Effect of clindamycin vaginal pessary before cesarean section on postpartum infectious morbidity

Background: Post-cesarean section (CS) infections, namely, endometritis, fever and wound infection are considered a major health problem which necessitates effective interventions. Antibiotic prophylaxis before CS cannot completely eliminate the risk of postpartum infections. Preoperative antiseptic vaginal cleansing is one of the commonest methodsto reduce infectious morbidities after CS. Aim of the work: The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of prophylactic administration of clindamycin vaginal suppository before elective CS on postpartum infectious morbidity. Methods: 196 patients were included in this intervention. They were divided equally into two groups (each 98 patients); intervention group (which received clindamycin 100 mg vaginal suppository at bedtime for 3 nights before CS) and control group (which received nothing). Both groups were followed till the end of puerperium for the development of postpartum infections namely, endometritis, fever, and wound infection. Results: There was statistically significant decrease in the frequency of endometritis, fever, and wound infection in the intervention group when compared to control group. Also, there was highly statistically significant decrease in the frequency of overall post-CS infectious morbidity in the intervention group when compared to control group. There was statistically significant difference between both groups as regard white blood cells count and C-reactive protein level 24 hours after cesarean section. Conclusion: Prophylactic administration of clindamycin vaginal suppository before elective CS reduces the risk of postpartum infections namely endometritis, fever, wound infection and overall post-CS infectious morbidity. Preoperative clindamycin vaginal suppository could be  protective against post-CS infectious morbidities

Numerical investigations on the performance and emissions of a turbocharged engine using an ethanol-gasoline blend

Due to a scarcity of fossil fuel supplies and concerns about pollution, the use of ethanol in gasoline has become a priority in the automobile industry. This paper aims to investigate the effect of different ethanol-gasoline fuel blend ratios, namely E20 (% ethanol + % gasoline), E50 (% ethanol + % gasoline), and E75 (75% ethanol + 25% gasoline) on a 1.6 L turbocharged, 4-cylinder, 2017 Proton Preve Premium CFE CVT engine, where E0 (pure gasoline) is taken as reference fuel. In addition, different speed intervals, which include 1000 RPM, 2000 RPM, and 5000 RPM, are employed for each fuel blend. The production of four major emissions, NOx, CO, CO2, and HC, and performance parameters such as thermal efficiency, volumetric efficiency, and brake-specific fuel consumption, are evaluated using SolidWorks for CAD modelling. This then is transferred to ANSYS for emission and performance analysis. According to the findings, increasing ethanol concentration and engine speed increases volumetric efficiency and brake-specific fuel consumption by up to 12.89% and 6.59%, respectively. It was also discovered that ethanol and increasing engine speed had an 11.39% reduction in thermal efficiency. Furthermore, the addition of ethanol occurs, along with an increase in speed, exhaust gas emissions are reduced by up to 21.74% compared to pure gasoline

Left atrial and left atrial appendage functional recovery after cardioversion in patients with recent atrial fibrillation: Serial echocardiographic study

Background: The aim of this study is to point out timing of left atrium and its appendage functional recovery after cardioversion (CV) in recent onset atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: Fifty patients; 27 within 48-h (group I) and 23 after 48-h (group II), of AF onset, who had successful CV underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), before and im­mediately after CV, then 15, 30 and 90 days later. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was performed for group II before and for all patients immediately after CV and 1 month later. Mitral peak A velocity and left atrial (LA) reversal (Ar) velocity, tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) of septal mitral annular velocity (A1) and LA free wall velocity (A3) were recorded. Absence or peak A velocity < 50 cm/s was taken as a cut off value for atrial stunning. Intra-atrial conduction time (IACT) was measured. LA appendage late emptying (LAALE) velocity was measured by TEE-pulsed TDI of LA appendage. Results: Post CV, all group II and 34% of group I experienced stunning. In both groups, peak A, Ar, A1, A3 and LAALE velocities increased (p = 0.000), while IACT decreased (p = 0.000) progressively over time. Partial recovery occurred after 15 and 30 days, while full recovery occurred 30 and 90 days post CV in groups I and II, respectively. IACT1 and IACT2 correlated with LA diameter (r = 0.2778 and r = 0.227, respectively, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Stunning and functional recovery of the LA and its appendage are strongly determined by the duration being in AF. Serial IACT by TDI was a good new parameter for detection of functional recovery of LA and LA appendage

Delamination-and electromigration-related failures in solar panels—a review

The reliability of photovoltaic (PV) modules operating under various weather conditions attracts the manufacturer’s concern since several studies reveal a degradation rate higher than 0.8% per year for the silicon-based technology and reached up to 2.76% per year in a harsh climate. The lifetime of the PV modules is decreased because of numerous degradation modes. Electromigration and delamination are two failure modes that play a significant role in PV modules’ output power losses. The correlations of these two phenomena are not sufficiently explained and understood like other failures such as corrosion and potential-induced degradation. Therefore, in this review, we attempt to elaborate on the correlation and the influence of delamination and electromigration on PV module components such as metallization and organic materials to ensure the reliability of the PV modules. Moreover, the effects, causes, and the sites that tend to face these failures, particularly the silicon solar cells, are explained in detail. Elsewhere, the factors of aging vary as the temperature and humidity change from one country to another. Hence, accelerated tests and the standards used to perform the aging test for PV modules have been covered in this review

Assessing the Impact of Spectral Irradiance on the Performance of Different Photovoltaic Technologies

The performance of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells is influenced by solar irradiance as well as temperature. Particularly, the average photon energy of the solar spectrum is different for low and high light intensity, which influences the photocurrent generation by the PV cells. Even if the irradiance level and the operating temperature remain constant, the efficiency will still depend on the technological parameters of the PV cell, which in turn depends on the used PV material’s absorption quality and the spectral responsivity and cell structure. This study is devoted to the review of different commercially available technologies of PV cells include crystalline silicon (c-Si), polycrystalline silicon (pc-Si), cadmium telluride (CdTe), and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS). We tried to correlate the spectral response or the photocurrent of different PV cells with the variations of the solar spectrum, environmental conditions, and the material properties and construction of PV cells

1-Chloro­methyl-4-nitro­benzene

In the title compound, C7H6ClNO2, the nitro group is almost coplanar with the aromatic ring [dihedral angle = 2.9 (2)°], but the Cl atom deviates from the ring plane by 1.129 (1) Å. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by weak C—H⋯O inter­actions to generate chains

Opposition-Based Quantum Bat Algorithm to Eliminate Lower-Order Harmonics of Multilevel Inverters

Selective harmonic elimination (SHE) technique is used in power inverters to eliminate specific lower-order harmonics by determining optimum switching angles that are used to generate Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signals for multilevel inverter (MLI) switches. Various optimization algorithms have been developed to determine the optimum switching angles. However, these techniques are still trapped in local optima. This study proposes an opposition-based quantum bat algorithm (OQBA) to determine these optimum switching angles. This algorithm is formulated by utilizing habitual characteristics of bats. It has advanced learning ability that can effectively remove lower-order harmonics from the output voltage of MLI. It can eventually increase the quality of the output voltage along with the efficiency of the MLI. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated with three different case studies involving 7, 11, and 17-level three-phase MLIs. The results are verified using both simulation and experimental studies. The results showed substantial improvement and superiority compared to other available algorithms both in terms of the harmonics reduction of harmonics and finding the correct solutions

Soybean and Sustainable Agriculture for Food Security

Global food security is under-challenged due to over increasing human population, limited cropland, and risk of climate change. Therefore, an appropriate agricultural policy framework needs to be developed for food security that should be sustainable economically and ecologically. Nitrogen (N) is a crucial element that controls the growth productivity of crop plants. N accounts for around 78 volume per cent of the atmosphere but all crop plants cannot use it directly. Agricultural land is mostly dominated by cereals (e.g. rice, wheat, maize) which have specifically high N demand as compared to food legumes. Soybean exemplifies the most significant and cultivated food legume, presently cultivated worldwide under varying climatic conditions. It plays a significant role in global food security as well as agricultural sustainability due to a high seed protein and oil concentration, and low reliance on N fertilization. Soybean enriches soil health by fixing atmospheric N through biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), the most productive and economical system for N fixation and crop production, associated with more intensive production systems. However, the efficiency of BNF depends on several factors. This study is focused to develop more reliable guidelines for managing BNF by using the potential of natural agro-ecosystems

Anti-obesity and antihyperlipidemic effects of Phaleria macrocarpa fruit liquid CO2 extract: In vitro, in silico and in vivo approaches

Objective: Phaleria macrocarpa fruit has been reported to be effectively used in Malaysia and neighboring countries to prevent obesity. Despite its anti-obesity potential, no research has ever predicted the compound-lipase, compound-HMG-CoA reductase interactions and in vivo investigations to further confirm its anti-obesity properties. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the anti-obesity and antihyperlipidemic effects of P. macrocarpa by in vitro, computational (in silico), and in vivo assays. Method: Initially, fruit was extracted through liquid CO2 and heating under reflux extraction methods to obtain liquid CO2 extracts (LCE-1 and LCE-2) and heating under reflux extract (HRE), respectively. Subsequently,allthreeextractswereassessedforantioxidantpotentialsthroughinvitrobioassaysand FTIRanalysistoidentifydifferenttypesoffunctionalgroupspresentintheexistingbioactivecompounds. Successively,themostactivefraction(LCE-2)wassubjectedtoGCMSanalysisfortheidentificationof lipidloweringandlipaseinhibitorsthroughmoleculardockingapproach.Finally,anti-obesityandlipid loweringeffectswerefurtherconfirmedthroughaninvivoassayusingmice. Result:LCE-2exhibitedhigherDPPH(IC50=0.172mg/mL)andFRAP(78.98AAEmg/g)antioxidantactivitiesandshowedmorepotentpeaksinFTIRchromatogramsthanLCE-1andHRE.Amongtheidentified tentativebioactivecompoundsviz.methylpalmitate,palmiticacid,ethylpalmitate,methyloleate,oleic acid,cis-vaccenicacid,3-deoxyestradiolandphenol,2,20-methylenebis[6-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methylwerefoundasananti-obesityandlipidloweringcompoundswhoseprotein–ligandinteractionwasconfirmedbybindingaffinity,aminoacidresiduesandbondinginteractions.Similarly,anti-obesityandlipid loweringfindingswerealsofoundinamicemodelafter6weekstreatmentatadoseof250mg/kgb.w. Conclusion:Basedontheaforementionedinvitro,insilicoandinvivofindings,itisconcludedthatthe LCE-2possesseslipaseandHMG-CoAreductaseinhibitorsthatcanassisttodevelopthisplant’sextract asanalternativesafelipidloweringherbalmedicineinfuture