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Abstract: Lipid and protein oxidation are important reactions in food systems and can degrade food quality and decrease consumer acceptability. Several factors affect the rate and severity of these undesirable reactions in food products. However, lipid and protein oxidations can occur in the digestive system, which is much more complex than in simple food systems. Under digestive conditions, food matrix and composition are the major factors affecting lipid and protein oxidations in the body. Lipid and protein oxidation in food matrixes or the digestive system, as well as product absorption rate, can have serious consequences for human health. This review aimed to present recent information and discussion on the effects of digestion conditions and natural and synthetic antioxidants on lipid and protein oxidation.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had several mental effects on medical staff. OBJECTIVE: This study intended to evaluate deviations in Frontline Dental Staff (FDS) depression, perceived stress and hypochondria during the COVID-19 outbreak, and to assess whether the existence of potential risk-factors influenced these symptoms over time. METHODS: This prospective cohort study surveyed FDS three periods from February 1, 2021 to April 8, 2022. FDSs’ mental health was assessed through Beck Depression Inventory, Cohen Perceived Stress and the Evans Self-Illness Questionnaires; multivariate linear regression were used to identify potential factors associated with changes on each outcome (depression, perceived stress and hypochondria) over time. All analyses were performed in STATA ver.14. RESULTS: In a total of 635 FDS, about 69%, 83%, and 71% reported relative depression, 77%, 87%, and 64% reported moderate to high stress level, and 60%, 76% and 74% reported moderate hypochondriac from first, second, and third survives, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of the variables increased dramatically at second survive (July 17 to October 21, 2021) and decreased again at third survive significantly. Being female, working in public sector, and low socioeconomic level were main predictors of higher levels of depression (p

Background Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a therapeutic option for patients with a peripheral arterial disease with critical limb ischemia (CLI) and consequent ischemic rest pain. Neuromodulation is chosen when vascular reconstruction is not possible or failed. Data about the effect of SCS over limb salvage rates are dissonant. Method We report on a retrospective cohort of CLI patients who were implanted with SCS systems between July 2010 and December 2013 in a single center. Major amputation, postoperative complications, and death were recorded. Results Seventy-two CLI patients underwent SCS implantation, with 35 of them classified as non-reconstructable and 37 with previous but failed or only partially successful vascular procedures. A total of 21 subjects were at Fontaine’s stage III (29.2%), and the remaining 51 were at stage IV (70.8%). In total, 26.4% of the patients had diabetes (n = 19), two of them at Fontaine’s stage III. The mean follow-up was 17.1 ± 10.5 months. At the last follow-up, 59.2% of all patients (42/71), 85.7% of Fontaine’s stage III (18/21), 48.0% of Fontaine’s stage IV (24/50), and 52.6% of diabetic patients (10/19) were alive without major amputation. The probability of limb survival at 12 months was 72% for all patients, 94% for Fontaine’s stage III, 62% for Fontaine’s stage IV, and 61% for diabetic patients. The probability of survival at 12 months for patients who underwent major limb amputation (n = 25) was 86% with a mean survival time of 31.03 ± 4.63 months. Conclusions Non-reconstructable CLI patients treated with SCS can achieve meaningful clinical outcomes with few procedure-related complications. The therapy may be more beneficial in patients classified as Fontaine’s Stage III.

The current study was attempted to evaluate the effect of cold plasma (CP; 10 and 15 min) and ultrasonication (UT; 20 and 30 min) on the oil extraction efficiency (OEE) from Milk Thistle Seed (MTS) along with determining the quality parameters of the extracted oil, e.g. Rancimat oxidative stability, acidity value (AV), peroxide value (PV), total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity over storage times (1, 30 and 60 days, T:4 °C). Our results revealed that treatment of MTS by CP and UT increased the OEE up to 29% (15 min) and 24% (30 min), respectively. In addition, applying these treatments to oil extraction led to lower AV (CP:49%, UT:46%) and PV (CP:38%, UT:35%) following 60 days’ storage. Moreover, the oil of treated MTS had higher phenolic content (CP:74%, UT:66%) and antioxidant activity (CP:156%, UT:127%) compared to samples extracted without any treatment. Besides, applying CP for 15 min increased the amount of α-tocopherol (157%), while UT (30 min) reduced its content (76%). Also, examination of fatty acid profile showed that CP (15 min) increased linolenic acid (2.8%) and arachidonic acid (35%) and decreased oleic acid (1.66%) and linoleic acid (2.1%), whereas UT (30 min) increased linoleic acid (0.27%), linolenic acid (8%) and arachidonic acid (41%) and decreased oleic acid (2%) in final oil samples. To conclude, results of this study noticed that introducing CP and UT have remarkable capabilities to improve both the OEE and oil quality which could be beneficial from both economic and quality viewpoints for the industry.

The Article Abstract is not available.

Prolactin (PRL) is elevated in B-cell-mediated lymphoproliferative diseases and promotes B-cell survival. Whether PRL or PRL receptors drive the evolution of B-cell malignancies is unknown. We measure changes in B cells after knocking down the pro-proliferative, anti-apoptotic long isoform of the PRL receptor (LFPRLR) in vivo in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)- and B-cell lymphoma-prone mouse models, and the long plus intermediate isoforms (LF/IFPRLR) in human B-cell malignancies. To knockdown LF/IFPRLRs without suppressing expression of the counteractive short PRLR isoforms (SFPRLRs), we employ splice-modulating DNA oligomers. In SLE-prone mice, LFPRLR knockdown reduces numbers and proliferation of pathogenic B-cell subsets and lowers the risk of B-cell transformation by downregulating expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase. LFPRLR knockdown in lymphoma-prone mice reduces B-cell numbers and their expression of BCL2 and TCL1. In overt human B-cell malignancies, LF/IFPRLR knockdown reduces B-cell viability and their MYC and BCL2 expression. Unlike normal B cells, human B-cell malignancies secrete autocrine PRL and often express no SFPRLRs. Neutralization of secreted PRL reduces the viability of B-cell malignancies. Knockdown of LF/IFPRLR reduces the growth of human B-cell malignancies in vitro and in vivo. Thus, LF/IFPRLR knockdown is a highly specific approach to block the evolution of B-cell neoplasms.

Molecularly organized nanocomposites of polymers and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have great promise as high-performance materials; in particular, conformal deposition of polymers can control interfacial properties for mechanical load transfer, electrical or thermal transport, or electro/chemical transduction. However, controllability of polymer-CNT interaction remains a challenge with common processing methods that combine CNTs and polymers in melt or in solution, often leading to nonuniform polymer distribution and CNT aggregation. Here, we demonstrate CNTs within net-shape sheets can be controllably coated with a conformal coating of meta-aramid by simultaneous capillary infiltration and interfacial polymerization. We determine that π-interaction between the polymer and CNTs results in chain alignment parallel to the CNT outer wall. Subsequent nucleation and growth of the precipitated aramid forms a smooth continuous layered sheath around the CNTs. These findings motivate future investigation of mechanical properties of the resulting composites, and adaptation of the in situ polymerization method to other substrates.

For valuing European options, a straightforward model is the well-known Black-Scholes formula. Contrary to market reality, this model assumed that interest rate and volatility are constant. To modify the Black-Scholes model, Heston and Cox-Ingersoll-Ross (CIR) offered the stochastic volatility and the stochastic interest rate models, respectively. The combination of the Heston, and the CIR models is called the Heston-Cox-Ingersoll-Ross (HCIR) model. Another essential issue that arises when purchasing or selling a good or service is the consideration of transaction costs which was ignored in the Black-Scholes technique. Leland improved the simplistic Black-Scholes strategy to take transaction costs into account. The main purpose of this paper is to apply the alternating direction implicit (ADI) method at a uniform grid for solving the HCIR model with transaction costs in the European style and comparing it with the explicit finite difference (EFD) scheme. Also, as evidence for numerical convergence, we convert the HCIR model with transaction costs to a linear PDE (HCIR) by ignoring transaction costs, then we estimate the solution of HCIR PDE using the ADI method which is a class of finite difference schemes, and compare it with analytical solution and EFD scheme. For multi-dimensional Black-Scholes equations, the ADI method, which is a category of finite difference techniques, is appropriate. When the dimensionality of the space increases, finite difference techniques frequently become more complex to perform, comprehend, and apply. Consequently, we employ the ADI approach to divide a multi-dimensional problem into several simpler, quite manageable sub-problems to overcome the dimensionality curse., Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures

Black cumin (Nigella sativa) seed (BS) oil has high a peroxide value (PV) and acid value (AV). In this study, BS was incorporated with different levels of rosemary extracts as a natural antioxidant source before and after pretreatment by microwaves. Based on the oil extraction yield (33%), PV (8.4 meq O2 per kg oil), and AV (3.2 mg KOH per gram oil), the optimum condition was determined as microwave radiation for 120 s and, after that, moisturizing by the extract at 4% level. AV and PV were lower, and chlorophylls, carotenoids, polyphenols, thymoquinone, and tocopherols content were higher in oil extracted from pretreated BS than oil extracted from control BS. Reduction and loss of bioactive components occurred in oil samples during the 120 days of storage; however, it was higher in the control sample. There were no significant differences (p < 0.05) in the fatty acid composition of oil samples; however, oxidation and reduction of linoleic acid in the control oil sample were higher (4.2%) than the oil extracted from pretreated BS (2.5%). In conclusion, the oil extracted from the pretreated BS had higher oil extraction yield, high bioactive components, and stability; therefore, microwave radiation and incorporation of rosemary extract before oil extraction from BS is suggested.

Neurodegenerative diseases are comprise a prominent class of neurological diseases. Generally, neurodegenerative diseases cannot be cured, and the available treatments can only regulate the symptoms or delay the disease progression. Among the several factors which could clarify the possible pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, next to aging as the main risk, the dietary related diseases are the most important. Vegetable oils, which are composed of triacyclglycerols as the main components and several other components in a trace amount, are the main part of our diet. This review aims to study the effect of refined or unrefined vegetable oil consumption as a preventive or aiding strategy to slow or halt the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. In the refining process, owing to the chemical materials or severe temperatures of the refining process, removal of the desirable minor components is sometimes unavoidable and thus a worrisome issue affecting physical and neurological health.

In this paper, we investigate an inverse problem of recovering the unknown boundary conditions in the time fractional coupled Burgers’ equations under appropriate initial and boundary conditions and overdetermination conditions. For simplicity, the main problem has been studied in the one-dimensional case, however, the proposed method can be applied for high dimensional setting. We have applied the shifted Chebyshev wavelets for discretizing the space derivatives and the finite difference approximations for the discretization of time fractional derivatives, in this process, we use the Taylor expansion to linearize the nonlinear terms in the equations. The proposed algorithm along with the collocation approach reduces the main problem to the solution of ill-conditioned linear algebraic equations. To alleviate the difficulties arising from solving the resultant ill-conditioned linear system, a type of regularization technique is utilized to obtain a stable solution. The convergence analysis and the accuracy of the method have been discussed. Two examples will be taken into account to demonstrate the efficiency and applicability of the proposed algorithm.

Prolactin (PRL) is elevated in B-cell mediated lymphoproliferative diseases and promotes B-cell survival. However, whether PRL or PRL receptors drive the initiation, establishment, and sustenance of B-cell malignancies is unknown. We measured changes in B cells after knocking down the pro-proliferative, anti-apoptotic long isoform of the PRL receptor (LFPRLR) in vivo in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)- and B-cell lymphoma-prone mouse models, and the LFPRLR plus intermediate isoforms (LF/IFPRLR) in vitro in malignant human B cells. To knockdown LF/IFPRLRs without suppressing expression of the counteractive short PRLR isoforms (SFPRLRs), we employed splice-modulating DNA oligomers. In SLE-prone mice, LFPRLR knockdown reduced numbers and proliferation of B-cell subsets and lowered the risk of B-cell transformation by downregulating expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase. LFPRLR knockdown in lymphoma-prone mice reduced B-cell numbers and their expression of BCL2. In overt human B-cell malignancies, LF/IFPRLR knockdown reduced B-cell viability and their MYC and BCL2 expression. Unlike their normal counterparts which produced no autocrine PRL and expressed SFPRLRs, malignant human B cells expressed autocrine PRL and often no SFPRLRs. Isoform-specific knockdown of the LF/IFPRLR was not toxic to mice or to normal human immune cells, suggesting it is a safe approach to block the evolution of B-cell malignancies.

BACKGROUND: Today, dual-career couples are becoming increasingly prevalent around the world. Due to the nature of the life of this group of people, their sexual and marital life can be damaged. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop a psycho-educational model based on the lived experiences of dual career couples who are dissatisfied with sexual relations and its effectiveness on sexual satisfaction. METHODS: This research was done based on a mixed (qualitative and quantitative) method. The qualitative part was performed using the phenomenological method and 13 couples were selected for semi-structured interviews using the purposive sampling method. In a small part of this study, a single case plan (AB plan) was used, and three couples were selected from those who referred to counseling centers in Ardabil and underwent counseling interventions. In a small part, the Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire was used to measure the changes of couples during the implementation of the intervention program. The information obtained in the qualitative part was analyzed through content analysis and the quantitative part was analyzed using visual analysis, clinical significance and recovery percentage. RESULTS: Based on the results obtained in the qualitative analysis section, the experiences of sexual dissatisfaction of dual-career couples can be classified into 10 main themes, 20 sub-themes and 30 categories that affect the sexual satisfaction of dual-career couples. The results of the quantitative section indicate that the designed psycho-educational model has led to an increase in sexual satisfaction of dual-career couples. CONCLUSION: Achieving sexual and marital satisfaction and finally mental health and reducing divorce is a process that begins with pathology in the cultural context and is achieved by emphasizing indigenous culture through developing a counseling package for appropriate intervention by therapists and counselors.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease (CLD). Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants co-supplementation have been considered as an alternative treatment in NAFLD. This trial will evaluate camelina sativa oil (CSO) effects as a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants on cardiometabolic risk factors, metabolic endotoxemia, liver enzymes, hepatic steatosis, and mental health in NAFLD patients. Methods: Forty-six patients with NAFLD will be randomly assigned to either a CSO supplementation or placebo for 12 weeks. Both groups will receive a weight-loss diet too. Insulin resistance, oxidative stress, anti/inflammatory biomarkers, lipid profile, adiponectin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), anthropometric indices, liver enzymes, hepatic steatosis, and cortisol will be assessed all patients at baseline and post-intervention. DASS and GHQ questionnaires will be completed for all patients at baseline and post-intervention. Results: The CSO is expected to reduce hepatic steatosis and improve cardiometabolic risk factors, liver function, and mental health compared to the placebo group after 12 weeks. Conclusion: The CSO as a phytopharmaceutical drug may improve cardiometabolic risk factors, metabolic endotoxemia, liver enzymes, hepatic steatosis, and mental health in patients with NAFLD.

Snacks such as puffed corns are tasty and favorite food products of many people. These products usually have low content of bioactive compounds with high starch and oil contents. To overcome these drawbacks, in the present study, the mixture including the corn grit incorporated with barberry (Berberis vulgaris) fruit powder (BFP), as a rich source of bioactive components and fibers, at level of 0 (control) to 10% were fed into the extruder to make a puffed product. Quality properties of the produced samples were determined during 90 days of storage at ambient condition. Results showed that by incorporation of BFP there were an increase in fiber (from 2.9 to 6.2%) and decreases in oil (from 25.5 to 19.5%) and protein (from 7.2 to 5.8%) levels. BFP could decrease oil hydrolysis and oxidation during storage, and acidity and peroxide values of fortified samples were lower than control during storage. Vitamin C content of samples were increased from 0.28 to 3.4 ppm in samples containing BFP. In the fortified samples, pelarogonidin-3-monoglucoside was the main anthocyanin followed by petunidin-3-monoglucoside and cyanidin-3-monoglucoside. Expansion ratio, brittleness and breaking strength of the fortified samples was also decreased significantly (P

In this paper, an inverse problem of recovering the unknown space-dependent source term in a parabolic equation under a final overdetermination condition is considered. To keep matters simple, in our analysis the main problem has been considered in the one-dimensional case, however the proposed method can be applied for higher dimensional cases. The approximate solution of the inverse problem is implemented by the Ritz–Galerkin method. The shifted Legendre polynomials basis together with the Galerkin approach are employed to reduce the main problem to the solution of linear algebraic equations. To overcome the difficulties arising from solving the resultant ill-conditioned linear system, a type of regularization technique is utilized to obtain a stable solution. The convergence analysis of the suggested method using Gronwall’s inequality is studied. Finally, some numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the efficiency and applicability of the proposed algorithm in the presence of noise in input measured data.

In the present paper, we study one-dimensional inverse source problem of identifying a time-dependent source function from the over-specification condition. The unknown source term is recovered by solving an operator integral equation of the first kind. Due to the ill-posedness of this operator integral equation, the Tikhonov regularization approach of the 1st order is applied in order to acquire a stable approximation. The stable solution is defined by minimization of the Tikhonov functional. The value of the regularization parameter in this method is obtained as a function of error in input data. The finite element method is applied for numerical simulation based on obtained results. The illustrative example is presented to show the accuracy and applicability of the proposed method.

Background: Colour and turbidity (appearance), odour and flavour, taste, and texture are the main parameters affecting consumer’s perception of juice quality. Anthocyanins, as natural antioxidant and water-soluble pigment, exist in red fruit juices which are extremely unstable and more susceptible to degradation. These mainly include anthocyanins, pigments, proteins, and vitamins that are thermally sensitive. Objective: The present study focuses on the treatment of three different fruit juices namely red grape, pomegranate, and sour cherry using different preservative methods and evaluation of their organoleptic properties. Methods: Four preservative methods including pasteurization (90°C for 30 sec), mild heat treatment (60°C for 4, 8 and 12 min), sonication (25°C) and thermosonication (90°C) using amplitude levels of 24.4, 42.7 and 61 μm for 4, 8 and 12 min, have been used for the treatment of the three selected fruit juices. Results: Obtained results indicate that untreated grape juice had maximum L* value (29.83) and the pasteurized grape juice had a minimum L* value (25.77). Furthermore, while a* values of untreated grape, pomegranate, and sour cherry juices were 39.7, 42.03 and 38.13, respectively, these pasteurized juices had minimum a* values of 35.3, 38.47 and 36.97, respectively. In addition, results revealed that sonication and mild heating had minimum effects on colour and appearance, odour and flavour of all three studied juices. Furthermore, significant positive (p˂0.05) effects of thermosonication were observed for the cloudiness parameter of the studied juices. Maximum acceptability scores were achieved by mild heat-treated grape juice at 60°C for 8 min (8.33), thermosonicated pomegranate juice at 60°C and amplitude of 24.4 μm for 4 min (7.33) and sonicated sour cherry juice at 25°C and amplitude of 24.4 μm for 4 min (9.33). Conclusion: Different preservative methods with optimum processing conditions were successfully utilized to minimize the changes in the sensorial and physicochemical properties of the treated juices.

Large-scale deployable cable-driven robots face a lack of kinematic precision, and the cable dynamics impose considerable challenges in terms of controller design. The problem’s complexity increases because a deployable robot may not exploit expensive and highly accurate of measurement devices. Thus, it is necessary to efficiently combine the set of measurements available through low-cost sensors to track the end-effector’s position and reduce the oscillations. This paper’s main contribution is to propose a novel feedback method for fusing the vision and joint kinematic sensors for achieving suitable tracking performance. To this end, the dynamic formulation of a large-scale deployable cable-driven robot has been derived considering a lumped mass model for the cables. Based on this model, it is then shown that the stability conditions are satisfied through a suitable combination of sensory data incorporated into the control law. Finally, the performance for the proposed controller has been illustrated using the experimental results on a deployable suspended cable-driven robot showing the effectiveness of the proposed methodology regardless of the underlying system uncertainties.

The observed radar reflectivity (Z) converts to rainfall intensity (R) by a transfer function. In the first stage, for calibration of collected data (with time step 15 minutes) by weather radar and determination of the best relation between Z and R, it applied a genetic algorithm (GA) to minimize the amount of root mean square error (RMSE). Although Z = 166R2 (the transfer function in the Khuzestan province of Iran) is an appropriate equation, the GA method distinguished that Z = 110R1.8 (from February to May) and Z = 126R2 (for other months) are the optimum transfer functions for the Abolabbas watershed in Iran. The mean of RMSE of optimum transfer equations is 0.59 mm/hr in the calibration stage and 0.85 mm/hr in the verification stage. In the second stage, the Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS model) used four types of precipitation data (extracted rainfall data from radar and the optimum transfer equations, Z = 166R2, Z = 200R1.6 and extracted rainfall data from rainfall gauging stations). The calibrated rainfall data by the optimum transfer equations can produce flood hydrographs in which their accuracy is similar to the accuracy of generated flood hydrographs by collected rainfall data of rainfall gauging stations. The mean of RMSE is 0.65 cubic metres per second and the mean or R2 is 0.89 for optimum transfer equations. HIGHLIGHTS Extraction of the function Z–R for a watershed.; Using time intervals less than 1 hr for rainfall hyetographs (15 minutes).; Using an optimization method for determination of the transfer function Z–R and considering seasonal characteristics of precipitation that can distinguish two transfer functions Z–R.; Using a rainfall–runoff model for determination of accuracy of the derived functions Z–R.

Background: We aimed to compare the performance of Tehran firefighting stations in the incidents of suicide attempt and threats among Tehran citizens using international standards. Methods: A research method was a descriptive-analytical study based on library studies. The data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential methods such as single group t-test and independent t-test. The statistical population of this study included all citizens in 22 districts of Tehran City that committed or threated to commit suicide in the 2018 year. They were selected in a targeted manner. All data were extracted and analyzed through the fire department in the first half of 2018 in the action and threat of suicide. Results: Men commit suicide more than women do. Moreover, the average time of exit from station and the average travel time are shorter than Iranian and world standards. The people saved by firefighters outnumber the people who died in suicide, which indicates the satisfactory performance of firefighters in relief and rescue operations. In suicide operations, according to the general results obtained from statistical calculations of departure time from the station and the average travel time, which are the two main factors in evaluating the performance of firefighters in suicide accidents, which in comparison with international standards. It was significantly lower and the performance of firefighters was positive. Conclusion: The average duration of exit from station and the average travel time, are significantly lower than international standards, which demonstrates the good performance of firefighters.

A novel hollow CoAl2O4 microsphere was synthesized by hydrothermal method and used to selectively convert CO2 and CS2 to cyclic carbonates and trithiocarbonates under the solventless condition. Various techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), as well as N2 and CO2 adsorption measurements have been used for characterization of catalyst. The effects of reaction parameters such as temperature, time and pressure were investigated. The catalyst showed a good performance for conversion of a wide range of epoxides, giving almost satisfactory yields and high selectivity for carbonates and trithiocarbonates. In addition, the catalyst showed high stability and could be reused after regeneration at least for six times. This process also could be regarded as an efficient way for CO2 conversion for production of valuable organic compounds.

Made available in DSpace on 2021-06-25T10:11:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-01-01 Petrobras Australian Research Council A new discrete fracture model is introduced to simulate the steady-state fluid flow in discontinuous porous media. The formulation uses a multi-layered approach to capture the effect of both longitudinal and transverse permeability of the discontinuities in the pressure distribution. The formulation allows the independent discretisation of mesh and discontinuities, which do not need to conform. Given that the formulation is developed at the element level, no additional degrees of freedom or special integration procedures are required for coupling the non-conforming meshes. The proposed model is shown to be reliable regardless of the permeability of the discontinuity being higher or lower than the surrounding domain. Four numerical examples of increasing complexity are solved to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the new technique when compared with results available in the literature. Results show that the proposed method can simulate the fluid pressure distribution in fractured porous media. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis demonstrated the stability regarding the condition number for wide range values of the coupling parameter. School of Civil Engineering The University of Sydney Polytechnic School at the University of São Paulo São Paulo State University UNESP/Bauru São Paulo State University UNESP/Bauru Petrobras: 2018/00205-5 Australian Research Council: DE150101703 Australian Research Council: DP170104192

Human transport to Mars and deep-space explorations demand the development of new materials with extraordinarily high performance-to-mass ratios. Promising candidates to fulfill these requirements ...

We report an ultrafast transformation of poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole) (PBO) fibers into carbon fibers (CFs) by direct carbonization that eliminates high-cost oxidation in traditional CF conversion. Ultrafast heating and cooling render PBO-derived CFs superlative mechanical properties. ReaxFF atomistic-scale reactive molecular dynamics simulations unveil the PBO to CF conversion mechanism in which ultrafast heating suppresses the O-contained gas release, facilitating all-carbon rings alignment during the carbonization of PBO. These findings provide new guidelines for identifying and evaluating alternative CF precursors and fresh perspectives on smart manufacturing of CFs.

Aim of the studyResearch about the student's Tendency to Computer Games has increased over the last decade, but little investigation has examined the relationship between Tendency to Computer Games, Brain-Behavioral Functions, Cognitive Flexibility, and Sensation Seeking. The present study was designed to predict the student's Tendency to Computer Games based on the Brain-Behavioral Functions, Cognitive Flexibility and Sensation Seeking.Subject or material and methodsThrough Cluster sampling, 200 subjects were chosen for this Descriptive and correlational study. Brain-Behavioral Functions questionnaires, Cognitive Flexibility, Sensation Seeking and Tendency to Computer Games were applied to collect data. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation test, and multiple linear regression were used to analyze data.ResultsThe findings revealed that there are significant associations between Brain-Behavioral Functions, Cognitive Flexibility, and Sensation Seeking variables on the Tendency to Computer Games. Meanwhile, Brain-Behavioral Functions, Cognitive Flexibility and Sensation Seeking predicted Tendency to Computer Games.DiscussionThe results emphasized the effect of Brain-Behavioral Functions, Cognitive Flexibility, and Sensation Seeking on the Tendency to Computer Games.ConclusionsThe findings of this research can be applied for planning activities such as increasing students’ awareness of the consequences and influences causing the inclination to computer games and their appropriate application.

Objective: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and insufficient vitamin D levels are globally increasing phenomena which are correlated with cognitive impairment. This study investigated the interactive effe...

Pomegranate fruit is getting more attention due to its positive health effects, and pomegranate peel (PP) is its main byproduct. PP has the potential to be converted from environmentally polluting waste to wealth due to its rich phenolic compounds such as ellagitannins, proanthocyanidins, and flavonoids with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and health effects. These phenolics are susceptible to environmental conditions such as heat, light, and pH as well as in vivo conditions of gastrointestinal secretions. Some phenolics of PP, e.g., ellagitannins could interfere with food ingredients and thus reduce their beneficial effects. Also, ellagitannins could form complexes with salivary glycoproteins, then a feeling of astringency taste. In this article, nano-delivery systems such as nanoparticles, nanoemulsions, and vesicular nanocarriers, designed and fabricated for PP bioactive compounds in recent years have been reviewed. Among them, lipid-based nano carriers i.e., solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, and vesicular nanocarriers have low toxicity, large-scale production feasibility, easy synthesis, and high biocompatibility. So, it seems that the extraction and purification of bioactives from pomegranate wastes and nanoencapsulating them with cost effective and generally recognized as safe (GRAS) materials can be a bright prospect in enhancing the quality, safety, shelf life and health benefits of pomegranate products.