Comparative Study of Utilising Neural Network and Response Surface Methodology for Flexible Pavement Maintenance Treatments

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the prediction of flexible pavement maintenance that is caused by distressing on the surface layer is crucial in the effort to increase the service life span of pavements as well as reduce government expenses. This study aimed to predict flexible pavement maintenance in tropical regions by using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for predicting models for pavement maintenance in the tropical region. However, to predict the performance of the treatment techniques for flexible pavements, we used critical criteria to choose our date from different sources to represent the situation of the current pavement. The effect of the distress condition on the flexible pavement surface performance was one of the criteria considered in our study. The data were chosen in this study for 288 sets of treatment techniques for flexible pavements. The input parameters used for the prediction were severity, density, road function, and Average Daily Traffic (ADT). The finding of regression models in (R2) values for the ANN prediction model is 0.93, while the (R2) values are (RSM) prediction model dependent on the full quadratic is 0.85. The results of two methods were compared for their predictive capabilities in terms of the coefficient of determination (2), the Mean Squared Error (MSE), and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), based on the dataset. The results showed that the prediction made utilizing ANN was very relevant to the goal in contrast to that made using the statistical program RSM based on different types of mathematical methods such as full quadratic, pure quadratic, interactions, and linear regression

The Dynamics of Dose Escalation of Radiotherapy for Localized Prostate Cancer

It is a well-known fact that there is a dose-response relationship for clinical control of localized prostate cancer. As a result of the promising high local control rates observed in different prospective dose-escalation studies in the USA, the CKVO 96-10 study was initiated in four cancer institutes in The Netherlands in 1997 investigating the tumor control and toxicity as a consequence of dose-escalation, comparing the standard dose of 68 Gy with the experimental dose of 78 Gy. • The benefit of dose-escalation of RT for localized prostate cancer in terms of local control is undisputed. • Patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer and those with iPSA between 8 and 18 ug/L seem to benefit most from high-dose RT. However, from the current knowledge, neither low-risk nor high-risk patients could be safely excluded from high-dose RT because of the negative test of heterogeneity. Randomized trials are warranted to answer this important issue. • The associated increased GI toxicity would be reduced by the recent implementation of image-guide intensity-modulated radiotherapy at our institute. • Despite the increased GI toxicity seen in patients treated in the high-dose arm, dose-escalation did not appear to decrease QoL-scores significantly in these patients. • Predictive models need to be developed in order to identify patients at high risk of toxicity from high-dose RT. The possible risks of complications and deterioration of QoL-scores must be carefully weighted against the benefit from dose-escalation. • The optimal combination of HT and RT in high-risk prostate cancer patients are not yet well-defined

Effectiveness of Ipomoea aquatica and Pelthoporum pterocarpum for controlling the golden apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata

Pomacea canaliculata Lamark (golden apple snail, GAS) which known as siput gondang emas among Malay farmers is dangerous pest to the paddy field feeds on stem and young leaves of paddy plant. Frequently, usage of synthetic pesticides may cause pollution to the environment which became harmful to human and other living things. Hence, to control GAS, the usage of biopesticides is become the most popular control method. Biopesticides formed from animals, plants, bacteria and minerals. About 247 families from 2500 plants have the role of secondary metabolites to protect themselves from the pests. Some of the plants have their own mechanism to protect themselves from enemies like pests, diseases due to its chemical compound, which acts as toxicity to the pest, repellency, antifeedant and insect growth regulatory activities. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Ipomoea aquatica and Pelthoporum pterocarpum extracts for controlling GAS by using different solvents. From the study, methanol extraction showed the highest mortality rather than using ethanol for both plants. It showed that methanol is the most effective solvent due to mortality of the GAS by 50% concentration (24 hours) and 100% concentration (48 hours) is 53.33%. Based on probit analysis, Pelthoporum pterocarpum extracts by using methanol as solvent showed the strongest toxicity test result (LC50 = 4.683%). In the future, Pelthoporum pterocarpum extracts using methanol can be used to replace the usage of synthetic pesticides for controlling GAS

NOVEL STUDY FOR CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF AL-AHDAB CRUDE OIL

Thisn research included determination of chemical composition of al-ahdaab crude oil (kute- Iraq) using liquid – solid chromatography. The current researched included to separation the component of crude oil by column chromatography was packing with alumina (AL2O3) as a stationary–phases and several solvent as a mobile phase. . The results of crude oil fractionations were 17.01% Asphaltene, 82.99% Maltene, which separated to (Paraffinic) (saturated) 44.11%, Aromatic 30.11% and Resin 4.20%. Crude oil fractionation were characterized using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance H1NMR and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer FT-IR to determine the chemical composition of each part, which is that represents the first study and a novel results. This study also clarified the paraffinic compounds are represented the main part of materials in crude oil composition

Antibiotic sensitivity profile of Salmonella isolated from two slaughterhouses and human clinical cases

The antibiotic sensitivity of Salmonella strains isolated during the period 1996-98 from two industrial slaughterhouses of Northern Greece was detennined and compared with that of salmonellae isolated from human hospital cases during the period 1995-1997. For antibiotic sensitivity the disc agar diffusion method was used. Of 1874 samples obtained from the slaughterhouse environment (floors, worker\u27s hands and their knives), pork carcasses, by-products (livers and plucks) as well as lymph nodes and caecal contents 178 (9.5%) were positive for Salmonella spp. The salmonellae belonged to 22 serotypes. S. derby, S. london and S. typhimurium represented 25.8%, 15.2%, and 10.7% of the serotypes respectively. Of the salmonellae 59%, and 4.5%, were resistant and 33%, and 4.5% were intermediate sensitive to Tetracyclin, and Streptomycin, respectively and 26.4%, 14.6%, 5.1%, 1.7% and 1% were resistant to Ampicillin, Sulfamethoxa\u3eole I Trimethoprim, Chloramphenicol, Gentamicin, and Tobramycin respectively. Of the S. typhimurium strains 47% were resistant to Ampicillin and 41.2% to Chloramphenicol. Seven of the 19 strains were DT I 04, isolated for the first time in Greece, and multiple drug resistant. Of all isolates 5.1% were resistant to Chloramphenicol, the use of which is prohibited in food animal veterinary practice. Of the 422 salmonellae isolated at the Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Thessaloniki during the period 1996-98 77.4% were S. enteritidis and 17.7% S. typhimurium. Of the salmonellae isolated during 1995-1997, 76-79 % were resistant to Ampicillin and 1.2-1.5% to Chloramphenicol. Many of S. typhimurium strains isolated from the slaughterhouses and human cases exhibited the same antibiotic sensitivity profile a fact indicative of a potential transfer of animal strains to humans. Salmonellae of the same serotype exhibited different antibiotic resistance profiles, an indication of the presence of different clones within the same serotype. No S. enteritidis was isolated in slaughterhouses

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Enterococcus spp. isolated from freshwater fish and personnel and equipment of fish markets in northern Greece

Διερευνήθηκε η ευαισθησία στα αντιμικροβιακά φάρμακα και η ικανότητα παραγωγής βιογενών αμινών από στελέχη Enterococcus spp. από ψάρια του γλυκού νερού και το προσωπικό και τον εξοπλισμό ιχθυοπωλείων στη Βόρειο Ελλάδα. Εξετάσθηκαν 270 συνολικά δείγματα και απομονώθηκαν εντερόκοκκοι από 9,6% των δειγμάτων, συγκεκριμένα από 7,4% των δειγμάτων απομονώθηκε Enterococcus faecium και από 2,2% των δειγμάτων απομονώθηκε Enterococcus casseliflavus. Τα απομονωθέντα στελέχη εξετάσθηκαν για την ευαισθησία τους έναντι 20 αντιμικροβιακών ουσιών που χρησιμοποιούνται συνήθως σε ελληνικά νοσοκομεία. Όλα τα στελέχη, εκτός ενός, ήταν πολυανθεκτικά εμφανίζοντας αντοχή σε 7-15 αντιμικροβιακά φάρμακα. Αυξημένη συχνότητα ανθεκτικότητας παρατηρήθηκε στην πενικιλλίνη, στις κεφαλοσπορίνες και στην ερυθρομυκίνη. Σχετικά αυξημένη συχνότητα παρατηρήθηκε στην κινουπριστίνη/δαλφοπριστίνη και τη λινεζολίδη, φάρμακα χρησιμοποιούμενα στη θεραπευτική αγωγή λοιμώξεων από ανθεκτικούς στη βανκομυκίνη εντεροκόκκους. Σε ένα στέλεχος E. faecium και ένα E. casseliflavus παρατηρήθηκε μέτρια ανθεκτικότητα έναντι της βανκομυκίνης. Με εξέταση με πολλαπλή αλυσιδωτή αντίδραση πολυμεράσης (multiplex PCR) των στελεχών E. faecium δεν ανιχνέυτηκαν γονίδια αντοχής στη βανκομυκίνη. Όλα τα στελέχη E. faecium και ένα τρίτο των στελεχών E. casseliflavus είχαν την ικανότητα αποκαρβοξυλίωσης της τυροσίνης, όχι όμως της ιστιδίνης, ορνιθίνης και λυσίνης. Τα αποτελέσματα υποδεικνύουν ότι τα ψάρια του γλυκού νερού και το περιβάλλον των ιχθυοπωλείων αποτελούν πιθανές πηγές διασποράς πολυανθεκτικών στελεχών εντερόκοκκων σε ανθρώπους.In total, 270 samples from freshwater fish and personnel and equipment from retail fish markets in three cities in northern Greece, were examined for presence of antimicrobial resistance and biogenic amine production of Enterococcus spp. strains. Enterococci were isolated from 9.6% of the samples; from 7.4% and 2.2%, respectively, Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus casseliflavus were recovered. Isolates were tested for antibacterial susceptibility to 20 antibiotics used regularly in Greek hospitals. All isolates except one were multi drug resistant, to 7-15 antibiotics. Increased rates of resistance were recorded to penicillin, cephalosporins and erythromycin. Relatively increased rates were recoreded to quinupristin/casdalfopristin and linezolid, drugs commonly used as treatment options of infections by vancomycin-resistant enterococci. One E. faecium and one E. casseliflavus isolate showed intermediate resistance to vancomycin. Multiplex PCR assay for presence of van genes in E. faecium was negative. All E. faecium isolates and one third of E. casseliflavus isolates were able to decarboxylate tyrosine, but not histidine, ornithine or lysine. The results indicate that freshwater fish and fish markets are potential reservoirs of multi-drug resistant enterococci