Ecotoxicology of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu) in flat tree oysters Isognomon alatus (GMELIN) from Sepang, Malaysia

The status of heavy metals pollution in the Sepang Besar River and Sepang Kecil River was studied in August 1998. In general heavy metals concentrations in flat tree oyster 1. alatus, sediments and water from Sepang Besar River were found significantly (p <0.05) higher than those from Sepang Kecil River. Furthermore field experiments were conducted to study the accumulation and depuration of heavy metals in oysters. The rates of metals accumulations in oysters were found to be 42.70, 1.77, 0.95, 0.84 µg g⁻¹ month⁻¹ for Zn, Cu, Cd and Pb, respectively. The polluted oysters were transferred to clean area to estimate the depuration rates. Significant reduction of metals concentrations in oyster was observed. About 87%, 83%, 78% and 59% for Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn were detected after six months being transferred to clean area, respectively. The metals accumulation and depurations patterns in oysters in the laboratory conditions were also investigated. The mean metal concentrations in oysters exposed to metals solution of 100 µg rt at the end of two weeks were 32.70, 63. 19, 35.40, 7.44 µg got , which were 44, 3, 8 and 7 times greater than their initial levels for Cd, Zn, Cu and Pb, respectively. The exposed oysters were transferred to clean seawater and the metals depurations were investigated for one week. In general about 78%, 81%, 87% and 88% of the accumulated Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd were depurated from oysters 1. alatus. Results from laboratory experiments indicated that there were differences in the mechanisms for the metals accumulation and depurations in various organs of 1. alatus. In general, in both accumulation and depuration experiments, gill, byssus and mantle play major role whereas muscle, shell and visceral mass have no significant role. Furthermore laboratory experiments were showed that the accumulation rates of metals through contaminated water were higher than the metals accumulation rates through contaminated algae. It is believed that oysters 1. alatus accumulate heavy metals through contaminated seawater rather than contaminated algae. The LCso levels of metals for oysters were observed to be 478.63, 436.51, 676.08 and 295.12 µg rl for Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd, respectively. The toxicity effects of heavy metals on filtration rate of oysters were also studied and the filtration rate of oysters 1. alatus exposed to 125 and 150 µg rl of all metals were decreased. In both toxicity experiments the trend of metals toxicity on oysters were found Cd > Pb > Cu > Zn

Effectiveness of Cognitive Group counseling to self-esteem in nulliparous women

Background and aims: Self-esteem is a powerful and important factor in creating health, satisfaction and happiness, and is an important determinant factor of the coping capacities of women during labor and delivery. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of group counseling on cognitive-behavioral approach on the self-esteem in primiparous pregnant women. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 46 pregnant nulliparous women in one of the hospitals in Tehran. Women who were in the first pregnancy and had a self-esteem score of zero or less selected after taking written inform consent. Then, they were randomly divided into two groups in the intervention and control group. The intervention group participated in 7 sessions of cognitive-behavioral group counseling, while the control group received only the routine pregnancy care. Two weeks after the last session, the Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem questionnaire was recompleted by both groups. Data were analyzed using descriptive (percent and mean) and inferential statistical tests (Wilcoxon test, Mann-Whitney, t-test and K2 and using SPSS. Results: The results showed that difference between mean age among women in the intervention group (28.32±3.26), and the control group (25.88±4.24) was significant (P=0.035). The self-esteem scores mean of the intervention and control groups was (4.77±4.07) and (-1.79±2.26), which difference was significant (P<0.001). Conclusion: It seems that cognitive-behavioral group counseling can increase the self-esteem of women during pregnancy. So, it is recommended to use counseling methods to improve the mental health of pregnant women in childbirth preparation classes

Comparison of Two Different Protocols for the Treatment of Acute Escherichia coli Mastitis in Dairy Cattle

E-coli mastitis is one of the most frequent causes of environmental mastitis in the dairy cattle worldwide. The purpose of this field study was to compare the efficacy of ceftiofur (HCL) in conjunction with supportive measures versus supportive measures alone for treatment of dairy cows affected with naturally occurring acute form of E. coli mastitis. From January 2014 to December 2016 a total number of 100 cows naturally affected by acute E-coli mastitis randomly were allocated into two groups. A milk sample from the affected quarter was collected for bacteriological tests on the first day of treatment. In group A (control), fifty cows received ceftiofur (HCL) 1mg/5kg/BW, flunixin meglumine 2.2mg/kg, calcium borogluconate 40%, 250ml and hypertonic saline (Nacl 7.2 %,) 5ml/kg. In group B (treatment, n=50), cows received the same drugs mentioned for group A, except ceftiofur (HCL) which replaced by placebo. In the group A, 41cows (82%) and in the group B, 2 cows (4%) were survived respectively. The rates of quarter health recovery in the groups A and B were 31.7% and 0% respectively. The differences between two groups were significant (P≤0.01). In conclusion our results indicated that treatment of cows affected with naturally occurring acute form of E. coli mastitis without application of effective antibiotic(s) such as ceftiofur (HCL) and fluid therapy almost impossible

Removal of Reactive Red 74 Dye from Textile Industrial Waste using Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle

Global population growth and industrial activities in recent decades has been caused to enter excessive amount of pollutants to water resources. Industrial textile dyes are an important class of the pollutants in the sewage system. Disposal of the dyes in precious water resources must be avoided, however, and for that various treatment technologies are in use. Considering the toxicity of the pollutants, their removal from water resources is necessary. In this research, removal of reactive red 74, RR47, from aqueous solution by zinc oxide nanoparticles was investigated and the affecting parameters such as pH, contact time and adsorbent mass on removal efficiency were determined. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were studied and the results indicated that the adsorption process obey the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The experimental results also showed that the pseudo-second order kinetic equation could nicely describe the sorption kinetics

Advancing Musculoskeletal Robot Design for Dynamic and Energy-Efficient Bipedal Locomotion

Achieving bipedal robot locomotion performance that approaches human performance is a challenging research topic in the field of humanoid robotics, requiring interdisciplinary expertise from various disciplines, including neuroscience and biomechanics. Despite the remarkable results demonstrated by current humanoid robots---they can walk, stand, turn, climb stairs, carry a load, push a cart---the versatility, stability, and energy efficiency of humans have not yet been achieved. However, with robots entering our lives, whether in the workplace, in clinics, or in normal household environments, such improvements are increasingly important. The current state of research in bipedal robot locomotion reveals that several groups have continuously demonstrated enhanced locomotion performance of the developed robots. But each of these groups has taken a unilateral approach and placed the focus on only one aspect, in order to achieve enhanced movement abilities;---for instance, the motion control and postural stability or the mechanical design. The neural and mechanical systems in human and animal locomotion, however, are strongly coupled and should therefore not be treated separately. Human-inspired musculoskeletal design of bipedal robots offers great potential for enhanced dynamic and energy-efficient locomotion but also imposes major challenges for motion planning and control. In this thesis, we first present a detailed review of the problems related to achieving enhanced dynamic and energy-efficient bipedal locomotion, from various important perspectives, and examine the essential properties of the human locomotory apparatus. Subsequently, existing insights and approaches from biomechanics, to understand the neuromechanical motion apparatus, and from robotics, to develop more human-like robots that can move in our environment, are discussed in detail. These thorough investigations of the interrelated essential design decisions are used to develop a novel design for a musculoskeletal bipedal robot, BioBiped1, such that, in the long term, it is capable of realizing dynamic hopping, running, and walking motions. The BioBiped1 robot features a highly compliant tendon-driven actuation system that mimics key functionalities of the human lower limb system. In experiments, BioBiped1's locomotor function for the envisioned gaits is validated globally. It is shown that the robot is able to rebound passively, store and release energy, and actively push off from the ground. The proof of concept of BioBiped1's locomotor function, however, marks only the starting point for our investigations, since this novel design concept opens up a number of questions regarding the required design complexity for the envisioned motions and the appropriate motion generation and control concept. For this purpose, a simulator specifically designed for the requirements of musculoskeletally actuated robotic systems, including sufficiently realistic ground reaction forces, is developed. It relies on object-oriented design and is based on a numerical solver, without model switching, to enable the analysis of impact peak forces and the simulation of flight phases. The developed library also contains the models of the actuated and passive mono- and biarticular elastic tendons and a penalty-based compliant contact model with nonlinear damping, to incorporate the collision, friction, and stiction forces occurring during ground contact. Using these components, the full multibody system (MBS) dynamics model is developed. To ensure a sufficiently similar behavior of the simulated and the real musculoskeletal robot, various measurements and parameter identifications for sub-models are performed. Finally, it is shown that the simulation model behaves similarly to the real robot platform. The intelligent combination of actuated and passive mono- and biarticular tendons, imitating important human muscle groups, offers tremendous potential for improved locomotion performance but also requires a sophisticated concept for motion control of the robot. Therefore, a further contribution of this thesis is the development of a centralized, nonlinear model-based method for motion generation and control that utilizes the derived detailed dynamics models of the implemented actuators. The concept is used to realize both computer-generated hopping and human jogging motions. Additionally, the problem of appropriate motor-gear unit selection prior to the robot's construction is tackled, using this method. The thesis concludes with a number of simulation studies in which several leg actuation designs are examined for their optimality with regard to systematically selected performance criteria. Furthermore, earlier paradoxical biomechanical findings about biarticular muscles in running are presented and, for the first time, investigated by detailed simulation of the motion dynamics. Exploring the Lombard paradox, a novel reduced and energy-efficient locomotion model without knee extensor has been simulated successfully. The models and methods developed within this thesis, as well as the insights gained, are already being employed to develop future prototypes. In particular, the optimal dimensioning and setting of the actuators, including all mono- and biarticular muscle-tendon units, are based on the derived design guidelines and are extensively validated by means of the simulation models and the motion control method. These developments are expected to significantly enhance progress in the field of bipedal robot design and, in the long term, to drive improvements in rehabilitation for humans through an understanding of the neuromechanics underlying human walking and the application of this knowledge to the design of prosthetics

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of novel Quinoxaline containing N-substituted thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives as Anti-cancer Agents

Introduction: Quinoxalines belong to the N-containing heterocyclic compounds that stand out as having promising biological activity due to their privileged scaffold. Quinoxaline derivatives constitute the basis of many insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, as well as being important in human health and as receptor antagonists. On the other, the compounds containing thiazolidine-2,4-dione have demonstrated wide range of pharmacological activities, which include antimicrobial, antiviral, antidiabetic and anticancer activity. In this research, we have synthesised a new quinoxaline derivatives containing N-substituted thiazolidine-2,4-dione derivatives and evaluated for antitumor activity against a 3-cell line panel, consisting of MCF7 (breast), NCI-H460 (lung), and SF-268 (CNS). Methods and Results: In a 250 ml three necked flask equipped with teflon coated mechanical stir bar, chloroacetic acid and thiourea have been dissolved in distilled water and the contents of the flask were heated in the presence of hydrochloric acid. The precipitate was filtered and washed with water and dried before recrystalization. Consequently, the new synthesized thiazolidinedione derivatives were condensed in situ&nbsp;by quinoxaline aldehydes and substituted benzyl halides in N,N-Dimethylformamide. The resulted products were washed with water and then recrystallized in appropriate solvent. Structures of all the synthesized compounds were confirmed by IR, 1H NMR, 13CNMR, and Mass spectral data. The MTT assay of synthesized hybrids showed promising and effective anti-cancer activity against 3-cell cell lines. The current results indicate that these quinoxaline derivatives are novel and promising agents for further development towards a treatment for cancer. conclusion: In the present study, series of new N-thiazolidine-2,4-dione incorporated quinoxaline ring were synthesized. All compounds were screened against two different cancer cell lines using MTT assay method

Importance of viral pathogens in children with acute gastroenteritis in the south of Iran

Different types of viruses are the leading cause of acute diarrhea among infants and young children worldwide. Epidemiological surveillance of viral agents is critical for the develop.ment of effective preventive measures, including vaccines. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of the four major enteropathogenic viruses-rotavirus, norovirus, adenovirus and astrovirus-in children over 7 years of age. DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional descriptive study conducted on stool specimens of children with acute gastroenteritis admitted to the Pediatrics Unit of 17 Shahrivar Hospital in Borazjan, Iran from October 2008 to September 2010. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Acute gastroenteritis was defined as >=3 loose watery stools per 24 hours. A total of 375 stool samples were collected from hospitalized children aged < 7 years old with acute gastroenteritis. All samples were investigated by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the presence of viral antigens. RESULTS: Rotavirus was detected in 91 (24.3%) of the patients whereas the prevalence of norovirus, adenovirus and astrovirus was 12.5%, 5.1% and 2.4%, respectively. On average, 75.9% of children with viral diarrhea were younger than 2 years old (P=.023). All the strains of viral gastroenteritis studied peaked in the autumn, except for adenovirus which peaked in spring (P=.015). The most common clinical symptoms included diarrhea (92.2%), vomiting (68.7%), abdominal cramp (60.8%) and moderate dehydration (57.2%). CONCLUSION: Since nearly half of gastroenteritis cases (44.3%) were due to viral agents, testing for the viral antigens may guide the clinical approach to those patients with acute diarrhea particularly in the case of children less than 2 years old, and during cold seasons