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Crop loss brought on by phytopathogens is a significant issue that affects the entire world. Synthetic pesticides have been used for years to prevent economic losses caused by phytopathogens, raising severe worries about the environment and public health. Therefore, today, there is growing interest in using helpful microorganisms to control plant pathogens. In this way, Aspergillus chevalieri AGH-1 OP593083 and Aspergillus egyptiacus AGH-4 OP593080 isolated from wheat rhizosphere have been applied as plant growth-promoting fungi (PGPF) for combating early blight disease caused by Alternaria solani (A. solani) and inducing the defense system and growth promotional strategies in Vicia faba. Two milligrams per milliliter ethyl acetate crude extracts of A. chevalieri and A. egyptiacus demonstrated effective antifungal efficacy against A. solani with an inhibition zone of 18 and 16 mm respectively compared with 20 mm attained by fluconazole as a positive control. Moreover, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were (0.25 and 0.5 mg/ml) for A. chevalieri and A. egyptiacus extracts respectively. Data showed that A. chevalieri was the best isolate producing indole acetic acid (IAA) and siderophores (+ + +) followed by A. egyptiacus (+ +). Also, the best isolates capable of phosphate solubilization in the soil was A. egyptiacus (+ + +), followed by A. chevalieri (+ +). It is interesting that the PGPF isolates used, whether single or mixed, showed a significant improvement in all growth and yield as well as photosynthetic pigments in Vicia faba. Moreover, A. chevalieri and A. egyptiacus played an important role in improving plant immunity by increasing phenol, proline, and antioxidant enzymes (POD and PPO) activities, as well as reducing oxidative stress by reducing MDA and H2O2. We can conclude that A. chevalieri and A. egyptiacus are considered eco-friendly safe strong inducers of Vicia faba plant immunity alternatives to chemical pesticides against A. solani early blight to preserve plant, soil, and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poliovirus is a highly infectious enterovirus (EV) that primarily affects children and can lead to lifelong paralysis or even death. Vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs) are a great threat since they are derived from the attenuated virus in the Oral Poliovirus Vaccine (OPV) and can mutate to a more virulent form. The purpose of this study was to identify VDPV serotype 2 through the year 2020–2021 via surveillance of sewage samples collected from different localities and governorates in Egypt and stool specimens from Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) cases. Both were collected through the national poliovirus surveillance system and according to the guidelines recommended by the WHO. Methods: A total of 1266 sewage samples and 3241 stool samples from January 2020 to December 2021 were investigated in the lab according to World Health Organization (WHO) protocol for the presence of Polioviruses by cell culture, molecular identification of positive isolates on L20B cell line was carried out using real-time polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR). Any positive isolates for Poliovirus type 2 and isolates suspected of Vaccine Derived Poliovirus Type 1 and type 3 screened by (VDPV1) or Vaccine Poliovirus Type 3 (VDPV3) assay in RT-PCR were referred for VP1 genetic sequencing. Results: The outbreak was caused by circulating VDPV2 (cVDPV2) strains started in January 2021. By the end of February 2021, a total of 11 cVDPV2s were detected in sewage samples from six governorates confirming the outbreak situation. One additional cVDPV2 was detected later in the sewage sample from Qena (June 2021). The first and only re-emergence of VDPV2 in stool samples during the outbreak was in contact with Luxor in June 2021. By November 2021, a total of 80 VDPVs were detected. The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP), in collaboration with the WHO, responded quickly by launching two massive vaccination campaigns targeting children under the age of five. Additionally, surveillance systems were strengthened to detect new cases and prevent further spread of the virus. Conclusion: The continued threat of poliovirus and VDPVs requires ongoing efforts to prevent their emergence and spread. Strategies such as improving immunization coverage, using genetically stable vaccines, and establishing surveillance systems are critical to achieving global eradication of poliovirus and efficient monitoring of VDPVs outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The survival rate of lung cancer relies significantly on how far the disease has spread when it is detected, how it reacts to the treatment, the patient's overall health, and other factors. Therefore, the earlier the lung cancer diagnosis, the higher the survival rate. For radiologists, recognizing malignant lung nodules from computed tomography (CT) scans is a challenging and time-consuming process. As a result, computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) systems have been suggested to alleviate these burdens. Deep-learning approaches have demonstrated remarkable results in recent years, surpassing traditional methods in different fields. Researchers are currently experimenting with several deep-learning strategies to increase the effectiveness of CAD systems in lung cancer detection with CT. This work proposes a deep-learning framework for detecting and diagnosing lung cancer. The proposed framework used recent deep-learning techniques in all its layers. The autoencoder technique structure is tuned and used in the preprocessing stage to denoise and reconstruct the medical lung cancer dataset. Besides, it depends on the transfer learning pre-trained models to make multi-classification among different lung cancer cases such as benign, adenocarcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. The proposed model provides high performance while recognizing and differentiating between two types of datasets, including biopsy and CT scans. The Cancer Imaging Archive and Kaggle datasets are utilized to train and test the proposed model. The empirical results show that the proposed framework performs well according to various performance metrics. According to accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and AUC metrics, it achieves 99.60, 99.61, 99.62, 99.70, and 99.75%, respectively. Also, it depicts 0.0028, 0.0026, and 0.0507 in mean absolute error, mean squared error, and root mean square error metrics. Furthermore, it helps physicians effectively diagnose lung cancer in its early stages and allows specialists to improve the accuracy and consistency of workflow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces the CP-EODE algorithm, a novel hybrid of the Equilibrium Optimizer (EO), and the Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm. It addresses EO's tendency toward premature convergence by enhancing its exploration capabilities. The motivation for this research stems from the need for more efficient and economically viable designs in engineering, particularly in the optimization of shell-and-tube heat exchangers (STHEs) and photovoltaic module parameters. The CP-EODE algorithm leverages DE's exploration strengths to enhance EO's performance adopting a cooperative parallel approach that divides the population into EO and DE sub-populations for a more effective search space exploration. The validation of CP-EODE's effectiveness commenced with its application to 29 benchmark functions, where a Friedman test yielded an F r value of 22.19, significantly surpassing the critical value of 7.81, and a Wilcoxon signed rank test confirmed statistical improvements with a z-score beyond − 1.96. Four quality metrics were discussed to provide a detailed assessment of CP-EODE's performance highlighting its robust exploration and exploitation capabilities. In practical applications, CP-EODE demonstrated significant advancements in STHE design achieving up to 19.706% reduction in heat exchanger surface area compared to traditional and other algorithmic designs, showcasing its potential to enhance engineering design efficiency and cost-effectiveness. A critical examination of the algorithm's convergence rate revealed its swift optimization capability, with rapid attainment of optimal solutions in various test cases, further establishing CP-EODE's advantage in handling complex optimization challenges. Through rigorous statistical analysis and performance metrics, CP-EODE emerges as a superior solution for complex optimization challenges, underscoring the value of hybrid algorithmic strategies in engineering optimizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a hybrid Modified Coronavirus Herd Immunity Aquila Optimization Algorithm (MCHIAO) that compiles the Enhanced Coronavirus Herd Immunity Optimizer (ECHIO) algorithm and Aquila Optimizer (AO). As one of the competitive human-based optimization algorithms, the Coronavirus Herd Immunity Optimizer (CHIO) exceeds some other biological-inspired algorithms. Compared to other optimization algorithms, CHIO showed good results. However, CHIO gets confined to local optima, and the accuracy of large-scale global optimization problems is decreased. On the other hand, although AO has significant local exploitation capabilities, its global exploration capabilities are insufficient. Subsequently, a novel metaheuristic optimizer, Modified Coronavirus Herd Immunity Aquila Optimizer (MCHIAO), is presented to overcome these restrictions and adapt it to solve feature selection challenges. In this paper, MCHIAO is proposed with three main enhancements to overcome these issues and reach higher optimal results which are cases categorizing, enhancing the new genes' value equation using the chaotic system as inspired by the chaotic behavior of the coronavirus and generating a new formula to switch between expanded and narrowed exploitation. MCHIAO demonstrates it's worth contra ten well-known state-of-the-art optimization algorithms (GOA, MFO, MPA, GWO, HHO, SSA, WOA, IAO, NOA, NGO) in addition to AO and CHIO. Friedman average rank and Wilcoxon statistical analysis (p-value) are conducted on all state-of-the-art algorithms testing 23 benchmark functions. Wilcoxon test and Friedman are conducted as well on the 29 CEC2017 functions. Moreover, some statistical tests are conducted on the 10 CEC2019 benchmark functions. Six real-world problems are used to validate the proposed MCHIAO against the same twelve state-of-the-art algorithms. On classical functions, including 24 unimodal and 44 multimodal functions, respectively, the exploitative and explorative behavior of the hybrid algorithm MCHIAO is evaluated. The statistical significance of the proposed technique for all functions is demonstrated by the p-values calculated using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test, as these p-values are found to be less than 0.05. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to improve the steering performance of the Ackermann personal mobility scooter based on a new meta-heuristic optimization algorithm named Differential Harris Hawks Optimization (DHHO) and the modeling of the steering encoder. The steering response in the Ackermann mechanism is crucial for automated driving systems (ADS), especially in localization and path-planning phases. Various methods presented in the literature are used to control the steering, and meta-heuristic optimization algorithms have achieved prominent results. Harris Hawks optimization (HHO) algorithm is a recent algorithm that outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms in various optimization applications. However, it has yet to be applied to the steering control application. The research in this paper was conducted in three stages. First, practical experiments were performed on the steering encoder sensor that measures the steering angle of the Landlex mobility scooter, and supervised learning was applied to model the results obtained for the steering control. Second, the DHHO algorithm is proposed by introducing mutation between hawks in the exploration phase instead of the Hawks perch technique, improving population diversity and reducing premature convergence. The simulation results on CEC2021 benchmark functions showed that the DHHO algorithm outperforms the HHO, PSO, BAS, and CMAES algorithms. The mean error of the DHHO is improved with a confidence level of 99.8047% and 91.6016% in the 10-dimension and 20-dimension problems, respectively, compared with the original HHO. Third, DHHO is implemented for interactive real-time PID tuning to control the steering of the Ackermann scooter. The practical transient response results showed that the settling time is improved by 89.31% compared to the original response with no overshoot and steady-state error, proving the superior performance of the DHHO algorithm compared to the traditional control methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harris Hawks optimization (HHO) algorithm was a powerful metaheuristic algorithm for solving complex problems. However, HHO could easily fall within the local minimum. In this paper, we proposed an improved Harris Hawks optimization (IHHO) algorithm for solving different engineering tasks. The proposed algorithm focused on random location-based habitats during the exploration phase and on strategies 1, 3, and 4 during the exploitation phase. The proposed modified Harris hawks in the wild would change their perch strategy and chasing pattern according to updates in both the exploration and exploitation phases. To avoid being stuck in a local solution, random values were generated using logarithms and exponentials to explore new regions more quickly and locations. To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithm, IHHO was compared to other five recent algorithms [grey wolf optimization, BAT algorithm, teaching–learning-based optimization, moth-flame optimization, and whale optimization algorithm] as well as three other modifications of HHO (BHHO, LogHHO, and MHHO). These optimizers had been applied to different benchmarks, namely standard benchmarks, CEC2017, CEC2019, CEC2020, and other 52 standard benchmark functions. Moreover, six classical real-world engineering problems were tested against the IHHO to prove the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. The numerical results showed the superiority of the proposed algorithm IHHO against other algorithms, which was proved visually using different convergence curves. Friedman's mean rank statistical test was also inducted to calculate the rank of IHHO against other algorithms. The results of the Friedman test indicated that the proposed algorithm was ranked first as compared to the other algorithms as well as three other modifications of HHO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence and severity of pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients undergoing total hip and knee arthroplasties after the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent a total hip arthroplasty or a total knee arthroplasty between 2017 and 2022 and had a PE within 90 days postoperatively were included. Demographics, medical history, procedural information, and PE outcomes were collected and evaluated. Results: There were 5933 procedures and 17 PE events (0.27%) before COVID-19 compared with 3273 procedures and 16 PE events (0.49%) after COVID-19 (P=.12). There was an increase in intensive care unit admission after COVID-19 (44% vs 0%, P<.05). Conclusion: This study showed a trend toward an increased incidence of PE events in the post–COVID-19 cohort and a statistically significant increase in the severity. [Orthopedics. 2024;47(4):233–237.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very few researchers have focused on the biological efficacy of Limonium plants. In this concern, no investigations were commenced to delve into the in vitro and ex vivo biological actions of Limonium pruinosum in Egypt. Therefore, this work aims to assess for the first time the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antitumor activities of Limonium pruinosum extract in addition to studying its ability to suppress the transcription of cell cycle–stimulating genes. L. pruinosum ethyl acetate extract exhibits considerable antibacterial and antibiofilm activity versus E. coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. Results revealed that L. pruinosum exerts antioxidant effectiveness concerning DPPH, nitric oxide (NO), and hydroxyl radical (OH) scavenging ability with an IC50 (35.88 ± 2.2, 51.31 ± 1.06, and 65.87 ± 1.19 μg/mL) respectively. The results proved the effectiveness of L. pruinosum in closing wounds in gastric epithelial cells (GES-1) by (79.9343 ± 1.98%) compared with control (68.3637 ± 2.32%) in 48 h. Additionally, L. pruinosum had anticancer activity contrary to breast cancer MCF-7 and liver cancer HepG-2 cell lines with IC50 values of 96.73 ± 2.18 and 81.81 ± 0.99 μg/mL, respectively, while it had no cytotoxic activity against (Wi-38) normal cells. Also, L. pruinosum extract provoked considerable early- and late-apoptotic cell populations and was effective in inducing cell death of MCF-7. Our findings evoked that L. pruinosum has promising antibacterial, antioxidant, and wound healing activities and a good breast tumor suppressor arresting the cell cycle-stimulating genes, which may be an auspicious approach for the treatment of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal accumulation is one of the major agronomic challenges that has seriously threatened food safety. As a result, metal-induced phytotoxicity concerns require quick and urgent action to retain and maintain the physiological activities of microorganisms, the nitrogen pool of soils, and the continuous yields of wheat in a constantly worsening environment. The current study was conducted to evaluate the plant growth-promoting endophytic Aspergillus flavus AUMC 16,068 and its EPS for improvement of plant growth, phytoremediation capacity, and physiological consequences on wheat plants (Triticum aestivum) under lead stress. After 60 days of planting, the heading stage of wheat plants, data on growth metrics, physiological properties, minerals content, and lead content in wheat root, shoot, and grains were recorded. Results evoked that lead pollution reduced wheat plants' physiological traits as well as growth at all lead stress concentrations; however, inoculation with lead tolerant endophytic A. flavus AUMC 16,068 and its respective EPS alleviated the detrimental impact of lead on the plants and promoted the growth and physiological characteristics of wheat in lead-contaminated conditions and also lowering oxidative stress through decreasing (CAT, POD, and MDA), in contrast to plants growing in the un-inoculated lead polluted dealings. In conclusion, endophytic A. flavus AUMC 16,068 spores and its EPS are regarded as eco-friendly, safe, and powerful inducers of wheat plants versus contamination with heavy metals, with a view of protecting plant, soil, and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare is a high-priority sector where people expect the highest levels of care and service, regardless of cost. That makes it distinct from other sectors. Due to the promising results of deep learning in other practical applications, many deep learning algorithms have been proposed for use in healthcare and to solve traditional artificial intelligence issues. The main objective of this study is to review and analyze current deep learning algorithms in healthcare systems. In addition, it highlights the contributions and limitations of recent research papers. It combines deep learning methods with the interpretability of human healthcare by providing insights into deep learning applications in healthcare solutions. It first provides an overview of several deep learning models and their most recent developments. It then briefly examines how these models are applied in several medical practices. Finally, it summarizes current trends and issues in the design and training of deep neural networks besides the future direction in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Egyptian Journal of Botany is the property of Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Owing to the growing need for natural materials in different fields, studying melanin production from biological sources is imperative. In the current study, the extracellular melanin pigment was produced by the fungus Curvularia soli AS21 ON076460. The factors that affect the production of melanin were optimized by the Plackett-Burman design (P-BD). The effect of gamma irradiation on melanin productivity was investigated. The maximum melanin yield (3.376 mg/L) was elicited by a stimulus of gamma irradiation at 1.0 kGy. The results evoked that, Curvularia soli AS21 ON076460 melanin exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity against all tested bacteria and fungi. Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883 and P. digitatum were mostly affected by melanin registering the inhibition zone diameters of 37.51 ± 0.012 and 44.25 ± 0.214 mm, respectively. Moreover, Curvularia soli AS21 ON076460 melanin indicated a significant antiviral efficacy (77% inhibition) of Herpes simplex virus (HSV1). The melanin pigment showed antioxidant activities with IC50 of 42 ± 0.021 and 17 ± 0.02 µg/mL against DPPH and NO, respectively. Melanin had cytotoxic action against human breast cancer and skin cancer cell lines (Mcf7and A431) as well as exerting a low percentage of cell death against normal skin cell lines (Hfb4). Melanin was effective in wound management of human skin cells by 63.04 ± 1.83% compared with control (68.67 ± 1.10%). The novelty in the study is attributed to the possibility of using gamma rays as a safe method in small economic doses to stimulate melanin production from the fungi that have been isolated. In summary, melanin produced from fungi has significant biological activities that encourage its usage as a supportive medical route. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around the world, a variety of crops, including tomatoes, suffer serious economic losses due to the Rhizoctonia root-rot disease. Herein, Bacillus velezensis, Bacillus megaterium, and Herpaspirillum huttiense isolated from strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis var. ananassa) plants were pragmatic as plant growth promotors for battling the Rhizoctonia root rot disease and bringing about defense mechanisms as well as growth promotional strategies in tomato plants. These endophytic bacteria demonstrated potent antifungal activity against R. solani in vitro along in vivo. Data explained that the isolated endophytic bacteria could produce Indole acetic acid, Gibberellic acid GA, and siderophore as well as solubilize phosphate in the soil. The consortium of (Bacillus velezensis, Bacillus megaterium, and Herpaspirillum huttiense) increased the protection % against Rhizoctonia infection by (79.4%), followed by B. velezensis by (73.52%), H. huttiense by (70.5%), and B. megaterium by (67.64%), respectively. There was an increase in soluble proteins and carbohydrates in infected plants treated with a consortium of endophytic bacteria by 30.7% and 100.2% over untreated infected plants, respectively. Applying endophytic bacteria either alone or in combination lowered the level of malondialdehyde MDA and hydrogen peroxide H2O2 and improved the activities of antioxidant enzymes in both infected and uninfected plants. Also, bacterial endophytes have distinctive reactions regarding the number and concentrations of isozymes in both infected and uninfected plants. It could be recommended the commercial usage of a mixture of targeted bacterial endophyte strains as therapeutic nutrients against Rhizoctonia root-rot disease as well as plant growth inducer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bardawil Lake is a unique aquatic ecosystem that provides a habitat for various fish and other marine organisms. This study aimed to analyze the quality of fish species to prove that this lake is free of pollution, not other Egyptian lakes, due to the accumulation of some heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn) in various tissues of fish species that were caught from this lake. Thirty-five fish samples were caught during the Spring of 2018 from seven different species: Mugil cephalus, Liza auratus, Sparus aurata, Dicentrarchus labrax, Siganus rivulatus, Anguilla angilla, and Solae solea. The Association of Official Analytical Chemists methods using a spectrophotometer determined the biochemical composition. In contrast, atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) was employed to determine the heavy metals expressed by µg/g wet weight. Results exposed that the accumulation of essential micronutrient (Cu, Zn) content was higher than toxic elements (Cd & Pb) in muscles in order to Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd. Muscles < gills < liver in order of all metals except Pb with order muscles < liver < gills. The metals studied in the muscles were lower than those set by the WHO and the EU standards. The carcinogenic risk with lower allowable limits of 1 × 10–6 to 1 × 10–4 in both normal and high consumption groups; target and total target hazard quotients (THQ & HI) in muscles were < 1. The biochemical composition level was highest in the liver, except for protein, which was highest in muscle for all fish species. There is no evidence of harmful contaminants in the muscular tissue of the fish sampled from Bardawil Lake, although fishing activity. However, customers should know that health concerns may be associated with overeating fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grasshopper optimization algorithm (GOA), which is one of the recent metaheuristic optimization algorithms, mimics the natural movements of grasshoppers in swarms seeking food sources. Some deficiencies have existed in the original GOA such as slow convergence speed, and the original GOA may get quickly stuck into local solutions facing some complex. For tackling these drawbacks of the original GOA, enhanced versions of GOA have been proposed to deal with the optimization problems more effectively. In the current study, two strategies have been integrated into GOA: the grouping mechanism of non-linear 'c' parameters and the mutation mechanism. Moreover, two different groups of non-linear 'c' parameters have been suggested in the grouping mechanism. Incorporating the grouping mechanism into GOA can update the grasshoppers' positions within a limited local area, whereas the diversity of agents can be improved by integrating the mutation mechanism. Eight Novel-Variants GOA (NVGOAs) are proposed to address the deficiencies of the original GOA. Where two variants NVGOA1_1 and NVGOA2_1 represent the impact of each proposed group of 'c' parameters. Another two variants NVGOA3 and NVGOA4 represent the impact of the mutation mechanism with two different values of probability. Moreover, four variants: NVGOA1_2, NVGOA1_3, NVGOA2_2, and NVGOA2_3 represent the combination of the two proposed mechanisms. First, the comparison between the performance of the proposed variants and the original GOA has been conducted. Then, for validation of the efficiency of the proposed NVGOAs, the performance of the best-recorded NVGOA variants has been tested against the 29 CEC-2017 benchmark functions and compared with six state-of-the-art optimization algorithms based on the mean and the standard deviation metrics. Moreover, the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test has been employed to exhibit the efficiency of the proposed variants. As well comparative analysis with previous enhancements of GOA has been conducted against the best-recorded NVGOA variants. Also, conducting a dimension study between the best-recorded chaotic previous variants against the best-recorded proposed NVGOA variants has revealed the superiority of NVGOAs. The results of all these analyses demonstrated the success and efficiency of the proposed NVGOA variants to solve numerical optimization problems. Concerning demand side management in smart grids, the proposed NVGOA variants have been applied to schedule the loads in three areas: residential, commercial, and industrial to decrease the daily operating costs and peak demand. The results show that the peak demand is reduced by 23.9%, 17.6%, and 9.2% in residential areas, commercial areas, and industrial areas respectively. Also, the operating cost decreased by 7.25%, 9.2%, and 18.89% in residential, commercial, and industrial areas, respectively. Finally, the overall results show that the proposed NVGOA algorithms are effective solutions to address the flaws of the original version of GOA and can get high-quality solutions for different optimization problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with slow progression whose symptoms can be identified at late stages. Early diagnosis and treatment of PD can help to relieve the symptoms and delay progression. However, this is very challenging due to the similarities between the symptoms of PD and other diseases. The current study proposes a generic framework for the diagnosis of PD using handwritten images and (or) speech signals. For the handwriting images, 8 pre-trained convolutional neural networks (CNN) via transfer learning tuned by Aquila Optimizer were trained on the NewHandPD dataset to diagnose PD. For the speech signals, features from the MDVR-KCL dataset are extracted numerically using 16 feature extraction algorithms and fed to 4 different machine learning algorithms tuned by Grid Search algorithm, and graphically using 5 different techniques and fed to the 8 pretrained CNN structures. The authors propose a new technique in extracting the features from the voice dataset based on the segmentation of variable speech-signal-segment-durations, i.e., the use of different durations in the segmentation phase. Using the proposed technique, 5 datasets with 281 numerical features are generated. Results from different experiments are collected and recorded. For the NewHandPD dataset, the best-reported metric is 99.75% using the VGG19 structure. For the MDVR-KCL dataset, the best-reported metrics are 99.94% using the KNN and SVM ML algorithms and the combined numerical features; and 100% using the combined the mel-specgram graphical features and VGG19 structure. These results are better than other state-of-the-art researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the dielectric properties of unfilled as well as nanofilled polystyrene-silicone rubber blends are evaluated. Accordingly, the preparation of polystyrene-silicone rubber blends is carried out considering three different concentrations of polystyrene (3, 7 and 10%wt). Also, the preparation of polystyrene-silicone rubber nanocomposites is carried out considering different two types of nanoparticles. These nanoparticle types are TiO2 and SiO2 with the same average particle size of 20 nm. Different nanoparticle concentration levels of 1.5, 2 and 3%wt are studied. The effect of thermal aging on the dielectric properties of unfilled as well as nanofilled polystyrene-silicone rubber samples is evaluated. The samples are subjected to thermal aging for two months at a temperature of 130 °C. The average breakdown strength as well as the breakdown strength at 10% and 50% probabilities is evaluated before and after the thermal aging process. The dielectric response includes relative permittivity and dissipation factor which measured and evaluated under thermal aging. The obtained results show that adding small amount of polystyrene to silicone rubber improves its dielectric properties. Finally, adding small amounts of TiO2 and SiO2 nanoparticles to polystyrene-silicone rubber blends give more improvements in its dielectric properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of laparoscopic tubal disconnection for the management of hydrosalpinx before ICSI on ultrasonographic markers of endometrial receptivity, ovarian blood flow and volume. Methods Infertility treatment candidate women were divided into two groups, the hydrosalpinx group (HxG) and the non-hydrosalpinx group, totaling 120 women (nHxG). 60 women in the HxG experienced hydrosalpinx, whereas 60 women in the nHxG had unexplained infertility. LH levels in urine samples were used to identify an LH peak. On cycle day LH+6, the TVUS examination was solely done in the HxG. Laparoscopic tubal disconnection was then carried out. On day LH+6 of the cycle, which came before the ICSI cycle, the same ultrasonographic measurements were then collected in both groups. Outcome measures Uterine a. RI and PI, spiral a. RI and PI, ovarian a. RI and PI, endometrial thickness, pattern and volume, endometrial VI, FI and VFI and ovarian VI, FI, VFI and volume and zone of vascular penetration. Results We found no measurably massive contrasts between the two gatherings in the uterine a. RI and PI, winding a. RI and PI, ovarian a. RI and PI, endometrial thickness and volume (p=0.642), or the nHxG following tubal separation. endometrial VI (p=0.887), FI (p=0.646) and VFI (p=0.652) and ovarian VI (p=0.648), FI (p=0.646), VFI (p=0.638) and ovarian volume (p=0.646), endometrial example and zone of vascular infiltration. Conclusions Laparoscopic tubal disconnection has no significant effect on endometrial, subendometrial, uterine, ovarian blood flow, endometrial and ovarian volumes, endometrial pattern and zone of vascular penetration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrite ions and ammonia are widespread forms of inorganic water pollutants. Nevertheless, the mechanisms of their photolytic and photocatalytic reactions under UV-A irradiation are still fully undisclosed, particularly, at different pH values under aerobic and inert atmospheres. Herein, we have studied the photolytic decomposition of nitrite ions under different conditions using 365 nm UV-A LED as a light source instead of mercury lamps that emit photons in the UV-B region and generate a lot of heat. The results indicated that the rate of nitrite disproportionation in the dark at pH ≤ 3.0 is remarkably high relative to the rate of the photolytic decomposition. At pH ˃ 3, the photolytic reaction is negligible and nitrite ions showed considerable stability. In contrast, the photocatalytic oxidation of nitrite ions over TiO2 photocatalysts, namely, TiO2P25, TiO2UV100, and TiO2 anatase/brookite mixture proceeds at pH ˃ 3.0. TiO2 P25 exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity at pH 5. Interestingly, the photolytic simultaneous removal of nitrite ions and ammonia was possible at pH 9.0 in the absence of oxygen (Ar atmosphere). A 42.69 ± 0.66%, 27.75 ± 1.7%, and 32.74 ± 0.59% of nitrogen calculated based on nitrite, ammonia, and both of them, respectively, can be removed after 6 h of UV-A irradiation. The selectivity of N2 evolution was 77.6%. The nitrogen removal rate was significantly reduced in the presence of TiO2 photocatalyst evincing that TiO2 photocatalysis is applicable for nitrite ions oxidation, whereas the photolytic process is better suited for the simultaneous removal of nitrite ions and ammonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic, irreversible brain disorder, no effective cure for it till now. However, available medicines can delay its progress. Therefore, the early detection of AD plays a crucial role in preventing and controlling its progression. The main objective is to design an end-to-end framework for early detection of Alzheimer's disease and medical image classification for various AD stages. A deep learning approach, specifically convolutional neural networks (CNN), is used in this work. Four stages of the AD spectrum are multi-classified. Furthermore, separate binary medical image classifications are implemented between each two-pair class of AD stages. Two methods are used to classify the medical images and detect AD. The first method uses simple CNN architectures that deal with 2D and 3D structural brain scans from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset based on 2D and 3D convolution. The second method applies the transfer learning principle to take advantage of the pre-trained models for medical image classifications, such as the VGG19 model. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is difficult for people to go to hospitals periodically to avoid gatherings and infections. As a result, Alzheimer's checking web application is proposed using the final qualified proposed architectures. It helps doctors and patients to check AD remotely. It also determines the AD stage of the patient based on the AD spectrum and advises the patient according to its AD stage. Nine performance metrics are used in the evaluation and the comparison between the two methods. The experimental results prove that the CNN architectures for the first method have the following characteristics: suitable simple structures that reduce computational complexity, memory requirements, overfitting, and provide manageable time. Besides, they achieve very promising accuracies, 93.61% and 95.17% for 2D and 3D multi-class AD stage classifications. The VGG19 pre-trained model is fine-tuned and achieved an accuracy of 97% for multi-class AD stage classifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic is a major health crisis that has affected the lives of millions worldwide. This article aimed to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the different aspects of human life. Throughout the pandemic, the worldwide lockdown has led to economic crises in many nations, resulting in a huge number of people losing their jobs and livelihoods. Social communication decreased and mental status was affected; as fear of the pandemic spread, many people developed sleep disturbances. During covid-19, was shown that the use of electronic media by people near bedtime increased. During lockdown due to COVID-19, increased nutrition intake reduced bodily activity, and hence increased body mass index, especially among children was observed. Food delays have also occurred, particularly among young people. This study reviewed and summarized full-text articles and concluded that COVID-19 has had massive effects on several aspects of human life, such as economic stability, mental health, nutritional intake, sleep patterns, and many medical conditions. Further studies are recommended to evaluate other effects that might help stakeholders in future planning for the health system, economy, and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistance to antibiotics is on the rise, and its indiscriminate usage has resulted in human and animal management constraints. In the research for an innovative treatment to diminish antimicrobial resistance, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) throw light on diminishing this problem in public health. As a result, this paper looked at the efficacy of LAB isolates and their active metabolites to combat pathogens, reduce antibiotic use in clinical settings, and explore the anticancer potential of 8 strains of LAB isolated from dairy products. Antifungal and antibacterial potential of LAB isolates against selected crop pathogenic fungi and food pathogenic bacteria had been estimated. Results revealed that all isolates exert antioxidant efficacy relating to DPPH, NO scavenging ability, reducing power, superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical, and anti-lipid peroxidation potential. Additionally, 12B isolate exert the highest anticancer upshot with IC50 values of 43.98 ± 0.4; 36.7 ± 0.6, 43.1 ± 0.8, and 35.1 ± 0.3 μg/ml, versus Caco-2, MCF-7, HepG-2, and PC3 cell lines respectively, whereas 13B isolate significantly had the highest selectivity index between peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and the tested human cancer cell lines compared to 5-fluorouracil. 13B was the most apoptosis-dependent death inducer for all human cancer cell lines besides exerting the lowest percentage of apoptosis against PBMCs suggesting its safety against PBMCs. The most promising strains 12B and 13B were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ESSG1 (MZ683194.1) and Lactiplantibacillus pentosus ESSG2 (MZ683195.1). LAB and their extracts are superb substitutive, safe, and efficient antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antitumor curative agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichoderma sp. is extensively applied as a beneficial fungus for the management of plant diseases, plant growth promotion, induced resistance, and plays an important role in global sustainable agriculture. This study aimed to enhance the production of microbial xylanase in high titer from the endophytic fungus Trichoderma harzianum kj831197.1, and the cloning of xylanase genes in E. coli DH5α using a pUC19 vector. A combination of glucose, 0.1 mM, Tween 80 with lactose, and 2 mM galactose combined with malt extract boostedthe enzyme production. Xylanase production was maximized at a pH of 5.0, temp. of 30 °C, and agitation of 150 rpm in the presence of malt extract and bagasse as the best nitrogen source and waste, respectively, using submerged fermentation. The molecular weight of highly purified xylanase was 32 KDa, identified using SDS-PAGE. The xylanase gene of T. harzianum kj831197.1 was screened in fungal DNA using definite primers specified in the gene bank database. The identified region was excised using restriction enzymes HindIII and EcoRI and cloned into a pUC19 plasmid vector. Optimization of fermentation conditions improved xylanase production about 23.9-fold.The antifungal efficacy of xylanase toward different phytopathogenic fungi was determined. The highest inhibition was against Corynespora cassiicola, Alternaria sp., Fusarium oxysporum, and Botrytis fabae. This study offered an economical, simple, and efficient method using Trichoderma harzianum kj831197.1 for the production of the xylanase enzyme via the submerged fermentation method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Retraction Note: A randomized controlled study of the effect of hyoscine butylbromide on duration of labor in primigravida women with prolonged labor" has been retracted by the Editor-in-Chief of the Archives of Gynecology & Obstetrics. Concerns were raised about the data presented in Tables 1 and 2, and an expert review of the raw data confirmed these concerns. As a result, the Editor-in-Chief no longer has confidence in the results and conclusions of the study. One of the authors disagrees with the retraction, while the other authors have not responded to correspondence from the Publisher. Springer Nature, the publisher, remains neutral in this matter. [Extracted from the article]

The utilization of fermented foods with health-promoting properties is becoming more popular around the world. Consequently, kefir, a fermented milk beverage made from kefir grains, was shown in numerous studies to be a probiotic product providing significant health benefits. Herein, we assessed the antibacterial and antifungal potential of kefir against a variety of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. This study also showed the effectiveness of kefir in healing wounds in human gastric epithelial cells (GES-1) by (80.78%) compared with control (55.75%) within 48 h. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) results of kefir-treated HCV- or HBV- infected cells found that 200 µg/mL of kefir can eliminate 92.36% of HCV and 75.71% of HBV relative to the untreated infected cells, whereas 800 µg/mL (the highest concentration) completely eradicated HCV and HBV. Moreover, the estimated IC50 values of kefir, at which HCV and HBV were eradicated by 50%, were 63.84 ± 5.81 µg/mL and 224.02 ± 14.36 µg/mL, correspondingly. Kefir can significantly suppress the elevation of TNF-α and upregulate IL-10 and INF-γ in both treated HCV- and HBV-infected cells. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of kefir revealed the presence of numerous active metabolites which mainly contribute to the antimicrobial, antiviral, and immunomodulatory activities. This study demonstrated, for the first time, the anti-HBV efficacy of kefir while also illustrating the immunomodulatory impact in the treated HBV-infected cells. Accordingly, kefir represents a potent antiviral agent against both viral hepatitis C and B, as well as having antimicrobial and wound healing potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible, progressive, and ultimately fatal brain degenerative disorder, no effective cures for it till now. Despite that, the available treatments can delay its progress. So, early detection of AD plays a crucial role in preventing and controlling its progress. Hippocampus (HC) is among the first impacted brain regions by AD. Its shape and volume are measured using a structural magnetic resonance image (MRI) to help AD diagnosis. Therefore, brain hippocampus segmentation is the building block for AD detection. This study's main objective is to propose a deep learning Alzheimer's disease hippocampus segmentation framework (DL-AHS) for automatic left and right hippocampus segmentation to detect and identify AD. The proposed DL-AHS framework is based on the U-Net architecture and estimated on the baseline coronal T1-weighted structural MRI data obtained from Alzheimer's disease neuroimaging initiative (ADNI) and neuroimaging tools and resources collaboratory (NITRIC) datasets. The dataset is processed using the Medical Image Processing, Analysis, and Visualization (MIPAV) program. Besides, it is augmented using a deep convolutional generative adversarial network (DC-GAN). For left and right HC segmentation from other brain sub-regions, two architectures are proposed. The first utilizes simple hyperparameters tuning in the U-Net (SHPT-Net). The second employs a transfer learning technique in which the ResNet blocks are used in the U-Net (RESU-Net). The empirical results confirmed that the proposed framework achieves high performance, 94.34% accuracy, and 93.5% Dice similarity coefficient for SHPT-Net. Also, 97% accuracy and 94% Dice similarity coefficient are achieved for RESU-Net. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Veterans with posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE), particularly those with comorbidities associated with epilepsy or traumatic brain injury (TBI), have poorer health status and higher symptom burden than their peers without PTE. One area that has been particularly poorly studied is that of the role of caregivers in the health of veterans with PTE and the impact caring for someone with PTE has on the caregivers themselves. Objective: In this study, we aim to address the following: describe and compare the health and quality of life of veterans and caregivers of veterans with and without PTE; evaluate the change in available supports and unmet needs for services among caregivers of post-9/11 veterans with PTE over a 2-year period and to compare support and unmet needs with those without PTE; and identify veteran and caregiver characteristics associated with the 2-year health trajectories of caregivers and veterans with PTE compared with veterans without PTE. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of the health and quality of life among 4 groups of veterans and their caregivers: veterans with PTE, nontraumatic epilepsy, TBI only, and neither epilepsy nor TBI. We will recruit participants from previous related studies and collect information about both the veterans and their primary informal caregivers on health, quality of life, unmet needs for care, PTE and TBI symptoms and treatment, relationship, and caregiver experience. Data sources will include existing data supplemented with primary data, such as survey data collected at baseline, intermittent brief reporting using ecological momentary assessment, and qualitative interviews. We will make both cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons, using veteran-caregiver dyads, along with qualitative findings to better understand risk and promotive factors for quality of life and health among veterans and caregivers, as well as the bidirectional impact of caregivers and care recipients on one another. Results: This study was approved by the institutional review boards of the University of Utah and Salt Lake City Veterans Affairs and is under review by the Human Research Protection Office of the United States Army Medical Research and Development Command. The Service Member, Veteran, and Caregiver Community Stakeholders Group has been formed and the study questionnaire will be finalized once the panel reviews it. We anticipate the start of recruitment and primary data collection by January 2022. Conclusions: New national initiatives aim to incorporate the caregiver into the veteran's treatment plan; however, we know little about the impact of caregiving--both positive and negative--on the caregivers themselves and on the veterans for whom they provide care. We will identify specific needs in this understudied population, which will inform clinicians, patients, families, and policy makers about the specific impact and needs to equip caregivers in caring for veterans at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the safety and efficacy of hyoscine butyl bromide (HBB) in primipara with prolonged 1st stage of labor. Materials and methods: A double-blinded randomized controlled trial included 100 primiparas diagnosed with prolonged labor. They were randomly divided two equal groups. Group I received 40 mg HBB intravenously. Group II received 2 ml of normal saline. The primary outcome was the duration of the 1st stage of labor. Secondary outcomes included success of vaginal delivery, rate of cervical dilation, duration of 2nd and 3rd stages of labor, causes of CS, neonatal outcome and drug side effects. Results: The duration of the 1st stage was 322.3 ± 89.8 min in women who received HBB compared with 451.3 ± 198.3 min in the control women (P < 0.001). The rate of cervical dilation was increased from 0.4 ± 0.2 to 1.5 ± 0.6 in women who received HBB compared with its increase from 0.4 ± 0.1 to 0.9 ± 0.2 in other women (P < 0.001). The rate of CS were significantly higher in control women when compared to those received HBB (34 vs. 20%, P < 0.001). The commonest indication for the operation was arrest of cervical dilatation (28 and 16%, respectively). Conclusion: HBB is associated with shortening of the 1st stage, lowered rate of CS without any side effects. Clinical trial.gov ID: NCT03430362 date of registration 6 February 2018. Synopsis Hyoscine butyl bromide is associated with shortening of the 1st stage, lowered rate of CS in primiparas with prolonged labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research is a trial to extract antimicrobial and anticancer substance(s) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The bacterial isolate S1B20 exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity that was identified based on 16S rRNA gene sequence as Pseudomonas aeruginosa MG429777. Extraction of various antimicrobial substance(s) (both proteinous and nonproteinous substances) were carried out. Chloroform was established to be the strongest solvent for extraction of the antimicrobial substance, while the 60% ammonium sulfate saturation stage was the brightest to obtain active bacteriocin fraction. The molecular weight of the refined bacteriocins estimated as 124 kDa. Qualitative and quantitative results of GC-mass spectral analysis and IR spectroscopy of non-proteinous and proteinous antimicrobial agents were Oxime methoxyphenyl and Glycine, N-(m-anisoyl)-methyl ester. The research concerned the proteinous compound and proved to have a distinct antibacterial and antitumor force against three carcinoma cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase transitions in gadolinium potassium niobate GdK2Nb5O15 (GKN) ceramics have been investigated by x-ray diffraction, dielectric susceptibility, differential scanning calorimetry, and Raman scattering. The results of our complementary studies show that GKN exhibits two phase transitions at Tc1 = 238 °C and Tc2 = 375 °C attributed to the ferroelectric-antiferroelectric-paraelectric (FE-AFE-PE) phase transitions. According to the x-ray diffraction analysis, the FE and PE phases were refined in the polar P4bm and centrosymmetric P4/mbm space groups. For the intermediate phase, the structure is refined in the space group P4nc with doubling of the c unit cell parameter, which is compatible with an AFE phase. This result was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy since new low-frequency lines are activated in the AFE phase due to the Brillouin zone-folding effect, typical for the modulated phases. The presence of the AFE phase between the FE and PE phases and the complex nature of tetragonal tungsten bronze crystal structure can explain the large thermal hysteresis observed at the FE-AFE transition between heating and cooling cycle and the strong depression of the Curie-Weiss temperature T0. The semi-phenomenological Ising-like model based on the obtained experimental data is proposed to account for the observed FE-AFE-PE transition sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) eye surgery is widely used for patients at risk for corneal ectasia to maintain an aspheric corneal shape. Wavefront-guided (WFG) ablation profile was designed to reduce pre-existing higher-order aberrations (HOA). We aimed to compare the corneal aberrations and visual outcomes between WFG and Wavefront Optimized (WFO) PRK in patients with myopia. Eight randomized clinical trials were included. We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and CENTRAL at March 2020, and updated the search in September 2020 using relevant keywords, The data were extracted and pooled as Mean Difference (MD) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI), using Review Manager software (version 5.4). Pooled results showed no significance between Uncorrected Distance Visual Acuity (UDVA) and Corrected Distance Visual Acuity (CDVA) between both groups underwent WFG and WFO PPR after three months follow up (MD = -0.03; 95% CI: [-0.06, 0.00]; P = 0.07), (MD = -0.02; 95% CI: [-0.04, 0.01]; P = 0.22) respectively. Although, no significant difference between mean manifest cylinder after three and 12 months follow up, but the total MD for mean manifest cylinder difference was significantly lower with the WFG treatment method (MD = -0.12, (95% CI: [0.23:-0.01], P = 0.03). This shows a slight advantage of the WFG over the WFO method. The visual performance showed similarity and excellent refractive outcomes in both WFO and WFG PRK. No significant statistical differences between the two approaches. On further comparison, there was a slight advantage of the WFG over the WFO method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in liver pathologies and they are potential biomarkers for diagnosis of liver diseases progression. Changes in miRNA sera expression can be used as non-invasive biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the study was to identify the miRNome profiling of HCC and its diagnostic value in distinguishing HCC from healthy individuals. Expression profiles of miRNAs in serum samples of 20 HCC patients and 10 healthy controls were detected. Whole miRNome profiling was done using next generation sequencing. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic performance of the deregulated miRNAs for discriminating HCC cases from healthy controls. MiRNA 142 was highly expressed in HCC (P value = 0.023) while miRNAs 191, 22, and 126 were higher in the controls (P value = 0.005, 0.034, 0.010 respectively). We have identified 5 novel miRNAs and they were highly expressed in HCC than controls. Analysis of ROC curve demonstrated that these deregulated miRNAs can be used as a reliable biomarker for detection of HCC with high diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.93). We have detected a panel of serum miRNAs that can be used as a reliable noninvasive screening biomarker of HCC. The study recommends further research to shed light on a possible role of the newly discovered novel miRNAs in HCC pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective  This study aimed to evaluate the effect of vaginal progesterone (P) administration during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy on Doppler velocimetry of uterine, umbilical, and middle cerebral vessels. Study Design  A prospective cohort study conducted on 80 women at risk for preterm labor. Uterine artery, umbilical artery, and middle cerebral artery (MCA) Doppler indices were measured before and after 1 week of administration of 200 mg twice daily vaginal P. The primary outcome parameter was the change of MCA pulsatility index (PI) after P administration. Secondary outcomes included changes in uterine artery and umbilical artery Doppler measurement. Results  There was no significant changes of umbilical artery resistance index (RI) (0.69 ± 0.049 vs. 0.68 ± 0.041), umbilical artery PI (1.14 ± 0.118 vs. 1.11 ± 0.116), uterine artery RI (0.66 ± 0.12 vs. 0.66 ± 0.107), uterine artery PI (1.00 ± 0.26 vs. 1.016 ± 0.24), and MCA PI (1.27 ± 0.18 vs. 1.26 ± 0.23) measurements before and after 1 week of P administration, respectively. Conclusion  Administration of vaginal P has no significant effects on uterine artery, umbilical artery, and MCA Doppler indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and hypothesis: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of perineal massage, pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) and a pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) prevention educational program in pregnant women above the age of 35 years to prevent perineal tear and episiotomy. Methods: A randomized parallel assignment study involved two groups of pregnant women at the obstetrics outpatient clinic 4 weeks prior to their due date. The first group (n = 200) was educated to do digital perineal massage and pelvic floor muscle training and received an educational PFD prevention program. The second group (n = 200) received only the prevention education program. Occurrence of perineal laceration was reported at time of delivery as a primary outcome. Statistical analysis was done using the IBM SPSS computer program (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences; IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA), release 22 for Microsoft Windows. Results: Delivery was significantly less complicated by perineal tear, episiotomy and postnatal pain in the first than in the second group (p < 0.05). Grades of perineal tear were mostly of first and second degree in the first group compared with the second group. We found a significantly lower need for analgesia and fewer ampoules required during the hospital stay in the first group (p < 0.001, 0.002, respectively). Conclusions: Performing antenatal digital perineal massage and PFMT in addition to health education is recommended to reduce perineal complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the relationship between maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes and different forms of hypertensive disorders associating pregnancy in women needed intensive care units (ICUs) admission.Methods: A prospective case control study was conducted on 1238 women admitted to hypertensive ICU at three university hospitals. They were classified into four groups. Group I included 472 women with severe preeclampsia (PE), Group II included 243 women with eclampsia (E), Group III included 396 women diagnosed with E associated with HELLP syndrome, and Group IV included 127 women diagnosed as HELLP syndrome. All women received magnesium sulfate to prevent and/or control convulsions and nifedipine to control their blood pressure. Primary outcome parameter was maternal mortality. Other outcomes included maternal morbidities, fetal, and neonatal outcomes.Results: There was a significant difference among the study groups regarding the need for blood transfusion (58.1%, 70%, 84.3%, and 42.5% respectively, p < .001), number of transferred units (2.4 ± 1, 2.9 ± 0.9, 3.4 ± 1.1, and 3.5 ± 0.8 respectively, p < .001), placental abruption (23.3%, 16.5%, 30.3%, and 19.7% respectively, p < .001), pulmonary edema (14.8%, 22.6%, 19.9%, and 34.6% respectively, p < .001), multiple complications (12.5%, 12.3%, 19.9%, and 26% respectively, p < .001), and maternal mortality (1.9%, 4.1%, 6.1%, and 5.5% respectively, p < .001). Regarding fetal and neonatal outcomes, there was a significant difference among the four groups regarding Apgar score at 1 and 5 min, neonatal birth weight, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, NICU admission days, intrauterine growth restriction, perinatal death, respiratory distress syndrome, intraventricular hemorrhage, sepsis, and the need for mechanical ventilation (p < .001). Higher rate of vaginal delivery was reported in women with HELLP (40.9%) and severe PE (39.8%) and higher rates of performing cesarean section (CS) in women with eclampsia (77.8%). Maternal mortality is significantly related to delivery with CS, younger maternal age with lower parity, and the presence of placental abruption or pulmonary edema. For Groups III and IV, which included HELLP cases, there are significant differences between both groups as regards HELLP classes according to Mississippi classification, also significant differences were seen between both groups as regards, maternal mortality, abruptio placenta, pulmonary edema, multiple organ damage, NICU admission, perinatal deaths, and need for mechanical ventilation.Conclusion: Both maternal mortality and morbidity (placental abruption and need for blood transfusion) are significantly higher in women with HELLP syndrome worsens to become class 1 regardless of whether eclampsia is present or not.Synopsis: Maternal mortality and unfavorable outcome are significantly higher in women with HELLP syndrome whether it was associated with eclampsia or not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Load balancing is a very important and complex problem in computational grids. In load balancing, jobs should be effectively distributed among resources in order to minimize the average completion time and maximize the utilization of all resources even those with low reliabilities and capacities. However, using the less reliable and slow resources implies worse completion time, whereas always selecting the powerful and reliable resources undermines the utilization of other resources. So, it is essential to develop an efficient load balancing method which makes a good tradeoff between these criteria in a way that satisfies the quality of service of jobs and fairly distributes jobs between resources based on their reliabilities and capacities. This paper proposes an efficient multicriteria load balancing method using technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution which treats load balancing as a multi criteria decision making problem. Also, an effective weighting mechanism is proposed, which adaptively adjusts the weights of the considered criteria according to the system's current state and jobs' characteristics. This mechanism can make an efficient tradeoff between the considered criteria and accurately reflect the importance of each one. By simulation, the proposed method was evaluated and compared with other approaches from the literature. In the range of examined parameters' values, the simulation results show that proposed method minimizes the average completion time by 8.7–15.7%, increases the throughput ratio up to 15.8–19.4%, and maximizes the load balancing level by 7.68–20.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a cohort study which included 100 cases with pre-eclampsia (PE) and 100 controls, done to compare the antepartum and postpartum uterine artery (UtA) Doppler velocimetry between them. UtA PI and RI were measured before and within 48-72 h after delivery. There was a highly significant difference between the cases and controls, regarding the UtA RI (0.70 ± 0.10 and 0.72 ± 0.10, versus 0.59 ± 0.12 and 0.60 ± 0.11) and PI (1.41 ± 0.89 and 1.45 ± 0.90 versus 0.85 ± 0.30 and 0.90 ± 0.34) measured at the antepartum and postpartum periods, respectively. Age and gestational age were significantly related to the postpartum and changes in the UtA PI. The gestational age was also correlated to UtA RI changes. Both the antepartum and postpartum mean blood pressure were correlated with postpartum UtA RI and PI and PI changes after delivery. We concluded that uterine artery Doppler indices changes are more common in women with PE, than in normotensive women with significant correlations with age and gestational age. Impact statement What is already known on this subject? After delivery, the haemodynamic changes that occurred with pregnancy reverse. Both the heart rate and the cardiac output decreased to reach the non-pregnant state. Impedance to flow in the uterine artery rises as the nutritional needs are decreased abruptly. What do the results of this study add? Both the antepartum and postpartum measurement of uterine artery Doppler indices is significantly higher in women with PE when compared to control women. The persistent uterine artery impedance is a result of inadequate trophoblastic invasion within the basal part of the decidua basalis and myometrium or persistently increased maternal vascular tone. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The uterine artery Doppler parameters return to the non-pregnant values in normal pregnancies. Knowing such information may help in understanding the haemodynamics of the uterine vasculature during puerperium in hypertensive patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversifying the academic staff may improve access and participation for underrepresented students; a policy of diversity selection criteria in academic staff position descriptions may advance this goal. This study examined applications to academic staff positions with diversity selection criteria to characterise applicants' responses to such criteria, and the diversity of applicant pools. The 454 applications to 11 research and teaching academic staff positions at a public research university in the United States were coded for references to 9 dimensions of diversity, but nearly 25% of applications contained no such references and were unresponsive to the selection criteria. Ethnicity was mentioned most frequently, followed by references to nonspecific forms of diversity. There were disciplinary differences in references to diversity, and self-disclosures of diversity were rare. These results add to previous work regarding the effectiveness of policies of diversity criteria in academic staff position descriptions and are discussed in terms of suggestions for the search process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IP traceback techniques are used to defend against DDoS attacks, and two of the most preferred techniques are packet marking and packet logging. Marking techniques differentiate between attacks and legitimate packets incur little computation overhead while requiring a large flow of packets to build the entire attack path. Logging techniques trace even a single packet; routers record the packet digests locally, so it is considered as a more powerful technique. However, routers require a high storage space for storing packet digests that represents a vital problem in deploying it practically. In this paper, a new hybrid IP traceback framework is presented. This framework is based on both marking and logging techniques. In the marking algorithm, every router is assigned a 12-bit-length ID number; it helps in deploying pushback method to permit legitimate traffic flow smoothly. In the packet logging technique, a logging ratio is managed by changing a value k specified in the traceback system. According to the mathematical analysis and experimental results, >50% of the storage space of routers could be saved as a result of choosing a proper k value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the health coaching, a patient-centered modality that focuses on personal goals, values, and strengths to facilitate well-being. It mentions the feasibility and acceptability of a telephone-delivered health coaching intervention among veterans with suicidal ideation; and also mentions the use of health coaching among clients with mental health conditions has examined the use of coaching among patients with suicidal ideation.

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