Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is one of the autoimmune disorders, generated by a production of specific autoantibodies against self-antigens before the occurrence of clinical symptoms. The etiology of disease is still unknown, although there have been several infectious agents that have been associated with SLE development, especially in genetically predisposed individuals. Herpes simplex virus-I and -II (HSV-I and -II) and Toxoplasma gondiiare two infectious agents that have been suggested to be involved in SLE etiology. Accordingly, the present study assessed anti- HSV-I and -II and anti-T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in sera of 64 SLE female patients and 32 healthy control women. The patients were distributed into two equal subgroups (32 cases in each subgroup); the first included patients with arthritis, while the second group involved patients that have renal complications (nephritis). In both subgroups of SLE patients, there was no evidence for sero-positive cases for anti-HSV-I and -II and anti-T. gondii antibodies, and all studied patients were sero-negative for theseantibodies. These results may suggest that HSV-I and -II and T. gondii infections have no role in SLE etiology.
Polyimide/MWCNTs nanocomposites have been fabricated by solution mixing process. In the present study, we have investigated electrical conductivity and dielectric properties of PI/MWCNT nanocomposites in frequency range of 1 kHz to 100 kHz at different MWCNTs concentrations from 0 wt.% to 15 wt.%. It has been observed that the electrical conductivity and dielectric constants are enhanced significantly by several orders of magnitude up to 15 wt.% of MWCNTs content. The electrical conductivity increases as the frequency is increased, which can be attributed to high dislocation density near the interface. The rapid increase in the dielectric constant at a high MWCNTs content can be explained by the form
Coumarin derivatives have shown different biological activities, such as antifungal, antibacterial antiinflammatory, and antioxidant activities, besides antibiotic resistance modulating effects, and anti-HIV, hepatoprotective, and antitumor effect. So, new coumarin derivatives (hydrazones and an amide) were synthesized through multisteps reactions. All the synthesized target compounds were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, 1HNMR analysis. The compounds then evaluated for their anti-bacterial activity by means of well-diffusion method against two gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae) and two gram-negative bacteria (E.coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The highest activity was demonstr
... Show MoreInternet of Things (IoT) is one of the newest matters in both industry and academia of the communication engineering world. On the other hand, wireless mesh networks, a network topology that has been debate for decades that haven’t been put into use in great scale, can make a transformation when it arises to the network in the IoT world nowadays. A Mesh IoT network is a local network architecture in which linked devices cooperate and route data using a specified protocol. Typically, IoT devices exchange sensor data by connecting to an IoT gateway. However, there are certain limitations if it involves to large number of sensors and the data that should be received is difficult to analyze. The aim of the work here is to implement a self-
... Show MoreThe aerodynamic and elastic forces may cause an oscillation of the structure such as the high frequency of the airfoil surfaces and the dynamic instability occurring in an aircraft in flight and failure may occur at a speed called flutter speed. In this work, analytical and numerical investigations of flutter limits of thin plates have been carried out. The flutter speed of rectangular plates were obtained and compared with some published results. Different design parameters were investigated such as aspect ratio, thickness and their effects on flutter velocity. It was found that the structural mode shape plays an important role in the determination of the flutter speed and the coupling between the bending and torsional mode is the main
... Show MoreA polycrystalline CdSe thin films doped with (5wt%) of Cu was fabricated using vacuum evaporation technique in the substrate temperature range(Ts=RT-250)oC on glass substrates of the thickness(0.8?m). The structure of these films are determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The X-ray diffraction studies shows that the structure is polycrystalline with hexagonal structure, and there are strong peaks at the direction (200) at (Ts=RT-150) oC, while at higher substrate temperature(Ts=150-250) oC the structure is single crystal. The optical properties as a function of Ts were studied. The absorption, transmission, and reflection has been studied, The optical energy gap (Eg)increases with increase of substrate temperature from (1.65
... Show MoreIn this work, the design and implementation of a smart energy metering system has been developed. This system consists of two parts: billing center and a set of distributed smart energy meters. The function of smart energy meter is measuring and calculating the cost of consumed energy according to a multi-tariff scheme. This can be effectively solving the problem of stressing the electrical grid and rising consumer awareness. Moreover, smart energy meter decreases technical losses by improving power factor. The function of the billing center is to issue a consumer bill and contributes in locating the irregularities on the electrical grid (non-technical losses). Moreover, it sends the switch off command in case of the consumer bill is not
... Show MoreBacterial contamination of AL-Habania and AL-Tharthar reservoirs were studied during the period from February 2001 to January 2002, samples were collected from four stations in AL-Habania reservoir (AL-Warrar, AL-Theban regulator, middle of the reservoir and the fourth was towards AL-Razzaza reservoir) and from two stations at AL-Tharthar reservoir (Ein AL-Hilwa and the middle of the reservoir). Coliform bacteria, faecal Coliforms, Streptococci, faecal Streptococci and total count of bacteria were used as parameters of bacterial contamination in waters of both reservoirs through calculating the most probable number. Highest count of Coliform bacteria (15000 cell/100ml) was recorded at Ein AL-Hilwa and lowest count at AL-Theban regulator
... Show MoreIn this paper, a single-phase boost type ac-dc converter with power factor correction (PFC) technique is designed and implemented. A current mode control at a constant switching frequency is used as a control strategy for PFC converter. The PFC converter is a single-stage singleswitch boost converter that uses a current shaping technique to reshape the non-sinusoidal input current drawn by the bulky capacitor in the conventional rectifier. This technique should provide an input current with almost free-harmonics, comply with the IEC61000-3-2 limits, and a system operates with near unity power factor. The other function of the boost converter that should be
accomplished is to provide a regulated DC output voltage. The complete designed
Background: The integration of modern computer-aided design and manufacturing technologies in diagnosis, treatment planning, and appliance construction is changing the way in which orthodontic treatment is provided to patients. The aim of this study is to assess the validity of digital and rapid prototyped orthodontic study models as compared to their original stone models. Materials and methods: The sample of the study consisted of 30 study models with well-aligned, Angle Class I malocclusion. The models were digitized with desktop scanner to create digital models. Digital files were then converted to plastic physical casts using prototyping machine, which utilizes the fused deposition modeling technology. Polylactic acid polymer was chose
... Show MoreThis study was carried out to prepare and characterize domperidone nanoparticles to enhance solubility and the release rate. Domperidone is practically insoluble in water and has low and an erratic bioavailability range from 13%-17%. The domperidone nanoparticles were prepared by solvent/antisolvent precipitation method at different polymer:drug ratios of 1:1 and 2:1 using different polymers and grades of poly vinyl pyrolidone, hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as stabilizers. The effect of polymer type, ratio of polymer:drug, solvent:antisolvent ratio, stirring rate and stirring time on the particle size, were investigated and found to have a significant (p? 0.05) effect on particle size. The best formul
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