Sensitivity analysis using the Latin Hypercube-OAT Method for the Conservational Channel Evaluation and Pollutant Transport System (CONCEPTS) Model

Streambank erosion is a major problem and a major known source of sediment in impaired streams. Stream deterioration is mainly due to the excess sediment in the United States. Many models have been developed to predict streambank erosion and sediment transport in the streams. Determining the most sensitive soil-specific parameters of the CONCEPTS Model for Goodwin Creek, MS was the focus of the study. The Latin Hypercube Oneactor-At-a-Time (LH-OAT) method was used to complete the sensitivity analysis on soil-specific parameters in CONCEPTS. Overall results demonstrate that erodibility and critical shear stress parameters should be determined very carefully and realistic to determine streambank erosion and sediment transport rate more accurately. This sensitivity analysis also shows the minimum effects of suction angle and cohesion on results. In this case, making an assumption in a literal range, or safely ignoring them should not cause a big variation on CONCEPTS results

In vitro study of human lymphocytes cytological and biochemical effects by zingiberene

WOS: 000341584300009In this study, the cytological and biochemical effects of zingiberene (ZBN) on human lymphocytes cultures were investigated. the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays were used for viability and cytotoxic evaluations. Micronucleus (MN) and chromosomal aberration (CA) tests were used for genetic evaluations. Moreover, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total oxidative status (TOS) analyses were used for biochemical evaluations. Utilizing the MTT and LDH assays, the cytotoxicity of ZBN was determined on lymphocyte cultures and the short-term lymphocyte cultures were incubated with various doses of the ZBN; the results demonstrated that the growth of lymphocytes cells was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. in addition, MNs and CAs in lymphocytes were not influenced by exposure to ZBN. Moreover, ZBN treatment caused increases in TAC levels in human lymphocytes without changing TOS levels. in conclusion, ZBN could be used as a suggested natural antioxidant for therapeutic, pharmaceutical and food applications

Effects of copaene, a tricyclic sesquiterpene, on human lymphocytes cells in vitro

WOS: 000339107800008PubMed: 24287609In this study, the cytotoxic, genotoxic/antigenotoxic and antioxidant/oxidant activity of copaene (COP), a plant-derived tricyclic sesquiterpene, on human lymphocyte cultures (n = 5) was investigated. COP was added into culture tubes at various concentrations (0, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/L). While the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays were used for viability and cytotoxic evaluations, the micronucleus (MN) and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) assays were used for genetic evaluations. Moreover, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total oxidative status analysis were used for biochemical evaluations. According to LDH and MTT assays COP significantly reduced cell proliferation at high concentrations (200 and 400 mg/L). in addition, there was no significant increase (P < 0.05) in both SCE and MN frequencies of cultures treated with COP as compared to controls. We have also concluded that concentrations of COP of 50 and 100 mg/L increased TAC level when compared to the controls. in conclusion, in this study it has been reported for the first time that copaene is not genotoxic and it increases the antioxidant capacity in human lymphocyte cultures

Alpha power inverted Kumaraswamy distribution: Definition, different estimation methods, and application

In this study, an alpha power inverted Kumaraswamy (APIK) distribution is introduced. The APIK distribution is de- rived by applying alpha power transformation to an inverted Kumaraswamy distribution. Some submodels and limiting cases of the APIK distribution are obtained as well. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, some of these distributions have not been introduced yet. Statistical inference of the APIK distribution, including survival and hazard rate func- tions, are obtained. Unknown parameters of the APIK distribution are estimated by using the maximum likelihood (ML), maximum product of spacings (MPS), and least squares (LS) methods. A Monte Carlo simulation study is con- ducted to compare the efficiencies of the ML estimators of the shape parameters α, β and λ of the APIK distribution with their MPS and LS counterparts. An application to a real data set is provided to show the implementation and modeling capability of the APIK distribution

Different approaches to minimum delay prediction at single-lane traffic circles in Izmir, Turkey

Delay, which can be defined as the difference between interrupted and uninterrupted travel times through an intersection, is one of the most important performance indicators for intersection analysis. It can arise from several types of conditions like intersection geometry, drivers' perceptions, traffic characteristics etc. Minimum delay, which can be stated as the delay faced by a minor stream driver when the minor stream flow is nearly zero, is a base delay measure of an unsignalized intersection that should be analyzed in depth. In this study, an appropriate minimum delay equation is derived for single-lane traffic circles in Izmir, Turkey. For this purpose, observations are made at seven approaches of five single-lane traffic circles. Many types of model structures like exponential, power, best subsets regression etc. are constituted and compared with the existing approaches. Results have shown that, geometry of a traffic circle has an important effect on minimum delay and should be considered in analysis. In the study, the effect of entering vehicles from the minor approach is also investigated. A new delay model that depends on the entry flow is also suggested

Determination of knowledge and behaviour of nurses about pain management

WOS: 000431943800003Objective: This study was conducted with the aim of determining knowledge and behavior of nurses about pain management. Material and Method: The study was designed as a cross-sectional study. The study was performed on 560 nurses between February and April 2014. Data were collected by using Nursing Information Form and The Survey Regarding Nurses' Knowledge and Behavior Regarding Pain. Data were evaluated by using descriptive statistical methods, Student's t-test, One-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: Out of total 560 nurses, 45.2% were in the age group of 29-38 years, 88.6% were female, 66.1% had a graduation degree, 69.8% were working in internal diseases units and 91.6% were working as a bedside nurse, 39.5% of nurses had an experience less than 5-year, 56.2% of nurses had no in-service training regarding pain, and 76.6% did not follow the literature about pain. One-third of nurses (35.2%) were not using scales for pain often. In the survey, nurses scored 4.95 +/- 2.16 points in knowledge and behavior about pain. The average knowledge and behavior in pain scores of nurses with post graduate degrees (6.31 +/- 2.19, p=0.002), of nurses who followed nursing publications (5.30 +/- 2.25, p=0.03) and of nurses those always used the pain scales (5.26 +/- 2.38, p=0.02) were significantly high. Longer the working times, lower the average knowledge and behavior scores of the nurses (p>0.05). The average knowledge and behavior score of nurses working in internal diseases units were higher than the scores of ones working in surgical units (p>0.05). The nurses who had in-service training in pain had higher average scores (p>0.05). Conclusions: The study indicates that nurses do not have sufficient knowledge about diagnosis and management of pai

ASSESSMENT OF ELEMENT CONCENTRATION DISTRIBUTION IN DIFFERENT RAT ORGANS BY WAVELENGTH DISPERSIVE X-RAY FLUORESCENCE: EFFECTS OF ALUMINUM CHLORIDE

WOS: 000452689400004Aluminum (Al) is present on earth surface has different chemical forms. It is a toxic metal and it may cause different disorders such as osteomalacia, microcytic anemia, Alzheimer and Parkinson's disease. Thus, it is very important to understand the effects of Al on different organs. in order to examine its accumulation, rats (male Wistar) were exposed to 5 mg/kg/day AlC1(3) through gavage method for 30 days. At the end of the process, heart, brain, kidney and skin were removed and dried under sunlight. the samples were analyzed on a sequential Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (WDXRF) spectrometer. the results indicate that Al accumulates significantly in the brain. These results can be associated with neurotoxin effects. Although this study focused on the accumulation of Al, the concentration changes of detected elements from Beryllium (Be) to Uranium (U) accumulations were analyzed. the current study has proved that the WDXRF method is a quick, inexpensive and effective method in toxicological studies

Interpretation of SARS-CoV-2 behaviour on different substrates and denaturation of virions using ethanol: an atomic force microscopy study

Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is a respiratory infection virus that was first detected in Wuhan, China. The virus causes COVID-19 disease and the outbreak was recognised as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. SARS-CoV-2 virion was first imaged using cryo-electron microscopy by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Atomic Force Microscopy is a unique technique that can allow imaging of biomolecules under different conditions. In this work, we used Atomic Force Microscopy to characterize SARS-CoV-2 on tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) and glass coverslip surfaces. We isolated SARS-CoV-2 and drop casted it on coverslip glass and tissue culture polystyrene surfaces. We analyzed height profiles, density, and aggregation behavior of the virion on glass and polystyrene surfaces. We observed the coffee ring effect on the drop casted samples and close packing of virions near the coffee rings on both surfaces with relatively higher virion distribution on the tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) substrates. We compare virion agglomeration on the two types of surfaces. Finally, we applied ethanol disinfectant to virions on the surface to visualize the effect of ethanol and image the ultrastructure of SARS-CoV-2