The Quality of reporting Inflammatory Bowel Disease Randomized Control Trials: A systematic review

We set out to examine how reporting of these key elements of risk of bias within IBD RCT and factors associated with higher risk of bias through a systematic review of all IBD RCTs published since the Consort statement (1995)

Fear of predation alters clone-specific performance in phloem-feeding prey

Fear of predation has been shown to affect prey fitness and behaviour, however, to date little is known about the underlying genetics of responses to predator-associated risk. In an effort to fill this gap we exposed four naïve clones of green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), maintained on the model crop Brassica oleracea, to different types of cues from aphid lion (Chrysoperla carnea). The respective predation risks, we termed Fear Factors, were either lethal (consumption by predator), or non-lethal (non-consumptive predator- associated cues: plant-tethered predator cadavers and homogenised shoot- sprayed or soil-infused blends of predator remains). Our results show that the non-lethal risk cues differentially impeded prey reproductive success that varied by clone, suggesting genotype-specific response to fear of predation. Furthermore, whether plants were perceived as being safe or risky influenced prey responses as avoidance behaviour in prey depended on clone type. Our findings highlight that intra-specific genetic variation underlies prey responses to consumptive and non-consumptive effects of predation. This allows selection to act on anti-predator responses to fear of predation that may ramify and influence higher trophic levels in model agroecosystems

Novel resilience in response to revitalisation after exposure to lethal salinity causes differential reproductive success in an extremely plastic organism

Phenotypic plasticity is central to an organism’s ability to adapt to variable environmental conditions. For aquatic organisms, exposure to elevated salt levels poses a challenge and organisms may fail to tolerate or survive much higher levels short-term. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, in a laboratory study of Daphnia magna that exposure to levels of salinity higher than those previously shown to lead to apparent death (paralysis) can be reversed following a transfer to optimal conditions. We established experimental populations from one clone of D. magna, each with five replicates, that were exposed to different short periods of three different lethal levels of salinity (12.27 PSU [45, 60, 90 and 120 min], 18.24 PSU [45, 60 and 90 min] and 24.22 PSU [45, 60 and 90 min]). In all populations, all individuals were paralysed at the end of their exposure, usually classified in the literature as dead. Subsequently, all individuals were transferred to optimal conditions. However, after the transfer, a proportion of the individuals not only came back from the verge of death (i.e. were revitalised), but also showed afterwards differential reproductive success over a period of 20 days, depending on the level and the length of exposure before revitalisation. Both exposure level and time had an overall negative effect on population size that differed across all treatments. Revitalisation occurred within an hour after the transfer to optimal conditions for 18.24 PSU but took 14–16 h for 12.27 PSU. There was no instantaneous revitalisation nor was there any revitalisation after 16 h no matter how long the paralysed Daphnia individuals were left in the optimal conditions. Our findings cast new light on resilience in cladocerans and suggest that abrupt environmental change can reveal novel plastic responses to extreme conditions

Dynamic Behavior of Steel Bolted Flush End Plate Beam-to-Column Joints During Progressive Collapse

Bolted beam-to-column joints are an essential element in the performance of steel structures under exceptional loading conditions such as explosions and vehicle collisions due to the risk of a progressive collapse. The research presented in this paper processes the dynamic behavior of steel bolted flush end plate beam-to-column joints during progressive collapse. to achieve this goal, a dynamic analytical study was performed using a mechanical model created using the ABAQUS finite element program. Parametric study was performed using numerical model to investigate the effect of column load release time on the dynamic response of the studied model. the dynamic response of the joint was studied under the influence of the sudden loss of the column. This response was defined as the relationship between the initial vertical load in the column and the maximum dynamic vertical transition resulting from the release of this load. Based on the dynamic and static response obtained, the values ​​of dynamic increase factors were calculated based on the strength of the studied joint and compared with the values ​​calculated according to the data of the American code (DOD). in the end, a simplified relationship was established that allows the determination of Dynamic Increased Factors (DIFs) of the studied connection in the stage cable action. تشكل الوصلات جائز-عمود المنفذة بالبراغي عنصراً جوهرياً في أداء المنشآت الفولاذية تحت شروط التحميل الاستثنائية كالانفجارات واصطدام العربات بسبب خطر حدوث ما يعرف بالانهيار التدرجي.(progressive collapse) يعالج البحث المقدّم في هذه الورقة السلوك الديناميكي للوصلات الفولاذية جائز-عمود المنفذة بالبراغي وصفائح جبهية غير بارزة أثناء الانهيار التدرجي. لتحقيق هذا الهدف، تم إنجاز دراسة تحليلية ديناميكية باستخدام نموذج ميكانيكي (mechanical model) تم إنشاؤه باستخدام برنامج العناصر المنتهية ABAQUS. تم إنجاز دراسة بارامترية باستخدام النموذج العددي للتحري عن تأثير زمن تفريغ حمولة العمود على الاستجابة الديناميكية للنموذج المدروس. تمت دراسة الاستجابة الديناميكية للوصلة تحت تأثير الفقدان الفجائي للعمود وقد تم تعريف هذه الاستجابة كعلاقة بين الحمولة الشاقولية الابتدائية في العمود والانتقال الشاقولي الديناميكي الأعظمي الناتج عن تفريغ هذه الحمولة. استنادا إلى الاستجابة الديناميكية و الستاتيكية التي تم الحصول عليها تم حساب قيم معامل التضخيم الديناميكي القائم على القوة للوصلة المدروسة وتمت مقارنتها مع القيم المحسوبة وفقا لمعطيات الكود الأمريكي (DOD) . في النهاية، تم وضع علاقة مبسطة تسمح بتحديد معامل التضخيم الديناميكي القائم على القوة للوصلة المدروسة في مرحلة العمل الكابلي

The effect of adoption of technology, technology diffusion, human capital, formation of capital and labor force in the production of agriculture products in Iraq

Any nation's economic growth directly depends on expanding its agricultural industry. Compared to the agricultural productivity of the United States and Canada, Iraq's agricultural sector is dated. This study investigates the impact of technology adoption, technological diffusion, human capital, capital formation, and labor force on farm product output in Iraq. Unlike previous studies on the agriculture industry, which relied primarily on secondary data from various reports and surveys, this study is founded on primary data. The adoption of technology, the diffusion of technology, and human capital can increase agricultural production in Iraq, according to this study. Substantial study results contributed to a powerful framework in the body of knowledge. This study's innovative theoretical and practical ramifications will increase the literature and the practices of agricultural practitioners in Pakistan. The study aims to boost agricultural production in Iraq by stressing technology.Zainab Abed Almoussawi (College of Islamic Science/ Ahl Al Bayt University/ Kerbala / Iraq), Hussam Mohammed Wafqan (Accounting Department, Al-Mustaqbal University College, Babylon, Iraq), Sabbah Raheem Mahdi (Mazaya University College/ Iraq), Ammar Dhahim (College of education/ Al-Farahidi University /Baghdad/ Iraq), Omayma Nawfal Ahmed (Department of Dentistry, AlNoor University College, Bartella, Iraq), Maki Mahdi Abdulhasan (Al-Nisour University College/Baghdad/Iraq), Khudr Bary Freeh (Accounting and Economics/ Al-Esraa University College, Baghdad, Iraq)Includes bibliographical references

The Quality of reporting Inflammatory Bowel Disease Randomized Control Trials: A systematic review

Objective Our objective was to perform a systemic evaluation of the risk of bias in randomized control trials’ (RCTs) reports published on IBD. Design We assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane tool, as indicators of poor methodology or subsequently poor reporting. We systematically selected, with dual independent judgements, all studies published on IBD with no time limits and assessed the methodological quality of included studies again using independent dual ratings. Results 563 full texts were included after selection and review. No abstract publications were free of any source of bias. Full-text publications still fared badly, as only 103 full-text papers exhibited a low risk of bias in all reporting domains when excluding blinding. RCTs published in journals with higher IF were associated with an overall reduced rate of being at high risk. However, only 6% of full RCT publications in journals with an impact factor greater than 10, published in the past 5 years, were free of bias. The trend over time is towards improved reporting in all areas. Trials published by larger author teams, in full-text form and by industry and public sponsorship were positively correlated with a lower risk of bias. Only allocation concealment showed a statistically significant improvement with time (p=0.037). Conclusion These findings are consistent with those of other specialities in the literature. Whilst this unclear risk of bias may represent poor reporting of methods instead of poor methodological quality, it leaves readers and future secondary researchers with significant questions regarding such key issues

Multidrug-resistant and clonal dispersion of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli from ready-to-eat meat products in Duhok province, Iraq

This research evaluated the effluent proportion of E. coli and ETEC in RTE meat products, characterized the isolated strains' clonal relatedness, and determined their antibiotic resistance. 130 RTE products were gathered from various restaurants and street fast food vendors in Duhok and Zakho Province. The Isolates of E. coli identified by culture methods were confirmed as ETEC by multiplex PCR of the identified virulence genes. ERIC-PCR was applied to establish the clonal relationships between strains. The disk diffusion method performed the susceptibility of antibiotics on the isolated ETEC. Out of 130 examined samples, 39 (30%) isolates of E. coli and 16 (12.3%) ETEC were detected. Pan-fried burgers were revealed to be the most frequent contaminated sample type, with both E. coli and ETEC 50% and 23.3%, respectively (P≤0.05). A high clonal dispersion (12 genotypes) was observed among the isolated ETEC strains. A strong genetic linkage was discovered between a few isolates retrieved from the same sample type and within the strains from the same geographic source area. A high antibiotic resistance rate was observed with total resistance to Amoxicillin/clavulanate, Clarithromycin, Doxycycline, Erythromycin, and Clindamycin. Isolates from burger samples showed a higher resistance rate when compared with the other sample types (P≤0.05). Multi-drug resistance was noticed in all ETEC isolates. RTE meat products sold in our area have a high rate of clonally heterogeneous carrying multi-drug resistant ETEC and may constitute a significant public health risk