Bioenergetics: Experimental Demonstration of Excess Protons and Related Features

Over the last 50 years, ever since the Nobel-prize work of Peter Mitchell’s Chemiosmotic theory, the question whether bioenergetics energy transduction occurs through localized or delocalized protons has been a controversial issue among scientists. Recently, a proton-electrostatics localization hypothesis was formulated which may provide a new and clear understanding of localized and delocalized proton-coupling energy transduction in many biological systems. The aim of this dissertation was to test this new hypothesis. To demonstrate the fundamental behavior of localized protons in a pure water-membrane-water system in relation to the newly derived pmf equation, excess protons and excess hydroxyl anions were generated and their distributions were tested using a proton-sensing aluminum membrane. The proton-sensing film placed at the membrane-water interface displayed dramatic localized proton activity while that placed into the bulk water phase showed no excess proton activity during the entire experiment. These observations clearly match with the prediction from the proton-electrostatics localization hypothesis that excess protons do not stay in water bulk phase; they localize at the water-membrane interface in a manner similar to the behavior of excess electrons in a conductor. In addition, the effect of cations (Na+ and K+) on localized excess protons at the water-membrane interface was tested by measuring the exchange equilibrium constant of Na+ and K+ in exchanging with the electrostatically localized protons at a series of cations concentrations. The equilibrium constant for sodium (Na+) cations to exchange with the electrostatically localized protons was determined to be (5.07 ± 0.46) x 10-8 while the equilibrium constant for potassium (K+) cations to exchange with localized protons was determined to be (6.93 ± 0.91) x 10-8. These results mean that the localized protons at the water-membrane interface are so stable that it requires a ten millions more sodium (or potassium) cations than protons in the bulk liquid phase to even partially delocalize them at the water-membrane interface. This provides a logical experimental support of the proton electrostatic localization hypothesis. One of the basic assumptions of proton-electrostatics localization hypothesis is that it treats liquid water as a proton conductor and that the proton conduction along the water-membrane interface might be a favored pathway for the proton energy coupling bioenergetics across biological membranes. In this study, experimental evidences discussing water acting as a proton conductor were discussed and the conductivity of water with respect to excess protons was estimated. Overall, these findings have significance not only in the science of bioenergetics but also in the fundamental understanding for the importance of water to life in serving as a proton conductor for energy transduction in living organisms

Experimental Demonstration of Localized Excess Protons at a Water-Membrane Interface

The widespread Mitchellian proton motive force equation has recently been revised with the proton-electrostatics localization hypothesis, which, for the first time, successfully elucidates the 30-year longstanding energetic conundrum of ATP synthesis in alkalophilic bacteria. To demonstrate the fundamental behavior of localized protons in a pure water-membrane-water system in relation to the newly derived pmf equation, excess protons and excess hydroxyl anions were generated by utilizing an open-circuit water-electrolysis system and their distributions were tested using a proton-sensing aluminum membrane. The proton-sensing film placed at the membrane-water interface displayed dramatic localized proton activity while that placed into the bulk water phase showed no excess proton activity during the entire experiment. These observations clearly match with the prediction from the proton-electrostatics localization hypothesis that excess protons do not stay in water bulk phase; they localize at the water-membrane interface in a manner similar to the behavior of excess electrons in a conductor. This finding has significance not only in the science of bioenergetics but also in the fundamental understanding for the importance of water to life in serving as a proton conductor for energy transduction in living organisms

The efficacy of Virkon-S for the control of saprolegniasis in common carp, Cyprinus carpio L

Background Saprolegnia parasitica is a fish pathogen that causes severe economic losses worldwide. Virkon-S is a well-known disinfectant known to exhibit antimicrobial activities against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. In this study, we tested the anti-fungal activity of Virkon-S against S. parasitica, the major causal agent of saprolegniasis. Methods The lowest concentration of Virkon-S that prevented germination or the visible growth of spores and the percent spore germination were determined using potato dextrose agar plates containing different concentrations of Virkon-S. The cytotoxic effect was evaluated using the Ez-Cytox Cell Viability Assay with epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC) cells grown in L-15 medium and acute toxicity tests were carried out with cultured fingerlings of common carp for 96 h. Artificial infection with S. parasitica was performed by placing the fish in tanks containing zoospores of S. parasitica after descaling and wounding at three positions. The diseased fish were kept in tanks containing 2, 4, and 10 ppm of Virkon-S for 10 days to observe the treatment effect. Results The in vitro assay results showed that Virkon-S could inhibit spore germination and the resulting mycelial growth at a concentration as low as 4 ppm. No cytotoxic effect on EPC cells was observed even at a concentration as high as 100 ppm. Additionally, no acute toxicity in the common carp was observed at 10 ppm following 96 h exposure. Ten days of treatment with 4 and 10 ppm Virkon-S resulted in complete reversal of artificially-induced saprolegniasis in the common carp. Discussion This data indicates that Virkon-S can be used for the control of saprolegniasis without harmful effects in fish. However, further research on the effect in humans and food supplies is necessary

Identification of Anomalies in Mammograms through Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) Diagnosis System

Breast cancer is the primary health issue that women may face at some point in their lifetime. This may lead to death in severe cases. A mammography procedure is used for finding suspicious masses in the breast. Teleradiology is employed for online treatment and diagnostics processes due to the unavailability and shortage of trained radiologists in backward and remote areas. The availability of online radiologists is uncertain due to inadequate network coverage in rural areas. In such circumstances, the Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) framework is useful for identifying breast abnormalities without expert radiologists. This research presents a decision-making system based on IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) to identify breast anomalies. The proposed technique encompasses the region growing algorithm to segment tumor that extracts suspicious part. Then, texture and shape-based features are employed to characterize breast lesions. The extracted features include first and second-order statistics, center-symmetric local binary pattern (CS-LBP), a histogram of oriented gradients (HOG), and shape-based techniques used to obtain various features from the mammograms. Finally, a fusion of machine learning algorithms including K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA are employed to classify breast cancer using composite feature vectors. The experimental results exhibit the proposed framework's efficacy that separates the cancerous lesions from the benign ones using 10-fold cross-validations. The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity attained are 96.3%, 94.1%, and 98.2%, respectively, through shape-based features from the MIAS database. Finally, this research contributes a model with the ability for earlier and improved accuracy of breast tumor detection

مفهوم الوحي عند الحداثيين العرب: - دراسة نقدية - The Concept of Revelation among the Arab Modernists: -A Critical Study-

ملخص لقد عنيت هذه الدراسة بالحديث عن مفهوم الوحي عند الحداثيين العرب، حيث خصصت لدراسة هذا المفهوم عند مجموعة منهم تم تحديدهم في محددات الدراسة، وتناولت بيان معنى الوحي ومفهومه عندهم مقارنة بما هو موجود عند علماء الأمة أثناء دراستهم لهذه القضية، والتي تعد من قضايا العقيدة الرئيسية، كما اضطلعت بالرد عليهم فيما جانبوا فيه الصواب مقارنة مع ما لهذا المفهوم عند علماء الإسلام، وخلصت إلى أن هناك جوانب اتفاق بينهم وبين علماء الأمة إلى جانب الاختلاف الموجود. الكلمات المفتاحية: العقيدة، الوحي، الحداثيين. The Concept of Revelation among the Arab Modernists: -A Critical Study- Abstract This study was intended to discuss the concept of revelation among the Arab modernists, where it is devoted to studying this concept when a group of them were identified in the determinants of the study and dealt with the statement of meaning of the revelation and its concept for them compared to what is found among the scholars of the ummah during their study of this issue which is considered one of the main issues of the faith, and I also undertook to answer them over their mis-conceptual ideas when compared with what this concept has of meaning among the Islamic scholars and concluded that there are many aspects of the agreement between them and the scholars of the Ummah besides the existing difference. Keywords: faith, revelation, modernists

Non-invasive ventilation in patients with an altered level of consciousness : a clinical review and practical insights

Non-invasive ventilation has gained an increasingly pivotal role in the treatment of acute hypoxemic and/or hypercapnic respiratory failure and offers multiple advantages over invasive mechanical ventilation. Some of these advantages include the preservation of airway defense mechanisms, a reduced need for sedation, and an avoidance of complications related to endotracheal intubation. Despite its advantages, non-invasive ventilation has some contraindications that include, among them, severe encephalopathy. In this review article, the rationale, evidence, and drawbacks of the use of noninvasive ventilation in the context of hypercapnic and non-hypercapnic patients with an altered level of consciousness are analyzed

Effect of mutation and vaccination on spread, severity, and mortality of COVID-19 disease

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had different waves within the same country. The spread rate and severity showed different properties within the COVID-19 different waves. The present work aims to compare the spread and the severity of the different waves using the available data of confirmed COVID-19 cases and death cases. Real-data sets collected from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science were used to perform a comparative study between COVID-19 different waves in 12 countries with the highest total performed tests for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 detection in the world (Italy, Brazil, Japan, Germany, Spain, India, USA, UAE, Poland, Colombia, Turkey, and Switzerland). The total number of confirmed cases and death cases in different waves of COVID-19 were compared to that of the previous one for equivalent periods. The total number of death cases in each wave was presented as a percentage of the total number of confirmed cases for the same periods. In all the selected 12 countries, Wave 2 had a much higher number of confirmed cases than that in Wave 1. However, the death cases increase was not comparable with that of the confirmed cases to the extent that some countries had lower death cases than in Wave 1, UAE, and Spain. The death cases as a percentage of the total number of confirmed cases in Wave 1 were much higher than that in Wave 2. Some countries have had Waves 3 and 4. Waves 3 and 4 have had lower confirmed cases than Wave 2, however, the death cases were variable in different countries. The death cases in Waves 3 and 4 were similar to or higher than Wave 2 in most countries. Wave 2 of COVID-19 had a much higher spread rate but much lower severity resulting in a lower death rate in Wave 2 compared with that of the first wave. Waves 3 and 4 have had lower confirmed cases than Wave 2; that could be due to the presence of appropriate treatment and vaccination. However, that was not reflected in the death cases, which were similar to or higher than Wave 2 in most countries. Further studies are needed to explain these findings

Toward bridging future irrigation deficits utilizing the shark algorithm integrated with a climate change model

Climate change is one of the most effectual variables on the dam operations and reservoir water system. This is due to the fact that climate change has a direct effect on the rainfall–runoff process that is influencing the water inflow to the reservoir. This study examines future trends in climate change in terms of temperature and precipitation as an important predictor to minimize the gap between water supply and demand. In this study, temperature and precipitation were predicted for the period between 2046 and 2065, in the context of climate change, based on the A1B scenario and the HAD-CM3 model. Runoff volume was then predicted with the IHACRES model. A new, nature-inspired optimization algorithm, named the shark algorithm, was examined. Climate change model results were utilized by the shark algorithm to generate an optimal operation rule for dam and reservoir water systems to minimize the gap between water supply and demand for irrigation purposes. The proposed model was applied for the Aydoughmoush Dam in Iran. Results showed that, due to the decrease in water runoff to the reservoir and the increase in irrigation demand, serious irrigation deficits could occur downstream of the Aydoughmoush Dam

Non-invasive ventilation in patients with an altered level of consciousness. A clinical review and practical insights

Non-invasive ventilation has gained an increasingly pivotal role in the treatment of acute hypoxemic and/or hypercapnic respira-tory failure and offers multiple advantages over invasive mechanical ventilation. Some of these advantages include the preserva-tion of airway defense mechanisms, a reduced need for sedation, and an avoidance of complications related to endotracheal intubation.Despite its advantages, non-invasive ventilation has some contraindications that include, among them, severe encephalopathy. In this review article, the rationale, evidence, and drawbacks of the use of noninvasive ventilation in the context of hypercapnic and non-hypercapnic patients with an altered level of consciousness are analyzed

Global age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and population estimates in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1950–2021, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Estimates of demographic metrics are crucial to assess levels and trends of population health outcomes. The profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations worldwide has underscored the need for timely estimates to understand this unprecedented event within the context of long-term population health trends. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 provides new demographic estimates for 204 countries and territories and 811 additional subnational locations from 1950 to 2021, with a particular emphasis on changes in mortality and life expectancy that occurred during the 2020–21 COVID-19 pandemic period. Methods: 22 223 data sources from vital registration, sample registration, surveys, censuses, and other sources were used to estimate mortality, with a subset of these sources used exclusively to estimate excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2026 data sources were used for population estimation. Additional sources were used to estimate migration; the effects of the HIV epidemic; and demographic discontinuities due to conflicts, famines, natural disasters, and pandemics, which are used as inputs for estimating mortality and population. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) was used to generate under-5 mortality rates, which synthesised 30 763 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 1365 surveys and censuses, and 80 other sources. ST-GPR was also used to estimate adult mortality (between ages 15 and 59 years) based on information from 31 642 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 355 surveys and censuses, and 24 other sources. Estimates of child and adult mortality rates were then used to generate life tables with a relational model life table system. For countries with large HIV epidemics, life tables were adjusted using independent estimates of HIV-specific mortality generated via an epidemiological analysis of HIV prevalence surveys, antenatal clinic serosurveillance, and other data sources. Excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 was determined by subtracting observed all-cause mortality (adjusted for late registration and mortality anomalies) from the mortality expected in the absence of the pandemic. Expected mortality was calculated based on historical trends using an ensemble of models. In location-years where all-cause mortality data were unavailable, we estimated excess mortality rates using a regression model with covariates pertaining to the pandemic. Population size was computed using a Bayesian hierarchical cohort component model. Life expectancy was calculated using age-specific mortality rates and standard demographic methods. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered values from a 1000-draw posterior distribution. Findings: Global all-cause mortality followed two distinct patterns over the study period: age-standardised mortality rates declined between 1950 and 2019 (a 62·8% [95% UI 60·5–65·1] decline), and increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020–21; 5·1% [0·9–9·6] increase). In contrast with the overall reverse in mortality trends during the pandemic period, child mortality continued to decline, with 4·66 million (3·98–5·50) global deaths in children younger than 5 years in 2021 compared with 5·21 million (4·50–6·01) in 2019. An estimated 131 million (126–137) people died globally from all causes in 2020 and 2021 combined, of which 15·9 million (14·7–17·2) were due to the COVID-19 pandemic (measured by excess mortality, which includes deaths directly due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and those indirectly due to other social, economic, or behavioural changes associated with the pandemic). Excess mortality rates exceeded 150 deaths per 100 000 population during at least one year of the pandemic in 80 countries and territories, whereas 20 nations had a negative excess mortality rate in 2020 or 2021, indicating that all-cause mortality in these countries was lower during the pandemic than expected based on historical trends. Between 1950 and 2021, global life expectancy at birth increased by 22·7 years (20·8–24·8), from 49·0 years (46·7–51·3) to 71·7 years (70·9–72·5). Global life expectancy at birth declined by 1·6 years (1·0–2·2) between 2019 and 2021, reversing historical trends. An increase in life expectancy was only observed in 32 (15·7%) of 204 countries and territories between 2019 and 2021. The global population reached 7·89 billion (7·67–8·13) people in 2021, by which time 56 of 204 countries and territories had peaked and subsequently populations have declined. The largest proportion of population growth between 2020 and 2021 was in sub-Saharan Africa (39·5% [28·4–52·7]) and south Asia (26·3% [9·0–44·7]). From 2000 to 2021, the ratio of the population aged 65 years and older to the population aged younger than 15 years increased in 188 (92·2%) of 204 nations. Interpretation: Global adult mortality rates markedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, reversing past decreasing trends, while child mortality rates continued to decline, albeit more slowly than in earlier years. Although COVID-19 had a substantial impact on many demographic indicators during the first 2 years of the pandemic, overall global health progress over the 72 years evaluated has been profound, with considerable improvements in mortality and life expectancy. Additionally, we observed a deceleration of global population growth since 2017, despite steady or increasing growth in lower-income countries, combined with a continued global shift of population age structures towards older ages. These demographic changes will likely present future challenges to health systems, economies, and societies. The comprehensive demographic estimates reported here will enable researchers, policy makers, health practitioners, and other key stakeholders to better understand and address the profound changes that have occurred in the global health landscape following the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and longer-term trends beyond the pandemic