Evaluation inhibitory effect of essential oil Savory (Satureja hortensis) in food fish

Aflatoxins are a group of fungal metabolites that are produced by the growth of fungi on food. These toxins cause illness in animals and humans, and are important in economic and humans health. In this investigation, inhibitory effects of savory (Satureja hortensis L.) essential oil were evaluated on the growth of Aspergillus flavus in fish food. A gas chromatograph apparatus linked to a mass spectrometer (GC/MS) was used to identify the effective components in Satureja hortensis essential oil after extraction. Essential oils against Aspergillus flavus incubated in PDA media and antifungal properties of essential oil Satureja hortensis was investigated. About of 300g of food samples was weighted and samples were sterilized by autoclave. Fungal suspension (3cc) was spraied into the feed samples, and various concentrations of essential oils (0, 300, 400, 500, 600ppm) added to samples. The samples were incubated at temperature of (±SD) 28±2°C. After 20-40 and 60 days period, randomly, some sampled were taken from containers and the production of aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, and G2 was measured in the laboratory. This result confirms that 500ppm concentrations of oil savory have antifungal properties against Aspergillus flavus

Environmental engineering applications of electronic nose systems based on MOX gas sensors

Nowadays, the electronic nose (e-nose) has gained a huge amount of attention due to its ability to detect and differentiate mixtures of various gases and odors using a limited number of sensors. Its applications in the environmental fields include analysis of the parameters for environmental control, process control, and confirming the efficiency of the odor-control systems. The e-nose has been developed by mimicking the olfactory system of mammals. This paper investigates e-noses and their sensors for the detection of environmental contaminants. Among different types of gas chemical sensors, metal oxide semiconductor sensors (MOXs) can be used for the detection of volatile compounds in air at ppm and sub-ppm levels. In this regard, the advantages and disadvantages of MOX sensors and the solutions to solve the problems arising upon these sensors’ applications are addressed, and the research works in the field of environmental contamination monitoring are overviewed. These studies have revealed the suitability of e-noses for most of the reported applications, especially when the tools were specifically developed for that application, e.g., in the facilities of water and wastewater management systems. As a general rule, the literature review discusses the aspects related to various applications as well as the development of effective solutions. However, the main limitation in the expansion of the use of e-noses as an environmental monitoring tool is their complexity and lack of specific standards, which can be corrected through appropriate data processing methods applications

Convergence, efficiency and dynamics of new fourth and sixth order families of iterative methods for nonlinear system

[EN] In this work we present a new family of iterative methods for solving nonlinear systems that are optimal in the sense of Kung and Traub’s conjecture for the unidimensional case. We generalize this family by performing a new step in the iterative method, getting a new family with order of convergence six. We study the efficiency of these families for the multidimensional case by introducing a new term in the computational cost defined by Grau-Sánchez et al. A comparison with already known methods is done by studying the dynamics of these methods in an example system.This research has been supported by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion MTM2011-28636-C02-02 and by Vicerrectorado de Investigacion Universitat Politecnica de Valencia PAID-SP-2012-0498 and PAID-SP-2012-0474.Hueso Pagoaga, JL.; Martínez Molada, E.; Teruel, C. (2015). Convergence, efficiency and dynamics of new fourth and sixth order families of iterative methods for nonlinear system. Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics. 275:420-412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cam.2014.06.010S42041227

Validation of Electroencephalographic Recordings Obtained with a Consumer-Grade, Single Dry Electrode, Low-Cost Device: A Comparative Study

The functional validity of the signal obtained with low-cost electroencephalography (EEG) devices is still under debate. Here, we have conducted an in-depth comparison of the EEG-recordings obtained with a medical-grade golden-cup electrodes ambulatory device, the SOMNOwatch + EEG-6, vs those obtained with a consumer-grade, single dry electrode low-cost device, the NeuroSky MindWave, one of the most a ordable devices currently available. We recorded EEG signals at Fp1 using the two di erent devices simultaneously on 21 participants who underwent two experimental phases: a 12-minute resting state task (alternating two cycles of closed/open eyes periods), followed by 60-minute virtual-driving task. We evaluated the EEG recording quality by comparing the similarity between the temporal data series, their spectra, their signal-to-noise ratio, the reliability of EEG measurements (comparing the closed eyes periods), as well as their blink detection rate. We found substantial agreement between signals: whereas, qualitatively, the NeuroSky MindWave presented higher levels of noise and a biphasic shape of blinks, the similarity metric indicated that signals from both recording devices were significantly correlated. While the NeuroSky MindWave was less reliable, both devices had a similar blink detection rate. Overall, the NeuroSky MindWave is noise-limited, but provides stable recordings even through long periods of time. Furthermore, its data would be of adequate quality compared to that of conventional wet electrode EEG devices, except for a potential calibration error and spectral differences at low frequencies.Spanish Department of Transportation, Madrid, Spain (Grant No. SPIP2014-1426 to L.L.D.S.)A.C. is funded by a Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness grant (PSI2016-80558-R to A.C.)S.R. is funded by an Andalusian Government Excellence Research grant (P11-TIC-7983)L.J.F. is funded by a Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness grant (PSI2014-53427-P) and a Fundación Séneca grant (19267/PI/14)L.L.D.S. is currently supported by the Ramón y Cajal fellowship program (RYC-2015-17483)C.D.-P. is currently supported by the CEIMAR program (CEIMAR2018-2)C.D.-P. and L.L.D.S. are supported by a Santander Bank—CEMIX UGR-MADOC grant (Project PINS 2018-15

QUEST-DMC superfluid 3 He detector for sub-GeV dark matter

The focus of dark matter searches to date has been on Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) in the GeV/c2-TeV/c2 mass range. The direct, indirect and collider searches in this mass range have been extensive but ultimately unsuccessful, providing a strong motivation for widening the search outside this range. Here we describe a new concept for a dark matter experiment, employing superfluid 3He as a detector for dark matter that is close to the mass of the proton, of order 1 GeV/c2. The QUEST-DMC detector concept is based on quasiparticle detection in a bolometer cell by a nanomechanical resonator. In this paper we develop the energy measurement methodology and detector response model, simulate candidate dark matter signals and expected background interactions, and calculate the sensitivity of such a detector. We project that such a detector can reach sub-eV nuclear recoil energy threshold, opening up new windows on the parameter space of both spin-dependent and spin-independent interactions of light dark matter candidates

QUEST-DMC: Background Modelling and Resulting Heat Deposit for a Superfluid Helium-3 Bolometer

We report the results of radioactivity assays and heat leak calculations for a range of common cryogenic materials, considered for use in the QUEST-DMC superfluid 3He dark matter detector. The bolometer, instrumented with nanomechanical resonators, will be sensitive to energy deposits from dark matter interactions. Events from radioactive decays and cosmic rays constitute a significant background and must be precisely modelled, using a combination of material screening and Monte Carlo simulations. However, the results presented here are of wider interest for experiments and quantum devices sensitive to minute heat leaks and spurious events, thus we present heat leak per unit mass or surface area for every material studied. This can inform material choices for other experiments, especially if underground operation is considered – where the radiogenic backgrounds will dominate even at shallow depths

QUEST-DMC:Background Modelling and Resulting Heat Deposit for a Superfluid Helium-3 Bolometer

We report the results of radioactivity assays and heat leak calculations for a range of common cryogenic materials, considered for use in the QUEST-DMC superfluid 3He dark matter detector. The bolometer, instrumented with nanomechanical resonators, will be sensitive to energy deposits from dark matter interactions. Events from radioactive decays and cosmic rays constitute a significant background and must be precisely modelled, using a combination of material screening and Monte Carlo simulations. However, the results presented here are of wider interest for experiments and quantum devices sensitive to minute heat leaks and spurious events, thus we present heat leak per unit mass or surface area for every material studied. This can inform material choices for other experiments, especially if underground operation is considered – where the radiogenic backgrounds will dominate even at shallow depths

Homozygous microdeletion of exon 5 in ZNF277 in a girl with specific language impairment

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

QUEST-DMC superfluid ³He detector for sub-GeV dark matter

The focus of dark matter searches to date has been on Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) in the GeV/c2-TeV/c2 mass range. The direct, indirect and collider searches in this mass range have been extensive but ultimately unsuccessful, providing a strong motivation for widening the search outside this range. Here we describe a new concept for a dark matter experiment, employing superfluid 3He as a detector for dark matter that is close to the mass of the proton, of order 1 GeV/c2. The QUEST-DMC detector concept is based on quasiparticle detection in a bolometer cell by a nanomechanical resonator. In this paper we develop the energy measurement methodology and detector response model, simulate candidate dark matter signals and expected background interactions, and calculate the sensitivity of such a detector. We project that such a detector can reach sub-eV nuclear recoil energy threshold, opening up new windows on the parameter space of both spin-dependent and spin-independent interactions of light dark matter candidates

Prevalence and risk factors for HBV and HCV in prisoners in Iran: a national bio-behavioural surveillance survey in 2015

Objectives: To provide more accurate estimates of the prevalence of Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis C (HCV) and their contributing factors among prisoners in Iran. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 6200 Iranian prisoners in 2015. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews. HBV infection and HCV exposure status of the participants was determined by HBsAg and HCV antibodies blood tests using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Data were analysed in STATA-12. Result: Prevalence of HCV exposure was 9.48 (95 CI: 8.73�10.27), and prevalence of HBV was 2.48 (95 CI: 2.07�2.89) in the general prison population. In multivariate analysis, the most important risk factor for HBV was a history of drug use in lifetime (adjusted odds ratio, AOR: 1.8, 95 CI: 1.17�3.02). The main risk factors for HCV exposure were a history of drug use in lifetime (AOR: 4.08, CI: 2.56�6.27), age over 30 (AOR: 2.68, CI: 2.01�3.56), and having tattoos (AOR = 1.67, CI: 1.35�2.07). Conclusion: Although vaccination is used to control HBV among prisoners, prevalence of HCV exposure is alarming in the prison population of Iran, especially among people who inject drugs. Eliminating viral hepatitis in Iran by 2030 requires a national commitment and rapid measures for targeting this high-risk group. Given the increased efficiency of HCV treatment in recent years, prisons provide an opportunity to access patients for treatment. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Lt