PM10 emitted from gravel crushers and their effects on complete blood counts for workers, middle gover-norate–Gaza, Palestine

Case-control study was conducted during the period from April to August, 2013 on all gravel crushers at Middle Gaza Governorates. There were 87 individuals participants invloved in this study, out of which 40 were case (exposed) and 47 control (non-exposed) groups respectively. PM10 (Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 micrometer or less) concentration level was measured in the six crushers, and all participants were subjected to Complete Blood Counts (CBC). This was conducted to evaluate the level of PM10 air pollution in crusher’s plants, and their impacts on complete blood counts (CBC) for crushers workers. Results showed that an average of particulate matter contributions is 15153 μg/m3 (microgram/cubicmeter), which is about 100 times higher than PM10 existing standard of 150 μg/m3. As well as, it showed clear links between PM10 exposure and CBC changes among exposed group. Increasing in white blood cells count were more common among the exposed group, whereas in the non-exposed group, CBC did not change. Therefore, we can conclude that PM10 concentration level in crushers plants were much higher than the existing standard. Occupational exposure to PM10 leads to CBC changes especially increasing in white blood cells count

Simplified HPLC method for identification of gingerol and mangiferin in herbal extracts

Quantification of bioactive compounds through modern analytical techniques is essential for proving authenticity, credibility, and safe use of herbal products in Ayurvedic medicine. In this study, we describe the development of a simplified method for the identification of key bioactive compounds in six commercial herbal products of various forms using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Marker compounds such as mangiferin 1 and [6]-gingerol 2 were examined in various extracts of mango leaves and ginger, respectively. The compounds were extracted by sonication with methanol at room temperature and were analyzed by HPLC with 0.1% acetic acid buffer (pH = 3.00)/methanol mixture used as gradient mobile phase. Eluents were monitored by a photo diode array (PDA) detector and UV detection fixed at 280/320 nm. Further characterization of each extract was performed using FTIR and UV-Vis. Mangiferin 1 eluted at 6 min (320 nm) and gingerol 2 at 16.9 min (280 nm). The proposed method provides a good resolution of the selected marker compounds in herbal products and dietary supplements that could be further used for their quantification and standardization in routine analysis and quality control. © EuroJournals Publishing, Inc. 2011

Transport Properties in Ferromagnetic Josephson Junction between Triplet Superconductors

Charge and spin Josephson currents in a ballistic superconductor-ferromagnet-superconductor junction with spin-triplet pairing symmetry are studied using the quasiclassical Eilenberger equation. The gap vector of superconductors has an arbitrary relative angle with respect to magnetization of the ferromagnetic layer. We clarify the effects of the thickness of ferromagnetic layer and magnitude of the magnetization on the Josephson charge and spin currents. We find that 0-\pi transition can occur except for the case that the exchange field and d-vector are in nearly perpendicular configuration. We also show how spin current flows due to misorientation between the exchange field and d-vector.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figure

Piezoelastic PVDF/TPU nanofibrous composite membrane: Fabrication and characterization

Poly (vinylidene fluoride) nanofibers (PVDF NFs) have been extensively used in energy harvesting applications due to their promising piezoresponse characteristics. However, the mechanical properties of the generated fibers are still lacking. Therefore, we are presenting in this work a promising improvement in the elasticity properties of PVDF nanofibrous membrane through thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) additives. Morphological, physical, and mechanical analyses were performed for membranes developed from different blend ratios. Then, the impact of added weight ratio of TPU on the piezoelectric response of the formed nanofibrous composite membranes was studied. The piezoelectric characteristics were studied through impulse loading testing where the electric voltage had been detected under applied mass weights. Piezoelectric characteristics were investigated further through a pressure mode test the developed nanofibrous composite membranes were found to be mechanically deformed under applied electric potential. This work introduces promising high elastic piezoelectric materials that can be used in a wide variety of applications including energy harvesting, wearable electronics, self-cleaning filters, and motion/vibration sensors. - 2019 by the authors.The project was funded “partially” by Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences under project code: PN17-35EE-02

Generation of Magnetic Field by Combined Action of Turbulence and Shear

The feasibility of a mean-field dynamo in nonhelical turbulence with superimposed linear shear is studied numerically in elongated shearing boxes. Exponential growth of magnetic field at scales much larger than the outer scale of the turbulence is found. The charateristic scale of the field is l_B ~ S^{-1/2} and growth rate is gamma ~ S, where S is the shearing rate. This newly discovered shear dynamo effect potentially represents a very generic mechanism for generating large-scale magnetic fields in a broad class of astrophysical systems with spatially coherent mean flows.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures; replaced with revised version that matches the published PR

One year prognosis of young Middle Eastern patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions

Background: There is scarcity of data about the outcome in young Middle Eastern patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We sought to assess clinical and coronary angiographic features and one year outcome of young compared with older patients following PCI.Methods: Baseline clinical and coronary angiographic features and major cardiovascular events from hospital admission to one year were assessed in young patients (45 years of age).Results: Of 2426 patients; 308 (12.7%) were young. Young and older patients were predominantly males (76.3% vs. 79.8%; p=0.18) and had similar prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cigarette smoking. There were no differences between young and older patients in the rates of acute coronary syndrome as an indication for PCI (75.6% vs. 76.1%; p=0.90). The two groups had similar prevalence of one-vessel coronary artery disease (55.2% vs. 58.1%; p=0.37) and intervention for one vessel (74.0% vs. 72.1%; p=0.53). No significant differences were observed in the incidence of in-hospital adverse events in young compared with older patients. Incidence of adverse events in young patients at one year were not different from those in older patients, including cardiac death (3.63% vs. 2.11%), stent thrombosis (3.63% vs. 2.08%), major bleeding (1.30% vs. 1.18%), and coronary revascularization (3.65% vs. 3.24%); all p=NS.Conclusions: Among Middle Eastern patients undergoing coronary intervention; 13% were 45 years of age or younger. No favourable risk profile, coronary angiographic features or cardiovascular outcome were observed in young compared with older patients

Ultrasound Biomicroscopy Measurements of the Normal Thickness for the Ciliary Body and the Iris in a Middle East Population

Purpose: Ciliary body (CB) and iris thicknesses may change with certain eye diseases as well as between different populations. Here, we report Ultrasound Biomicroscopy Measurements (UBM) of the normal thickness for the CB and the iris from a homogenous population in the Middle East. Patients and Methods: Sonomed 35-MHz (SONOMED, INC. New York, USA) images were obtained at 4 radial meridians, and the thickness was measured at 3 locations along the radial length of the iris and at the thickest part of the CB. Parameters included mean thickness, median thickness, range, and standard deviation. Results: Of 46 adult patients, 83 normal eyes were included in this analysis. The overall mean, median iris thicknesses at the iris root, midway along the radial length of the iris, and at the juxtapupillary margin in mm were 0.42, 0.41 ± 0.08, 0.52, 0.51± 0.08, and 0.72, 0.71± 0.1, respectively. The overall mean, median thicknesses of the CB and CB + ciliary processes in mm were 0.72, 0.71 ± 0.1, and 1.42, 1.37 ± 0.2 respectively. Gender, age, side, and height had no impact on iris and/or CB thickness (p>0.05). However, the iris thickness was significantly thicker in the superior quadrant than inferiorly, and in the nasal quadrant than the temporal quadrant (p=0.04), and the CB thickness and the CB + ciliary processes thickness were significantly thicker in the superior quadrant than inferiorly (P = 0.04 and 0.02 consecutively). Conclusion: We measured in this study the normal thickness of the CB and the iris in normal eyes from homogenous population in the Middle East using ultrasound biomicroscopy. Our findings are essential for the ophthalmic community worldwide and in the Middle East region and can be used as a normative thickness data for the iris and CB in healthy eyes

Infrared microspectroscopy to elucidate the underlying biomolecular mechanisms of FLASH radiotherapy.

FLASH-radiotherapy (FLASH-RT) is an emerging modality that uses ultra-high dose rates of radiation to enable curative doses to the tumor while preserving normal tissue. The biological studies showed the potential of FLASH-RT to revolutionize radiotherapy cancer treatments. However, the complex biological basis of FLASH-RT is not fully known yet. Within this context, our aim is to get deeper insights into the biomolecular mechanisms underlying FLASH-RT through Fourier Transform Infrared Microspectroscopy (FTIRM). C57Bl/6J female mice were whole brain irradiated at 10 Gy with the eRT6-Oriatron system. 10 Gy FLASH-RT was delivered in 1 pulse of 1.8μs and conventional irradiations at 0.1 Gy/s. Brains were sampled and prepared for analysis 24 h post-RT. FTIRM was performed at the MIRAS beamline of ALBA Synchrotron. Infrared raster scanning maps of the whole mice brain sections were collected for each sample condition. Hyperspectral imaging and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were performed in several regions of the brain. PCA results evidenced a clear separation between conventional and FLASH irradiations in the 1800-950 cm <sup>-1</sup> region, with a significant overlap between FLASH and Control groups. An analysis of the loading plots revealed that most of the variance accounting for the separation between groups was associated to modifications in the protein backbone (Amide I). This protein degradation and/or conformational rearrangement was concomitant with nucleic acid fragmentation/condensation. Cluster separation between FLASH and conventional groups was also present in the 3000-2800 cm <sup>-1</sup> region, being correlated with changes in the methylene and methyl group concentrations and in the lipid chain length. Specific vibrational features were detected as a function of the brain region. This work provided new insights into the biomolecular effects involved in FLASH-RT through FTIRM. Our results showed that beyond nucleic acid investigations, one should take into account other dose-rate responsive molecules such as proteins, as they might be key to understand FLASH effect