Flavone improves liver damage in nicotine-exposed rats via the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway

Objective:To assess the hepatoprotective effects of flavone on nicotine-induced liver damage.Methods:Thirty-six rats were allocated into six groups:the control group,the nicotine group,the flavone alone groups(10 and 25 mg/kg/body weight),and the nicotine groups treated with flavone(10 and 25 mg/kg/body weight).Liver function,oxidative stress,Nrf2 pathway(HO-1,Nrf2,and Keap-1),and inflammatory markers(IL-17,TNF-α,and NF-κB)were evaluated.Additionally,a histopathological examination of liver tissues was performed.Results:Nicotine increased liver damage,inflammation,and oxidative stress.However,flavone suppressed nicotine-induced liver enzymes,oxidative stress,and inflammation,as manifested by increased antioxidants and decreased malondialdehyde level,liver enzymatic activities,and inflammatory markers.Flavone(10 and 25 mg/kg/body weight)also reduced the level of Keap-1 and increased HO-1 and Nrf2 levels in the liver of nicotine-exposed rats.Conclusions:Flavone has hepatoprotective properties and may slow the progression of liver injury by reducing oxidative stress,liver enzymes,and inflammation possibly via the Nrf2 pathway.

Development of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay for detection of hepatitis C virus,hepatitis B virus,and human immunodeficiency virus 1

BACKGROUND Hepatitis C virus(HCV),hepatitis B virus(HBV),and human immunodeficiency virus 1(HIV-1)are the most epidemic blood-borne viruses,posing threats to human health and causing economic losses to nations for combating the infection transmission.The diagnostic methodologies that depend on the detection of viral nucleic acids are much more expensive,but they are more accurate than sero-logical testing.AIM To develop a rapid,cost-effective,and accurate diagnostic multiplex polymerase chain reaction(PCR)assay for simultaneous detection of HCV,HBV,and HIV-1.METHODS The design of the proposed PCR assay targets the amplification of a short conserved region featured with a distinguishable melting profile and electro-phoretic molecular weight inside each viral genome.Therefore,this diagnostic method will be appropriate for application in both conventional(combined with electrophoresis)and real-time PCR facilities.Confirmatory in silico investigations were conducted to prove the capability of the approached PCR assay to detect variants of each virus.Then,Egyptian isolates of each virus were subjected to the wet lab examination using the given diagnostic assay.RESULTS The in silico investigations confirmed that the PCR primers can match many viral variants in a multiplex PCR assay.The wet lab experiment proved the efficiency of the assay in distinguishing each viral type through high-resolution melting analysis.Compared to related published assays,the proposed assay in the current study is more sensitive and competitive with many expensive PCR assays.CONCLUSION This study provides a simple,cost-effective,and sensitive diagnostic PCR assay facilitating the detection of the most epidemic blood-borne viruses;this makes the proposed assay promising to be substitutive for the mistakable and cheap serological-based assays.

Water equivalence of some 3D dosimeters:a theoretical study based on the effective atomic number and effective fast neutron removal cross section

Effective atomic numbers for photon energy absorption(ZPEA_(eff)) and their corresponding electron numbers (NPEA_(eff)), and effective macroscopic removal cross sections of fast neutrons(RR) were calculated for 27 different types of three-dimensional dosimeters, four types of phantom materials, and water. The values of ZPEA_(eff) and NPEA_(eff) were obtained using the direct method for energies ranging from 10 keV to 20 MeV. Results are presented relative to water, for direct comparison over the range of examined energies. The effect of monomers that are used in polymer gel dosimeters on the water equivalence is discussed. The relation between Σ_R and hydrogen content was studied. Micelle gel dosimeters are highly promising because our results demonstrate perfect matching between the effective atomic number, electron density number, and fast neutron attenuation coefficient of water.

A study on compatibility of experimental effective atomic numbers with those predicted by ZXCOM

In this study, effective atomic numbers(Zeff) of materials determined at different experimental conditions by measuring the elastic-to-inelastic γ-ray scattering ratios are compared to ZXCOM predictions. It also presents the experimental data obtained via the transmission technique The agreement and disagreement between ZXCOM and experimental values are investigated. The theoretical basics of determining Zeffby scattering mode are outlined. The study shows that choosing appropriate experimental conditions can provide a good compatibility between the experimental results and theoretical ZXCOM

Multiphysics simulation of VVER-1200 fuel performance during normal operating conditions

Nuclear fuel performance modeling and simulation are critical tasks for nuclear fuel design optimization and safety analysis under normal and transient conditions.Fuel performance is a complicated phenomenon that involves thermal,mechanical,and irradiation mechanisms and requires special multiphysics modules.In this study,a fuel performance model was developed using the COMSOL Multiphysics platform.The modeling was performed for a 2D axis-symmetric geometry of a UO2fuel pellet in the E110 clad for VVER-1200 fuel.The modeling considers all relevant phenomena,including heat generation and conduction,gap heat transfer,elastic strain,mechanical contact,thermal expansion,grain growth,densification,fission gas generation and release,fission product swelling,gap/plenum pressure,and cladding thermal and irradiation creep.The model was validated using a code-to-code evaluation of the fuel pellet centerline and surface temperatures in the case of constant power,in addition to validation of fission gas release(FGR)predictions.This prediction proved that the model could perform according to previously published VVER nuclear fuel performance parameters.A sensitivity study was also conducted to assess the effects of uncertainty on some of the model parameters.The model was then used to predict the VVER-1200 fuel performance parameters as a function of burnup,including the temperature profiles,gap width,fission gas release,and plenum pressure.A compilation of related material and thermomechanical models was conducted and included in the modeling to allow the user to investigate different material/performance models.Although the model was developed for normal operating conditions,it can be modified to include off-normal operating conditions.

Heuristic techniques for maximum likelihood localization of radioactive sources via a sensor network

Maximum likelihood estimation(MLE)is an effective method for localizing radioactive sources in a given area.However,it requires an exhaustive search for parameter estimation,which is time-consuming.In this study,heuristic techniques were employed to search for radiation source parameters that provide the maximum likelihood by using a network of sensors.Hence,the time consumption of MLE would be effectively reduced.First,the radiation source was detected using the k-sigma method.Subsequently,the MLE was applied for parameter estimation using the readings and positions of the detectors that have detected the radiation source.A comparative study was performed in which the estimation accuracy and time consump-tion of the MLE were evaluated for traditional methods and heuristic techniques.The traditional MLE was performed via a grid search method using fixed and multiple resolutions.Additionally,four commonly used heuristic algorithms were applied:the firefly algorithm(FFA),particle swarm optimization(PSO),ant colony optimization(ACO),and artificial bee colony(ABC).The experiment was conducted using real data collected by the Low Scatter Irradiator facility at the Savannah River National Laboratory as part of the Intelligent Radiation Sensing System program.The comparative study showed that the estimation time was 3.27 s using fixed resolution MLE and 0.59 s using multi-resolution MLE.The time consumption for the heuristic-based MLE was 0.75,0.03,0.02,and 0.059 s for FFA,PSO,ACO,and ABC,respectively.The location estimation error was approximately 0.4 m using either the grid search-based MLE or the heuristic-based MLE.Hence,heuristic-based MLE can provide comparable estimation accuracy through a less time-consuming process than traditional MLE.

Employing adaptive fuzzy computing for RCP intelligent control and fault diagnosis

Loss of coolant accident(LOCA),loss of fluid accident(LOFA),and loss of vacuum accident(LOVA)are the most severe accidents that can occur in nuclear power reactors(NPRs).These accidents occur when the reactor loses its cooling media,leading to uncontrolled chain reactions akin to a nuclear bomb.This article is focused on exploring methods to prevent such accidents and ensure that the reactor cooling system remains fully controlled.The reactor coolant pump(RCP)has a pivotal role in facilitating heat exchange between the primary cycle,which is connected to the reactor core,and the secondary cycle associated with the steam generator.Furthermore,the RCP is integral to preventing catastrophic events such as LOCA,LOFA,and LOVA accidents.In this study,we discuss the most critical aspects related to the RCP,specifically focusing on RCP control and RCP fault diagnosis.The AI-based adaptive fuzzy method is used to regulate the RCP’s speed and torque,whereas the neural fault diagnosis system(NFDS)is implemented for alarm signaling and fault diagnosis in nuclear reactors.To address the limitations of linguistic and statistical intelligence approaches,an integration of the statistical approach with fuzzy logic has been proposed.This integrated system leverages the strengths of both methods.Adaptive fuzzy control was applied to the VVER 1200 NPR-RCP induction motor,and the NFDS was implemented on the Kori-2 NPR-RCP.

Observation of the poloidally asymmetrical density perturbation of sawtooth collapse on J-TEXT

The detailed density perturbations provided by the advanced polarimeter-interferometer system(Polaris) during sawtooth collapse on the Joint Texas Experimental Tokamak(J-TEXT) are reported in this article.During a sawtooth collapse and the crash of plasma pressure at the center,it is found that the increase in density in the region between the inversion radius and mixing radius is poloidally asymmetrical,while the increase in temperature is poloidally symmetrical.The poloidal location where the density increases is dependent on the phase of the precursory m/n=1/1 kink mode.It is always out of phase with the hot core of the m/n=1/1 mode.The behaviors of density perturbations during sawtooth collapse observed in J-TEXT are beyond the expectations of the standard model,and this can shed new light on the understanding of sawtooth collapse.

Radiation Doses in Diagnostic Radiology and Method for Dose Reduction

Objective: The current research study aims to calculate entrance surface air kerma for skull, chest, cervical spine, lumbar spine, and pelvic X-ray examinations in interior posterior and posterior interior positions and generate a method for chest dose reduction to decrease radiation risk. Materials and Methods: The indirect dose measurement was used in the current research. The X-ray tube output was measured using RAD-CHECK Plus ionization chamber and the indirect entrance surface air kerma was calculated via applying physical acquisition parameters such as a focus on skin distance, tube current times exposure time (mAs), and applied tube voltage (kV), and applying a mathematical model. Results: The main findings were obtained from comparing the radiation doses with the reference levels of International organizations such as the American College of Radiology and the International Atomic Energy Authority. The mean entrance skin dose for the skull (AP), skull (PA), skull (LAT), cervical spine (PA), cervical spine (LAT), lumbar spine (AP), lumbar spine (LAT), pelvis (AP), and pelvis (LAT) of adult X-ray examinations was within the diagnostic reference dose level values obtained by ACR (2018) except for the ESD for chest (AP) which was 0.88 mGy. Conclusions: The results of the study concluded that by adjusting the applied tube voltage, kV, and tube current product time, mAs decreased the radiation dose to the chest X-ray by 58%.

Assessment of Modeling Collimator Designs for Gamma-Ray Transmission of Uranium Oxide Spectrometry Using HPGe Detectors

Many scientific domains use gamma-ray spectrometry, but non-destructive gamma scanning and gamma emission tomography of radioactive fuel in particular. In the experimental setting, a collimator is frequently employed to focus on a particular location of interest in the fuel. Predictive models for the transmitted gamma-ray intensity through the collimator are required for both the optimization of instrument design and the planning of measurement campaigns. Gamma-ray transport accuracy is frequently predicted using Monte Carlo radiation transport methods, but using these tools in low-efficiency experimental setups is challenging due to the lengthy computation times needed. This study focused on the full-energy peak intensity that was transmitted through several collimator designs, including rectangle and cylinder. The rate of photons arriving at a detector on the other side of the collimator was calculated for anisotropic source of SNM (U3O8). Some geometrical assumptions that depended on the source-to-collimator distance and collimator dimensions (length, radius or length, height, and width) were applied to achieve precise findings.

Effect of Alternate Bearing Phenomenon and Boron Foliar Application on Nitrogen-15 Uptake,Translocation and Distribution in Mango Tree(cv.Zebda)

The objectives of this investigation are to study nitrogen uptake,translocation,accumulation and distribution in mango tree organs using labeled nitrogen(^(15)N)and to understand the mechanism of boron action in increasing fruit yield in the off-year.A field experiment was conducted using fifteen-year-old mango trees(cv.Zebda)grown at Al Malak Valley Farm,El-Sharkeya Governorate-Egypt.Treatments included the application of(^(15)NH4)2SO4,“in the on-year”,at a rate of 50 g nitrogen/tree through the stem injection technique.While boron was sprayed on the same trees“in the off-year”at the following rates:0.0(control),250 and 500 mg·L^(-1).The authors hypothesize that boron and nitrogen act synergistically to increase mango fruit yield in the off-year.Results indicated that the highest ^(15)N uptake and accumulation in the on and off-years was observed in the upper(young leaves).When boron was applied at 250 mg·L^(-1),in the off-year,the upper(young leaves)recorded the highest ^(15)N uptake and accumulation(%^(15)Ndff=13.93)relative to the other two leaf categories and those of the on-year.In the on-year fruit accumulated higher ^(15)N than leaf or bud.In the off-year,bud exhibited the highest ^(15)N accumulation without boron application,while leaves exhibited the highest ^(15)N with boron application.The highest%^(15)Ndff in all tree organs was observed at 250 mg·L^(-1) boron rate.Boron increased nitrogen uptake,translocation and accumulation in mango tree organs.A synergistic relationship was observed between boron and nitrogen which led to an increase in fruit yield in the off-year.

Solvent extraction of V(Ⅴ) and Cr(Ⅲ) from acidic leach liquors of ilmenite using Aliquat 336

Extraction of V（V） and Cr（III） from acidic sulfate leach liquors of ilmenite using 0.4 mol/L Aliquat 336 chloride in kerosene was carried out. Different parameters affecting the extraction process such as equilibrium time, sulfate concentration, Aliquat 336 concentration, equilibrium p H and the extraction temperature were investigated. Extraction of V（V） and Cr（III） by Aliquat 336 involved anion exchange mechanism, and the extracted species are [（VO2SO4）R4N]org at low equilibrium p H for V（V） and [R4N-Cr（OH）4]org at high equilibrium p H for Cr（III）. Calculated thermodynamic parameters show that the extraction process is endothermic reaction for V（V） and exothermic for Cr（III）. Also, calculated values of ？Gex and ？Sex indicate that the extraction reactions of V（V） and Cr（III） proceed as non-spontaneous reaction is more random. V（V） and Cr（III） were stripped, precipitated, separated and calcined at 500 °C for 2.0 h to produce the corresponding oxide in pure form after rinsing and drying.

Impact of wastewater reuse on cobalt status in Egyptian environment

Cobalt is used in the manufacture of alloys, catalysts in the petroleum industry, catalytic converters, and paint pigments. Thus the potential for Co releases into the environment is highly increased. Use of waste sludges and sewage effluent to fertilize and irrigate soils has also increased soil Co concentrations. Total cobalt contents of alluvial delta soil of Egypt show considerable variation ranging from 13.1 to 64.7 ppm. The impact of either wastewater irrigation or industrial activities on soil total Co was obvious due to accumulation of organic matter and solid waste in the surface soil samples. Food crops and vegetables should not be grown on soil highly contaminated by Co. It is noteworthy that the delayed neutron activation analysis(DNAA) technique could be used successfully for total Co determination due to its high sensitivity. It is quit clearly that dust samples of Cairo City contains higher Co level, as compared to Suez Canal Region(Ismailia, Port Said and El-Suez cities). The high values in Cairo City may be due to the existence of industries around the city and the intensive traffic. To minimize Co environmental hazards, waste effluents should be treated on site. Thus, levels of potentially toxic Co needs to be continuously monitored and should be removed during several treatment processes before the disposal of these wastes.

Localized Corrosion Behavior of 6% Mo Super Austenitic & 316L Stainless Steels in Low pH 3% NaCl Solution

Electrochemical techniques were applied to study the crevice corrosion resistance of two types of stainless steel alloys namely, conventional 316L and 6% Mo super austenitic in acidified 3% NaCl solution at room temperature.Potentiodynamic results showed that 6% Mo alloy possessed a remarkable resistance to crevice corrosion compared with 316L alloy when they are tested in the same solution. The breakdown potential at which passivity broke down for 316L alloy was 0.00 mV （SCE）. The corresponding value for 6% Mo alloy could not reach up to the potential value of 700 mV （SCE）. 316L alloy suffered extremely from crevice corrosion at room temperature （about 25℃）, which indicates that the critical crevice corrosion temperature, below which crevice corrosion does not occur, was lower than the test temperature. For 6% Mo alloy, the critical crevice corrosion temperature was higher than the testing temperature. Electrochemical parameters indicated that 6% Mo alloy exhibited higher crevice corrosion resistance than 316L alloy.

BSA-seq-based identification of a major additive plant height QTL with an effect equivalent to that of Semi-dwarf 1 in a large rice F_(2) population

Bulked-segregant analysis is a time-and cost-saving strategy for identifying major quantitative trait loci(QTL) in a mapping population. Bulked-segregant analysis combined with whole-genome sequencing(BSA-seq) was performed to rapidly identify QTL for heading date, plant height, and panicle length in a large F_(2) population derived from two landraces: Chuan 7(C7) and Haoboka(HBK). Twenty plants with extremely low or high phenotypic values for the target traits were selected from an F_(2) population of 940 plants to construct low-and high-value bulks. Three pairs of bulks for the three traits were constructed, resulting in six DNA pools. BSA-seq revealed nine QTL: four for heading date, three for plant height, and two for panicle length. These QTL were validated in a random F_(2) population or BC_(4)F_(2) populations. The major novel plant height QTL, qPH8, acting additively with an effect equivalent to that of semi-dwarf 1(sd1), is potentially valuable for hybrid rice breeding. qPH8 controls mainly the elongation of basal internodes. The C7 allele of qPH8 reduces plant height and increases lodging resistance without yield penalty, suggesting a potential role for qPH8 in improving rice plant architecture.

Alumina Effect on the Phase Transformation of 3Y-TZP Ceramics

The isothermal tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transformation of 3 mol fraction Y2O3-ZrO2 ceramics contain- ing different amounts of Al2O3 during ageing in water at 130℃ for periods of time up to 40 h was investigated to explore the effect of Al2O3 addition on this transformation. The propagation of the transformation into the specimen interiors was suppressed by the addition of Al2O3. The transformation kinetics showed a nucleation and growth mechanism on the specimen surface to be dominant in the low temperature ageing in water environment.

Expression levels of pro-inflammatory interleukin-8 and certain antimicrobial peptides in concurrent with bacterial conjunctivitis

AIM:To detect the quantitative expression levels of the pro-inflammatory interleukin-8(IL8),antimicrobial peptides human beta defense-2(HBD2),and human beta defense-3(HBD3)genes in bacterial conjunctivitis.METHODS:The human conjunctival epithelial cells were obtained using the impression cytology technique from healthy controls and patients.The genes expression levels were determined utilizing a reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-q PCR).The contribution of causative agent type,the number of isolates and severity of clinical features,in the increase of genes expression was also determined.RESULTS:The RT-q PCR showed that IL8,HBD2,and HBD3 expression increased in bacterial conjunctivitis as compared to healthy control(P<0.001).In gram-negative bacterial conjunctivitis,HBD2 was highly up-regulated(P<0.001)compared to other types of bacterial conjunctivitis.In mixed bacterial conjunctivitis,a direct correlation between HBD2 up-regulation and HBD3 up-regulation was observed(P<0.05).The severity of clinical features was related to the up-regulation of IL8 and HBD2(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:IL8,HBD2,and HBD3 are immuneeffectors in infectious conjunctivitis.HBD2 is active during different bacterial conjunctivitis but is more released with gram-negative bacteria compared to gram-positive bacteria.HBD3 is an obvious defender in different bacterial conjunctivitis.

Bayesian belief-based model for reliability improvement of the digital reactor protection system

The digital reactor protection system(RPS)is one of the most important digital instrumentation and control(I&C)systems utilized in nuclear power plants(NPPs).It ensures a safe reactor trip when the safety-related parameters violate the operational limits and conditions of the reactor.Achieving high reliability and availability of digital RPS is essential to maintaining a high degree of reactor safety and cost savings.The main objective of this study is to develop a general methodology for improving the reliability of the RPS in NPP,based on a Bayesian Belief Network(BBN)model.The structure of BBN models is based on the incorporation of failure probability and downtime of the RPS I&C components.Various architectures with dual-state nodes for the I&C components were developed for reliability-sensitive analysis and availability optimization of the RPS and to demonstrate the effect of I&C components on the failure of the entire system.A reliability framework clarified as a reliability block diagram transformed into a BBN representation was constructed for each architecture to identify which one will fit the required reliability.The results showed that the highest availability obtained using the proposed method was 0.9999998.There are 120 experiments using two common component importance measures that are applied to define the impact of I&C modules,which revealed that some modules are more risky than others and have a larger effect on the failure of the digital RPS.

Effect of ion and electron beam irradiation on surface morphology and optical properties of PVA

Polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) is a well-known friendly polymer for paper-making, textiles, and a variety of coatings, biomedical applications such as artificial pancreas, synthetic vitreous body, wound dressing, artificial skin,and cardiovascular device. In this paper, ion/electron beam is employed to get insight into the irradiation effect on surface morphology and optical properties of PVA polymer. UV-Vis spectra are recorded to investigate the effect of induced defects on the optical band gap and the formed carbon clusters size. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) is used to relate and investigate surface morphology and optical properties of the target polymer with different doses(15, 30 and 60 min). Also, PVA polymer is subjected to theoretical studies by using semi-empirical PM7 quantum chemical method.

Persea americana attenuates inflammatory response associated with hyperlipidemia in ovariectomized and irradiated rats by regulating MMP-3/TIMP-1 levels

Objective:To explore the effect of Persea americana supplementation on inflammation,oxidative stress,and lipid profiles in ovariectomized rats fed with a high-fat diet and exposed to radiation.Methods:The control group was sham operated,while groups 2-5 were ovariectomized and fed a high-fat diet.Groups 4 and 5 were exposed toγ-radiation(1 Gy/week for 5 weeks)after ovariectomy.Groups 3 and 5 were treated with 1 mL/250 g/day of Persea americana for one month.Serum levels of estrogen,alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,cholesterol,triglycerides and lipoproteins were measured.Additionally,hepatic oxidative stress,inflammatory and fibrogenic markers were evaluated.Results:Persea americana treatment reduced the oxidative stress markers as well as the levels of triglyceride,total cholesterol,and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,which in turn lowered hepatic fat accumulation.Moreover,it suppressed hepatic inflammatory mediators(interleukin-6,tumor necrosis factor-α,and C-reactive protein)and downregulated pro-fibrogenic markers(transforming growth factor-βand tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1).Conclusions:Persea americana provides protection against ovariectomy,and gamma radiation-mediated hepatic inflammation not only through its antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,lipid-lowering effect but also by modulating the fibrogenic markers.