Typical Cycle Research Articles

Salmon lice should be managed before they attach to salmon: Exploring epidemiological factors affecting Lepeophtheirus salmonis abundance on salmon farms

The ectoparasite Lepeophtheirus salmonis has for decades been a serious challenge to the sustainability of salmonid aquaculture and has the potential to disrupt the ecosystem of wild salmonids. To tackle this challenge, efforts have been made to develop effective lice control strategies that deter ectoparasitic infestations on salmon farms. Infestation control can be enhanced by understanding L. salmonis population dynamics that may reveal critical points at which to intervene. Here, we investigate the impact of key parameters affecting L. salmonis population dynamics on salmon farms with a view to informing L. salmonis management. We built a system dynamics model to simulate L. salmonis populations in a hypothetical Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) farm. Our model focused on three key parameters in the life cycle of L. salmonis: external pressure (rate of introduction of planktonic L. salmonis from outside the farm), attachment proportion (proportion of L. salmonis that successfully infest salmon), and treatment efficacy (proportion of L. salmonis that are killed as a result of treatment). By applying various combinations of plausible values for these three parameters, their modelled impacts on L. salmonis management were evaluated in terms of the total number of required treatments and the total infestation burden during a typical production cycle. These two modelled outcomes represent the cost of treatment and a proxy for other likely costs, such as lost growth or mortality caused by the parasite. Our results indicated that overall L. salmonis infestation levels were more sensitive to changes in the proportion of successful attachment, followed by changes in external pressure, and were least affected by changes in treatment efficacy. While attachment proportion and external pressure are involved at the pre-infestation stages in the life cycle of L. salmonis, treatment efficacy is involved in the post-infestation stages. Therefore, these findings suggest that preventing infestation before lice attach to fish is a more effective L. salmonis control strategy than treating already infested salmon. Overall, the presented results provide numerical evidence for the efficiency of prevention and support the development and application of prevention measures that have been on the rise in recent years.

Processing-Microstructure-Property Correlation for Producing Stretch-Flangeable Grade Dual-Phase Steel

Continuous annealing simulation experiment of a large sample (220 mm length and 110 mm width) is carried out for a better understanding of the role of annealing parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties so as to develop dual-phase steel with consistent quality. A typical complete annealing cycle used in industry for producing dual-phase structure was divided into several thermal stages to investigate various mechanisms at different thermal stages. A correlation among microstructure, process parameters and mechanical property is established by varying the important annealing process parameters. Based on the systematic study at each thermal stage, the annealing parameters that have greater influence on mechanical properties were identified. A modified complete thermal cycle, after control of these key parameters, produced a better distribution of fine martensite along the ferrite grain boundaries and thus enhanced mechanical properties. The study showed that higher amount and uniform distribution of fine martensite with granular morphology along the ferrite grain boundaries for a fixed composition of steel is essential for improved mechanical properties. The uniform distribution of fine martensite with required amount within the ferrite matrix not only enhanced strength–ductility balance but also improved stretch-flangeability.

Thermodynamic Analysis and Optimization of Secondary Overheating Parameters in Turbo-Expander Plants on Low Boiling Working Fluids

The paper presents a thermodynamic analysis of secondary overheating in turbo-expander plants on low-boiling working fluids. The possibility of optimizing the parameters of the working fluid in a secondary stem superheater has been studied. The research was carried out for two typical turbo-expander cycles: with a heat exchanger at the outlet of the turbo-expander, intended for cooling an overheated low-boiling working fluid, and without a heat exchanger. Cycles inT–scoordinates were constructed for the studied schemes. The influence of pressure and temperature in the intermediate superheater on the exergetic efficiency of the turbo-expander unit was studied. Thus, the dependences of the exergetic efficiency and losses on the elements of the turbo-expander cycle are obtained when the temperature of the working fluid changes and pressure of the working fluid not changes in the intermediate superheater, and when the pressure changes and the temperature does not change. As a low-boiling working fluid, the ozone-safe freon R236EA is considered, which has a “dry” saturation line characteristic, zero ozone layer destruction potential, and a global warming potential equal to 1370. It has been determined that increasing the parameters of the low-boiling working fluid in front of the low-pressure turbo expander (regardless of the scheme of the turbo expander cycle) does not always cause an increase in the exergetic efficiency. Thus, overheating of the working fluid at a pressure exceeding the critical pressure causes a positive exergetic effect, but for each temperature there is an optimal pressure at which the efficiency will be maximum. At a pressure below the critical pressure, overheating leads to a decrease in the exergetic efficiency, and the maximum exergetic effect is achieved in the absence of a secondary steam superheater. All other things being equal, a turbo-expander cycle with a heat exchanger is more efficient than without it over the entire temperature range and pressure of the low-boiling working fluid under study.

Design and kinematic analysis of a novel rehabilitative robotic walking simulation device.

This paper presents an original rehabilitative robotic walking simulation device. As a novel feature, it can duplicate the walking motion of the feet completely by including the motion of the metatarsophalangeal joints as well. It is also adjustable to different foot sizes and gait parameters such as speed, step length, and foot elevation. The presented device comprises two identical mechanisms that simulate the right and left feet. Each mechanism is designed as a planar parallel manipulator with three degrees of freedom and thus its platform (i.e. foot plate) can duplicate the sagittal-plane motion of a foot completely. A prototype of the device is already built, patented, and tested by several people, two of whom are physiotherapists. In the paper, the inverse and forward kinematic analyses of each parallel manipulator are also presented. The inverse kinematic analysis is carried out based on a typical gait cycle data of a healthy person gathered from the related literature. The results of the inverse kinematic analysis are then used as reference trajectory data in testing the device with different healthy people at different speeds.

Influence of Paint Baking on the Energy Absorption and Failure Mode of Resistance Spot Welds in TRIP1180 Steel

Abstract Resistance spot welds (RSWs) in advanced high strength steels frequently exhibit interfacial failure during cross-tension testing: a mode of fracture associated with low-energy absorption. Automotive assembly lines include a paint application and baking cycle after the vehicle assembly and joining processes to cure paint and any adhesives used for assembly. In this article, the effects of a typical baking cycle: 180 °C for 20 min, on the failure mode and energy absorption during cross-tension testing of RSWs made in a TRIP1180 steel are reported. Further, short-time baking cycles of 30 s, 90 s, and 4 min were employed to investigate how quickly these baking effects are activated. RSWs, which exhibited interfacial failure and a low-energy absorption of 30.9 J in the as-welded condition, saw a change in a failure mode to partial interfacial failure and a 260% increase in energy absorption after baking for 30 s. After baking for a longer time (4 min), welds failed by button pull-out and exhibited a 296% increase in energy absorption during cross-tension testing. Baking for the full 20 min resulted in no additional improvement than was observed in the 4 min condition. The mechanisms responsible for the majority of the improvement in weld performance during baking are found to be activated after only 30 s of baking.

Experimental Technique to Generate Complex Pressure Cycles in TBI-related In-vitro or Ex-vivo Samples

Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has been widely accepted as a “signature” wound affecting service members in modern conflicts, yet the mechanisms that cause bTBI still remain poorly understood. One of the main reasons for such poor understanding is the technical challenge of reproducing under controlled laboratory conditions the typical time-varying loading cycles induced on brain tissue after a blast event. Blast events have a sub-millisecond onset of high pressure followed by complex dynamics resulting from interaction between the blast wave and the complex anatomical structure of the human head. To tackle these experimental challenges, our group developed a novel apparatus using a water-filled piston-cylinder assembly driven by a piezoelectric actuator to generate complex and fast-varying pressure profiles. The versatility of our apparatus in producing complex pressure profiles was demonstrated by generating a single pressure pulse with various pulse-widths and magnitudes, an approximate Friedlander waveform, and a multi-modal waveform. A feedforward controller was also designed for the apparatus enhancing its capabilities to generate custom, user-defined pressure profiles. The apparatus successfully generated pressures up to 450 kPa at frequencies up to 5 kHz. The designed apparatus is compact, easily portable, and highly controllable, making it well suited for biomedical applications. This apparatus can be used to conduct ex-vivo and in-vitro experiments involving animal brain tissue specimens, cell cultures, and organoids to explore their response to the complex pressure loadings observed during a bTBI event.

Heat-Mitigation Effects of Irrigated Rice-Paddy Fields Under Changing Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Based on a Coupled Atmosphere and Crop Energy-Balance Model

Known as the heat-mitigation effect, irrigated rice-paddy fields distribute a large fraction of their received energy to the latent heat during the growing season. The present hypothesis is that increased atmospheric CO2 concentration decreases the stomatal conductance of rice plants and increases the air temperature by means of an increased sensible heat flux. To test this hypothesis, a coupled regional atmospheric and crop energy-balance model is developed and applied to a 300 × 300 km2 region in Japan. Downscaling meteorological variables from grid-mean values of mixed land use (3 × 3 km2) generates realistic typical diurnal cycles of air temperature in rice paddies and adjacent residential areas. The model simulation shows that, on a typical sunny day in summer, doubling the CO2 concentration increases the daily maximum grid-mean air temperature, particularly where rice paddies are present, by up to 0.7 °C. This CO2 effect on the grid-mean air temperature is approximately half the effect of the reduction in rice-paddy area that is postulated to occur on a time scale similar to that of the atmospheric CO2 change. However, within the internal atmospheric boundary layer of the rice paddies, the CO2 effect on the air temperature (+ 0.44 °C) still exceeds the effects of the land-use change (+ 0.11 °C). These results show a potentially important interplay of plant physiological responses regarding atmospheric CO2 in the heat-mitigation effect of rice-paddy fields under a changing climate.

Coordinated grain boundary deformation governed nanograin annihilation in shear cycling

Grain growth and shrinkage are essential to the thermal and mechanical stability of nanocrystalline metals, which are assumed to be governed by the coordinated deformation between neighboring grain boundaries (GBs) in the nanosized grains. However, the dynamics of such coordination has rarely been reported, especially in experiments. In this work, we systematically investigate the atomistic mechanism of coordinated GB deformation during grain shrinkage in an Au nanocrystal film through combined state-of-the-art in situ shear testing and atomistic simulations. We demonstrate that an embedded nanograin experiences shrinkage and eventually annihilation during a typical shear loading cycle. The continuous grain shrinkage is accommodated by the coordinated evolution of the surrounding GB network via dislocation-mediated migration, while the final grain annihilation proceeds through the sequential dislocation-annihilation-induced grain rotation and merging of opposite GBs. Both experiments and simulations show that stress distribution and GB structure play important roles in the coordinated deformation of different GBs and control the grain shrinkage/annihilation under shear loading. Our findings establish a mechanistic relation between coordinated GB deformation and grain shrinkage, which reveals a general deformation phenomenon in nanocrystalline metals and enriches our understanding on the atomistic origin of structural stability in nanocrystalline metals under mechanical loading.

Experimental Investigation of Cryoneedle Heating during MR-Guided Cryoablation in Ex Vivo Tissue Samples at 1.5-Tesla

PurposeTo investigate cryoneedle heating risks during magnetic resonance (MR)-guided cryoablation and potential strategies to mitigate these risks. Materials and MethodsEx vivo experiments were performed on a 1.5-Tesla (T) MR scanner using an MR conditional cryoablation system on porcine tissue phantoms. Cryoneedles were placed inside the tissue phantom either with or without an angiocatheter. Typical cryoneedle geometric configurations (including gas supply line) encountered in clinical procedures with low to high expected heating risks were investigated. Up to 4 fiber optic temperature sensors were attached to the cryoneedle/angiocatheter to measure the MR-induced cryoneedle heating at different locations during MR with different estimated specific absorption rates (SARs). The impact of cryoneedle heating on cryoablation treatment was studied by comparing temperature changes during 10-min freeze-thaw cycles with and without MR. ResultsRapid temperature increases of >100 °C in < 2 minutes were observed during MR with a SAR of 2.1 W/kg. The temperature changes during a typical freeze-thaw cycle were also affected by cryoneedle heating when MR was used to monitor the ice-ball evolution. The observed cryoneedle heating was affected by multiple factors; including cryoneedle geometric configurations, sequence SAR, whether an angiocatheter was used, and whether the cryoneedle was connected to the rest of the cryoablation system. ConclusionsThe ex vivo experiments demonstrated that MR could induce significant cryoneedle heating risks. Furthermore, MR-induced cryoneedle heating can affect temperatures in the ice-ball evolution during the freeze-thaw cycle. Several practical strategies to reduce the cryoneedle heating have been proposed.

The modelling and three-level control of a hybrid propulsion system for a green ice-capable ship

The decreasing of Arctic sea ice provides opportunities for commercial shipping between Asia and Europe due to its shorter distance. However, the Arctic environment is vulnerable to the pollutants from shipping activities. Therefore, it is important to consider the impacts of shipping activities in the Northern Sea Route (NSR), especially with a view to the possibility of reducing emissions of short-lived pollutants. In this paper, modelling of a hybrid propulsion system is conducted and implemented in Matlab Simulink. A 3-level control strategy with efficiency of power sources taken into consideration, is applied to ensure stability of voltage and frequency, as well as reducing the pollutants through minimizing the fuel consumption. A target journey with specific loading condition, which is related to NSR shipping, has been conducted to test the performance of the hybrid propulsion system with the 3-level control strategy and diesel electric system, the simulation results of the hybrid propulsion system applied with the three-level control strategy in this research can offer up to 22.7% fuel savings compared with a DC diesel electric system over a typical operating cycle. This justifies the use of hybrid propulsion as a more environmentally friendly propulsion system for the future ice-capable ships in the NSR. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is conducted to find the main factors, which influence fuel consumption.

Injury Incidence Across the Menstrual Cycle in International Footballers

Objectives: This study aimed to assess how menstrual cycle phase and extended menstrual cycle length influence the incidence of injuries in international footballers.Methods: Over a 4-year period, injuries from England international footballers at training camps or matches were recorded, alongside self-reported information on menstrual cycle characteristics at the point of injury. Injuries in eumenorrheic players were categorized into early follicular, late follicular, or luteal phase. Frequencies were also compared between injuries recorded during the typical cycle and those that occurred after the cycle would be expected to have finished. Injury incidence rates (per 1,000 person days) and injury incidence rate ratios were calculated for each phase for all injuries and injuries stratified by type.Results: One hundred fifty-six injuries from 113 players were eligible for analysis. Injury incidence rates per 1,000 person-days were 31.9 in the follicular, 46.8 in the late follicular, and 35.4 in the luteal phase, resulting in injury incidence rate ratios of 1.47 (Late follicular:Follicular), 1.11 (Luteal:Follicular), and 0.76 (Luteal:Late follicular). Injury incident rate ratios showed that muscle and tendon injury rates were 88% greater in the late follicular phase compared to the follicular phase, with muscle rupture/tear/strain/cramps and tendon injuries/ruptures occurring over twice as often during the late follicular phase compared to other phases 20% of injuries were reported as occurring when athletes were “overdue” menses.Conclusion: Muscle and tendon injuries occurred almost twice as often in the late follicular phase compared to the early follicular or luteal phase. Injury risk may be elevated in typically eumenorrheic women in the days after their next menstruation was expected to start.

Analysis of the payback period of a modernized pump unit with induction electric motors of advanced energy efficiency classes

Aim. The comparative analysis of energy consumption, electricity costs during lifetime cycle and payback period of a pump unit with 90 kW 2-pole induction motors, belonging to various energy efficiency classes, feeding directly from power grid. Methods. The examined operating modes aligned with a typical operating cycle of a pump unit with approximately constant flow rate of 75-110 % of the rated flow. The calculations were based on the pump and induction motors nameplate data, which, in their turn, were based on the manufacturers’ experimental data. Results. The calculations of energy consumption, electricity costs and payback periods of a pump unit with 90 kW 2-pole induction motors, feeding directly from power grid have been performed in the article. The application of induction motors belonging to IE2, IE3 and IE4 energy efficiency classes has been discussed. Practical value. It has been demonstrated, than in case of replacement of an induction motor of energy efficiency class IE2 due to planned retrofit, payback period for an IE4 induction motor is 2.18 years, energy savings within a calculated 20-year operating period are 268MW·h, which makes €41110 in money terms. Under the same conditions, the replacement of an induction motor of energy efficiency class IE2 with an induction motor of energy efficiency class IE3 will allow to save 88 MW·h within a calculated operating period, which, expressed in monetary terms, is €13500 and the payback period is 5.11 years. Thus, the article proves that despite a higher initial price, the choice of an induction motor of energy efficiency class IE4 tends to be more economically advantageous.

The role of inherently safer design in process safety

AbstractThe role of inherently safer design (ISD) in process safety assurance has changed significantly over the past 40 years. When first introduced by Professor Trevor Kletz following the 1974 Flixborough explosion, the ISD concept challenged the manner in which process risk was addressed in the chemical industry. The prevailing view of adding on safety devices and implementing procedures aimed at controlling hazards was now complemented by a way of thinking that sought to remove or reduce hazards at their source. The past 20 years have seen ISD mature into an established risk reduction strategy that is widely known in principle and increasingly adopted in practice. The current paper reviews the authors' collaborative research efforts aimed at integrating ISD into various process safety systems, activities, and applications. The primary inherent safety principles (minimization, substitution, moderation, and simplification) are explained with example‐based guidance provided for their use. ISD features and performance indices are examined throughout the early design and operational stages of a typical process life cycle. Preventing and mitigating undesirable occurrences such as domino effects and dust explosions are shown to be feasible by adopting an inherent safety approach. The importance of reviewing ISD case studies developed from incident investigations is also discussed. Finally, we present our personal opinions on the current status of inherently safer design and future possibilities for its continued growth.

Micro-Hydropower in Nepal: Analysing the Project Process to Understand Drivers that Strengthen and Weaken Sustainability

Evaluating the sustainable operation of community-owned and community-operated renewable energy projects is complex. The development of a project often depends on the actions of diverse stakeholders, including the government, industry and communities. Throughout the project cycle, these interrelated actions impact the sustainability of the project. In this paper, the typical project cycle of a micro-hydropower plant in Nepal is used to demonstrate that key events throughout the project cycle affect a plant’s ability to operate sustainably. Through a critical analysis of the available literature, policy and project documentation and interviews with manufacturers, drivers that affect the sustainability of plants are found. Examples include weak specification of civil components during tendering, quality control issues during manufacture, poor quality of construction and trained operators leaving their position. Opportunities to minimise both the occurrence and the severity of threats to sustainability are identified. For the micro-hydropower industry in Nepal, recommendations are made for specific actions by the relevant stakeholders at appropriate moments in the project cycle. More broadly, the findings demonstrate that the complex nature of developing community energy projects requires a holistic consideration of the complete project process.

An Anti-Counterfeiting Architecture for Traceability System Based on Modified Two-Level Quick Response Codes

Traceability is considered a promising solution for product safety. However, the data in the traceability system is only a claim rather than a fact. Therefore, the quality and safety of the product cannot be guaranteed since we cannot ensure the authenticity of products (aka counterfeit detection) in the real world. In this paper, we focus on counterfeit detection for the traceability system. The risk of counterfeiting throughout a typical product life cycle in the supply chain is analyzed, and the corresponding requirements for the tags, packages, and traceability system are given to eliminate these risks. Based on the analysis, an anti-counterfeiting architecture for traceability system based on two-level quick response codes (2LQR codes) is proposed, where the problem of counterfeit detection for a product is transformed into the problem of copy detection for the 2LQR code tag. According to the characteristics of the traceability system, the generation progress of the 2LQR code is modified, and there is a corresponding improved algorithm to estimate the actual location of patterns in the scanned image of the modified 2LQR code tag to improve the performance of copy detection. A prototype system based on the proposed architecture is implemented, where the consumers can perform traceability information queries by scanning the 2LQR code on the product package with any QR code reader. They can also scan the 2LQR code with a home-scanner or office-scanner, and send the scanned image to the system to perform counterfeit detection. Compared with other anti-counterfeiting solutions, the proposed architecture has advantages of low cost, generality, and good performance. Therefore, it is a promising solution to replace the existing anti-counterfeiting system.

Probiotics, Anticipation Stress, and the Acute Immune Response to Night Shift.

IntroductionSleep disturbance and sleep disruption are associated with chronic, low grade inflammation and may underpin a range of chronic diseases in night shift workers. Through modulation of the intestinal microbiota, probiotic supplements may moderate the effects of sleep disruption on the immune system. The aim of this study was to examine 14 days of daily probiotic supplementation on the acute response of acute phase proteins and immune markers to sleep disruption associated with night shift work (Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: 12617001552370).MethodsIndividuals (mean age 41 ± 11 yrs; 74% female) performing routine night shift were randomly assigned to a probiotic group (1 × 1010 colony forming units (CFU) Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1 or 1 × 1010 CFU Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis UABla-12) or placebo (n= 29 per group). Participants undertook a 14-day supplementation period that coincided with a period of no night shifts followed by two consecutive night shifts. Blood samples were collected prior to the start of supplementation (V1), prior to commencing the first night shift (V2), after the first night shift (V3) and after the second night shift (V4). Serum was assessed for markers of stress (cortisol), acute phase response (C reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, pentraxin), adhesion markers (serum E-selectin, mucosal vascular addressin cell adhesion molecule 1 (MAdCAM-1), and serum cytokines (interleukin (IL)-1ra, IL-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-10). Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and a Fitbit activity tracker.ResultsThe groups were well balanced on key markers and the probiotic strains were well tolerated. The 14-day supplementation period that coincided with typical night-day sleep-wake cycles leading up to night shift (V1 to V2) was associated with significant changes in the placebo group in the concentration of serum cortisol (p = 0.01), pentraxin (p = 0.001), MAdCAM-1 (p = 0.001), and IL-1ra (p=0.03). In contrast, probiotic supplementation moderated changes in these serum markers from V1 to V2. No significant interaction effects (time by group) were observed for the serum markers prior to and after night shift work following probiotic supplementation due to the substantial changes in the serum markers that occurred during the normal sleep period from V1 to V2.ConclusionsProbiotics may moderate the effects of anticipatory stress on the immune system in the lead up to night shift.

A continuous plug-flow anaerobic/aerobic/anoxic/aerobic (AOAO) process treating low COD/TIN domestic sewage: Realization of partial nitrification and extremely advanced nitrogen removal

The realization of stable partial nitrification and advanced nitrogen removal are not acquired effectively in conventional pre-denitrification biological nitrogen removal processes treating domestic sewage. Herein, a novel anaerobic/aerobic/anoxic/aerobic (AOAO) continuous plug-flow reactor, characterized with double sludge reflux and a bypass of anaerobic mixed liquor conveyed to anoxic zone, was first constructed to realize stable partial nitrification in treating domestic sewage. The alternating anoxic/aerobic conditions and longer anoxic sludge retention time might be responsible for the partial nitrification. Nitrite accumulation ratio reached 89.3 ± 3.3% with the maximum activity ratio of AOB to NOB increasing from 0.72 to 8.17. A content total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) removal efficiency (93.7 ± 2.2%) and effluent TIN concentration (2.9 ± 0.9 mg N/L) were obtained after 238 days' operation. Specifically, nitrogen balance of the typical cycle showed that about 30.1% of TIN was removed through simultaneous partial nitrification and denitrification (SND) in aerobic zone and 48.2% by endogenous denitrification in anoxic zone. The AOAO process is an economic treatment for domestic sewage with aerobic hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 4 h.

Обґрунтування врахування життєвого циклу зразків ОВТ під час оборонного планування на основі спроможностей

An analysis of open sources and online publications regarding strategic planning, in particular the technical component of the defense forces, showed that the issue of life cycle was left out of consideration of samples of armaments and military equipment, both when assessing capabilities in the defense review and during medium and long term defense planning. The results of the defense review as an information basis for capability-based defense planning, without considering the life cycle of samples of armaments and military equipment, may not be realistic enough, which in the worst case may not ensure reliable implementation of national defense tasks.The purpose of the article is to substantiate the need considering during the defense review and defense planning process, based on capabilities, the life cycle of a promising model of armaments and military equipment to rationally forecast and allocate defense resources to ensure a reliable level of defense.A typical life cycle of a product of armaments and military equipment may include several stages. The number of stages depends on the complexity of the type of sample being created and the conditions of its implementation, which follow from the following constraints: the financial condition of the country, technological capabilities of production and time indicators.There is a pre-concept stage in NATO countries, one of the tasks of the stage in addition to substantiating the main goals and requirements for a promising model of armaments and military equipment, is identifying of possible risks in product development based on: forecast indicators of defense budget, technological capabilities and scientific potential.Qualitative and timely determination of the need for new (modernized) models of armaments and military equipment during the defense review is the basis for ordering the necessary budget resources and setting certain tasks for the medium and long term, which in turn will find its place in the State Targeted Defense Arms and Development Program of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Fluorescent-dependent comparative Ct method for qPCR gene expression analysis in IVF clinical pre-implantation embryonic testing.

The use of quantitative PCR (qPCR) and other polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods in the field of human in vitro fertilization blastocoel fluid analysis can potentially be utilized for assisting clinicians in embryo selection based on specific gene expression patterns. Since typical Comparative cycle threshold (Ct) analysis utilizes one threshold for runs per gene target and requires an inherent control group, this method is inadequate for analysis of small stochastic systems, such as embryonic-derived fluid. We mathematically demonstrate analytical modifications upon the Comparative Ct qPCR workflow to incorporate a variable fluorescence threshold (utilizing only the parameters defined in the Comparative Ct method), and subsequently demonstrate the typical workflow in which this modified method can successfully quantifiably analyze embryonic blastocoel fluid qPCR analysis.

Echinococcus multilocularis and other cestodes in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) of northeast Italy, 2012\u20132018

BackgroundEchinococcus multilocularis is a small tapeworm affecting wild and domestic carnivores and voles in a typical prey-predator life cycle. In Italy, there has been a focus of E. multilocularis since 1997 in the northern Italian Alps, later confirmed in red foxes collected from 2001 to 2005. In this study, we report the results of seven years of monitoring on E. multilocularis and other cestodes in foxes and describe the changes that occurred over time and among areas (eco-regions) showing different environmental and ecological features on a large scale.MethodsEggs of cestodes were isolated from feces of 2872 foxes with a sedimentation/filtration technique. The cestode species was determined through multiplex PCR, targeting and sequencing ND1 and 12S genes. Analyses were aimed to highlight variations among different eco-regions and trends in prevalence across the study years.ResultsOut of 2872 foxes, 217 (7.55%) samples resulted positive for cestode eggs at coproscopy, with differences of prevalence according to year, sampling area and age class. Eight species of cestodes were identified, with Taenia crassiceps (2.65%), Taenia polyacantha (1.98%) and E. multilocularis (1.04%) as the most represented. The other species, Mesocestoides litteratus, Taenia krabbei, T. serialis, T. taeniaeformis and Dipylidium caninum, accounted for < 1% altogether. Echinococcus multilocularis was identified in foxes from two out of six eco-regions, in 30 fecal samples, accounting for 1.04% within the cestode positives at coproscopy. All E. multilocularis isolates came from Bolzano province. Prevalence of cestodes, both collectively and for each of the three most represented species (T. crassiceps, T. polyacantha and E. multilocularis), varied based on the sampling year, and for E. multilocularis an apparent increasing trend across the last few years was evidenced.ConclusionsOur study confirms the presence of a focus of E. multilocularis in red foxes of northeast Italy. Although this focus seems still spatially limited, given its persistence and apparent increasing prevalence through the years, we recommend research to be conducted in the future on the ecological factors that, on a smaller scale, allow this zoonotic species to persist. On the same scale, we recommend a health education campaign to inform on the measures to prevent this zoonosis, targeted at people living in the area, especially hunters, dog owners, forestry workers and other potentially exposed categories.