Morphological study of the testis of adult Sudanese Chicken : gallus domesticus

Morphological study of the testis of adult Sudanese Chicken : gallus domesticus The adult chicken testes were two bean - shaped , large and soft , the left testis is usually higher in position and larger in size than the right one . The testis is active during cold weather with the mean diameter of the seminiferous tubules being 126^m in the chicken . it is less active during the hot season with the mean diameter of the seminiferous tubules being 135^m in the chicken. The non - breeding season seemed to be characterized by a decline in the spermatogenic activity only and not by complete spermatogenesis

Modeling and control of heat pump system for battery electric buses

Given the continuous tightening of emissions regulations on vehicles, battery-electric buses (BEB) play an essential role in the transition toward cleaner transport technologies, as they represent the most promising solution to replace diesel buses and reduce their environmental impact in the short term. However, heating the bus cabin leads to a considerable increase in energy consumption under cold weather conditions, which significantly reduces the driving range, given the limited battery capacity. Heat pumps (HP) are the primary heating technology used in BEB for their improved consumption performance compared to other technologies. Therefore, this study aims at optimizing the coefficient of performance (COP) of an HP system in a BEB for maximizing the bus electric driving range under cold weather conditions while maintaining satisfactory thermal comfort levels for passengers. Accordingly, an HP model is developed and integrated into an electric bus model using Dymola. A genetic algorithm (GA) based controller is proposed to find the optimal combination of the HP operating parameters, namely the compressor speed, the air mass flow rate at the inlet of the condenser, and the recirculation rate in order to maximize the system’s COP, and extend the BEB driving at different external temperatures, and as a function of the passengers’ occupancy levels. Results are carried under transient and steady-state operating conditions and show that the proposed GA-based controller saves up to 39% of the HP energy consumption as compared to the conventional HP control strategy, and therefore, enhances the BEB driving range up to 17%.

Combined driving: task-specific position impacts grip strength of equestrian athletes

Background Loss of hand strength is a predictor of mortality in aging populations. Despite reliance on the hands to participate in equestrian driving activity, no existing studies focus on associations of hand strength to athletic performance. Therefore, this study 1) established baseline handgrip of equestrian combined drivers in standing and task-specific positions, 2) determined endurance of task-specific handgrip, 3) compared handgrip strength to normative data, and 4) evaluated associations of handgrip and equestrian-specific variables. Methods There were 51 combined drivers (9 males, 42 females) ages 21–78 who completed a survey, standing handgrip, and grip strength and endurance in a task-specific position. Sixty-three percent of participants were 50 years or older. The dynamometer grip bar was normalized by hand size for standing tests; to duplicate sport-specific tasks, the bar was set to the closest setting. Significances were determined at p < 0.05. Results Drivers with more than 30 years of experience demonstrated highest summed standing (73.1 ± 5.2 kg) and summed sitting (59.9 ± 6.3 kg) grip strength. Females 60-years and older had greater handgrip endurance (Χ2 = 8.323, df = 2, p = .0156) in non-dominant (left) hands. Males (60%) reported more cold weather fatigue than females. Glove wearing was associated with bilateral endurance balance; a higher proportion of endurance balance between dominant and non-dominant (49% high-high and 29% low-low; Χ2 = 11.047, df = 1, p = .0009) was realized. There were no associations of handgrip and prior injury. Conclusions Our results have implications in understanding task-specific and normative grip strengths in aging equestrian populations. Bilateral balance in handgrip strength and endurance is important particularly in maintaining strength in non-dominant hands over time. Equestrian driving sport promotes greater endurance in older females. Strength can be improved by participating in combined driving, and engagement in this sport over several years’ benefits hand strength over time. This cohort of equestrian participants provides evidence that participating in hand-specific activities promotes greater strength, which has been previously shown to improve aging outcomes.

The Thermal Environment of Housing and Its Implications for the Health of Older People in South Australia: A Mixed-Methods Study

Older people are often over-represented in morbidity and mortality statistics associated with hot and cold weather, despite remaining mostly indoors. The study “Improving thermal environment of housing for older Australians” focused on assessing the relationships between the indoor environment, building characteristics, thermal comfort and perceived health/wellbeing of older South Australians over a study period that included the warmest summer on record. Our findings showed that indoor temperatures in some of the houses reached above 35 °C. With concerns about energy costs, occupants often use adaptive behaviours to achieve thermal comfort instead of using cooling (or heating), although feeling less satisfied with the thermal environment and perceiving health/wellbeing to worsen at above 28 °C (and below 15 °C). Symptoms experienced during hot weather included tiredness, shortness of breath, sleeplessness and dizziness, with coughs and colds, painful joints, shortness of breath and influenza experienced during cold weather. To express the influence of temperature and humidity on perceived health/wellbeing, a Temperature Humidity Health Index (THHI) was developed for this cohort. A health/wellbeing perception of “very good” is achieved between an 18.4 °C and 24.3 °C indoor operative temperature and a 55% relative humidity. The evidence from this research is used to inform guidelines about maintaining home environments to be conducive to the health/wellbeing of older people.

Clinical Treatment Study of Secondary Multiple Squamous Cell Carcinoma with Psoriasis Vulgaris

Dermatologic diseases are the fourth most frequent nonfatal common illness, yet they have a psychological, economical, and professional burden that is comparable to or larger than other chronic conditions. From a survey in China of 6 provinces, the overall prevalence of psoriasis with squamous cell carcinoma was 0.47%. According to the current investigation, the outburst of skin disease was not associated with gender, but mainly with the climate of the environment; that is, dry cold weather will more likely to induce psoriasis. Approximately 3% of people around the world have psoriasis, which is near the most common autoimmune skin disease in adults. By simple estimation, there are at least two hundred million psoriasis patients in the world. Therefore, it is not just a simple health problem in a country or a region but a serious global challenge. Of note, about half of the adult patients had been reported to be sick in their childhood and they mostly fell ill around 10 years old. Actinic keratosis is perhaps the most common, followed by squamous cell carcinoma and, to a lesser extent, acne vulgaris, psoriasis, and hidradenitis suppurativa, as well as dermatitis herpetiformis. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) 0.5 percent is used topically to treat actinic keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma with good outcomes, while it might cause significant toxicity in certain patients. Dapsone, a Valosin-containing protein, is a medication that is often used to treat inflammatory skin disorders like psoriatic arthritis, but it can occasionally cause hemolytic anemia. Furthermore, biologic medications for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis and multiple squamous cell carcinoma have proven to be successful and safe; nevertheless, a small percentage of patients do not react to biologic treatment in the long term or do not respond at all. Based on the data from the China Food and Drug Administration, the majority of chemical drugs are utilized as the topical formulations, while Chinese medicines are mainly delivered by an oral route, suggesting that the market for topical preparations of Chinese medicine to treat skin diseases like psoriasis is worth exploration. This large interindividual diversity in response could be caused by changes in genes that encode proteins implicated in the disease’s pathologic environment or the medication’s mechanism of action. Pharmacogenetics is the study of the association between genetic differences and medication response, which is valuable for identifying nonresponsive patients and those who are more likely to suffer toxicity as a result of treatment. This study highlights the pharmacogenetic recommendations for dermatology therapies that have the strongest evidence at this time, highlighting those that have been incorporated in clinical practice guides. Pharmacogenetic clinical guidelines for multiple squamous cell carcinoma and psoriasis vulgaris were found in this investigation. Here, for multiple squamous cell carcinoma trichohyalin-like 1 (TCHHL1), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 0.5% is recommended. Along with that dapsone, Valosin-containing protein can be recommended for treating the psoriasis vulgaris. We made some clinical trials over the two diseases, and from the result obtained, we hypothesize that the suggested drug may be a novel therapeutic target in treating the multiple squamous cell carcinoma with psoriasis vulgaris.

Penggunaan Mesin Sebagai Upaya Peningkatan Produktivitas Pembuatan Enting Jahe dan Enting Kacang di Kampung Kungkuk Kota Wisata Batu Provinsi Jawa Timur

This Community Service raises the business of Enting Ginger and Enting Kacang, Dusun Kungkuk, Punten Village, Bumiaji District, Batu City. The village is famous for its apple farming, one of which is Punten Village. With cold weather conditions, making apples thrive in the area and as one of the livelihoods of the residents of Kungkuk hamlet. For five years (2005-2010), there was a decline in the production of apple commodities which brought social impacts such as the children of apple farmers who went to school unable to continue their education and were forced to stop their education at the junior high or high school level, because there was no more money to continue their education. This kind of phenomenon spurred Mrs. Yayuk Murniwati to establish a non-apple product processing business in the form of enting, namely ginger and peanut enting. However, this business is still not developed due to limited capital and machines owned. The method to be applied is the method of community empowerment for homemakers to increase the productivity and independence of partners economically and socially through counseling and mentoring efforts. Assistance or introduction of tools in ginger and peanut grinding machines for making entings and packaging machines helped them advance and develop their business.ABSTRAKPengabdian Masyarakat ini mengangkat Usaha Enting Jahe dan Enting Kacang Dusun Kungkuk Desa Punten Kecamatan Bumiaji Kota Batu. Desa yang terkenal dengan pertanian apel, salah satunya Desa Punten. Dengan kondisi cuaca yang dingin, membuat apel tumbuh subur di daerah tersebut dan sebagai salah satu mata pencaharian warga dusun Kungkuk. Selama 5 tahun (2005-2010) terjadi penurunan produksi komoditas apel yang membawa dampak sosial seperti para anak petani apel yang sekolah tidak dapat melanjutkan pendidikan dan terpaksa menghentikan jenjang pendidikannya pada tingkat SMP ataupun SMA, karena sudah tidak ada lagi biaya untuk melanjutkan pendidikan. Fenomena semacam ini memacu ibu Yayuk Murniwati untuk mendirikan usaha olahan produk non-apel berupa enting yaitu enting jahe dan enting kacang. Namun, usaha ini masih belum berkembang dikarenakan keterbatasan modal dan mesin yang dimiliki. Metode yang akan diterapkan yaitu metode pemberdayaan masyarakat kelompok ibu rumah tangga dalam upaya peningkatan produktivitas dan kemandirian mitra secara ekonomi, sosial melalui usaha penyuluhan dan pendampingan. Bantuan ataupun perkenalan alat berupa mesin penggiling jahe dan kacang untuk proses pembuatan enting serta mesin pengemasan sangat membantu mereka dalam memajukan dan mengembangkan usaha.

Source apportionment and health risk assessment of indoor volatile organic compounds

In extremely cold areas with long winter months and exceptionally cold weather, classrooms are inadequately ventilated, resulting in the continuous accumulation of indoor air pollutants that may endanger human health. This article uses adsorption tube sampling-thermal desorption-gas chromatography mass spectrometry to analyze the type and concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the classroom. The source analysis and health risk assessment were performed, and the real-time concentration of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) was computed using the multifunctional ventilation. The result shows that the air in the classroom contains 25 kinds of VOCs. Among them, the carcinogenic risk value of seven kinds of VOCs (3.40 × 10-5) exceeds the acceptable risk value (1 × 10-6) given by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). There are 17 kinds of VOCs that pose a certain non-carcinogenic risk to the human body. After quantitative analysis by the principal component analysis (PCA) and the characteristic quantity concentration ratio method, human activities, furnishings, outdoor penetration, etc., were found to be main sources of VOCs in the classroom. In addition, TVOC concentration is directly proportional to class time. In winter, classrooms in severely cold areas must take necessary measures to reduce the concentration of VOCs and ensure students' health.