Relation Between Oxidant/Antioxidant Status and Postpartum Anestrous Conditions

The aim of the present study was to detect the relation between oxidant/antioxidant status and postpartum anestrous (PPA) conditions in dairy cows.The postpartum period is a very critical time that influenced mainly in cattle reproduction. A little information is obtainable in literature concerning antioxidant defense mechanisms during anestrus.The purpose of the following study is detection of the relation between oxidant/antioxidant status and postpartum anestrous (PPA) condition in dairy cows. Seventy five postpartum anestrous (PPA) and twenty five normal cyclic Holstein Friesian pluriparous dairy cows were selected on the basis of their reproductive history gained from farm records. Depend on the rectal findings and ultrasonography in addition to progesterone profile the studied animals were classified into three groups (each 25 animals) as inactive ovaries group, persistent corpus luteum group and silent heat group. Blood samples from anestrous and normal cyclic animals were gathered at day 0, day 10, day 21. These samples were utilized for detection of MDA, Vitamin C, Nitric Oxide and Total antioxidant capacity. Results of the present study revealed that MDA and Nitric Oxide were be significantly (plt0.05) higher in the groups of PPA than the normal cyclic group. Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)nbsp levels were seen to be significantly (plt0.05) lower in normal cyclic animals in comparison to inactive ovaries group and persistent C.L group ,while there is no significant difference with the silent heat group . No statistically significant difference was detected in the total antioxidant capacity between the group of silent heat and the normal cyclic group, while the groups of persistent C.L and inactive ovaries were found to have statistically significant difference (plt0.05) with the normal cyclic group. It is concluded that supplementing diets with optimal levels of micronutrients with antioxidant capabilities is a good advice to farmers to avoid post-partum anestrum. Moreover, early approaches to conflict the progression of stress and to promote the antioxidant defense mechanisms of dairy cattle during times of increased metabolic demands appears to be Pertinent

Introducing ChatSQC: Enhancing statistical quality control with augmented AI

We introduce ChatSQC, an innovative chatbot system that combines the power of OpenAI’s Large Language Models (LLM) with a specific knowledge base in Statistical Quality Control (SQC). Our research focuses on enhancing LLMs using specific SQC references, shedding light on how data preprocessing parameters and LLM selection impact the quality of generated responses. By illustrating this process, we hope to motivate wider community engagement to refine LLM design and output appraisal techniques. We also highlight potential research opportunities within the SQC domain that can be facilitated by leveraging ChatSQC, thereby broadening the application spectrum of SQC. A primary goal of our work is to provide a template and proof-of-concept on how LLMs can be utilized by our community. To continuously improve ChatSQC, we ask the SQC community to provide feedback, highlight potential issues, request additional features, and/or contribute via pull requests through our public GitHub repository. Additionally, the team will continue to explore adding supplementary reference material that would further improve the contextual understanding of the chatbot. Overall, ChatSQC serves as a testament to the transformative potential of AI within SQC, and we hope it will spur further advancements in the integration of AI in this field.</p

Computational modelling for cerebral aneurysms: risk evaluation and interventional planning

Advanced computational techniques offer a new array of capabilities in the healthcare provision for cerebral aneurysms. In this paper information is provided on specific simulation methodologies that address some of the unanswered questions about intracranial aneurysm and their treatment. These include the evaluation of rupture risk, the thrombogenic characteristics of specific lesions and the efficacy assessment of particular interventional techniques and devices (e.g. endovascular coil embolisation and flow diversion using stents). The issues connected with ease-of-use and interactivity of computed simulations is discussed, and it is concluded, that the potential of these techniques to optimise planning of complex and multifaceted interventions is very significant, in spite of the fact that most of the methodologies described are still being developed and perfected

Ácidos grasos propilenados como emulsionantes.

Hydroxy propylenyl stéarate, palmitate, laurate, oléate and linoleate were prepared by reaction of propylene oxide with fatty acid at 160 °C for five hours stirring in presence of potassium hydroxide as a catalyst. Physico-chemical properties of the five products, regarding their use as emulsifiers, were determined.Se prepararon estearato, palmitato, laurato, oleato y linoleato de hidroxipropilenilos mediante reacción de oxido de propileno con ácido graso a 160 °C durante cinco horas de agitación en presencia de hidróxido potásico como catalizador. Se determinaron las propiedades físico-químicas de los cinco productos, en cuanto a su uso como emulsionantes

From Profile to Surface Monitoring: SPC for Cylindrical Surfaces Via Gaussian Processes

Quality of machined products is often related to the shapes of surfaces that are constrained by geometric tolerances. In this case, statistical quality monitoring should be used to quickly detect unwanted deviations from the nominal pattern. The majority of the literature has focused on statistical profile monitoring, while there is little research on surface monitoring. This paper faces the challenging task of moving from profile to surface monitoring. To this aim, different parametric approaches and control-charting procedures are presented and compared with reference to a real case study dealing with cylindrical surfaces obtained by lathe turning. In particular, a novel method presented in this paper consists of modeling the manufactured surface via Gaussian processes models and monitoring the deviations of the actual surface from the target pattern estimated in phase I. Regardless of the specific case study in this paper, the proposed approach is general and can be extended to deal with different kinds of surfaces or profiles

Características fisicoquímicas y estabilidad oxidativa del aceite de germen de maíz egipcio producido por extracción enzimática acuosa

The physicochemical properties and the oxidative stability of Egyptian corn germ oil produced by aqueous enzymatic extraction using fungal cellulase, bacterial and bovine proteases, either individually or in combination were compared to that extracted by hexane. The optimized conditions of the new bovine protease for maximum oil yield were: 0.1% enzyme, pH 7.5 and 1h incubation time versus 0.6%, 0.63% enzyme, pH 4, 8.2 and 4, 2h incubation for fungal cellulase and bacterial protease, respectively. The higher oil yield was obtained by combining cellulase with bacterial protease (62.38%) or with bovine protease (51.94%) relative to hexane extraction (100%). The refractive index, iodine, saponification and peroxide values, DPPH scavenging activity, as well as fatty acids composition of enzymes and solvent-extracted oils were comparable. The acid value and color index of the enzyme-extracted oils were better than that produced by hexane, indicating that enzymes could be applied in the production of eco-friendly corn oil.Las propiedades fisicoquímicas y la estabilidad oxidativa del aceite de germen de maíz egipcio producido por extracción enzimática acuosa utilizando celulasas fúngicas, proteasas bacterianas y bovinas, ya sea individualmente o en combinación, se compararon con las extraídas con hexano. Las condiciones óptimas de la nueva proteasa bovina para un rendimiento máximo de aceite fueron: 0,1% enzima, pH 7.5 y tiempo de incubación 1h versus 0,6%, 0,63% enzima, pH 4; 8,2 y 4; 2h de incubación para celulasa fúngica y proteasa bacteriana, respectivamente. El mayor rendimiento de aceite se obtuvo combinando celulasa con proteasa bacteriana (62,38%) o con proteasa bovina (51,94%) en relación con la extracción de hexano (100%). El índice de refracción, yodo, saponificación y los valores de peróxido, la actividad de eliminación de DPPH, así como la composición de ácidos grasos de los aceites extraídos enzimáticamente y los extraídos con disolventes fueron comparables. El índice de acidez y el índice de color de los aceites extraídos con enzimas fueron mejores que los obtenidos con el hexano, lo que indica que las enzimas podrían aplicarse en la producción de aceite de maíz ecológico

Paintable Battery

If the components of a battery, including electrodes, separator, electrolyte and the current collectors can be designed as paints and applied sequentially to build a complete battery, on any arbitrary surface, it would have significant impact on the design, implementation and integration of energy storage devices. Here, we establish a paradigm change in battery assembly by fabricating rechargeable Li-ion batteries solely by multi-step spray painting of its components on a variety of materials such as metals, glass, glazed ceramics and flexible polymer substrates. We also demonstrate the possibility of interconnected modular spray painted battery units to be coupled to energy conversion devices such as solar cells, with possibilities of building standalone energy capture-storage hybrid devices in different configurations

Cerebrovascular events and outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19: The SVIN COVID-19 Multinational Registry

© 2020 World Stroke Organization.[Background]: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been associated with a significant risk of thrombotic events in critically ill patients. [Aim]: To summarize the findings of a multinational observational cohort of patients with SARS-CoV-2 and cerebrovascular disease. [Methods]: Retrospective observational cohort of consecutive adults evaluated in the emergency department and/or admitted with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across 31 hospitals in four countries (1 February 2020–16 June 2020). The primary outcome was the incidence rate of cerebrovascular events, inclusive of acute ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhages (ICH), and cortical vein and/or sinus thrombosis (CVST). [Results]: Of the 14,483 patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2, 172 were diagnosed with an acute cerebrovascular event (1.13% of cohort; 1130/100,000 patients, 95%CI 970–1320/100,000), 68/171 (40.5%) were female and 96/172 (55.8%) were between the ages 60 and 79 years. Of these, 156 had acute ischemic stroke (1.08%; 1080/100,000 95%CI 920–1260/100,000), 28 ICH (0.19%; 190/100,000 95%CI 130–280/100,000), and 3 with CVST (0.02%; 20/100,000, 95%CI 4–60/100,000). The in-hospital mortality rate for SARS-CoV-2-associated stroke was 38.1% and for ICH 58.3%. After adjusting for clustering by site and age, baseline stroke severity, and all predictors of in-hospital mortality found in univariate regression (p < 0.1: male sex, tobacco use, arrival by emergency medical services, lower platelet and lymphocyte counts, and intracranial occlusion), cryptogenic stroke mechanism (aOR 5.01, 95%CI 1.63–15.44, p < 0.01), older age (aOR 1.78, 95%CI 1.07–2.94, p ¼ 0.03), and lower lymphocyte count on admission (aOR 0.58, 95%CI 0.34–0.98, p ¼ 0.04) were the only independent predictors of mortality among patients with stroke and COVID-19. [Conclusions]: COVID-19 is associated with a small but significant risk of clinically relevant cerebrovascular events, particularly ischemic stroke. The mortality rate is high for COVID-19-associated cerebrovascular complications; therefore, aggressive monitoring and early intervention should be pursued to mitigate poor outcomes

Functional impairment of systemic scleroderma patients with digital ulcerations: results from the DUO Registry

OBJECTIVES: Digital ulcers (DUs) are frequent manifestations of systemic scleroderma (SSc). This study assessed functional limitations due to DUs among patients enrolled in the Digital Ulcer Outcome (DUO) Registry, an international, multicentre, observational registry of SSc patients with DU disease. METHODS: Patients completed at enrolment a DU-specific functional assessment questionnaire with a 1-month recall period, measuring impairment in work and daily activities, and hours of help needed from others. Physician-reported clinical parameters were used to describe the population. For patients who completed at least part of the questionnaire, descriptive analyses were performed for overall results, and stratified by number of DUs at enrolment. RESULTS: This study included 2327 patients who completed at least part of the questionnaire. For patients with 0, 1–2, and ≥3 DUs at enrolment, mean overall work impairment during the prior month among employed/self-employed patients was 28%, 42%, and 48%, respectively. Across all included patients, ability to perform daily activities was impaired on average by 35%, 54%, and 63%, respectively. Patients required a mean of 2.0, 8.7, and 8.8 hours of paid help and 17.0, 35.9, and 63.7 hours of unpaid help, respectively, due to DUs in the prior month. Patients with DUs had more complications and medication use than patients with no DUs. CONCLUSIONS: With increasing number of DUs, SSc patients reported more impairment in work and daily activities and required more support from others