• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.119-126
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• 2019

This paper reports an experimental investigation conducted to evaluate the durability performance of concrete mixtures prepared utilizing blends of Type I Portland cement (OPC) and natural pozzolans (NPs) obtained from three different sources in Saudi Arabia. The control concrete mixture containing OPC alone as the binder and three concrete mixtures incorporating NPs were prepared keeping water/binder ratio of 0.4 (by weight), binder content of $370kg/m^3$, and fine/total aggregate ratio of 0.38 (by weight) invariant. The compressive strength and durability properties that included depth of water penetration, depth of carbonation, chloride diffusion coefficient, and resistance to reinforcement corrosion and sulfate attack were determined. Results of this study indicate that at all ages, the compressive strength of NP-admixed concrete mixtures was slightly less than that of the concrete containing OPC alone. However, the concrete mixtures containing NP exhibited lower depth of water penetration and chloride diffusion coefficient and more resistance to reinforcement corrosion and sulfate attack as compared to OPC. NP-admixed concrete showed relatively more depth of carbonation than OPC when subjected to accelerated carbonation. The results of this investigation indicates the viability of utilizing of Saudi natural pozzolans for improving the durability characteristics of concrete subjected to chloride and sulfate exposures.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.141-151
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• 2002

The success of sericulture industry in India is mainly attributed to the well-planned annual sericultural activity and the systematic implementation of pest preventive and control measures. The insect spectrum of silkworm and its food plants is complex and plays a major role in limiting the production of silk. Insects cause extensive damage to plant whereas predators and parasites either kill the silkworm larvae or force them to spin flimsy cocoons. Unilateral control measure against this pest is mainly based on the use of synthetic organic insecticides. Though these approaches initially paid rich dividends, the undesirable consequences soon surfaced. Insecticide induced resurgence of gall midges, leafhopper, leaf roller, secondary pest out breaks and development of pest biotypes has led to realization of Integrated Pest Management in sericulture. Various components of IPM, viz. Host plant resistance, cultural practices, biological control, chemical control and integrating them at various technological levels have been studied. Sources of host plant resistance have been identified for some of the major insect pests. High yielding mulberry variety has been propagated and their resistances towards major pests have been recorded. Cultural practices like pruning, pollarding, judicious use of nitrogen, optimum spacing and weed management have preyed to be the powerful tools in containing pests. Natural control over the pest population build- up exerted by the wide range of parasitoids, predators and pathogens has been well documented with identification of natural enemies and studies on their potential. Augmentation, through inoculation or inundative releases of parasitic arthropods, is the most direct way of increasing the numbers of these beneficials in sericulture.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.193-201
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• 2023

Antimicrobials in human medicine are classified by The World Health Organization (WHO) into three groups: critically important antimicrobials (CIA), highly important antimicrobials (HIA), and important antimicrobials (IA). CIA are antibiotic classes that satisfy two main criteria: that they are the sole or the only available limited therapeutic option to effectively treat severe bacterial infections in humans (Criterion 1), and infections where bacteria are transmitted to humans from non-human sources or have the potential to acquire resistance genes from non-human sources (Criterion 2). WHO emphasizes the need for cautious and responsible use of the CIA to mitigate risk and safeguard human health. Specific antimicrobials within the CIA with a high priority for management are reclassified as "highest priority critically important antimicrobials (HP-CIA)" and include the 3^rd generation of cephalosporins and the next generation of macrolides, quinolones, glycopeptides, and polymyxins. The CIA list is the scientific basis for risk assessment and risk management policies that warrant using antimicrobials to reduce antimicrobial resistance in several countries. In addition, the CIA list ensures food safety in the food industry, including for the popular food chain companies McDonald's and KFC. The continuous update of the CIA list reflects the advancement in research and emerging future challenges. Thus, active and deliberate evaluation of antimicrobial resistance and the construction of a list that reflects the specific circumstances of a country are essential to safeguarding food security.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.17-21
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• 2004

Nasal congestion is one of the most common symptoms of medical complaints. Snoring is caused by vibration of the uvula and the soft palate. Nasal obstruction may contribute not only to snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) but also impair application of continuous nasal positive airway pressure (CPAP), which is the most widely employed treatment for OSA. Total or near-total nasal obstruction leads to mouth breathing and has been shown to cause increased airway resistance. However, the exact role of the nasal airway in the pathogenesis of OSA is not clear and there is no consensus about the role of nasal obstruction in snoring and sleep apnea. Some reports have failed to demonstrate any correlation between snoring and nasal obstruction. On the other hand, opposing reports suggest that nasal disease may cause sleep disorders and that snoring can be improved after nasoseptal surgery. Reduced cross-sectional area causes increased nasal resistance and predisposes the patient to inspiratory collapse of the oropharynx, hypopharynx, or both. Discrete abnormalities of the nasal airway, such as septal deformities, nasal polyps, and choanal atresia and with certain mucosal conditions such as sinusitis, allergic rhinitis and inferior turbinate hypertrophy can cause snoring or OSA. Thus, these sources of nasal obstruction should be corrected medically or surgically for the effective management of OSA and adjunctive for CPAP.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers P
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.473-476
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• 2010

In this paper, we analyzed the short circuit current of a low voltage direct current distribution system. For the analysis, we performed the modeling of the low voltage direct current distribution system with a 6-pulse three-phase thyristor rectifier using the PSCAD/EMTDC, surveyed impedance of sources, transformers and distribution lines to run a simulation. A result of the simulation is that short circuit currents of the direct current distribution system with the rectifier decreased due to a thyristor-ON-resistance(Ron). But in case of the low thyristor-ON resistance, output fault current of the rectifier increased over three-phase short circuit current of an AC power system without a rectifier by regular ratio of the rectifier. Because the output fault current of the rectifier can increase over interrupting the capacity of circuit breakers, studying short circuit currents of a low voltage direct current distribution system with a rectifier is necessary for introducing the direct current distribution systems.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.883-893
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• 2021

Clostridium difficile present in feces of food animals may contaminate their meats and act as a potential source of C. difficile infection (CDI) to humans. C. difficile resistance to antibiotics, its production of toxins and spores play major roles in the pathogenesis of CDI. This is the first study to evaluate C. difficile prevalence in retail raw animal meats, its antibiotics susceptibilities and toxigenic activities in Al-Jouf, Saudi Arabia. Totally, 240 meat samples were tested. C. difficile was identified by standard microbiological and biochemical methods. Vitek-2 compact system confirmed C. difficile isolates were 15/240 (6.3%). Toxins A/B were not detected by Xpect C. difficile toxin A/B tests. Although all isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and metronidazole, variable degrees of reduced susceptibilities to moxifloxacin, clindamycin or tetracycline antibiotics were detected by Epsilon tests. C. difficile strains with reduced susceptibility to antibiotics should be investigated. Variability between the worldwide reported C. difficile contamination levels could be due to absence of a gold standard procedure for its isolation. Establishment of a unified testing algorithm for C. difficile detection in food products is definitely essential to evaluate the inter-regional variation in its prevalence on national and international levels. Proper use of antimicrobials during animal husbandry is crucial to control the selective drug pressure on C. difficile strains associated with food animals. Investigating the protective or pathogenic potential of non-toxigenic C. difficile strains and the possibility of gene transfer from certain toxigenic/ antibiotics-resistant to non-toxigenic/antibiotics-sensitive strains, respectively, should be worthy of attention.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Plant Pathology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.80.1-80
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• 2003

Several plant and microbial genes that could confer disease resistance in transgenic rice plants are being cloned and characterized. We are currently constructing transgenic rice lines that overexpress the gene products, such as a galactinol synthase, a defensin, and a bacterial ACC deaminase. Subtractive hybridization of a rice cDNA library constructed from the Xanthomonas oryzae-infected ice leaves resulted in isolation of many inducible cDNA clones including a elongation factor EF2, a oryzain alpha, a catalase, a aldehyde dehydrogenase, a S-adenosylmethionine synthetase, a caffeic acid O-methyltransferase, a glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a light-regulated protein, nKY transcription factors, and a nucleotide diphosphate kinase. Some genes among those may be useful genetic sources for construction of disease resistant transgenic rice. Full lengths of the rice OsFIERG and a rice oryzain genomic clones were cloned, and serial deletion fragments of the promoter regions of these genes were fused with GUS reporter gene in pCAMBIA1201, respectively. Promoter activities of these constructs will be examined upon various stresses and Pathogen infections to obtain the pathogen specific inducible-promoter. This work was supported by a grant from BioGreen 21 Program, Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.78-83
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• 2024

The development of eco-friendly alternative energy sources has become a global priority owing to the depletion of fossil fuels and an increase in environmental concerns. Hydrogen energy has emerged as a promising clean energy source, and hydrogen compressors play a crucial role in the storage and distribution of compressed hydrogen. However, harsh operating conditions lead to the rapid deterioration of conventional lubricants in hydrogen compressors, thereby necessitating the development of advanced lubrication technologies. This study introduces micrometer-sized silicone rubber powders as lubricant additives to enhance the lubrication performance of hydraulic oils in hydrogen compressors. We prepare silicone rubber powders by varying the ratio of the silicone rubber base to the curing agent and investigate their effects on interfacial properties, friction behavior, and wear characteristics. The findings reveal that the incorporation of silicone rubber powders positively influences the surface affinity, wettability, friction reduction, and wear resistance of the lubricants on the 304SS substrate. Moreover, we identify the optimal lubricant formulations, with a 15:1 ratio demonstrating the most effective friction reduction and a 5:1 ratio exhibiting the highest wear resistance. The controlled surface modification by the silicone rubber powder and the enhanced interfacial characteristics of the powder-containing lubricants synergistically contribute to the improved lubrication performance. These results indicate the potential of silicone rubber powder additives for the development of long-life lubrication solutions for hydrogen compressors and related applications, ultimately contributing to the advancement of sustainable energy technologies.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.64 no.8
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• pp.415-421
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• 2021

Background: Antibiotic resistance is associated with longer hospitalizations, higher treatment costs, and increased morbidity and mortality rates. Purpose: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Iranian children. Methods: International databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Scopus, and Iranian databases, including Scientific Information Database (www.sid.ir), Magiran, and Iranian Database for Medical Literature (idml.research.ac.ir), were systematically searched for articles published between January 2000 and August 2019. Sources of heterogeneity were determined using subgroup analysis and meta-regression. Results: Overall, 343 studies were identified; of them, 20 were included in the meta-analysis to estimate the pooled prevalence. The pooled prevalence of MRSA was 42% (95% confidence interval [CI], 29-55) among culture-positive cases of S. aureus, 51% (95% CI, 39-62) in hospitalized children, and 14% (95% CI, 0.05-27) in healthy children. Conclusion: The overall pooled prevalence of MRSA in children was 42%. Appropriate infection control measures and effective antibiotic therapy are needed.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.366-371
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• 2022

The white soybean cyst nematode Heterodera sojae, isolated from the roots of soybean in Korea, is widespread in most provinces of the country and has the potential to be as harmful to soybean as H. glycines. Determining the virulence phenotypes of H. sojae is essential to devising management strategies that use resistant cultivars. Consequently, virulence phenotypes of 15 H. sojae populations from Korea were determined on seven soybean lines and one susceptible check variety. Two different HS types were found to be present in Korea; the more common HS type 2.5.7, comprising 73.3% of the H. sojae populations and the less common HS type 0, constituting only 26.7% of the tested populations. Considering the high frequency of H. sojae adaptation to soybean indicator lines, the PI 88788 group may not be a possible source of resistance while PI 548402, PI 90763, PI 437654, and PI 89772 can be used as resistance sources for soybean breeding programs aimed at developing H. sojae-resistant soybean cultivars in Korea.