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In this study, aluminium alloy 1050 strips were bonded together using the electrically assisted roll bonding process (EARB) at electric current levels from 0 A up to 300 A. The effect of electric current level and plastic strain as the two main EARB parameters have been investigated on bonding strength by using the peel test. Results showed that by increasing the electric current level and reduction in thickness, stronger bonding strength can be obtained. Scanning electron microscopy was utilized to characterize the peeled surfaces of samples versus different thickness reduction ratios and electric current levels. Decreasing the forming strength of strips and increasing the bond strength of bonded strips about three times due to Joule heating effect in the EARB process was achieved. Moreover, by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the peeled surfaces of samples after the peel test have been studied to investigate the bonding quality.

In this paper, optimal coordination of the demand side under uncertainty of the energy price in energy market is studied. The consumers by demand response programs (DRPs) have optimal role in minimization of the energy generation costs in multiple energy system. The consumers can participate via local generation strategy (LGS) and demand curtailment strategy (DCS). The optimal coordination is considered as two stage optimization, in which minimization of the consumers’ bills is done in first stage. In following, the minimization of the generation costs is performed in second stage optimization. The LGS is taken into accounted through optimal discharging of plug electric vehicles (PEVs). Finally, numerical simulation is implemented to show superiority of the proposed approach to minimization of the energy generation costs.

The development of portable and efficient nanoprobes to realize the quantitative/qualitative onsite determination of food pollutants is of immense importance for safeguarding human health and food safety. With the advent of the smartphone, the digital imaging property causes it to be an ideal diagnostic substrate to point-of-care analysis probes. Besides, merging the versatility of carbon dots nanostructures and bioreceptor abilities has opened an innovative assortment of construction blocks to design advanced nanoprobes or improving those existing ones. On this ground, massive endeavors have been made to combine mobile phones with smart nanomaterials to produce portable (bio)sensors in a reliable, low cost, rapid, and even facile-to-implement area with inadequate resources. Herein, this work outlines the latest advancement of carbon dots nanostructures on smartphone for onsite detecting of agri-food pollutants. Particularly, we afford a summary of numerous approaches applied for target molecule diagnosis (pesticides, mycotoxins, pathogens, antibiotics, and metal ions), for instance microscopic imaging, fluorescence, colorimetric, and electrochemical techniques. Authors tried to list those scaffolds that are well-recognized in complex media or those using novel constructions/techniques. Lastly, we also point out some challenges and appealing prospects related to the enhancement of high-efficiency smartphone based carbon dots systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a multi objective optimization approach is studied for optimal energy scheduling of the smart autonomous electrical grid with participation of active consumers (ACs) and hydrogen storage system (HSS). The objective functions consist of: 1) minimizing the costs and 2) maximizing reliability. The ACs participation are modelled through demand reduction approach based on offer price to peak demand management. The proposed optimization is solved by epsilon-constraint method and LINMAP decision making strategy. The 21-node test system is employed to analyse the efficiency of the proposed approach at two case studies. The obtained results shown the high effectiveness of smart autonomous electrical grid with participation of ACs and HSS to supply the demand.

In today's world, Parkinson's disease (PD) has been introduced as a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system which mainly affects approximately more than ten million people worldwide. The vast majority of diagnostic methods for PD have operated based on conventional sensing platforms, while the traditional laboratory tests are not efficient for diagnosis of PD in the early stage due to symptoms of this common neurodegenerative syndrome starting slowly. The advent of the aptasensor has revolutionized the early-stage diagnosis of PD by measuring related biomarkers due to the myriad advantages of originating from aptamers which can be able to sensitive and selective capture various types of related biomarkers. The progress of numerous sensing platforms and methodologies in terms of biosensors based on aptamer application for PD diagnosis has revealed promising results. In this review, we present the latest developments in myriad types of aptasensors for the determination of related PD biomarkers. Working strategies, advantages and limitations of these sensing approaches are also mentioned, followed by prospects and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the utilisation of density functional theory (DFT) to examine unmodified and amino acid-functionalised C4B32 borospherenes as potential carriers for drug transport. The recent and significant finding of borospherenes, which are composed of a cluster of four carbon atoms fused into a B364- structure (referred to as C4B32), has provided a valuable opportunity to explore the potential capabilities of unmodified and alanine-modified C4B32 clusters as efficient vehicles for medicinal substances. The main objective of this study was to utilise Density Functional Theory (DFT) to examine the interaction between unmodified and alanine-linked borospherenes and the medicinal substance Lamivudine (LV). The investigation results revealed that the incorporation of amino acids had a pivotal role in facilitating the distribution of bio-drugs, leading to an improvement in the binding capacity of the C4B32 cluster with the drug. In this study, the dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT) approach proposed by Grimme examined long-range interactions. The calculations were performed utilising the B3LYP functional, implemented with the 6–31 + G(d) basis set in the GAMMES software. The electronic spectra of the drug@cluster complexes were analyzed using UV-Vis calculations, revealing a noticeable shift towards longer wavelengths, commonly called redshift. The results above highlight the significant potential of alanine-modified C4B32 borospherenes in drug delivery applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Results of studies on the effects of plant and animal proteins on lipid profile are controversial. So we aimed to assess the relationship between plant and animal protein intake with lipid profile and novel anthropometric indices in healthy individuals. Method: In this cross-sectional study, 236 participants have selected from Shiraz medical centers (Iran) through random cluster sampling. Food intakes were assessed using a 168-items food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) were measured. Anthropometric indices including a body shape index (ABSI), abdominal volume index (AVI), buddy roundness index (BRI), and conicity index (CI) were calculated. Results: In the crude and fully adjusted models, more consumption of plant proteins was associated with TG levels (OR = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.08, 4.95; P = 0.03 and OR = 2.39; 95% CI: 1.03, 5.15; P = 0.04). Also, there was a significant direct association between plant proteins and BRI in the curd model (OR = 3.55; 95% CI: 1.32, 9.54; P = 0.01), and after adjusting for age and energy intake (OR = 3.32; 95% CI: 1.21, 9.14; P = 0.01). More consumption of plant proteins was related to higher CI in the crude model (OR = 3.06; 95% CI: 1.12, 8.31; P = 0.03), but not in the fully adjusted model. Conclusion: We found that a higher intake of plant proteins was associated with a higher TG level, BRI, and CI index. However, more research is needed to confirm these relations and provide the evidence needed to exert these findings into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfonamides are widely used in the treatment of many diseases due to their biological and pharmacological activities. In this paper, we prepared Cu(II) complex immobilized on the surface of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles functionalized with 2-Pyridine Benzoimidazole ligand [MNPs@PBI-CuBr2] and its catalytic activity in the synthesis of N-aryl sulfonamides containing benzoxazole scaffolds through one-pot three-component reaction of 2-aminobenzoazoles, sulfonyl chloride and aryl iodides under ecofriendly conditions. The structure of the as-prepared MNPs@PBI-CuBr2 nanomaterial was well characterized by a number of spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR, SEM, EDX, TEM, XRD, TGA, VSM, MAP, XPS and ICP-OES. The MNPs@PBI-CuBr2 nanocatalyst was simply separated by magnetic separation and reused for seven times with constant activity. The TEM, XRD pattern and ICP-OES spectroscopy of catalyst after recycling were studied and the results were similar to before of utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein we introduce a novel and reusable nanomagnetic copper catalyst (Fe3O4@SiO2-Imine/Thio-Cu(II)) constructed by immobilizing copper (II) complex on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles functionalized with Imine/Thio group. The structure of the as-constructed Fe3O4@SiO2-Imine/Thio-Cu(II) nanomaterial was well analyzed by a number of spectroscopic techniques including: FT-IR, SEM, TEM, EDX, XRD, VSM, AAS and ICP-OES. Experimental studies have well revealed that Fe3O4@SiO2-Imine/Thio-Cu(II) nanomaterial is an ecofriendly and efficient nanocatalyst for synthesis of 2,4,6-triaryl pyridines (82%–98%) via a C-N bond cleavage of benzylamines under aerobic oxidations in PEG at 120 °C. The grafting of the copper catalyst to the surface of magnetic nanoparticles has increased the catalytic activity of the material and also simplified catalyst recovery from the reaction mixture by an external magnet. The Fe3O4@SiO2-Imine/Thio-Cu(II) nanocatalyst was readily recovered by simple magnetic decantation and can be reused seven cycles without considerable loss in catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]