Correlation between PAL, medicarpin, phenol and flavonoid content in Medicago sativa L. at different growth stages

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is from Fabaceae family that has several flavonoid compound in roots and shoots. in alfalfa the major phytoalexin is medicarpin. In this study, total phenolic and flavonoid compounds and phenylalanin ammonia lyase (PAL) activity in different stages of development were measured. In this research the concentration of medicarpin by HPLC were studied in different stages of development. The lowest and highest level of the concentration of medicapin were in seedling stage and budding stage of growth, respectively. The results indicated that contents of total phenolic compounds and total flavonoid and PAL activity increase with developmental stage ,but decrease in flowering stage of growth

Diagnostic Accuracy of Cincinnati Pre-Hospital Stroke Scale

Introduction: Stroke is recognized as the third cause of mortality after cardiovascular and cancer diseases, so that lead to death of about 5 million people, annually. There are several scales to early prediction of at risk patients and decreasing the rate of mortality by transferring them to the stroke center. In the present study, the accuracy of Cincinnati pre-hospital stroke scale was assessed. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study done to assess accuracy of Cincinnati scale in prediction of stroke probability in patients referred to the emergency department of Poursina Hospital, Rasht, Iran, 2013 with neurologic symptoms. Three criteria of Cincinnati scale including facial droop, dysarthria, and upper extremity weakness as well as the final diagnosis of patients were gathered. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and likelihood ratios of Cincinnati scale were calculated using SPSS version 20. Results: 448 patients were assessed. The agreement rate of Cincinnati scale and final diagnosis was 0.483 ± 0.055 (p<0.0001). The sensitivity of 93.19% (95% Cl: 90.11-95.54), specificity of 51.85% (95% Cl: 40.47-63.10), positive predictive value of 89.76% (95% Cl: 86.27-92.62), negative predictive value of 62.69% (95% Cl: 55.52-72.45), positive likelihood ratio of 1.94% (95% Cl: 1.54-2.43), and negative likelihood ratio of 0.13% (95% Cl: 0.09-0.20) were calculated. Conclusion: It seems that pre-hospital Cincinnati scale can be an appropriate screening tool in prediction of stroke in patients with acute neurologic syndromes

A Comparative Analysis of Coverage in 17 Countries (2015-2018)

Six years after the so-called ‘refugee crisis’ in 2015, the European Union remains divided on questions of migration and asylum policy. The issue also remains high on the agendas of the USA and Russia, two other key destination countries with immigration from Latin America and the Post-Soviet space. This article presents results from a comparative study of news coverage in 17 countries, focusing on 10 EU member states in Western and Central Eastern Europe (CEE), the USA and Russia. The intensity of coverage was remarkably different, with Hungary’s and Germany’s media standing out while Russian media displayed relatively low levels of coverage. Individual migrants and refugees were most visible in the two outlets from the USA. Media in CEE countries tended towards a more critical approach than media in Western Europe. However, differences between most countries’ pairs of analyzed media outlets indicate a more pluralistic debate than frequently assumed

« The electromagnetic interference of mobile phones on the function of a gamma camera »

Purpose: The aim of the present study is to evaluate whether or not the electromagnetic field generated by mobile phones interferes with the function of a single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) gamma camera during data acquisition. Methods and materials: We tested the effects of seven models of mobile phones on one SPECT gamma camera. The mobile phones were tested when making a call, in ringing mode, and in standby mode. The gamma camera function was assessed during data acquisition from a planar source and a point source of technetium-99m with activities of 10 mCi and 3 mCi, respectively. A significant decrease in count number was considered to be electromagnetic interference (EMI). Results: The percentage of induced EMI with the gamma camera per mobile phone was in the range of 0–100%. The incidence of EMI was mainly observed in the first seconds of ringing and then mitigated in the following frames. Conclusion: Mobile phones are portable sources of electromagnetic radiation, and there is interference potential with the function of SPECT gamma cameras leading to adverse effects on the quality of the acquired images. Keywords: Electromagnetic interference (EMI), mobile phones, gamma camera, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND: Disorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021. METHODS: We estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined. FINDINGS: Globally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer. INTERPRETATION: As the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Structural relationships of horney\'s personality dimensions and resilience with addiction tendency in students

Background: Tendency to addiction as a social problem has various causes, which personality traits (psychological factor) and resilience (protective factor) are among the individual factors that play a role in the tendency to addiction. But research examining the propensity for addiction, horned personality traits, and resilience in a structural model has not yet been conducted. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the structural relationships between Horney's personality dimensions and resilience with addiction tendencies. Methods: The present study was a descriptive correlation and structural equation. The statistical population of the students of Tehran Azad University in the academic year 1399-1400, 387 people were selected by convenience sampling method and three-dimensional questionnaires of Horney-Kolich (2012), Connor-Davidson (2003) and Iranian Drug Addiction Readiness Scale (Zargar et al., 2008) responded. The obtained data were analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient and path analysis. Results: The results showed that the dimensions of obedient, aggressive, and distant personality and resilience with standard coefficients of 0.284, 0.324, 0.320, and -0.611, respectively, had a significant positive and negative effect on the tendency to consume substances. Also, resilience does not play a mediating role in the relationship between Horney's personality dimensions and addiction tendencies. Therefore, the hypothetical model was modified and the final model of the research was approved using fitness indicators. Conclusion: Therefore, it can be said that personality traits play a role in addiction tendency and may be effective in developing preventive interventions for addiction tendency

Event-driven Human Based Evolutionary Knowledge Base for Smart Buildings

This paper presents an approach to automatically create a knowledge base for smart buildings and let it dynamically evolve based on the behaviors of the occupants inside. Such a knowledge base compromises all life-style experiences and intelligent buildings. Accordingly, management decisions and control can be performed. To achieve the goal, an online learning algorithm is used which is designed to catch knowledge and generate rules from environmental sensing data and actuators states. Rules are fed to the system as fuzzified events. Applying such a learning approach to maintain the knowledge base, abstracts the complicated coordination between human, infrastructure components and static structures such as building floorplan and architecture

Towards the next generation of intelligent building: An assessment study of current automation and future IoT based systems with a proposal for transitional design

The intelligent building, a major smart city research and development domain, has grown beyond the scope of automation, currently focusing on the occupant centered approaches and the ancillary services offered to the power grid. The Internet of Things (IoT) introduced in the recent years are enabling those prospects. However, due to numerous legacy automation systems already in the construction market, the IoT based intelligent building approach is frequently challenged. This paper assesses the opportunities along with the criticism for a fully IoT enabled and controllable intelligent building against the well established, legacy automation systems in a fair and transparent approach. In the second part, it proposes an interoperable intelligent building design for the creation of advanced building managements schemes, by integrating the assets of current automation tools and the emerging innovations. This unification and the progressive phasing out of legacy technologies, would catalyze the market of intelligent buildings in the context of smart cities by not limiting their potential solely on new constructions and by mitigating the investment if legacy systems are already installed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved