Hospitalization records: characterization of pandemic spread.

In this report we described our visual analytics study of the pandemic spread data from the Mini Challenge 2 of the VAST Challenge 2010. We distinguished the countries with epidemic from those that are without, identified symptoms related to the epidemic, and compared the outbreak characteristics across countries. Several small visual analytics tools are developed for different analyses. Their integration and generalization are possible future work

The development of a sustainability risk assessment model for construction projects: a case study on the Jordanian construction industry

The construction industry has significant environmental effects. Jordan is one of the countries in the world that is dealing with population growth, a shortage of resources, and unrestricted pollution, for this reason, the construction industry plays a significant role global climate system which in turn may have a detrimental impact on the globe if it is not modified totally in favor of the construction sustainable development. Consequently, this thesis presents research work that aims to develop a sustainability risk assessment model for construction projects, particularly in the Jordanian construction industry, based on the combination of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Bayesian method (BM). This model contributes to implementing the dimensions of sustainable development in the Jordanian construction industry that pertain to the economy, environment, and society dimensions. The research approach for this project is abductive through a mixed-method (qualitative and quantitative) approach to data collection and analysis. The literature review conceptually reviews the risk classifications within sustainability, interpreting the relationship that exists between construction risk management and the elements of sustainable construction. The literature review was utilised to synthesise the specific objectives of construction sustainability and identify the key risk reduction aspects for the implementation of these objectives in the Jordan administration. A focus group method was employed as a primary data collection tool, with a group comprising eight experts and engineers in the construction industry who discussed sustainability-related risks. In addition, a second primary data collection took place through a questionnaire, completed by 402 different professionals and engineers from the Jordanian construction industry. Three case studies from the Jordanian construction industry were conducted, with the purpose of validating the findings and the proposed sustainability risk analysis and management model. The three cases comprised a building construction project, a road and infrastructure project, and a waste landfill project. The proposed model can play a significant role in developing the sector into a sustainable one based on the risk management assessment model and utilizing it to comprehend sustainability practices and effectively apply them. This will help the industry to make changes and improvements and it should also be the starting point, particularly, for work in this area in the Jordanian context. The main findings from this research project demonstrate that sustainable development is a dynamic concept that has evolved and will continue to evolve over time, to meet the social, environmental, and economic needs of present and future generations. Risk management has undergone a similar transformation, going from a mere one-off intervention for risk relief, to being a cross-cutting component for the achievement of truly globally sustainable development. Jordan’s construction industry cannot escape the insertion of risk management or ignore its relationship with sustainable development, not only because it is limited in renewable non-renewable resources with a constantly increasing population, but also because Jordan generates emissions that impact global warming. The developed model has proved its validity for linking sustainability-related risks in the construction industry with risk management in Jordan

Synthesis, XRD and HS-Analysis

An efficient microwave-assisted one-step synthetic route toward Mannich bases is developed from 4-hydroxyacetophenone and different secondary amines in quantitative yields, via a regioselective substitution reaction. The reaction takes a short time and is non-catalyzed and reproducible on a gram scale. The environmentally benign methodology provides a novel alternative, to the conventional methodologies, for the synthesis of mono- and disubstituted Mannich bases of 4-hydroxyacetophenone. All compounds were well-characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and mass spectrometry. The structures of 1-{4-hydroxy-3-[(morpholin-4-yl)methyl]phenyl}ethan-1-one (2a) and 1-{4-hydroxy-3-[(pyrrolidin-1-yl)methyl]phenyl}ethan-1-one (3a) were determined by single crystal X-ray crystallography. Compound 2a and 3a crystallize in monoclinic, P21/n, and orthorhombic, Pbca, respectively. The most characteristic features of the molecular structure of 2a is that the morpholine fragment adopts a chair conformation with strong intramolecular hydrogen bonding. Compound 3a exhibits intermolecular hydrogen bonding, too. Furthermore, the computed Hirshfeld surface analysis confirms H-bonds and π–π stack interactions obtained by XRD packing analyses

Association between the inflammatory potential of diet and stress among female college students

A pro-inflammatory diet may have an adverse influence on stress and inflammatory biomarker levels among college students. The dietary inflammatory index (DII®) is a tool used to assess the inflammatory potential of a diet. However, evidence for the association between DII and stress is limited. We examined the association between energy-adjusted DII (E-DIITM), high sensitivity-C-reactive protein [hs-CRP], and stress among female college students. This cross-sectional study included 401 randomly selected female students, aged 19-35 years. Data collection included blood, anthropometric measurements, a healthy-history questionnaire, the perceived stress scale (PSS-10), the Saudi food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and E-DII. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to examine the association between FFQ-derived E-DII score, hs-CRP, and PSS. A higher E-DII score per 1SD (1.8) was associated with a 2.4-times higher PSS score (95% CI: 1.8, 3.1). Higher hs-CRP per 1SD (3.3 mg/L) was associated with a 0.9 (95% CI: 0.7-1.1) times higher PSS score, independent of lifestyle and dietary factors. Our findings indicate that pro-inflammatory diets were highly prevalent among Saudi college students and were associated with higher stress levels. Consideration of the role of stress and focusing on anti-inflammatory foods may be key for healthier dietary habits

Simple Microwave Method for Detecting Water Holdup

A microwave sensor is designed to measure the resonance behavior of the hydrocarbon mixture to determine the water holdup of a near horizontal oil carrying pipeline. This technique is particularly useful for detecting very small water holdup (<5%) as demonstrated by simulated and experimental results

Simple Microwave Method for Detecting Water Holdup

A microwave sensor is designed to measure the resonance behavior of the hydrocarbon mixture to determine the water holdup of a near horizontal oil carrying pipeline. This technique is particularly useful for detecting very small water holdup (<5%) as demonstrated by simulated and experimental results

The histamine H3R antagonist DL77 attenuates autistic behaviors in a prenatal valproic acid-induced mouse model of autism

Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairment in social communication and restricted/repetitive behavior patterns or interests. Antagonists targeting histamine H3 receptor (H3R) are considered potential therapeutic agents for the therapeutic management of diferent brain disorders, e.g., cognitive impairments. Therefore, the efects of subchronic treatment with the potent and selective H3R antagonist DL77 (5, 10, or 15mg/kg, i.p.) on sociability, social novelty, anxiety, and aggressive/repetitive behavior in male Tuck-Ordinary (TO) mice with ASD-like behaviors induced by prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA, 500mg/kg, i.p.) were evaluated using the three-chamber test (TCT), marble burying test (MBT), nestlet shredding test (NST), and elevated plus maze (EPM) test. The results showed that VPA-exposed mice exhibited signifcantly lower sociability and social novelty preference compared to VPA-exposed mice that were pretreated with DL77 (10 or 15mg/kg, i.p.). VPA-exposed mice presented a signifcantly higher percentage of buried marbles in MBT and shredded nestlet signifcantly more in NST compared to the control groups. However, VPA-exposed animals pretreated with DL77 (10 or 15mg/kg, i.p.) buried a reduced percentage of marbles in MBT and presented a signifcantly lower percentage of shredding behavior in NST. On the other hand, pretreatment with DL77 (5, 10, or 15mg/kg, i.p.) failed to restore the disturbed anxiety levels and hyperactivity observed in VPA-exposed animals in EPM, whereas the reference drug donepezil (DOZ, 1mg/kg, i.p.) signifcantly palliated the anxiety and reduced the hyperactivity measures of VPA-exposed mice. Furthermore, pretreatment with DL77 (10 or 15mg/kg, i.p.) modulated oxidative stress status by increasing GSH and decreasing MDA, and it attenuated the proinfammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α exacerbated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge, in VPA-exposed mouse brain tissue. Taken together, these results provide evidence that modulation of brain histaminergic neurotransmission, such as by subchronic administration of the H3R antagonist DL77, may serve as an efective pharmacological therapeutic target to rescue ASD-like behaviors in VPA-exposed animals, although further investigations are necessary to corroborate and expand these initial data

Synthesis, molecular docking and biochemical analysis of aminoalkylated naphthalene-based chalcones as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors

Twelve novel chalcones were synthesized using 2-alkyloxy-naphthaldehydes and Mannich bases of 4-hydroxyacetophenone. The chalcones were characterized using FTIR, 1D and 2D NMR and HRMS spectroscopy. Comparative docking analysis was carried out to screen their affinity towards the AChE enzyme (PDB 1EVE). All chalcones showed lower binding energy (-13.06 to -10.43 kcal/mol) against AChE better than donepezil (-10.52 kcal/mol). All chalcones were potent inhibitors towards AChE, with IC50 values ranging between 0.11 and 5.34 nM better than donepezil (IC50 33.4 nM) and selectivity indexes (0.66–23.83), despite the fact that chalcones 10 and 13 were inactive. The structure activity relationship indicated that introducing diethyl amine in ring A of the chalcone skeleton and the propargyl moiety at ring B was a?rmed to be a prospective drug against AChE. The multifunctional properties of chalcone 15 were all advantages that demonstrate an excellent candidate for the development of an effective drug against AChE

Involvement of bcl-2 and p21waf1 proteins in response of human breast cancer cell clones to Tomudex

Mechanisms of resistance to Tomudex include increased thymidylate synthase activity, as well as reduced intracellular drug uptake and polyglutamation. However, little is known about other mechanisms of resistance, such as a possible protection against Tomudex-induced apoptosis mediated by bcl-2. We transfected the MDA-MB-435 human breast cancer cell line, which is characterized by a mutated p53 gene, with cDNA of the bcl-2 gene and generated two clones (MDA-bcl4 and MDA-bcl7) characterized by bcl-2 expression twofold and fourfold that observed in the control cell clone (MDAneo). A concomitant overexpression of p21wafl was also detected in the MDA-bcl7 clone. The MDA-bcl4 clone was three times more resistant to a 24-h Tomudex exposure than the MDAneo clone, whereas the MDA-bcl7 clone was as sensitive to Tomudex as the control cell clone. A lower sensitivity of the MDA-bcl4 clone than MDAneo and MDA-bcl7 clones to 5-fluorouracil and gemcitabine was also observed. No significant difference was noted in the susceptibility of clones to fludarabine and methothrexate. Basal levels of thymidylate synthase activity were superimposable in the three clones. Tomudex induced a marked accumulation of cells in the S phase in all the clones. However, an apoptotic hypodiploid DNA peak and the characteristic nuclear morphology of apoptosis were observed only in the MDA-bcl7 clone after exposure to Tomudex. No difference in the treatment-induced modulation of proteins involved in cell cycle progression (cyclin A, cdk2, pRB, E2F-1) and apoptosis (bcl-2, bax) was observed in the three clones. The only exception was that the expression of p21wafl in the MDA-bcl4 clone was inducible at a Tomudex concentration much higher than that required to induce the protein in the other clones. Overall, the results indicate that bcl-2 and p21wafl proteins concur in determining the cellular profile of sensitivity/resistance to Tomudex. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaig