Breaking Bread: the Functions of Social Eating

Communal eating, whether in feasts or everyday meals with family or friends, is a human universal, yet it has attracted surprisingly little evolutionary attention. I use data from a UK national stratified survey to test the hypothesis that eating with others provides both social and individual benefits. I show that those who eat socially more often feel happier and are more satisfied with life, are more trusting of others, are more engaged with their local communities, and have more friends they can depend on for support. Evening meals that result in respondents feeling closer to those with whom they eat involve more people, more laughter and reminiscing, as well as alcohol. A path analysis suggests that the causal direction runs from eating together to bondedness rather than the other way around. I suggest that social eating may have evolved as a mechanism for facilitating social bonding

A novel combined DTC method and SFOC system for three-phase induction machine drives with PWM switching method

In this paper, a novel combined Direct Torque Control (DTC) method and Stator-Flux Oriented Control (SFOC) system to increase general performances of Three-Phase Induction Motor (TPIM) drives is proposed. The introduced control scheme includes merits of DTC for instance simple structure, less dependent on PI controller coefficients, fast dynamics, and merits of SFOC such as high precision and constant switching frequency. Specifically, the proposed control scheme includes a table-based variable structure developed on DTC strategy and a PI controller in connection with a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) algorithm based on SFOC strategy. To confirm the usefulness of the introduced controller, simulation studies are accomplished for a 2.5kW TPIM in different situations. Results under the presented control system approve the good performances of this technique in comparison with classic DTC and classic SFOC. Investigation in TPIM performances under the introduced control system indicates relatively quick dynamic responses with low torque and stator flux ripples

Increasing of Caspase3 Gene Expression in Mcf7 Breast Cancer Cell Line by Nigella Sativa Hydro Alcoholic Extract

Introduction: There are problems such as treatment failure, drug resistance, heavy costs and other problems related to cancer treatment, which cause the plants to attract the interest of many researchers, because they have fewer side effects than chemical drugs. Studies have shown that Nigella Sativa has anticancer effects but the molecular mechanism of cell death of cancer cells is not clear.&nbsp; So the present study aimed to explore the&nbsp; effect of Nigella Sativa on the viability of MCF7 breast cancer cell line. Methods: In this study, MCF7 cells were treated with different concentrations of hydro alcoholic extracts of Nigella sativa (0, 200, 400 &micro;g/mL) for 24, 48 and 72 h. Effect of extract on cell viability and caspase-3 gene expression were analyzed by trypan blue staining and Real time PCR, respectively. Results: The results revealed that cell viability significantly decreased in a dose and time dependent manner compare to the control (p < 0.05). Real time PCR results showed that the expression of Caspase-3 under different concentrations of extract (200 and 400 &micro;g/ml) significantly increased compare to the control (p < 0.05). Conclusion: It seems that Nigella sativa caused cell death by increasing of caspase-3 gene expressio

Investigating the Role of Environmental Factors on the Survival, Stability, and Transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and Their Contribution to COVID-19 Outbreak: A Review

Studies conducted in the last four years show conflicting findings on the role of the environment in the survival, stability, and transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Based on the current evidence, the factors that affect the severity of COVID-19 include host interaction, environmental stability, virus volume, stability, transmission, social interactions, and restriction measures. Moreover, the persistence of the virus depends on different environmental conditions, videlicet temperature, humidity, pH, salinity, and solar radiation. The outbreak of respiratory viruses is related mainly to temperature and humidity, and geographical locations (latitude). In SARS-CoV-2, mainly temperature and humidity seem to play a fundamental role. Moreover, studies have indicated that social health factors such as equitable health systems, hygiene, and underlying diseases have played a pivotal role in the incidence and outbreak of COVID-19. Therefore, addressing health issues associated with reducing SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks plays an essential role in global health. In contrast, the environmental stimuli of the COVID-19 outbreak are mainly unknown. Given the ongoing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to understand the stimuli to respond quickly to emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants while implementing long-term and sustainable control strategies. This review discusses the role of environmental factors and health conditions in the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2