Volume 20, Issue 1

Bimetallic metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit outstanding performance in a wide range of applications, including gas catalysis, adsorption, and luminescence sensor. The structure and properties of materials can be designed based on the variation of different metal ions, so this MOFs material system has unique properties. In this study, M/Fe-MOF bimetallic materials (M = Co, Cu, and Mg) were synthesized by solvothermal method and evaluated for photocatalytic activity in the degradation reaction of rhodamine B (RhB) organic pigments. The as-synthesized materials were characterized by using several physicochemical methods such as X-ray diffraction, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra. The results show that the Co/Fe-MOF, Cu/Fe-MOF, and Mg/MOF materials have uniform grain grade, high crystallinity, with the surface area of 26.1, 25.9, and 25.9 m 2 /g, respectively. When modified with Co, Cu, and Mg, the crystal structure of Fe-MOF materials was unchanged, and all metal ions are inserted inside the structure of the material, as well as replacing Fe ions in the lattice crystals. At the same time, the modification also increases the light absorption in the visible light region and gives a high photocatalytic degradation of RhB organic pigments under visible light in the range of 85–92%.

In this study, the feasibility of using electronic portal imaging device (EPID) as an analysing equipment for bolus material was evaluated in terms of its dosimetric parameters. Seven superflab bolus material samples, 4 samples of 0.5 cm (S1–S4) and 3 samples of 1 cm thickness (S5–S7), were analysed and compared with tissue equivalent water phantom, which was selected for reference material. Gamma analysis method was used to evaluate the dose distribution of the boluses. In addition, 487,204 point-dose values of each bolus were compared with the point-doses of corresponding reference material by using Spearman’s correlation coefficient analysis. The passing rates varied from 58.3 to 100% for 0.5 cm thick samples, and on the other hand, the passing rates of all the 1 cm thick boluses were 100%. All the correlation coefficient values were above 0.975. The correlation was statistically significant for all the samples ( p < 0.001). The correlation coefficient of S4 bolus sample was the highest among the 0.5 cm thick bolus samples with a result of 0.989. Likewise, S5 and S6 bolus samples were the highest among the 1 cm thick ones with a result of 0.995. The results indicated that the material planned to be used as bolus can be evaluated with EPID in daily use.

Gamma-ray shielding properties of eight different metallic glasses based on Cu x Zr100- x : x = 35 (Cu35Zr65) − 70 (Cu70Zr30) were determined using Monte Carlo simulations and Phy-X/PSD software. A typical gamma-ray transmission setup has been modeled in MCNPX Monte Carlo code. The general trend of the linear attenuation coefficients ( μ ) was reported as ( μ ) Cu35Zr65 < ( μ ) Cu40Zr60 < ( μ ) Cu45Zr55 < ( μ ) Cu50Zr50 < ( μ ) Cu55Zr45 < ( μ ) Cu60Zr40 < ( μ ) Cu65Zr35 < ( μ ) Cu70Zr30 . In terms of half value layer (HVL) values, the Cu35Zr65 sample has the highest value (2.984 cm) and the Cu70Zr30 sample has the lowest value (2.769 cm) at 8 MeV photon energy. The mean free path (MFP) values were 4.305 and 3.995 cm for Cu35Zr65 and Cu70Zr30 samples, respectively. Generally, MFP and HVL values of the studied glasses were reported as (MFP,HVL) Cu35Zr65 > (MFP,HVL) Cu40Zr60 > (MFP,HVL) Cu45Zr55 > (MFP,HVL) Cu50Zr50 > (MFP,HVL) Cu55Zr45 > (MFP,HVL) Cu60Zr40 > (MFP,HVL) Cu65Zr35 > (MFP,HVL) Cu70Zr30 for all photon energy range. The Cu70Zr30 sample showed maximum values of both the effective conductivity ( C eff ) and effective electron density ( N eff ). In addition, the Cu70Zr30 sample has minimum exposure and energy absorption buildup factor (EBF and EABF) values at all studied gamma-ray energies. The results revealed that the Cu70Zr30 sample has superior attenuation properties among all studied samples.

Radiation that is emitted from unstable nuclei during radioactive decay is an important phenomenon to be used in large fields, and thus, radiation shielding properties are important especially for gamma rays. Thus, in the present work, the radiation shielding properties in terms of linear attenuation coefficients and some other quantities for medical interest materials of water, fat and bone have been obtained. The results simulated by Phy-X/PSD online code the energy range of 10 −3 –10 5  MeV.

Since the 1970s, the environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been employed as an environmental management tool to minimize or prevent the potential environmental impacts caused. Its use in Turkey was mandated from February 7, 1993. An EIA, which is of particular concern to the mining sector, is implemented in many sectors. In this study, after providing brief information about the EIA regulation, an analysis has been done by determining the status of mining activities in EIA applications. In conclusion, mining has comprised 31% share of EIA-required activities since 1993, when EIA regulation took effect in Turkey. In addition, it was learned that 16% of the applications related to mining activities were unable to get an EIA permit and could not launch their operation.

Because of magnetic spin–spin interactivity between 19 F nucleus of the solvent and delocalized electrons on the MC800 asphaltene, the Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) method is able to give a substantial boost in the signal acquired from studies focused on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The suspensions of asphaltene in difluorobenzene isomers were studied using Overhauser effect type DNP and NMR investigations at room temperature in a small magnetic field of 1.53 mT. The used asphaltene was obtained from MC800 liquid asphalt from Heavy Iran. Each sample of the solvent medium was produced at three different concentrations of asphaltene. These samples were stored in the refrigerator for 7 years, until DNP parameters were found by new DNP tests. As a result, the influence of sample age on parameters of DNP was studied, and then the findings were analyzed.

The rapid increase of the population and the number of motor vehicles brought about the transportation problem today. It has brought the efforts of the operators to determine the headway of the vehicles during the day in order to minimize the waiting times of the passengers at the stops and increase the satisfaction of the passengers, taking into account the passenger demand. Nowadays, especially during the current pandemic period (COVID-19), passenger demand forecasting becomes much more significant, so that measures can be taken and headway planning can be made to adjust the social distance by identifying the number of passengers in advance. In this study, the significance of demand forecasting in the railway sector is considered, and the study tackles the issue in two stages: on line and station basis that make the study different from others. In the first stage of the study, passenger demand forecasting is made on line basis with statistical techniques such as regression analysis and simple average, the mean absolute percentage error values are calculated and compared. Regression analysis is conducted with SPSS Statistics 21.0 programme. In the second stage of the study, passenger demand forecasting is made with artificial neural network and machine learning (ML) algorithms technique on station basis and the error values (mean absolute error, BIAS, mean squared error, mean absolute percentage error, and root mean squared error) are compared. As a result of the study, while the best demand forecasting method is simple average on line basis, it is seen that the most successful and reliable results for demand forecasting on station basis are obtained through decision tree, which is one of the ML algorithms.

Microorganism culture is highly complex due to the different metabolic pathways, which are very complex. A metabolic phenomenon called overflow is a challenge to overcome in automatic control tasks of microorganism cultures. In this study, a nonlinear algorithm by sliding modes (sliding mode nonlinear control, SMNC) is proposed for the robust regulation of a fed-batch bioreactor in the presence of parametric and system perturbations. A control design is obtained using Lyapunov functions by techniques to propose a control law such that it is robust, only the output signals (biomass and volume) are used, and the reaction rates do not have to be wholly known. Therefore, a novel and simple controller capable of solving the above problems is obtained.

This study aimed to investigate the nuclear radiation shielding properties of erbium (Er)-reinforced and samarium (Sm)-reinforced borate glasses. In the 0.015–15 MeV photon energy range, attenuation coefficients, as well as half-value layer tenth-value layers, and the mean-free path have been calculated. Additionally, effective, and equivalent atomic numbers, effective atomic weight, electron density, and exposure and energy absorption build-up factors were also calculated. To evaluate the overall nuclear radiation attenuation competencies of Er-rich and Sm-rich glasses, effective removal cross-section values for fast neutrons and projected range/mass stopping power values for alpha and proton particles were also determined. The glass sample BZBEr2.0 had the highest linear and mass attenuation coefficients ( µ and µ m ), effective conductivity ( C eff ), the effective number of electrons ( N eff ), and effective atomic number ( Z eff ) values as well as the lowest half-value layer ( T 1/2 ), tenth value layers ( T 1/10 ), mean free path ( λ ), exposure build-up factor, and energy absorption build-up factor values. µ m values were reported as 2.337, 2.556, 2.770, 2.976, 2.108, 2.266, 2.421, 2.569, and 2.714 for BZBEr0.5, BZBEr1.0, BZBEr1.5, BZBEr2.0, BZBSm0.0, BZBSm0.5, BZBSm1.0, BZBSm1.5, and BZBSm2.0 glass samples at 0.06 MeV, respectively. The results showed that Er has a greater effect than Sm regarding the gamma-ray shielding properties of borate glasses. The results of this investigation could be used in further investigations and added to older investigations with the same aim, to aid the scientific community in determining the most appropriate rare-earth additive, to provide adequate shielding properties based on the requirement.

As the third-generation supramolecular main structure, calixarenes, especially chiral calixarenes, have been applied to various fields. In this study, the bridging chiral de- tert -butylcalix[4]arene derivatives with an amide group attached to a chiral point was synthesized for the first time, which provided a new group for its structural derivation at the bridging chiral position. The racemic compound 2 was optically resolved by column chromatography on silica gel with the aid of the chiral auxiliary (1 S )-(+)-10-camphorsulfonyl chloride, and finally a pair of optically pure bridging chiral de- tert -butylcalix[4]arene derivatives 4a and 4b were obtained. The results of experimental and calculated ECD showed that compounds 4a and 4b were a pair of enantiomers, and their absolute configurations were designated S and R , respectively. This study provides new idea for the derivatization of specific chiral groups based on bridging chiral calix[4]arenes and their chiral resolution. Graphical abstract

Variable single and/or swarms of post-granitic dikes are widespread at Gabal Serbal, Southwestern Sinai, Egypt. The present article aims to identify and discriminate these multiphase dikes through detailed geological, petrographical, and geochemical examinations. These dikes are classified into two subphases: (1) acidic dikes (porphyritic dacite, microgranite, granophyre, and alkaline granophyre dikes); and (2) basic dikes (basalt and dolerite dikes). They range from vertical or steeply inclined bodies, 0.5–15 m wide, pink to black color, and NE–SW to N–S directions. Acidic dikes with different mineralogical constituents have medium to high k -characters, originating from calc-alkaline magma and extruded in a volcanic arc environment. In contrast, basic dikes have medium k -characters, originating from tholeiitic magma and developing within a plate environment. Basic dikes are enriched with opaque minerals, where the basaltic dike contains iron oxides (magnetite and hematite), such as apatite in addition to copper minerals. Dolerite dike comprises magnetite, titanomagnetite, and pyrite.

Exosomes were enriched from plasma by ultracentrifugation, precipitation, and membrane-based approaches for yield and purity. Using the four isolation approaches, particles with mode sizes within the expected range (50–200 nm) can be isolated. By protein estimation, polymer precipitation resulted in a maximum yield (5610.59 ± 51.189 µg/mL), followed by membrane affinity (471.57 ± 12.16 µg/mL), ultracentrifugation (440.22 ± 11.71 µg/mL) and filter + ultracentrifugation (235.47 ± 13.27 µg/mL). By total RNA estimation, the yield of polymer precipitation (3.26 ± 0.42 ng/mL) was higher than that of ultracentrifugation (1.52 ± 0.06 ng/mL), filter + ultracentrifugation (1.21 ± 0.25 ng/mL) and membrane affinity (1.44 ± 0.14 ng/mL). The purity of exosomal preparations was determined as the ratio of the particle number to protein and of protein to RNA. According to the ratio of the particle number to protein concentration, the “purity” of the polymer precipitation method was similar to that of the membrane affinity method and higher than that of ultracentrifugation and filter + ultracentrifugation. When the ratio of RNA to protein was used, the “purity” of the polymer precipitation method was lower than that of the membrane affinity method. Differential methods can be employed to enrich specific exosome subpopulations. The steps of the methods affect the particle number, protein content, and even exosomal purity. The best extraction and evaluation methods for exosomes need to be selected in the laboratory according to their experimental needs.

A large common species, Syzygium aqueum , belonging to the genus Syzygium possesses numerous bioactive phytochemical constituents. Moreover, the different parts of this species have been used as folk medicine since centuries ago. In this study, a phytochemical exploration was carried out on the plant’s stem bark. Isolation of the compounds was carried out through the extraction step with some organic solvents, followed by separation and purification using chromatography techniques until the two triterpenoids were isolated from nonpolar and semipolar extracts. Structure elucidation was done using spectroscopic methods. These compounds were identified as alphitolic acid and arjunolic acid. Subsequently, these two compounds were used in anticancer tests against human cancer cells HeLa, T47D, and A549 using colorimetric assay. The result showed that both compounds showed more inhibition of the growth of HeLa and T47D than A549 cancer cells, with the highest activity shown by arjunolic acid against HeLa cell lines.

In this study, the effect of cutting conditions on surface integrity was investigated in micromilling of magnesium alloy (AZ91). Microtool diameter, cutting speed, feed rate, and depth of cut parameters are used. These variables were investigated at three different levels with the Taguchi L 9 experimental design method. The least-best objective function was used. As a result of the experiments, surface roughness values were obtained. It has been determined that surface roughness values and depth of cut are effective parameters. After evaluating the results obtained, variance and regression analyses were performed. Based on the analysis of variance, 58.73% feed rate was found for the 1.0 mm diameter tool, on the other hand, for the 0.8 mm diameter tool, the depth of cut was found to be an effective parameter with 53.6%.

Mesoporous aluminosilicate (MAS) and bifunctional catalysts based on it were synthesized. The MAS synthesis is based on the method of copolycondensation of silicon and aluminum sources in the presence of alcohol. Hexadecylamine was used as a template for the formation of a porous structure. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia, hydrogen-temperature programmed reduction, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopic methods. The catalytic activity of Ni/MAS-H-bentonite and Mo/MAS-H-bentonite was investigated during the hydroconversion of n -hexadecane. It has been shown that a sample promoted with molybdenum and nickel based on MAS has the high activity and selectivity in the process of n -hexadecane hydroisomerization under optimal conditions (320°C, atm pressure).

Radiation may be hazardous for human cells when absorbed more than the required dose. Hence, radiation protection processes is required, andthe development of shielding materials are of main concern. Here, the gamma ray shielding properties of iron–boron–phosphate-based composite samples have been studied. The linear attenuation coefficients (LAC, μ , cm −1 ) and related parameters have been simulated using Phy-X/PSD software for gamma energies in the range of 10 −3 to 10 5  MeV. It was found that the Nd 2 O 3 rate in iron–boron–phosphate-based composites is important in terms of radiation shielding.

Perforated sheets are used in many areas due to their high specific load, economical production, aesthetic structure, and filtering ability. Their use in industrial machinery and the construction industry can be given as examples of these areas. In this study, the mechanical behaviour of perforated metal sheets under tensile loads has been investigated numerically. The influence of material type, hole geometry, and hole arrangement were examined with finite element analyses. Stainless steel and aluminium materials are used as sheet materials. The hole geometries are circle, ellipse, triangle, square, and hexagon. As a result of the simulations, the aluminium material gave the highest values in terms of carried load capacity and absorbed energy. The sheets with the staggered hole arrangement have higher load and energy values than the sheets with the linear arrangement. The elliptical perforated aluminium sheet provided the highest load value of 28,386 N in the staggered arrangement. In both hole arrangements, the elliptical perforated sheet gave the highest load value, while the triangle perforated sheet gave the lowest load value. The elliptical perforated sheet with linear hole arrangement provided the highest values in terms of specific load (435.57 N/g) and specific energy (0.27 J/g).

Granite rocks are currently one of the foremost raw materials that can be used for various economic purposes such as ornamentation and building materials, because they do not possess radioactive concentrations and have good physical and mechanical properties. The granite rocks of north Um Taghir are connected to neoproterozoic rocks and integrated to the north Arabian-Nubian Shield (ANS), which lies in Northeast Africa. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and X-ray fluorescence analysis, concurrent to some statistical analysis, have been carried for major oxides and some trace elements to extract much fundamental information by following certain mathematical methods. The exposed granite rock units in north Um Taghir are classified into four rock units represented by tonalite, granodiorite, monzogranite, and alkali-feldspar granite which are cut by different types of dikes. The magma of tonalite and granodiorite is low-to-medium K calc-alkaline affinity, while the magma of monzogranite and alkali-feldspar granite is medium-to-high K calc-alkaline affinity, and of metaluminous to peraluminous nature. Granite rocks show a slightly depletion of fractionated patterns from light rare earth elements (LREEs) to heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) with slightly positive to negative Eu anomalies from tonalite to monzogranite and alkali-feldspar granites. The statistical criteria have been achieved to explore the significant differences of radiological hazard parameters among samples. It is obvious that there is no homogeneity among samples; furthermore, in Kruskal–Wallis test, Mann–Whitney test, and Pearson correlation coefficient, it can be noticed that there are significant differences between each pair of samples: tonalite, monzogranite; tonalite, alkali-feldspar granite; granodiorite, monzogranite; and granodiorite, alkali-feldspar granite. There is a strong direct relationship among granodiorite and both tonalite and alkali-feldspar granite, and among alkali-feldspar granite and tonalite and granodiorite. There is a strong inverse relationship among monzogranite and tonalite, granodiorite, and alkali-feldspar granite. As stated by all results, it can be mentioned that the granite rocks have a worthy result of mechanical and physical properties. So that they can be used for various economic purposes.

Pistacia lentiscus L. is an evergreen shrub belonging to the Anacardiaceae family, cultivated exclusively in the southern area of Chios Island. Mastic gum as a unique natural resin of the tree Pistacia lentiscus L. has been used extensively in functional foods and traditional medicine. The biological properties of Pistacia resins may be influenced by different chemical constituents. Herein the present work is aimed to further explore the diverse triterpenoids of mastic, and evaluate their anti-inflammatory activity. Two undescribed polypodane-type bicyclic triterpenoids were isolated from the Pistacia resins, their structures were elucidated using ultraviolet, infrared, high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (HRESIMS), and nuclear magnetic resonance data. LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages were incubated with various concentrations of isolated compounds, and results showed that compounds 1 and 2 inhibited nitric oxide production in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells with IC 50 values of 28.1 and 32.6 µM, respectively.

Composites are important as they have been used in a variety of different fields. Therefore, production and testing of composites have become one of the most popular topics for researchers. In this work, the physical, structural, and mechanical properties such as packing density ( V t ), bond dissociation energy ( G t ), Young’s ( E ), bulk ( B ), shear ( S ), longitudinal ( L ), indentation ( E *) moduli, and Poisson’s ratio ( σ ) were obtained for (100 − x )HAP + x TiO 2 composite, where x = 0, 3, 7.5, and 10 wt%. The variations in those properties with TiO 2 rate in HAP composites were tested.

In this study, tribological properties and characterization of borided Co–Mg alloys were investigated. Cobalt–magnesium (CM) alloys with 97% Co–3% Mg composition were borided at temperatures of 850–900°C and for 1.5–4.5 h with solid boriding. The properties of the resulting boride layers were measured and determined by microhardness, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), density, and surface roughness testers. XRD analysis results after boriding found CoB, Co 2 B, and Co phases. Depending on the boriding time and temperature, the thickness of the boride layer for the CM alloy varied from 51 to 138 µm. The boride layer had a hardness varying between 1,674 and 1,956 HV 0.05 for the CM alloy, while the Vickers hardness value of untreated Cobalt was 52 HV 0.05 . The wear tests were carried out in a ball-disc arrangement under a dry friction condition at room temperature with an applied load of 10 N and with a sliding speed of 0.3 m/s at a sliding distance of 250 m. It was observed that the wear rate of borided and unborided CM alloy ranged from 25.89 × 10 −5 to 94.95 × 10 −5  mm 3 /N m. As a consequence of the findings, the author reported that boriding CM alloys in the given conditions can make a difference for different application areas.

In this study, two polar extracts (aqueous and ethanolic) from the aerial part of Anemone nemorosa L. (dried plant) were assessed to reveal their polyphenols profile, antioxidant activity, cytotoxic, and antiproliferative activity on Caco-2 (ATCC-HTB-37) cell line. In silico studies on two key compounds, protoanemonin and anemonin, on four molecular targets – cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2, and human tankyrase 1 and human tankyrase 2 in relation to human colon cancer cell development have also been achieved. The results are as follows: caffeic acid esters and quercetin glycosides, including (iso)rhamnetin derivates, are the major polyphenol compounds in wood anemone polar extracts; the two polar extracts indicated very strong antioxidant activity in the interval from 0.1 to 5 µg [GAE] per 1 mL sample (IC 50 < 0.290 µg GAE/mL), and in vitro studies on Caco-2 cells have revealed their simultaneous stimulatory and protective activity exactly in the concentration area with the strongest antioxidant activity. In silico studies have revealed moderate inhibitory activity of the two key compounds, anemonin and protoanemonin, on the four molecular targets studied; it was concluded having particular benefits of the wood anemone polar extracts in managing postoperative intestinal recovery, and generally in regenerative medicine. Graphical abstract

Mechanical properties, elastic moduli, transmission factors (TFs), and gamma-ray shielding performance of quaternary glass systems with chemical composition (0.25− x )Bi 2 O 3 – x B 2 O 3 −0.75(50%P 2 O 5 −50%V 2 O 5 ), where x = 0.05 (S1), 0.10 (S2), 0.15 (S3), and 0.20 (S4) mol%, were comprehensively studied. The MCNPX code, Phy-X/PSD software, and the Makishima–Mackenzie model were utilized to achieve the mentioned purposes. The values of the packing density ( V t ) decreased from 0.634432 to 0.600611, while those of the dissociation energy ( G t ) increased from 51.6125 kJ/cm 3 for the S1 glass sample (with Bi 2 O 3 = 5 mol%) to 56.7525 kJ/cm 3 for the S4 glass sample (with Bi 2 O 3 = 20 mol%). This means that the mechanical properties were enhanced by increasing the Bi 2 O 3 content in glasses. Linear ( µ ) and mass attenuation ( µ m ) coefficients for the S4 glass sample were the greatest compared to those for glass materials investigated, i.e., ( µ , µ m ) S1 < ( µ , µ m ) S2 < ( µ , µ m ) S3 < ( µ , µ m ) S4 . Half- and tenth-value layers (HVL and TVL, respectively) follow the trend: (HVL, TVL) S1 > (HVL, TVL) S2 > (HVL, TVL) S3 > (HVL, TVL) S4 . The effective atomic number ( Z eff ) of investigated glasses has the same trend as of linear and mass attenuation coefficients. Our findings indicate that increasing the amount of Bi 2 O 3 reinforcement decreased the exposure buildup factor and energy absorption buildup factor values for all mean free path values (0.5–40 mfp). All glasses recorded the minimum TF values at a thickness of 3 cm. The findings would benefit the scientific community in determining the most appropriate additive bismuth( iii ) oxide/diboron trioxide type and related glass composition to provide the shielding properties previously mentioned in terms of needs and utilization requirements, as well as the most suitable glass composition.

In the performance characterization of chemical molecular structures, several uncertain properties are often encountered, and fuzzy theory is precisely the tool to characterize these uncertainties. When molecular structures are described by molecular graphs, the corresponding fuzzy graph theory is used to characterize the uncertainty of atoms and atomic bonds. In this study, there is introduced cyclic connectivity index and its average version for bipolar fuzzy incidence graph (BFIG), and several theoretical results are obtained in the light of graph theory and fuzzy theory. Finally, the given new fuzzy index is applied to the testing of anti-aging-related drugs yields average uncertainty data for the corresponding molecular structures.

The cloning between different animals known as interspecific somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) was carried out for endangered species. The iSCNT has been characterized by a poor success rate due to several factors that influence the formation of the SCNT in various cytoplasms. The cell cycle of the transferred somatic cell, the passage number of the cultured somatic cell, the mitochondria oocytes, and their capabilities are among these factors. This study investigates the role of the passage number of the Arabian Oryx somatic cell culture when transplanted to an enucleated domestic cow oocyte and embryo development in vitro . The fibroblast somatic cell of the Arabian Oryx was cultured for several passage lanes (3–13). The optimal passage cell number was found to be 10–13 Oryx cell lines that progressed to various cell stages up to the blastula stage. There was some variation between the different passage numbers of the oryx cell line. The 3–9 cell line did not show a good developmental stage. These could be attributed to several factors that control the iSCNT as stated by several investigators. More investigation is needed to clarify the role of factors that affect the success rate for the iSCNT.

In this study, four tellurite–germanate glasses containing zinc, lithium, and bismuth with varied Bi 2 O 3 and TeO 2 amounts were investigated. The mechanical qualities of sample glasses were investigated and associated with their structural properties. Furthermore, the radiation-shielding capabilities of N1–N4 glasses were evaluated at 0.662 MeV using EPICS2017. The radiation-shielding characteristics were compared with the radiation-shielding parameters published in the literature for various glass systems. When TeO 2 was replaced with Bi 2 O 3 , Young’s and bulk moduli of the material decreased. The L values of glasses were higher than their S values (14–13 GPa), indicating that they can tolerate longitudinal stress better than shear stress and can be bent rather than elongated readily. The MACs calculated were comparable to those obtained using WinXcom. The tenth-value layer (TVL) of all of the sample glasses was higher than that of the bismuth aluminosilicate glasses. All of the borate glass systems containing bismuth, sodium, and antimony had lower TVLs than N1–N3 glasses. The half-value layer was more in the N4 glass with the greatest Bi 2 O 3 content than those in 50 and 60 mol% PbO-containing strontium borate glasses.

Though ionic liquids (ILs) are considered potential materials for CO 2 capture because of their unique properties, it is time-consuming and costly to choose task-specific and suitable IL using the traditional “try-and-error” method. From the point of molecular design view, 25 cations and 20 anions are combined and screened using COSMOtherm to predict CO 2 solubility at 298 K and 100 kPa. The prediction result showed that ILs with bFAP(tris(nonafluorobutyl)trifluorophosphate) anion could dissolve more CO 2 than any others. To further understand the absorption performance of CO 2 in ILs, molecular dynamic simulations are carried out to explore the interactions between CO 2 and the four selected ILs, namely, [EMPyr][bFAP](1-ethyl-2-methylpyrazolium tris(nonafluorobutyl)trifluorophosphate), [B(Hex) 3 P][bFAP](butyl-trihexyl-phosphonium tris(nonafluorobutyl) trif-luorobutyl trifluorophosphate), [(Me) 5 isobuGua][bFAP]( n,n,n,n,n -pentamethyl- n -isopropylguanidinium tris(nona-fluorobutyl)-trifluorophosphate), and [BEIM][bFAP] (1-butyl-3-ethyl-imidazolium tris(nonafluorobutyl)trifluo-rophosphate), at the atomic and molecular levels.

Novel clivia biochar adsorbing daptomycin (DAP) was prepared by microwave digestion–anaerobic carbonization in this work. Fe/Ag submicron particles were introduced to the biochar surface based on the reducibility of biochar to enhance its adsorption capacity. Characterization confirmed that modified biochar (AF-biochar) had a higher particle size (126 μm), larger specific surface area (521.692 m 2  g −1 ), richer pore structure, and higher thermal stability. The effects of the main variables (e.g., the solution pH, contact time, initial DAP concentration, and temperature) were investigated during adsorption. The results showed that AF-biochar could reach the adsorption equilibrium at pH 4.8 for 85 min. Besides, the adsorption capacity was 48.25 mg g −1 , and the adsorption efficiency was 96.50% when the concentration of DAP was 25 mg L −1 . The pseudo-second-order kinetics ( R 2 = 0.9997), Langmuir equation ( R 2 = 0.9999), and thermodynamics ( R 2 = 0.9631) of AF-biochar fit well, indicating that the main adsorption process of AF-biochar was spontaneous, exothermic, and monolayer. Their adsorption was analyzed by physical and chemical adsorption. The main adsorption mechanisms included the electron donor–acceptor interaction, electrostatic force interaction, Lewis acid–base interaction, and H-bond interaction. Graphical abstract

Jujube leaf tea, which is made from the young leaves of Ziziphus jujuba , is a novel functional herb tea or infusion that inhibits the central nervous system. In the current study, the effects of iminodisuccinic acid (IDS), as a metal complexing agent, on mineral element content, oxidative damage, antioxidant enzyme activities, and antioxidant accumulation in the young and mature leaves of Z. jujuba were investigated. Results demonstrated that foliar fertilization with ionic (FeCl 2 and ZnCl 2 ) and chelated (Fe-IDS and Zn-IDS) fertilizers could drastically enhance iron and zinc contents, coupled with increased vitamin C level, glutathione accumulation, total phenolic content, and total antioxidant capacity (evaluated based on the Fe 3+ reducing power of leaf extracts), compared with the control, particularly in young leaves. However, chelated fertilizers considerably reduced the chlorophyll level, H 2 O 2 content, and lipid peroxidation rate than ionic fertilizers, particularly in young leaves. Compared with the control, chelated fertilizers induced greater superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, particularly in young leaves. Moreover, decreased enzyme activities were observed in the ionic fertilizer-treated leaves compared with the control-treated leaves. Thus, using a chelating agent could improve the accumulation of mineral elements and antioxidants in young leaves by reducing metal-mediated reactive oxygen species toxicity. Graphical abstract

Guaianolide is a type of naturally occurring sesquiterpene lactone compounds that have attracted attention due to their diverse biological properties. In this work, a guaiane-type sesquiterpene lactone identified as deoxycynaropicrin (compound 1 ) was isolated and reported for the first time from the leaves of Centaurothamnus maximus with two known flavonoid derivatives namely luteolin 6- O -methyl ether (compound 2 ) and quercetin 3-methyl ether 5- O -glucopyranoside (compound 3 ). The cytotoxic activity of all the three compounds was evaluated against the THP-1 human leukemia cell lines. Moreover, flow cytometry was employed to explore the cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction for the active compound. We found that compound 1 (deoxycynaropicrin) exerted the highest cytotoxicity while compounds 2 and 3 showed no activity. Cell cycle analysis showed that compound 1 arrested the cells’ population at the G2/M phase. Furthermore, THP-1 cells treated with compound 1 exhibited a marked increase in the apoptotic cells compared to the control. Overall, this study showed that deoxycynaropicrin induces cytotoxicity against human leukemia cell lines and provided an important insight into its potential therapeutic effects against leukemia cells.

In a welding process, distortion is inevitable and causes a significant problem. Distortion could be minimized up to a specific limit by controlling the welding parameters. The expansion and contraction of the welding metal and the adjacent base metal during the heating and cooling cycles of the welding process create thermal stresses and angular distortion in a welding joint. The welding parameters determine the geometry of a weld bead. The form of the weld bead is vital in the angular distortion of butt welded plates. This article discusses the influence of some flux-cored arc welding process parameters such as shielding gas flow rate, weaving motion of welding electrodes, and torch angle on bead profile and angular distortion of St 37 steel plates of 10 mm thickness. The angular distortion decreases with the torch angle, but it increases with the gas flow rate. The electrode weaving motion consists of three components: the designed weld width, the vertical motion period in the welding direction, and the lateral motion speed normal to the welding direction. The angular distortion decreases with the weld width and the vertical motion period but decreases with the lateral speed.

In the present work, the plug flow reactor of a urea production plant from ammonia produced from natural gas of the Camisea fields (Peru) was designed, comparatively analyzing three commercial processes currently in operation: Stamicarbon, Snamprogetti, and Toyo. ASPEN PLUS software was used as a simulation tool. To carry out the simulation and subsequent comparison of the three urea production patents, it will start from the same feed of ammonia (37,851 kmol/day) and carbon dioxide (18,989 kmol/day) for the three cases. For the design of urea synthesis reactors, reactors of the same size (2.3 m diameter and 29 m length) were designed. The results are graphs that illustrate the variation of the length of the reactor with the reaction temperature, the variation of the length of the reactor with the residence time, and the variation of the conversion with the time for each patent.

Heavy metal ions, including cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), are serious pollutants in farmland soils. The effective removal of heavy metals is an important task in soil remediation. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of seven ramie ( Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud) cultivars to remove heavy metals. Results showed that the seven ramie varieties grew well in Cd and Pb polluted soils. The aboveground biological tissues and raw fiber yield of “Zhongzhu1” were 20.71 and 24.61 Mg ha −1 per year, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of the six other varieties. Cd levels in each ramie part can be arranged as husks > root > stem bone > leaf > raw fiber, while Pb levels in each ramie part can be arranged as root > leaf > husks > stem bone > raw fiber. The Cd content in the shoots of “Zhongzhu1” was 19.89 mg kg −1 , and the Pb content of the aboveground shoots of “Shiqianzhugenma” was 9.41 mg kg −1 . The extraction efficiency of Cd in “Zhongzhu1” was greatly higher than those of the six other varieties. The extraction efficiency of Pb was similar in all varieties. Our observations suggest that ramie can be used to remove toxic ions (Cd and Pb). This study provides a new understanding of planting ramie for heavy metal removal from contaminated soils.

Among the non-nutritive additives available for lamb nutrition, direct-fed microbial (DFM) stands out for altering rumen fermentation and increasing animal productivity. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of DFM and weaning systems on performance, mortality, and health of newborn lambs. A total of 60 newborn lambs were divided into 4 equal groups and assigned to one of 4 treatments: Control (C) without DFM and late weaning; T1, DFM and early weaning; T2, DFM and mid weaning; and T3, DFM and late weaning. Each lamb in the treated group received 3 doses of DFM (5 mL/lamb). The mortality was reduced by 80% compared to the control group. Lambs in the T2 and T3 with DFM groups had significantly ( P < 0.05) higher body weight (BW) and body weight gain (BWG) than lambs in the C group. Glucose, creatinine, and urea nitrogen levels of T3 lambs were significantly ( P < 0.05) higher in late weaning compared with the remining treatments. DFM supplementation and weaning system significantly ( P < 0.01) reduced serum Zn concentration. These results suggest that the addition of DFM to the diet of newborn lambs and weaning at 60 days improves the overall performance and immunity of the lambs and consequently reduces the mortality rate.

Murrayafoline A (MuA) is a natural compound with diverse biological activities, including cytotoxicity against cancer cells, but suffers from poor water solubility and low specificity. In order to improve the potential of MuA as a candidate for cancer treatment, MuA-loaded liposomes were prepared with the liposomal membrane consisting of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine and cholesterol. Dynamic light scattering measurements showed that the MuA-loaded liposomes had a z -average particle size of 104.3 ± 6.4 nm (mean ± SD; n = 3) and a polydispersity index of 0.15 ± 0.02 (mean ± SD; n = 3). The encapsulation efficiency was 55.3 ± 2.3% (mean ± SD; n = 3). The in vitro cytotoxicity of encapsulated MuA was attenuated at IC 50 = 21.97 µg/mL compared to 6.24 µg/mL for free MuA, against HepG2. In contrast, MuA-loaded liposomes were significantly more effective at inhibiting cell growth in HepG2 cancer spheroids, which indicated that they were able to reach the interior layers of the microtumor. Taken together, these results showed that the encapsulation of MuA in liposomes is a good research direction to improve this natural compound’s potential as a candidate for cancer treatment.

This study investigated the effect of animal origin and altitude on some physicochemical properties of milk and on the concentration of some minerals. The studied parameters were pH, conductivity, specific gravity, moisture, ash, total dissolved solids (TDS), sodium, potassium, and calcium. The milk samples were collected from camels (8), goats (5), and sheep (6). The samples were obtained from two altitudes: 14 and 2,110 m above sea level. At the low altitude, the conductivity was significantly different between the milks of the three ruminants and the moisture, TDS, specific gravity, and calcium were significantly different between the camel and sheep milks. Regarding the animals living at the high altitude, the moisture, TDS, specific gravity, and the ash were significantly different between the camel and sheep milks and between the sheep and goat milks. Concerning the effect of altitude on the studied parameters of the milk, it had variable significant effects on the studied parameters according to the animal origin. The animal origin and the altitude had significant effects on the milk conductivity, ash, and specific gravity.

Two new copper( ii ) complexes [CuL 1 ] ( 1 ) and [CuL 2 ] ( 2 ) derived from azo-based ligands 2-hydroxy-5- p -tolylazo-benzaldehyde (HL 1 ) and 1-(2-hydroxy-5- p -tolylazo-phenyl)-ethan-one (HL 2 ) were synthesized. These two ligands and their metal complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H and 13 C), infrared, and UV/Vis spectroscopic techniques. Spectroscopy and other theoretical studies reveal the geometry of copper complexes, and their binding affinity towards nucleic acids are major groove binding.

We present the findings of an extensive examination on newly designed CdO-rich and transparent glass shields for nuclear medicine facilities in lieu of traditional and unfavorable materials, such as lead and concrete. Gamma-ray transmission factors of newly designed glass shields are determined using a variety of diagnostic, therapeutic, and research radioisotopes, including 67 Ga, 57 Co, 111 In, 201 Tl, 99m Tc, 51 Cr, 131 I, 58 Co, 137 Cs, 133 Ba, and 60 Co. A general-purpose Monte Carlo code MCNPX (version 2.7.0) is used to determine the attenuation parameters of different material thicknesses. Next, the findings are compared using a standard concrete shielding material. The results indicate that adding more CdO to the glass composition improves the overall gamma-ray attenuation properties. As a result, among the heavy and transparent glasses developed, the C40 sample containing 40% CdO exhibited the best gamma-ray absorption properties against all radioisotopes. Furthermore, the gamma-ray absorption characteristics of this created high-density glass were shown to be better to those of a standard and heavy concrete sample. It can be concluded that the newly developed CdO-rich and transparent glass sample may be used in medical radiation fields where the radioisotopes examined are used in daily clinical and research applications.

Thallium-activated sodium iodide (NaI(Tl)) detectors can be used in gamma cameras, environmental radiation assessments, including radiation emission levels from nuclear reactors, and radiation analysis equipment. This three-phase investigation aimed to model a standard NaI(Tl) detector using the Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended (MCNPX) general-purpose Monte Carlo simulation techniques. Accordingly, a standard NaI(Tl) detector was designed along with the required properties. Next a validation study of the modelled NaI(Tl) detector has been performed based on the experimental results for absolute detector efficiency values obtained from 226 Ra, 232 Th, and 40 K radioisotopes. Our findings indicate that the obtained absolute detector efficiency values are quite close to used experimental values. Finally, we used the modelled detector for determination of mass attenuation coefficients of Ordinary concrete, Lead, Hematite-serpentine concrete, and Steel-scrap concrete at 186.1, 295.22, 351.93, 609.31, 1120.29, 1764.49, 238.63, 911.2, 2614, and 1460.83 keV gamma-ray energies. Additionally, according to our findings, mass attenuation coefficients obtained from the newly designed detector are compatible with the standard NIST (XCOM) data. To conclude, continuous optimisation procedures are strongly suggested for sophisticated Monte Carlo simulations in order to maintain a high degree of simulation reliability. As a result, it can be concluded that the validation of the simulation model is necessary using measured data. Finally, it can also be concluded that the validated detector models are effective instruments for obtaining basic gamma-ray shielding parameters such as mass attenuation coefficients.

Caesalpinia sappan L. ( C . sappan L.), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used to treat bruises and dysmenorrhea, performing pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor. C . sappan L. has been reported to contain compounds such as protosappanins, brazilins, and homoisoflavones. In the pre-experiments, we discovered that there were many unstable components in the characteristic chromatogram of C . sappan L. Here, silica-gel column chromatography, high-speed counter-current chromatography, and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography were combined and applied to isolate the unstable components from alcohol extract of C . sappan L. The results showed that four unstable compounds were collected with the purity higher than 95.0%, characterized as episapponal, brazilin, sapponal, and 4- O -methylsapponal by hydrogen-1 and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance. Based on the above results, the characteristic chromatogram of C . sappan L. was established, and the characteristic peaks were identified. These results provided a theoretical basis for the quality assessment of C . sappan L.

Dodonaea viscosa (Sapindaceae) was collected from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For the simultaneous measurement of quercetin and kaempferol, a validated high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) approach was devised in D. viscosa leaf extract. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using diphenyl 1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) assays. Moreover, the cytotoxic effect was tested against three cancer cell lines A549, HepG2, and MDA-MB-231. The potential anti-inflammatory properties of different fractions of D. viscosa were also evaluated using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced THP-1 macrophages cells. The test samples include a crude extract of leaves and its solvent-soluble fractions of D. viscosa . The results showed that the crude extract and its fractions exhibited various significant biological activities, the fraction of chloroform demonstrated the highest free radical scavenging activity with IC 50 values: 172.2 and 257.7 µg/mL for both DPPH and ABTS tests. Additionally, the chloroform fraction had the greatest cytotoxic activity against MDA-MB-231 (IC 50 values: 24.6 ± 0.4 µg/mL). Moreover, the chloroform fraction exhibited the highest downregulation of the LPS-induced expression of TNF-α and IL-6. Quercetin and kaempferol were estimated concurrently in leaves crude extract using a validated technique on an HPTLC plate (10 cm 2 × 10 cm 2 ) with a combination of toluene–ethyl acetate–formic acid (5:4:0.2; v/v/v) as the mobile phase and a λ max of 254 nm. The amount of quercetin and kaempferol was found to be 31.8 and 15.01 mg/g of dried leaf extract, respectively. The presence of high levels of quercetin and kaempferol in D. viscosa leaves extract could explain its remarkable antioxidant, cytotoxic, and anti-inflammatory effects. The devolved HPTLC method can be used for routine analysis and standardization of D. viscosa crude plant material, extracts, and/or finished products using quercetin and kaempferol as appropriate markers.

The scope of this study, that is, the effect of the elastic modulus obtained by ultrasonic method on the physical and mechanical properties of tungsten carbide (WC)-based ceramic–metal composites, which have Ni and Co metallic binder composition produced by powder metallurgy and represented by high strength and hardness criteria, was investigated. In order to obtain composite samples in the study, it was sintered in a microwave furnace at different temperatures to combine the powder particles prepared at the rate of 60% Ni, 20% Co, and 20% WC by weight. Then, the velocities and longitudinal attenuation values of longitudinal and shear ultrasonic waves along the composite sample were measured using the ultrasonic pulse-echo method. The elastic modulus of the composites was determined using ultrasonic velocities and sample density. Hardness testing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were also performed. The results show that the elastic modulus increases with the increase in sintering temperature and ultrasonic wave speeds, but decreases with the longitudinal attenuation value, considering the SEM images and XRD analysis. There is also a linear relationship between elastic modulus and stiffness.

Vespa velutina auraria Smith is an edible and medicinal insect in China. This study demonstrated the in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory bioactivities and the volatile composition identification determined by Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antioxidant activity screening results showed that the ethanol extracts of both the fresh and dried samples exhibited an efficient antioxidant activity for three models, 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzo-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid diammonium salt) free radicals scavenging capacity, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging capacity, and ferric reducing antioxidant power. The anti-inflammatory activity screening in vitro indicated that ethanol extracts had considerable inhibitory effect on Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in macrophages, but had no influence on IL-6 expression. GC-MS analyses of volatile composition of V. auraria identified 46 components, representing 75.76% of the total peak areas from fresh sample, and 34 components, 84.70% of the total peak areas from dried ones. The volatile constituents were very different in the petroleum ether part of fresh and dried ones. The three major components are hentriacontane (7.76%), n-hexadecanoic acid (6.54%), and palmitoleic acid (4.50%) in the fresh sample, while they are benzeneacetaldehyde (13.11%), dodecanoic acid (7.08%), and oleic Acid (6.72%) in the dried sample. Graphical abstract

An approach for texturing of gas-sensitive nanocoatings by using surface acoustic waves (SAW) is presented in this article. The objective of the work is to enhance the performance of precise SAW-based gas sensors due to the increased specific area of the sensitive nanocoating, induced during its growth and to replace the expensive lithographic techniques for nanopatterning, typically used for this purpose. The technique can be used for tuneable alignment of nanoparticles or nanowires and it is scale-independent. To control the texture of the sensitive nanocoating, a specific electrode topology was used to generate waves with a specific space distribution, which in turn caused assembling of the nanoparticles increasing the adsorption capacity. In this way, a broader dynamic range of 7,000 ppm was achieved (three times extended as compared to the non-textured sensing film), measurement error of 0.6% against 4% for the non-patterned, faster response time in the sub-seconds range (970 ms vs 1.1 s), negligible hysteresis of 10 mV (against >100 mV), and very good sensitivity of 5 µV per ppm, which are in line with the current standards for ethanol sensors. The enhanced sensor parameters were achieved by implementation of conventional patterning technologies without the need for nanolithographic techniques for the texturing the nanocoating. The method is low-cost, and applicable in a variety of sensing structures despite the sensing coating (optical, biological, etc.).

Protozoal infections caused by species belonging to Leishmania donovani complex are responsible for the most severe form of leishmaniasis, especially in Sudan and other developing countries. Drugs commonly used for the treatment of the disease show varying levels of effectiveness and also have associated side effects. Thus, the present work highlights the synthesis of some chalcones to be used as potential anti-leishmanial agents. The activity of the synthesized chalcones has been evaluated against L . donovani . The ADMET profile of the synthesized compounds were tested using various integrated web-based tools. Moreover, in order to investigate the molecular mechanism of action, the chalcone compounds were docked into L . donovani trypanothione reductase (TR) using Autodock 4.0 and molecular dynamics were studies. Eight compounds showed the highest activity against the morphological forms. Among these compounds, chalcones 15 has shown the highest inhibitory effect with IC 50 value of 1.1 µM. In addition, pharmacokinetic and toxicological investigations revealed its good oral bioavailability and low toxicity. Furthermore, chalcone 15 was found to interact with high affinity (−13.7 kcal/mol) with TR, an essential enzyme for the leishmanial parasite. Thus, this promising activity against L . donovani supports the use of chalcone 15 as a potential new therapy for visceral leishmaniasis.

Ester based on l -menthol and phenibut ‒ (1 R ,2 S ,5 R )-5-methyl-2-(propan-2-yl)cyclohexyl 4-amino-3-phenylbutanoate hydrochloride was obtained in 78% yield using N , N ′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide as a coupling reagent along with catalytic amount of 4-dimethylaminopyridine. The obtained product was characterized by FT-IR, fast-atom bombardment-mass spectrometry along with 1 H-NMR and 13 C-NMR spectral analysis; the purity was assessed using high-performance liquid chromatography. Phenibut ester has been examined on the models of chemically- and electrically-induced seizures for potential anticonvulsant profile.

Various beliefs are common about the extraction of soluble compounds from leaf tea, suggesting that cold brewed tea or tea brewed for a shorter time than usual may contain a higher polyphenol-to-caffeine ratio, a selling point due to the potential health benefits of polyphenolic compounds. To test these beliefs, we investigated the effect of brewing time and temperature on the colour intensity and caffeine content of the extract of one type of black tea. Results showed that the extraction of the two components of interest had different half-lives, with an initial large variation of the ratio between them rapidly reaching a quite constant value. At different temperatures, a significantly different ratio between caffeine and colour compounds was observed. Although the difference in relative concentration was small, the range of brewing temperatures tested was only 20 Kelvin, so it seems possible to increase this difference. A difference in total extraction efficiency of both components together was noted too. To effectively change the ratio of the components using the extraction time would require using accurate times of less than 3 minutes and accurate temperatures unusual in a home environment.

Titanium is known to be an indispensable element in biomaterials. In this study, boron carbide was considered as an alternative to titanium due to its good mechanical properties. Boron carbide has high temperature resistance, high wear resistance, etc. It is a preferred material due to its properties. Considering this information, different compositions were created by mixing Fe–B 4 C and egg shell powders. Compositions sintered using powder metallurgy technique were investigated mechanically, physically and metallographically. According to the results of the analysis, it was determined that the hardness increased by 13.75% with the addition of egg shell. The hardness value of 204.12 HB was measured in the sample sintered at 1,400°C by adding 6.66% egg shelter powder.

Industrial crops and products have proved to be an excellent alternative to petro-based chemicals. Vegetable oils are rich in functional groups that can be transformed into monomers and polymers with applications such as biodiesel, lubricants, inks, coatings, and paints. This study describes the synthesis of rapeseed oil (RO)-based esteramide for the first time. The reaction was carried out by amidation of RO, producing diol fatty amide ( N , N -bis(2-hydroxyethyl) RO fatty amide), followed by its esterification reaction with hippuric acid, resulting in RO-based hippurate amide (ROHA). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance confirmed the introduction of amide and ester moieties in ROHA. ROHA was further reinforced with silver nanoparticles (SNPs) to develop corrosion-protective nanocomposite coatings. ROHA/SNP coatings were scratch-resistant, impact-resistant, and flexible and showed good corrosion resistance performance toward 3.5 w/w% NaCl medium, with adequate corrosion protection efficiency, and antimicrobial behavior against Staphylococcus aureus , Chromobacterium violaceum , Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Candida albicans . ROHA/SNP coatings can be safely used up to 250°C.

Powdered Teucrium polium leaves (S1) were modified with zinc chloride (ZnCl 2 ) (S2), a mixture of copper sulfide (CuS) and ZnCl 2 (S3), and oxalic acid (H 2 C 2 O 4 ) (S4). The porosity, surface area, and functional groups of these four samples, along with their ability to uptake KMnO 4 from solutions, were inspected to identify the optimal adsorbent. For KMnO 4 adsorption by the ideal adsorbent (S2), the pH ZPC (pH value at which the adsorbent surface is uncharged), influences of experimental circumstances, and dynamic, isotherm, and thermodynamic parameters were examined. According to the results, the surface area, pore size, pore volume, and pH ZPC of the optimum adsorbent (S2) are 3.689 m 2 /g, 570.20 Å, 0.01776 cm 3 /g, and 6.4, respectively. The optimal S2 dose, the ideal value of pH solution, and equilibrium time are 0.05 g, 5.5, and 192 min, respectively. The Langmuir and second-order models are appropriate for modeling this adsorption. Furthermore, increasing the temperature from 27 to 57°C increases the maximum adsorption capacity ( q max ) from 833.33 to 1000.00 mg/g. According to the thermodynamic data, this adsorption is both endothermic and spontaneous. Graphical abstract

Many forms of energy are used in daily life. The most needed of these different forms is electricity. If this energy continues to be met with limited resources, it is clearly seen that sufficient energy needs will not be met in the future. Therefore, in the generation of electrical energy, existing resources must be used extremely efficiently. With the development of technology, electrical energy production is carried out more efficiently with non-renewable energy sources. These technological developments, which come to a certain point, can meet the demanded energy need up to a certain level. For this reason, many studies are carried out on renewable energy sources in order to respond to the needed energy demands. Therefore, in this study, the effect of geographical conditions on panel efficiency in electricity generation with solar panels, which is one of the renewable energy sources, was analyzed. Analyzes were carried out with power plant models installed in four different geographical regions of Turkey using the design and simulation software for photovoltaic systems program for PV systems. The effects of latitude, altitude and temperature on electrical energy production were investigated using the established power plant models.

Some factors in the product development process can increase success. Evaluating the risks and success factors is necessary for a more successful product development process. Some inadequacies arise in classical risk assessment methods due to the subjective nature of likelihood and severity ratings. Different probability and impact values can give the same risk size. Due to these inadequacies, doubts about the accuracy of risk prioritization may arise. In this study, a new risk prioritization model is proposed to eliminate these doubts and to consider their contribution to the success of the process they affect while prioritizing the risks, with a detailed literature review and the support of the experts of the applied company, the risks affecting the product development process. The importance levels of risks and success factors were calculated using the analytical hierarchy process. With the proposed model, unlike the classical method, when calculating the risk size, the risk weight and the total score from the success factors are added to the likelihood and severity values of the risk. Thus, companies will obtain more detailed and objective results, considering success factors and risk importance levels, and use the resources they allocate for risk reduction activities more efficiently.

The vast applications of 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde-derived systems in the sensors originate from their unusual excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) fluorescence in the molecules. The mechanism of ESIPT fluorescence in the solvated 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde carbohydrazone (HNLSC) system was investigated by ab initio time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculation. The solvation stabilized both ground state and excited state in the enol form, and the medium intramolecular interaction ensured the bond break, bond-forming and proton transfer in the conversion from excited enol form to keto form. ESIPT reaction from the enol form to the keto form had a low barrier of 2.54 kcal mol −1 in the cyclohexane solvation, and all the calculated emission was consistent with the experimental findings. Moreover, the disaggregation of excited enol form was favoured instead of the IPT conversion to keto form, vanishing the specific ESIPT pathway in the protic surroundings. Our research can give a meaningful insight into the two kinds of fluorescence spectroscopy in the HNISC system found by experimental measurement and be potential guidance to the application of 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde-derived systems in the development of new-type sensors, nonlinear optical materials and biochemical probes.

Bi 2 O 3 –PbO–CdO–B 2 O 3 glass samples were prepared via melt quenching. The substitution of Bi 2 O 3 for B 2 O 3 resulted in a continuous increase in density from 4.334 to 5.742 g/cm 3 . The molar volume ( V m ) gradually increased from 37.197 to 38.429 cm 3 /mol when the Bi 2 O 3 level increased from 10 to 25 mol%. With the addition of Bi 2 O 3 from 10 to 25 mol%, Young’s, bulk, shear, and longitudinal modulus reduced from 40.80 to 35.07 GPa, 22.92 to 19.97 GPa, 16.95 to 14.52 GPa, and 45.53 to 39.33 GPa, respectively. These glasses are bendable rather than elongated and can withstand longitudinal stress over shear stress. Radiation protection qualities were investigated using EpiXS software, which is based on the ENDF/B-VIII EPICS2017 library, between 122 and 1275 keV. The mass attenuation coefficients are substantially higher at low energies. The radiation shielding properties of Bi 2 O 3 –PbO–CdO–B 2 O 3 glasses were improved by replacing B 2 O 3 with Bi 2 O 3 . Quantifying this improvement is critical in developing compact radiation shielding employing this glass system.

Water is an indispensable requirement for life for health and many other purposes, but not all water is safe for consumption. Thus, various metrics, such as biological, chemical, and physical, could be used to determine the quality of potable water for use. This study presents a machine learning-based model using the adaptive boosting technique with the ability to categorize and evaluate the quality rate of drinking water. The dataset for the study was adopted from Kaggle. Consequently, an experimental analysis of the different machine learning techniques (ensemble) was carried out to create a generic water quality classifier. The results show that the forecast accuracy of the logistic regression model (88.6%), Chi-square Automatic Interaction Detector (93.1%), XGBoost tree (94.3%), as well as multi-layered perceptron (95.3%) improved by the presented ensemble model (96.4%). The study demonstrates that the use of ensemble model presents more precision in predicting water quality compared to other related algorithms. The use of the model presented in this study could go a long way to enhance the regulation of water quality and safety and address the gaps in conventional prediction approach.

Rumex vesicarius ( R. vesicarius or RV) is an annual plant having rounded leaves, with flowers containing seeds. RV protects liver, resists cancer, and removes free radicals in cells. The aim of this study was to illustrate the effect of the R. vesicarius water seeds extract (RVWSE) treatment on mice before and during pregnancy, and its action on the liver and kidney histology and enzymes, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, the blood urea nitrogen, the creatinine, and the uric acid. The seeds of R. vesicarius were collected, extracted, and its component analyzed via Gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Mice treated with 10 mg kg −1 RVWSE via feeding tube for 1 week before mating, or during pregnancy. The number of offspring or litter size was recorded and the blood sample was collected at the end of the experiment to test the kidney and liver enzymes, and their histology. Results showed that RVWSE contains different phytochemicals consisting of some hexane and chloroform compounds. The fertility rate of 1st treated pre-pregnancy group is 30% and the 2nd group is 35%. The offspring rate of 1st treated group showed higher new born rate (8 new born/female) than 2nd treated group (5.4 new born/female). The blood enzyme levels of the kidney and liver showed some variation between the two groups and their histology illustrates some non-significant variation between the treated and control groups of mice. The implications of the results of this study illustrate the safe use of the RVWSE, its effectiveness in improving mice fertility, and positive impact on biomarker of serum enzymes of liver and kidney with their histopathology.

n-Dopants play a crucial role in improving organic electronic devices through controlled doping of organic semiconductors. Benzimidazoline-based dopants have been reported as one of the best solution-processed n-type dopant precursors. In this study, two benzimidazoline-based dopants (BIBDTO and BBIBDTO) were prepared using benzo[1,2- b :4,5- b ′]dithiophene as the 2-Ar unit, and their n-doping properties on the fullerene derivative PTEG-2 as the host material were carried out. For BIBDTO and BBIBDTO, respectively, the temperature at which 5% weight loss was achieved was 229 and 265°C. By comparing the ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and density functional theory calculated data, it is found that BBIBDTO has a higher energy level, which is more favorable for charge transfer. Additionally, both the oxidative titration experiments and conductivity characterization of the dopants showed that BBIBDTO was more advantageous at low doping concentrations, and the BBIBDTO-doped PTEG-2 films obtained a conductivity of 0.15 S cm −1 at 10 mol% doping concentration. However, at high dopant concentrations, the dopant volume increases, potentially disrupting the microstructure. The highest conductivity of 0.29 S cm –1 was obtained at a BIBDTO doping concentration of 15 mol%. This study delves into the effect of benzimidazole functional groups on the doping performance of benzimidazoline-based dopant molecules, providing insight into designing novel efficient n-type dopant molecules and further selecting the type of dopant for various doping systems.

Chinese jujube is a delicious fruit with high antioxidant nutrients. The fruit peel, however, is always discarded due to its indigestibility. In the current study, the jujube peels were collected for red pigment extraction. Six extraction-related parameters (ethanol concentration, solid-liquid ratio, material granularity, enzyme concentration, enzymolysis time, and pH) were optimized for jujube peel pigment extraction using Plackett–Burman and Box–Behnken designs. When the fruit peels were treated with 1.18% cellulase and 73% ethanol at pH 3.15, optimization enhanced the pigment extraction efficiency by 29.7% compared with the control. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) assay revealed that delphinidin 3- O -galactoside and cyanidin 3- O -rutinoside chloride were the major components of the jujube pigment extracts. Additionally, the red pigment extracts exhibited high free radical scavenging capacity and strong Fe 3+ reducing power. Finally, it also provides us a simple new method for efficient extraction of natural antioxidants from discarded jujube peels.

In this study, both mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy@carbon black nanocomposite (EP@CB-NC) produced by adding 0.3, 0.6, and 1% by weight carbon black nanoparticle obtained from waste automobile tires to epoxy were investigated. The chemical and structural composition of EP@CB-NC was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, simultaneous thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments, and thermal conductivity measurements were performed to determine the thermal stability of the prepared EP@CB-NC. Increasing the strength of modified epoxy composites by means of nanoparticles obtained with waste may pave the way for obtaining new materials with clean environment and superior properties. The mechanical and thermal properties were improved by adding carbon black to the bare samples.

Objectives This study investigates the effect of Annona muricata (AM) leaf extract against irradiation-induced damage by the evaluation of hepatic tissue and the levels of oxidative and inflammatory stress in the circulation. Methods An experimental study with 37 female Wistar albino rats randomized into four groups (controls and three intervention groups) was performed. The first interventional group (group 2) received 300 mg/kg of AM leaf extract by oral gavage once a day for 9 days, group 3 received a single dose of whole-body radiation (8.3 Gy) after a 9-day oral gavage treatment with saline, and the last group received the same irradiation of 8.3 Gy after being treated with 300 mg/kg of AM leaf extract by oral gavage once a day for 9 days. Results Radiation was found to elevate reactive oxygen species parameters, and AM administration before irradiation was found to decrease total oxidant status (TOS), increase caspase 9, and improve hepatic damage when compared with the group that received only irradiation. Conclusion The damage caused by irradiation may be ameliorated by the use of the AM extract, which appears to be effective in preventing oxidative stress and inflammatory activity.

We report the radioprotective attitude of Annona muricata (AM) leaf extract as antioxidant material to prevent cellular damage in the ileum tissue. The protective effects of an ethyl acetate extract of AM leaves are comprehensively investigated against radiation-induced ileal damage in numerous rats. Thirty-two adult female rats were separated into 4 groups (3 intervention groups and 1 control) as follows: controls received 0.01 mL/kg distilled water, the AM group received 300 mg/kg AM leaf extract, the ionizing radiation (IR) group received a single dose of whole body radiation (8.3 Gy) after 0.01 mL/kg saline treatment, and the AM + IR group received 300 mg/kg AM leaf extract treatment and were subjected to whole body radiation (8.3 Gy) 1 h after the last gavage. All treatments are administered by oral gavage once a day for 9 days. At the end of the experiment, biochemical total oxidant status (TOS, interleukin-6, and caspase) and histological examinations are performed on blood samples as well as ileum tissue. TOS levels are found to be significantly high in rats, which received irradiation, and those in the AM group when compared to controls. These findings suggest that AM has radioprotective effects on ileum tissue, likely because of its antioxidative properties. The findings of this research may contribute to the minimizing of major side effects induced by excessive radiation exposure in patients undergoing radiotherapy and may serve as a significant impetus for further assessments. However, future studies are highly recommended to confirm safety and to determine extraction technique and dosage before human use can be considered.

This study focused on the effect of WC on the ultrasonic properties, thermal and electrical conductivity of WC–Co–Ni–Cr composites. The samples were produced by powder metallurgy method for microstructural, physical, and ultrasonic characterization. Pulse-echo, hot disk, and four probe methods were used to evaluate the ultrasonic properties, thermal and electrical conductivity of WC–Co–Ni–Cr composites with different WC contents, respectively. Experimental results show that thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity of WC–Co–Ni–Cr composites increase linearly with increasing WC content and then decrease rapidly. The reason for this rapid decrease is expressed in the fact that the structure becomes more ceramic as the WC additive ratio increases. The same situation was observed in ultrasonic measurements. As the amount of WC particles in the sample increased, longitudinal and shear wave velocity, attenuation values, and elastic modulus increased.

Introduction Denture cleaners should not be harmful to dental prostheses elements, but immersions in cleaner solutions during a long time of using prosthesis may cause changes on Co–Cr alloy surfaces. There are five classes of denture cleaners: alkaline hypochlorites, alkaline peroxides, disinfectants, diluted acids, and enzymes. The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of denture cleaners solutions on the surface properties of Co–Cr alloy. Materials and method Specimens cast from cobalt–chromium alloy were divided into eight groups: 1 – dry; 2 – ultrapure water; 3 – 20% wt/wt sodium; 4 – 20% chlorhexidine digluconate; 5 – Correga Tabs BioFormula; 6 – 20% wt/wt citric acid; 7 – 0.5% NaOCl; and 8 – 5.0% NaOCl. After immersion in 200 mL of cleaning agent solution at 45°C in 3 years, simulation of use, surface roughness, contact angle, surface free energy (SFE), and microscopic observation was performed. Results For citric acid and NaOCl, roughness ( R a ) raised clearly. These cleaning agents also caused R q , R v , R p , and R Sm to increase the most. The observed water contact angle after using denture cleaners, especially citric acid, and NaOCl decreases, and the values of SFE increase. Under a digital microscope, the harmful effect of citric acid and solutions of NaOCl was visible. Conclusions Diluted acids and alkaline hypochlorites in presented concentrations influence Co–Cr surface parameters like roughness and wettability. Other classes of denture cleaning agents do not affect surface roughness parameters which make them safer for the metallic components of removable partial dentures.

The present study reports the synthesis of a polydopamine (PDA)/nanocellulose (NC) nanocomposite for the effective removal of chromium ions from water. PDA was used to modify NC surface producing a nanocomposite namely PDA/NC, by in situ polymerization of dopamine on the surface of NC. Thereafter, the as-synthesized nanocomposite was characterized using familiar techniques such as Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. All results indicated the successful combination of PDA and NC in one nanocomposite. The PDA/NC nanocomposite was evaluated for the removal of hexavalent Cr( vi ) ions from an aqueous solution. The adsorption conditions, such as pH, contact time, and initial Cr( vi ) concentration, were optimized. Adsorption kinetic studies revealed that Cr( vi ) removal on the surface of PDA/NC nanocomposite followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Furthermore, isotherm studies revealed that Cr( vi ) removal followed the Langmuir isotherm model with a maximum adsorption capacity ( q m ) of 210 mg/g. The adsorption mechanism study indicated that the Cr( vi ) removal was reached via complexation, adsorption, and chemical reduction. The reusability of a PDA/NC nanocomposite for the removal of Cr( vi ) ions was studied up to five cycles with acceptable results. The high adsorption capacity and multiple removal mechanisms validated the effective applicability of PDA/NC nanocomposite as a useful adsorbent for the removal of Cr( vi ) ions from aqueous solution.

Using the complex stratigraphic structure model, we study the changes in remaining oil on the millimeter scale in different structural parts during the different water flooding development methods. According to the actual geological structure characteristics of the oil layer, We designed and produced the meter-level experimental model, which ensures the similarity between the model structure and actual oil layer structure. The recovery rate of the primary water flooding stage is 10.36%. The stage recovery rate addition of the change flow direction stage is 7.85%. The final recovery rate is 41.36%. The physical interlayer structure has an influence on the oil saturation change in the nearby layers. The oil saturation reduction value is highest in the left part of layer 3 in the primary water flooding stage, the reduction range is 24.81%. There are 2 parts and 1 part where the oil saturation decreases by more than 10.0% in the second boost flooding stage and the change flow direction stage, respectively.

In this study, an optimized linear regression controller is proposed for velocity control of DC motor. System is tested under disturbances of different types. Step, sinusoidal and trapezoidal functions are used as reference input. A linear single layer network of weights is used to calculate the necessary armature voltage by giving past measured velocity, past reference and certain amount of future reference as inputs. Training data are generated using Proportional Integral (PI) controller parameters which are optimized using particle swarm optimization (PSO). In this first phase of training, pseudo-inverse solution is used to find the coarse parameters of the network. These parameters give suboptimal results with low performance even lower than that of PSO-optimized PI controller. In the second phase of training, parameters of the network are fine-tuned using PSO algorithm again, this time for optimization of network parameters. Quite encouraging results including up to more than 1,500% increase in performance are obtained and reported.

This research aimed to find an efficient and repeatable bottom-up proteolytic strategy to process the unstimulated human saliva. The focus is on monitoring immune system activation via the cytokine and interleukin signaling pathways. Carbohydrate metabolism is also being studied as a possible trigger of inflammation and joint damage in the context of the diagnostic procedure of temporomandibular joint disorder. The preparation of clean peptide mixtures for liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis was performed considering different aspects of sample preparation: the filter-aided sample preparation (FASP) with different loadings of salivary proteins, the unfractionated saliva, amylase-depleted, and amylase-enriched salivary fractions. To optimize the efficiency of the FASP method, the protocols with the digestion in the presence of 80% acetonitrile and one-step digestion in the presence of 80% acetonitrile were used, omitting protein reduction and alkylation. The digestion procedures were repeated in the standard in-solution mode. Alternatively, the temperature of 24 and 37°C was examined during the trypsin digestion. DyNet analysis of the hierarchical networks of Gene Ontology terms corresponding to each sample preparation method for the bottom-up assay revealed the wide variability in protein properties. The method can easily be tailored to the specific samples and groups of proteins to be examined.

Ductile irons (DIs) have properties such as high strength, ductility, and toughness, as well as a low degree of melting, good fluidity, and good machining. Having these characteristics make them the most preferred among cast irons. The combination of excellent properties, especially in DI castings with a thin section, make it an alternative for steel casting and forging. But in the manufacture of thin-section parts, fluidity characteristics need to be improved and the liquid metal must fill the mold completely. The fluidity of liquid metal is influenced by many factors depending on the casting processes such as material and mold properties, casting temperature, inoculation, globalization, and grain refinement. In this study, an artificial neural network (ANN) model has been developed that allows for determining the flow distance of the liquid metal in the sand mold casting method under changing casting conditions of DI. Thus, the flow distance was estimated depending on the cross-sectional thickness during the sand casting under changing casting conditions. The experimental parameters were determined as casting temperature, liquid metal metallurgy quality, cross-sectional thickness, and filling time. Filling modeling was performed with FlowCast software. When the results were examined, it was seen that the developed ANN model has high success in predicting the flow distances of the liquid metal under different casting conditions. The calculated coefficient of determination ( R 2 ) value of 0.986 confirms the high prediction performance of the model.

Mechanical activation is one of the most preferred methods to increase the reactivity of mineral, mining, and industrial wastes or materials with low pozzolanic content in cement production. The mechanical activation process of such materials takes a long time and requires high grinding energy. Although it seems like an advantage to using the materials in cement production by gaining reactivity thanks to mechanical activation, mechanical activation is a long duration and expensive process, causing an increase in cement production costs. In this study, a hybrid method is proposed for the mechanical activation of materials in a shorter duration and with lower energy consumption. A roller press and a hammer grinder were integrated before the laboratory type ball mill to realize the mechanical activation processes. To perform the mechanical activation processes in this way, two different hybrid grinding methods were tested and compared. Both methods activated volcanic tuff samples with low pozzolanic properties were investigated particle microstructures, energy consumption differences, mechanical activation durations and their effects on the cement performance, and mortar microstructures. The hybrid grinding method integrated with roller press and ball mill was determined to be the best mechanical activation method.

Natural products play an important role as environmentally friendly agents that can be used against parasitic diseases. Many Eimeria species cause eimeriosis in poultry. The negative effects of synthetic anti-coccidiosis medications necessitate the quest for alternative treatments derived from medicinal plants in the treatment of eimeriosis. The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Calotropis procera leaf extract (CPLE) (Madar) on the sporulation of Eimeria oocysts and sporozoites that affect mammalian jejunum and to obtain the best concentration for sporulation inhibition and infection prevention. Extracts were tested in vitro to prevent oocyst sporulation, wall deformity, and anti-sporozoite activity with Eimeria papillata . The plant-chemical compounds analysis of CPLE some active compounds were shown as well as CPLE in vitro effects at various concentrations (200, 100, 50, 25,12.5, and 6.25 mg/mL), while potassium dichromate solution 2.5% and Toltrazuril 25 mg/mL were administered as the control groups. C. procera leaf extract showed the highest inhibitory percentage on E. papillata oocyst at 200 mg/mL of extract, approximately 91%. In addition, CPLE showed the sporozoite highest viability inhibitory percentage on E. papillata at 200 mg/mL of extract, approximately 88%, and the lowest efficacy was 5% at 6.25 mg/mL. Also, we noticed the deformation and destruction of the oocyst wall based on the concentration rate. Sporulation inhibition rate is significantly affected by incubation time and treatment concentration ratio. The results showed that Madar has an effective, inhibitory potential, and protective effect on coccidian oocyst sporulation and sporozoites of E. papillata .

This research was carried out to determine the effects of different organic fertilizer forms on important quality elements of cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata L.) seeds. The experiment was conducted according to the completely randomized blocks experimental design with three replications. In the experiment, palmitic acid (PALA), stearic acid (SA), and behenic acid (BA) from saturated fatty acids and palmitoleic acid (PLA), oleic acid (OA), linoleic acid (LA), and linolenic acid (LNA) ratios from unsaturated fatty acids were investigated. Besides these, quality factor such as oleic acid/linoleic acid (O/L) ratio, which is one of the oil stability values and iodine value (IV), unsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids (USFA/SFA) ratio, and oil ratio and oil yield were investigated. As a result of these applications, the values of crude oil yield 27.08–40.68 kg ha −1 and some important quality properties of crude oil ratios 0.75–1.09%, PLA 0.250–0.372%, OA 12.00–22.85%, LA 22.97–29.97%, LNA 19.37–26.01%, PALA 19.53–23.53%, SA 5.27–7.04%, BA 1.86–2.37%, O/L acid ratio 0.402–1.043%, IV 113.73–136.76, and USFA/SFA ratio 2.08–2.74 were obtained.

Objective Hemostasis markers associated with tumors have been widely studied. However, the associations between the coagulation factors and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) prognosis remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate these associations. Patients and methods PTC patients treated at Shengjing Hospital between 2013 and 2019 were retrospectively analyzed and divided into three groups. Clinical, ultrasound, and pathological patient characteristics were recorded. The blood routine, coagulation factors, and thyroid function data were compared. Results A total of 50 patients were selected and divided into Group 1 [complicated with second primary malignancies (SPMs)], Group 2 (with postoperative cervical lymph node metastasis), and Group 3 (control group). The ages of patients in Group 2 were significantly higher than those in the control group. The neutrophil ratio (%) in Group 1 was significantly higher than that in Groups 2 and 3, while its lymphocyte ratio (%) was significantly lower. The coagulation factor activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) in the first and second groups was statistically significantly lower than that in the control group. There were no statistical differences in APTT between the first and second groups. Shorter APTT was associated with SPM and postoperative cervical lymph node metastasis. Conclusions Coagulation indicators, especially APTT, may be a new biomarker for predicting PTC prognosis and may provide a new molecular target, especially in combination with SPM and postoperative cervical lymph node metastasis.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) transplantation is a promising therapeutic strategy for ischemic stroke. However, significant cell death after transplantation greatly limits its effectiveness. Poly (trimethylene carbonate) 15 -F127-poly (trimethylene carbonate) 15 (PTMC 15 -F127-PTMC 15 , PFP) is a biodegradable thermo-sensitive hydrogel biomaterial, which can control drug release and provide permissive substrates for donor NSCs. In our study, we seeded NSCs into PFP polymer scaffold loaded with three neurotrophic factors, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor, nerve growth factor, and Neurotrophin-3. And then we transplanted this NSCs-polymer scaffold in rat brains 14 days after middle cerebral artery occlusion. ELISA assay showed that PFP polymer scaffold sustained releasing three neurotrophic factors for at least 14 days. Western Blot and fluorescence immunostaining revealed that NSCs-polymer scaffold transplantation significantly reduced apoptosis of ischemic penumbra and promoted differentiation of the transplanted NSCs into mature neurons. Furthermore, infarct size was reduced, and neurological performance of the animals were improved by the transplanted NSCs-polymer scaffold. These results demonstrate that PFP polymer scaffold loaded with neurotrophic factors can enhance the effectiveness of stem cell transplantation therapy, which provides a new way for cell transplantation therapy in ischemic stroke.

Water bodies affected by heavy metals have been characterized in some natural ecosystems such as coastal wetlands in Peru. For this reason, in the present study, the determination of heavy metals lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and others was carried out in the water bodies of the Regional Conservation Area (RCA) Wetlands of Ventanilla using the Induction Coupled Plasma method. Water samples were collected at the six most critical stations for Pb and Cd, for the isolation of lead-tolerant microorganisms in 2022 with the aim of evaluating native microorganisms with removal potential of Pb and Cd. Yeasts such as Candida guilliermondii, Candida famata, Cryptococcus laurentii, Cryptococcus humicola , and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa with tolerance to high concentrations of Pb were isolated. The yeast with the best Pb tolerance result was Candida guilliermondii isolated from groundwater (piezometer sampling J1); Pb sorption was conducted with active yeast (living biomass), whereas both Pb and Cd sorption were conducted with inactive yeast (dead biomass). The results were compared with those of a reference standard yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae : the native yeast proved to have optimum behavior for the process.

This study covers composite production and characterization of powders obtained by applying the electroless Ni coating technique to Fe–Co powders by microwave sintering technique. The physical, mechanical, and electrical properties of electroless Ni-coated Fe and Co composites samples produced in different compositions by sintering magnetic materials in a microwave oven at 1,100°C were characterized. With the electroless coating technique, a uniform nickel deposit on the Fe–Co particles was coated before sintering with the precipitation procedure. A composite consisting of metallic phase, Fe–Co, and triple additions in a Ni matrix was prepared in an argon atmosphere and sintered by microwave technique. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and impedance phase analyzer were used to obtain structural data in the temperature range of 25–40°C and to determine magnetic and electrical properties such as dielectric and conductivity. The ferromagnetic resonance was varied between 10 Hz and 1 GHz, and measurements were made to characterize the properties of the samples. Numerical findings obtained for 25% Ni composition at 1,100°C (Fe–37.5% Co) suggest that the best conductivity and hardness are obtained by adding 25Ni at 1,100°C sintering temperature.

Ferrate salt is a powerful oxidant for dye degradation. This work demonstrates a new method for degrading dyes containing Fe( vi ) by synthesizing NaOCl from the electrolysis of table salt. NaOCl is then reacted with Fe(OH) 3 in an alkaline condition to form ferrate. Electrolysis of table salt was successfully carried out using platinum as an anode and zinc as a cathode. The obtained ferrate was characterized by using Fourier transform infrared, UV-Vis, and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. The ferrate solution has a maximum wavelength of 505 nm with a characteristic purple color. Furthermore, the ferrate produced was utilized to remove methylene blue (MB), remazol black blue (RBB), and methyl orange (MO) dyes with varying contact times. The degraded dyes were then analyzed using LC/MS. The results showed that ferrate was effective to remove dyes with an optimum contact time of 60 min that follows an order one reaction. In this study, MB showed a percent degradation close to 100% with the fastest decolorization rate compared with MO and RBB. This research provides new insights into the benefits of table salt as a base material for NaOCl through electrolysis for synthesizing ferrate, used in dye removal applications.

In this study, Chenopodium murale Linn. extracts have been evaluated for its in vitro antioxidant, enzyme inhibition, and in vivo neuropharmacological properties in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced memory impairment in rat model. First, the plant was subjected to extraction and fractionation, then quantitative phytochemical analysis was performed to estimate the major phytochemical groups in the extract where high amounts of phenolics and saponins were detected in crude and chloroform extract. The highest total phenolic contents, total flavonoid contents, and total tannin content were also recorded in crude extract and chloroform fraction. The in vitro antioxidant potential of chloroform fraction was high with IC 50 value of 41.78 and 67.33 μg/mL against DPPH and ABTS radicals, respectively, followed by ethyl acetate fraction. The chloroform fraction (ChMu-Chf) also exhibited potent activity against glucosidase with IC 50 of 89.72 ± 0.88 μg/mL followed by ethyl acetate extract (ChMu-Et; IC 50 of 140.20 ± 0.98 μg/mL). ChMu-Chf again exhibited potent activity against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) with IC 50 of 68.91 ± 0.87 μg/mL followed by ChMu-Et with IC 50 of 78.57 ± 0.95 μg/mL. In vivo memory impairment was assessed using the novel object discrimination task, Y-maze, and passive avoidance task. Ex vivo antioxidant enzyme activities and oxidative stress markers like catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde, and glutathione were quantified, and the AChE activity was also determined in the rat brain. No significant differences were observed amongst all the groups treated with crude, chloroform, and ethyl acetate in comparison with positive control donepezil group in connection to initial latency; whereas, the STZ diabetic group displayed a significant fall in recall and retention capability. The blood glucose level was more potently lowered by chloroform extract. The crude extract also increased the SOD level significantly in the brain of the treated rat by 8.01 ± 0.51 and 8.19 ± 0.39 units/mg at 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight ( P < 0.01, n = 6), whereas the chloroform extract increased the SOD level to 9.41 ± 0.40 and 9.72 ± 0.51 units/mg, respectively, at 75 and 150 mg/kg body weight as compared to STZ group. The acetylcholine level was also elevated to greater extent by chloroform fraction that might contain a potential inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase. Treatment with C. murale ameliorated cognitive dysfunction in behavioral study, and provided significant defense from neuronal oxidative stress in the brain of the STZ-induced diabetic rats. Thus C. murale Linn. could be an inspiring plant resource that needs to be further investigated for isolation of potential compounds in pure form and their evaluation as a potent neuropharmacological drug.

In this study, we have reported the chemical composition of Equisetum arvense essential oil and the anti-cancer activity of the plant against the prostate cancer cell line. The essential oil was obtained using the hydro-distillation assay. The chemical composition was identified using the gas chromatographic methods including gas chromatography/flame ionization detector and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The antioxidant activity of the essential oil and extract was evaluated using classical methods. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was run to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of the essential oil and extract on the prostate cancer cell line of lymph node carcinoma of the prostate. The induction apoptosis of the extract was analyzed by a flow cytometer. Thymol acetate (14.7%), trans -carveol (12.5%), thymol (11.8%), and δ -elemene (9.4%) were identified as the main compounds for the essential oil. The extract scavenged the free radical of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) of 15.2 ± 1.4 μg/mL for the plant extract. In the MTT assay, the IC 50 of the extract and essential oil were 25.2 ± 0.3 and 218.9 ± 10.7 μg/mL after 72 h. The highest apoptosis was 31.6% for the plant extract. The obtained results of the present study revealed that E. arvense can be introduced as a potent agent to prevent the growth of prostate tumors.

Implementing a magnetic field on the cutting area during the machining process is one of the ways to increase tool life, as a result, reducing the machining cost. Due to this, numerous researchers conducted various studies in that field. However, there was no study which used a permanent magnet tool has been found. In this study, the effects of a permanent magnet cutting tool on tool life have been investigated extensively with a designed experimental setup. Experiments were conducted on the CNC turning machine with a permanent magnet HSS cutting tool in this study at a cutting speed of 51 m/min, feed rate of 0.1125 mm/rev and with a depth of cut of 1 mm. Significant deduction was obtained in flank wear and cutting force. The wear of the permanent magnet HSS tool was 50% less than the HSS tool without a magnetic field. It has been determined that the cutting force in the cutting process with the tool without an applied magnetic field was approximately 10.4% more than the permanent magnet tool. It was also observed that higher temperature and longer comma shape chips occurred in the cutting process using a permanent magnet tool.

Fluidity, an essential parameter in casting operations, is influenced by the thermal properties of the alloy and the mold, pouring temperature, modification, and inoculation of the alloy. In this work, pearlitic spheroidal graphite cast iron (PSGI) was studied in terms of fluidity characteristics. The sand mold used had different section thicknesses. The alloy was cast at pouring temperatures changing between 1,360–1,480°C. Liquid metal quality ranged between 10 and 90% where the section thickness was changed from 1 to 5 mm. FlowCast simulation tool was used for the modeling of the tests. The analysis of variance results of the response surface model constructed between certain casting parameters and fluidity length have shown that the reduced regression equation is very accurate in terms of statistical indicators (predicted R 2 : 0.99). The sensitivity analysis has shown that the section thickness is the most dominant parameter on the fluidity, while metallurgical quality is the least. The proposed model was also compared with the studies in the literature and it was seen that the results are well-matched. Therefore, it was suggested to use the proposed equation in order to estimate the fluidity results of PSGI without the need for real casting operations.

Griseofulvin, an antifungal drug, has also shown good antiproliferative activity previously. This study was aimed to synthesize heterocyclic extension derivatives of griseofulvin and test them against cancer cell lines. Griseofulvin was hydrolyzed to afford griseofulvic acid ( 1 ) followed by hybridization with important heterocyclic moieties. Initially, the active methylene group of the 1,3-cyclohexanedione moiety in 1 was utilized to synthesize fused thiophene derivatives ( 4a and b ) by reacting with malononitrile or ethyl cyanoacetate together with elemental sulfur. Compounds 4a and b were further converted to fused pyrimidine derivatives ( 5a–d ) using ethyl isothiocyanate or phenyl isothiocyanate. Compound 1 was also reacted with aryldiazonium chlorides to synthesize compounds 6a and b , which were used to prepare fused thiophene derivatives ( 7a – d ). The resulting thiophenes ( 7a – d ) underwent cyclization to produce fused pyridazine derivatives ( 8a – d ). In addition, fused pyridine derivatives ( 10a and b ) were also prepared by the reaction of 4a and b with ethyl cyanoacetate using two different catalytic bases. The first was triethylamine to form 10a and b in two steps via 9a and b , and the second was sodium ethoxide to afford 10a and b in one step. Finally, 9a and b underwent cyclization in the presence of acetylacetone to yield compounds 11a and b . The structures of synthesized compounds were confirmed using IR, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, and mass spectrometry techniques. The synthesized compounds were subjected to cytotoxic screening against three tumor cell lines and presented good to excellent cytotoxic profiles. Compounds 4a and 11a showed significant inhibitory activity against the three cell lines compared to the standard drug doxorubicin. Graphical abstract

Multiple stresses in waste dumpsite soils can drive antibiotic production as one of the strategies for survival. Bacteria are the most prolific producers of antibiotics. This study investigated the antibiotic production potential of bacteria isolated from Bahir Dar city municipal solid waste dumpsite (MSWDS). Bacteria were isolated from soil collected from the dumpsite on starch casein or nutrient agar. The isolates were carefully screened for antimicrobial activity against six pathogenic bacterial test strains. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were also determined from cell-free metabolites of the most promising isolates. Isolates showing antimicrobial activity were identified using cultural and biochemical methods. A total of 143 distinctive colonies were obtained and tentatively identified to 13 bacterial genera. Twenty-six (18.18%) of the isolates (six Bacillus and 20 actinobacteria related) demonstrated antimicrobial activities at least against one of the tested bacterial strains. These isolates were related to two actinobacterial and 11 other bacterial genera. Seven out of 26 isolates showed a broad-spectrum of antibiotic activities. Two isolates, which showed a wide spectrum, were selected for the MIC and MBC tests against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus . The MIC and MBC of the isolates were recorded to be 250–500 µg/mL against the test strains. Bahir Dar city MSWDS contained a high incidence of antibiotic-producing bacteria. Strain level identification of the isolates and detailed characterization of the metabolites will give a good insight into the antimicrobial production potential in the waste dumpsite.

An important function of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) is to protect the central nervous system and maintain its homeostasis, but it is also a major barrier to the intervention and treatment of neurological diseases. Our study aimed at opening the BBB using a noninvasive method, focused ultrasound, screening for 16 different parameter combinations of frequency, peak voltage (Ppeak) and irradiation time. Comparing the results of hematoxylin–eosin staining, serum oxidative damage factor and TUNEL staining under various conditions, we obtained a parameter combination that did not lead to oxidative stress injury and apoptosis: 0.8 mHz + 900 mVpp + 90 s. It will be used as a safety parameter for BBB opening treatment of Parkinson’s disease in our subsequent experiments. In addition, the closing time after the BBB opening was verified in magnetic resonance imaging contrast examination and at the tissue level. It is worth mentioning that, different from previous studies, we focused on damage assessment at cellular and molecular levels.

The antioxidant potential of various extracts was evaluated using different antioxidant assays such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, and 2,2-azinobis-ethylbenzothiozoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) using UV spectrophotometer. The highest absorbance was observed in ethanolic extracts (EEs) of Euphrasia stricta 71.92 ± 1.22%, 65.77 ± 1.38%, and 67.88 ± 0.74%, followed by methanolic extracts (MEs) 70.14 ± 0.82%, 64.84 ± 0.74%, and 65.48 ± 1.40% for DPPH assay (517 nm), FRAP assay (700 nm), and ABTS assay (734 nm), respectively. The EEs of Euphorbia platyphyllos L. showed the antioxidant activity of 69.76 ± 1.48%, 64.42 ± 0.88%, and 65.54 ± 1.36% and MEs 68.00 ± 1.50%, 62.92 ± 0.64%, and 63.42 ± 0.94% for DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays, respectively. So, this research suggested that these medicinal plants possess a significant antioxidant potential and are important source of natural antioxidants and can be effectively used in treating oxidative stress disorders. Graphical abstract Graphical presentation of whole experimental process.

The effectiveness of calcium depends on its source, i.e., salt it is supplied with. This study aimed to determine the effects of calcium lactate in diet on inflammation and oxidative stress markers in ovariectomized rats. A total of 40 female Wistar rats were included in this study, which were divided into four groups. The control group was fed a standard diet, whereas the remaining three groups were ovariectomized and provided a standard diet containing calcium carbonate (OVX), a calcium-deficient diet (OVX_DEF), or a diet containing calcium lactate (OVX_CaL). The nutritional intervention lasted for 12 weeks, and then, the rats were sacrificed. Tissue and blood samples were taken and evaluated for cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1), cyclooxygenase 2, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance contents in the liver and serum, and total antioxidant status and lipoxygenase 1 contents only in the serum using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Differences were observed in the effects of calcium carbonate and calcium lactate on the COX-1 content in the serum of ovariectomized rats: a lower COX-1 concentration was observed in the case of the calcium lactate diet. No significant differences were observed for the other parameters.

Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a collective term for a group of conditions that lead to impairment of the function of the temporomandibular joint. The proteins/genes and signaling pathways associated with TMD are still poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify key differentially expressed salivary proteins/genes (DEGs) associated with TMD progression using LC-MS/MS coupled with a bioinformatics approach. The protein–protein interaction network was obtained from the STRING database and the hub genes were identified using Cytoscape including cytoHubba and MCODE plug-ins. In addition, enrichment of gene ontology functions and the Reactome signaling pathway was performed. A total of 140 proteins/genes were differentially expressed. From cluster analysis, a set of 20 hub genes were significantly modulated: ALB , APOA1 , B2M , C3 , CAT , CLU , CTSD , ENO1 , GSN , HBB , HP , HSPA8 , LTF , LYZ , MMP9 , S100A9 , SERPINA1 , TF , TPI1 , and TXN . Two enriched signaling pathways, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, and tryptophan signaling pathway involving the hub genes CAT , ENO1 , and TPI1 have been identified. The rest of the hub genes were mainly enriched in the innate immune system and antimicrobial peptides signaling pathways. In summary, hub DEGs and the signaling pathways identified here have elucidated the molecular mechanisms of TMD pathogenesis.

This work fabricated the zirconium-modified attapulgite (Zr@ATP) for removing Cr( vi ) ions in aqueous solutions. According to X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, TEM, Fourier transform infrared, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses, Zr was successfully grafted onto the attapulgite rod surface. Cr( vi ) adsorption onto Zr@ATP surface fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, which suggested that the adsorption is primarily chemisorption. When the pH of the aqueous solution is 3, Zr@ATP achieved the highest Cr( vi ) absorption, of about 32.84 mg/g. Density functional theory studies revealed that the hydroxyl functional group introduced through the modification process supplies more active sites to form the hydrogen bond with CrO 4 2 − {\text{CrO}}_{4}^{2-} and HCrO 4 − {\text{HCrO}}_{4}^{-} . Graphical abstract

The aim of this finite element analysis study is to evaluate the stress distributions of different types of restorative materials at Class I cavity in the primary molar. The non-cracked caries-free primary mandibular second molar that is extracted for orthodontic reasons is used to create a three-dimensional model. Two models were prepared as Model 1: the tooth model without restoration (control group) and Model 2: the tooth model with Class I restoration. Five different types of restorative materials were tested in Model 2 (resin modified glass ionomer [Fuji II LC], compomer [Dyract AP], giomer [Beautiful II], glass carbomer [GPC Glass Fill] and ionic resin material with bioactive properties [Activa Kids Bioactive]). A force of 197 N was applied in the vertical and oblique directions in the ANSYS program (Ansys Workbench 19.0, Canonsburg, PA). The maximum Von Mises stress values were compared in the models. The vertical or oblique loading created different stresses in enamel, dentin and restorative materials. The stresses in the enamel tissue were higher than that in the dentin tissue. The stresses in vertical loading were higher than in the oblique loading for restorative materials. The different restorative materials exhibited similar stress distribution patterns, except Activa Kids Bioactive (vertical and oblique loading 446.16 and 8.57, respectively).

In this study, heat losses occurring on the outer surface of a steam boiler used in the distillation process in a textile company are discussed in detail. All surfaces of the boiler were scanned with a thermal camera to determine the non-insulated or poorly insulated areas. By drawing the schematic image of the boiler, the side surfaces, front cover, back cover, and parts of the smoke pipe were shown in different colors, and the temperature distributions in different parts of the boiler were revealed. Although most of the heat loss occurs on the side surfaces of the boiler, it was observed that these surfaces were already insulated. For this reason, a Pareto diagram was prepared according to the surface temperature to get an idea about where to start the improvement studies. Especially on the front and back cover surfaces, high-temperature values were measured and, it was determined that the heat loss on these surfaces was also at high levels. It was suggested that high-temperature surfaces should be covered with insulating jackets and pads, and sample applications were shown. The energy savings to be achieved and the payback period of the investment was revealed.

The effect of friction stir processing (FSP) on the formability of DP600 steel was experimentally investigated and the basic relationships between biaxial deformation behavior and FSP-induced evolutions in microstructural and mechanical properties were established. FSP formed a microstructure that consists of lath martensite with increased volume fraction compared to as-received (AR) microstructure that mainly consisted of well-distributed fine martensite particles in a ferrite matrix. Consequently, AR yield strength (301 MPa) and ultimate tensile strength (621 MPa) increased to about 811 and 1054 MPa, respectively. This strength enhancement achieved accompanied by adequate uniform elongation and elongation to failure values of 6.3 and 13.0%, respectively. Under biaxial loading conditions, good strain hardenability of the AR DP600 steel brought about a large membrane stretching regime leading to high punch force for biaxial flow. After FSP, both punch displacements within the membrane stretching regime decreased due to the increased volume fraction of lath martensite leading to higher cracking tendency. In result, cup depth and peak punch force of FSPed DP600 decreased from 8.7 mm and 33.2 kN to 7.1 mm and 28.1 kN, respectively. The obtained results simply indicate that FSP can be employed to enhance the strength of dual-phase steels with a reasonable level of formability.

Bismuth oxide has been considered as a promising electrode material due to the high theoretical capacity, low cost, and non-toxic nature. However, its application has been limited by the low electrical conductivity. In this work, bismuth oxide/commercial activated carbon composite were successfully synthesized through hydrothermal method. Bismuth nitrate pentahydrate with concentrations of 8, 24, and 32 mmol were mixed with Na 2 SO 4 , NaOH, and commercial activated carbon. The mixture was then put into a hydrothermal reactor and heated at 110°C for 5 h. These composite materials can have a 10 2 –10 5 higher electrical conductivity, depending on the bismuth oxide ratio, compared to both bismuth oxide and commercial AC separately.

Based on metabolomics, the metabolites of Jujube leaves LS1 (one bud and two leaves), LS2 (one bud and three leaves), and LS3 (one bud and four leaves) were taken and examined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technique. There were 22 substance categories that were identified. Principal component analysis was also utilized to distinguish the metabolomics at the three different foliar ages, and the results suggested that the samples at different foliar ages were clearly separated, demonstrating that the metabolites in the three foliar ages were significantly different. Through the screening of differential metabolites and hierarchical clustering analysis, our results suggested that the composition and the content distribution of the differential metabolites at three different foliar ages were significantly different. In the LS1, delphinidin, N -hydroxy tryptamine, serotonin, methylquercetin O -hexoside, tricin 7- O -hexoside, and eriodictyol C -hexoside were identified as the distinctive compounds. In the LS2, N -caffeoyl agmatine, lyso PC 18:3 (2n isomer), N -(4′- O -glycosyl)- p -coumaroyl-agmatine, dihydromyricetin, and hydroxy-methoxycinnamate were identified as the distinctive compounds. Similarly, the 3- O - p -coumaroyl-quinic acid, O -feruloyl 4-hydroxylcoumarin, isorhamnetin 3- O -neohesperidoside, cyanidin 3- O -galactoside, quercetin O -acetylhexoside, and DIMBOA glucoside were identified as the distinctive compounds in LS3. These characteristic compounds could provide a strong theoretical basis for rapid identification of jujube leaves at different foliar ages.

The objective of this research is to state the impact of black cumin ( Nigella sativa ) extract in ovo injected at different doses on the hatchability of Cobb 500 Broiler fertile eggs. Injected doses of black cumin were 3 and 6 mg, applied to the air sac of the eggs on the 17.5th day of incubation. It has been established that, black cumin extract given to fertile broiler eggs had a positive effect on chick weight and chick length, but did not have a significant impact on hatching power and chick quality.

The peel of Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck is a source of essential oils, particularly limonene, which is this plant’s characteristic molecule. The main goal of this study was to test the potential analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of limonene-rich essential oils derived from the peel of C. sinensis L. (orange) in vivo , as well as their antioxidant activity in vitro . Carrageenan-induced paw edema in Wistar rats and the formalin test in Swiss albino mice were used to examine anti-inflammatory activity. The analgesic activity was assessed using hot plate and acetic acid writhing tests, while the antioxidant activity was assessed using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and ferric reducing antioxidant power methods. The essential oil (EO) safety was determined using an acute toxicity experiment on mice. The phytochemical analysis confirmed the existence of limonene as the primary molecule (88.94%), and in vivo experiments revealed that the EO had a significant pain and inflammation-relieving effect, especially at the dose of 50 mg/kg, when compared to the used control drugs. The acute toxicity evaluation reported this EO’s safety. This study contributes to the pharmacological valorization of the peel of C. sinensis L., confirming that, in addition to its numerous cosmetic and industrial uses, it may be effective in the treatment of inflammatory and pain-related illnesses.

A C-30 steroid, 3β-,5α-,6β-,11α-,20β-pentahydroxygorgosterol was isolated from the soft coral Xenia umbellata Lamarck (Xeniidae). The chemical structure was elucidated by examining the NMR spectral data and comparison with the previously published data. Compound 1 inhibited the growth of ovarian cancer (SKOV-3), breast cancers (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay. Notably against HepG2, compound 1 showed significant effect with an IC 50 value of 19.70 ± 1.98 µg/mL. It significantly increased the population in the SubG1 phase for 2.01- and 2.05-folds, respectively, compared to untreated cells. Additionally, it showed potent inhibitory activities of superoxide dismutase (384.6 vs 8594.2 U/g protein in dimethyl sulfoxide-treated cells), catalase (0.3 vs 0.07 U/g protein), decreased the level of reduced glutathione (1.7 vs 0.6 mg/g protein) and the activity of matrix metalloproteases (MMP-2 and MMP-9 [0.5-fold of change in MMP activity]) in HepG2 cells. The results indicated the potent antiproliferative activity of the gorgostane derivative ( 1 ) against HepG2 cells. This study provides a scientific basis of the antiproliferative effects of steroidal compound with gorgostane nucleus against hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

In online education, it is critical for the quality of education to evaluate and grade the assignments or examinations that students upload to the system. However, it is time-consuming to determine how well the circuit drawings prepared for the digital logic course, which is a fundamental course in computer engineering and similar disciplines, are not only correct but also compatible with the truth table. Content-addressable memory (CAM), also known as associative memory, is a data storage and retrieval unit. Typically, it is used instead of the conventional memories in fast-paced and time-sensitive applications such as address lookup in Internet routers, databases, and pattern recognition. CAMs implement the search process by comparing the content itself with a key instead of finding the address like the conventional memories. To see the effect of using binary content-addressable memory-based memory on the time spent scoring hand or digital-drawn logic circuits, it is compared with various data structures commonly used in logic simulation programs. I found a significant relationship (O(1)), indicating that the proposed architecture reduces the time complexity in the search process. This expression is the same as time complexity in hash tables.

With the increase in the need for electrical energy in the world, electricity is tried to be generated by various methods. Some of these methods cause global warming and environmental pollution to increase. Therefore, it is aimed to generate electricity using renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels. The sun is one of these renewable energy sources. Electricity generation with solar energy is one of the methods that have become quite common in recent years. One of the most important considerations required to achieve maximum efficiency in solar power and electricity generation is to ensure that the rays are perpendicular to the panel. When this is achieved, the depreciation time of the system will be reduced and electricity generation will be carried out with high efficiency from these panels with limited service life. To achieve this, various solar tracking systems are designed. In this study, the analysis of fixed systems was performed by comparing them with single- and dual-axis solar tracking systems. Comparisons were made using a design and simulation software (PVSOL) program for photovoltaic systems. In these comparisons, the effects of single- and dual-axis solar tracking methods on depreciation time compared to fixed systems were examined.

The article compares the experimental Fourier transform-infrared, Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR) spectra of voriconazole and fluconazole with the density functional theory (DFT) calculations using five different functionals. The results were compared with previously reported data related to its analogue – posaconazole. The analysis of calculated infrared (IR) spectra with the use of PBE1PBE (voriconazole) or APF (fluconazole) functionals shows good accordance with the experimental IR spectrum. The best compatibility between the experimental and theoretical UV spectra was observed with the use of PBE1PBE or B3LYP functionals for voriconazole or fluconazole, respectively. The reason for the difference in the UV-vis spectra of voriconazole and fluconazole was discussed based on linear response time-dependent DFT and natural bond orbital methods. The calculated 1 H NMR spectrum shows that the DFT formalism, particularly the M06L or B3LYP functionals, gives an accurate description of the voriconazole and fluconazole chemical shifts.

The novel and revolutionary approach to plant protection presented in this work, based on the preparation of bifunctional salts of a plant resistance inducer combined with a polyamine cation, may become a potential solution in the future for reducing the effects of abiotic and biotic stresses to which the plant is exposed. This study presents the synthesis, physical properties, phytotoxicity, and systemic acquired resistance (SAR) induction efficacy of new salts composed of the anion of plant resistance inducers and N , N , N , N ′, N ′, N ′-hexamethylpropane-1,3-diammonium cation (5 salts), N,N,N,N ′ ,N ′ ,N ′ - hexamethyl-butane-1,4-diammonium cation (5 salts), spermidine salicylate, and spermine salicylate. SAR induction efficiency tests were performed on tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum var . Xanthi , infected with the tobacco mosaic virus.

In this study, the joint strengths of single-lap bolted and bolted/bonded (hybrid) joints formed by using four different engineering plastics were experimentally investigated. High-density polyethylene (HDPE), ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, Delrin (POM), and Teflon were used as plate materials in single-lap connections. Standard M6 bolts were used in bolt connections. The specimens were prepared as single bolted, double bolted, single bolted/bonded, and double bolted/bonded in 20, 40, and 60 mm single-lap lengths. Weicon company’s RK-7100 two-component adhesive was used as the adhesive. Tensile tests were carried out with the displacement control of 2 mm/min. After the tensile tests, load–extension graphs were created for each connection type, and the strengths of the connections were compared with each other. Three parameters were used to evaluate the strength of the additional lap joints. These are effect of the bolt numbers, effect of the adhesive, and effect of single-lap length. Depending on the plate material, double-bolt connections performed 20–56% better than single-bolt connections. The adhesive had no effect on ultimate joint strength. As the overlap length increased, an increase was generally observed in the joint strength of the specimens. Depending on the overlap length increase from 20 to 60 mm, the strength of the single-bolt configurations of HDPE-B specimens was found to be approximately two times that of the best results. When polymeric plates are compared among themselves, double-bolted Delrin (POM) specimens exhibited the highest joint strength in all single-lap lengths.

The objective of this study was to search the effects of the inlet air compressor pressure and evaporative cooling of four different cogeneration plants that are absorption cooling (ab), basic (bsc), air heating (airh), and air fuel heating (airfh) cogeneration systems by using the first law and the second law of thermodynamics, and the exergy analysis methods. For analysis, a program is written by the author in the FORTRAN programming language. Decreasing the atmospheric pressure or increasing the installation altitude of the plants increases the Z factor (ratio of lost exergy to useful exergy) of the four cycles about 10–13%. Also, decreasing inlet air pressure decreases the specific work about 25–28%, and the fuel energy saving ratio of the four cycles decreases about 29–30%. The method of water spray cooling of the compressor inlet air especially in the summer months, the humidity increases and the evaporative cooling can be obtained. By using this method, the ratio of lost exergy to useful exergy can be decreased for the four cycles about 0.5–2%. Also, the specific work of the four cycles can be increased about 1.2–6%.

Arecaceae presents one of the plant families distributed mainly in the equatorial and subequatorial regions. Arecaceae are widely applied in many fields such as food, cosmetics, fuel, and chemical industries. However, a large amount of agricultural waste from the Arecaceae trees has been released into the environment. The objective of this report is to gain more insights into the potentials and applications of activated carbon (AC) from the Arecaceae trees in wastewater treatment, in which, the ability to handle organic pigments, metals, and antibiotics is focused. The physical properties and processability of AC are statistically evaluated. With a uniform structure, large specific surface area, processing ability according to Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models, we showed that ACs from Arecaceae trees are promising materials for water treatment applications. This is the basis for the development and reduction of by-products that affect the environment.

Traditional Chinese medicine contains arsenic (As), which in the natural environment accumulates in plants during the growth of Chinese medicinal materials; there are mineral medicines containing As in Chinese patent medicine such as As 4 S 4 , As 2 S 3 , etc. Due to the toxicity of As-containing compounds and its role in inflammation and treatment of cancers such as leukemia, it is necessary to analyze the chemical form of As. A comprehensive investigation of the compound forms of heavy metals rather than the simple total amount of elements will lay the foundation for the scientific and objective evaluation of the safety of heavy metals. This article summarizes the speciation of As in bulk Chinese medicinal materials and Chinese patent medicines in recent years, and reviews the main research methods of As speciation analysis. The separation and detection combined analysis method focuses on the high-performance liquid chromatography-plasma mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography-hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectroscopy, etc. Taking the advanced synchrotron radiation source as the research platform, the use of X-ray near edge absorption fine structure spectrum and micro-area X-ray fluorescence analysis as a microscopic analysis technique supports direct analysis of the As speciation in situ . It is the most promising morphological analysis method.

Air-assisted liquid–liquid microextraction (AALLME) is a procedure for sample preparation that has high recoveries and high preconcentration factors while using a small amount of extractants. This procedure has gained widespread acceptance among scientists due to a variety of advantages, including its easiness, being cheap, green, and available in most laboratories. The current review has focused on the analysis of medicines and organic compounds using various modes of AALLME. The use of various extractants and support factors were developed in many modes of AALLME. A review of literature revealed that the procedure is used as a powerful and efficient approach for extracting medicals and organic compounds. This review explained 12 different types of AALLME methods. The findings on the modifications of AALLME modes that have been published are summarized. Future directions are also being discussed. Graphical abstract

Vietnam is known as an agricultural country with a variety of agricultural crops. In addition to agricultural by-products, bio-waste is the by-product from livestock waste, forestry, industry, and daily life. They affect the soil, water, and air environment by self-degradation processes in the environment. Therefore, researchers have come up with ideas for the usage of the by-products to decrease the amount of waste and minimize the environmental effects. In Vietnam, the by-products were used by researchers to produce bio-ethanol, fertilizers, composites, and activated carbon (AC). AC is one of the materials used to rapidly reduce the number of agricultural by-products by researchers. The synthesis process is optimized for the highest yield, while the physicochemical properties are also clearly analyzed through the X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and Bacterial endotoxin testing assays. The average recorded specific surface area was about 300 m 2  g −1 . The functional groups and surface structure showed that the material has an amorphous structure with –OH, –CH, –CC, –C═C, –C═O groups. The AC from agricultural waste had been studied and applied to treat pollutants present in water.

Antimicrobial drug resistance has become a global challenge and one of utmost concern due to the global epidemiological infections. Medicinal plants have long performed an essential role in medicine and can be an essential source of recent antimicrobials and techniques for treating resistance. Clausena is a genus in the Rutaceae family which are widely recognized and utilized in traditional medicines. Many members of this genus have been a primary source of medications and drug history. The antimicrobial effectiveness of the secondary metabolites from the roots, stems, leaves, rhizomes, twigs, seeds, fruits, and flowers of several Clausena species has been widely examined and was found to be more effective against bacteria with Clausena anisata being the most promising specie. A total of 16 active compounds including 12 alkaloids, 2 coumarins, and 2 terpenoids were reported to be isolated from different parts of the plant species with mukonal being the only compound that shows dual potency both against fungi and protozoa. This review aims to sum up research advances made from 2000 to date, on the antibacterial, antifungal, and antiprotozoal activities of Clausena species, and highlight the potential use of Clausena plants in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.

Although microbial remediation has been widely used in the bioremediation of various contaminants, in practical applications of biological remediation, pure cultures of microorganisms are seriously limited by their adaptability, efficiency, and capacity to handle multiple contaminants. Mixed cultures of microorganisms involve the symbiosis of two or more microorganisms. Such cultures exhibit a collection of the characteristics of each microorganism species or strain, showing enormous potential in the bioremediation of organic or heavy metal pollutants. The present review focuses on the mixed cultures of microorganisms, demonstrating its importance and summarizing the advantages of mixed cultures of microorganisms in bioremediation. Furthermore, the internal and external relations of mixed culture microorganisms were analyzed with respect to their involvement in the removal process to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Graphical abstract

Breast cancer (BC) is a malignant tumor with the highest incidence among women. Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are currently used as the first-line methods for treating BC. Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) in combination with sonosensitizers exerts a synergistic effect. The therapeutic effects of SDT depend on factors, such as the intensity, frequency, and duration of ultrasound, and the type and the biological model of sonosensitizer. Current reviews have focused on the possibility of using tumor-seeking sonosensitizers, sometimes in combination with different therapies, such as immunotherapy. This study elucidates the therapeutic mechanism of interaction between SDT and tissue as well as the current progress in medical applications of SDT to BC.

Glutamine transporters transport different amino acids for cell growth and metabolism. In tumor cells, glutamine transporters are often highly expressed and play a crucial role in their growth. By inhibiting the amino acid transport of these transporters, the growth of cancer cells can be inhibited. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the study of glutamine transporter. In this article, the differences between the ASC system amino acid transporter 2 (ASCT2), L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1), and the cystine–glutamate exchange (xCT) transporters research progress on the mechanism of action and corresponding small molecule inhibitors are summarized. This article introduces 62 related small molecule inhibitors of different transporters of ASCT2, LAT1, and xCT. These novel chemical structures provide ideas for the research and design of targeted inhibitors of glutamine transporters, as well as important references and clues for the design of new anti-tumor drugs.

The present review summarizes the multifaceted uses and recent findings regarding the phytochemistry, traditional use, pharmacology, and toxicity of the extracts and compounds of Aconitum coreanum Rapaics (Ranunculaceae) for the first time to facilitate further research and exploitation of these types of compounds and the utilization of A. coreanum plants. A. coreanum is one of the most important medicinal Aconitum species and has been traditionally and popularly used in China and other Asian countries for the treatment of headaches and migraines, Bi syndrome induced by wind, cold and dampness, and facial paralysis. Phytochemical studies have led to the isolation of 55 distinct small molecule compounds from A. coreanum , most of which are diterpenoid alkaloids. Related pharmacological studies have focused primarily on the antiarrhythmic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anticancer activities of A. coreanum and its derived drugs. Alkaloids have been demonstrated to be the main active ingredients in this plant. In particular, hetisine-type DAs, mainly Guan-fu base A and its analogues, which possess prominent antiarrhythmic effects, other effects, and hypotoxicity, could be regarded as the representative constituents of A. coreanum . Polysaccharides from A. coreanum also displayed broad bioactivities, demonstrating great potential for further research and exploitation. However, few of the current studies have examined the main active components in A. coreanum from different regions. In addition, most of the pharmacological studies on A. coreanum polysaccharides were carried out using crude or poorly characterized fractions. Finally, reliable analytical methods and deeper studies on the toxicity of the compounds from A. coreanum are needed to ensure the safe usage of these products. Graphical abstract

In this study, the indoor constant temperature culture experiment was used to explore the mutual transformation of different forms of heavy metals. Appropriate types of passivating agents were screened, and the optimal addition amount was determined to realize the solidification and stabilization of heavy metals. The results showed that the dissolved copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb) contents of the zeolite-treated soil decreased to the lowest. They were 219, 819, and 40 g/kg, respectively, which were 31.2, 6.5, and 38.5% lower than no passivating agent added (the control); the dissolved Cu, Zn, and Pb content gradually increased with the extension of time; 5% zeolite (Z4) treatment had the highest average content of Cu, Zn, and Pb in the residue state, respectively, 24, 48, and 19 mg/kg; and at the end of the test, the residual Zn content of Z4 treatment reached 50 mg/kg, which was 72.4% higher than that of the control. A comprehensive analysis of the changes in the dissolved state of the four heavy metals in the soil shows that Cu, Zn, cadmium (Cd), and Pb treated with zeolite have the best effect, followed by sepiolite, and finally palygorskite. Therefore, 5% zeolite can be used for the passivation restoration of heavy metals Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb in the soil.

The study assessed the volatile organic compound (VOC) pollution characteristics in a chemical site in Weinan, China. The results indicated that chloroform, benzene, trichloroethylene, 1,2-dichloroethane, ethylbenzene, 1,2-dichloropropane, and 1,2,3-Trichloropropane exceeded the soil standard limit for soil contamination of development land (GB36600, PRC). Using pollution index, ambient severity, and correlation coefficient revealed industrial production and relocation activities as sources of VOCs contamination in the site. The carcinogenic risk assessed by human exposure to site VOCs through ingestion, respiration, exposure, etc., exceeded the potentially acceptable level (1.0 × 10 −6 ). 1,2,3-trichloropropane has the highest carcinogenic risk across all pathways, regions, and populations. The long-term exposure and emission of VOCs in the investigated sites could likely pose an adverse health risk to site staff and the surrounding sensitive groups. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out strict investigation and evaluation of the site, and timely repair and control to protect the water, soil, and air environment and to avoid the long-term cumulative exposure risk to human health caused by VOCs emission.

In order to effectively protect the biological activity of Sparassis latifolia β-glucan, improve its stability, and realize its high-value utilization, single-factor test and orthogonal test were carried out to optimize the microencapsulation conditions of S. latifolia β-glucan prepared using spray drying method. The β-glucan microcapsules were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and laser particle size analyzer. The results showed that the optimal microencapsulation conditions were as follows: maltodextrin and whey protein with a mass ratio of 1:2, core and wall material with a mass ratio of 1:2, and monoglyceride and core material with a mass percentage of 0.3. Under these conditions, the powder yield and embedding rate of β-glucan microcapsules were 47.32 ± 0.58% and 86.76 ± 1.19%, respectively. The preparation technique was proved to be stable. The β-glucan microcapsules were spherical particles, with the characteristics of a smooth surface, no cracks. The particle size of microcapsules was smaller, and its Dv (50) was 8.43 µm. The distribution of microcapsules was more uniform, and its uniformity was 0.503. The good embedding performance and high thermal stability can effectively protect the biological activity of the core material.

Nowadays, the issue of energy saving is becoming increasingly important. Both households and large public facilities, such as schools, kindergartens, health centers, shopping, or leisure centers, implement energy saving systems. To start saving, one must first identify where the greatest energy losses occur. For this purpose, energy audits are carried out. The results of the audit make it possible to implement the necessary changes, including the replacement of old heating systems with modern energy-efficient equipment with the same, or even better, heating effect. This article presents research conducted in two public buildings, namely the Elementary School in Powroźnik in the administrative district of Muszyna and the Municipal Sports and Recreation Center in Dębica in Poland. The tests were carried out in accordance with the Directive 2010/31/EU (with later changes: directive 2012/27/EU and (EU)2018/844). The obtained results confirmed the need for comprehensive thermal upgrades in both buildings. The objective of the research was to develop the method aimed to reach the nearly zero-energy building in a public sector. Buildings in this category are usually of the great volume and heating space, but the functions of the buildings may be very diverse. It can be an administrative office, school, swimming pool, ice rink, hospital, etc. The article shows that although the functions of the buildings can be different some common methods of effective thermomodernization can be developed. In general, in large public buildings, complex solutions should be implemented. These include heat recovery using heat pumps in ventilation systems, renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaics, heat pumps, or combined heat and power for space heating, building management systems that adjust the heat supplied according to the weather conditions, and lighting systems.

An ethnomedicinal expedition was conducted to collect and record indigenous knowledge about the use of medicinal plants by local inhabitants of four villages (Chittra, Topi, Pandi, and Kalri) of district Bagh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Ethnomedicinal data were obtained from 60 randomly selected local inhabitants of the study area through semi-structured questionnaires and interviews. These data were analyzed quantitatively through different ethnobotanical indices including family importance value, relative frequency of citation, use value (UV), fidelity level (FL), informant consensus factor (ICF), and Jaccard index (JI). our study reported 69 medicinal plants belonging to 39 families. Rosaceae (9 species) was a dominant family of the study area. Herb (54.83%) was dominant growth form of plants used for medicinal purpose. Leaves contributed maximum usage (44.29%) for curing diseases. Decoction (23 records) was most used mode of utilization. Relative frequency of citation and UV ranged from 0.03–0.85 and 0.05–1.17, respectively. There were 4 plant species with 100% FL. Highest ICF (0.88%) was found for gastrointestinal diseases. By comparing results with previous study, JI ranged from 0.54 to 24.43%. Our results found that there were 18 plant species not reported with ethnomedicinal aspect in previous studies from district Bagh region. The research of this study concludes that the area is rich with medicinal plants and the local inhabitant of this area still prefer medicinal plants over allopathic medicines for treating different ailments. Comparative analysis has shown some novel uses of plant species which may be due to cultural differences of the study area. However, awareness and pharmacological study are needed to conserve and unveil pharmaceutically important plants.

The knowledge of the chemical composition of herbs used medicinally in Africa is relatively low, and at the same time, the growing interest in alternative medicine prompts scientists to search for justification for the use of various plants. Due to these, the aim of the study was to analyze ten botanical species of medicinal plants originating from Congo to determine the contents of non-metals (P, Se), metallic elements (Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cd, Pb, Cr, Co, Al), phenolic compounds, and L(+) ascorbic acid and antioxidant activities. To prepare plant samples for quantitative analysis by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy, the microwave digestion was applied. The contents of phenolic acids, flavonoids, polyphenolic compounds, and vitamin C were assayed in extracts of medicinal plants spectrophotometrically, while the antioxidant activity was determined by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH), and 2,2 -Azino-bis-3-ethylbanzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) techniques. The studies showed that the medicinal plants from Congo differed to a high degree. Principal component analysis demonstrated that the concentrations of Cu, Fe, Mn, and also phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity had the highest impact on sample’s differentiation. The relationship between the type of plant material (bark, root, or leaf) and its chemical composition was noticed, too. Graphical abstract

The aim of this empirical field research was to show potential differences due to the precise application of herbicides in the quality and size of the carrot root yield and the amount of working liquid used compared to those for control samples. Empirical verification of the effectiveness of the developed technology, confirmed by statistical analyses of the obtained results, allows for a comparative assessment of this method with the conventional method of herbicide application used in this study. Due to the methodology used, it can be assumed that for carrots, the years were a random factor, and the experiments carried out were a series. It can be assumed that in the analysis of a series of experiments, for each of the examined features there are no differences between the groups and there is no interaction of the groups with the years. The yields of the groups weeded manually, sprayed in a conventional way, and weeded with precise spraying did not differ in a statistically significant way. In the precise application, a 20–30% lower herbicide consumption was observed, which has an impact on the protection of the environment and improves the economic effect of carrot production.

Several studies have demonstrated that stigmas of Crocus sativus contain several bioactive compounds with potential health-promoting properties. However, during the processing of stigmas, large amounts of floral bio-residues are normally discarded as by-products. In this study, using untargeted metabolomics, the comprehensive phytochemical composition of C. sativus stigma and tepals was investigated. Moreover, the antibacterial and anti-biofilm properties of the extracts of C. sativus stigmas and tepals were compared. The study was carried out using two methicillin-resistant staphylococcal reference strains (i.e., Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300 and Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 35984), representing important Gram-positive biofilm-forming human pathogens. The antibacterial properties were correlated with total polyphenol content, total terpenoid content, and in vitro antioxidant properties of tepals and stigmas. The results demonstrated that stigma and tepal extracts, at the sub-toxic concentrations, were able to interfere with biofilm formation by ATCC 43300 and ATCC 35984. Besides, the higher antibacterial activity of tepals than stigmas was associated with higher levels of phycompounds. Therefore, our results demonstrated that C. sativus stigmas and bio-residues, such as tepals, are potential antioxidant sources and good candidates as antibacterial agents to prevent biofilm formation. Taken together, these findings showed that C. sativus could be used as functional ingredient by the food and pharmaceutical industries. Graphical abstract

Withania adpressa (Coss.) Batt. ( W. adpressa ) is a wild medicinal plant in the family Solanaceae, which is used as an alternative medicine. The present study aims to investigate the chemical composition, antioxidant, and antibacterial potentials of polyphenol-rich fraction from the leaves of W. adpressa . Polyphenol-rich fraction was characterized by use of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Antioxidant potency was determined by use of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assays. Antibacterial activity was assessed against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria by use of disc diffusion and microdilution assays. Chromatographic analysis by HPLC showed four compounds in the polyphenol-rich fraction including 1- O -Caffeoyl glucose, Luteolin-7-diglucuronide, Apigenin- O -pentoside, and Quercetin-3- O -glucuronide. Polyphenol-rich fraction exhibited important antioxidant activity as assessed by DPPH and FRAP assays, with IC 50 and EC 50 values of 14.27 ± 0.43 and 39.48 ± 0.81 µg/mL, respectively, while butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and Quercetin exhibited IC 50 values of 28.92 ± 0.24 and 22.48 ± 0.54 µg/mL. Results of TAC showed that the polyphenol-rich fraction scored 781.74 ± 2.83 µg AAE/mg. Polyphenol-rich fraction showed an important antibacterial effect vs gram-positive and gram-negative strains recording inhibition zone diameters varying from 19.5 to 29.2 mm, while antibiotics were almost ineffective toward all strains except for E. coli . It can be concluded that W. adpressa polyphenol-rich fraction possesses promising phenols with strong antioxidant and antibacterial properties, which may help fight pathogenic bacteria and free radicals.

Xinguan No. 3 has been recommended for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, its potential mechanisms are unclear. This study aims to explore the mechanisms of Xinguan No. 3 against COVID-19 through network pharmacology and molecular docking. We first searched the ingredients of Xinguan No. 3 in three databases (Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform, Traditional Chinese Medicines Integrated Database, and The Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine). The active components and their potential targets were predicted through the SwissTargetPrediction website. The targets of COVID-19 can be found on the GeneCards website. Protein interaction analysis, screening of key targets, functional enrichment of key target genes, and signaling pathway analysis were performed through Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes databases, Metascape databases, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway databases. Finally, the affinity of the key active components with the core targets was verified by molecular docking. The results showed that five core targets had been screened, including MAPK1, NF-κB1, RELA, AKT1, and MAPK14. Gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed that the key targets were associated with inflammatory responses and responses to external stimuli. KEGG enrichment analysis indicated that the main pathways were influenza A, hepatitis B, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, and TNF signaling pathway. Therefore, Xinguan No. 3 might play a role in treating COVID-19 through anti-inflammatory, immune responses, and regulatory responses to external stimuli.

Ficus benghalensis (Moraceae) is widely found in Asian Countries and has been traditionally prescribed owing to its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and muscle relaxation properties. Purposely, in this study, phytochemical composition and isolation of fixed oil from F. benghalensis were comprehended for the first time. The fatty acids were isolated from hexane (HO) and chloroform (CO) fractions and were characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The fatty acid ester was identified by comparing the mass spectra with the equipment library. The major fatty acids identified from HO extract were oleic acid methyl ester (42.67), palmitic acid methyl ester (28.79), linoleic acid methyl ester (11.36), docosanoic acid methyl ester (8.83), and stearic acid methyl ester (3.21). Similarly, the major constituents of CO fraction were palmitic acid methyl ester (65.94), oleic acid methyl ester (10.18), stearic acid methyl ester (9.15), elaidic acid methyl ester (5.32), and linoleic acid methyl ester (3.94). Both of the isolated fixed oils were screened for antibacterial, antioxidant, analgesic, and muscle relaxant effects. Regarding the antibacterial effect, the maximum zone of inhibition against Bacillus subtilis was 26.32 and 25.09 mm by HO and CO fractions, respectively. Both HO and CO demonstrated significant antioxidant effects, i.e., 70.23 and 72.09 µg/mL at a higher dose (100 µg/mL). Similarly, both experimented fractions demonstrated significant analgesic effects while the muscle relaxant effect and sedative were non-significant. Results of the present study conclude that fixed oils are the significant antibacterial and analgesic.

Kidney diseases are common health problems worldwide. Various etiologies ultimately lead to the development of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. Natural compounds from herbs or medicinal plants are widely used for therapy and prevention of various ailments, among which is Inonotus obliquus . I. obliquus is rich in triterpenoids and the main active ingredients include betulinic acid, trametenolic acid, inotodiol, and ergosterol. New evidence suggests that I. obliquus triterpenes may be an effective drug for the treatment and protection of various kidney diseases. The aim of this review is to highlight the pharmacological activities and potential role of I. obliquus triterpenes in the kidney disease treatment and protection.

This study is aimed at determining some of the plants traditionally used in the treatment of diseases by the local people living in Kastamonu province center and surrounding villages. A face-to-face questionnaire was applied and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 52 informants, 34 women and 18 men. Identification of 92 plants belonging to 41 families has been confirmed and their medicinal uses have been recorded. The most used families were Rosaceae (13 taxa), Asteraceae (11), and Lamiaceae (11). The most preferred folk recipes of medicinal plants was decoction (55 taxa) and in preparations and applications, the most used were the leaves (45 taxa). According to the International Classification of Primary Care categories, plants were the most used for digestive disorders (37 taxa), respiratory disorders (27 taxa), and urological disorders (24 taxa). The highest use-value was recorded for Urtica dioica (0.519), and highest relative frequency citation was recorded for Tilia rubra subsp. caucasica (0.231). Male genital diseases had the highest informant consensus factor value (0.83). New areas of use were also determined for Pilosella leucopsilon subsp . pilisquama , Galium palustre , and Astragalus nitens . With this study, new information for folkloric medicines is presented and the usage of herbal drugs in the study area are enhanced. Graphical abstract

Cyclophosphamide (CP) is a highly efficacious chemotherapy drug for treating cancers and autoimmune disorders, but it is also notable for its deleterious side effects including urotoxicity in cancer patients, which has been extensively linked to CP-induced oxidative/inflammatory cascades. Herein, we investigated the protective effects of asperuloside (ASP) against CP-induced urotoxicity. Rats received oral administration of ASP (20 and 40 mg/kg bw/day) for 35 days and were injected with weekly CP (100 mg/kg bw, i.p.) for 4 weeks to induce acute bladder toxicity. CP acutely altered haematological parameters and significantly reduced body weight gain, bladder glutathione peroxidase, reduced glutathione, catalase, and superoxide dismutase activities. Furthermore, CP caused an upward surge in bladder malondialdehyde, nuclear factor-kappa B, tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, and interleukin 6 concentrations. ASP supplementation ameliorated CP-induced haematological derangement and bladder urotoxicity through the restoration of oxidative and inflammatory parameters in CP-treated rats. These findings suggested that ASP could be valorised as a possible therapeutic agent against chemotherapy-related toxicities as well as oxidative damage disorders.

The present research work investigated antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties of essential oils from the leaves of Mentha rotundifolia var. apodysa Briq. (EOR). Hydro-distillation was used to extract EOR before being subjected to the chemical characterization by the use of GC/MS. Antioxidant activity was assessed by the use of three bioassays namely 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Antimicrobial potency was tested against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria namely Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae , Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Klebsiella pneumonia , while antifungal activity was tested against Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, and Fusarium oxysporum . EOR yield was determined to be 1.31%, with 20 compounds wherein Menthol (31.28%) and Isomenthol (14.28%) constituted the greatest amount. Regarding antioxidant activity, EOR exhibited potent antioxidant power: DPPH (IC 50 value of 0.36 ± 0.03 mg/mL), FRAP (EC 50 value of 0.35 ± 0.03 mg/mL), and TAC (697.45 ± 1.07 mg EAA/g). Antibacterial activity results showed that EOR had broad antibacterial activity on the tested strains. Eventually, EOR resulted in the greatest inhibition zone diameters vs S. aureus (18.20 ± 0.41 mm) followed by E. coli (17.02 ± 0.5 mm). Antifungal activity results showed that EOR exhibited potent antifungal activity and resulted in the greatest inhibition zone diameters up to 51.32 ± 1.32 mm against Aspergillus flavus , and 34.51 ± 1.07 mm against Aspergillus niger.

Medicinal plants contain phytochemical components of pharmaceutical importance, and Trema orientalis MeOH extracts are believed to have potential antioxidant and cytotoxic properties. This investigation explores the phenolic, antioxidant, and anticancer property of the methanol extracts of aerial parts of T. orientalis . The total polyphenol content (TPC) and the total flavonoid contents (TFC) were determined following standard methods. In vitro antioxidant property was assessed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Cytotoxicity experiments were performed against eight cell lines and one fibroblast cell using the methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay. The antimicrobial activity assay was performed using the agar-diffusion method. Individual phenolic acids identified by GC/MS were examined in silico to estimate their drug likeness based on their structures. TPC and TFC were the highest in the leaf extract, with the strongest radical scavenging activity against ABTS (84.43%) and DPPH (79.60%) radicals. The highest cytotoxicity activity was exhibited by leaf (IC 50 = 2.256 ± 0.85 μg/mL) and twig (2.704 ± 1.31 μg/mL) extracts against the HCT116 cell line, followed by bark (3.653 ± 0.05 μg/mL) and leaf (3.725 ± 0.30 μg/mL) extracts against the HT29 cell line. Clonogenicity resulted in a clear decrease of colony formation by HCT116 cells, suggesting a dose-dependent mode. In silico investigation suggested that phenolic acids detected have non-drug-like properties. Extracts showed antimicrobial inactivity.

This article aimed to study the antimicrobial activity, chemical composition, and acute oral toxicity of essential oils (EOs) of Mentha pulegium and Rosmarinus officinalis , two aromatic and medicinal plants widely used in the traditional Moroccan pharmacopeia. The average content of EOs was 3.2 and 2.5% for M. pulegium and R. officinalis , respectively. The chemical characterization showed a richness in some compounds identified by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS): R (+)-Pulegone (45.48%), Menthone (14.2%), Piperitone (8.15%), and Isomenthone (7.18%) in M. pulegium and 1,8-Cineole (46.32%), Camphene (13.4%), and α-Pinene (9.52%) in R. officinalis . These metabolites showed a significant antimicrobial effect against the tested strains (bacteria and yeasts isolated from the hospital environment) compared to synthetic antibiotics that seem to be ineffective against resistant microorganisms. Based on lethal concentration LD 50 >5,000 mg/kg (body weight), the oil was found to be marginally safe according to OECD guidelines and can be further explored (bio-product with low risk).

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are produced during the combustion of coal and oil, and they can cause sediment contamination. Marine sediments are an important source of information regarding human activities in coastal regions and the long-term fate of xenobiotics. PAHs are a serious environmental problem for marine ecosystems because of their detrimental health impacts on species, including endocrine-disrupting activities. The type of organic contaminants in marine sediments is determined by their origin, with PAHs classed as either petrogenic or pyrogenic. Accidental or deliberate discharges and spills of oil from ships, particularly tankers, offshore platforms, and pipelines, especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, are the most obvious and visible sources of oil pollution in the marine environment. The current review study will be extremely important and beneficial as a desk review as a result of the growing human population and rapid development in the area. The distribution pattern of PAHs along the Red Sea coastal sediments was limited. The majority of research along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast demonstrates pyrogenic and petrogenic origins of PAHs, as well as in other parts of the world. Industrial activity, municipal waste runoff, petroleum spills, and sewage runoff have a significant impact on PAH distribution throughout the Red Sea’s coastal estuaries. However, after the Gulf war in 1992, much of the attention was occurred especially in the Arabian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia. This study portrayed a comparison of distribution pattern of PAHs with the other parts of the world as well.

The current work aims to isolate the bioactive secondary metabolites from the Red Sea green alga T. expeditionis . Its organic extract was partitioned and analyzed using chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. Four triterpenoids of the cycloartane-carbon skeleton were identified as: 29-norcycloartane-3-en-23,28-diol ( 1 ), 29-norcycloartane-5,24-dien-3-ol-23-one ( 2 ), 29-norcycloartane-3,24-dien-3-ol-23-one ( 3 ), and 29-norcycloartane-5,24-dien-3-ol ( 4 ), along with hydroxylated C-18 fatty acid, 3-hydroxyoctadeca-15( Z )-enoic acid ( 5 ). The antiproliferative activity of the isolated metabolites was examined against three cancer cell lines, i.e., HeLa, HepG-2, and MCF-7. Compounds 2 and 3 demonstrated a strong antiproliferative effect against all cells with IC 50 values ranging from 17.8 ± 1.71 to 23.3 ± 1.66 µM. Compounds 1 and 4 showed a moderate antiproliferative effect against all cell lines with IC 50 values ranging from 44.7 ± 2.32 to 65.0 ± 3.66 µM. The antifungal activity of all compounds has been tested against several fungi. Compounds 2 – 4 revealed strong inhibition against A. flavus and Fusarium oxysporum . Compounds 1 – 4 showed moderate to weak inhibition activity against A. niger , A. fumigatus , C. albicans , and C. tropicalis . Compound 5 showed weak to non-detected activity against all cell lines and microbes. The results indicated that norcycloartanes exhibit antiproliferative and antifungal activities, especially those with α,β-unsaturated ketones in their side chain.

A donor–acceptor substituted derivative 2,6-diamino-4-(3,4,5-trimethoxy-phenyl)-pyridine-3,5-dicarbonitrile (DTPP) has been synthesized and its photophysical properties have been studied. Effect of solvent on the photophysical features of DTPP has been undertaken by steady state absorption and emission techniques. Strong solvatochromic emission has been observed due to intramolecular charge transfer characteristics, upon changing the solvent polarity, revealing the highly polar character of the excited state. Dipole moment changes between the excited and ground state have been estimated by using the theory of solvatochromism from Lippert–Mataga and Reichardt’s correlations. The geometrical parameters for ground and excited states, conformational flexibility, and NLO behavior of the molecule have been theoretically investigated. The electronic distributions of DTPP in HOMO and LUMO were also investigated using density functional theory (DFT) methods at B3LYP/6-31 G** level. The correlation of experimental results with theoretical predictions obtained via DFT substantiates the presence of polarity dependent of the emission spectra.

Nowadays, in spite of a significant progress in indoor air quality (IAQ), an assessable and predictive understanding of atmospheric aerosol sources, chemical composition, transformation processes, and environmental effects are still rather incomplete and therefore signifies a key research challenge in the atmospheric science. Thus, the current comprehensive review is concerned with the dominant sources, organic compositions, and potential health impacts of the organic contaminants in the atmospheric particle matters (PMs) in the Middle East (ME). The ME contributes a major impact of organic contaminants on the atmosphere along with other Asian and African countries. In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the communities are noted for being the center of the great majority of the world’s oil reserves and infrastructure for producing crude oil. The review starts with a historical outlook on the scientific queries regarding major source of organic contaminants to the atmospheric aerosols over the past centuries, followed by an explanation of the distribution, sources, transformation processes, and chemical and physical properties as they are formerly assumed. Natural product chemicals from biota, manufactured organic compounds including pesticides, chlorinated hydrocarbons, and lubricants, as well as organic compounds from the use and combustion of fossil fuels make up the aerosol contamination. Thus, in the recent years, IAQ may be seen as a significant health issue because of the increase in industrial activity. Fugitive emissions from industrial processes, as well as natural and anthropogenic emissions from other sources such as forest fires, volcanic eruptions, incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, wood, agricultural waste, or leaves, are typical sources of organic pollutants to the aerosol. In the spring and early summer in the GCC countries, aerosol concentration increases because of dust storms; however, in winter, there are fewer dust storms and higher precipitation rates, and aerosol concentrations are lower. Significances of future research and major suggestions are also outlined to narrow the gap between the present understanding of the contribution of both anthropogenic and biogenic aerosols to radiative forcing, resulting from the spatial nonuniformity, intermittency of sources, unresolved composition, and reactivity.

Carboxylic acid–pyridine heterosynthon (CPHS) is one of the most common synthons found in cocrystal packing. Phenylacetic acid (PYC)–nicotinamide (NIC) (PYCNIC) cocrystals were used as a computational model to assess the most important factor in the emergence of the synthon. Geometry optimization was carried out on every possible two molecules of PYC–NIC conformation based on B3LYP-D3BJ/6-311G (d,p). Various energetic parameters, including total energy, interaction energy, and hydrogen bond energy, were used to compare the existing conformation to the putative conformation. The conformation with CPHS has −53.87 kJ mol −1 of single intermolecular hydrogen bond energy (EHB), which is the strongest of all. It turns out that there is no other parameter better than EHB to describe the superiority of CPHS in PYCNIC. Graphical abstract

Research on bionanocomposites has been developed, while its application as food packaging is still being explored. They are usually made from natural polymers such as cellulose acetate, chitosan (CS), and polyvinyl alcohol. Bionanocomposite materials can replace traditional non-biodegradable plastic packaging materials, enabling them to use new, high-performance, lightweight, and environmentally friendly composite materials. However, this natural polymer has a weakness in mechanical properties. Therefore, a composite system is needed that will improve the properties of the biodegradable food packaging. The aim of this mini-review is to demonstrate recent progress in the synthesis, modification, characterization, and application of bionanocomposites reported by previous researchers. The focus is on the preparation and characterization of CS-based bionanocomposites. The mechanical properties of CS-based food packaging can be improved by adding reinforcement from inorganic materials such as organoclay. Meanwhile, the anti-bacterial properties of CS-based food packaging can be improved by adding nanoparticles such as Ag and ZnO.

The composite of magnetic activated carbon derived from peanut shells functionalized titanium dioxide (Fe 3 O 4 /TiO 2 /AC) has been successfully synthesized. The composite was employed to remove indigosol green and Cr( vi ) under ultraviolet (UV) and visible light. In this work, the activated carbon was synthesized from a sustainable source of peanut shell by carbonization and activation method employing NaOH as the activating agent. Magnetite was prepared by chemical co-precipitation technique using FeCl 3 ·6H 2 O and FeSO 4 ·7H 2 O, and then, the deposition of TiO 2 was performed under ultrasonic irradiation. A variety of material characterization, consisting of Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray, was used to analyze the physicochemical properties of the composite. The effects of pH, irradiation time, and composite mass during optimization performance were investigated. The characterizations represent the dispersed TiO 2 in the anatase phase with the existence of magnetic particles. The activity tests revealed the superiority of the composite for applications involving adsorption and photocatalysis under visible light source compared to UV light. It was found that Fe 3 O 4 /TiO 2 /AC yields the efficiency for the removal of indigosol green and Cr( vi ) from Batik liquid waste of 92.91 and 76.92%, respectively.

Turbidity is removed by adding a chemical coagulant, which produces a secondary toxic of alumina residues in the water. Therefore, the aim of study was to evaluate the coagulation activity of NaCl extract from Leucaena leucocephala and Sesbania grandiflora seeds on the removal of turbidity for water purification. The proximate composition of the seeds was determined. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to identify the functional groups of protein, and the surface morphology was observed by SEM-EDS. To obtain the optimized condition, all experiments were evaluated by artificial turbid water before being applied on the natural water (i.e., Selokan Mataram). The coagulation process was evaluated by concentration (M), dosage (mL/L), and pH in terms of turbidity, total dissolved solids, and transmittance of light. The results showed that both coagulant seeds contained 25.32 and 30.81% of protein. These coagulants could remove the turbidity by 99.7% for L. leucocephala and 94.24% for S. grandiflora from artificial turbid water at the optimized concentration of 1.0 M, and dosage of 5 and 10 mL/L, respectively. At pH 5 the removal of turbidity from Selokan Mataram was 99.4% for L. leucocephala and 97.23% for S. grandiflora .

The conversion of palm oil into biofuel is continuing interest in a green alternative fuel. Catalytic hydrocracking palm oil into biofuels was carried out by NiMoO 4 /activated carbon catalyst. The catalyst was first designed from nanoparticle NiO–MoO 3 supported by activated carbon from palm kernel shell and characterized using X-ray crystallography, Fourier transform infrared, and scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray. The efficiency of the catalyst was evaluated for the conversion of palm oil into biogasoline and kerosene using the hydrocracking process at different temperatures (150, 250, and 350°C). The resulting catalytic hydrocracking is liquid biofuels, which is analyzed using GC–MC to determine its fractions: biogasoline (C 5 –C 10 ) and kerosine (C 11 –C 16 ). The optimum condition of catalytic hydrocracking was obtained at a temperature of 150°C resulting in two primary fractions classified into biogasoline (37.83%) consisting of n -nonane (C 9 ) and 1-heptene (C 7 ) and kerosine (61.34%) consisting of three primary fractions, n -pentadecane (C 15 ), hexadecene (C 16 ), and 1-undecene (C 11 ). The result of this study proved that the NiMoO 4 /activated carbon catalyst plays an important role in catalytic hydrocracking and becomes a promising alternative catalyst for the preparation of biofuels.

Cynarin, a caffeoylquinic acid compound that was mainly extracted from Cynara scolymus L., displays various activities such as antioxidant, antibacterial, choleretic, and hepatoprotective functions. However, the target of cynarin and the mechanism of its hepatoprotective effect are still unclear. To find cynarin’s target, we performed molecular docking analysis, fluorescence-based ligand-binding assay, and reporter gene system assay. Our results indicated that cynarin was a partial agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ). Further studies showed that cynarin significantly inhibited platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB-induced proliferation and activation of rat CFSC-8G hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Our results also revealed that cynarin inhibited PDGF-BB-induced extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK) and v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog (AKT) phosphorylation in HSCs. In addition, this inhibition effect was PPARγ dependent since the knockdown of PPARγ significantly attenuated the effects of cynarin on PDGF-BB-induced p-ERK, p-AKT, and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expressions. Therefore, this study suggests that cynarin is a promising antifibrotic lead compound that inhibits the activation of HSCs, and it works by targeting PPARγ.

Surfactant flooding is one of the successful techniques employed in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) to extract the remaining original oil in place after primary and secondary recoveries are performed. Selection of the right EOR surfactant is an important but demanding task due to a series of screening procedures that need to be executed to have a comprehensive evaluation. This article presents the experimental work done on the initial screening of ten surfactants from three different classes, namely nonionic, anionic, and amphoteric. The screening was completed with three consecutive series of testing, which are surfactant compatibility, phase behavior, and interfacial tension (IFT). Results showed that an anionic surfactant, sodium decylglucoside hydroxypropyl phosphate, passed all tests with the lowest IFT value of 8 × 10 −3  mN/m at 0.1 wt% of surfactant concentration.

Physalis alkekengi L. (Solanaceae) is encountered in different regions of Bulgaria as a wild growing or ornamental plant. The objective of this work was to characterize the phytochemical composition (macro and micro components) of the leaves and stems of two local phenotypes (PA-SB and PA-NB), with the view of revealing their use potential. The dry leaves contained (DW) protein (16.25 and 19.27%), cellulose (25.16 and 25.31%), and ash (18.28 and 16.16%) and the stems contained protein (6.83 and 7.35%), cellulose (39.34 and 38.25%), and ash (15.01 and 7.48%) for PA-SB and PA-NB, respectively. The dominant amino acids (by HPLC) in the leaves of both phenotypes were arginine (21.3–22.3 mg/g) and aspartic acid (8.8–18.4 mg/g), and those in the stems were proline and aspartic acid for PA-SB (8.8, 7.7 mg/g); isoleucine and tyrosine for PA-NB (12.8, 6.6 mg/g). Mineral elements, determined by AAS (K, Ca, Mg, Na, Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn, Pb, Cr), also varied between phenotypes and plant parts. The leaves alone were further processed by extraction with n -hexane, for the identification of leaf volatiles (by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). The analysis identified 28 components (97.99%) in the leaf extract of PA-SB and 32 components (97.50%) in that of PA-NB. The volatile profile of PA-SB leaves was dominated by diterpenes (49.96%) and oxygenated sesquiterpenes (35.61%), while that of PA-NB was dominated by oxygenated aliphatics (40.01%) and diterpenes (35.19%). To the best of our knowledge, the study provides the first data about the phytochemical composition of the leaves and stems of P. alkekengi from Bulgaria, in a direct comparison of phenotypes from two distinct wild populations, which could be of further scientific interest.

The objective of the current study was to examine the phytochemical and in vitro thrombolytic, anti-arthritic, anthelmintic, and insecticidal effects of Trewia nudiflora (TN) methanolic leaf extract with its methanol (MTN), chloroform (CTN), and ethyl acetate (ETN) fractions. Pheretima posthuma and Tribolium castaneum were employed for evaluating the antihelmintic and insecticidal properties, respectively. All the tested extracts showed the presence of copious potential constituents in phytochemical analysis. Among all extracts, MTN extract exhibited the utmost clot lysis (35.95 ± 4.81%) property compared to standard streptokinase (SK) (53.77 ± 7.52%). All samples displayed striking protein denaturation activity in a dose-dependent manner (100–500 µg/mL), where the highest inhibition was observed for MTN (67.26 ± 6.39% at 500 µg/mL). Each extract demonstrated considerable anthelmintic activity at 25–75 mg/mL dose ranges. ETN showed the strongest anthelmintic activity at the highest dose. Among all samples, the CTN extract displayed the utmost mortality rate (77.22%) in the insecticidal test. The results of the study suggest that T. nudiflora leaf extracts may have potential against thrombosis, arthritis, helminths, and insects, which warrants the necessity of extensive isolation and identification of bioactive compounds to develop newer effective drugs upon preclinical and clinical investigations.

In this study, the neuroprotective potential of either Pergularia tomentosa leaf methanolic extract (PtE) alone or in combination with selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs-PtE) was investigated against lead acetate (PbAc)-induced neurotoxicity. Experimental rats were pretreated with PtE (100 mg/kg) or SeNPs-PtE (0.5 mg/kg) and injected intraperitoneally with PbAc (20 mg/kg) for 2 weeks. Notably, SeNPs-PtE decreased brain Pb accumulation and enhanced the level of dopamine and the activity of AChE compared to the control rats. In addition, elevated neural levels of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione along with decreased lipid peroxidation levels were noticed in pretreated groups with SeNPs-PtE. Moreover, SeNPs-PtE significantly suppressed neural inflammation, as indicated by lower levels of interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, nuclear factor-kappa B p65, and nitric oxide in the examined brain tissue. The molecular results also unveiled significant down-regulation in iNOS gene expression in the brains of SeNPs-PtE-treated rats. In addition, SeNPs-PtE administration counteracted the neural loss by increasing B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels as well as decreasing BCL2-associated X protein and caspase-3 levels. To sum up, our data suggest that P. tomentosa extract alone or in combination with SeNPs has great potential in reversing the neural tissue impairment induced by PbAc via its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic activities. This study might have therapeutic implications in preventing and treating several lead-induced neurological disorders.

This study evaluated the possible neuroprotective effect of Allium atroviolaceum extract (AaE)-synthesized selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) on aluminum (Al)-induced neurotoxicity in mice, explaining the likely mechanisms. Mice were divided into five groups: G1, control; G2, AaE group that received AaE (200 mg/kg) for 4 weeks; and groups 3, 4, and 5 received AlCl 3 (100 mg/kg) for 3 weeks. After that, G4 received AaE (200 mg/kg), and G5 received SeNPs-AaE (0.5 mg/kg) for another 1 week. Exposure to AlCl 3 boosted oxidative damage in brain tissue as evidenced by a reduction in glutathione concentrations and other antioxidant enzymes along with increased lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide levels. There was also a rise in the concentrations of interleukin-1β, TNF-α, and cyclooxygenase-II activities. AlCl 3 -treated mice showed reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and dopamine levels, increased acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, and reduced Bcl-2, and Bax, and caspase-3 activities. Treatment with SeNPs-AaE significantly reduced markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. In addition, in SeNPs-AaE-treated rats, levels of BDNF and dopamine were significantly increased along with a reduction in AChE as compared with the AlCl 3 group. Therefore, our results indicate that SeNPs-AaE has a potential neuroprotective effect against Al-mediated neurotoxic effects because of its powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and neuromodulatory activities.

Cordyceps sinensis (C. sinensis) is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine commonly used to protect renal function and relieve kidney injury. This study aimed to reveal the renal protective mechanism of C. sinensis in renal ischemia–reperfusion injury (RIRI). First, we obtained 8 active components and 99 common targets of C. sinensis against RIRI from public databases. Second, we have retrieved 38 core targets through STRING database analysis. Third, Gene Ontology analysis of 38 core targets is indicated that C. sinensis treatment RIRI may related hormone regulation, oxidative stress, cell proliferation, and immune regulation. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis of 38 core targets is indicated that C. sinensis treatment RIRI may involve in PI3K–Akt, HIF-1, and MAPK signaling pathways, as well as advanced glycation end product (AGE)–receptor for AGE (RAGE) signaling pathway in diabetic complications. Lastly, molecular docking was used to detect the binding activity and properties of active components and core target using molecular docking. And the results showed that eight active components of C. sinensis had low affinity with core targets. In conclusion, C. sinensis may improve RIRI by regulating oxidative stress and immunity through PI3K–Akt, HIF-1, and MAPK pathways.

Podocytes have become a crucial target for kidney disease. Tetrandrine (TET), the main active component of a Chinese medicine formula Fangji Huangqi Tang, has shown a positive effect on various renal diseases. We aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of TET on podocytes. The targeting relationship between microRNA (miR)-150-5p and nephrosis 1 (NPHS1) was determined by a dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis were detected by cell counting kit-8, Transwell, and flow cytometry assays, respectively. The expression of miR-150-5p and NPHS1 was detected by RT-qPCR. The levels of Nephrin, Caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bax, E-cadherin, and α-smooth muscle actin were detected by Western blot. TET prompted cell viability and inhibited migration and apoptosis of puromycin aminonucleoside-induced human podocytes (HPC) in a dose-dependent manner. miR-150-5p directly targeted NPHS1 and was upregulated in damaged HPC. TET decreased the miR-150-5p expression and increased the level of NPHS1 and Nephrin. Overexpressed miR-150-5p inhibited the expression of NPHS1 and Nephrin, and reversed the protective effects of TET on injured HPC. TET protects the biological function of HPC by suppressing the miR-150-5p/NPHS1 axis. It reveals that TET may be a potential drug and miR150-5p is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of podocyte injury.

β-Ecdysone is a phytosteroid derived from multifarious medicinal plants, such as Achyranthes root ( Achyranthes bidentata ) and Tinospora cordifolia , possessing the potential anti-osteoporosis effect. However, the underlying mechanisms for β-ecdysone treating osteoporosis remain unclear. This study aims to explore the molecular mechanisms of β-ecdysone against osteoporosis by network pharmacology and molecular docking. First, the potential targets of β-ecdysone and osteoporosis were predicted by public databases. Protein interaction and functional enrichment analyses of potential targets were performed using the STRING and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway databases. Finally, hub targets were identified from network pharmacology, and their interaction with β-ecdysone was validated by molecular docking. Results showed that 47 potential targets were related to the mechanisms of β-ecdysone treating osteoporosis. Enrichment analyses revealed that the potential targets were mainly associated with steroid biosynthetic and metabolic processes, as well as HIF-1 and estrogen signaling pathways. By protein–protein interaction network analysis, top 10 hub targets were screened, including TNF, ALB, SRC, STAT3, MAPK3, ESR1, PPARG, CASP3, TLR4, and NR3C1. Molecular docking showed that β-ecdysone had good affinity with TLR4, TNF, and ESR1. Therefore, β-ecdysone might exert therapeutic effect on osteoporosis development via targeting TLR4, TNF, and ESR1 and regulating HIF-1 and estrogen pathways.

Polygonum cuspidatum (PC) extract has effect on silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis. This study aimed to explore the anti-pulmonary-fibrosis effects and mechanism of PC. Sprague–Dawley rat model was constructed by inhalation of silicon dioxide suspension through tracheal intubation method. And histopathological examination showed that PC inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration, fibrous and collagen hyperplasia, and protected the normal structure of alveoli. TUNEL assay declared that PC retarded cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, up-regulation of basic fibroblast growth factor, plated-derived growth factor, and TNF-α in silicosis rats was decreased by PC addition. In addition, human fetal lung fibroblasts (HFL-1) cells were stimulated with transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). PC administration increased the proliferation and invasion of TGF-β1-stimulated HFL-1 cells whereas decreased cell apoptosis. Moreover, western blotting exhibited that PC treatment decreased the expression of α-smooth muscle actin, collagen I, and collagen III in silicosis rats and TGF-β1-stimulated HFL-1 cells. Furthermore, the levels of Wnt/β-catenin pathway proteins were up-regulated in silicosis rats and TGF-β1-stimulated HFL-1 cells, which were weakened by PC treatment. Meanwhile, Wnt3a (an activator of Wnt/β-catenin) addition reversed the effect of PC addition. In conclusion, PC prevents silica-induced fibrosis through inhibiting the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Polymer matrix composites composed of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and MXenes (Ti 3 C 2 T x ) are synthesized using direct solution blending and casting techniques. MXenes are a new family of two-dimensional materials. Both optical and conductivity properties of the resulting PMMA-MXene nanocomposite thin films are studied as a function of MXene concentration, for the first time. The resulting thin films are in the micrometer range (8.10–8.80 µm) in thickness. As the concentration of MXenes increases, the PMMA embeds MXenes, causing structural disturbance but without any change in the crystal structure. The MXene thickness in single-layered structure is 15–20 nm. Optical investigations such as UV-Vis absorption, absorption coefficient, extinction coefficient, and band gap have been reported to study the light absorption of nanocomposites. Resistivity measurement associated with electrical conductivity is studied. The relationship between optical responses and electrical conductivity is discussed. When compared to pure PMMA (1 × 10 −14 to 1 × 10 −13  S m −1 ), nanocomposites have electrical conductivity that is more than 3,000 times higher. The nanocomposites containing 15 wt% MXenes had the highest conductivity of 1.35 × 10 −3  S m −1 . Both the conductivity improvement and tunable optical findings accelerate the route of integrating MXenes into polymers to create more promising multifunctional composites for optoelectronic applications such as conductive electrodes, thin film transistors, and logic circuits.

Traditional High Andean agriculture is rainfed, and irrigation is commonly carried out in an open loop, that is, without measuring variables such as soil moisture content or plant development to define water consumption. This article presents model predictive control applied to irrigation systems under real conditions, whose purpose is the efficient use of water in rainfed crops with improved yield and crop productivity at minimum water consumption. The article presents a control strategy applying a model of predictive control that calculates the optimal amount of water for daily irrigation under real conditions. The most important attraction of the model is the prediction and future behavior of the controlled variables as a function of the changes in the manipulated variables. The objective is to improve the yield of the crop at minimum water consumption, for this, it will be necessary to use models that link with the Aquacrop software and allow it to be a source of data, and for the prediction of future values. The predictive controller is evaluated in the Quinoa crop ( Chenopodium Quinoa Willdenow ), and the performance is compared against existing traditional irrigation data in the literature. The results indicate that the predictive controller can achieve higher crop efficiency and reduce irrigation water supplies considerably.