Reduction In Mean Values Research Articles

Mobile Health to Improve Efficacy of Interdental Brushing Among Periodontitis Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Compliance with plaque control measures in open interdental spaces, an essential element in management of periodontitis, is reported to be poor. Mobile health (mHealth) approach is an effective approach for behavior change. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of mHealth in improving plaque control in type 2 embrasures. Stage II or III, grade B periodontitis patients (n = 76) with type 2 embrasures were enrolled. Phase I therapy was provided in both groups. In the control group, interdental brushing instructions were given only at baseline and follow-up appointments. In the test group, interdental brushing was also reinforced by regular text messages for 3 months. Clinical parameters including plaque index (PI), papillary bleeding index (PBI), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), and interdental papillary height (IPH) were measured at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months. Intergroup comparison from baseline to 6 months showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between groups in all parameters with more reduction in mean values in test group. Intergroup comparison from 3 to 6 months showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in mean values of PI, PBI, GI, PPD, CAL, and IPH with higher reduction in test group. Intragroup comparison from 3 to 6 months showed statistically significant reduction in mean values in PI, PBI, PPD, CAL, and IPH only in test group (p < 0.05). Cue to action through mobile text messages effectively augments compliance with the use of interdental brush, improves plaque control, and manages stage II or stage III periodontitis following subgingival instrumentation. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05565404.

Impact of low-dose sevoflurane with propofol-based anaesthesia on motor-evoked potentials in infants: protocol for a single-centre randomised controlled study

IntroductionMotor-evoked potentials (MEP) are widely used to mitigate the risk of nerve injury resulting from surgical manipulation. Infants are more susceptible to anaesthetics that suppress MEP because of the immaturity...

ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES FOR OXIDATIVE STRESS

Free radicals such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) induce oxidative stress and cause cellular damage due to lipid peroxidation. There are three important steps in lipid peroxidation, namely initiation, propagation and termination. Formation of reactive aldehydes such as MDA and 4-HNE takes place when there is a catabolism of lipid hydroperoxides. Hyperlipidemia especially LDL-cholesterol may lead to development of coronary artery disease causing morbidity or mortality due to cardiac arrhythmias. Conventional hypolipidemic drugs have unwanted effects. Herbal therapy for Hyperlipidemia is getting attention due to their less frequent side effects. In this study we have compared hypolipidemic effects of Gemfibrozil with Nigella sativa. Seventy five hyperlipidemic patients from Jinnah Hospital Lahore were enrolled for study. After getting consent all patients were divided in three groups comprising 25 patients in each group. Group 1 was on Nigella sativa, group 2 was on Gemfibrozil and third group was on placebo therapy. They were advised to take drugs for two months. After completion of study pretreatment and post treatment values of LDL cholesterol were analyzed statistically. In Nigella sativa group LDL cholesterol decreased from 191.14±3.45 to 159.40±2.98 mg/dl, means 31.7 mg/dl LDL reduction was observed when compared with placebo group. In Gemfibrozil group of patients LDL cholesterol decreased from 197.77±3.91 mg/dl to 159.62±2.20 mg/dl, means LDL reduction in mean values was 38.2 mg/dl, when compared with placebo group. These changes are highly significant with p-values of &lt;0.001. We concluded from this study that alternative therapy by herbal medication is as effective as by allopathic medication. Key words: serum lipids, oxidative stress, lethality, toxicity.

Evaluation of the Effects of Consumption of Portuguese Walnuts (Juglans regia L.) on the Risk Factors Related to Cardiovascular Diseases

(1) Background: Walnut consumption has been associated with having a positive effect on controlling and/or reducing the co-morbidities associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The effects of consuming walnuts of Portuguese origin on risk factors related to CVD were evaluated by measuring glucose, urea, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, AST, and ALT levels, anthropometric profiles, and blood pressure. (2) Methods: This trial study involved 24 volunteers, both female (n = 15) and male (n = 9), from Fernando Pessoa University, Porto. It consisted of a daily intake of 25 g of walnut kernels over a period of 45 days. Before and after intake, biochemical parameters, BMI and BP were measured. (3) Results: Despite the intake of nuts revealing a reduction in mean values of most of the parameters assessed, a significant drop was only observed in AST (p = 0.04).There was also a significant reduction in the mean values for Glu (p = 0.01), UR (p = 0.01) and HDL-C (p = 0.02) for women but not for men. (4) Conclusions: The dose and the period of intake were not effective in lowering the lipid profile but may have had a protective effect on liver function. The benefits were greater in women than in men.

Factors that Influence the Need to Start Adaptive Radiotherapy.

Adaptive radiotherapy (ART) is an essential approach to account for anatomical and biological uncertainties. Adaptive radiotherapy is, however, time-consuming, and it is unclear which patients are eligible or when is the best time to start ART. This prospective study was conducted at Kasr El-Aini Center of Clinical Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Cairo, Egypt from January 2019 to December 2020. Thirty patients with pathologically proven, limited-stage small cell or stage I-II non-small cell lung cancer who were either not fit for or refused surgery or had stage III disease were recruited and underwent treatment planning to receive 60 Gy on a conventional 3D conformal radiation schedule with platinum-based chemotherapy. All patients underwent computed tomography (CT) planning within 2 and 4 weeks of starting radiation therapy to assess the need for adaptation. Pulmonary function test and echocardiography findings were assessed at the end of treatment and at 3 and 6 months after treatment, and were compared to the baseline. We found a significant reduction in mean value of the planning target volume (PTV) in the CT scans at the second (331 cm3) and fourth (257 cm3) weeks of treatment as compared to baseline (342 cm3) (p-value < 0.0001). Adaptation decreased the dose to the organ at risk with statistical significance and with improvement of the target coverage. At week 2 of radiotherapy, the need for adaptation was correlated to the conformity index (p = 0.0473), esophageal V35 (p = 0.0488), esophageal V50 (p = 0.0295), and its mean dose (p = 0.0087). At week 4 it was correlated to forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) (p = 0.0303), ratio between the forced expiratory volume in 1 second and the forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) (p = 0.0024), and echocardiography (p = 0.0183). Conformity index and esophageal dose constraints can predict the need for adaptation at week 2, whereas baseline pulmonary function parameters and echocardiography can predict the need for adaptation at week 4 of radiotherapy.

Ocular symptoms and modern approaches to the treatment of silent sinus syndrome

This study evaluates the clinical outcomes of treating patients with silent sinus syndrome (SSS) using a two-stage treatment approach. The study included 22 patients (22 eyes) with SSS who were examined at the Krasnov Research Institute of Eye Diseases between 2011 and 2023. Patients presented with complaints of enophthalmos, hypophthalmos, binocular diplopia, and decreased vision. The mean age was 36 [26; 48] years, male-to-female ratio was 6:16. All patients underwent Hertel exophthalmometry, measurement of palpebral fissure, assessment of binocular status, as well as multislice computed tomography (MSCT) of the paranasal sinuses at admission, 3 months after the first stage, and during the follow-up after the second stage of treatment. The first stage involved functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), and the second stage involved correction of the eyeball position. The follow-up period lasted a mean of 28 [6; 120] months. After FESS, 12 patients (12 eyes) were satisfied with the cosmetic outcome, while 10 patients (10 eyes) decided to apply for a second stage of treatment. Two patients underwent nonsurgical correction of enophthalmos with intraorbital injections, and eight underwent orbital reconstruction with implant placement. Treatment outcomes showed a significant reduction in mean value of enophthalmos (from 3.5 mm to 0.5 mm), a decrease in upper eyelid excursion compared to the contralateral side (Δ changed from 4 to 1 mm), reduction of hypophthalmos (from 2 mm to 0 mm), improvements in corneal condition and ocular motility, and regression of diplopia. No complications were registered. Diagnosis and treatment of SSS require a multidisciplinary approach. The two-stage treatment strategy for SSS provides good functional and aesthetic outcomes.

Oral Methadone versus Morphine IR for Patients with Cervical Cancer and Neuropathic Pain: A Prospective Randomised Controlled Trial.

In India, cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women and makes up for up to 29% of all registered cancer in females. Cancer-related pain is one of the major distressing symptoms for all cancer patients. Pain is characterised as somatic or neuropathic, and the total pain experience is often mixed. Conventional opioids are the backbone of analgesic treatment but are most often not sufficient in alleviating neuropathic pain, common in cervical cancer. Accumulating evidence of the advantage of methadone compared to conventional opioids, due to agonist action at both μ and q opioid receptors, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist activity and the ability to inhibit the reuptake of monoamines has been demonstrated. We hypothesised that, with these properties', methadone might be a good option for the treatment of neuropathic pain in patients with cervical cancer. Patients with cervical cancer stages ll-lll were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial. A comparison was made between methadone versus immediate release morphine (IR morphine), with increasing doses until pain was controlled. Inclusion-period was from October 3rd to December 31st 2020, and the total patient-study period was 12 weeks. Pain intensity was assessed according to the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and Douleur Neuropathique (DN4). The primary objective was to determine whether methadone was clinically superior versus noninferior to morphine as an analgesic for the treatment of cancer related neuropathic pain in women with cervical cancer. A total of 85 women were included; five withdrew and six died during the study period, leaving 74 patients completing the study. All participants showed a reduction in mean values of NRS and DN4 from the time of inclusion and to the end of the study period, for IR morphine and methadone 8.4-2.7 and 8.6-1.5, respectively (P < 0.001). The DN4 score mean reduction for Morphine and Methadone were 6.12-1.37 and 6.05-0, respectively (P < 0.001). Side effects were more common in the group of patients receiving IR morphine compared to the patients treated with methadone. We found that Methadone had a superior analgesic effect with good overall tolerability compared with morphine as a first-line strong opioid for the management of cancer-related neuropathic pain.

LDL and Fasting Blood Sugar Can Be Normalized by Doing Exercise and Consumption of Fruits or Herbs

The effect physical activity has on blood glucose will vary depending on how long someone is active and many other factors. Physical activity can lower blood glucose up to 24 hours or more after workout by making body more sensitive to insulin. Become familiar with how blood glucose responds to exercise. Checking blood glucose level more often before and after exercise can help someone see the benefits of activity. Someone also can use the results of blood glucose checks to see how the body reacts to different activities. Understanding these patterns can help prevent blood glucose from going too high or too low. Hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia are main risk factors for coronary artery disease like syndrome leading to morbidity, and mortality. This syndrome may be prevented by allopathic as well as herbal medicines like Nigella sativa and fibrates. Conventional allopathy related drugs have unwanted effects. Herbal therapy for hyperlipidemia well as diabetes mellitus type-2 [DMT2] is getting attention due to their less frequent side effects. In this study we have compared hypolipidemic effects of Fenofibrate 40 mg with Nigella sativa. Sample Size and Study Area: Seventy-five hyperlipidemic and DM type-2 patients from National Hospital Lahore were enrolled for study. Consent, Grouping in Sample Size and Advise to Patients: After getting consent all patients were divided in three groups comprising 25 patients in each group. Group 1 was on Nigella sativa, group 2 was on Gemfibrozil 600 mg BD plus Glibenclamide 5 mg BD and third group was on placebo therapy. They were advised to take drugs for two months. Results: After completion of study pretreatment and post treatment values of LDL cholesterol were analyzed statistically. In Nigella sativa group LDL cholesterol decreased from 191.14±3.45 to 159.40±2.98 mg/dl, means 31.7 mg/dl LDL reduction was observed when compared with placebo group. Fasting Blood Sugar [FBS] in this group decreased from 210 mg/dl to 180 mg/dl in two months which is significant change in this parameter. In Fenofibrate group of patient’s LDL cholesterol decreased from 197.77±3.91 mg/dl to 159.62±2.20 mg/dl, means LDL reduction in mean values was 38.2 mg/dl, when compared with placebo group. These changes are highly significant with p-values of &lt;0.001. FBS in this group decreased from 219.65±1.10 to 171.76±2.04 mg/dl which is highly significant change in the parameter. Conclusion: We concluded from this study that herbal medicine Nigella sativa is as effective hypoglycemic/hypolipidemic agent as traditionally used hypolipidemic drug Fenofibrate, and hypoglycemic drug Glibenclamide.

A comparative study of lung functions in non-smoker COPD patients from various localities with healthy subjects

Background &amp; Objectives: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the illness with airflow obstruction caused by emphysema, chronic bronchitis, or a combination of both the disorders. It is the third leading cause of death worldwide. Between 20 and 40% of all COPD patients across the globe are never smokers. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs) in non-smoker COPD patients and compare their results with normal healthy subjects. The study also intended to check the variations in lung function of COPD patients living in urban &amp; rural areas.&#x0D; Materials &amp; Methods: The study was conducted by performing PFTs in 50 non-smoker COPD patients (28 from urban &amp; 22 from rural areas) &amp; comparing them with 50 non-smoker healthy subjects of same age group excluding ex-smokers. Various parameters of PFTs like FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, PEFR &amp; MVV were assessed &amp; compared. For statistical data analysis unpaired t-Test was applied.&#x0D; Results: The mean values of PFT parameters such as FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, PEFR &amp; MVV are very significantly differed between COPD patients &amp; healthy subjects (p&lt;0.01). Although the data is not statistically significant between total COPD patients, urban &amp; rural COPD patients, mean values of above PFT parameters are higher in total COPD patients than urban while higher in rural compared to total COPD patients (p&gt;0.05). The mean values of above PFT parameters are not significant statistically between urban &amp; rural COPD patients (p&gt;0.05).&#x0D; Conclusion: The study indicates that as compared to normal subjects, in patients of COPD there is great reduction in mean values for FVC, FEV1, PEFR, FEV1/FVC%, &amp; MVV irrespective of their residing location which is suggestive of an increase air way obstruction with reduced values of various PFT parameters. The study also shows that there is no significant difference in mean values of various parameters between urban &amp; rural areas.

Haematological and Hepatorenal Alterations Induced by Potash (Akanwu) on Male Wistar Rats

Introduction: Potash refers to the various naturally occurring water-soluble compounds of potassium used as a traditional food additive in Nigeria. Several health warnings have highlighted the deleterious effect of their consumption.&#x0D; Aim: The present study is aimed at evaluating the effects of graded doses of potash consumption on haematological and hepatorenal indices using Wistar rat models.&#x0D; Materials and Methods: Potash was locally sourced and the elemental composition was determined by X-Ray diffraction (XRD). Twenty (20) male Wistar rats (170 – 200g) were used for the study and were divided into four (4) groups of five (5) animals each. Group 1 served as the control while Groups 2 – 4 served as the experimental group and received an aqueous mixture of potash via oral gavage at 200, 400 and 800mg/kg respectively for thirty (30) days.&#x0D; Results: XRD elemental analysis of potash revealed the presence of potassium (27.44%), phosphorus (14.27%), antimony (5.18%), barium (4.27%), fluorine (2.78%), cadmium (2.06%), yttrium (1.63%), tellurium (1.32%), caesium (1.12%), niobium (1.04%), sodium (0.42%) and germanium (0.06%). Results from haematological and hepatorenal parameters show a significant reduction in mean values of red blood cell count, haemoglobin concentration and packed cell volume among the experimental groups compared to control (p&lt;0.05) and significantly increased mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, white blood cell count, lymphocytes, neutrophils, MID cell percentage, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, urea, creatine, sodium, potassium and chloride ions among the experimental group compared to the control (P&lt;0.05).&#x0D; Conclusion: The data presented has shown that the chronic consumption of potash at 800mg/kg can negatively alter the haematological and hepatorenal profiles of Wistar rats. Therefore, this study considers potash, a possible toxicant to the blood, liver and kidney.

Aspects of a unique natural limnological phenomenon in the Brazilian Pantanal

This study compares physical and chemical parameters of water samples collected in a marginal lake (Castelo Bay) in the Paraguay River Basin in southern Pantanal during a significant natural phenomenon of hypoxia, locally called decoada, and shortly after it. Limnological parameters were analyzed from four sampling sites along the bay. Comparisons of the physical and chemical parameters between decoada and post-decoada periods were performed by Student’s t-test, principal component analysis and multivariate permutational analysis of variance (permanova). During the period of the decoada, there was a significant reduction in mean values of water transparency and concentrations of dissolved oxygen, sodium and nitrite compared to the post-decoada period. On the other hand, water temperature and conductivity, and concentrations of orthophosphate, total nitrogen and total iron have all had higher values during the decoada period. An effect of connectivity between lake and river was found to generate a gradient of water characteristics at Castelo Bay. The limnological characteristics that differed the most between decoada and post-decoada periods are those associated with the reduction of dissolved oxygen that could cause natural death of fish and the increase in nutrients during the decoada, yet they vary on temporal and spatial scales.&#x0D; Keywords: anoxia, dissolved oxygen, floodplain lakes.

Aerodynamic Performance Uncertainty Analysis and Optimization of a Conventional Axisymmetric Vehicle Based on Parallel Polynomial Chaos Expansions

In this study, the aerodynamic uncertainty analysis and optimization of a conventional axisymmetric vehicle with an aerodynamic configuration were investigated. The prediction precision of the typical aerodynamic performance estimating methods, namely, engineering estimation and numerical simulation, was compared using the wind tunnel test data of the vehicle. Then, using a modified missile data compendium (DATCOM) software, a high-efficiency and high-precision method was developed, which was applied to analyze and characterize the aerodynamic parameters of the axisymmetric vehicle. To enhance the robustness and reliability of aerodynamic performance, an uncertainty-based design optimization (UDO) framework was established. The design space was scaled by parameter sensitivity analysis, and improved computational efficiency was achieved by developing parallel polynomial chaos expansions (PCEs). The optimized results show that the modified method exhibits high accuracy in predicting aerodynamic performance. For the same constraints, the results of the deterministic design optimization (DDO) showed that compared with the initial scheme, the probability of the controllability-to-stability ratio satisfying the constraint decreased from 98.8% to 72.4%, and this value increased to 99.9% in the case of UDO. Compared with the results of the initial scheme and DDO, UDO achieved a considerable reduction in mean values and standard deviation of aerodynamic performances, which can ensure a higher probability of constraints meeting the design requirements, thereby, realizing a reliable and robust design.

Estimation of Vs30 Bounds From Limited Soil Data Considering Uncertainty

According to design standards, uncertainty of dynamic foundation parameters are accounted in soil structure interaction (SSI) analysis by considering best estimate, upper and lower bounds. Site specific variability (coefficient of variation: Cv) cannot be directly established from limited site measurements. Codes prescribe a value of unity for such cases, which results in wide and often unrealistic range of foundation parameters for SSI. A Monte Carlo (MC) simulation based approach is proposed for calculation of site specific Cv from limited measurements. Along with 12% reduction of mean value, Cv could be reduced to 0.5, thereby enabling reduction of the aforementioned range. Adoption of code specified minimum Cv could accommodate 50% inaccuracy of input shear wave velocity, which justifies use of correlation equations (with inaccuracies reported between 20% and 35%) for generation of synthetic shear wave velocity profiles as substitute for or augmentation of site measurements.

Generation of Micro-mutants for Yield and Component Traits in Horse Gram [Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lam.) Verdc.

Background: Induced mutagenesis was employed in horse gram cv. CRIDA 1-18R with an objective of evolving mutants with increased yield potential. Methods: Based on preliminary study, the variety has been irradiated with desirable doses of gamma rays (200 Gy and 300 Gy), electron beam (100 Gy and 200 Gy) and its combination (100 Gy) and the material were forwarded to M2 generation following parent-progeny row basis. The genotypes exhibiting superior yield than control were further forwarded to M3 generation. Multivariate analyses were performed to determine the induction of micro-mutants for 11 quantitative traits.Result: The reduction in mean value over control was observed for most of the yield component traits at M2 generation. Among the mutagenic treatments, combination of gamma rays with electron beam registered high mean values for pod length (5.05 cm), number of pods per plant (54.42) and single plant yield (25.68 g) at M3 generation. Non-significant skewness and / or kurtosis at M3 population denoted the absence of epistatic interactions for plant yield. An increase in variability pattern, H2 and GAM at M3 generation indicated the scope for trait (plant height, number of seeds per pod, number of clusters per plant, number of pods per plant, biological yield and single plant yield) improvement through selection.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SERUM TOTAL CHOLESTEROL IN PRE AND POST-CHOLECYSTECTOMY PATIENTS UNDERGOING LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY

Background:Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has many advantages over laparotomy like smaller incisions, reduced surgical trauma, less post-operative pain, faster recovery time, shorter hospital stay, and faster return to normal activities or routine work. So, it is considered as the gold standard for surgical treatment of benign gallbladder disease like cholelithiasis.The aim of this study was to elucidate the association of serum total cholesterol with cholelithiasis patients and effect of cholecystectomy on the same by laparoscopic procedure. Methodology: This study was conducted prospectively on 109 patients in a tertiary care hospital in eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. From January 2019 to December 2019, patients admitted for cholecystectomy in General surgery ward of this hospital were included in this study. Fasting blood samples of the patients were collected firstbefore surgery and then 12-24 hours after surgery and were analyzed in the biochemistry laboratory of the institute after proper control and calibration, meeting the quality standard of the laboratory. Values of serum total cholesterol thus obtained were compared with each other. Results: In our study, 84.4% patients were females with mean age of 43.1 years and 15.6% patients were males with mean age of 40.8 years. A reduction in mean value of serum total cholesterol was noted pre-operatively from 221.1 mg/dL to 203.5 mg/dL post-operatively. Conclusion: From our study, we concluded that laparoscopic cholecystectomy is beneficial in lowering down the serum total cholesterol and hence reduces the risk factors for associated diseases.

Эффективность применения липосомального гелевого покрытия с дигидрокверцетином Фламена в терапии склеротического лишая вульвы

Study Objective: To assess the therapeutic efficiency of liposomal gelcoat with dihydroquercetin Flamena in combination therapy of vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS). Study Design: open comparative perspective study. Materials and Methods. The study included 52 patients with VLS aged 22 to 65 years. Patients were randomised into two therapeutic groups: 27 patients in group 1 had a standard course of therapy with ultrapotent topic glucocorticosteroids (tGCS) for 3 months; 25 patients in group 2 had a standard intermittent 3-month therapy with Flamena gel for 1.5 month. Therapy efficiency was evaluated using the Dermatological Symptom Scale, visual analogue scale, and Dermatological Quality of Life Index (DQoLI). Therapeutic manipulations were assessed during 6 visits. Study Results. Flamena gel facilitated clinical remission maintenance and prolongation. Starting from visit 4, there were differences between group 1 and group 2 values. By visit 5, group 2 patients demonstrated stable regression or reduction in white spots and papules/plaques (not more than 0.8 ± 0.35 and 0.5 ± 0.26 points, respectively). At the same time, group 1 had clinical symptoms intensity rising to 1.6 ± 0.87 points (white spots) and 1.2 ± 0.9 points (papules/plaques), correlating with subjective symptoms aggravation. Effects of therapy on DQoLI were demonstrated with reduction in mean values to 4.2 ± 2.6 points (group 1) and 3.2 ± 1.4 points (group 2) by visit 2. In group 2, the values remained at 3.3 ± 0.6 points by day 60 (visit 6) of follow-up, whereas in group 1 the VLS impact over quality of life increased from mild (4.2 ± 2.6 points — visit 2) to moderate (7.1 ± 2.3 points — visit 6) in a majority of study subjects. Conclusion. A comparative study demonstrated a marked therapeutic effect and high safety profile of Flamena gel in a combination therapy of VLS patients. It improves disease prognosis due to antiinflammatory, antiseptic and regenerative action, thus allowing reducing the frequency and amount of tGCS use. Keywords: vulvar lichen sclerosus, Flamena gel, vulvar itching

Evolution of Surface Density Function in an Open Turbulent Jet Spray Flame

A three-dimensional Direct Numerical Simulation of an open turbulent jet spray flame representing a laboratory-scale burner configuration has been used to analyse the statistical behaviours of the magnitude of reaction progress variable gradient left| {nabla c} right| [alternatively known as the Surface Density Function (SDF)] and the strain rates, which affect its evolution. The flame has been found to exhibit fuel-lean combustion close to the jet exit, but fuel-rich conditions have been obtained further downstream due to the evaporation of fuel droplets, which leads to the reduction in the mean value of the SDF in the downstream direction. This change in mixture composition in the axial direction has implications on the statistical behaviours of the SDF and the strain rates affecting its evolution. The mean value of dilatation rate remains positive, whereas the mean normal strain rate assumes positive values where the effects of heat release are strong but becomes negative towards both unburned and burned gas sides. The mean values of dilatation rate, normal strain rate and tangential strain rate decrease downstream of the jet exit. However, the mean behaviours of displacement speed and its components do not change significantly away from the jet exit. The mean values of normal strain rate arising from flame propagation remain positive and thus act to thicken the flame. The mean tangential strain rate due to flame propagation (alternatively the curvature stretch rate) remains negative throughout the flame at all axial locations investigated. The mean effective normal strain rate assumes positive values throughout the flame and it increases in the downstream direction for the present case, which is consistent with the reduction in the peak mean value of the SDF in the axial direction. The mean effective tangential strain rate (alternatively stretch rate) assumes negative values throughout the flame at all axial locations.

Effects of physical exercise on cardiovascular risk and quality of life in hypertensive elderly people

The scope of this article is to evaluate the effects of a mixed protocol of physical exercises on cardiovascular risk (CVR), quality of life and the presence of depressive symptoms in elderly hypertensive patients. It involved a longitudinal, prospective and quasi-experimental study with 48 elderly individuals. A physical exercise protocol was developed for 16 weeks according to American College of Sports Medicine, and anthropometric variables (weight, height, body mass index and waist circumference), as well as biochemical variables (total cholesterol, LDL-c, HDL-c; triglycerides) were evaluated. The mean age was 66.5±4.8 years. The frequent CVR factors were dyslipidemia (58.3%) and sedentary lifestyle (45.8%). After intervention, there was a reduction in mean values of total and LDL-cholesterol and increased HDL-cholesterol levels. The CVR and global risk score decreased significantly. The frequency of depressive symptoms decreased from 25% to 4.2%. An improvement was observed in SF-36 physical, health and vitality domains. The mixed protocol of physical exercises constituted a possible low cost and effective alternative in the improvement of the lipid profile and the quality of life related to the health of the elderly who participated in this research.

Variability in a Silage Maize “Zea mays, L.” Base Population via Two Types of Families 3. Forage botanical composition and dry matter partitioning

The base population for the recent study which is a yellow seed synthetic variety of maize was provided by Dr. M. Abd El-Sattar Ahmed, professor of crop science, Crop Science Department, faculty of Agriculture, Egypt. Two types of families had formulated, as a step before selection for high yielding ability. Those were half-sib (H.S) families and the first generation of self-pollination (S1) families. Variability in the base population gene pool had estimated depending on vari-ance components of the families. Reduction in mean values associated with S1 families relative to half-sib families reached 0.182, 1.18, 0.98, 3.88, 2.75 and 5.72% for leaves percentage, stem percentage, ear percentage, grain percentage, cob per-centage and husk percentage, respectively. Genotypic variances among S1 families was larger in magnitude than the respec-tive value for half-sib families in each measured botanical composition and dry matter partitioning characters. Meanwhile, within family’s variance, (σ2f), environmental variances (σ2e) had reduced in S1 families relative to half-sib families in each measured character. Genotypic variation among half-sib and S1 families were less than 20% of the studied botanical compo-sition and dry matter partitioning characters mean values, except for cob percentage and husk percentage that had a genotyp-ic variation amount to 24% and 26%, respectively. The estimates of additive variance (δ2A) were positive for all studied botanical composition and dry matter partitioning characters. While, the estimates of dominance variance (δ2D) were nega-tive for all characters, the ratio of δ2A/δ2G indicated that additive genetic variance was more effective in controlling all stud-ied botanical composition and dry matter partitioning characters. Estimates of heritability were higher in magnitude when calculated from first selfing generation (S1) compared to half-sib families, for all studied characters. Stem percentage ex-pressed the least estimate heritability among all studied characters in each family type (0.798 and 0.414 for half-sib and S1 families, respectively). This might indicate the influence of environment in the expression of that character. Meanwhile husk percentage had highest genetic control expressed on heritability estimates from the two studied types of families.

Variability in Forage yield of a Silage Maize “Zea mays, L.”Base Population via Two Types of Families

The base population for the recent study which is ayellow seed synthetic variety of maize was provided by Dr. M. Abd El-Sattar Ahmed, professor of crop science, Crop Science Department, faculty of Agriculture, Egypt.Two types of families had formulated, as a step before selection for high yielding ability. Those were half-sib (H.S) fami-lies and the first generation of self-pollination(S1) families. Variability in the base population gene pool had estimated depending on variance components of the families. The ratio of σ2A/ σ2G indicated that, additive genetic variance was more effective in controlling green and dry forage yield. This might indicate the importance of additive genetic vari-ance in maize population, consequently, selection among inbred- progeny would expect to be superior to other meth-ods under most genetic situations. Reduction in mean values of forage yield associated with selfing, reached 0.62 and 0.57 for green forage yield (Kg/ plot) and dry forage yield (Kg/plot), respectively. Values of genotypic variances estimated from S1 families were of larger magnitude amounted to 1.63 and 1.94 times the corresponding values for half- sib families in green forage yield and dry forage yield. Opposite to that, environmental variance estimates from S1 families were 0.56 and 0.55 of the respective values from half- sib families in green forage yield and dry forage yield respectively.Genotypic variations in term of coefficient relative to the overall mean of green yield and dry yield were less than 20%of the character mean when estimated from half-sib and S1 families (10.85 vs. 13.96 and 10.21 vs. 14.31% for green and dry forage, respectively).Dry forage yield expressed the highest estimates of heritability in both family types (0.829 and 0.877 for half –sib and S1 families, respectively). While, the obtained values for green forage yield were of lower magnitude (0.53 and 0.67 for half-sib and S1 families, respectively). This might indicate addition-al environmental influences with green forage yield.