Short communication: Survey of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) toxicity using bioassay on Daphnia magna

In this study, the toxicity of MTBE on the crustacean Daphnia magna (Cladocera) has been studied. At the beginning, for finding the range of sensitivity of D. magna to MTBE, a test had been conducted at 24h. The initial and final tests with synthetic MTBE has been done with containing solutions of water accommodated fractions (WAFs) in periods of 24 and 48h and then static bioassay was calculated in two phases of tests and the data were obtained and analyzed by SPSS 13 by using probit analysis. In 24h, lc10, lc50 and lc90 for MTBE on D. magna were 345, 646 and 941mg/l and for 48h, they were 361, 476 and 893mg/l, respectively. Also, the maximum allowable concentration (MAC) of MTBE (WAFs) on D. magna was determined in 24 and 48h, 64.6 and 47.6mg/l, respectively. Results indicated that D. magna could be used for toxicity tracing MTBE in surface and ground water, because these crustaceans have perfect resistance against pollution of MTBE. It is also concluded that after 24 and 48h exposure time, there was no significant difference observed in the activity and mortality of D. magna

AAV-mediated and pharmacological induction of Hsp70 expression stimulates survival of retinal ganglion cells following axonal injury.

We evaluated the effect of AAV2- and 17-AAG (17-N-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin)-mediated upregulation of Hsp70 expression on the survival of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) injured by optic nerve crush (ONC). AAV2-Hsp70 expression in the retina was primarily observed in the ganglion cell layer. Approximately 75% of all transfected cells were RGCs. RGC survival in AAV2-Hsp70-injected animals was increased by an average of 110% 2 weeks after the axonal injury compared with the control. The increase in cell numbers was not even across the retinas with a maximum effect of approximately 306% observed in the inferior quadrant. 17-AAG-mediated induction of Hsp70 expression has been associated with cell protection in various models of neurodegenerative diseases. We show here that a single intravitreal injection of 17-AAG (0.2 ug ul(-1)) results in an increased survival of ONC-injured RGCs by approximately 49% compared with the vehicle-treated animals. Expression of Hsp70 in retinas of 17-AAG-treated animals was upregulated approximately by twofold compared with control animals. Our data support the idea that the upregulation of Hsp70 has a beneficial effect on the survival of injured RGCs, and the induction of this protein could be viewed as a potential neuroprotective strategy for optic neuropathies

The determination of LC50 of diazinon and it's sub-lettal effect on haematological indices of beluga (Huso huso)

The acute toxicity and effects of diazinon on some hematological indices of Beluga (Huso huso) juveniles weighting 4.1±0.12 grams was assessed following the 0.E.C.D. direction in a static temperature in the range 20.27±2.05°C. The 96h LC50 value of diazinon for beluga juveniles was 5.821. Also, the maximum allowable concentration of diazinon in natural waters for beluga was determined to be 0.5821mg/L. Based on the toxicity table of insecticides, diazinon was listed as toxic for beluga .The clinical symptoms that were observed in this study consisted of lordosis and neural paralytic syndrome in fish exposed to the pesticide. Some abnormal reactions such as losing the balance when swimming and swimming in a half circle; expressive pigmentation mainly on the dorsal part were seen in the juveniles. Examination of hematological indices was performed on control and experimental specimens of beluga weighting 16.08 grams on average that were treated with 96h exposure to diazinon in a concentration lower than LC50 96h. The experimental group of beluga showed significantly lower value (P<0.05) of ,erythrocyte (RBC) and leukocyte count, hemoglobin content (Hb), and haematocrite (PCV), MCV, MCH and relative lymphocyte and eosinophil counts compared to the control group In comparison, the relative heterophil count in the juveniles of the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group. By observing a decrease in the amount of leukocyte profile specially lymphocytes which are important in non-specific immunity of the fish, it can be said that diazinon may cause a decrease in the non-specific immunity of beluga

An Experimental-Intelligent Method to Predict Noise Value of Drilling in Dimension Stone Industry

The noise of drilling in the dimension stone business is unbearable for both the workplace and the people who work there. In order to reduce the negative effects drilling has on the health of the environment, the drilling noise has to be measured, assessed, and controlled. The main purpose of this work is to investigate an experimental-intelligent method to predict the noise value of drilling in the dimension stone industry. For this purpose, 135 laboratory tests are designed on five types of rocks (four types of hard rock and one type of soft rock): and their results are measured in the first step. In the second step, due to the unpredicted and uncertain issues in this case, artificial intelligence (AI) approaches are applied, and the modeling is conducted using three intelligent systems (IS): namely an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system-SCM (ANFIS-SCM): an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system-FCM (ANFIS-FCM): and the radial basis function network (RBF) neural network. 75% of the samples are considered for training, and the rest for testing. Several models are constructed, and the results indicate that although there is no significant difference between the models according to the performance indices, the proposed construction of ANFIS-SCM can be considered as an efficient tool in the evaluation of drilling noise. Finally, several scenarios are designed with different input modes, and the results obtained prove that the types of rock and the drill bits are more important than the operational characteristics of the machine

Dramapedagoške tehnike u razvijanju govora u nastavi njemačkog kao stranog jezika

Das Thema dieser Arbeit sind dramapädagogische Techniken zur Förderung des Sprechens im Deutschunterricht als Fremdsprache. Die Arbeit besteht aus zwei Haupteilen, dem theoretischen und dem empirischen Teil. Im theoretischen Teil bespricht man die Grundbedeutung „Dramapädagogik“ und ihre historische Entwicklung, führt die Versuche ihrer Bedeutungsbestimmung und ihre Verbindung mit Theater auf und gibt konkrete Beschreibungen von dramapädagogischen Aufgaben zur „Aufwärmung“ und dramapädagogische Techniken im Unterricht. Der empirische Teil beginnt mit einer Einleitung in die Aktionsforschung und ihren Zweck. Darauffolgend wird die Methodologie der Aktionsforschung vorgestellt, ihre Resultate und die Diskussion über die gewonnenen Daten. Das Hauptziel der Aktionsforschung war die Förderung des Sprechens bei Schülern auf Deutsch durch die Anwendung von dramapädagogischen Techniken. Im Einklang mit den Merkmalen und Charakteristiken der Aktionsforschungen wurde eine Unterrichtstunde entworfen, in der Länge von 45 Minuten, gedacht für die zweite Klasse einer Mittelschule. Die Resultate der Aktionsforschung zeigen, dass die dramapädagogischen Aktivitäten den Schülern interessant sind und ihre Motivation zum aktiven Sprechen im Fremdsprachenunterricht fördern. Die Schüler kamen in Situationen, die nicht nur ihre geistig- sprachlichen Fähigkeiten erfordern, sondern auch die Körpersprache, gemeinsame Aushandlung von Bedeutung und emotionales Verständnis. Durch die Anwendung und Realisierung des dramapädagogischen Zugangs wird das Erlernen einer Fremdsprache auf ein höheres Niveau gebracht, weil es unter anderem die Phantasie, Kreativität, Spontanität und Originalität der Schüler weckt. Somit kann man darauf schließen, dass der dramapädagogische Zugang viel mehr Vorteile aufweist, als der herkömmliche Unterricht, der auf Inhalt und Fakten basiert.Tema ovog rada su dramapedagoške tehnike u procesu razvoja govora u nastavi njemačkog kao stranog jezika. Rad je podijeljen u dvije osnovne cjeline, teorijski i empirijski dio. U teorijskom dijelu rada polazi se od temeljnog pojma „Dramapädagogik“, povijesnog razvoja ove metode, pokušaja definiranja pojma, pojašnjenja temelja dramapedagogije te njezinih poveznica s kazalištem i nastavom stranog jezika. Navedeni dio završava opisom konkretnih dramapedagoških vježbi za „zagrijavanje“ i dramapedagoških tehnika u nastavi. U empirijskom se dijelu daje uvod u akcijsko istraživanje i njegovu svrhu, daje opis metodologije akcijskog istraživanja, prikazuju se rezultati i diskutira o dobivenim podatcima. Osnovni je cilj istraživanja bio unaprijediti i potaknuti razvoj govora učenika na njemačkom jeziku korištenjem dramapedagoških tehnika. U skladu s obilježjima i karakteristikama akcijskog istraživanja, osmišljen je jedan nastavni sat njemačkog jezika kroz dramapedagoški pristup, u trajanju od 45 minuta. Navedeni je sat ostvaren s učenicima drugog razreda srednje škole. Rezultati istraživanja pokazali su kako su dramapedagoške aktivnosti učenicima zabavne te da promiču njihovu interakciju i motivaciju za aktivnim sudjelovanjem i govorom u nastavi stranog jezika. Učenici su se našli u situacijama koje nisu zahtijevale primjenu samo njihovih intelektualnih vještina, već i govor tijela, zajedničko konstruiranje značenja te emocionalno razumijevanje. Ostvarivanjem dramapedagoškog pristupa u nastavi učenje stranog jezika podiže se na višu razinu jer se, između ostaloga, razvija i učenikova mašta, kreativnost, spontanost i originalnost. Prema tome može se zaključiti kako dramapedagoški pristup nastavi ima puno više prednosti u odnosu na konvencionalnu, tradicionalnu nastavu koja je usmjerena samo na sadržaj i činjenično znanje

Ki-67/MIB-1 as a prognostic marker in cervical cancer - a systematic review with meta-analysis

Background: In cervical cancer patients it has been reported that there in a significant Ki-67/MIB-1 expression is correlated with survival in cervical cancer patients. However, the prognostic value is still not well understood. Materials and Methods: In the present meta-analysis the prognostic value of Ki-67/MIB-1 with regard to overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in cervical cancer was investigated. The databases of PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, Science Direct and Wiley Online Library were used to identify appropriate literature. Results: In order to explore the relationship between Ki-67/MIB-1 and cervical cancer, we have included 13 studies covering 894 patients in the current meta-analysis. The effect of Ki-67/MIB-1 on OS for pooled random effects HR estimate was 1.63 (95confidence interval (CI) 1.09-2.45; P0.05) and the subgroup analysis indicated Ki-67/MIB1 was associated with DFS (HR=3.67, 95CI 2.65-5.09) in Asians. Conclusions: According to this meta-analysis, Ki-67/MIB-1 has prognostic value for OS in patients suffering from cervical cancer. For better evaluation of the prognostic role of Ki-67/MIB-1 on DFS, studies with larger numbers of patients are needed to validate present findings in the future

Complications and carcinogenic effects of mustard gas - A systematic review and meta-analysis in Iran

Background: Catastrophic effects of mustard gas as a chemical warfare agent have always been a major problem for those exposed to this agent. In this meta-analysis it was tried to evaluate carcinogenesis, ocular, cutaneous and respiratory complications of mustard gas exposure among Iranians who had been exposed to this agent during the Iran-Iraq war. Materials and Methods: In this meta-analysis, the required data were collected using keywords "mustard gas", "sulfur mustard", "cancer", "neoplasm", "respiratory complications", "ocular complications", "lung disease", "chronic complication", "eye", "skin", "cutaneous complication", "carcinogenesis" and their combination with keywords "Iran", "Iranian", "prevalence", "mortality" and their Farsi equivalent terms from the databases of SID, Iranmedex, Magiran, Pubmed, Science Direct, Google Search engine, Gray Literature and Reference of References. To determine the prevalence of each complication and perform meta-analysis, CMA: 2 (Comprehensive Meta-Analysis) software with a randomized model was used. Results: Of the 542 articles found, 7 national articles, consistent with the aims of this study were selected. Metaanalysis of seven papers revealed that cancer risk, especially cancer of the respiratory system was elevated, so that the relative risk (RR) of cancer role of mustard gas was inconsistent from 2/1 to 4 in this survey. Also prevalence of delayed skin disorders due to sulfur mustard was 94.6, pulmonary complications 94.5 and ocular complications 89.9. The incidence of various cancers in victims exposed to mustard gas was 1.7 worldwide where the rate was 2.2 in Iranian victims of the Iraq-Iran war. Conclusions: Based on present study the prevalence of delayed mustard gas related cutaneous, pulmonary and ocular complications is above 90 and risk of carcinogenesis is higher in comparison to worldwide statistics. This may suggest need for long-term and persistent follow-up and rehabilitation procedures es for populations exposed to this agent

PET/CT imaging of spinal inflammation and microcalcification in patients with low back pain: A pilot study on the quantification by artificial intelligence-based segmentation

Background: Current imaging modalities are often incapable of identifying nociceptive sources of low back pain (LBP). We aimed to characterize these by means of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) of the lumbar spine region applying tracers 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and 18F-sodium fluoride (NaF) targeting inflammation and active microcalcification, respectively. Methods: Using artificial intelligence (AI)-based quantification, we compared PET findings in two sex- and age-matched groups, a case group of seven males and five females, mean age 45 \ub1 14 years, with ongoing LBP and a similar control group of 12 pain-free individuals. PET/CT scans were segmented into three distinct volumes of interest (VOIs): lumbar vertebral bodies, facet joints and intervertebral discs. Maximum, mean and total standardized uptake values (SUVmax, SUVmean and SUVtotal) for FDG and NaF uptake in the 3 VOIs were measured and compared between groups. Holm–Bonferroni correction was applied to adjust for multiple testing. Results: FDG uptake was slightly higher in most locations of the LBP group including higher SUVmean in the intervertebral discs (0.96 \ub1 0.34 vs. 0.69 \ub1 0.15). All NaF uptake values were higher in cases, including higher SUVmax in the intervertebral discs (11.63 \ub1 3.29 vs. 9.45 \ub1 1.32) and facet joints (14.98 \ub1 6.55 vs. 10.60 \ub1 2.97). Conclusion: Observed intergroup differences suggest acute inflammation and microcalcification as possible nociceptive causes of LBP. AI-based quantification of relevant lumbar VOIs in PET/CT scans of LBP patients and controls appears to be feasible. These promising, early findings warrant further investigation and confirmation

Pore-scale Modeling of Viscous Flow and Induced Forces in Dense Sphere Packings

We propose a method for effectively upscaling incompressible viscous flow in large random polydispersed sphere packings: the emphasis of this method is on the determination of the forces applied on the solid particles by the fluid. Pore bodies and their connections are defined locally through a regular Delaunay triangulation of the packings. Viscous flow equations are upscaled at the pore level, and approximated with a finite volume numerical scheme. We compare numerical simulations of the proposed method to detailed finite element (FEM) simulations of the Stokes equations for assemblies of 8 to 200 spheres. A good agreement is found both in terms of forces exerted on the solid particles and effective permeability coefficients