Effect of herbal supplement of sangrovit on growth, blood biochemical parameters, survival and resistance to salinity stress of Cyprinus carpio fingerlings

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different levels of sangrovit (0, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.15 %) on growth, some of blood biochemical parameters, survival and salinity tolerance capacity in Cyprinus carpio (2.62±0.117 gr). After 45 days of feeding, results showed that growth performance including of weight gain and % specific growth rate improved which fish fed whit sangrovit compared with to control group, but there was no significant differences in growth parameters which fish fed with herbal supplement compared to control group (P>0.05). There were significant differences in biochemical parameters in fish fed with sangrovit compared to the control group (P<0.05). The lowest level of cholesterol was observed in 0.05 % group and the highest level of total protein was observed in 0.15 % group. The highest levels of glucose observed in control treatment. In order to determine the effect of the herbal supplement on resistance to salinity stress, salinity stress was carried out after 45 days of feeding. Blood samples were obtained at 24, 72, 120 and 168 hours after stress. Hematocrit had significant difference in each groups (P<0.05). On the third day after stress, hematocrit levels were decreased in all treatments. Survival and tolerance to salinity stress challenge remained unaffected by dietary supplementation of sangrovit. The results of this study showed that addition of sangrovit to fish diet can improve growth performance and blood biochemical parameters of common carp fingerlings

ChatGPT for Us: Preserving Data Privacy in ChatGPT via Dialogue Text Ambiguation to Expand Mental Health Care Delivery

Large language models have been useful in expanding mental health care delivery. ChatGPT, in particular, has gained popularity for its ability to generate human-like dialogue. However, data-sensitive domains -- including but not limited to healthcare -- face challenges in using ChatGPT due to privacy and data-ownership concerns. To enable its utilization, we propose a text ambiguation framework that preserves user privacy. We ground this in the task of addressing stress prompted by user-provided texts to demonstrate the viability and helpfulness of privacy-preserved generations. Our results suggest that chatGPT recommendations are still able to be moderately helpful and relevant, even when the original user text is not provided

Association study between common variations in some candidate genes and prostate adenocarcinoma predisposition through multi-stage approach in Iranian population

Background: Prostate cancer is one of the five common cancers and has the second incidence rate and the third mortality rate in Iranian population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of rs16901979, rs4242382 and rs1447295 on 8q24 locus, rs2735839 (KLK3 gene) and rs721048 (EHBP1 gene) with prostate adenocarcinoma through multi-stage approach to identify the polymorphisms associated with prostate cancer and use them as screening factors. Screening tests can identify people who may have a chance of developing the disease before detection and any symptoms. Methods: The case-control study included 103 cases (prostate adenocarcinoma) and 100 controls (benign prostatic hyperplasia). Tetra-primer ARMS-PCR was used to genotyping of each participant. A Multi-stage approach was used for efficient genomic study. In this method, a smaller number of people can be used. Chi-squared, Fisher's exact test and logistic regression were used to investigate the SNPs associated with prostate cancer and Gleason score. Results: In the first stage (59 men), the frequency of polymorphisms rs16901979, rs4242382, rs1447295, rs2735839 and rs721048 in the prostate adenocarcinoma group was evaluated compared to the control group (P-value < 0.3) in order to select meaningful polymorphisms. There was not any significant difference between genotype frequency rs16901979 (P = 0.671) and rs721048 (P = 0.474) in the case group compared to BPH. Therefore, these polymorphisms were eliminated, and in the second step (144 men), rs4242382, rs2735839 and rs1447295 were evaluated (P-value < 0.05). According to the total population (203 men), there was significant difference between genotype frequency rs4242382 (P = 0.001), rs2735839 (P = 0.000) and rs1447295 (P = 0.005) even after using Bonferroni correction (p = 0.016). The effect of these three polymorphisms on prostate cancer was not modified by age and PSA. There was a significant difference between the allelic frequency of A vs G (rs4242382, rs2735839) at all classes of Gleason score and A vs C (rs1447295) at Gleason score � 8. Conclusions: The results of this study for rs2735839, rs4242382 and rs1447295 indicate the association of these polymorphisms with prostate adenocarcinoma predisposition in Iranian population. Exposure effect is homogeneous between different ages and PSA level categories. These three polymorphisms should be studied in a larger population to confirm these results. © 2020 The Author(s)

Application of the mathematical autodriver algorithm for autonomous vehicles

The mathematical theory for autonomous vehicles, which was initially developed for 4 Wheel steering vehicles was formulated to work for 2 wheel steering vehicles as well. This was the first step towards making the theory closer to practice. Then a sample road using clothoids as the transition curve was generated. Clothoid was used as the best transition curve according to the literature for mobile robots trajectory generation. This study ended up in development of a design chart which could be used for better road design. The sample road is used to find the kinematic steering angles required by the vehicle to stay on the road. The kinematic steering angles work well only at very low forward velocities. The dynamic differential equations of motion of the vehicle needed to be solved to make the study of motion of the vehicle possible in higher velocities. During high forward velocity travelling some factors will cause the vehicle to move on a road different to the desired path of motion. The sample road generated proved that the traditional method of solving differential equations of motion was not very effective especially in the case of complicated mathematical paths of motion. That is why a new method was sought for, which resulted in the generation of the Steady-State Dynamic Steering method. This method provides an alternative way of studying the dynamics of motion of a vehicle, which is proved to be much faster and less complicated than the traditional method. At the end the new method was, put in to test by trying different vehicle travelling manoeuvres. After validation of the new method it was used mathematically to take control of a car to travel a sample desired path of motion autonomously by using the mathematical theory of autonomous vehicles

How isomaltulose and oligofructose affect physicochemical and sensory properties of muffins?

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Castelló, ML, Echevarrías, A, Rubio-Arraez, S, Ortolá, MD. How isomaltulose and oligofructose affect physicochemical and sensory properties of muffins J Texture Stud. 2021; 52: 410-419, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/jtxs.12602. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.[EN] This article analyses, the replacement of sucrose in muffins with nine different combinations of isomaltulose and oligofructose. Being a structural isomer of sucrose with approx. 50% of sucrose sweetness, isomaltulose is non-cariogenic and with a low glycemic profile but having the same calories as sucrose. Oligofructose is composed of fructose polymers, with a reduced caloric value and prebiotic effect. Specifically, height, percentage of alveoli, water content, A(w), mechanical, and optical properties have been measured along with a sensory evaluation. The results showed that all combinations of sweeteners gave place to softer muffins than control ones. Moreover, isomaltulose caused a darkening of the products likely due to an enhancement of the Maillard reactions. The highest amount of isomaltulose and the absence of sucrose meant the worst score in sweetness and flavor due to the low sweetening powder of isomaltulose.GENERALITAT VALENCIANA, Grant/Award Number: AICO/2017/043Castelló Gómez, ML.; Echevarrías, A.; Rubio-Arraez, S.; Ortolá Ortolá, MD. (2021). How isomaltulose and oligofructose affect physicochemical and sensory properties of muffins?. Journal of Texture Studies. 52(3):410-419. https://doi.org/10.1111/jtxs.12602S41041952

A Theoretical Framework Based on Organizational Cul-ture and Personnel Values (Case Study: Bandar Imam Petrochemicals)

Today, it is necessary to learn to manage and administer organizations based on values, which is also influenced by the culture and atmosphere of the organization. No comprehensive research has been done on organizational culture and personnel values. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide a theoretical framework based on the components of organizational culture and personnel values in Bandar Imam Petrochemical. This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-exploratory in terms of data collection method and with the help of a questionnaire. The statistical population of this study includes all employees of Bandar-e-Imam Petrochemical with a total of 3622 people. The said value is variable between 425 and 850. Taking into account the probabilities related to the unusability of a number of completed questionnaires, a total of 620 questionnaires were randomly distributed in the desired area at different hours of the day, and finally 595 questionnaires were used as a basis for statistical analysis. (Organizational Culture Questionnaire and Personnel Values Questionnaire) was used. In this study, in order to determine the validity of the questionnaires through communication with elites (management professors) and the second-order confirmatory factor analysis model, all the proposed dimensions in this section (15 dimensions) were approved. Experts were located and the research model was approved. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used for reliability of variables and questionnaires. To analyze the research data, factor analysis and confirmation of structural equation modeling and to fit the research model, SPSS and AMOS software were used. The results show that the research model has the necessary validity and there is a positive and significant relationship between organizational culture and personnel values in Bandar Imam Petrochemical. Finally, based on the importance and purpose, suggestions are presented

Comparison of Properties of Breads Enriched with Omega-3 Oil Encapsulated in β-Glucan and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Yeast Cells

&nbsp; Background and objective: Flaxseed oil, as a potential source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, is susceptible to oxidation. Yeast cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and β-glucan can be used as biocompatible and biodegradable matrices for the protection of this nutritious oil from oxidation in foods enriched with omega-3 fatty acids. The aim of this study was to investigate quality properties of breads containing encapsulated and free flaxseed oils. Materials and methods: Flaxseed oil was encapsulated in either yeast cells or β-glucan. Functional wheat bread samples were prepared using unencapsulated and encapsulated flaxseed oils. These were compared with control samples in terms of dough rheological and bread quality parameters. Results and conclusion: Encapsulation significantly increased dough rheological properties (G′ and G″ values), firmness and density and decreased lightness, compared to control samples. Breads, containing flaxseed oil encapsulated in yeast cells, showed a lower peroxide index and a higher α-linolenic acid value, compared to two other samples containing oil samples. This showed a better protection of unsaturated fatty acids against deleterious oxidation reactions. Results of this study indicate that addition of microencapsulated flaxseed oil into breads helps preserve sensory properties of the control sample, compared to breads fortified with free flaxseed oil. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest

Impact of Ramadan fasting on intraocular pressure, visual acuity and refractive errors

Introduction: Fasting evidently influences a variety of physiological parameters that can impact the ocular system. Among these modifications are alterations in insulin secretion, sympathetic activity, free fatty acids, lipid profile, melatonin, cortisol, electrolytes and catecholamines. In this study, we investigated the possible alterations in intraocular pressure (10P), visual acuity and refractive errors during Ramadan fasting. Methods: 10P, visual acuity and refractive errors of both eyes of volunteers were measured on the first and last days of Ramadan (once in the morning and evening). Body weight was measured so as to estimate the amount of dehydration. Data from the two examinations was analysed using one-way analysis of variance. A p -value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 58 healthy, fasting male volunteers with a mean age of 40.7 +/- 7.1 years participated in the study. Statistical analysis demonstrated no difference in 10P, visual acuity or refractive errors on the first and last days of Ramadan, or within a single day (from morning to evening). Conclusion: Our results reveal that Islamic Ramadan fasting does not profoundly affect physiological 10P, refractive error or visual acuity values in healthy volunteers. However, more detailed investigations using animal models should be designed to evaluate whether fasting has a pivotal influence on pathological conditions. Keywords: body weight, intraocular pressure, Ramadan fasting, refractive errors, visual acuit

Effects of image processing techniques on mammographic phantom images: a pilot study

Breast cancer is one of the most important diseases among females. According to the Malaysian Oncological Society (Wahid, 2007), about 4% of women who are 40 years old and above are suffering from breast cancer. Masses and microcalcifications are two important signs for breast cancer diagnosis on mammography. In this research, the effects of different image processing techniques which include enhancement, restoration, segmentation, and hybrid methods on phantom images were studied. Three different phantom images, which were obtained at 25kv (63.2 MAS), 28kv (29.8 MAS) and 35kv (9.5 MAS), were manipulated using image processing methods. The images were scored by two expert radiologists and the results were compared to explore any significant improvements. Meanwhile, the Wilcoxen Rank test was used to compare the quality of the manipulated images with the original one (alpha=0.05). Each image processing method was found to be effective on some particular criteria for image quality. Some methods were effective on just one criterion while some others were effective on a few criteria. The statistical test showed that there was an average improvement of 41 percent when the images were manipulated using the histogram modification methods. It could be concluded that different image processing methods have different effects on phantom images which generally improve radiologists’ visualization. The results confirm that the histogram stretching and histogram equation methods lead to higher improvement in image quality as compared to the original image (p < 0.05)