A comparative study on thyroid disease diagnosis using neural networks

Thyroid hormones produced by the thyroid gland help regulation of the body’s metabolism. Abnormalities of thyroid function are usually related to production of too little thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) or production of too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism). Thyroid disease diagnosis via proper interpretation of the thyroid data is an important classification problem. In this study, a comparative thyroid disease diagnosis were realized by using multilayer, probabilistic, and learning vector quantization neural networks. For this purpose, thyroid disease dataset which is taken from UCI machine learning database was used.     

Characterization of protein functionality and texture of tumbled squid,octopus and cuttlefish muscles

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tumbling on the physicochemical and textural characteristics of squid (Loligo vulgaris), octopus (Octopus vulgaris) and cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) muscles. Before tumbling the cephalopod samples were placed in plastic bags and 0.5 M NaCl was added. Tumbling process was performed continuously in three different tumbling times (2, 4, and 6 h). The results of the analyses showed that tumbling affected the physicochemical properties of cephalopod muscles. The increase in the time of tumbling resulted in the tenderness of the cephalopod muscles. The total soluble protein, the total free amino acid, and pH values increased with the increase of the tumbling time. The water holding capacity decreased and the cooking loss increased. The squid and octopus hardness and shear force values decreased after tumbling, according to instrumental and sensorial texture measurements. As a result, tumbling was found to be an effective method for tenderizing of squid and octopus muscle, but not for cuttlefish.     

Determination of Ni and Zn in an Oil Matrix using Schiff Base‐Assisted Extraction Followed by a Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer: A Simple Strategy to Determine Ni and Zn

In the present work, a new and simple Schiff base‐assisted extraction strategy for Ni and Zn from an edible oil matrix with subsequent determination using a flame atomic absorption spectrometer was suggested. According to the green approach, laborious sample‐pretreatment procedures were eliminated via complexation of the analytes with N,N′‐bis(4‐methoxysalycylidene)‐2‐hydroxy‐1,3‐propanediamine (4MSHP) and transferred from the oil phase to the aqueous phase. The complexation properties of 4MSHP, Ni, and Zn were investigated using UV–vis spectrophotometry. The experimental conditions that affect the extraction efficiency were optimized using central composite design. The optimum conditions for the extraction of Ni and Zn were as follows: a volume to oil mass ratio of 0.83 to 1.31 mL g^?1 of 4MSHP solution; 62.3‐ and 50.6‐min, stirring time; 27.3 and 31.1 °C, temperature, respectively. The detection limits (3s_bm^?1) were 0.41 μg g^?1 for Ni and 0.16 μg g^?1 for Zn. Validation of the suggested work was performed by the analysis of organometallic standard‐doped n‐hexane solutions as certified reference materials under the optimum experimental conditions. The recovery percentages were warranted the accuracy and found as 98.2 ± 1.8% for Ni and 99.8 ± 1.2% for Zn. In addition, relative SD values were below 5% for both the analytes. The Student's t‐test showed that there was no significant difference between the found and doped amount of analytes at 95% confidence level. The features such as the detection technique, cheapness, eco‐friendly solvent usage, and practicality were better compared to the literature.     

Effects of Er:YAG laser on bond strength of self‐etching adhesives to caries‐affected dentin

The erbium:yttrium–aluminum–garnet (Er:YAG) laser may be effective the bond strength of adhesive systems on dentine surfaces, the chemical composition and aggressiveness of adhesive systems in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the Er:YAG laser system with the bonding ability of two different self‐etching adhesives to caries‐affected dentine in primary molars. Ninety mid‐coronal flat dentine surfaces obtained from sound and caries‐affected human primary dentine were treated with an Er:YAG laser or a bur. The prepared surfaces were restored with an adhesive system (Xeno V; Clearfil S³) and a compomer (Dyract Extra). The restored teeth were sectioned with a low‐speed saw and 162 samples were obtained. The bond strength of the adhesive systems was tested using the micro‐tensile test method. The data were statistically analyzed. A restored tooth in each group was processed for scanning electron microscopy evaluation. The values of the highest bond strength were obtained from the Clearfil S³‐Er:YAG laser‐sound dentine group in all groups. (24.57 ± 7.27 MPa) (P > 0.05). The values of the lowest bond strength were obtained from the Xeno V‐Er:YAG laser‐sound dentine group in all groups (11.01 ± 3.89 MPa). It was determined that the Clearfil S³ increased the bond strength on the surface applied with Er:YAG laser according to the Xeno V. Microsc. Res. Tech. 77:282–288, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

What Role Does Ozone Play in Preventing Dental Caries? An Evidence-Based Review

Ozone, which is also referred to as triatomic oxygen or trioxygen, is a naturally occurring inorganic molecule that consists of three oxygen atoms. Ozone has proven microbiological properties and, for this reason, it is extensively used in modern medical practices. Ozone is a powerful oxidant that demonstrates bactericide, virucide, and fungicide effects. The strong oxidation effect it produces results in the formation of highly reactive free radicals that have the capability to destroy microorganisms. Ozone has been proposed as a means of preventing caries, and existing research confirms that this form of therapy does have promising potential. However, very few clinical studies have examined the impact that ozone treatment can have on the management of caries lesions. This article presents a detailed literature review of existing peer-reviewed sources that have examined the role ozone plays in preventing and treating caries.     

Development of an electromagnetic hydrocyclone separator for purification of wastewater

A number of various organic and inorganic contaminants are commonly present in the technological fluids hindering production quality. Importantly, waste influents must be purified to meet the appropriate environmental standards for their disposal. This paper deals with the development of a treatment technique for technological and wastewater streams allowing the separation of microscopic droplets of water, sand, oil and other organic and inorganic contaminants. Some existing approaches and processes for treatment of contaminated fluids are briefly reviewed and the design of an electromagnetic hydrocyclone separator is presented in this paper. The effect of the main forces on the separation of small‐sized impurities (<10 μm) is analysed. The experimental tests demonstrated the efficiency of the developed apparatus in purifying the industrial wastewaters of the textile dyeing industry.     

Improved machine learning performances with transfer learning to predicting need for hospitalization in arboviral infections against the small dataset

Neural Computing and Applications - The prediction of hospital patients and outpatients with suspected arboviral infection individuals in research-limited settings of the urban areas is defined as...     

Element fractionation analysis for infant formula and food additives by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

Fractionation analyses are essential to investigate the effects of dietary constituents on bioavailability of elements. A sequential separation procedure has been applied for elemental fractionation patterns in infant formula, coffee cream, milk powder, whey powder and rice flour. The protein, lipid and serum fractions were separated successfully, and fractions were analysed for various essential (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Mg, Ca, Cr and Co) and nonessential (Ni, V, Al, Mo, Pb, Sn, Ba and Cd) elements by ICP‐OES. Basically, three main fractions namely protein, lipid and serum were separated. Organically bounded fraction was calculated from the sum of the element contents in protein and lipid fractions. The organically bounded fraction can be retained longer in the body than the other fractions, and its percentages of whole elements are between 3.8% and 92.2% in the samples. Additionally, the distribution tendency of each studied metal was variable, which is based on the sample characteristics and complexation reactivity of the metal. The organically bounded fraction for Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn is higher than the other elements in whole samples except whey powder. Investigated elements are basically included in ionic forms in whey powder. Additionally, Mg and Ca are usually observed as uncomplexed structures in the samples.     

Spectrometric determination of iron and copper in vegetable oils after separation with Schiff base impregnated silica gel column: A simple approach for eliminating the high organic matrix

A simple solid‐phase extraction method has been described for the separation of Fe(III) and Cu(II) from liquid vegetable oils using N,N′‐bis(4‐methoxy salicylidene) ethylenediamine impregnated silica gel and the determination of these ions. The experimental parameters that affect the separation/preconcentration of ions were investigated by batch and column methods prior to the determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Fe(III) and Cu(II) ions in 20.0 g portion of oil samples can be quantitatively sorbed and then eluted completely with 5.0 mL of 2.0 mol L^?1 HNO₃. Limits of detection were calculated as 22.8 and 13.9 μg kg^?1 for Fe(III) and Cu(II), respectively. The repetition of the suggested method was checked by finding relative standard deviation for five repeated analyses, which was 1.5% for Fe(III) and 0.1% for Cu(II). Applicability of the method was controlled with spiked and unspiked sunflower, corn, canola, olive, soya and hazelnut oils.     

Prenatal development and histochemical characteristics of gastrointestinal mucins in sheep fetuses

The object of this study was to describe the prenatal development and histochemical properties of mucins in the sheep gastrointestinal tract. To determine changes in the mucin profile, the sections were stained with specific histochemical stains for carbohydrates. While neutral and mixed mucins were observed in the superficial epithelial cells of the abomasal pyloric region, acidic mucins were detected in the secretory ducts and corpus of the glands. Acidic mucins consisted predominantly of sialomucins. In the duodenal villi, the number of goblet cells containing neutral mucins increased toward the end of gestation, whereas Brunner's glands contained acidic mucins until the 95th day of gestation and both acidic and neutral mucins thereafter. The jejunal goblet cells contained either acidic, neutral, or mixed mucins. Goblet cells containing acidic mucins, which were mainly localized to the ileal crypts and villi, mostly contained sulfated mucins. While villi were observed in the proximal colon until the 115th day of gestation, later the typical crypt structure emerged. During the period in which the villi were found in the proximal colon, the goblet cells containing sulphomucins were predominant, whereas the goblet cells containing sialomucins were predominant after the typical crypt structure was formed. In conclusion, gastrointestinal mucins may be involved in the formation of meconium during the prenatal period, and acidic mucins may contribute to the strength of the intestinal barrier against pathogens and digestive enzymes, as the barrier is not fully functional after birth.