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Natural or synthesized materials can be used for cell immobilization to enhance cell viability and productivity in fermentation processes (batch, fed-batch or continuous fermentations). 3D printing is one of the newest technologies to produce unique immobilization support materials. In this research, the selection strategy of 3D lattice structure type for unique immobilization materials, effect of different lattice structure types on cell immobilization in a shake flask experiments and optimization of ethanol production in a laboratory scale bioreactor with 3D spheres were studied. Firstly, 3D designs were compared to determine the best type of 3D spheres with a higher area:volume ratio for cell immobilization. Then shake flask experiments were performed and showed that W, 20 mm is the best 3D sphere combination for ethanol fermentation. Finally, over 37 g/L ethanol (ethanol yield ranged from 41.91% to 46.36%) was produced at all repeated batch cycles by using 100 g/L initial sugar with at least 82% sugar utilization capacity in a lab-scale bioreactor successfully. All results showed that 3D-printed materials could be used as immobilization agents for microorganisms by selecting the proper geometry, size and printing technology. [Display omitted] • Selection strategy of 3D printed spheres for cell immobilization. • Effect of sphere diameter, beam thicknesses and spacing on 3D printed spheres. • Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis of 3D printed spheres. • Optimization of ethanol production with 3D printed spheres in a bioreactor. • Repeated batch fermentation with immobilized cells on 3D printed spheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the postoperative analgesic and antioxidant effects of butorphanol given in the preoperative or early postoperative period. Twenty-seven healthy female dogs undergoing ovariohysterectomy were randomly divided into three groups as before surgery group (BSG, n = 7) received butorphanol 30 min before preanesthetic administration, after surgery group (ASG, n = 10) received butorphanol during the last skin suture and the control group (CG, n = 10) received no butorphanol. Pain was assessed with short form of the Glasgow composite pain scale (CMPS-SF). Serum concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase activities (GPx) were quantified by spectrophotometric methods to assess oxidative stress status. The pain score increased rapidly at 1 h after surgery and then decreased gradually towards to 24 h in all groups. There was no statistical difference among the groups in terms of CMPS-SF scores (P > 0.05). Serum concentration of MDA was lower in ASG than in BSG and CG from 1 h to 24 h after surgery. Serum activity of GPx was higher in ASG than in BSG and CG from 2 h to 24 h (P < 0.05). Serum activity of SOD was higher in ASG than in BSG and CG from 1 h to 24 h after surgery (P < 0.05). Serum SOD activity at different time points in ASG did not differ compared to preoperative level though it decreased significantly from 1 h onwards both in CT and BSG. The results indicate that single butorphanol administration either before or after the operation might not provide sufficient analgesia, however, it seems that it has antioxidant potential and may protect tissues by reducing oxidative stress when administered early postoperative period following ovariohysterectomy. • Butorphanol administration might not provide pain score lower than cut off score of CMPS-SF at time points up to 4 h after the operation. • Serum concentration of malondialdehyde was significantly lower when administered in the early postoperative period. • Superoxide dismutase activity did not differ compared to preoperative level when administered in the early postoperative period. • Butorphanol seems to protect glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to compare Anxiety Specific to Surgery Questionnaire (ASSQ) with Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS) in the assessment of preoperative anxiety level and to evaluate the fears associated with surgery and anesthesia in surgical patients. This is descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study. The study sample included 507 surgical patients in four surgery wards who underwent elective surgery. All the data were collected using The Descriptive Characteristics and Clinical Information Form, STAI, APAIS and ASSQ. A majority (70.8%) of the participants had fears associated with surgery and anesthesia and nearly half of them had a moderate level of preoperative anxiety. Anxiety prevalence was 46.4% according to the APAIS, 44.4% according to STAI and 49.3% according to ASSQ. Women, participants with no primary school education, participants undergoing major surgery and general anesthesia who did not have knowledge about the surgical procedure, and surgical complications had higher anxiety according to three scale scores. Nearly half of the participants had moderate/high preoperative anxiety, there were consistent results among the scales and the tools were interchangeable to evaluate the preoperative anxiety level in the surgical patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen gas was produced from metal plating wastewater by electro hydrolysis. Wastewater contains chrome, copper and nickel metals which can accelerate the production of hydrogen gas. Effects of kind of metals, the voltage and reaction time on percent hydrogen gas (HGP) were investigated. After application of different DC voltages on each metallic wastewater, percent hydrogen gas (HGP), cumulative hydrogen gas volume (CHGV), hydrogen gas formation rate (HFR) and total organic carbon (TOC) removal were also evaluated. Hydrogen gas percent was obtained as %99 at 4 V for chrome plating wastewater while percent hydrogen gas was achieved as 50% H 2 gas at 4 V for copper and nickel metal plating wastewater. Maximum CHGV achieved with 4 V DC voltage for all metal plating wastewater. Maximum CHGV (4000 mL), HFR (985 mL H 2 d−1) and percent hydrogen gas (99%) was observed with chrome plating wastewater at 4 V DC voltage. Hydrogen gas produced from chrome metal plating wastewater using electro hydrolysis method can be efficiently used for fuel cells as a source due to nearly pure hydrogen gas. • Electrohydrolysis method was applied to different metal plating wastewater. • Chrome, nickel and copper plating wastewater were used. • Maximum hydrogen gas percent (99%) were obtained with chromic wastewater at 4 V. • The highest cumulative hydrogen gas volume (4000 mL) was also achieved. • Electrolysis of chromic wastewater also resulted in TOC (43%) removal efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most critical metrics for evaluating countries' logistics performance is the Logistics Performance Index (LPI). Although the LPI is an effective tool, it is also an index with some concerns regarding performance evaluation. The two main concerns with LPI are assuming equal criterion weights and ignoring operational logistics performance and macroeconomic indicators. To overcome these problems, this study presents a logistics performance evaluation model in which the criteria weights are determined by GA. This study used 11 techniques to determine the logistics performances of the EU countries across 33 indicators. Employing more than one MCDM techniques enabled robustness and consistency. Median, Mean, Linear and K nearest neighbor techniques are implemented to impute the missing values in the dataset. The Linear Regression method is found as the best-performing imputation technique among other techniques for the data of this research. The performance of the GA is compared with other well-known criteria weight determination procedures namely CRITIC, Entropy and equal weight. The ranking results of the MCDM tools were integrated with the Copeland method. The genetic algorithm assigned the highest three weights to the Goods, Value of Exports, Quality of roads, and GDP per capita, indicating that these criteria play an essential role in the countries' logistics performance. The importance of these criteria is not captured by other weight sets. The correlation with the actual LPI scores is higher with Genetic algorithm compared with other weight determination techniques (CRITIC, Entropy, equal weight). Moreover, random weights are created and the results are examined. Weight simulation indicates that, some of the countries ranking are higher than the other countries, regardless of the weights of the criteria. The paper's novelty is to use the Genetic Algorithm (GA) as a criteria weight determination tool for MCDM methods. The proposed system can be used as a decision support system for evaluating the logistics performances of countries. The LPI index is published every two years, but if an automatic or semi-automatic system can be developed using the proposed approach, the logistics performance ranking of countries can be examined more frequently. This can help countries that want to rank high on the LPI ranking determine which criteria to focus on to improve their logistics performance. • This study used 11 MCDM techniques to determine the logistics performances of the EU countries. • The criteria weights are determined with the genetic algorithm. • The ranking results of the MCDM tools were integrated with the Copeland method. • The performance analysis with random weights was conducted to test the validity of the results. • The results of the proposed model are consistent with the 2018 LPI rankings for EU countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to test the suitability of the interspecific hemizona assay (HZA) to predict the fertilizing capacity of bovine sperm after modifying the length of the equilibration period before freezing and thawing. Ejaculates from 10 proven fertile bulls were split after dilution, equilibrated at 4 °C for either 24 h (control sperm = CS) or 6, 48, 72 or 96 h (test sperm = TS) and cryopreserved. Hemizona (HZ) pairs from in vitro matured pig oocytes were used for the heterologous HZA: After thawing and swim-up (1 h) CS and TS were co-incubated with matching HZ (125,000 S/HZ in 25 μL Fert-TALP) for 4 h. Spermatological analyses (progressive motile sperm (PMS), plasma membrane- and acrosome-intact sperm (PMAI), sperm showing a high degree of DNA fragmentation (%DFI)) were performed after 0 and 3 h of incubation after thawing. After an equilibration time of 48 h and 72 h values for PMAI0h were higher (P < 0.05) compared to PMAI0h values of sperm equilibrated for 6 h, and %DFI3h values were higher after 96 h (P < 0.05) compared to 6 h equilibration. Between 12 and 90 TS and 13–97 CS were tightly bound to each HZ, respectively. The mean Hemizona Index (HZI) after a sperm equilibration for 48 h (HZI = 92.3 ± 12.7) or 72 h (HZI = 98.9 ± 16.23) was higher (P < 0.01) than after an equilibration for 6 h (HZI = 73.3 ± 13.93) or 96 h (HZI = 81.3 ± 11.41). The HZI for 96 h equilibration was moderately negatively related to PMS0h and PMS3h (r < −0.35, P < 0.05). Furthermore the HZI for 6 h equilibration was highly negatively correlated with DFI0h (r = −0,46, P < 0.01). On the basis of these results it can be concluded that the hemi-zona assay is a suitable test to detect alterations in the fertilizing capacity of bovine sperm after modifying the equilibration period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, it was aimed to provide a therapeutic approach for T1DM by encapsulating the pancreatic islets with mesenchymal stem cells and decellularized pancreatic extracellular matrix to support the survival of islets while maintaining their cellular activity. Pancreatic extracellular matrix was decellularized using different concentrations of detergent series. After the preparation of the protein-based tissue extracellular matrix was shown to be free of cells or any genetic material by molecular, immunofluorescence and histochemical techniques. Following the homogenization of the decellularized pancreatic extracellular matrix and the analysis of its protein composition by LC-MS, the matrix proteins were incorporated with pancreatic islets and rat adipose tissue-derived MSCs (rAT-MSCs) in alginate microcapsules. Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion property of the islet cells in the microbeads was evaluated by insulin ELISA. The gene expression profile of the encapsulated cells was analyzed by Real-Time PCR. Unlike the protein composition of whole pancreatic tissue, the decellularized pancreas matrix was free of histone proteins or proteins originated from mitochondria. The protein matrix derived from pancreatic tissue was shown to support the growth and maintenance of the islet cells. When compared to the non-encapsulated pancreatic islet, the encapsulated cells demonstrate to be more efficient in terms of insulin expression. The extracellular pancreatic matrix obtained in this study was directly used as supplementary in the alginate-based microcapsule enhancing the cell survival. The tissue matrix protein and alginate had a synergistic effect on total insulin secretion, which might have the potential to overcome the insulin deficiency. Despite the improvement in the cell viability and the number, the efficiency of the insulin secretion in response to glucose stimulation from the alginate microcapsules did not meet the expectation when compared with the non-encapsulated pancreatic islets. • Encapsulation pancreatic islets with MSCs seeded on decellularized pancreatic extracellular matrix was designed. • Protection from the immune system's attacks while preserving their effectivity was provided with encapsulation. • Determination of pancreatic tissue in supporting maintenance and growing of cells were determined. • Establishment of the improvement in the islet function was assessed by ELISA. • Analysis of gene expression profile of encapsulated cells was done by Real Time PCR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective was to examine if there are relationships between alterations in sperm viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) synthesis, and DNA integrity induced by cryopreservation of bovine sperm. Four ejaculates were collected from each of six bulls. Each ejaculate was diluted and divided into two aliquots; one was incubated for 24 hours at 37 °C, and the other frozen, thawed, and incubated for 24 hours at 37 °C. Analyses of quality of sperm were performed after 0, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours of incubation. Progressive motile sperm was determined with computer assisted sperm analysis. Percentages of plasma membrane- and acrosome-intact sperm, sperm with a high mitochondrial membrane potential, sperm showing a high degree of DNA fragmentation (%DFI), and their reactive oxygen species content were assessed with dichlorofluorescein-diacetate, dihydrorhodamine, diaminofluorescein diacetate, and mitochondrial superoxide indicator using flow cytometry. Although all other sperm parameters showed alterations (P < 0.05) during the 24-hour incubation time, %DFI stayed constant (P > 0.05, 0.91 ± 0.23) in nonfrozen sperm. Cryopreservation induced changes of all sperm parameters (P < 0.05). In contrast to all other sperm parameters, dichlorofluorescein-diacetate–fluoroescence indicating the synthesis of H 2 O 2 showed a similar exponential rise (P < 0.05) like the %DFI values in frozen sperm. In conclusion, changes of DNA integrity in frozen sperm seem to be related to synthesis of H 2 O 2 but not to sperm viability and synthesis of other reactive oxygen species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurred death of a convict in prison, police custody cell or in a hospital always attracts public attention and can be considered as a complex phenomenon. The aim of this study is to evaluate the data obtained from autopsies performed to the custody and prison deaths in Istanbul and to discuss the possible solutions by comparing with the literature. It is also aimed to discuss the postponement of the sentence and presidential amnesty facts in Turkey. Deaths of inmates, which occurred in hospitals, prisons, prison medical rooms, police vans and police custody cells between 2010 and 2012 in Istanbul, Turkey were included in the study. Totally 125 cases were found and 98.4% of them were male. Natural deaths accounted for a great majority of deaths (83.2%). The most common natural cause was cardiovascular diseases. Unnatural deaths accounted for 15.2% of the deaths. Death reason cannot be determined for 1.6% of the cases. More than half of the cases (56%) were died at the hospital, 34.4% were died at the prison, 4% of them at the police van, 3.2% were died under police custody and 2.4% were died at the prison medical room. Moreover, twelve of these cases had applied to Third Specialization Board previously for postponement of the sentence or Presidential amnesty. Totally five of these cases found suitable for postponement of the sentence. Prison conditions should be improved, prisoners with chronic diseases should be examined periodically and if appropriate their sentences should be postponed until they heal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brain graphs are powerful representations to explore the biological roadmaps of the human brain in its healthy and disordered states. Recently, a few graph neural networks (GNNs) have been designed for brain connectivity synthesis and diagnosis. However, such non-Euclidean deep learning architectures might fail to capture the neural interactions between different brain regions as they are trained without guidance from any prior biological template—i.e., template-free learning. Here we assume that using a population-driven brain connectional template (CBT) that captures well the connectivity patterns fingerprinting a given brain state (e.g., healthy) can better guide the GNN training in its downstream learning task such as classification or regression. To this aim we design a plug-in graph registration network (GRN) that can be coupled with any conventional graph neural network (GNN) so as to boost its learning accuracy and generalizability to unseen samples. Our GRN is a graph generative adversarial network (gGAN), which registers brain graphs to a prior CBT. Next, the registered brain graphs are used to train typical GNN models. Our GRN can be integrated into any GNN working in an end-to-end fashion to boost its prediction accuracy. Our experiments showed that GRN remarkably boosted the prediction accuracy of four conventional GNN models across four neurological datasets. • We propose the first template-based graph registration neural network to boost downstream learning tasks. • We propose a novel joint graph registration and classification loss function. • Our plug-in GRN is a generic model. It can be trained using any type of graph templates. • The GRN source code is available on GitHub. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of feeding alpha-linolenic (ALA) acid on fatty acid composition and quality of bovine sperm and on antioxidative capacity of seminal plasma. Nine bulls (ALA bulls) were fed with 800 g rumen-resistant linseed oil with a content of 50% linolenic acid and eight bulls with 400 g palmitic acid (PA bulls). Sperm quality was evaluated for plasma membrane and acrosome intact sperm (PMAI), the amount of membrane lipid peroxidation (LPO), and the percentage of sperm with a high DNA fragmentation index (DFI). Fatty acid content of sperm was determined using gas chromatography. Total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activity were determined in seminal plasma. Feeding ALA increased ( P < 0.05) the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content in bulls whereas in PA bulls did not change. PMAI increased after cryopreservation in ALA bulls as well as in PA bulls during the experiment period ( P < 0.005). LPO of sperm directly after thawing did not change during the study period in ALA group, but decreased in PA group ( P < 0.006). After 3 h of incubation LPO increased in the ALA group ( P < 0.02), while LPO did not differ between phases within groups. In conclusion, feeding of neither saturated nor polyunsaturated fatty acids affect the antioxidant levels in seminal plasma. Both saturated as well as polyunsaturated fatty acids had positive effects on quality of cryopreserved bovine sperm, although the content of docosahexaenoic acid in sperm membranes increased only in ALA bulls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C-type lectin domain family 12, member A (CLEC12A) is a C-type lectin-like pattern recognition receptor capable of recognizing monosodium urate crystals. Monosodium urate crystals, the causative agents of gout are also among the danger-associated molecular patterns reflecting cellular injury/cell death. In response to monosodium urate crystals, CLEC12A effectively inhibits granulocyte and monocyte/macrophage functions and hence acts as a negative regulator of inflammation. Behçet’s syndrome and gout are autoinflammatory disorders sharing certain pathological (neutrophilic inflammation), clinical (exaggerated response to monosodium urate crystals) and therapeutic (colchicine) features. We propose the hypothesis that decreased expression of CLEC12A is a common denominator in the hyperinflammatory responses observed in Behçet’s syndrome and gout. Major lines of evidence supporting this hypothesis are: (1) Downregulation/deficiency of CLEC12A is associated with hyperinflammatory responses. (2) CLEC12A polymorphisms with functional and clinical implications have been documented in other inflammatory diseases. (3) Colchicine, a fundamental therapeutic agent used both in Behçet’s syndrome and gout is shown to oppose the downregulation of CLEC12A. (4) Behçet’s syndrome and gout are characterized by a hyperinflammatory response to monosodium urate crystals and other than gout, Behçet’s syndrome is the only inflammatory condition exhibiting this exaggerated response. (5) Genomewide linkage and association studies of Behçet’s syndrome collectively point to 12p12–13, the chromosomal region harboring CLEC12A . (6) Patients with severe forms of Behçet’s syndrome underexpress CLEC12A with respect to patients with mild forms of the disease. If supported by well-designed, rigorous experiments, the forementioned hypothesis pertinent to CLEC12A will carry important implications for therapy, designing experimental models, and uncovering immunopathogenic mechanisms in Behçet’s syndrome and gout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate inter- and intra-individual variability of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in seminal plasma of bulls. In addition, relationships between TAC and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase activities (SOD), and parameters of sperm quality, respectively, were examined. Eight consecutive ejaculates were collected from nine Holstein–Friesian bulls. The percentage of plasma membrane and acrosome intact (PMAI) sperm was measured by using the FITC-PNA/PI assay, the amount of membrane lipid peroxidation (LPO) without and with stimulation(s) of LPO was quantified by using the BODIPY assay before cryopreservation and immediately (0 h) as well as 3 h after thawing. The percentage of sperm with a greater DNA fragmentation index was measured by the sperm chromatin structure assay. The amount of TAC differed ( P < 0.0001) between bulls but not ( P > 0.05) between ejaculates within bulls. The amounts of TAC were not related ( P > 0.05) to amounts of SOD and GPx, but were negatively associated with LPO 0 h ( r = −0.85; P ≤ 0.01). The amounts of SOD showed positive relationships with LPO 0 h ( r = 0.71; P ≤ 0.05) and LPO 3 h ( r = 0.80; P ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, total antioxidant activity varied among bulls, but not between ejaculates within bulls. While the amounts of antioxidative enzyme GPx was not related to sperm quality and SOD was positively related with lipid peroxidation after thawing of sperm, whereas total antioxidative capacity was negatively correlated with lipid peroxidation of cryopreserved sperm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a one-warehouse N retailers supply chain with stochastic demand. Inventory is managed in-house whereas transportation is outsourced to a 3PL provider. We develop analytical expressions for the operating characteristics under both periodic and continuous joint replenishment policies. We identify the settings where a periodic review policy is comparable to a continuous review one. In our numerical test-bed, the periodic policy performed best in larger supply chains operating with larger trucks. We also observed that if the excess utilization charge is less than 25%, outsourcing becomes beneficial even if outsourcing cost is 25% more than the in-house fleet costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Molecularly imprinted and non-imprinted polymers were prepared by the cyclic voltammetric deposition on pencil graphite electrode. [•] Voltammetric behavior of doxycycline was investigated by differential pulse voltammetry. [•] Molecularly imprinted polymer electrode exhibited highest sensitivity. [•] The proposed electrode can be used to determine DC in pharmaceuticals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Since they are available in open markets and pharmacies, pesticides have been widely used all over the country. (Un)intentional poisoning with these compounds is one of the most common causes of chemical poisoning, especially in rural agricultural areas. Pesticide poisonings reported by various countries showed that it is a worldwide health problem with 250 000–370 000 associated deaths each year. In this study, medico-legal deaths between the years 2001 and 2011 in Ankara and nearby cities in Turkey were investigated retrospectively. The autopsies were partly carried out by Ankara Branch of Council of Forensic Medicine. Data were collected from reports of the Morgue Department whose toxicological analyses were performed in the Chemistry Department. The data revealed that 70 cases out of 10 720 autopsied ones had been attributed to fatal pesticide poisoning. The age range was 1–80 years (mean ± SD, 41.33 ± 17.42 years). Most of the cases (60%) were reported from Ankara. Insecticides were the most common (94%) cause of fatal pesticide poisonings, most of them (63%) being organophosphate insecticides. The percentages of pesticide-induced deaths are quite high in our society and should therefore not be underestimated. Accordingly, intensive efforts to reduce occupational and intentional pesticide poisonings are urgently needed in Ankara and nearby cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study considers a two level supply chain in a newsboy setting with two substitutable products. Demands for the two products are assumed independent as long as both are available. If, however, a product stocks out, some of its demand is transferred to the available one with a known probability which ultimately creates a dependence on the amount of purchased items. The retailer is allowed to return some or all of the unsold products to the manufacturer with some credit. The expected chain profit, the retailer’s and the manufacturer’s profit expressions are derived under general conditions. Special cases are inspected to investigate the conditions under which channel coordination is achieved. It is demonstrated that channel coordination can not be achieved if unlimited returns are allowed with full credit, a result that agrees with the findings of Pasternak [B.A. Pasternack, Optimal pricing and return policies for perishable commodities, Market. Sci. 4 (1985) 166–176] for the single item case. For the cases of unlimited returns with partial credit, the conditions for coordination are derived for one way full substitutions. For exponential demand explicit expressions for the channel and retailer’s expected profit functions are provided. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Much effort is conducted to construct artificial objects that are capable of converting chemical or electromagnetic energy into a specific, predetermined motion on the nanoscale. We present results on the synthesis of core–shell nanoparticles capable to be set in rotation by the application of electromagnetic fields. The nanorotors implied in the study are based on the cobalt nanospheres decorated with a stabilizing brush shell composed of poly(ɛ-caprolactone) that is attached by surface-initiated polymerization. The functional cores used as macroinitiators can be fabricated alternatively by a two-step or a one-step process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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Abstract: A practical method to calculate mass-attenuation coefficients of β particles has been described. This method is based upon the analytical conclusion of β emission energy spectrum and the range distribution of an individual β particles. The mass-attenuation coefficients are obtained as the slope of the semi-log plot of theoretical calculated fraction of transmission vs. the foil thicknesses. This method has been applied to obtain the mass-attenuation coefficients of β particles in aluminium, copper and gold. The results have been compared with the values given in previous works. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Vacuum diffusion joining of Fe72Al28 alloy with an iron interlayer was carried out at 1100°C for different times under 3.2MPa. SEM-EDS studies indicated major diffusion of aluminium atoms from the Fe72Al28 matrix to the pure iron interlayer giving almost the same aluminium content as in the matrix. B2—FeAl based phase was identified by SEM-EDS and X-ray diffraction studies at the weldment and on the fracture surfaces of all samples investigated. Good bonding was achieved with maximum shear strength of 396MPa which is 86 % of the parent material shear strength for a sample welded for 4h. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

For maintenance and quality assessment purposes, various performance levels for both systems and components are identified, usually as a function of the deterioration. In this study, we consider a multicomponent system where the lifetime of each component is described by several stages, (0,…,S), which are further classified as good, doubtful, preventive maintenance due (PM due) and down. A control policy is suggested where the system is replaced when a component enters a PM due or a down state and the number of components in the doubtful states (K,…,S−2) is at least N. All maintenance activities are assumed to take negligible time. The exact description of the underlying stochastic model under the policy is very complicated. We therefore propose some approximations, which allow an explicit expression for the long run average cost function, which is minimized w.r.t. (K,N) by numerical methods. Sensitivity of the model to system parameters and the performance of the approximation are investigated through several examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brigatinib is a novel potent tyrosine kinase inhibitor as third-generation therapy for anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Clinical trials show that brigatinib is potent choice of treatment for the first line and further lines of treatment of ALK rearranged NSCLC with highly potent anti-tumor effect on brain metastasis. The adverse effects of brigatinib are tolerable and managable. However, there is limited data about effects on immune system. The most possible serious adverse effect of brigatinib on immune system might be brigatinib associated grade 3-4 lymphopenia. Here we report a brigatinib-induced tuberculosis reactivation patient who is using third-line brigatinib for metastatic NSCLC and have partial response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low fertility rates in lactating dairy cows as well as restricted availability of semen doses of young bulls with high genetic merit are two major problems in the reproduction of dairy cows. By using liquid semen (LS), the number of doses per ejaculate can be increased. One of the challenges of optimizing the reproductive performance of dairy cows is the phenomenon of variable estrus lengths. The objective of this study was to determine whether the use of LS affects pregnancy outcome of dairy cows with delayed ovulation, when compared with frozen semen (FS). A randomized controlled clinical trial was implemented. In a split-sample procedure, 131 ejaculates were processed into LS (Caprogen, LIC, New Zealand) and FS (BioXcell, IMV, France). Both semen types of each ejaculate were inseminated under the same field conditions to cows showing natural or induced heat. Cows and semen type were allocated according to the last digit of the cows identification number (even = frozen semen, odd = liquid semen). Inseminations (n = 667) were conducted after localization of the pre-ovulatory follicle. Determination of ovulation was performed 24 h post AI per transrectal ultrasonographic examination. Ovulations were classified as delayed when the pre-ovulatory follicle was still present at ovulation control. The prevalence of delayed ovulations was 25.2%. Data of 667 inseminations were analyzed with a generalized linear mixed model including semen type (P = 0.016), parity (P = 0.014), backfat thickness (P = 0.006), estrus induction (P = 0.010), ovulation (P = 0.265) and the interaction term 'semen type by ovulation' (P = 0.094). Overall, a higher pregnancy per AI (P/AI) of LS (45.4%) than P/AI of FS (33.7%) was found. In cases of delayed ovulations, use of LS resulted in higher P/AI (46.8%) compared with FS (27.7%; P = 0.017). We concluded that the fertilizing capacity of LS in prolonged intervals from AI to ovulation might be greater when compared with FS and could be an efficient tool to improve fertility of lactating dairy cows with delayed ovulations. • Delayed ovulations occurred in a quarter of all cases. • Liquid semen showed significant increase of pregnancy per insemination. • a backfat thickness of 10–13 mm at time of insemination yielded highest pregnancy outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide 30–40% of people aged of 65 and over fall each year. It is important to develop preventive interventions for falls in the elderly to prevent injuries leading to mortality and morbidity. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a recurrent fall prevention program in elderly individuals undergoing fracture treatment. A pretest-posttest intervention study. A recurrent fall prevention program including assessment of fall risk factors, education on falls and home modifications was developed for elderly people undergoing fracture treatment for 52 patients. In the first evaluation before the delivery of the recurrent fall prevention program, the number of risk factors was 17.63 ± 3.40 as mean ± standart deviation. Following implementation of the fall prevention program, the number of risk factors decreased to 15.73 ± 3.19 in the first follow-up and decreased to 14.92 ± 3.06 in the second follow-up. Knowledge scores increased to 6.09 ± 1.65 in the first follow-up and to 6.71 ± 1.53 in the second follow-up, while it was 5.50 ± 1.54 in first evaluation. The differences between follow-ups were statistically significant. During the 3-month study period, 15.4% of participants experienced fall. The recurrent fall prevention program was effective in reducing fall-related risk factors and increase fall knowledge. Health care professionals should assess older people for fall risk factors and increase their awareness for falls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Biodegradable and eco-friendly materials were synthesized and characterized. • Potato wastes recovered from potato chips producing were used for starch source. • Cross-linked bilayered films were fabricated with starch and polylactic acid (PLA). • Tensile strength, elongation, water vapor permeability, and solubility were examined. • Cross-linked bilayered films demonstrated significant mechanical-physical properties. In this study, pure potato starch (PPS) was purified from waste potato residual to fabricate cross-linked bilayer materials with the casting method. Malonic acid (MA) was employed to get cross-linked material from PPS as PPS-MA. Then polylactic acid (PLA) was also implemented onto PPS and PPS-MA to produce bilayer materials as PPS-PLA and PPS-MA-PLA. The obtained these bilayer films were characterized by FTIR, XRD, and TGA. The mechanical and physical applications such as water vapor permeability, water uptake, moisture content, solubility, and opacity were investigated. The biodegradation calculations were also done by the process of composting. It has demonstrated that each application onto PPS increased the mechanical features. However, elongation wasn't seen during the breaking test of PPS and PPS-MA films, whereas the PPS-PLA and PPS-MA-PLA films demonstrated 9.34% and 10.14% elongation at break that substantiates the structural durability against rupture, fragmentation, and feeble. Furthermore, the water vapor permeability, water uptake, moisture content, and solubility decreased but the opacity has increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graph neural networks (GNNs) have witnessed an unprecedented proliferation in tackling several problems in computer vision, computer-aided diagnosis and related fields. While prior studies have focused on boosting the model accuracy, quantifying the reproducibility of the most discriminative features identified by GNNs is still an intact problem that yields concerns about their reliability in clinical applications in particular. Specifically, the reproducibility of biological markers across clinical datasets and distribution shifts across classes (e.g., healthy and disordered brains) is of paramount importance in revealing the underpinning mechanisms of diseases as well as propelling the development of personalized treatment. Motivated by these issues, we propose, for the first time, reproducibility-based GNN selection (RG-Select), a framework for GNN reproducibility assessment via the quantification of the most discriminative features (i.e., biomarkers) shared between different models. To ascertain the soundness of our framework, the reproducibility assessment embraces variations of different factors such as training strategies and data perturbations. Despite these challenges, our framework successfully yielded replicable conclusions across different training strategies and various clinical datasets. Our findings could thus pave the way for the development of biomarker trustworthiness and reliability assessment methods for computer-aided diagnosis and prognosis tasks. RG-Select code is available on GitHub at https://github.com/basiralab/RG-Select. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]