Effect of copper sulphate on behavioral and histopathological changes in roach, Rutilus rutilus caspicus

The research was accomplished in order to study behavioral and histopathological effects of Copper on Rutilus rutilus caspicus under experimental condition. The study was performed using Water Static Method during 96 hours. 15 fish with averaged weight 2±0.5 g in weight were encountered to different concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 mg/l) of Copper. A group of fish was considered as control. Under stable condition and aeration, the lethal concentration was 0.4 mg/l. Results indicated that there was significant differences between treatments when copper concentration increased (p<0.05). It was found that in the high concentration of Copper nominal signs of toxicity such as convulsion, air gulping and flared operculum were observed. Histopathological sings were hyperplasia, edema, hyperemia, hemorrhage, expansion of Bowman’s capsule and hepatocytes necrosis. In control group no lesion was observed

Bulk-sensitive Photoemission of Mn5Si3

We have carried out a bulk-sensitive high-resolution photoemission experiment on Mn5Si3. The measurements are performed for both core level and valence band states. The Mn core level spectra are deconvoluted into two components corresponding to different crystallographic sites. The asymmetry of each component is of noticeable magnitude. In contrast, the Si 2p spectrum shows a simple Lorentzian shape with low asymmetry. The peaks of the valence band spectrum correspond well to the peak positions predicted by the former band calculation.Comment: To be published in: Solid State Communication

Anesthetic effect of tricaine methanesulfonate, clove oil and electroanesthesia on lysozyme activity of Oncorhynchus mykiss

There is a few available information about the effect of anesthetics, specially electroanesthesia on immune parameters in fish. In the present work, two anesthetics, MS222 (50 ppm), clove oil (25 ppm), and electroanesthesia were tested in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in narcosis stage. The results showed, clove oil and electroanesthesia increase the lysozyme activity 24 h after anesthesia(p0.05). It seems use of MS222 during aquacultural practices may induce lesser effect in rainbow trout

CSNL: A cost-sensitive non-linear decision tree algorithm

This article presents a new decision tree learning algorithm called CSNL that induces Cost-Sensitive Non-Linear decision trees. The algorithm is based on the hypothesis that nonlinear decision nodes provide a better basis than axis-parallel decision nodes and utilizes discriminant analysis to construct nonlinear decision trees that take account of costs of misclassification. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated by applying it to seventeen datasets and the results are compared with those obtained by two well known cost-sensitive algorithms, ICET and MetaCost, which generate multiple trees to obtain some of the best results to date. The results show that CSNL performs at least as well, if not better than these algorithms, in more than twelve of the datasets and is considerably faster. The use of bagging with CSNL further enhances its performance showing the significant benefits of using nonlinear decision nodes. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated by applying it to seventeen data sets and the results are compared with those obtained by two well known cost-sensitive algorithms, ICET and MetaCost, which generate multiple trees to obtain some of the best results to date. The results show that CSNL performs at least as well, if not better than these algorithms, in more than twelve of the data sets and is considerably faster. The use of bagging with CSNL further enhances its performance showing the significant benefits of using non-linear decision nodes

Communicating the SHAPE ENERGY H2020 project – Strategies for dissemination and exploitation in the coming year

SHAPE ENERGY – ‘Social sciences and Humanities for Advancing Policy in European Energy’ – aims to develop Europe’s expertise in using and applying energy-related Social Sciences and Humanities (energySSH) to accelerate the delivery of Europe’s Energy Union Strategy. The project integrates and builds upon the experience of pre-existing networks and initiatives, including those of its 13 partners. For it to be successful and well disseminated at a European level, a robust and well-designed communication strategy has been fundamental since the project began in February 2017. The project involves and aims to reach out to a very broad range of stakeholders, represented by academics, policy, industry and communications practitioners. It is therefore important that the project’s communication strategy provides clarity on how to communicate, disseminate and exploit the project objectives and outputs to all members of the consortium and external stakeholders, in order to achieve positive and long-lasting results. Through strategic communication, the project aims to make better use of its results, including by sharing them with e.g. decision-makers to influence policy-making. This document states the communications objectives and targets at the midway point of the project (end of year 1). During the first year (01 Feb 2017 – 31 Jan 2018), SHAPE ENERGY was introduced to the European and national scenes through the creation of a project brand and the launch of an official website. Regular SHAPE ENERGY newsletters, as well as active engagement on our own social media channels, also allowed the project’s followers to stay informed and discover the many project outputs already published – in particular, the first half of 2017 focused on reports from the project’s scoping phase, and the second half focused on an increasing number of videos and blogposts. Furthermore, by making the most of the consortium’s broad geographical outreach, as well as contacts with various stakeholder groups, the project gained traction across several key EU countries. A full review of the extensive communication activities across the project to date is provided in Appendix 8.3. ‘SHAPE ENERGY communications activities to date’. We however want to go even further in the coming year; whilst our outreach to a wide audience has proven to be successful, more can be done to ensure even higher results. By taking stock of the achieved successes and lessons learned in 2017, this document provides a comprehensive communication, dissemination and exploitation plan for the final year of the project. As such, through providing further guidance and support to all SHAPE ENERGY partners, this document will improve existing methodologies and strategies, as well as provides a new evaluation and quarterly review system to ensure that the strategy remains on track, particularly for end of project outputs. It introduces all appropriate channels for each activity and details how we are using them in a timely manner. Toolkits and strategies for specific activity-types, as well as a timeline for the upcoming international and European energy agenda, together identify further opportunities to promote the project and ensure its success will be disseminated to its fullest potential. The last year of the project is key for SHAPE ENERGY, as the project’s ‘2020-2030 Research and Innovation Agenda’ (RIA) will be drafted and agreed among consortium partners on the basis of the various insights and learning gained thanks to the project’s activities. Its dissemination will culminate at the final pan-European conference, officially presenting the project results and completing the collection of the 500+ signatories that we are aiming for with the RIA document. Strategic communication will ensure maximum outreach and impact and seek to guarantee a future for the SHAPE ENERGY platform beyond its set end date

Influence of hyperhomocysteinemia on the cellular redox state - Impact on homocysteine-induced endothelial dysfunction

Hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis. An increasing body of evidence has implicated oxidative stress as being contributory to homocysteines deleterious effects on the vasculature. Elevated levels of homocysteine may lead to increased generation of superoxide by a biochemical mechanism involving nitric oxide synthase, and, to a lesser extent, by an increase in the chemical oxidation of homocysteine and other aminothiols in the circulation. The resultant increase in superoxide levels is further amplified by homocysteinedependent alterations in the function of cellular antioxidant enzymes such as cellular glutathione peroxidase or extracellular superoxide dismutase. One direct clinical consequence of elevated vascular superoxide levels is the inactivation of the vasorelaxant messenger nitric oxide, leading to endothelial dysfunction. Scavenging of superoxide anion by either superoxide dismutase or 4,5-dihydroxybenzene 1,3-disulfonate (Tiron) reverses endothelial dysfunction in hyperhomocysteinemic animal models and in isolated aortic rings incubated with homocysteine. Similarly, homocysteineinduced endothelial dysfunction is also reversed by increasing the concentration of the endogenous antioxidant glutathione or overexpressing cellular glutathione peroxidase in animal models of mild hyperhomocysteinemia. Taken together, these findings strongly suggest that the adverse vascular effects of homocysteine are at least partly mediated by oxidative inactivation of nitric oxide

FLOOD SUSCEPTIBILITY MODELLING USING GEOSPATIAL-BASED MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION MAKING IN LARGE SCALE AREAS

Flood is one of the most hazardous natural disasters that cause damages and poses a major threat to human lives and infrastructures worldwide, and its prevention is almost unfeasible. Thus, the detection of flood susceptible areas can be a key to lessen the amount of destruction and mortality. This study aims to implement a framework to identify flood potential zones in an ungauged large-scale area with frequent flood events in recent years. We used two Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approaches combined with geospatial analysis, and remote sensing observations for this susceptibility analysis. Nine geomorphological and environmental factors that have an impact on flood behaviour were selected and used for susceptibility modelling. At first, the criteria’s weights were estimated using two MCDM approaches and based on experts’ knowledge. The resultant weights revealed that Flow Accumulation, Topographic wetness index, and Distance to River were the most influential flood susceptibility criteria. After calculating these weights, the criteria’s layers were aggregated through geospatial analysis, which resulted in generating flood susceptibility map. The area under the curve (AUC) and statistical measures such as the Kappa index were used to evaluate the proposed method's efficiency. The validation results illustrate that hybrid FAHP, with AUC= 96.68 and Kappa = 81.36 performed more efficiently than standard AHP, with AUC= 94.53 and Kappa=76.35. Overlaying these maps with the historical flood inventory dataset revealed that 86.43% of flooded areas were categorized as “high” and “very high”. Therefore, the flood susceptibility maps generated through the proposed approach can help the decision-makers and managers allocate the mitigation equipment and facility in data-scarce and ungauged large-scale areas

Investigation of horizontal coherent structures in a shallow open-channel flow using velocity signal decomposition

River morphodynamics and sediment transportRiver morphology and morphodynamic

IDENTIFYING SUITABLE LOCATIONS FOR MANGROVE PLANTATION USING GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION SYSTEM AND REMOTE SENSING

Mangroves provide numerous environmental benefits, such as carbon sequestration, water purification, climate change mitigation, and flood and Tsunami impact reduction. Despite these unique advantages, mangroves are threatened by the combined adverse impacts of human activities and climate change. Therefore, it is essential to implement reasonable practices to avoid further degradation of mangroves and provide efficient workflows to increase their extent. Accordingly, better plantation policies are principally required for their conservation and rehabilitation. In this study, we desired to detect suitable locations for mangrove plantation in coastal areas of Hormozgan Province, Iran. We considered a relatively new Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) technique to combine ten criteria derived from remote sensing in a GIS environment. The Best Worst Method (BWM), as an MDCM technique, was implemented to determine the relative importance of each criterion. Afterward, all criteria were aggregated using the Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) method to produce a mangrove plantation suitability map. Statistical measures, including Overall Accuracy (OA = 95%), Kappa Coefficient (KC = 87.9%), and Area Under Curve (AUC = 98.79%), indicated the high applicability of the implemented method for mangrove plantation site allocation. The produced map could give managers a profound insight into finding optimal spots to plant mangroves