Anatomy of parotid gland and its secretory ducts in sheep

Background: The parotid gland in sheep ends freely in front of the masseter muscle, and paracondylary section of occipital bone and extends deep until pterygoid extends of sphenoid bone and hyoid bone. The structure of salivary glands in mammals has been thoroughly studied using histological and sialographic method. This study aimed to reveal the detailed anatomic features and race-specific differences of the canal system of the parotid glands in Akkaraman sheep by using the corrosion cast technique. Materials and methods: Thirteen sheep parotid glands from 7 Akkaraman sheep were used in this study. Parotid glands were removed from their places with ducts. Measurements were made with a calliper from back to front, top to bottom and inside to outside. After dissection of the parotid glands, their volumes were measured according to the ‘Archimedes principle’. Also, 13 sheep parotid glands were examined using the polyester resin method. Results: In the present study, our average metric results were: length of parotid duct was 10.92 ± 1.027 cm, length of parotid gland was 5.87 ± 1.04 cm, volume of parotid gland was 12.50 ± 2.48 cm3, thickness of parotid gland was 0.75 ± ± 0.36 cm and width of parotid gland was 4.07 ± 0.43 cm. The average weight of the parotid gland of Akkaraman sheep was identified as 25.3 g. Accessory parotid gland was not encountered in the current study. Conclusions: It was observed that polyester entered into the parotid duct and filled up until the acinus and made both acinus and secretory ducts well-examined in this study. It was also observed that the parotid gland consisted of lobes and lobules. The average number of lobes was 12. The number of lobules in a lobe varied between 3 and 16, each lobe consisted of an average of 9 lobules. It was found that each lobe has its own lobar duct. Copyright © 2022 Via Medica

Molecular Imprinting Applications in Forensic Science.

Producing molecular imprinting-based materials has received increasing attention due to recognition selectivity, stability, cast effectiveness, and ease of production in various forms for a wide range of applications. The molecular imprinting technique has a variety of applications in the areas of the food industry, environmental monitoring, and medicine for diverse purposes like sample pretreatment, sensing, and separation/purification. A versatile usage, stability and recognition capabilities also make them perfect candidates for use in forensic sciences. Forensic science is a demanding area and there is a growing interest in molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in this field. In this review, recent molecular imprinting applications in the related areas of forensic sciences are discussed while considering the literature of last two decades. Not only direct forensic applications but also studies of possible forensic value were taken into account like illicit drugs, banned sport drugs, effective toxins and chemical warfare agents in a review of over 100 articles. The literature was classified according to targets, material shapes, production strategies, detection method, and instrumentation. We aimed to summarize the current applications of MIPs in forensic science and put forth a projection of their potential uses as promising alternatives for benchmark competitors

The viscosity and thrombocytic-aggregation disorders in patients, suffering myocardial infarction with the ST segment elevation

Objective. Analysis of changes in viscosity and disorders of the thrombocytes-aggregation process under impact of various tactical, diagnostic and intervention approaches in patients, suffering myocardial infarction with persistent elevation of ST segment in presence of multivascular affection of coronary arteries. Materials and methods. In the investigation four tactical and treatment-diagnostic approaches were used through year of observation. Results. In patients, suffering myocardial infarction and persistent elevation of ST segment the hyperviscosity and hypercoagulation syndromes were revealed, which have manifested in first weeks by compensatory growth of thrombocytes quantity, the blood viscosity, level of fibrinogen and aggregation properties of thrombocytes. Conduction of additional more profound examination of coronary blood circulation and further application of postponed stenting of the infarction-dependent arteries have promoted lesser amplitude of fluctuations of all laboratory indices, than in other tactical and treatment approaches. Conclusion. Standard tactical and treatment-diagnostic principles in management of such category of patients do not permit to improve the state of the viscosity and coagulation-aggregation parameters principally, even while application of double antiaggregation therapy

Impact of channel scaling on performance of single SiC nanowire UV photodetector

We have investigated the channel length dependence of the key performance parameters, such as speed, responsivity, external quantum efficiency (EQE), and responsivity-bandwidth product, of the silicon carbide nanowire-based ultraviolet (UV) photodetector devices with different channel lengths ranging from 120 to 800 nm. The device with the shortest channel length of 120 nm at low bias voltage of 0.5 Vexhibited very high responsivity and EQE of 7.73 x 10(3) A/W and 7.77 x 10(4)%, respectively, under illumination to 254-nm UV light. Our experiments revealed that reduction in channel length resulted in significant enhancement in speed, responsivity, EQE, and responsivity-bandwidth product of the photodetector. This study suggests that scaling down in channel length could enable the development of high-speed and sensitive photodetector devices for emerging nanophotonic and nanoelectronic applications capable of operating at low voltages. (C) 2019 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE

Lights, Camera, Action! Exploring Effects of Visual Distractions on Completion of Security Tasks

Human errors in performing security-critical tasks are typically blamed on the complexity of those tasks. However, such errors can also occur because of (possibly unexpected) sensory distractions. A sensory distraction that produces negative effects can be abused by the adversary that controls the environment. Meanwhile, a distraction with positive effects can be artificially introduced to improve user performance. The goal of this work is to explore the effects of visual stimuli on the performance of security-critical tasks. To this end, we experimented with a large number of subjects who were exposed to a range of unexpected visual stimuli while attempting to perform Bluetooth Pairing. Our results clearly demonstrate substantially increased task completion times and markedly lower task success rates. These negative effects are noteworthy, especially, when contrasted with prior results on audio distractions which had positive effects on performance of similar tasks. Experiments were conducted in a novel (fully automated and completely unattended) experimental environment. This yielded more uniform experiments, better scalability and significantly lower financial and logistical burdens. We discuss this experience, including benefits and limitations of the unattended automated experiment paradigm

Allelopathic potential of macrofungi on germinating maize (Zea mays L.) grain

The effect of methanol extracts of 10 macrofungi was evaluated on grain germination of maize (Zea mays L.). Germination percentage, radicle and plumule length and the level of carbohydrates and fatty acids were measured. Fungal metabolites inhibited germination up to 90.96%, plumule (97.77%) and radicle (92.83%) development. Plumule and radicle lengths were stimulated 35.26 and 10.60% in some assays, respectively. The fungal metabolites decreased the glucose (97.60%), sucrose (90.34%), fructose (96.85%), maltose (95.64%), oleic acid (97.50%) and linoleic acid (98.25%) levels, whereas increasing levels of the glucose (165.14%), sucrose (166.53%), fructose (83.18%), maltose (124.73%), oleic acid (6975.00%) and linoleic acid (5233.33%) were detected in some assays. It is concluded that macrofungi metabolites have commonly inhibitory effects on physiological and morphological processes of germinating maize grain except for considerable increases in the some parameters investigated

PHOTOGRAMMETRIC MODEL OPTIMIZATION IN DIGITALIZATION OF ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE: YEDIKULE FORTRESS

The idea of "digitalization of architectural heritage" has recently gained prominence to represent architectural and historical assets. With all these potentials, this study aims to create optimized models that can be used in serious gaming environments by presenting a method of photogrammetry. As a case study, Yedikule Fortress and its surroundings, which have a multi-layered structure that includes many cultural aspects such as Byzantine, Ottoman, and Republican periods in the historical process, have been studied within the scope of digitizing the architectural heritage to create an optimized model for gaming environments. The study was methodologically constructed in three phases: Photogrammetry, polygon modeling, and low poly/high poly baking process. The fortress and its surroundings are modeled using a high-detail point cloud and a high-poly mesh using aerial photogrammetry. The high-poly model was taken as a reference and transferred into a low-poly model as a mesh map, texture, and light characteristics. This allowed the high poly model to operate more efficiently and effectively in game engines. As a result, the study created a detailed and optimized model for the game engines to produce serious games specific to light and texture data, to be used on devices that support mixed reality (MR) technologies

Biofouling growth on plastic substrates: Experimental studies in the Black Sea

Despite long-term research on marine litter there is still insufficient knowledge about benthic organisms associated with these substrates, especially experimental studies and methodology of sampling for complex biofouling assemblages. To predict the fate of plastic in the marine environment it is necessary to know how long the macrolitter can stay in different sea matrices and what are the steps of colonisation by marine organisms. The experiments were carried out during various seasons in situ in the north-western Black Sea coastal area. Three new types of the experimental constructions intended for different durations of exposure (1–10 months) were designed. This article is the first to present the methodology and the results of complex experiments investigating marine fouling (from microalgae to meio- and macrofauna) on plastic surfaces. Overall, 28 genera of microalgae, 13 major groups of meiobenthos and 36 species of macrofauna were found on plastic during the experiments. The microalgae fouling was mainly formed by representatives of genus Cocconeis. The species composition of microalgae was common for the research area. The average density and biomass of meiobenthos were the greatest on I construction type after 8 months of exposure. In the total macrozoobenthos biomass and density of Bivalvia and Crustacea dominated, respectively. The obtained results on the interaction between fouling organisms and plastic materials in the marine environment form an important contribution to the understanding of the "good ecological status" of the sea. Additional studies based on the tested methodology could be used as a component of ecological monitoring during development and implementation of the approaches of the Marine Strategy (descriptor 10)