The impact of nursing sustainable prevention program on heat strain among agricultural elderly workers in the context of climate change.

BACKGROUND: This study assesses a geriatric nursing-led sustainable heat prevention program for elderly agricultural workers. It targets those aged 60 and above, addressing the heightened risk of heat strain in the era of climate change. METHODS: A community-based quasi-experimental design involved 120 elderly agricultural workers, divided into intervention and control groups. The program, spanning three months, included education on hydration, rest, protective clothing, and recognition of heat-related illnesses. RESULTS: The intervention led by geriatric nursing professionals showed significant improvements in heat strain metrics. The Heat Strain Score Index (HSSI) and the Observational-Perceptual Heat Strain Risk Assessment (OPHSRA) Index indicated increased safety levels and reduced risk categories among participants. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates the effectiveness of a geriatric nursing-led, tailored prevention program in reducing heat strain among elderly agricultural workers. It highlights the crucial role of nursing in adapting healthcare practices to the challenges posed by climate change. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID NCT06192069 retrospectively registered.

Effect of digital based nursing intervention on knowledge of self-care behaviors and self-efficacy of adult clients with diabetes.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of Digital Based Nursing Intervention to support diabetes management. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of digital based nursing intervention on knowledge of self-care behaviors and self-efficacy of clients with diabetes. METHODS: Employing a quasi-experimental design, a sample of 120 adult participants diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, aged more than 18 years with focus on older adults was drawn from outpatient clinics at Cairo University Hospital. The intervention was approved and registered by the ethical committee of the faculty of nursing with IRB number: RHDIRB2019041701. The intervention group (n = 60) received a digital-based nursing intervention, while the control group (n = 60) received standard care. Data were collected using adopted standardized tools including the Diabetes Knowledge Test, the Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities. Demographic characteristics were analyzed, and pre- and post-intervention scores were compared using paired t-tests were statistical methods. RESULTS: The digital-based nursing intervention resulted in significant enhancements in participants with diabetes knowledge and self-efficacy levels. Moreover, the intervention group demonstrated marked improvements in various self-care behaviors encompassing diet, exercise, medication adherence, blood glucose testing, and foot care. While the control group also exhibited some progress, the effects were less pronounced. Regression analyses highlighted age as a consistent factor associated with knowledge, self-efficacy, and specific self-care behaviors. CONCLUSION: This study underscores the potential of tailored digital nursing interventions to complement traditional care approaches, empowering patients with type 2 diabetes to actively engage in self-management. The findings suggest that digital-based nursing interventions hold promise for enhancing patient knowledge, confidence, and proactive health behaviors. Nevertheless, limitations, including the relatively short intervention duration and a sample from a single clinic, warrant consideration. Future research should address these limitations to bolster the validity and applicability of the study's conclusions.

Sulfadiazine Exerts Potential Anticancer Effect in HepG2 and MCF7 Cells by Inhibiting TNFα, IL1b, COX-1, COX-2, 5-LOX Gene Expression: Evidence from In Vitro and Computational Studies.

Drug repurposing is a promising approach that has the potential to revolutionize the drug discovery and development process. By leveraging existing drugs, we can bring new treatments to patients more quickly and affordably. Anti-inflammatory drugs have been shown to target multiple pathways involved in cancer development and progression. This suggests that they may be more effective in treating cancer than drugs that target a single pathway. Cell viability was measured using the MTT assay. The expression of genes related to inflammation (TNFa, IL1b, COX-1, COX-2, and 5-LOX) was measured in HepG2, MCF7, and THLE-2 cells using qPCR. The levels of TNFα, IL1b, COX-1, COX-2, and 5-LOX were also measured in these cells using an ELISA kit. An enzyme binding assay revealed that sulfadiazine expressed weaker inhibitory activity against COX-2 (IC50 = 5.27 µM) in comparison with the COX-2 selective reference inhibitor celecoxib (COX-2 IC50 = 1.94 µM). However, a more balanced inhibitory effect was revealed for sulfadiazine against the COX/LOX pathway with greater affinity towards 5-LOX (IC50 = 19.1 µM) versus COX-1 (IC50 = 18.4 µM) as compared to celecoxib (5-LOX IC50 = 16.7 µM, and COX-1 IC50 = 5.9 µM). MTT assays revealed the IC50 values of 245.69 ± 4.1 µM and 215.68 ± 3.8 µM on HepG2 and MCF7 cell lines, respectively, compared to the standard drug cisplatin (66.92 ± 1.8 µM and 46.83 ± 1.3 µM, respectively). The anti-inflammatory effect of sulfadiazine was also depicted through its effect on the levels of inflammatory markers and inflammation-related genes (TNFα, IL1b, COX-1, COX-2, 5-LOX). Molecular simulation studies revealed key binding interactions that explain the difference in the activity profiles of sulfadiazine compared to celecoxib. The results suggest that sulfadiazine exhibited balanced inhibitory activity against the 5-LOX/COX-1 enzymes compared to the selective COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib. These findings highlight the potential of sulfadiazine as a potential anticancer agent through balanced inhibitory activity against the COX/LOX pathway and reduction in the expression of inflammatory genes.

Circulating miR-199a and long noncoding-RNA ANRIL as Promising Diagnostic Biomarkers for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), involving both Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), represents a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease due to an uncontrolled, ongoing inflammatory response to intestinal bacteria in those with genetic susceptibility. MicroRNA (miRNA) extrusion from relevant remote organs or tissues is reflected in the expression of miRNAs in serum and plasma. Both UC and CD patients had higher blood levels of expressed miR-199a. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) ANRIL is a proinflammatory gene that mediates nuclear factor κB to play a role in inflammatory diseases, such as IBD. The aim of the current study is to investigate the potential role of both miR-199a and ANRIL in diagnosing IBD in adult patients. METHODS: Sixty-seven IBD patients diagnosed clinically, radiologically, endoscopically, and histologically were included in this prospective cohort study. Participants were classified into 3 groups: the UC group (n = 35), the CD group (n = 32), and the control group (n = 30). Demographics, history taking, laboratory characteristics, and treatments were recorded. Tumor necrosis factor α , miR-199a, and ANRIL were measured. RESULTS: The findings suggested that miR-199a and ANRIL might be associated with the occurrence or progression of IBD because both genes were substantially expressed in the peripheral blood of patients with this condition. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that the detection of miR-199a and ANRIL had a predictive sensitivity of 62.9% and 88.6% and a specificity of 70.7% and 96.7% for the occurrence of UC cases, respectively, and a predictive sensitivity of 72.4% and 46.9% and a specificity of 96.7% and 34.7% for the occurrence of CD cases, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Both miR-199a and ANRIL are abundant in the sera of IBD adult Egyptian patients (UC and CD). Both can represent a noninvasive marker for early disease diagnosis.

This study investigated the relation between tumor necrosis factor α, ANRIL, and miR-199a in inflammatory bowel disease patients to determine the probability of using them as prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers, as well as distinguishing between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patients. Our findings showed that ANRIL and miR-199a can represent noninvasive biomarkers for early disease diagnosis.

Dandy-Walker malformation associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage. A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Dandy-Walker malformation is a rare congenital brain defect characterized by vermian agenesia with cystic dilatation of the fourth ventricle, and posterior fossa enlargement. The etiology is still poorly understood but is presupposed to be multifactorial, infrequently caused by intracranial hemorrhage. We describe a case of male newborn known to have Dandy-Walker malformation associated with subarachnoid bleeding after the delivery, which is a quiet rare presentation only discussed in a few literatures before. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a rare case of a full-term male baby delivered vaginally, who was diagnosed with Dandy-Walker malformation during antenatal anomaly scan. At birth, the baby presented with a weak cry, cyanosis, respiratory distress and seizure. Post-delivery computed tomography scan revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage. In addition, a hydrocephalus was noted on the imaging and treated with ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion with marked improvement of the posterior fossa cyst and the hydrocephalus as an outcome of early intervention. DISCUSSION: Few literature studies showed an association between intracranial bleeding during early fetal life and the development of Dandy-Walker malformation as it affects the posterior fossa components growth. However, our case highlights on an unusual presentation of the spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage after the delivery in a full-term baby diagnosed with Dandy-Walker malformation earlier. CONCLUSION: This report highlights the importance of early recognition and implementing appropriate management of the hydrocephalus that associated with intracerebral bleeding to prevent the complications of high intracranial pressure plus brainstem herniation and achieve the best possible outcome.

Enhancement of phycocyanin productivity and thermostability from Arthrospira platensis using organic acids.

Intracellular hyperaccumulation of phycocyanin (PC) and its high susceptibility to degradation at higher temperatures are major challenging problems associated with its production from cyanobacteria. The present study evaluated different concentrations of organic acids (1, 2, and 3 mM) (citric acid, acetic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, and oxalic acid) under fed-batch mode on the biomass and phycobiliproteins' production from Arthrospira platensis. Besides they were evaluated at 2.5-7.5 mM as preservative to stabilize PC at high temperatures. The incorporation of 3 mM of succinic acid into the cultivation medium enhanced the biomass and PC productivity to 164.05 and 26.70 mg L-1 day-1, which was ~ 2- and threefold higher than control, respectively. The produced PC in this treatment was food-grade with a 2.2 purity ratio. The use of organic acids also enhanced the thermal stability of PC. Citric acid (7.5 mM) markedly promoted the half-life values of PC to 189.44 min compared to 71.84 min in the control. The thermodynamic analysis confirmed higher thermostability of PC in the presence of organic acids and indicated the endothermic and non-spontaneity of the thermal denaturation process. The findings of the present study confirmed that organic acids could be utilized as cost effective and sustainable compounds for promoting not only phycobiliproteins' production but also the thermostability of PC for potential application in food industry.

Patterns and Outcomes of Obesity Using Body Mass Index in Patients Hospitalized with Acute Cardiovascular Disorders: A Retrospective Analysis of 7284 Patients in a Middle Eastern Country.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to study the presentation and in-hospital outcomes of obese patients hospitalized for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in a Middle Eastern country. METHODS: This retrospective study included patients admitted to the Heart Hospital between 2015 and 2020. Patients were divided according to their body mass index (BMI): Group I (BMI 18.5-24.9), Group II (BMI 25-29.9), and Group III (BMI ≥ 30), by applying one-way ANOVAs and chi-square tests. The obese group (BMI ≥ 30) was graded and compared (Grade I (BMI 30-34.9), Grade II (BMI 35-39.9), and Grade III (BMI ≥ 40)). RESULTS: There were 7284 patients admitted with CVDs (Group I (29%), Group II (37%), and Group III (34%)). The mean age was higher in Group III than Groups I and II (p < 0.001). Male sex was predominant in all groups except for morbid obesity (Grade III), in which females predominated. Diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and dyslipidemia were more common in Group III. Chest pain was more common in Group II, while shortness of breath was more evident in Group III (p < 0.001). Group II had more ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), followed by Group I (p < 0.001). Atrial fibrillation (AF) was observed more frequently in Group III (p < 0.001). Congestive heart failure (CHF) was common in Group III (19%) (p < 0.001). In the subanalysis, (Grade I (62%), Grade II (22.5%), and Grade III (15.5%)), Grade I had more STEMI, whereas AF and CHF were higher in Grade III (p < 0.001). Percutaneous Coronary Intervention was performed less frequently in Grade III (p < 0.001). In-hospital mortality was higher in Grade III (17.1%), followed by Grades II (11.2%) and I (9.3%) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, one third of the hospitalized CVS patients were obese. AF and CHF with preserved EF were the most common cardiovascular presentations in obese patients. In patients with CVDs, obesity was associated with higher rates of comorbidities and in-hospital mortality. However, obesity measured by BMI alone was not an independent predictor of mortality in obese cardiac patients.

Seaweed-based alginate/hydroxyapatite composite for the effective removal of bacteria, cyanobacteria, algae, and crystal violet from water.

A novel cost-effective and multifunctional nanocomposite was developed based on sustainable macroalgae biomass. The brown seaweed Sargassum latifolium was utilized for alginate extraction and the calcareous red seaweed Tricleocarpa fragilis was utilized as CaCO3 source for nanohydroxyapatite synthesis. The developed Zn2+-crosslinked alginate/nanohydroxyapatite (ZA/nHA) beads were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, and TEM. The antimicrobial potential of ZA/nHA to disinfect synthetic Escherichia coli-contaminated water was evaluated at different bacterial load and composite concentrations. The developed ZA/nHA effectively inactivated bacteria at initial concentration ≤ 105 CFU mL-1 and 0.5-1% (w/v) of ZA/nHA within 300-360 min. The kinetics of bacterial disinfection exhibited better fitting to Weibull model than Log-liner model, which confirmed the disinfection process. Furthermore, treatment of the cyanobacterium (Chroococcus sp.) and the microalga (Chlorella sp.) with ZA/nHA showed promising antialgal properties as indicated by reductions in chlorophyll a. The treatment indicated 100% and 90% removal of Chroococcus sp. and Chlorella sp. within 2 and 4 days, respectively. The developed ZA/nHA also exhibited a promising application as a biosorbent for crystal violet (CV). The adsorption process was very fast (0.171 mg CV g-1 adsorbent was removed within 7 min at pH 6.0). The adsorption kinetics exhibited better fitting to the pseudo-second order and Elovich models than the pseudo-first order equation. Besides, Sips model better represented the isotherm data of CV adsorption. The thermodynamic analysis indicated exothermic adsorption, which became more favorable at low temperature and high CV concentration. The developed nanocomposite is eco-friendly and suitable for multiple environmental applications.

The Role of Heterocysts in Cyanotoxin Production during Nitrogen Limitation.

Cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) can have impacts on human health, aquatic ecosystems, and the economy. Nutrient management is an important mitigation and even remediation strategy. In this work, the paralytic shellfish toxin (PST)-producing Aphanizomenon (Aphan.) flos-aquae (Linnaeus) Ralfs ex Bornet & Flahault (now identified as Aphan. sp.) single filament isolate NH-5 was grown in P-depleted media, N-depleted media, and complete BG-11 media. Growth and heterocyst and vegetative cells were monitored using dry weight and cell counts. Ultrasonication was used to separate heterocysts from vegetative cells. HPLC-FLD with post-column derivatization was used to determine the saxitoxin (STX) and neosaxitoxin (NEOSTX) concentration per cell. Aphan. sp. NH-5 biomass was lower in the P-depleted media than in the N-depleted media and the control, though higher heterocyst counts were detected in the N-depleted media. The heterocyst toxin concentration was significantly higher compared to the vegetative cells for the N-depleted media, control, and P-depleted media. However, no significant differences were found among all preparations with regard to the STX-to-NEOSTX ratio. We conclude that N limitation induced higher heterocyst numbers and that N fixation activity is a factor behind the increase in the STX and NEOSTX production of Aphan. sp. NH-5.

Stable PbS colloidal quantum dot inks enable blade-coating infrared solar cells.

Infrared solar cells are more effective than normal bandgap solar cells at reducing the spectral loss in the near-infrared region, thus also at broadening the absorption spectra and improving power conversion efficiency. PbS colloidal quantum dots (QDs) with tunable bandgap are ideal infrared photovoltaic materials. However, QD solar cell production suffers from small-area-based spin-coating fabrication methods and unstable QD ink. Herein, the QD ink stability mechanism was fully investigated according to Lewis acid-base theory and colloid stability theory. We further studied a mixed solvent system using dimethylformamide and butylamine, compatible with the scalable manufacture of method-blade coating. Based on the ink system, 100 cm2 of uniform and dense near-infrared PbS QDs (~ 0.96 eV) film was successfully prepared by blade coating. The average efficiencies of above absorber-based devices reached 11.14% under AM1.5G illumination, and the 800 nm-filtered efficiency achieved 4.28%. Both were the top values among blade coating method based devices. The newly developed ink showed excellent stability, and the device performance based on the ink stored for 7 h was similar to that of fresh ink. The matched solvent system for stable PbS QD ink represents a crucial step toward large area blade coating photoelectric devices.

Larvicidal potential, toxicological assessment, and molecular docking studies of four Egyptian bacterial strains against Culex pipiens L. (Diptera: Culicidae).

Mosquito control in Egypt depends on applying chemical synthetic pesticides that impact negatively on human health and the environment as well as the development of antibiotic and chemical resistance. This study aims to control the 3rd and 4th instars of Culex pipiens larvae using four bacterial strains. According to Phenotypic and molecular identification, the four isolates were identified as Bacillus subtilis MICUL D2023, Serratia marcescens MICUL A2023, Streptomyces albus LARVICID, and Pseudomonas fluorescens MICUL B2023. All strains were deposited in GenBank under accession numbers OQ764791, OQ729954, OQ726575, and OQ891356, respectively. Larvicidal activity of all microbial strain metabolites against a field strain of C. pipiens explored low LC50 results and reached its lowest values on the 3rd day with values of 6.40%, 38.4%, and 46.33% for P. fluorescens, S. albus, and S. marcescens, respectively. In addition, metabolites of P. fluorescence were more toxic than those of S. albus, followed by S. marcescens. B. subtilis shows no larvicidal effect on both field and lab mosquito strains. Microscopic alterations of 3rd and 4th instars showed toxic effects on different body parts (thorax, midgut, and anal gills), including losing external hairs, abdominal breakage, and larvae shrinkage, as well as different histological malformations in the digestive tract, midgut, and cortex. GC-MS analysis detected 51, 30, and 32 different active compounds from S. albus, S. marcescens, and P. fluorescens, respectively. GC detected 1, 2-BENZEA2:A52NEDICARBOXYLIC ACID, 2-Cyclohexene-1-carboxylic-acid-5-2-butenyl-methyl ester, and 3 octadecahydro2R3S4Z9Z-11R-12S from S. albus, S. marcesens, and P. fluorescens, respectively. Total protein, Total carbohydrate, and Acetylcholine esterase activity indicated significantly low levels on the 3rd day. All strain metabolites were safe against HSF cell lines. The docking results confirmed the role of the produced metabolites as larvicidal agents and Acetylcholine esterase inhibition. Such a problem need more studies on applying more and more natural pesticides.

Glycyrrhizin Enhances the Proliferation of Diabetic Bone Marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Potential Therapeutic Agent in Endodontic Surgery.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of glycyrrhizin, as a potential therapeutic agent in endodontic surgery, on the proliferation and viability of diabetic human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Diabetic human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) were isolated and characterized by flow cytometry. The cells were treated with different concentrations of Glycyrrhizin (Gly) (12.5, 25, 50, and 100 µg/mL) and 0.1% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the control group. MTT assay was performed to evaluate the cell proliferation and viability after 24, 48, and 72 hours of the cell treatment with Gly. The optical density (OD) was measured at 570 nm. Each assay was repeated three times. The corrected OD and cell viability were determined. ANOVA followed by the Bonferroni post hoc test evaluated the statistical significance at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Flow cytometric analysis of the isolated cells showed positive expression of mesenchymal markers (CD105 and CD90) and negative expression of hematopoietic markers (CD34 and CD14). After 24 and 48 hours of cell treatment, Gly in 100 µg/mL concentration significantly decreased the diabetic hBM-MSC proliferation as compared with the control (p < 0.05). Gly in 12.5-50 µg/mL concentrations significantly increased the cell proliferation after 72 hours of treatment as compared with the control (p < 0.05). The diabetic hBM-MSC proliferation and viability at 12.5-50 µg/mL concentrations were significantly greater than that at 100 µg/mL concentration (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Under the present study conditions, Gly (in 12.5-50 µg/mL concentrations) did not show cytotoxicity to diabetic hBM-MSCs and enhanced their proliferation. Gly may represent a potential therapeutic agent in endodontic surgery in diabetic patients. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Preclinical assessment of Gly effects on diabetic hBM-MSCs is important for determining its effective concentration range, anticipating its therapeutic potential, and designing future in vivo studies.

Effects of Pulsed Electric Field on the Physicochemical and Structural Properties of Micellar Casein.

Pulsed electric field (PEF) as a green processing technology is drawing greater attention due to its eco-friendliness and potential to promote sustainable development goals. In this study, the effects of different electric field strengths (EFS, 0-30 kV/cm) on the structure and physicochemical features of casein micelles (CSMs) were investigated. It was found that the particle sizes of CSMs increased at low EFS (10 kV/cm) but decreased at high EFS (30 kV/cm). The absolute ζ-potential at 30 kV/cm increased from -26.6 (native CSMs) to -29.5 mV. Moreover, it was noticed that PEF treatment leads to changes in the surface hydrophobicity; it slightly increased at low EFS (10 kV/cm) but decreased at EFS > 10 kV/cm. PEF enhanced the protein solubility from 84.9 (native CSMs) to 87.1% (at 10 kV/cm). PEF at low EFS (10 kV/cm) intensified the emission fluorescence spectrum of CSMs, while higher EFS reduced the fluorescence intensity compared to native CSMs. Moreover, the analysis of the Amide Ι region showed that PEF-treated CSMs reduced the α-helix and increased the ß-sheet content. Raman spectra confirmed that PEF treatment > 10 kV/cm buried tyrosine (Tyr) residues in a hydrophobic environment. It was also found that PEF treatment mainly induced changes in the disulfide linkages. In conclusion, PEF technology can be employed as an eco-friendly technology to change the structure and physiochemical properties of CSMs; this could improve their techno-functional properties.

Development and optimization of natural deep eutectic solvent-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction coupled with UPLC-UV for simultaneous determination of parabens in personal care products: evaluation of the eco-friendliness level of the developed method.

Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) combined with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (UHPLC-DAD) method has been developed and validated for the determination of parabens in personal care products. In this study, a natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) composed of menthol and formic acid at a molar ratio of 1 : 2 was prepared and used as an extraction solvent. The influencing variables on the extraction efficiency such as extraction solvent type and volume, composition of NADES, salt addition, vortex and centrifugation time were investigated. The proposed method exhibited good linearity with determination coefficients of ≥0.9992. The relative recoveries for the studied analytes ranged from 82.19 to 102.45%. Limits of detection and limits of quantification were in the range of 0.17-0.33 ng mL-1 and 0.51-0.99 ng mL-1, respectively. To evaluate the applicability of the developed method, it was successfully applied to determine four parabens in personal care products. Additionally, the eco-friendliness level of the presented method was evaluated using Eco-Scale Assessment, Green Analytical Procedure Index and Analytical GREEnness metric. The developed method is simple, environmentally friendly and cost effective and it could be employed for determination of parabens in personal care products without harming the environment.

Macroalgal-derived alginate/wastepaper hydrogel to alleviate sunflower drought stress.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Alginate/wastepaper hydrogel mitigated sunflower drought stress by increasing the water holding capacity of the soil and decreasing phosphate leaching. The hydrogel promoted sunflower growth and decreased stress related biomarkers. There is a growing interest in the development of biodegradable hydrogels for the alleviation of drought stress on plants. A novel hydrogel based on brown algal-derived alginate and wastepaper was developed and tested as a soil supplement for sunflower growth under moderate (75% field capacity (FC)) and extreme (50% FC) water-deficit stress. The hydrogel showed fast swelling in water, which obeyed the pseudo-first order kinetics. Besides, it increased the water holding capacity of the soil and exhibited a good phosphate adsorption (37 mg PO4- g-1 hydrogel after 6 days) in the soil, and more than 67% of the adsorbed phosphate was desorbed after 20 days. Thus, the phosphate leaching from the hydrogel-amended soil in a column experiment was only 2.77 mg after 4 times of over-irrigation, compared to 11.91 mg without the hydrogel. The hydrogel application promoted various root traits such as fresh and dry biomass, area, and length by > 2-, > 1.6-, > 1.35-, and > 1.3-folds under both water regimes in relation to the no-hydrogel treatments at the same conditions. Furthermore, the sunflower shoots exhibited similar proline contents to the well-watered control (100% FC), with > 50% reduction in relation to the drought-stressed plants under the same conditions. Similarly, the malondialdehyde contents were lowered by > 15%. The analysis of the antioxidant enzymes also indicated a marked reduction in the specific activities of catalase and ascorbate peroxidase under both 75 and 50% FC compared to the respective controls. Additionally, the hydrogel promoted the uptake of phosphate by sunflower roots. These results implied that the developed biodegradable hydrogel could be effectively applied as a soil additive to alleviate drought stress on crops.

Low-cost biosorption of Fe(II) and Fe(III) from single and binary solutions using Ulva lactuca-derived cellulose nanocrystals-graphene oxide composite film.

The marine algal biomass of Ulva lactuca was utilized for the extraction of cellulose and the development of cellulose nanocrystals/graphene oxide film. Cellulose nanocrystals with 50-150 nm were produced by H2SO4 hydrolysis of the algal cellulose. The adsorption efficiency of the nanocomposite film for Fe(II) and Fe(III) ions was successfully evaluated using Box-Behnken design. The maximum removal for Fe(II) (64.15%) could be attained at pH 5.13, adsorbent dosage 7.93 g L-1 and Fe(II) concentration 15.39 mg L-1, while the biosorption of Fe(III) was 69.92% at pH 5.0, adsorbent dosage 2 g L-1, and Fe(III) concentration 15.0 mg L-1. However, in the binary system, the removal efficiency of Fe(II) was enhanced to 95.48% at Fe(II):Fe(III) ratio of 1:1, while the Fe(III) removal was increased to 79.17% at ratio 1:2. The pseudo-second-order kinetics exhibited better fitting to the experimental results of Fe(II) and Fe(III) adsorption in both single and binary systems. The intra-particle diffusion was prominent during the biosorption, but the effect of the external mass transfer was significant. The Langmuir, Freundlich, Langmuir-Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherms showed satisfactory fitting to the experimental data, but they differ in priority based on iron state and pH. The adsorption of Fe(II) in the presence of Fe(III) in a mixture was best represented by the extended Langmuir model, while the extended Langmuir-Freundlich model best fitted the adsorption of Fe(III). The FT-IR analysis indicated that physisorption through electrostatic interaction/complexation is the predominant mechanism for the adsorption of iron using the nanocomposite film.

Hormesis effects of phenol on growth and cellular metabolites of Chlorella sp. under different nutritional conditions using response surface methodology.

The present study investigated the effects of different phenol concentrations (200 - 1000 mg L-1) towards Chlorella sp. under different culture conditions (light vs. dark) and NaNO3 concentrations (0 - 0.1 g L-1) using central composite design. Phenol induced hormesis effects on the algal growth and cellular metabolites. Nitrate was identified as a crucial factor for promoting the uptake of phenol by Chlorella cells, while light was a limiting factor for growth, but the phyco-toxicity of phenol was decreased in the dark. The pigment contents were generally increased in the treated cells to protect against the oxidative phenol stress. The incorporation of 200 mg L-1 phenol and 0.05 g L-1 NaNO3 to the illuminated cells markedly promoted biomass and lipid contents to 0.22 g L-1 and 26.26% w/w, which was 44 and 112% higher than the phenol-less control, respectively. Under the same conditions, the increase of phenol concentration to 600 mg L-1, the protein contents were increased to 18.59% w/w. Conversely, the algal cells were able to accumulate more than 60% w/w of soluble carbohydrates under dark conditions at 600 mg L-1 of phenol. Nitrate replete conditions stimulated lipid accumulation at the expense of protein biosynthesis. Furthermore, most of the treatments showed an increase of H2O2 and malonaldehyde contents, especially for the illuminated cells. However, catalase activity tended to increase under dark conditions, especially at low phenol and nitrate concentrations. This study is valuable in indicating the effects of phenol on microalgae by exploiting response surface methodology, which can be applied as a powerful tool in growth monitoring and toxicity assessment.

Unsupervised Learning Methods for Data-Driven Vibration-Based Structural Health Monitoring: A Review.

Structural damage detection using unsupervised learning methods has been a trending topic in the structural health monitoring (SHM) research community during the past decades. In the context of SHM, unsupervised learning methods rely only on data acquired from intact structures for training the statistical models. Consequently, they are often seen as more practical than their supervised counterpart in implementing an early-warning damage detection system in civil structures. In this article, we review publications on data-driven structural health monitoring from the last decade that relies on unsupervised learning methods with a focus on real-world application and practicality. Novelty detection using vibration data is by far the most common approach for unsupervised learning SHM and is, therefore, given more attention in this article. Following a brief introduction, we present the state-of-the-art studies in unsupervised-learning SHM, categorized by the types of used machine-learning methods. We then examine the benchmarks that are commonly used to validate unsupervised-learning SHM methods. We also discuss the main challenges and limitations in the existing literature that make it difficult to translate SHM methods from research to practical applications. Accordingly, we outline the current knowledge gaps and provide recommendations for future directions to assist researchers in developing more reliable SHM methods.

Nano casein-pectin complex: exploring physicochemical, organoleptic properties, and LAB viability in skimmed milk and low-fat yoghurt.

Protein complexes with a nutritional value, heat stability, and gelling properties with no negative impact on culture viability have promising application prospects in the fermentation industry. The aim of the study was to investigate the possibility of applying physical modification seeking high-protein-fortified yoghurt production using the nano casein-pectin NCP complex as an active colloidal system with enhanced structural and thermal properties and monitor the quality properties of the physicochemical, heat stability, rheological, starter culture viability and sensory evaluation of fortified products comparing with the plain control throughout the cold storage. High-energy ball milling (HEBM) technique was used to produce nanoparticles of casein powder and smaller particles of pectin individually, and particle size and zeta potential was assessed. Deferent Nano casein-pectin (NCP) complex formulations were prepared, their physicochemical properties were assessed including protein quality via Amino Acid Analyzer (AAA), viscosity, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and then used in fortification of skimmed milk and low-fat yoghurt to monitor the fortification effects. The particle sizes showed to be ≈166 nm and 602.6 nm for nano-casein and pectin, respectively. Milk fortification with the NCP complex has significantly increased the nutritional value represented in increased protein content (7.19 g/100 g in NCP5); Ca, P, and S content (2,193.11, 481.21, and 313.77 ppm); and amino acid content with first limiting amino acids; histidine (0.89 mg/g), methionine (0.89 mg/g), and low content of hydrophobic amino acids (HAAs) may cause aggregation. NPC fortification enhanced physicochemical properties announced in enhanced viscosity (62. mP.s in NCP5) and heat stability (up to 200°C) compared with control skimmed milk (SM). NCP yoghurt fortification significantly increased protein content to 11 mg/100 g in T5, enhanced viscosity to 48.44 mP.s in T3, decreased syneresis to 16% in T5, and enhanced LAB viability which was translated in preferable sensorial properties. Applying fortification with nanoparticles of the casein-pectin (NCP) complex balanced the amino acid content and improved physicochemical, rheological, nutritional, and sensorial properties and LAB viability, which can be recommended further in functional food applications.