Changes in levels of cortisol, glucose and sex hormones during transportation of southern Caspian Kutum (Rutilus frisii kutum) spawners

Physiological changes in cortisol, glucose, testosterone and 17b-estradiol levels were studied in Rutilus frisii kutum spawners during transportation in April, 2006. The fish were held in plastic tanks in two treatments 1fish/2L and 1fish/1L sea water in several replications. Their blood was collected at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 60 min after capture. A significant increase in concentration of cortisol and glucose was found with the transport time. Initial levels of cortisol were similar in the two treatments ranging between 480.7±22.34 and 476.6±18.61 ng/ml respectively

On-Chip High-Voltage Sensors Based on Trap-Assisted 2DEG Channel Control

In this work, we present a new device concept for compact high-voltage sensing with high-impedance input port, consisting of an AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility channel controlled by trapped carriers generated by a metallic electrode. The high-voltage applied to the metallic electrode is determined by measuring the current of the biased high electron-mobility channel. This approach replaces high-voltage probing with low-current measurement and gives a complete isolation between the high-voltage node and the sensing point. Increasing the electrode-to-channel distance in the device leads to a larger measurable voltage range. The device sensitivity can be increased by decreasing the electrode-to-channel distance or by applying a larger bias to the channel. Devices with extremely large input resistance of > 100 GΩ in the sensitive region, along with 2 kV breakdown voltage were fabricated in small dimensions of 50 μm x 50 μm. The high breakdown field of GaN (~3 MV/cm), as a wide-bandgap material, makes it possible to design and fabricate devices based on this topology for future on- and off-chip high-voltage sensing, providing extremely large input resistances which cannot be achieved by conventional methods

Effects of dietary Thymus Vulgaris essential oil on the liver in mice

Introduction: Thymus vulgaris (thyme) is commonly used in folk medicine for several therapeutic purposes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of peritoneal injection of essential oil of thymus vulgaris on the liver as an organ involved in metabolism. It also examines toxic effects following a high dose of the drug. Methods and Results: Twenty-four mice were divided randomly into three groups. Group 1 was the control group without treatment, group 2 has received a dose of thyme essential oil, 0.4 mg/kg intraperitonealy for 10 days and group 3 has received a dose of thyme essential oil, 0.6 mg/kg intraperitonealy for 10 days. A score of liver damage severity was semi-quantitatively assessed using the modified Histological Activity Index ‘(modified HAI). Statistical analysis was performed by using computer program SPSS (19). The results showed the statistically significant increase (P≤ 0.05) in the histopathological scoring in Group2 when compared with Group1. Conclusions: The histopathological examination of control group reveals normal hepatic tissue, no portal or periportal inflammation, necrosis, congestion, Infiltration of WBC and fibrosis. While there was a significant loss in hepatic architecture in Group 2 which showed portal inflammation with periportal interface hepatitis (piecemeal necrosis) centrilobular necrosis, congestion, infiltration of WBC and bridging necrosis. The results were revealed statistically significant increase (P≤ 0.05) in the histopathological scoring in Group3 when compared with Group2. The histopathological examination of thyme treated group (Gp3) showed significant toxic effects with moderate acute inflammation of mononuclear cells. It has been determined that Thymus vulgaris (thyme) leads to histological damage including portal inflammation with centrilobular necrosis. The histological alterations may occur through oxidative properties

Metabolomic signature of amino acids in plasma of patients with non-segmental Vitiligo

Introduction Vitiligo pathogenesis is complicated, and several possibilities were suggested. However, it is well-known that the metabolism of pigments plays a significant role in the pathogenicity of the disease. Objectives We explored the role of amino acids in vitiligo using targeted metabolomics. Methods The amino acid profile was studied in plasma using liquid chromatography. First, 22 amino acids were derivatized and precisely determined. Next, the concentrations of the amino acids and the molar ratios were calculated in 31 patients and 34 healthy individuals. Results The differential concentrations of amino acids were analyzed and eight amino acids, i.e., cysteine, arginine, lysine, ornithine, proline, glutamic acid, histidine, and glycine were observed differentially. The ratios of cysteine, glutamic acid, and proline increased significantly in Vitiligo patients, whereas arginine, lysine, ornithine, glycine, and histidine decreased significantly compared to healthy individuals. Considering the percentage of skin area, we also showed that glutamic acid significantly has a higher amount in patients with less than 25% involvement compared to others. Finally, cysteine and lysine are considered promising candidates for diagnosing and developing the disorder with high accuracy (0.96). Conclusion The findings are consistent with the previously illustrated mechanism of Vitiligo, such as production deficiency in melanin and an increase in immune activity and oxidative stress. Furthermore, new evidence was provided by using amino acids profile toward the pathogenicity of the disorder.Peer reviewe

Synthesis, characterization, and nonlinear optical properties of copper (II) ligand Schiff base complexes derived from 3-Nitrobenzohydrazide and benzyl

Abstract A new series of Cu (II) complexes were prepared using Schiff base ligand of N–N′-(1,2-diphenyl ethane-1,2-diylidene)bis(3-Nitrobenzohydrazide). The prepared ligand and Cu (II) complex were characterized using various physicochemical investigations such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), $${}^{13}C$$ 13 C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), $${}^{1}H$$ 1 H NMR, Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM), and Z-Scan technique (Nonlinear optical (NLO) properties). In addition, the prepared samples have been examined for their NLO characteristics with the help of the Density Functional Theory calculations which proved that the Cu (II) Complex is more polarized than Ligand. According to XRD and FESEM results, the nanocrystalline nature of the samples is confirmed. The metal-oxide bond assigned in the functional studies by FTIR. Magnetic studies demonstrate weak ferromagnetic and paramagnetic nature for Cu (II) complex and diamagnetic nature for the ligand, respectively. DRS spectrum exhibited higher reflectance for Cu (II) than the ligand. The band gap energies of the synthesized samples were estimated by employing the Tauc relation and Kubelka–Munk theory on reflectance data and found to be 2.89 eV and 2.67 eV for Cu (II) complex and ligand, respectively. Extinction coefficient and refractive index values were calculated using the Kramers–Kronig method. The z-scan technique was applied to estimate the NLO properties by a 532 nm Nd:YAG laser

Enhanced-DAB Converter: Comprehensive Design Evaluation

Soft switching in dual-active-bridge (DAB) converters enables their efficient operation at high frequencies, where the reduction in the size of magnetic components could result in ultra-high power densities. Nonetheless, losing soft-switching at high frequencies results in severe efficiency degradations along with excessive thermal and electrical stresses on the transistors. In a previous work, we have presented an enhanced-DAB (E-DAB) topology along with an adjustable-tap high-frequency transformer to extend soft switching over wider voltage gains. The E-DAB achieved a peak efficiency of 97.4% without any complex modulation techniques, enabling a power density of 10 kW/l (or 164 W/inch^3 ) at 300 kHz. Here, we compare two different transformer geometries for their leakage inductance, quality factor and compatibility with the E-DAB. A theoretical gain-versus-power soft-switching characteristic for the E-DAB is verified by measurements of switching transients and amplitude spectrum analysis. The magnetic flux density and its distribution in the transformer core is analyzed using a finite-element analysis (FEA) method and the on-load operation of electromagnetic tap changers is presented. E-DAB converters are of great importance to renewable energy harvesting, Li-ion battery chargers, future dc distribution systems and smart grids due to their high efficiency, high power density and superior controllability

Measurement of Large-Signal Coss and Coss Losses of Transistors Based on Nonlinear Resonance

In this letter, we present a new measurement technique to evaluate the large-signal output capacitance ( COSS ) of transistors as well as the COSS energy dissipation ( EDISS ), based on the nonlinear resonance between a known inductor and the output capacitance of the device under test. The method is simple and robust, and only requires a single voltage measurement to extract the large-signal COSS both in charging and discharging transients. By changing the circuit parameters, it is possible to tune the resonance frequency (even above 40 MHz) and the voltage swing (even above 1 kV) with dv/dt exceeding 100 V/ns, even though the method relies only on a low-voltage DC source, without the need for high-voltage RF amplifiers. The single-pulse operation of the method enables measuring COSS and EDISS at very high frequency and dv/dt values without any thermal runaway. Using the proposed method, we extracted large-signal COSS and EDISS of power transistors based on different semiconductor technologies. The obtained results were verified by Sawyer-Tower method and data reported in the literature. The precise characterization of large-signal COSS of transistors presented in this letter is essential for the design of power converters, especially those operating at high switching frequencies