Derived thermodynamic properties of [o-xylene or p-xylene + (acetic acid or tetrahydro-furan)] at different temperatures and pressures

Thermal expansion coefficients α, their excess values , isothermal coefficient of pressure excess molar enthalpy , partial molar volumes and excess partial molar volumes , were calculated from experimental densities. The isothermal coefficients of pressure excess molar enthalpy for binary mixtures {o-xylene or p-xylene + acetic acid} at temperatures 313.15-473.15 K and pressure 0.2-2 MPa are negative and for binary mixtures {o-xylene or p-xylene + tetrahydrofuran (THF)} at temperatures 278. 15 K to 318.15 K and pressure 81.5 kPa are negative and with increasing temperature become more negative. The excess thermal expansions coefficient , for binary mixtures {o-xylene or p-xylene + acetic acid} at temperatures 313.15-473.15 K and pressure 0.2 MPa and 2 MPa are positive. The excess thermal expansions coefficient for binary mixtures {o-xylene or p-xylene + tetrahydrofuran (THF)} at temperatures 278.15-318.15 K and pressure 81.5 kPa are positive and with increasing temperature become more positive. The excess molar volumes were correlated with a Redlich–Kister type equation.KEY WORDS: Thermal expansion coefficients, Isothermal coefficient, Excess partial molar volumes Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2011, 25(2), 273-286.

Quantum Simulation of Three-Body Interactions in Weakly Driven Quantum Systems

The realization of effective Hamiltonians featuring many-body interactions beyond pairwise coupling would enable the quantum simulation of central models underpinning topological physics and quantum computation. We overcome crucial limitations of perturbative Floquet engineering and discuss the highly accurate realization of a purely three-body Hamiltonian in superconducting circuits and molecular nanomagnets

Context-dependent acoustic modeling based on hidden maximum entropy model for statistical parametric speech synthesis

Decision tree-clustered context-dependent hidden semi-Markov models (HSMMs) are typically used in statistical parametric speech synthesis to represent probability densities of acoustic features given contextual factors. This paper addresses three major limitations of this decision tree-based structure: (i) The decision tree structure lacks adequate context generalization. (ii) It is unable to express complex context dependencies. (iii) Parameters generated from this structure represent sudden transitions between adjacent states. In order to alleviate the above limitations, many former papers applied multiple decision trees with an additive assumption over those trees. Similarly, the current study uses multiple decision trees as well, but instead of the additive assumption, it is proposed to train the smoothest distribution by maximizing entropy measure. Obviously, increasing the smoothness of the distribution improves the context generalization. The proposed model, named hidden maximum entropy model (HMEM), estimates a distribution that maximizes entropy subject to multiple moment-based constraints. Due to the simultaneous use of multiple decision trees and maximum entropy measure, the three aforementioned issues are considerably alleviated. Relying on HMEM, a novel speech synthesis system has been developed with maximum likelihood (ML) parameter re-estimation as well as maximum output probability parameter generation. Additionally, an effective and fast algorithm that builds multiple decision trees in parallel is devised. Two sets of experiments have been conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed system. In the first set of experiments, HMEM with some heuristic context clusters is implemented. This system outperformed the decision tree structure in small training databases (i.e., 50, 100, and 200 sentences). In the second set of experiments, the HMEM performance with four parallel decision trees is investigated using both subjective and objective tests. All evaluation results of the second experiment confirm significant improvement of the proposed system over the conventional HSMM

Pullulan-based nanoparticles as carriers for transmucosal protein delivery

Polymeric nanoparticles have revealed very effective in transmucosal delivery of proteins. Polysaccharides are among the most used materials for the production of these carriers, owing to their structural flexibility and propensity to evidence biocompatibility and biodegradability. In parallel, there is a preference for the use of mild methods for their production, in order to prevent protein degradation, ensure lower costs and easier procedures that enable scaling up. In this work we propose the production of pullulan-based nanoparticles by a mild method of polyelectrolyte complexation. As pullulan is a neutral polysaccharide, sulfated and aminated derivatives of the polymer were synthesized to provide pullulan with a charge. These derivatives were then complexed with chitosan and carrageenan, respectively, to produce the nanocarriers. Positively charged nanoparticles of 180-270 nm were obtained, evidencing ability to associate bovine serum albumin, which was selected as model protein. In PBS pH 7.4, pullulan-based nanoparticles were found to have a burst release of 30% of the protein, which maintained up to 24h. Nanoparticle size and zeta potential were preserved upon freeze-drying in the presence of appropriate cryoprotectants. A factorial design was approached to assess the cytotoxicity of raw materials and nanoparticles by the metabolic test MTT. Nanoparticles demonstrated to not cause overt toxicity in a respiratory cell model (Calu-3). Pullulan has, thus, demonstrated to hold potential for the production of nanoparticles with an application in protein delivery

Using a community-based definition of poverty for targeting poor households for premium subsidies in the context of a community health insurance in Burkina Faso

Background: One of the biggest challenges in subsidizing premiums of poor households for community health insurance is the identification and selection of these households. Generally, poverty assessments in developing countries are based on monetary terms. The household is regarded as poor if its income or consumption is lower than a predefined poverty cut-off. These measures fail to recognize the multi-dimensional character of poverty, ignoring community members? perception and understanding of poverty, leaving them voiceless and powerless in the identification process. Realizing this, the steering committee of Nouna's health insurance devised a method to involve community members to better define `perceived? poverty, using this as a key element for the poor selection. The community-identified poor were then used to effectively target premium subsidies for the insurance scheme. Methods: The study was conducted in the Nouna's Health District located in northwest Burkina Faso. Participants in each village were selected to take part in focus-group discussions (FGD) organized in 41 villages and 7 sectors of Nouna's town to discuss criteria and perceptions of poverty. The discussions were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed in French using the software NVivo 9. Results: From the FGD on poverty and the subjective definitions and perceptions of the community members, we found that poverty was mainly seen as scarcity of basic needs, vulnerability, deprivation of capacities, powerlessness, voicelessness, indecent living conditions, and absence of social capital and community networks for support in times of need. Criteria and poverty groups as described by community members can be used to identify poor who can then be targeted for subsidies. Conclusion: Policies targeting the poorest require the establishment of effective selection strategies. These policies are well-conditioned by proper identification of the poor people. Community perceptions and criteria of poverty are grounded in reality, to better appreciate the issue. It is crucial to take these perceptions into account in undertaking community development actions which target the poor. For most community-based health insurance schemes with limited financial resources, using a community-based definition of poverty in the targeting of the poorest might be a less costly alternative

Association between (GT)n repeats in heme oxygenase-1 gene promoter and 3-year survival of patients with acute leukemia: A controlled, cross-sectional study

Background: Acute leukemia is a common pediatric cancer. Novel strategies for treatment of acute leukemia have been developed, but treatment resistance is remained as the most problematic issue. It is hypothesized that the HO-1 gene up-regulation is responsible for tumor resistance to chemotherapy or radiotherapy-induced apoptosis. HO-1 expression levels are related to (GT)n microsatellite polymorphisms in the location of its promoter.This study designed to compare allelic frequencies of (GT)n microsatellite polymorphisms in HO-1 gene between acute leukemia patients and healthy controls. Indeed, 3-year disease-free survival was also evaluated. Materials and Methods: Sixty-three patients with acute leukemia and 70 healthy infants were included in this study. We used patient�s medical records to collect data about survival after chemotherapy. The number of GT repeats in HO-1 promoter was determined by an ABI 3100 sequencer. Results: The HO-1 GT repeats ranged from 14 to 34 with peaks at 27 repeats in both cases and controls. Children with longer alleles ((GT)n � 27) had enhanced 3-year survival rate after treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy (P<0.05). Conclusion: Although no significant differences were observed between leukemia patients and controls regarding allelic frequency, we found elevated frequency of �LL� genotype in leukemia patients with good prognosis and 3-year surveillance. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy might elevate the expression levels of HO-1 with subsequent increased resistance of leukemia patients to therapy. © 2018, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). All rights reserved

Association between (GT)n repeats in heme oxygenase-1 gene promoter and 3-year survival of patients with acute leukemia: A controlled, cross-sectional study

Background: Acute leukemia is a common pediatric cancer. Novel strategies for treatment of acute leukemia have been developed, but treatment resistance is remained as the most problematic issue. It is hypothesized that the HO-1 gene up-regulation is responsible for tumor resistance to chemotherapy or radiotherapy-induced apoptosis. HO-1 expression levels are related to (GT)n microsatellite polymorphisms in the location of its promoter.This study designed to compare allelic frequencies of (GT)n microsatellite polymorphisms in HO-1 gene between acute leukemia patients and healthy controls. Indeed, 3-year disease-free survival was also evaluated. Materials and Methods: Sixty-three patients with acute leukemia and 70 healthy infants were included in this study. We used patient�s medical records to collect data about survival after chemotherapy. The number of GT repeats in HO-1 promoter was determined by an ABI 3100 sequencer. Results: The HO-1 GT repeats ranged from 14 to 34 with peaks at 27 repeats in both cases and controls. Children with longer alleles ((GT)n � 27) had enhanced 3-year survival rate after treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy (P<0.05). Conclusion: Although no significant differences were observed between leukemia patients and controls regarding allelic frequency, we found elevated frequency of �LL� genotype in leukemia patients with good prognosis and 3-year surveillance. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy might elevate the expression levels of HO-1 with subsequent increased resistance of leukemia patients to therapy. © 2018, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). All rights reserved

Association between (GT)n repeats in heme oxygenase-1 gene promoter and 3-year survival of patients with acute leukemia: A controlled, cross-sectional study

Background: Acute leukemia is a common pediatric cancer. Novel strategies for treatment of acute leukemia have been developed, but treatment resistance is remained as the most problematic issue. It is hypothesized that the HO-1 gene up-regulation is responsible for tumor resistance to chemotherapy or radiotherapy-induced apoptosis. HO-1 expression levels are related to (GT)n microsatellite polymorphisms in the location of its promoter.This study designed to compare allelic frequencies of (GT)n microsatellite polymorphisms in HO-1 gene between acute leukemia patients and healthy controls. Indeed, 3-year disease-free survival was also evaluated. Materials and Methods: Sixty-three patients with acute leukemia and 70 healthy infants were included in this study. We used patient�s medical records to collect data about survival after chemotherapy. The number of GT repeats in HO-1 promoter was determined by an ABI 3100 sequencer. Results: The HO-1 GT repeats ranged from 14 to 34 with peaks at 27 repeats in both cases and controls. Children with longer alleles ((GT)n � 27) had enhanced 3-year survival rate after treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy (P<0.05). Conclusion: Although no significant differences were observed between leukemia patients and controls regarding allelic frequency, we found elevated frequency of �LL� genotype in leukemia patients with good prognosis and 3-year surveillance. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy might elevate the expression levels of HO-1 with subsequent increased resistance of leukemia patients to therapy. © 2018, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS). All rights reserved

Can intravenous acetaminophen reduce the needs to more opioids to control pain in intubated patients?

Aims: To evaluate the effect of intravenous (IV) acetaminophen on reducing the need for morphine sulfate in intubated patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Settings and Design: Current study was done as a clinical trial on the patients supported by mechanical ventilator. Subjects and Methods: Behavioral pain scale (BPS) scoring system was used to measure pain in the patients. All of the patients received 1 g, IV acetaminophen, every 6 h during the 1 st and 3 rd days of admission and placebo during the 2 nd and 4 th days. Total dose of morphine sulfate needed, its complications, and the BPS scores at the end of every 6 h interval were compared. Results: Totally forty patients were enrolled. The mean pain scores were significantly lower in the 2 nd and 4 th days (4.33 and 3.66, respectively; mean: 4.0) in which the patients had received just morphine sulfate compared to the 1 st and 3 rd days (7.36 and 3.93, respectively; mean: 5.65) in which the patients had received acetaminophen in addition to morphine sulfate too (P < 0.001). Cumulative dose of morphine sulfate used, was significantly higher in the 1 st and 3 rd days (8.92 and 3.15 mg, respectively; 12.07 mg in total) compared to the 2 nd and 4 th days (6.47 mg and 3.22 mg, respectively; 9.7 mg in total) (P = 0.035). Conclusion: In our study, IV acetaminophen had no effect on decreasing the BPSs and need of morphine sulfate in intubated patients admitted to ICU. © 2016 Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine