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Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In our previous study, a panel of miRNA including miR-134-5p was deregulated in young acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. However, the roles of these ACS-associated miRNAs in endothelial dysfunction, an early event preceding atherosclerosis, remain to be investigated. In the present study, human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) were treated with 7-ketocholesterol (7-KC) to induce endothelial dysfunction. Following treatment with 20 mg/ml 7-KC, miR-134-5p was significantly up-regulated and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression was suppressed. Endothelial barrier disruption was evidenced by the deregulation of adhesion molecules including the activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), down-regulation of VE-cadherin, up-regulation of adhesion molecules (E-selectin and ICAM-1), increased expression of inflammatory genes (IL1B, IL6 and COX2) and AKT activation. Knockdown of miR-134-5p in 7-KC-treated HAECs attenuated the suppression of eNOS, the activation of AKT, the down-regulation of VE-cadherin and the up-regulation of E-selectin. In addition, the interaction between miR-134-5p and FOXM1 mRNA was confirmed by the enrichment of FOXM1 transcripts in the pull-down miRNA-mRNA complex. Knockdown of miR-134-5p increased FOXM1 expression whereas transfection with mimic miR-134-5p decreased FOXM1 protein expression. In summary, the involvement of an ACS-associated miRNA, miR-134-5p in endothelial dysfunction was demonstrated. Findings from this study could pave future investigations into utilizing miRNAs as a supplementary tool in ACS diagnosis or as targets for the development of therapeutics.

Background: Despite guideline recommendations, suboptimal prescription rates of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have been observed in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Objective: This study aimed to examine the temporal trends, variations, and mortality outcomes among acute coronary syndrome patients prescribed ACEIs/ARBs in the multi-ethnic population of Malaysia. Methodology: This retrospective study utilized data from the Malaysian National Cardiovascular Disease–Acute Coronary Syndrome registry, encompassing consecutive patient records from 2008 to 2017 (N = 60,854). Ten-year temporal trends of on-discharge ACEIs/ARBs prescription were examined. Demographics, clinical characteristics and 1-year all-cause mortality outcomes were compared between patients prescribed and not prescribed ACEIs/ARBs. Results: The 10-year prescription rate of on-discharge ACEIs/ARBs was 52.8% (n = 32,140), with a significant decline over the years [linear trend test, P = 0.008; SD = 0.03; SE = 0.001; 95% CI = 0.55-0.64]. Patients aged ≥65 years (aOR = 0.79; 95% CI = 0.73–0.86) were less likely to be prescribed ACEIs/ARBs than those aged

Abstract A numerical analysis of a CdTe/Si dual-junction solar cell in terms of defect density introduced at various defect energy levels in the absorber layer is provided. The impact of defect concentration is analyzed against the thickness of the CdTe layer, and variation of the top and bottom cell bandgaps is studied. The results show that CdTe thin film with defects density between 1014 and 1015 cm−3 is acceptable for the top cell of the designed dual-junction solar cell. The variations of the defect concentrations against the thickness of the CdTe layer indicate that the open circuit voltage, short circuit current density, and efficiency (ƞ) are more affected by the defect density at higher CdTe thickness. In contrast, the Fill factor is mainly affected by the defect density, regardless of the thin film’s thickness. An acceptable defect density of up to 1015 cm−3 at a CdTe thickness of 300 nm was obtained from this work. The bandgap variation shows optimal results for a CdTe with bandgaps ranging from 1.45 to 1.7 eV in tandem with a Si bandgap of about 1.1 eV. This study highlights the significance of tailoring defect density at different energy levels to realize viable CdTe/Si dual junction tandem solar cells. It also demonstrates how the impact of defect concentration changes with the thickness of the solar cell absorber layer.

Dictionary is an acknowledged learning tool which has a tremendous role in acquiring a language. It has proved to be helpful in learning vocabulary and developing language proficiency. The use of monolingual dictionaries is thought to be very fruitful for learning vocabulary. The present study used survey method to gain the perception of the students about the use of monolingual dictionaries for learning EFL. The study also used interviews of EFL teachers to support the findings of the study by eliciting their perceptions about the use of dictionaries by students. A questionnaire was administered in two governmental secondary schools of Zulfi, Saudi Arabia. It was sent to 99 students but a number 92 students responded. Internal reliability of the questionnaire was.81. Descriptive statistical methods were used for analyzing the quantitative data. Additional interviews with 9 teachers were also conducted to support the findings of the questionnaire. Collective thematic analysis of all interviews was conducted to analyze the qualitative data. The results showed that students have positive views about the use of dictionaries for learning EFL; they prefer to use monolingual dictionaries, but they cannot truly use them because bilingual dictionaries are easier and more helpful for them in translation as well as their process of learning English language due to their low proficiency levels. The paper puts forth some recommendations and suggestions that will be helpful for using monolingual dictionaries. It concludes by focussing on the problems in handling monolingual dictionaries.

The study used magnetron sputtering to investigate the growth of cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin films on surface treated n-type silicon (n-Si) substrates. The n-Si substrates were textured using potassium hydroxide (KOH) before the sputter deposition of CdTe. This was followed by cadmium chloride treatment to reduce the strain at the interface of CdTe and Si, which is caused by the incompatible lattice and thermal expansion mismatch (CTE). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that the lowest FWHM and dislocation densities were obtained for CdCl2/CdTe/txt-nSi, which aligns with the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results. In the SEM images, the interface bonding between the CdTe and Si surfaces was visible in the cross-sections, and the top-view images revealed sputtered CdTe thin films conforming to the patterns of pyramidal textured Si as an engineered surface to capture more light to maximize absorption in the CdTe/Si tandem design. The Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) results showed that all the CdTe deposited on textured n-Si exhibited more Te atoms than Cd atoms, irrespective of the CdCl2 treatment. The presented results suggest that the texturization and CdCl2 treatment improved the morphology and grain boundary passivation of the sputtered CdTe. The adhesiveness of CdTe on the n-Si substrate was also significantly enhanced. Our findings further demonstrate that proper surface treatment of the Si substrate can greatly improve the quality of CdTe grown on Si by reducing the strain that occurs during the growth process. This study demonstrates a valuable method for enhancing the integration of CdTe with Si for two-junction tandem solar cell applications.

Objectives Despite extensive advances in medical and surgical treatment, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Identifying the significant predictors will help clinicians with the prognosis of the disease and patient management. This study aims to identify and interpret the dependence structure between the predictors and health outcomes of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) male patients in Malaysian setting.Design Retrospective study.Setting Malaysian National Cardiovascular Disease Database-Acute Coronary Syndrome (NCVD-ACS) registry years 2006–2013, which consists of 18 hospitals across the country.Participants 7180 male patients diagnosed with STEMI from the NCVD-ACS registry.Primary and secondary outcome measures A graphical model based on the Bayesian network (BN) approach has been considered. A bootstrap resampling approach was integrated into the structural learning algorithm to estimate probabilistic relations between the studied features that have the strongest influence and support.Results The relationships between 16 features in the domain of CVD were visualised. From the bootstrap resampling approach, out of 250, only 25 arcs are significant (strength value ≥0.85 and the direction value ≥0.50). Age group, Killip class and renal disease were classified as the key predictors in the BN model for male patients as they were the most influential variables directly connected to the outcome, which is the patient status. Widespread probabilistic associations between the key predictors and the remaining variables were observed in the network structure. High likelihood values are observed for patient status variable stated alive (93.8%), Killip class I on presentation (66.8%), patient younger than 65 (81.1%), smoker patient (77.2%) and ethnic Malay (59.2%). The BN model has been shown to have good predictive performance.Conclusions The data visualisation analysis can be a powerful tool to understand the relationships between the CVD prognostic variables and can be useful to clinicians.

Background and Aims INTERASPIRE is an international study of coronary heart disease (CHD) patients, designed to measure if guideline standards for secondary prevention and cardiac rehabilitation are being achieved in a timely manner. Methods Between 2020 and 2023, adults hospitalized in the preceding 6–24 months with incident or recurrent CHD were sampled in 14 countries from all 6 World Health Organization regions and invited for a standardized interview and examination. Direct age and sex standardization was used for country-level prevalence estimation. Results Overall, 4548 (21.1% female) CHD patients were interviewed a median of 1.05 (interquartile range.76–1.45) years after index hospitalization. Among all participants, 24.6% were obese (40.7% centrally). Only 38.6% achieved a blood pressure (BP) < 130/80 mmHg and 16.6% a LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) of <1.4 mmol/L. Of those smoking at hospitalization, 48% persisted at interview. Of those with known diabetes, 55.2% achieved glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) of <7.0%. A further 9.8% had undetected diabetes and 26.9% impaired glucose tolerance. Females were less likely to achieve the targets: BP (females 36.8%, males 38.9%), LDL-C (females 12.0%, males 17.9%), and HbA1c in diabetes (females 47.7%, males 57.5%). Overall, just 9.0% (inter-country range 3.8%–20.0%) reported attending cardiac rehabilitation and 1.0% (inter-country range.0%–2.4%) achieved the study definition of optimal guideline adherence. Conclusions INTERASPIRE demonstrates inadequate and heterogeneous international implementation of guideline standards for secondary prevention in the first year after CHD hospitalization, with geographic and sex disparity. Investment aimed at reducing between-country and between-individual variability in secondary prevention will promote equity in global efforts to reduce the burden of CHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the feasibility of non cystoscopic removal of double J ureteral (DJ) stent using a foley catheter with suture in children in terms of success rate, number of attempts required and complications. Study Design: Cross Sectional study. Setting: Department of Pediatric Surgery, Services Hospital, Lahore. Period: August 2022 to August 2023. Methods: All the children who underwent DJ stent placement for any urological procedure were included if DJ stent was seen in the bladder postoperatively. After informed consent, under sedation and aseptic measures, the foley catheter with suture already passed through its eye, was introduced per urethral after adequate lubrication. The foley was given five to six rotations in clockwise direction for right sided and anti-clockwise for left sided stents respectively and pulled out keeping traction on the suture. In case of three failed attempts, a cystoscope was introduced under general anesthesia and the stent was removed. Successful removal, number of attempts needed, time taken, and post removal complications were noted to determine feasibility of the procedure. Results: Out of twenty patients, 17 patients (85%) underwent successful removal of DJ stent. The failure rate was 15% as three patients required cystoscope assisted removal. In 13 patients (76.5%) DJ stent was removed in first attempt, whereas in 4(23.5%) patients it required two attempts. Mean time taken was 8.83±7.33 minutes. Complications were noted in 2 patients (10%). Conclusion: Removal of DJ stent in children without cystoscope, using a foley catheter with suture is a safe and feasible procedure with a high success rate and should be attempted in selected cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In patients with acute heart failure (AHF), hemoconcentration has been suggested as a surrogate for volume changes (AHF). However, literatures comparing the outcome of AHF patients that achieved hemoconcentration during hospitalization with those that do not are limited. The aim of this research is to see if achieving hemoconcentration prior to discharge is linked to a lower risk of re-admission in AHF patients. 124 patients hospitalized in the Cardiology Unit, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) for AHF between November 2019 and November 2020 were enrolled. Information on patients’ clinical characteristics, laboratory values and in-hospital treatments were collected through electronic medical record. At admission and discharge, the change in hematocrit (HCT) levels was calculated, and patients were stratified based on two quantiles of delta HCT, either discharged with hemoconcentration (ΔHCT >1.5%) or without hemoconcentration (ΔHCT ≤1.5%). The study’s outcome was AHF readmission after a 90-day follow-up period. Readmission was significantly associated with ejection fraction (p = 0.032) and HCT change (p = 0.005). Consecutively, logistic regression performed revealed that patients with haemoconcentration were 78.3% less likely to be readmitted than those without haemoconcentration (OR = 0.217, p = 0.003, 95% CI = 0.078–0.605) and Patients with a lower ejection fraction have a threefold greater chance of being readmitted than those with a preserved ejection fraction (OR = 3.316, p = 0.022, 95% CI = 1.188–9.256). In conclusion, among patients hospitalized and discharged for AHF, those that (i) do not achieve haemoconcentration and (ii) patients with a reduced ejection fraction were more likely to be readmitted with acute heart failure. Therefore, optimising patients’ haematocrit levels prior to discharge may potentially reduce rehospitalizations among heart failure patients.

Cupronickel-based alloys are widely known for their excellent resistance against aqueous corrosion, however, they can be susceptible to corrosion at accelerated rates and premature failure when exposed to a polluted or brackish seawater medium, even for short-term exposure durations. This unfamiliar corrosion behavior may be a result of the formation of an unprotected corrosion film during the early exposure durations. The paper investigates the corrosion phenomenon in cupronickel 90/10 alloy, by exposing the coupons in two different seawater compositions in the Arabian Sea region. Corrosion losses were investigated on the experimental coupons in a submerged position, for a maximum exposure duration of 150 days, using the conventional weight loss method and a new dimensional metrology-based measurement technique. Additionally, in this research the tubes of a marine heat exchanger having similar material that failed prematurely during operation in the Arabian Sea were also investigated for corrosion losses, followed by the characterization of the corrosion deposits using following analytical techniques: SEM, EDS, XRD and Raman Scattering. The experimental results showed significantly higher corrosion losses on coupons exposed to seawater site rich in pollutants and nutrients including dissolved inorganic nitrogenous compounds, compared to those subjected to a natural seawater solution in corrosion tanks maintained in a controlled environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, it is our purpose to establish some new fractional inequalities of the Hermite–Hadamard type for the $ m $-polynomial convex and harmonically convex functions. Our results involve the Caputo–Fabrizio and $ \zeta $-Riemann–Liouville fractional integral operators. They generalize, complement and extend existing results in the literature. By taking $ m\geq 2 $, we deduce loads of new and interesting inequalities. We expect that the thought laid out in this work will provoke advance examinations in this course.

Zinc sulfide (ZnS) thin films prepared using the chemical bath deposition (CBD) method have demonstrated great viability in various uses, encompassing photonics, field emission devices, field emitters, sensors, electroluminescence devices, optoelectronic devices, and are crucial as buffer layers of solar cells. These semiconducting thin films for industrial and research applications are popular among researchers. CBD appears attractive due to its simplicity, cost-effectiveness, low energy consumption, low-temperature compatibility, and superior uniformity for large-area deposition. However, numerous parameters influence the CBD mechanism and the quality of the thin films. This study offers a comprehensive review of the impact of various parameters that can affect different properties of ZnS films grown on CBD. This paper provides an extensive review of the film growth and structural and optical properties of ZnS thin films influenced by various parameters, which include complexing agents, the concentration ratio of the reactants, stirring speed, humidity, deposition temperature, deposition time, pH value, precursor types, and annealing temperature environments. Various studies screened the key influences on the CBD parameters concerning the quality of the resulting films. This work will motivate researchers to provide additional insight into the preparation of ZnS thin films using CBD to optimize this deposition method to its fullest potential.

Due to recent advances in communication systems, dielectric and magnetic ceramics (ferrites) are attractive for use in devices. Spinel-type ferrites were the first material utilized in microwave devices; however, yttrium iron garnet (YIG) has low dielectric losses and is exploited in many applications. Owing to its high Faraday rotation, YIG films are utilized in magneto-optical applications. This study intends to examine the research trends and scientific research progress on highly cited papers discussing YIG films published between 2012 and 2022 using a bibliometric method. A comprehensive review of 100 scientific papers about YIG was performed from the Scopus database. The assessment of these highly cited papers was highlighted based on the following factors: publication trends and performance, limitations/research gaps, keywords, sub-fields, methodology journal evaluations, document type evaluation, issues, difficulties, solutions, and applications as well as guiding future YIG research. The majority of publications (99%) comprise experimental analysis, whereas 1% provide a based state-of-the-art overview. Ninety-one percent of articles focused on magnetization characterization. This bibliometric survey indicates that YIG film research is an expanding and developing field. The results of the data analysis can be utilized to improve the researchers’ understanding of YIG research and to encourage additional study in this area.

The critical impact of sodium-doped molybdenum (MoNa) in shaping the MoSe2 interfacial layer, influencing the electrical properties of CIGSe/Mo heterostructures, and achieving optimal MoSe2 formation conditions, leading to improved hetero-contact quality. Notably, samples with a 600-nm-thick MoNa layer demonstrate the highest resistivity (73 μΩcm) and sheet resistance (0.45 Ω/square), highlighting the substantial impact of MoNa layer thickness on electrical conductivity. Controlled sodium diffusion through MoNa layers is essential for achieving desirable electrical characteristics, influencing Na diffusion rates, grain sizes, and overall morphology, as elucidated by EDX and FESEM analyses. Additionally, XRD results provide insights into the spontaneous peeling-off phenomenon, with the sample featuring a ~ 600-nm MoNa layer displaying the strongest diffraction peak and the largest crystal size, indicative of enhanced Mo to MoSe2 conversion facilitated by sodium presence. Raman spectra further confirm the presence of MoSe2, with its thickness correlating with MoNa layer thickness. The observed increase in resistance and decrease in conductivity with rising MoSe2 layer thickness underscore the critical importance of optimal MoSe2 formation for transitioning from Schottky to ohmic contact in CIGSe/Mo heterostructures. Ultimately, significant factors to the advancement of CIGSe thin-film solar cell production are discussed, providing nuanced insights into the interplay of MoNa and MoSe2, elucidating their collective impact on the electrical characteristics of CIGSe/Mo heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of predictive maintenance, accurately predicting the remaining useful life (RUL) of equipment is critical to optimizing operations and avoiding unexpected failures. Traditional models such as Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), Particle Filter (PF), and Kalman Filter (KF) have been widely used, each with their own strengths and limitations. The motivation behind this study stems from the need to improve the accuracy and reliability of RUL predictions. Given the critical importance of predictive maintenance across a variety of industries, improved predictive models can provide significant operational and economic benefits. The main issues addressed are the limitations inherent in individual predictive models. GPR prediction gap or high initial error of his KF. This can lead to suboptimal RUL estimates. To address this problem, an integrated approach combining particle filtering and Gaussian process regression (PF-GPR) was proposed and developed. This integration aims to leverage the strengths of PF and GPR and potentially alleviate the limitations of the individual models. The performance of the PF-GPR model is evaluated and compared with the standalone His GPR, PF, and KF models using the prediction error and root mean square error (RMSE) at different points in the aging process of device #36. The results show that the PF-GPR model consistently outperforms the individual models in terms of both prediction error and RMSE, and significantly improves the accuracy and accuracy of RUL prediction. The PF-GPR model showed excellent performance in his RUL prediction for device #36, achieving the lowest prediction error and RMSE values at all time points as follows: B. The prediction error is only 2.30E-1 and the RMSE after 100 minutes is 7. 12E-3, which significantly outperforms his standalone GPR, PF, and KF models. The PF-GPR model demonstrated its excellent ability to provide robust and reliable predictions, highlighting the benefits of integrating different prediction methods into predictive maintenance applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]