Effect of enriched rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis) with probiotic lactobacilli on growth, survival and resistance indicators of western white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) larvae

This study examined the effects of a commercial Lactobacillus probiotic on growth, survival and resistance of western white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) larvae against salinity and formalin stresses in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea Ecology Research Center. In this experiment, larvae were fed 6 times a day from mysis I (M1) step to post larvae 5 over 3 treatments including a control treatment C (without probiotic) and 2 experimental treatments namely A (having probiotic enriched rotifer) and B (having probiotic enriched rotifer and adding probiotic powder directly to the water). Larvae were stocked in 9 plastic tanks (20-liter) containing 10 L of seawater at a density of 50 larvae per liter. Three replicates were used for each treatment. At the end of the experimental period biometric larvae were studied under salinity and formalin stresses. Results showed that using probiotic bacteria had significant and positive effects on shrimp resistance, survival and growth (p0.05). According to the results we may conclude that the use of probiotic powder is effective in increasing growth, survival and resistance rate of western white shrimp in the larval and post larval stages

Frustrated mixed-spin ladders: An intermediate phase between rung-singlet and Haldane phases

In frustrated spin ladders composed of antiferromagnetically coupled chains, homogeneous or inhomogeneous, the interplay of frustration and correlations causes the emergence of two phases, Haldane (H) phase and rung singlet (RS) phase, in which the transition between these two phases had been under debate. In this paper we investigate the ground state phase diagram of frustrated mixed-spin-(1, 1/2) ladders, using the notions from quantum information theory such as entanglement entropy, Schmidt gap and entanglement levels degeneracies, and also defining various local and nonlocal order parameters. Employing two numerical techniques, the infinite time-evolving block decimation (iTEBD) and density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) algorithms, we obtain the ground state phase diagram of the ladder, and demonstrate that there is an intermediate phase between RS and H phases, where the ground state is disordered and the entanglement spectrum follow no particular pattern.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figure

Stress corrosion cracking in Type.316 plates of a heat exchanger

AbstractIn Jam petrochemical complex (JPC), Iran, the plates (ASTM A.240 Type.316) of some heat exchangers have been damaged due to the occurrence of cracks at the sitting place of gaskets. A comprehensive failure analysis including the chemical analysis, visual inspection, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the cracks spread over the plates together with the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) of the corrosion products and the measurement of chloride and sulfide ions content of the process water were employed for the examination of the failure mode and its causes. The obtained results indicate the building-up of the chloride and sulfide ions at the crevices between plates and gaskets at high temperature leads to stress cracking corrosion (SCC) of the plates. Moreover, the simultaneous presence of chloride and sulfide in the media hastens the SCC failure in the heat exchanger plates

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

Bismuth vanadate photoanodes for water splitting deposited by radio frequency plasma reactive co-sputtering

Photoactive bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) thin coatings were deposited on fluorine-doped tin oxide glass by plasma reactive sputtering from Bi2O3 and vanadium (V) radio frequency (RF) powered targets. The films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersion spectroscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The effects that the power density supplied to the Bi2O3 target, the post-annealing treatment, and the film thickness have on the structural features and on the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performances of the so obtained BiVO4 film-based photoelectrodes were investigated. Their PEC performance in water splitting was evaluated in a three-electrode cell by both incident photon to current efficiency (IPCE) and linear sweep voltammetry measurements under AM 1.5 G simulated solar light irradiation. A monoclinic phase of BiVO4, which is more photoactive than the tetragonal BiVO4 phase, was obtained by optimizing the power density supplied to the Bi2O3 target, i.e., by tuning the Bi:V:O atomic ratio. The best PEC performance was obtained for a stoichiometric 1:1 Bi:V atomic ratio, attained with 20 W power supplied at the Bi2O3 target and 300 W power supplied at the vanadium target, and an optimal 200 nm thickness of the BiVO4 film, with a 0.65 mA/cm2 photocurrent density attained at 1.23 V vs. standard calomel electrode, under simulated solar light. These results show the suitability of plasma reactive sputtering with two RF powered electrodes for the deposition of BiVO4 photoanodes for water splitting

The efficacy of time-based short-course acyclovir therapy in treatment of post-herpetic pain

Introduction: Various treatments have been used to manage post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). Safe and effective therapies to prevent PHN are needed. Methodology: A clinical trial involving 152 patients diagnosed with acute herpes Zoster (HZ) was conducted to determine whether short-course acyclovir therapy (800 mg five times a day for four days) can alleviate HZ-associated pain and prevent post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). The patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 had a rash with a duration of less than 72 hours and Group 2 had a rash with a duration of more than 72 hours. To assess PHN, the patients categorized and assessed the severity of their symptoms using a four-point verbal rating scale (VRS). Results: By the fourth week, 134 out of 152 patients (88.2) had complete pain response (CPR). Of these, 68 patients (89.5) were from Group 1 and 66 from Group 2 (86.8). After four weeks, the mean VRS scores had changed significantly in both groups compared to the scores at the beginning of study (p = 0.001), but there was no difference between the two groups (0.88 ± 0.66 Vs. 0.94 ± 0.72; p = 0.66) After three months no differences were observed in the treatment results between the two groups (0.51 ± 0.13 Vs.0.54 ± 0.19; p = 0.77). Conclusion: Short-course acyclovir therapy is an effective treatment for zoster and its efficacy in patients with a rash duration of more than 72 hours is similar to that in patients with rash duration of less than 72 hours. © 2010 Rasi et al

Basic Criteria, Models, and Indicators of Intersectoral Collaboration in Health Promotion: A Scoping Review

Background: In this study, the basic criteria, models, and indicators of intersectoral collaboration in health promotion were investigated to facilitate the implementation of collaboration.&#x0D; Methods: This scoping review was conducted using datasets of Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed, and search engines of Google, Google Scholar, and ProQuest.&#x0D; Results: 52 studies were included, and 32 codes in Micro, Meso, and Macro level, were obtained. Micro-level criteria had the highest frequency. Among the models used in the reviewed studies, social network analysis, Diagnosis of Sustainable Collaboration, Bergen, and logic models had the highest frequency. Among the indicators studied, the number of participants and the level of collaboration as well as its sustainability were the most frequent indicators.&#x0D; Conclusion: The findings identified the most important and widely used criteria, models, and indicators of intersectoral collaboration in health promotion which can be useful for decision-makers and planners in the domain of health promotion, in designing, implementing, and evaluating collaborative programs.</jats:p