Microwave-assisted selective leaching of valuable metals from spent lithium-ion batteries using glycine and oxalic acid.

Supplying critical metals such as cobalt, lithium, and nickel, to achieve sustainable development goals will be one of the most important concerns in the coming decades. A significant challenge in this area is the separation of some similar elements, such as nickel and cobalt. This study proposes a novel and eco-friendly process to selectively recover cobalt from nickel and manganese.

Development of a checklist for cognitive assessment requirements (CARE) based on a Delphi consensus study.

Situational factors can influence cognitive performance and should be considered for conducting cognitive assessments. The objective of this project was to develop a checklist for Cognitive Assessment Requirements (CARE) to identify these situational factors before conducting cognitive assessments and account for them. This study employed a four-round Delphi approach involving 22 experts to identify situational factors that can impact cognitive assessment results.

Accuracy of GFAP and UCH-L1 in predicting brain abnormalities on CT scans after mild traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. In recent years, blood biomarkers including glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) have shown a promising ability to detect head CT abnormalities following TBI. This review aims to combine the existing research on GFAP and UCH-L1 biomarkers and examine how well they can predict abnormal CT results after mild TBI.

Improving the thermal and hydrophobic properties of bamboo biocomposite as sustainable acoustic absorbers.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the potential of chemical modification to improve the hydrophobic properties and thermal stability of bamboo fibers and to evaluate the sound absorption performance of raw and modified fibers. To achieve this goal, bamboo fibers were modified using stearic acid coatings and aluminum hydroxide nanoparticles. The results showed that the modification of fibers with stearic acid (STA) can improve the contact angle and hydrophobicity of bamboo fibers, so that for modified fibers with a concentration of 0.

Investigating the effect of fiber arrangement on tensile properties of two-dimensional hybrid braided composite rods.

Braided composites are gaining attention in the most industrial applications. To design rods with optimal tensile properties against combined loads, experimental studies were conducted to investigate the effect of using axial yarn and core in different categories on the tensile properties of braided reinforced composite rods. In this study, six types of braided composite rods with different arrangements of braid components (axial yarn or core type) were produced using glass and polyester fibers with epoxy resin as the matrix.

A data driven machine learning approach for predicting and optimizing sulfur compound adsorption on metal organic frameworks.

This study employed some machine learning (ML) techniques with Python programming to forecast the adsorption capacity of MOF adsorbents for thiophenic compounds namely benzothiophene (BT), dibenzothiophene (DBT), and 4,6-dimethyl dibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT). Five ML models were developed with the help of a dataset containing 676 rows to correlate the adsorbent features, adsorption conditions, and adsorbate characteristics to the MOF sample's sulfur adsorption capability. Among the ML approaches, MLP model achieved the best performance with a low mean squared error (MSE) of 0.

Predicting and synthesizing terahertz spoof surface plasmon polariton devices with a convolutional neural network model.

With the increasing global attention to deep learning and the advancements made in applying convolutional neural networks in electromagnetics, we have recently witnessed the utilization of deep learning-based networks for predicting the spectrum and electromagnetic properties of structures instead of traditional tools like fully numerical-based methods. In this study, a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN is proposed for predicting spoof surface plasmon polaritons, enabling the examination of the absorption spectrum of metallic multilevel-grating structures (MMGS) and designing various sensor devices and absorbers in the shortest time possible. To expedite the training process of this network, a semi-analytical method of rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) enhanced with the fast Fourier factorization (FFF) technique has been employed, significantly reducing the data generation time for training.

The association between the dietary inflammatory index and multiple myeloma: a case-control study.

The dietary inflammatory index (DII) is a common grading system for diet inflammatory potential. Recent investigations link DII to hematopoietic malignancies. However, the relationship between DII and Multiple myeloma (MM) is unknown.

Clinical evaluation of corneal ulcer with a portable and smartphone-attachable slit lamp device: Smart Eye Camera.

Corneal ulcer is one of the most important ophthalmic emergencies. A portable, recordable, and smartphone-attachable slit-lamp device called the "Smart Eye Camera" (SEC) is introduced to compare evaluating corneal ulcers between the SEC and the conventional slit-lamp. A total of 110 participants were included in the study, consisting of 55 patients with corneal ulcers and 55 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers as controls.

Influence of different priming treatments on germination potential and seedling establishment of four important hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivars.

Medicinal hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is gaining popularity due to its natural products with potential therapeutic properties, and its cultivation has recently been initiated in developing countries such as Turkey, Iran, India, and Pakistan. The crop is primarily grown using feminized seeds or popular varieties to achieve higher cannabidiol (CBD) yields, with seeds costing approximately $5-10 each.

siRNA-mediated inhibition of hTERT enhances the effects of curcumin in promoting cell death in precursor-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells: an in silico and in vitro study.

This study investigates the interrelationship between human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and ferroptosis in precursor-B (pre-B) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), specifically examining how hTERT modulation affects ferroptotic cell death pathways. Given that hTERT overexpression characterizes various cancer phenotypes and elevated telomerase activity is observed in early-stage and relapsed ALL, we investigated the molecular mechanisms linking hTERT regulation and ferroptosis in leukemia cells. The experimental design employed Nalm-6 and REH cell lines under three distinct conditions: curcumin treatment, hTERT siRNA knockdown, and their combination.

An ultra-wideband thin metamaterial linear cross-polarization conversion.

This article presents the design of a novel ultra-wideband, thin metamaterial linear cross-polarization converter (CPC) operating at microwave frequencies. The CPC consists of two concentric deformed rings on a dielectric substrate backed by a metallic surface. It demonstrates co-polarization and cross-polarization reflection coefficients below - 11 and above - 1.

Impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on physical activity levels in different sub-populations of Iranians: a national survey.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of physical activity (PA) has been reported to decrease worldwide. A sedentary lifestyle is widely recognized as a significant risk factor for various diseases, necessitating extensive big data analysis to uncover the diverse aspects linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PA levels across diverse population subsets in Iran and to identify the barriers to PA during the fifth wave of COVID-19 outbreak.

Fully distributed data-driven model-free adaptive control for consensus tracking in multi-agent systems.

This paper introduces a fully distributed model-free adaptive control (MFAC) approach for consensus tracking in multi-agent systems (MASs) with compact form data linearization (CFDL). Unlike prior methods that require agents to know the full communication graph, our approach allows each agent to configure its controller using only local information from its neighbors, achieving a fully distributed control. Therefore, our method easily supports scenarios where agents dynamically join or leave MAS.

Diagnostic Value of Gastrin-Releasing Peptide Receptor-Targeted PET Imaging in Oncology: A Systematic Review.

Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR), overexpressed in various cancers, is a promising target for positron emission tomography (PET). This systematic review investigated the diagnostic value of GRPR-targeted PET imaging in oncology. A systematic search was conducted on major medical databases until May 23, 2024.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Accuracy of MiRNAs in Pancreatic Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) remains a significant contributor to global cancer mortality, with limited effective diagnostic and prognostic tools. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as promising biomarkers for PC diagnosis and prognosis. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus.

First report of Saemundssonia lari on yellow-legged gull (larus michahellis) from Iran.

Pediculosis caused by chewing lice may pose a threat to domesticated and wild birds' health. These ectoparasites can cause pruritus, poor feather condition and do weaken hosts making them susceptible to other infections. Species of the genus Saemundssonia which are called ecomorphic head lice parasitize a wide range of aquatic birds from the family Laridae.

Molecular detection of Toxoplasma gondii in semen of breeding dogs from southeastern Iran.

Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular protozoan, is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, an important public health and reproductive disease. T. gondii could cause significant damage in breeding kennels due to abortion and other reproductive disorders.

Efficacy and safety of mechanical thrombectomy in patients with acute ischemic stroke and left ventricular assist device: review of the literature and meta-analysis.

Background: Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are used as definitive therapy or as a bridge to heart transplant in patients with advanced heart failure. Thromboembolic complications such as acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are common among patients with LVAD support. This study aims to evaluate the current evidence on the efficacy and safety of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in patients with AIS due to large vessel occlusions (LVO) and LVAD-support.

Burden and mortality of breast cancer attributed to diabetes and smoking in women: a secondary analysis based on Global Burden of Disease 2019 in North Africa and the Middle East.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the second most common cancer in the world. This study aimed to investigate the burden of BC due to some risk factors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries from 1990 to 2019.

Methods: This study is a secondary analysis based on the Global Burden of Disease 2019 data.

Ecopsychosocial strategies for the self-exploration of professional family caregivers to manage the behavioural and psychological symptoms of Alzheimer patients in Iran: a qualitative study.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to explore the experiences and viewpoints of professional family caregivers in the management of behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSDs) to identify the ecopsychosocial strategies applied by them.

Design: Qualitative study.

Setting: Kerman, Iran.

An update on ocular effects of anti-diabetic medications.

The global increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has led to the development and implementation of new classes of anti-diabetic medications, introducing advanced therapeutic options for the management of the disease. These new medications, though primarily designed to regulate blood glucose levels, also have applications in weight management, potentially transforming the current approaches to diabetes treatment. Newer medications, however, have ophthalmic side effects with controversies in trials and real-life data.

Effects of silymarin on insulin resistance and sensitivity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effect of silymarin on insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity through a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library up to September 2024 for relevant RCTs. The intervention required silymarin supplementation for at least 4 weeks.

Enhancing performance of in-situ synthesized biocompatible shape memory polyurethane acrylate by cellulose nanocrystals.

This study presents the development of biocompatible and biodegradable nanocomposites utilizing renewable cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) in polycaprolactone (PCL)-based polyurethane acrylates (PUA) through in situ polymerization. First, CNCs were derived from cotton linter via acid hydrolysis; then functionalized with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane to produce silane-modified CNCs (S-CNCs). CNCs offered uniform dispersion in PUA up to 2 wt% loading, resulting in significant property enhancements, including ~60 % increase in tensile strength and ~25 % increase in Young's modulus.

Immunogenicity of an in-silico designed multi-epitope DNA vaccine encoding ROP21 and ROP29 of Toxoplasma gondii against both acute and chronic toxoplasmosis in BALB/c mice.

Background: Toxoplasma infections are highly prevalent worldwide and can cause serious complications in immunocompromised individuals and lead to congenital infections in neonates. Despite ongoing efforts to develop T. gondii vaccines, none have been developed.