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Post-traumatic osteoarthritis in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ OA) is associated dysfunctional cellmatrix mediated signalling resulting from changes in the pericellular microenvironment after injury. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 is a critical enzyme in biomineralisation and the progression of OA that can both degrade the extracellular matrix and modify extracellular receptors. This study focused on MMP-13 mediated changes in a transmembrane proteoglycan, Neuron Glial antigen 2 (NG2/CSPG4). NG2/CSPG4 is a receptor for type VI collagen and a known substrate for MMP-13. In healthy articular layer chondrocytes, NG2/CSPG4 is membrane bound but becomes internalised during TMJ OA. The objective of this study was to determine if MMP-13 contributed to the cleavage and internalisation of NG2/CSPG4 during mechanical loading and OA progression. Using preclinical and clinical samples, it was shown that MMP-13 was present in a spatiotemporally consistent pattern with NG2/CSPG4 internalisation during TMJ OA. In vitro, it was illustrated that inhibiting MMP-13 prevented retention of the NG2/CSPG4 ectodomain in the extracellular matrix. Inhibiting MMP-13 promoted the accumulation of membrane-associated NG2/CSPG4 but did not affect the formation of mechanical-loading dependent variant specific fragments of the ectodomain. MMP- 13 mediated cleavage of NG2/CSPG4 is necessary to initiate clathrin-mediated internalisation of the NG2/ CSPG4 intracellular domain following mechanical loading. This mechanically sensitive MMP-13-NG2/CSPG4 axis affected the expression of key mineralisation and OA genes including bone morphogenetic protein 2, and parathyroid hormone-related protein. Together, these findings implicated MMP-13 mediated cleavage of NG2/CSPG4 in the mechanical homeostasis of mandibular condylar cartilage during the progression of degenerative arthropathies such as OA.

Background: Increased Gastric residual volume (GRV) is one of the common problems in ICU. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of cumin extract on gastric residual volume in patients with traumatic episodes hospitalized in ICU. Method: This double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted on 60 patients traumatic hospitalized in ICU. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: cumin (n = 30) and distilled water (n = 30). In the intervention group, 6 grams of cumin extract in 3 divided doses were given 50 drops in 30 cc of urban water at 3 times every 8 hours after. The remaining volume was recorded for up to 4 consecutive days and the data were compared in two groups. (IRCT: 201610297494N24). Results: Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the mean GRV in the cumin group and placebo group (P = 0.63). Comparing the two groups of placebo and placebo, there was no significant difference in the amount of residual stomach in hospitalized patients with ICU on the first day (P = 0.13), but on the second, third and fourth days, this difference was significant between the two groups (p = 0.001).Comparing the two groups of intervention and placebo, the average volume of residual stomach before and during 4 consecutive days after intervention was significant (P = 0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that cumin extract was effective in decreasing residual stomach volume in hospitalized patients with ICU in comparison with placebo.

Background: Disability due to headache in migraine and being chronic of it can lead to sadness and depression. Objective: This study was aimed to determine the effect of lavender aromatherapy on depression and headache disability. Methods: This clinical trial study was conducted on 60 migraine patients referred to Toba Clinic of Sari (Mazandaran, Iran) during 2016-2017. Patients in the experimental group inhaled 2-3 drops of lavender essence for 15 min, three times a week for 4 consecutive weeks. The dose, duration and inhalation method of paraffin (as placebo) in control group were similar to those in the experimental group. Before the intervention, at the end of the second and fourth weeks, the intensity of depression and headache disability were measured by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-13) and Jacobson questionnaire. For analyzing in each group and groups, repeated measure tests and Boneforeni were used. Results: In experimental group, depression (P

Background: One of the most important aspects of research is the evaluation of scientific production, and this is important in traditional medicine due to its specific application in the treatment of diseases today. Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the scientific products of faculty members of Traditional Medicine in Iranian Medical Sciences Universities indexed in Scopus Citation Database between 2005 and 2015. Methods: This study is a descriptive survey with scientometric approach. Required data were extracted from Scopus Citation Database by September 21, 2015 and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: Scientific production of the faculty members of the traditional medicine had a sustained upward trend, Tehran University has been known as the best in production (95 certificates) and the best in citation (369 citations).Iranian Journal of Public Health and Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal have both published the largest scientific publications of the faculty members of traditional medicine in the country (each 16 certificates). Articles of journals (58.4%) and books (15.4%) were the most used sources by traditional faculty members. 8 magazines were selected as the core journals in the field of traditional medicine; the Journal of Ethnopharmacology was the first journal in this field. The maximum rate of citations is related to the references since 2007 to 2015. Conclusion: Access of researchers to core journals in the field of traditional medicine through valid databases, increase the research budgets, apply incentive programs, facilitation for sabbatical leaves, and the provision of research laboratories are some ways to Improve the quality and quantity of scientific production in this field.

In this work, we investigated generating argon cold plasma jet at atmospheric pressure based on dielectric barrier discharge configuration using three electrical power supplies of sinusoidal, pulsed and saw tooth high voltage shapes at 8 KHZ. At first; we describe the electronic circuit features for generating high voltage (HV) wave forms including saw tooth, sinusoidal and pulsed forms. Then, we consider the effect of voltage shape on the electrical breakdown. Relative concentrations of chemical reactive species such as Oxygen, atomic Nitrogen and OH were measured using optical emission spectroscopy. Using a simple numerical model, we showed a HV with less rise time increases electron density, therefore a cold plasma jet can be produced with a minimal consumption electrical power

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Gastric residual volume is considered as an important parameter for gastric emptying and feeding tolerance. This volume is measured before each time of feeding and it has direct effect on the volume and time of the next feeding. Ginger is one of the medicinal plants that have effect on gastric emptying rate. This study aims to compare the effect of erythromycin and ginger extract on gastric residual volume in patients receiving enteral nutrition order in the intensive care unit. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was conducted among 74 patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit. Patients were fed with similar nutrition formula every 3 hours for 24 hours. Before each gavage feeding, the gastric residual volume of patients was aspirated and recorded. The gastric residual volume of 28 patients (more than 200 cc) was allocated to one of the groups of erythromycin (n = 13) and ginger (n = 15). Patients were fed with 2.5 mg/kg erythromycin in 4 divided doses or 2 grams per day ginger extract in 4 divided doses. The gastric residual volume was recorded for 4 consecutive days and the data obtained from the two groups were compared (IRCT: 201505257494N13). FINDINGS: The mean difference of gastric residual volume in erythromycin group was 111.71±7.04 cc before the intervention and 4 days after that, which was not statistically significant. This difference was 108.61±11.47 cc in ginger group. Results demonstrated that mean gastric residual volume in erythromycin and ginger groups were 98.52±27.88 cc and 95.71±18.91 cc, respectively during the first 4 days and there was not a statistically significant difference between these two groups. CONCLUSION: Results of the study demonstrated that the effect of ginger is very similar to erythromycin. Therefore, ginger can be a proper substitute for erythromycin to prevent increased gastric residual volume in patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit.

Electronic transport has been investigated in four-quantum-dot combination coupled to metal electrodes using the non-equilibrium Green’s function method, and curves I-V and conductance (dI/dV) were analyzed for special combination. We have showed that the emergence of negative differential conductivity is due to asymmetric distribution of quantum dots in the central region, existence of non-coupled dots (side quantum dots), and the interference effect. We found that more side quantum dots lead to more negative differential conductance.

The experiment for evaluate the effect of drought and salinity stresses on the morphological behaviours of Afghan redbud seedlings was done in Torogh nursery in Iran country. This study was conducted in a completely randomized design; without stress (tap common water in the nursery- EC 0.8 dS m-1), drought stress (four days a time irrigation) and salt treatment (EC 12.03 dS m-1). During the summer, morphological traits were measured and calculated. Result showed that height seedling after 60th until 70th day significant at the (p

In this paper, construction of triplet atmospheric plasma jet using argon, air, oxygen and nitrogen gases is reported. Bactericidal effect of the plasma jet is also investigated. To that end, longitudinal geometric configuration for the electrodes was chosen because it would increase the jet length. Electrical characteristics, jet length dependencies on the applied voltage and gas flow rate were decided, experimentally. Relative concentrations of chemical reactive species such as ozone, atomic oxygen, NOx compounds and hydroxyl were measured using optical emission spectroscopy. It was seen that atomic oxygen and ozone concentrations with triplet plasma jet are more than the concentration of single plasma jet. Triplet plasma jet was also used for sterilization of solid and liquid surfaces to disinfect gram-negative and gram-positive Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria. The results verified the effectiveness of the triplet plasma jet for killing bacteria.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Viola odorata is an important medicinal plant that used for the treatment of bronchitis, common cold and digestive diseases. Nowadays, due to the spread of bacterial resistance to antibiotics more attention is given to the activity of antimicrobial medicinal plants. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of environment temperature on the antibacterial activity of aqueous extracts of different organs at different stages of viola odorata growth.METHODS: In this experimental-laboratory study, plant after growth in three temperatures (10, 20 and 30 degree) was collected. Extraction was performed by percolation method, and antibacterial activity of extracts was investigated on three bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa with disk-diffusion and macrodilution methods. FINDINGS: Aqueous extract has antibacterial activity on all three bacteria so that has maximum effect on Staphylococcus aureus (concentration of 1µgr/ml) and minimum effect on Pseudomonas aeruginosa (concentration of 8µgr/ml). Evaluation of antibacterial activity of organs showed that cold treatment has more effect than warm and control treatment. With plant growth, antibacterial activity decreases in leaf and root, but in flowering stage it increases in flower organ.CONCLUSION: Results of study showed that water extract of the plant organs in two different temperatures on three bacteria has effective antibacterial activity. So, more effective components can be collected by creating optimal conditions for growth and using specious organs.

"nBackground: Lack of nutritional knowledge is one of the most important reasons of nutritional problems and consequently im­proper practice, which can lead to several complications. This study has been designed in order to compare knowledge, at­ti­tude and practices of the urban and rural households regarding iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in Boushehr, Golestan and Sis­tan & Balouchestan provinces in 2004."nMethods: The sampling method at household's level in each province was the single-stage cluster sampling with equal size clus­ters. The necessary data were gathered with a structured questionnaire and via the interviews between the questioners and the eligible people in each household. Comparison of frequency of variables between urban and rural areas were tested by chi square test."nResults: A total of 2306 households were selected as overall sample size. In urban areas, people recognized iron food sources better than rural areas. Knowledge level of respondents about vulnerable group for IDA and the favorite attitude of house­holds toward IDA were better in urban areas of Sistan & Blouchestan and Golestan provinces. In Sistan & Ba­louchestan and Golestan, rural households who drank tea immediately before or after meal was more than urban ones. The ma­jor­ity of preg­nant and lactating mothers (except for rural areas of Bushehr) did not take iron supplement regularly. Less than 60 percent of children used iron drop regularly."nConclusion: Knowledge, attitude, and practice levels of households toward IDA were not acceptable. One of the best ways of improving nutritional practice is nutritional education with focus on applying available food resources.

Background: Currently, traditional medicine has received much attention. Accumulating evidence in Iranian folk medicine shows Parkinsonia aculeate are used as a folk remedy in scorpion envenomation. Objective: Based on this and search for an alternative treatment in scorpion sting, the pharmacologic and immunologic effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Parkinsonia aculeate leaves were studied in scorpion sting through in vivo and in vitro methods. Results: Obtained results from in vitro pharmacological study using chick biventer cerivicies (CBC) preparation, show that hydroalcoholic extract of plant has a partial agonistic properties on cholinergic receptors and act as competitive antagonist in presence of exogenous acetylcholine. Furthermore, the pharmacologic results revealed extract has not significant effects on neutralization of neuro-muscular transmission outwards due to Buthotus saulcyi scorpion venom effects. These results were confirmed by in vivo study which plant extract has not significant consequences to delay death time mean of one LD50 scorpion venom vein injection or block death of mice. As well, Gel diffusion study shows no immunologic reaction between plant extract and 4 known hazardous scorpion species of Iran. Conclusions: As a consequence, this study indicates that the use of Parkinsonia aculeate not to be considered as protective antidote or a true remedy for clinical outwards following scorpion bites.

Background and Objective: Among all occupation, the highest rate of musculoskeletal injuries especially back pain is seen in nurses. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of back injuries in nursing personnel and to study how individual and occupational characteristics affect it. Methods: Following ethical approval, 1226 nurses were randomly selected from 13 hospitals in Mazandaran province in the north of Iran. Data were gathered by questionnaires included individual and occupational characteristics, prevalence of back pain, probable causes and its effects on nursing activities. Findings: Point, one month, 6 month, one year and lifetime prevalence of LBP (Low back pain) in nurses reported 51.5%, 56.3%, 58.9%, 59.6% and 62%, respectively. Lifting heavy things was the most common cause of back injury (30.4%). Prolonged standing and rest were found to be the significant aggravating and relieving factors, respectively (57.6% and 59.2%). Absence from work because of LBP during the last month was reported 33.7% of the sample. There was a significant correlation between the type of ward and LBP (P

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has emerged over the past decades as a major health problem. The challenge of antibiotic resistance has generally been met in two ways: through the discovery of completely novel antibiotics and by the use of derivatives of known antibiotics frequently prepared by semisynthetic methods to overcome existing resistance mechanisms. An alternative to these two pathways towards new therapies as a response to antimicrobial resistance is the development of inhibitors of resistance mechanisms. In this approach, the antibiotic is co-administered with an inhibitor that neutralizes the resistance mechanism and allows the antibiotic to affect microbial growth, even in resistant organisms. We have screened some plant extracts and essential oils for their nitrofurantoin breaker activity. In our investigation the ethanolic diluted essential oil of the aerial parts of Mentha longifolia were found to have nitrofurantoin resistance breaker activity against numerous nitrofurantoin resistances Entherobacteriaceae. To the best of our knowledge, the Present study is the first finding of antibacterial activity of nitrofurantoin against Enterobacteria resistant to it in the presence of essential oil of Mentha longifolia .

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) is a favored topology in the industry, but its reliability is at risk with an increase in the number of sub-modules (SMs) due to a rise in switching components. The essential need for maintaining capacitor voltage balance in each arm leads to increased complexity and cost, as numerous voltage sensors are required. This study introduces an innovative approach to minimize the number of voltage sensors by employing an enhanced algorithm for open-circuit fault detection in switches. The proposed scheme organizes each arm into groups, each containing two SMs and one voltage sensor, aiming to reduce the overall sensor count. A novel fault detection mechanism is presented, identifying open-circuit faults by comparing group output voltages in healthy and defective conditions. The capacitor voltage estimation algorithm in the sensor reduction scheme is noted for its simplicity compared to other methods. The effectiveness of these methods is validated through simulations and experimental implementations across diverse scenarios, affirming their reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Nurses caring for patients with obesity face difficulties in providing services. The difficulty of care causes inaccurate and incomplete care and sometimes not receiving care, which can lead to many complications for the patient. For this purpose, this study was conducted to explain nurses’ experiences facilitating and impeding factors in providing care to patients with obesity. Participants & Methods In this qualitative conventional content analysis study, 20 nurses and 6 patients with obesity in two large hospitals affiliated with Mashhad University of Medical Sciences were interviewed. The participants were selected by purposeful sampling, and the interviews were conducted in-depth and semi-structured. Data analysis was done using content analysis & MAXQDA software. Findings The facilitating and impeding factors in providing care to patients with obesity in the hospital were divided into four categories; “cooperation versus passivity in the process of selfcare,” “influential level family involvement at the patient’s bedside,” “organizational challenges in care,” and “nurse competence level in care.” Conclusion Organizational changes such as creating collaborative care in difficult situations, considering the patient classification system for patients with obesity, providing large-sized welfare and treatment equipment, increasing the skill level of nurses, and ways to improve interaction with the patient and his family can be practical solutions in providing care to patients with obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among a variety of storage technologies used for energy storage systems, supercapacitors, Pb-Acid Batteries (PABs), and Lithium Batteries (LBs) are widely used for microgrid applications. The supercapacitors with high-power density are suitable for fast power regulations; conversely, the PABs have high-energy density, which makes them suitable for long-term energy management. Since the PABs and supercapacitor can complement each other and overcome mutual defficiencies, their combination as a hybrid energy storage system can be beneficial. However, the LB enjoys both high-energy and high-power densities. Therefore, an LB ESS (LBESS) can similarly function like a Pbacid battery-Supercapacitor Hybrid ESS (PSHESS). However, their topologies, life cycles, and costs are different. This study tends to determine the one which is technically and economically more suitable for applications in islanded microgrids. For this purpose, a frequency control and energy management scheme is proposed. It maintains the balance between demand and supply and also keeps the microgrid frequency within safe operational limits using the least needed sizes for the energy storage systems. Using the simulation results, the sizes and costs of the energy storage systems are determined. For a decade of operation, the PSHESS has incurred almost 49.2% more cost than the LBESS, which makes the LBESS more cost effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research has examined the relationships between coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores and mortality, mechanical ventilation, and intensive care unit admissions. This paper summarizes the predictive value of coronary artery calcification scoring for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in terms of mortality, mechanical ventilation, and intensive care unit admission. Methods: The patients in this single-center retrospective analysis have COVID-19 and were hospitalized at the Firouzabadi hospital in Tehran between 2019 and 2020. coronary artery calcificationscore was estimated based on chest non-contrast CT scans on the day of admission. Based on the coronary artery calcification score, the patients were categorized into Very Low, Mild to Moderate, and Moderate to Severe. After a univariate analysis of the critical factors, odds ratio (OR) analysis and multivariate analysis of variables that could be linked to COVID-19 advancement were carried out. Results: a total of 719 patients were examined. Among them, 414 patients were men. Mortality with a 17.1 % prevalence was statistically significant between CAS score levels (P < 0.001). This factor has high OR with mild to moderate and moderate to severe CAS (OR: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.71 to 3.06, and OR: 2.31; 95% CI: 1.84 to 3.57). Oxygen saturation was a significant statistic between CAS score levels (P = 0.02). This factor has a high OR with mild to moderate and moderate to severe CAS (OR: 1.09; 95% CI: 0.71 to 3.60, and OR: 2.38; 95% CI: 0.89 to 2.9). There was no statistical difference between the groups' outcomes of mechanical ventilation and admission types. Conclusion: In this study, the coronary artery calcification scores of patients with COVID-19 were compared, while the outcomes of interest mortality, mechanical ventilation, and intensive care unitU admission were closely investigated. In light of these findings, coronary artery calcificationscoring can help in patient stratification, enabling earlier therapies for disorders to progress quickly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives With a growing population, there is a need for new agricultural patterns to meet increased food demand together with concerns for reducing environmental impact. There is a concern about land performance when land is used for specific purpose without doing of suitability analysis. Therefore, proper land use planning based on the land evaluation is essential. There are several methods for assessing land suitability, among which Sys et al. (1991) method is most widely used due to the simple and classic models. In many land suitability studies, the uncorrected land index has been used. This has led to many differences in the results of different approaches of land suitability evaluation. The present study was conducted for assessing of accuracy and validity of the corrected indices of land suitability based on the determined relations by Sys et al. (1991) and Bagheri Bodaghabadi (2021). Methodology In this research, the field studies were conducted, then several profiles were drilled and described in Khanouk, Bam and Rabor districts in Kerman province. Land suitability classes were determined by the four methods including 1-simple limitation, 2- number and intensity of limitations, 3- Khidir (square root) and 4- Storrie, using both the corrected land index and the uncorrected land index. The climate and land requirements of olive were determined using Sys tables. To determine the class of land suitability, the indices of land and climate were calculated by simple limitation, number and intensity of limitations and parametric methods (Storrie and Square Root method). In parametric approach, the land index (uncorrected land index) is calculated using Khidir and Storrie methods as shown in equations 1and 2, respectively. Then numerical simulation was employed to assess the obtained results from the Sys et al. (1991) and Bagheri Bodaghabadi (2021) functions and compared them together. For this purpose, one million random values were created for each of the S1 to N2 classes; so that the minimum rating (Rmin) was a random number for each class in own defined range and the other seven characteristics were random numbers between Rmin and 100. Finally, a total of two million random simulations were created. Findings Climate evaluation of the studied areas showed that Khanouk as a more suitable climate for olive irrigation cultivation in the current climate. The climatic suitability class was obtained S1 for Khanouk and S2 for Bam and Rabor. The results showed that using the corrected land indices, the results of the four employed methods are much closer, especially for the Storrie and Khidir methods. Altogether, the simple limitation method was more consistent with the Khidir method. On the other hand, the employed methods differed greatly when the uncorrected land indices were used. Totally, the results of the uncorrected land indices may be largely inaccurate and misleading, and may show unrealistic results. The relationship between land suitability index for the two numerical methods Storrie and Khidir shows that the value of R² has increased from 0.94 for the uncorrected index to 0.995 for the corrected index. Also, the relationship between land suitability index for the two numerical methods Storrie and Khidir based on the corrected index presented by Bagheri Bodaghabadi (2021) shows that the value of R² has increased from 0.995 for Sys relations to 0.998 for Bagheri Bodaghabadi relations. Conclusion According to the research, Khanouk area has a more suitable conditions for olive cultivation in comparison with Bam and Robor. According to the findings of the current study, it is very important and necessary using the corrected land index to determine the land suitability class. The study showed, there is no significant difference between Storrie and Khidir methods based on the corrected land index, while there significantly was a difference between the Khidir and Storrie methods using the uncorrected land index. In general, the results of the Khidir method are closer to the simple limitation method compared to Storrie. The results of the present study showed that using the modified index based on Sys et al. (1991) and Bagheri Bodaghabadi (2021) relations, the difference between the results of different methods is reduced, so that in most cases, the results of Storrie and Khidir methods are close to each other. Therefore, it is recommended that the corrected indices of land suitability presented by Sys et al. (1991) and also Bagheri Bodaghabadi (2021) may be useful to use in the future studies of land suitability for obtaining the more reliable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-dimensional materials are promising candidates for gas-sensing applications due to their unique properties as well as binary compounds. Here, the properties of MoO3:TeO2 thin films, and 2H-MoTe2 gas sensing for CO2 detection are reported. For this purpose, MoO3:TeO2 thin films are deposited with three different molar concentrations using the spray pyrolysis method. The structural properties, morphology, energy gap, as well as CO2 gas sensing of MoO3:TeO2 thin films are studied before and after annealing at T = 773 K. The XRD results showed that after annealing at T = 773 K, an important two-dimensional phase of Hexagonal or 2H-MoTe2 is formed in the molar concentration of MoO3:TeO2 (3:1). FE-SEM images showed that the thin films are agglutinate structures before annealing the morphology, but are nanoplates for MoO3:TeO2 (3:1). Also, after annealing at T = 773 K and gas leaving the surface of the thin film, the morphology of the thin films is polygonal. UV–Vis spectroscopy showed that the energy gap of the thin films varies in the range of 2.30–2.77 eV. The results of electrochemical CO2 sensing showed that the sheet resistance (Rs) of all thin films before and after annealing at T = 773 K, under the CO2 target gas, changes linearly, and the gradient of the curves increased after annealing. These changes are significant after annealing for the molar percentage of MoO3:TeO2 (3:1) due to the formation of the 2H-MoTe2 two-dimensional phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficacy of a commercial additive containing carvacrol, anethole, limonene, and fructo)oligosaccharides on heat stress (HS) abatement in lactating dairy cows was evaluated. Control pen (n=92, DIM=91±53.1 d, average milk yield=37.0 kg) without feed additive (control) and phytogenic supplemented pen (n=112, DIM=122±46.8 d, average milk yield=36.1 kg) (PS) were fed a basal total mixed ration, while PS group received 15 g of additive into 2 equal parts top-dressed daily for 5 wks. Feed intake, milk production, rectal temperature, respiratory rate, fecal score, number of cows on feed bunk, and blood biochemistry were determined. The inclusion of PS increased feed intake (P<0.05) though it did not alter milk production. While the fecal score improved, the respiratory rate and concentration of thyroxine decreased decreased in PS-supplemented cows. Feeding PS increased the number of cows on bunk feed at 0330 and 0730. Overall, supplementation of PS helped alleviate some negative effects of HS though production performance was not affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-velocity impact response of sandwich structures with aluminum face sheets and neat or nano-reinforced polypropylene core was studied. A strain-rate dependent micromechanics model (SRDM) was presented in the literature for predicting the dynamic behavior of nano-reinforced polymers. In the present study, the dynamic behavior of nano-reinforced polypropylene was simulated based on SRDM results. The finite element model was validated against the experimental results. It was shown that the results of the simulation performed by the SRDM model were in very good agreement with the experimental data. Then, the proposed finite element model was used for checking the sensitivity of the impact performance of nano-reinforced sandwich structures to the material and geometrical variations. A special sandwich structure with a core of 1 mm thickness and a face thickness of 1 mm was considered as the base structure. Different material and geometrical variations including doubling the thickness of the core or face sheets, a different weight ratio of graphene, and increasing material parameters of the face sheets up to 90%, were undertaken on the base structure. The results of the present study imply that the optimal amount of graphene should not exceed 0.5 wt.% to improve impact properties. The impact response of nano-reinforced sandwich structures was more sensitive to the variations of the face thickness in comparison to the variations of the core thickness. Moreover, the impact outputs were more sensitive to changes in the yield stress of faces compared to changes in Young's modulus of faces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum speed limit and entanglement of a two-spin Heisenberg XYZ system in an inhomogeneous external magnetic field are investigated. The physical system studied is the excess electron spin in two adjacent quantum dots. The influences of magnetic field inhomogeneity as well as spin–orbit coupling are studied. Moreover, the spin interaction with surrounding magnetic environment is investigated as a non-Markovian process. The spin–orbit interaction provides two important features: the formation of entanglement when two qubits are initially in a separated state and the degradation and rebirth of the entanglement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]