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Abstract This study investigates the impact of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted assessment on young L2 learners’ vocabulary knowledge, immunity, and resilience, considering parental and teacher support roles. Sixty junior high school students in Afghanistan, aged 13 to 14, participated in the study. They were divided into an experimental group receiving AI-assisted assessment and a control group with traditional instruction. The research employed a pretest–posttest control group design, using teacher-made vocabulary tests validated for reliability and instruments measuring immunity and resilience. The findings revealed that AI-assisted assessment significantly improved vocabulary knowledge and emotional resilience compared to the control group. While parental support showed a positive trend toward vocabulary enhancement, teacher support did not significantly impact the outcomes. The study highlights the potential of AI in language education, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts among educators, parents, materials developers, syllabus designers, and policymakers to maximize the benefits of AI tools. These findings underscore the importance of integrating advanced technologies into educational frameworks to support cognitive and emotional development in learners.

Abstract Exposure of individuals to heavy metals (HMs) is a growing concern with far-reaching implications for human health. HMs encompass a diverse range of elements that, when present in excess or in particular chemical forms, have the potential to elicit adverse effects on the central nervous system and cognitive function. This systematic review aims to comprehensively investigate the relationship between exposure to HMs and neurocognitive function in adults. The methodological framework for this review adheres rigorously to the Meta-analyses Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. A meticulous and extensive search strategy was executed within PubMed and Web of Science, specifically targeting articles published in the English language until the cutoff date of December 5, 2023. The evaluation of the retrieved studies was systematically conducted by employing the assessment approach outlined by (Gascon et al. in Environ Int 86 60 67, 2016). The initial search yielded a substantial pool of 1573 articles, culminating in a refined selection comprising eight pertinent studies, collectively enrolling a participant cohort totalling n = 1,828,126. Notably, the studies under review predominantly manifested a cross-sectional or cohort design and were geographically situated within the continents of North America and Asia. Furthermore, it is imperative to underscore that a predominant and recurring observation emanating from the majority of the scrutinized investigations underscores a significant correlation between exposure to cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) and deleterious neurocognitive outcomes in the adult population. In summary, our systematic review postulates that exposure to HMs through various routes of exposure harbors the potential for adverse effects on adult neurocognitive function; however, it is incumbent upon future research endeavors to validate and corroborate these findings through further empirical exploration.

This study aimed to preconcentration of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in water and biological samples. Ultrasound-assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (UA-DLLME) and ultrasound-assisted dispersive solid-phase microextraction (UA-DSPME) methods paired with spectrophotometry were applied to extraction and preconcentration of SMX. ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles were prepared as adsorbent in UA-DSPME method by hydrothermal method. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique showed that the adsorbent had symmetrical, bullet-shaped particles with uniform size. The results of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed the successful synthesis of the ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles. Effective parameters in extraction, including ultrasonication time, disperser solvent volume, adsorbent amount, extraction solvent volume, eluent volume, and pH were investigated and optimized. The practical and optimal conditions of the process were determined by the central composite design (CCD). The optimal conditions were 0.024 g of adsorbent, 535 µL of disperser solvent volume, 7.5 min of ultrasonication time, 235 µL of eluent volume, pH of 5, and 185 µL of extraction solvent volume. Linear ranges and detection limits were 20–1,200 μg L−1 and 6 μg L−1 for UA-DSPME and 10–800 μg L−1 and 3 μg L−1 for UA-DLLME. Relative standard deviation (RSD) of less than 4% were obtained for UA-DSPME and UA-DLLME methods. The reusability showed that the ZnFe2O4 adsorbent could extract SMX up to five cycles of adsorption/desorption without significant reduction in its efficiency. Also, interference studies showed that the presence of different cations and anions did not significantly interfere in the extraction of SMX. The outcomes of real-time samples analysis showed that the extraction of SMX for both methods was in the range of 92.44%–99.12%. The results showed the developed methods are simple, sensitive, and suitable for SMX preconcentration in environmental water and biological samples.

Water pollution management, reduction, and elimination are critical challenges of the current era that threaten millions of lives. By spreading the coronavirus in December 2019, the use of antibiotics, such as azithromycin increased. This drug was not metabolized, and entered the surface waters. ZIF-8/Zeolit composite was made by the sonochemical method. Furthermore, the effect of pH, the regeneration of adsorbents, kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics were attended. The adsorption capacity of zeolite, ZIF-8, and the composite ZIF-8/Zeolite were 22.37, 235.3, and 131 mg/g, respectively. The adsorbent reaches the equilibrium in 60 min, and at pH = 8. The adsorption process was spontaneous, endothermic associated with increased entropy. The results of the experiment were analyzed using Langmuir isotherms and pseudo-second order kinetic models with a R2 of 0.99, and successfully removing the composite by 85% in 10 cycles. It indicated that the maximum amount of drug could be removed with a small amount of composite.

Microbial communities, with their diverse metabolic capabilities and intricate interactions, have emerged as a promising frontier in the quest for sustainable bioenergy solutions. These microorganisms, through their unique metabolic pathways, offer the potential to convert organic matter into usable energy forms, presenting an eco-friendly alternative to conventional energy sources. The recent surge in biotechnological research has unveiled a plethora of insights into the mechanisms employed by these microbial communities, particularly in the context of bioenergy production. This review amalgamates findings from studiescontributing a distinct perspective on the role and potential of microorganisms in energy production; from the intricate roles of cellular structures in energy processes to the regulatory mechanisms of immune cells and the innovative prospects of electricity-producing bacterial communities, the studies collectively paint a comprehensive picture of the current state of microbial bioenergy research. By synthesising these findings, this review not only underscores the contributions of these studies but also charts a roadmap for future research, highlighting areas ripe for exploration and innovation.

Research on synthetic methods for the preparation of oxazoles is an important issue among synthetic chemists because oxazole derivatives are structural subunits of various natural active products and are valuable synthetic and pharmaceutical precursors. In this research work, we constructed CuBr supported on surface of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles modified with 6-(aminomethyl)nicotinic acid [Fe3O4@AMNA-CuBr nanocomposite] and evaluated its catalytic activity for the preparation of highly substituted oxazoles through one-pot three-component reactions of diphenylacetylene derivatives with aryl nitriles and water in PEG as the solvent. The results shown that the Fe3O4@AMNA-CuBr catalyst was used 8 times without significant decrease in catalytic activity. XRD and TEM analysis confirmed that the structure and morphology that the Fe3O4@AMNA-CuBr catalyst did not change after 8 runs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given that thermoelastic damping (TED) is one of the main causes of energy dissipation in miniaturized structures, calculation of its exact amount is of particular importance in the design of such elements. Considering three-dimensional (3D) heat transfer along with the scale effect on both mechanical and thermal areas is one of the decisive factors in the more rigorous modeling of TED in small-sized resonators. This paper exploits the modified couple stress theory (MCST) and dual-phase-lag (DPL) heat conduction model to establish an analytical TED relation for rectangular micro/nanoplate resonators with 3D heat conduction. At the start, the non-Fourier heat equation corresponding to 3D DPL model is derived. Then, the solution of temperature distribution is determined by employing infinite trigonometric series. Moreover, the scale-dependent frequency of the system is presented in the context of MCST. Eventually, with the help of entropy generation (EG) method, an analytical TED expression considering 3D heat conduction is established. The precision of the presented solution is examined by comparing it with a simpler model available in the literature. By choosing two common types of boundary conditions, i.e. fully-clamped (CCCC) and fully-simply (SSSS) supported plates, the influence of various factors on TED changes is comprehensively investigated in simulation section. According to the outcomes, in plates with a lower ratio of length and width to thickness, the dimension considered for heat conduction model has a noticeable impact on the variations of TED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pesticides have an important role in rising the overall productivity and yield of agricultural foods by eliminating and controlling insects, pests, fungi, and various plant-related illnesses. However, the overuse of pesticides has caused pesticide pollution of water bodies and food products, along with disruption of environmental and ecological systems. In this regard, developing low-cost, simple, and rapid-detecting approaches for the accurate, rapid, efficient, and on-site screening of pesticide residues is an ongoing challenge. Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) possesses the benefits of great sensitivity, the capability to resolve several analytes using different emission wavelengths or redox potentials, and excellent control over the light radiation in time and space, making it a powerful strategy for sensing various pesticides. Cost-effective and simple ECL systems allow sensitive, selective, and accurate quantification of pesticides in agricultural fields. Particularly, the development and progress of nanomaterials, aptamer/antibody recognition, electric/photo-sensing, and their integration with electrochemiluminescence sensing technology has presented the hopeful potential in reporting the residual amounts of pesticides. Current trends in the application of nanoparticles are debated, with an emphasis on sensor substrates using aptamer, antibodies, enzymes, and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). Different strategies are enclosed in labeled and label-free sensing along with luminescence determination approaches (signal-off, signal-on, and signal-switch modes). Finally, the recent challenges and upcoming prospects in this ground are also put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relation of exposure to arsenic in drinking water during pregnancy to the risk of preterm birth (PTB) was contradictory. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the association between drinking water arsenic and PTB. A systematic search in PubMed and Scopus was performed to achieve all relevant studies. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to pool data using the random-effect models. Overall, 11 studies with a total sample size of 3,404,189 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Arsenic exposure through drinking water during pregnancy was related to an increased risk of PTB (OR = 1.06; 95%CI = 1.01–1.10 for highest versus lowest category of arsenic), with significant heterogeneity across the studies (I2 = 84.8%, P = 0.001). This finding was supported by cohort studies (OR = 1.05; 95%CI = 1.01–1.10). This meta-analysis proposes that higher arsenic exposure in drinking water may be a risk factor for PTB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy, as a highly conserved cellular process, participates in cellular homeostasis by degradation and recycling of damaged organelles and proteins. Besides, autophagy has been evidenced to play a dual role through cancer initiation and progression. In the early stage, it may have a tumor‐suppressive function through inducing apoptosis and removing damaged cells and organelles. However, late stages promote tumor progression by maintaining stemness features and induction of chemoresistance. Therefore, identifying and targeting molecular mechanisms involved in autophagy is a potential therapeutic strategy for human cancers. Multiple transcription factors (TFs) are involved in the regulation of autophagy by modulating the expression of autophagy‐related genes (ATGs). In addition, a wide array of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), a group of regulatory ncRNAs, have been evidenced to regulate the function of these autophagy‐related TFs through tumorigenesis. Subsequently, the lncRNAs/TFs/ATGs axis shows great potential as a therapeutic target for human cancers. Therefore, this review aimed to summarize new findings about the role of lncRNAs in regulating autophagy‐related TFs with therapeutic perspectives. Significance statement: Transcription factors (TFs) regulate autophagy by modulating the expression of autophagy‐related genes (ATGs).lncRNAs can regulate the function of autophagy‐related TFs through tumorigenesis.lncRNAs/TFs/ATGs axis has a lot of promise as a treatment target for human cancers.A potential therapeutic approach for treating human cancers involves focusing on the molecular mechanisms involved in autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At first, the preparation and identification of a novel heterogeneous organic–inorganic hybrid acidic nanocatalyst, namely 1,3-(4-pyridyl-1-ium sulfonic acid) (4′-pyridyl-1-ium silica-n-propyl)-propane-dichloride grafted on nano-silica (nano-silica@[DPSSP][Cl]2), have been reported; the identification has been done through a broad range of physicochemical methods comprising FT-IR, SEM, HRTEM, BET, TGA, XRD and EDX techniques. Afterward, nano-silica@[DPSSP][Cl]2 was successfully applied to facilitate the condensation of aryl aldehydes (1 mmol), 2-thiobarbituric acid (2 mmol) and NH4OAc (1.4 mmol) in water solvent (2 mL) at room temperature, such that it provided ten derivatives of pyrido[2,3-d:6,5-d']dipyrimidines (1a–10a) in 5–10 min with yields of 93–99%. Our catalyst furnished the derivatives in very short reaction times and in excellent yields, high atom economy, easy workup and very favorable turnover number (TON) and turnover frequency (TOF) values. In addition, the heterogeneous nature of the catalyst was confirmed and measured using the hot filtration test and its excellent reusability in six runs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This manuscript describes the preparation and characterization of DBU hydrogen sulfate bonded to chloropropyl-functionalized bilayer silica-nano-Fe3O4 (DHCBSF), as well as its use as a highly effective, heterogeneous, and recyclable catalyst to facilitate a valuable chemical reaction. FTIR, SEM, TEM, TGA, XRD, BET, VSM, and EDS techniques were used to identify the nanomagnetic catalyst. The nanomagnetic catalyst (0.01 g) was successfully used in a multicomponent reaction including 2-thiobarbituric acid (2 mmol), aryl aldehydes (1 mmol), and ammonium acetate (1.4 mmol) at 25 °C in H2O (2 mL), so that it presented ten samples of pyrido[2,3-d:6,5-d']dipyrimidines with yields of 92–98% in 5–10 min. DHCBSF is a heterogeneous catalyst with advantages such as a high specific surface area, low environmental and economic impact, and ease of purification and separation from the reaction mixture. Furthermore, the nano-catalyst was recycled ten times without significantly altering its catalytic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though coal resources are the most abundant among fossil fuels, coal-fired plants release large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In this regard, reducing environmental challenges and crises caused by coal burning can be a promising option to reduce today's crises in the energy field. The integration of coal-fired plants with renewable-driven energy systems can simultaneously improve thermodynamic performance and reduce pollutants emission rates. This article presents the thermodynamic and pollutant emission investigations of a new coal-fired plant coupled with a linear Fresnel solar collector (LFSC)-driven solar unit, a parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC)-driven solar unit, a high-temperature fuel cell stack (molten carbonate fuel cell stack [MCFCS]) and a heat recovery system (based on the steam turbine and gas turbine-based power cycles). The plant is able to produce electricity and hot water (HW). The main structure of the offered plant is based on coal, whereas, is coupled with renewables-based cycles to mitigate environmental impacts. The plant could generate ~ 207 MW of power and 3728 m3/h of HW. In such conditions, the energy efficiency of 73.1% and exergy efficiency of 44.18% could be achievable. Further, the emitted gas rates of the plant were nearly 403 tons/h. A comprehensive comparison is also presented for the plant's behavior under different types of coal (petcoke and anthracite). In addition, a two-function optimization is developed to determine the maximum value of exergy efficiency and the minimum value of total pollutants emission rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]