Scanning ultrafast electron microscopy

Progress has been made in the development of four-dimensional ultrafast electron microscopy, which enables space-time imaging of structural dynamics in the condensed phase. In ultrafast electron microscopy, the electrons are accelerated, typically to 200 keV, and the microscope operates in the transmission mode. Here, we report the development of scanning ultrafast electron microscopy using a field-emission-source configuration. Scanning of pulses is made in the single-electron mode, for which the pulse contains at most one or a few electrons, thus achieving imaging without the space-charge effect between electrons, and still in ten(s) of seconds. For imaging, the secondary electrons from surface structures are detected, as demonstrated here for material surfaces and biological specimens. By recording backscattered electrons, diffraction patterns from single crystals were also obtained. Scanning pulsed-electron microscopy with the acquired spatiotemporal resolutions, and its efficient heat-dissipation feature, is now poised to provide in situ 4D imaging and with environmental capability

Heating and Cooling Dynamics of Carbon Nanotubes Observed by Temperature-Jump Spectroscopy and Electron Microscopy

Microscopy imaging indicates that in situ carbon nanotubes (CNTs) irradiation with relatively low dosages of infrared radiation results in significant heating of the tubes to temperatures above 1300 K. Ultrafast temperature-jump experiments reveal that CNTs laser-induced heating and subsequent cooling in solution take tens and hundreds of picoseconds, respectively. Given the reported transient behavior, these observations suggest novel ways for a T-jump methodology, unhindered by the requirement for excitation of water in the study of biological structures. They also provide the rate information needed for optimization of photothermal therapy that invokes infrared irradiation to selectively heat and annihilate cancer cells

4D Scanning Ultrafast Electron Microscopy: Visualization of Materials Surface Dynamics

The continuous electron beam of conventional scanning electron microscopes (SEM) limits the temporal resolution required for the study of ultrafast dynamics of materials surfaces. Here, we report the development of scanning ultrafast electron microscopy (S-UEM) as a time-resolved method with resolutions in both space and time. The approach is demonstrated in the investigation of the dynamics of semiconducting and metallic materials visualized using secondary-electron images and backscattering electron diffraction patterns. For probing, the electron packet was photogenerated from the sharp field-emitter tip of the microscope with a very low number of electrons in order to suppress space–charge repulsion between electrons and reach the ultrashort temporal resolution, an improvement of orders of magnitude when compared to the traditional beam-blanking method. Moreover, the spatial resolution of SEM is maintained, thus enabling spatiotemporal visualization of surface dynamics following the initiation of change by femtosecond heating or excitation. We discuss capabilities and potential applications of S-UEM in materials and biological science

Review on Effect of the Rumen Protozoa on the Productivity Performance of Some Ruminant

One of three groups of microorganisms that can be found in the rumen of ruminants is the ciliate protozoa. Isotrichid and Entodiniomorphid are the two categories into which ciliate protozoa can be separated in the rumen. This mini-review briefly describes the role of protozoa in ruminant metabolism and fiber digestion, as well as the influence on animal performance. The role of the rumen is carried out by diverse groups of microorganisms residing within it, including protozoa. Rumen protozoa are responsible for digesting approximately 19% to 28% of the total fibrous material in the rumen. These microorganisms within the rumen have the capability to acclimate to an anaerobic environment through a fermentation process that occurs in the absence of oxygen. Forages that contain cellulose can be transformed by rumen protozoa into easily absorbed chemicals and energy. For a variety of reasons, protozoa are beneficial to their hosts. Metabolic process is the first, while fiber digestion is the second. The amounts of fermentation products including methane, ammonia, lactate, propionate, butyrate, and others are maintained in large part by protozoa. When ciliate protozoa are eliminated from the rumen, the amount of microbial protein produced can rise by up to 30% while methane production can fall by up to 11%. The purpose of this review is to elucidate the involvement of rumen protozoa in the degradation of forage within the rumen, as well as their potential to enhance ruminant growth, reduce methane emissions, and positively contribute to the fermentation process in herbivores

Real time ear recognition using deep learning

Automatic identity recognition of ear images represents an active area of interest within the biometric community. The human ear is a perfect source of data for passive person identification. Ear images can be captured from a distance and in a covert manner; this makes ear recognition technology an attractive choice for security applications and surveillance in addition to related application domains. Differing from other biometric modalities, the human ear is neither affected by expressions like faces are nor do need closer touching like fingerprints do. In this paper, a deep learning object detector called faster region based convolutional neural networks (Faster R-CNN) is used for ear detection. A convolutional neural network (CNN) is used as feature extraction. principal component analysis (PCA) and genetic algorithm are used for feature reduction and selection respectively and a fully connected artificial neural network as a matcher. The testing proved the accuracy of 97.8% percentage of success with acceptable speed and it confirmed the accuracy and robustness of the proposed system

Effect of Using Ginger Roots Powder and Pure Allicin in Fattening Awassi Lambs Rations on Productive Performance and the Accessory Cut Parts of Carcasses

   أُجري البحث بهدف دراسة تأثير إضافة الاليسين أو الزنجبيل أو خليطهما إلى علائق تسمين الحملان العواسية في الصفات الإنتاجية وبعض الأجزاء الثانوية للذبائح.     استعمل في البحث 28 حملاً عواسياً وزعت عشوائياً على أربعة معاملات متساوية كل معاملة احتوت 7 حملان ، غذيت الحملان على أربعة أنواع من العلائق التجريبية والتي كانت كالآتي: العليقة الأولى عليقة مركزة خالية من الإضافات الغذائية (سيطرة)، العليقة الثانية احتوت على الاليسين النقي بنسبة 3 كغم لكل طن علف مركز، العليقة الثالثة احتوت على مسحوق جذور الزنجبيل بنسبة 2 كغم لكل طن علف مركز أما العليقة الرابعة فقد احتوت على خليط من الاليسين (1.5 كغم/ طن علف مركز) ومسحوق جذور الزنجبيل (1كغم/ طن علف مركز).    غذيت الحملان بطريقة التغذية الجماعية ولمدة 91 يوماً ودرست الصفات الإنتاجية والتي تضمنت الزيادات الوزنية الكلية واليومية ومعامل التحويل الغذائي وكميات العلف المستهلك من الخشن والمركز.    ذبح 12 حملاً من حملان التجربة بواقع ثلاثة حملان من كل معاملة لغرض تسجيل أوزان الأجزاء الثانوية للذبيحة والتي شملت الرأس والجلد والأرجل.    أشارت نتائج البحث إلى عدم وجود فروقات معنوية بين المعاملات المدروسة للأوزان الابتدائية والنهائية والزيادات الوزنية اليومية والكلية، ولم تلاحظ فروقات معنوية في كميات العلف المركز والخشن المستهلك ومعامل التحويل الغذائي، و أوضحت نتائج البحث أيضاً عدم وجود فروقات معنوية في صفة الرأس للذبائح بين المعاملات المختلفة بينما كانت الفروقات معنوية (P<0.05) لصفة الجلد والأرجل.The research has been conducted to investigate the effect of ginger roots powder with allicin in the fattening of Awassi lambs rations with its effect on productive traits as well as the secondary cuts parts of carcasses. A total number of 28 Awassi lambs were used in the research , those lambs were randomly distributed into 7 treatments, lambs fed on 4 experimental rations as follows the first ration was concentrated ration without any supplement (control), the second ration supplemented with 3.0 kg/ton of allicin, the third ration supplemented with 2.0 kg/ton ginger powder, the fourth ration supplemented with a combination of allicin (1.5 kg /ton) and ginger powder (1.0 kg/ton). Lambs fed by group feeding along with the experiment which had been lasted 91 days. The productive traits were studied such as a daily and total weight gain as well as feed conversion ratio and the consumed quantity of concentrated and rough feed. Twenty-one lambs were slaughtered (three lambs for each treatment)  to study the secondary cuts parts of the carcasses. Results revealed no significant differences among treatments in the initial and final weights and daily and total weight gains.  There were no significant differences in the consumed feed among treatments and feed conversion ratio. Results indicated also nonsignificant differences in weights of the head among treatments. Meanwhile, there were significant differences (P<0.05) in skin and legs weights among treatments. &nbsp

Saudi SCD patients’ symptoms and quality of life relative to the number of ED visits

Background Individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD) have significantly increased emergency department (ED) use compared to the general population. In Saudi Arabia, health care is free for all individuals and therefore has no bearing on increased ED visits. However, little is known about the relationship between quality of life (QoL) and frequency of acute care utilization in this patient population. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 366 patients with SCD who attended the outpatient department at King Fahad Hospital, Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through self-administered surveys, which included: demographics, SCD-related ED visits, clinical issues, and QoL levels. We assessed the ED use by asking for the number of SCD-related ED visits within a 6-month period. Results The self-report survey of ED visits was completed by 308 SCD patients. The median number of SCD-related ED visits within a 6-month time period (IQR) was four (2-7 visits). According to the unadjusted negative binomial model, the rate of SCD-related ED visits increased by (46, 39.3, 40, and 53.5 %) for patients with fever, skin redness with itching, swelling, and blood transfusion, respectively. Poor QoL tends to increase the rate of SCD-related ED visits. Well education and poor general health positively influenced the rate of SCD-related ED visits. Well education tends to increase the rate of SCD-related ED visits by 50.2 %. The rate of SCD-related ED visits decreased by 1.4 % for every point increase in general health. Conclusion Saudi patients with sickle cell disease reported a wide range of SCD-related ED visits. It was estimated that six of 10 SCD patients had at least three ED visits within a 6-month period. Well education and poor general health resulted in an increase in the rate of SCD-related ED visits

Spectrophotometric method for the determination of Captopril in pharmaceutical formulations

A simple, rapid and sensitive spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of captopril in aqueous solution. The method is based on reaction of captopril with 2,3-dichloro 1,4- naphthoquinon(Dichlone) in neutral medium to form a stable yellow colored product which shows maximum absorption at 347 nm with molar absorptivity of 5.6 ×103 L.mole-1. cm-1. The proposed method is applied successfully for determination of captopril in commercial pharmaceutical tablets