Bioprospecting endophytic fungi for bioactive metabolites with seed germination promoting potentials.

There is an urgent need for new bioactive molecules with unique mechanisms of action and chemistry to address the issue of incorrect use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which hurts both the environment and the health of humans. In light of this, research was done for this work to isolate, identify, and evaluate the germination-promoting potential of various plant species' fungal endophytes. Zea mays L. (maize) seed germination was examined using spore suspension of 75 different endophytic strains that were identified. Three promising strains were identified through screening to possess the ability mentioned above. These strains Alternaria alternate, Aspergilus flavus, and Aspergillus terreus were isolated from the stem of Tecoma stans, Delonix regia, and Ricinus communis, respectively. The ability of the three endophytic fungal strains to produce siderophore and indole acetic acid (IAA) was also examined. Compared to both Aspergillus flavus as well as Aspergillus terreus, Alternaria alternata recorded the greatest rates of IAA, according to the data that was gathered. On CAS agar versus blue media, all three strains failed to produce siderophores. Moreover, the antioxidant and antifungal potentials of extracts from these fungi were tested against different plant pathogens. The obtained results indicated the antioxidant and antifungal activities of the three fungal strains. GC-Mass studies were carried out to determine the principal components in extracts of all three strains of fungi. The three strains' fungus extracts included both well-known and previously unidentified bioactive compounds. These results may aid in the development of novel plant growth promoters by suggesting three different fungal strains as sources of compounds that may improve seed germination. According to the study that has been given, as unexplored sources of bioactive compounds, fungal endophytes have great potential.

The comparative transcriptome analysis of two green super rice genotypes with varying tolerance to salt stress.

BACKGROUND: Salinity is one of the main abiotic factors that restrict plant growth, physiology, and crop productivity is salt stress. About 33% of the total irrigated land suffers from severe salinity because of intensive underground water extraction and irrigation with brackish water. Thus, it is important to understand the genetic mechanism and identify the novel genes involved in salt tolerance for the development of climate-resilient rice cultivars. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, two rice genotypes with varying tolerance to salt stress were used to investigate the differential expressed genes and molecular pathways to adapt under saline soil by comparative RNA sequencing at 42 days of the seedling stage. Salt-susceptible (S3) and -tolerant (S13) genotypes revealed 3982 and 3463 differentially expressed genes in S3 and S13 genotypes. The up-regulated genes in both genotypes were substantially enriched in different metabolic processes and binding activities. Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and plant signal transduction mechanisms were highly enriched. Salt-susceptible and -tolerant genotypes shared the same salt adaptability mechanism with no significant quantitative differences at the transcriptome level. Moreover, bHLH, ERF, NAC, WRKY, and MYB transcription factors were substantially up-regulated under salt stress. 391 out of 1806 identified novel genes involved in signal transduction mechanisms. Expression profiling of six novel genes further validated the findings from RNA-seq data. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the differentially expressed genes and molecular mechanisms involved in salt stress adaptation are conserved in both salt-susceptible and salt-tolerant rice genotypes. Further molecular characterization of novel genes will help to understand the genetic mechanism underlying salt tolerance in rice.

A Novel Binary Hybrid PSO-EO Algorithm for Cryptanalysis of Internal State of RC4 Cipher.

Cryptography protects privacy and confidentiality. So, it is necessary to guarantee that the ciphers used are secure and cryptanalysis-resistant. In this paper, a new state recovery attack against the RC4 stream cipher is revealed. A plaintext attack is used in which the attacker has both the plaintext and the ciphertext, so they can calculate the keystream and reveal the cipher's internal state. To increase the quality of answers to practical and recent real-world global optimization difficulties, researchers are increasingly combining two or more variations. PSO and EO are combined in a hybrid PSOEO in an uncertain environment. We may also convert this method to its binary form to cryptanalyze the internal state of the RC4 cipher. When solving the cryptanalysis issue with HBPSOEO, we discover that it is more accurate and quicker than utilizing both PSO and EO independently. Experiments reveal that our proposed fitness function, in combination with HBPSOEO, requires checking 104 possible internal states; however, brute force attacks require checking 2128 states.

Relationship between cellular communication network factor 1 (CCN1) and carotid atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND: The cellular communication network factor 1 (CCN1) is one of the matricellular proteins of the CCN family involved in chronic inflammatory disorders like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and involved in human atherosclerotic lesions. This study was aimed to assess the levels of serum CCN1 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), evaluating its relation to carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and predisposition to subclinical carotid atherosclerosis and its impact on activity of RA disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a case-control study that included 105 RA patients classified into active and inactive groups according to disease activity score (DAS28) with 50 healthy matched controls. Clinical and laboratory assessments were done including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) measurement of CCN1 with a bilateral assessment of CIMT using high resolutionultrasonography. Comparison of CCN1 between RA patients and controls, a correlation between CCN1, DAS28, swollen joint count (SJC), tender joint count (TJC), and CIMT were analyzed. RESULTS: There was significant elevation of CCN1 in RA patients compared to controls (235.62±62.5 vs. 73.11±18.2, respectively). The cut off value of CCN1 was 99.25 pg/ml, with an area under the curve (AUC) =0.995, p<0.001, 98 % sensitivity and 95% specificity. CCN1 was inversely correlated with DAS28 and its components in both active and inactive RA patients (r=- 0.92, r=- 0.94, p<0.001). CCN1 was inversely correlated with SJC (r= -0.64, r= - 0.67, p<0.001), TJC (r=- 0.56, r= - 0.63, p<0.001), and with Larsen xray score (r=- 0.68, r= - 0.78, p<0.001) in both active and inactive RA patients, respectively. The CCN1 levels in active RA patients were significantly lower than that in patients with low disease activity. A significant positive correlation between CCN1 levels and CIMT in RA patient groups (r=0.88, r=0.47, p<0.001, respectively) was found. CONCLUSION: Serum CCN1 could be a helpful biomarker in the diagnosis of RA, associated with RA remission. Disruption of serum CCN1 is engaged in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in RA patients which could be a clue for a future treatment strategy of atherosclerosis in RA by controlling CCN1 disruption. Regular follow-up of RA patients is recommended for early detection of subclinical atherosclerosis. New research ideas for controlling CCN1 disruption as new aspects of atherosclerosis treatment in RA patients are needed.

Considerations for Dose Selection and Clinical Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics for the Development of Antibacterial Agents.

In June 2017, The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, organized a workshop entitled "Pharmacokinetics-Pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) for Development of Therapeutics against Bacterial Pathogens" to discuss details and critical parameters of various PK/PD methods and identify approaches for linking human pharmacokinetic (PK) data and drug efficacy analyses. The workshop participants included individuals from academia, industry, and government. This and the accompanying minireview on nonclinical PK/PD summarize the workshop discussions and recommendations. It is important to consider how information like PK/PD can support the clinical effectiveness of new antibacterial drugs, as PK/PD data have become central to antibacterial drug development programs. Key clinical considerations for antibacterial dose selection and clinical PK/PD characterization discussed in this minireview include a robust assessment of PK in the patient population of interest, critical considerations for assessing drug penetration in the lung for the treatment of pneumonia, and an emphasis on special populations, including patients with renal impairment and augmented renal function, as well as on dosing in obese and pediatric patients. Successful application of such approaches is now used to provide a more informative drug development package to support the approval of new antibiotics.

Micro-CT evaluation of sonically and ultrasonically activated irrigation on the removal of hard-tissue debris from isthmus-containing mesial root canal systems of mandibular molars.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of sonically and ultrasonically activated irrigation on removal of accumulated hard-tissue debris (AHTD) in mesial root canal systems of mandibular molars using micro-computed tomographic (micro-CT) analysis. METHODOLOGY: Forty mesial roots of mandibular molars with two independent canals joined apically by an isthmus (Vertucci type II) were selected. The root canals were instrumented using Reciproc R25 instruments, and specimens were scanned at a resolution of 10.5 µm. Subsequently, n = 10 roots were assigned to each of the four final irrigation groups such that the group means and variances were almost identical: sonically activated irrigation with EndoActivator (EA) or EDDY (ED), ultrasonically activated irrigation (UAI) and manual irrigation without activation (MI). The final irrigation procedures were performed using a total of 5 mL 1% NaOCl and 5 mL 15% EDTA per canal over 5 min with activation time of 4 × 20 s. Reconstructed data sets were coregistered, and the mean percentage reduction of AHTD after final irrigation was compared statistically between groups using analysis of variance at a significance level set at 5%. RESULTS: A significant reduction of AHTD was achieved after final irrigation in all groups (P < 0.05), ranging from 44.1% to 66.8%. The vol% of debris after irrigation was 3.7 ± 1.9% for EA, 3.3 ± 2.3% for ED, 2.1 ± 1.6% for UAI and 4.4 ± 2.3% for MI, with no significant difference between groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: None of the final irrigation protocols completely removed AHTD from mesial root canal systems in extracted human mandibular molars. Sonically and ultrasonically activated irrigation performed no better compared to manual irrigation.

Network geometry of evidence from randomised controlled trials addressing donor selection and source of haematopoietic progenitor cells used in allogeneic transplantation: a systematic scoping review.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: A scoping review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) addressing source of cells and choice of donor for allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) was performed to create a network of best evidence that allows us to identify new potential indirect comparisons for the strategic development of future studies that connect to the existing evidence network. RESULTS: A total of 19 eligible RCTs (2589 total patients) were identified. Nine studies (1566 patients) compared clinical outcomes following the use of peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPCs) with bone marrow (BM) from matched related donors (eight studies) or matched unrelated donors (one study). The remaining studies compared BM or PBPCs with various methods of BM stimulation or manipulation (six studies), compared different methods of surface molecule-based selection and/or depletion of grafts (two studies) or compared the optimal number of units for paediatric cord blood transplantation (two studies). No published RCTs compared different types of donors. The geometry of the evidence network was analysed to identify opportunities for potential novel indirect comparisons and to identify opportunities to expand the network. Few indirect comparisons are currently feasible due to small sample size and heterogeneity in patient diagnoses and demographics between treatment nodes in the network. CONCLUSION: More RCTs that enrol greater numbers of similar patients are needed to leverage the current evidence network concerning donor choice and source of cells used in allogeneic HCT.

Norepinephrine infusion improves haemodynamics in the preterm infants during septic shock.

AIM: This study evaluated the clinical and haemodynamic effects of norepinephrine infusion in preterm infants. METHODS: The effects of norepinephrine therapy for refractory hypotension were evaluated in preterm infants between April 2009 and April 2011 at the neonatal intensive care unit of Sainte-Justine Hospital, Montreal, Quebec. Changes in haemodynamics and clinical parameters were analysed eight hours before and eight hours after the start of norepinephrine infusion, and eight hours after its cessation. RESULTS: During the study, 30 preterm infants at a mean gestational age of 26.5 ± 2.6 weeks (median: 25.7, 23.4-34) and birthweight of 903 ± 437 g (median 827, 450-2550) received norepinephrine infusion for neonatal septic shock. After eight hours of treatment, mean blood pressure, urine output and FiO2 significantly improved. Eight hours after cessation of norepinephrine infusion, the number of patients treated with other inotropes decreased significantly, 24 patients (80%) had normal mean blood pressure and 27 patients (90%) had normal urine output. CONCLUSION: Norepinephrine therapy could be considered to improve blood pressure and urine output during neonatal septic shock in preterm infants. Further studies are needed to prove the efficacy and safety of norepinephrine infusion in neonates.

Effectiveness of nickel-titanium springs vs elastomeric chains in orthodontic space closure: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this study is to explore the effectiveness of nickel titanium closing springs (NiTi-CS) and elastomeric power chains (EPC) in orthodontic space closure and to assess the adverse periodontal effects, cost efficiency and patient-centred outcomes between both of these methods. METHODS: An electronic search of online databases (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, LILACS and Web of Science), reference lists and grey literature as well as hand search were conducted without language restriction up to November/2017. Two authors blindly and in duplicate were involved in study selection, quality assessment and the extraction of data. Only randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were included. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool. 95% confidence intervals and mean difference for continuous data were calculated. A meta-analysis that generated a random-effect model for the comparable outcomes was conducted, and heterogeneity was measured using I2 statistic. RESULTS: Of 187 records, 4 RCTs met the criteria and were included in the quantitative synthesis featuring 290 test quadrants. Faster space closure with NiTi-CS was observed with a mean difference of (0.20 mm/month, 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.28). Loss of anchorage appears to be similar within both groups when synthesized qualitatively. With exception to anchorage loss, secondary outcomes could not be investigated in the included trials. CONCLUSIONS: There is a moderate quality of evidence suggesting a faster orthodontic space closure with the NiTi-CS when compared to EPC. A comparable amount of anchorage loss was observed regardless of the utilized method of space closure. Further high-quality RCTs with parallel-groups, reporting on the adverse effects and patient-centred values, are recommended.

Efficacy of the ProTaper retreatment system in removing Thermafil, GuttaCore or vertically compacted gutta-percha from curved root canals assessed by micro-CT.

AIM: To evaluate ex vivo the efficacy of ProTaper Universal Retreatment files (Dentsply Sirona, Ballaigues, Switzerland) in removing Thermafil, GuttaCore (both Dentsply Sirona) or vertically compacted gutta-percha from curved root canals using micro-CT. METHODOLOGY: Sixty curved molar roots with the same mean canal curvatures and radii in two directions were prepared using ProFile instruments (Dentsply Sirona) to size 30 with .04 taper and obturated with either Thermafil, GuttaCore or vertically compacted gutta-percha and AH Plus (n = 20). Specimens were retreated using the ProTaper Universal Retreatment files D1, D2 and D3 to working length, and root canal preparation was completed with ProTaper Next (Dentsply Sirona) to size ×4. Percentages of residual filling material and dentine removal were assessed using micro-CT imaging. Working time and procedural errors were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon tests. RESULTS: No significant differences between carrier-based and warm vertical compaction regarding residual filling material (14.2-19.3%) and dentine removal (2.7-3.2 mm3 ) were detected (P > 0.05). Time to reach working length was significantly faster for canals filled with GuttaCore than that observed for Thermafil and warm vertical compaction (P < 0.05). Five lateral perforations with the D3 file occurred during retreatment, one in the Thermafil and four in the vertical compaction group. CONCLUSIONS: Remaining filling material and dentine removal were similar for all canal filling techniques. Regaining working length was significantly faster for GuttaCore compared with Thermafil and vertically compacted gutta-percha. Procedural errors occurred during retreatment of severely curved root canals with the ProTaper Universal Retreatment files in 5 of 60 canals (8%).

Moisture content of root canal dentine affects detection of microcracks using micro-computed tomography.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of moisture content in root canal dentine on detection of microcracks using micro-computed tomography. METHODOLOGY: Ten roots with and without craze lines or cracks (each n = 5) were selected and scanned six times with different moisture conditions of root dentine using a micro-CT scanner at a high resolution of 10.5 µm. Scanning conditions were as follows: (i) after 30-day wet storage, (ii) after 2-h dry time, (iii) after 48-h wet storage, (iv) after 24-h dry time, (v) after 48-h wet storage, (vi) after 2-h dry time. From each scan, cross-sectional images were obtained at intervals of 1 mm (total n = 708) and evaluated for the presence of dentinal microcracks twice by five calibrated blinded observers. Statistical analysis was performed by nonparametric analysis of variance for longitudinal data (P < 0.05). RESULTS: Intra-rater percentage agreement ranged between 92% and 98%, whereas inter-rater percentage agreement was 81% and 83%, respectively. No significant differences between all wet groups as well as between both groups with 2-h dry time were detected (P > 0.05). Almost no cracks were observed after wet storage with a significant increase of cracks after 2-h dry time (P < 0.001). Significantly more microcracks were identified after 24 h than after 2-h dry time (P < 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Moisture content of dentine influenced detection of microcracks when evaluated using micro-CT. Scanning should be performed on dried specimens to allow reliable identification of dentinal defects. Formation of new cracks during dry periods up to 24 h was disproved.

Optimizing AVR system performance via a novel cascaded RPIDD2-FOPI controller and QWGBO approach.

Maintaining stable voltage levels is essential for power systems' efficiency and reliability. Voltage fluctuations during load changes can lead to equipment damage and costly disruptions. Automatic voltage regulators (AVRs) are traditionally used to address this issue, regulating generator terminal voltage. Despite progress in control methodologies, challenges persist, including robustness and response time limitations. Therefore, this study introduces a novel approach to AVR control, aiming to enhance robustness and efficiency. A custom optimizer, the quadratic wavelet-enhanced gradient-based optimization (QWGBO) algorithm, is developed. QWGBO refines the gradient-based optimization (GBO) by introducing exploration and exploitation improvements. The algorithm integrates quadratic interpolation mutation and wavelet mutation strategy to enhance search efficiency. Extensive tests using benchmark functions demonstrate the QWGBO's effectiveness in optimization. Comparative assessments against existing optimization algorithms and recent techniques confirm QWGBO's superior performance. In AVR control, QWGBO is coupled with a cascaded real proportional-integral-derivative with second order derivative (RPIDD2) and fractional-order proportional-integral (FOPI) controller, aiming for precision, stability, and quick response. The algorithm's performance is verified through rigorous simulations, emphasizing its effectiveness in optimizing complex engineering problems. Comparative analyses highlight QWGBO's superiority over existing algorithms, positioning it as a promising solution for optimizing power system control and contributing to the advancement of robust and efficient power systems.

Comparative HPTLC study for simultaneous determination of ivabradine and metoprolol using UV and fluorescence detectors.

New, simple, accurate, sensitive and validated high performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method coupled with UV absorbance mode and fluorescence (FL) detectors which were used for simultaneous determination of ivabradine (IVA) and metoprolol (MET) in their bulk and pharmaceutical dosage form using TLC silica 60 F254 plates and non-fluorescent TLC silica gel 60 plates. The developing system was chloroform: methanol: formic acid: ammonia (8.5:1.5:0.2:0.1, v/v). Desnitometric analysis in UV absorbance mode was set at λ = 275 nm. While, fluorescence mode was performed with excitation at 260 nm for quantitative simultaneous determination of IVA and MET using optical filter K320. The retention factors values were 0.45 ± 0.05 and 0.89 ± 0.01 of IVA and MET, respectively. UV absorbance mode, linearity was 50.0-600.0 ng/band for IVA and 50.0-900.0 ng/band for MET. For fluorescence mode, the linearity ranges were 18.0-400.0 ng/band and 50.0-550.0 ng/band for IVA and MET; respectively. ICH guidelines were followed in respect to linearity and range, accuracy, precision and selectivity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ) and robustness. The analytical eco-scale, green analytical procedure index (GAPI) and analytical greenness metric tools were used to assess the suggested method. The quantitative proposed method results showed there was no statistically significant difference at 95% confidence when compared to the reported method of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

A hybrid equilibrium algorithm and pattern search technique for wind farm layout optimization problem.

The layout optimization-based model is a significant issue for increasing the utilization rate of the wind farm and minimizing its cost per unit of power. For the accurate and reliable wind farm layout optimization design, a novel algorithm based on the hybridization of equilibrium optimizer (EO) and pattern search (PS) technique, named EO-PS, is proposed in this paper. The proposed EO-PS operates in two phases. The first phase implements the EO to explore the search space and reach the promising regions by using an equilibrium pool of elite particles, which contributes to maintaining the diversity of solutions. The second phase integrates the PS to guide the searching towards better vicinities and achieve a high-quality solution by using its detecting and pattern movements to boost the exploitation ability of the proposed method in the last steps. The presented EO-PS algorithm is implemented to deal with single and multi-objective optimization aspects of wind farm layout optimization using different wind speed scenarios. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm is investigated on irregular land space in the Gulf of Suez-Red Sea in Egypt to achieve the optimal layout configuration of the wind farm, which is vital for possible practical planning trends. The comprehensive results and analyses have affirmed that the proposed EO-PS can achieve competitive performance compared to the other state-of-the-state methods, especially in terms of the solution' quality and reliability.

Capturing patient reported outcomes and quality of life in routine clinical practice: ready for prime time?

AIM: Aim of the present study was to assess the feasibility of using internet-tablets to capture patient reported outcomes (PRO) questionnaire in a busy gastroenterology clinic, and determine predictors of questionnaire completion. PRO and quality of life instruments are extensively used to estimate the burden of disease and as end-points in clinical trials. However, their collection by paper can be costly, prone to human errors, and inefficient. We hypothesized that the majority of patients, irrespective of age, gender or ethnicity, will be able to complete PRO questionnaires on Internet tablets in a timely manner with good levels of satisfaction. METHODS: Internet-enabled tablets were used to collect PRO, and summative scores of quality of life provided to physicians. Predictors of completion were first assessed univariately and then by multivariate analysis using automated stepwise selection method on 1,000 bootstrap samples. Patient satisfaction was assessed using 5 item Likert-like scale. RESULTS: During the 12 week period, 1625 patient visits (mean age 49.8 ± 14.3 years, females 55.2% and Whites 82.5%) entered PRO data into tablets, of which 1396 (85.9%) visits had complete response. Average completion time of PRO questionnaire was less than 10 minutes (9.3 minutes ± 7.0). Majority of the patients found tablets easy to use (69.7%) and preferred it over paper-based questionnaires (70.8%). Multivariate analysis showed that subjects who were white Caucasians (odds ratio [OR] 1.9; P=0.004), had higher Cleveland Clinic Global Quality of Life (OR 2.2; P=0.027), or had either IBD or liver disease, were more likely to complete questionnaire (OR 4.0; P=0.001). CONCLUSION: Collection of PROs in gastroenterology clinics using internet-tablets is feasible without any additional overhead, and with good levels of patient satisfaction and completion rates.

Spectrofluorimetric and stability-indicating thin layer chromatographic methods for determination of cabergoline, a prolactin inhibitor in pharmaceuticals.

Simple, Economic, and selective spectrofluorimetric and stability-indicating thin layer chromatographic (TLC) with fluorescence detection methods were developed for the determination of Cabergoline, a potent prolactin inhibitor, and long-acting dopamine receptor agonist, in bulk drug and pharmaceutical dosage forms based on its native fluorescence. Method A was based on measuring the fluorescence intensity at 338 nm after excitation at 280 nm. The measured fluorescence was directly proportional to the concentration of the drug over the range of 50.0-450.0 ng/mL with a limit of detection of 14.4 and a limit of quantification of 43.7 ng/mL. The TLC method (method B) was employed on TLC silica gel 60 F254 aluminum sheets previously exposed to concentrated (30-34 %) hydrochloric acid vapor. Ethyl acetate: n-hexane: diethylamine system with a ratio of (10: 3: 1, v/v/v) developing system was used. The retention factor (Rf) of Cabergoline was 0.58 ± 0.03. Linearity was found to be in the range of 100.0-1500.0 ng/band. The LOD and LOQ were 25.4 and 76.9 ng/band, respectively. The methods were validated successfully according to ICH guidelines.

Chaos-opposition-enhanced slime mould algorithm for minimizing the cost of energy for the wind turbines on high-altitude sites.

This paper presents a chaos-opposition-enhanced slime mould algorithm (CO-SMA) to minimize energy (COE) cost for the wind turbines on high-altitude sites. The COE model is established based on rotor radius, rated power, and hub height needed to achieve an optimal design model. In this context, an improved variant of SMA, named CO-SMA, is proposed based on a chaotic search strategy (CSS) and crossover-opposition strategy (COS) to cope with the potential weaknesses classical SMA while dealing with nonlinear tasks. First, the COS is introduced to enhance the diversity of solutions and thus improves the exploratory tendencies. The CSS is incorporated into the basic SMA to improve the exploitative abilities and thus avoids the premature convergence dilemma. The proposed CO-SMA is validated on the design of wind turbines with high-altitude sites. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis based on the Taguchi method is developed to exhibit the impact of the COE model's optimized parameters. The influence of uncertainty based on the fuzziness scheme of wind resource statistics is also explored to depict a real scheme for the changes that occurred by seasonal time, atmospheric conditions, and topographic conditions. The proposed CO-SMA is compared with the PSO, WOA, GWO, MDWA, and SMA, where the COE values are recorded as 0.052408, 0.052462, 0.052435, 0.052409, 0.052413, and 0.052915, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed CO-SMA records the faster convergence than the others. On the other hand, the Taguchi method reveals that the rated power is the most significant parameter on the COE model. Also, the impact of the fuzziness scheme on COE is exhibited, where the increasing interval of vagueness can increase the value of COE.

Material properties and bioactivity of a resin infiltrant functionalized with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of methacrylate polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS-8) on various material properties and mineral precipitation potential of a resin infiltrant. METHODS: A TEGDMA-based resin infiltrant was mixed with 0.5, 1, 3, 5 or 10 wt% POSS-8 or left unchanged (control). Degree of conversion (DC), water sorption (WS), viscosity, elastic modulus (E-modulus), flexural strength (FS), Knoop microhardness (KHN) and softening ratio (SR) were assessed. Growth of calcium phosphate (Ca/P) precipitates infiltrant-treated bovine enamel and dentin specimens immersed in artificial saliva or artificial dentinal fluid, respectively, for 28 days was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. For viscosity assessment, pure TEGDMA filled with 0-10 wt% POSS-8 was used. Statistical analyses were performed using ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc tests (p < 0.05). RESULTS: POSS-8 did not change the flexural strength, water sorption and softening ratio. The apparent degree of conversion was increased at lower concentrations only while E-modulus remained constant in almost all groups. The particles led to a slight decrease of KHN at concentrations below 3%. The effect on viscosity is comparable to the reinforcement effect. Ca/P precipitates formed on dentin specimens treated with POSS-8-filled infiltrant after 4 weeks of immersion, but were not detected on the control infiltrant. The mineral precipitation on enamel was not improved by POSS-8. SIGNIFICANCE: POSS-8 particles did not worsen the material properties of the resin infiltrant, while the Ca/P precipitation on dentin was stimulated.

Effects of acute low doses of gamma-radiation on erythrocytes membrane.

It is believed that any dose of ionizing radiation may damage cells and that the mutated cells could develop into cancer cells. Additionally, results of research performed over the past century on the effects of low doses of ionizing radiation on biological organisms show beneficial health effects, called hormesis. Much less is known about the cellular response to low doses of ionizing radiation, such as those typical for medical diagnostic procedures, normal occupational exposures or cosmic-ray exposures at flight altitudes. Extrapolating from the effects observed at higher doses to predict changes in cells after low-dose exposure is problematic. We examined the biological effects of low doses (0.01-0.3 Gy) of γ-radiation on the membrane characteristics of erythrocytes of albino rats and carried out osmotic fragility tests and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Our results indicate that the lowest three doses in the investigated radiation range, i.e., 0.01, 0.025 and 0.05 Gy, resulted in positive effects on the erythrocyte membranes, while a dose of 0.1 Gy appeared to represent the limiting threshold dose of those positive effects. Doses higher than 0.1 Gy were associated with the denaturation of erythrocyte proteins.

Two Epidemics and a Pandemic: The Collision of Prescription Drug Misuse and Racism during COVID-19.

The present study investigated the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and prescription drug misuse (PDM) among Asian, Black, and Latinx Americans during the COVID-19 crisis. U.S. racial/ethnic minorities may have been uniquely affected by two national and one global pandemic: the opioid crisis, racism, and COVID-19. Opioid death rates increased among many groups prior to the pandemic. This country witnessed an increase in racialized acts against people of color across the spectrum in the spring and summer months of the world's COVID-19 outbreak. While studies have shown a clear link between perceived racial discrimination and substance abuse outside of the global pandemic, no identified studies have done so against the backdrop of a global health pandemic. Separate hierarchical regressions revealed a significant association between perceived racial discrimination and PDM for Black Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinx individuals. Findings build on the scant literature on PDM in diverse samples and establish a relationship between perceived racial discrimination and PDM, as previously identified for other abused substances. Future post-pandemic substance misuse interventions should consider the influence of perceived racial discrimination as they help individuals recover from the aftermath of this stressful trifecta.