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Employing the unified first law of thermodynamics and the field equations of the generalized Rastall theory, we get the generalized Misner-Sharp mass of space-times for which [g.sub.tt] = [-g.sup.rr] = --f(r). The obtained result differs from those of the Einstein and Rastall theories. Moreover, using the first law of thermodynamics, the obtained generalized Misner-Sharp mass, and the field equations, the entropy of static spherically symmetric horizons are also addressed in the framework of the generalized Rastall theory. In addition, by generalizing the study to a flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) universe, the apparent horizon entropy is also calculated. Considering the effects of applying the Newtonian limit to the field equations on the coupling coefficients of the generalized Rastall theory, our study indicates (i) the obtained entropy-area relation is the same as that of the Rastall theory, and (ii) the Bekenstein entropy is recovered when the generalized Rastall theory reduces to the Einstein theory. The validity of the second law of thermodynamics is also investigated in the flat FRW universe. Key words: Misner-Sharp mass, FRW universe, static spherically symmetric, entropy, thermodynamic laws. Resume: En combinant l'utilisation de la premiere loi de la thermodynamique avec les equations de champ de la theorie de Rastall generalisee, nous obtenons la masse de Misner-Sharp generalisee d'espaces-temps pour lesquels [g.sub.tt] = [- g.sup.rr] = f(r). Ce resultat differe de ceux obtenus des theories d'Einstein et de Rastall. Par la suite, utilisant la premiere loi de la thermodynamique, la masse de Misner-Sharp generalisee et les equations de champ, nous evaluons l'entropie des horizons statiques et spheriquement symetriques dans le cadre de la theorie generalisee de Rastall. De plus, en generalisant l'etude a un univers << Friedmann-Robertson-Walker >> (FRW) plat, nous calculons l'entropie de l'horizon apparent. En considerant les effets de l'application de la limite newtonienne aux equations de champ sur les coefficients de couplage de la theorie generalisee de Rastall, notre etude montre que (i) la relation entropie-surface est la meme que celle de la theorie de Rastall generalisee et (ii) nous retrouvons l'entropie de Bekenstein lorsque la theorie generalisee de Rastall se reduit a la theorie d'Einstein. Nous etudions aussi la validite de la seconde loi de la thermodynamique dans un univers FRW plat. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: masse de Misner-Sharp, univers FRW, statique et spheriquement symetrique, entropie, lois de la thermodynamique., 1. Introduction Based on curvature-matter non-minimal coupling theories, the ordinary energy-momentum conservation law is not valid [1-3], a hypothesis included in the Rastall theory [4]. In this framework, energy can [...]

Cotton is a major oil and fiber crop in many countries around the globe. The primary constraint in cotton cultivation is water scarcity. Thus, the adoption of economical and best management practices (BMP) are needed to improve productivity on a sustainable irrigation basis. We investigated the economic and agronomic benefits of sustainable irrigation [(control and partial rhizosphere drying (PRD)] and BMP (no-mulched, black plastic, wheat straw, and cotton stick) treatments, to find a combination of strategies towards a higher yield and economic return. Our findings revealed that PRD irrigation significantly increased cotton yield by 35%, improved water use efficiency (WUE) by 21%, and enhanced the economic returns of cotton production. Maximum expenditure was found in control irrigation treatment with wheat straw mulch. The control treatment, which involved full irrigation with cotton and wheat straw mulch, exhibited the highest recorded benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 2.09:1. Conversely, the treatment that utilized PRD without the application of mulch material demonstrated the lowest BCR of 1.05:1. Maximum net field benefit (174514 Rs/ha) was recorded in a combination of control irrigation with wheat straw mulch. Among the PRD treatments, the maximum net field benefit was recorded in PRD with wheat straw mulch (89179 Rs/ha) followed by PRD with black plastic mulch (72236 Rs/ha), and minimum (84085 Rs/ha) net field benefit was recorded in PRD with cotton sticks mulch. The results showed that the combination of sustainable irrigation with BMP is a reliable strategy to increase WUE and economic gains to meet sustainable development goals in the era of global warming, climate change, and water crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Wingsuit is a Skydiving Jumpsuit that generates more lift for longer flights. This study examined the effects of side slip angles on a beginner wingsuit at 106 Reynolds number. Experimental tests were determined by using the length of the model scale at angles of attack ranging from 0° to 40° and sideslip angles of up to 20°. Force and moment coefficients were analyzed using variations in angles of attack and sideslip. Despite the absence of significant effects of sideslip angles on the lift and drag coefficients, side force and rolling/yawing moments were highly nonlinear. Flow structure visualization and numerical simulation show that surface stalls only occur on the lower side when slip angles are lower. In individual aviation sports, wingsuits are more advantageous when they have less sideslip. With Tuft visualization on the wingsuit model, the best aerodynamic coefficient under different flight conditions was determined by comparing the Response Surface Methodology performance under different flight conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. The ERBB4 gene, a member of the tyrosine kinase family, has been identified as both a tumor suppressor and an oncogene in breast cancer. In this study, the association between rs1972820G>A polymorphism of ERBB4 gene and the risk of breast cancer in northwestern Iran was investigated. METHODS: This case-control study was performed on 89 women with breast cancer and 98 healthy women with no family history of cancer. Clinical characteristics of patients included age (less than, greater than or equal to 49 years and unknown), involved side (right, left, both and unknown), type of tumor (ILC, IDC, other types and unknown), tumor grade (I, II or III), tumor size (T1, T2, T3 and unknown) and lymph node involvement (N0, N1, N2, N3 and unknown). Single nucleotide polymorphisms were examined by TETRA-ARMS-PCR technique. FINDINGS: The genotypic distribution of sick and healthy individuals was 66% and 56% for AA genotype, 9% and 6% for GG genotype and 25% and 38% for AG genotype, respectively. The frequency of Allele A was 147 and 140 and the frequency of G Allele was 49 and 38 in patients and controls, respectively (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study showed that there is no significant relationship between genotypic and allelic distribution of rs1972820 polymorphism of ERBB4 gene with increased risk of breast cancer and clinical features of patients in northwestern Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents analysis and optimization of turbine bade cooling systems. Since the temperature of combustion gases is very high sometimes reaching 2400 K, the turbine blade cannot sustain the resulting thermal stress. Moreover, for higher efficiency for advanced gas turbines, increase of inlet temperature is needed. Common blade cooling methods are film cooling, convection cooling, impingement cooling and combined cooling. In this paper, a numerical solution of the thermal and flow fields in film cooling technique on the AGTB expand symmetrical turbine blade was obtained and the results were validated with experimental data. Then the turbine blade geometry was changed and two combined cooling (impingement/convection cooing and impingement/film cooling) techniques were evaluated. The low Reynolds number k-ε turbulence model (AKN) was used for the turbulent flow simulations at various blowing ratios for two blade thicknesses. Comparisons of the results between the available experimental and numerical data showed that the AKN model is capable of predicting the turbulent flow and heat transfer in turbine blade cooling. Combined techniques (impingement/convection cooling and impingement/film cooling) were also carried out and more cooling effectiveness and uniform temperature distribution were found than film cooling method only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae, as an important human pathogen, is a leading cause of serious infections (e.g., sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis). Nasopharyngeal colonization is often the first step in the development of pneumococcal infections. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of S. pneumoniae serotypes in the nasopharynx of students in Kashan and its related risk factors. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1289 students in Kashan from November 2011 to December 2012. Demographic and clinical data were collected from patients using a questionnaire. Samples were cultured on a selective media. Moreover, S. pneumoniae strains were identified using gram staining, detecting alpha hemolysis, catalase, optochin susceptibility and bile solubility tests. Results: One-hundred eighty one out of 1289 (14%) students were carriers for nasopharyngeal S. pneumoniae. There was a significant correlation between sex, age, previous respiratory infections, asthma, runny nose and previous hospitalization with an increased rate of the pneumococcal carriers. Conclusion: According to the high prevalence of pneumococcal carriers and a significant correlation between increased rates of colonization and sex, age, previous respiratory infections, asthma, runny nose and previous hospitalization, applying preventive strategies such as student vaccination seems to be necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neisseria meningitidis (N. meningitidis) is a pathogen which colonizes in the nasopharynx without any clinical manifestations. Among the 13 different serological groups, only the serogroups A, B, C, W135, Y, X play a major role in disease development. This study aimed to determine N. meningitidis cases carrying these serological groups using the multiplex PCR method in the nasopharynx of students in Kashan schools. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 1289 students in Kashan during 2011-2012. Samples were collected from the students' nasopharynx using a sterile swab and cultured on a selective medium. Strains were identified through biochemical tests. Then the serological groups were determined using the multiplex PCR method. Results: One-hundred and fifteen (8.9%) out of 1289 students were N. meningitidis carriers; 75 (65.2%) male and 40 (34.8%) female. There was a significant difference between gender and the rate of carriers (P=0.032). The highest rate of carriers (12.3%) was in the 15 to 19 year age group. There was a significant relationship between the rate of carriers and increase in the number of family members (P<0.001). In this study, only the serological groups B (8 cases) and C (107 cases) were detected. Conclusion: Since the serological group C is involved in the outbreak and there is no vaccine currently available for the serological group B to prevent the infection, detection of these serological groups can be important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Channel optimized multiple description (MD) vector quantization with symbol-based turbo codes are proposed, where the decoder exploits both nonuniformity of descriptions and their dependencies. The joint source channel coding strategy is devised by setting an entropy constraint for quantizer design, which together with the MD index assignment (IA), control the level of redundancy at the MD source coder output. This is in turn exploited by the source and channel decoders for robust transmission in presence of noise and packet loss. At the source coder, the IA is designed for an M-description vector quantizer using an efficient simulated annealing algorithm. Various numerical results and comparisons are provided to investigate the effect of different system and design parameters on the performance. The results specifically indicate improved performance in comparison to the prior art, and also in multiple input multiple output communications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A mathematical time-dependent and isothermal model based on the grain model has been developed to simulate the kinetic and thermal behaviors of a porous iron oxide pellet undergoing chemical reactions with a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water vapor. Its novelty consists in fact that it can deal with a multi-species reducing gas and oxide pellet. In spite of previous models in which the pure reductant was applied as reducing gas, this model can indicate an actual view of pellet reduction including the effects of reducing gas utility and reducing gas ratio. A finite volume fully implicit technique was applied for solving the governing equations. The model has been validated by comparing with experimental results from the literature. Finally, the effects of reducing gas parameters including gas ratio, gas utility, temperature, and pellet characteristics such as diameter, porosity and tortuosity factor on the rate of reduction have been investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to assess global experience on agricultural water management under different scenarios. The results showed that trend of permanent crops to cultivated area, human development index (HDI), irrigation water requirement, and percent of total cultivated area drained is increasing and trend of rural population to total population, total economically active population in agriculture to total economically active population, value added to gross domestic production (GDP) by agriculture, and the difference between national rainfall index (NRI) and irrigation water requirement is decreasing. The estimating of area equipped for irrigation in 2035 and 2060 were studied acc. to the three scenarios: I - the values of the main indices would be changed by the same slope of the past half of century, II and III - the slopes would be decreased by 30% and 50% respectively. The minimum and maximum values of pressure on renewable water resources by irrigation, are related to the third and first scenarios by 2035 (6.1%) and 2060 (9.2%), respectively.

This study compares the impacts of different factors on agricultural water management in the Americas in the last 50 years. The number of 18 indexes (as the main and sub-main indexes) was selected to assess agricul- tural water management based on their importance and other indexes were not studied due to lack of adequate data. Changes in the main indexes in 2011 showed that concurrent values across regions varied according to the nature of the indexes and conditions of the countries. In the next step, the value of area equipped for irrigation/ cultivated area (10th index) was estimated using the other main indexes. As a result, a list of strengths and weakness for agricultural water management in the Americas in the last 50 years was created. However, The only way to meet sustainable development is to learn from past expe- riences for the improvement of agricultural water man- agement. The desirability of condition for agricultural water management is difficult for Central America (except Belize, which presents a fair status) and it is less than 40% for Greater Antilles (with the exception of Dominican Republic 55%). Guyana is the best country for agricultural water management because its desirability of condition (72%) is more than all the countries in Americas.

Oxidative stress plays an important role in the occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases. Previous studies indicate a strong connection between oxidative stress, inappropriate activation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway, and the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Although antioxidant therapy is a valid strategy to alleviate these problems, the most important limitation of this approach is the ineffectiveness of drug administration due to the limited permeability of the BBB. Therefore, BBB-penetrating p38 MAPK modulators with proper antioxidant capacity could be useful in preventing/reducing the complications of neurodegenerative disorders. The current manuscript aims to review the therapeutic capabilities of some recently reviewed naturally occurring p38 MAPK inhibitors in the management of neurodegenerative problems such as Alzheimer's disease. In data collection, we tried to use more recent studies published in high-quality journals indexed in databases Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and so on, but no specific time frame was considered due to the nature of the study. Our evaluations indicate that natural compounds tanshinones, protoberberines, pinocembrin, osthole, rhynchophylline, oxymatrine, schisandrin, piperine, paeonol, ferulic acid, 6-gingerol, obovatol, and trolox have significant potential for use as supplements/adjuvants in the reduction of neurodegenerative-related problems. Our findings emphasize the usefulness of BBB-penetrating phytochemicals with p38 MAPK modulatory activity as potential therapeutic options against neurodegenerative disorders. Of course, the proper use of these compounds depends on considering their toxicity/safety profile and pharmacokinetic characteristics as well as the clinical conditions of users., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) are attractive drug targets for cancer immunotherapy. After disappointing results of the epacadostat as a selective IDO inhibitor in phase III clinical trials, there is much interest in the development of the TDO selective inhibitors. In the current study, several data analysis methods and machine learning approaches including logistic regression, Random Forest, XGBoost and Support Vector Machines were used to model a data set of compounds retrieved from ChEMBL. Models based on the Morgan fingerprints revealed notable fragments for the selective inhibition of the IDO, TDO or both. Multiple fragment docking was performed to find the best set of bound fragments and their orientation in the space for efficient linking. Linking the fragments and optimization of the final molecules were accomplished by means of an artificial intelligence generative framework. Finally, selectivity of the optimized molecules was assessed and the top 4 lead molecules were filtered through PAINS, Brenk and NIH filters. Results indicated that phenyloxalamide, fluoroquinoline, and 3-bromo-4-fluroaniline confer selectivity towards the IDO inhibition. Correspondingly, 1-benzyl-1H-naphtho[2,3-d][1,2,3]triazole-4,9-dione was found to be an integral fragment for the selective inhibition of the TDO by constituting a coordination bond with the Fe atom of heme. In addition, furo[2,3-c]pyridine-2,3-diamine was found as a common fragment for inhibition of the both targets and can be used in the design of the dual target inhibitors of the IDO and TDO. The new fragments introduced here can be a useful building blocks for incorporation into the selective TDO or dual IDO/TDO inhibitors., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that they have no potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Chromium (Cr) toxicity hampers ornamental crops' growth and post-harvest quality, especially in cut flower plants. Nano-enabled approaches have been developing with phenomenal potential towards improving floricultural crop production under heavy metal-stressed conditions. The current pot experiment aims to explore the ameliorative impact of silicon nanoparticles (Si-NPs; 10 mM) and indole butyric acid (IBA; 20 mM) against Cr stress (0.8 mM) in Freesia refracta . The results showed that Cr stress significantly reduced morphological traits, decreased roots-stems biomass, abridged chlorophyll (14.7%) and carotenoid contents (27.2%), limited gas exchange attributes (intercellular CO 2 concentration ( Ci ) 24.8%, stomatal conductance ( gs ) 19.3% and photosynthetic rate ( A ) 28.8%), condensed proline (39.2%) and total protein (40%) contents and reduced vase life (15.3%) of freesia plants by increasing oxidative stress. Contrarily, antioxidant enzyme activities, MDA and H 2 O 2 levels, and Cr concentrations in plant parts were remarkably enhanced in Cr-stressed plants than in the control. However, foliar supplementation of Si-NPs + IBA (combined form) to Cr-stressed plants increased defense mechanism and tolerance as revealed by improved vegetative and reproductive traits, increased biomass, photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll 30.3%, carotenoid 57.2%) and gaseous exchange attributes ( Ci 33.3%, gs 25.6%, A 31.1%), proline (54.5%), total protein (55.1%), and vase life (34.9%) of metal contaminated plants. Similarly, the improvement in the activities of peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase was recorded by 30.8%, 52.4%, and 60.8%, respectively, compared with Cr-stressed plants. Meanwhile, MDA (54.3%), H 2 O 2 (32.7%) contents, and Cr levels in roots (43.3), in stems (44%), in leaves (52.8%), and in flowers (78.5%), were remarkably reduced due to combine application of Si-NPs + IBA as compared with Cr-stressed nontreated freesia plants. Thus, the hypothesis that the synergistic application of Si-NPs + IBA will be an effective approach in ameliorating Cr stress is authenticated from the results of this experiment. Furthermore, the study will be significant since it will demonstrate how Si-NPs and IBA can work synergistically to combat Cr toxicity, and even when added separately, they can improve growth characteristics both under stressed and un-stressed conditions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Ahsan, Radicetti, Jamal, Ali, Sajid, Manan, Bakhsh, Naeem, Khan and Valipour.)

During the last two decades, many p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38α MAPK) inhibitors have been developed and tested in preclinical/clinical studies for the treatment of various disorders, especially problems with the origin of inflammation. Previous studies strongly suggest the involvement of the p38α MAPK pathway in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. Despite the significant progress made in this field, so far no studies have focused on p38α MAPK inhibitors that have the capability to be used for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. In the present review, we evaluated a wide range of well-known p38α MAPK inhibitors (more than 140 small molecules) by measuring key physicochemical parameters to identify those capable of successfully crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB). As a result, we identify about 50 naturally occurring and synthetic p38α MAPK inhibitors with high potential to cross the BBB, which can be further explored in the future for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. In addition, a detailed analysis of the previously released X-ray crystal structure of the inhibitors in the active site of the p38α MAPK enzyme revealed that some residues such as Met109 play a critical role in the occurrence of effective interactions by constructing strong H-bonds. This study can encourage scientists to focus more on the design, production, and biological evaluation of new central nervous system (CNS)-active p38α MAPK inhibitors in the future., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Drought stress (DS) is a significant abiotic stress that limits agricultural productivity worldwide. In semi-arid climates, one potential solution to alleviate the deleterious effects of drought is the use of soil amendments such as nanoparticles. The current research was conducted out to probe the sway of drought at critical growth stages (CGS) of wheat crop (D 0 : Control, D 1 : Drought at tillering stage, and D 2 : Drought at anthesis stage) and the application of Cu-nanoparticles (T 0 : 0 mg L -1 , T 1 : 300 mg L -1 , T 2 : 700 mg L -1 , and T 3 : 950 mg L -1 ) in order to improve drought resilience. Results of the study revealed that DS considerably decreased the wheat growth and yield during CGS. However, Cu-nanoparticles application alleviated the detrimental backlash of DS and led to improvements in various aspects of wheat growth and yield, including plant height, spike length, 1000 grain weight, stomatal conductance, leaf chlorophyll content, water use efficiency, leaf turgor potential, relative water content, and ultimately the grain yield. The use of principal component analysis allowed us to integrate and interpret the diverse findings of our study, elucidating the impact of Cu-nanoparticle treatment on wheat growth and yield under drought. Overall, the study concluded that DS during the anthesis stage had the most significant negative impact on crop yield. However, applying Cu-nanoparticles at the rate of 300 mg L -1 proved to be an effective strategy for improving crop productivity by reducing the harmful effects of drought., (© 2024. The Author(s).)