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In recent years, the dust phenomenon has become one of the most important environmental challenges throughout the world, and one of its negative effects is on the agriculture sector. The aim of this research is first to determine dust emission sources in Alborz Province and then to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) for reducing the effects of dust on the agriculture of dust emission sources and their surrounding areas. The Index of Land Susceptibility to Wind Erosion (ILSWE) was used to determine dust emission sources. ILSWE consisted of the combination of 5 effective factors in wind erosion, namely climate erosivity, soil erodibility, soil crust, vegetation cover, and surface roughness. In the next step, according to the produced map of dust emission sources, the affected rural districts were identified, and then using the contingent valuation method (CVM), individuals' WTP for preventing and reducing the negative impacts of the dust phenomenon on the agriculture was calculated by 400 questionnaires. According to the results, the classification map of ILSWE indicated that while classifying the areas in terms of their sensitivity to wind erosion 7.8% of the study area was placed in the very high sensitivity class. This class was considered the center of dust production, which was located chiefly in the southern parts of Alborz Province. Using the CVM method, the expected value rate and the WTP were calculated as 1654231 Rials (approximately $ 5.5). According to the population of the affected area, the total value of protecting the agricultural products against dust phenomenon is 27433766904 Rials ($91445.89) annually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most important cancers worldwide, and if it is diagnosed early, its progression in humans can be prevented and long-term survival will be achieved accordingly. This study aimed to identify novel micro-RNA (miRNA) and gene-based biomarkers for diagnosing BC. The microarray dataset of BC tissues (GSE13507) listed in the GEO database was analyzed for this purpose. The gene expression data from three BC tissues including 165 primary bladder cancer (PBC), 58 normal looking-bladder mucosae surrounding cancer (NBMSC), and 23 recurrent non-muscle invasive tumor tissues (RNIT) were used to reconstruct gene co-expression networks. After preprocessing and normalization, deferentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained and used to construct the weighted gene co-expression network (WGCNA). Gene co-expression modules and low-preserved modules were extracted among BC tissues using network clustering. Next, the experimentally validated mRNA-miRNA interaction information were used to reconstruct three mRNA-miRNA bipartite networks. Reactome pathway database and Gene ontology (GO) was subsequently performed for the extracted genes of three bipartite networks and miRNAs, respectively. To further analyze the data, ten hub miRNAs (miRNAs with the highest degree) were selected in each bipartite network to reconstruct three bipartite subnetworks. Finally, the obtained biomarkers were comprehensively investigated and discussed in authentic studies. The obtained results from our study indicated a group of genes including PPARD, CST4, CSNK1E, PTPN14, ETV6, and ADRM1 as well as novel miRNAs (e.g., miR-16-5p, miR-335-5p, miR-124-3p, and let-7b-5p) which might be potentially associated with BC and could be a potential biomarker. Afterward, three drug-gene interaction networks were reconstructed to explore candidate drugs for the treatment of BC. The hub miRNAs in the mRNA-miRNA bipartite network played a fundamental role in BC progression; however, these findings need further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical catalysts for the air electrode of Zn-air rechargeable batteries were fabricated from nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs), combined with either tri-metallic (Ni–Mn–Co) or tetra-metallic (Zn–Ni–Mn–Co) oxides, through a simple impregnation method into carbon-based, gas diffusion layers (GDL). Metal oxide compositions were selected based on previous results, preliminary electrochemical testing, and statistical design of experiments. Microstructural characterization was done using electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Samples were electrochemically tested and the best candidates were subjected to full cell testing and bifunctional cycling for 200 charge/discharge cycles at 10 mA cm−2. The overall bifunctional efficiency, after cycling, of the best NiMnCoOx/N-CNT and ZnNiMnCoOx/N-CNT catalysts was 53.3% and 56.4%, respectively; both outperformed Pt–Ru/C in both overall bifunctional efficiency (38%) and cycling stability. The maximum power density of one of the tetra-metallic oxides exceeded that of Pt–Ru/C (110 mW cm−2) at 134 mW cm−2. The addition of Zn with Ni–Mn–Co oxide particles showed improved cycling stability and overall bifunctional efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Valence-skipping materials are a good candidate for high Tc and low anisotropy due to their large attractive interaction at the site of valence-skip atom. In the present study, electronic structure of a promising candidate of valence skipping compound SnF3 is calculated. Some electronic and optical properties of SnF3 structure such as density of states, electron density, band structure and dielectric function are calculated based on density functional theory approach. Performed calculations show that the most of the states in SnF3 structure arise from p-orbitals of F atom, and the difference in the density of the states for Sn atoms at different sites causes the valence-skipping property and charge-density wave. Results show that this structure is a semiconductor with an indirect energy band of about 3 eV. Calculated static refractive index for this structure is 1.58. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is an important ectoparasitoid for biological control of several lepidopteran insect pests. The present research evaluated plant-herbivore-parasitoid interactions with H. hebetor and Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller) on five commercial cultivars of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), including Esfahani-Daneghermez and Malase-Danesyah (relatively resistant), Gabri and Tafti (moderately susceptible) and Shahvare-Danesefid (relatively susceptible) under controlled conditions as follows: 30 ± 1 °C, 60 ± 5% RH with a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h. Significant differences were observed in the demographical parameters of H. hebetor on different pomegranate cultivars. The shortest immature development time of parasitoid wasp was detected on Shahvare-Danesefid cultivar, and the longest period was on Malase-Danesyah and Esfahani-Daneghermez cultivars. Fecundity rate was the highest on Tafti and Shahvare-Danesefid cultivars and the lowest on Malase-Danesyah. Furthermore, there were no significant differences among pomegranate cultivars in the gross reproductive rate (GRR) and net reproductive rate (R0) parameters of H. hebetor. The highest value of intrinsic rate of increase (r) was observed on Shahvare-Danesefid (0.249 d−1), and the lowest was on Malase-Danesyah (0.196 d−1). Significant positive or negative relationships were observed between the life history parameters of H. hebetor and the biochemical traits of pomegranate cultivars. Shahvare-Danesefid cultivar was found to be a more appropriate host than other cultivars to develop H. hebetor. These results may provide fundamental data to further understand pomegranate-carob moth-parasitoid wasp relationships. Most importantly, our findings indicated that dynamic variations in the quality of host plant affected the performance and multitrophic communications behavior of H. hebetor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we focus on developing predictive upset models to characterize the nonpersistent effects of large-signal gate-side injection on n-type and p-type metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (mosfets). By “nonpersistent,” we refer to a set of conditions that do not affect the physical characteristics of the device or exhibit any memory effects, i.e., the device will operate normally once the injected large signal stimulus is removed. We present predictive models that determine the maximum limits for large-signal gate-side injection in terms of the device's ION/IOFF ratio prior to degradation or damage to the device. A function based on the mosfet technology device parameters, such as its threshold voltage and its power supply rating, is developed and presented. We then validate our predictive models against experimentally measured data for complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) mosfet devices fabricated using 350, 180, 130, and 65 nm standard Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) CMOS processes. Based on our validated predictive models, we show how the maximum limits for large-signal gate-side injection at 10-MHz change with technology scaling, from ∼9.7 dBm for 350 nm to ∼−1.7 dBm for 65-nm technology nodes for n-type mosfets; and, from ∼11.0 dBm for 350 nm down to ∼1.2 dBm for 65-nm technology nodes for p-type mosfets. We anticipate that our predictive models can be leveraged by CMOS circuit designers and electromagnetic interference/compatibility (EMI/EMC) engineers as quick “rule of thumb” guidelines to estimate device and circuit level susceptibility for the injected large signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of humic acid (as a NOM model) on the adsorption capacity of MWCNT. Methods: Ethyl benzene and toluene were removed from aqueous solution and adsorbed on multi walled carbon nanotubes in batch adsorption experiments at the presence of different concentrations of humic acid. Results: The results showed that the highest adsorption of multi walled carbon nanotubes was 72 mg/g for ethyl benzene and 35 mg/g for toluene in an aqueous solution without humic acid. Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model were the predominant models of adsorption process. Pre-loading of humic acid on MWCNT reduced the adsorption capacity of MWCNT from 14 mg/g to 8 mg/g for toluene and from 25 mg/g to 10 mg/g for ethyl benzene, when the experiments were conducted with MWCNT pre-loaded by humic acid from 0 to 30%. Conclusions: The batch adsorption experiments showed that the presence of dissolved humic acid in the aqueous environment slightly affected the adsorption of ethyl benzene and toluene by MWCNT but, Pre-loading of humic acid on MWCNT could reduce the adsorption capacity of multi walled carbon nanotubes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of increased dose rate of irradiation in arthropods' sterilization for compensating decreased doses was tested focusing on the fecundity, fertility, developmental time and longevity of the carob moth, diamondback moth, rust–red flour beetle, and two–spotted spider mite. Newly emergedadult females were irradiated at 1, 3, and 6Gy doses of gamma irradiation with 215.18, 272.34, 355.71 mGy/min rates and then were mated with unirradiated males. Fecundity and fertility of the experimental arthropods decreased by 42.1–59.5% and 9.8–29.9%, respectively. It was shown promisingly that the sterilization of arthropods could be occurred with very low doses of gamma irradiation if the respective dose rate increases effectively. • Dose rate can compensate low dose of irradiation in Sterile Insect Technique. • Doses of 1–6Gy are not inducing hormesis in the experimental insects. • Fertility of the arthropods decreased 9.8–29.9% of the control treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep apnea is a relatively prevalent breathing disorder characterized by temporary interruptions in airflow during sleep. There are 2 major types of sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when air cannot flow through the upper airway despite efforts to breathe. Central sleep apnea occurs when the brain fails to signal to the muscles to maintain breathing. The standard diagnostic test is polysomnography, which is expensive and time consuming. The aim of this study was to design an automatic diagnostic and classifying algorithm for sleep apneas employing thoracic respiratory effort and oximetric signals. This algorithm was trained and tested applying a database of 54 subjects who had undergone polysomnography. A feature extraction stage was conducted to compute features. An optimal genetic algorithm was applied to select optimal features of these 2 kinds of signals. The classification technique was based on the support vector machine classifier to classify the selected features in 3 classes as healthy, obstructive, and central sleep apnea events. The results show that our automated classification algorithm can diagnose sleep apnea and its types with an average accuracy level of 90.2% (87.5-95.8) in the test set and 90.9% in the validation set with high acceptable accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emitting color for a new organic light emitting diode (OLED) structure is tuned by doping an appropriate amount of 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran (DCM) orange dye into tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3) emissive layer. Here, the blend of Alq3:DCM is deposited in a single furnace crucible by various evaporation rates. The electro-optical behavior of organic light emitting diode devices is greatly influenced by varying the Alq3:DCM film composition. It is investigated that when the deposition rate increased from 0.6 to 5Å/s, complete energy transfer occurred from Alq3 to DCM and Electroluminescence (EL) peak shifted to higher wavelength regions. The device with evaporation rate of 0.6Å/s shows a luminance of 3532cd/m2 and maximum efficiency of 0.82cd/A at 20V. These blends show excellent orange emission host–guest system properties with easier deposition rate control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habrobracon hebetor Say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is an ectoparasitoid that is used for inundative biological control of various lepidopteran insect pests. Lethal and sublethal effects of two biorational insecticides, methoxyfenozide and pyridalyl, were evaluated on H. hebetor under laboratory conditions. The adults were exposed to dry insecticide residues that were applied on glass plates. Bioassays showed that the LC 50 values of methoxyfenozide and pyridalyl were 155 and 1,226 μg a.i./ml, respectively. The LT 50 values of methoxyfenozide and pyridalyl were 2.1 and 3.3 days, respectively. The effects of methoxyfenozide and pyridalyl on larvae were tested using a dip method with field-recommended concentrations of either insecticide. The emergence rates were reduced by 24.4 and 29.3 % for methoxyfenozide and pyridalyl treatments, respectively. In order to assess the sublethal effects of low-lethal concentrations of methoxyfenozide and pyridalyl, adult wasps were exposed to the LC 30 concentration of each insecticide, and demographic parameters of live wasps were recorded. Exposure of adults to low-lethal concentrations (LC 30) negatively affected the fecundity, fertility, and sex ratio, and also the intrinsic rate of increase ( rm), finite rate of increase ( λ), generation time ( T), and doubling time ( DT). The longevity and net reproductive rate ( R0) of H. hebetor were not affected by sublethal exposure to these insecticides. The results showed that despite low acute toxicities of both insecticides on larval and adult stages of H. hebetor, they may negatively affect the population of the parasitoid and interfere in IPM programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold stress is an environmental factor limiting crop productivity and geographical distribution. To determine functional annotation and differential gene expressions of plants under cold stress, 3127, 1188, and 2292 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from low temperature-treated rice, wheat, and barley seedlings, respectively, were analyzed. The ESTs from each library yielded 1995 (rice), 950 (wheat), and 1831 (barley) unigenes. BLASTX revealed 1458 (rice), 703 (wheat), and 1324 (barley) unigenes with important hits in the protein database of Arabidopsis. All the unigenes with significant hits were grouped with MapMan software. In the resulting three functional groups, photosynthesis, nucleotide metabolism, and signaling categories, a significant difference was observed between the transcripts of rice and barley under cold stress. We identified differentially expressed genes from the three plants under cold stress by assembling the ESTs, resulting in 1101 contigs. There were 12 genes identified that had significantly different expressions between the three libraries. Promoter analysis of a 1500-bp sequence upstream of the candidate genes' coding region showed various regulatory elements with different roles. The existence of elements involved in various stresses in the promoter regions of candidate genes confirmed the role of these genes in stress responses. The identified genes could be putative candidates for gene manipulation to improve the cold tolerance of valuable crop plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a predictive model is developed to characterize the impact of high-frequency electromagnetic interference (EMI) on the leakage current of CMOS integrated circuits. It is shown that the frequency dependence can be easily described by a transfer function that depends only on a few dominant parasitic elements. The developed analytical model is successfully compared against measurement data from devices fabricated using 180 nm, 130 nm, and 65 nm standard CMOS processes through TSMC. Based on the predictive model, the impact of EMI on leakage current in a CMOS inverter is reduced by increasing the frequency from 10 MHz to 4 GHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Eucalyptus essential oils have shown promising insecticidal effects on several insect pests. The lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), causes economically significant damage to stored grains as an internal primary insect pest. In this study, the chemical compositions of essential oils isolated from four Eucalyptus species. E. microtheca, E. procera, E. spatulata, and E. torquata were detected and identified using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer, and their lethal and sublethal insecticidal effects were evaluated against the adults of R. dominica. Although all essential oils have significant fumigant toxicity, due to the high relative potency, R. dominica was more susceptible to the E. procera essential oil than the others. The total protein, glycogen, and lipid contents and digestive amylase and protease enzyme activities of the treated insects were reduced. The nutritional indices consumption index, relative consumption rate, and relative growth rate were also reduced in the treated adults. The findings of this study reveal that E. microtheca, E. procera, E. spatulata, and E. torquata essential oils can be potentially used for the development of eco-friendly natural agents for the management of R. dominica. The lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F.), causes damage to stored grains resulting in both quantitative and qualitative losses. The use of synthetic fumigants in the management of stored-product pests resulted in undesirable side effects such as environmental contamination and threat to human and animal health. In this study, the lethal and sublethal effects of essential oils from four Eucalyptus species, E. microtheca, E. procera, E. spatulata, and E. torquata were studied against R. dominica adults. Gas chromatographic–mass spectral analysis of the essential oils was carried out, in which terpenes such as 1,8-cineole and globulol were abundant in essential oils. The pest was susceptible to the fumigation of the essential oils and, considering concentrations and exposure times (24, 48, and 72 h), had significant effects on the pest mortality. The total protein, glycogen, and lipid contents and digestive amylolytic and proteolytic activities of the adults treated with tested essential oils were reduced. The consumption index, relative consumption rate, and relative growth rate were also reduced in the treated adults. According to the insecticidal effects on the adults of R. dominica, the essential oils of E. microtheca, E. procera, E. spatulata, and E. torquata can be candidates for further investigations as grain protectant agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The consequences and high costs of psychiatric disorders impact family caregivers greatly. Health services should identify and provide accessible support programs to facilitate effective caregiver coping. Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a theory-of-planned-behavior-based problem-solving training program on the coping styles of family caregivers of psychiatric inpatients. Methods: In this two-group, randomized control trial, 72 family caregivers were randomly assigned to either a control group receiving standard care or an intervention group receiving a training program (eight sessions over 4 weeks). Demographic information was recorded at baseline, and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations was administered to both groups at baseline, immediately postintervention, and 1-month follow-up. Results: Immediately after the intervention, the intervention group earned significantly higher task-oriented coping style scores (mean difference = 5.03, p =.015) than the control group, but no significant difference was detected between the two groups for either emotion- or avoidance-oriented coping style scores. At 1-month follow-up, the intervention group earned significantly higher scores than the control group for task-oriented (mean difference = 8.56, p <.001) and emotion-oriented (mean difference = 7.14, p =.002) coping styles. No improvement in avoidance-oriented coping style at the postintervention or follow-up time points was detected. Conclusions: Implementation by nurses and other health professionals of problem-solving training programs that are based on the theory of planned behavior is recommended to strengthen the use of task- and emotion-oriented approaches that help family caregivers of psychiatric patients better cope with stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The citrus red mite, Panonychus citri McGregor, is a key pest of different citrus species in various parts of the world. Considering the key role of resistant host plants in integrated pest management strategies, we evaluated the effects of five citrus species including grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), lime (Citrus aurantifolia), tangerine (Citrus reticulata), orange (Citrus sinensis), and sour orange (Citrus aurantium) on life table parameters of P. citri under laboratory conditions (25 ± 1°C, 65 ± 5% RH, 16:8 L:D). In addition, biochemical traits of the citrus plant species were evaluated in order to understand any possible relationship between important life history parameters with biochemical metabolites of citrus plant leaves. Phytochemicals were determined in leaf extract of citrus plant species. Various citrus species had significant effects on life history and demographical parameters of P. citri. The longest pre-adult time was observed on grapefruit (16.52 ± 0.43 days). Higher fecundity rate was on orange (15.05 ± 2.41 eggs) and tangerine (14.60 ± 3.07 eggs) and the lowest was on grapefruit (7.21 ± 2.00 eggs). The highest intrinsic rate of increase (r) was recorded as 0.071 (day−1) on tangerine, and the lowest value of this parameter was obtained on grapefruit (0.016 day−1). Significant correlations were observed between life history parameters with biochemical metabolites (carbohydrate, phenolic compounds, anthocyanin, and flavonoid). The results revealed that grapefruit was a relatively resistant host plant and tangerine was the most suitable host plant for feeding of P. citri. Our findings could be helpful for sustainable management of P. citri in citrus orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A poly l-methionine modified GC electrode was fabricated by electrochemical polymerization of the l-methionine on a glassy carbon electrode. The electrochemical behaviors of uric acid, xanthine and hypoxanthine at the modified electrode were studied by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. The results showed that this modified electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of the uric acid, xanthine and hypoxanthine. Also, electrode was used for simultaneous determination of uric acid, xanthine and hypoxanthine. This modified electrode possesses high sensitivity, and the detection limits as values 0.007, 0.004 and 0.008μM for uric acid, xanthine and hypoxanthine, respectively. Finally, the poly l-methionine modified electrode was successfully employed to detect uric acid, xanthine and hypoxanthine in the serum samples with good selectivity and high sensitivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ethylferrocene, a novel precursor for atomic layer deposition (ALD) of iron oxide, was investigated using an oxygen plasma co-reactant. Iron oxide deposition showed a saturating growth rate of 0.1 Å/cycle in the temperature range of 150 °C to 250 °C. The iron oxide coating was subsequently deposited on a porous gas diffusion layer (GDL) for use as an air electrode in a zinc-air battery. X-ray microanalysis confirmed deep penetration of the iron oxide into the porosity of the GDL, with a lower substrate temperature providing deeper coverage. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that a uniform ~10 nm thick iron oxide coating encased the GDL particles. Electron diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy identified the iron oxide film as α-Fe 2 O 3. Electrochemical characterization of the ALD-coated GDL showcased promising catalytic activity towards the oxygen evolution reaction. [Display omitted] • Ethylferrocene and an oxygen plasma reactant yield iron oxide growth. • Slow growth rate of 0.1 Å/cycle attributed to high stability of ferrocene molecule. • A thin conformal coating is deposited on a porous carbon substrate. • The iron oxide coating improves oxygen evolution reaction catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to identify parameters that govern safety costs in oil and gas projects. An initial conceptual model was proposed to identify the contractual position of safety management system in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects, followed by identification of safety work packages and estimated costs per package. Next, a work breakdown structure (WBS) and cost breakdown structure (CBS), with the suggested safety parameters included for the case study project in focus. Then, a mathematical model was designed based on the parametric modeling approach and the related weighting factors were determined. The proposed model can be considered as an innovative approach to designing safety indicators in oil and gas projects. Field studies and interviews were conducted to investigate the validity of the variables based on the Delphi method. Finally, safety management costs for different phases of the project and related weighting factors were determined separately. The results indicate that the safety management's weighting factors are 1.1% of the total project's weighting factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indianmeal moth, Plodia interpunctella Hübner (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is a major stored product pest that is found throughout the world. In this study, the effect of oral exposure to Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) subsp. kurstaki (Bacillales: Bacillaceae) and azadirachtin was evaluated in third instar P. interpunctella under laboratory conditions. The median lethal concentration (LC50) of Bt and azadirachtin on third instars was 490 and 241 μg a.i./ml, respectively. The median lethal time (LT50) of these insecticides was the same (4.5 d following exposure to 750 or 400 μg a.i./ml of Bt or azadirachtin, respectively). When the larvae fed on diet containing LC30 concentrations of both Bt and azadirachtin an additive interaction in terms of mortality was found. A synergistic interaction was found when the larvae fed on diet containing LC50 concentrations of both insecticides. Larvae that fed on insecticide-containing diet (either Bt or azadirachtin at an LC30 concentration, or both insecticides at LC30 or LC50 concentrations) showed lower glycogen and lipid levels, and generally lower protein content in comparison to control larvae. Larvae that fed on diet containing both Bt and azadirachtin showed reduced weight gain and nutritional indices in comparison to control larvae or larvae fed on the diet containing only one of the insecticides. Finally, exposure to both insecticides, either individually or in combination, reduced the level of digestive enzymes found in the midgut. Our findings indicate that both Bt and azadirachtin, either individually or in combination have significant potential for use in controlling of P. interpunctella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A method for obtaining red emission from organic-light emitting diodes has been developed by dissolving red and green dyes in a common solvent and thermally evaporating the mixture in a single furnace. Devices with fundamental structure of ITO/PEDOT: PSS (55nm)/PVK (90nm)/Alq3: porphyrin (50nm)/Al (180nm) were fabricated. The emission properties and chromaticity coordinates of the devices depend on the energy transfer between the emission of host and the absorption of the dyes. TPP and TPPNO2 doped in Alq3 showed more pure red emission compared to 3,4-TPP, and PdTPP doped in Alq3 based devices. AFM measurement showed that the morphology of the layers depends on the type of dyes and uniform mixing of porphyrin compounds and Alq3 at constant deposition rate. It is shown that this new method is a promising candidate for fabrication of low cost red OLEDs at more homogeneous layer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In recent years humans have endured increasing numbers of natural disasters, of which flooding is the greatest and most common throughout the world. Iran is also exposed to floods, considering the severe damage recently incurred in Golestan province, particularly Gorganroud watershed. Due to the importance of the subject and lack of comprehensive studies on flood risk in the country's watersheds, it is crucial to perform flood risk assessment using appropriate tools, such as Landsat ETM+ imaging and digital elevation model data collections in geographic information system throughout the region. For this purpose, database maps of 6 subwatersheds in Gorganroud watershed were prepared in 5 layers affecting flooding in the region. By overlaying and weighing three layers in GIS software, a layer of flood hazard intensity was obtained. Next, by means of obtained numbers and scoring, the overuse layer priorities were determined. Then, these two flooding layers were overlaid with the help of a two-dimensional matrix, and the final map of flood risk was obtained. Finally, it was found that Chelichay and Sarab Gorganroud, making up to 24.59% of the Gorganroud watershed, are the most risky sub-watersheds. In light of the fact that the data pertaining to Gorganroud watershed have never been entirely used to sort out the risk priorities in the region, the new method presented in this paper can lead to a more accurate and comprehensive understanding about what is really taking place in it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitex agnus-castus L. is a medicinal plant which is used in several dosage forms for women hormonal disorders and standardized according to the iridoids or flavonoids content. Aucubin, an iridoid glycoside, considered as a marker in some formulations. In this research, a thin layer chromatographic method with densitometric detection has been developed for quantitative determination of aucubin in chaste tree fruits. Chromatographic separation was performed using silica gel high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) plates with ethyl acetate-methanol-water 77 : 15 : 8 as mobile phase. Chromatograms were visualized using p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde as reagent. Aucubin RF-value was about 0.5 and spots were scanned at 580 nm through a mercury lamp. By using this method, the amount of aucubin was found 43.5 mg/100 g of dried plant fruits. The method was validated for selectivity, linearity (r² = 0.997, 20-100 µ g/mL), precision (intra-day < 4.9, inter-day < 7.2) and accuracy measured via determination of recovery (95-98%). The limit of detection and limit of quantization were found 6.6 and 20 µ g/mL, respectively. This methodology was found to be precise with respect to the validation parameters. It is simple and convenient and could be applicable to the routine determination of aucubin in different Vitex agnus-castus L. samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]