Effect of Inert Gas Cover on the Static and Fatigue Behavior of AA6061-T6 Aluminum Alloy Friction Stir Spot Lap-Shear Welds.

Friction stir spot welding (FSSW) technology relies on the generation of frictional heat during the rotation of the welding tool in contact with the workpiece as well as the stirring effect of the tool pin to produce solid-state spot joints, especially for lightweight materials. Although FSSW offers significant advantages over traditional fusion welding, the oxidation of the interfacial bond line remains one of the most challenging issues, affecting the quality and strength of the joint under both static and cyclic loading conditions. In this experimental study, inert argon gas was employed to surround the joint, aiming to prevent or minimize the formation of the interfacial oxides.

Novel mutations found in genes involved in global developmental delay and intellectual disability by whole-exome sequencing, homology modeling, and systems biology.

Background: Genes associated with global developmental delay (GDD) and intellectual disability (ID) are increasingly being identified through next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies. This study aimed to identify novel mutations in GDD/ID phenotypes through whole-exome sequencing (WES) and additional analyses.

Material And Methods: WES was performed on 27 subjects, among whom 18 were screened for potential novel mutations.

Anisotropic Elasticity, Spin-Orbit Coupling, and Topological Properties of ZrTe and NiTe: A Comparative Study for Spintronic and Nanoscale Applications.

The present work investigates the interfacial and atomic layer-dependent mechanical properties, SOC-entailing phonon band structure, and comprehensive electron-topological-elastic integration of ZrTe and NiTe. The anisotropy of Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and shear modulus are analyzed using density functional theory with the TB-mBJ approximation. NiTe has higher mechanical property values and greater anisotropy than ZrTe.

The effectiveness of implemented interventions at the workplace to promote the mental health of working women: A systematic review.

Over the last decades, a gradual increase in prevailing mental disorders in the adult population has been observed all over the world. Global estimates of anxiety, stress, depression, and mood disorders prevalence have also been high. Employed women are susceptible to experiencing some symptoms or mental disorders due to their lifestyle or working conditions.

Potential prognostic and predictive biomarkers: METTL5, METTL7A, and METTL7B expression in gastrointestinal cancers.

Background: The methyltransferase gene family is known for its diverse biological functions and critical role in tumorigenesis. This study aimed to identify these family genes in common gastrointestinal (GI) cancers using comprehensive methodologies.

Methods: Gene identification involved analysis of scientific literature and insights from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database.

Building resilience: A promising approach to reduce anxiety in mothers and hospitalized children with burn injuries.

The psychological impact of pediatric burn injuries is profound, often resulting in elevated levels of anxiety for both children and their mothers. This quasi-experimental study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of a resilience training program aimed at reducing anxiety among mothers and their hospitalized children with burn injuries at a burn hospital in Shiraz, Iran. Fifty-six eligible mothers were initially selected through purposive sampling and assigned to either the experimental or control group in a 1:1 ratio through random assignment.

Free vibration and buckling analysis of axially functionally graded tapered Timoshenko beams using B-spline-based isogeometric analysis.

This study considers Timoshenko beam theory and the isogeometric analysis method to investigate the free vibration and buckling of axially functionally graded (AFG) tapered beams. The governing equations are obtained from the kinematic assumptions of Timoshenko beam theory and Hamilton's principle. The isogeometric analysis approach is implemented to solve the motion equations.

Guidelines for animal models of endurance and resistance exercise.

Background: This mini-review details the guideline for implementing the most common exercise patterns in small laboratory rodents (mice/rats) and the advantages and disadvantages of each, in ways that are comparable to humans. Also, criteria for targeted selection and control of workload and intensity of activity are proposed in different exercise programs.

New Method: As an available and low-cost intervention in physiological, biochemical and cellular-molecular assessments, different exercise programs can be effective in the prevention/treatment of many skeletal-structural, behavioral and neurodegenerative disorders.

Enhancing biobutanol production by optimizing acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation from sorghum grains through strategic immobilization of amylolytic enzymes.

Tannin-containing sorghum grains, suitable for acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) production by Clostridium acetobutylicum, have required pretreatment to eliminate tannins inhibiting the strain's amylolytic activity. This study investigates biobutanol production enhancement by immobilizing enzymes on polydopamine-functionalized polyethersulfone (PES) membranes with magnetic nanoparticles for Separated Hydrolysis and Fermentation (SHF) and Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) processes. After multi-stage hot water treatment, TG3 sorghum (from the third stage) was used, where the enzyme-immobilized PES membrane produced 4.

FeO@SiO/GO/HKUST-1 nanocomposite for quercetin extraction and preconcentration followed by its determination using HPLC.

Quercetin, a key flavonoid found in many fruits and vegetables, offers notable health benefits, including antioxidant, antiviral, and antitumor properties. Yet, isolating it from complex plant materials is challenging. This research aimed to develop a selective and efficient sorbent to clean up real sample matrices and pre-concentrate quercetin, enhancing its detection using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Expression variation of long noncoding RNAs in dopaminergic cells-derived from stem cells and their MPP+ induced PD models.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons (DA) which can be caused by environmental and genetic factors. lncRNAs have emerged as an important regulatory layer in neurodegenerative disorders, including PD. In this study, we investigated and validated lncRNAs that may serve as diagnostic or therapeutic targets for PD.

A positive psychotherapy group intervention to increase distress tolerance and reduce feelings of entrapment in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis is a central neurogenic demyelinating disease. This is one of the most common neurological diseases in humans and is the most debilitating at a young age. Symptoms of multiple sclerosis include vision problems, balance problems, dizziness, sensory disturbances, chronic neuropathy, and fatigue.

Effects of Resistance Training on Muscular Adaptations and Inflammatory Markers in Overweight and Obese Men.

Purpose: Obesity may blunt exercise responsiveness to improve muscular adaptations. The effect of resistance training (RT) targeting different body regions on muscle and inflammatory markers is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the impact of upper (upper body exercises), lower (lower body exercises), or combined (upper body + lower body exercises) RT on muscle and inflammatory markers, body composition, and performance in overweight and obese men.

Investigating combined hypoxia and stemness indices for prognostic transcripts in gastric cancer: Machine learning and network analysis approaches.

Introduction: Gastric cancer (GC) is among the deadliest malignancies globally, characterized by hypoxia-driven pathways that promote cancer progression, including stemness mechanisms facilitating invasion and metastasis. This study aimed to develop a prognostic decision tree using genes implicated in hypoxia and stemness pathways to predict outcomes in GC patients.

Materials And Methods: GC RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were analyzed to compute hypoxia and stemness scores using Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) and the mRNA expression-based stemness index (mRNAsi).

Development of a gum tragacanth-coated nanoparticle system for controlled release of plant extracts against Erwinia amylovora.

Fire blight, caused by Erwinia amylovora, is a significant threat to fruit crops, with limited biocontrol methods. This study aimed to develop a nanosystem using mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) loaded with a phenolic plant extract (ZP) derived from Myrtus communis, Thymus vulgaris, and Curcuma longa, and coated with natural biopolymers Gum Tragacanth (GT) and sodium alginate (SA). The MSNs were synthesized and characterized by XRD, FTIR, and TEM, exhibiting a specific surface area of about 750 m/g and an average pore diameter of 5 nm.

Improving the resolution of solar energy potential maps derived from global DSMs for rooftop solar panel placement using deep learning.

This study focuses on generating high-resolution annual solar energy potential maps (ASMs) using global Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) to aid in solar panel placement, especially in urban areas. A framework was developed to enhance the resolution of these maps. Initially, the accuracy of ASMs derived from various DEMs was compared with LiDAR-derived ASMs.

Elevated risk of possible sarcopenia and weak muscle strength with higher dietary inflammatory index in Iranian breast cancer survivors: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Increased levels of inflammation in cancer patients and survivors can make them more prone to muscle wasting and sarcopenia. Diet can be an appropriate treatment for alleviating patient complications. Therefore, this study was performed to determine the association between sarcopenia and its components with the dietary inflammatory index (DII) among breast cancer survivors.

Amide modified cellulose-g-poly acrylic acid as a supple superabsorbent for water retention and soil conditioner.

Acrylamide has high hydrophilic properties due to the presence of hydrophilic amide functional groups and is frequently used to synthesize superabsorbents. However, the toxic and carcinogenic properties of acrylamide have caused environmental concerns. The main goal of this paper is the synthesis of superabsorbent with high water absorption from biodegradable and biocompatible cellulose polymer containing amide groups in the backbone of it instead of grafting harmful acrylamide monomers to cellulose.

A new species of Astragalus (Fabaceae) from the Irano-Turanian biodiversity hotspot: an integrative approach.

Background: The genus Astragalus is the largest and one of the most diverse genera of flowering plants, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere, with a significant concentration of species in the Irano-Turanian region. Within this genus, section Hymenostegis is notable for its complexity and high levels of endemism, especially in northwestern Iran. During recent field explorations in West Azarbaijan province, a distinct population of Astragalus was identified, differing from known species within section Hymenostegis.

Protective Effects of Heat-Killed Lactobacilli against Plasma-Induced Neurotoxicity in Multiple Sclerosis.

Heat-killed lactobacilli seem to have protective effects against oxidative stress and neurotoxicity. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant properties of specific heat-killed lactobacilli extracts and determine their neuroprotective effects against the neurotoxicity induced by blood plasma from people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The antioxidant activity of the three heat-killed lactobacilli was measured using the DPPH assay.

Effects of inner child healing course on fear of COVID-19 and emotional family relationships improvement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic's psychological impact prompted this study to investigate the inner child healing course's effectiveness in reducing fear of COVID-19 and improving emotional family relationships. This quasi-experimental research adopted a pretest-posttest design with a control group. Convenience sampling was employed to select 42 women randomly from five psychotherapy centers in Isfahan (Iran) in 2020.

Study of the effect of zinc oxide, selenium, and silver nanoparticles on the expression level of oxidative stress-associated genes in ovarian cancer.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by oxidative stress have emerged as critical factors in the pathophysiology of malignancies. This study investigated the antioxidant and anticancer properties of zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), and silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) against the A2780 human ovarian cancer cell line. Here, the bioinformatics approach was used to determine the top differentially expressed genes associated with oxidative stress.

Evaluating hospital performance with additive DEA and MPI: the Isfahan University of Medical Science case study.

Background: Hospitals are a vital pillar of the health system, and measuring their performance by an appropriate quantitative model is crucial. This study evaluated the performance of hospitals affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. It deals with the nature of dynamics (the performance of evaluation indicators over time), examining controllable, uncontrollable, and undesirable input and output indicators.