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Background: Recently, menstrual blood-derived stem cells as a unique source of stem cells with some features such as ease of access, high ability to proliferate and regenerate, lack of immune system stimulation and no tumorigenesis have raised great hopes for heart disease cell therapy. However, the regulatory mechanisms and role of miRNAs in controlling the differentiation of stem cells into cardiomyocytes are not fully understood. In this study, the level of human miR-26b-5p microRNA were investigated before and after differentiation of endometrial stem cells into heart cardiomyocytes. Materials and Methods: Endometrial mesenchymal stem cells were differentiated into cardiomyocyte-like cells for 30 days in the presence of 5-azacitidine and fibroblast growth factor. Then, using bioinformatics studies, human miR-26b-5p microRNA was selected and its expression pattern was performed during days 0, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30 of differentiation by Real Time qRT PCR Results: Expression Level of human miR-26b-5p showed an uptrend differentiation between days 0 and 6 and then showed a significant decreasing trend differentiation from day 6 to day 18 and an uptrend again after day 18. Conclusion: The non-uniformity in the expression of hsa-miR-26b-5p microRNA during the 24-day differentiation induction period indicates the existence of different messaging pathways involved in the differentiation process as well as different phases in the evolution and differentiation of cardiomyocytes. The miRNAs involved in the differentiation process and their possible role in turning off and on these messaging pathways at the beginning or end of a phase seems necessary.

Lane Algorithm is used to determine optimum cut off grade for a mining operation. There may be three parts in each operation: mining, concentration and refining. In Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine the concentrate coming from the stock has the average grade in addition to the production rate and cost. Therefore, the grade distribution is affected by production rate and cost parameters. The calculation of the cut off grade is done using a modified Lane Algorithm. Therefore, a mix of blending stock received from outside and the concentrate from the mine was considered in the Lane Algorithm. Initially, the profit objective function was taken into account with the addition of the stock limitations; then, the Lane Quartet Model was used and the cut off grade determined. The model uses the technical and economical data of different parts to determine the cut off grade. The result of the model was a cut off grade of (0.1408%), which brings about an increase of848051645 US dollars as profit, in comparison to the cut off grade (0.1617%) that was obtained by the Lane tripartite model.

Silica-coated magnetic NiFeO nanoparticles-supported H[NaPWO] (NiFeO@SiO-H[NaPWO]) was successfully synthesized and shown to be a versatile and highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for one-pot multicomponent synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives under solvent-free condition. The synthesized catalyst can be magnetically recovered and reused four times without significant loss in catalytic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide variety of 2-amino-4 H-chromene derivatives with diverse substituents on the 4 H-chromene ring were efficiently prepared via one-pot three-component reaction of an aromatic aldehyde and malononitrile with 2-hydroxynaphthalene-1,4-dione, ethyl acetoacetate, or naphthols in the presence of triethanolamine as a new organocatalyst under solvent-free conditions. The procedure is transition metal-free and environmentally friendly approach to various 2-amino-4 H-chromene derivatives. Its advantages include short reaction time, high yields, low cost, and straightforward work-up. Triethanolamine is an efficient reusable catalyst. 2-Amino-4 H-benzo[ g]chromenes (ABgC) were applied as novel components of electro synthesis of silver nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of efficiency and improvement of health service for resolving people's health requirement and meeting their expectation is increasing. In addition, it considers as a priority for making decision and manager's activity in health officials. Manager's control on the management principle and the proper use of their management skill and creating a sense of trust and commitment are the tools that were providing a good condition for working and catching the organization's goals. In this quasiexperimentalstudy, before beginning the research, the non-teaching hospitals that are affiliated to the Kurdistan's medical science university were randomly divided into 2 groups. Three hospitals from 3 cities considered as a control group, and three hospitals from 3 cities considered as an intervention group.80 person of hospital's obstetrician staff classified in these 2 group by quota method and the hospital's nurses and obstetrician's manager of case-control involved by census method. The research's tool was Hersi and Gold Smith's standard efficiency questionnaire, which was filled out at the beginning of the study by the obstetricians of both groups and then it gave to the hospital's nurses and obstetrician's managers of the case group's instructing management skills for 16 hours. The efficiency's questionnaire was filled out, compared, and evaluated again by the obstetricians of both groups, 12 weeks after intervention. The data analyzed by the independent T-test, variance analysis, paired T-test, and SPSS 22. The findings showed that the average of the obstetrician's efficiency mainly developed in the intervention team after the instruction of management skills to the managers (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The instruction of the management skill to the nurses and obstetrician's managers caused the efficiency's promotion. Therefore, the instruction of the management skills has suggested as a method of increasing efficiency in hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iran's economy dependence on oil revenues has caused some impacts in the form of commodity price fluctuations on current revenues. Accordingly, in the past few years especially in the Second Development Plan, the government included encouragements and reduced the country's dependence on oil revenues in its agenda. Agricultural export, especially livestock and poultry export has a proper status due to its relative advantage. Therefore, this study aims to identify the factors affecting the supply of export animal products. For this purpose, factors affecting the export of livestock products were identified using Co-integration Analysis. Empirical results showed that livestock products export is significantly affected by livestock added-value, changes in price index of export goods, subjective price index of livestock products and climate changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient and practical synthesis of 1,3,5-trisubstituted 2-pyrazoline structures was achieved through cyclization of phenylhydrazine with α,β -unsaturated ketones (chalcones) using methanoic acid (formic acid) as catalyst under thermal condition.

In this research, a logical strategy with a recyclable synthetic perspective of view and a rational design to prepare a nanocatalyst with a dendrimer template containing ionic liquid is presented. Magnetic silica nanoparticles were prepared using the Stober method. Their surface was modified with the help of cyanuric chloride, melamine, and 1-methylimidazole as Linkers. Finally, the nanocatalyst was decorated with affordable copper metal. The dendrimer-templated nanocatalyst was identified by different analyses, such as FT-IR, SEM, TEM, XRD, EDX, TGA, CHN, and ICP-OES. Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @NTMP-IL-Cu was used as a heterogeneous nanocatalyst with good performance and reusable in coupling syntheses. The synthesis of A 3 -coupling and Ullmann coupling was performed under solvent-free and THF conditions, respectively, with high yields. Reusability and high efficiency of products in the vicinity of this catalyst, the use of cheap and available metal are desirable features of this synthetic catalyst., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Efficient and green protocols were reported to synthesize 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives in natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES). NADES was prepared from ascorbic acid (AA) and choline chloride (ChCl) with reduced or null toxicity, biocompatibility, and low cost. The ChCl/AA NADES was successfully used in the synthesis of 2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives via the condensation reaction of aldehydes with 2-aminobenzamide and the three-component reactions of aldehydes, isatoic anhydrides and ammonium salts under solvent-free conditions. The scope of this method was evaluated by employing various aromatic, heterocyclic, and aliphatic aldehydes. The desired products were achieved in 85-97 % yield in a short reaction time. Also, the deep eutectic solvent ChCl/AA showed good recyclability and reusability., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Graphite carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) is a two-dimensional nano-sheet with electronic properties, which shows unique characteristics with high chemical and thermal stability in its structure. The functionalization of these compounds through covalent bonding is an important step towards significantly improving their properties and capabilities. To achieve this goal, a novel strategy for the covalent functionalization of Fe 3 O 4 @g-C 3 N 4 with thiamine hydrochloride (vitamin B1) via cyanuric chloride (TCT), which is a divalent covalent linker, was presented. The efficiency of Fe 3 O 4 @gC 3 N 4 @Thiamine as a heterogeneous organic catalyst in the synthesis of spirooxindole-pyran derivatives and 2-amino-4H-pyran under solvent-free conditions was evaluated and the yields of high-purity products were presented. In addition, easy recycling and reuse for seven consecutive cycles without significant reduction in catalytic activity are other features of this catalyst. Moreover, the performance of the prepared sorbent in the microextraction technique (herein, magnetic solid phase extraction) was studied. The tebuconazole was selected as the target analyte. The target analyte was extracted and determined by HPLC-UV. Under the optimum condition, the linear range of the method (LDR) was estimated in the range of 0.2-100 μg L -1 (the coefficient of determination of 0.9962 for tebuconazole). The detection limit (LOD) of the method for tebuconazole was calculated to be 0.05 µg L -1 . The limit of quantification (LOQ) of the method was also estimated to be 0.16 µg L -1 . In order to check the precision of the proposed method, the intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSD%) were calculated, which were in the range of 1.5- 2.8%. The method was used for the successful extraction and determination of tebuconazole in tomato, cucumber, and carrot samples., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: This study delves into the crucial domain of sperm segmentation, a pivotal component of male infertility diagnosis. It explores the efficacy of diverse architectural configurations coupled with various encoders, leveraging frames from the VISEM dataset for evaluation., Methods: The pursuit of automated sperm segmentation led to the examination of multiple deep learning architectures, each paired with distinct encoders. Extensive experimentation was conducted on the VISEM dataset to assess their performance., Results: Our study evaluated various deep learning architectures with different encoders for sperm segmentation using the VISEM dataset. While each model configuration exhibited distinct strengths and weaknesses, UNet++ with ResNet34 emerged as a top-performing model, demonstrating exceptional accuracy in distinguishing sperm cells from non-sperm cells. However, challenges persist in accurately identifying closely adjacent sperm cells. These findings provide valuable insights for improving automated sperm segmentation in male infertility diagnosis., Discussion: The study underscores the significance of selecting appropriate model combinations based on specific diagnostic requirements. It also highlights the challenges related to distinguishing closely adjacent sperm cells., Conclusion: This research advances the field of automated sperm segmentation for male infertility diagnosis, showcasing the potential of deep learning techniques. Future work should aim to enhance accuracy in scenarios involving close proximity between sperm cells, ultimately improving clinical sperm analysis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer BH-V declared a shared affiliation with the authors HS, MS, and M-RB to the handling editor at the time of review., (Copyright © 2024 Saadat, Sepehri, Borna and Maleki.)

In this research, Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @NTMPThio-Cu was introduced as a novel and green heterogeneous nanocatalyst with a dendrimer template that is environmentally friendly and reusable based on Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 . In this way, magnetic silica nanoparticles were first modified with cyanuric chloride, followed by melamine and thiosemicarbazide, and ultimately, it's decorated with the cost-effective metal copper. The synthesized nanocatalyst was characterized by various analyses such as FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TGA, and EDX. The efficiency of Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @NTMPThio-Cu was measured in one-pot synthesis of xanthene and spirooxindole-pyran derivatives under mild solvent-free conditions. High efficiency, excellent yield of products, mild reaction conditions, simple operation, no use of toxic organic solvents, and reusability of this catalyst increase the attractiveness of this technique for large-scale environmentally friendly operations., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This review addresses the current understanding of In Vitro Maturation (IVM) treatment, including indications and effective treatment protocols influencing oocyte developmental competence. A comprehensive literature search was performed to gather relevant studies, clinical trials, and reviews related to IVM. Databases such as PubMed, MEDLINE, and pertinent medical journals were searched. The selected literature was analyzed and synthesized to offer a comprehensive overview. IVM has emerged as a promising technique for inducing maturation in immature oocytes across various developmental stages. Its applications extend to areas utilizing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), gaining traction as a treatment option for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and fertility preservation in cancer patients. Recent advancements have led to improved global pregnancy rates, resulting in successful births. IVM also holds potential in reducing risks associated with conventional IVF, including ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and multiple pregnancies. Despite these advantages, IVM adoption in clinical practice remains limited. Ongoing research aims to refine therapeutic protocols and expand clinical indications. IVM holds promise in assisted reproductive technology, spanning applications from cancer patient fertility preservation to addressing PCOS. Enhanced pregnancy rates highlight efficacy, while risk reduction compared to IVF underscores its importance. Further research is needed for optimal use across patient groups, emphasizing protocol refinement and expanded applications., (Copyright© 2024 Avicenna Research Institute.)

Background: The most common Assisted Reproductive Technology is In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). During IVF, embryologists commonly perform a morphological assessment to evaluate embryo quality and choose the best embryo for transferring to the uterus. However, embryo selection through morphological assessment is subjective, so various embryologists obtain different conclusions. Furthermore, humans can consider only a limited number of visual parameters resulting in a poor IVF success rate. Artificial intelligence (AI) for embryo selection is objective and can include many parameters, leading to better IVF outcomes., Objectives: This study sought to use AI to (1) predict pregnancy results based on embryo images, (2) assess using more than one image of the embryo in the prediction of pregnancy but based on the current process in IVF labs, and (3) compare results of AI-Based methods and embryologist experts in predicting pregnancy., Methods: A data set including 252 Time-lapse Videos of embryos related to IVF performed between 2017 and 2020 was collected. Frames related to 19 ± 1, 43 ± 1, and 67 ± 1 h post-insemination were extracted. Well-Known CNN architectures with transfer learning have been applied to these images. The results have been compared with an algorithm that only uses the final image of embryos. Furthermore, the results have been compared with five experienced embryologists., Results: To predict the pregnancy outcome, we applied five well-known CNN architectures (AlexNet, ResNet18, ResNet34, Inception V3, and DenseNet121). DeepEmbryo, using three images, predicts pregnancy better than the algorithm that only uses one final image. It also can predict pregnancy better than all embryologists. Different well-known architectures can successfully predict pregnancy chances with up to 75.0% accuracy using Transfer Learning., Conclusion: We have developed DeepEmbryo, an AI-based tool that uses three static images to predict pregnancy. Additionally, DeepEmbryo uses images that can be obtained in the current IVF process in almost all IVF labs. AI-based tools have great potential for predicting pregnancy and can be used as a proper tool in the future., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Borna, Sepehri and Maleki.)

In this research, the extract of Ephedra intermedia Schrenk & C.A.Mey. was encapsulated using the mini-emulsion polymerization method based on methyl methacrylate polymers with a nanometer size. The encapsulated extract was characterized using different analytical techniques. Furthermore, the loading efficiency and release of the plant extract were examined. FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed the formation of an expectational product. The TEM and SEM imaging showed a spherical morphology for the prepared encapsulated extract. The average size of poly-methyl-methacrylate nanoparticles containing Ephedra extract was found to be approximately 47 nm. The extract loading efficiency and encapsulation efficiency test demonstrated a dose-depending behavior on E. intermedia extract for both analyses, which is highly advantageous for traversing biological barriers. The release assay shows a controlled release for the extract at phosphate buffer solution (PBS). A 38 % release was calculated after 36 hours. The results obtained from the present study reveal that encapsulating the plant extract is a suitable alternative to control and increase their medicinal properties., (© 2024 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

In this study, the photocatalytic removal of Reactive Red 120 (RR120) dye was examined using zeolite 13X incorporated with Zn-Ce under UV irradiation. The synthesis of Zn-Ce nanoparticles incorporated with zeolite 13X was conducted through the co-precipitation method, and the features of the prepared nanocatalyst were analyzed using various techniques. The SEM and BET analyses indicated successful incorporation of ZnO-Ce oxides on the surface of zeolite 13X and a specific surface area of 359.39 m 2 /gm, respectively. Further, the average size of crystal grains was 28 nm. The response surface methodology (RSM) approach was employed to optimize operating parameters. The quadratic model suggested by the RSM approach, characterized by a high regression coefficient (R 2  = 0.9632), indicates a high level of reliability. Moreover, under optimal conditions (catalyst loading of 4 mg, pH of 3, H 2 O 2 amount of 0.2 mL, UV power of 25 W, and reaction time of 60 min), the highest RR120 dye removal percentage was 99.97%. Kinetic data indicated an increase in the reaction rate constant from 0.0631 to 0.1796 min -1 . The zeolite 13X incorporated with Zn-Ce photocatalyst exhibited excellent stability over 5 cycles, with only a 5.50% decrease in RR120 dye removal yield. This study demonstrates the promising potential of zeolite 13X incorporated with Zn-Ce nanoparticles for the removal of RR120 dye from aqueous suspension., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Objective: Most polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients have metabolic abnormalities in which insulin resistance (IR) plays a pivotal role. Cinnamon is a herbal medicine with insulinotropic properties. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the effects of cinnamon on ovarian volume, androgenic profile, and metabolic and anthropometric parameters in women with PCOS., Materials and Methods: A single-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was carried out on 39 overweight / obese women with PCOS. For six months, subjects in the cinnamon (500 mg) (n=19) and placebo (n=20) groups were given three capsules daily. Before and after the intervention, the variables were assessed. The data was analyzed using the GraphPad Prism software., Results: After the intervention, the two intervention and control groups had significant differences in abdominal subcutaneous fat and ovarian volume, but they did not differ significantly in terms of body mass index (BMI). Also, after the intervention, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of lipid profile and the concentration of androgenic biomarkers of insulin resistance., Conclusion: Cinnamon supplementation improves ovarian volume and subcutaneous abdominal fat but has no effect on anthropometric parameters, lipid profile, insulin resistance, or androgen hormones., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that there is no conflict of interest.

The objective was to investigate the embryo morphokinitics using a time-lapse monitoring (TLM) system and assessment of clinical outcomes following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with zona pellucida (ZP)-bound sperm selection and conventional methods. A total of 371 metaphase II (MII) oocytes from 50 ICSI cycles were studied. Sibling oocytes were randomly divided into control ( n = 199) and ZP-bound group ( n = 172). All resulting zygotes were cultured and monitored in the TLM system up to Day 3 after ICSI. Fertilization rate, early embryo development, and clinical outcomes were evaluated. No significant differences were found in fertilization rate, time-lapse qualitative and quantitative measures, pronuclear fading time (PNF) t2, t3, t4, t5, t6, and t7 (times of cleavage to 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 cells), respectively. However, the t8 (time of cleavage to eight cells) and cc3 (duration of third cell cycle) revealed a significant difference between control and ZP-bound groups ( p < .05). A significant difference between the two groups ( p < .05) in the rates of Grade A embryos (according to Basile algorithm), chemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, and implantation was observed. Sperm selection using biological materials, such as ZP, improved both embryo quality and pregnancy outcomes, despite not affecting the early embryo development and morphokinetic parameters up to t8. This prospective randomized sibling oocyte trial was registered in October 2020 to January 2022 (IRCT20200705048021N1)., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

MiR-34b-5p has been reported as a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker for infertility. However, no gene targets regulating the mechanism of cation of this miRNA are known. In this study, using gene set enrichment analysis the Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor Type 1 (ITPR1) gene was identified as the sole target for hsa-miR-34b-5p, and found significantly overexpressed in non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) patients. This finding was confirmed by qRT-PCR on fresh testicular tissues from NOA patients. Then, pathway enrichment analysis as well as the diagnostic value analysis of hsa-miR-34b-5p/ITPR1 indicated ITPR1 as a hub gene in the calcium (Ca 2+ )-apoptosis pathway, and a valuable predictive biomarker for NOA. Moreover, gene expression and histological assays showed the association of the effects of ITPR1's increased expression on spermatogenesis failure through induction of apoptosis in NOA patients. These data suggested that the hsa-miR-34b-5p/ITPR1 axis could serve as a potential regulatory predictive biomarker for human spermatogenesis through the Ca 2+ -apoptosis pathway cross-talk., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Captopril (CAP) is a safe, cost-effective, and environmentally organic compound that can be used as an effective organo-catalyst. Functional groups of captopril make it capable to attach to solid support and acting as promoters in organic transformations. In this work, captopril was attached to the surface of magnetic graphene nitride by employing a linker agent. The synthesized composite efficiently catalyzed two multicomponent reactions including the synthesis of 1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyrimidine and 2-amino-4H-chromene derivatives. A large library of functional targeted products was synthesized in mild reaction conditions. More importantly, this catalyst was stable and magnetically recycled and reused for at least five runs without losing catalytic activity., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

In this research, the photocatalytic removal of reactive blue 19 (RB19) dye is investigated employing zinc oxide/cerium (ZnO@Ce) nanoparticles decorated with biochar under LED irradiation. Synthesis of ZnO@Ce nanoparticles decorated with biochar was performed utilizing the co-precipitation procedure and, then, the texture and morphology of the fabricated nanocomposite were analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques. Moreover, FE-SEM images demonstrate that ZnO-Ce nanoparticles were successfully decorated on the surface of biochar. The specific surface areas of biochar and biochar/ZnO-Ce were 519.75 and 636.52 m 2 /g, respectively. To achieve the maximum yield in the removal of RB19 dye, the effects of operating variables including dye concentration, LED lamp power, biochar@ZnO-Ce catalyst dose, pH and H 2 O 2 dose were explored. Besides, the maximum percentage of RB19 dye removal was 96.47% under optimal conditions, i.e. catalyst dosage of 100 mg, H 2 O 2 dosage of 1 mL, pH of 9, initial dye concentration of 5 ppm, LED power of 50 W, and reaction time of 140 min. Furthermore, the kinetic analysis reveals that the removal of RB19 dye follows the pseudo-first order kinetic model, with calculated values of a reaction rate constant of 0.045 min -1 and a correlation coefficient of R 2  = 0.99, respectively. Moreover, the reusability and recyclability of biochar@ZnO/Ce nanocatalyst was promising over five runs, with only a 6.08% decrease in RB19 dye removal efficiency. Therefore, it can be concluded that the biochar @ZnO/Ce photocatalyst can be promisingly applied for the removal of azo dyes in aqueous solutions., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Background: Spermatozoa retrieved from the testis and epididymis are deprived of the beneficial effects of seminal fluid. Thus applying an artificial medium with normal seminal fluid characteristics, known as artificial seminal fluid (ASF), may provide an appropriate condition for improving some sperm parameters in azoospermia. The objective was to investigate the impact of in vitro exposure of testicular and epididymal spermatozoa to ASF on sperm quality. The study was conducted on testicular (n = 20) and epididymal (n = 20) sperm specimens obtained from azoospermic men. Each sample was divided into two equal parts: Part I) for processing and incubation with Ham's F10 medium; Part II) for processing and incubation with ASF., Results: After 2 h incubation, testicular sperm motility was significantly higher in ASF than in Ham's F10 medium. In comparison to 0 h, mitochondrial membrane potential levels of testicular spermatozoa were significantly higher after 2 h and 24 h in ASF and after 24 h in Ham's F10 medium. Furthermore, the data indicated significantly lower rates of epididymal spermatozoa with high MMP in both media after 24 h. There were no significant differences in the DNA fragmentation index of testicular and epididymal spermatozoa between ASF and Ham's F10 medium at different time points., Conclusion: The results demonstrated that in vitro incubation of testicular spermatozoa improved their motility more effectively than Ham's F10 medium in the short term (2 h), but had no effect on epididymal spermatozoa. Since the physiology of testicular spermatozoa is different from that of ejaculated spermatozoa, it seems that a special environment should be designed and used for each of them., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

In this work, a new dendrimer modified magnetic graphene oxide (GO) was used as a substrate for electrodeposition of Au nanoparticles. The modified magnetic electrode was employed for sensitive measuring of As(III) ion as a well-established human carcinogen. The prepared electrochemical device exhibits excellent activity towards As(III) detection using the square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) protocol. At optimum conditions (deposition potential at -0.5 V for 100 s in 0.1 M acetate buffer with pH 5.0), a linear range from 1.0 to 125.0 μgL -1 with a low detection limit (calculated by S/N = 3) of 0.47 μg L -1 was obtained. In addition to the simplicity and sensitivity of the proposed sensor, its high selectivity against some major interfering agents, such as Cu(II) and Hg(II) makes it an appreciable sensing tool for the screening of As(III). In addition, the sensor revealed satisfactory results for detection of As(III) in different water samples, and the accuracy of obtained data were confirmed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) setup. Accounting for the high sensitivity, remarkable selectivity and good reproducibility, the established electrochemical strategy has great potential for analysis of As(III) in environmental matrices., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

3d reconstruction of deformable objects in dynamic scenes forms the fundamental basis of many robotic applications. Existing mesh-based approaches compromise registration accuracy, and lose important details due to interpolation and smoothing. Additionally, existing non-rigid registration techniques struggle with unindexed points and disconnected manifolds. We propose a novel non-rigid registration framework for raw, unstructured, deformable point clouds purely based on geometric features. The global non-rigid deformation of an object is formulated as an aggregation of locally rigid transformations. The concept of locality is embodied in soft patches described by geometrical properties based on SHOT descriptor and its neighborhood. By considering the confidence score of pairwise association between soft patches of two scans (not necessarily consecutive), a computed similarity matrix serves as the seed to grow a correspondence graph which leverages rigidity terms defined in As-Rigid-As-Possible for pruning and optimization. Experiments on simulated and publicly available datasets demonstrate the capability of the proposed approach to cope with large deformations blended with numerous missing parts in the scan process., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Maleki, Falque, Vidal-Calleja and Alempijevic.)

Objectives: The first days of post-ovarian transplantation are critical periods, as the ischemic injury can diminish the success rate. In this study, the first day's events of ovarian transplantation in two dimensions of structure and ultrastructure following slow freezing and vitrification were assessed., Study Design: Ovarian tissues (OTs) from 10 cancerous patients were frozen in two methods of slow freezing and vitrification. Tissues were transplanted onto the CAM and then retrieved at 5 and 10 days of culture. Nine groups were assigned as follows; I-III; fresh, 5 and 10 days culture, IV-VI; vitrification, 5 and 10 days culture, and VII-IX; slow freezing, 5 and 10 days culture. Structural and ultra-structural studies were done to assess the tissue viability and integrity following CAM transplantation. Image J software was used to measure the amounts of fibrosis and necrosis., Results: The first sign of successful transplantation was found on day 3 post-transplantation. Vitrified tissues showed higher viability and transplantation rate compared to the slow frozen group (65% vs 57.5%) (p = 0.7). Tissue fibrosis and areas didn't increase significantly after cryopreservation using two methods (p > 0.05). The areas of fibrosis and necrosis and avian vessels increased significantly after 5 and 10 days of culture (p < 0.05). Large ultra-structural follicular deformities were noticed after 10 days of CAM transplantation. Better stromal ultrastructure features can be found after vitrified tissue culture. Also, the CAM transplantation technique had negative effects on the integrity of follicles, independent of the freezing procedure., Conclusion: Evaluation of early events of the ovarian post-transplantation is of amount importance, since the hypoxia during this period may accelerate follicular pool depletion, before the tissue stability. Vitrification can be considered a reliable alternative for slow freezing. CAM transplantation is a good technique for confirmation of tissue viability after warming but damaged the follicle ultrastructure in a short period., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this study, a composite of zinc tungsten oxide nanoparticles (W-ZnO NPs) has been synthesized via mixing Na 2 WO 4 and zinc acetate in water, followed by dropwise addition of NaOH. The synthesized W-ZnO NPs were characterized using measurement methods such as XRD, dynamic light scattering (DLS), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-Vis. Also, the results were compared with the pure synthesized ZnO and WO 3 NPs. Non-linear optical properties of the synthesized composite were measured using the Z-scan technique with a continuous wave Nd-Yag laser. The negative non-linear absorption coefficient of the components was obtained which indicates that the saturation absorption occurred in this composite. In comparison with pure ZnO NPs, non-linear absorption decreases which can be attributed to the negligible optical response of WO 3 structures. Also, the negative value of the close aperture Z-scan curve shows that the thermal lensing effect is the main reason for the third-order non-linear refraction., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Jalili, Koushki, Ehsanian, Tayebee and Maleki.)

Background: Smad4 regulates the expression of the genes required for heart homeostasis. Regarding the central role of microRNAs in cardiac biology, we investigated the expression of the three Smad4-targeting miRNAs, namely miR-18a-5p, miR-19a-3p, and miR-20a-5p, as well as Smad4 during differentiation of human endometrium-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hEMSCs) into cardiomyocytes (CMs)., Methods: To evaluate mesenchymal phenotype and multi-lineage differentiation ability of hEMSCs, immunophenotyping by flow cytometry and differentiation into osteoblasts and adipocytes were performed, respectively. For transdifferentiation into CMs, hEMSCs were exposed to a cardiomyogenic medium composed of 5-aza and bFGF for 30 days. The comparison between transcriptional expression levels of Nkx2-5, GATA4, Smad4, TNNT2, TBX5, miR-18a-5p, miR-19a-3p, and miR-20a-5p by qRT-PCR, as well as protein levels of Nkx2-5, Smad4, and cTnT by immunofluorescence staining, was conducted in every 6 days., Results: In vitro , the mesenchymal stem cell phenotype of hEMSCs and their potency for differentiation into other MSCs were confirmed. Differentiated hEMSCs had morphological characteristics of CMs. The percentage of positive cells for Nkx2-5, Smad4, and cTnT proteins was increased following induction and culminated on the 24th day. Also, mRNA levels of Nkx2-5, GATA4, Smad4, TNNT2, and TBX5 exhibited the same trend. The expression of investigated miRNAs was significantly decreased sequentially. A significant negative correlation between expressions of Smad4 and investigated miRNAs was observed., Conclusion: Our results indicate that miR-18a-5p, miR-19a-3p, and miR-20a-5p are involved in the cardiac differentiation propensity of hEMSCs potentially by regulation of Smad levels. Although, more mechanistic experiments are required to confirm this idea., Competing Interests: None.