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The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique was used to study the effect of the geometrical parameters on the intensification of hydrodynamic parameters and Carbon dioxide (C O 2) absorption efficiency by Mono-Ethanol-Amine (MEA) solution in a novel Arc-blade Rotating Packed Bed reactor (Arc-RPB). The VOF multiphase approach and RNG k - ε turbulent model were used to study the multiphase and turbulent behavior of the flow field in the computational domain, respectively. The effects of liquid flow rate, the bed wire mesh diameter, and number of the mesh layers were studied on the liquid holdup (α L) , gas-liquid interfacial area (A int) and liquid dispersion index (I d). Considering the Arc-RPB bed wire mesh diameter from 0.2 mm to 1.6 mm showed that α L , A int and I d decrease 20%, 29% and 11%, respectively. By examining the effect of the bed layers enhancement, the liquid holdup α L decreased by about 36% but, A int and I d reached a maximum value at 16 bed layers. Finally, with study the effect of the bed geometrical parameters on C O 2 absorption efficiency, results showed the efficiency reduces about 7.5% with increase in the bed mesh diameter and shows a maximum at 16 bed layers. [Display omitted] • Study of geometrical parameters effects on the hydrodynamic characteristics of a novel Arc-RPB by CFD simulation. • High effect of bed wire mesh and bed layer number in intensification of absorption efficiency of C O 2 by MEA solution. • Dependence of absorption efficiency to the liquid dispersion index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the design, performance and characterization of a low temperature argon plasma jet with a Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge (SDBD)-like structure are presented. Based on this structure, the argon plasma jet is generated in a SDBD-like structure with a mixed electric field. SDBD-like structure, refers to the plasma jet generated by the surface dielectric barrier discharge. The effects of high frequency electric pulse as the main igniter for plasma jet generation and low frequency sinusoidal electric field in order to modify the dynamic behavior of plasma jet are investigated in this paper. The effect of these variations on the plasma jet along with the decrease in pulse repetition frequency were recorded by Schlieren imaging method. This study revealed the important role of decreasing the pulse repetition frequency in the mixed electric field in the SDBD-like plasma jet structure. Increasing the cross-sectional area of the plasma colliding with the target surface is the most important advantage of this structure for the generation of plasma jets. Also, the trend of decreasing plasma column continuity with increasing pulse repetition frequency is another result of this study. Under these conditions, the diameter of the cross section of the plasma jet increases to 9 mm without increasing the consumption of more electrical power and with equal jet length. Finally, the surface hydrophilicity was measured after treatment by plasma jet and the operation resulted in a super-hydrophilic surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a new structure of applying two electrical power supplies to generate ionic wind. In this configuration, two power supplies were applied simultaneously with a modulated voltage to an electrohydrodynamic (EHD) system then corona discharge parameters and EHD thrust characterization was investigated by a corona dryer mechanism. The EHD thrust experiments were performed with a pin to plate and SDBD arrangements. The results show that with the simultaneous application of two power supplies the drying rate in a drop of water as a standard sample was greatly enhanced and the drying time was reduced. Thus, the total evaporation was occurred in 1 minute in the SDBD structure with a power of 7 watts and in 1.5 minutes in pin to plate structure with a power of 2.5 watts. Eventually, it was observed that the use of mixed electric fields enhances the ionic wind, hence increases the non-thermal evaporation process significantly. Furthermore, the drying rate has grown notably In SDBD configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the dynamics and flow behaviour of an atmospheric argon plasma jet was studied in the new nozzle structure similar to the surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) using the Schlieren imaging method. The effect of plasma jet driven by repetitive high‐voltage microsecond pulses with low‐frequency sinusoidal bias was measured qualitatively in a single mirror Schlieren optical system. The enhancement of plasma jet length and cross‐section of plasma jet with surface in this condition is due to highly turbulent flow of argon plasma jet in this structure. This study revealed the important role of SDBD structure and modulated electric field on the behaviour of plasma jet in a high diameter nozzle. In practice, this technique allows us to increase the jet length of the nozzle output to 5 cm and under these conditions, the diameter of the plasma jet cross‐section is increased to 8 mm, without increasing the electrical power consumption. Eventually, the hydrophilicity of the surface is also measured by the contact angle of a water droplet that decreases from 78° to 8° after surface treatment, implying we were able to reach a super‐hydrophilic surface with this plasma jet structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a 1.2-mm diameter high fill-factor array of 1261 piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) operating at 18.6 MHz in fluid for intravascular ultrasound imaging. At 1061 transducers/ \mathrmmm^2 , the PMUT array has a 10–20 times higher density than previous PMUT arrays realized to date. Aluminum nitride (AlN)-based PMUTs described in this paper are fabricated using a process compatible with the fabrication of inertial sensors, radio frequency (RF) resonators, and CMOS integrated circuits. The PMUTs are released using a front-side sacrificial etch through etching holes that are subsequently sealed by a thin layer of parylene. Finite element method and analytical results, including resonant frequency, pressure sensitivity, output acoustic pressure, and directivity are given to guide the PMUT design effectively, and are shown to match well with measurement results. Due to the PMUTs thin membrane (750-nm AlN/800-nm SiO2) and small diameter, a single 25- $\mu $ m PMUT has approximately omnidirectional directivity and no near-field zone with irregular pressure pattern. PMUTs are characterized in both the frequency and time domains. Measurement results show a large displacement response of 2.5 nm/V at resonance and good frequency matching in air, high center frequency of 18.6 MHz and wide bandwidth of 4.9 MHz, when immersed in fluid. Phased array simulations based on measured PMUT parameters show a tightly focused high-output pressure acoustic beam. [2014-0114] [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the present study, the Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase approach was implemented to simulate the hydrotreating processes (hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and hydrodearomatization (HDA)) in the trickle bed reactor (TBR) by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique. A new gas-liquid interphase heat transfer coefficient was used in the CFD model to predict the reactor performance at non-isothermal conditions. The effects of feed inlet temperature, gas and liquid velocities, operational pressure and hydrogen sulfide concentration of the gas phase were investigated to calculate the reactions conversions and the bed temperature distribution. Also, the influence of bed porosity and adiabatic operational conditions on the reactor temperature and HDS reaction conversion was discussed. The results showed at adiabatic reactor, HDS reaction conversion increased about 9% compared to constant wall temperature condition. Furthermore, it was found that neglecting the gas-liquid interphase heat transfer effect in the CFD model increases the average relative error between numerical and the experimental data at prediction of HDS conversion about 5% and also affects the bed temperature pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, two different models (micro-scale and meso-scale) were developed to investigate the heat transfer between the gas and liquid phases in the trickle flow regime of a packed bed reactor. In the micro-scale model, a simplified description of bed geometry, known as the double-slit model, was implemented to study the effects of different operating parameters, in terms of gas and liquid Reynolds, Prandtl and Eötvös numbers, on the interfacial Nusselt number. In the meso-scale model, the Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) approach was used to simulate trilobe, cylindrical and spherical catalyst shapes and accurately predict the effects of interface morphology and bed geometry on interfacial heat transfer. To validate the implemented methods, a simple packed bed reactor with spherical catalysts was developed to experimentally investigate the interfacial heat transfer of co-current, downward gas–liquid film flows. The results obtained from CFD simulations and experimental data were in agreement and accurately predicted bed reactor temperature profiles with a mean relative error of 2.15%. In both the micro- and meso-scale models, an increase in the Reynolds and Prandtl numbers increased the interfacial Nusselt number; whereas, an increase in dimensionless groups of the liquid phase or the Eötvös number caused the opposite effect. Finally, a new correlation was proposed that evaluated the gas–liquid Nusselt number in the trickle flow regime with a standard deviation of 7.19% compared to results acquired using the micro-scale model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the development of millimeter scale 3D hemispherical shell resonators fabricated from the polycrystalline diamond, a material with low thermoelastic damping and very high stiffness. These hemispherical wineglass resonators with 1.1 mm diameter are fabricated through a combination of micro-electro discharge machining (EDM) and silicon micromachining techniques. Using piezoelectric and electrostatic excitation and optical vibration measurement, the elliptical wineglass vibration mode is determined to be at 18.321 kHz, with the two degenerate wineglass modes having a relative frequency mismatch of 0.03%. A study on the effect of the size and misalignment of the anchor and resonator's radius variation on both the average frequency and frequency mismatch of the 2θ elliptical vibration modes is carried out. It is shown that the absolute frequency of a wineglass resonator will increase with the anchor size. It is also demonstrated that the fourth harmonic of radius variation is linearly related to the frequency mismatch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents the design and experimental verification of a new class of piezoelectric aluminum nitride (AlN) resonator with checker-patterned electrode architecture for mass sensing applications. The mass sensitivity of the developed sensor is analytically derived and confirmed with FEM simulations and experimental results. The results show that a 773MHz resonator has mass sensitivity of 175.42μm2/ng and detection limit of 18.7ng/cm2. The developed sensor has an obtained mass sensitivity of 2–3 times higher than that of state-of-the-art mass sensors and provides high potential for developed piezoelectric transducers for mass sensing applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new high performance mass sensor is designed and fabricated. The mass sensor is a single-crystal silicon squared resonator with dielectric filled capacitive excitation mechanism. The resonators were fabricated using the silicon-on-insulator MEMS process. In order to study the mass sensitivity of the fabricated resonator, a polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) is used to coat on the resonator surface. The resonator has the resonance frequency of 34.81MHz, mass sensitivity of 105.4μm2/ng. Experimental measurements of the mass sensitivities agree with theoretical predictions. The new developed mass sensor shows a high potential to be used in gas sensing and bio detection applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract- Squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) of the eye conjunctiva is a rare tumor. Its link with immune impairment suggests that infectious agents such as human papillomavirus (HPV) may be involved in the etiology of SCC. We conducted a case--control study on 50 SCC cases (mean age: 65.2) and 50 age frequency-matched control patients with lesion-free, normal conjunctival biopsies (mean age: 63.8) obtained from the cancer registry archive at Pathology Department of Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, where SCC has become the most common conjunctival malignancy. MY/GP nested PCR was performed for HPV detection and E6/E7 consensus primers in combination of type specific primers were used in another nested PCR series for HPV typing. HPV DNA was detected in 46 of 50 samples of squamous cell carcinoma and none of the normal biopsies by nested PCR using primer sets of the HPV consensus L1 region (MY/GP). Subsequently, specimens from the 46 positive cases were subjected to specific PCR. Although 630bp amplicon was produced in 44 of 46 samples (E6/E7 primers), none of the specific HPV PCR reactions for HPV DNA type 16, 18, 31 or 33 resulted in the detection of HPV DNA in the 44 SCC specimens of the conjunctiva. Current results confirm the role of HPV in the etiology of conjunctival SCC. The absence of HPV 16, 18, 31 and 33 in conjunctival SCC in this study raise doubts about the role of genital types of HPV in conjunctival carcinomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There were adverse effects on RBC, WBC, AST, ALT and LDH. • Serum levels of FSH, LH and testosterone were lower in rams held in closer proximity and/or on the downwind side of the smelter. • Expression of HSD17B3 and CYP11A1 genes decreased in the proximity of smelter. Detrimental effects of heavy metals on animals and humans are of considerable concern. This research describes the long-term effects of exposure of male sheep to emissions from a copper smelter. Blood parameters and reproductive hormones were measured in male Kermani sheep reared around a copper smelter in KhatoonAbad, Kerman province, Iran. Representative blood samples were collected from randomly-selected rams (3–4 years old) at 4 geographical directions (south, north, east and west) and 4 distances (approximately 10, 20, 30 and 40 km) from the smelter. Hematological and biochemical parameters including WBC, HCT, HGB, AST, ALT, ALP and LDH were higher (P < 0.05) in flocks located at 10 km south from the smelter and lower at 40 km west; indicating liver and kidney damage in the sheep reared at shorter distances to the smelter. The relative expressions of HSD17B3 and CYP11A1 mRNA levels in the testis were lower at 10 km and highest at 40 km distance. Expression levels of HSD17B3 and CYP11A1 in the west direction were 11.3 and 11.1 percent higher than in the south direction. The lowest concentration of FSH, LH and T, were observed at 10 km south, an indication of deranged hypothalamic- hypophyseal- testicular function in these sheep. At 10 km distance, FSH concentration was 70 percent lower, and at 10 km south, T and LH levels were 92 and 83 percent lower than the highest values obtained at 40 km west. It was concluded that long-term exposure to heavy metals around this smelter may reduce the general health and normal reproductive function in male sheep, and probably other living species. However, more detailed studies in the region are warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Development of a novel design of RPB with Arc-blades (Arc-RPB) to absorb C O 2 by MEA solution. • High effect of Arc-RPB in intensification of absorption efficiency. • Development of a correlation to predict gas-phase volumetric mass transfer coefficient in the Arc-RPB. In this research, a new design of high-gravity (HiGee) Arc-blade Rotating Packed Bed (Arc-RPB) was introduced to study the Arc-RPB effect on carbon dioxide (C O 2) absorption efficiency with Mono-Ethanol-Amine (MEA) aqueous solution. The effect of packing rotational speed, gas to liquid inlet flow ratios, MEA and C O 2 concentrations were studied on absorption efficiency of the Arc-RPB. Experimental results showed that an increase in the rotational speed of Arc-RPB from 300 rpm to 900 rpm enhances C O 2 absorption efficiency about 9% and 3% for 1 M and 2 M MEA solution, respectively. Also, experiments indicated that an increase in the gas to liquid flow ratio decreases C O 2 absorption efficiency about 5% at different MEA solution concentrations. With the study of C O 2 inlet concentration from 5000 ppm to 20,000 ppm, it was found that absorption efficiency enhances about 10% in the Arc-RPB. Experimental work showed that by enhancing MEA solution concentration from 0.5 M to 1 M, absorption efficiency increases about 23%, but an increase in MEA solution concentration from 1 M to 2 M enhances efficiency less than 3%. Also, based on experimental data and genetic algorithm (GA) optimization method, a correlation was proposed to predict gas-phase volumetric mass transfer coefficient (k G a) in the Arc-RPB. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose : The current study was undertaken to determine the frequency of specific primary conjunctival neoplastic lesions in a patient population treated at an ocular service over a 15-year period. Materials and Methods : We analyzed the data of all primary cases of conjunctival neoplasia diagnosed from 1990 to 2004 in the pathology department of Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Results : Of 3,242 conjunctival specimens, 447 were identified as primary conjunctival neoplasms. The patient group comprised 270 (60.4%) males and 177 (39.6%) females, with an age range of 1 to 90 years. The mean age was 38 years and the median was 32 years. The most common primary conjunctival neoplastic lesion was nevus (38.7%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma, (25.1%), papilloma (7.8%), dysplasia (5.6%), and hemangioma (5.1%), respectively. Of 447 lesions, 261 (58.4%) were benign, 134 (30%) were malignant, and 52 (11.6%) were precancerous. Conclusion : As in previously published studies, benign lesions were the most frequent, but the percent of malignant lesions was much higher than that described in other reports. The high percentage of squamous cell carcinoma that we observed can likely be attributed to elevated sun exposure and ultraviolet light in Iran. The characterization of precancerous lesions in this study emphasizes their potential to transform into malignant lesions and the need for sufficient early management and follow up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an appropriate model for the study of the immunologic and pathologic mechanisms in multiple sclerosis (MS). According to the hygiene hypothesis, helminths can improve immunoregulation and have therapeutic effects on immune‐mediated diseases. In this study, we used Dicrocoelium dendriticum (Dicrocoeliidae, Platyhelminthes) eggs for the evaluation of their prophylactic and treatment effects on EAE disease. D. dendriticum eggs were extracted. Female C57BL/6 mice were immunized with the specific antigen MOG35−55, and then the egg extracts were utilized for prophylaxis and/or treatment. Clinical symptoms and other relevant parameters were assessed daily. The mRNA expression of transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β), interleukin‐10 (IL‐10), IL‐6, IL‐23 and IL‐17 were assessed with a real‐time polymerase chain reaction technique. Furthermore, secretion of TGF‐β and IL‐17 cytokines were determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Data indicated that clinical symptoms in prophylaxis and treatment groups were decreased significantly in comparison with the untreated control group (p <.001). Our results showed a significant decrease in IL‐17, as well as an increase in TGF‐β cytokine in the treatment group compared to the EAE control group (p <.01). Furthermore, in the prophylaxis and treatment groups, the mRNA expression of disease‐associated cytokines decreased and the mRNA expression of the anti‐inflammatory cytokines increased. In this study, the D. dendriticum egg ameliorates the clinical symptoms of the EAE model through the modulation of related cytokines of Th17 and Treg cells. Therefore, using this parasite egg could be a new treatment for MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A high performance and cost effective biosensor is designed based on a radial contour-mode disk resonator. Filling a dielectric material within the capacitive gap, we can achieve low motional resistance (Rx ) in a cost-effective manner. The motional resistance of the new device is characterized analytically and validated using 3D-multiphysics simulation. Compared with other biosensors, the introduced biosensor may detect the smaller mass changes with mass sensitivity of −74.68μm2/ng (−1617Hz/ng). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ocimum basilicum has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of O. basilicum extract on growth yield, safety, and marinating physiologic functions of the rainbow trout. The fish were fed with food rations containing 0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% of basil extract. Basil extract, especially at 1% concentration food ration, significantly increased the growth parameters compared with the control group (p < 0.05). The biochemical parameters of hepatic function, renal function, glucose, triglyceride, and cholesterol level were significantly reduced in the treatment groups compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Feeding with basil extract led to a significant increase in Ig, lysozyme, and respiratory burst assay, with the most prominent elevation at 2% concentration food ration. The mucosal antibacterial activity was improved. The mortality rate after exposure to Yersinia ruckeri was lower in the treatment groups compared with the control group. The results of the present study suggest that adding 2% basil extract to the food rations of the fish may improve their physiologic function and growth yield and reinforce their immune system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New therapeutic approaches can significantly impact the control of colorectal cancer (CRC), which is increasing worldwide. In this study, we investigated the potential of targeting viral proteins to combat cancer cells. Specifically, we examined the anticancer potential of the matrix (M) protein of the mumps virus Hoshino strain in SW480 CRC cell lines. To begin, we individually transfected SW480 cells with pcDNA3 plasmids containing the mumps virus M gene. We then investigated the percentage of cell death, caspase activity, and the expression levels of genes involved in apoptosis pathways. Following this, we performed bioinformatics analysis on the M protein to identify any similarities with Bcl-2 family members and their viral homologs. Our diagnostic methods showed that treatment with the mumps M protein induced apoptosis and upregulated the expression and activity of pro-apoptotic proteins in SW480 CRC cells compared to the control and vector groups. Based on our bioinformatics studies, we proposed that the BH3 motif in the M protein may trigger apoptosis in CRC cells by interacting with cellular Bax. Overall, our study showed for the first time that the mumps virus M protein could be considered as a targeted treatment for CRC by inducing apoptotic pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viscous dissipation is the production of heat due to the slip of fluid layers and can raise the temperature of the fluid that is affected by high shear stresses. This raise of temperature in fluids with explosive properties can cause the explosion during the processing. The present paper investigates the temperature distribution of an explosive fluid beside the wall of a converging tube. This study has been done by using the computational fluid dynamics and OpenFOAM software. The studied cases contain the fluid with two viscosities (50 and 500 kg/m × s) and two inlet conditions (constant and developed velocity profile). The results of this study show that at the end of a converging pipe, duo to the viscous dissipation effects, the temperature rise for high viscosity fluid is more intensive and this is a dangerous fact for high viscosity explosive fluids discharging. Also, it has been considered that the constant inlet velocity is safer in comparison with the developed profile, as the slope of temperature rise is less. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Hemispherical wineglass resonators fabricated from the microcrystalline diamond" that was published in the 2013 issue is presented.

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an endemic infection in the Middle East, including Iran that is also spreading to new foci. We aimed to determine the leishmaniasis species causing CL in Alborz province. Methods: Overall, out of 55-suspected CL patients referred to health centers in Alborz Province, north central Iran in 2019, 40 patients had positive smear for CL based on optical microscopy. The internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) was amplified by PCR. Leishmania species were identified by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) using BshF I (Hae III) enzyme. Results: Out of the 40 positive patients with CL, 34 cases (85%) had been caused by Leishmania (L) major and six (15%) by L. tropica. Fifteen patients had no history of traveling to the disease endemic areas, of which nine were Iranians. Skin lesions and scars caused by CL were mostly observed on the hands and face. Moreover, more than two skin lesions were observed in 22 cases (55%), all of which were infected with L. major. A single skin ulcer was seen in 18 (45%) of the CL patients. Conclusion: Climate change, reduced rainfall, and demographic changes such as migration into Alborz Province and the increasing marginalization of the population and their entry to settle in new areas might have caused natural transmission of both L. tropica and L. major in this province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin-film microcrystalline diamond micromechanical resonators with mechanical quality factor limited by thermoelastic dissipation in the diamond film are demonstrated. Surface micromachined double ended tuning fork resonators were fabricated from in-situ boron doped microcrystalline diamond films deposited using hot filament chemical vapor deposition. Time-domain thermoreflectance measurements show thermal conductivity of 110 W m-1 K-1 for heat transport through the thickness of the diamond film. Measurement of the quality factor of resonators spanning a frequency range 0.5-10 MHz shows a maximum Q = 81 646 and demonstrates good agreement with quality factor limited by thermoelastic dissipation using 100 W m-1 K-1 for the in-plane thermal conductivity of the diamond film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high performance and cost effective biosensor is designed using a radial contour-mode disk resonator (RCDR). This sensor measures tiny biological mass attached on a disk vibrating at a high frequency, producing high quality of output signal. A series of analysis and simulation models is developed to predict the mass sensitivity, dynamic stability, and motional resistance of the RCDR biosensor with given geometry and signal input. In order to decrease motional resistance while keeping the fabrication cost low, a layer of dielectric material is deposited within the capacitor gap. In designing the RCDR biosensors, we employ Type I, II, and III robust design approach to design a device that is insensitive to various types of uncertainty associated with the fabrication processes and analysis models. A mathematical construct, error margin index, is employed for this robust design. Traditional optimization and robust design approaches are separately formulated, solved, and compared. From the design results, we observe that the RCDR is a promising bio-sensing device compared to the existing ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate high quality-factor 1.5 mm diameter batch-fabricated microcrystalline diamond cylindrical resonators (CR) with quality-factors limited by thermoelastic damping (TED) and surface loss. Resonators were fabricated 2.6 and 5.3 µm thick in-situ boron-doped microcrystalline diamond films deposited using hot filament chemical vapor deposition. The quality-factor (Q) of as-fabricated CR's was found to increase with the resonator diameter and diamond thickness. Annealing the CRs at 700 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere led to a three-fold increase in Q, a result we attribute to thinning of the diamond layer via reaction with residual O2 in the annealing furnace. Post-anneal Q exceeding 0.5 million (528 000) was measured at the 19 kHz elliptical wineglass modes, producing a ring-down time of 8.9 s. A model for Q versus diamond thickness and resonance frequency is developed including the effects of TED and surface loss. Measured quality factors are shown to agree with the predictions of this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports an investigation into the various dissipation mechanisms that can affect polycrystalline diamond micromechanical resonators. Double-ended tuning fork and cantilever resonators were fabricated from 1–5- \mu \textm thick microcrystalline diamond films. It is shown that the quality factor of the low frequency (<500 kHz) resonators is limited by surface loss, whereas the thermoelastic damping limits the quality factor of the higher frequency resonators. In resonators where surface loss is the dominant effect, the dependence of quality factor on resonator thickness is demonstrated. The addition of a lossy surface layer of Al2O3 deposited via atomic layer deposition is shown to degrade quality factor, and an experiment that further demonstrates the effect of surface dissipation and results in a reduction in quality factor that scales with the thickness of the Al2O3 layer. Heat treatment of cantilever resonators in N2 for various times up to 660 min is used to modify the resonator surface and is shown to result in a threefold increase in quality factor up to 365 000 at 26.6 kHz. [2015-0094] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy associated disorder chacterized by hyper-tension and proteinuria. The first 2 stages of PE cause dysfunction in uteroplacental perfusion and oxidative stress while the third stage of PE is due to the release of inflammatory and angiogenic factors, which could lead to maternal endothelial damage and systemic inflammatory response. In this study, we compared the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-15 (IL-15), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in PE and normotensive women. Materials and Methods: Serum samples of 84 pregnant women (44 PE and 40 normotensive) were evaluated for TNF-α, IL-15 and IL-10 by sandwich ELISA assay. Results: The women with PE showed significantly higher serum levels of TNF-αand IL-15 (P = 0.001 and 0.01 respectively) in comparison with normotensive pregnant women. Conversely, the serum levels of IL-10 in normotensive women were significantly higher compared to PE patients (P = 0.01). Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that inflammatory T helper 1-type responses are increased in PE women compared to normotensive pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inverted Follicular Keratosis (IFK) a benign tumor of skin appendages which is mostly presented as a solitary nodule with keratotic or scaling surface on the face of a middle aged or old patients but it can develop in other parts of the body. Different studies have lead to development of different theories about the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in this kind of skin tumor. The purpose of this study is to determine the probable role of HPV in this lesion. In a cross-sectional study, we selected all the samples with the diagnosis of IFK referred to pathology department of Farabi Eye Hospital, from April 1995 to April 2006. All these samples were evaluated for histopathologic changes specific for HPV. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed using antibody against HPV common antigen. The age range of the patients was 37 to 78 years (Mean=53). 18 patients (58%) were males and 13 patients (42%) were females. The lesion can develop in deferent areas of eyelid. Histopathologic changes regarding viral infection such as focal parakeratosis (80.6%), acanthosis (80.6%), papillomatosis (64.5%), hypergranulosis (67.7%), large keratohyaline granules (32.2%) and koilocytosis (16.1%) were evident within the lesions but HPV detection by IHC revealed positive result in any of the samples. The results about age, sex, anatomic site of the lesion and IHC staining were consistent with previous studies which consider no role for HPV in development of IFK lesions. Performing a more sensitive test such as PCR in order to strongly reject the role of HPV is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research was conducted to examine the effect of Artemisia dracunculus (AD) extract on growth performance, haemato‐immunological, biochemical parameters, and mucosal immunity in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The fish were fed with a diet supplemented with 0 (control), 1%, 2% and 3% AD for 8 weeks. The findings indicated that in all groups fed AD, especially at the 2% level, the growth parameters and survival rate significantly increased compared with the control group. Blood biochemical parameters, creatinine, glucose, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and triglyceride were decreased significantly in AD‐treated groups. Total serum protein (TSP) levels, lysozyme (LYZ) and respiratory burst activities (RBA) were increased in the fish fed with AD. TSP levels, ALP and protease (PA) activities in the mucus were significantly increased following fish fed with AD. Increased in the total immunoglobulins (Ig) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were observed in the fish fed with 3% AD. Fish fed with 2% AD showed the highest levels of alternative complement (ACH50) significantly. In addition, the mucus bactericidal activity was significantly increased in some treatments fed AD diet against Lactococcus garvieae and Aeromonas hydrophila. After infection with Yersinia ruckeri, there was a reduction in the mortality rate in the AD‐fed groups compared with the control group. Thus, it can be concluded that diets supplemented with AD can significantly impact diverse physiological parameters in fish, improving their growth performance, blood biochemical parameters and immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This study aimed at investigating the impact of Dicrocoelium ova on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) treatment in C57BL6 mice. Methods and Results: Twenty‐eight C57BL/6 mice were assigned into four groups as PBS, prophylaxis (P), treatment1 (T1) and treatment2 (T2). Prior to induction of EAE in prophylaxis group and on days 7 and 18 in T1 and T2 groups, respectively, Dicrocoelium eggs were injected intraperitoneally to each mouse. The clinical score, weight changes and incidence time of EAE were recorded. IFN‐γ and IL‐4 expression is quantified on spleen cells. Also, histopathological study by (H&E) and Toluidine‐Blue (TB), and Luxol Fast Blue (LFB) were performed. The data were analysed using SPSS version 21. Mean disease scores were significantly lower in P and T1 groups than the PBS group (P =.01). IFN‐γ was lower in P and T1 groups than the PBS group. The highest level of IL‐4 was observed in T1 group. The total number of neuroglia cells of corpus callosum was similar in all groups, but the density increased in T1 group compared to the PBS group (P =.03). Conclusions: Dicrocoelium eggs have a great potential to stimulate immunomodulation towards treatment of EAE during the initial phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common and highly malignant neoplasm, ranking as the fourth most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Recently, non-human oncolytic viruses such as Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) are considered as a potent candidate in the viral therapy of cancer. In the current study, the apoptotic effects of matrix (M) protein of PPRV was investigated on SW480 CRC cells. The M gene was cloned into the pcDNA™3.1/Hygro(+) expression vector and transfected into the cancer cells. The cytotoxic effects of the M protein on SW480 cells were confirmed using MTT assay. Furthermore, flow cytometry results showed that the M protein induces apoptosis in 91 % of CRC cells. Interestingly, the expression of the M gene in SW480 cells led to the up-regulation of genes including Bax , p53 , and Caspase-9 , as well as an increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. By using bioinformatics modeling, we hypothesized that the M protein could interact with Bax factor through its BH3-like motif and could further activate the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Ultimately, this study provided the first evidence of the pro-apoptotic activity of PPRV M protein indicating its possible development as a promising novel anti-cancer agent. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nanopaper was prepared using ground cellulose nanofibers (GC) from canola straw and bacterial cellulose nanofibers (BC). The characteristics of GC and BC nanopapers were investigated and compared. Micropaper was also prepared from as-bleached cellulose microfibers of canola straw, used as a control sample to evaluate the effect of grinding on the properties of cellulose nanofibers and nanopaper. The average diameters for the microfiber, GC and BC were 26μm, 32nm and 45nm, respectively. Micropaper had crystallinity and crystallite size of 69% and 5.5nm, respectively. As the result of grinding, the crystallinity and crystallite size of GC nanopaper dropped to 62% and 5.1nm, respectively. BC nanopaper showed the highest values, with 80% and 6.2nm, respectively. GC nanopaper had a lower onset temperature (270°C) and thermal stability than that of both micropaper (275°C) and BC nanopaper (320°C). Micropaper was permeable to air while GC and BC nanopapers showed very high barrier property. Grinding had a drastic positive effect on mechanical properties: the tensile strength and Young''s modulus of GC nanopaper increased 11 times on average over those of micropaper, reaching 114MPa and 13.6GPa, respectively. BC nanopaper had the highest tensile strength and Young''s modulus, with 185MPa and 17.3GPa, respectively. GC and BC nanopapers are regarded as highly tough, fully bio-based, fully biodegradable and multi-performance materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Introducing a new framework for a TVPP in different energy markets. • Examining the abilities of local heat markets in improving a TVPP's performance. • Proposing the model in a multi-carrier energy environment. • Extracting the optimization model as a bi-level problem. Distributed energy resources (DERs) play an important role in the future vision of distribution energy networks. This paper with the aim of promoting DERs role in energy markets proposes a new framework for the optimal bidding strategy of a Technical Virtual Power Plant (TVPP) in different markets. In the proposed framework, it is assumed that the TVPP energy power is distributed throughout a multi-carrier energy network (MCEN) which consists of district heat networks (DHNs) and a distributed electricity network (DEN). In the MCEN, CHP units are the linkage between DHNs and DEN. With the goal of maximizing the profit of TVPP in different local and wholesale energy markets, a bi-level optimization model is formularized to set scheduling of DERs. As the upper level, the TVPP sets the schedule of its DERs considering technical constraints of DHNs and DENs. In the lower level, however, the TVPP runs an optimization problem to estimate the energy price in wholesale energy markets considering the forecasted bids of other rivals. The proposed model is implemented on a test system and the results confirms that the local market creates an opportunity for CHP owner, TVPP and the heat consumers to make more profit as well as achieving better technical performance for distribution energy systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]