Electromagnetic interference shielding using biomass-derived carbon materials

The growing concern over electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitted by electronic devices has raised awareness of its adverse effects on human health and electronic operations, thus increasing interest in electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. Biomass-derived carbon materials (BCMs) provide effective and environmentally friendly solutions to address EMI-related issues. This review investigates the impressive EMI shielding efficiency achieved by various BCMs, that used in polymer composites, 3-D carbonaceous foams/aerogels, and building structural composites. The review outlines the primary mechanism of EMI shielding, the calculation of EMI shielding efficiency, and briefly discusses factors influencing shielding efficiency and production methods of BCMs based EMI shielding composites. It also evaluates the EMI shielding performance of biomass-derived carbon-based foams and aerogels. Finally, a concise overview of the future prospects for biomass-derived carbon EMI shield materials is presented

Increasing the performance of a hospital department with budget allocation model and machine learning assisted by simulation

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical need for efficient resource management in healthcare. In this study, the internal medicine outpatient clinic in a hospital is modelled by simulation method. Appropriate statistical distributions of the parameters are derived from past data. The results of a limited number of simulation runs are used as training data for machine learning techniques and an estimation model is selected among them. The estimation results are considered as input to a mathematical model which determines the optimal budget allocation for improving the system performance. Analysis considers patient waiting times and system throughput under varied parameters. A significant amount of time is saved by using machine learning to predict the simulation model outcomes, which had previously taken a total of around 7 hours reduced to 30-40 minutes. Time savings through machine learning are projected to be notably greater for more complex simulations comparing to current case

The impact of apelin-13 on cisplatin-induced endocrine pancreas damage in rats: an in vivo study

Apelin-13 is a peptide hormone that regulates pancreatic endocrine functions, and its benefits on the endocrine pancreas are of interest. This study aims to investigate the potential protective effects of apelin-13 in cisplatin-induced endocrine pancreatic damage. Twenty-four rats were divided into four groups: control, apelin-13, cisplatin, and cisplatin + apelin-13. Caspase-3, TUNEL, and Ki-67 immunohistochemical staining were used as markers of apoptosis and mitosis. NF-κB/p65 and TNFα were used to show inflammation. β-cells and α-cells were also evaluated with insulin and glucagon staining in the microscopic examination. Pancreatic tissue was subjected to biochemical analyses of glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Apelin-13 ameliorated cisplatin-induced damage in the islets of Langerhans. The immunopositivity of apelin-13 on β-cells and α-cells was found to be increased compared to the cisplatin group (p = 0.001, p = 0.001). Mitosis and apoptosis were significantly higher in the cisplatin group (p = 0.001). Apelin-13 reduced TNFα, NF-κB/p65 positivity, and apoptosis caused by cisplatin (p = 0.001, p = 0.001, p = 0.001). While cisplatin caused a significant increase in MDA levels (p = 0.001), apelin caused a significant decrease in MDA levels (p = 0.001). The results demonstrated a significant decrease in pancreatic tissue GSH levels following cisplatin treatment (p = 0.001). Nevertheless, apelin-13 significantly enhanced cisplatin-induced GSH reduction (p = 0.001). On the other hand, the serum glucose level, which was measured as 18.7 ± 2.5 mmol/L in the cisplatin group, decreased to 13.8 ± 0.7 mmol/L in the cisplatin + apelin-13 group (p = 0.001). The study shows that apelin-13 ameliorated cisplatin-induced endocrine pancreas damage by reducing oxidative stress and preventing apoptosis

A nationwide analysis of emergency medicine residents' CT interpretation in trauma: The Tract-EM study

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy and determine the factors influencing trauma CT interpretation proficiency among emergency medicine (EM) residents in Turkey through the TraCT-EM study (Interpretation of Trauma CT by EMergency Physicians). Methods: This nationwide, multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted in 29 academic emergency departments (EDs) from April 2023 to March 2024. A total of 401 senior EM residents participated in the study, each interpreting a standardized set of 42 trauma CT series (cranial, maxillofacial, and cervical) derived from seven patients. Interpretation accuracy was assessed, and factors predicting interpretation failure were analyzed using univariate and multivariate regression models. Results: The median accuracy rate of residents was 64.9 %, with higher accuracy in normal CT findings. Using the Angoff method, 14 % of residents scored below the passing threshold. Factors associated with interpretation failure included shorter interpretation times (OR, 0.97; 95 % CI, 0.95–0.99), lower self-confidence in detecting serious pathologies (OR, 2.50; 95 % CI, 1.42–4.42), reliance on in-hospital radiology department reports (OR, 3.45; 95 % CI, 1.47–8.05), and receiving final radiology reports for CT scans (OR, 3.30; 95 % CI, 1.67–6.52), and lack of in-department training programs (OR, 2.51; 95 % CI, 1.34–4.70). Conclusion: The TraCT-EM study highlighted a 65 % accuracy rate for senior EM residents in trauma CT interpretation, with specific predictors of failure identified. These findings suggest a need for tailored radiology education strategies to enhance training and competency in trauma CT interpretation for EM residents. Further optimization of educational programs could address these gaps, ultimately improving patient outcomes in trauma care

Microplastics in honey from Türkiye: Occurrence, characteristic, human exposure, and risk assessment

In this study, honey samples produced in Türkiye in 2023 were analyzed to assess occurrence of microplastics. The microplastics were physically and chemically characterised by stereomicroscope and FT-IR, respectively. Microplastic exposure by honey consumption was also calculated and risk assessment was done. The mean microplastic concentration was 314±353 (0–1280) particles/kg in 32 honey samples analyzed. The microplastics with four different polymers (EVA, PE, PP, and Nylon–6), two different shapes (fiber and fragment), and six different colors (black, brown, green, red, yellow, and transparent) were detected. The daily microplastic intake by consumption of monofloral and multifloral honey was calculated as 1.20 and 0.85 particles/day, respectively. The mean polymer hazard index and microplastic load index levels for all honey samples analyzed were 16.7±16 and 6.70±1.0, respectively. Result of this study confirmed that honey in Türkiye was contaminated with variety of microplastics. Considering to potential health risks of microplastics and associated chemicals to human health, production process should be improved by producers and urgent strategies and controls should be developed and applied by decision makers to eliminate the intake of microplastics through food

Analysis of one-proton transfer reaction in O 18 + Se 76 collisions at 275 MeV

Background: A systematic exploration of one-nucleon transfer reactions induced by the (O18,F19) and (O18,O17) reactions on different targets (C12, O16, Al27, Ca40, Ti48, Se76, Sn116) is being performed at the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (INFN-LNS) at beam energies higher than Coulomb barrier. A featured aspect is the adoption of a multichannel reaction approach, where several quasielastic processes are studied consistently from both the experiment and theory sides. Resembling the case of light-ion induced direct reactions, for which a large amount of data exists, the multichannel heavy-ion direct reaction is a powerful tool to characterize nuclear mean field as well as few-nucleon correlations in low-lying nuclear states. In this view, the study of different reaction mechanisms and nuclear structure models helps to characterize the nuclear wave functions and accurately scrutinize the parameters that control the uncertainties in the calculations of nuclear matrix elements (NMEs). In this context, special attention is recently paid to NMEs involved in second-order isotensor processes such as double charge exchange (DCE) and neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay.Purpose: We perform the experiment and the data analysis based on theoretical models of one-nucleon transfer reactions induced by the O18+Se76 collision at energies above the Coulomb barrier in a multichannel approach. The Se76 nucleus attracts nowadays much interest since it is the daughter in the Ge76 ββ decay, and the nuclear matrix elements involved in the Seg.s.76→Geg.s.76 and Geg.s.76→Seg.s.76 transitions are the same for time reversal symmetry. In particular, we intend to analyze transitions to low-lying excited states of the residual and ejectile nuclei in the Se76(O18,F19)As75 one-proton pickup reaction at 275 MeV incident energy by measuring the cross section. An additional goal is to determine the role of the coupling channels in the measured cross sections, testing different model descriptions of the involved nuclear states. Methods: Nuclear reactions induced by the O18+Se76 collision were measured at INFN-LNS using the MAGNEX large acceptance magnetic spectrometer for the detection of the ejectiles. The missing mass technique was used for the reconstruction of the reaction kinematics. The excitation energy spectrum and the differential cross section angular distributions were the key extracted observables. The experimental data were compared with theoretical calculations based on the distorted wave Born approximation, the coupled-channels Born approximation, and coupled reaction channels. The adopted spectroscopic amplitudes for the projectile and target overlaps were derived by large-scale shell-model and interacting boson-fermion model calculations. In the calculations the initial state interaction and the nuclear structure model inputs were the same as those adopted in the study of elastic and inelastic scattering and (O18,O17) one-neutron stripping reaction, published elsewhere. Results: Peaks in the cross section energy spectra corresponding to groups of transitions to As75 and F19 were identified and the experimental angular distributions were compared with theoretical calculations. A fair agreement between theory and experiment both in cross section values and diffraction pattern is obtained, without the need for any scaling factor, validating the adopted reaction and nuclear structure approaches. Conclusions: Resembling the case of the (O18,O17) one-neutron stripping reaction, the couplings to the inelastic channels of projectile and target are significant for the one-proton pickup reaction and are likely to also play a role in the single and double charge exchange reactions. The fair description of the data is remarkable since no free parameter was used for this analysis, highlighting that the multichannel approach guarantees an accurate investigation of all the interesting reactions induced by the O18+Se76 collision

Gentisic acid attenuates 5-fluorouracil-induced ovotoxicity in rats via modulating Nrf2 signalling: An experimental approach

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is the third most used chemotherapeutic in the world with its anticancer effect resulting from its potential to block DNA replication. Like other cytotoxic agents, 5-FU has side effects on healthy tissues, and the reproductive system is among the tissues most affected by these undesirable effects. Gentisic acid (GEA) is a secondary metabolite that is abundant in fruits, vegetables and spices and has antioxidant activity. This study was conducted to investigate the toxicity of 5-FU in rat ovarian tissue and to determine the therapeutic activity of GEA on ovotoxicity caused by 5-FU. The results showed that 5-FU caused histopathological findings by suppressing Nrf2 pathway and accordingly increasing oxidative stress, inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis. However, GEA treatments after 5-FU application ameliorated 5-FU-induced ovotoxicity dosedependently through activation of Nrf2 pathway. All these findings provided strong evidence supporting the hypothesis that GEA treatment may have therapeutic effects against 5-FU-induced ovarian damage. However, the beneficial effect of GEA use in eliminating ovarian damage in women after 5-FU chemotherapy should continue to be investigated with more detailed molecular studies

Investigating formability behavior of friction stir-welded high-strength shipbuilding steel using experimental, finite element, and artificial neural network methods

Steels are preferred in the building of commercial ships because they can be easily welded and supplied. Although it varies according to the parts of the ships, it is known that high-strength steels are preferred especially in bulb and side coatings where relatively high strength is desired during the building process. In the process of welding these steels, mostly gas and submerged arc welding are used. On the other hand, studies continue for the use of the new generation friction stir welding (FSW), which is known to have many advantages over existing welding methods, in the shipbuilding process. The formability of the welded plates in the construction process of the ships is extremely important to give the necessary form to the ship. On the other hand, post-weld formability properties are of great importance for determining the strength and elongation values in wave crests and wave troughs to which ships are exposed during navigation. In this context, in this study, relatively high-strength AH32 shipbuilding steel was joined with FSW and the formability behavior of the welded region was investigated comparatively by experimental, finite element analysis and artificial neural network methods. As a result of the studies, it was determined that the strength values in the weld zone of the steel joined by FSW increased compared to the pre-weld and the formability behavior did not deteriorate. In addition, it was determined that the results of finite element analysis and artificial neural networks were extremely consistent with the experimental data, and it was determined that the models created in the study would give close results to the real results even without experimental studies

COVID-19 Vaccine hesitancy and influencing factors: An example from Turkey

Objective: To find out the opinions concerning vaccine hesitancy of people and influencing factors who had not received COVID-19 vaccination. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. It was carried out between February and April 2022 with individuals who were not vaccinated against COVID-19. It included 634 participants registered at a family health center in Rize, Turkey. Data were collected by telephone using a questionnaire. For statistical analysis, the R programming language was used. The Boruta algorithm was used to rank the variables associated to the reasons for not trusting the vaccine. Results: “I do not trust vaccines (67%)” is the most frequently cited reason for not being vaccinated. The most often cited reasons for not trusting vaccinations are that vaccines are produced for the benefit of foreign companies (56.2%), vaccines are ineffective (55.5%), and vaccines have not undergone sufficient scrutiny (53.2%). According to Boruta analyses, the top three variables most closely associated with not trusting COVID-19 vaccines were belief that vaccines are produced for the benefit of foreign countries/vaccines companies, imported vaccines have not undergone sufficient scrutiny, and vaccines being ineffective. Conclusions: People do not get vaccinated because they do not trust vaccinations due to concerns about their safety, effectiveness, political influences, and potential adverse effects

Introduction of Co atoms into CdS thin films for improving photovoltaic properties

This paper represents a systematic work on the fabrication of chemical bath-grown CdS films with and without Co atoms and their photovoltaic performances in hybrid solar cells. Structural properties showed 1% Co-doping promoted crystal quality of CdS films. However, a poor crystal quality was developed above 3% Co concentrations. A reduction in sphere size of CdS samples was observed for 1% Co-doping which was ascribed to slow growth of film. Optical examination demonstrated CdS films with 1% Co-doping displayed the highest transparency of 85% in the visible and near-infrared regions, which were explained by the improvement of crystal quality. A maximum band gap of 2.43 eV was found for 1% Co-doped CdS films, whereas an increase in Co concentration to 7% led to a decline in the band gap of CdS that was attributed to sp-d exchange interaction. Photoluminescence data showed Co-doped CdS films had lower PL peak intensity than that of CdS, demonstrating a decrease in the number of intrinsic defects. Photovoltaic measurements displayed that the best efficiency of 0.488% was achieved for CdS-based device including 1% Co atoms, which were almost a seven-fold boost in overall efficiency compared to bare CdS-based device. The enhancement in power conversion efficiency originated from an increase in short-circuit current density of 1% Co-doped CdS-based photovoltaic cell