Ex-situ experimental set-up for pink guava juice fouling deposit study

A study has been conducted on pink guava juice (PGJ) fouling deposit. Several ex-situ experimental rigs were set-up to obtain PGJ fouling deposit, while the best ex-situ experimental rig was also selected. PGJ was heated at 93°C and its fouling deposit was obtained after 1 hour of heating. Then, it was used for the ex-situ cleaning study at 1 litre min-1, at several temperatures (70, 80 and 90°C), and in some chemical concentrations (1.6 v/v% of Maxiclean CP6 or 0.325 % OH–; 1.8 v/v% of Maxiclean CP6 or 0.369 % OH–; 2.0 v/v% of Maxiclean CP6 or 0.44 % OH–). The best cleaning combinations were investigated. Carbohydrate is the main content in the fouling deposit. The morphology of the deposit was studied using SEM and it showed an aggregated structure. The cleaning process improved as the temperature increased with the increasing of the chemical solution concentration. The shortest cleaning time was 40 minutes, for cleaning using 2.0 v/v % of Maxiclean CP6 (0.44 % OH–) at 90°C

Synthesis, antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity of new fused pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine and pyrazolo[5,1-c][1,2,4]triazine derivatives from new 5-aminopyrazoles

New 5-aminopyrazoles 2a–c were prepared in high yields from the reaction of known α,α-dicyanoketene-N,S-acetals 1a–c with hydrazine hydrate under reflux in ethanol. These compounds were utilized as intermediates to synthesize pyrazolo[1,5-a]-pyrimidines 3a–c, 4a–d, 5a–c, and 6a–c, as well as pyrazolo[5,1-c][1,2,4]triazines 7a–c and 8a–c, by the reaction of 2-[bis(methylthio)methylene]malononitrile, α,α-dicyanoketene-N,S-acetals 1a–b, acetylacetone, acetoacetanilide as well as acetylacetone, and malononitrile, respectively. Furthermore, cyclization of 2a–c with pentan-2,5-dione yielded the corresponding 5-pyrrolylpyrazoles 9a–c. Moreover, fusion of 2a–c with acetic anhydride resulted in the corresponding 1-acetyl-1H-pyrazoles 10a–c. The antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity against Vero cells of several selected compounds are also reported

Dental anxiety and the association with psychological symptoms among adults attending IIUM Kuantan health facilities

Dental anxiety is a condition in which the patient will have overwhelming sense of fear by feeling threatened of any dental treatment. Klingberg, G. & A. Broberg (2007) • Dental anxiety may worsen the oral health as people with dental anxiety tend to delay or avoid dental treatment. Armfield, J., G. Slade, & A. Spencer (2009) • There are evidence showing positive correlation between general anxiety and dental anxiety. G.Pekkan 2011 • Most studies done on dental anxiety in Malaysia focused on ante natal mothers, children and teenagers

Do People Live at Sea Level and the Dead Sea Level Have Different Patterns of Anti-Hypertensive Drugs

Background: people live at various areas of sea level may have different patterns of anti-hypertensive drugs. Such a relation has never been reported in Jordan. Study objectives: the current study investigated how the sea level will impact the prevalence of hypertension in these areas, and how will affect the pharmacological properties of such a population. Methodology: a cross-sectional study design was involved to collect data from study participants. A total of 1000 participants were randomly selected from the two study areas. 500 participants from each. Participants were matched for age and gender. Blood pressure were measured for all participants. Blood samples were withdrawn to investigate the level of angiotensin II. Data was collected through organizing a working excel sheet and was further analyzed through using SPSS version 20. Data was presented as means, standard deviations, frequencies and percentages. The relationships between variables were examined using independent T-test. Significance was measured at an alpha < 0.05. Study findings: the main findings of the present study were that the mean of SBP is significantly higher in the Dead Sea (122.42±10.53 mmHg) than the Sea level area (118.07±11.64 mmHg), (p=0.001). Another significant variable was MBP which its mean was 91.64 ± 8.90 mmHg in the Dead Sea and 89.84 ± 8.72 mm Hg. The difference in the mean was statistically significant (p=0.001). The level of angiotensin II was 8.84 ± 4.65pg/ml in the Dead Sea area and 11.21± 6.05pg/ml in the area of the Sea level. The difference in the mean of the two study areas was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Conclusions: although the level of angiotensin II was not significantly varied between the study areas, but its trend was to be higher in the Sea level area. It was surprised to have higher levels of SBP and MBP in the Dead Sea rather than the Seal level area. It can be implied that the therapeutic options of hypertensive drugs follow different patterns independent of angiotensin II pathways

Continuous-time quantum walks for MAX-CUT are hot

By exploiting the link between time-independent Hamiltonians and thermalisation, heuristic predictions on the performance of continuous-time quantum walks for MAX-CUT are made. The resulting predictions depend on the number of triangles in the underlying MAX-CUT graph. We extend these results to the time-dependent setting with multi-stage quantum walks and Floquet systems. The approach followed here provides a novel way of understanding the role of unitary dynamics in tackling combinatorial optimisation problems with continuous-time quantum algorithms.Comment: 25 pages, 29 figure

Evaluation of the effectiveness of sleep hygiene education and FITBIT devices on quality of sleep and psychological worry: a pilot quasi-experimental study among first-year college students

BackgroundCollege students report disturbed sleep patterns that can negatively impact their wellbeing and academic performance.ObjectivesThis study examined the effect of a 4-week sleep hygiene program that included sleep education and actigraph sleep trackers (FITBITs) on improving sleep quality and reducing psychological worry without control group.Design, settings, and participantsA pilot quasi-experimental design, participants were randomly selected medical and health sciences from a university students in the United-Arab-Emirates.MethodsStudents were asked to wear FITBITs and log their daily sleep data and completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ). Extensive sleep hygiene education was delivered via lectures, a WhatsApp group, and the Blackboard platform. In total, 50 students completed pre-and post-assessments and returned FITBIT data.ResultsThere was a significant difference in the prevalence of good sleep postintervention compared with pre-intervention (46% vs. 28%; p = 0.0126). The mean PSQI score was significantly lower post-intervention compared with pre-intervention (6.17 ± 3.16 vs. 7.12.87; p = 0.04, Cohen’s d 0.33). After the intervention, subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, and daytime dysfunction were significantly improved compared with pre-intervention (p < 0.05). In addition, FITBIT data showed total sleep time and the number of restless episodes per night were significantly improved postintervention compared with pre-intervention (p = 0.013). The mean PSWQ score significantly decreased from pre-intervention to p = 0.049, Cohen’ d = 0.25. The correlation between PSQI and PSWQ scores was significant post-intervention (β = 0.40, p = 0.02).ConclusionOur results may inform university educational policy and curricular reform to incorporate sleep hygiene awareness programs to empower students and improve their sleep habits

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London