Quantitative Optical Studies of Oxidative Stress in Rodent Models of Eye and Lung Injuries

Optical imaging techniques have emerged as essential tools for reliable assessment of organ structure, biochemistry, and metabolic function. The recognition of metabolic markers for disease diagnosis has rekindled significant interest in the development of optical methods to measure the metabolism of the organ. The objective of my research was to employ optical imaging tools and to implement signal and image processing techniques capable of quantifying cellular metabolism for the diagnosis of diseases in human organs such as eyes and lungs. To accomplish this goal, three different tools, cryoimager, fluorescent microscope, and optical coherence tomography system were utilized to study the physiological metabolic markers and early structural changes due to injury in vitro, ex vivo, and at cryogenic temperatures. Cryogenic studies of eye injuries in animal models were performed using a fluorescence cryoimager to monitor two endogenous mitochondrial fluorophores, NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and FAD (flavin adenine dinucleotide). The mitochondrial redox ratio (NADH/ FAD), which is correlated with oxidative stress level, is an optical biomarker. The spatial distribution of mitochondrial redox ratio in injured eyes with different durations of the disease was delineated. This spatiotemporal information was helpful to investigate the heterogeneity of the ocular oxidative stress in the eyes during diseases and its association with retinopathy. To study the metabolism of the eye tissue, the retinal layer was targeted, which required high resolution imaging of the eye as well as developing a segmentation algorithm to quantitatively monitor and measure the metabolic redox state of the retina. To achieve a high signal to noise ratio in fluorescence image acquisition, the imaging was performed at cryogenic temperatures, which increased the quantum yield of the intrinsic fluorophores. Microscopy studies of cells were accomplished by using an inverted fluorescence microscope. Fixed slides of the retina tissue as well as exogenous fluorophores in live lung cells were imaged using fluorescent and time-lapse microscopy. Image processing techniques were developed to quantify subtle changes in the morphological parameters of the retinal vasculature network for the early detection of the injury. This implemented image cytometry tool was capable of segmenting vascular cells, and calculating vasculature features including: area, caliber, branch points, fractal dimension, and acellular capillaries, and classifying the healthy and injured retinas. Using time-lapse microscopy, the dynamics of cellular ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) concentration was quantified and modeled in ROS-mediated lung injuries. A new methodology and an experimental protocol were designed to quantify changes of oxidative stress in different stress conditions and to localize the site of ROS in an uncoupled state of pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs). Ex vivo studies of lung were conducted using a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) system and 3D scanned images of the lung were acquired. An image segmentation algorithm was developed to study the dynamics of structural changes in the lung alveoli in real time. Quantifying the structural dynamics provided information to diagnose pulmonary diseases and to evaluate the severity of the lung injury. The implemented software was able to quantify and present the changes in alveoli compliance in lung injury models, including edema. In conclusion, optical instrumentation, combined with signal and image processing techniques, provides quantitative physiological and structural information reflecting disease progression due to oxidative stress. This tool provides a unique capability to identify early points of intervention, which play a vital role in the early detection of eye and lung injuries. The future goal of this research is to translate optical imaging to clinical settings, and to transfer the instruments developed for animal models to the bedside for patient diagnosis

Risk assessment of inter-basin water transfer plans through integration of Fault Tree Analysis and Bayesian Network modelling approaches

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Governance of Agricultural Water Management:How Does the EPSI Model Explain Iranian Farmers' Satisfaction? An Experience from Northwestern Iran

Farmers’ satisfaction with agricultural water management can be used as a measure of the fairness of water distribution and the performance of an irrigation scheme. Therefore, the assessment of farmers’ satisfaction in this respect could provide useful insights contributing to the sustainable governance of irrigation water. In this study, the population of interest consisted of residents in district of Lajan using the public irrigation network in Piranshahr Township, Iran. Using Krejcie and Morgan’s table and following a simple random sampling method, 110 individuals were selected as the research sample. Questionnaire [based on the European Performance Satisfaction Index (EPSI)] was the main tool for data gathering. The validity of the questionnaire was verified by a panel of experts. To assess its reliability, Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient was calculated for the main scales of the questionnaire (α= 0.74 to 0.86). According to the obtained data, the main factors influencing farmers’ satisfaction included the perceived image of irrigation governance, expectations of farmers from irrigation governance, and the perceived quality and value of irrigation. According to the results, farmers believed that irrigation management by the government was a solution for reducing local conflicts in relation to agricultural water use and justice in the distribution of irrigation water. However, they were not satisfied with the irrigation scheme governance

Environmental values in the petrochemical industry: A Q-method study in South West Iran

Achieving sustainable development in different regional and cultural contexts is dependent, in part, upon an understanding of key actors’ underlying environmental, social and economic values. The social research technique called Q-methodology presents an effective means to explore such values as a matter of discourse: revealing the typologies of stakeholder perspectives within a given debate. Q-method involves factor analysis of participant rank-ordered preselected statements on a topic. The resultant factors are then reinterpreted as social discourses. In this study we use Q-methodology to explore the environmental values of Health Safety and Environmental (HSE) managers in petrochemical companies in Khuzestan province in southwest Iran. Khuzestan is a key region of petrochemical product development, with significant associated environmental pollution effects. Understanding HSE managers’ attitudes to environmental protection is of value in predicting broader environmental impacts to the region, given the relative importance of their role in regulating the environmental performance of this industry. Our results reveal four distinct and varied perspectives on environmental protection labelled: ‘Environmental stewardship’, ‘Environmental presentism’, ‘Technological optimism’ and ‘Enlightened anthropocentrism’. We then discuss how these four emergent perspectives correspond to broader environmental discourses as categorized by John Dryzek: i.e. green rationalism, economic rationalism, prometheanism and ecological modernization respectively

Role of rural women in operation, protection and restoration of natural resources in desert plains; Case study: Khuzestan province

Abstract Non-renewable natural resources play an important role in sustainable development of developing countries such as Iran. However, since the natural resources should be preserved for future generations, proper use of such resources seems mandatory. Women are one of the prime users of natural resources in developing countries. The purpose of this study is to assess the conservational behavior of rural women and factors influencing such behaviors regarding destruction, protection, and restoration of desert areas of Khuzestan province in Iran in a one-year period from Sep 2006 to Sep 2007. Rural women living in desert areas were interviewed in the process of data collection using multi-stage random sampling techniques. The results revealed that rural women played an essential role in the protection, restoration and destruction of natural resources. Moreover, there was no significant relationship between rural women’s personal characteristics and their activities in utilization of natural resources. This implies that destruction of natural resources is not attributed to rural women's intentions. However, human basic needs such as searching for a place to live, unpredictable weather conditions, unawareness of conservational facts, financial difficulties, large-sized families, overgrazing, and using woods as fuel were the main reasons for destruction

Why do farmers over-extract groundwater resources? Assessing (un)sustainable behaviors using an Integrated Agent-Centered framework

This study uses an Integrated Agent-Centered (IAC) framework to investigate the socio-psychological drivers of Iranian farmers’ unsustainable groundwater management practices. Empirical land use change analysis of US Geological Survey Landsat satellite images of the Jaz-Murian wetland region for 1990, 2010, and 2022, is combined with community surveys conducted with randomly selected farmers in five townships within the region (n=356). Visual analysis reveals dramatic increases in agricultural land coverage, diminished water bodies and increased salt lands over the 32-year sampled period. We use survey data to explain the socio-psychological drivers of unsustainable groundwater use that lead to these adverse environmental changes. In the IAC survey analysis, we find that variables for “expectation” and “subjective culture” have a negative influence on pro-environmental “intention”. “Intention” and “habit” have a positive influence, and “contextual factors” have a negative influence on the drivers of “unsustainable water use behavior”. We conclude that situational influences, habitual process, intentional process, and normative processes must be considered together to alleviate pressure on wetland ecosystems. Policy makers must provide effective agricultural extension training, deliberative dialogue amongst farmer networks, well governed local water markets and financial support to shift farmer short-termist economic gain-thinking towards socially-supported pro-environmental habits over the longer term

Readability of Patient Education Materials on the American Association for Surgery of Trauma Website

Background: Because the quality of information on the Internet is of dubious worth, many patients seek out reliable expert sources. As per the American Medical Association (AMA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommendations, readability of patient education materials should not exceed a sixth-grade reading level. The average reading skill of U.S. adults is at the eighth-grade level. Objectives: This study evaluates whether a recognized source of expert content, the American Association for Surgery of Trauma (AAST) website’s patient education materials, recommended readability guidelines for medical information. Materials and Methods: Using the well-validated Flesch-Kincaid formula to analyze grade level readability, we evaluated the readability of all 16 of the publicly-accessible entries within the patient education section of the AAST website. Results: Mean ± SD grade level readability was 10.9 ± 1.8 for all the articles. All but one of the articles had a readability score above the sixth-grade level. Readability of the articles exceeded the maximum recommended level by an average of 4.9 grade levels (95% confidence interval, 4.0-5.8; P < 0.0001). Readability of the articles exceeded the eighth-grade level by an average of 2.9 grade levels (95% confidence interval, 2.0-3.8; P < 0.0001). Only one of the articles had a readability score below the eighth-grade level. Conclusions: The AAST’s online patient education materials may be of limited utility to many patients, as the readability of the information exceeds the average reading skill level of adults in the U.S. Lack of patient comprehension represents a discrepancy that is not in accordance with the goals of the AAST’s objectives for its patient education efforts. Keywords: Patient Education Materials; Online Health Information; Readability; Comprehension, Flesch-Kincaid Formul

Environmental Impact Assessment of Land reclamation Project in Khuzestan Province; case of study Miyanab irrigation and drainage network

Environmental impact assessment is one of the acceptable ways to achieve sustainable development goals and can, as a planning tool, identify the potential environmental impacts that arise as a result of the implementation of constructional projects and provide rational options for their resolution. Undoubtedly, continuous evaluation of such projects can bring numerous and valuable achievements for policy makers, planners and those in charge of operation and maintenance, in order to implement improvements and improve the efficiency of the measures taken and prevent the waste of resources in future projects. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the environmental effects of land reclamation project in Khuzestan province within the Mianab irrigation and drainage network of Shushtar and for this purpose the ICOLD matrix method was used. In this method, the effect of each project activity on environmental components (ecological, physical and socio-economic) in the two phases of structural and operational was measured. The results indicate that the implementation of the project is preferable to its non-implementation, as the total consequences of the implementation of the project on the surrounding environment are positive (+108 points). Among the consequences of the project, the socio-economic environment has the most positive effects (176+ points) And the ecological environment with -49 has had the most negative impact on the environment. According to the findings of the study, the implementation of land reclamation plan in Khuzestan province within the Mianab irrigation and drainage network of Shushtar is environmentally appropriate and its continued implementation in neighboring lands is unrestricted provided that environmental standards are met

A cell-free SDKP-conjugated self-assembling peptide hydrogel sufficient for improvement of myocardial infarction

Biomaterials in conjunction with stem cell therapy have recently attracted attention as a new therapeutic approach for myocardial infarction (MI), with the aim to solve the delivery challenges that exist with transplanted cells. Self-assembling peptide (SAP) hydrogels comprise a promising class of synthetic biomaterials with cardiac-compatible properties such as mild gelation, injectability, rehealing ability, and potential for sequence modification. Herein, we developed an SAP hydrogel composed of a self-assembling gel-forming core sequence (RADA) modified with SDKP motif with pro-angiogenic and anti-fibrotic activity to be used as a cardioprotective scaffold. The RADA-SDKP hydrogel was intramyocardially injected into the infarct border zone of a rat model of MI induced by left anterior descending artery (LAD) ligation as a cell-free or a cell-delivering scaffold for bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs). The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was markedly improved after transplantation of either free hydrogel or cell-laden hydrogel. This cardiac functional repair coincided very well with substantially lower fibrotic tissue formation, expanded microvasculature, and lower inflammatory response in the infarct area. Interestingly, BM-MSCs alone or in combination with hydrogel could not surpass the cardiac repair effects of the SDKP-modified SAP hydrogel. Taken together, we suggest that the RADA-SDKP hydrogel can be a promising cell-free construct that has the capability for functional restoration in the instances of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) that might minimize the safety concerns of cardiac cell therapy and facilitate clinical extrapolation. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland