An inexact fuzzy two-stage stochastic model for quantifying the efficiency of nonpoint source effluent trading under uncertainty

Reduction of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution from agricultural lands is a major concern in most countries. One method to reduce NPS pollution is through land retirement programs. This method, however, may result in enormous economic costs especially when large sums of croplands need to be retired. To reduce the cost, effluent trading can be employed to couple with land retirement programs. However, the trading efforts can also become inefficient due to various uncertainties existing in stochastic, interval, and fuzzy formats in agricultural systems. Thus, it is desired to develop improved methods to effectively quantify the efficiency of potential trading efforts by considering those uncertainties. In this respect, this paper presents an inexact fuzzy two-stage stochastic programming model to tackle such problems. The proposed model can facilitate decision-making to implement trading efforts for agricultural NPS pollution reduction through land retirement programs. The applicability of the model is demonstrated through a hypothetical effluent trading program within a subcatchment of the Lake Tai Basin in China. The study results indicate that the efficiency of the trading program is significantly influenced by precipitation amount, agricultural activities, and level of discharge limits of pollutants. The results also show that the trading program will be more effective for low precipitation years and with stricter discharge limits.     

Models for fiber stress utilization in air jet yarns

Abstract

The coefficient of fiber stress utilization of air jet viscose staple spun yarns was predicted from the experimental specific stress-strain curves of both fiber and yarns. The coefficient of fiber stress utilization was calculated from Gegauff’s model, single integral model (SIM) and double integral model (DIM). Results showed that the single integral model overestimated the coefficient of fiber stress utilization considering actual stress-strain relationship which was not considered by Gegauff’s model. When fiber orientation effect in the air jet yarn was considered in double integral equation, the predicted coefficient of fiber stress utilization was in good agreement with the experimental coefficient of fiber stress utilization before the process of break. Furthermore, the yarn specific stress was also evaluated from the predicted coefficient of fiber stress utilization from double integral model and experimental fiber specific stress-strain curve for all three air jet viscose yarns. The predicted yarn specific stress-strain curves were in good agreement with experimental yarn specific stress-strain curves for all air jet yarns.     

Inhibitory properties of camel whey protein hydrolysates toward liver cancer cells,dipeptidyl peptidase-IV,and inflammation

This report describes an investigation of camel whey protein hydrolysates (CWPH) produced by gastric and pancreatic enzymes for their in vitro antidiabetic, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. Degree of hydrolysis (DH) ranged from 8.54 to 47.53%, with hydrolysates generated using chymotrypsin for 6 h displaying the highest DH. Reverse phase-HPLC analysis showed that α-lactalbumin underwent complete degradation, with no intact α-lactalbumin detected in CWPH. The CWPH displayed enhanced antidiabetic activity compared with intact whey proteins; with pepsin- and chymotrypsin-generated CWPH displaying greater inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV), α-glucosidase, and α-amylase compared with trypsin-generated CWPH. The highest antiproliferative effect was observed for CWPH generated by chymotrypsin for 3 h, with only 4.5 to 6.5% viable liver cancer cells (HepG2) remaining when tested at concentrations from 400 to 1,000 µg/mL. The highest anti-inflammatory activity was manifested by CWPH generated by pepsin at 6-h hydrolysis. We report enhanced antiproliferative, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory activities upon hydrolysis of camel whey proteins, indicating their potential utilization as bioactive and functional ingredients.     

Identification and molecular mechanisms of novel antioxidative peptides from fermented camel milk (Kachchi breed,India) with anti-inflammatory activity in raw macrophages cell lines

The investigation was aimed at assessing anti-inflammatory and antioxidative activities along with the release of peptides with antioxidative properties during the fermentation of camel milk by Lacticaseibacillus casei (NK9). Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was used to separate the bioactive peptides of 3 and 10 kDa (permeates and retentates). Reverse-phase liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (RPLC/MS) was used to identify and characterise the pure bioactive peptides, and the effect of fermented camel milk on inflammation produced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/endotoxin in RAW 264.7 (Ralph and William's cell line) was also examined. Furthermore, docking revealed that peptides (LLNEK and IYTFPQPQSL) were predicted to inhibit myeloperoxidase (nMPO) activity by engaging with different residues in and around the human myeloperoxidase (hMPO) active site.     

An Immutable Framework for Smart Healthcare Using Blockchain Technology

The advancements in sensing technologies, information processing, and communication schemes have revolutionized the healthcare sector. Electronic Healthcare Records (EHR) facilitate the patients, doctors, hospitals, and other stakeholders to maintain valuable data and medical records. The traditional EHRs are based on cloud-based architectures and are susceptible to multiple cyberattacks. A single attempt of a successful Denial of Service (DoS) attack can compromise the complete healthcare system. This article introduces a secure and immutable blockchain-based framework for the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) to address the stated challenges. The proposed architecture is on the idea of a lightweight private blockchain-based network that facilitates the users and hospitals to perform multiple healthcare-related operations in a secure and trustworthy manner. The efficacy of the proposed framework is evaluated in the context of service execution time and throughput. The experimental outcomes indicate that the proposed design attained lower service execution time and higher throughput under different control parameters.