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Anthocyanins (ACNs) are natural pigments commonly found in plants which contribute to the vibrant colors of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The present review aims to cover the ACNs field in terms of sources, extraction/purification techniques, as well as characterization methods that are crucial for assessing their medicinal potential and sustainable applications. Characterization methods e.g. HPLC, UPLC-QTOF-MS, MS, and NMR are discussed as analytical tools for the identification and quantification of ACNs in various vegetable matrices. Their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anti-cancer and cardiovascular properties are, also, highlighted. Besides, the use of ACNs as natural colorants, preservatives, and functional ingredients is discussed considering their impact on the food industry. Likewise, due to their anti-aging and skin-protective properties, their employment in the cosmetic field is reported making them appealing for skincare formulations. This review provides a comprehensive overview, emphasizing the ACNs versatility in medicine, food industry, and cosmetic field, fostering future research and innovation.

This study delves into the investigation of the efficacy of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) in identifying malaria through the examination of cell images. The dataset employed encompasses a total of 27,558 images, harvested from the renowned Malaria Cell Images Dataset on Kaggle, encompassing cells of diverse nature. The architectonics of the CNN model is meticulously devised, comprising of six blocks and three interconnected blocks, thereby rendering an efficient extraction of features and subsequent classification of the cells. Creative paraphrasing: Various strategies such as dropout, batch normalization, and global average pooling are artfully utilized to refine and fortify the model, ensuring its robustness and adaptability. In order to confront the challenge of diminishing gradient and facilitate the attainment of convergence, the activation function known as Rectified Linear Unit (ReLU) is ingeniously employed. Assessing the efficacy of the model via a perplexity grid produces outcomes. Exhibiting a precision rate of 99.59%, a specificity measure of 99.69%, an Sensitivity of 99.40%, F1 Measurement of 99.44%, and a Precision of 99.48, it showcases its capacity to effectively distinguish betwixt malaria-afflicted cells and unafflicted cells. The focal point of this research highlights the substantial potential of CNNs in facilitating the automated identification of malaria using image analysis. By harnessing their unique architecture and regularization techniques, CNNs have the capability to enhance the results and potentially bring about better outcomes in areas with prevalent cases of malaria.

Olfactory perception is an important physiological function for human well-being and health. Loss of olfaction, or anosmia, caused by viral infections such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has received considerable attention, especially in persistent cases that take a long time to recover. This review discusses the integration of different components of the olfactory epithelium to serve as a structural and functional unit and explores how they are affected during viral infections, leading to the development of olfactory dysfunction. The review mainly focused on the role of receptors mediating the disruption of olfactory signal transduction pathways such as angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), transmembrane protease serine type 2 (TMPRSS2), neuropilin 1 (NRP1), basigin (CD147), olfactory, transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), purinergic, and interferon gamma receptors. Furthermore, the compromised function of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection and its contribution to olfactory dysfunction are also discussed. Collectively, this review provides fundamental information about the many types of receptors that may modulate olfaction and participate in olfactory dysfunction. It will help to understand the underlying pathophysiology of virus-induced anosmia, which may help in finding and designing effective therapies targeting molecules involved in viral invasion and olfaction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only review that covered all the receptors potentially involved in, or mediating, the disruption of olfactory signal transduction pathways during COVID-19 infection. This wide and complex spectrum of receptors that mediates the pathophysiology of olfactory dysfunction reflects the many ways in which anosmia can be therapeutically managed.

The focus of this paper is the presentation of a new type of mapping called projection Jungck zn- Suzuki generalized and also defining new algorithms of various types (one-step and two-step algorithms) (projection Jungck-normal N algorithm, projection Jungck-Picard algorithm, projection Jungck-Krasnoselskii algorithm, and projection Jungck-Thianwan algorithm). The convergence of these algorithms has been studied, and it was discovered that they all converge to a fixed point. Furthermore, using the previous three conditions for the lemma, we demonstrated that the difference between any two sequences is zero. These algorithms' stability was demonstrated using projection Jungck Suzuki generalized mapping. In contrast, the rate of convergence of these algorithms was demonstrated by contrasting the rates of convergence of the various algorithms, leading us to conclude that the projection Jungck-normal algorithm is the fastest of all the algorithms mentioned above.

Saliva samples could be used as a non-invasive method to diagnose COVID-19. We aimed to assess the results of the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of saliva specimens in the detection of COVID-19. We collected saliva and nasopharyngeal (NP) samples from consecutive COVID-19 suspects in Al-Fallujah Teaching Hospital, Anbar, Iraq from November 29, 2021 to February 15, 2022. The results of the two specimens were compared using RT-PCR. For the positive saliva tests, repetition of the test was undertaken at weekly intervals for four weeks from the time of the presentation. There were 55% men and 60% people ≤ 35 years. The majority of cases presented within 2-5 days (92%) and were of mild severity (89%). A hundred pairs of samples were taken. COVID-19 was diagnosed by NP swab RT-PCR in 56% and 31% of the saliva samples. The saliva samples had 100% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI] 60.4% e96.6%), 63.8% specificity (95% CI 96.1% e99.9%), and mild coefficient agreement (kappa coefficient = 0.522). The positive test for the saliva samples remained as such in all examined cases in the first and second weeks after the first test, 31/31 and 30/30, respectively. While half of them were positive in the third week (15/30). All cases became negative in the fourth week (0/15). We recommend not using the saliva swab as an alternative to the NP swab in the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR. However, saliva sample can be used for the follow-up of the COVID-19 subjects, in children, elderly, and handicapped patients.

Gastrointestinal cancers are highly aggressive malignancies with significant mortality rates. Recent research emphasizes the critical role of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in these cancers, which includes cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a key component of the TME that have diverse origins, including fibroblasts, mesenchymal stem cells, and endothelial cells. Several markers, such as α-SMA and FAP, have been identified to label CAFs, and some specific markers may serve as potential therapeutic targets. In this review article, we summarize the literature on the multifaceted role of CAFs in tumor progression, including their effects on angiogenesis, immune suppression, invasion, and metastasis. In addition, we highlight the use of single-cell transcriptomics to understand CAF heterogeneity and their interactions within the TME. Moreover, we discuss the dynamic interplay between CAFs and the immune system, which contributes to immunosuppression in the TME, and the potential for CAF-targeted therapies and combination approaches with immunotherapy to improve cancer treatment outcomes.

In particular, in order to have the best possible understanding of the effects that program-able networking has, carry out a low cost analysis of both the (software define network) system and the (multiple protocol layer switching) system. This will give you the possible understanding of the effects that program-able networking has on the economics of a network in comparison to traditional networking, which is also known as MPLS technology. This is done so that a better understanding of the effects that program-able networking, also known as software-defined networking (SDN), technology has on the economics of a network can be gained. Conducting a quantitative investigation using an activity-based methodology to compute the (capital expenditure) and (operation expenditure) costs associated with a network was the first step in achieving this objective. This investigation was carried out. Second, in order to compare the aforementioned architectures in terms of their financial performances, we used the USC Scalability metric in addition to the Cost-to-Service metric. Both of these metrics were used. These models include (centralized control plane), (distributed control plane), and (hierarchical control plane). This was done in order to obtain the possible understanding of the different SDN plane systems that are currently in use. The separation of control plane and data plane that is achieved through the implementation of software-defined networking (SDN) makes it possible to program networks. Because of this separation, network operators and administrators are now in a position to make better use of the network's resources and have an easier time provisioning those resources when compared to the situation before the separation took place.

Biscuits are a popular ready-to-eat food due to their affordable cost and long shelf life. Herein, we review the quality parameters of the biscuits, with a special focus on the changes caused by thermal processing. Particularly, the presence of possible contaminants, including the production of hydroxymethylfurfural is reviewed. In addition, the various microbiological sources of concern during the biscuit-making process, and their effect on the shelf-life and quality of the biscuits are presented. Based on the current state of literature, modern challenges in biscuit-making and a future outlook of the biscuit industry is provided. This review will be useful in understanding the current state of the literature regarding the quality parameters of biscuits and the important critical control points in order to maintain the safety and high quality of biscuits produced.

Abstract Flexible cystoscopy under local anaesthesia is standard for the surveillance of bladder cancer. Frequently, several reusable cystoscopes fail to reprocess. With the new grasper incorporated single-use cystoscope for retrieval of ureteric stents, we explored the feasibility of using it off-label for diagnosis and the detection of bladder cancer. Consecutive diagnostic flexible cystoscopies between Mar 2016 and Nov 2018 were reviewed comparing the reusable versus the disposable cystoscopes. A total of 390 patients underwent 1211 cystoscopies. Median age was 61.5 years (SD 14.2, 18.8–91.4), males 331 (84.9%) and females 59 (15.1%). Indication for cystoscopy was prior malignancy in 1183 procedures (97.7%), haematuria 19 (1.6%) or bladder mass 7 (0.6%). There were 608 reusable and 603 disposable cystoscopies. There was no significant difference between groups at baseline in age, sex, BMI, smoking status, or prior tumor risk category. There was no significant difference in positive findings (123/608, 20.2% vs 111/603, 18.4%, p = 0.425) or cancer detection rates (95/608, 15.6% vs 88/603, 14.4%, p 0.574) among the two groups, respectively. We conclude that the disposable grasper integrated cystoscope is comparable to reusable cystoscope in the detection of bladder cancer.

In mobile communication systems bit-rate reductions while maintaining an acceptable voice quality are necessary to achieve efficiency in channel bandwidth utilization and users satisfaction. As Long-Term Evolution(LTE) converging towards all-IP solutions and supporting VOIP service, the voice signals are converted into coded digital bit-stream and sent over the network. This paper proposes the implementation of codebook excited linear prediction (CELP) voice codec algorithm based on two source-rates of low 9.6Kbps and medium 16Kbps for achieving a perceptible level of voice quality, while efficiently using available bandwidth during the transmission over advanced LTE. The architecture of proposed CELP codec model is implemented to decompose the voice signal into a set of parameters that characterize each particular frame at the encoder part, these parameters are quantized and encoded for transmission to the decoder. The investigation showed that the configuration of the link and the applied CELP codec mode mainly influence on the obtained voice capacity and quality. The quantifying also shows that the voice quality can be traded for the enhanced capacity, since the low rate codec will produce lower voice quality than higher rate codec. Also, this paper is achieved, during theconfiguration of the system with higher channel quality indicator (CQI) index, increasing in the capacity gain to a saturated value of about 500 and 1000 users per cell over 5MHz bandwidth for transmit diversity (TD) and Open-Loop Spatial Multiplexing (OLSM) respectively and up to 1000 and 2000 users per cell over 10MHz channel bandwidth for TD and OLSM respectively.

The ingredients and the preparation methods influence biscuit quality and safety. In Iraq, biscuit imports are increasing every year, but no information is available in the scientific literature on their quality and safety features. This work analyzed three types of biscuits (cookies, crackers, and digestives) sampled in the Basrah markets (Iraq) but produced in Spain, Iran, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates. Nine different brands were considered for each country of origin (n = 36), with three replicates per sample. Moisture, ash, fat, proteins, fiber, water activity, peroxide value, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (HMF), acrylamide, heavy metals, and microbial load were analyzed. All the nutritional parameters were significantly influenced by the variables “Biscuit type” and “Country”. Cookies showed significantly higher fat content and lower protein content than crackers and digestives, as well as higher peroxide value (which was below the limit set by the FAO/WHO within the World Wood Program). Spanish samples had more fat and fewer proteins than biscuits made in other countries. Very high variability was observed in HMF (from not detected to 62.08 mg/kg) and AA content (reaching 1421.8 μg/kg). Cadmium was always absent, and lead was considerably below the allowed limit. Yeasts and molds were above the limits in five samples.

Sheep and goat pox (SGPX) are systemic transmissible viral diseases characterized mainly by skin and internal lesions. This work aimed to provide the first molecular detection of sheep pox virus (SPV) in Iraq. Sheep pox virus (SPV) is a widely spread skin viral disease in Iraqi sheep and is associated with the formation of benign and malignant lesions in adult and young animals, resulting in notable economic losses in sheep and goat. In the current study, 24 sheep pox samples were collected from sheep from central Iraq. These samples were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction, and sequence analysis. Sheep pox virus DNA was detected in 18 of the samples (75%) in Iraqi sheep as the main causative agent for the disease. A partial sequence for the SGP P32 gene was deposited in Gene Bank. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the presence of SPV-Iraqi isolate and showed that the origin of infection may be imported from India, china and USA sheep. This study presents the first report of SPV-infection in the Iraqi sheep and gives to spreading the knowledge of the origin of this disease. The results of this study will assist in the development of appropriate prophylaxis procedures and therapeutic measures.

Tamed small ruminants such as sheep and goats are deemed important sources of people livelihood in Garmian area including Kalar district. Sustainability and prosperity of livestock resources are vigorously influenced by the heavy infestation of small ruminants with ectoparasites owing to the enormous economic loss caused by them, particularly in under-developed countries including Iraq. Hence, the present survey, carried out from March, 2019 to February, 2020 in Kalar district, intended to investigate the rampancy of external parasites among sheep and goats being reared in the aforementioned district. To meet the requirements of the survey, a total of 1700 sheep and 400 goats were arbitrarily sampled. The overall rate of ectoparasitosis in this study was 53.09%, in that, the infestation rate in goats (95%) was significantly higher than that of sheep (43.23%). Regarding sheep pediculosis, two species of lice; Linognathus (L.) africanus (35.58%), Damalinia (D.) ovis (24.11%), and two species of ticks; Hyalomma (H.) anatolicum (2.94%), Rhipicephalus (R.) turanucus (4.41%), in addition to the nasal bot fly, Oestrus ovis (12%) were identified. On the other hand, two species of lice; D. caprae (80%), L. africanus (30%), and two species of ticks; H. anatolicum (7.5%) and R. turanucus (3.75%) were detected in goats. Co-infections were significantly higher in sheep as compared to goats in this survey. Some of the aforementioned external parasites are known to transmit zoonotic diseases since sheep and goats are reared in close cohabitation with humans. For that reason, sustainable control of ectoparasitosis especially, tick infestations in domestic livestock is compulsory to prevent both economic loss and transmission of some serious diseases.

The scientific literature is rich in investigations on the presence of various contaminants in biscuits, and of articles aimed at proposing innovative solutions for their control and prevention. However, the relevant information remains fragmented. Therefore, the objective of this work was to review the current state of the scientific literature on the possible contaminants of biscuits, considering physical, chemical, and biological hazards, and making a critical analysis of the solutions to reduce such contaminations. The raw materials are primary contributors of a wide series of contaminants. The successive processing steps and machinery must be monitored as well, because if they cannot improve the initial safety condition, they could worsen it. The most effective mitigation strategies involve product reformulation, and the use of alternative baking technologies to minimize the thermal load. Low oxygen permeable packaging materials (avoiding direct contact with recycled ones), and reformulation are effective for limiting the increase of contaminations during biscuit storage. Continuous monitoring of raw materials, intermediates, finished products, and processing conditions are therefore essential not only to meet current regulatory restrictions but also to achieve the aim of banning dietary contaminants and coping with related diseases.

In recent years, the need to reduce environmental impacts and increase flexibility in the energy sector has led to increased penetration of renewable energy sources and the shift from concentrated to decentralized generation. A fuel cell is an instrument that produces electricity by chemical reaction. Fuel cells are a promising technology for ultimate energy conversion and energy generation. We see that this system is integrated, where we find that the wind and photovoltaic energy system is complementary between them, because not all days are sunny, windy, or night, so we see that this system has higher reliability to provide continuous generation. At low load hours, PV and electrolysis units produce extra power. After being compressed, hydrogen is stored in tanks. The purpose of this study is to separate the Bahr AL-Najaf Area from the main power grid and make it an independent network by itself. The PEM fuel cells were analyzed and designed, and it were found that one layer is equal to 570.96 Watt at 0.61 volts and 1.04 A/Cm2. The number of layers in one stack is designed to be equal to 13 layers, so that the total power of one stack is equal to 7422.48 Watt. That is, the number of stacks required to generate the required energy from the fuel cells is equal to 203 stk. This study provided an analysis of the hybrid system to cover the electricity demand in the Bahr AL-Najaf region of 1.5 MW, the attained hybrid power system TNPC cost was about 9,573,208 USD, whereas the capital cost and energy cost (COE) were about 7,750,000 USD and 0.169 USD/kWh respectively, for one year.

SCADA is the technology that allows the operator to gather data from one or more various facilities and to send control instructions to those facilities. This paper represents an adaptable and low cost SCADA system for a particular sugar manufacturing process, by using Programmable Logic Controls (Siemens s7-1200, 1214Dc/ Dc/ Rly). The system will control and monitor the laboratory production line chose from sugar industry. The project comprises of two sections the first one is the hardware section that has been designed, and built using components suitable for making it for laboratory purposes, and the second section was the software as the PLC programming, designing the HMI, creating alarms and trending system. The system will have two HMI screens according to the two operating states of system (Automatic and Manual), the operator can choose between them by a selector switch, this method helps the operators when fixing a failure and wanting to check it without operating all the process. The result has accomplished the goals of controlling, the parameters (temperature, flow, humidity) were monitored, failure was detected by an alarm.

An appreciation for the complex interactions between the NF-κB transcription factor and the Lin28 RNA binding protein/let-7 microRNA pathways has grown substantially over the past decade. Both the NF-κB and Lin28/let-7 pathways are master regulators impacting cell survival, growth and proliferation, and an understanding of how interfaces between these pathways participate in governing pluripotency, progenitor differentiation, and neuroplastic responses remains an emerging area of research. In this review, we provide a concise summary of the respective pathways and focus on the function of signaling interactions at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Regulatory loops capable of providing both reinforcing and extinguishing feedback have been described. We highlight convergent findings in disparate biological systems and indicate future directions for investigation.

Consuelo Arbona, Weihua Fan, Nausheen Noor Department of Psychological, Health, and Learning Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA Abstract: This study compared the relative goodness of fit of three well-established factorial models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among 477 African American male firefighters in a large city in the US. The compared models were the two four-factor emotional numbing and dysphoria models and a five-factor dysphoric arousal model. The study also examined the convergent and discriminant validity of PTSD symptom clusters in relation to depression and alcohol dependence symptoms. Both the emotional numbing and dysphoric arousal PTSD models provided a superior fit to the data compared to the dysphoria model. Findings also indicated a good fit for factor models that included PTSD, depression, and alcohol dependence latent factors, which provides support for the specificity of PTSD symptom clusters. Depression symptoms were more strongly correlated with PTSD symptom clusters than alcohol dependence. In the dysphoric arousal model, depression and alcohol dependence were equally related to the emotional numbing and dysphoric arousal clusters; however, both depression and alcohol dependence were more highly correlated with dysphoric arousal than with anxious arousal. Even though the emotional numbing and dysphoric arousal models demonstrated a superior fit to the data, the four-factor dysphoria model may provide a more parsimonious representation of PTSD’s latent structure than the five-factor dysphoric arousal model. In conclusion, this study extends support for the well-established PTSD symptom factor models among African Americans, a population with whom these models had not been examined earlier. Keywords: posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, PTSD, African American, factor structure, depression, alcohol problems

Malignant mesothelioma involving the para-testicular tunica is extremely rare and an aggressive tumor. Bilateral malignant mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis is not reported previously in the literature. Rarity of the disease, absence of any specific clinical and radiological findings makes the preoperative diagnosis difficult. Aggressive surgical approach is the key to successful management with high inguinal orchiectomy and scrotectomy appears to be optimal treatment in patients with localized disease.

Black paint laser peening (bPLP) technique is currently applied for many engineering materials , especially for aluminum alloys due to high improvement in fatigue life and strength . Constant and variable bending fatigue tests have been performed at RT and stress ratio R= -1 . The results of the present work observed that the significance of the surface work hardening which generated high negative residual stresses in bPLP specimens .The fatigue life improvement factor (FLIF) for bPLP constant fatigue behavior was from 2.543 to 3.3 compared to untreated fatigue and the increase in fatigue strength at 107 cycle was 21% . The bPLP cumulative fatigue life behavior was improved by 1.786 at L-H and 1.55 at H-L due to black paint coating .

Organizations has longed been searching for an effective problem identification tool. This study provides an improved method to root-cause analysis tool for practitioners, integrating mixed method research with problems identification technique. It also discovers the primary causes to unfavorable performance for heritage boutique hoteliers. 1881 Chong Tian Cultural Hotel, one of the 18 heritage boutique hotels in Penang, reported a 23% financial loss in 2010, recovered in 2011, yield some profits in 2012 and 2013. However, growth in boutique hotel industry has been a challenge over the years. The sequential approach methodology, begins with sem-structured interviews, quantitative surveys on 100 general public and 56 hotel guests, and analysis on unpublished company data, were summarized using a root-cause analysis tool called the Symptoms Versus Problems (SVP) Framework that questioned on the occurance of the symptoms for the first three Tiers of the framework. The remaining symptoms and core problems are identified based on findings from all the three methods above plus field observations, concurrently. Two major symptoms are identified, specifically, unfavorable cultural service quality and ineffective marketing strategies. The unfavorable cultural service quality is due to ineffective cultural ambiance; unproductive display of heritage, cultural artifacts and infrastructure; as well as, unfavorable cultural related services. The ineffective marketing strategies are due to low technology adoption of websites and social media; and ineffective customer relationship management (CRM) implementation. Thus, the recommended solutions bring to life the practices of Qing Dynasty cultural ambiance, ceremonies, historical shows and the royale reception. Information on artifacts and infrastructure is readily available. Website development and social media updates on latest Chong Tian Hotel activities are being developed. Embracing delegates using Qing Dynasty traditions at airports and hotels can be a real experience for the growing tourists from Japan, Australia, UK and Middle East.

In-situ gelation is a process of gel formation at the site of application, in which a drug product formulation that exists as a liquid has been transformed into a gel upon contact with body fluids. As a drug delivery agent, the in-situ gel has an advantage of providing sustained release of the drug agent. In-situ gelling liquid suppositories using poloxamer 188 (26-30% W/W) as a suppository base with 10% W/W naproxen were prepared, the gelation temperature of these preparations were measured and they were all above the physiological temperature. Additives such as polyvinylpyrrolidin "PVP" ,hydroxylpropylmethylcellulose "HPMC", sodium alginate and sodium chloride were used in concentration ranging from (0.25-1%W/W) to modulate the gelation temperature and gel strength .The best preparation was obtained through using a combination of poloxamer 188, sodium alginate, naproxen and distilled water (29,0.5,10and 60.5 % W/W respectively)with gelation temperature of 33.6ºC±0.2 and gel strength of 28±2 seconds. The release of drug from this preparation was sustained for about 12 hours and it was faster than conventional solid suppository (Proxen® 500) and oral tablets (Naproxen®500) using dialysis tubing method. Key words: - naproxen, in-situ gelation, liquid suppository, poloxamer188

Background: Elastomeric chains are one of the most commonly used force delivery systems. They have the ability to exert a continuous force, convenience of use, compatibility to oral environment and cost effectiveness but one of the inherited disadvantages is force degradation. Materials and methods: This in vitro study was designed to evaluate the effect of alcohol presence in mouthwashes on force decay of different configurations of clear elastomeric chains from (Ortho Technology company) which are: closed , short and long under the effect of time at (Initial, 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks) intervals with exposure to different chemical solutions. A total (540) modules of elastomeric chains of three different types (long, short and closed) transparent in color, with an initial length (19mm) and about 50% extension (29mm) were used for the study. These elastomeric chains divided in to four groups and exposed to different chemical solutions (Listerine Original alcoholic mouthwash, Listerine Zero alcohol mouth wash, Ethanol 26.9%, distilled water) twice daily for 60 seconds according to manufacturer instructions to measure the amount of force degradation in different time intervals. These elastomeric chains were incubated in covered glass containers at 37C˚ for the entire testing period. Results: Statistical analysis showed that there was a highly significant difference in the mean percentage of force decay (P≤ 0.001). For all chemical solutions the highest percentage of force decay occurs in Listerine Original Alcoholic mouth wash. Also in all chemical solutions closed elastomeric chains has the least percentage of force decay. While closed configuration have the highest percentage of force decay. Conclusion: We can conclude that alcoholic mouth wash(Listerine Original) causes increase force degradation of all types of elastomeric chains while alcohol free mouth wash (Listerine Zero) causes less force degradation of all types of elastomeric chains. Also closed configuration elastomeric chains have the least percentage of force decay than other configurations.

Abstract Black paint laser peening (bPLP) technique is currently applied for many engineering materials , especially for aluminum alloys due to high improvement in fatigue life and strength . Constant and variable bending fatigue tests have been performed at RT and stress ratio R= -1 . The results of the present work observed that the significance of the surface work hardening which generated high negative residual stresses in bPLP specimens .The fatigue life improvement factor (FLIF) for bPLP constant fatigue behavior was from 2.543 to 3.3 compared to untreated fatigue and the increase in fatigue strength at 107 cycle was 21% . The bPLP cumulative fatigue life behavior was improved by 1.786 at L-H and 1.55 at H-L due to black paint coating . Keywords: Constant and variable fatigue behavior , Black paint laser peening , 7049 Al- alloy .

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and C virus (HCV) known to be transmitted through blood and blood products and has been implicated as a major cause of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Objective: This study aim to detect the relationship between the HBV and HCV infections with ABO blood groups and age of blood donor in Al- Ramadi city. Patients & Methods: We conducted Hepatitis B surface antigen test strip (ACON Laboratories) (USA) and HCVAb, as step to detect the infections among blood donors at the laboratories for central blood bank in Alanbar health directory, M.O.H. The results of this study were analyzed statistically using the T-test to find the significance of probability level according to SPSS ver12 program. (P) Value < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Among (430) volunteer blood donors, there were 71(16.511%) positive for HBs Ag and 12(2.790%) for HCVAb. Hepatitis B and C infections were significantly associated with blood group of the donors; percentage of HBs Ag and HCVAb were found to be higher in donors who has blood group O and lowest in blood group AB donors, while the distribution of Rh in hepatitis infected donors was higher among Rh positive donors. HCV infections show a high percentage at age group (26–35) years old, while the percentage of HBV infections increase with progress of age group among blood donors. Conclusion: There were a significant association between blood group of donors and hepatitis infections and the infections of HCV increase among (26-35) years old blood donors while the HBV infections increase with progress of age groups.

Objectives: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a leading urological malignancy with an age-standardised incidence rate of 2.5 per 100,000 per year in Oman. Experts are inclined towards the early detection and use of minimally invasive technology for the treatment of RCC. This study aimed report the shifting trend in the clinical presentation and management of RCC in Oman, comparing the outcomes of laparoscopic and open nephrectomy. Methods: This retrospective study included adult RCC patients from Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, diagnosed from 2011-2022. Patient biodata, mode of presentation, diagnostic modality, final histopathology and details of treatment received including the perioperative outcomes were analysed. Results: A total of 56 patients that underwent surgical treatment for RCC, 34 underwent laparoscopic nephrectomy (LN) and 22 underwent open nephrectomy (ON). The mean ages in the LN and ON groups were 53.82 ± 13.44 years and 56.22 ± 15.00 years (P = 0.53), respectively. There were 47 patients of Omani descent and 9 patients were expatiates. The patients' mean tumour size was 6.25 ± 3.16 cm and 9.23 ± 5.20 cm for the LN and ON groups, respectively; 55.35% of the RCC cases were incidentally diagnosed. A trend towards LN was observed. Conclusion: This study found a trend towards early diagnosis of RCC in Oman, with the majority of cancers being discovered incidentally in the studied period. LN is more commonly used in the surgical management of RCC with acceptable morbidity. These trends remain aligned with those found in the global literature on RCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olfactory perception is an important physiological function for human well-being and health. Loss of olfaction, or anosmia, caused by viral infections such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has received considerable attention, especially in persistent cases that take a long time to recover. This review discusses the integration of different components of the olfactory epithelium to serve as a structural and functional unit and explores how they are affected during viral infections, leading to the development of olfactory dysfunction. The review mainly focused on the role of receptors mediating the disruption of olfactory signal transduction pathways such as angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), transmembrane protease serine type 2 (TMPRSS2), neuropilin 1 (NRP1), basigin (CD147), olfactory, transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), purinergic, and interferon gamma receptors. Furthermore, the compromised function of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection and its contribution to olfactory dysfunction are also discussed. Collectively, this review provides fundamental information about the many types of receptors that may modulate olfaction and participate in olfactory dysfunction. It will help to understand the underlying pathophysiology of virus-induced anosmia, which may help in finding and designing effective therapies targeting molecules involved in viral invasion and olfaction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only review that covered all the receptors potentially involved in, or mediating, the disruption of olfactory signal transduction pathways during COVID-19 infection. This wide and complex spectrum of receptors that mediates the pathophysiology of olfactory dysfunction reflects the many ways in which anosmia can be therapeutically managed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, double perovskite halides (DPHs) become crucial due to their potential applications in optoelectronic devices due to their stability, non-toxicity, superior oxidation resistance, high conversion efficiency, and high temperature stability. In the current study, we explored DPHs Li2CuInY6 (Y = Cl, Br, I) employing Wien2k package to analyze the structural stability, optoelectronic and thermoelectric features. The formation energy and Born stability criteria are computed to confirm thermodynamic and structural stability. Studied DPHs have direct bandgaps nature investigated by modified Becke and Johnson (mBJ) potential. Calculated values of bandgap decreases, when replace halide ion from Cl to I, indicate tuning from visible to infrared (IR) region of electromagnetic spectrum. Their band edge tuning across the visible to infrared border is reliant on replacement, which makes them suitable for projects involving opto-electronic devices. Further, optical features are investigated in terms of incident photon energy in order to assess the optical output. Lastly, electronic thermoelectric performance is computed using the figure of merit (ZT) for all DPs. Computed results of direct bandgap and optical behavior show that DP Li2CuInCl6 can be used as photovoltaic devices as compared to DPs Li2CuInBr6 and Li2CuInI6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To comprehend the mechanical, electronic, and magnetic properties of chalcogenides HgSm2S/Se4, a DFT-oriented thorough investigation is carried out. The elastic constants and spin-dependent electrical characteristics are determined by using the PBEsol-GGA functional and (mBJ) potential correspondingly. Through optimization, a sufficient amount of energy is discharged by the FM state as compared to nonmagnetic states. By investigating Born stability criteria and formation energy, the structural stabilities of both spinels are verified. The calculated Poisson's and Pugh's ratios showed that both spinels are ductile. The estimation of Curie temperature has supported the existence of a ferromagnetic nature at room temperature. Moreover, the presence of ferromagnetism in both spinels is confirmed by spin-oriented electrical characteristics, owing to the coupling between component states associated with Sm and S/Se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]