catena-Poly[[(5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-bi­pyridine-κ2 N,N′)cadmium(II)]-di-μ-iodido]

In the title coordination polymer, [CdI2(C12H12N2)]n, the Cd2+ ion lies on a twofold rotation axis: it is six-coordinated in a distorted cis-CdN2I4 octa­hedral geometry by two N atoms from a chelating 5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine ligands and four bridging iodide anions. The bridging function of the iodide ions leads to a chain structure propagating in [001]

Performance-based Optimal Design of Cantilever Retaining Walls

Modern buildings should provide some degree of safety against severe earthquakes. However, it is not economically feasible to construct buildings that withstand extreme loads without avoiding damage. In performance-based design, structural engineers and owners work together to achieve the best possible balance between construction cost and seismic performance. In this study, by employing a metaheuristic optimization, we have tried to extend the concept of performance-based design to retaining wall structures. According to the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, permanent displacement of retaining structures are tolerable, as long as the movement does not lead to unacceptable damage to the structure or facilities located in or near the moving earth. The decision on performance expectations needs to be made by owners with structural engineers providing a realistic assessment of the cost of designing to avoid the movement. To make this assessment possible, we developed a multi-objective optimization framework for simultaneous minimization of the construction cost and the permanent displacement of cantilever retaining walls. The effectiveness of the proposed framework was evaluated in the design of a typical cantilever retaining wall of 8 meters in height, once with both a toe and heel slab and once with either of them. The results indicated that obtaining the Pareto front of optimal solutions for these objectives, provides useful information that helps owners to select a solution that is the most economical in a trade-off between the construction cost and performance expectation

Dichlorido(6-methyl-2,2′-bipyridine-κ2 N,N′)mercury(II)

In the mol­ecule of the title compound, [HgCl2(C11H10N2)], the HgII atom is four-coordinated in a distorted tetra­hedral configuration by two N atoms from a 6-methyl-2,2′-bipyridine ligand and two Cl atoms. There is a π–π contact between the pyridine rings [centroid–centroid distance = 3.9758 (5) Å]

(4,4′-Dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine-κ2 N,N′)(dimethyl sulfoxide-κO)diiodidozinc(II)

In the title compound, [ZnI2(C12H12N2)(C2H6OS)], the ZnII ion is coordinated by two N atoms from a 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine ligand, one O atom from a dimethyl sulfoxide mol­ecule and two I atoms in a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry. Intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and inter­molecular π–π stacking inter­actions between the pyridine rings [centroid–centroid distances = 3.637 (4) and 3.818 (4) Å] are present in the crystal structure

Thermochemical conversion of textile waste to useful commodities and fuel

The quantity of textile waste has been increased significantly in the recent years and a considerable portion of this waste has been sent to landfills, causing environmental issues. This research has been carried out to address this issue and propose a method for textile waste conversion to useful commodities such as chemicals or biofuels with potential of application in a commercial scale. Wool was selected as feedstock while gasification and pyrolysis were selected as the technologies with potential to facilitate the achievement of the objectives. Pyrolysis and gasification were carried out in bench-scale fixed bed reactor to check the feasibility of the pyrolysis for textile waste conversion. Furthermore, model compounds representing textile waste were pyrolysed with and without catalysts to evaluate if the properties of products could be modified. 5 different catalysts were used for pyrolysis of lignin, cellulose, and phenylalanine. The results indicated that Al-KIL2 and 20-ZSM5 had the potential to modify the properties of wool pyrolysis by-products and were used in wool pyrolysis in fixed bed. This decision was based on the increase in quantity of aromatics obtained in the oil products in based on the GC-MS analysis results. High CO content of gas, char product properties and marketable products such as phenols in the oil obtained in pyrolysisand gasification using fixed bed reactor proved that these technologies were promising. Therefore, a novel scaled-up system (auger reactor) for textile waste pyrolysis was designed, built, and modified. Comparing the findings of the gasification/pyrolysis of wool in the fixed bed and auger reactor, the conversion of feedstock to volatiles seemed to be more efficient in fixed bed while the properties of the char did not vary significantly. Regarding the oil products, while phenols and indoles were the prominent product in the fixed bed, ketones, nitriles and quinolines were the main products in the auger reactor. Overall, the results indicated that up to 2 kg/h of textile waste feedstock on its own (without mixing with other material) can be pyrolysed/gasified in this system and by-products could be collected successfully. Furthermore, it was observed that residence time, heating rate and product collection method have been the main contributor for the difference between the small scale and scaled-up tests

The effect of aerobic exercise program on quality of life in schizophrenic patients

زمینه و هدف: اسکیزوفرنی یک بیماری مزمن است که می تواند باعث بروز مشکلات جسمی، سایکولوژیک و اجتماعی گردد. ورزش نقش با ارزشی در بازتوانی و مدیریت درمان این بیماران به خاطر اثرات مثبت ذهنی و فیزیکی آن دارد. لذا این مطالعه با هدف بررسی تاثیر برنامه ورزشی هوازی بر کیفیت زندگی بیماران اسکیزوفرنی انجام شد. روش بررسی: در پژوهش حاضر که یک مطالعه کارآزمایی بالینی است تعداد 46 بیمار 60-20 ساله مبتلا به اسکیزوفرنی انتخاب شدند و به طور تصادفی در دو گروه آزمون (23 نفر) و شاهد (23 نفر) قرار گرفتند. نمونه های گروه آزمون به صورت یک روز در میان و هر جلسه در مجموع 45 دقیقه در برنامه ورزشی طراحی شده شرکت نمودند. کیفیت زندگی بیماران هر دو گروه، در دو مرحله قبل از شروع برنامه ورزشی و همچنین پس از آن توسط پرسشنامه استاندارد کیفیت زندگی (Quality of Life Scale)، سنجیده شد و در دو گروه با استفاده از آزمون های آماری من ویتنی، ویلکاکسون، کروسکال والیس و ضریب همبستگی پیرسون مقایسه گردید. یافته ها: بر اساس یافته های پژوهش، میانگین سنی واحدهای مورد پژوهش 1/10±4/39 سال بود و 9/67 آنان را مردان تشکیل می‌دادند. میانگین طول مدت بیماری نمونه ها 2/4±9/12 سال بود و 6/53 آنان دارای علائم مثبت یا منفی بودند. بین دو گروه قبل از مداخله اختلاف معنی داری از نظر مشخصات دموگرافیک، علائم بیماری و ابعاد کیفیت زندگی مشاهده نشد. میانگین کل کیفیت زندگی پس از مداخله در گروه آزمون و شاهد به ترتیب 9/15±67 و 3/16±55 بود (05/0

Aqua­(4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine-κ2 N,N′)(nitrato-κO)(nitrato-κ2 O,O′)zinc

In the title compound, [Zn(NO3)2(C12H12N2)(H2O)], the ZnII atom is six-coordinated in a distorted octa­hedral geometry by two N atoms from a chelating 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine ligand, one water O atom, one O atom from a monodentate nitrate anion and two O atoms from a chelating nitrate anion. In the crystal, there are aromatic π–π contacts between the pyridine rings [centroid–centroid distances = 3.9577 (13) Å] and inter­molecular O—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds