Journals
2019 EN
Mohamed Zeineldin · Ameer Megahed · Brandi Burton
+3 more
Optimization of antimicrobial use in swine management systems requires full understanding of antimicrobial-induced changes on the developmental dynamics of gut microbiota and the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impacts of early life antimicrobial intervention on fecal microbiota development, and prevalence of selected ARGs ( ermB , tetO , tetW , tetC , sulI , sulII , and blaC TX–M ) in neonatal piglets. A total of 48 litters were randomly allocated into one of six treatment groups soon after birth. Treatments were as follows: control (CONT), ceftiofur crystalline free acid (CCFA), ceftiofur hydrochloride (CHC), oxytetracycline (OTC), procaine penicillin G (PPG), and tulathromycin (TUL). Fecal swabs were collected from piglets at days 0 (prior to treatment), 5, 10, 15, and 20 post treatment. Sequencing analysis of the V3-V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene and selected ARGs were performed using the Illumina Miseq platform. Our results showed that, while early life antimicrobial prophylaxis had no effect on individual weight gain, or mortality, it was associated with minor shifts in the composition of fecal microbiota and noticeable changes in the abundance of selected ARGs. Unifrac distance metrics revealed that the microbial communities of the piglets that received different treatments (CCFA, CHC, OTC, PPG, and TUL) did not cluster distinctly from CONT piglets. Compared to CONT group, PPG-treated piglets exhibited a significant increase in the relative abundance of ermB and tetW at day 20 of life. Tulathromycin treatment also resulted in a significant increase in the abundance of tetW at days 10 and 20, and ermB at day 20. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the shifts in fecal microbiota structure caused by perinatal antimicrobial intervention are modest and limited to particular groups of microbial taxa. However, early life PPG and TUL intervention could promote the selection of ARGs in herds. While additional investigations are required to explore the consistency of these findings across larger populations, these results could open the door to new perspectives on the utility of early life antimicrobial administration to healthy neonates in swine management systems.
Journals
2019 EN
Ameer Y. Taha · MarcOlivier Trépanier · Flaviu A. Coibanu
+5 more
Background: Brain concentrations of omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) have been reported to positively correlate with seizure thresholds in rodent seizure models. It is not known whether brain DHA depletion, achieved by chronic dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) deficiency, lowers seizure thresholds in rats. Objective: The present study tested the hypothesis that lowering brain DHA concentration with chronic dietary n-3 PUFA deprivation in rats will reduce seizure thresholds, and that compared to injected oleic acid (OA), injected DHA will raise seizure thresholds in rats maintained on n-3 PUFA adequate and deficient diets. Methods: Rats (60 days old) were surgically implanted with electrodes in the amygdala, and subsequently randomized to the AIN-93G diet containing adequate levels of n-3 PUFA derived from soybean oil or an n-3 PUFA-deficient diet derived from coconut and safflower oil. The rats were maintained on the diets for 37 weeks. Afterdischarge seizure thresholds (ADTs) were measured every 4–6 weeks by electrically stimulating the amygdala. Between weeks 35 and 37, ADTs were assessed within 1 h of subcutaneous OA or DHA injection (600 mg/kg). Seizure thresholds were also measured in a parallel group of non-implanted rats subjected to the maximal pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, 110 mg/kg) seizure test. PUFA composition was measured in the pyriform-amygdala complex of another group of non-implanted rats sacrificed at 16 and 32 weeks. Results: Dietary n-3 PUFA deprivation did not significantly alter amygdaloid seizure thresholds or latency to PTZ-induced seizures. Acute injection of OA did not alter amygdaloid ADTs of rats on the n-3 PUFA adequate or deficient diets, whereas acute injection of DHA significantly increased amygdaloid ADTs in rats on the n-3 PUFA adequate control diet as compared to rats on the n-3 PUFA deficient diet ( P < 0.05). Pyriform-amygdala DHA percent composition did not significantly differ between the groups, while n-6 docosapentaenoic acid, a marker of n-3 PUFA deficiency, was significantly increased by 2.9-fold at 32 weeks. Conclusion: Chronic dietary n-3 PUFA deficiency does not alter seizure thresholds in rats, but may prevent the anti-seizure effects of DHA.
Journals
2019 EN
Ameer E Hassan · Hari Kotta · Umar Shariff
+3 more
Background: Previous research has focused on the association between hemorrhagic transformation (HT) incidence and pre-procedural variables (i.e., baseline variables) rather than the association between HT incidence and endovascular treatment (EVT) procedural variables (e.g., stent retriever passes). Objective: To assess the association, if any, that exists between the number of stent retriever passes per procedure and the incidence of HT for patients undergoing mechanical thrombectomy. Methods: An endovascular database from a comprehensive stroke center was used to collect data on EVT patients treated with Trevo, Solitaire, or Penumbra stent retrievers from the years 2012 to 2017. Statistical analyses were conducted on the stent retriever passes, demographics, morbidities, medication usage, and outcomes and their association with HT. Results: Of the 329 total patients, 46 (14%) had HT. The HT group had an average [SD] of 1.65 [0.67] and range of [1–3] passes per procedure while the non-HT group had an average [SD] of 1.63 [0.86] and range of [1–5] passes per procedure. Admission NIHSS score ( p = 0.0003) and the incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) ( p = 0.05) were significantly higher in the HT group. Subdividing HT into symptomatic and asymptomatic ICH groups failed to display significant differences in the distribution of the stent retriever passes ( p = 0.969). The number of passes failed to show any association with HT ( p = 0.804) while admission NIHSS score was found to have an OR of 1.07 (95%CI: 1.029–1.121, p = 0.001) with HT incidence. Conclusion: No significant association was found between HT incidence and the stent retriever passes. Further multicenter studies are warranted to corroborate our results.
Journals
2019 EN
Ameer Al-Hamdany · Abdulaziz AL duleemy
The present study aimed to identify the anatomical and histological aspects as well as the histochemistery of mucin of glandular stomach of two birds which differ in their feeding habit. These birds are Sturnus vulgaris and Taenipygia guttat using light microscope and histochemical techniques. The anatomical results showed that the glandular stomach in Taenipygia guttat was conical or elongated while it was conical shape in the Sturnus vulgaris. Histologically, the result showed that the wall of the glandular stomach in both birds composed of four layers that comprise the rest of the digestive canal, The mucous layer of the glandular stomach in the two birds consist of folds extending into the glandular stomach cavity which known as mucus folds which is lined by simple epithelial columnar tissue, below it lies the lamina properia which contains superficial glands. While Submucosa is fully occupied with deep gastric glands. Muscularis consist of two layers, The internal circular shape and external longitudinal shape, as well as the serosa covered by mesothelim. Histochemically, the epithelial tissue showed moderate positive response for PAS reaction in both birds indicating the presence of moderate quantities of positive mucus materials for PAS reaction For TB technique epithelial tissue showed a positive response in T. guttat indicating that there is relatively large amounts of acidic mucopolysaccharides in both birds ,while the epithelial tissue in T. guttat. and S. vulgaris showed positive response for AB PH1, AB ph2.5. techniques respectively. AS for AB-PAS epithelial tissue in both birds showed a positive response indicating the presence of neutral and acidic mucins. Superficial gastric glands in both birds showed positive response for all techniques used, as well as the deep gastric glands which showed positive response in T. guttat and S. vulgaris for PAS techniques, while the AB PH2.5 and TB technique showed similar responses in both birds. AS for AB-PAS technique, positive responses as were shown in both birds, indicating large quantities of mucin in the secretions of these glands.
Journals
2019 EN
Ameer Al-Hamdany · Hamid AL-arajee
The present study dealt with the anatomical and histological structure of pecten oculi in three species of birds that differ in their nutrition, these birds were Accipiter nisus, Sturnus vulgaris and Taeniopygia guttata, by using compound light microscope and five different histological stains. The result showed that, pecten oculi was in the three species of pleated type and consisted of 17 folds in Accipiter nisus, 26 folds in Sturnus vulgaris and 19 folds in Taeniopygia guttata, these folds were vary in their thickness, as they were thicker in Accipiter nisus than the other two species. The results also showed that the pecten oculi folds of the three species contains three types of blood vessels: large size, medium size and blood capillaries. The three types of vessels were differ in their diameter and their distribution between the folds of pecten oculi with in one speceis as well as they differ in the other three species. Pecten oculi also contains pigment cells as well as peripheral cells, it ends in the three birds speceis with a structure known as the bridge which is consist of connective tissue and dense pigment cells. The bridge is rich in blood vessels of different sizes. The present study concluded that the pecten oculi differ in components and anatomical features in different speceis of birds. ةسا رد ةيحيرشت و ل ةنراقم ةيجسن ل نيعلا طشمم ي يف عاونا ةثلاث رويطلا نم ةيذغتلا ةفلتخم . 167 ةيذغتلا ةفلتخم رويطلا نم عاونا ةثلاث يف ينيعلا طشمملل ةنراقم ةيجسنو ةيحيرشت ةسا رد ينادمحلا هط دومحم ريما يجرعلاا دماح ناسح دماح ةفرصلا مولعلل ةيبرتلا ةيلك / ةايحلا مولع مسق لصوملا ةعماج
Journals
2019 EN
Waleed I. Hameed · Ameer L. Saleh · Baha A. Sawadi
+2 more
The electrical energy from the sun can be extracted using solar photovoltaic (PV) modules. This energy can be maximized if the connected load resistance matches that of the PV panel. In search of the optimum matching between the PV and the load resistance, the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique offers considerable potential. This paper aims to show how the modelling process of an efficient PV system with a DC load can be achieved using a fuzzy neural network (FNN) controller. This is applied via an innovative methodology, which senses the irradiance and temperature of the PV panel and produces an optimal value of duty ration for the boost converter to obtain the MPPT. The coefficients of this controller have been refined based upon previous data sets using the irradiance and temperature. A gradient descent algorithm is employed to improve the parameters of the FNN controller to achieve an optimal response. The validity of the PV system using the MPPT technique based on the FNN controller is further demonstrated via a series of experimental tests at different ambient conditions. The simulation results show how the MPPT technique based on the FNN controller is more effective in maintaining the optimal power values compared with conventional techniques.
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Journals
2019 EN
Waleed I. Hameed · Baha A. Sawadi · Safa Jameel Al-Kamil
+4 more
Prediction of solar irradiance plays an essential role in many energy systems. The objective of this paper is to present a low-cost solar irradiance meter based on artificial neural networks (ANN). A photovoltaic (PV) mathematical model of 50 watts and 36 cells was used to extract the short-circuit current and the open-circuit voltage of the PV module. The obtained data was used to train the ANN to predict solar irradiance for horizontal surfaces. The strategy was to measure the open-circuit voltage and the short-circuit current of the PV module and then feed it to the ANN as inputs to get the irradiance. The experimental and simulation results showed that the proposed method could be utilized to achieve the value of solar irradiance with acceptable approximation. As a result, this method presents a low-cost instrument that can be used instead of an expensive pyranometer.
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Journals
2019 EN
Jimna Mohamed Ameer · Prabha D. Nair · Naresh Kasoju
Tissue engineering aims to develop artificial human tissues by culturing cells on a scaffold in the presence of biochemical cues. Properties of scaffold such as architecture and composition highly influence the overall cell response. Electrospinning has emerged as one of the most affordable, versatile, and successful approaches to develop nonwoven nano/microscale fibrous scaffolds whose structural features resemble that of the native extracellular matrix. However, dense packing of the fibers leads to small-sized pores which obstruct cell infiltration and therefore is a major limitation for their use in tissue engineering applications. To this end, a variety of approaches have been investigated to enhance the pore properties of the electrospun scaffolds. In this review, we collect state-of-the-art modification methods and summarize them into six classes as follows: approaches focused on optimization of packing density by (a) conventional setup, (b) sequential or co-electrospinning setups, (c) involving sacrificial elements, (d) using special collectors, (e) post-production processing, and (f) other specialized methods. Overall, this review covers historical as well as latest methodologies in the field and therefore acts as a quick reference for those interested in electrospinning matrices for tissue engineering and beyond.
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Journals
2019 EN
Eskandar Ameer · Muhammad Arshad · Dong Yun Shin
+1 more
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the notion of generalized multivalued ψ , ϕ-type contractions and generalized multivalued ψ , ϕ-type Suzuki contractions and establish some new common fixed point theorems for such multivalued mappings in complete metric spaces. Our results are extension and improvement of the Suzuki and Nadler contraction theorems, Jleli and Samet, Piri and Kumam, Mizoguchi and Takahashi, and Liu et al. fixed point theorems. We provide an example for supporting our new results. Moreover, an application of our main result to the existence of solution of system of functional equations is also presented.
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Journals
2019 EN
Eskandar Ameer · Muhammad Nazam · Hassen Aydi
+2 more
In this paper, we study the behavior of Λ , Υ , ℜ -contraction mappings under the effect of comparison functions and an arbitrary binary relation. We establish related common fixed point theorems. We explain the significance of our main theorem through examples and an application to a solution for the following nonlinear matrix equations: X = D + ∑ i = 1 n A i ∗ X A i − ∑ i = 1 n B i ∗ X B i X = D + ∑ i = 1 n A i ∗ γ X A i , where D is an Hermitian positive definite matrix, A i , B i are arbitrary p × p matrices and γ : H ( p ) → P ( p ) is an order preserving continuous map such that γ ( 0 ) = 0 . A numerical example is also presented to illustrate the theoretical findings.
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute