Determination of lethal concentration (LC50) values of Cinnamomum zeylanicum hydrosol on carp fish

In this study, lethal concentration (LC50) values of cinnamon hydrosol (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) on carp (Cyprinus carpio) were investigated. In practice, experimental setup was constituted 30 fish (a total of 180 fish with 30 control fish) to be placed in three replicates. Hydrosol was added into aquariums at the doses of 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5 and 10% and determined mortality times of carp exposed to these concentrations. Percentage death of fish calculated in these concentrations. Mortality was observed at all treatments exception of dose of 0.5 %. The results indicate that the hydrosol had swimming changes, lethargy, lack of breath and leaning to the depth of the aquariums at all of the concentrations. The results of regression analysis indicated that the mortality rate (Y) is positively correlated the concentration (X) having a regression coefficient (R) close to one in each case. While the 1 h LC50 value (with 95% confidence limits) of the safe dose of C. zeylanicum hydrosol was estimated at LC50=4.39%, 2 h LC50 value=2.629%, and 12 h LC50 value= 1.027%

Chromium(III) biosorption onto spent grains residual from brewing industry : equilibrium, kinetics and column studies

The use of industrial wastes for wastewater treatment as a strategy to their re-use and valorisation may provide important advances toward sustainability. The present work gives new insights into heavy metal biosorption onto low-cost biosorbents, studying chromium(III) biosorption onto spent grains residual from a Portuguese brewing industry both in batch and expanded bed column systems. Experimental studies involved unmodified spent grains and spent grains treated with NaOH. Metal uptake followed a rapid initial step, well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model up to 27 h, indicating chemisorption to be the rate-limiting step. Beyond this period intraparticle diffusion assumed an important role in the uptake global kinetics. The best fit for equilibrium data was obtained using the Langmuir model, with unmodified spent grains having the higher maximum uptake capacity (q max = 16.7 mg g1). In open system studies, using expanded bed columns, the best performance was also achieved with unmodified spent grains: Breakthrough time (C/C i = 0.25) and total saturation time (C/C i = 0.99) occurred after 58 and 199 h of operation, corresponding to the accumulation of 390 mg of chromium(III), 43.3 % of the total amount entering the column. These results suggest that alkali treatment does not improve spent grains uptake performance. Changes in biomass composition determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested hydroxyl groups and proteins to have an important role in chromium(III) biosorption. This study points out that unmodified spent grains can be successfully used as low-cost biosorbent for trivalent chromium.The authors would like to thank the Portuguese brewing industry UNICER for all the support and FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia) financial support through the Grant PRAXIS XXI/BD/15945/98

Is Evolution of Blind Mole Rats Determined by Climate Oscillations?

The concept of climate variability facilitating adaptive radiation supported by the ‘‘Court Jester’’ hypothesis is disputed by the ‘‘Red Queen’’ one, but the prevalence of one or the other might be scale-dependent. We report on a detailed, comprehensive phylo-geographic study on the ,4 kb mtDNA sequence in underground blind mole rats of the family Spalacidae (or subfamily Spalacinae) from the East Mediterranean steppes. Our study aimed at testing the presence of periodicities in branching patterns on a constructed phylogenetic tree and at searching for congruence between branching events, tectonic history and paleoclimates. In contrast to the strong support for the majority of the branching events on the tree, the absence of support in a few instances indicates that network-like evolution could exist in spalacids. In our tree, robust support was given, in concordance with paleontological data, for the separation of spalacids from muroid rodents during the first half of the Miocene when open, grass-dominated habitats were established. Marine barriers formed between Anatolia and the Balkans could have facilitated the separation of the lineage ‘‘Spalax’’ from the lineage ‘‘Nannospalax’’ and of the clade ‘‘leucodon’’ from the clade ‘‘xanthodon’’. The separation of the clade ‘‘ehrenbergi’’ occurred during the late stages of the tectonically induced uplift of the Anatolian high plateaus and mountains, whereas the separation of the clade ‘‘vasvarii’’ took place when the rapidly uplifting Taurus mountain range prevented the Mediterranean rainfalls from reaching the Central Anatolian Plateau. The separation of Spalax antiquus and S. graecus occurred when the southeastern Carpathians were uplifted. Despite the role played by tectonic events, branching events that show periodicity corresponding to 400-kyr and 100-kyr eccentricity bands illuminate the important role of orbital fluctuations on adaptive radiation in spalacids. At the given scale, our results supports the ‘‘Court Jester’’ hypothesis over the ‘‘Red Queen’’ one

A novel approach to treat the Thiel-Behnke corneal dystrophy using 3D printed honeycomb-shaped polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)/Vancomycin (VAN) scaffolds

Thiel-Behnke corneal dystrophy, or honeycomb corneal dystrophy, is an autosomal dominant corneal disorder. Tissue engineering can be a novel approach to regenerate this dystrophy. In this study, the honeycomb geometry of the dystrophy mimicked with a 3D printing technology, and 40% PMMA, 40% PMMA/(0.1, 0.5, 2, and 10)% VAN scaffolds were fabricated with honeycomb geometry. As a result of the biocompatibility test with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), it can be said that cells on the scaffolds showed high viability and proliferation for all incubation periods. According to the antibacterial activity results, the 40% PMMA/10% VAN showed antibacterial activity against S. aureous. Mechanical results reported that with the addition of VAN into the 40% PMMA, the tensile strength value increased up to 2% VAN amount. The swelling behaviours of the scaffolds were examined in vitro, and found that the swelling rate increased with a high VAN amount. The release of VAN from the scaffolds showed sustained release behaviour, and it took 13 days to be released entirely from the scaffolds

Alternative low-cost adsorbent for water and wastewater decontamination derived from eggshellwaste: an overview

As the current global trend towards more stringent environmental standards, technical applicability and cost-effectiveness became key factors in the selection of adsorbents for water and wastewater treatment. Recently, various low-cost adsorbents derived from agricultural waste, industrial by-products or natural materials, have been intensively investigated. In this respect, the eggshells from egg-breaking operations constitute significant waste disposal problems for the food industry, so the development of value-added by-products from this waste is to be welcomed. The egg processing industry is very competitive, with low profit margins due to global competition and cheap imports. Additionally, the costs associated with the egg shell disposal (mainly on landfill sites) are significant, and expected to continue increasing as landfill taxes increase. The aim of the present review is to provide an overview on the development of low-cost adsorbents derived from eggshell by-products

Adherence of Candida Albicans to Different Finished Surfaces of PMMA Resins Reinforced with Glass E Fibers

Candida albicans has been widely associated with the etiology of denture-related stomatitis. When fiber reinforcement is used in the denture base as a total fiber reinforcement, the fibers may be exposed during the finishing of the denture. This may lead to oral disease if the fibers come into contact with the oral mucosa. In this study the adherence of candida albicans to the surface of PMMA and to the surface of E glass fibers of composite material used in dentures was compared. E glass fibers coated with Silan 1(silan + epoxy resin) and Silan 2 (silan + polyester resin) were used to reinforce denture base polymethyl metacrylate resin. Specimens were produced by two different methods. In the first group the fibers were wetted with a mixture of polymer powder and monomer liquid. In the second group the fibers were wetted in polymer liquid for 15 minutes and than blended with PMA polymers. All of the samples were heat cured. Half the prepared specimens were polished and the other half left unpolished. Replicates and yeast cells (Candida albicans ATCC, 90028, 1.0 x 107 cells/ml)were placed in wells and incubated for 1 h at 37°C on an orbital shaker at 80 rpm. The replicates were air dried and mounted on glass slides and stained with a solution of 0.5% crystal violet and 1.0% iodine. The number of adherant yeast cells were counted under a light microscope (400x). RESULTS: 1. Less Candida albicans adhered to the Polished surface (P< 0.01). 2. The highest Candida albicans accumulation was observed on the Silan 2(silan + poly ester resin) coupling samples.(P<0.001). The type of material used for silanization is an important factor, effecting the amount of Candida albicans accumulation

Can Systemic Inflammatory Markers Be Used in Pulmonary Embolism Risk Assessment in Patients with Acute Pulmonary Thromboembolism?

Levent Özdemir,1 Burcu Özdemir,2 Sava&amp;scedil; Gegin,2 Esra Arslan Aksu,1 Ahmet Cemal Pazarl&amp;inodot;3 1Department of Chest Diseases, Samsun University Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey; 2Department of Chest Diseases, Samsun Training and Research Hospital, Samsun, Turkey; 3Department of Pulmonary Diseases, Tokat Gaziosmanpa&amp;scedil;a University Faculty of Medicine, Tokat, TurkeyCorrespondence: Ahmet Cemal Pazarl&amp;inodot;, Email [email protected]: Understanding the effect of systemic inflammation on the pathophysiology of thromboembolism may provide an approach to determine the course and prognosis of the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the usability of systemic inflammatory markers in the risk stratification of pulmonary embolism in patients with acute pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE).Methods: The data of 234 patients diagnosed with pulmonary embolism by computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) or ventilation perfusion scintigraphy were evaluated retrospectively. Demographic data, co-morbid conditions, and laboratory parameters of the patients were obtained from the hospital data system. Pulmonary embolism risk classification was performed according to the 2019 ESC guidelines as low, intermediate (intermediate-low, intermediate-high), and high risk. Neutrophil - lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelets-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte - monocyte ratio (LMR), lymphocyte / CRP ratio (LCRPR), systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) (Neutrophil×Platelet/Lymphocyte) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) (Neutrophil×Monocyte/Lymphocyte) were calculated using the patients’ hemogram (White blood count (WBC), hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelet, neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte), C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate, troponin, and d-dimer values at the time of diagnosis.Results: In our study, WBC, neutrophils, NLR, PLR, SIRI, SII and CRP levels were significantly lower in low risk, while lymphocyte count and LCRPR were significantly higher. Platelet counts were significantly lower in high risk. D-dimer levels were significantly higher in intermediate-high and high risk. Lactate levels were significantly higher in high risk. Troponin levels were significantly higher in intermediate-high risk and high risk. WBC, neutrophils, D-dimer, troponin, lactate levels and NLR, SII, indices were found to be significant biomarkers in predicting high-risk embolism.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that systemic inflammatory markers may be a clinically important risk determinant in patients with acute pulmonary thromboembolism.Keywords: pulmonary embolism (PE), systemic inflammation, inflammatory markers, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII

Enhancing Anti-Money Laundering: Development of a Synthetic Transaction Monitoring Dataset

Money laundering remains a continuous global problem, necessitating the development of new enhanced transaction monitoring methods. Current anti-money laundering (AML) procedures within the industry are inefficient, and access to transaction monitoring data is limited due to legal and privacy constraints, with available data lacking true labels and diversity. This study presents a new AML transaction generator and uses it to create a dataset called SAML-D. The SAML-D dataset contains 12 features and 28 typologies, expanding beyond the existing datasets by incorporating a wider range of typologies, geographic locations, high-risk countries, and high-risk payment types. The typologies are created based on existing datasets, the literature, and semi-structured interviews with AML specialists. Additionally, machine learning experiments are conducted to present the applicability of the dataset within the field of AML and results are compared to an existing dataset. The primary purpose of the generator and dataset is to provide researchers with an additional resource to evaluate their models and facilitate comparative analysis of their results, potentially assisting the development of more advanced and capable transaction monitoring methods

Todd Paralysis in a Pregnant Mother Presenting as Acute Stroke: Case Report

Beria Aksu Selman,1,&ast; Mohamed Sheikh Hassan,2,3,&ast; Rahim Rahimov,1 Saltanat Mert,1 Ayhan Köksal1 1University of Health Science, Neurology Department Ba&scedil;ak&scedil;ehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey; 2Department of Neurology, Mogadishu Somalia Turkish Training and Research Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia; 3Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Mogadishu University, Mogadishu, Somalia&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Mohamed Sheikh Hassan, Department of Neurology Mogadishu Somalia Turkish Training and Research Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia, Email [email protected]: Todd’s paralysis (TP) is relatively uncommon condition that can occur immediately after an epileptic seizure. It is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome that presents with acute-onset neurological findings, such as paralysis, paresthesia, aphasia, hemianopsia, and an altered state of consciousness. This may be accompanied by cytotoxic edema on diffusion MRI. This case illustrates a 28-week pregnant patient with TP who presented with acute stroke-like clinical and radiological findings. The patient was presented to the emergency room with left side weakness following focal onset generalized seizure. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated diffusion restriction which led to the initial consideration of acute stroke. However, after the disappearance of the neurologic deficit and the resolution of the diffusion restriction in the control MRI, the diagnosis shifted away from acute stroke to the postictal TP. It is important to keep in mind that TP may mimic acute stroke even in the presence of an acute brain lesion in the brain MRI. The differentiation is necessary as each of them has completely different treatment and etiology.Keywords: Todd paralysis, acute stroke, magnetic resonance imaging, hemiplegi

Application of combined Hartree-Fock-Roothaan theory to atoms with an arbitrary number of closed and open shells of any symmetry

The applicability of a combined open-shell Hartree-Fock theory of atomic-molecular and nuclear systems to the states of a single configuration which has the arbitrary symmetry of open shells is explicitly demonstrated by calculations based on the combined Hartree-Fock-Roothaan equations for atoms. As examples of an application of the combined theory using single-zeta Slater-type basis sets, the calculations have been performed for the lowest states of the lowest and excited electronic configurations of carbon and nitrogen atoms containing one-, two- and three-open shells. For the case of single-open shells for carbon and nitrogen atoms, the double-zeta basis-set calculations are also presented. The results of computer calculations for the orbitals, kinetic and total energies, linear combination coefficients and virial ratios are given