Physical Inactivity, Sedentary Behavior and Chronic Diseases

Karimé González,Jorge Fuentes,José Luis Márquez 대한가정의학회 2017 Korean Journal of Family Medicine Vol.38 No.3

New research into physical activity suggests that it is no longer sufficient just to meet minimum levels recommend-ed by health guidelines in order to reduce cardiovascular risk. Both physical inactivity and sedentary behavior have their own health hazards and need to be addressed separately, in order to explore their different deleterious mech-anisms. The aim of this review was to define and to characterize both concepts, and their relationship with major non-communicable chronic diseases. A PubMed database search was undertaken, using the following key words: physical activity, physical inactivity, sedentarism, sedentary behavior, and non-communicable chronic disease. This literature review provides an updated view on physical inactivity and sedentary behavior, and reevaluates their prevalence and association with major non-communicable chronic disease.

Amplified Pixel Architectures in Amorphous Silicon Technology for Large Area Digital Imaging Applications

Karim S. Karim,F. Taghibakhsh,G. Sanaie-Fard Sanaie-Fard,M. H. Izadi,T. Ottaviani 한국물리학회 2006 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.48 No.I

On-pixel amplifiers in amorphous silicon (a-Si) technology can offer increased pixel signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) compared to traditional switch based imaging pixels. Experiments reveal a reduction in readout noise and indicate that a-Si pixel amplifiers can meet the stringent requirements for digital X-ray fluoroscopy. However, larger input voltages can introduce non-linearities thereby reducing the pixel dynamic range. In this research, we investigate amplified pixel architectures that exhibit large signal linearity and consequently higher dynamic range. Gain, linearity, noise, metastability and area estimations of the amplified pixels indicate their applicability in large-area medical Xray imaging applications that require switching between low-exposure, real-time fluoroscopy and high-exposure chest radiography modes at a region of interest.

Effect of Pollination Technique on Agronomic and Physicochemical Characteristics of Date Palm Fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cv. ‘Deglet Nour ’

Kadri Karim,Aounallah Karim,Hammadi Hamza,Abdelhafidh Manar,Chahine Karmous,Taoufik Bettaieb 한국원예학회 2022 원예과학기술지 Vol.40 No.2

In Tunisian oases, pollination remains a traditional process and the male’ spikelets are manually inserted into female inflorescences. The drawback of this ancestral practice forced us to look for a new alternative pollination technique for improving date palm productivity. The present investigation aimed to compare agronomic and biochemical characteristics of ‘Deglet Nour’ variety following three pollination techniques: the handmade traditional technique, the dusting (spraying pollen grains by powder) and the water suspension technique. The results affirmed that the dusting technique was the most efficient technique followed by the handmade pollination. Sprinkling showed the highest fruit set rate (82.21%), retention rate (68.34%) and yield per bunch (5.5 kg) with the lowest number of partenocarpic fruits (less than 2%). Besides, data revealed that pollination techniques were not involved in physicochemical and pomological characteristics during the different stages of date maturation. However, other studies can be carried out to explore these different pollination techniques on other varieties growing in different oasis systems.

UV-curing synthesis of sulfonated polyaniline-silver nanocomposites by an in situ reduction method

Karim, Mohammad Rezaul,Yeum, Jeong Hyun,Lee, Min-Young,Lee, Mu Sang,Lim, Kwon Taek John Wiley Sons, Ltd. 2009 Polymers for advanced technologies Vol.20 No.7

<P>Sulfonated polyaniline-silver (SPAni-Ag) hybrid nanocomposites have been synthesized by the in situ reduction using a UV-curing polymerization method without using any reducing or binding agent. An aqueous solution of aniline and orthoanilinic acid (OA) comonomers, a free-radical oxidant and silver metal salts were irradiated by UV rays. Reduction of the silver salt in aqueous aniline and OA leads to the formation of silver particles which in turn catalyze the oxidation of comonomers to sulfonated polyaniline (SPAni). The resultant SPAni-Ag nanocomposites were characterized by using different spectroscopy analyses like UV–visible (UV–Vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy. The absorption bands were revealed to be optically active and the peaks blue-shifted due to the presence of metallic silver within the SPAni matrix. The XRD patterns displayed both the broad amorphous polymeric and sharp metallic peaks. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy of the nanocomposites showed a uniform size distribution with spherical and granular morphology. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the nanocomposites had a better thermal stability than the bulk SPAni. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.</P>

The Catalytic Role of the W573 in the Mobile Loop of Recombinant Acetohydroxyacid Synthase from Tobacco

Karim, Masud,Shim, Mi-Young,Kim, Jeong-Mok,Choe, Gyeong-Jae,Kim, Jung-Rim,Choi, Jung-Do,Yoon, Moon-Young Korean Chemical Society 2006 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.27 No.4

Acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS, EC 2.2.1.6 also referred to as acetolactate synthase) catalyzes the first common step in the metabolic pathway leading to biosynthesis of the branched-chain amino acids in plants and microorganisms. Due to its presence in plants, AHAS is a target for the herbicides (sulfonylurea and imidazolinone), which act as potent inhibitors of the enzyme. Recently, we have shown [J. Kim, D.G. Baek, Y.T. Kim, J.D. Choi, M.Y. Yoon, Biochem. J. (2004) 384, 59-68] that the residues in the “mobile loop” 567-582 on the C-termini are involved in the binding/stabilization of the active dimer and ThDP (thiamin diphosphate) binding. In this study, we have demonstrated the role of the W573 in the mobile loop of the C-termini of tobacco AHAS. The substitution of this W573 residue caused significant perturbations in the activation process and in the binding site of ThDP. Position W573 plays a structurally important role in the binding of FAD, maintaining the enzyme active site in the required geometry for catalysis to occur. In here we propose that the tryptophan at position 573 is important for the catalytic process.

Analysis of Expressed Sequence Tags from the Wood-Decaying Fungus Fomitopsis palustris and Identification of Potential Genes Involved in the Decay Process

( Karim Nurul ),( Hajime Shibuya ),( Taisei Kikuchi ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2011 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.21 No.4

Fomitopsis palustris, a brown-rot basidiomycete, causes the most destructive type of decay in wooden structures. In spite of its great economic importance, very little information is available at the molecular level regarding its complex decay process. To address this, we generated over 3,000 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from a cDNA library constructed from F. palustris. Clustering of 3,095 high-quality ESTs resulted in a set of 1,403 putative unigenes comprising 485 contigs and 918 singlets. Homology searches based on BlastX analysis revealed that 78% of the F. palustris unigenes had a significant match to proteins deposited in the nonredundant databases. A subset of F. palustris unigenes showed similarity to the carbohydrateactive enzymes (CAZymes), including a range of glycosyl hydrolase (GH) family proteins. Some of these CAZymeencoded genes were previously undescribed for F. palustris but predicted to have potential roles in biodegradation of wood. Among them, we identified and characterized a gene (FpCel45A) encoding the GH family 45 endoglucanase. Moreover, we also provided functional classification of 473 (34%) of F. palustris unigenes using the Gene Ontology hierarchy. The annotated EST data sets and related analysis may be useful in providing an initial insight into the genetic background of F. palustris.

Analysis, Design and Implementation of an Improved ZVZCS-PWM Forward converter

Karim Soltanzadeh,Majid Dehghani,Hosein Khalilian 대한전기학회 2014 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.9 No.1

In this paper an Improved Zero Voltage Zero Current Pulse Width Modulation Forward converter which employs a simple resonance snubber circuit is introduced. A simple snubber circuit consists of a capacitor, an inductor and two diodes. In proposed converter, switch Q1 operates at ZCS turn-on, and ZVS turn-off conditions and all-passive semiconductor devices operate at ZVZCS turn-on and turn-off state. The proposed converter is analyzed and various operating modes of the ZVZCSPWM forward converter are discussed. Analysis and design considerations are presented and the prototype experimental results of a 100w (40 V/2.5A) proposed converter operating at 30 KHz switching frequency confirm the validity of theoretical analysis.

Authoring System of Mobile Tutorial Modules Based on Auditory Multimedia

Karim Q. Hussein 한국지능시스템학회 2022 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL of FUZZY LOGIC and INTELLIGE Vol.22 No.4

In this study, we consider technologies of auditory multimedia as a mode of communicationbetween a mobile device and blind students regarding instructional material. We proposean authoring system designed to create mobile tutorial modules (MTMs) for use by blindstudents. The system includes two major phases. In the first phase, the instructor submits thecontents of a tutorial module in natural language into a server. The server saves the contents oftutorial modules in a database. The server then creates a website based on PHP with MYSQL. Thus, the system creates a website with all the material entered by the instructor. The secondphase considers an Android environment with XML for the graphical user interface (GUI) andJava source coding for activities). An API library in the server manages the tutorial contentinto typical tutorial module. Because the application is designed for totally blind students,all the contents of the GUI are converted into corresponding text-to-speech data (Audio files)using Android. Finally, the blind student receives the MTMs as sound output from the device. We invited several instructors to experimentally evaluate some sample MTMs. The resultsshow that the proposed approach was considered successful in this application. Additionally,an algorithm was applied to reduce the time required for multiple users to interact with theapplication. We also implemented text-to-speech on Android as well. The proposed approachwas received positively by the participants and users.

On Position Control using GMS-Model-Based Friction Compensation and Velocity Reduced-Order Observer for Servo-Systems - LMI Approach

Karim Khayati 제어로봇시스템학회 2008 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2008 No.10

This paper is devoted to a stabilization problem for a servo-system under the inuence of friction. The proposed approach is based on a multi-objective control design using a reduced-order velocity observer, a generalized Maxwell-slip (GMS) model-based friction compensation and a linear time invariant (LTI) compensator simultaneously. Stabilization conditions on interconnected systems are investigated with strictly positive real (SPR) condition on linear closed-loop dynamics of hierarchical systems using linear matrix inequality (LMI) frameworks. The appeal of this proven theoretical design is further demonstrated by numerical results.

Hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Karim Seif El Dahan,Darine Daher,Amit G. Singal 대한간학회 2023 Clinical and Molecular Hepatology(대한간학회지) Vol.29 No.-

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may progress to cirrhotic or non-cirrhotic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and is currently recognized as the fastest growing cause of HCC worldwide. Accordingly, professional society guidelines recommend HCC surveillance in patients with cirrhosis from any etiology, and some may consider it beneficial in subgroups with non-cirrhotic NAFLD at higher risk for HCC. Notably, patients with NAFLD-related HCC are more likely to have HCC diagnosed at more advanced stages and have poorer outcomes when compared to other etiologies, and suboptimal effectiveness of HCC surveillance programs is a major culprit. In this review, we summarize the current guidelines for HCC surveillance and discuss its benefits versus potential harms for NAFLD patients. We also address the unique challenges of HCC surveillance in NAFLD, including higher proportion of NAFLD-related HCC without cirrhosis, poor recognition of at-risk patients, lack of consensus regarding the value of surveillance in non-cirrhotic NAFLD, subpar effectiveness of surveillance tools related to NAFLD phenotype, and preponderant surveillance underuse among NAFLD patients. Finally, we examine the effectiveness of currently used surveillance tools (i.e., ultrasound and alpha fetoprotein) and outline future perspectives including emerging risk stratification tools, imaging surveillance strategies (e.g., abbreviated magnetic resonance imaging protocols), blood-based biomarkers (e.g., GALAD and circulating tumor DNA panels), and interventions to improve surveillance adherence.