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Key clinical message: Here, we present a case of relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis that experienced petechiae and epistaxis following treatment with second dose of alemtuzumab. This study highlights such effects, emphasizing the need for vigilance as alemtuzumab usage increases. Timely recognition and management are vital for patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The World Health Organization recommends regular monitoring of the efficacy of nationally recommended antimalarial drugs. We present the results of studies on the efficacy of recommended antimalarials and molecular markers of artemisinin and partner resistance in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Methods: Single‐arm prospective studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of artesunate‐sulfadoxine‐pyrimethamine (ASSP) in Afghanistan and Pakistan, artemether‐lumefantrine (AL) in all countries, or dihydroartemisinin‐piperaquine (DP) in Sudan for the treatment of Plasmodium falciparum. The efficacy of chloroquine (CQ) and AL for the treatment of Plasmodium vivax was evaluated in Afghanistan and Somalia, respectively. Patients were treated and monitored for 28 (CQ, ASSP and AL) or 42 (DP) days. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐corrected cure rate and parasite positivity rate at Day 3 were estimated. Mutations in the P. falciparum kelch 13 (Pfk13) gene and amplifications of plasmepsin (Pfpm2) and multidrug resistance‐1 (Pfmdr‐1) genes were also studied. Results: A total of 1680 (249 for ASSP, 1079 for AL and 352 for DP) falciparum cases were successfully assessed. A PCR‐adjusted ASSP cure rate of 100% was observed in Afghanistan and Pakistan. For AL, the cure rate was 100% in all but four sites in Sudan, where cure rates ranged from 92.1% to 98.8%. All but one patient were parasite‐free at Day 3. For P. vivax, cure rates were 98.2% for CQ and 100% for AL. None of the samples from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen had a Pfk13 mutation known to be associated with artemisinin resistance. In Sudan, the validated Pfk13 R622I mutation accounted for 53.8% (14/26) of the detected non‐synonymous Pfk13 mutations, most of which were repeatedly detected in Gadaref. A prevalence of 2.7% and 9.3% of Pfmdr1 amplification was observed in Pakistan and Yemen, respectively. Conclusion: High efficacy of ASSP, AL and DP in the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum infection and of CQ and AL in the treatment of P. vivax was observed in the respective countries. The repeated detection of a relatively high rate of Pfk13 R622I mutation in Sudan underscores the need for close monitoring of the efficacy of recommended ACTs, parasite clearance rates and Pfk13 mutations in Sudan and beyond. Registration numbers of the trials: ACTRN12622000944730 and ACTRN12622000873729 for Afghanistan, ACTRN12620000426987 and ACTRN12617001025325 for Pakistan, ACTRN12618001224213 for Somalia, ACTRN12617000276358, ACTRN12622000930785 and ACTRN12618001800213 for Sudan and ACTRN12617000283370 for Yemen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silk fibroin (SF), extracted from Bombyx mori, has unique physicochemical properties to achieve an efficient wound dressing. In this study, reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/ZnO NPs/silk fibroin nanocomposite was made, and an innovative nanofiber of SF/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/RGO/ZnO NPs was ready with the electrospinning technique and successfully characterized. The results of MIC and OD analyses were used to investigate the synthesized materials' antibacterial effects and displayed that the synthesized materials could inhibit growth against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria. However, both in vitro cytotoxicity (MTT) and scratch wound studies have shown that RGO/ZnO NPs and SF/PVA/RGO/ZnO NPs are not only non‐toxic to NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, but also can cause cell viability, cell proliferation, and cell migration. Furthermore, improving the synthesized nanofiber's structural properties in the presence of RGO and ZnO NPs has been confirmed by performing tensile strength, contact angle, and biodegradation analyses. Also, in a cell attachment analysis, fibroblast cells had migrated and expanded well in the nanofibrous structures. Moreover, in vivo assay, SF/PVA/RGO/ZnO NPs nanofiber treated rats and has been shown significant healing activity and tissue regeneration compared with other treated groups. Therefore, this study suggests that SF/PVA/RGO/ZnO NPs nanofiber is a hopeful wound dressing for preventing bacteria growth and improving superficial wound repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI) is a major cause of heart failure after myocardial infarction. Berberine (BBR) presents anti‐inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties in many diseases. Our research looked into the therapeutic effects and mechanism of BBR in MIRI. Methods and results: MIRI animal and cell models were established. The mRNA and protein expressions were assessed using reverse transcription and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction and western blot. The haemodynamic parameters (left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular ejection fraction) were detected by echocardiography. The myocardial infarct size and myocardium lesion were assessed by triphenyltetrazolium chloride and haematoxylin–eosin staining. The levels of injury factors were determined by ELISA. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick‐end labelling staining was performed to analyse cell apoptosis. Dual luciferase reporter gene and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were carried out to verify the interaction between miR‐340‐5p and HMGB1. BBR administration could improve the haemodynamic parameters and infarct size in MIRI rats (all P < 0.05). In MIRI rat model, BBR reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and inflammation (all P < 0.05). BBR could promote miR‐340‐5p expression (0.64 ± 0.21, P < 0.05), which is lowly expressed in MIRI group (0.24 ± 0.10, P < 0.01) in compare with the sham group (0.99 ± 0.01). MiR‐340‐5p knockdown abolished the protective effects of BBR on H/R‐treated cardiomyocytes (all P < 0.05). BBR suppressed the HMGB1/TLR4/NF‐κB pathway activation in MIRI. HMGB1 functioned as the target of miR‐340‐5p, and its silencing reversed the effect of miR‐340‐5p inhibitor on BBR‐treated MIRI. Conclusions: In MIRI, BBR repressed HMGB1‐mediated TLR4/NF‐κB signalling pathway through miR‐340‐5p to suppress cardiomyocyte apoptosis and inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Productivity and persistence in grasses are the results of a complex combination of many variables that affect plant growth all over the growing periods. The genetic variability and inheritance of seasonal productivity, persistence, and summer dormancy and their associations are poorly understood in tall fescue. In this study, half‐sib (HS) families of tall fescue derived from polycrosses, along with their corresponding parental genotypes were assessed for agro‐morphological traits at three harvests, persistence, and summer dormancy in the field during 2016–2019. High genotypic variation was observed for all the measured traits in the evaluated germplasm. In both parental genotypes and HS families, summer cuts had the lowest values of forage mass than spring and autumn cuts during all years of experiment. Summer dormancy index was negatively correlated with forage production and yield‐related traits. Forage mass at three cuts, persistence, and summer dormancy had lower narrow‐sense heritability (h2PFM) than yield‐related traits, which indicates that these traits may control by small effects of many genes than yield‐related traits. Based on the general combining ability (GCA) and the biplot of principal component analysis (PCA), genotypes 21M and 1E with high forage production were identified as preferable genotypes for forage use, which can be used in other breeding programs. In contrast, genotypes 17M and 4E with low forage productivity and high level of summer dormancy may be suitable for turf application. However, further experiments are needed to assess turf‐related traits, root characteristics, survival and their association with summer dormancy in this germplasm. Preferable genotypes for forage use and turf application were identified for future programs. Core Ideas: Little is known about the genetic base of seasonal productivity, persistence, and summer dormancy in tall fescue.Summer dormancy index was negatively correlated with forage production and yield‐related traits.Forage mass, persistence, and summer dormancy may control many genes by small non‐additive effects.Yield‐related traits may control by fewer genes with larger effects.Specific and suitable genotypes for forage use and turf application were identified for future programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metasurfaces are planar or 2D forms of metamaterials made up of arrays of antennas with a subwavelength thickness. They have been rapidly developed in the recent years due to their ability to manipulate light–matter interaction in both linear and non‐linear regimes at the nanoscale. Various metasurfaces display remarkable optical features, such as acute resonance, significant near‐field enhancement, and suitable capacity to support electric and magnetic modes, on account of the strong light–matter interaction and the low optical loss. Due to these important properties, they can be used in several advanced optoelectronic applications, like surface‐enhanced spectroscopy, photocatalysis, and sensing. This review reports on the recent progress of metamaterials and metasurfaces in molecular optical sensors. The principles that govern plasmonic and dielectric metasurfaces along with their features are outlined, supported by numerous examples. Then, the factors that result in a high Q‐factor are presented in order to show that metamaterials and metasurfaces can be used for label‐free sensing in a variety of detection mechanisms, including surface‐enhanced spectroscopy, refractometric sensing, and surface‐enhanced thermal emission spectroscopy via infrared absorption and Raman scattering, as well as chiral sensing. Finally, the challenges for future development are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transient stability is one of the major features of power systems operation which can be also considered an objective function in the flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) allocation problem. This paper introduces a general multi‐level multi‐objective optimisation framework and its application on optimising the size and location of the improved hybrid flow controller (IHFC). IHFC is a new member of the FACTS family whose ability to control power flow and improve power system stability has been investigated. The optimisation problem considers economic and stability‐based objective functions simultaneously, and the allocation problem is formulated as a non‐linear programming (NLP) problem. The New England 39‐bus system has been used as a case study to demonstrate that the proposed framework can provide efficient and economically viable solutions to the allocation problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe/Nx/C electrocatalysts have appeared as one of the promising non‐platinum group metal (non‐PGM) electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in energy conversion devices. These non‐PGM electrocatalysts Fe/N/C need structural tuning of pores to improve the surface area for high‐performance ORR in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. In this report, the specific surface area of poly‐melamine‐formaldehyde (PMF)‐based Fe/N/C electrocatalysts was enhanced without using a template through simple CO2‐assisted pyrolysis. The highly porous electrocatalyst exhibited an onion‐like graphitic structure and an efficient catalytic activity for ORR, comparable to Pt/C electrocatalyst. At 0.95 VRHE, the mass activity of the PMF‐based PMF−Fe/N/C‐CO2/Ar electrocatalyst was 63 % that of a commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst. Moreover, the devised fabrication process for the PMF−Fe/N/C electrocatalysts with a high specific surface area can be readily scaled up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores whether, and how, mindfulness mediates the relationship between spiritual leadership and human engineering. Based on data from a sample of 335 members of faculty and administrative staff from Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Saudi Arabia, the paper provides insights into how mindfulness affects the relationship between spiritual leadership and human engineering. The authors believe that it is the first time that mindfulness as a mediator in this relationship has been studied. They also believe that it is the first time such a study has been conducted in an Arab environment. By studying the relationship between spiritual leadership and human engineering, and by studying mindfulness as a mediating variable in this relationship in a non‐Western environment, the study expands the external validity of the notions of spiritual leadership and human engineering. The results indicate a significant relationship between spiritual leadership and human engineering, and show that mindfulness has an indirect effect on this relationship. The article highlights the implications for dealing with stress in the work environment by using mindfulness as a driver for developing spiritual leadership, as well as understanding and practicing the values of spiritual leadership in promoting spirituality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: The COVID‐19 pandemic poses an extraordinary threat to global public health. We designed an ecological study to explore the association between socioeconomic factors and the COVID‐19 outcomes in 184 countries, using the geographic map and multilevel regression models. Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional ecological study in 184 countries. We performed regression analysis to assess the association of various socioeconomic variables with COVID‐19 outcomes in 184 countries, using ordinary least squares and multilevel modeling analysis. We performed two‐level analyses with countries at Level 1 and geographical regions at Level 2 in multilevel modeling analysis, using the same set of predictor variables used in ordinary least squares. Results: There was a significant relationship between COVID‐19 cases rate (Log) per 100,000 inhabitants‐day at risk with human development index (HDI), percentage of the urban population, unemployment, and cardiovascular disease prevalence. The results displayed that the variances are varied between Level 1 (country level) and Level 2 (World Health Organization [WHO] regions), meaning that the geographic distribution represented a proportion of the changes in the COVID‐19 outcomes. Conclusion: The study suggests that in addition to the socioeconomic status affects the COVID‐19 outcomes, countries' geographical location makes a part of changes in outcomes of diseases. Therefore, health policy‐makers could overcome morbidity and mortality in COVID‐19 by controlling the socioeconomics factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dietary selenium (Se), as an antioxidant element, plays a protective role in aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) toxicosis in poultry. Objectives: To compare the effects of sodium selenite (SS) and Se nanoparticles (SeNPs) against AFB1‐induced toxicity on growth performance, carcass traits, immune response, antioxidant status and serum lipid concentrations in Japanese broiler quails. Methods: A total of 540 quails were divided into six treatments, each with six replicates and 15 birds per replicate at 24 days of age and reared for 21 days. Treatments included: (1) a basal diet without Se and AFB1 (negative control; NC); (2) NC + 1.0 mg/kg AFB1 (positive control; PC); (3) PC + 0.2 mg/kg Se as SS; (4) PC + 0.5 mg/kg Se as SS; (5) PC + 0.2 mg/kg Se as SeNPs; and (6) PC + 0.5 mg/kg Se as SeNPs. Results: Treatment with PC diet decreased feed intake and body weight gain and increased feed conversion ratio than the NC diet. The PC diet also atrophied the lymphoid organs and depressed antibody responses against Newcastle disease and avian influenza viruses and sheep red blood cell. Moreover, quails treated with PC diet appeared to have lower serum glutathione peroxidase and thioredoxin reductase activities and disturbed serum lipids than those receiving the NC diet. Dietary Se attenuated these detrimental effects, but failed to completely eliminate them. Additionally, SeNPs performed better than SS in improving thioredoxin reductase activity and antibody titer against sheep red blood cell. Conclusions: Diet supplementation with SeNPs to provide 0.5 mg/kg of Se is recommended to reduce the AFB1 toxicosis in broiler quails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trivalent rare‐earth (RE3+) doped phosphors show tremendous achievement in narrow band multicolor line emission for various applications. However, the 4f–4f absorption transition of these ions is forbidden in UV and blue light excitation. Usually, a sensitizer having spin allowed transition was used as a co‐dopant to excite these ions via the energy transfer phenomenon. Another approach promisingly using to excite these ions by efficient energy transfer from the intrinsic emission of the Ca2LuTaO6 double perovskite phosphors host lattice. Phosphors of Ca2LuTaO6 with double perovskite structure were synthesized by using a high‐temperature solid‐state reaction method. The produced Ca2LuTaO6 double perovskite phosphors show an intrinsic broad band emission centered at 424 nm under the excitation of 313 nm UV light. The origin of this broad band blue emission was deeply investigated by using computation and experimental approaches. The trivalent activator Dy3+ and Eu3+ were doped is a single and co‐dopant in the produced Ca2LuTaO6 phosphors to check their excitation in UV and near‐UV spectral region. X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were used to investigate the structure and phase analysis. Various characterizations such as photoluminescence excitation, emission, and CIE chromaticity coordinates were measured which illustrate the potential of Dy3+ and Eu3+ activated Ca2LuTaO6 double perovskite phosphors for narrow band multicolor line emission for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)‐based bone cements (BCs) can be defined as a family of materials that consist of powder and liquid phases which after mixing form a plastic paste that can self‐set once implanted in the human body. PMMA‐based BCs are easily molded and adapted to complex bone cavities or used in orthodontic applications to restore dental damage. The main advantages of the use of cement are the excellent primary fixation between bone and implant and, therefore, the faster recovery of the patient. Despite the initial success rate of implant fixation with BCs, they have some disadvantages such as local tissue damage due to exothermic polymerization reactions, mechanical mismatch between native bone and cement, lack of bone regeneration and bioactivity and poor mechanical properties which may cause the failure of the BCs. BCs are still considered as a top option for bone repair. Due to the disadvantages highlighted, research has focused on alternative materials used with PMMA‐based BCs. This review aims to critically review the BCs and emerging materials used in combination with PMMA‐based BCs. These materials include titania, apatite–wollastonite (A‐W), glass ceramic (GC) and hydroxyapatite (HA). The review discusses the properties of these materials and their pathway to clinical study. Among the various kinds of reinforcement, HA has been extensively used. So, in this review, we compare the effects of HA as reinforcement in PMMA‐based BCs. Upcoming study of PMMA‐based BCs should concentrate on trialing combinations of these reinforcing agents as this might improve beneficial characteristics. © 2020 Society of Industrial Chemistry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was performed for a better understanding of genotypic responses of a germplasm of tall fescue to different prolonged drought stresses and exogenously applied salicylic acid (SA) in terms of drought tolerance, postdrought recovery, persistence and root‐related traits. Twenty‐one diverse tall fescue genotypes were evaluated under three irrigation treatments (IT) (normal, mild and intense drought stress) and the presence of two SA concentrations (0 and 1 mM) during 2015–2017. In the fourth year (2018), irrigation was withheld in all treatments for two months in summer (severe drought) and then plants were rewatered to investigate the effect of previous treatments on the mentioned traits. Results indicated that recovery after severe drought and persistence in tall fescue depends on previous environmental conditions with clear differences in genotypic responses. Foliar application of SA improved forage production, drought tolerance, postdrought recovery and most of the root traits, while it had a negative effect on persistence and root length. Associations amongst traits under different treatments and selection of superior genotypes will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In this study, a Fe‐MOF was synthesized via a coprecipitation procedure and then used as support for stabilizing Ag ions and producing three‐dimensional cluster bud Ag2O@Fe‐MOF nanoflower composite (3D CB Ag2O@Fe‐MOF NFC) by microwave irradiation. The synthesized 3D CB Ag2O@Fe‐MOF NFC was applied as a heterogeneous nano‐organocatalyst in green and new preparation of naphthopyranopyrimidines via three‐component condensation of aryl aldehydes, β‐naphthol, and barbituric acids in the solvent‐free conditions at 100°C. Convenience, solvent‐free conditions, good yield, and short reaction time make this strategy a promising candidate compared to other methods. The reusability and high efficiency of this catalyst four times without any notable loss of its activity makes this strategy attractive for large‐scale eco‐friendly applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self‐healing epoxy composite working at subroom temperature could be useful in aerospace industry and wind turbine blades. In this research, hybrid core‐shell nanofibers mat containing epoxy resin and mercaptan was embedded in epoxy matrix to investigate repeated self‐healing ability of the fabricated composite at subroom temperature (10°C). The results of three‐point bending test illustrated that the release of epoxy resin and mercaptan into cracks and curing reaction between them could restore flexural properties of the composite. In fourth bending cycle, flexural modulus of composite reinforced by hybrid mat and unreinforced epoxy (without nanofiber) was reduced 6% and 24%, respectively. In addition, hybrid mat reinforced composite was broken at fifth bending cycle whereas for unreinforced epoxy specimen occurred at fourth bending cycle. Non‐isothermal differential scanning calorimetry thermograms after each three‐point bending cycle of hybrid mat reinforced composite showed an exothermic peak centered about 64°C. This peak is related to epoxy and mercaptan reaction that could confirm self‐healing ability of hybrid core‐shell nanofibers mat. Extraction results, FTIR analysis, and three‐point bending test showed the stability of epoxy and mercaptan into nanofibers during 8 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has exacerbated the need for grass varieties that are able to not only tolerate prolonged drought stress, but also to recover well post‐drought. The genetic basis of post‐drought recovery related traits and their association with drought tolerance has not yet been thoroughly investigated in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb. syn. Lolium arundinaceum). Polycross‐derived half‐sib families (HF) were assessed for agro‐morphological traits in the field under three irrigation levels (normal, mild drought, and intense drought stresses) during 2017 and 2018. In the 3rd year (2019), irrigation was withheld for all treatments for 2 mo; after 6 wk re‐watering, the families were assessed for post‐drought recovery. Considerable genetic variation was observed among HF for measured traits. The results show that increased intensity of water stress had adverse effects on post‐drought recovery potential and production. Moderately high values of narrow‐sense heritability for yield components and recovery related traits suggest the influence of additive gene action in the expression of these traits. Significant correlation of yield productivity and recovery forage yield with morphological traits and stress tolerance index indicate that forage production and recovery potential can be predicted via developing an index. The results also indicated that the recovery rate measured in the 3rd year was positively correlated with number of stems per plant and crown diameter of previous years. Based on the general combining ability (GCA) and application of multivariate analysis, families were identified that may be useful for high‐yield production and post‐drought recovery potential as well as turf application. Core Ideas: Recovery related traits were mainly controlled by additive gene effects.Application of a criteria to indirectly improve forage yield is possible under drought.Specific genotypes for forage use and turf application were identified for future programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In arid and semi‐arid regions of the world, high temperature stress adversely affects growth and development of cool‐season grasses during late spring and summer. Salicylic acid (SA) is one of the endogenous plant growth regulators that plays an important role in the regulation of plant growth and development in response to high temperature stress. The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of SA in alleviating the negative effects of high temperature during the summer in different tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) genotypes under field conditions. Twenty genotypes of tall fescue (selected from a broad native and exotic germplasm) were assessed at field condition for morphological and physiological characteristics during 2016 and 2017 under normal irrigation in the presence of two SA concentrations (0 and 1 mM). High temperature during the summer led to induction of incomplete summer dormancy and depression in summer forage yield. Application of SA decreased the adverse effects of high temperature stress by elevation of photosynthetic pigments, proline accumulation, and increasing nonenzyme and enzymatic antioxidant activities, and could therefore be used to enhance forage yield and heat tolerance in tall fescue genotypes. The genotypes exhibited obvious differences in their response to SA application under the semiarid climate conditions of central Iran. Among the studied genotypes, 3L and 1E were recognized as heat tolerant and stable genotypes that would be preferable for regions with high temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, MnSb2O6‐chitosan nanocomposites were synthesized and have been employed in Pechmann condensation for the synthesis of coumarin derivatives. MnSb2O6‐chitosan nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) techniques. The particles of MnSb2O6‐chitosan have uniform spheres with sizes that are less than 100 nm. Simplicity, easy work‐up, and short reaction times are advantages of this reaction. Also, we evaluated the antibacterial activity for some of the products, and the result showed significant pharmaceutical activities as antibacterial reagents against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of organic ligands into metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with a specific topology and that cannot be attained by direct synthesis is a big challenge. To meet this challenge, different ligand exchange/incorporation methods have been employed. Here, a new method, called ultrasonic‐assisted linker exchange (USALE), has been developed to overcome the above‐mentioned problems. USALE is a novel method for ligand exchange based on the use of ultrasonic waves. The temperature and pressure caused by the USALE method in microscopic zones are so intense that the linker exchange process is much faster than with other methods. In addition to saving time during synthesis, the use of the USALE method leads to a higher surface area and pore volume compared with other methods such as solvent‐assisted linker exchange (SALE). In this way, improved gas adsorption capacity has been achieved for daughter frameworks synthesized by the USALE method. By using the USALE method, we have transformed a nonporous and easy‐to‐synthesize TMU framework ([Zn(OBA)(BPDB)0.5]n⋅2DMF (TMU‐4), in which H2OBA=4,4′‐oxybis(benzoic acid) and BPDB=1,4‐di(4‐pyridyl)‐2,3‐diaza‐1,3‐butadiene) into another porous framework ([Zn(OBA)(H2DPT)0.5]n⋅DMF (TMU‐34), in which H2DPT=3,6‐di(4‐pyridyl)‐1,4‐dihydro‐1,2,4,5‐tetrazine) that otherwise requires a relatively long time to synthesize. In addition to reducing the synthesis time for TMU‐34 (in comparison with both direct sonochemical synthesis and the indirect SALE method), the data obtained revealed that the daughter TMU‐34 framework synthesized by the USALE method has a higher surface area and accessible pore volume than TMU‐34 frameworks synthesized by SALE and direct methods. The application of SALE‐TMU‐34 and USALE‐TMU‐34 in a catalytic Henry condensation reaction and Congo Red adsorption experiments showed that the higher porosity of USALE‐TMU‐34 leads to a higher turn‐over frequency and saturation capacity compared with SALE‐TMU‐34. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photo(electro)catalytic nitrogen fixation is considered as a competing alternative for the Haber-Bosch (HB) process due to the direct production of ammonia (NH3) from nitrogen and water with zero carbon dioxide emission, which has made it a very hot research topic in recent years. Particularly, photo-driven nitrogen reduction has been attracted to a specific focus in the scientific community since it can be powered by limitless solar energy at ambient conditions. However, unsolved challenges have remained to date such as, electron-hole separation, low quantum efficiency, weak visible light harvesting, catalytic selectivity, N2 adsorption, and activation. In this Review, the recent achievements and related approaches toward nitrogen fixation are presented. In addition, the discussions on mechanistic photofixation of nitrogen, catalytic engineering design, and the outlook for enhancing the photocatalytic performance of ammonia photosynthesis are also devoted. Finally, the emerging trend of advanced photo(electro)catalysts for nitrogen fixation is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present research, via the solvent casting method, Chitosan(CS)/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposite films were prepared through the use of four different percentages (1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 wt%) of CS as polymer matrix and two percentages (0.5 and 1 wt%) of MWCNTs as ceramic reinforcement. Based on the results of TGA, it was shown that the addition of MWCNTs augmented the thermal stability of CS film. The results of XRD showed that MWCNTs induced the crystallization of chitosan film and FTIR analysis demonstrated the formation of CS/MWCNTs composite film. According to the results of tensile tests, the highest strength belonged to 2.5 wt% CS/0.5 wt% MWCNTs nanocomposite film which was increased by 176% (from 18.26 to 50.46 MPa) in comparison to tensile strength of 2.5 wt% CS film and the Young's modulus of CS/MWCNTs film increased by 195% (from 406 to 1,197 MPa) in comparison to the Young's modulus of CS film. The best film with 2.5 wt% CS/0.5 wt % MWCNTs was selected as an optimum sample for other experiments. Contact angle analysis indicated that with the addition of MWCNTs, the contact angle of CS films decreased. The results of bioactivity test showed that adding 0.5 wt% MWCNTs to CS film improved the bioactivity of CS film. Based on the biodegradability evaluation, the addition of MWCNTs to CS film reduced the degradation rate of CS film. The research illustrated the potentials of CS/MWCNTs in bone substitute. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:E1622–E1632, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates multi-layer coding over a dirty-paper channel. First, it is demonstrated that superposition coding in such channel still achieves the capacity of interference-free additive white Gaussian noise channel when the transmitter is non-causally aware of interference signal. Then, the problem is extended to the dirty-paper block fading channel, where it is shown that in the lack of channel information at the transmitter, the so-called broadcast approach maximises the average achievable rate of such channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: CuxZn0.5‐xMg0.5Fe2O4 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5) ferrite nanoparticles are synthesized via thermal treatment technique using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a capping agent. The effect of Cu2+ ions substitution on the magnetic and structural properties of ZnMg ferrite nanoparticles is assessed. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) results prove the formation of spinel cubic ferrite with nanocrystalline structure. It is observed by increasing Cu2+ ions content in Cu2+‐substituted ZnMg ferrite samples, the lattice constant decreases. The field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) micrographs indicate that all samples have sizes in nanometer scale with almost spherical morphology and ZnMg ferrite nanoparticles size is increased as the result of Cu2+ substitution. Magnetic data show that by increasing in Cu2+ content, the saturation magnetization (Ms) increases up to x = 0.3 and then declines with the addition of more Cu2+ ions in the samples. To assess the heat release of Cu2+‐substituted ZnMg ferrite nanoparticles, an alternating magnetic (AC) field is applied. The results show an upward trend for the samples in the temperature vs time chart, as a result of increasing in Ms of the samples. The Cu0.3Zn0.2Mg0.5Fe2O4 sample exhibits a temperature increase up to 43°C during 510 seconds in the exposure of 125 Oe magnetic field intensity. The cell compatibility of the samples is investigated using osteoblast‐like cells (MG63). Results show that the substitution of Cu2+ significantly affects the cell compatibility of the ZnMg ferrite nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the present work, vanadium‐doped ZnO nanoparticles with different V concentrations were prepared via microemulsion method and employed as an effective photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue. The prepared samples were characterized by different techniques such as thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG‐DTA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental mapping (MAP), and ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy (Uv‐Vis). The XRD patterns of vanadium‐doped samples were assigned to wurtzite structure of ZnO and vanadium ions were incorporated into the lattice of zinc oxide. SEM images showed that the synthesized pure zinc oxide has irregular morphology and with adding vanadium dopant, rod and cube‐like morphology appeared. The band gap energy of pure ZnO decreased from 3.3 to 3.21 eV on adding 1% vanadium. The results showed that the zinc oxide doped with 1% vanadium exhibited better photocatalytic activity compared to other samples. The possible mechanism for improving of photodegradation efficiency of doped samples was also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A stable and biocompatible targeting complex CFNs@PEG‐FA is developed. The initially synthesized cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CFNs) were treated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in order to improve biocompatibility of the CFNs. Citric acid (CA) was used as the coupling agent, which made PEG to bond with the CFNs. CFNs@PEG were conjugated with folic acid (FA) to synthesize CFNs@PEG‐FA, which was capable of targeting the FA receptor positive (FAR+) cancer cells. Synthesized nanoparticles were physically and chemically analyzed using EDX, FT‐IR, XRD, TGA, FESEM, TEM, DLS, and VSM. The biocompatibility of CFNs@PEG‐FA was assessed in vitro on HSF 1184 (human skin fibroblast cells) and HeLa (human cervical cancer cell, FAR+) using MTT assay and AO/EB staining florescence method. High level of CFNs@PEG‐FA binding to HeLa was confirmed through quantitative and qualitative in vitro targeting studies. Results show that CFNs@PEG‐FA can be a potential biomaterial for use in biomedical trials, especially magnetic hyperthermia. The findings through this in vitro study are to be compared in future with those of in vivo studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Configurable electronic devices have been developed to provide more flexibility in the advanced digital system design, which needs more device density and there by relies on device scaling. Besides, International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductor (ITRS) has predicted scaling limitation for conventional silicon (Si)‐based devices. Researches on post‐Si materials have proved that carbon could be one of the material which can replaced with Si. Owing to exceptional properties of graphene, designs with graphene‐based devices can replace with Si based ones. This study proposes design and characterisation of graphene‐based simple field‐programmable gate array as a platform of configurable logic structure for future developments. This study focuses on design and characterisation of configurable logic block (CLB), flip‐flop as internal sequential logic devices in CLB, and routing switch, which are designed using graphene nanoribbon field‐effect transistor (GNRFET). The results indicate that proposed CLB is much faster than Si based one and power–delay product of proposed sequential element is much lesser than its counterpart in Si‐based technology. In addition, the proposed GNRFET‐based routing switch requires minimum count of 6 transistors to provide desirable functionality. Foreseeing the feasibility of architecture, this study suggests the possible layout of the proposed logic elements needed for CLB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ligands 3,6-di(pyridin-4-yl)-1,4-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (H2DPT), as a pillar spacer, and 4,4′-oxybis(benzoic acid) (H2OBA), as a dicarboxylate linker, have been used to develop a dihydrotetrazine-functionalized pillared metal-organic framework (MOF), [Zn(OBA)(H2DPT)0.5] ⋅DMF (TMU-34), as a functionally convertible stimuli-responsive MOF-based sensor. Sonochemically synthesized TMU-34 powder has been employed in the sensing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The results show that TMU-34 can act as a solid-state, naked-eye visual chemosensor for the detection of chloroform in the liquid and gas phases. TMU-34, as a chemo-switchable MOF with rapid response, undergoes a significant color change from yellow to pink through reversible dynamic conversion of dihydrotetrazine into tetrazine upon exposure to chloroform in the presence of other VOCs. Whereas other colorimetric MOF-based sensors show a wide range of color changes in the presence of different analytes, TMU-34 undergoes a color change only in the presence of chloroform. A mechanism for the observed color change is proposed on the basis of UV/Vis and 1H NMR spectroscopic studies. These observations reveal that TMU-34 represents one of the most promising candidates for the highly selective and sensitive detection of chloroform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ligands 3,6-di(pyridin-4-yl)-1,4-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (H2DPT), as a pillar spacer, and 4,4′-oxybis(benzoic acid) (H2OBA), as a dicarboxylate linker, have been used to develop a dihydrotetrazine-functionalized pillared metal-organic framework (MOF), [Zn(OBA)(H2DPT)0.5] ⋅DMF (TMU-34), as a functionally convertible stimuli-responsive MOF-based sensor. Sonochemically synthesized TMU-34 powder has been employed in the sensing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The results show that TMU-34 can act as a solid-state, naked-eye visual chemosensor for the detection of chloroform in the liquid and gas phases. TMU-34, as a chemo-switchable MOF with rapid response, undergoes a significant color change from yellow to pink through reversible dynamic conversion of dihydrotetrazine into tetrazine upon exposure to chloroform in the presence of other VOCs. Whereas other colorimetric MOF-based sensors show a wide range of color changes in the presence of different analytes, TMU-34 undergoes a color change only in the presence of chloroform. A mechanism for the observed color change is proposed on the basis of UV/Vis and 1H NMR spectroscopic studies. These observations reveal that TMU-34 represents one of the most promising candidates for the highly selective and sensitive detection of chloroform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of quaternary nitride solid solutions with a general formula of Sr1-xCaxLiAl3N4:0.5%Eu2+ was synthesized by a solid-state reaction method. The experimental results showed that a proper amount of Ca-doping can improve the crystallinity and the photoluminescence properties of the produced phosphors. Rietveld refinement showed that the volume of the unit cell shrank with the increase of Ca substitution for Sr, which resulted in a red shift of the emission spectra from 654 to 665 nm under blue excitation at 475 nm. Rietveld refinement and CASTPE calculations suggested that Ca2+ ions prefer to occupy the smaller Sr(I) sites in the crystal lattice, which increases the amount of Eu2+ ions in Sr(II) sites and enables the tuning of the chromaticity coordinates of the obtained phosphors. The thermal stability of the produced phosphors is better than that of commercial Sr2Si5N8:Eu2+ phosphor. The experimental results qualify the solid-solution Sr1-xCaxLiAl3N4:0.5%Eu2+ for consideration as a potential candidate for application in white LEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asphaltene precipitation and deposition is a serious issue in all facets of petroleum production and processing. Despite the numerous experimental efforts concerning asphaltenes, the effect of temperature on asphaltene precipitation and aggregation in live oils remains an elusive and controversial subject in the available literature. In this work, a series of high pressure-high temperature depressurization experiments were designed to assess the effect of temperature on asphaltene precipitation and aggregation in light live oils. Asphaltene related experiments were performed using a high pressure microscope and high pressure-high temperature filtration setup on a light live oil with a low asphaltene content and a high potential of asphaltene formation. The results of the experiments were interpreted in terms of asphaltene onset pressure, size distribution and average diameter of the aggregates, fractal dimension of the asphaltene aggregates, and the amount of precipitated asphaltene. It was found that the depressurization process at higher temperatures resulted in higher asphaltene onset pressure or earlier formation of asphaltenes. Visualization experiments showed that asphaltene aggregates in light live oil are pressure-temperature fractal structures. The depressurization process at lower temperatures led to the formation of highly porous and loose aggregate structures with relatively low fractal dimensions. As the temperature of the depressurization process decreases, the mechanism of asphaltene aggregation changes gradually from reaction-limited aggregation to diffusion-limited aggregation. This research reveals that temperature has crucial effects on the asphaltene aggregation process in light live oils at elevated pressures, which is of great importance for asphaltene handling and separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethno-botanical inspired isolation from plant Scoparia dulcis Linn. (Sweet Broomweed) yielded six compounds, coixol (1), glutinol (2), glutinone (3), friedelin (4), betulinic acid (5), and tetratriacontan-1-ol (6). There structures were identified using mass and 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy techniques. Compounds 1-6 were evaluated for their insulin secretory activity on isolated mice islets and MIN-6 pancreatic β-cell line, and compounds 1 and 2 were found to be potent and mildly active, respectively. Compound 1 was further evaluated for insulin secretory activity on MIN-6 cells. Compound 1 was subjected to in vitro cytotoxicity assay against MIN-6, 3T3 cell lines, and islet cells, and in vivo acute toxicity test in mice that was found to be non-toxic. The insulin secretory activity of compounds 1 and 2 supported the ethno-botanic uses of S. dulcis as an anti-diabetic agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An improved configuration of the hybrid flow controller (HFC) is introduced to continuously adjust the power flow. In this configuration, a thyristor‐controlled series capacitance (TCSC) is added to the conventional HFC to provide continuous variation in the HFC reactance. Moreover, simple closed‐loop control methods are designed by considering all the practical constraints of TCSC for this improved HFC (IHFC) and another hybrid arrangement, which is called hybrid power flow controller. Furthermore, to compare and highlight features of the IHFC, simulation results of the designed controllers are carried out in different operating conditions and disturbances. This study also provides a quantitative comparison of various hybrid flexible AC transmission system devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrusion detection systems (IDSs) have an important effect on system defense and security. Recently, most IDS methods have used transformed features, selected features, or original features. Both feature transformation and feature selection have their advantages. Neighborhood component analysis feature transformation and genetic feature selection (NCAGAFS) is proposed in this research. NCAGAFS is based on soft computing and data mining and uses the advantages of both transformation and selection. This method transforms features via neighborhood component analysis and chooses the best features with a classifier based on a genetic feature selection method. This novel approach is verified using the KDD Cup99 dataset, demonstrating higher performances than other well-known methods under various classifiers have demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, compaction, sintering behavior, and mechanical properties of Al2O3-CeO2 composite nanopowders were investigated. Al2O3 and Al2O3-CeO2 composite nanopowders were prepared by a sol-gel method. The effect of CeO2 on compressibility, sintering rate, final density, and mechanical properties was studied. The aggregation strength of nanopowders reduced from 158 to 101 MPa by adding 5 wt% CeO2. The amount of CeO2 had a strong effect on the sintering behavior and final microstructure of nanopowders and it inhibited alumina grain growth and suppressed densification process. The activation energy for grain growth increased from 428 to 554 kJ/mol by adding 5 wt% CeO2 to the nanopowders. The addition of 5 wt% CeO2 improved fracture toughness (by 28%) and flexural strength (by 17%) with respect to monolithic Al2O3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moini M, Hoseini-Asl MK, Taghavi SA, Sagheb MM, Nikeghbalian S, Salahi H, Bahador A, Motazedian M, Jafari P, Malek-Hosseini SA. Hyponatremia a valuable predictor of early mortality in patients with cirrhosis listed for liver transplantation. Clin Transplant 2011: 25: 638-645. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Abstract: The current policy for organ allocation in liver transplantation is to give priority to the sickest patients mostly using model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score in ranking. However, other factors as serum sodium may be of value in predicting early mortality. In this single-center study, patients with cirrhosis over age 14 on the liver transplant wait-list from September 1998 to June 2007 were followed for six months from the time of listing to evaluate the value of hyponatremia on mortality. Of 612 listed patients, 51 were transplanted who were excluded from survival analysis and 55 died without transplantation within the first three months. The numbers of transplanted and dead patients during months 3-6 were 29 and 24, respectively. Both MELD score and serum sodium at the time of listing were independent predictors of early mortality. On bivariate analysis, serum sodium of <130 mEq/L beside MELD was a significant predictor of mortality within 90 and 180 d. Serum sodium level <135 mEq/L masked the difference in mortality between patients with refractory and non-refractory ascites. Serum sodium level of <130 mEq/L and an increased MELD score are significant predictors of early mortality in patients listed for liver transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of a potent hydrophobic adsorbent, AC (activated charcoal), to induce total taxane synthesis and to improve the recovery of the products from suspension culture of Taxus baccata L. was examined. The results strongly showed that the application of encapsulated AC as an adsorbent not only led to improvement of in situ recover but also led to enhancement in taxane synthesis within the cells as well as having no inhibitory effects on the cell growth. The maximum yields for 10-deacetyl baccatin III, baccatin III and taxol were achieved by adding 1 g·l−1 adsorbent as alginate beads to the culture and culturing for 21 days and these were 3.5-, 4- and 2-fold respectively of that for the control. We demonstrated that the late exponential phase of the cell growth (day 14) could be the best time to add the adsorbent for maximizing the yield of taxol. Adding 1 g·l−1 AC resulted in maximum extracellular taxol (5.584 mg·l−1); this value was 2.19-fold higher than that in the control. According to the present results, AC is a powerful adsorbent that efficiently adsorbs the taxane compounds from a medium. We suggested that encapsulated AC could be used as a promising adsorbent agent for large-scale taxane production when it is added in combination with proper elicitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, the effects of milling and calcination temperature on the compressibility and sinterability of a nanocrystalline Al2O3–Y3Al5O12 composite powder prepared by an aqueous sol–gel method were investigated. The results showed that calcination temperature has a strong influence on the sinterability and final microstructure of amorphous powders. The lower calcination temperatures below 800°C resulted in the reduction of density and formation of a vermicular microstructure after sintering. It was also found that breaking of hard agglomerates into particles and smaller agglomerates after 1 h of milling leads to an increase in green density at the early stage of compaction when the rearrangement of particles is the dominant mechanism of the densification. The best-performing sample was that calcined at 800°C and milled for 1 h, which yielded a relative density of 95% with a micronic/sub-micronic microstructure after sintering at 1500°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is shown that hybrid Dirac and Weyl semimetals can be realized in a 3D Luttinger semimetal with quadratic band touching (QBT). This is illustrated using a periodic kicking scheme. In particular, the focus is on a momentum‐dependent driving (nonuniform driving) and the realization of various hybrid Dirac and Weyl semimetals is demonstrated. A unique hybrid dispersion Dirac semimetal with two nodes is identified, where one of the nodes is linear while the other is dispersed quadratically. Next, it is shown that by tilting QBT via periodic driving and in the presence of an external magnetic field, one can realize various single/double hybrid Weyl semimetals depending on the strength of external field. Finally, it is noted that in principle, phases that are found in this work can also be realized by employing the appropriate electronic interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Co3O4 nanocatalysts were constructed in environmentally appropriate conditions using controlled, effective, and facile microwave method. The final nanostructures were characterized by SEM, XRD, and TEM analyses. The products had a small size distribution, homogeneous morphology, and crystallographic structures associated with the formation of Co3O4 nanostructures. Moreover, EDS mapping analysis confirmed the existence of Co and O elements in the final structure, and the magnetic properties of the samples were investigated by VSM. The application of this nanostructure in a catalytic process was further examined, and the results suggested that it could be used as a novel candidate for the synthesis of arylidene barbituric and Meldrum,s acid through Knoevenagel condensation of aldehydes by barbituric and Meldrum,s acid in aqueous media. The high yield of these nanocatalysts would be justified by the nature of the nanostructure as well as the experimental procedure developed in this study, which affected the physicochemical features of the products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]