Scopus Research — Ali Kamil Kareem

Detecting pathogenic microorganisms is crucial for controlling infectious diseases, protecting human health, and ensuring the safety of food and water. The integration of nanozymes with dual-modal sensing technologies offers a promising strategy to enhance bacterial diagnostics by improving accuracy, providing significant flexibility, and enabling broad-range detection. Due to their superior catalytic properties, nanozymes have been incorporated into numerous dual-mode biosensing systems. They offer several advantages, including cost-effectiveness, high stability, biocompatibility, and ease of surface modification. Among these, dual-mode biosensing—which produces two output signals—can combine fluorescent, photothermal, colorimetric, SERS, or electrochemical methods. This approach provides significant benefits for real-time and sensitive analysis, as well as advances in point-of-care (POC) devices. This comprehensive review offers a detailed foundational analysis of various nanozyme-based dual-mode sensing methods i.e . colorimetric/photothermal, colorimetric/SERS, colorimetric/fluorometric, colorimetric/electrochemical, and colorimetric/photoelectrochemical techniques. Additionally, it highlights their applications as high-performance platforms for the effective detection of bacterial pathogens. Finally, potential research directions to advance this field further are proposed. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.

This study aims to fabricate Polylactic acid/Graphene/Clay (PLA/GPN/Clay) composite using the fused deposition modeling (FDM) process and simultaneously improve the yield and impact strength. Hence, Taguchi method and grey relational grade analysis are used to attain the optimal values of GPN content, clay content, print speed and nozzle temperature. SEM, TGA and DSC tests are used to analyze the fabricated samples. The results indicated that the addition of GPN and clay in the PLA led to an enhancement of the thermal stability of PLA/GPN/Clay composite. Taguchi method results also demonstrated that the impact of graphene content and nozzle temperature on the yield and impact strength is more than the other parameters. The grey relational grade analysis also indicated that the impact and yield strength of PLA/GPN/Clay composite were enhanced with a 2 wt% clay content, a 1 wt% graphene content, a 30 mm/s print speed and a 215°C nozzle temperature. © The Author(s) 2025

There has been considerable attention given to the development of integrated dual-modal sensing methods, which are created by combining two signal transduction channels into a single method, due to the increasing demand for high-performance sensing methods, particularly in food safety. The role of these sensing approaches in improving performance based on reducing assumptions, introducing flexible, and accurate sensing platforms is undeniable. The top two output signals for emerging dual-modal probes are photothermal and colorimetric, due to their excellent benefits for real-time or rapid detection and point-of-care (POC) applications. Interestingly, the emerging photothermal and colorimetric signals have created reliable assays due to dual-signal cross-validation. Furthermore, the implementation of material chemistry and nanotechnology in these dual-mode biosensors has played fundamental roles in their functionality for food safety purposes. The application of designing functional nanomaterials (NMs) and engineering photothermal nanostructures has introduced real-world applicability in complex food matrices. This review is a comprehensive summary of several colorimetric and photothermal dual-modal sensing methods for food safety, particularly focusing on the numerous targets. We carefully examine the sensing mechanism, underlying the principles of signal transduction, and the role of NMs, while also addressing the challenges and future prospects for advancing research in this field. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.

This study presents a multiscale computational framework, building on established DFT, MD, and continuum approaches, to investigate TiO2 quantum dot-graphene nanosheet (TiO2-QDs/GN) nanocomposites as protective coatings for graphite anodes in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Using Density Functional Theory (DFT), we reveal a Li+ adsorption energy of −2.1 eV on pristine TiO2, modulated to −1.8 eV in the composite, and a diffusion barrier of 0.45 eV, driven by synergistic interactions between TiO2's redox-active oxygen sites and graphene's π-electron network, optimizing Li+ storage and transport. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirm a robust Ti–O–C interface with −0.35 eV/Å2 adhesion energy, ensuring structural stability during lithiation. COMSOL Multiphysics modeling demonstrates a specific capacity of 272 mAh/g at 0.1C (modest vs. graphite's 372 mAh/g theoretical but transformative in stability) and a 5 K temperature rise at 1C, surpassing uncoated graphite (250 mAh/g, 12 K) in durability and safety. Key parameters—Li+ diffusion, interfacial adhesion, thermal conductivity, and redox kinetics—are rigorously analyzed with sensitivity assessment (RSC up to 0.62) and validated against experimental data (RMSE 0.081). This approach delivers new mechanistic understanding of Ti4+/Ti3+ redox modulation and SEI passivation, advancing methodology for designing high-performance LIB anodes. Future studies on long-term cycling, safety, and cost are needed to confirm industrial viability for electric vehicles and grid storage. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd

In this study, we report the development of a low-cost and efficient counter electrode based on PEDOT:PSS doped with FeCl3 for application in flexible dye-sensitized solar cells (FDSSCs). Through a simple spray-coating method followed by chemical doping, the PEDOT:PSS/FeCl3 electrode exhibits significantly enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward the I3−/I− redox couple. Morphological, structural, and surface area analyses confirm increased porosity and specific surface area (48.6 m2/g) compared to pristine PEDOT:PSS (25.1 m2/g). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals a reduced charge transfer resistance (RCT = 13.3 Ω·cm2) for the FeCl3-treated electrode, outperforming both untreated PEDOT:PSS (RCT = 25.5 Ω·cm2) and Pt (RCT = 18.2 Ω·cm2). The champion FDSSC assembled with PEDOT:PSS/FeCl3 counter electrode achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.49 %, which is 33 % and 9 % higher than those of pristine PEDOT:PSS (6.38 %) and Pt (7.79 %), respectively. Furthermore, the device demonstrated excellent mechanical flexibility, retaining over 91 % of its initial efficiency after 1000 bending cycles at 120° and over 88 % efficiency after 30 days of ambient storage. These findings demonstrate the potential of PEDOT:PSS/FeCl3 as a promising flexible counter electrode for next-generation cost-effective and stable DSSCs. © 2025 International Solar Energy Society.

The role of bioresorbable medical implants in treating a variety of Health conditions has gained significant attention in recent years, with the global publication output on biodegradable zinc alloys increasing by more than 200% over the past decade. Among candidate materials, zinc has emerged as a promising alternative to magnesium and iron in bioresorbable metals. While magnesium typically degrades too quickly (~ 1–2 mm/year in simulated body fluid, SBF, at 37 °C) and iron too slowly or incompletely (~ 0.01–0.02 mm/year), zinc and its alloys offer an intermediate degradation rate (~ 0.05–0.2 mm/year), more compatible with tissue healing timelines. Recent Zn–Mg and Zn–Li alloys have achieved ultimate tensile strengths of 300–350 MPa with elongations of 18–25%, alongside corrosion rates tailored to 0.05–0.10 mm/year. In recent years, notable advances in understanding zinc’s biotribological behavior, corrosion mechanisms, and biocompatibility have been coupled with surface modification strategies, such as plasma electrolytic oxidation, calcium phosphate coatings, and atomic layer deposition, to optimize both degradation and biological performance. Despite these advances, significant gaps remain in correlating alloy composition, processing parameters, and surface engineering to in vivo degradation modes, systemic zinc ion release, and long-term biological responses. This review addresses these gaps by (i) summarizing zinc’s metabolic and physiological roles, (ii) critically analyzing tribological, corrosion, and biological performance data with quantified parameters, and (iii) outlining emerging coating technologies and regulatory considerations. By integrating material science, biological insights, and standardization needs, this work provides a roadmap for accelerating the safe clinical translation of zinc-based biodegradable implants. © The Indian Institute of Metals - IIM 2025.

Nanoparticle (NPs)-based therapies have ushered in a paradigm shift in melanoma treatment, addressing key challenges in conventional chemotherapy and immunotherapy, such as drug delivery, specificity, and therapeutic efficacy. This review highlights important chemotherapies, doxorubicin, paclitaxel, cisplatin, and dacarbazine, delivered via NPs, which improve bioavailability, reduce systemic toxicity, and overcome drug resistance. Additionally, combination therapies involving chemotherapy with photothermal, photodynamic, hyperthermic, or immunotherapy treatments leverage synergies that enhance tumor regression and promote immunogenic cell death. NPs incorporating RNA interference and gene targeting have been developed to silence oncogenic pathways, enabling precision molecular targeting. Natural compounds like curcumin, resveratrol, and honokiol, delivered via NPs, show strong anticancer effects. Moreover, advanced platforms such as microneedles, hydrogels, and metal-based NPs enhance drug delivery, skin penetration, controlled release, and enable real-time monitoring with ultrasound and molecular imaging. We also discuss the potential challenges in the clinical translation of NPs-based therapies, including tumor targeting, bioavailability, multidrug resistance, immune system interactions, stability, and off-target effects. It also addresses the need for personalized, multifunctional delivery systems and strategies to overcome clinical translation barriers for effective treatment. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

In this work, we report the preparation of a novel copper complex catalyst based on cross-linked bis-Schiff base polymer-coated Hercynite magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). The catalyst was synthesized via the polymerization of isophthalaldehyde and m-phenylenediamine over the surface of Hercynite MNPs followed by in situ coordination with copper nitrate. Owing to its high copper-Schiff base loading, the nanocomposite effectively promoted the one-pot multicomponent synthesis of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles from condensation of aldehydes with hydroxylamine and sodium azide in aqueous media. A wide range of substituted aryl aldehydes afforded the corresponding tetrazoles in good to excellent yields, within short reaction times, and with high selectivity under controlled stoichiometric conditions. Reusability studies confirmed the heterogeneous nature and stability of the cataly st, which was easily recovered by magnetic separation and reused for at least six consecutive cycles without significant loss of activity. © 2026 Elsevier B.V.

Thermoelastic dissipation (TED) is a key intrinsic damping mechanism that constrains the performance and quality factor of micro- and nanoscale resonators, particularly when other loss sources are minimized. At nanometer scales, classical continuum mechanics and Fourier heat conduction become inadequate due to pronounced surface effects and nonclassical thermal transport. In this study, a size-sensitive analytical model is developed to evaluate TED in vibrating rectangular nanoplates by simultaneously incorporating surface theory for mechanical size dependence and the Moore-Gibson-Thompson (MGT) heat transfer model for generalized thermoelastic behavior. The governing equations of motion and heat conduction are derived within the framework of Kirchhoff plate theory, and the temperature field is obtained under the MGT formulation. By separating the real and imaginary parts of the complex frequency (CF) and employing the CF method, a compact single-term expression for TED is achieved. Model accuracy is verified through comparison with existing results, followed by a comprehensive parametric investigation of surface properties, plate geometry, boundary conditions, and material characteristics. The results demonstrate that surface effects and non-Fourier thermal behavior significantly influence TED in nanoscale plates, especially at small thicknesses and higher vibrational modes, underscoring the necessity of advanced size-dependent modeling for reliable nanoresonator design. © 2026 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

This study presents a novel higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT) for vibration analysis of doubly-curved nanoscale panels made of non-isotropic materials, specifically the triclinic type with 21 independent elastic constants. The proposed model accurately captures shear deformation effects through the shell’s thickness and is applied to various curvature profiles under different boundary conditions, including clamped, simply-supported, and mixed constraints. The nonlocal strain gradient theory (NSGT) is employed to examine size-dependent effects, while hygro-thermal influences are incorporated through nonlinear constitutive relations. Hamilton’s principle is applied to derive the governing equations, which are solved numerically. Notably, the results reveal a frequency reduction exceeding 25% under combined hygro-thermal loading, demonstrating significant environmental sensitivity. Furthermore, the triclinic model shows an 20% fundamental frequency shift compared to isotropic models, highlighting the crucial role of complete anisotropy. A parametric study investigates the sensitivity of natural frequency to key parameters, including nonlocal and strain gradient parameters, geometric properties, hygro-thermal loading, functionally graded (FG) index, and boundary conditions. The results establish both a robust numerical framework for analyzing triclinic nanoshells and a vital foundation for future studies on advanced nanodevices utilizing materials with low-symmetry crystal structures. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature 2026.

In micro/nanoresonators, thermoelastic damping (TED) serves as a principal energy dissipation mechanism that critically determines device performance. The mechanical and thermal responses of these small-scale structures cannot be captured by traditional formulations and demand scale-dependent simulations. This research outlines a fresh modeling approach addressing the role of surface effect in TED for rectangular nanoplate resonators subjected to nonlocal dual-phase-lag (NDPL) heat conduction. The analysis initiates by developing the governing equations for displacement and temperature in Kirchhoff plates through the application of the surface elasticity theory (SET) and the NDPL heat transfer model. The frequency-based technique, combined with the derived equations, yields an explicit TED formulation for nanoscale rectangular plates, accounting for the surface effect. The results section, after confirming model accuracy, delivers various numerical evaluations aimed at assessing the impact of scale effects, plate dimensions, boundary types, vibration modes, and material selections. The analysis implies that TED is attenuated under the influence of non-classical parameters introduced by the SET, in contrast to the higher damping levels predicted by classical elasticity. © 2026 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Background: According to the World Health Organization, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is classified as a “High” priority pathogen on its Global Priority Pathogens List. The aim of this study is to perform a comprehensive genome-based in silico analysis of S. aureus to elucidate the evolutionary dynamics of β-lactam and methicillin resistance, focusing on resistance genes and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) phenotypes. This study analyzes all publicly available S. aureus genomes in NCBI to investigate β-lactam and methicillin resistance, including resistance genes and MIC phenotypes. The dataset covers isolates from multiple countries worldwide, representing global diversity. Methods: A total of 111,350 S. aureus genomes (1880s–2020s) were retrieved from GenBank and rigorously quality-filtered. Antimicrobial resistance genes were identified with AMRFinderPlus, and phenotypic MIC data for key β-lactams were integrated via genome–BioSample linkage from the National Center for Biotechnology Information AST Browser. Multi-locus sequence typing was used to resolve sequence types (STs), while machine learning models (Random Forest, eXtreme Gradient Boosting, Elastic Net regularized regression, and Partial Least Squares) were trained on gene/mutation profiles to predict log₂ MICs under repeated 5-fold cross-validation. Temporal and lineage-specific trends were assessed with correlation and generalized linear models, and genotype–phenotype associations tested using chi-square or Fisher's exact test with Bonferroni correction. All genomic, clustering, and phylogenetic analyses were performed in R using fully reproducible pipelines. Results: The dataset included 111,350 S. aureus genomes, 78 % clinical and 10 % environmental, spanning 1884–2025 from 137 countries. Core genome size remained stable (mean 2.87 Mb; ∼2874 genes), with modest increases in total genes (r = 0.15, p < 0.001) and pseudogenes (r = 0.09, p < 0.001), reflecting subtle genomic plasticity. MLST analysis identified >2000 STs, but ST8 (16.6 %), ST5 (13.8 %), and ST22 (6.9 %) together accounted for ∼37 % of isolates, illustrating epidemic clone dominance and temporal turnover from pre-1980 hospital lineages to modern polyclonal populations. β-lactam resistance showed a marked upward trend: the bla operon (blaZ–blaI–blaR1) increased from ∼60 % in the early 2000s to >95 % by 2024, while blaPC1 declined from near ubiquity in the 1990s to <10 %. Methicillin resistance, driven by mecA (62.7 %), was accompanied by progressive loss of regulators mecR1 (52.0 %) and mecI (13.8 %), reflecting evolutionary streamlining for constitutive PBP2a expression. Clinical isolates carried higher frequencies of blaZ (+17.4 %) and mecA (+15.5 %) than environmental strains (p < 0.01). MIC data revealed rising resistance to ticarcillin and cefoxitin, while carbapenems and ceftaroline remained active. Machine-learning models accurately predicted ceftaroline and penicillin MICs but poorly predicted oxacillin. Clustering of β-lactam/methicillin loci identified 146 gene-presence patterns, with the five-gene MRSA cassette (blaI–blaR1–blaZ–mecA–mecR1) dominating ∼30 % of genomes, illustrating the evolutionary consolidation of resistance modules over time. Conclusions: S. aureus has maintained a stable core genome while consolidating β-lactam and methicillin resistance around the bla and mecA cassettes, with epidemic lineages driving global spread. Despite widespread resistance to older β-lactams, carbapenems, and ceftaroline remain effective, underscoring the value of WGS-based surveillance and stewardship. © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Naphthalene is an aromatic compound consisting of two benzene rings, which is a very toxic substance. In this research, for isolation of naphthalene-degrading bacteria, samples were taken from the intestines of Argyrops spinifer, Protonibea diacanthus, and Otolithes ruber fishes. After screening, it was found that 9 strains have the ability to grow and degrade naphthalene at an initial concentration of 200 ppm. Then, characteristics such as emulsifying activity (E24) were investigated. After molecular identification, the results showed that this strain (CD-2) belonged to the genus Pseudomonas sp. with 96% similarity. Also, strains CD-2 (Pseudomonas), DD-2, and DD-3 had better performance in terms of naphthalene degradation. The optimization results show that increasing the concentration of naphthalene, in the absence of glucose and in the presence of glucose, led to a decrease in its removal percentage by bacteria. In the absence of glucose, increasing peptone increased the removal percentage of naphthalene. In the presence of glucose, to a certain concentration, increasing peptone improved the removal efficiency. In the absence of glucose, increasing peptone increased the removal percentage of naphthalene. In this research, it was found that the highest diversity of naphthalene-degrading bacteria is related to A. spinifer, P. diacanthus, and O. ruber fishes. © 2026 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Ensuring efficient thermal management of lithium-ion batteries in sub-zero conditions remains a critical challenge for electric mobility and energy storage applications. Addressing this gap, this study proposes an innovative, multi-phase design framework that systematically integrates predictive modeling, intelligent multi-objective optimization, and structured multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM). The methodology combines response surface methodology (RSM)-based surrogate modeling, the strength Pareto evolutionary algorithm II (SPEA-II), and the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to develop, optimize, and rank battery configurations. The RSM models demonstrated outstanding predictive accuracy, ensuring robust estimations of preheating time, average temperature, and mass energy density (MED). Optimization results revealed material-specific strategies for three supercooled phase change materials, achieving preheating times as low as 3.5 s, safe average temperatures (34–38 °C), and peak MED up to 0.183 Wh/g. TOPSIS further enabled context-specific selection from ten distinct scenarios, aligning design choices with practical priorities such as rapid cold-start readiness or maximum energy efficiency. This integrated framework bridges the gap between theoretical modeling and real-world engineering solutions, offering a flexible, data-driven approach to enhance battery thermal performance under harsh climates. The proposed strategy provides clear pathways for future experimental validation and real-time adaptive control. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd

Indium phosphide quantum dots (InP QDs) are emerging as non-toxic, tunable, and biocompatible semiconductor nanomaterials with transformative potential in biomedical applications. This review highlights cutting-edge synthesis methods, including nonclassical nucleation and scalable production, alongside innovative surface engineering techniques such as ligand exchange, polymer coatings, and inorganic passivation to overcome challenges like surface defects and indium release. We explore their superior near-infrared (NIR) emission and low cytotoxicity, enabling high-sensitivity NIR bioimaging, resonance energy transfer-based biosensing, photodynamic therapy, drug delivery, and neural prosthetics. Compared to other nanoparticles, InP QDs offer enhanced NIR performance and regulatory compliance, making them economically viable for diagnostics and therapeutics. By addressing safety concerns through advanced shell designs and safer precursors, InP QDs pave the way for clinical translation. This review, with a focused emphasis on the biomedical translation of InP QDs, provides a structured roadmap for researchers and clinicians to harness their potential in next-generation healthcare solutions. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2026

Ensuring food safety through rapid, sensitive, and point-of-care (POC) detection of microbial pathogens is crucial for protecting public health and minimizing the socio-economic losses associated with foodborne diseases. Despite stringent regulatory measures, foodborne illnesses caused by microbial contamination continue to pose a significant global challenge. In this context, the emergence of CRISPR/Cas systems has significantly improved the performance of biosensors due to their programmability, high specificity, and precise recognition of target RNA and DNA sequences. Following target recognition, Cas proteins exhibit both cis- and trans-cleavage activities, enabling highly sensitive signal amplification. To achieve rapid analysis and low detection limits, recent studies have increasingly focused on integrating CRISPR/Cas system with magnetic particles (MPs). MPs offer key advantages, including superparamagnetism, biocompatibility, and facile surface functionalization, which enhance target enrichment, assay speed, and analytical sensitivity. Accordingly, substantial progress has been made in MP-conjugated CRISPR/Cas biosensors for the detection of diverse foodborne microbial pathogens. This review comprehensively summarizes recent advances in the integration strategies of magnetic particles with CRISPR/Cas-based biosensing platforms for the quantitative detection of microbial pathogens. Particular emphasis is placed on performance metrics, assay design, and the feasibility of these systems for POC applications, highlighting their potential to enhance food safety monitoring. © 2026 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effect of epidural gel foam impregnated with bupivacaine and intramuscular paravertebral bupivacaine on analgesia after lumbar spine surgeries. Methods: In this single-blind clinical trial, 60 patients aged 18–65 years who underwent lumbar spine surgery under general anesthesia were randomly assigned to two groups. In the first group, a 1 × 5 cm strip of gel foam impregnated with 70 mg of 0.5% bupivacaine was placed in the epidural space. In contrast, in the second group, 70 mg of 0.5% bupivacaine was injected paravertebrally into the muscle. Pain scores based on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), analgesic prescriptions, time to first analgesic request, and total dosage during recovery and at 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively were recorded and compared between the groups. Results: No significant difference in average pain scores at different time points (recovery, 6, and 12 hours) was observed between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, at 24 hours postoperatively, a significant difference was found between the groups, with the VAS score in the bupivacaine-impregnated epidural gel foam group being significantly lower than that in the paravertebral intramuscular bupivacaine group (P = 0.04). Conclusion: Bupivacaine-impregnated epidural gel foam and paravertebral intramuscular bupivacaine provide similar analgesia during recovery and at 6 and 12 hours following spinal surgery. However, at 24 hours, the analgesia in the bupivacaine-impregnated epidural gel foam group is superior to that in the paravertebral intramuscular bupivacaine group. © 20256 Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.

The programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) immune checkpoint is a primary mechanism by which tumors evade immune surveillance, limiting the efficacy of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Although immune checkpoint blockade therapies have revolutionized cancer treatment, their efficacy is restricted by acquired resistance, T-cell exhaustion, and tumor heterogeneity. The advent of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing provides a precise and versatile approach to disrupt PD-1 or PD-L1, directly enhancing anti-tumor immune responses. Preclinical studies demonstrate that ex vivo PD-1 knockout in primary human T cells or TILs enhances proliferation, cytokine production, and cytotoxicity, resulting in improved tumor clearance in xenograft and humanized mouse models. In chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, CRISPR-mediated disruption of PD-1 improves effector function, persistence, and resistance to exhaustion, with universal and allogeneic CAR-T platforms benefiting from multiplex genome editing. Direct PD-L1 knockout in tumor cells, often facilitated via nanoparticle- or biomaterial-assisted delivery, reshapes the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, promotes T cell infiltration, and enhances the efficacy of adoptive cellular therapy. Combination approaches integrating PD-1 editing with viral antigen targeting, long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) modulation, or conventional checkpoint blockade demonstrate synergistic anti-tumor effects. Clinically, early-phase trials in non-small cell lung cancer, mesothelin-positive solid tumors, and hematological malignancies establish the feasibility, safety, and preliminary efficacy of PD-1-deficient T cells. Despite these promising outcomes, challenges such as off-target effects, delivery efficiency, immunogenicity, long-term persistence, and regulatory considerations remain. This review aims to comprehensively evaluate preclinical and clinical studies investigating CRISPR-mediated PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition across various cancers, summarize mechanistic insights, and highlight translational opportunities and challenges for clinical implementation. © 2025 Elsevier Inc.

The role of fish as one of the most important sources of high-quality protein and beneficial compounds in the human diet is undeniable. They are highly susceptible to microbial and non-microbial decomposition due to the unique nutritional composition and specific conditions of aquatic environments. Conventional methods have been applied for analysis of fish and fishery products. These methods suffer from limitations that restrict their practical application. Biosensors are highly potential analytical methods for analysis in fish and fishery products due to their several advantages, such as convenience, reliability, and accuracy. Nevertheless, their application in resource-limited settings is limited by the need to transport samples to a laboratory. Point-of-care testing (POCT) has played an important role in introducing portable and on-site sensing approaches. In this review, we focus on the classification of POCT based on electrochemical and optical techniques that have been developed for various fish species and fishery products analysis, targeting contaminants and freshness indicators such as heavy metals, biogenic amines, dyes, toxins, and antibiotics residues. In addition, recent advances in POCT methods for fish analysis, such as paper-based, polymer-based, microneedles-based, and cloth-based lab-on-chip devices, are highlighted. The review further explores the importance of innovative materials in designing POCT devices. © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Astrocytes are central regulators of neural homeostasis, synaptic function, and neuroinflammatory responses in the central nervous system (CNS). Upon pathological stimuli, astrocytes undergo reactive transformations, producing pro-inflammatory cytokines, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and chemokines, which exacerbate neuronal injury. Flavonoids, a diverse class of polyphenolic compounds found in fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants, have emerged as potent modulators of astrocyte activity, promoting neuroprotection and cognitive enhancement. These compounds, including quercetin, hesperetin, rutin, casticin, and anthocyanins, attenuate astrocyte-mediated neuroinflammation by suppressing NF-κB, MAPK, TLR, and NLRP3 inflammasome signaling while activating antioxidant pathways such as Nrf2 and PI3K/Akt. Flavonoid-mediated modulation also enhances the synthesis and release of neurotrophic factors, including BDNF, GDNF, NGF, and TGF-β1, which support synaptic plasticity, dendritic spine formation, and network connectivity. By preserving astrocytic homeostasis, reducing gliosis, and regulating astrocyte–microglia crosstalk, flavonoids mitigate cytokine-mediated neuronal damage, restore synaptic integrity, and improve learning and memory in models of neurodegeneration, ischemia, and neuroinflammation. Preclinical evidence suggests that flavonoids can cross the blood–brain barrier, exhibit low toxicity, and synergize with other neuroprotective interventions. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of flavonoid–astrocyte interactions provides insight into precision therapeutic strategies aimed at alleviating neuroinflammation and enhancing CNS resilience, offering promising avenues for the prevention and treatment of cognitive and neurodegenerative disorders. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2026.

The continuous rise in energy demand and growing environmental concerns necessitate innovative approaches to optimizing renewable energy technologies. Among these, photovoltaic (PV) panels play a pivotal role but suffer efficiency losses due to surface overheating. Ground-coupled heat exchangers (GHEs) have emerged as a promising solution, leveraging geothermal energy to regulate PV panel temperatures. This review explores the application of GHEs for PV cooling, focusing on technical advancements, operational parameters, and soil-related influences. Key aspects analyzed include GHE design, working fluid characteristics, mass flow rates, and pipe material properties, all of which critically impact cooling efficiency and energy output. Recent studies indicate that GHE systems can reduce surface temperatures by 20 °C–25 °C and enhance thermal and electrical efficiency by 20 %, respectively. Design innovations, such as vertical and spiral configurations and nanofluid-enhanced working fluids, demonstrate significant performance improvements. However, several challenges persist, including installation complexities, maintenance difficulties, and soil-dependent variability. This review also examines the economic and environmental feasibility of GHEs, emphasizing their integration with renewable energy systems for sustainable development. Future research directions include optimizing GHE designs, employing artificial intelligence for performance prediction, and exploring cost-effective materials and configurations. By addressing current limitations, GHEs can significantly enhance PV efficiency, reduce carbon footprints, and promote the broader adoption of renewable energy technologies. This comprehensive review aims to guide researchers and practitioners toward the innovative deployment of GHEs in solar energy applications. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd

Thermoelastic dissipation (TED) is a primary source of energy loss in extremely small structures, making the precise determination of its magnitude vital for the optimal design and performance of such components. The inclusion of two-dimensional (2D) heat conduction alongside size effects in both the structural and thermal domains plays a key role in enhancing TED analysis for small-scale beam resonators. The modified couple stress theory (MCST) and Moore–Gibson–Thompson (MGT) heat equation, within the context of the energy approach, are employed in this paper to create a novel size-dependent framework for TED in small-scale beams subjected to 2D heat conduction. After comparing the developed framework with existing research, numerical simulations are carried out to reveal the differences between 2 and 1D models, as well as the impact of employing size-dependent mechanical and thermal formulations. For beams with large thickness-to-length ratios, especially under clamped–clamped (CC) boundary conditions, the proposed model shows significant differences when compared to 1D model. Based on the findings, the ratio of 2D TED to 1D TED in CC beams with an aspect ratio of 10 can be up to 1.6 times. The integration of size effects and 2D heat transfer in the established framework is expected to provide benchmark results for accurate TED simulations and facilitate the optimal design of ultra-small beam resonators. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025.

Studies have substantiated that extremely small structural elements exhibit thermomechanical characteristics tied to their size. In addition, experimental tests and analytical simulations highlight thermoelastic damping (TED) as a fundamental reason for energy loss in small-scale vibrating structures. The paper at hand strives to propose an innovative size-sensitive formulation for TED prediction in rotating rectangular cross-sectional nanorings. Size dependence is embedded in the structural and thermal fields by applying the nonlocal theory (NT) and the Moore–Gibson–Thompson (MGT) heat conduction model, respectively. By means of the NT, the equation of motion for the rotating ring is formulated, reflecting the nonlocal influences. Furthermore, solution of the MGT-based coupled heat equation yields the complete temperature profile across the ring structure. Implementation of the solved temperature field in the motion equation produces the real and imaginary components of the ring’s frequency. Applying the frequency-definition method ultimately results in an explicit formulation for TED in miniature rotating ring systems. The study allocates a comprehensive parametric investigation to examine correlations between TED and influential parameters, with emphasis on the characteristic scales incorporated in the NT and MGT model. Computational results confirm that nanoscale behavior modeled through the developed size-sensitive framework substantially deviates from classical theoretical predictions. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025.

Perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) have recently emerged as transformative nanomaterials for gas sensing, offering exceptional optoelectronic properties, high surface-to-volume ratios, and compositional tunability. This is the first comprehensive review that systematically analyzes gas sensing technologies based on PQDs, with a particular emphasis on their relevance to environmental monitoring and pollution control. We summarize the latest advances in sensing mechanisms—including fluorescence quenching and enhancement, ratiometric detection, and chemiresistive/conductometric responses—and evaluate how synthesis strategies, surface ligand engineering, and hybrid architectures govern sensor performance. Key applications are critically assessed in the detection of toxic gases (NO2, NH3, H2S, SO2), volatile organic compounds, oxygen, and humidity, all of which are central to air quality assessment and environmental safety. Special focus is given to stability challenges under ambient and humid conditions, the environmental toxicity of lead-based PQDs, and mitigation strategies such as encapsulation, ligand engineering, and the development of lead-free alternatives. By integrating nanoscale material design with real-world environmental needs, this review not only consolidates current knowledge but also provides forward-looking perspectives for developing robust, selective, and sustainable PQD-based sensors for next-generation environmental monitoring systems. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2025

Purpose: The study aims to develop intelligent control systems for active vibration suppression of composite and functionally graded material (FGM) plates using integrate piezoelectric sensors and actuators, focusing on enhanced performance and reduced control energy through optimized placement strategies. Design/methodology/approach: A novel metaheuristic optimization algorithm, Stable Deviation Quantum‑Behaved Particle Swarm Optimization (SD‑QPSO), is proposed for optimal actuator/sensor placement. Comprehensive dynamic models of laminated composite and FGM plates are developed using both Finite Element Method (FEM) and Element‑Free Galerkin (EFG) approaches. Different intelligent control strategies—including sliding mode control, fuzzy‑neural, and hybrid AI methods—are designed and implemented. Numerical simulations under multiple disturbance scenarios compare controller performance in terms of vibration suppression, convergence rate, robustness, and control energy consumption. Experimental validation is performed on a multi‑layer composite plate equipped with piezoelectric actuators. Findings: Intelligent controllers achieve up to a 40% reduction in vibration amplitude compared to classical controllers. The SD‑QPSO‑optimized actuator placement reduces required control energy by up to 25% and minimizes control signal magnitude. The proposed methods yield fast settling times (0.2 s) and improve disturbance‑rejection capability by up to 93%. Experimental tests confirm rapid suppression with up to a 70% vibration amplitude reduction compared to the uncontrolled case. Originality/value: This research is among the first to integrate SD‑QPSO optimization with intelligent vibration control for composite and FGM plates, combining FEM and EFG modeling, multiple AI‑based controllers, and experimental validation. The findings highlight significant performance improvements over recent international benchmarks. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.

The one-phase brushless DC motor (BLDC) has become indispensable in-home appliances due to its high-power density, flexible control, and straightforward driving circuit, outperforming induction and universal motors. Additionally, it ensures higher efficiency across a wide range of speed-torque loads. This paper introduces a pioneering real-time control algorithm based on machine learning to enhance the BLDC motor’s overall performance compared to the traditional fuzzy-PID controller. A dynamic model of the BLDC motor is utilized to determine the EMF (electromotive force) and torque properties through finite element simulations conducted in the ANSYS/Maxwell environment. The targeted BLDC motor is driven by a space vector modulation inverter powered by a DC voltage source. The proposed machine learning-based control algorithm demonstrates superior performance over traditional methods under various load disturbances and reference speed variations, with overshoot/undershoot and settling time improvements of at least 60% and 46%, respectively. The enhanced performance was validated using a comprehensive dynamic model developed in the MATLAB environment and confirmed through an experimental setup. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024.

This study explores the fabrication of CF/NiS composite counter electrodes for fiber shaped dye-sensitized solar cells (FDSSCs), using a hydrothermal method to treat carbon fibers with the goal of developing a cost-effective alternative to platinum (Pt) wire electrodes. The NiS nanostructures were comprehensively characterized through XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FESEM, HRTEM, and other techniques to confirm their formation and quality. The electrocatalytic properties of the CF/NiS counter electrodes were evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Tafel polarization, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The performance of the FDSSCs showed that the CF/NiS-based cell achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.10 %, outperforming the Pt-based cell, which exhibited a PCE of 7.53 %. This 15 % improvement in efficiency is attributed to the superior electrocatalytic properties of the CF/NiS composite electrode. Specifically, the short-circuit current density (Jsc) increased to 16.77 mA/cm2, compared to 15.24 mA/cm2 for the Pt-based electrode. Additionally, the open-circuit voltage (Voc) of the CF/NiS cell was 721 mV, slightly lower than the Pt-based cell (735 mV), while the fill factor (FF) of the CF/NiS cell was 67.0 %, comparable to the Pt cell (67.2 %). BET analysis revealed a significant increase in the specific surface area of the CF/NiS composite, contributing to the enhanced electrocatalytic activity and overall performance of the DSSC. These results suggest that CF/NiS composites are a promising, low-cost alternative to Pt electrodes in DSSCs. © 2025

Precise estimation of rock petrophysical parameters are seriously important for the reliable computation of hydrocarbon in place in the underground formations. Therefore, accurately estimation rock saturation exponent is necessary in this regard. In this communication, we aim to develop intelligent data-driven models of decision tree, random forest, ensemble learning, adaptive boosting, support vector machine and multilayer perceptron artificial neural network to predict rock saturation exponent parameter in terms of rock absolute permeability, porosity, resistivity index, true resistivity, and water saturation based on acquired 1041 field data. A well-known outlier detection algorithm is applied on the gathered data to assess the data reliability before model development. Additionally, relevancy factor is estimated for each input parameter to assess the relative effects of input parameters on the saturation exponent. The sensitivity analysis indicates that resistivity index and true resistivity have direct correlation with the saturation exponent while porosity, absolute permeability and water saturation is inversely related with saturation exponent. In addition, the graphical-based and statistical-based evaluations illustrate that AdaBoost and ensemble learning models outperforms all other developed data-driven intelligent models as these two models are associated with lowest values of mean square error (adaptive boosting: 0.017 and ensemble learning: 0.021 based on unseen test data) and largest values of coefficient of determination (adaptive boosting: 0.986 and ensemble learning: 0.983 based on unseen test data). © The Author(s) 2024.

Lateral flow assay (LFA) is a single-use diagnostic instrument designed for the detection of specific analytes while utilizing minimal resources. Numerous sensing assays based on LFA have been developed by integrating LFA with electronic readers to facilitate quantitative evaluations through LFA systems. An efficient reader for the quantitative of LFA must meet several features such as portability for convenient on-site diagnostics and assessments, user-friendly operation, and rapid processing capabilities to promote results. Smartphones are increasingly being adopted as readers in the quantitative evaluation of LFA due to their advanced advantages and functionalized. Their high-resolution cameras can convert optical signals into electrical impulses. Undoubtedly, the extensive global penetration of smartphones represents accessible devices, facilitating their application as diagnostic tools for the acquiring, analyzing, storing, and transmitting test results. This study review sensing approaches based on using smartphones as readers for quantitative LFA systems specifically applied in food safety contexts. The systems are categorized based on the type of labeling particles employed in these assays, and efforts to enhance the quantitative analytical performance for each category are evaluated. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.

Purpose: As thermoelastic damping (TED) constitutes the major energy loss pathway in micro/nano-structures, reliable description becomes critical for performance-optimized designs. Successful TED quantification in micro/nano-ring resonators hinges on combining two-dimensional (2D) thermal analysis with size-sensitive mechanical and heat conduction formulations. By employing the modified couple stress theory (MCST) and the Moore-Gibson-Thompson (MGT) heat transfer model, this study constructs a theoretical model for TED in out-of-plane vibrations of rectangular cross-sectional micro/nano-rings subjected to 2D thermal conduction. Methods: The analysis begins by deriving the 2D MGT heat equation, followed by determination of the corresponding temperature field. The methodology proceeds by deriving the MCST-based constitutive relations for rectangular cross-sectional rings. The energy-based approach is ultimately used to achieve a size-sensitive TED formula for micro/nano-rings undergoing out-of-plane vibrations with 2D heat transfer considerations. Results and Conclusions: Once validated against previous works, the framework is applied in numerical simulations to examine both the variations between 1 and 2D modeling and the significance of size-sensitive thermo-mechanical behavior. Data conclusively show that dimensional effects cannot be neglected at small scales, and simplified 1D approach becomes inadequate for higher vibration modes. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.

This study investigates the fabrication and application of polyaniline (PANi)/copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) nanocomposites as counter electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). CZTS and PANi were synthesized using conventional methods, and PANi/CZTS composites were prepared through simultaneous synthesis reactions. The synthesized materials were drop-cast to fabricate CZTS, PANi, and PANi/CZTS counter electrodes, which were then integrated into DSSCs. Characterization techniques including XRD, FTIR, Raman, FESEM, TEM, and HRTEM were employed to analyze the synthesized samples. Electrochemical properties were studied using EIS, CV, and Tafel analysis. The photovoltaic parameters of the prepared cells revealed enhanced performance for the PANi/CZTS composite compared to CZTS and PANi alone, with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.82%, notably surpassing the PCE of the CZTS (5.82%) and PANi (7.18%) counter electrodes. These results underscore the potential of PANi/CZTS nanocomposites as efficient and cost-effective alternatives in DSSCs. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.

The overall performance of DSSCs is critically dependent on the electrocatalytic activity and conductivity of the counter electrode (CE). In this study, we report the fabrication of a high-performance DSSC featuring a novel composite counter electrode based on MXene/NiCo₂S₄. The unique two-dimensional structure of MXene provides excellent electrical conductivity and large surface area, while NiCo₂S₄ contributes superior electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of triiodide (I₃⁻) ions. The strong interfacial coupling between MXene and NiCo₂S₄ significantly enhanced charge transfer kinetics and suppressed charge recombination at the electrode–electrolyte interface. Electrochemical analyses, including cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and Tafel polarization measurements, confirmed the superior catalytic performance of the composite electrode, with a charge transfer resistance (RCT) reduced to 16.7 Ω·cm², compared to 22.5 Ω·cm² for conventional Pt electrodes. Photovoltaic performance measurements revealed a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.23 % for the DSSC incorporating the MXene/NiCo₂S₄ CE, outperforming the Pt-based device, which achieved 7.45 % under standard AM 1.5 G illumination (100 mW·cm⁻²). These results demonstrate the synergistic effect of MXene and NiCo₂S₄ in enhancing both electrocatalytic activity and photovoltaic efficiency, positioning this composite as a cost-effective and high-performance alternative for next-generation DSSC applications. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.

The continued reliance on fossil fuels has led to significant environmental challenges, including global warming driven by rising atmospheric CO2 levels. In response, the electrochemical reduction of CO2 using renewable electricity has emerged as a promising strategy to produce high-energy–density chemicals and fuels. However, the reduction of CO2 remains a complex and energy-intensive process due to the complex reaction pathways, complex surface interactions, and process complexity. The reaction is further complicated by the competition with the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which reduces selectivity for CO2 reduction products. To improve conversion efficiency, catalysts with high activity and selectivity for CO2 conversion are needed, and recent studies highlight the importance of structural factors, such as atomic arrangement, electronic structure, and oxidation state, in determining catalyst performance. Furthermore, the dynamic nature of catalysts under reaction conditions, including changes in surface composition and the influence of adsorbed ions, adds complexity to the understanding of CO2 electroreduction process. We discuss catalysts surface dynamics for CO2 reduction and the underlying mechanistic insights, focusing on how structural factors and interfacial interaction influence catalyst behavior. Additionally, the interplay of the local microenvironment in CO2 electrolysis and the role of the surface configuration in affecting the local environment for high performance CO2 reduction, offering valuable insights into optimizing catalyst design for more efficient and selective CO2 conversion. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025.

The design of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) demands a holistic approach to balance power density, system efficiency, and exergy efficiency. Addressing a critical gap in current research, this study presents a novel decision-support framework that integrates machine learning (ML)-based modeling with advanced multi-objective metaheuristic optimization and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques. This unified methodology enables accurate performance prediction, optimal configuration generation, and rational design selection under diverse operational priorities. The methodology comprises four stages: (1) data analysis, (2) ML modeling using multi-layer perceptron neural networks (MLPNN), (3) optimization via multi-objective Harris hawks optimization (MOHHO), non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II), and multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (MOEA/D), and (4) optimal design decision-making using the MARCOS method. Hyperparameter tuning significantly enhanced predictive accuracy, with particle swarm optimization (PSO) yielding the highest accuracy for efficiency predictions (R > 0.999) and the improved sine cosine algorithm (ISCA) excelling in power density prediction (R = 0.996). Multi-objective optimization identified Pareto-optimal trade-offs, with NSGA-II providing the most diverse solutions. Higher power densities (>0.70 W/cm2) were achieved at ∼3 atm pressure and 0.05 mm membrane thickness, while peak system efficiency (∼0.38) was obtained at 1 atm. MARCOS-based MCDM demonstrated the adaptability of weighting schemes in selecting PEMFC designs for different applications. The proposed framework provides a robust tool for optimizing PEMFC performance across various operational scenarios. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd

Smokeless tobacco use represents a significant public health concern globally, yet comprehensive prevalence data across West Asian populations remain limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis estimated the pooled prevalence of smokeless tobacco use in West Asian countries across age groups and geographic regions. A systematic literature search was conducted across databases from inception to May 2025. Studies reporting prevalence data on smokeless tobacco use in West Asian countries were included. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistics, with subgroup analyses by age and country. Publication bias was evaluated using funnel plots. Meta-analysis was performed using CMA version 3.0 with statistical significance level less than 0.05. Out of 745 fount studies, 22 studies across 11 West Asian countries were included in the meta-­analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of smokeless tobacco use was 16% (95% CI: 12%, 21%) with significant heterogeneity (I2=99.90%, p < 0.001). Age-specific analysis revealed a prevalence of 15% (95% CI: 12%, 18%) among adolescents and 18% (95% CI: 6%, 29%) among adults. Country-specific prevalence varied substantially, ranging from 6% in Iraq to 34% in Lebanon. Saudi Arabia demonstrated the most extreme variation (1%-86%), largely attributed to one outlier study. Funnel plot analysis suggested potential publication bias, though sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of pooled estimates. Smokeless tobacco use affects approximately one in six individuals across West Asian populations, with considerable geographic and methodological variation. The substantial heterogeneity observed emphasizes the need for country-­specific tobacco control strategies and standardized surveillance methods. © 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Safe and real-time navigation of mobile robots without relying on costly sensors remains a major challenge in robotics and intelligent systems. This study proposes a lightweight, low-cost, and noise-resilient framework that integrates monocular depth estimation (MDE) with behavior-based control to achieve obstacle avoidance and autonomous motion without GPU or LiDAR. The proposed MDE network operates at 14–20 Hz on embedded CPU hardware, achieving a mean absolute depth error (MAE) of 0.056 m, root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 0.082 m, scale-invariant logarithmic error (SILog) of 0.017, and relative error of 3.9%. Field experiments in unstructured indoor and outdoor environments demonstrate consistent navigation success rates of 96.7%, path efficiency of 84.6%, and average course-completion times of 3.8 ± 0.4 min for complex scenarios with 10–15 obstacles. The computational load remains under 68% CPU utilization with memory usage below 450 MB, ensuring stable operation on low-power platforms such as Raspberry Pi 4 and Jetson Nano (in CPU mode). The proposed system introduces a computation-efficient MDE network for real-time, GPU-free inference, a 50 Hz ROS-integrated control loop for smooth motion planning, and comprehensive real-world validation, delivering a practical, cost-effective navigation solution for service, rescue, and industrial robotics under constrained resource conditions. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering 2025.

Energy efficiency has become a top priority due to the depletion of fossil fuel resources and growing concerns about greenhouse gas emissions. The use of thermal energy storage technologies has grown dramatically in recent decades. During the melting and freezing processes, phase change materials (PCMs) store and release considerable amounts of energy as latent heat. PCMs are essential to energy conservation by reducing the disparity between energy supply and demand, increasing energy efficiency, and boosting the capacity of energy distribution networks. This study solves heat transport equations in a cylindrical storage tank with radial fins by numerically analyzing the freezing process of a PCM using the enthalpy method. The exterior wall of the tank is insulated, and the system is constructed with a heat transfer fluid (HTF) at a temperature THTF and a convective heat transfer coefficient hHTF. After extracting the mathematical relations regulating the problem by the law of energy conservation and the problem's physics, the finite volume approach and its discretization were used to investigate the freezing process of PCM and heat transport in PCM and fins. This paper's innovation is that it investigates the heat transmission process in the PCM and the fin, as well as the effect of the PCM cell and fin aspect ratios on the PCM phase change process, utilizing a third-type boundary condition. After assessing numerous ways, the best mode was selected and determined. The third type of boundary condition, which is the focus of this work, has also been investigated in conjunction with the first and second types for future research. After comparing the duration of the entire freezing process for all tanks under all three boundary conditions, it was discovered that bending the corners of the liquid-solid typical season toward the tank's inner wall results in decreased performance because a significant amount of the energy transferred from the PCM to the fin returns to the PCM. In the best situation, with λcPCMcell aspect ratio=1.5 and λFAspect ratio==5, the time required to finish the freezing process under the boundary condition of constant temperature is approximately 90.32 %. In contrast, in the worst case (Case 7), with λc=0.5 and λF=10, it is 44.09 % shorter. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd

Contaminant residues in food and drinking water pose a significant threat to human health. Therefore, high-performance, on-site analytical methods are essential for effectively monitoring and controlling this risk. In recent years, photothermal lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) has garnered considerable attention as a point-of-care testing (POCT) method due to its rapid responsiveness, cost-effective portable instrumentation, and operational simplicity. In this context, considerable efforts have been dedicated to advancing photothermal LFIAs for food safety and control. This review aims to summarize the principles and assay formats of LFIAs, along with the sensing mechanisms underlying photothermal LFIAs. Furthermore, it provides an overview of recent developments in the functional modification of photothermal materials within LFIA systems for detecting harmful substances in food, including pathogenic bacteria, mycotoxins, hazardous organic pollutants, veterinary drug residues, and other organic contaminants. Additionally, the future directions and recent challenges hindering the practical application of photothermal LFIAs are briefly summarized. © 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) have attracted interest for their potential health benefits, yet their overall effectiveness remains uncertain due to limited high-quality evidence and heterogeneity across studies. This umbrella review critically synthesizes data from systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the effects of chia supplementation on key health outcomes. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Eligible studies assessed outcomes including blood pressure, lipid profiles, inflammation, and anthropometric measures. Methodological quality was evaluated using AMSTAR-2, and certainty of evidence was graded using GRADE. Meta-analyses were performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software v3.7, with Hedges’ g and 95% confidence intervals (CI); significance was set at P < 0.05. Eight meta-analyses involving approximately 2,500 participants were included. Chia supplementation resulted in significant reductions in diastolic blood pressure (g = -0.550; 95% CI: -0.718 to -0.382), systolic blood pressure (g = -0.119; 95% CI: -0.228 to -0.010), total cholesterol (g = -0.300), LDL-C (g = -0.300), triglycerides (g = -0.200), waist circumference (g = -0.289), and C-reactive protein (g = -0.165). However, a small reduction in HDL-C was also observed (g = -0.093). Overall, chia supplementation may offer modest but statistically significant benefits for improving blood pressure, lipid profiles, inflammation, and central obesity. The certainty of evidence, based on GRADE assessments, ranged from moderate to low for most outcomes. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.

This study aimed to improve postharvest preservation strategies for Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) by optimizing disinfection techniques and packaging methods. This study pioneers the combination of cold plasma treatment and nanocomposite packaging as a novel approach to enhance shelf life and preserve quality in Welsh onion. The research was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, disinfection was performed using gamma irradiation (1, 3, and 5 kGy) and cold plasma (15, 20, and 25 kV for 5, 10, and 15 min). In the second phase, four gas-barrier nanocomposite films were tested under both ambient and vacuum-sealed storage conditions for 4, 8, and 12 months. Volatile compounds were analyzed using gas chromatography (GC and GC/MS). Cold plasma treatment was more effective than gamma irradiation in preserving key postharvest quality parameters. The highest phenolic content and antioxidant activity were observed in samples treated with cold plasma at 25 kV for 5 min, with a phenolic content of 196.84 mg GAE/g DW and an IC₅₀ value of 78.74 μg/mL. Nonetheless, all packaging treatments showed declines in total phenolics, essential oil yield, and L* color values over time. The major volatile compounds in the essential oil included dipropyl disulfide (9.0%–18.3%), dipropyl trisulfide (9.4%–16.4%), dimethyl trisulfide (5.3%–11.1%), diallyl disulfide (6.8%–11.4%), and d-limonene (4.0%–9.1%). These findings provide valuable insights into the postharvest management of leafy vegetables such as Welsh onion. © The Author(s) 2025.

Antibiotic contamination in water resources threatens ecosystems and public health, demanding sensitive and practical monitoring methods. We present an electrochemical sensor based on indium selenide (InSe) quantum dots integrated with mesoporous tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5), forming a synergistic nanostructure with high electrocatalytic activity. The platform enables ultrasensitive detection of antibiotics such as tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and amoxicillin, achieving a detection limit of ∼2.5 × 10−11 M. The large surface area of Ta2O5 facilitates analyte diffusion, while InSe QDs enhance charge transfer, together ensuring excellent sensitivity, selectivity, and reproducibility (RSD <2%). The sensor retains stability over 30 days and demonstrates recovery rates above 92% in tap, river, and wastewater samples. Offering simplicity and low cost compared to conventional analytical methods, this nanocomposite electrode provides a robust and scalable solution for real-time environmental monitoring of antibiotic pollutants. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2025

Heretofore, limited efforts have been made to improve the performance of steam flash cycles by configuration modification and waste heat recovery. In some studies, an organic Rankine cycle or a Kalina cycle has been employed to recover the waste heat from single-flash cycles (SFCs) and double-flash cycles (DFCs), without comparing their performance improvements to those achieved through configuration modifications. The present research proves that efficient waste heat recovery of SFCs and DFCs by a proper system arrangement can lead to an efficiency much higher than configuration modification cases. For this purpose, a comparative analysis is conducted in the study among four layouts to determine the most favorable configuration from economic and thermodynamic standpoints. The waste heat from an SFC and a DFC is recovered to produce electricity and hot water. Four configurations are proposed in which a heat exchanger is embedded after the power generation stage of the cycles to produce hot water. Meanwhile, the waste heat of the liquid flow exiting the separators of the SFC and DFC is recuperated through a trilateral cycle (TLC) or a thermoelectric generator (TEG). A tri-objective optimization of the four layouts revealed the superiority of the SFC-TLC configuration over the other layouts in terms of exergy efficiency (ηex) and waste heat recovery, with an ηex, electricity production, and heating production exergy of 58.47 %, 3897 kW, and 1040 kW, respectively. In addition, the SFC-TLC configuration causes the lowest specific cost of cogeneration (4.455 $GJ−1) and the most favorable payback period (0.945 years) compared to the other layouts. However, the total cost rate of the SFC-TLC layout is 58.3 $h−1, which is the highest value compared to the other layouts. On the contrary, the SFC-TEG and DFC-TEG layouts yield the lowest total cost rates among the four layouts, with values of 30.29 $h−1 and 30.73 $h−1, respectively. The DFC-TLC layout is deemed the least favorable configuration due to its low ηex and poor economic performance. The DFC-based configurations investigated in this study demonstrate a 12 % point higher ηex,max than a modified DFC proposed in the literature, emphasizing the importance of giving precedence to waste heat recovery over configuration modifications in geothermal flash cycles. © 2025 The Authors.

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are chronic, hard-to-heal wounds requiring dressings that can address infection, oxidative stress, and impaired tissue regeneration simultaneously. This study aimed to develop chitosan-based thermoresponsive hydrogels co-loaded with repaglinide (Ripa) and difluorinated curcumin (dfCur) and evaluate their physicochemical properties, antibacterial activity, and cytocompatibility. Hydrogels were synthesized using chitosan and β-glycerophosphate, loaded with Ripa (3% w/v), dfCur (1% w/v), or both. Morphology, chemistry, swelling, porosity, degradation, and drug release were characterized using FESEM, ATR-FTIR, gravimetric methods, and UV–Vis spectrophotometry. Cytocompatibility was assessed via MTT assay with NIH3T3 fibroblasts, and antibacterial activity was tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA with p < 0.05 considered significant. Dual-drug hydrogels exhibited the highest swelling capacity (~ 115%) and fastest degradation (46–48% mass retained at day 28), with sustained release of both drugs over 7 days. Fibroblast viability was significantly enhanced for dual-drug hydrogels (128.4 ± 3.2%, p < 0.001 vs. control), and antibacterial activity was strongest in dfCur-containing formulations, showing inhibition zones of 21.6 ± 1.4 mm for S. aureus and 19.3 ± 1.2 mm for E. coli. The co-loading of Ripa and dfCur into a thermoresponsive chitosan hydrogel produced a synergistic platform with enhanced biocompatibility, potent antibacterial effects, and controlled drug release. This multifunctional dressing shows promise for advanced DFU management and warrants further in vivo evaluation. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025.

The historic accomplishment of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 has provided a massive shift in vaccinology, providing a quick, nimble, and powerful platform for infectious disease prevention. This success, however, does not simply stem from the mRNA sequence but equally depends on the delivery vehicle—the lipid nanoparticle (LNP). The delivery system has evolved from a passive transporter into an active immunomodulatory component, a critical component that (1) protects the inherently fragile mRNA payload, (2) allows cellular uptake and endosomal escape, and (3) adds its own inherent adjuvant properties to shape the immune response. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the current advancements in mRNA vaccine delivery technologies. We first deconstruct the structure, mechanisms, advantages, and disadvantages of the clinically validated LNP platform. Following this discussion, we highlight the emerging landscape of new systems, including chemically diverse polymeric nanoparticles, biologically-inspired peptide-based carriers, and endogenous extracellular vesicles, potentially overcome current limitations in these delivery systems, including issues with thermostability and targeted delivery. After this, we summarize how these new delivery technologies are being leveraged clinically for a continuum of high-priority infectious diseases, including influenza, RSV, CMV, HIV, Zika, and Rabies. This discussion also illustrates how the design of vaccine prototypes is being rational to address the immune-mediated strategies exploited by each distinct pathogen. © 2025 The Author (s).

Sensitive and selective detection of toxic heavy metals in complex matrices is essential for both clinical diagnostics and environmental monitoring. Herein, we present a nanostructured electrochemical sensor based on Cu-doped In2S3 quantum dots (QDs) anchored onto oxygen-vacancy-rich CeO2 nanorods, fabricated through a 3D nanoprinting-inspired electrode structuring strategy that provides precise control over morphology and active surface accessibility. The synergistic integration of Cu:In2S3 QDs, supplying abundant catalytic sites, with CeO2 nanorods, facilitating rapid charge transfer, significantly enhanced the electrocatalytic performance toward Pb2+, Cd2+, and Hg2+ detection. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) enabled simultaneous monitoring with well-resolved anodic peaks (150–200 mV separation), broad linear range (0.1 nM to 50 µM), and low detection limits down to 32–60 nM. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy confirmed reduced charge transfer resistance (∼150 Ω), consistent with accelerated interfacial kinetics. Importantly, the sensor showed strong resilience in ISO 15189-compliant artificial serum and synthetic urine, achieving recoveries of 95.5–99.0% with RSD < 4.5%. This work demonstrates how synergistic nanocomposite chemistry combined with advanced electrode structuring can deliver scalable and robust electrochemical platforms for real-time heavy metal detection in biomedical and environmental applications. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2025

The contamination of water bodies by methylene blue (MB), a persistent cationic dye, necessitates the development of efficient adsorbents for wastewater treatment. This study introduces a novel magnetic nanocomposite, MCM-48 -Cu(BDC-NH2)/CS hydrogel@Fe3O4, designed for enhanced MB adsorption. The nanocomposite integrates mesoporous MCM-48 for high surface area, Cu(BDC-NH2) for selective pollutant capture, chitosan (CS) crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA) for structural stability, and Fe3O4 for magnetic separability. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize adsorption parameters including pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, and initial dye concentration to achieve maximum adsorption efficiency (98.32 %). Adsorption behavior was analyzed using isotherm models, and the Freundlich model provided the best fit to the experimental data, indicating heterogeneous surface adsorption with multilayer formation and favorable adsorption intensity. Kinetic studies revealed a double-exponential (DE) mechanism as the best fit, indicating biphasic adsorption with an initial rapid surface-controlled stage followed by a slower pore-diffusion stage, while intraparticle diffusion analysis highlighted additional pore diffusion contributions. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔG° < 0, ΔH° < 0, ΔS° < 0) confirmed a spontaneous, exothermic process with reduced system entropy due to ordered adsorption. The nanocomposite exhibited excellent reusability, retaining 83.64 % efficiency after eight cycles, facilitated by magnetic separation. Additionally, the material demonstrated significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, attributed to Cu(BDC-NH2) and chitosan, enhancing its applicability for dual-purpose wastewater treatment. This comprehensive study underscores the nanocomposite's potential as a sustainable, high-performance adsorbent, addressing both chemical and biological contaminants in environmental remediation. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.

This study examined the hemodynamics characteristic of normal and stenotic aortic valves through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using ANSYS software. Two models were developed, a fully opened healthy valve (100% orifice) and a partially opened stenotic valve (50% orifice) that evaluated at peak systolic flow. The aim was to visualize blood flow patterns on the velocity, pressure, and statistical parameters including kurtosis, mean, standard deviation, and skewness along the aortic vessel near the valve region. Results show that the stenotic model exhibited a significant increase in peak velocity, reaching 6.09 m/s, compared to 1.50 m/s in the healthy model. It consistent with clinically observed values in severe aortic stenosis. A notable pressure drop was also observed across the stenotic valve that indicating increased flow resistance. This finding highlights how stenosis severity alters local hemodynamics and are relevant for identifying regions at risk of vascular damage. This study contributes to improved diagnostic strategies for aortic stenosis by linking valve orifice size to key hemodynamic risk indicators such as time-average wall shear stress (TAWSS), oscillatory shear index (OSI), and relative residence time (RRT). © This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

Pathogenic bacteria are ubiquitously present in food and environmental sources, posing a significant threat to human health. Addressing this challenge requires the development of highly sensitive and rapid detection sensors for pathogenic microorganisms. The integration of lateral flow assays (LFAs) with CRISPR-based biosensing technologies represents a novel advancement in point-of-care (POC) diagnostic methods. LFAs are widely used due to their ease of use, rapid results, and simplicity, enabling the detection of various targets, including nucleic acids and proteins. The performance of LFAs is enhanced by CRISPR-based biosensing systems, particularly those employing Cas12 and Cas13 effectors, which allow highly specific and sensitive nucleic acid detection. These effectors trigger collateral cleavage activity upon recognizing a target sequence, thereby amplifying the detection signal. The integration of CRISPR into LFAs enhances their ability to provide effective solutions for user-friendly, cost-efficient, and sensitive diagnostics, particularly in settings with limited resources. This review highlights the mechanisms, advantages, and latest developments in CRISPR/Cas-mediated lateral flow assay platforms for detecting a variety of foodborne pathogenic bacteria, including Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Clostridium botulinum, Staphylococcus aureus, Brucella, Bacillus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella. Additionally, it discusses the challenges related to commercial advancements and explores future prospects. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent chronic liver condition strongly linked with metabolic syndrome components. The serum uric acid to creatinine (SUA/Cr) ratio has recently emerged as a potential biomarker of metabolic dysfunction. However, its clinical relevance in individuals with NAFLD remains underexplored. The objectives of the current research was to investigate the association between the SUA/Cr ratio and metabolic risk factors in adults diagnosed with NAFLD. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 226 adults with ultrasonography-confirmed NAFLD (grades 1 and 2). Participants were categorized into tertiles based on their SUA/Cr ratio. Anthropometric indices, biochemical parameters (lipid profile, liver enzymes, glucose), and lifestyle factors were assessed. Differences across SUA/Cr tertiles were analyzed using ANOVA and general linear models adjusted for confounders. Results: Higher SUA/Cr tertiles were associated with significantly elevated total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (p = 0.011 and p < 0.001, respectively), and higher alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (p = 0.010), indicating hepatic injury. Central obesity indices (waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio) increased significantly across tertiles (p = 0.023 and p = 0.025, respectively), although BMI did not. SUA/Cr was not significantly associated with fasting blood glucose or triglycerides. These findings suggest a strong association between elevated SUA/Cr and an unfavorable metabolic and hepatic profile in NAFLD patients. Conclusion: The SUA/Cr ratio is a simple, non-invasive biomarker associated with dyslipidemia, liver enzyme elevation, and central obesity in NAFLD individuals. It may serve as a practical tool for early risk stratification and metabolic monitoring in this high-risk population. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to validate its role in NAFLD progression. Clinical trial number: Not applicable. © The Author(s) 2025.

EZH2 (enhancer of zeste homolog 2) is an important component of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) and is essential for the epigenetic regulation of gene expression. EZH2 primarily methylates histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27me3) to repress target gene transcription, particularly concerning tumor suppressor genes. The silencing of these genes ultimately promotes cancer by facilitating several important processes, a notable one being epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which promotes the invasiveness and metastatic potential of cancer cells, particularly in digestive system cancers. In addition to its role in histone modification, EZH2 interacts with diverse noncoding RNA species, including long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs, which can influence expression and activity. These interactions form elaborate regulatory pathways through which EZH2 enhances its oncogenic abilities. For example, lncRNAs recruit EZH2 to specific gene promoters and promote EZH2's repressive function to repress important tumor suppressor genes seen in colon, gastric, and esophageal cancers. Also, EZH2 overexpression has been associated with poor prognosis in several cancers, including gastrointestinal cancers. EZH2 overexpression is linked with aggressive tumor behavior and contributes to therapeutic resistance as cancer cells adapt to avoid the effects of traditional cancer therapy. EZH2 allows cancer cells to persist and proliferate in response to therapy by silencing genes that control apoptosis and the cell cycle. Since EZH2 is strongly associated with poor prognosis and therapeutic resistance in digestive cancers, targeting EZH2 will be a highly effective therapeutic strategy. This in-depth review suggests that further efforts will be required to thoroughly characterize the complex molecular networks that involve EZH2, especially with the hope of generating new therapeutic pathways in malignant cancers of the digestive system. © 2025 Elsevier Inc.

Lung cancer is the second most prevalent cancer and ranks first in cancer-related death worldwide. Due to the resistance development to conventional cancer therapy strategies, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy, various natural products and their extracts have been revealed as alternatives. Berberine (BBR), which is present in the stem, root, and bark of various trees, could exert anticancer activities by regulating tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, metastasis, angiogenesis, and immune responses via modulating several signaling pathways within the tumor microenvironment. Due to its poor water solubility, poor pharmacokinetics/bioavailability profile, and extensive p-glycoprotein-dependent efflux, BBR application in (pre) clinical studies is restricted. To overcome these limitations, BBR can be encapsulated in nanoparticle (NP)-based drug delivery systems, as monotherapy or combinational therapy, and improve BBR therapeutic efficacy. Nanoformulations also facilitate the selective delivery of BBR into lung cancer cells. In addition to the anticancer activities of BBR, especially in lung cancer, here we reviewed the BBR nanoformulations, including polymeric NPs, metal-based NPs, carbon nanostructures, and others, in the treatment of lung cancer. © 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

In today's society, with the continuous development of manufacturing industries and factories related to chemicals, the amount of heavy metals in the inhaled air of humans, water and even food consumption has increased dramatically. The aim of this study was investigation of relationship between exposure to heavy metals on the increased carcinogenicity risk of kidney and bladder. Databases used to for searched were the Springer, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct (Scopus) and PubMed. At the end after sieve we selected 20 papers. Identify all relevant studies published 2000-2021. The results of this study showed that exposure to heavy metals due to the bio accumulative properties of these metals can cause kidney and bladder abnormalities and provide the basis through various mechanisms for malignant tumors in these organs. Based on result this study, since a limited number of heavy metals including copper, iron, zinc and nickel in very small amounts as micronutrients play a very important role in the function of enzymes and the body cells biological reactions, but exposure to some of them like arsenic, lead, vanadium and mercury will cause irreversible effects on people's health and cause various diseases including cancers of the liver, pancreas, prostate, breast, kidney and bladder. The kidneys, ureter and bladder are the most important organs in the urinary tract on human. According to the result of this study, the duty of this urinary system is to remove toxins, chemicals and heavy metals from the blood, balance electrolytes, excrete excess fluid, produce urine and transfer it to the bladder. This mechanism causes the kidneys and bladder to be highly associated with these toxins and heavy metals, which can lead to various diseases in these two important organs. According to the finding the reducing exposure to heavy metals in various ways can prevent many diseases related to this system and reduce the incidence of kidney and bladder cancers. © 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) continues to be a significant global health issue, with a rising number of cases requiring ongoing research and innovation in treatment strategies. Curcumin (CUR), a natural compound derived from Curcuma longa, and similar compounds have shown potential in targeting the STAT3 signaling pathway, which plays a crucial role in BC progression. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of curcumin and its analogues on BC based on cellular and molecular mechanisms. Materials & Methods: The literature search conducted for this study involved utilizing the Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases in order to identify pertinent articles. Results: This narrative review explores the potential of CUR and similar compounds in inhibiting STAT3 activation, thereby suppressing the proliferation of cancer cells, inducing apoptosis, and inhibiting metastasis. The review demonstrates that CUR directly inhibits the phosphorylation of STAT3, preventing its movement into the nucleus and its ability to bind to DNA, thereby hindering the survival and proliferation of cancer cells. CUR also enhances the effectiveness of other therapeutic agents and modulates the tumor microenvironment by affecting tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). CUR analogues, such as hydrazinocurcumin (HC), FLLL11, FLLL12, and GO-Y030, show improved bioavailability and potency in inhibiting STAT3, resulting in reduced cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. Conclusion: CUR and its analogues hold promise as effective adjuvant treatments for BC by targeting the STAT3 signaling pathway. These compounds provide new insights into the mechanisms of action of CUR and its potential to enhance the effectiveness of BC therapies. © 2024 The Author(s). Animal Models and Experimental Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Chinese Association for Laboratory Animal Sciences.

Several factors affect engine performance, including fuel injection pressure, injection angle, and injector orifice diameter. Any deviation from normal conditions in any of these aspects can disrupt optimal engine performance, resulting in inefficient combustion and increased exhaust emissions. To investigate the effect of injector hole number, injection hole angle, and injection pressure on the performance and emissions of a diesel engine operating on a diesel/hydrogen blend (10 % hydrogen and 90 % diesel), a single-cylinder direct injection diesel engine was used. Three injector nozzle configurations just for diesel injector with different hole diameters (0.6, 0.3, and 0.2 mm) were used at injection angles of 0, 15, and 30 degrees, respectively. Three injection pressures (200, 400, and 600 bar) were tested, with results monitored for brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC), brake thermal efficiency (BTE), smoke, and NOx emissions. Optimal results were achieved with a maximum injection pressure of 400 bar and a nozzle angle of 15 degrees, resulting in improved engine performance and BTE, along with a 6.5 % reduction in BSFC. Increasing the number of injector holes, injection pressure, and injection angle resulted in reduced BSFC and smoke emissions, but with a significant increase in NOx emissions. Notably, this study deviates from traditional combustion methods by introducing air from a 1.1-atmosphere tank instead of relying solely on natural intake. In addition, hydrogen fuel is introduced into the air manifold via a separate injector with an injection pressure of 20 bar, while diesel fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber. © 2024 The Author(s)

Evidence on prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and its effects on newborns and potential biological mechanisms is not well defined yet. Therefore, this study aimed to examine whether PCBs are associated with lipid profile and non-invasive markers of hepatocyte injuries in samples of blood obtained from the umbilical cord. This study included 450 mothers-newborn pairs. Umbilical levels of PCBs were measured using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrophotometry (GC/MS). Lipid profile including low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), as well as liver enzymes i.e., alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), γ-glutamyl-transferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were determined from umbilical cord blood samples. Quantile g-computation analysis was applied to evaluate the collective influence of PCBs on both lipid profiles and liver enzymes, along with the impact of lipid profiles on liver enzymes. Exposure to the mixture of PCBs was significantly associated with increases in ALP, AST, ALT, and GGT levels in cord blood samples, with increments of 90.38 U/L (95%CI: 65.08, 115.70, p < 0.01), 11.88 U/L (95%CI: 9.03, 14.74, p < 0.01), 2.19 U/L (95%CI:1.43, 2.94, p < 0.01), and 50.67 U/L (95%CI: 36.32, 65.03, p < 0.01), respectively. Additionally, combined PCBs exposure was correlated with significant increases in umbilical TG, TC, and LDL-C levels, with values of 3.97 mg/dL (95%CI: 0.86, 7.09, p = 0.01), 6.30 mg/dL (95%CI: 2.98, 9.61, p < 0.01), and 4.63 mg/dL (95%CI: 2.04, 7.23, p < 0.01) respectively. Exposure to the mixture of lipids was linked to elevated levels of AST and GGT in umbilical cord blood samples. Furthermore, a noteworthy mediating role of TC and LDL-C was observed in the association between total PCBs exposure and umbilical cord blood liver enzyme levels. Overall our findings suggested that higher levels of umbilical cord blood PCBs and lipid profile could affect liver function in newborns. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd

Displacement-controlled systems have high efficiency and are widely used in industry. Accurate control of the actuator motion in hydraulic systems is usually a necessity in industrial applications such as the motion of control surfaces in fixed-wing airplanes for flight control as well as the aircraft brake systems. To address this need, the current study was conducted with the goal of developing a high-fidelity model to achieve precise control. This work focused on modeling a hydrostatic transmission that is used for controlling a linear actuator velocity. The flow entering the actuator was changed using a variable displacement pump. The study included examining the stability and performance of the open-loop system. Additionally, the study involved the design of the proportional-integral-derivative PID and H∞ controllers, followed by the analysis of the stability and performance of the closed-loop system with both controllers. Furthermore, the multiplicative uncertainty is taken into account and the robustness of the system is verified using controllers PID and H∞. In the current study,Uncertain parameters such as actuator efficiency, pump speed, and viscous friction coefficient were considered and allowed for a ±5% deviation from their stated values. Taking uncertainty into account ensures that the system performs properly even in case where the design parameters vary within the specified range. The system response is compared for the cases of open-loop system, closed-loop system with PID controller, and closed-loop system with H∞ controller. The results demonstrated that the open-loop system remains stable for real-world applications but shows insufficient performance in terms of input tracking and disturbance rejection. The introduction of the PID controller significantly enhanced the system's response to a reference input; however, its disturbance rejection capabilities in terms of overshoot and settling time were still unsatisfactory. The system equipped with the PID controller failed to meet the robustness requirements. Conversely, the utilization of H∞ controllers yielded superior responses and fulfilled the robustness criteria. © 2024 The Authors

The research suggests an approach that prioritizes customer needs and aims to reduce energy expenses while safeguarding customer privacy. Furthermore, it is recommended that smart homes incorporate a home energy management system to optimize appliance energy consumption. Conversely, the introduction of demand-side management addresses the energy management challenges faced by smart households. The main goal of this approach is to decrease energy usage and electricity costs for customers. Moreover, it enhances user satisfaction while waiting at common intervals. The primary emphasis of this study is on a smart residence furnished with energy management technology and smart home gadgets capable of supplying electricity to the grid. These objectives are considered distinct aspects in the multi-objective optimization issue stemming from this approach. The study utilizes the grasshopper optimization algorithm (GOA) to optimize battery and home appliance scheduling in smart homes with flexible devices. The goal is to reduce the overall cost of microgrid systems through demand-side management implementation. This comparison highlights the superiority of the proposed method in optimizing energy consumption and reducing carbon emissions in a variety of scenarios. By achieving lower energy costs and carbon emissions while maintaining a comfortable indoor environment, the proposed method proves to be a highly effective and sustainable solution for energy management in buildings. These simulation results provide strong evidence of the methodâ ? ? s potential to significantly impact energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in real-world applications. Furthermore, the consistent minimization of the discomfort index showcases the methodâ ? ? s ability to prioritize occupant comfort while still achieving significant energy savings and emissions reductions. Overall, the comparison with other algorithms solidifies the effectiveness and practicality of the proposed method in addressing the complex challenges of energy management and sustainability in smart homes. © The Author(s), published by EDP Sciences, 2024.

The property of forming and fracture toughness are two of the vital parameters in choosing a material that shows good formability and enough resistance to crack growth. In this study, Al/BN/Cu bimetal composite strips have been manufactured via accumulative roll bonding (ARB) process. Fracture toughness, mechanical properties, bonding strength, forming limit diagram (FLD), and creep properties were evaluated using experimental techniques as its novelty. Obtained results showed the generation of a 17 µm atomic diffusion layer along he Al/Cu interface under three creep loading conditions namely 30 MPa at 225 °C, 35 MPa at 225 °C, and 35 MPa at 275 °C. In comparison with primary Al monolithic sample, the tensile strength of composite samples reached to 174 MPa registering253 % improvement. SEM results showed the shear kind of fracture at higher passes. Results showed that FLD curve was fallen after pass one and then improved slightly at higher ARB passes. The fracture toughness reached to 30 MPam1/2 after ten passes showing the positive role of ARB process on the improvement of forming properties of composite strips. An intermetallic composition created near to Al, resulting in a 40 %. Contrary to high creep temperatures, it was found that applied temperatures and stresses influence on creep properties and specially increases the slope of creep curves with higher values of creep stresses. finally, dynamic recrystallization was detected inside the metallic matrix. © 2024 Institution of Structural Engineers

The quest for sustainable and eco-friendly materials has led to a burgeoning interest in natural fibers as reinforcements in composite materials. Kenaf fiber, derived from the Hibiscus cannabinus plant, presents a promising avenue for enhancing the mechanical and energy absorption properties of composite tubes. This study focuses on the fabrication of composite tubes using a combination of kenaf fiber and epoxy resin. The composite tubes were then subjected to compressive testing to evaluate their energy absorption performances. The fabrication process involved the impregnation of kenaf fibre with epoxy resin, followed by winding and curing to form composite tubes. Different configurations of kenaf fiber content were utilized to investigate their impact on the structural integrity and energy absorption capabilities of the tubes. Compressive testing was conducted to assess the energy absorption behaviour under axial loading conditions. The results revealed that the incorporation of kenaf fiber significantly influenced the energy absorption capabilities of the composite tubes. Higher kenaf fiber content demonstrated improved energy absorption performance, showcasing the potential of kenaf fiber as an efficient energyabsorbing reinforcement. The findings of this study offer valuable insights into the use of sustainable and renewable resources, such as kenaf fiber, in enhancing the mechanical and energy absorption properties of composite structures, thereby contributing to the development of eco-friendly and high-performance materials. © 2024, Semarak Ilmu Publishing. All rights reserved.

This paper investigates the synthesis and characterization of novel counter electrodes (CEs) for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), focusing on composite polyaniline (PANi) nanofibers integrated with tin selenide (SnSe). Three CEs, namely SnSe, PANi, and their composite, were prepared via facile hydrothermal and cyclic voltammetry methods and compared with a standard platinum (Pt) CE. The efficiencies obtained were 4.20 %, 5.63 %, 8.39 %, and 7.72 % for SnSe, PANi, SnSe/PANi, and Pt CEs, respectively. The improved efficiencies, particularly in the case of the SnSe/PANi composite, were attributed to increased short-circuit density of the composite sample. The materials and devices prepared in this study are characterized using various methods including FESEM, TEM, XRD, Raman and FTIR spectroscopies, EIS, Tafel, OCVD, IPCE and etc to support our proposed CE structure. Our findings demonstrate the promising potential of SnSe/PANi composite CEs in enhancing the performance and affordability of DSSCs. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2ER) offers a compelling strategy for sustainable energy and carbon management by transforming CO2 into valuable chemicals and fuels. This approach is particularly attractive when powered by surplus renewable energy, aiding in the closure of the carbon cycle. However, the significant energy requirements for CO2 isolation, pressurization, and purification from capture media pose challenges for industrial-scale implementation. To overcome these obstacles, recently innovative electrolyzers have developed that directly convert reactive carbon solutions, such as bicarbonate-rich effluents from carbon capture units, into higher-value products. This electrolyzers produces CO2 in situ by reacting (bi)carbonate with acid generated within the electrolyzer, facilitating efficient CO2ER at the cathode surface and eliminating the need for costly CO2 recovery and compression steps. This study details recent efforts in advancing this type of electrolyzer, focusing on CO2 sources for capturing step, technical aspect consideration of integrated systems, electrolyzer design consideration and membrane designs for integrated systems. Herein, we emphasize the need for a permeable cathode that allows efficient (bi)carbonate ion transport while maintaining a high catalytic surface area. Additionally, we discuss the critical role of electrolytes, including the impact of (bi)carbonate concentration, their effect on CO2 utilizations and CO2ER selectivity. We also demonstrate the state-of-the-art performance metrics for electrolyzers that utilize CO2-captured solutions, such as Faradaic efficiency, experimental validation of CO2 sources, current density, and CO2 utilization efficiency, a guideline for future studies. Collectively, we believe that this analysis will contribute to the development of industrial-scale electrochemical reactors for CO2 conversion, advancing towards a sustainable and closed-loop carbon cycle. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.

From an engineering perspective, hollow cylinders have various applications in the industry due to their strength, versatility, and geometric properties, making them vital for various applications in diverse industries. Therefore, it could be seen in many aspects such as fluid conveyance, manufacturing and fabrication, rotating machinery, structural components, storage, and pressure vessels. As it is well-known fracture is the most dominant type of failure in cylinders that is caused by defects or flaws. With time, these cracks (flaws) may extend and lead to a tragic failure, posing significant risks to both the nearby environment and humans. Moreover, crack cooperation which is known as (crack interaction) represents a chief apprehension, where cooperation or interaction may accelerate the crack growth and cause unpredictable failure. In this work, a wide variety of crack configurations were examined to quantify the interaction of double-interacting surface cracks located on a thick cylinder numerically via ANSYS software. The Stress Intensity Factor (SIFs) has been utilized as a driving force to describe the crack interaction. The results found that crack interaction influenced both cracks by the same rate, and SIFs distributed along the crack front by the same style as that of a single crack. Also, an inversely proportional relationship has been found between the crack interaction and the separation distance between the cracks. It is possible to conclude that the crack interaction of double interacting cracks exhibited a shielding effect, where SIFs for the case of double cracks were less than those of single crack. © 2024, Semarak Ilmu Publishing. All rights reserved.

- Thick-walled cylinder is widely used in modern engineering and applications and they are used to withstand high internal and external pressure. Sometimes, it is used to transmit power from one to another points which is generally subjected to torsion or mode III moments. Under certain circumstances, external cracks are formed due to corrosion and material defects, which lead to premature failure. In this paper, ANSYS finite element analysis software is used to construct the cracks on the surface of thick cylinders under mode III and combined mode I and III loading conditions. Various crack geometries and configurations are used, such as crack aspect ratios, a/c = 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2 and relative crack depth, a/t = 0.2, 0.5 and 0.8. For parallel cracks, different relative distances, s/L is used, such as 0.004, 0.008, 0.016 and 0.032. According to the numerical results, if the number of cracks is more than two, the SIFs decrease when compared with a single crack. In terms of crack interactions, as expected, the degree of interaction is diminished when the cracks are away from each other. Also, it is shown that crack interaction influence for parallel cracks is demonstrated by shielding interaction influence only, while both shielding and amplification impacts are produced for non-coplanar cracks. The crack separation distance (horizontal and angular) between the cracks displayed substantial influence on interaction since it exhibited the ability to convert the interaction behavior from shielding to amplification impact (for angular). © 2024 Seventh Sense Research Group®

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anti-pyelonephritis activity of naringenin alone or combined with ceftriaxone in a rat model. In all, 35 Wistar rats were randomly divided into five equal groups. Groups 2 – 5 underwent surgery and were infected with E. coli to induce pyelonephritis. Groups 1 and 2 were treated with normal saline and groups 3, 4, and 5 received ceftriaxone (60 mg/kg), naringenin (20 mg/kg), and ceftriaxone+naringenin, respectively for 1 week. Subsequently, the disc diffusion method and bacterial colony counting were performed. After six weeks, MDA and GSH levels, TOS, TAC, activities of GPx, CAT and SOD, and histopathological analyses were evaluated in the kidneys. A week after the ceftriaxone treatment and two weeks after the naringenin exposure, negative urinary bacterial colonies were observed. The combination of these drugs caused negative colonies during the first week. Naringenin alone or in combination with ceftriaxone significantly decreased renal MDAand TOS but increased TAC, GSH and activities of GPx, CAT and SOD compared with the pyelonephritic group. This combination revealed histopathological changes in the kidneys. Our data suggest synergism between naringenin and ceftriaxone in alleviating pyelonephritis-induced complications. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.

Prostate carcinoma is a malignant situation that arises from genomic alterations in the prostate, leading to changes in tumorigenesis. The NF-κB pathway modulates various biological mechanisms, including inflammation and immune responses. Dysregulation of NF-κB promotes carcinogenesis, including increased proliferation, invasion, and therapy resistance. As an incurable disease globally, prostate cancer is a significant health concern, and research into genetic mutations and NF-κB function has the efficacy to facilitate the introduction of novel therapies. NF-κB upregulation is observed during prostate cancer progression, resulting in increased cell cycle progression and proliferation rates. Additionally, NF-κB endorses resistance to cell death and enhances the capacity for metastasis, particularly bone metastasis. Overexpression of NF-κB triggers chemoresistance and radio-resistance, and inhibition of NF-κB by anti-tumor compounds can reduce cancer progression. Interestingly, non-coding RNA transcripts can regulate NF-κB level and its nuclear transfer, offering a potential avenue for modulating prostate cancer progression. © 2023

High incidence rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) make this condition as an important public health concern. The use of natural products in treating this chronic condition has increased in recent years one of which is the single-celled green alga Chlorella. Chlorella vulgaris (CV) has been studied for its potential benefits to human health due to its biological and pharmacological features. CV contains a variety of macro and micronutrients, including proteins, omega-3, polysaccharides, vitamins, and minerals. Some studies have indicated that taking CV as a dietary supplement can help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. In some studies, cardiovascular risk factors that are based on hematological indices did not show these benefits, and no molecular mechanisms have been identified. This comprehensive review summarized the research on the cardio-protective benefits of chlorella supplementation and the underlying molecular processes. © 2023 The Authors

Small-scale vertical-axis wind power generation technologies such as Savonius wind turbines are gaining popularity in suburban and urban settings. Although vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) may not be as efficient as their horizontal-axis counterparts, they often present better opportunities for integration within building structures. The main issue stems from the suboptimal aerodynamic design of Savonius turbine blades, resulting in lower efficiency and power output. To address this, modern turbine designs focus on optimizing various geometric aspects of the turbine to improve aerodynamic performance, efficiency, and overall effectiveness. This study developed a unique optimization method, incorporating a new blade geometry with guide gap flow for Savonius wind turbine blade design. The aerodynamic characteristics of the Savonius wind turbine blade were extensively analyzed using 3D ANSYS CFX software. The optimization process emphasized the power coefficient as the objective function while considering blade profiles, overlap ratio, and blade number as crucial design parameters. This objective was accomplished using the design of experiments (DOE) method with the Minitab statistical software. The research findings revealed that the novel turbine design “OR0.109BS2BN2” outperformed the reference turbine with a 22.8% higher power coefficient. Furthermore, the results indicated a trade-off between the flow (swirling flow) through the gap guide flow and the impact blockage ratio, which resulted from the reduced channel width caused by the extended blade tip length. © 2023 by the authors.

The ZnO@ZnCo2O4 core-shell nanostructure is suggested as an inexpensive alternative for Pt counter electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The DSSC based on this novel counter electrode showed an efficiency of 8.39%, an increase of more than 4.4% over the conventional Pt counter electrode. It can be perceived that this alternative substance performs better than platinum and attains higher efficiency. This superior performance can be attributed to several factors, including enhanced electrocatalytic activity due to the formation of a p-n junction at the core-shell interface, inferior charge transfer resistance, and high-quality crystallinity. As a result, the ZnO@ZnCo2O4 core-shell can be realized as a potential substitute for the high-priced Pt in the DSSC structure, moving the technology one step closer to commercialization. © 2023

In this study, magnetic CoFe2O4 nanoparticles (CFO NPs) were fabricated by coprecipitation method for the removal of crystal violet (CV), Cu(II) and Cd(II) from environmental water samples in batch mode. This study investigated the effect of CFO NPs on the removal of CV, Cu(II), and Cd(II) using the response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite design (CCD). For this purpose, batch experiments were designed and performed to evaluate the effect of variables such as pH, adsorbent amount, sonication time, and concentration of pollutants using RSM. Under optimal conditions (ultrasound time of 17 min, pollutant concentration of 15 mg L−1, CFO NPs amount of 0.24 g, and pH = 6), the removal efficiency was achieved in the range of 95.86–99.82%. Evaluating the reusability of the CFO NPs showed that the CFO NPs adsorbent can be reused for up to 5 cycles while maintaining its high efficiency in removing CV, Cu(II) and Cd(II). The removal efficiency of CV, Cu(II) and Cd(II) was obtained in the range of 91.68–97.59% for real samples. Overall, the results revealed that CFO NPs adsorbent has a high ability to remove CV, Cu(II) and Cd(II) from different water samples. © 2023 THE AUTHORS

Background: Several studies have highlighted the possible positive effects of soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) against obesity. However, due to their inconsistent results, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantitatively evaluate and critically review the results of studies evaluating the relationship between sRAGE with obesity among adult population. Methods: In the systematic search, the eligibility criteria were as follows: studies conducted with a cross-sectional design, included apparently healthy adults, adults with obesity, or obesity-related disorders, aged over 18 years, and evaluated the association between general or central obesity indices with sRAGE. Results: Our systematic search in electronic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Embase up to 26 October, 2023 yielded a total of 21,612 articles. After removing duplicates, screening the titles and abstracts, and reading the full texts, 13 manuscripts were included in the final meta-analysis. According to our results, those at the highest category of circulating sRAGE concentration with median values of 934.92 pg/ml of sRAGE, had 1.9 kg/m2 lower body mass index (BMI) (WMD: -1.927; CI: -2.868, -0.986; P < 0.001) compared with those at the lowest category of sRAGE concentration with median values of 481.88 pg/ml. Also, being at the highest sRAGE category with the median values of 1302.3 pg/ml sRAGE, was accompanied with near 6 cm lower waist circumference (WC) (WMD: -5.602; CI: -8.820, -2.383; P < 0.001 with 86.4% heterogeneity of I2) compared with those at the lowest category of sRAGE concentration with median values of 500.525 pg/ml. Individuals with obesity had significantly lower circulating sRAGE concentrations (WMD: -135.105; CI: -256.491, -13.72; P = 0.029; with 79.5% heterogeneity of I2). According to the subgrouping and meta-regression results, country and baseline BMI were possible heterogeneity sources. According to Begg’s and Egger’s tests and funnel plots results, there was no publication bias. Conclusion: According to our results, higher circulating sRAGE concentrations was associated with lower BMI and WC among apparently healthy adults. Further randomized clinical trials are warranted for possible identification of causal associations. © 2023, The Author(s).

Background: Aluminum phosphide (AlP) is a well-known toxic compound used as an agricultural pesticide to prevent insect damage to stored crops. However, even if just a small amount was consumed, it caused lasting harm to the human body and, in acute concentrations, death. The current study employed cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) to reduce oxidative stress and various harmful outcomes of AlP poisoning. Methods: Following finding effective concentrations of CeO2 NPs via MTT assay, Human Cardiac Myocyte (HCM) cells were pre-treated with CeO2 NPs for 24 h. After that, they were exposed to 2.36 μM AlP. The activity of oxidative stress and mitochondrial biomarkers, including mitochondrial swelling, mitochondrial membrane potential, and cytochrome c release, were evaluated in HCM cells. Finally, the population of apoptotic and necrotic cells was assessed via flow cytometry. Results: After 24 h, data revealed that all tested concentrations of CeO2 NPs were safe, and 25 and 50 μM of that were selected as effective concentrations. Oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde, protein carbonyl, superoxide dismutase, and catalase) showed that CeO2 NPs could successfully decrease AlP poisoning due to their antioxidant characteristics. Mitochondrial markers were also recovered by pre-treatment of HCM cells with CeO2 NPs. Furthermore, pre-treating with CeO2 NPs could compensate for the reduction of live cells with AlP and cause a diminishing in the population of early and late apoptotic cells. Conclusion: As a result, it is evident that CeO2 NPs, through the recovery of oxidative stress and mitochondrial damages caused by AlP, reduce apoptosis and have therapeutic potentials on HCM cells. © 2023

During plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) process, molten oxide is rapidly solidified through arc discharges in order to create in-situ ceramic TiO2 coatings on titanium alloy substrates. PEO coatings made on biomedical titanium alloys may have limited protection efficiency in organic acid-containing biological solutions due to their inherent porosity. In order to elevate the anticorrosion performance of these coatings, a second layer can be applied to the top surface of the PEO coatings to seal the cracks and pores by other surface engineering methods. In current work, the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets were electrophoretically deposited on the Ti–6Al–4V substrate involving an intermediate TiO2 oxide layer applied PEO process. Electrochemical measurements in palmitic acid-containing biological media showed that the duplex TiO2/rGO coating has higher compactness and better corrosion performance than simple TiO2 coating. Indeed, the synthesis of the TiO2/rGO coating on the Ti alloy results in a decrease in the corrosion current density (2.19 μA‧cm−2) in comparison with the simple TiO2 coating (9.85 μA‧cm−2) in an acidic media. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l.

Nowadays, our societies are entangled with numerous problems more and more. One of them is food safety, which has a direct relationship with public health. Indeed, food contaminations have been categorized as some important groups including bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, toxins, pesticides, food colorants and so forth. Over the last two decades, several researchers have attempted to develop sensing approaches for these contaminations. On the other hand, conventional techniques suffer from expansivity, sensitivity and selectivity. Therefore, the advancement of technology introduces a novel analytical method called bio(sensors) which provides a multi-domain sensing platform. Elaborately, the presence of different nanomaterials such as carbon-based, silica-based and metallic-based nanomaterials has revolutionized in terms of improving the properties of these analytical approaches. More importantly, poly(amino acids) as biocomposites have attracted considerable attention over the last few years. In addition, the integration of these biocomposites with nanomaterials brings about a brilliant probe for the detection of food contaminations. In this regard, in this review, we summarized recent advances in bio(sensors) based on poly(amino acids) for quantification of various food contaminations, and alongside that, the pros and cons of electrochemical and optical bio(sensor) as two major types of these analytical methods discussed. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

In the current body of research, a very quick and effectual procedure for the synthesis of pyrido[2,3-d:6,5-d′]dipyrimidines has been developed. This method is accomplished through the one-pot multi-component reaction of 2-thiobarbituric acid, NH4OAc and aldehydes utilizing Ni-TMEDA@βSiO2@αSiO2@Fe3O4 as a novel mesoporous nanomagnetic catalyst at room temperature. This protocol is one of the few reports of the preparation of these derivatives without the use of conventional heating as well as energies such as microwave and ultrasound radiation. The characterization of the prepared catalyst was well accomplished by different techniques such as FT-IR, ICP-OES, SEM, TEM, BET, XRD, VSM, TGA, EDX and Elemental mapping. This organometallic catalyst was reusable for seven times with negligible decrement in its catalytic performance. In addition, all of the products were produced with high TON and TOF values, which demonstrates that our catalyst has a very high level of activity in the preparation of pyrido[2,3-d:6,5-d′]dipyrimidines. © 2023 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

The role of 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC) in autoimmune diseases has become a subject of intense research in recent years. This oxysterol, derived from cholesterol, has been identified as a significant player in modulating immune responses and inflammation. Its involvement in autoimmune pathogenesis has drawn attention to its potential as a therapeutic target for managing autoimmune disorders effectively. 27-OHC, an oxysterol derived from cholesterol, has emerged as a key player in modulating immune responses and inflammatory processes. It exerts its effects through various mechanisms, including activation of nuclear receptors, interaction with immune cells, and modulation of neuroinflammation. Additionally, 27-OHC has been implicated in the dysregulation of lipid metabolism, neurotoxicity, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption. Understanding the intricate interplay between 27-OHC and autoimmune diseases, particularly neurodegenerative disorders, holds promise for developing targeted therapeutic strategies. Additionally, emerging evidence suggests that 27-OHC may interact with specific receptors and transcription factors, thus influencing gene expression and cellular processes in autoimmune disorders. Understanding the intricate mechanisms by which 27-OHC influences immune dysregulation and tissue damage in autoimmune diseases is crucial for developing targeted therapeutic interventions. Further investigations into the molecular pathways and signaling networks involving 27-OHC are warranted to unravel its full potential as a therapeutic target in autoimmune diseases, thereby offering new avenues for disease intervention and management. © 2023 Elsevier GmbH

NLRP3 (NOD-, LRR-, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3) inflammasome pathway has a critical role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Activation of this pathway is implicated in the subendothelial inflammation and atherosclerosis progression. The NLRP3 inflammasome are cytoplasmic sensors with the distinct capacity to identify a wide range of inflammation-related signals, which enhance NLRP3 inflammasome assembly and allow it to trigger inflammation. This pathway is triggered by a variety of intrinsic signals which exist in atherosclerotic plaques, like cholesterol crystals and oxidized LDL. Further pharmacological findings indicated that NLRP3 inflammasome enhanced caspase-1-mediated secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators like interleukin (IL)− 1β/18. Newly published cutting-edge studies suggested that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) including microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs) are major modulators of NLRP3 inflammasome in atherosclerosis. Therefore, in this review, we aimed to discuss the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, biogenesis of ncRNAs as well as the modulatory role of ncRNAs in regulating the various mediators of NLRP3 inflammasome pathway including TLR4, NF-kB, NLRP3, and caspase 1. We also discussed the importance of NLRP3 inflammasome pathway-related ncRNAs as a diagnostic biomarker in atherosclerosis and current therapeutics in the modulation of NLRP3 inflammasome in atherosclerosis. Finally, we speak about the limitations and future prospects of ncRNAs in regulating inflammatory atherosclerosis via the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. © 2023 Elsevier GmbH

Heterogeneous photocatalysis has been demonstrated as a highly effective approach in addressing the difficulties encountered by conventional technologies in environmental remediation. Herein, for the first time, a novel hierarchical photocatalyst of selenium-doped Bi2S3 (Bi2S3-xSex) was successfully synthesized through a one-spot hydrothermal route followed by a vacancy engineering process (V-Bi2S3-xSex). The photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) and in-situ generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) under simulated solar-light irradiation were performed to evaluate the catalytic activity of the as-prepared samples. The catalytic activity of as-prepared samples was evaluated toward the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) and in-situ generation of H2O2 under simulated solar-light irradiation. Notably, V-Bi2S3-xSex (V-BSSe-5, as optimum sample) exhibited a photo-reduction of Cr(VI) at a rate of 97.04% during 150 min, which was 1.53- and 1.39-fold higher than those of pure Bi2S3 and Bi2Se3, respectively. Interestingly, the V-Bi2S3-xSex photocatalyst not only harvested more incident light in the UV–vis and near-infrared (NIR) regions but also supplied many active sites, improving the promotion of photo-generated charge-carriers, inhibiting charge recombination, and thus enhancing the photocatalytic activity. In addition, V-BSSe-5 showed greater photocatalytic efficiency for H2O2 generation, which was 15.69, 10.07, and 1.79 times higher than those of Bi2S3, Bi2Se3, and BSSe-5, respectively. The charge-carrier migration pathway and possible photocatalytic mechanisms were systematically discussed by assisting the electron spin resonance and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. The findings of this study demonstrate that doping and defect engineering strategies have the potential to be a significant advancement in the development of visible- and NIR-light responsiveness photocatalysts, thereby providing a solution to current environmental and energy challenges. © 2023

In current work, Cadmium Zinc Sulfide (CdZnS) nanoparticles (NPs) prepared by chemical co-precipitation technique without using any capping agents. Effect of Zinc source on surface morphology, elemental analysis, and optical properties of CdZnS are discussed in this work. these properties of prepared materials were investigated using a variety of techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, and ultraviolet–visible absorption. Distinct peaks at 31, 34, 43, and 62, which matched CdS, could be seen in the XRD patterns of the CdZnS nanoparticles. The crystalline phase of CdZnS nanoparticles was attributed to the remaining peaks at 34, 36, 47, and 68. The reactants' physicochemical interactions were revealed by FTIR spectroscopy. The spectrum had apparent ethanol-related peaks, with a clear Zn–S interaction peak at 635–634 cm−1. The CdZnS nanoparticles contained sulphur, zinc, and cadmium, according to EDS analysis. In the Zn1 and Zn2 samples, the stoichiometry ratios were found to be 53% Cd, 41% Zn, and 5% S and 82% Cd, 17% Zn, and 1% S, respectively. The CdZnS nanoparticles were spherical in shape and ranged in size from 40 to 50 nm, according to an SEM analysis. The CdZnS nanoparticles' absorption peaks, (Zn1) at 370 nm and (Zn2) at 390 nm, were visible in UV-–Vis. spectra. Quantum size effects on band gap absorption energy were found to have an impact on the optical bandgap energy, which was found to be 3.35 eV (Zn1) and 3.13 eV (Zn2). Overall, the study successfully characterized the structural, morphological, and optical properties of CdZnS nanoparticles and provided valuable insights into their potential applications in various fields. According to the results the prepared nanoparticles are suitable for photodegradation applications. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Pesticides are usually used as an effective tool to control pests in agriculture; however, these chemicals may be a threat to nontarget organisms, especially aquatic organisms, because aquatic environments are the last station of pollutants. The present study evaluated the toxicity of a commercial formulation of neonicotinoid (acetamiprid 20% SP) as a systematic pesticide on the survival, hematology, and histology of the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). For these purposes, 105 fingerlings of the grass carp with an average body weight of 30 ± 2 g were exposed to 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg·L-1 of acetamiprid for 96 h. According to the data, a clear mortality was observed as the concentration of acetamiprid elevated (P<0.01). The LC50 96 h of acetamiprid was 121.146 mg·L-1. The hematological parameters in fish changed, following exposure to acetamiprid (P<0.05). Also, a strong correlation was found between acetamiprid concentrations and stress bioindicators such as glucose, total protein, albumin, and cholesterol (P<0.01). There was not significant tissue damage in the control group (0 mg·L-1 of acetamiprid); however, acetamiprid led to tissues lesions such as hypertrophy, hyperplasia, uplifting of gill filaments, necrosis of gill epithelial cells, pyknosis and karyorrhexis of liver cells, and hemorrhage and necrosis of liver cell. Finally, acetamiprid-exposed fish exhibited some clinical signs including unbalanced swimming near the water surface, increasing operculum movement, and deaths with open-mouthed. The results of the present study clearly showed the survival-reducing effects of acetamiprid in C. Idella, which may return to tissue damage and stress induced by the pesticide. The results of the present study can be used as a base for future studies and environmental management. © 2023 Dariush Azadikhah et al.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a type of cardiac disease which is one of the main reasons for mortality worldwide. The fabrication of reliable diagnosis methods to predict heart attacks is difficult due to the low-level concentration of responsible biomarkers and limited time between the first symptoms and the heart attack. However, new advanced nanomaterials have led to the fabrication of new nanoplatforms for the detection and therapy of AMI. These nanomaterials have been utilized to fabricate different types of nanobiosensors for early-stage detection of cardiac biomarkers. In this review, the influence of new advanced materials on the fabricated sensing platforms for cardiac biomarkers has been reviewed. Key points of the developed analytical methods have been addressed regarding their advantages, limitations, and also their potential to be as a commercial device in near future. Various analytical methods have utilized for the fabrication of the sensing probes including optical (fluorescence, molecular absorbance, surface Plasmon resonance, and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy), electrochemical (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, electrochemiluminescence, etc.), and quartz crystal microbalance methods. In conclusion, this review may provide a direction for future researches by introducing the most promising materials and analytical methods for AMI detection. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

Novel nanocomposite structure has been made from physical mixing of polymer blend consist PMMA, PEO and PS filled with selenium nanoparticles. The nanocomposite had been deposited on glass slide by drop casting to form a thin film. This film was examined by required instrument like FESEM, XRD, EDS and UV-Vis to show the main physical properties of it. The XRD results were reflected the crystallinity nature of selenium NPs. SEM result shows the porosity nature of prepared film, where the pore size ranging from nano to micro size on all the surface of film. Also the indirect and direct bandgaps estimated and presented and equal to 3.77 and 4 eV. © 2023, S.C. Virtual Company of Phisics S.R.L. All rights reserved.

In this study, we tried to make hybrid aluminum metal matrix composites (AMMCs) reinforced by adding steel slag and Gr particles in it by combined powder metallurgy and press bonding process with 15% of blast-furnace slag and variable values of Gr contents. By examining the composite microstructure, the excellent distribution of particles in matrix aluminum as well as accuracy in the results, no reaction is observed between Al and particles. The obtained results showed that the wear rate and density of hybrid composite samples decreased to 2.3% and 24% by increasing the Gr volume contents, respectively. Also, the wear rate of samples which is related to the hardness value, increased by 181% by increasing the Gr content up to 10 vol.%. © 2023 World Scientific Publishing Company.

In this research, a polyindole coated magnetic porous carbon (MPC@PIN) nanoadsorbent was synthesized and applied to the extraction of toxic aromatic amines from divers real water. The MPC was derived from MIL-53(Fe) as a metal–organic framework (MOF) source by calcination of the MOF under an inert atmosphere. After that, the functionalization process was performed by the polymerization of indole on the surface of the MPC. The synthesized nanoadsorbent (MPC@PIN) was characterized by various methods such as Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). Separation and determination of the target analytes was performed by HPLC-photodiode array (PDA) detection system. The extraction performance of MIL-53(Fe), MPC, and MPC@PIN was compared toward the target analytes, and the results exhibit the best extraction efficiency for the MPC@PIN. After optimization of the affecting parameters, LODs and linear ranges were 0.05–0.2 µg/L and 0.15–400 µg/L, respectively. Precision (n = 3) of the method as intra-day RSD, and inter-day RSD values were obtained in the range of 3.5–8.2%, and 5.8–12.3%, respectively. Finally, the method applicability was affirmed by analyzing various water samples, satisfactorily. To prepare spiked water samples, a small volume of the AAs standard solution was added to each sample, and then the spiked sample was subjected to the MSPE process. © 2023

In this study, reduced nanographene oxide (rNGO) together with β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) protein is used for better and more effective encapsulation, loading and release of oxaliplatin (OXP) drug in colon tumor cells. Drug distribution, loading and encapsulation on graphene oxide/reduced β-lactoglobulin (rNGO/β-Lg) nanocomposite is investigated and confirmed by IR, Uv-Vis, fluorescence and zeta sizer analysis. The rNGO/β-Lg nanocomposite shows a promising loading capacity. So that the percentage of encapsulation and loading for the anticancer drug oxaliplatin is 70 % and 55 %, respectively, and the results show that the penetration and diffusion mechanism is non-Fickian diffusion. Due to the electronic stereo resonance of the drug with the nanocomposite, rNGO/β-Lg@OXP has low toxicity in healthy tissues and higher toxic effects on colon cancer cells than the free oxaliplatin drug. The interaction mechanism of β-Lg with rNGO, drug loading and release on nanocomposite (rNGO/β-Lg@OXP) will be simulated and discussed by DFT method based on M06-2×/aug-cc-pVDZ-PP calculations. The calculation results show that β-Lg reacts on the rNGO surface by forming a π-π bond. The adsorption energy (Eads = −25.99 kcal.mol-1) and the calculated thermodynamic functions indicate a favorable interaction between them, which causes the formation of rNGO/β-Lg nanocomposite at ambient temperature. By encapsulating the drug by nanocomposite, the softness of the chemical structure of the drug and its reactivity have decreased and the synthetic stability has increased. The value of charge transfer (ΔNmax = −0.16)) calculated for rNGO/β-Lg@OXP indicates the transfer of electrons from the drug to the nanocomposite and the creation of stereo electronic resonance, hardening and stabilization of their geometric structure. It reduces the release rate of the drug and reduces its accumulation and toxicity in the body. © 2023

The present study used three well-known white-box data-driven models, including multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), gene expression programming (GEP), and group method of data handling (GMDH), for generating explicit formulas for the prediction of thermal conductivity of the soil (λ) . Therefore, 40 soil samples and three input variables, such as moisture content (ω) , porosity (n) , and the natural density of soil (ρ) , were used to predict λ . The performance of the proposed formulas was assessed via statistical indicators such as the determination of coefficient (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). Statistical criteria have shown that all proposed models provided almost identical results. However, the MARS model was marginally more accurate than the GEP and GMDH models. In addition, the error measures of MARS with RMSE = 0.021, MAE = 0.018, and MAPE = 1.191% were slightly more accurate than GA-ANN (RMSE = 0.030, MAE = 0.025, and MAPE = 1.750%) that reported in the previous study for estimation of λ . However, the prominent feature of the suggested white-box data-driven models compared to black-box models such as ANN is to provide explicit equations for estimating λ . © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Aneurysm is a vascular disorder characterized by abnormal focal dilation of an artery which is considered as a serious and potentially life-threatening condition. An estimated 2%–5% of the general population is affected by intracranial aneurysms. Through computational fluid dynamic (CFD) investigation, this study aims to learn the flow characteristic on aneurysm afflicted common carotid artery (CCA). This study focused on the velocity, wall shear stress (WSS) and sensitivity of blood viscosity of the CCA flow. CFD method was done to 3 simplified model of CCA which were normal, saccular aneurysm, fusiform aneurysm CCA model. The simulation was done with different blood viscosity model which were Newtonian and non-Newtonian. The high velocity area of blood flow has corresponding effect to the increase of the WSS distribution to the wall of the geometry. The results also showed at certain value of low velocity area, WSS distribution for different blood viscosity model was deviated significantly. © 2023, Penerbit Akademia Baru. All rights reserved.

In this article, new multiple-production systems based on the micro-combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) cycle with biomass heat sources are presented. In this proposed system, absorption refrigeration cycle subsystems and a water softener system have been used to increase the efficiency of the basic cycle and reduce waste. Comprehensive thermodynamic modeling was carried out on the proposed system. The validation of subsystems and the optimization of the system via the genetic algorithm method was carried out using Engineering Equation Solver (EES) software. The results show that among the components of the system, the dehumidifier has the highest exergy destruction. The effect of the parameters of evaporator temperature 1, ammonia concentration, absorber temperature, heater temperature difference, generator 1 pressure and heat source temperature on the performance of the system was determined. Based on the parametric study, as the temperature of evaporator 1 increases, the energy efficiency of the system increases. The maximum values of the energy efficiency and exergy of the whole system in the range of heat source temperatures between 740 and 750 K are equal to 74.2% and 47.7%. The energy and exergy efficiencies of the system in the basic mode are equal to 70.68% and 44.32%, respectively, and in the optimization mode with the MOOD mode, they are 87.91 and 49.3, respectively. © 2023 by the authors.

Background: Although chemotherapy and radiotherapy are effective in cancer treatment, different adverse effects induced by these therapeutic modalities (such as ototoxicity) restrict their clinical use. Co-treat-ment of melatonin may alleviate the chemotherapy/radiotherapy-induced ototoxicity. Objective: In the present study, the otoprotective potentials of melatonin against the ototoxicity induced by chemotherapy and radiotherapy were reviewed. Methods: According to the PRISMA guideline, a systematic search was carried out to identify all relevant studies on “the role of melatonin against ototoxic damage associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy” in the different electronic databases up to September 2022. Sixty-seven articles were screened based on a pre-defined set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Seven eligible studies were finally included in this review. Results: The in vitro findings showed that cisplatin chemotherapy significantly decreased the auditory cell viability compared to the control group; in contrast, the melatonin co-administration increased the cell viability of cisplatin-treated cells. The results obtained from the distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) tests demonstrated a decreased amplitude of DPOAE and increased values of ABR I-IV interval and ABR threshold in mice/rats receiving radiotherapy and cisplatin; nevertheless, mela-tonin co-treatment indicated an opposite pattern on these evaluated parameters. It was also found that cisplatin and radiotherapy could significantly induce the histological and biochemical changes in the auditory cells/tis-sue. However, melatonin co-treatment resulted in alleviating the cisplatin/radiotherapy-induced biochemical and histological changes. Conclusion: According to the findings, it was shown that melatonin co-treatment alleviates the ototoxic damage induced by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Mechanically, melatonin may exert its otoprotective effects via its anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory activities and other mechanisms. © 2023 Bentham Science Publishers.

In recent years, bimetallic strips have been progressively used in manufacturing to make collective purposes. Amongst cladding approaches, the rolling process is one of the most popular processes in making bimetallic strips. In this study, a new analytical model based on the slab method has been proposed to predict the bond strength of two layer strips. Results show that the bond strength of strips increases with increasing total rolling thickness reduction of the samples. Also, the finite element simulation and an experimental study were run to approve the results obtained from the new analytical model for producing AA1060/AA7075 bimetallic strips. Moreover, the planned analytical model is appropriate for modeling the roll bonding process of the two-layer strips and it is proficient to extend our information in engineering and production of bimetal strips. The bonding strength of bilayer samples enhanced by increasing the reduction in thickness ratio. The peeled surface of samples has been investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). © 2023 World Scientific Publishing Company.

CdZnS thin films created via chemical bath deposition were examined to see how Cu doping affected their characteristics. Cu ions were added to the films in order to change their optical, structural, and morphological characteristics. These findings suggest that Cu doping can be used to modify the optical characteristics of CdZnS thin films. By using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the energy dispersive analysis of X-ray method (EDAX), we were able to investigate the compositional ratio as well as the structural features of the films. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) technique was utilized in order to investigate the surface morphology of the produced films. The morphology of prepared films was fiber-like and in nanoscale. In addition, the UV–vis spectroscopy technique was utilized in order to characterize the optical properties of thin films. The prepared Cu-CdZnS film was found to have direct band gap equal to 2.64 eV and indirect gap equal to 2.4 eV. © 2023, S.C. Virtual Company of Phisics S.R.L. All rights reserved.

A combination of nanoindentation mapping and machine-earning (ML) modeling has been used to characterize the microstructural changes in SnPb solder balls exposed to thermal cycling. The model facilitated the microstructural evaluation of solder bumps through the prediction of microscale variations of Young’s modulus in the joint zone. The outcomes revealed that the micromechanical data-driven ML model precisely classified the microstructural constituents, i.e., β-Sn and α-Pb, along with the grain boundary (GB) regions. However, some deviations were observed in GB recognition, when the elastic modulus gradient was not sharp enough. The predictive results also revealed that the increase in number of thermal cycles led to stiffening and grain coarsening of α-Pb, while the β-Sn matrix mainly remained stable. Moreover, it was found that the thermal cycling intensified structural heterogeneity in the solder and sharpened the elastic modulus variations at the GB regions. In summary, the outcomes of this study demonstrate the prediction possibility of microstructural features in SnPb solder balls with a predefined thermal cycle numbers, and unfolded the relationship between morphological characteristics and microscale mechanical properties. © 2023, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.

In current work, Nanoparticles of cadmium zinc sulfide (CdZnS) and copper zinc sulfide (Cu:CdZnS) were synthesized through a capping-agent-free chemical co-precipitation method. This article focuses on the optical characteristics, elemental analysis, and surface morphology of CdZnS and Cu:CdZnS. this properties of prepared materials were investigated using a variety of techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, and ultraviolet–visible absorption. The results show both pure and doped CdZnS have cubic structure. The energy gap of CdZnS was equal to 3.14 eV and 3.4 eV for Cu doped CdZnS. According to the results the prepared nanoparticles are suitable for photdegradation applications. © 2023, S.C. Virtual Company of Phisics S.R.L. All rights reserved.

In this paper, we study the tunneling induced optical bistability (OB) in a quantum dot (QD)-metallic nanoparticle (MNP) hybrid system via surface plasmon effects. We realized that in the presence of the tunneling effect, OB arises when the probe light is parallel to the major axis of the hybrid system. We realized the threshold of OB can be controlled by controlling the distance parameter between the QD and MNP. For appropriate distance between the QD and MNP, we find that optical multistability (OM) appears in the system. We find that the threshold of OM can be adjusted when we consider the radius effect of the MNP, respectively. © 2023 Astro Ltd.

Due to the extensive usage in the industry, the structural integrity of hollow cylinders is seen as a critical goal for stakeholders. Fracture is the most common failure mode for cylinders, which occurs due to crack propagation. Cracks can be found in single or multiple forms; when numerous, crack interaction occurs, which can exacerbate pressures beyond the material's resistance. This work uses Ansys software to examine double parallel interacting surface cracks on a hollow cylinder. The stress intensity factor (SIF) was used to describe the driving force that was used to characterize crack interaction for various crack geometries. To conduct extensive research, this study evaluated a wide range of crack aspect ratios as well as the relative depth of the crack. The findings of this study indicated that the shielding effect demonstrated parallel crack interaction. In addition, an empirical mathematical approach for predicting SIFs for double parallel cracks via single crack SIFs has been developed. The validation of the proposed model using performance evaluation metrics revealed an acceptable rate of error of less than 5%. © 2023 Brazilian Association of Computational Mechanics. All rights reserved.

The determination of an optimal factory cutoff grade represents a critical decision within the mining industry· immediately subsequent to the final delineation of open-pit mines. Given the pivotal role that the factory cutoff grade plays in operational economics· its optimal selection is of paramount importance. Traditionally· Lane's models have been employed for this purpose· which utilize mining capacity· processing capacity· and market demand as operational constraints· with profit maximization as the primary objective. In this study· we propose a novel methodology for solving the Lane's models. Our approach involves a strategic modification of the objective function across different grade areas. As an illustrative case study· we compare the results derived from our proposed method with those obtained using the classical Lane's algorithm. The comparative analysis reveals that our methodology yields superior results· thus providing a more effective solution for determining the optimal factory cutoff grade. The above interpretation necessitates the reevaluation of traditional methods in favor of innovative approaches. This study· hence· contributes significantly to the body of knowledge in the field of operational economics in mining· and has the potential to effect substantial improvements in industry practice. © 2023 IIETA. This article is published by IIETA and is licensed under the CC BY 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). All Rights Reserved.

The study aims to investigate the similarities and differences in the brain damage caused by Hypoxia-Ischemia (HI), Hypoglycemia, and Epilepsy. Hypoglycemia poses a significant challenge in improving glycemic regulation for insulin-treated patients, while HI brain disease in neonates is associated with low oxygen levels. The study examines the possibility of using a combination of medical data and Electroencephalography (EEG) measurements to predict outcomes over a two-year period. The study employs a multilevel fusion of data features to enhance the accuracy of the predictions. Therefore this paper suggests a hybridized classification model for Hypoxia-Ischemia and Hypoglycemia, Epilepsy brain injury (HCM-BI). A Support Vector Machine is applied with clinical details to define the Hypoxia-Ischemia outcomes of each infant. The newborn babies are assessed every two years again to know the neural development results. A selection of four attributes is derived from the Electroencephalography records, and SVM does not get conclusions regarding the classification of diseases. The final feature extraction of the EEG signal is optimized by the Bayesian Neural Network (BNN) to get the clear health condition of Hypoglycemia and Epilepsy patients. Through monitoring and assessing physical effects resulting from Electroencephalography, The Bayesian Neural Network (BNN) is used to extract the test samples with the most log data and to report hypoglycemia and epilepsy patients non-invasively. The experimental findings demonstrate that the suggested strategy improves accuracy by 95.05% and reduces the error rate to 0.41 when comparing diseases. © 2023, American Scientific Publishing Group (ASPG). All rights reserved.

Human health care is one of the main issues related to biomedical engineering specialization. the improvement of the air-breathing quality leads to achieve one of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) which is good health and well-being. So, the purpose of this work is to introduce, design, calibrate, and evaluate a low-cost of the portable-sensor device for monitoring experimentally the dust-particles that are included in the living breathing air in the local city. To offer the low-cost the model was designed using Arduino UNO, dust sensor, temperature, humidity sensor, LCD screen, and alarm. The device checks the efficiency of the air surrounding the human being because dust and heat have a great impact on human health. The sensor device was examined for accuracy through comparing the sensor to an accurate copy sensor of itself with outdoor and indoor climates. It was found that accurate measurements under real-world humid and temperature varying, and dynamically changing conditions were achievable using the proposed sensor when compared to the commercially available sensors. The experimental results showed the proposed dust-sensor device high-quality measurements at economy lower-cost solutions than commercially available sensors for air-quality testing. © 2023 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.

The malignant brain tumor is cancer which is not controlled by the cells of the brain and which produces new cells until normal cells are overwhelmed and body system problems are caused. There are several treatments that people normally do, but it has a side effect on the body. Based on the previous study, hyperthermia is a treatment that can reduce the size of tumor with less side effects to the surrounding tissue. The method of hyperthermia treatment is applied to this study which is the heat is applied to the tumor with a certain temperature and time treatment. This research focuses on heat distribution to different temperatures of malignant brain tumors. Other's thing that needs to find out is the comparison of heat distribution of brain tumor for different temperatures with different depths of tumor inside the brain. The CFD is applied in these cases and Ansys software is used to run the simulation. The heat source used in this study is infrared. For all simulations, the time considered is 500 seconds and a time step were 0.1 seconds. From the result obtained, the tumor temperature increases due to the increasing of temperature that is applied to the skin from the heat source. For the different positions of tumor, the heat was not penetrated well due to the depth of the tumor inside the brain. The temperature also needs to rise up if the tumor were growing deep inside the brain but it needs some study on temperature and time of treatment that want to used. The size of the tumor did not affect the temperature of the tumor, as the simulation results demonstrated that the temperature remained constant but the position depth of tumor gives the biggest effect on heat penetration. The heat generation of the tumor has affected the temperature that comes out from the tumor. This research study also helps the medical expert in improving the efficiency of the treatment based on heat distribution with different temperatures. © 2023 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.

The authors regret that in the Acknowledgements section of the original manuscript, the funding information was given incorrectly. The authors extend their sincere appreciation to the Researchers Supporting Project number (RSPD2023R682), King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the support. The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers. © 2023 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

The increasing number of studies on the behaviour of stent placement in recent decades provides a clear understanding of peripheral artery disease (PAD). The severe mechanical loads (axial tension and compression, bending, radial compression and torsion) deformation of the femoropopliteal artery (FPA) is responsible for the highest failure rate of permanent nickel-titanium (Nitinol) stents. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to review research papers that examined the deformation of the natural load environment of FPA, the properties of Nitinol and mechanical considerations. In conclusion, a better understanding of mechanical behaviour for FPA Nitinol stents contributes to increased mechanical performance and fatigue-life. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Cardiovascular stenting is a mature topic but it is still being developed in the research community because of its importance. To provide worthy information about cardiovascular stenting environments and to give support to the researchers, attention must be given to understand the obtainable choices and gaps in this research field. This work aims to examine and examine the literature of each work related to the placement of cardiovascular stents, the failure of the stents and the models of stent designs to provide a good understanding through the investigation of articles published in various contextual aspects, such as motivations, open-challenges and recommendations to improve the field of stent placement. A systematic review is carried-out to map and examine the articles related to cardiovascular stents, the failure of the stents and the models of stent designs through a coherent-taxonomy used in three well-known scientific databases: ScienceDirect, IEEE Explore, and Web of Science. These databases involve literature that highlight arterial stenting. Based-on our inclusion and exception, a total of 90 articles composed the final set that offer various classes and sub-classes. The first class includes the development studies with (42/90) of experimental, computational and combined experimental and computational studies related to stent models performance and stent failure, the second class discussed studies that have been performed on stent design with (32/90), the third class is focused on the framework studies with (10/90), and the fourth class includes problems of stenting long-term with (6/90). The performance of stent designs, which is a research area that requires periodic controls, tools and procedures that could provide a stent design with good mechanical performance, reduce restenosis in the stent and increase fatigue resistance and durability. There have been numerous studies on stent performance that could promise good results in this field. The fields of research in stent designs vary, but all fields are fundamental equally. The expectation of this work could help to emphasize present research chances and, therefore, expand and make further research fields. © 2022 Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Publisher’s Office. All Rights Reserved.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a narrowing of the peripheral arteries that might result in blockage if not immediately treated. Normally, an invasive technique called stenting is used at the stenosed arterial region to restore normal blood flow. Thus, it promotes the formation of thrombosis on the stented artery due to the presenting flow recirculation. However, the rate of thrombosis growth was reported to be different for both genders. This is due to an increase in body surface area, body mass index, and weight of the body. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effect of the physiological and physical conditions of men and women with different hemodynamic parameters on the strut configuration in FPA. Five different stent strut configurations were modelled and inserted into the FPA. The computational fluid dynamic (CFD) method was implemented to solve the continuity and N-S equations. The hemodynamic performance of the stent was analyzed based on hemodynamic parameters consisting of time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS), time-averaged wall shear stress gradient (TAWSSG), oscillatory shear index (OSI), and relative residence time (RRT). According to the observations, the distal region of the stented FPA had more dominant flow re-circulation than the proximal region. The high void area contributed to less growth of the thrombosis. © 2022, Penerbit Akademia Baru. All rights reserved.

The development of material technology continues to be carried out to meet the needs of engineering materials which are increasing day by day and are environmentally friendly or green. In this study, the process of making epoxy resin composites with fly ash was carried out from the combustion process of a power plant. This study aims to determine the strength of the mechanical properties between the epoxy resin and fly ash weight fraction by stirring treatment in the mixing process using tensile, flexural, and impact tests, microscopic examination, FTIR, and X-RD analysis. The treatments were mixing epoxy resin and fly ash with a weight fraction of 10%, 20%, and 30%, stirring speeds of 100 rpm, 150 rpm, and 200 rpm, for 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 30 minutes. The results showed that the F2S3T3 composite had a greater tensile strength of 31,94 MPa, while the other composites had a tensile strength above 22-30 MPa, and the lowest was 13,07 MPa in the F1S2T3 composite. The maximum modulus of elasticity is found in the F3S3T1 composite with a value of 11,12 MPa, and the lowest is found in the F1S2T3 composite at 2,06 MPa. The F3S2T2 composite has a maximum flexural strength of 33,32 MPa, and the lowest composite F2S2T1 is 17,40 MPa with a flexural modulus of 270,41 MPa. The maximum flexural modulus in the F1S1T1 composite with a value of 382,76 MPa with a flexural strength value of 28,82 MPa. The F2S1T2 composite has an impact energy of 6,94 Joules with an impact strength of 203,47 MPa, and there are 2 composites that have the same impact energy value of 5,20 Joules, namely F3S2T2, and F3S1T3. From SEM observations, the fracture surface of the composite has a concave and prominent surface, but a lot of dust is trapped so it affects the bond in the matrix and reinforcement. © Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Publisher’s Office. All Rights Reserved.

In this paper, finite element analysis software, ANSYS, is used to calculate mode I, mode II and mode III SIFs for a single semi-elliptical surface crack located on a thick cylinder. Two crack positions were examined, external and internal cracks investigated under remote bending and torsion loading, separately. The ratio of the crack depth to crack length ranging from 0.4 to 1.2, while the ratio of crack depth to cylinder wall thickness vary between 0.2, 0.5 and 0.8, and the ratio of the cylinder's internal radius to the cylinder's wall thickness is 4. It is found for both bending and torsion, SIFs distributed symmetrically along the crack front, and the crack aspect ratio strongly affect the location of the maximum value. Generally, external cracks showed slightly higher SIFs than that of internal cracks. For bending loading, the effect of relative crack depth is higher than to that of torsion loading for the same crack configurations. For mode III, internal cracks showed a resistance to crack growth, dissimilar to external crack. © Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Publisher's Office.

The use of the stent to treat peripheral artery disease (PAD) is increased and the proportion of failures also increases. The femoropopliteal artery (FPA) experiences a high deformation ratio compared to the cardiovascular artery due to limp flexion and daily activities that could lead to stent failure, as well as increasing the number of observed mortality and morbidity. In the present work, two of the common PAD stent design models represented as STENT I and STENT II were analyzed by using of finite element method (FEM) to simulate the most mechanical loading modes that could occur in FPA, such as axial tension and compression, torsion, three-point bending and radial compression to give a good understanding of deformation that affected stent inside the in-vivo. The gradual force load was used to simulate all modes, the force values are 0.25 N, 0.5 N, 1.5 N, 2.5 N, 3.5 N and 5.5 N until the stent models obtain the yield-point. The comparison of stent models (STENT I, STENT II) was performed in terms of graphs of total deformation, force-stress and stress-strain for all test modes. The similarity ratio of the total deformation in axial tension and the compression mode for STENT I and STENT II was 17% and that may indicate that STENT I obtained a high deformation value instead of STENT II, while, the torsion similarity ratio was 86% which could show a good agreement in this mode, as well as the similarity ratio, was 78% of the total three-point bending deformation and the value of the similarity ratio in the radial compression mode was 23%. Still unclear what is the clinical mode of mechanical deformation that is more important than others with changing the length of the lesion and stent diameter, and the fatigue life test provides a better understanding of the mechanical tests that must be sought. © 2019 UTHM Publisher.

In this paper, mode I stress intensity factors (SIFs) are calculated numerically by finite element software ANSYS, for a single semi-elliptical circumferential crack on a thick cylinder. The examined cracks were located either on the external or internal surface of the cylinder and subjected to two different types of loadings, tension and internal pressure, applied separately. To present results in a more comprehensive form, dimensionless analysis is used, and a wide variation limit of parameters that define the crack geometry is considered. Th e ratio of crack depth to crack length ranging between 0.4 to 1.2, the ratio of crack depth to cylinder wall thickness vary between 0.2, 0.5 and 0.8, and the ratio of the cylinder wall thickness to the cylinder internal radius 0.25. Based on the obtained results, distributions of SIFs found to be symmetric along the crack front. The location where the maximum SIFs on the crack front attained is strongly affected by the change of aspect ratio, and external cracks generally exhibit a higher SIFs than those of internal cracks. It is also found a significant effect for the relative depth of the crack on SIFs value, which could accelerate the fracture process. © Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Publisher's Office.

Stress intensity factors (SIFs) considered one of the most important parameters in fracture mechanics, SIFs can be used to describe the crack growth as well as fracture behaviour. In this paper, mode I SIFs are calculated by finite element software ANSYS, for a single semi-elliptical circumferential crack in a thin cylinder. The cracks were located either on the internal or external surface of the cylinder and subjected to two different types of loading, internal pressure and tension, applied separately. To produce results in a more comprehensive form, the dimensionless analysis was used, and a wide variety of parameters that define the crack geometry is considered. The ratio of crack depth to crack length ranging from 0.4 to 1.2, the ratio of crack depth to cylinder wall thickness vary between 0.2, 0.5 and 0.8, and the ratio of the cylinder wall thickness to the cylinder internal radius 0.1. Based on the obtained results, the distribution of SIFs found to be symmetric and the position of the maximum SIFs on the crack front strongly affected by the aspect ratio.Overall, external cracks exhibit slightly higher SIFs than those of internal cracks, and transition phenomenon occurs on crack aspect ratio between 0.6 and 0.8. In addition, a significant effect for the relative depth of the crack on SIFs, which is more pronounced in surface points than deep points on crack front. © 2019 Mattingley Publishing. All rights reserved.

The problem of stent restenosis (SRI) in the femoropopliteal artery (FP) has not yet been resolved; the predictive factors of the mechanisms and treatment in FP-ISR are unclear. The objective of this study is to investigate and give a clear explanation of the mechanisms and factors of FP-ISR that contributed to ISR, as well as a brief survey of the methods that have been used to treat FP-ISR. Methods of treatment with FP-ISR, such as medical, endovascular and bypass surgery, are used for several types of FP-ISR, the DEB device chosen as the first recommended method due to its effectiveness and ease of use. © 2019 Mattingley Publishing. All rights reserved.