Rationale, aims, and objectives: Management of pregnant women with sickle cell disease (SCD) represents a challenge to maternal healthcare services due to its potential complications with associated morbidity and mortality. Trustworthy evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have a major impact on supporting appropriate healthcare positive outcomes. The objective of this study was to critically appraise the quality of recent CPGs for SCD in pregnancy. Methods: We identified clinical questions and eligibility criteria, searched, and screened for CPGs using CPG databases, DynaMed, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Each included CPG was appraised by four independent appraisers using the Appraisal of Guidelines for REsearch & Evaluation II (AGREE-II) instrument. An additional inter-rater analysis was conducted. Results: Four eligible CPGs were appraised: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG); National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE); and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). The AGREE-II standardized domain scores revealed variation between the quality of these CPGs. Overall, the recommendations were not significantly different between these four CPGs. Conclusions: In recent years, there has been an improvement in the reporting of CPG development methodology. CPG development working groups should aim to adhere to the AGREE II criteria to improve the standards and quality of CPGs. RCOG followed by NHLBI CPGs showed the highest quality and were strongly recommended. We recommend incorporating AGREE-II appraisal of CPGs in the education of obstetricians, gynecologists and hematologists to guide their selection of CPGs for their daily practice.

La produzione energetica attraverso fonti rinnovabili come acqua, vento e sole, sembra essere una soluzione sempre più concreta per ridurre le varie problematiche arrecate all’ambiente, attraverso l'utilizzo di risorse non rinnovabili quali gas, petrolio, carbone e nucleare.  Questa esigenza nasce per via di molteplici fattori quali : carenza di combustibili fossili, crisi petrolifera globale ed impatti ambientali che hanno prodotto diverse problematiche, quale incremento di effetto serra e surriscaldamento globale. L’analisi proposta pone la sua attenzione nel mettere a confronto sette diverse tipologie di impianti e di effettuare una valutazione che conduca alla soluzione che meglio rispetta lo scenario ambientale preesistente. Il metodo utilizzato è quello AHP, basato sulla valutazione del ciclo di vita della tipologia di impianto, al fine di comprenderne la variabilità in base a diversi criteri selezionati. L'obiettivo è quello di scegliere la miglior proposta e di ottenere quella più ecosostenibile, al fine di incentivare i portatori d'interesse ad adottare misure alternative da utilizzare nel campo della produzione energetica, informare e sensibilizzare l'opinione pubblica su quali possono essere i possibili miglioramenti e quindi per aprire uno scenario futuro nell'ottica della sostenibilità e di conseguenza della compatibilità ambientale. 

This paper presents a logarithmic barrier method without line search for solving linear programming problem. The descent direction is the classical Newton's one. However, the displacement step is determined by a simple and efficient technique based on the notion of the minorant function approximating the barrier function. Numerical tests show the efficiency of this approach versus classical line search methods.

The article deals with the correct solvability of some dierential equations in two-dimensional weighted Stepanov spaces. The solution is sought by methods of semigroup theory and related methods using fractional powers of operators. The results of the paper are important for the theory of dierential equations in Stepanov's spaces. Also they are important and form a basis for computational methods for dierential equations considered based on explicit integral representations for solutions. The results are obtained using ideas of S.G.Krein on fractional powers of operators in Banach spaces.

Abstract. In this work we consider the hyponormality of Toeplitz operators on the Bergman space of the annulus with a logarithmic weight. We give necessary conditions when the symbol is of the form ψ + φ where ψ and φ are analytic on the annulus {z ∈ C,1/2 < |z| < 1} .

For having adapted to the various national spectral regulatory authorities, it is preferred to have a design of antenna that can be easily modified to be compatible with the different requirements. To fulfill the demand, a double-sided bowtie antenna operating within K and Ku band is investigated in this project. This antenna consists of two modified bow-tie structures patched on opposite sides of the substrate, where the lower one acts as a ground plane. It is composed on TSM- DS3M substrate and has dimensions of 17.8 x 14.2 x 0.51 mm3. The partial ground plan shows significant effects on antenna characteristics such as radiation pattern and bandwidth. This model can also work for different wideband technology because the percentage bandwidth can be easily switched from 26.995% to 71.84% by changing the length of the partial ground plane. Overall system performance of this model is improved by investigating different array configurations. Four and eight elements array have been designed in this research. The output characteristics of the array, such as radiation pattern, return loss, and peak realized gain are studied along with the single antenna parameters.

Populations rely on phenotypic plasticity and rapid evolutionary responses to adapt to novel environmental conditions. Because of the lack of compelling evidence from natural populations, controversy remains about the interplay between ancestral plasticity and rapid evolution in driving responses to new stressors. We studied this at the level of metabolome in a resurrected natural population of the water flea Daphnia magna that underwent an increase followed by a reduction in predation pressure within ~16 years. Both the constitutive and plastic components of the metabolic profiles showed rapid adaptive evolution. Ancestral plasticity and evolution contributed nearly equally to the total changes of the metabolomes during both transitions. The metabolites with higher ancestral plasticity showed stronger evolution of plasticity when the predation pressure increased, while this pattern reversed when the predation pressure relaxed. Our results therefore highlight adaptive evolution in response to a new selection pressure in this natural population magnified the metabolomic plasticity to this stressor.

Response surface methodology was applied as a valuable tool for the optimization of the extraction of tocopherols from palm fatty acid distillate. The extraction procedure and experimental set-up improved the yield of total tocopherol from an initial value of 0.39% to 4.67%. It was found that extraction by enzymatic hydrolysis followed by neutralization increased the yield of total tocopherol from palm fatty acid distillate. In the optimisation approach, the central composite design was employed as a means of experimental set-up, as analysis of variance and several correlation functions were statistical tools applied in the optimisation of process conditions of enzymatic hydrolysis of palm fatty acid distillate. Water weight of 60.604 %(v/w), lipase weight of 7.130 %(w/w) and reaction time of 2.713 hrs gave the best (at optimized state) experimental protocol for the enzymatic hydrolysis PFAD in terms of yield of total tocopherol (as vitamin E) with a desirability of unity.

With increase in human population, waste generation has also increased. Effective disposal of these wastes has been a problem, it is in this light that economic use of these waste such as rice husk has been in the fore-burner. Combustion of rice husk produces rice husk ash (RHA), a pozollanic material, which can be effectively used in partial replacement of the expensive cement in soil stabilization. Also, since carrying out of fundamental tests such as California bearing ratio (CBR) in road construction is time consuming, thus, resulting to reduced efficiency, developing of credible models such as the Artificial neural network (ANN) becomes imperative. In going about this, the soil sample was subjected to preliminary tests, such as; particle size distribution, atterbergs limits and specific gravity tests for purpose of classification. Thereafter, cement at varying proportions of 0-12% at 2% intervals was mixed with RHA in proportions of 0-16% at 2% intervals. The mixes at each stage was subjected to compaction, atterberg limits and CBR tests. The laboratory results served as inputs in developing the ANN model, which predicted both soaked and the unsoaked CBR results. The feed forward neural network with Levenberg-Marquardt back propagation ANN model of MATLAB training was employed to determine the best model. It can therefore be concluded that the ANN models developed can adequately predict the CBR values of cement-treated A-7-5 soil stabilized Rice husk ash (RHA).

Allostery governing two conformational states is one of the proposed mechanisms for catch-bond behavior in adhesion proteins. In FimH, a catch-bond protein expressed by pathogenic bacteria, separation of two domains disrupts inhibition by the pili domain. Thus, tensile force can induce a conformational change in the lectin domain, from an inactive state to an active state with high affinity. To better understand allosteric inhibition in two-domain FimH (H2 inactive), we use molecular dynamics simulations to study the lectin domain alone, which has high affinity (HL active), and also the lectin domain stabilized in the low-affinity conformation by an Arg-60-Pro mutation (HL mutant). Because ligand-binding induces an allostery-like conformational change in HL mutant, this more experimentally tractable version has been proposed as a “minimal model” for FimH. We find that HL mutant has larger backbone fluctuations than both H2 inactive and HL active, at the binding pocket and allosteric interdomain region. We use an internal coordinate system of dihedral angles to identify protein regions with differences in backbone and sidechain dynamics beyond the putative allosteric pathway sites. By characterizing HL mutant dynamics for the first time, we provide additional insight into the transmission of allosteric information across the lectin domain and build upon structural and thermodynamic data in the literature to further support the use of HL mutant as a “minimal model.” Understanding how to alter protein dynamics to prevent the allosteric conformational change may guide drug development to prevent infection by blocking FimH adhesion.

Although photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective, minimally-invasive therapeutic modality with advantages in highly localized and specific tumor treatments, large and deep-seated cancers within the body cannot be successfully treated due to low transparency to visible light. To improve the therapeutic efficiency of tumor treatment in deep tissue and reduce the side effects in normal tissue, this study developed a near-infrared (NIR)-triggered upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP)-based photosensitizer (PS) carrier as a novel theranostics system. The NaYF4:Yb/Er UCNPs were synthesized by a hydrothermal method, producing uniformly small size (≈20 nm) nanoparticles and crystalline morphology of the hexagonal phase. These UCNPs were modified with folic acid-conjugated biocompatible block copolymers through a bidentate dihydrolipoic acid linker. The polymer modified hexagonal phase UCNPs (FA-PEAH-UCNPs) showed an improved dispersibility in the aqueous solution and strong NIR-to-vis upconversion fluorescence. The hydrophobic PS, pheophorbide a (Pha), was then conjugated to the stable vectors through a pH-sensitive linkage. Moreover, these UCNP-based Pha carriers containing tumor targeting folic acid ligands exhibited the significantly enhanced cellular uptake efficiency as well as PDT treatment efficiency. These results suggested that this system could extend the excitation wavelength of PDT to the NIR region and effectively improve therapeutic efficiency of PSs.

The biodiverse Neotropical ecoregion remains insufficiently assessed, poorly managed, and threatened by unregulated human activities. Novel, rapid and cost-effective DNA-based approaches are valuable to improve understanding of the biological communities and for biomonitoring in remote areas. Here, we evaluate the potential of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding for assessing the structure and distribution of fish communities by analysing sediments and water from 11 locations along the Jequitinhonha River catchment (Brazil). Each site was sampled twice, before and after a major rain event in a five-week period and fish diversity was estimated using high-through-put sequencing of 12S rRNA amplicons. In total, 252 Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) and 34 fish species were recovered, including endemic, introduced, and previously unrecorded species for this basin. Spatio-temporal variation of fish assemblages was detected, richness during the first campaign was nearly twice as high as in the second sampling round; though peaks of diversity were primarily associated with only four locations. No correlation between β-diversity and longitudinal distance or presence of dams was detected, but low species richness observed at sites located near dams indicates that these anthropogenic barriers might have an impact on local fish diversity. Unexpectedly high α-diversity levels recorded at the river mouth suggest that these sections should be further evaluated as putative “eDNA reservoirs” for rapid monitoring. By uncovering spatio-temporal changes, unrecorded biodiversity components, and putative anthropogenic impacts on fish assemblages, we further strengthen the potential of eDNA metabarcoding as a biomonitoring tool, especially in regions often neglected or difficult to access.

The study examined the noise levels in selected areas within Akure Metropolis, Nigeria with a view to generate noise maps using ArcGIS which will help to identify high impact areas and support environmental management in the study area. Some selected areas within Akure metropolis were selected for this study namely; Oja-oba Market (commercial Land use), Ijoka (Residential land use), and the Federal University of Technology, Akure (Futa as an Educational Land Use). The digital sound level meter (IEC651 Type 2) was used to measure noise level in the morning (8:00am-9:00am), afternoon (1:00pm-2:00pm) and evening (4:00pm-5:00pm) for a period of 7days in each of the selected areas. The compiled data were imported into the ArcGIS 10.5 Software for analysis and geo-referencing whereby transforming the data and presenting it on noise contour maps. The study revealed that Sunday bus stop has the highest mean noise level with 64.3 decibel (A) while the lowest noise level was found in Olowookere street with 38.1 dB(A) for the Residential area. Ijomu recorded the highest noise level with 78.6 dB(A) and Erekesan market has the lowest noise level of 61.5 dB(A) for the commercial area. Finally, Northgate has the highest noise level, which recorded 76.3 dB(A) and the lowest noise level was recorded at Library area with 41.0 dB(A) for the Institutional area. 80% of the commercial area is exposed to the highest risk of noise pollution. The residential area was exposed to 18.7% noise pollution which makes the area suitable for housing. The institutional land use recorded 36.6% for total area exposed to noise pollution. This research has provided valuable information for decision makers as a guidance for noise pollution risk management and serve as a reference for future noise limit regulations to be executed in urban areas of Nigeria and other developing countries

Sugars will eventually be exported transporters (SWEET) are involved in plant biological processes. CsSWEET1a and CsSWEET17, were found to be induced by cold acclimation in Camellia sinensis. Particularly, CsSWEET17 was differentially alternatively spliced and its inclusion/exclusion ratio was higher in the cold-resistant cultivar than in the cold-susceptible cultivars. Both CsSWEET1a and CsSWEET17 were located in the plasma membrane, and their interaction was confirmed using yeast two-hybrid and biomolecular fluorescence complementation. The C-terminal of the CsSWEET17, which was different from AtSWEET17, did not affect its plasma membrane localization but promoted its sugar transport activities. Overexpression (OE) of CsSWEET1a and CsSWEET17 resulted in an increased uptake of sugars in Arabidopsis, affecting plant germination and growth. The leaf and seed size of CsSWEET17-OE lines were significantly bigger than wild-type. Moreover, OE of CsSWEET1a and CsSWEET17 significantly reduced the relative electrolyte leakage levels under cold stress. Compared with those in wild-type, the expressions of AtCWINV genes were suppressed in both CsSWEET1a-OE and CsSWEET17-OE lines, indicating the alteration of sugar contents in the cell wall of OE lines. Our results suggest that CsSWEET1a and CsSWEET17 form homo/heterodimers in the plasma membrane to import sugars into the cytoplasm, thereby regulating plant growth and cold tolerance.

Geo-environmental hazards associated with abandoned borrow pits in Nigeria are on the rise and a major concern to citizens, environmentalists and governments. Several highway failure spots are directly linked to the action of erosion initiated by active or abandoned (inactive) borrow pits situated close to the roads. This study examines the negative environmental impacts of the continuous removal of soil from borrow pits in some areas of Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. Four borrow pits were selected; two active sites and two abandoned sites. At inception, topographical and 3-Dimensional maps of the borrow pits were drawn and modelled. The area of the borrow pits and the volume of overburden excavated soils were calculated. The soil over burden pressure at the average height of the borrow pits were measured. The active borrow pit sites were checked again after two months to know the difference in the volume of overburden removed in the pit for that period. The volume of soil removed from borrow pit 1 (Active site), 2 (Active site), 3(Abandoned) and 4 (Abandoned) are 37000 m3, 34000 m3, 114000 m3 and 81000 m3 respectively. Environmental assessment of the study area through photographs showed prevalence of landslides, erosion, flooding, vegetation removal and structural failure. The volume of soil overburden removed from the abandoned borrow pit is more than the volume extracted from the active sites, this significant change in the value of overburden removed causes significant change to the terrain of the borrow pit. Some measures were then suggested to curb the problem occurring from the uncontrolled and indiscriminate borrow pits excavation thereby improving environmental sustainability. This study serves as a basis for government to put in place laws that help protect the environment from indiscriminate mining of borrow pits.

Abstract Rationale, aims, and objectives: Cardiac failure is one of the most common chronic diseases with high rate of morbidity and mortality. Fatigue and decreased ability to perform daily activities are of the most common complications of this disease. The purpose of this study was to determine effect of care plan based on Roy adaptation model on fatigue and daily activities in patients with heart failure. Methods: This clinical trial was performed on 60 heart failure patients admitted in two educational hospitals supervised by the Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2019. Sample was randomly assigned into two intervention and control groups. The intervention group received the care plan through a face to face and group training program in 6 sessions at one month. Interval followed by a follow-up period for 4 weeks later, while the control group only received the regular services from hospital. Fatigue level was calculated based on piper fatigue scale and daily activities were calculated by Barthes scale. Results: finding indicated there was a significant difference between the two groups control and intervention after the intervention. Result showed that the intervention group had significantly lower mean scores in fatigue and higher mean scores in daily activities compared to the control group after intervention P ≤ .05. There was significant relationship between fatigue and daily activities of life with frequency of hospitalization and duration of disease in both groups P ≤ .05. Conclusion: Implementation of Roy model based education program as a low-cost, effective, and non-aggressive nursing intervention can affect fatigue and improve the ability to perform daily activities in patients with heart failure.

For the prediction of the runoff sequence, owing to the non-stationariness and randomness of the sequence, the prediction accuracy of extreme runoff is not enough. In this study, the sparse factor of the loss function in a sparse autoencoder was enhanced using the inverse method of simulated annealing (ESA), and the runoff of the Kenswat Station in the Manas River Basin in northern Xinjiang, China, at 9:00, 15:00, and 20:00 daily during June, July, and August in 1998–2000 was considered as the study sequence. When the initial values of the sparse factor β are 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25, the experiment is designed with 60, 70, 80, 90, and 100 neurons, respectively, in the hidden layer to explore the relationship between the output characteristics of the hidden layer and the original runoff sequence after the network is trained with various sparse factors and different numbers of neurons in the hidden layer. Meanwhile, the orthogonal experimental groups ESA1, ESA2, ESA3, ESA4, and ESA5 were designed to predict the daily average runoff in September 2000 and compared with the prediction results of the support vector machine (SVM) and the feed forward neural network (FFNN). The results indicate that after the ESA training, the output of the hidden layer consists a large number of features of the original runoff sequence, and the boundaries of these features can reflect the runoff series with large changes.Meanwhile, the prediction results of the orthogonal experiment group indicate that when the number of neurons in the hidden layer is 90 and β0 = 15, the ESA has the best prediction effect on the sequence. In particular, the fitting effect on the day of “swelling up” of the runoff is more satisfactory than those of SVM and FFNN. The results are significant, as they provide a guide for exploring the evolution of the runoff under drought and flood as well as for optimally dispatching and managing water resources.

A high sensitivity refractive index (RI) sensor based on a multimode interference arises from the self-imaging effect in single-mode–multimode–single-mode fiber structure was experimentally demonstrated. The sensor performance with different coreless fiber diameter (CLF) was examined to obtain an appropriate dimension of extreme evanescent fields. Various diameters of CLF of 100 and 50 μm with three different tune lengths 20, 25 and 30 mm were achieved by chemical etching technique based on hydrofluoric (HF) acid plunging. The sensor performance is recognized by determining the spectral shift from the transmission spectrum for different values of refractive indices. The highest sensor sensitivity of about 1012 nm/RIU was attained when the CLF diameter was 50 μm. This sensor offers an appropriate and economical technique for applications of RI measurement.

In competitive environment of electricity market, management of congestion has become utmost important so that the benefits of competitive electricity market remains intact. In this paper, one such scheme has been proposed to manage congestion efficiently. This has been accomplished by implementing TCSC at its optimal location as well as at its optimal parameter setting. Line flow sensitivity factor has been proposed to find the optimal location of TCSC. The optimal parameter setting of TCSC is obtained using particle swarm optimization algorithm. The optimal location and parameter setting of TCSC thus obtained with proposed method are validated through implementation of TCSC based on its minimum installation cost. Two different penalty factors for violation of system constraints are introduced to manage the congestion efficiently. The proposed method is tested on IEEE 30-bus system and IEEE 118-bus system. A 33-bus Indian network has also been considered to analyze the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.

Temperature, time and particle size effects on Irvingia gabonensis kernel oil (IGKO) yield, as well as the kinetics and thermodynamics parameters were investigated. Highest oil yield of 68.80 % (by weight) was obtained at 55 °C, 150 min., and 0.5 mm. Evaluated physicochemical properties of IGKO indicated that viscosity, acidity, dielectric strength, flash and pour points were 19.37 mm2s-1, 5.18 mg KOHg-1, 25.83 KV, 285 °C, and 17 °C, respectively, suggesting its feasibility as transformer fluid upon further treatment. Of the pseudo second order (PSO) and hyperbolic kinetic models studied, the former gave better fit to the experimental data. ∆H, ∆S and ∆G values of IGKO extraction at 0.5 mm and 328 K were, 251.81 KJ/mol, 1.08 KJ/mol and -105.49 KJ/mol, respectively, indicating the endothermic, irreversible and spontaneous nature of the process. Kinetic model equations that describe the process were successfully developed for both models based on the process parameters.

This work focused on the chemical synthesis and characterization of palm kernel oil (PKO) for bio-lubricant production using transesterification of palm kernel methyl ester (PKME) with trimethylolpropane (TMP) and epoxidation-esterification methods. The PKO was extracted using solvent extraction method. The physicochemical characteristics of the PKO and produced bio-lubricant samples were determined using standard methods. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometry and Gas Chromatographic analyses, were respectively, used to determine the predominant functional groups and fatty acids of PKO and the produced bio-lubricant samples. At 55 °C, 150 min and 0.5 mm particle size, kernel oil yield was 49.82 % (by weight). The viscosities at 40 °C, 100 °C, viscosity index, pour and flash points of the bio-lubricants produced by transesterification of TMP (PKBLT) and epoxidation-esterification (PKBLE) methods, were [42.53 cSt, 10.65 cSt, 139, - 11 °C, 235 °C] and [44.69 cSt, 11.42 cSt, 132, - 12 °C, 240 °C], respectively. Time, mole ratio and temperature effects were the main factors that significantly influenced the transesterification and epoxidation processes. The obtained physicochemical properties of PKBLE and PKBLT samples showed conformity with ISO VG 32 standard, hence, their possible application as bio-lubricant basestock.

Regime shifts are increasingly prevalent in the ecological literature. However, definitions vary, and many detection methods are subjective. Here, we employ an operationally objective means of identifying regime shifts, using a Bayesian online change-point detection algorithm able to simultaneously identify shifts in the mean and(or) variance of time series data. We detected multiple regime shifts in long-term (59-154 years) patterns of coastal Norwegian Atlantic cod (>70% decline) and putative drivers of cod productivity: North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO); sea-surface temperature; zooplankton abundance; fishing mortality (F). The consequences of an environmental or climate-related regime shift on cod productivity are accentuated when regime shifts coincide, fishing mortality is high, and populations are small. The analyses suggest that increasing F increasingly sensitized cod in the mid 1970s and late 1990s to regime shifts in NAO, zooplankton abundance, and water temperature. Our work underscores the necessity of accounting for human-induced mortality in RS analyses of marine ecosystems.

Evolutionary relatedness may hinder stable coexistence due to similar niches and non-linear responses to competition. The mechanisms driving stability may respond differently to phylogenetic distance. Related species may be synchronic (have similar demographic responses over time), affecting fluctuation-dependent mechanisms: the storage effect should destabilize coexistence, and relative non-linearity (RNL) should be stronger due to increased fluctuations in competition. We tested these hypotheses using invasion analysis based on a model parameterized for 19 plant species from a semiarid grassland. Coexistence stability increased with phylogenetic distance. Stabilization through fluctuation-independent niche differentiation was stronger between distant relatives as a result of weaker competition. Synchronicity was higher between relatives, having the expected effects on SE and RNL. RNL was also strong between distant species probably due to different non-linear responses. Phylogenetic distance became more important as more species interacted, suggesting that evolutionary relatedness may be decisive in species-rich communities.

We present a novel radar signal processing technique to identify the presence or absence of a living body in a vehicle using a mm-wave frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar. Unlike traditional detection methods which are mostly based on constant false alarm rate (CFAR), our proposed method extracts and monitors the consistent Doppler effect of received signals from the radar antenna resulting from the consistent breathing of living bodies over time. The proposed method works in all types of cars without the need for threshold definition for tracking as well as no need for training. Hence, the algorithm is more robust, accurate and fast. We assess our proposed signal processing with two phantoms mimicking the breathing of children and with adults in the vehicle in various conditions. The system has been proven to be robust in extensive studies over the course of multiple months.