OR 5.42, 95% CI 1.15–25.48; approx. USD 6800–<9530: OR 7.13, 95% CI 1.47–34.57) were positively associated with IID. Age ≥6 years was negatively associated with IID (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.90–0.99). Forty-nine percent of participants with an IID sought medical care and 20.8% took over-the-counter medication. This study provides the first population-based prevalence estimates of IID in the UAE, which are similar to those reported in China (4%), but lower than those reported in Canada (10%), the Netherlands (7%), and the USA (6%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coccidiosis is recognized as the parasitic disease with the greatest economic impact on poultry industries worldwide. Sonali chicken are commonly affected by coccidiosis in Bangladesh. Recently, the concerns about possible drug resistance have aroused great caution in the usage of drug in the animal industry. As an alternative herbal extracts are used and Neem leaves (Azadirachta indica) have anti-coccidial property. This study was conducted to evaluate the comparative efficacy of Neem leaves suspension and toltrazuril on coccidial load, blood constituents, growth performance of Sonali chicken infected with Eimeria tenella. Methods: The study was conducted in the laboratory and experimental shed under the department of physiology and pharmacology, HSTU, Dinajpur during, 2nd January to 3rd February, 2019. Eighty (80) Sonali chicken of seven days old were randomly divided into four groups named T0, T1 T2 and T3 and each group contained 20 birds. All groups were supplied E. tenella orally except T0 group and after 3 days T2 group was treated with Neem leaves suspension (5%) for 15 days and T3 groups was treated with toltrazuril (topzuril ®) solution (1 ml/lit) for 2 days. Results: Results showed that protozoal load decreased significantly (P<0.01) in T2 & T3 groups whereas increased significantly (P<0.01) in T0 and T1 group. The total erythrocyte count and hemoglobin in different treatment groups were similar and the differences were non-significant (P>0.05) statistically except total leukocyte count (TLC). The body weight of T0, T1, T2 and T3 group at day 30 were 432.65, 469.81, 548.81, 489.22 gm respectively which is statistically significant (P<0.01) and highest body weight gain was recorded from Neem leaves suspension treated group. Conclusion: Neem leaves suspension have significant effects on protozoal load, body weight and no significant effect on haematological parameters except TLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Viruses play an important role in causing respiratory infections in children worldwide. The burden of viruses in respiratory infections among children in Pakistan is unknown, largely due to absence of good quality diagnostic facilities. Common viruses associated with respiratory infections included respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza A/B, along with novel viruses like human metapneumovirus, human coronavirus NL63 and HKU1, and human bocavirus, which have the potential to cause pandemics. Therefore, it is, important to delimit the burden of viral pathogens in respiratory infections among children with viral pneumonia. Advanced molecular biology techniques offer great advantage as they are more sensitive and have fast turnaround time for the identification of respiratory pathogens. Magpix platform is used to detect respiratory targets in multiplex assay based on the principle of magnetic bead which allows multiplexing of up to 50 unique assays in a single microplate well. Methods & Materials: Nasopharyngeal swabs of children with acute respiratory infections were collected in viral transport medium and spiked with Bacteriophage MS2 extrinsic control to check the efficacy of nucleic acid amplification. An automated nucleic acid extraction was done using MagNa Pure instrument. xTAGRespiratory Viral Panel fast assaywasused for the detection of wide range of viruses and subtypes. Data were analysed using TDAS RVP Fast software (ver. 2.21) and reported as median fluorescent intensity. Results: Upon testing 734 nasopharyngeal swabs 362(49%) were positive for entero/rhinovirus, followed by 48(6.5%) positive for parainfluenza type III, 46(6.2%) RSV, 38 (5.1%) parainfluenza type IV, 35(4.7%) metapneumovirus, 25 (3.4%) bocavirus, 22 (3%) adenovirus, 19(2.6%) parainfluenza type I, 17 (2.3%) coronavirus OC43, 16(2%) influenza A/B, 7(1%) parainfluenza type II and 5 (0.68%) were positive for other coronaviruses 229E/ NL63/ HKU1. Conclusion: Multiplex PCR- assay is rapid and sensitive tool for the detection of major respiratory pathogens and helpful in future for vaccine development. The advantage of this system is it has shortened time to perform a wide variety of bioassays, costeffectively and accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior studies in our institute in Alexandria, Egypt, have proved the efficacy of Semi-lateral decubitus position (SLDP) using Alexandria Left Breast Board-16 (ALB-16) in reducing radiation dose to the heart and Left Anterior Descending Artery (LAD)without compromising the dose to the target volumes. Hence it represents a good alternative technique in developing countries to overcome Linear Accelerators (LINAC) lacking Respiratory Gating and Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH) techniques. This study aims to compare the dosimetric outcomes between intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and 3DCRT in both SLDP and supine position (SP) for adjuvant radiation therapy in left breast cancer (BC). 20 female patients with node negative left BC post breast conservative surgery underwent CT simulation on both ALB-16 and SP boards. Treatment plans were created for each patient using both 3DCRT and IMRT techniques in both positions and their dosimetric parameters were compared for both IMRT and 3DCRT plans in both positions. IMRT plans were done using the same optimization parameters. Our results showed a significantly lower mean heart dose (MHD) in 3DCRT vs. IMRT in both SLDP and SP positions (195cGy, 228cGy vs. 448cGy, 476cGy) (p<0.001) respectively. MHD was also significantly lower using IMRT in SLDP vs. IMRT in SP (448cGy vs. 476cGy) (p<0.04). Regarding the LAD mean dose our data showed no significant difference between IMRT and 3DCRT in SLDP (533cGy vs. 596cGy, p = 0.18) and between IMRT in both positions (596cGy vs. 632cGy, p = 0.13), while mean LAD dose was significantly lower in IMRT vs. 3DCRT in SP (632cGy vs. 759cGy, p = 0.03). The mean lung dose was statistically lower in 3DCRT vs. IMRT in both positions (3DCRT 669cGy in SLDP, 603cGy in SP) vs. (IMRT 1139cGy in SLDP, 1112cGy in SP) respectively (p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference between mean lung dose in SLDP vs. SP by IMRT (1139cGy vs.1112cGy, p = 0.24). Regarding the mean dose to the contralateral breast the results showed a statistically lower dose in 3DCRT vs. IMRT in both positions (3DCRT 17cGy in SLDP, 20cGy in SP) vs. (IMRT 157cGy in SLDP, 170Gy in SP) respectively (p<0.001). On the contrary there was no significant difference between mean doses in SLDP vs. SP by IMRT (157cGy vs.150cGy, p = 0.37). Meanwhile for the WB coverage, IMRT plans were superior to the 3DCRT in all treatment positions. Using IMRT in left BC irradiation in either SLDP or SP showed no significant differences in the mean WB dose or OARs apart from the mean heart dose still shows a significant lower dose in SLDP in both IMRT and 3DCRT techniques. OARs received higher doses in IMRT compared to 3DCRT irrespective of the positioning yet did not exceed their tolerance thresholds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Day and night photocatalysis offers a novel approach by integrating the electron storage principle to ensure effectiveness even in the absence of light. A groundbreaking vanadium pentoxide / graphitic carbon nitride (V 2 O 5 / g-C 3 N 4) composite photocatalyst functioned as g-C 3 N 4 absorbs and utilizes visible light, while V 2 O 5 transfers and stores more photo-generated electrons. The composite with a 2 % loading ratio showed the highest CIP removal efficiency: 91 % during daytime and 75 % at night. Successful nighttime degradation was due to stored electrons in V5+/ V4+ pairs, confirmed by XPS analysis of the reduction of V5+ to V4+. The study proposes detailed mechanisms for charge generation, reactive species action, and reactions during both day and night photocatalysis. This has significance for water treatment in real environmental settings with lower energy requirements, overcoming light-related limitations. [Display omitted] • Investigation on photocatalysis in absence of light using a V2O5 / g-C3N4 day night photocatalys. • The successful nighttime degradation (light absence) was facilitated by the stored electrons in V5+/V4+ pairs. • XPS analysis confirmed the reduction of V5+ to V4+, demonstrating the composite's effective electron storage. • Electron stored functionality in night photodegradation process is confirmed by electron scavenger test. • The V2O5 / g-C3N4 day-night photocatalyst for CIP photodegradation is a novel discovery, especially in dark conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus is the most common metabolic dysfunction that arises during pregnancy. GDM can lead to serious health complications for both the mother during pregnancy and after the delivery of the baby. Additionally, mother–offspring suffers from abnormalities in metabolism. The study aimed to investigate glutathione S‑transferase P1 and ghrelin genetic variants in pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes using a tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system. Results: This study demonstrated that the frequencies of genotypes in women with GDM were GSTP1-AG (87.1%) and GHRL-GG (100%). The study revealed no significant differences in the frequency of either genotype or allele of both GSTP1 and ghrelin between GDM and healthy pregnant women. Conclusions: This study may be the first study designed to demonstrate that there is no association between the genotype and allele frequencies of GSTP1 (rs1695) and ghrelin (rs696217) in the development of gestational diabetes mellitus in Egyptian women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a deadly malignancy of the liver, is considered the third leading reason behind cancer deaths. It is more frequent in men than in women of ages above 50. Liver disease, leading to liver cirrhosis (LC), is mostly caused by alcoholism abuse, reaction diseases of the liver, or viral hepatitis B or C infection. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is considered an effective pro-inflammatory cytokine, which plays a crucial role in the host defense mechanism. Its level is higher in HCC patients than in LC cases, indicating that tumor cells increase the production of cytokines. The X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) gene is a major DNA repair gene. It acts as a scaffold of various activities that are concerned in the repairing method by interacting with components of base excision repair. This study aims to measure the serum concentrations of IL6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) and investigate whether XRCC1 Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln polymorphisms are related to HCC disease. Materials and Methods: Whole-blood DNA was extracted from 123 HCC patients and 123 healthy volunteers. Tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system was performed in the detection of XRCC1 Arg399Gln and Arg194Trp polymorphisms. Results: Serum concentration levels of IL-6 and CRP are significantly higher in patients with HCC than in control subjects. The allelic and genotype frequency distributions of XRCC1 (Arg399Gln and Arg194Trp) are significantly increased in HCC cases compared to healthy volunteers. Conclusion: Arg/Gln, Arg/Trp, Gln/Gln, and Trp/Trp genotypes are associated with higher risk HCC than the Arg/Arg genotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, hybrid nanocomposites rice husk derived graphene (GRHA) and zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) were prepared for hydrogen adsorption. The main contribution of this study is the simplification of the synthesized GRHA/ZIF-8 hybrid nanocomposites. Besides that, the use of synthesized graphene from rice husk (RH) could help in overcoming environmental issue since disposal of RH is rather challenging. GRHA was obtained through calcining rice husk ash (RHA) at 900 °C for 2 h in a muffle furnace at atmospheric condition while the nanocomposite of GRHA/ZIF-8 was produced in free solvent condition using deionized water at room temperature for only 1 h. The N 2 adsorption-desorption indicated a type I isotherm. Interestingly, it was found that the BET specific surface area (BET SSA) of GRHA/ZIF-8 showed enhancement up to 3 times higher as compared to pristine GRHA with the addition of 0.2 g of GRHA. From the experimental data, the adsorption of H 2 by nanocomposite GRHA/ZIF-8 obeyed the pseudo-second order kinetic model and intraparticle diffusion model with R2 value up to 0.9890 and 0.8087 respectively at 12 bar. Moreover, the GRHA/ZIF-8 possessed highest hydrogen adsorption of 31.84 mmol/g at 12 bar. These impressive results are justified by the combination of ZIF-8's microporosity and GRHA's mesoporosity. • Rice husk derived graphene (GRHA) incorporated zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8shows an enhanced hydrogen adsorption. • GRHA incorporated ZIF-8 (GRHA/ZIF-8) has a higher specific surface area as compared to pristine GRHA and ZIF-8. • KOH able to form porosity and increase the surface area of rice husk during the activation process. • Hydrogen adsorption capacity increases with time and specific surface area of the adsorbent. • The hydrogen adsorption at room temperature obey pseudo-second order model and intraparticle diffusion model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents research which reported zircon fission-track dates from two fossil sites on the Wallacean island of Flores. Location of islands of Wallacea; State of islands before human intervention; Finds at Tangi Talo and Mata Menge sites; Water crossings needed to reach Flores from Southeast Asia; Homo erectus capable of water crossings in this region.

Background: Intra‐abdominal fungal infection (AFI) and candidemia are common in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP), but with limited and conflicting reports on their clinical impacts. This study aims to evaluate the clinical impacts of AFI and candidemia in infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN). Methods: A single‐centre, prospective cohort including 235 consecutive patients with IPN between January 2010 and September 2020 was analysed to study the clinical impacts of AFI and candidemia. Results: Of the 235 patients with IPN, 69 patients (29.4%) developed AFI and 13 patients (5.5%) developed candidemia. AFI was associated with higher intestinal leakage rate (27.5% vs 12.7%, P =.006), higher pancreatic fistula rate (53.6% vs 34.3%, P =.006) and longer hospital stays (72 vs 58 days, P =.003), but with similar mortality rate compared with patients without AFI (23.2% vs 24.7%, P =.806). However, candidemia was associated with significantly higher mortality rate compared with patients without candidemia (69.2% vs 21.6%, P <.001). Patients with candidemia had higher rate of multiple organ failure and AFI (69.2% vs 36.5%, P =.018; 69.2% vs 27.0%, P =.001, respectively). Multivariable analysis showed that age ≥ 50 years (OR = 2.8; 95% CI, 1.3‐5.8; P =.007), severe category (OR = 11.2; 95% CI, 3.5‐35.7; P <.001), multidrug‐resistant organisms infection (OR = 2.5; 95% CI, 1.0‐6.2; P =.039), candidemia (OR = 11.8; 95% CI, 2.5‐56.5; P =.002), step‐down surgical approach (OR = 3.2; 95% CI, 1.5‐7.0; P =.004) were the independent predictors associated with higher mortality in IPN patients. Conclusion: Although AFI did not increase the mortality of IPN, patients with candidemia carried significantly higher mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper oxide loaded on HY zeolite (CuO/HY) catalyst was prepared via a facile electrochemical method, and its photoactivity was evaluated by the decolorization of malachite green (MG) under fluorescent light irradiation. The physicochemical properties of catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen (N2) adsorption–desorption, 27Al and 29Si magic-angle-spinning nuclear magnetic (MAS NMR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–Vis DRS). The results showed that CuO nanoparticles are well-distributed on HY support. Besides, the isomorphous substitution of Al3+ with Cu2+ was occurred to form Si–O–Cu bond, as confirmed by the 27Al and 29Si MAS NMR, FTIR and XPS analysis. The catalyst activity towards on decolorization of MG was ranked in the following order: 3 wt% CuO/HY (99%) > 5 wt% CuO/HY (86%) > 1 wt% CuO/HY (80%) > HY (41%) > CuO (17%). The highest decolorization by 3 wt% CuO/HY is due to the well distribution of CuO nanoparticles on the HY surface of as well as the Cu incorporated into HY frameworks. In terms of turnover frequency, the 1 wt% CuO/HY showed a higher value (7.95 × 10−4 min−1) compared to the 3 wt% CuO/HY (3.13 × 10−4 min−1) and 5 wt% CuO/HY (1.64 × 10−4 min−1). The decreased of chemical oxygen demand demonstrated that the relationship between decolorization and degradability exists. A kinetic study indicated that the photocatalytic process follows a pseudo-first-order kinetics represented by the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model with the rate determining step as a surface reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health can influence eating habits and also mental and social well-being. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the relationship between healthy lifestyle and stress among 173 university students using Simple Lifestyle Indicator Questionnaire (SLIQ) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Score-42 (DASS-42) to measure their emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress. The results indicated that 71.8% were categorized as having an unhealthy lifestyle and 28.2% an intermediate lifestyle. Based on the SLIQ stress domain, 50.7% are stressed. Based on DASS score, 46.8% have anxiety. There was a statistically significant difference in healthy lifestyle score between various types of residences (F=3.929, p<0.05). The conclusion is that students with poor lifestyles have higher anxiety, depression and stress. The implication of this study is that universities should provide healthy activities to encourage healthy lifestyle practices by students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]