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Background: While mammalian embryos can adapt to their environments, their sensitivity overshadows their adaptability in suboptimal in vitro conditions. Therefore, the environment in which the gametes are fertilized or to which the embryo is exposed can greatly affect the quality of the embryo and consequently its implantation potential. Objectives: Since providing an optimal culture condition needs a deep understanding of the environmental effects, and regarding the fact that normal morphology fails to be a reliable indicator of natural embryo development, the current study aimed at comparing in vivo- and in vitro-derived blastocysts at the molecular level. Materials and Methods: In vivo and in vitro mouse blastocysts were obtained by flushing the uterine horns and in vitro fertilization/culture, respectively. Normal blastocysts of both groups were evaluated in terms of hatching rate and expression of three lineage-differentiation-, apoptosis-, and implantation-related genes. Results: The hatching rate was lower in In vitro fertilization (IVF)-produced blastocysts in comparison with that of the in vivo counterparts. More importantly, the study results indicated significant changes in the expression levels of eight out of ten selected genes, especially Mmp-9 (about -10.7-fold). The expression of Mmp-9 in trophoblast cells is required for successful implantation and trophoblast invasion. Conclusions: The current study, in addition to confirming that the altered gene expression pattern of in vitro-produced embryos resulted in normal morphology, provided a possible reason for lower implantation rate of in vitro-produced blastocysts regarding the Mmp-9 expression.

We used remote sensing techniques and machine learning to detect and map landslides, and landslide susceptibility in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. We located 152 landslides using a combination of interferometry synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), Google Earth (GE), and field surveys. Of the total slide locations, 80% (122 landslides) were utilized for training the selected algorithms, and the remaining 20% (30 landslides) were applied for validation purposes. We employed 17 conditioning factors, including slope angle, aspect, elevation, curvature, profile curvature, stream power index (SPI), topographic wetness index (TWI), lithology, soil type, land cover, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), distance to river, distance to fault, distance to road, river density, fault density, and road density, which were produced from satellite imageries, geological map, soil maps, and a digital elevation model (DEM). We used these factors to produce landslide susceptibility maps using logistic regression &lrm (LR), logistic model tree (LMT), and random forest (RF) models. To assess prediction accuracy of the models we employed the following statistical measures: negative predictive value (NPV), sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), specificity, root-mean-squared error (RMSE), accuracy, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). Our results indicated that the AUC was 92%, 90%, and 88% for the LMT, LR, and RF algorithms, respectively. To assess model performance, we also applied non-parametric statistical tests of Friedman and Wilcoxon, where the results revealed that there were no practical differences among the used models in the study area. While landslide mapping in tropical environment such as Cameron Highlands remains difficult, the remote sensing (RS) along with machine learning techniques, such as the LMT model, show promise for landslide susceptibility mapping in the study area. &lrm

Supervised drug consumption facilities (SCFs) have increasingly been implemented in response to public health and public order concerns associated with illicit drug use. We systematically reviewed the literature investigating the health and community impacts of SCFs. Consistent evidence demonstrates that SCFs mitigate overdose-related harms and unsafe drug use behaviours, as well as facilitate uptake of addiction treatment and other health services among people who use drugs (PWUD). Further, SCFs have been associated with improvements in public order without increasing drug-related crime. SCFs have also been shown to be cost-effective. This systematic review suggests that SCFs are effectively meeting their primary public health and order objectives and therefore supports their role within a continuum of services for PWUD. Additional studies are needed to better understand the potential long-term health impacts of SCFs and how innovations in SCF programming may help to optimize the effectiveness of this intervention.

Abstract Background The life expectancy of patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) reported by several epidemiological studies is inconsistent. This meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the survival rate from HIV diagnosis to AIDS onset and from AIDS onset to death. Methods The electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus were searched to February 2016. In addition, the reference lists of included studies were checked to identify further references, and the database of the International AIDS Society was also searched. Cohort studies addressing the survival rate in patients diagnosed with HIV/AIDS were included in this meta-analysis. The outcomes of interest were the survival rate of patients diagnosed with HIV progressing to AIDS, and the survival rate of patients with AIDS dying from AIDS-related causes with or without highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The survival rate (P) was estimated with 95% confidence intervals based on random-effects models. Results In total, 27,862 references were identified, and 57 studies involving 294,662 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Two, 4-, 6-, 8-, 10- and 12-year survival probabilities of progression from HIV diagnosis to AIDS onset were estimated to be 82%, 72%, 64%, 57%, 26% and 19%, respectively. Two, 4-, 6-, 8- and 10-year survival probabilities of progression from AIDS onset to AIDS-related death in patients who received HAART were estimated to be 87%, 86%, 78%, 78%, and 61%, respectively, and 2-, 4- and 6-year survival probabilities of progression from AIDS onset to AIDS-related death in patients who did not receive HAART were estimated to be 48%, 26% and 18%, respectively. Evidence of considerable heterogeneity was found. The majority of the studies had a moderate to high risk of bias. Conclusion The majority of HIV-positive patients progress to AIDS within the first decade of diagnosis. Most patients who receive HAART will survive for >10 years after the onset of AIDS, whereas the majority of the patients who do not receive HAART die within 2 years of the onset of AIDS.

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Abstract Technology foresight (TF) studies the appropriate extrapolation methodologies for predicting the most likely technology development scenarios in the future. Although there is a vast literature dealing with the classification and development of technology foresight methods (TFMs), the problem of selecting those that best reflect the characteristics of an organization is challenging and remains mostly overlooked. We propose a TFM evaluation procedure that allows decision makers and managers to successfully address this problem. The proposed procedure identifies the most relevant TFMs and organizational criteria and uses them in a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) model to select the most suitable method(s) for implementation. The proposed MCA model combines the doubling data technique with a row principal scoring procedure to allow for the reduction of dimensionality and, consequently, the graphical analysis of the patterns of relationships among TFMs and evaluation criteria. We present a case study in a knowledge-based organization to demonstrate the applicability and efficacy of the proposed evaluation procedure. The results show that the proposed model can be properly adapted to allow for a wide range of applications involving business organizations and government agencies.

Abstract The future of urban energy systems relies on the transition to “smart energy networks” which incorporate energy storage with renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Hydrogen provides a desirable energy vector for both energy storage and exchange of energy between energy hubs within a smart energy network. This paper aims to develop a generic mathematical model for the optimal energy management of future communities where hydrogen is used as an energy vector. An energy hub is a novel concept that systematically and holistically considers the energy requirements of both mobility and stationary loads. In order to perform optimization studies, the minimization of capital cost of hydrogen refueling stations and operation and maintenance cost of all energy hubs within the network are considered. The modeling and optimization are undertaken and carried out in the General Algebraic Modeling Software (GAMS). The case study considers four energy hubs consisting of a commercial building, school, residential complex, as well as hydrogen refueling stations. The study investigates the optimal operation of different energy conversion and storage technologies in order to meet the demand of energy. The results showed that the optimum size of electrolyser and hydrogen tank for supplying the hydrogen demand in the energy hub network is two 290-kW electrolysers and four 30-kg tanks, respectively. The average daily strike price of electricity by which the electrolyser operates is $0.036 per kWh and will not operate when the average hourly Ontario electricity price is higher than $0.13 per kWh. The levelized cost of hydrogen produced by hydrogen refueling station is estimated to be $6.74 per kg. Moreover, the optimal operation of energy conversion and energy storage technologies within each hub and the optimal interaction between energy hubs with in the network are also investigated. In addition, it is shown that distributed hydrogen generation is more preferable than H2 delivery in environmental and economic comparison.

Vibration suppression of elastically supported beams subjected to moving loads is investigated in this work. For a Timoshenko beam with an arbitrary number of elastic supports, subjected to a constant axial compressive force, and having a tuned mass damper (TMD) installed at the mid-span, the equations of motion are derived and using the Galerkin approach the solution is sought. The optimum values of the frequency and damping ratio are determined both analytically and numerically and presented as some design curves directly applicable in the TMD design for bridge structures. To show the efficiency of the designed TMD, computer simulation for two real bridges, subjected to a S.K.S Japanese high-speed train, is carried out and the results obtained are compared for before and after the installation of the TMD system.Copyright © 2005 by ASME