Subjects -> SCIENCES: COMPREHENSIVE WORKS (Total: 426 journals)
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 Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions A : ScienceNumber of Followers: 0      Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles) ISSN (Print) 1028-6276 - ISSN (Online) 2364-1819 Published by Springer-Verlag  [2658 journals]
• Extraction of Pre-open Sets as a Generalized Topology from Topological
Spaces

Abstract: Inspired by the Kuratowski closure operator $$\varPsi _\mathcal {G}$$ introduced by Roy and Mukherejee (Soochow J Math 33(4):771–786, 2007) on a topological space $$(X, \tau )$$ in order to create a finer topology than $$\tau$$ on X, we introduce an envelope operator (in the sense of $$\acute{A}.$$ Cs $$\acute{a}$$ sz $$\acute{a}$$ r) $$\varPsi _\mathcal {S}$$ by replacing stacks instead of grills to construct generalized topologies on X. Using a special stack $$\{A \subseteq X : int_XA \ne \emptyset \}$$ in the operator $$\varPsi _\mathcal {S}$$ , we introduce a method to extract the collection PO(X) of all preopen sets of the topological space $$(X, \tau )$$ , as a special kind of generalized topology on X, from $$\tau$$ . In continue, with the help of the relationship between two operators $$int_X$$ and $$int_{X^*}$$ , we extend the stack $$\{A \subseteq X : int_XA \ne \emptyset \}$$ to $$\{A \subseteq X^* : int_{X^*}A \ne \emptyset \}$$ as a stack on the one-point extended space $$(X^*, \tau ^*)$$ of $$(X, \tau )$$ to extract the collection $$PO(X^*)$$ from the one-point extended topology $$\tau ^*$$ .
PubDate: 2021-10-15

• Remarks on Parabolicity in a One-Dimensional Interdiffusion Model with the
Vegard Rule

Abstract: Until 1948 the interdiffusion theory was based on the Onsager phenomenology, namely thermodynamics of irreversible processes, and a drift was not included. Its main limitation is practical impossibility of the experimental as well as theoretical determination of mobilities (diffusivities) in multicomponent systems ( $$r > 2$$ ). After experimental discovery of the drift by Smigelskas and Kirkendall (Trans AIME 171:130–142, 1947), Darken (Trans AIME 175:184–201, 1948) formulated his famous model for the binary system. Consequently, the bi-velocity approach dominates interdiffusion studies (e.g. in more than 500 papers in 2020). In this paper, we consider the diffusional transport in a one-dimensional r-component solid solution. The model is expressed by the nonlinear system of strongly coupled evolution differential equations with initial and nonlinear coupled boundary conditions. We present a non-trivial proof of a theorem called the criterion of parabolicity, which implies the generalized parabolicity condition formulated without a proof in our previous works. This condition is a key in the proofs of our previous theorems on existence, uniqueness and properties of global weak solutions of the differential problem studied. The criterion of parabolicity works if diffusion coefficients are not too dispersed, and it is true in many physical systems. The numerical simulations consistent with real experiments for which our criterion works are given.
PubDate: 2021-10-12

• Prevalence of miR146a Gene Polymorphisms in Diabetic and Non-diabetic
Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Abstract: Changes in pro-inflammatory cytokines are key mechanisms leading to kidney fibrosis. Among microRNAs, miR146 is well studied for its diverse roles in modulating immune responses and inflammation. This paper aims to study the prevalence of three functional miR146a gene polymorphisms (rs2910164 C/G, rs57095329 A/G, and rs6864584 T/C) in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). One hundred fifty CKD patients (73 men, 77 women, mean age 52.17 years) and 150 healthy controls participated in this case–control study. CKD patients were divided into a diabetic nephropathy group and a non-diabetic group. Genotyping was performed by PCR–RFLP and allele-specific-PCR techniques. We found that rs2910164 C/G and rs57095329 A/G polymorphisms significantly enhanced the risk of CKD under different genetic models. Besides, these variations were associated with increased CKD risk in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. On the contrary, the rs6864584 T/C variant was associated with a decreased risk of CKD in non-diabetic patients. There were no notable changes in p-values after adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index. Although no strong linkage was found between the studied variants. In the meantime, different haplotypes of miR146a polymorphisms were associated with enhanced risk of CKD. In summary, our findings provided evidence for the association of miR146a gene polymorphisms with CKD risk in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Further studies on different races with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm the current results.
PubDate: 2021-10-11

• Large-scale Extraction of DNA by Using Salting-out Principle for Dried
Blood Spots to Screen Multiple Mutations in GCDH Gene

Abstract: Dried blood spots (DBS) are the best sampling for large and population-based genetic studies. The study aimed to develop a DNA extraction protocol for DBS samples in a 96-well microtiter plate format using DNA salting-out principle. The developed protocol was named High-Throughput Salting-Out (HTSO). The DBS samples were collected from 20 suspected Glutaric Acidemia Type I (GA-I) patients from unrelated families and 50 controls without any metabolic disorders. The DNA was isolated from DBS samples using HTSO protocol in a 96-well microtiter plate. The assessment of yield and quality of DNA after isolation by HTSO method was done using NanoDrop-8000. The DNA isolated by the HTSO was used in the genotyping of multiple mutations, R402W and W225X in the Glutaryl-CoA Dehydrogenase gene in GA-I patients by multiplex PCR and RFLP. The HTSO showed at least a 2- to 34-fold increased DNA yield against manual in-house, commercial, and automation-based protocols. The per sample DNA extraction cost of the HTSO method was four times lesser than that of the commercial kits. Without sophisticated instruments or automation, HTSO method considerably reduced the turnaround time of DNA extraction compared to manual in-house and commercial kit protocols. The HTSO method is efficient, inexpensive, and time-saving for large-scale and potential high-throughput DNA extraction for DBS samples. This method is adequate for high-end diagnostic and institution facilities, in addition to institutions having financial constraints or lacks sophisticated instruments.
PubDate: 2021-10-11

• A 5-Fluorouracil Derivative: Carmofur as a New Potent Agent for Inhibition
of Human Prostate and Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract: Breast and prostate cancers are frequent cancers worldwide. Their morbidity and mortality require to be diminished by developing new approaches and new potent drugs for treatment. Carmofur is indicated as a new potent agent for treatment of some cancers. Herein, we investigated cytotoxic and growth-inhibiting effects of carmofur on prostate adenocarcinoma and breast cancer cells. The cytotoxicity was tested using MTT colorimetric assay. The ultrastructural and morphological changes and proapoptotic activity were examined by using transmission electron and confocal microscopy and flow cytometry, respectively. Carmofur showed its toxicity by reducing the viability of cells significantly in dose-dependent manner. Our TEM and confocal microscopy results showed ultrastructural and morphological changes of cell structure that were attributed to apoptosis. Proapoptotic activity was supported with our flow cytometry results. All data underlined the potency of carmofur on being antiproliferative, cytotoxic and apoptosis-inducing agent on DU-145 and MCF-7 cells. These findings imply to anticancer activity of carmofur, but further investigations for its properties and mechanisms are required.
PubDate: 2021-10-05

• Using DEA Models for Ranking Compounds as Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors
in the Management of Alzheimer's

Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most prevalent disorders which can mainly occur due to the imbalance of acetylcholinesterase enzyme in the brain. Acetylcholinesterase is an enzyme responsible for the hydrolysis and subsequently, deficiency of the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine (Ach.) in the AD. Seeking for medicinal compounds with the ability to inhibit the regarding enzyme is one of the main targets in the management of AD. Generally, efficiency and therapeutic effects of medicaments with the underlying mechanism of enzyme inhibition are evaluated and determined via a value, called IC50 (the concentration, in which 50% of inhibition would be achieved). In this study, via the employment of the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method, the ranking model is used to determine the most desirable agent among 16 medicinally-synthetic compounds with 626 descriptors. All of those medicaments possessed inhibitory activities against the acetylcholinesterase enzyme. Herein, we considered each synthetic medicament as decision-making units, and the descriptors as inputs and outputs parameters of the DEA models. Via the DEA method, selected synthetic compounds have been ranked to determine the best agents. The outcomes have been compared with the in vitro results.
PubDate: 2021-10-05

• Some Cohomological Notions in Banach Algebras Based on Maximal Ideal Space

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the homological notion of left $$\phi$$ -biprojectivity for certain Banach algebras, where $$\phi$$ is a nonzero multiplicative linear functional. Our initial result states that this notion is equivalent to left $$\phi$$ -contractibility, provided that $$\mathcal {A}$$ has a left approximate identity. As an application, we study left $$\phi$$ -biprojectivity of Banach algebras related to locally compact groups. For instance, we show that for a locally compact group $$\mathcal {G}$$ , the Segal algebra $$S(\mathcal {G})$$ is left $$\phi$$ -biprojective if and only if $$\mathcal {G}$$ is compact and the Fourier algebra $$A(\mathcal {G})$$ is left $$\phi$$ -biprojective if and only if $$\mathcal {G}$$ is discrete. Finally, we give some examples which show the differences between our new notion and the classical ones.
PubDate: 2021-10-03

• Evaluation of the Natural Radioactivity of Samples of Some Types of Field
Crops in Different Areas of Tikrit, Iraq

Abstract: This study aims to assess the concentrations of natural radionuclides activity (226Ra,232Th and 40 K) and calculate a number of radiation risk indicators in some types of field crops in different areas of Tikrit City-Salah Al-Din Governorate-Iraq. The measurement was carried out using a gamma-ray spectroscopy connected with a scintillation detector crystallized with thallium-activated sodium iodide NaI(TI). The results were that the mean concentrations of elements (226Ra, 232Th and 40 K) were (6.79 $$\pm 0.331\, Bq/kg,10.79 \pm 0.640\, Bq/kg, 133.34 \pm 5.895\, Bq/kg$$ ), respectively. And, the radiation risk indicators were less than the international permissible and the recommended average, so that the samples under study are safe and suitable for human and animal consumption.
PubDate: 2021-10-03

• A New Ant Algorithmic Approach for Solving PFSP

Abstract: In this paper, a new ant algorithmic approach is presented for solving $$n$$ -job, $$m$$ -machine permutation flow shop scheduling problem. The main objective is to find a permutation of $$n$$ given jobs, i.e., $$\sigma {:}\,\left\{ {1,2, \ldots ,n} \right\} \to \left\{ {1,2, \ldots ,n} \right\}$$ . This permutation minimizes the maximum completion time of the schedule arising from $$\sigma$$ . An illustration of using the presented heuristic algorithm for finding a good initial sequence of jobs is given. The proposed method is an ant-based approach to permutation flow shop scheduling problem by the behavior of real ants, but it is different with the pheromone trail concept. The presented model is compared against the one by NEH which has been considered the best constructive algorithm so far. Regarding the quality of results, the superiority of the proposed method over NEH is demonstrated by computational evaluation. The comparison is produced on generated random test problems. This comparison is drawn in domain of feasible instances. It is easy to implement the produced method as a metaheuristic.
PubDate: 2021-10-03

• Antimycobacterial, Anticancer, Antioxidant and Photocatalytic Activity of
Biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles Using Berberis Integerrima

Abstract: Berberis integerrima with various secondary metabolites is used in the treatment of various diseases. In this project, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared through a green process using a fruit extract of B. integerrima. Several techniques such as UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy, TEM, PXRD, FTIR and zeta potential analysis were used in characterization of biosynthesized AgNPs. The biosynthesized AgNPs were in spherically shaped with a mean diameter of 30 nm. Moreover, the biosynthesized AgNPs seemed to exhibit a higher bactericidal and antifungal activity against infective bacteria (S. aureu s, E. coli, P. aeruginosa) and pathogendic fungi (Candida species). Also, green fabricated nanoparticles show suitable photocatalytic activity that AgNPs destroyed up to 82.5% of the methylene blue dye from aqueous environment. Antioxidant test based on total phenolic compounds showed the content of total phenol in the B. integerrima extract and AgNPs was 51 and 21 mg gallic acid equivalent, respectively. The anticancer effect against human liver cancer cell line (HepG2) showed that high anticancer effects depend on the time and concentration of extract and AgNPs. These results suggest that the these nanoparticles could be efficiently apply as an alternate antimicrobial/anticancer agent in contrast to infections and cancerous cell lines, and is beneficial for purification of water and pollutants solutions in environment. Graphical abstract
PubDate: 2021-10-03

• The Synthesis of α,β-Ynones and Diaryl Ketones by Palladium
Nanoparticles Immobilized on the Magnetic Chitosan Support

Abstract: In presented research, the preparation and characterization of a magnetic chitosan support and immobilization process of palladium nanoparticles on its surface were reported. Then, the catalytic activity of prepared nanocomposite was investigated in the cross-coupling reaction of acyl chlorides with phenyl acetylene for the synthesis of α,β-ynones and also coupling reaction of acyl chlorides with aryl boronic acids for the preparation of diaryl ketones. 2,3-Dialdehyde starch was prepared by periodate oxidation of starch biopolymer and used as covalent linking agent for the reaction with amine groups of chitosan chains to increase its stability. The formed Schiff bases in this hybrid polymer were reduced by NaBH4. Then, the magnetic biosupport was achieved through the reaction of iron oxide nanoparticles with hydroxyl groups of oxidized starch–chitosan hybrid. This magnetic biopolymer was used as excellent stabilizer and biosupport for the immobilization of palladium nanoparticles through the addition of ethanolic solution of palladium chloride in the absence of any external reducing agent.
PubDate: 2021-10-01

• Multipliers on $$\hbox {L}^p$$ L p -Spaces for Homogeneous Spaces

Abstract: We consider several types of multipliers on the Banach algebras related to the homogeneous space G/H, where G is a locally compact group and H is a compact subgroup. Among other things, we show that an analogue of Wendel’s result holds for these types of Banach algebras only when H is normal. We then investigate the characterization of all multipliers from $$L^1(G/H)$$ into $$L^p(G/H)$$ when they considered as left $$L^1(G/H)$$ -module. Finally, we give some result for the case when G is compact and H is closed.
PubDate: 2021-10-01

• Comparative Study of Response Surface Methodology and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy
Inference System for Removal of 6-APA

Abstract: The antibiotic-contaminated water treatment is an important step for pollutant reduction and the promotion of water environment quality. Uncertainty in wastewater treatment technology, fluctuations in effluent water quality, and operation costs cause an emerging issue to develop materials effective for the removal of antibiotics. The environment-friendly clay such as vermiculite could be potentially promising candidates for removing 6-APA (6-aminopenicillanic) from pharmaceutical effluent. Antibiotic removal was achieved by using an eco-friendly, time-saving, powerful, and easy applying synthesis method via tetraethoxysilane (Si). Expert systems are widely powerful tools for minimizing the complexities and complications in wastewater treatment. Response surface methodology (RSM) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) models were used to develop systematically predicting interactions of synthesis conditions on 6-APA adsorption capacity and optimize the best amount of compound. The three parameters of the amount of adsorbent (weight.), initial concentration (mg/mL), and reaction time (min) are selected as input and the adsorption capacity (mg/g) were computed as the output of the models. The effect of process variables investigated by RSM through central composite design matrix and the results compared with ANFIS model. The maximum amount of adsorption capacity predicted by RSM for VMT and VMT-Si were 162.5 and 179.8 mg/g, respectively. The suggested models were successfully validated with the acceptable confidence levels 0.99 and 0.97, for VMT and VMT-Si using RSM and 0.99 and 0.99 by ANFIS. ANFIS model demonstrated higher predictive capability than RSM model based on the good agreement in predictable dataset to experimental data.
PubDate: 2021-10-01

• Microencapsulation of Fragrance with Polyurethane—Urea and
Application on Different Fabrics

Abstract: In the study, microencapsulation of methyl cedryl ketone (MCK) with polyurethane urea (PUU) polymers was performed by interfacial polymerization method. PUU (isocyanate/PEG-400/polyamine) mole ratios (5.4/3.0–5.5/1.5–3.9), which is the main component of the capsule shell, were formed at a temperature of 80 °C in 240 min. The encapsulation efficiency of the produced microencapsules, CMK-PUU microcapsule release at room temperature, microencapsule shell degradation at high temperature, adhesion durability by fixing on cotton, polyester, silk and non-woven fabric were investigated. Structure analysis of the toluenediisocyanate, non-containing MCK-PUU microencapsule shell in FT-IR spectroscopy, stability and size of emulsified droplets with optical microscope, the size, wall thickness and adhesion of the MCK-PUU microencapsules on the fabric by scanning electron microscope and thermal degradation of the capsule wall material by thermo gravimetric analysis were investigated. The yield of the microencapsules was 65.66–73.56%, the capsule wall thickness was 1250 nm, the active substance loss at 20 °C for 60 days was 5.5%, after being attached to the fabric, it was stable up to 4 washes on the fabric.
PubDate: 2021-10-01

• Adaptive Exponentially Weighted Moving Average Control Chart for
Monitoring Process Mean Under Ranked Set Sampling Schemes

Abstract: The memory-type control charts such as exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) and cumulative sum (CUSUM) are designed to be optimal for detecting small/moderate shifts in the production process. The adaptive EWMA (AEWMA) and adaptive CUSUM control charts have gained considerable attention because of their excellent speed to shift detection. In this paper, we proposed AEWMA control charts under ranked set sampling, paired ranked set sampling, extreme paired ranked set and quartile paired ranked sampling for monitoring the infrequent changes in the process mean. Based on extensive simulations, the average run length profiles are computed. It is revealed that the proposed control chart has better shift diagnostic abilities than the control charts considered in this study. An example of real data is also presented to demonstrate the behavior and implementation of the proposed AEWMA control charts.
PubDate: 2021-10-01

• A Comparison of Genomic DNA Extraction Protocols in Artemisia annua L. for
Large Scale Genetic Analyses Studies

Abstract: Artemisia anuua L. is an important economic medicinal plant well known for its bioactive compound artemisinin that is used as an antimalarial drug. Extraction of high-quality genomic DNA suitable for restriction enzyme reactions and PCR amplifications is very difficult due to the presence of high amounts of secondary metabolites in A. anuua. This study compared efficiency of Fermentas genomic DNA purification kit (FGDK), phenol–Chloroform, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), sodium dodecyl sulfate and Sarkosyl nitrogen methods for extraction of DNA. The quality and quantity DNA samples were determined by physical appearance, agarose gel electrophoresis, spectrophotometer and PCR amplifications. The study used Inter retrotransposon amplified polymorphism (IRAP), retrotransposon-microsatellite amplified polymorphism (REMAP) and start codon targeted-based primers. The results revealed that genomic DNA isolated by CTAB method was comparatively pure and produced clear polymorphic bands compared to the polymorphic bands noted on DNA extractions using other protocols.
PubDate: 2021-10-01

• Various Electrode Configurations Effect on the Electronic Transport of
CNT/Benzene/CNT System by DFT-NEGF Method

Abstract: Accurate control of doping concentrations and their positions have difficulties that can be theoretically investigated. DFT-NEGF was used in order to investigate the influence of various electrode configurations on the electron transport properties of capped-SWCNT junction. Three systems were examined in which a benzene molecule is placed between two carbon nanotubes configured as an armchair (5,5) and a zigzag (5,0) as an electrode. Zigzag nanotubes were selected in two forms, namely non-neutralized with hydrogen (pure) and neutralized with hydrogen. A theoretical simulation in the Landauer formalism that combines both NEGF and DFT was used by the OpenMx package. Ab initio calculation was performed using a pseudopotential approach within DFT-D2. Two prominent peaks (Pa and Pb) were seen for pre-voltages of 0.01 V to 0.1 V. By increasing the pre-voltage from 0.01 to 0.1 V, there was no significant change in the location of the peaks; however, for biases above 0.1 V, changes in the peaks were significant. Unlike the zzCNT(5,0)-NP/Benzene/zzCNT(5,0)-NP system, the current intensity behavior in the zzCNT(5,0)-HP/Benzene/zzCNT(5,0)-HP system was almost linear. The results showed that the armchair carbon nanotube system had the lowest current intensity as compared to the other two systems.
PubDate: 2021-10-01

• Genetic Diversity, Population Structure and Screening of Molecular Markers
Associated to Agronomic Traits in Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)

Abstract: Diversity and also the molecular analysis of genotypes and association analysis among molecular markers and quantitative traits are the important methods in breeding programs. In this study, 30 safflower genotypes were evaluated in the research farm of the Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, Iran based on randomized complete block design with three replications. The phenotypic and agronomic traits were evaluated and, also, these genotypes were studied with 24 start codon targeted polymorphism (SCoT) and 10 inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers at the molecular level. The differences among genotypes were significant for the studied traits based on analysis of variance. The genotypes divided into three groups by using cluster analysis based on quantitative traits. Cluster analysis method by Jaccard's similarity coefficient as well as Bayesian statistical method based on molecular data classified genotypes into two groups. The molecular variance analysis showed that diversity among populations is much more than within populations. Nineteen and thirty one gene loci had identified by (G + P + K) and (G + P + K + Q) of mixed linear model for the studied traits, and some of these loci were the same in two models. Some of these markers controlled several traits that named co-location markers, so these markers are effective in plant breeding programs. The SCoT and ISSR markers can be developed as the sequence-tagged site markers and used in marker-assisted selection and breeding programs of safflower genotypes when they linked to agronomic traits.
PubDate: 2021-10-01

• The Synthesis, Characterization, and Anticancer Activity of New
2-acetylbenzofuran-Chalcone Hybrids

Abstract: This study deals with the design of original benzofuran–chalcone hybrids as anticancer agents. First, the reaction of 6-methoxysaliciylaldehyde with chloroacetone and potassium carbonate was used to prepare 1-(6-methoxy-1-benzofuran-2-yl) ethanone (1) as a starting reagent. A novel series of chalcone derivatives 3a–h, obtained through Claisen–Schmidt condensation with aromatic aldehydes 2a–h containing 6-methoxy benzofuran moiety, was designed, synthesized, and evaluated in terms of anticancer activities. The synthesized compounds 3a–h were tested against two MDA-MB-231 (human breast cancer cell line) and A549 (human lung cancer cell line) in order to detect anticancer activity by MTT Assay. The results revealed that 2-acetylbenzofuran-chalcone hybrids have an anticancer effect, especially with the phenolate salt of chalcone derivative 3e which shows cytotoxic effects on lung cancer cells. These observations showed that novel hybrid chalcone derivatives with a phenolate and methoxy linked 2-acetylbenzofuran prodrug strategy would be an important and easy method to increase water solubility and anticancer activity.
PubDate: 2021-10-01

• Protection of Steel Against Corrosion in Acid Medium Using
Dihydropyrimidinone Derivatives: Experimental and DFT Study

Abstract: Two dihydropyrimidinone derivatives (DHPM) were synthesized via the multi-component reaction, the yield of the synthesis reached 90%, and their structures were proved by IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The identified molecules were used for studying the corrosion inhibition of XC48 carbon steel in 0.5 mol L−1 H2SO4 solution. The inhibitory potentials of these compounds were determined by electrochemical methods exploiting the potentiodynamic polarization curves (Tafel method) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Surface phenomena have been illustrated by atomic force microscopy. The results obtained show that the synthesized molecules are effective inhibitors, whose efficiency corrosion inhibition depends on the architecture of their structure, and it is proportional to the concentrations; it exceeds 94% for one of these inhibitors. The adsorption of these compounds on the metal surface approached the Langmuir’s adsorption isotherm. Furthermore, the electronic properties obtained using density function theory are in a good consensus with the experimental efficiencies of inhibition. The molecular dynamics simulations have allowed also simulating the interactions between the inhibitors and the metallic surface.
PubDate: 2021-10-01

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