Configuration Designs and Recent Applications of Photovoltaic-Thermal Solar Collectors for Drying Agricultural Material: A Review

Photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) solar air/water collectors have received increasing attention in recent years. Efficiency is the most important parameter usually considered in PV-T technologies. The present paper expressed energy efficiency and thermal-electrical exergy of PV-T collectors, and compared the studies of researchers on the performance of these systems. The figures are provided to give an overview of how PV-T performance is improved. Changes in heat transfer fluid play a major role in electrical and thermal efficiency. A brief overview of the most promising fluids used in PV-T is reported in this article. Nowadays, improving PV- T performance by optimizing the adsorbent plate and cooling fluid and using nanofluid has been considered by researchers. The application of these schemes in implementation, especially in agriculture, can help significantly in increasing the efficiency of solar radiation. Therefore, future work should be aimed at increasing efficiency and reducing costs to increase their competitiveness and use as a renewable and environmentally friendly energy device

Developing and Evaluating a Hot Water-Assisted Extractor for Making Instant Drink from Date Kernels Powder

Date tree (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is one of the oldest cultivated trees in the world, which grows in tropical and subtropical regions. This product is one of the most important products of the Middle East and North Africa. In this research, date kernel extract (DKE) was produced from date kernel powder in a hygienic and mechanized process. Hot water-assisted extraction of compounds from date kernel powder was carried out in the chamber system made in the research. The experiments were conducted using the response surface method (RSM)-central composite design. Independent variables included temperature and time of processing and liquid-to-solid ratio. The obtained solutions were dried by a vacuum rotary evaporator and some quality characteristics (total soluble solids (TSS), antioxidant activity, total phenolic content (TPC), melanoidins, and sensory properties) were evaluated. The results showed that the triple factors of temperature, time and liquid-to-solid ratio have a direct effect on the extraction efficiency, so that the increase of these factors had a significant effect on the extraction efficiency. The predicted efficiency equations for each of the above cases were significant at the 5% level and R2 was above 0.95. The results of the TSS, TPC, melanoidins and sensory attributes confirmed the high desirability of the produced DKE

Ninety-six–hour starved peripheral blood mononuclear cell supernatant inhibited LA7 breast cancer stem cells induced tumor via reduction in angiogenesis and alternations in Gch1 and Spr expressions

Introduction The microenvironment of solid tumors such as breast cancer is heterogeneous and complex, containing different types of cell, namely, cancer stem cells and immune cells. We previously reported the immunoregulatory behavior of the human immune cell in a solid tumor microenvironment-like culture under serum starvation stress for 96 h. Here, we examined the effect of this culture-derived solution on breast cancer development in rats. Method Ninety-six–hour starved PBMCs supernatant (96 h-SPS) was collected after culturing human PBMCs for 96 h under serum starvation condition. Breast cancer stem cells, LA7 cell line, was used for in vitro study by analyzing gene expression status and performing cytotoxicity, proliferation, scratch wound healing assays, followed by in vivo tumor induction in three groups of mature female Sprague Dawley rats. Animals were treated with 96 h-SPS or RPMI and normal saline as control, n = 6 for each group. After biochemical analysis of iron, lactate, and pH levels in the dissected tumors, Ki67 antigen expression, angiogenesis, and necrosis evaluation were carried out. Metabolic-related gene expression was assessed using RT-qPCR. Moreover, 96 h-SPS composition was discovered by Nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS. Results 96 h-SPS solution reduced the LA7 cell viability, proliferation, and migration and Gch1 and Spr genes expression in vitro ( p < 0.05), whereas stemness gene Oct4 was upregulated ( p < 0.01). The intracellular lactate was significantly decreased in the 96 h-SPS treated group ( p = 0.007). In this group, Gch1 and Spr were significantly downregulated ( p < 0.05), whereas the Sox2 and Oct4 expression was not changed significantly. The number of vessels and mitosis (Ki67 + cells) in the 96 h-SPS–treated group was significantly reduced ( p = 0.024). The increased rate of necrosis in this group was statistically significant ( p = 0.04). Last, proteomics analysis revealed candidate effectors’ components of 96 h-SPS solution. Conclusion 96 h-SPS solution may help to prevent cancer stem cell mediated tumor development. This phenomenon could be mediated through direct cytotoxic effects, inhibition of cell proliferation and migration in association with reduction in Gch1 and Spr genes expression, angiogenesis and mitosis rate, and necrosis augmentation. The preliminary data obtained from the present study need to be investigated on a larger scale and can be used as a pilot for further studies on the biology of cancer development

A Comparative Analysis of Clinical Characteristics and Laboratory Findings of COVID-19 between Intensive Care Unit and Non-Intensive Care Unit Pediatric Patients: A Multicenter, Retrospective, Observational Study from Iranian Network for Research in Viral

Introduction: To date, little is known about the clinical features of pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).&nbsp;Objective: Herein, we aimed to describe the differences in demographic characteristics, laboratory findings, clinical presentations, and outcomes of Iranian pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU versus those in non-ICU settings.&nbsp;Methods: This multicenter investigation involved 15 general and pediatrics hospitals and included cases with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection based on positive real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) admitted to these centers between March and May 2020, during the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran.&nbsp;Results: Overall, 166 patients were included, 61 (36.7%) of whom required ICU admission. The highest number of admitted cases to ICU were in the age group of 1–5 years old. Malignancy and heart diseases were the most frequent underlying conditions. Dyspnea was the major symptom for ICU-admitted patients. There were significant decreases in PH, HCO3 and base excess, as well as increases in creatinine, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and potassium levels between ICU-admitted and non-ICU patients. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), shock, and acute cardiac injury were the most common features among ICU-admitted patients. The mortality rate in the ICU-admitted patients was substantially higher than non-ICU cases (45.9% vs. 1.9%, respectively; p&lt;0.001).&nbsp;Conclusions: Underlying diseases were the major risk factors for the increased ICU admissions and mortality rates in pediatric COVID-19 patients. There were few paraclinical parameters that could differentiate between pediatrics in terms of prognosis and serious outcomes of COVID-19. Healthcare providers should consider children as a high-risk group, especially those with underlying medical conditions

Parameter Estimation of Three-Phase Induction Motor Using Hybrid of Genetic Algorithm and Particle Swarm Optimization

A cost effective off-line method for equivalent circuit parameter estimation of an induction motor using hybrid of genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization (HGAPSO) is proposed. The HGAPSO inherits the advantages of both genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). The parameter estimation methodology describes a method for estimating the steady-state equivalent circuit parameters from the motor performance characteristics, which is normally available from the nameplate data or experimental tests. In this paper, the problem formulation uses the starting torque, the full load torque, the maximum torque, and the full load power factor which are normally available from the manufacturer data. The proposed method is used to estimate the stator and rotor resistances, the stator and rotor leakage reactances, and the magnetizing reactance in the steady-state equivalent circuit. The optimization problem is formulated to minimize an objective function containing the error between the estimated and the manufacturer data. The validity of the proposed method is demonstrated for a preset model of induction motor in MATLAB/Simulink. Also, the performance evaluation of the proposed method is carried out by comparison between the results of the HGAPSO, GA, and PSO