Search

We developed an equation of state based on statistical–mechanical perturbation theory for polar and nonpolar refrigerants. The equation is that the Ihm, Song and Mason, in which the three temperature dependant parameters are, calculated by means of the corresponding states correlations. In this work, it is shown that using the critical constants of fluids as scale constants would correlate the temperature-dependent parameters of the equation of state with sufficient accuracy. We have tested the predicted equation of state against the experimental data for a large number of haloalkanes including a number of the environmentally acceptable HFCs (R23, R32, R41, R125, R134a, R143a, R152a, R227ea, R236ea, R236fa, R245ca, R245fa), the HCFCs (R22, R123, R124, R141b, R142b), the traditional CFCs (R11, R12, R13, R113, R114, R115) and the fluorocarbons refrigerants (R14, R116, R218, RC318). A comparison is also made by other scale parameters based on experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a biobjective mixed-integer nonlinear programming model is developed for a hierarchical three-level health service network design problem, which is then transformed to its linear counterpart. The model aims to minimize the total establishment cost and total weighted distance between patient zones and health facilities simultaneously. In order to cope with inherent epistemic uncertainty in input parameters, four variants of a novel hybrid robust possibilistic programming (HRPP) approach are introduced. Finally, a real case study is provided to illustrate the performance and applicability of the proposed HRPP models in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modified IS (Iranian Sun) plasma focus (10 kJ,15 kV, 94 μF, 0.1 Hz) has been used to produce the short-lived radioisotope N (half-life of 9.97 min) through C(d,n)N nuclear reaction. The filling gas was 1.5-3 torr of hydrogen (60%) deuterium (40%) mixture. The target was solid nuclear grade graphite with 5 mm thick, 9 cm width and 13 in length. The activations of the exogenous target on average of 20 shots (only one-third acceptable) through 10-13 kV produced the 511 keV gamma rays. Another peak found at the 570 keV gamma of which both was measured by a NaI portable gamma spectrometer calibrated by a Cs 0.25 μCi sealed reference source with its single line at 661.65 keV and Na 0.1 μCi at 511 keV. To measure the gamma rays, the graphite target converts to three different phases; solid graphite, powder graphite, and powder graphite in water solution. The later phase approximately has a doubled activity with respect to the solid graphite target up to 0.5 μCi of 511 keV and 1.1 μCi of 570 keV gamma lines were produced. This increment in activity was perhaps due to structural transformation of graphite powder to nano-particles characteristic in liquid water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanomaterial-based biosensors have received significant attention owing to their unique properties, especially enhanced sensitivity. Recent advancements in biomedical diagnosis have highlighted the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) as sensitive prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for various diseases. Current diagnostics methods, however, need further improvements with regards to their sensitivity, mainly due to the low concentration levels of miRNAs in the body. The low limit of detection of nanomaterial-based biosensors has turned them into powerful tools for detecting and quantifying these biomarkers. Herein, we assemble an overview of recent developments in the application of different nanomaterials and nanostructures as miRNA electrochemical biosensing platforms, along with their pros and cons. The techniques are categorized based on the nanomaterial used.

Despite of growing interest in use of carbon-based nanomaterials as carriers of functional proteins, less attention has been paid to the effects of these nanomaterials on the structure and function of the proteins. In this study, with the aim of shedding light on the mechanisms of interaction between carbon-based nanomaterials and proteins, the interactions of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) containing amine (CQD-NH 2 ) or carboxyl groups (CQD-COOH) with Photinus pyralis firefly luciferase enzyme were investigated by experimental and computational approaches. The structural changes and reduction in activity of the luciferase upon treatment with CQDs were experimentally proved. CQD-NH 2 induced more reduction in enzyme activity (15 %) compared to CQD-COOH (7.4 %). The interactions CQD-NH 2 with luciferase led to higher affinity of the enzyme for its substrate. It was found by molecular dynamic simulations that CQD-NH 2 binds to multiple regions on the surface of luciferase. Secondary structure analysis showed that CQD-NH 2 had more profound effects on the active site amino acids, the adjacent amino acids to the active site and the residues involved in ATP binding site. In addition, CQD-NH 2 interactions with luciferase were suggested to be stronger than CQD-COOH based on the number of hydrogen bonds and the binding energies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Forward osmosis is a water separation process that uses the natural energy of osmotic pressure to separate water from dissolved solutes through a semipermeable membrane. One of the major challenges using this process is the rejection water which contains high content of pollutants, hindering its practical application. Herein, for the first time, this work introduces a coupled electrochemical-physical process including iron-electrocoagulation/filtration/sedimentation as a cost-effective treatment to the forward osmosis reject water containing hexavalent chromium to be reclaimed. The synergistic treatment was optimized through a central composite design and response surface methodology to enhance hexavalent Cr removal and minimize operating costs, electrical energy consumption, and settled sludge volume. A 90.0% chromium removal was achieved under optimized conditions: electrolysis time of 59.7 min and current of 1.24 A ( J  = 6.32 mA cm -2 ). In addition, operating costs of 0.014 USD m -3 , electrical energy consumption of 0.005 kWh m -3 , and settled sludge volume of 445 mL L -1 were obtained.

A synergistic combination of electrocoagulation-electrooxidation (EC-EO) process was used in the current study to treat domestic greywater. The EC process consisted of an aluminium (Al) anode and an iron (Fe) cathode, and the EO process consisted of titanium with platinum coating mesh (Ti/Pt) as an anode and stainless steel as a cathode. The effect of operative variables, namely current density, pH, EC time and EO time, on the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), colour, turbidity, and total organic carbon (TOC) was studied and optimised using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The results showed that although the pH affected the removal of all studied pollutants, it had more effect on turbidity removal with a contribution of 88.44%, while the current density had the main dominant effect on colour removal with a contribution of 73.59%. It was also found that at optimal operation conditions for a current density of 2.6 A, an initial pH of 4.67, an EC time of 31.67 min, and an EO time of 93.28 min led to a COD, colour, turbidity, and TOC removal rates of 96.1%, 97.5%, 90.9%, and 98%, respectively, which were close to the predicted results. The average operating cost and energy consumption for the removal of COD, colour, turbidity, and TOC were 0.014 $/m 3 and 0.01 kWh/kg, 0.083 $/m 3 and 0.008 kWh/kg, 0.075 $/m 3 and 0.062 kWh/kg, and 0.105 $/m 3 and 0.079 kWh/kg, respectively., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to investigate the effects of pistachio oil (7.5 and 15%), xanthan gum (0 and 0.3%), distillated monoglyceride (0.5 and 1%), and cocoa butter (7.5 and 15%) on the sensorial descriptors of spread based on pistachio oil. The response variables were the most significant spread texture attributes: hardness, graininess, meltability, adhesiveness to spoon, adhesiveness to mouth, spreadability, fluidity, and oiliness. PCA revealed that the first two principal components explained 90% or more of the variance between the data. The first principal component was dominated by the descriptors' adhesiveness and hardness on the positive side and the descriptors' oiliness and fluidness on the negative side. The descriptor spreadability had a high positive loading on the second principal component. Herschel-Balkley and power law models were fitted to confirm the sensory evaluation results on different formulations. In the current research, the power law model seemed to be more accurate for fitting the samples. In terms of the selected texture attributes determined by the sensory evaluation, using component plot, the optimum combination of variables was found as follows: 15 pistachio oil, 7.5% cocoa butter, 0.3% xanthan gum, and 1% distilled monoglyceride that produced desirable spreads that mimic commercial spread., Competing Interests: It is hereby confirmed that there are no known conflicts of interest related to this publication and that there was no significant financial support for this project., (© 2023 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

CRISPR/Cas9 is an effective gene editing tool with broad applications for the prevention or treatment of numerous diseases. It depends on CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) as a bacterial immune system and plays as a gene editing tool. Due to the higher specificity and efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 compared to other editing approaches, it has been broadly investigated to treat numerous hereditary and acquired illnesses, including cancers, hemolytic diseases, immunodeficiency disorders, cardiovascular diseases, visual maladies, neurodegenerative conditions, and a few X-linked disorders. CRISPR/Cas9 system has been used to treat cancers through a variety of approaches, with stable gene editing techniques. Here, the applications and clinical trials of CRISPR/Cas9 in various illnesses are described. Due to its high precision and efficiency, CRISPR/Cas9 strategies may treat gene-related illnesses by deleting, inserting, modifying, or blocking the expression of specific genes. The most challenging barrier to the in vivo use of CRISPR/Cas9 like off-target effects will be discussed. The use of transfection vehicles for CRISPR/Cas9, including viral vectors (such as an Adeno-associated virus ( AAV )), and the development of non-viral vectors is also considered., (© 2023 The Authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.)

AIDS causes increasing mortality every year. With advancements in nanomedicine, different nanomaterials (NMs) have been applied to treat AIDS and overcome its limitations. Among different NMs, nanoparticles (NPs) can act as nanocarriers due to their enhanced solubility, sustained release, targeting abilities and facilitation of drug-dose reductions. This review discusses recent advancements in therapeutics for AIDS/HIV using various NMs, mainly focused on three classifications: polymeric, liposomal and inorganic NMs. Polymeric dendrimers, polyethylenimine-NPs, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-NPs, chitosan and the use of liposomal-based delivery systems and inorganic NPs, including gold and silver NPs, are explored. Recent advances, current challenges and future perspectives on the use of these NMs for better management of HIV/AIDS are also discussed.

The continual discharge of emerging inorganic pollutants into natural aquatic systems and their negative effects on the environment have motivated the researchers to explore and develop clean and efficient water treatment strategies. Electrocoagulation (EC) is a rapid and promising pollutant removal approach that does not require any chemical additives or complicated process management. Therefore, inorganic pollutant treatment via the EC process is considered one of the most feasible processes. The potential developments of EC process may make the process a wise choice for water treatment in the future. Thus, the present study mainly focuses on the use of EC technology to remove nutrients and other emerging inorganic pollutants from water medium. The operating factors that influence EC process efficiency are explained. The major advancement of the EC technique as well as field-implemented units are also discussed. Overall, this study mainly focuses on emerging issues, present advancements, and techno-economic considerations in EC process., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The COVID-19 epidemic has put the risk of virus contamination in water bodies on the horizon of health authorities. Hence, finding effective ways to remove the virus, especially SARS-CoV-2, from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has emerged as a hot issue in the last few years. Herein, this study first deals with the fate of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material in WWTPs, then critically reviews and compares different wastewater treatment methods for combatting COVID-19 as well as to increase the water quality. This critical review sheds light the efficiency of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) to inactivate virus, specially SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Although several physicochemical treatment processes (e.g. activated sludge) are commonly used to eliminate pathogens, AOPs are the most versatile and effective virus inactivation methods. For instance, TiO 2 is the most known and widely studied photo-catalyst innocuously utilized to degrade pollutants as well as to photo-induce bacterial and virus disinfection due to its high chemical resistance and efficient photo-activity. When ozone is dissolved in water and wastewater, it generates a wide spectrum of the reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are responsible to degrade materials in virus membranes resulting in destroying the cell wall. Furthermore, electrochemical advanced oxidation processes act through direct oxidation when pathogens react at the anode surface or by indirect oxidation through oxidizing species produced in the bulk solution. Consequently, they represent a feasible choice for the inactivation of a wide range of pathogens. Nonetheless, there are some challenges with AOPs which should be addressed for application at industrial-scale., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) are emerging environmental pollutants, having a major ecotoxicological concern to humans and many other biotas, especially aquatic animals. The physical and chemical compositions of MPs majorly determine their ecotoxicological risks. However, comprehensive knowledge about the exposure routes and toxic effects of MPs/NPs on animals and human health is not fully known. Here this review focuses on the potential exposure routes, human health impacts, and toxicity response of MPs/NPs on human health, through reviewing the literature on studies conducted in different in vitro and in vivo experiments on organisms, human cells, and the human experimental exposure models. The current literature review has highlighted ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contacts as major exposure routes of MPs/NPs. Further, oxidative stress, cytotoxicity, DNA damage, inflammation, immune response, neurotoxicity, metabolic disruption, and ultimately affecting digestive systems, immunology, respiratory systems, reproductive systems, and nervous systems, as serious health consequences., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Over the past few decades, gold nanomaterials have shown great promise in the field of nanotechnology, especially in medical and biological applications. They have become the most used nanomaterials in those fields due to their several advantageous. However, rod-shaped gold nanoparticles, or gold nanorods (GNRs), have some more unique physical, optical, and chemical properties, making them proper candidates for biomedical applications including drug/gene delivery, photothermal/photodynamic therapy, and theranostics. Most of their therapeutic applications are based on their ability for tunable heat generation upon exposure to near-infrared (NIR) radiation, which is helpful in both NIR-responsive cargo delivery and photothermal/photodynamic therapies. In this review, a comprehensive insight into the properties, synthesis methods and toxicity of gold nanorods are overviewed first. For the main body of the review, the therapeutic applications of GNRs are provided in four main sections: (i) drug delivery, (ii) gene delivery, (iii) photothermal/photodynamic therapy, and (iv) theranostics applications. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives of their therapeutic application are discussed.

Background: Cocoa butter (CB), an expensive product containing a specific triacylglycerol (TAG)composition, is often the object of economic adulteration., Objective: The present study investigates the detection and quantification of cocoa butter substitutes (CBS) using differential scanning calorimetry., Method: CBS was mixed with CB (from 0 to 100%) as standard samples and analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry and gas chromatography to evaluate the thermal characteristics and fatty acid composition respectively., Results: Increasing the ratio of CBS/CB changed the thermal parameters and fatty acid profiles significantly. For quantification of CBS in commercial samples, medium melting fraction temperature (TMMFvia r2 = 0.922) and melting enthalpy (ΔHfvia r2 = 0.972) were successfully used to quantify the value of CBS in the samples suspected of being fraudulent. According to the results, all of the thermal parameters increased significantly (P < 0.05) with increasing ratio of CBS/CB. It can be attributed to the presence of saturated fatty acids (C12-C22) in CBS which increases TLMF., Conclusions: The promising results of the present study could be used as a tool for the fast identification of adulteration and quantification of CBS in chocolate compositions., Highlights: Differential scanning calorimetry methods has been developed for identification of CB adulteration. CBS adulteration was detected in CB and also in commercial chocolate samples., (© AOAC INTERNATIONAL 2021. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)