Optimization of micro and nano palm oil fuel ash to determine the carbonation resistance of the concrete in accelerated condition

The carbonation rate of reinforced concrete is influenced by three parameters, namely temperature, relative humidity, and concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the surroundings. As knowledge of the service lifespan of reinforced concrete is crucial in terms of corrosion, the carbonation process is important to study, and high-performance durable reinforced concretes can be produced to prolong the effects of corrosion. To examine carbonation resistance, accelerated carbonation testing was conducted in accordance with the standards of BS 1881-210:2013. In this study, 10-30% of micro palm oil fuel ash (mPOFA) and 0.5-1.5% of nano-POFA (nPOFA) were incorporated into concrete mixtures to determine the optimum amount for achieving the highest carbonation resistance after 28 days water curing and accelerated CO2 conditions up to 70 days of exposure. The effect of carbonation on concrete specimens with the inclusion of mPOFA and nPOFA was investigated. The carbonation depth was identified by phenolphthalein solution. The highest carbonation resistance of concrete was found after the inclusion of 10% mPOFA and 0.5% nPOFA, while the lowest carbonation resistance was found after the inclusion of 30% mPOFA and 1.5% nPOFA

Rasiowa–Sikorski deduction systems in computer science applications

AbstractA Rasiowa-Sikorski system is a sequence-type formalization of logics. The system uses invertible decomposition rules which decompose a formula into sequences of simpler formulae whose validity is equivalent to validity of the original formula. There may also be expansion rules which close indecomposable sequences under certain properties of relations appearing in the formulae, like symmetry or transitivity. Proofs are finite decomposition trees with leaves having “fundamental”, valid labels. The author describes a general method of applying the R-S formalism to develop complete deduction systems for various brands of C.S and A.I. logic, including a logic for reasoning about relative similarity, a three-valued software specification logic with McCarthy's connectives and Kleene quantifiers, a logic for nondeterministic specifications, many-sorted FOL with possibly empty carriers of some sorts, and a three-valued logic for reasoning about concurrency

Kajian mengenai pasar budaya / Argus Zaidi Mobin … [et al.]

Projek penyelidikan ini adalah merupakan sebahagian dari matapelajaran wajib yang perlu disempurnakan oleh setiap pelajar semester akhir kursus Diploma In business Studies. Matapelajaran ini (Business Research: MGT 364) bertujuan untuk memberi pendedahan kepada pelajar dari aspek teori dan praktikal tentang bagaimana penyelidikan sesuatu kajian dibuat. Ini adalah sebagai persediaan asas bagi kami sebelum menceburkan diri ke dalam profesion sebenar. Kumpulan penyelidikan telah memilih Pasar Budaya, sebuah kompleks perniagaan yang unik sebagai.bahan penyelidikan. Nama Pasar Budaya tidak asing lagi bagi penduduk Wilayah Persekutuan khususnya. Nama ini sering tercatat di dalam lembaran-lembaran akhbar dan majalah. la juga pernah ke udara melalui televisyen dan radio. Kini terdapat suara-suara masyarakat dari pelbagai pihak mengenai Pasar Budaya. Perbagai pandangan yang positif dan negatif pernah tersiar di dalam media massa. Secara keseluruhannya pandangan umum terhadap Pasar Budaya adalah merangkumi objektif, masalah serta pencapaiannya. Kajian ini akan cuba mendedahkan apakah objektif sebenar Pasar Budaya dan masalah yang dihadapi oleh pihak-pihak yanc terlibat dengannya. Masalah-masaiah ini akan cuba dianalise serta diberi pandangan dan cadangan untuk meningkatkan prestasi Pasar tersebut

Baseline quantitative hepatitis B core antibody titre alone strongly predicts HBeAg seroconversion across chronic hepatitis B patients treated with peginterferon or nucleos(t)ide analogues

OBJECTIVE: The investigation regarding the clinical significance of quantitative hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) during chronic hepatitis B (CHB) treatment is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the performance of anti-HBc as a predictor for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion in HBeAg-positive CHB patients treated with peginterferon (Peg-IFN) or nucleos(t)ide analogues (NUCs), respectively. DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study consisting of 231 and 560 patients enrolled in two phase IV, multicentre, randomised, controlled trials treated with Peg-IFN or NUC-based therapy for up to 2 years, respectively. Quantitative anti-HBc evaluation was conducted for all the available samples in the two trials by using a newly developed double-sandwich anti-HBc immunoassay. RESULTS: At the end of trials, 99 (42.9%) and 137 (24.5%) patients achieved HBeAg seroconversion in the Peg-IFN and NUC cohorts, respectively. We defined 4.4 log(10) IU/mL, with a maximum sum of sensitivity and specificity, as the optimal cut-off value of baseline anti-HBc level to predict HBeAg seroconversion for both Peg-IFN and NUC. Patients with baseline anti-HBc ≥4.4 log(10) IU/mL and baseline HBV DNA <9 log(10) copies/mL had 65.8% (50/76) and 37.1% (52/140) rates of HBeAg seroconversion in the Peg-IFN and NUC cohorts, respectively. In pooled analysis, other than treatment strategy, the baseline anti-HBc level was the best independent predictor for HBeAg seroconversion (OR 2.178; 95% CI 1.577 to 3.009; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Baseline anti-HBc titre is a useful predictor of Peg-IFN and NUC therapy efficacy in HBeAg-positive CHB patients, which could be used for optimising the antiviral therapy of CHB

Long-Term Telbivudine Treatment Results in Resolution of Liver Inflammation and Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B

The long-term goal of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) treatment is improvement of liver disease and prevention of cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to assess whether prolonged telbivudine treatment improves liver inflammation and fibrosis. The primary objective was to evaluate the proportion of patients with absence/minimal inflammation (Knodell necroinflammatory score a parts per thousand currency sign3) on liver biopsy at Year 5. Fifty-seven patients aged 16-70 years with a clinical history of CHB and active viral replication (38 hepatitis B e antigen [HBeAg] positive and 19 HBeAg negative) were followed for 6 years: 33 received telbivudine 600 mg/day continuously for 5 years; 24 received lamivudine 100 mg/day for 2 years and then telbivudine for 3 years. Liver biopsies were taken pre-treatment and after 5 years of treatment. At baseline, mean (standard deviation) serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA load was 8.5 (1.7) log(10) copies/mL, Knodell necroinflammatory score was 7.6 (2.9), and Ishak fibrosis score was 2.2 (1.1). After antiviral treatment (median duration: 261 weeks), liver histology improved with increased proportions of patients with absence/minimal liver inflammation (Knodell necroinflammatory score a parts per thousand currency sign3), from 16% (9/57) at baseline to 98% (56/57), and absence/minimal fibrosis (Ishak score a parts per thousand currency sign1), from 25% (14/57) at baseline to 84% (48/57). At Year 5, HBV DNA load was &lt; 300 copies/mL for all patients; cumulative HBeAg loss and seroconversion rates were 88% and 77%, respectively. At Year 6, 95% of patients with abnormal baseline glomerular filtration rate (60-90 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) improved to normal GFR (&gt; 90 mL/min/1.73 m(2)). Long-term telbivudine treatment with profound and durable viral suppression significantly improved liver histology, thus achieving the long-term goals of CHB treatment. FibroScan(A (R)) results after 5 and 6 years of treatment (in almost 20% of patients) were consistent with this information. Novartis and National Science and Technology Major Project (2012ZX10002003). ClinicalTrials.gov # NCT00877149.Novartis; National Science and Technology Major Project [2012ZX10002003]; Novartis Pharma AGSCI(E)[email protected]

Safety and Immunogenicity of a Malaria Vaccine, Plasmodium falciparum AMA-1/MSP-1 Chimeric Protein Formulated in Montanide ISA 720 in Healthy Adults

The P. falciparum chimeric protein 2.9 (PfCP-2.9) consisting of the sequences of MSP1-19 and AMA-1 (III) is a malaria vaccine candidate that was found to induce inhibitory antibodies in rabbits and monkeys. This was a phase I randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the PfCP-2.9 formulated with a novel adjuvant Montanide ISA720. Fifty-two subjects were randomly assigned to 4 dose groups of 10 participants, each receiving the test vaccine of 20, 50, 100, or 200 µg respectively, and 1 placebo group of 12 participants receiving the adjuvant only.The vaccine formulation was shown to be safe and well-tolerated, and none of the participants withdrew. The total incidence of local adverse events (AEs) was 75%, distributed among 58% of the placebo group and 80% of those vaccinated. Among the vaccinated, 65% had events that were mild and 15% experienced moderate AEs. Almost all systemic adverse reactions observed in this study were graded as mild and required no therapy. The participants receiving the test vaccine developed detectable antibody responses which were boosted by the repeated vaccinations. Sixty percent of the vaccinated participants had high ELISA titers (>1∶10,000) of antigen-specific antibodies which could also recognize native parasite proteins in an immunofluorescence assay (IFA).This study is the first clinical trial for this candidate and builds on previous investigations supporting PfCP-2.9/ISA720 as a promising blood-stage malaria vaccine. Results demonstrate safety, tolerability (particularly at the lower doses tested) and immunogenicity of the formulation. Further clinical development is ongoing to explore optimizing the dose and schedule of the formulation to decrease reactogenicity without compromising immunogenicity.

Current status of the algae production industry in Europe: an emerging sector of the Blue Bioeconomy

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Neurological manifestations of COVID-19 in adults and children

Different neurological manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults and children and their impact have not been well characterized. We aimed to determine the prevalence of neurological manifestations and in-hospital complications among hospitalized COVID-19 patients and ascertain differences between adults and children. We conducted a prospective multicentre observational study using the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) cohort across 1507 sites worldwide from 30 January 2020 to 25 May 2021. Analyses of neurological manifestations and neurological complications considered unadjusted prevalence estimates for predefined patient subgroups, and adjusted estimates as a function of patient age and time of hospitalization using generalized linear models. Overall, 161 239 patients (158 267 adults; 2972 children) hospitalized with COVID-19 and assessed for neurological manifestations and complications were included. In adults and children, the most frequent neurological manifestations at admission were fatigue (adults: 37.4%; children: 20.4%), altered consciousness (20.9%; 6.8%), myalgia (16.9%; 7.6%), dysgeusia (7.4%; 1.9%), anosmia (6.0%; 2.2%) and seizure (1.1%; 5.2%). In adults, the most frequent in-hospital neurological complications were stroke (1.5%), seizure (1%) and CNS infection (0.2%). Each occurred more frequently in intensive care unit (ICU) than in non-ICU patients. In children, seizure was the only neurological complication to occur more frequently in ICU versus non-ICU (7.1% versus 2.3%, P &lt; 0.001). Stroke prevalence increased with increasing age, while CNS infection and seizure steadily decreased with age. There was a dramatic decrease in stroke over time during the pandemic. Hypertension, chronic neurological disease and the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were associated with increased risk of stroke. Altered consciousness was associated with CNS infection, seizure and stroke. All in-hospital neurological complications were associated with increased odds of death. The likelihood of death rose with increasing age, especially after 25 years of age. In conclusion, adults and children have different neurological manifestations and in-hospital complications associated with COVID-19. Stroke risk increased with increasing age, while CNS infection and seizure risk decreased with age

Physicochemical and thermal characterization of hydroxyethyl cellulose - wheat starch based films incorporated thymol intended for active packaging

Biodegradable packing materials with antimicrobial properties have been a concern for years because of its positive environmental implications. The present work aimed to develop the formulation of hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC)/wheat-starch based film in which the active compound, thymol (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5% w/w) were incorporated into the polymeric material. Solution casting method was used for the film preparation while thymol was incorporated prior to casting. The physical and chemical properties of the developed film were determined. SEM was found to have a smooth and homogeneous with a small amount of thymol which grows coarser with 1.5% or higher thymol content. FTIR was used to find the chemical property of the film and suggested that the carbonyl functional group was unchanged in the film, however, -OH groups increased substantially with increased amount of thymol. Thermal properties were profiled through thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimeter where the AM film containing 1.5% (w/v) of thymol shows the highest thermal stability and decomposes less in comparison to other samples. The inhibitory capability of the film was tested against a list of microbial contamination and was found to successfully inhibit the growth of selected gram positive and gram negative bacteria in a wide range of studied concentration. The mechanical properties of the films were improved by 60.3% with an optimum tensile strength at thymol concentration of 1.5% w/w. It can be concluded that the film properties are retained chemically whereas mechanical properties, strength, flexibility and function of the film are being enhanced remarkably by the incorporation of thymol