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In this paper, the effect of the combustion and turbulence Sub-Grid Scale (SGS) model on simulation of a pool fire turbulence field has been studied in open source Cumputational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) software, OpenFOAM. Two combustion models: Eddy Dissipation Model (EDM) and infinite fast chemistry, with the one-equation and Smagorinsky SGS model, are evaluated for a large-scale pool fire. In general, fast kineticbased combustion models predict excessive heat release rate. The mean squared of the velocity uctuations is over-predicted. In this simulation, the turbulence models have no significant effect on the results. In fact, the effect of the combustion model is dominant. The EDM combustion model is more compatible when used with the one-equation SGS model and improves the results compared to other cases. In addition, the infinite fast chemistry combustion model is not a suitable model for fire simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solvent extraction separation of Nd from Pr with commercially available organic extractants has been studied using statistical design of experiments. In this regard, Taguchi’s L 16 (4 4  × 2 1 ) orthogonal array was used to determine the optimum conditions for maximizing the separation factor between Nd and Pr ( β Nd/Pr ). The effects of controllable operating experimental parameters including initial pH of the aqueous solutions (A: 2–5), concentration of rare earth element (B: 10–40 ppm), extractant type (C: DEHPA, PC88A, TOPO, and Cyanex 572), extractant concentration (D: 10–60 mM), and acid type (E: sulfuric and hydrochloric acid) on the separation performance were studied. Under selected experimental conditions Nd and Pr do not form any major chloride species, whereas both of the elements form cationic and anionic complexes in sulfate solutions (NdSO 4 + , PrSO 4 + , Nd(SO 4 ) 2 − , and Pr(SO 4 ) 2 − ). The optimum operating conditions for maximizing the separation of Nd from Pr occurred at the experimental condition A 4 B 3 C 1 D 3 E 2 , where a maximum separation factor of 2.72 was achieved, which was higher than any values reported in the literature. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that pH, extractant type, and acid type had the most influential effect on the separation of Nd and Pr. DEHPA and hydrochloric acid were found to be the best organic extractant and aqueous solution, respectively. The separation performance of organic extractants followed the order DEHPA > PC88A > Cyanex 572 > TOPO, indicating that the new acidic extractant Cyanex 572 does not perform well for the separation of Nd and Pr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solvent extraction of yttrium (Y) from different aqueous solutions using the organic extractant 2- ethylhexyl phosphonic acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (PC88A) diluted in kerosene was investigated. Solution chemistry considerations were proposed to identify the predominant species in different aqueous media (H2SO4, HCl and HNO3). In general, nitric and hydrochloric acids were found to be more efficient than sulfuric acid for yttrium extraction. Separation studies showed that nitric acid provide higher separation of Y(III) from light REES while sulfuric acid works better when separation of Y(III) from heavy REEs is desired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While predominance area diagrams (PADs) are useful for the determination of the stable phases in the metal-sulfur-oxygen system, they are constructed at constant temperature. Varying the temperature results in shifting of the equilibrium lines and the stability areas thereof. Since the available tools in hands of an extractive metallurgist are temperature and oxygen potential, a more useful diagram would be one that shows the stability areas of different phases as a function of temperature and percent of oxygen in the roast gas. Such diagrams, called ‘roaster’ diagrams, derive directly from PADs. Although such diagrams are used by extractive practitioners, this type of diagram is unavailable in the open literature. In this paper, the relationship between the PADs and roaster diagrams is discussed and PADs and roaster diagrams for the Zn-S-O and Pb-S-O ternary systems are constructed. This information will serve as the foundation for more complex four-component systems to follow in subsequent publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The three-dimensional predominance volume diagrams (PVDs) for the system Cu-As-S-O were constructed at 900 K using P A s 4 O 6   g ,   P O 2   g ,   a n d   P S O 2   g as independent coordinates. The constant total pressure surface was used to identify the equilibrium phases that are stable at 0.25 atm total pressure. The isobaric surface superimposed on the predominance diagram provides useful insights into the roasting of complex copper sulfosalts such as enargite ( C u 3 A s S 4 ) and tennantite ( C u 12 A s 4 S 13 ). There are nine interior invariant points each with four associated condensed phases at 900 K. The expanded diagrams showing the stability volumes of each individual phase are presented. According to the PVD for the Cu-As-S-O system, the transformation of enargite to copper sulfate follows the C u 3 A s S 4 → C u S → C u S O 4 or C u 3 A s S 4 → C u 2 S →   C u S → C u S O 4 sequence when the pressure of A s 4 O 6   g is extremely low. At high A s 4 O 6   g pressures however, enargite can directly transform to copper sulfate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porphyry copper and mixed copper-gold sulfide deposits contain varying amounts of precious (gold and silver) and platinum group metals (PGMs). Currently, milling and froth flotation is the most common processing route for the treatment of high-grade base metal sulfide ores. During this process, the precious metals and PGMs are also concentrated and represent a possible opportunity for the beneficiation of these metals to increase the overall economic value of the ore. Although not yet commercialized, the high temperature pressure oxidation (POX) of copper concentrates provides an alternative processing route to traditional smelting technology. With increasingly aggressive air quality standards and rising upstream processing costs for smelting, hydrometallurgical processing options become progressively attractive. The treatment of POX residues for the recovery of precious metals has seen significant attention and multiple processing routes have been developed on various scales. Extraction and beneficiation of PGMs from copper concentrate POX residue has garnered significantly less attention and mechanistic questions remain to be answered. Based on a review of the processing options for PGM ores and concentrates, hydrometallurgical processing routes for the extraction of PGMs from copper concentrate POX residues are envisioned. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although several hydrometallurgical treatment options for dirty copper sulfide concentrates have been developed in recent years, these processes have not been implemented by industry. Attention has therefore shifted to pyroprocessing such concentrates in order to provide clean feed for the well-established sulfide smelting process. In this paper, recent publications on pyrometallurgical processing of enargite and gold concentrates have been reviewed, which indicate that little has been added to already existing knowledge of the thermal behavior of enargite. The arsenic fix-roast approach using Na 2 CO 3 and Ca(OH) 2 to capture the arsenic during roasting does not seem to be a practical approach due to insufficient capture and also the complexity of the subsequent phase separations. A more pragmatic approach would be further development of neutral/reductive roast of enargite concentrates in order to produce clean feed for the existing smelters and to convert arsenic into its sulfides which are more stable and compact than its oxides. Potentially high temperatures (> 650 °C) required for effective arsenic removal from enargite concentrates has represented a significant barrier for the development of roasting equipment. This calls for further development of pyroprocessing strategies through a better understanding of the thermodynamics of the Cu-As-S-(O) system. The results of recent research indicate that the mysterious role of pyrite, always present in enargite concentrates in thermal transformation of enargite, has been largely underestimated and not well understood. This necessitates a thorough understanding of the even more complicated Cu-Fe-As-S-(O) system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An acid bake-leach process has been identified and applied to an enargite concentrate containing ~67% enargite, ~27% pyrite (FeS2), ~3% chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), ~6% sphalerite (ZnS) and <1% galena (PbS). Sulfuric acid baking of this concentrate resulted in the transformation of the concentrate to S8, As2O3, HFe(SO4)2•4H2O, PbSO4 and Cu0.47Fe0.53SO4•H2O, all of which (except elemental sulfur and PbSO4) dissolved during the water leaching step. More than 87% Cu and 64% As were leached when the concentrate was baked at 200°C over 7 hours with a sulfuric acid-toconcentrate weight ratio of 1.6. Less than 1% As was lost to the gas phase. Upon water leaching, copper and arsenic were released to the solution at a concentration ratio of about 3:1. While enargite is very reactive during the sulfuric acid baking reaction, other minerals present in the concentrate such as pyrite, galena and sphalerite may compete to consume sulfuric acid and be converted into their corresponding sulfates at different concentrations. The purpose of this paper is to present our examination of the effects of sulfuric acid dosage on the extractions of Cu, Fe, and As from an enargite concentrate. In this regard, the concentrate, baked concentrate, and the leach residues are characterized and a conceptual process flowsheet is described for the acid bake-leach process for the treatment of enargite concentrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based upon the information obtained from the sulfuric acid baking of an enargite concentrate, a second series of experiments were performed using a high-quality enargite powder. The results obtained from the sulfuric acid baking of high-quality enargite provided significant insights towards a more rigorous plan of attack in identifying the meaningful range of parameters and perhaps the time and temperature range in which the rate of the baking reaction should be studied. Hence, the effects of baking time, baking temperature, sulfuric acid dosage, nitrogen flow rate, and particle size on the water extraction of copper and arsenic were studied, as well as the mineralogical transformations associated with sulfuric acid baking. It was found that baking of enargite for extended times at a temperature of 200°C had no effect on the extraction of Cu and As, which leveled off at ~73.7% and ~59.4%, respectively. Arsenic loss to the gas phase corresponding to 7h of baking was found to be ~10.4%. Increasing the baking temperature in the range of 200–260°C at a constant time of 6h had no beneficial effect, but it adversely increased the arsenic loss to ~54.7% at 260°C. Increasing the nitrogen flow rate in the range of 163–813mL/min at a constant baking temperature of 200°C for extended times slightly increased the arsenic loss. Under identical baking conditions, sulfuric acid dosage had the greatest effect on the extraction of Cu and As, with effective extraction levels being achieved at a sulfuric acid to enargite weight ratio of about 3.7. No systematic effect of particle size was observed on the extraction of Cu and As from enargite. Upon sulfuric acid baking, enargite transformed into CuSO4, CuO·CuSO4, As2O3, and S8, all of which, except S8, are soluble in water. Based on the experimental results, the following reaction is suggested for the sulfuric acid baking of enargite: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sulfuric acid baking of an enargite concentrate was performed in a tube furnace under a flow of nitrogen gas. In this way the extent of reaction was measured in the absence of oxygen and a point of reference established. The effects of baking time, baking temperature, sulfuric acid dosage, and nitrogen flow rate on the water extraction of Cu, As, and Fe from the baked enargite concentrate were studied. Sulfuric acid baking of the concentrate for 3h at 200°C resulted in average Cu, As, and Fe extractions of ~75.7%, ~63.0%, and ~43.1%, respectively. The average As loss to the gas phase corresponding to the indicated operating conditions was ~5.9%. Characterization of the baked concentrate indicated the formation of S8, As2O3, HFe(SO4)2·4H2O, and Cu0.47Fe0.53SO4·H2O as a result of baking, identical to the phases formed upon sulfuric acid baking of the concentrate in a muffle furnace. The fact that no secondary copper sulfides were found to form around the enargite particles indicates that most probably enargite directly transformed to copper sulfate. The variation of temperature in the range 180–220°C did not affect the extraction of Cu and Fe significantly, but As extraction decreased from ~65.2% to ~52.5%, owing to a systematic arsenic loss from ~3.7% at 190°C to ~10.9% at 220°C. Increasing the nitrogen flow rate from 340mL/min to 1049mL/min did not influence the extraction of Cu, As, and Fe upon water leaching. Sulfuric acid dosage had the greatest effect on the extraction of metals. Sulfuric acid to concentrate (S/C) weight ratios in the range 1.0–2.3 at a constant baking temperature of 200°C over 6h resulted in a steady increase of metals extraction from 52.6% to 82.2% for Cu, from 40.6% to 68.0% for As, and from 22.8% to 62.1% for Fe. No arsenic loss to the gas phase was observed when the highest S/C ratio (2.3) was used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study of the acid bake-leach process has shown potential advantages for the treatment of enargite (Cu3AsS4) concentrates. Among the most important advantages of the process is the transformation of enargite to water-soluble copper sulfate and highly soluble arsenic trioxide (arsenolite). Because arsenic is retained in the condensed phase during the baking, the vapor pressure of arsenic trioxide should be estimated at typical baking temperatures (e.g. 473 K). To that end, the vapor pressure of As4O6 (g) was estimated under the baking conditions based on published thermodynamic values. The vapor pressure of arsenolite at 473 K was found to be approximately 9.03 × 10-4 atm. Based on the linear regression analysis of the published vapor pressure values for arsenolite in the temperature range 366−579 K, the equation for the best fit line was found to be as follows, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9973:logPArsenolite (atm) = (-5780.7)/(T (K))+9.16. Available information on arsenic trioxide does not allow a definite conclusion regarding the arsenolite/claudetite transformation temperature and their exact melting points. However, the transition temperature has been reported to be in the wide range of 240−506 K in different references. Furthermore, the thermodynamic information concerning arsenolite/claudetite is sparse and at times not consistent. An effort has been made in this paper to compile the most reliable thermodynamic information for arsenic trioxide (arsenolite and claudetite). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The preliminary results of the application of sulfuric acid baking followed by water leaching for the treatment of arsenopyrite (FeAsS), tennantite (Cu12As4S13), and tetrahedrite (Cu12Sb4S13) have been reported. Baking of pulverized minerals (P100 =106μm) at 200°C with a sulfuric acid/mineral powder ratio of 5/3 (g/g) in a muffle furnace for 7h resulted in the transformation of the mentioned minerals to water soluble compounds. Arsenopyrite transformed into FeSO4 and As2O3, both of which are highly soluble in water. Tennantite transformed into CuSO4 and As2O3 whereas tetrahedrite transformed into CuSO4 and Sb2O3. While CuSO4 and As2O3 completely dissolved in water, Sb2O3 did not dissolve, reporting to the leach residue. More than 63% of iron and arsenic from arsenopyrite, and more than 86% of copper from tennantite and tetrahedrite were extracted into water. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Numerous studies have reported on regeneration from apple somatic tissues, andorganogenesis has been proved to be influenced by several factors including mother shoots (genotype, size, type, and age of explant), in vitro conditions (dark period, light intensity, and quality), and others (wounding, orientation of leaf explants). However, one of the most important factors during the regeneration process ismicro and macro elements in media culture and the type and concentration of cytokinin applied. For optimization of the elongation shoot and proliferation medium, two different macro and micro element formulations were tested: MS and DKW. The 2-isopentnyl adenine (2-ip) and benzyl adenine (BA) are the most frequently used cytokinins in the regeneration systems, but their efficiency depends on genotype and other factors. The organogenic ability of explants can also be increased by a properly selected cytokinin treatment. Phytohormones (2 mgl-1 BA and 2 mgl-1 2-ip with 0.1 mgl-1 IBA) established for the proliferation of M26 and MM106 apple rootstocks. The both of rootstocks, the MS medium with BA (2 mgl-1) yielded in general the best shoot growth and elongation of branch also, DKW with 2-ip (2 mgl-1) showed the best callus formation and branching. Significantly better growth with the MS medium was also favored by BA as the cytokinin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Based on the extensive experience of heap leaching operations, crushed ore agglomeration can be successfully considered and utilized as a pretreatment step for the heap leaching of ores containing significant amounts of fines and clay minerals. The drum agglomeration is considered as a pretreatment step for the heap leaching of copper and gold ores whereas the agglomeration of uranium and nickel ores has received less attention over the past years. The acceptance of binder application for acidic leaching systems is limited primarily due to the lack of acid-tolerant binders. The use of binder depends mainly upon the cost considerations, impact on recovery and safe practice. Of equal importance are the quality control and characterization tools for the agglomerates to ensure better heap performance. This paper attempts to provide a concise overview of available quality control and characterization tools for crushed ore agglomeration with industrial examples from the gold, copper, nickel and uranium operations. Consequently, different agglomeration-heap leaching systems and their differences are summarized. The requirements for effective agglomeration, characteristics for an ideal agglomerate and integrated flowsheet of crushed ore agglomeration-heap leaching system are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The stability of pyrite, chalcopyrite, chalcocite, covellite, bornite and enargite at pH 2 in the absence and presence of thiocyanate has been determined by linear sweep voltammetry and chronoamperometry under conditions pertaining to the thiocyanate leaching of gold (pH 2 and 602–702mV vs. SHE). Electrochemical measurements indicated that the decomposition rate of all sulfide minerals increased with an increase in oxidation potential with pyrite and chalcopyrite being the least reactive and chalcocite and bornite being the most reactive of the examined sulfides. The oxidation rate of covellite and enargite was higher than that of pyrite and chalcopyrite but much lower than that of chalcocite and bornite. It was found that the variation of pH from pH 1 to pH 3 has minimal effect on the oxidation rate of pyrite and chalcopyrite. In the presence of 0.05M thiocyanate at pH 2 and in the potential range of interest for gold leaching (602–702mV vs. SHE), the effect of thiocyanate was not significant on the oxidation of selected sulfides. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Heap leaching technology is moving forward rapidly as it satisfies most techno-economic considerations and provides several benefits such as low cost, cleaner environment and product, flexibility, and diversified process conditions. Factors such as proper feed preparation, adequate mineralogical analysis, implementation of eco-comminution, and the precise use of characterization tools should be undertaken in order to provide for a successful heap leach process. In view of the important role of comminution and agglomeration in heap leaching systems, both of which have to do with particle size distribution (PSD), improved characterization methods have become of significance in the design and operation of heap leaching systems. An increase in fundamental understanding using advanced characterization tools such as X-ray computed tomography (CT) will make heap leach technology even more adaptable to ever-increasing complex ores in the foreseeable future. High pressure grinding rolls (HPGRs) may become more popular in heap leach operations since they offer several advantages over conventional crushing technologies such as lower energy consumption and increased particle damage. The potential applications of X-ray CT to heap leaching technology and future directions are reported. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cadmium is a toxic metal, which is primarily produced as a by-product from mining, smelting and refining of sulphide ore concentrates of zinc. Secondary cadmium is recovered from spent Ni–Cd batteries. Some cadmium is also recovered from zinc sinter plant fume, EAF dust, cadmium containing alloys, cadmium containing fluorescent materials, etc. In all cases cadmium is associated with some other impurities depending on the source. The hydrometallurgical processing is very effective for treating such materials because it can control the different levels of impurities. The most common lixiviant used to dissolve the desired metals is sulphuric acid. In the present paper, the hydrometallurgical processes have been described for the recovery of cadmium from various resources using sulphuric acid as the main lixiviant. The leach solution obtained has been purified using cementation or solvent extraction methods. The metal is then produced from the purified solution by electrowinning or precipitation with zinc dust and melting. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Based on the extensive insights gained from the acid bake-leach reaction from our previous experiments, a rigorous experimental plan was designed to investigate the effects of time, temperature, particle size, nitrogen flow rate, sulfuric acid concentration and dosage, and reaction surface area on the extraction of Cu and As from a high-quality enargite sample through sulfuric acid baking and leaching. The baking experiments in the temperature range of 170-200°C over 1-4h revealed almost complete Cu and As extraction after 4h baking at 200°C, a sulfuric acid to enargite weight ratio (S/E) of 4, nitrogen flow rate ~100mL/min, and particle size P100=-45μm, and no arsenic was lost to the gas phase. The following reaction is suggested for the sulfuric acid baking of enargite: 4Cu3AsS4 + 28H2SO4 =3 CuOCuSO4 + 6CuSO4 + 2As2O3 + 28H2O + 19.5SO2g + 15.5S Lack of a systematic dependence of reaction rate on particle size and the significant dependence of the rate on sulfuric acid concentration suggest that the rate of the baking reaction is controlled by the internal surface area of cracks at which surface the baking reaction occurs. It is expected that these cracks are formed as a result of a major volume increase during the baking reaction. High nitrogen flow rates encouraged arsenic loss to the gas phase. Decreasing the S/E ratio from 4 to 2 resulted in a decrease in the rate of reaction, while increasing sulfuric acid concentration enhanced the rate. Excess sulfuric acid was found to be necessary for both acceptable reaction rates and also for maximum As retention in the condensed phase. Doubling the reaction surface area did not affect the extraction of Cu and As. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnant women and their fetuses are often excluded from clinical trials due to missing drug-related pre-clinical trial information at the human feto-maternal interface (FMi). The two interfaces-placenta/decidua and fetal membranes/decidua are gatekeepers of drug transport; however, testing their functions is impractical during pregnancy. Limitations of current in-vivo / in-vitro models have hampered drug development and testing during pregnancy. Hence, major complications like preterm births and maternal and neonatal mortalities remain high. Advancements in organ-on-chip (OOC) platforms to test drug kinetics and efficacy and novel extracellular vesicle-based fetal drug delivery are expected to accelerate preclinical trials related to pregnancy complications. Here we report the development and testing of a humanized multi-organ fetal membrane/placenta (fetal)-decidua (maternal) interface OOC (FMi-PLA-OOC) that contains seven cell types interconnected through microchannels to maintain intercellular interactions as seen in-utero . Cytotoxicity, propagation, mechanism of action, and efficacy of engineered extracellular vesicles containing anti-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-10 (eIL-10) were evaluated to reduce FMi inflammation associated with preterm birth. A healthy and disease model (lipopolysaccharide-infectious inflammation) of the FMi-PLA-OOC was created and co-treated with eIL-10. eIL-10 propagated from the maternal to fetal side within 72-hours, localized in all cell types, showed no cytotoxicity, activated IL-10 signaling pathways, and reduced lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation (minimized NF-kB activation and proinflammatory cytokine production). These data recapitulated eIL-10s' ability to reduce inflammation and delay infection-associated preterm birth in mouse models, suggesting FMi-PLA-OOC as an alternative approach to using animal models. Additionally, we report the utility of eIL-10 that can traverse through FMis to reduce inflammation-associated pregnancy complications., Competing Interests: Statements and Declarations: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have a crucial role in the regulation of gene expression in tumor development, invasion, and metastasis. Herein, miRNA-340 (miR-340) has been shown to play tumor suppressor activity in breast cancer (BC). However, the clinical applications of miRNAs request the development of safe and effective delivery systems capable of protecting nucleic acids from degradation. In this study, biodegradable chitosan nanoparticles incorporating miR-340 plasmid DNA (pDNA) (miR-340 CNPs) were synthesized and characterized. Then, the anti-tumor effects of miR-340 CNPs were investigated using 4T1 BCE cells. The spherical nanoparticles (NPs) with an appropriate mean diameter of around 266 ± 9.3 nm and zeta potential of +17 ± 1.8 mV were successfully prepared. The NPs showed good stability, high entrapment efficiency and a reasonable release behavior, meanwhile their high resistance against enzymatic degradation was verified. Furthermore, NPs demonstrated appropriate transfection efficiency and could induce apoptosis, so had toxicity in 4T1 BCE cells. Also, CD47 expression on the surface of cancer cells was significantly reduced after treatment with miR-340 CNPs. The results showed that miR-340 CNPs augmented the expression of P-27 in BC cells. Furthermore, miR-340 CNPs caused down-regulation of BRP-39 (breast regression protein-39) increasingly suggested as a prognostic biomarker for neoplastic diseases like BC. In conclusion, our data show that miR-340 CNPs can be considered as a promising new platform for BC gene therapy., 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 American Pharmacists Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In the present study, Ni II immobilized on Fe 3 O 4 @WO 3 functionalized by aminated epichlorohydrin using S -methylisothiourea (Fe 3 O 4 @WO 3 -E-SMTU-Ni II ) as a novel magnetically separable nanostructured catalyst was successfully synthesized and characterized using FT-IR, XRD, TEM, FE-SEM, EDX, EDX mapping, VSM, TGA, H 2 -TPR, ICP-OES and CHNS techniques. Characterization results revealed the spherical morphology and superparamagnetic behaviour of the as-synthesized catalyst with mean diameters of 19-31 nm as well as uniform distributions of the desired elements (Fe, O, W, C, N, S and Ni). The antibacterial activity of Fe 3 O 4 @WO 3 -E-SMTU-Ni II was evaluated against a set of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, and the catalyst showed considerable activity against the Staphylococcus aureus strain. The aforementioned nanostructured catalyst exhibited perfect catalytic efficiency in the Heck-Mizoroki and Suzuki-Miyaura reactions under mild conditions without using toxic solvents (EtOH as a green solvent and WEB as a benign base). Desired coupled products were obtained from the reaction of different Ar-X (X = I, Br, Cl) with alkyl acrylates and arylboronic acids. A high nickel content with negligible metal leaching during the course of reactions led to the high catalytic performance and stability of Fe 3 O 4 @WO 3 -E-SMTU-Ni II under optimized reaction conditions. The magnetically separation and ease of recovery and reusability of up to six cycles without a discernible decrease in catalytic activity or metal leaching are the most important features of the catalytic system from both industrial and environmental viewpoints., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Background: This study was performed to evaluate the protective effects of chrysin (CH) on metabolic impairment and pancreatic injury caused by sub-chronic chlorpyrifos (CPF) intoxication in male rats., Methods: Forty male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into five groups (n=8). Intraperitoneal injections of chrysin (12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg for 45 days) and CPF (10 mg/kg for 45 days) gavage were performed. Present findings indicated that the serum levels of glucose, total cholesterol, and lowdensity lipoprotein-cholesterol, as well as body weight, were increased in the CPF-exposed group., Results: It was also found that CPF decreased superoxide dismutase activity as well as increased malondialdehyde and nitric oxide levels in the pancreatic tissue of exposed animals. Histopathological examination also confirmed the toxic effects of CPF on pancreatic tissue as mostly evidenced by infiltration of inflammatory cells and necrosis. CH (50 mg/kg) decreased blood glucose concentration (p < 0.05), TG (p < 0.05), and LDL-C in CPF-exposed animals. CH decreased the pancreas levels of MDA in all treated CPF-exposed groups versus the non-treated CPF-exposed group (p < 0.05, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). A significant difference was not seen in the NO and MDA levels and SOD activity between CH-treated (50 mg/kg) animals exposed to CPF and controls. A significant difference was not seen in the NO and MDA levels and SOD activity between CHtreated (50 mg/kg) animals exposed to CPF and controls., Conclusion: A significant difference was not seen in the NO and MDA levels and SOD activity between CH-treated (50 mg/kg) animals exposed to CPF and controls. In conclusion, CH could prevent initiate and progress of CPF-induced metabolic impairment by modulating oxidative stress in pancreatic tissue as a target organ of organophosphorus pesticides., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Background: The present study aimed to translate and validate the Knee Outcome Survey-Activities of Daily Living Scale (KOS-ADLS) in Iran., Methods: Following standard forward and backward translation procedure, content and face validity were tested by specialists and a sample of 32 patients. Then, in a cross sectional study, a sample of patients with knee disorders, recruited through simple sampling, completed the KOS-ADLS and the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) in their first visit to physiotherapy clinics in Tehran. Regarding construct validity, the Spearman's correlation (r s ) and one-way ANOVA were employed to evaluate the correlations between the Persian KOS-ADLS and SF-36 subscales (convergent validity) and known groups comparison, respectively. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were evaluated by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the Cronbach's α coefficient., Results: In total 101 patients were included in the study. The mean age of patients was 42.39 (SD = 9.2). The finding indicated that the KOS-ADLS had strong correlations with SF-36 physical functioning, bodily pain subscales, and also physical component summary while it had lower correlations with other subscales of the SF-36 as expected. The KOS-ADLS was able to differentiate between the subgroups of patients who differed in BMI. The acceptable level of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC = 0.91) and Cronbach's α coefficient (α = 0.91) was obtained for the Persian KOS-ADLS. Also no floor and ceiling effects were observed for the questionnaire., Conclusions: The Persian version of KOS-ADLS was found to be a reliable and valid outcome measure for assessing daily living activities in patients who suffer from knee pathological conditions., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)