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This work presents a low-cost, compact-size and highly sensitive sensor based on a Reconfigurable Phase Shifter (RPS) that is designed, simulated, fabricated and tested using the Time-Domain Transmissometry (TDT) technique. Generally, microwave sensors utilized in field measurement setups for dielectric sensing often face significant challenges, such as high costs, limited accuracy and resolution, and the potential need for extensive equipment. To address this, PIN diodes are incorporated into the structure, enabling tunable RPS to extend the capacity to measure phase variations across a broader range, leading to higher resolution while preserving the same compact form factor. Also, exciting the TDT-RPS sensor with a sine-wave signal instead of a pulse at a single frequency improves the accuracy since the Material Under Test (MUT) is dispersive. Moreover, two key components have been integrated into the RPS structure to estimate phase difference variations using the TDT technique: a power splitter and a compact commercial phase detector (AD8302). This integration minimizes the necessary measurement equipment in the testing setup. Consequently, the proposed TDT-RPS can be integrated into Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and IoT systems for in-situ scenarios, making it a promising solution for use in various fields such as biomedical, agriculture, and chemical industries.

Abstract: Hemicellulose, as a rich source of five distinct sugars, has a wide range of application prospects. The physicochemical properties of hemicellulose depend on the source and extraction method. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of hydrothermal severity on the chemical composition, extraction yield, and purity of hemicellulose. Hence, wheat straw was subjected to hydrothermal process using an experimental design with 16 runs: 140–170 °C reaction temperatures, 30—120-min reaction time, and liquor to solid ratio of 15. The pre-extracted wheat straw showed higher thermal stability compared to the untreated wheat straw. The presence of hemicelluloses in the pre-extracted wheat straw as well as recondensation of lignin over the pre-extraction stage was suggested based on the FT-IR data. The xylose content (62.35–68.13%) and lignin content (4.14–9.02%) of hemicellulose increased along with heightening the severity factor from 2.34 to 3.18. The data showed that using hydrothermal process with SF of 2.34–3.18 is an efficient method to isolate high purity hemicellulose (91–96%) including β-(1→4)-D-xylopyranosyl residues and side branches of a-L-arabinofuranosyl groups from wheat straw with possible application in developing sweeteners and thickening agents for a wide range of industrial applications such as bakery products, beverages, and pharmaceutical syrups. Graphical abstract:

Flexible metal–organic materials (FMOMs) with stepped isotherms can offer enhanced working capacity in storage applications such as adsorbed natural gas (ANG) storage. Unfortunately, whereas >1000 FMOMs are known, only a handful exhibit methane uptake of >150 cm3/cm3at 65 atm and 298 K, conditions relevant to ANG. Here, we report a double-walled 2-fold interpenetrated diamondoid (dia) network, X-dia-6-Ni,[Ni2L4(μ-H2O)]n, comprising a new azo linker ligand, L–(L–= (E)-3-(pyridin-4-yldiazenyl)benzoate) and 8-connected dinuclear molecular building blocks. X-dia-6-Niexhibited gas (CO2, N2, CH4) and liquid (C8 hydrocarbons)-induced reversible transformations between its activated narrow-pore βphase and γ, a large-pore phase with ca. 33% increase in unit cell volume. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) studies of the as-synthesized phase α, β, and γrevealed that structural transformations were enabled by twisting of the azo moiety and/or deformation of the MBB. Further insight into these transformations was gained from variable temperature powder XRD and in situvariable pressure powder XRD. Low-temperature N2and CO2sorption revealed stepped Type F–II isotherms with saturation uptakes of 422 and 401 cm3/g, respectively. X-dia-6-Niexhibited uptake of 200 cm3/cm3(65 atm, 298 K) and a high CH4working capacity of 166 cm3/cm3(5–65 bar, 298 K, 33 cycles), the third highest value yet reported for an FMOM and the highest value for an FMOM with a Type F–II isotherm.

The article discusses why the return journey on a day trip often feels shorter than the outward leg. The first reason is that the outbound journey may take longer because of unfamiliarity with the route, while the return journey feels faster because it covers familiar territory. Additionally, our perception of time is influenced by the novelty and memorable events experienced, so the return trip, which recapitulates things already seen, feels less novel and therefore passes more quickly. The article suggests testing this hypothesis by planning a return route that is different from the outward leg to see if the perception of the length of the return trip changes. [Extracted from the article]

AbstractObjectives:In Ireland, regularly reviewed Individual Care Plans (ICPs) for inpatients at all acute psychiatric inpatient units are a requirement of the Mental Health Act 2001. In this study, we comprehensively evaluated and compared opinions of key stakeholders in relation to the ICP as a care delivery tool.Methods:We employed a descriptive survey design. Questionnaires were distributed to 123 stakeholders (patients and mental health professionals (MHPs)) to evaluate and compare opinions regarding the impact of the ICP in relation to healthcare delivery and health outcomes, and regarding the structure and frequency of use of the ICP.Results:Ninety-eight stakeholders (80%) completed study questionnaires. Stakeholders (patients (58%) and MHPs (85%)) reported that the ICP assisted in healthcare delivery. However, different attitudes between groups were noted in relation to whether the ICP contributed towards healthcare outcomes, with 64% of patients, but only 41% of MHPs reporting that the ICP positively contributed to mental healthcare outcomes. Some free-text comments described patient dissatisfaction with the role of the ICP for healthcare delivery, and MHP dissatisfaction that the ICP was time-consuming and did not significantly enhance standard patient care.Conclusion:Whilst the implementation of the ICP is generally viewed positively by both patients and MHPs, considerable dissatisfaction by MHPs was also noted with certain aspects of how the ICP was delivered in practice. Practical adjustments to the implementation of ICP in order to build more positive stakeholder experiences appear warranted and worthy of further research.

Zusammenfassung: Eine Vielzahl derzeit stattfindender prospektiver Studien zur Analyse der tiefen Hirnstimulation belegt das hohe Interesse an diesem Therapieverfahren zur Behandlung von Epilepsien. Mit dem Abschluss der SANTE-Studie zur Stimulation des N. anterior des Thalamus wurden erstmals bei einer großen Patientenkohorte der signifikante Effekt einer Tiefenhirnstimulation dokumentiert und eine Zulassung zur Behandlung seitens der Food and Drug Administration (FDA) erreicht. Weitere in dieser Übersicht beschriebene Studien, die z. T. derzeit Patienten aufnehmen, werden bei ausreichender Rekrutierung wesentlich zur Klärung des Stellenwerts der tiefen Hirnstimulation bei pharmakorefraktären Epilepsien beitragen.

Inverse-designed silicon photonic metastructures offer an efficient platform to perform analogue computations with electromagnetic waves. However, due to computational difficulties, scaling up these metastructures to handle a large number of data channels is not trivial. Furthermore, a typical inverse-design procedure is limited to a small computational domain and therefore tends to employ resonant features to achieve its objectives. This results in structures that are narrow-bandwidth and highly sensitive to fabrication errors. Here we employ a two-dimensional (2D) inverse-design method based on the effective index approximation with a low-index contrast constraint. This results in compact amorphous lens systems that are generally feed-forward and low-resonance. We designed and experimentally demonstrated a vector–matrix product for a 2 × 2 matrix and a 3 × 3 matrix. We also designed a 10 × 10 matrix using the proposed 2D computational method. These examples demonstrate that these techniques have the potential to enable larger-scale wave-based analogue computing platforms.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal, devastating, rapidly progressive, adult onset neurodegenerative disease, which is involved in the formation of proteinaceous virulent aggregates from superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) as a Cu/Zn metalloenzyme in motor neurons. However, the particular mechanism of mutant SOD1 toxicity has remained elusive. Here, we use complementary biochemical and biophysical methods to investigate thermodynamic parameters of wild-type (WT), E100K and D125H mutants in both metal-free (apo) and metalized (holo) forms of SOD1, to find out if there is any relationship between the structural/thermodynamic stability with aggregation propensity in apo and holo forms of WT/mutant SOD1 variants. Also, in this study, we compared the aggregation propensity of WT SOD1 and the mutants (E100K, D125H) under reducing conditions; the aggregation process and protein surface hydrophobicity were monitored by Thioflavin T (ThT) and ANS fluorescence, respectively. To determine molecular sizes, and intramolecular secondary structures, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and X-ray diffraction analyses were also applied, respectively. In addition to thermodynamic parameters measurements of both apo- and holo-proteins, melting temperature (Tm) of apo proteins was assessed. Furthermore, for comparative evaluation of toxicity of SOD1 aggregates, LDH cytotoxicity as well as hemolysis assays were performed. The hydrodynamic diameters of all SOD1 variants were the same. ThT/ANS results, however, confirmed that DTT-mediated reduction in intramolecular S–S bonds induces gross conformational changes followed by the protein assembly. Thermodynamic studies showed that neither metal deficiency/mutation nor intramolecular S–S reduction, alone, can significantly reduce stability of SOD1 proteins, and demetallation (reduced stability) and intramolecular S–S reduction, together, are required for initiation of SOD1 misfolding/aggregation. CR binding, CD and XRD results, also together, confirmed the non-amyloid character of relatively toxic SOD1 aggregates. It appears that reduced thermodynamic stability as prerequisite for aggregation of SOD1 mutants must be accompanied by intramolecular disulfides reduction.

This article presents a highly sensitive microwave sensor for dielectric sensing. One of the main disadvantages of microwave resonant-based sensors is cross sensitivity originated by time-dependent uncontrolled environmental factors, such as temperature, that affect the material under test (MUT) behavior, leading to undesirable frequency shifts and, hence, lower accuracy. However, this work eliminates the unwanted errors using the differential measurement technique by comparing two transmission resonance frequencies during a unit test setup to measure the permittivity of MUT over time. The proposed structure comprises a spiral resonator with an extended horizontal microstrip line (EH-ML) coupled to a microstrip transmission line (MTL). Creating EH-ML within the structure comprises two primary contributions: enhanced sensitivity resulting from stronger fringing fields generated by increasing the effective area and improved resolution due to higher resonance frequencies caused by a lower total capacitive coupling effect. The proposed sensor is fabricated and tested using MUTs with a permittivity of less than 80 to verify the performance. In this regard, a frequency detection resolution (FDR) of 44 MHz and a sensitivity of 0.85% are achieved at a maximum permittivity of 78.3. The results of theoretical analysis, simulation, and measurement are in relatively good agreement. Consequently, the proposed highly sensitive microwave sensor offers significant advantages, such as low complexity in design and fabrication. It also offers high resolution and precision in a wide range of permittivity, which can be an attractive candidate for dielectric sensing in health, chemical, and agriculture applications.

•Antimicrobial resistance and biofilm formation are becoming the most important public health.•Nanomaterials are much more effective than conventional antibiotics by increasing the surface area.•Carbon-based nanomaterials have been identified as potential antimicrobial agents.•C-dots & ciprofloxacin significantly reduced the growth and inhibited biofilm formation.•The expression of pslA, pelA, and ppyRgenes was significantly reduced after exposure to C-dots.

Purpose: This study aims to argue that user’s continued use behavior is contingent upon two perceptions (i.e. the app and the provider). This study examines the moderating effects of user’s perceptions of apps and providers on the effects of security and privacy concerns and investigate whether assurance mechanisms decrease such concerns. Design/methodology/approach: This study conducts a scenario-based survey with 694 mobile cloud computing (MCC) app users to understand their perceptions and behaviors. Findings: This study finds that while perceived value of data transfer to the cloud moderates the effects of security and privacy concerns on continued use behavior, trust only moderates the effect of privacy concerns. This study also finds that perceived effectiveness of security and privacy intervention impacts privacy concerns but does not decrease security concerns. Originality/value: Prior mobile app studies mainly focused on mobile apps and did not investigate the perceptions of app providers along with app features in the same study. Furthermore, International Organization for Standardization 27018 certification and privacy policy notification are the interventions that exhibit data assurance mechanisms. However, it is unknown whether these interventions are able to decrease users’ security and privacy concerns after using MCC apps.

Coordination networks (CNs) that undergo gas-induced transformation from closed (nonporous) to open (porous) structures are of potential utility in gas storage applications, but their development is hindered by limited control over their switching mechanisms and pressures. In this work, we report two CNs, [Co(bimpy)(bdc)]n(X-dia-4-Co) and [Co(bimbz)(bdc)]n(X-dia-5-Co) (H2bdc = 1,4-benzendicarboxylic acid; bimpy = 2,5-bis(1H-imidazole-1-yl)pyridine; bimbz = 1,4-bis(1H-imidazole-1-yl)benzene), that both undergo transformation from closed to isostructural open phases involving at least a 27% increase in cell volume. Although X-dia-4-Coand X-dia-5-Coonly differ from one another by one atom in their N-donor linkers (bimpy = pyridine, and bimbz = benzene), this results in different pore chemistry and switching mechanisms. Specifically, X-dia-4-Coexhibited a gradual phase transformation with a steady increase in the uptake when exposed to CO2, whereas X-dia-5-Coexhibited a sharp step (type F-IV isotherm) at P/P0≈0.008 or P≈3 bar (195 or 298 K, respectively). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction, in situpowder XRD, in situIR, and modeling (density functional theory calculations, and canonical Monte Carlo simulations) studies provide insights into the nature of the switching mechanisms and enable attribution of pronounced differences in sorption properties to the changed pore chemistry.

Under terminal drought conditions, due to the limitation of current photosynthesis, the impact of cereal stem carbohydrates reserves and their contribution to the grain yield preservation could be enhanced. The role of stem fructan remobilization on yield of barley was examined under drought conditions in the present study. The fructan accumulation and remobilization rate of the penultimate internode were studied in Morocco 9–75 and Yousef, as drought susceptible and tolerant barley (Hordeum vulgareL.) cultivars, respectively. Drought stress increased the fructan accumulation and remobilization in Yousef, supporting it from severe yield loss compared to Morocco cultivar. Under drought stress conditions, during grain filling of Yousef cultivar, the strong correlations were observed between the relative expression of the key genes involved in the fructan metabolism, that is 1‐SSTand 6‐SFT(fructan biosynthesis genes) with the fructan content, as well as between the expression of 1‐FEH(fructan exohydrolase) and SUT1(sucrose transporter) with fructan remobilization. Yousef cultivar contained considerable water‐soluble carbohydrate content of stem internodes, and a rise in osmolytes such as fructan may lead to the efficient osmotic adjustment, which in turn resulted in the maintenance of the water content and stomatal conductance. Based on the results, enhanced fructan accumulation and its induced remobilization under drought conditions can play an important role in yield stability of Yousef under stress. The barley genotypes with high potential for fructan production and remobilization under terminal drought stress could provide the appropriate materials for drought tolerance breeding and screening for these traits. More fructan accumulation in the internodes of the drought‐tolerant barley cultivar was investigated.The induction of fructan remobilization under drought in the tolerant cultivar was examined.There is a higher expression level of the related genes in the drought‐tolerant cultivar.Grain yield is correlated with the expression of related genes under drought stress.Exploiting genotypic variation in stem reserves improves barley drought tolerance.

As standard microelectronic technology approaches fundamental limitations in speed and power consumption, novel computing strategies are strongly needed. Analogue optical computing enables the processing of large amounts of data at a negligible energy cost and high speeds. Based on these principles, ultrathin optical metasurfaces have been recently explored to process large images in real time, in particular for edge detection. By incorporating feedback, it has also recently been shown that metamaterials can be tailored to solve complex mathematical problems in the analogue domain, although these efforts have so far been limited to guided-wave systems and bulky set-ups. Here, we present an ultrathin Si metasurface-based platform for analogue computing that is able to solve Fredholm integral equations of the second kind using free-space visible radiation. A Si-based metagrating was inverse-designed to implement the scattering matrix synthesizing a prescribed kernel corresponding to the mathematical problem of interest. Next, a semitransparent mirror was incorporated into the sample to provide adequate feedback and thus perform the required Neumann series, solving the corresponding equation in the analogue domain at the speed of light. Visible wavelength operation enables a highly compact, ultrathin device that can be interrogated from free space, implying high processing speeds and the possibility of on-chip integration.

In recent years, wave-based analog computing has been at the center of attention for providing ultra-fast and power-efficient signal processing enabled by wave propagation through artificially engineered structures. Building on these structures, various proposals have been put forward for performing computations with waves. Most of these proposals have been aimed at linear operations, such as vector-matrix multiplications. The weak and hardly controllable nonlinear response of electromagnetic materials imposes challenges in the design of wave-based structures for performing nonlinear operations. In the present work, first, by using the method of inverse design we propose a three-port device, which consists of a combination of linear and Kerr nonlinear materials, exhibiting the desired power-dependent transmission properties. Then, combining a proper arrangement of such devices with a collection of Mach–Zehnder interferometers (MZIs), we propose a reconfigurable nonlinear optical architecture capable of implementing a variety of nonlinear functions of the input signal. The proposed device may pave the way for wave-based reconfigurable nonlinear signal processing that can be combined with linear networks for full-fledged wave-based analog computing.

Climate change is a major threat to the growth of most crops in arid and semi-arid regions. Drought stress is one of the results of climate change that has a negative impact on the growth and yield of crops. In order to investigate the morpho-physiological traits and their relationship with grain yield in barley and to determine the best criteria for selection under terminal drought stress conditions, 20 barley genotypes (Hordeum vulgare L.) were evaluated during two cropping seasons 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 under terminal drought stress conditions (irrigation cut at 50% heading) using a randomized complete block design with three replications. During the experiment, days to heading, days to maturity, number of fertile tillers, plant height, peduncle length, peduncle weight, spike length, number of grain per spike, 1000-kernel weight, remobilization, remobilization efficiency, biological yield, harvest index and grain yield were measured. Variance analysis of the studied traits showed significant difference for most traits for genotype effects. Mean comparison showed that the highest grain yield was related to genotypes 16 and 11. Correlation, regression and path analysis showed that remobilization, harvest index, biological yield and peduncle weight had the most effects on grain yield under drought stress conditions. This indicates that these traits can be used in barley breeding for grain yield improvement under terminal drought stress conditions. Three genotypes, 4, 11 16 with the highest remobilization, harvest index, biological yield and peduncle weight achieved higher grain yields under the stress conditions.

Background: The current study examines the association between the Dietary Diversity Score (DDS) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in Iranian adults using structural equation modeling (SEM). Methods: A sample of 3220 adults from the Amol Cohort Study was recruited for this cross-sectional study. Dietary acid load (DAL) and DDS were calculated using the data obtained from a validated food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, biochemical measurements, and liver ultrasonography were evaluated according to standard protocols. Results: DDS was neither directly nor indirectly associated with a greater prevalence of NAFLD. In the second model (DDS sub-scores model), the association of DAL with NAFLD was fully mediated through waist circumference (WC) (of DAL to WC: β = 0.14, P< 0.0001, and of WC to NAFLD: β = 0.50, P< 0.001). Vegetable and fruit diversity scores had a significant negative indirect relationship with NAFLD prevalence through DAL (β = −0.06, P= 0.001, β = −0.10, P< 0.001, respectively). Meat diversity score was positively associated with NAFLD prevalence in a full mediational process through DAL (β = 0.12, P< 0.001). The SEM fit indices suggested a reasonably adequate fit of the data to the DDS model (Χ2/df = 4.76, GFI = 0.98, AGFI = 0.97, IFI = 0.97, CFI = 0.97, RMSEA = 0.03, and SRMR = 0.02) and its sub-scores model (Χ2/df = 4.72, GFI = 0.98, AGFI = 0.97, IFI = 0.95, CFI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.03, and SRMR = 0.02). Conclusion: Meat diversity and lack of vegetable and fruit diversity were indirectly associated with NAFLD prevalence through DAL and WC mediators. Interventions for NAFLD may be more successful if they target a lower intake of animal protein sources and dietary diversity, particularly vegetable and fruit diversity.

The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors is expected to increase the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) worldwide. Cardiac organoids are promising candidates for bridging the gap between in vitroexperimentation and translational applications in drug development and cardiac repair due to their attractive features. Here we present the fabrication and characterization of isogenic scaffold-free cardiac organoids derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) formed under a supplement-deprivation regimen that allows for metabolic synchronization and maturation of hiPSC-derived cardiac cells. We propose the formation of coculture cardiac organoids that include hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and hiPSC-derived cardiac fibroblasts (hiPSC-CMs and hiPSC-CFs, respectively). The cardiac organoids were characterized through extensive morphological assessment, evaluation of cellular ultrastructures, and analysis of transcriptomic and electrophysiological profiles. The morphology and transcriptomic profile of the organoids were improved by coculture of hiPSC-CMs with hiPSC-CFs. Specifically, upregulation of Ca2+handling-related genes, such as RYR2 and SERCA, and structure-related genes, such as TNNT2 and MYH6, was observed. Additionally, the electrophysiological characterization of the organoids under supplement deprivation shows a trend for reduced conduction velocity for coculture organoids. These studies help us gain a better understanding of the role of other isogenic cells such as hiPSC-CFs in the formation of mature cardiac organoids, along with the introduction of exogenous chemical cues, such as supplement starvation.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the neurodegenerative disorders affecting millions of people around the world. Alpha-synuclein ( $\alpha $ -syn) as the key protein in the pathogenesis of PD is considered a promising candidate prognostic marker of PD. Various factors, including the presence of some metal ions, induce aggregation of $\alpha $ -syn. It has been shown that cupric ions (Cu $^{{2}+}$ ) have more binding sites and greater affinity to the $\alpha $ -syn than other metal ions. In this study, a colorimetric sensor was fabricated for $\alpha $ -syn detection based on the specific interaction between $\alpha $ -syn and Cu $^{{2}+}$ leading to aggregation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The sensor showed a distinct response to $\alpha $ -syn, with the detection limit of 10 nM, and could discriminate between monomers, oligomers, and fibrils of $\alpha $ -syn. This finding is of great interest due to different neurotoxicity of monomers and aggregated forms of $\alpha $ -syn. The discrimination of different concentrations of $\alpha $ -syn in saliva was shown by colorimetry and linear discriminant analysis (LDA).

The etiology of MS is multifactorial, involving both genetic and environmental factors. Interestingly, individuals with MS often have a higher prevalence of other autoimmune diseases, suggesting a potential shared pathophysiological mechanism among these conditions. Additionally, the specific influence of parental autoimmune diseases on the onset of MS in offspring remains unclear. Previous case-control studies have reported varying results regarding this association.

Cognitive impairment (CI) is one of the major problems affecting the quality of life in MS patients. MS is more prevalent among women and obstetrics history is an important aspect of women life, which may affects their cognitive function.

Background: To investigate the genetics of early-onset progressive cerebellar ataxia in Iran, we conducted a study at the Children’s Medical Center (CMC), the primary referral center for pediatric disorders in the country, over a three-year period from 2019 to 2022. In this report, we provide the initial findings from the national registry. Methods: We selected all early-onset patients with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance to assess their phenotype, paraclinical tests, and genotypes. The clinical data encompassed clinical features, the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) scores, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) results, Electrodiagnostic exams (EDX), and biomarker features. Our genetic investigations included single-gene testing, Whole Exome Sequencing (WES), and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS). Results: Our study enrolled 162 patients from various geographic regions of our country. Among our subpopulations, we identified known and novel pathogenic variants in 42 genes in 97 families. The overall genetic diagnostic rate was 59.9%. Notably, we observed PLA2G6, ATM, SACS, and SCAvariants in 19, 14, 12, and 10 families, respectively. Remarkably, more than 59% of the cases were attributed to pathogenic variants in these genes. Conclusions: Iran, being at the crossroad of the Middle East, exhibits a highly diverse genetic etiology for autosomal recessive hereditary ataxia. In light of this heterogeneity, the development of preventive strategies and targeted molecular therapeutics becomes crucial. A national guideline for the diagnosis and management of patients with these conditions could significantly aid in advancing healthcare approaches and improving patient outcomes.

Water pollution poses a significant global challenge that necessitates implementing effective remediation strategies. Redox reactions have garnered substantial attention in water treatment due to their capacity to disintegrate pollutants and eliminate contaminants. However, different catalysts may yield varying levels of efficiency, necessitate diverse energy sources, and entail different treatment durations for distinct types of pollutants. This review delves into the applications of metal oxide nanoparticles and hybrid materials in redox processes for water purification. Iron oxide nanoparticles, encompassing Fe and iron oxide nanoparticles (FeONPs), have showcased remarkable efficacy in removing diverse dyes through photocatalysis and sonocatalysis. Cerium oxide (CeO2) and its composites have exhibited promising results in photocatalysis, sonocatalysis, and electrocatalysis, which can degrade the organic pollutants in water. Furthermore, hybrid materials like graphene-based nanocomposites have remarkably effectively eliminated color and heavy metals from contaminated water through redox reactions. The amalgamation of organic and inorganic materials in these hybrids augments their photocatalytic and antibacterial properties. Overall, the utilization of redox reactions and hybrid materials offers a promising approach to tackling water pollution and ensuring the availability of clean water.

Bladder cancer is the 10th most common cancer and the 9th cause of death by malignancy worldwide. Invasiveness and morbidity of cystoscopy, relatively low sensitivity of urinary cytology, lack of clinically approved point of care devices specificity, and the cost of the existing diagnostic procedures have motivated scientists and technologists to develop new bladder cancer detection platforms. In the context of finding an efficient screening system, biosensors have the advantages of detecting the biomarkers of bladder cancer, high sensitivity, simple operation, and relatively low equipment cost. This review summarizes the pathophysiology, common treatments, and the most prominent bladder cancer biomarkers as well as the clinically approved point of care devices and the most recent biosensors and nanobiosensors for detection of bladder cancer biomarkers.

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text.Applying an appropriate combined therapy with fewer intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections and less intensive retinal laser can be as effective as conventional therapies in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Introduction: The present study aimed to simulate the interaction between hydraulic fractures and natural fractures using hydromechanical coupling in the bonded particle model using the smooth joint method, followed by sensitivity analysis regarding the angle of approach of the pre-existing fractures relative to the direction of the hydraulic fracture, strength of the natural fractures, and ratio of the in-situ stresses. Methods: In the present research, the model of hydraulic fracture in a reservoir with natural fractures was assessed by hydromechanical coupling, implemented in the discrete element method, based on the BPM. Considering the discontinuous nature of the current research, the BPM-based PFC2D software was applied to simulate the interaction of hydraulic fractures and natural fractures. At first, the microparameters that correspond to the macroscale characteristics of the rock were identified by comparison with experimental results through repetitive calibration. DEM results were compared with experimental results from uniaxial compressive and Brazilian test scale model testing. Sensitivity analysis was performed in terms of the angle of approach parameters of natural fractures, joint strength, and in-situ stress ratio. Results: According to the results of the modeling processes, the shape of the time history curves of wellbore pressure was the same for various angles of approach of 30, 60, and 90 degree relative to the vertical direction. Since the hydraulic fracture tended to be grown and propagated in the direction of the least strength, it propagates in the pre-existing fractures without strength or their dilation. The hydraulic fracture breakdown largely depended on the ratio of the in-situ stresses as in a similar state of the maximum principal stress, the value of the minimum principal stress had considerable effects on the fracture propagation pattern. The breakdown pressures of the hydraulic fracture with the increased heterogeneity and ratio of the in-situ stresses decreased in a similar situation of the value of the maximum principal stress. Conclusion: The modeling results indicated that the hydraulic pressure and onset of breakdown time largely depended on the value of the minimum principal stress, so that the increased minimum principal stress would increase the hydraulic fracture and onset time of fracturing. The hydraulic fracture pattern depended on in-situ stresses, and the higher in-situ stress ratios were associated with the increased length of the fracture experiencing aperture.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive fetal neurodegenerative disease that affects neural cells in the brainstem and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control, misfolding and aggregation of copper–zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1). However, the particular mechanism by which mutant SOD1 causes neural death remains elusive. While metallated SOD1s were not aggregated in our previous study, the present study set out to determine whether dissociation/aggregation propensity of holo/apo SOD1 variants (WT, E100K and D125H), may increase under various incubation conditions/compositions or not. Therefore, the process of aggregation were analyzed by various techniques such as fluorescence, CD spectroscopy and XRD. Our results highlighted the importance of metal ions in misfolding/aggregation behavior of holo SOD1s and demonstrated that apo SOD1s had lower thermodynamic and/or kinetic stability compared to holo forms due to loss of metal ions in their structures. Also, the data indicated that incubation conditions/compositions were important in reducing of stability and increasing of aggregation propensity of apo/holo SOD1 variants. We demonstrated that any structural abnormalities such as loss of metal ions, reducing disulfide bonds and mutations that enhance the protein denaturation propensity, synergistically lead to decrease in thermodynamic stability of SOD1 variants and consequently facilitate unfolding transitions which cause formation of non-amyloid amorphous aggregates.

In a prospective study, the extent of external limiting membrane disruption and disorganization of retinal inner layers, as the spectral domain optical coherence tomography biomarkers of retinal hyperpermeability, could predict short-term outcomes in eyes with diabetic macular edema treated with 3 monthly intravitreal bevacizumab.

Operative repair of flexor tendons after traumatic injury may be performed under general anesthesia (GA), regional blocks, or a wide-awake local anesthesia no tourniquet (WALANT) technique. To our knowledge there are currently no large-scale reports evaluating outcomes of flexor tendon repair in patients where wide-awake anesthesia was utilized in comparison to regional anesthesia (RA) and general anesthesia. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent treatment for flexor tendon injuries at a tertiary referral center for hand surgery over a two-year period. A total of 151 patients were included (53 WALANT, 57 RA, and 41 GA) and a total of 251 tendons were repaired (63 WALANT, 104 RA and 84 GA). No statistically significant difference was observed in rates of tendon rupture, adhesions, infection, or hand function. Flexor tendon repair under WALANT is found to be safe and presents comparable operative and functional outcomes to more traditional anesthetic techniques. Additional advantages, including the ability to test the repair intraoperatively, patient education, and the potential for boosting theatre efficiency. Further studies, preferably utilizing a randomized trial methodology, may further elucidate the benefits and risks of WALANT versus regional and general anesthesia.

ABSTRACTTwenty-two Colletotrichumstrains were isolated from anthracnose symptoms or leaf spots on leaves of various wild Poaceae and Cyperaceae plants collected in three provinces of Iran and tentatively identified as belonging to the Graminicola species complex based on morphology. All strains were studied via a polyphasic approach combining colony characteristics, morphology and phylogeny inferred from multi-locus sequences, including the nuc rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 (ITS), partial sequences of the β-tubulin (tub2), actin (act), manganese superoxide dismutase 2 (sod2), DNA lyase 2 (apn2) genes, a 200-bp intron of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gapdh), and the intergenic spacer between the apn2gene and the mat1idiomorph (apn2/mat1). Six species were distinguished, including three new species, namely C. caspicum, C. persicum, and C. sacchari, and three previously described species, C. cereale, C. nicholsoniiand C. sublineola. Comprehensive morphological descriptions and illustrations are provided for all species. Furthermore, this study provided new insights into the distribution and host range of known species.

Achieving the high levels of productivity is one of the most important ideals of managers. Organisational cohesion as an emerging concept that has many managerial requirements, and is expected to contribute to improving employees' productivity. This study used fuzzy neural networks (ANFIS) to measure this relationship, which has more predictive power than other statistical methods due to its networking architecture and learning algorithms. The statistical population was all employees of Mashhad Bus Organization (58 people). A questionnaire was used for data collection and the results were analysed using the ANFIS. The results indicated that although all aspects of organisational cohesion had an effect on improving employees' productivity and by improving them, employees' productivity would be increased, the components of fundamental values, leadership's style and coordination, would facilitate the impact of other components on productivity. It seems that they should be the prioritised on the top of the list in the organisation's administrative transformation programs.

Soluble oligomers of α-synuclein (α-syn) are known to be responsible for neuronal death in the early stages of Parkinson's disease (PD). Thus, the development of a simple, rapid, and inexpensive method for the detection of α-syn oligomers can help PD diagnosis before irreversible damage to the brain tissue occurs. The present study is aimed at developing a FRET-based aptasensor for the selective and sensitive detection of α-syn oligomers. Herein, FAM-labeled aptamer adsorption on graphene oxide (GO) resulted in fluorescence quenching of FAM. The binding of α-syn oligomers to the aptamer led to the recovery of the fluorescence intensity. Under optimized conditions, the developed biosensor showed two linear response ranges from 10–100 nM and 250 nM to 2 μM in α-syn oligomer detection. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were calculated to be 6.3 nM and 19.3 nM, respectively. Furthermore, the performance of the sensing platform in the detection of the target analyte in biological matrices was demonstrated by the assay of α-syn oligomers in spiked human saliva samples. According to the obtained results, this sensing platform has a good performance for α-syn oligomer detection and it can be considered as a promising candidate for the early diagnosis of PD.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of salinity on grain yield and some salinity-tolerance related traits of 20 barley genotypes in Bushehr province, Iran. Barley genotypes were selected on the basis of their tolerance to salinity in the temperate and warm regions or their yield performance and adaptability in the south warm regions of Iran. All 20 genotypes were initially evaluated for their salinity tolerance in greenhouse under pot culture and hydroponic conditions. Under both conditions, increasing salinity resulted in a significant decrease for all studied traits. The most salinity-tolerant genotypes under pot culture were genotypes STW-81‑2, Golshan, Nimrooz and Oxin. In contrast, genotypes MBS-87-19, MBS-89-11, Zahak and ASBYT-M-86‑3 exhibited higher salinity tolerance under solution culture. Based on results of greenhouse evaluation, seven lines and cultivars that showed higher tolerance to salinity were selected and studied in a field experiment under different salt treatments (1.5, 8 and 12 dS/m NaCl). Results of field experiment showed that cultivars Oxin and Nimrooz, and breeding line STW-81-10 which had high grain yield and outstanding salinity-tolerance related traits under pot culture, also performed well under salinity stress in the field experiment. Stress tolerance indices (STI) of genotypes Oxin, Nimrooz and breeding line STW-81‑2 were 1.278, 1.068 and 0.960, respectively, indicating their higher salinity tolerance compared to the other genotypes. Results of this study indicated that barley genotypes with no history of selection for salinity tolerance (e.g Oxin and Nimrooz), but with a good level of adaptability in the warm climate zone, had better performance under saline conditions compared to those genotypes improved specifically for such conditions in the temperate zone of Iran. This finding may suggest that adaptation to climate conditions is an essential factor for breeding salinity tolerant barley genotypes in the warm zone of the country.

A fuzzy adaptive sliding mode controller is presented in this research and implemented on a nonlinear helicopter model. An integrated guidance and control for a model helicopter which is flying behind a floating platform is considered in order to stabilise dynamics and track path, simultaneously. A fuzzy logic is designed to adaptively choose the best control parameters for the sliding mode controller and relieve the designer’s concern in choosing the parameter. A matrix consisted of fuzzy sliding mode parameters is used instead of a single parameter with the goal of enhancing controller tracking capability. The problem is simulated under different conditions and intense disturbances of an empirical model, while the performance is acceptable. Controller performance is compared, and a performance analysis is done on the selection of fuzzy membership functions using an optimisation method. Simulation results show the robustness, agility, stability and overall outperformance of the proposed controller.

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Precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) filler is used in many industrial products like constructions, plastics, pharmaceutics, etc. In this study producing cationic precipitated calcium carbonate filler for paper industry was investigated. Hence, a cationic polyacrylamide and cationic corn starch have been incorporated into the PCC particles to produce a modified filler with cationic structure and improved hydrogen bonding ability with cellulose fibers. According to the FESEM and XRD results, cubic-like fillers with prominently calcite polymorph and a slight amount of aragonite were successfully produced from the industrial burnt lime using carbonation process. The presence of organic substances in the structure of the modified samples was confirmed by FT-IR analysis. Besides, based on the FESEM results, filler morphology and particle size could be affected by the polymer content. In conclusion, introducing cationic groups to mineral fillers could be considered as a possible strategy to overcome some detrimental effects of using mineral fillers in paper products.

ABSTRACTThe literature on information systems development appears to be fragmented into three main categories: one that uses a knowledge management perspective, another one that considers social aspects of information systems development, and the last one that emphasizes the role of information technology. Such fragmentation detains the understanding of influential factors. In this paper, we synthesize the prior literature on information systems development and propose a concise model that incorporates all three approaches to assess the relative importance of each category. We empirically tested the model by using a three-wave longitudinal dataset of 64 teams consisting of more than 250 individuals. We found that individual and organizational factors are more important than technological factors. While human capital is the strongest predictor, IT support does not affect team performance. Our findings yield implications for both the theory and the practice.

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a destructive fungal pathogen with an extensive host range infecting more than 400 plant species, causes lettuce drop on the leafy green lettuce that potentially have an enormous economic impact on lettuce cultivation worldwide. To gain insights into how lettuce regulates its defense pathways, gene expression profiles of five defense-related genes (LsPRB1, LsSOD, LsERF1, LsLTC1, and LsHPL1) triggered following infection of susceptible Mazandaran line 1 (ML1) and tolerant Jahrom (Jah) lettuce accessions by the S. sclerotiorumwere compared by the real-time quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) approach. In the current study, we observed temporal and quantitative gene expression fluctuations between two examined accessions of L. sativain response to S. sclerotiorumattack. All genes, except LsHPL1, were up-regulated earlier (24 hours after inoculation) in the Jah accession compared with the susceptible one. This data implies strong defense responses established in the tolerant accession to arrest the fungal growth, but it resulted in restricting lesion development rather than in preventing infection. This research contributes to a better understanding of the kinetics of lettuce reactions induced following S. sclerotioruminfection and may be employed to develop effective strategies to manage lettuce drop.

Organisational silence is associated with contextually related interpersonal, cultural, and social deliberative effects on employees' work commitment. Universities, as the veins of educational organisations, deal with some episodic lack of voice scenarios. The main goal of this study is to evaluate the faculty professors' perception of organisational silence. Therefore, we studied the relationship between demographic variables with the silence climate. In this quantitative-descriptive research, 104 professors of the University of Bojnord, Iran, filled out Vakola and Bouradas's (2005) management questionnaire, and the data were analysed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and ANOVA. The questionnaire was based on three independent variables including head of departments' perspectives, supervisors' perspectives, and communicative opportunities. The results demonstrated that demographic components like gender, type of faculty and managerial status affected the organisational silence in comparison with less effective elements like working experience, age, nature of employment contact, which had an insignificant effect on silence climate.

Marine navigation systems have very accurate sensors, such as 0.01deg/hr gyro drift stability and 0.1mg/year accelerometer bias stability. Common calibration methods and equipment do not meet the accuracy required. In this paper, a systematic method for calibration of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for marine applications is proposed which is not based on the accuracy of the calibration turn table and only requires one specific plate to determine the initial attitude of the IMU and functions independently of the turn table. The first contribution of this paper is to derive a model for systematic calibration of IMU that expresses the rotation matrix error and velocity as a linear function of the calibration parameters at any time. As the second contribution, this paper proposes a calibration algorithm with only using an initial, specific plate. Using the actual data, it was found that the proposed algorithm provides a good estimation of the parameters.

In this paper, a novel structure for a graphene-based directional coupler in the THz frequency region is presented. This new configuration consists of two graphene-based single-mode waveguides, placed side by side with some connection gaps between them to allow coupling. Two different types of directional couplers (single-gap and double-gap) are designed at the frequency of 50[THz]. The simulation results show that the designed single-gap coupler has the advantages of low insertion loss ($ \lt - 1.4\,\, {\rm dB} $<−1.4dB), high directivity ($ \gt 15\,\, {\rm dB} $>15dB), high isolation ($ \lt - 19.4\,\, {\rm dB} $<−19.4dB), wide bandwidth ($ \gt 25\% $>25%), and small footprint (about 100[nm]) for high-coupling coefficients, while the double-gap coupler shows better directivity ($ \gt 30.17\,\, {\rm dB} $>30.17dB) and isolation ($ \lt - 41.5\,\, {\rm dB} $<−41.5dB) for a low-coupling coupler, so it is superior to other structures reported in the literature. The propagation loss and dimensions of the coupler waveguides have been efficiently controlled to remain small by optimizing the imaginary and real parts of the effective mode index of the surface plasmon polariton mode. The full-wave simulations show that the presented approach gives very good results for designing graphene-based directional couplers with different coupling coefficients. These structures are analyzed and optimized by the commercial COMSOL Multiphysics electromagnetic solver.

Evaporative coolers with single-phase induction motors (SPIMs) are one of the least efficient and most commonly used electrical power consumers all over the world. Recently, it has been suggested to substitute SPIMs with higher efficiency motors, such as permanent magnet brushless (PMBL) motors. However, control method for brushless motors often works based on speed, while laboratory tests indicate that due to fluid characteristics of the blower, the airflow rate is not just related to the speed, where increasing the cooler’s duct length reduces the airflow rate, thereby preventing the desired airflow rate to be reached. To overcome this problem, in this paper, a new power-based control scheme has been developed to stabilize the outlet airflow rate instead of the speed control. In this approach, the output power of PMBL motor is regulated around a set point power corresponding to the desired airflow rate. A 5000-m3/h evaporative cooler equipped with the brushless motor was tested with both constant speed and power control strategies. Results indicated the superiority of the proposed brushless motor drive and power control scheme.