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In this article, a multifunction control scheme is proposed for battery energy storage system (BESS) as an independent grid-supporting distributed energy resource in islanded/stand-alone microgrids (MGs) including synchronous generator. The proposed controller increases the utilization factor of the BESS to participate in electricity market ancillary services using its available unused capacity. The proposed controller incorporates adaptive frequency control, voltage regulation, as well as unbalanced load compensation. Additionally, an adaptive high-pass filter is proposed which enables the BESS to compensate for frequency deviations according to its state-of-charge for a longer effective life span of batteries. Furthermore, a voltage control loop is integrated to regulate the BESS point of common coupling voltage during low-voltage conditions by injecting reactive current. Finally, the available capacity of the BESS grid-connected converter is utilized to compensate for the unbalanced currents drawn by the loads. Simulation and experimental tests are compared under several scenarios to validate the proposed controller performance. The results reveal the efficacy of the proposed controller in maximizing the BESS utilization factor in islanded/stand-alone MGs.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the 3-year outcomes of sleeve gastrectomy in non-diabetic individuals with class I obesity. Methods: A total of 78 participants with class I obesity and 78 participants with class II obesity, matched in terms of age, sex (93.6% female), and the rates of dyslipidemia and hypertension, were included in this prospective cohort study.Follow-up data, including metabolic features, body composition, nutritional characteristics, and surgery complications, were gathered at the baseline and 6, 12, 24, and 36 months post-bariatric surgery. Micronutrient deficiencies and comorbidities (hypertension and dyslipidemia) were evaluated in both groups using conditional logistic regression analysis, and Clavien–Dindo classification was used to compare surgical complications. Results: Baseline characteristics of the participants in both groups were similar (n= 78, mean age: 36.4 ± 8.5). The two groups were also comparable in terms of weight loss, cardiovascular risk factors, and remission of obesity-related comorbidities 3 years following sleeve gastrectomy. Overall values of Δ total weight loss (TWL)%, Δ excess weight loss (EWL)%, and β (95% CI) were − 1.86 (1.19), and − 2.56 (4.5) with a Pvalue of 0.118 and 0.568, respectively. The occurrence of surgical complications and undesirable outcomes were also similar between the two study groups. Conclusion: Bariatric surgery is an effective and safe method to achieve weight loss and alleviate cardiovascular risk factors and obesity-related comorbidities in non-diabetic individuals with class I and class II obesity.

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Thin film nanocomposite (TFN) reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes have attracted considerable attention for industrial applications in recent years. Among recent nanomaterials used in the fabrication of TFN membranes, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have gained significant interest due to their unique structure (e.g., tubular shape, mechanical strength, porosity, etc.). Here, the effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with different functional groups as one of the well proven nanchannel structures and their interaction with two typical monomers, MPD and PIP, were thoroughly investigated. All fabricated membranes were analysed using SEM, FTIR, AFM and contact angle analyzer. Pressure variation significantly affected the performance of membranes over 24 hours of testing. The membranes incorporated with polypyrrole (PPy) modified MWCNTs showed promising results with nearly 37 % and 99 % water flux improvement for the TFN-RO and NF membranes, respectively, compared to the bare (unmodified) TFC RO/NF membranes. Specifically, the water flux of the RO OX-MWCNTs-PPy membrane increased from 18.9 to 25.5 L.m−2.h−1, while the NF OX-MWCNTs-PPy membrane's water flux rose from 45.2 to 90.1 L.m−2.h−1. The salt rejection of RO and NF remained relatively high, with over 90 % salt rejection against NaCl and Na2SO4for RO and NF membranes. The NF OX-MWCNTs-PPy membrane exhibited a 98.2 % rejection rate for Na2SO4, and the RO OX-MWCNTs-PPy membrane showed around a 98.8 % rejection rate for NaCl. The TFN membranes showed less fouling tendency compared to the TFC membranes. In general, the integration of MWCNTs with various functional groups significantly enhanced the water flux and salt rejection properties of these membranes. Specifically, the modified membranes showed considerable improvements in water flux and maintained high salt rejection rates. Additionally, the interaction between MWCNTs and PIP monomers in TFN-NF membranes exhibited a stronger affinity compared to MPD monomers in TFN-RO membranes, indicating a more promising performance for NF applications. The findings suggest that TFN-NF membranes incorporating MWCNTs hold great promise for future industrial use, offering enhanced performance and reduced fouling rates.

Engineers frequently encounter challenges in designing foundations located above buried structures. In order to examine the effect of partial loading on the bearing capacity of inclined strip foundations situated within weak soil layers, small-scale model tests are conducted. Although thin layers may appear insignificant, they have a considerable influence on the ultimate bearing capacity. To investigate this phenomenon, a series of laboratory model tests were conducted on rigid strip footings positioned on various stratified embankment foundation surfaces. The experimental procedure encompasses different foundation configurations, incorporating variations in material type, thickness, and slope of the thin layers. The results obtained from the laboratory analysis indicate that the eccentricity value significantly affects the bearing capacity of the foundation. Additionally, the bearing capacity is observed to increase as the foundation moves away from the weak layer and the edge of the slope. Notably, the presence of a weak layer at the critical distance of B= 0 results in an additional 43% reduction in the bearing capacity (from 23.75 to 34.07 kPa).

[Display omitted] The creation and development of biocompatible nanostructures pose significant challenges for biomedical purposes. This study presents a novel magnetic star polymer structure composed of cyclic polyimide chains as grown arms and a central ZnFe 2 O 4 core with low toxicity and antibacterial activity for use in biological applications such as Targeted drug delivery, hyperthermia therapy and wound healing. To preparate this structure, the surface of MNPs was activated with anchor molecules, and then cyclic aromatic polyamide chains were polymerized using pyromellitic dianhydride and phenylenediamine derivatives on the surface-functionalized ZnFe 2 O 4 MNPs. The cytotoxicity of this nanocomposite was evaluated using MTT tests on MCF10A cells, showing low cytotoxicity against healthy cells. Additionally, the MIC/MBC tests of the prepared star polymer were assessed against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and showed that this has antibacterial effect against these bacterial strains. From the results, it can be concluded that the prepared nanocomposite can be introduced as a new biological structure for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reconfiguration of distribution networks results in modifications to the voltage magnitudes of buses, subsequently influencing the power demands of connected loads. This variable load demand plays a pivotal role in determining the optimal system topology. While a few studies have recognized this crucial aspect, they often present non-linear models or simplified formulations. Non-linear models, though solvable with commercial solvers, demand extensive computational time, particularly when accommodating the time variability of loads in the formulation. Alternatively, solving these models may require meta-heuristic methods, introducing the challenge of obtaining precise solutions. In contrast, existing linear models have been subject to approximation through piecewise linearization, introducing a level of uncertainty. Achieving accurate solutions for reconfiguration problems within a short computational timeframe is imperative for practical operational applications. As a result, present study addresses this challenge by introducing four effective reconfiguration methods that explicitly consider the voltage dependence of time-varying loads. These techniques leverage linear solvers, enabling the computation of precise solutions within a condensed computational timeframe. By adopting these proposed methods, the study aims to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of solving distribution network reconfiguration problems, thereby facilitating practical applications in real-time operational scenarios. The linear mathematical models introduced in the current study can find exact solutions in a short computational time, unlike meta-heuristic algorithms and non-linear formulations. Additionally, the proposed time and voltage variability formulation causes the presented reconfiguration frameworks to solve the problem in very low computational time compared to models with exact load variations inclusion.

Distribution networks often suffer from substantial energy losses, particularly in radial feeders. These losses, primarily in the form of wasted heat, far exceed those experienced in the transmission system. Such power dissipation not only drives up operating costs but also degrades the quality and quantity of delivered electricity. One effective strategy to curtail these losses is the optimal placement of shunt capacitors. By compensating for a portion of the reactive power demanded by loads, these capacitors reduce the magnitude of current flowing through feeders and subsequently diminish distribution losses. However, the electricity demand within these networks fluctuates over time, significantly influencing the power distributed through the feeders. These load variations play a crucial role in determining energy losses, reactive power injections, and system's total cost. The dynamic nature of load variability can necessitate adjustments to the optimal locations for capacitor placement. However, taking into account the entire load variations can substantially increases the complexity and computational time required for solving the capacitor placement problem, particularly in large distribution systems. In light of these challenges, current study introduces a highly effective formulation for optimal capacitor placement to minimize energy losses and capacitor installation costs in distribution systems with time-varying loads. The numerical analysis of the results underscores the effectiveness of our proposed framework in achieving optimal capacitor bank places in radial distribution feeders operating under variable load conditions.

Optimizing the reduction of power losses together with the investment and operational costs in electrical distribution systems via optimizing network reconfiguration (NR), placement of capacitor (CP), and distributed generation (DG) allocation simultaneously amidst uncertain fluctuating load conditions is considered an effective strategy. Meanwhile, this operation poses a formidable challenge of stressful computation due to the numerous iterations that the model goes through to find the best solution, particularly in the case of large-scale systems, demanding significant computational resources. In many of the previous studies within this domain, the dynamic nature of load variations was often overlooked in order to reduce the computation burden and time of the optimization problem. Albeit, such simplification has often compromised precision and led to suboptimal solutions. In this regard, the current research has introduced an innovative and streamlined approach that can incorporate load variations and uncertainty into the complex coordination of NR, CP, and DG optimization within large-scale distribution systems for the reduction of losses and costs at a relatively shorter time. We showcase the effectiveness of our modeling approach through its application to various test networks, showcasing its precision, reduced computational time, and straightforward implementation in contrast to traditional approaches which have only relied on certain peak demand considerations.

Condensate blockage significantly impairs gas production in low-permeability reservoirs by reducing gas relative permeability and increasing condensate saturation near the wellbore. Particularly acute in reservoirs with low pressure and permeability, effective solutions are required to mitigate this formation damage. This study introduces a novel acid treatment strategy aimed at enhancing the injectivity index in gas reservoirs afflicted by condensate blockage. Leveraging mineralogical analysis, Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) was identified as the optimal acidizing agent. The most effective concentrations of HCl for rock dissolution—15% and 7.5%—were determined through dissolution tests. The research further advances by adding methanol to the acid mix, resulting in three distinct formulations: HCl 15 wt%, HCl 15 wt% + methanol, and HCl 7.5 wt% + methanol. Comprehensive wettability alteration tests and coreflood experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of these systems in permeability enhancement. The HCl 7.5 wt% + methanol formulation demonstrated superior performance in permeability improvement and condensate blockage reduction, outshining the other systems. Notably, this new acid system effectively altered wettability from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, facilitating the passage of condensate through the pore throats and thus aiding in the removal of blockages. The integration of methanol with HCl, particularly at a 7.5 wt% concentration, represents a significant advancement in the treatment of condensate blockage in gas reservoirs, promising to improve gas recovery rates by addressing the challenges posed by low-permeability formations.

Ti–10Cr alloy is a beta titanium alloy that exhibits variable Young’s modulus, which can be beneficial for spinal implants. This study investigates the effects of cold deformation and heat treatment on the mechanical and biocompatibility properties of Ti–10Cr alloy. The ingot was homogenized, hot rolled, and annealed at various temperatures. Cold rolling was performed with different thickness reductions to examine the Young’s modulus variation. Cell culture was employed to evaluate the biocompatibility. The microstructure and tensile test results of the heat-treated samples showed that recrystallization occurred during annealing, and 900 °C was the optimal heat treatment temperature. The Young’s modulus exhibited the highest variation when the thickness was reduced by 10%. Moreover, the biocompatibility tests revealed that Ti–10Cr had higher biocompatibility than Ti–6Al–4V alloy.

In this study, activated carbon/Fe2(MoO4)3/K2CO3was synthesized as a novel heterogeneous catalyst and used for the first time for biodiesel production from mustard oil. The synthesized catalyst was appraised by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX)/Map, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman analyses. The effect of operating parameters including methanol-to-mustard oil ratio (9:1–27:1), temperature (50–75 °C), catalyst concentration (1–6 wt%), and reaction time (1–6 h) on the biodiesel yield was investigated. The optimization of transesterification operating parameters through Response Surface Methodology (RSM) utilizing Box-Behnken design revealed a peak yield of 96.36 ± 0.1 %. This optimal yield was attained under the following conditions: a methanol-to-oil ratio of 21:1, a temperature of 65°C, a catalyst concentration of 4 wt%, and a reaction time of 4 hours. Furthermore, Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) was employed for the prediction of the biodiesel production yield and a satisfactory agreement was observed between the results of RSM and GPR. Reusability experiments indicated that the synthesized catalyst can be regenerated and reused in 4 transesterification reactions without experiencing a significant decrease in yield. The physical properties of biodiesel derived from mustard oil were examined, and it was observed that they were in agreement with ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 standards. According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that biodiesel production from mustard oil using the novel activated carbon/Fe2(MoO4)3/K2CO3heterogeneous catalyst can be considered as a promising approach for generation of clean energy.

Melanin biosynthesis in different organisms is performed by a tyrosinase action. Excessive enzyme activity and pigment accumulation result in different diseases and disorders including skin cancers, blemishes, and darkening. In fruits and vegetables, it causes unwanted browning of these products and reduces their appearance quality and economic value. Inhibiting enzyme activity and finding novel powerful and safe inhibitors are highly important in agriculture, food, medical, and pharmaceutical industries. In this regard, in the present study, some novel synthetic pyridine-based compounds including 2,6-bis (tosyloxymethyl) pyridine (compound 3), 2,6-bis (butylthiomethyl) pyridine (compound 4), and 2,6-bis (phenylthiomethyl) pyridine (compound 5) were synthesized for the first time, and their inhibitory potencies were assessed on mushroom tyrosinase diphenolase activity. The results showed that while all tested compounds significantly decreased the enzyme activity, compounds 4and 5had the highest inhibitory effects (respectively, 80 and 89% inhibition with the IC50values of 17.0 and 9.0 μmol L–1), and the inhibition mechanism was mixed-type for both compounds. Ligand-binding studies were carried out by fluorescence quenching and molecular docking methods to investigate the enzyme–compound interactions. Fluorescence quenching results revealed that the compounds can form nonfluorescent complexes with the enzyme and result in quenching of its intrinsic emission by the static process. Molecular docking analyses predicted the binding positions and the amino acid residues involved in the interactions. These compounds appear to be suitable candidates for more studies on tyrosinase inhibition.

Despite the known impacts on climate change of carbon dioxide emissions, the continued use of fossil fuels for energy generation leading to the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere is evident. Therefore, innovation to address and reduce CO2emissions from industrial operations remains an urgent and crucial priority. A viable strategy in the area is postcombustion capture mainly through absorption by aqueous alkanolamines, which focuses on the separation of CO2from flue gas, despite its limitations. Within this context, porous materials, particularly metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), have arisen as favorable alternatives owing to their significant adsorption capacity, selectivity, and reduced regeneration energy demands. This research evaluates the engineering insights into tailored MOFs for enhanced CO2capture, focusing on three series of MOFs (ZIF, UiO-66, and BTC) to investigate the effects of organic ligands, functional groups, and metal ions. The evaluation encompassed a range of aspects including adsorption isotherms of pure gases [CO2and nitrogen (N2)] and mixed gas mixture (CO2and N2with 15:85% ratio), along with utilization of the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) to simulate multicomponent gas adsorption isotherms. Moreover, the reliability of IAST for mixed gas adsorption prediction has been investigated in detail. The research offers valuable insights into the correlation between the characteristics of MOFs and their effectiveness in gas separation and how these characteristics contribute to the differences between IAST predictions and experimental results. The findings enhance the understanding of how to enhance MOF characteristics in order to reduce CO2emissions and also highlight the need for advanced models that consider thermodynamic nonidealities to accurately predict the behavior of mixed gas adsorption in MOFs. As a result, the incorporation of MOFs with enhanced predictability and reliability into CO2capture industrial processes is facilitated.

Graphical abstract: N-phenacylpyridinium salts, an important subclass of pyridinium salts, serve as an intermediate, as well as a starting material in the synthesis of a diverse range of N-, O-, and S-heterocycles, as well as carbocycles. The construction of important biologically active molecules, such as indolizine, pyridine, quinoline, pyrrole, azepine, dihydrofuran, and chromene, can be achieved from N-phenacylpyridinium salt precursors. This review highlights cyclization and functionalization reactions, involving N-phenacylpyridinium salts.

This study introduces a novel phosphate-based packer fluid, designed for use in high-temperature and high-pressure oil and gas wells. The research aims to evaluate the performance of this innovative fluid in comparison with traditional acetate and formate-based fluids. The study highlights the enhanced performance metrics of the phosphate-based fluid, which include a higher density of 114 pcf, moderated pH levels from 13.5 to 10, and a significantly reduced corrosion rate to below 4 mpy, achieved through the addition of diammonium phosphate and potassium vanadate. Moreover, the research presents two machine learning models (an artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic programming (GP)) developed to predict the penetration depth of the phosphate-based fluid. Both models demonstrate high accuracy, with R-square values of 0.9468 and 0.9140, respectively, with the ANN model exhibiting slightly superior performance. The findings of the study indicate that the phosphate-based fluid, free of solubilizers and enhanced with innovative corrosion inhibitors, provides optimal thermal stability, minimal formation damage, and shallow penetration depth, thus representing a significant advancement in well completion technologies. The fluid’s distinctive properties and the predictive models’ high accuracy highlight its suitability for challenging environments, marking a notable progression in well completion technologies.

Contamination of food with mycotoxins can pose harmful effects on the health of consumers in the long term. Coffee contamination with mycotoxins has become a global concern. This study attempted to meta-analyze the concentration and prevalence of ochratoxin A (OTA) in coffee products and estimate consumers’ health risks. The search was conducted among international databases, including Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science, for 1 January 2010 to 1 May 2022. The concentration and prevalence of OTA in coffee products were meta-analyzed according to country subgroups. Health risk assessment was conducted based on Margin of Exposures (MOEs) using the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) technique. The three countries that had the highest Pooled concentration of OTA in coffee were observed in Chile (100.00%), Kuwait (100.00%), and France (100.00%). The overall prevalence of OTA in coffee products was 58.01%, 95% CI (48.37–67.39). The three countries that had the highest concentration of OTA were Philippines (39.55 μg/kg) > Turkey (39.32 μg/kg) > and Panama (21.33 μg/kg). The mean of MOEs in the adult consumers in Panama (9,526) and the Philippines (8,873) was lower than 10,000, while the mean of MOEs in other countries was higher than 10,000. Therefore, monitoring and control plans should be carried out in different countries.

Differentiating malignant thyroid nodules from benign ones is challenging. Sonography is a non‐invasive modality that can be helpful in this regard and is far better than invasive methods like fine needle aspiration (FNA). This study aimed to assess the diagnostic value of colour Doppler ultrasonography in distinguishing malignant and benign nodules of thyroid gland. The study involved patients with thyroiditis and thyroid nodules, who underwent sonography. Ultrasound findings were assessed. All the nodules were classified according to the FNA into malignant, follicular nodules and lymphatic. Then, sonography findings were compared between these three groups. There were 216 nodules, including 108 (50%) malignant nodules, 80 (37%) benign and 28 (13%) lymphatic follicles, were evaluated. Micro‐calcification was present in 50 (46.3%) malignant cases, 11 (13.7%) benign cases and 2 (2.1%) lymphatic follicles. Decreased or mixed vascularity was reported in 43 (69%) malignant nodules, 4 (5%) benign cases and 7 (25%) lymphatic follicles. Also, 9.7% and 42% of malignant and benign nodules had peripheral circular vascularity, respectively; however, none of the lymphatic follicles had this finding. With 89% specificity, 49% sensitivity and 73.5% accuracy, calcification with or without decreased or mixed vascularity could differentiate benign and malignant nodules. Decreased or mixed vascularity with or without calcification shows high sensitivity in differentiating malignant and benign nodules. Our results demonstrated that the addition of colour Doppler to routine sonography is helpful in differentiating malignant nodules from benign ones.

Osteoporosis is a complex non-communicable disease characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD). Exposure to environmental factors such as air pollution and heavy metals has been linked to low BMD. This study aimed to review the emerging evidence investigating the associations between exposure to environmental chemicals and human bone mineral density or the risk of osteoporosis. A comprehensive electronic search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase up to March 3, 2022. Beta coefficients were extracted with 95% confidence intervals to calculate pooled mean differences for BMD in random effect models. For data synthesis, main exposure groups were identified using the Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Overall, 3181 records were identified. We reviewed 27 English articles with an analytical observational study design. In quantitative analysis, exposure to perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was significantly associated with low spinal BMD among women (mean difference = − 0.01 g/cm2, 95% CI − 0.02 to − 0.004 g/cm2). Up to date, there is supportive evidence for the inverse associations of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and phthalates with BMD. The association of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with BMD seems to vary by specific urinary PAHs and bone sites. For bisphenols and organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs), the evidence for negative associations with BMD is insufficient. For other groups, including triclosan, polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), the research is controversial or scant and needs to be extended. Available high-quality evidence supports the association between exposure to some environmental chemicals and lower BMD as well as increased risk of osteoporosis.

•The effect of quantum parameter on W. Ins. investigated in unstable strongly coupled plasmas.•The particles distribution function considered as the Kappa distribution function.•Analytical expressions derived for W. Ins. growth rate as temperature anisotropy parameters.•The obtained results are shown that W. Ins. growth rate decreases by increasing quantum parameter.•It is shown that W. Ins. growth rate increases by increasing temperature anisotropy parameter.

As climate change accelerates and operational energy burdens strain resources, protecting irreplaceable cultural heritage assets requires urgent prioritization to align preservation with principles of environmental and economic sustainability. Global building energy associated carbon dioxide emissions are projected to escalate over 50% by 2060 in a business as usual scenario, necessitating extensive retrofitting interventions. This research pioneer’s solar technology integration methodologies for heritage sites by developing an original framework evaluating renewable addition feasibility based on comprehensive multi-criteria assessments integrating architectural, cultural, climatic and energy data analytic techniques with participatory planning essential for meaningful adoption. Outcomes aim conveying solar solutions as contemporary manifestations of custodial stewardship honoring artifacts from prior generations by sustaining their continuation using state-of-the-art environmental control modernizations. Demonstration case studies confirm site net-zero energy balances attainable today through 50% consumption reductions from envelope and lighting upgrades supplemented by distributed 20% efficiency building-integrated photovoltaic arrays sized under 50 W/m2 for negligible visibility or structural impacts. Controlled demonstration installations enable incremental capacity expansion validating projections to overcome reservations around inadequately modeled material impacts over full weathering exposure cycles. Participatory monitoring and contextual priority balancing thereby foster smooth logistical coordination and optimized generative restoration.

Since precise manufacturing is very important in different industries, the produced part surface quality and dimensional accuracy have been brought to attention in recent years. In this regard, in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) as a prototyping method, controlling the process parameters in order to customize the produced part has been a value-added ability which should be considered. Optimizing the process parameters helps to enhance the mentioned products’ properties. In this paper, influential process parameters, including print speed (PS), infill percentage (IP), and nozzle temperature (NT) were selected to examine. That was concluded NT increase from 195°C to 240°C, IP increase from 10% to 50% and PS decrease from 150 to 50 mm/min enhance dimensional accuracy including inner and outer ovality up to 30%, 53%, and 50%, respectively. PS is the most significant parameter on inner and outer ovality by 43.92% and 66.60% contribution, respectively. The density of the FDM part was affected mostly by the IP by 92.94% contribution which leads to the printed part density increment up to 13%. Other parameters have small effect on the density value. According to desirability method, that was resulted NT of 240°C, IP of 50%, and PS of 54 mm/min are the optimum parameters. Besides, verification tests were carried out and a maximum error of 7.5% was reported, which shows optimization confidence. In the following, part geometry influence on the final part surface roughness and dimensional accuracy was examined. The experiments demonstrated that cube geometry has the least surface roughness of 20 µm and dimensional error of 0.17 mm due to the independent motion of the axes. Also cone geometry has the highest dimensional error of 0.32 mm and surface roughness of 51 µm which was due to simultaneous axes motion and lateral face lower than 90°.

The corrosion behavior and chloride threshold concentration of AISI 316L stainless steel reinforcement bar (rebar), subjected to high-energy shot peening (HESPed), are compared with its solution-annealed (SAed) counterpart in simulated concrete pore solution (CPS). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that HESP significantly reduces the surface grain size to the ultrafine/nanometric range and increases the density of various dislocation structures, including dislocation walls and cells. This augmented presence of grain boundaries and dislocations, acting as high diffusivity paths, contributed to the formation of a thicker surface film with higher Cr content and lower donor/acceptor density in the HESPed sample compared to the SAed. Moreover, corrosion behavior analyses in CPSs with NaCl concentrations ranging from 0.0 to 2.0 M demonstrated that HESPed samples exhibit broader passivation ranges, more positive corrosion potentials, and higher polarization resistance under equivalent chloride concentrations. Additionally, threshold chloride concentrations obtained from the potentiodynamic polarization tests show values between 0.5 and 1.0 M for the SAed and between 1.0 and 1.5 M for the HESPed samples. Based on diffusion equations, a physical model is proposed to elucidate the improved behavior resulting from the HESP treatment.

In this study, thick Ni–Mo–W ternary alloy coatings (∼24 μm) with 13–27 wt% Mo and 4–11 wt% W were electrodeposited from an alkaline citrate-ammonia bath using direct current. The effect of current density (20–100 mA/cm2) on the composition, current efficiency, morphology, structure, surface topography, tribological behavior, and corrosion resistance of coatings was investigated. The findings revealed an advantageous induced co-deposition of Mo in an electrolyte containing equimolar Mo and W ions. While increasing the current density decreased the Mo content of the coatings, they always had more Mo than W. Increasing the current density, according to SEM and AFM observations, changed the smooth and nodular morphology of Ni–Mo–W coatings to a relatively rough and cauliflower shape. The microhardness of the produced nanocrystalline solid solution coatings was 3.8–4.9 times higher than that of the plain carbon steel substrate. While the hardest coating (793 Hv) deposited at 100 mA/cm2had the best wear resistance with a volume loss value of 0.04 mm3, it had the worst corrosion resistance among the coatings with icorr = 4.4 μA/cm2. The least hard coating (607 Hv), deposited at 40 mA/cm2, with the highest wear volume loss value of 0.11 mm3, however, was the most corrosion resistant sample with icorr = 1.9 μA/cm2.

ABSTRACTBackgroundMigraine is a debilitating neurological discomfort characterized by moderate to severe unilateral headaches. Adherence to healthy dietary patterns like the DASH diet has been considered a complementary solution to migraine management.ObjectiveIn this study, we assessed the relation of adherence to the DASH diet with migraine attack frequency and pain intensity in women with migraine.Methods285 female women with migraine were recruited in the current study. Migraine was diagnosed by a single neurologist based on the third edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-III). Migraine attack frequency was determined based on the number of attacks per month. Pain intensity was assessed by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and migraine index. Last year dietary intakes of women were collected using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ).ResultsAlmost 91% of the women had migraine without aura. Most of the participants reported more than 15 attacks per month (40.7%) and pain intensity in the range of 8–10 in every attack (55.4%). Based on the ordinal regression, those in the first tertile of the DASH score had significantly higher odds for attack frequency (OR = 1.88; 95% CI: 1.11–3.18; P = .02) and migraine index score (OR = 1.69; 95% CI: 1.02–2.79; P = .04, respectively) than those in the third tertile.ConclusionThis study showed that a higher DASH score is associated with a lower migraine attack frequency and migraine index score in female sufferers.

Focusing on expanding and maturing the technology of excavated waste-to-energy pathways can promise a renewable energy production process in addition to reducing land occupation and greenhouse gas emissions. A very scarce comprehensive literature had covered the exergetic performance, life cycle analysis, and financial feasibility of hydrogen-from-excavated-waste technologies based on the plasma gasification process. This article aims to provide a comprehensive comparison under the exergy, techno-economic, and life cycle environmental analyses for two different hydrogen-from-excavated waste pathways. In this regard, two different configurations (under an innovative methodological and analytical approaches) have been proposed for conceptual design and comparative study of hydrogen fuel generation from excavated waste based on plasma gasification, sorption enhanced/gas-water shift, and gas-water shift processes. The techno-economic and life cycle environmental analyses were compared at two levels (i.e., refuse derived fuel-to-hydrogen and excavated waste-to-hydrogen pathways), which had not been reported in most of the literature. From the outcomes, the proposed excavated waste-to-hydrogen process integrated with the carbon dioxide capture and storage process can provide superior environmental (especially in terms of impacts on human health) and thermodynamic performances compared to the standalone-plasma gasification process. Furthermore, the financial feasibility of the proposed project is completely affected by the selling price of hydrogen. The article's achievements can be competitive with similar pathways and provide attractive design and investment conditions to stakeholders and engineers.

Graphical abstract:

In the current study, a thin polydopamine (PDA) layer of around 5 nm was created on the barium titanate (BT) nanoparticles through self-polymerization of dopamine. The produced modified PDA/BT core-shell nanoparticles, termed PBT, were co-electrodeposited with polypyrrole (PPy) onto Nitinol (NiTi) alloy substrates in concentrations ranging from 1 to 10% by weight to produce PPy/PBT composite coatings. The incorporation of these particles changed PPy's cauliflower morphology into a rougher but more compact nodular morphology. According to the atomic force microscopy results, the average surface roughness of PPy coating increased from 44.2 nm up to 80.2 nm by the co-deposition of PBT. Aside from variations in morphology and roughness values, all of the PPy and PPy/PBT coatings demonstrated hydrophilicity. Nonetheless, while the majority of the composite coatings had higher water contact angle (WCA) than the unreinforced PPy, the PPy/10PBT composite coating had the lowest WCA of all samples, measuring 56.9°. The piezoelectric responses of the coatings were also examined, and the best specimen was the PPy/5PBT composite coating with an enhanced output voltage of approximately 400 mV. Finally, MC3T3 mouse osteoblast cells were used for in vitro cell culture evaluations. While healthy cells were evenly distributed on the surface of all coatings after 3 days, indicating biocompatibility, cell density on composite coatings was higher than on unreinforced PPy coating. According to the MTT experiment, the vitality of MC3T3 osteoblast cells on the surface of PPy/5PBT composite coating was more than 30% greater than that on the surface of PPy coating.

ABSTRACTBackground:Available evidence indicates that junk foods, defined as unhealthy foods with high-calorie and low-nutrient value, negatively affect mental and metabolic health of children. This study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to clarify the association between junk food consumption and psychological distress in children and adolescents.Methods:A systematic literature search of relevant documents published in PubMed, Web of Science, and SCOPUS was conducted up to 2022. All observation studies which assessed association of junk foods and psychological distress in children and adolescents were included. Random-effect model was used to pool odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) from individual studies. Subgroup meta-analysis was performed based on junk foods categories (sweet drinks, sweet snacks and snacks).Results:Data of 17 included articles on junk foods consumption in relation to depression, stress, anxiety, sleep dissatisfaction and happiness in children and adolescents were included in this systematic review. According to random effect model, the pooled OR in the highest vs. the lowest category of junk foods was 1.62 (95% CI: 1.35–1.95) for depression, 1.34 (95% CI: 1.16–1.54) for stress, 1.24 (95% CI: 1.03–1.50) for anxiety, 1.17 (95% CI: 1.05–1.30) for sleep dissatisfaction and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.75–0.92) for happiness. In subgroup meta-analysis, there were significant associations between different types of junk foods and psychological distress (P < 0.05).Conclusion:This meta-analysis showed that junk foods consumption was associated with increased odds of psychological distress in children and adolescents. These findings support the current recommendation of decreasing junk foods intake.

In this work, an innovative biogenic technique was employed to synthesize palladium nanoparticles (Pd-NPs) using propolis. Characterization of the crystal structure and morphology of the prepared NPs was performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis spectroscopy (UV-Vis), particle-size distribution and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. At the Pd-NPs modified screen printed electrode (SCPE), the detection of bisphenol A (BPA) through voltammetric measurements was examined. The designed sensor for BPA exhibited remarkable performance, featuring a wide range of calibration (0.2–90 µM), an impressively low limit of detection (LOD, 0.08 µM), and a satisfactory level of reproducibility (RSD = 3.1%). The applicability results also support the effectiveness of the proposed methodology for monitoring of BPA in food samples. On the other hand, the anti-cancer ability of the biosynthesized Pd-NPs versus common human gastric cancer cell line (NCI-N87) was explored. The good cytotoxic character of the green prepared Pd-NPs against gastric cancer in humans was confirmed through the MTT assay studies on cell viability. The findings of this study highlight the successful application of Pd-NPs, which can be easily synthesized from propolis, in both electrochemical sensing and the human cancer therapy.

Background: Considering the significance of relation between dietary diversity and dietary antioxidants in the mechanism of obesity and related outcomes and due to limited studies in postmenopausal women, the present research was designed to evaluate the relationship between Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) and Dietary Total Antioxidant Capacity (DTAC) with some cardio- metabolic risk factors and Pro-Oxidant-Antioxidant Balance (PAB) level in overweight and/or obese postmenopausal women.Methods: The research participants comprised 128 overweight and/or obese postmenopausal women aged 45-65 years attending the health centers. Anthropometric measures, e.g., weight, height, waist and hip circumferences, were obtained. Serum lipid profile, glucose, and insulin were determined, and the Homeostasis Model Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) was estimated. PAB was determined. DDS and DTAC were determined using information from the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ).Results: Compared to those in the first tertile, there was no significant relationship between anthropometric and biochemical data with DDS neither among participants in the second tertile nor the third tertile (P>0.05). Furthermore, considerable negative relationships were only observed between waist-to-hip ratio (P=0.035) and waist-to-height ratio (P=0.006) with DTAC among participants in the second tertile compared with those in the first tertile. Also, insulin and HOMA-IR were inversely related to DTAC among participants in the second tertile (both P<0.001) and the third tertile (P=0.004 and P=0.009, respectively) compared to those in the first tertile. There was a considerable negative relationship between PAB and DTAC (P=0.036) among participants in the third tertile compared with those in the first tertile.Conclusion: DDS was not correlated with a lower risk of obesity, abdominal adiposity, and better metabolic features. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that higher DTAC was correlated with lower abdominal obesity, insulin, HOMA-IR, and PAB levels.

Study design: A prospective case series. Objective: To investigate the possible associations of multi-directional cervical kyphoscoliosis (CKS) with substance abuse and evaluate treatment outcomes. Summary of background data: CKS is a rare medical situation without a well-established pathology. Still there are many obscurities in treatment paradigms and outcomes. To our knowledge, there is no published report on the association between CKS with addiction. Besides the novel report of such a rare etiology for CSK, the complexity of the neurosurgical treatment makes this report the first of its kind. Methods: In this series, we presented three patients with a history of crack cocaine addiction who suffered CKS due to prolonged hand-over-neck posture and treated all of them with a complex neurosurgical protocol. Results: All cases were operated on and restored their normal spine alignment. Their long-term outcomes showed independent neurological status with no major surgical complications. Conclusion: Crack cocaine addiction might be associated with CKS in long-term cocaine abuse. A complex neurosurgical approach can achieve a sustainable clinical outcome.

The natural marine betaine norzooanemonin (1,3-dimethylimidazolim-4-carboxylate) and its methyl and ethyl esters were used as ligand precursors to prepare a systematic series (12 members) of neutral monocarbene gold(i/iii) and cationic dicarbene gold(i/iii) complexes. The complexes were evaluated as inhibitors of bacterial thioredoxin reductase and for their antiproliferative and antimicrobial activities. While gold complexes with the parent norzooanemonin scaffold resulted in overall poor performance, the more lipophilic esters proved to be highly bioactive agents, related to their higher cellular uptake. The monocarbene gold(i/iii) complexes showed significant potency as inhibitors of bacterial thioredoxin reductase. In most assays, the efficacy of both gold(i) and gold(iii) analogues was found to be comparable. The cytotoxicity of dicarbene gold(i/iii) complexes against cancer cells was strong, in some cases exceeding that of the standard reference auranofin.

Urban green spaces are a form of land use that often require intensive maintenance and have social and ecological functions. Due to global water scarcity, management strategies regarding planting and maintenance vegetation, especially turfgrass, are changing in many countries. Tall fescue serves as one of the most important and commonly used cool-season turfgrass species and is considered to be drought tolerant. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), as bio-fertilizers, are also crucial in terms of decreasing and improving harmful effects of abiotic stresses in plants. This research considers inoculation with PGPR in turfgrass for the purpose of improving drought tolerance and reducing water consumption. This work was conducted over two consecutive years to study the effects of Pseudomonas fluorescenson two cultivars of tall fescue (‘H-d’ and ‘J-r’) with three irrigation intervals (7, 14, and 21 days) under greenhouse and outdoor conditions. Results showed that irrigating less frequently caused a reduction in tall fescue turf quality, fresh weight, chlorophyll content, relative water content, and phosphorus content. In most cases, the quantity of compatible solutes (proline and glycine betaine) and antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and peroxidase) was increased; however, the rate of change was enhanced in turfgrass treated with PGPR. Quantitative and qualitative characteristics of turfgrass in greenhouse experiment were substantially superior in comparison with outdoor condition. This research is novel, as it is the first quantitative and qualitative study to the best of our knowledge exploring the effect of PGPR on turfgrass biomass. The level of amino acids, the activity rate of antioxidant enzymes, and the bacterium effects on turfgrass have been considered, both under greenhouse conditions and outdoor environment. This research provides a methodology to investigate various beneficial bacteria on turfgrass for the purpose of developing better management programs under stress conditions.

AimWe tested the hypothesis that visual field (VF) progression can be predicted with a deep learning model based on longitudinal pairs of optic disc photographs (ODP) acquired at earlier time points during follow-up.Methods3919 eyes (2259 patients) with ≥2 ODPs at least 2 years apart, and ≥5 24–2 VF exams spanning ≥3 years of follow-up were included. Serial VF mean deviation (MD) rates of change were estimated starting at the fifth visit and subsequently by adding visits until final visit. VF progression was defined as a statistically significant negative slope at two consecutive visits and final visit. We built a twin-neural network with ResNet50-backbone. A pair of ODPs acquired up to a year before the VF progression date or the last VF in non-progressing eyes were included as input. Primary outcome measures were area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and model accuracy.ResultsThe average (SD) follow-up time and baseline VF MD were 8.1 (4.8) years and –3.3 (4.9) dB, respectively. VF progression was identified in 761 eyes (19%). The median (IQR) time to progression in progressing eyes was 7.3 (4.5–11.1) years. The AUC and accuracy for predicting VF progression were 0.862 (0.812–0.913) and 80.0% (73.9%–84.6%). When only fast-progressing eyes were considered (MD rate < –1.0 dB/year), AUC increased to 0.926 (0.857–0.994).ConclusionsA deep learning model can predict subsequent glaucoma progression from longitudinal ODPs with clinically relevant accuracy. This model may be implemented, after validation, for predicting glaucoma progression in the clinical setting.

We introduce an end-to-end learning framework for image-to-image composition, aiming to plausibly compose an object represented as a cropped patch from an object image into a background scene image. As our approach emphasizes more on semantic and structural coherence of the composed images, rather than their pixel-level RGB accuracies, we tailor the input and output of our network with structure-aware features and design our network losses accordingly, with ground truth established in a self-supervised setting through the object cropping. Specifically, our network takes the semantic layout features from the input scene image, features encoded from the edges and silhouette in the input object patch, as well as a latent code as inputs, and generates a 2D spatial affine transform defining the translation and scaling of the object patch. The learned parameters are further fed into a differentiable spatial transformer network to transform the object patch into the target image, where our model is trained adversarially using an affine transform discriminator and a layout discriminator. We evaluate our network, coined SAC-GAN, for various image composition scenarios in terms of quality, composability, and generalizability of the composite images. Comparisons are made to state-of-the-art alternatives, including Instance Insertion, ST-GAN, CompGAN and PlaceNet, confirming superiority of our method.

This study was conducted to optimize the reaction conditions based on the solubility percentage of carboxymethyl NMG by monochloroacetic acid (MCA) in the presence of sodium hydroxide (alkaline environment). The effect of various reaction parameters (pH, MCA concentration, and temperature) on the solubility of NFG was evaluated. The highest solubility (85.49% by weight) was obtained at the NaOH concentration of 0.048 mol and MCA (as an etherifying agent) concentration of 0.016 mol at 75 °C. The novel nanofibers (NFs) were developed using modified frankincense gum (MFG)/Zein-containing peppermint essential oil (PEO) by applying electrospinning at different MFG/Zein ratios. The results of the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis demonstrated compatibility between essential oil and MFG/Zein. Furthermore, the prepared scaffold (i.e., Zein/MFG/PEO) showed antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureusand Escherichia coli. According to the current research, the obtained NFs can be conveniently used as a substrate for encapsulating PEO as a hydrophobic component. Also, modified gum was identified as an excellent source of natural gum with high functional and physical properties. Therefore, it can be used in the formulation of food products, packaging of activity foods, and pharmaceuticals.

In this work, a new ternary-layered double-hydroxide photocatalyst, denoted as Fe3O4/AlZn–Cu, was synthesized using a specific 6.5 : 3 : 7.5 : 1.5 mol mol−1ratio. The rational selection of constituents in this catalyst – Fe3O4for bulk and electron richness effect, AlZn LDH for supporting the photo redox process, and copper as an active site – is thoroughly elucidated. This paper comprehensively investigates the synthesis and characterizes the properties of this magnetic ternary-layered double-hydroxide heterogeneous multifunctional photocatalyst. Several key scientific domains are explored within this study: (i) demonstrating the catalyst's efficacy in synthesizing 1,2,3-triazoles N-acetamide as an active biological candidate; (ii) synthesize a 1,2,3-triazole scaffold in a benign and ambient environment, having biologically active properties (iii) a comprehensive analysis of the catalyst's structural, optical, and electrochemical properties; and (iv) evaluating the potential of newly structured drug candidates, integrating two anti-Alzheimer heterocyclic moieties linked through click chemistry, through in vitroassessment. Employing insights from biorthogonal chemistry, this study establishes a link between two distinct active Alzheimer-targeting biological moieties viaclick chemistry, obviating the need for organic ligands, photosensitizers, and additives. Furthermore, the multifunctional photocatalyst proves to be cost-effective, robust, and recyclable. The stability of the Fe3O4/AlZn–Cu structure allows for efficient recyclability, facilitated by magnetic recovery techniques, demonstrated effectively over five cycles. Extensive analysis of the recycled catalyst is conducted, affirming its potential for sustainable applications.