Performance Analysis of Steam Power Plants Using Ideal Reheat-Rankin Cycle

In this paper, a hypothetical examination has been done to assess the execution of the power plants that are chipping away at Reheat-Rankin cycle. The execution of cycle was dissected for various (warm, evaporator, condenser weights) values and also warm temperature qualities to demonstrate its impact on cycle warm proficiency. In this work, the heater weights qualities was accepted limited between (10to 26 MPa), the pressure proportion (warm stage weight to evaporator weight) was expected fluctuated in wide range from (0.1 to 1.0), while the condenser weight was accepted shifted between (5 to 25 kPa). And, a variety in warm temperature esteem was done between scopes of (400-600oC) at low weight turbine. The outcomes demonstrate that the warm productivity is considerably upgraded when the pressure proportion lies between (0.25-0.35) and the ideal proficiency is gotten when the pressure proportion and evaporator weight are equivalent to( 0.33 and 26MPa) separately

Database Development for Pavement Performance Modeling

Pavement Management System (PMS) is defined as set of tools or methods that can support decision makers in finding the optimum strategies for providing, evaluating, and maintaining pavement condition in acceptable level. The Iowa Pavement Management Program (IPMP) provides information about Iowa highways such as distress data and maintenance activates. One of the most factors that affect pavement performance is weather factors (temperature, freeze-thaw cycles, and rainfall). The historical climate data was obtained from Iowa Environmental Mesonet (IEM) for counties in the state of Iowa. The pavement condition and climate data can be integrated for pavement performance modeling. The Geographic Information System (GIS) is identified as an effective tool for data integration. The primary goal of this paper is to utilize the GIS tools to integrate pavement conditions and climate data for improving Iowa PMS

ANN Models to Correlate Structural and Functional Conditions in AC Pavements at Network Level

Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model was developed to estimate the correlation between structural capacity and functional conditions in Asphalt Cement (AC) pavements at the network level. To achieve this objective, the relevant data were obtained and integrated from the Iowa Pavement Management Program (IPMP) including construction parameters, traffic loading and subgrade stiffness, and Iowa Environmental Mesonet (IEM) for climate data. The ANN model proves its ability to learn and generalize from the input data. Overall, rutting data were found to be appropriate indicator of the structural capacity. Since the deflection tests are expensive and require experience and knowledge to deal with such data, this approach might be feasible for small transportation agencies (cities and counties) that do not have these capabilities

Automatic alignment of surgical videos using kinematic data

Over the past one hundred years, the classic teaching methodology of "see one, do one, teach one" has governed the surgical education systems worldwide. With the advent of Operation Room 2.0, recording video, kinematic and many other types of data during the surgery became an easy task, thus allowing artificial intelligence systems to be deployed and used in surgical and medical practice. Recently, surgical videos has been shown to provide a structure for peer coaching enabling novice trainees to learn from experienced surgeons by replaying those videos. However, the high inter-operator variability in surgical gesture duration and execution renders learning from comparing novice to expert surgical videos a very difficult task. In this paper, we propose a novel technique to align multiple videos based on the alignment of their corresponding kinematic multivariate time series data. By leveraging the Dynamic Time Warping measure, our algorithm synchronizes a set of videos in order to show the same gesture being performed at different speed. We believe that the proposed approach is a valuable addition to the existing learning tools for surgery.Comment: Accepted at AIME 201

Triglyceride glucose index as an indicator of cardiovascular risk in Syrian refugees

Background: The triglyceride glucose (TyG) index is a quick and inexpensive approach to measure insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the TyG index’s ability to predict cardiovascular risk and determine the TyG index cutoff values in Syrian refugees. Methods: A retrospective research study was conducted with 756 Syrian refugees. Data on demographics and clinical laboratory assessments were obtained from refugee’s files. The formula Ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting plasma glucose (mg (dL)/2] was used to calculate the TyG index. The Framingham risk score was used to calculate ten-year cardiovascular risk. The TyG index cutoff point was determined using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Results: Included participants had a mean age of 56.76 ± 10.78 years and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 27.42 ± 4.03 kg/m2. 28.57% of the subjects were smokers, and the majority were female (56.75%). A significant moderate correlation was observed between TyG index and Framingham score (r = 0.428, p < 0.001). ROC curve analysis for TyG index and Framingham score showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.741 (95% CI = 0.691–0.791; p < 0.001). The cutoff value of the TyG index to recognize intermediate/high risk Framingham risk score was 9.33, with a sensitivity of 64.3%, and specificity of 75.0%. Conclusion: Our findings determine that, given a TyG index cutoff value of 9.33, the TyG index has a predictive ability to assess ten-year cardiovascular risk by comparison to the Framingham risk score in a high-risk group of Syrian refugees and can be used as an independent indicator of cardiovascular risk

Expression plasticity of Phlebotomus papatasi salivary gland genes in distinct ecotopes through the sand fly season

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sand fly saliva can drive the outcome of <it>Leishmania </it>infection in animal models, and salivary components have been postulated as vaccine candidates against leishmaniasis. In the sand fly <it>Phlebotomus papatasi</it>, natural sugar-sources modulate the activity of proteins involved in meal digestion, and possibly influence vectorial capacity. However, only a handful of studies have assessed the variability of salivary components in sand flies, focusing on the effects of environmental factors in natural habitats. In order to better understand such interactions, we compared the expression profiles of nine <it>P. papatasi </it>salivary gland genes of specimens inhabiting different ecological habitats in Egypt and Jordan and throughout the sand fly season in each habitat.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The majority of investigated genes were up-regulated in specimens from Swaymeh late in the season, when the availability of sugar sources is reduced due to water deprivation. On the other hand, these genes were not up-regulated in specimens collected from Aswan, an irrigated area less susceptible to drought effects.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Expression plasticity of genes involved with vectorial capacity in disease vectors may play an important epidemiological role in the establishment of diseases in natural habitats.</p

Use of antihypertensive agents and the risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A case control study

Background: Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a complex multifactorial condition and is commonly caused by ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF). Some antihypertensive agents such as thiazides are associated with increased risk of SCA. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the association between different antihypertensive agents and the occurrence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), taking into account their potential impact on serum potassium levels. Methods: Cases were drawn from the Amsterdam Resuscitation Studies (ARREST) registry and controls from the PHARMO database. This study was performed using 1948 cases who had OHCA with electrocardiogram (ECG)-documented VT/VF for the first time. These cases were matched by age, sex, and OHCA date (index date) to 8347 controls. From this dataset, we included only patients who were current users of antihypertensive agents (the index date fell between start date and end date of prescription + 10%). Antihypertensive therapies were classified according to their potential impact on serum potassium levels to therapies with neutral effect, therapies inducing hypokalemia, therapies inducing hyperkalemia, and therapies with unknown effect. Logistic regression analysis was used to study the association between use of antihypertensive agents and occurrence of OHCA and to control for confounding. Results: We included 1192 cases and 3303 controls who were current users of antihypertensive agents in our analysis. The risk of OHCA was significantly increased with users of antihypertensive therapies inducing hypokalemia (adjusted OR 1.48, 95%CI (1.12- 1.94)) and with users of antihypertensive therapies with unknown effect (adjusted OR 1.42, 95%CI (1.13-1.77)) versus users of antihypertensive therapies with neutral effect. There was no difference in OHCA risk between users of antihypertensive therapies inducing hyperkalemia versus users of antihypertensive therapies with neutral effect (adjusted OR 1.13, 95%CI (0.89-1.43)). Conclusions: The risk of OHCA is significantly increased in patients who were current users of antihypertensive therapies inducing hypokalemia and antihypertensive therapies with unknown effect on serum potassium levels

Phlebotomus papatasi SP15: mRNA expression variability and amino acid sequence polymorphisms of field populations

Citation: Ramalho-Ortigao, M., Coutinho-Abreu, I. V., Balbino, V. Q., Figueiredo, C. A. S., Mukbel, R., Dayem, H., . . . McDowell, M. A. (2015). Phlebotomus papatasi SP15: mRNA expression variability and amino acid sequence polymorphisms of field populations. Parasites & Vectors, 8, 14. doi:10.1186/s13071-015-0914-2Background: The Phlebotomus papatasi salivary protein PpSP15 was shown to protect mice against Leishmania major, suggesting that incorporation of salivary molecules in multi-component vaccines may be a viable strategy for anti-Leishmania vaccines. Methods: Here, we investigated PpSP15 predicted amino acid sequence variability and mRNA profile of P. papatasi field populations from the Middle East. In addition, predicted MHC class II T-cell epitopes were obtained and compared to areas of amino acid sequence variability within the secreted protein. Results: The analysis of PpSP15 expression from field populations revealed significant intra-and interpopulation variation.. In spite of the variability detected for P. papatasi populations, common epitopes for MHC class II binding are still present and may potentially be used to boost the response against Le. major infections. Conclusions: Conserved epitopes of PpSP15 could potentially be used in the development of a salivary gland antigen-based vaccine.Additional Authors: Lobo, N. F.;Mahon, A. R.;Emrich, S. J.;Kamhawi, S.;Collins, F. H.;McDowell, M. A

Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling for single and multiple dosing regimens of ceftriaxone in healthy and chronic kidney disease populations: a tool for model-informed precision dosing

Introduction: Ceftriaxone is one of commonly prescribed beta-lactam antibiotics with several label and off-label clinical indications. A high fraction of administered dose of ceftriaxone is excreted renally in an unchanged form, and it may accumulate significantly in patients with impaired renal functions, which may lead to toxicity.Methods: In this study, we employed a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling, as a tool for precision dosing, to predict the biological exposure of ceftriaxone in a virtually-constructed healthy and chronic kidney disease patient populations, with subsequent dosing optimizations. We started developing the model by integrating the physicochemical properties of the drug with biological system information in a PBPK software platform. A PBPK model in an adult healthy population was developed and evaluated visually and numerically with respect to experimental pharmacokinetic data. The model performance was evaluated based on the fold error criteria of the predicted and reported values for different pharmacokinetic parameters. Then, the model was applied to predict drug exposure in CKD patient populations with various degrees of severity.Results: The developed PBPK model was able to precisely describe the pharmacokinetic behavior of ceftriaxone in adult healthy population and in mild, moderate, and severe CKD patient populations. Decreasing the dose by approximately 25% in mild and 50% in moderate to severe renal disease provided a comparable exposure to the healthy population. Based on the simulation of multiple dosing regimens in severe CKD population, it has been found that accumulation of 2 g every 24 h is lower than the accumulation of 1 g every 12 h dosing regimen.Discussion: In this study, the observed concentration time profiles and pharmacokinetic parameters for ceftriaxone were successfully reproduced by the developed PBPK model and it has been shown that PBPK modeling can be used as a tool for precision dosing to suggest treatment regimens in population with renal impairment

Taxifolin prevents cisplatin nephrotoxicity by modulating Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and mitigating oxidative stress and inflammation in mice

Cisplatin (CIS) is an effective chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of several malignancies. The clinical use of CIS is associated with adverse effects, including acute kidney injury (AKI). Oxidative stress and inflammation are key events in the development of CIS-induced AKI. This study investigated the protective effect of taxifolin (TAX), a bioactive flavonoid with promising health-promoting properties, on CIS-induced nephrotoxicity in mice. TAX was orally given to mice for 10 days and a single dose of CIS was injected at day 7. Serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine were elevated, and multiple histopathological alterations were observed in the kidney of CIS-administered mice. CIS increased renal malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) p65, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-1β, and decreased cellular antioxidants in mice. TAX remarkably prevented kidney injury, ameliorated serum BUN and creatinine, and renal MDA, NO, NF-κB p65, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and boosted antioxidant defenses in CIS-administered mice. TAX downregulated Bax and caspase-3, and upregulated Bcl-2. These effects were associated with upregulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) expression and heme oxygenase (HO)-1 activity in CIS-administered mice. In conclusion, TAX prevented CIS-induced AKI by mitigating tissue injury, oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell death. The protective efficacy of TAX was associated with the upregulation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling