Ultrasound-assisted catalytic synthesis of acyclic imides in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic acid under solvent free conditions

A rapid and convenient preparation of acyclic imides by the reaction of aliphatic and aromatic nitriles with acyclic carboxylic anhydride in the presence of catalytic amounts of p-toluenesulfonic acid under thermal or ultrasonic conditions is reported. The advantages of this procedure are moderate reaction times, good to excellent yields, use of inexpensive and ecofriendly catalyst. The reaction of nitriles with aliphatic anhydrides proceeds in thermal conditions, while by the use of ultrasound irradiations these reactions get accelerated

Effect of oxygen configurations on the mechanical properties of graphene oxide

Understanding the mechanical properties of graphene oxide (GO) is the primary challenge for applications in materials engineering. The degree of oxidation and concentration of epoxide functional groups have been the main focus of previous mechanochemical studies. This work uses the reactive molecular dynamic simulations to reveal that the mechanical behavior of GO is strongly dependent on the epoxide configuration as well as its distribution. In this study, three main epoxide configurations - including top, bridge, and reside groups - decorate monolayer GO sheets with linear and random distributions. The distortion associated with epoxide groups creates diamond-like structures controlling the mechanical properties. Moreover, the orientation of those epoxide functional groups with applied loads has a dramatic impact on the mechanical response of GO. The effect of external electric fields on the mechanical properties of GO is another objective of this study. Findings exhibit that the electric field enhances the tensile toughness. This study demonstrates new aspects of GO as a functional material with potentials to control the mechanical properties through chemical compositions as well as external electric fields

Does watching a movie improve empathy? A cluster randomized controlled trial

Background: We studied if watching a movie about the patient physician encounter alone or in combination with a communication skills training workshop could improve empathy score of medical students. Methods: One hundred and thirty three medical students participated in one of the following four groups of the study. Group A: a three hour workshop (42 students); group B: watching the movie “The Doctor” (23 students); group C: watching the movie “The Doctor”, then, participating in a three hour workshop the next day (22 students); group D: control group with no intervention (46 students). Participants completed Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE), Student Version to assess empathy score before and after the intervention, and one month later. A linear mixed effect model analyzed the effect of intervention across groups considering the effects of other significant variables. Results: All of the three interventions had an immediate improving effect on empathy scores compared to control group. However, the improvement effect remained significant only in groups A (p=.015) and C (p=.001) one month later. Conclusions: Watching selected movies has a significant but transient effect on empathy of students. Combining two methods of watching the movie and communication skills workshop, seems to add the beneficial effects

Analysis of the expression of mir-34a, mir-199a, mir-30c and mir-19a in peripheral blood CD4+T lymphocytes of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients

Background: Multiple sclerosis is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease of central nervous system. MicroRNAs play important roles in autoimmune diseases such as MS. Objectives: The aim was to evaluate the expression pattern of miR-34a, miR-199a, miR-30c and miR-19a in peripheral blood derived CD4+ T lymphocytes of both relapsing and remitting phases of MS. Methods: Blood samples from 40 RRMS patients (20 in relapsing and 20 in remitting phase) and 20 healthy volunteers were taken. CD4+ T cells were isolated. The expression level of miR-34a, miR-199a, miR-30c and miR-19a, and the percentage of Th17 and Treg cells were measured. Expression of master transcription factors of Th17 and Treg cells and several targets of these miRNAs were also evaluated. Results: Data indicated an increased expression of miR-34a, miR-30c and miR-19a in relapsing phase and decreased expression of miR-199a in remitting phase. ROC curve data add other prestigious information of miR34a, miR-199a, miR-30c and miR-19a by defining relapsing and remitting phase and also healthy cases with high specificity and sensitivity at a proposed optimum cut-off point. Conclusion: Collectively, we showed a correlation between the four miRNAs with different phases of MS and their possible involvement in differentiation pathways of Th17 cells, as the most important players in MS

Numerical Investigation of Thermal Management of a Large Format Pouch Battery Using Combination of CPCM and Liquid Cooling

As electric vehicles (EVs) gain market dominance, ensuring safety during the battery usage is crucial. This paper presents a new thermal management approach to address the battery heat accumulation challenge through a novel combination of composite phase change material (CPCM) with liquid cooling systems. An optimised hybrid cooling model is developed to evaluate the proposed battery thermal management system (BTMS) under high-temperature and high-power conditions. Benchmark studies are conducted to assess the impact of inlet position, inlet flow rate, and flow channel distribution on the cooling performance to achieve a uniform temperature distribution within the battery. The optimised BTMS, consisting of a five-cell battery pack, demonstrates a maximum temperature of 41.15 °C and a temperature difference of 4.89 °C in a operating condition at 36 °C with a discharge rate of 3 C. The BTMS outperforms the initial model, reducing the maximum temperature by 1.5%, temperature difference by 5%, and liquid fraction by 13%, with a slight (1.3%) increase in weight. The cooling performance is most efficient at a liquid flow rate of 0.1 m/s, minimising energy consumption. The proposed BTMS with CPCM-3 is also sufficient enough to keep the battery pack under a thermal runaway event. Overall, the theoretical simulation highlights the BTMS’s ability to effectively control battery temperatures and temperature differences, ensuring safe operation during high-temperature and high-power conditions in practical EV usage

Hemiballismus, Hyperphagia, and Behavioral Changes following Subthalamic Infarct

The function of subthalamic nucleus (STN) which is a part of the basal ganglia system is not clear, but it is hypothesized that this component might be involved in action selection. Unilateral damage to STN, which can commonly occur due to the small vessel stroke mainly, causes hemiballismus and sometimes hemichorea-hemiballismus. This paper deals with a 60-year-old patient with sudden onset of abnormal movements in his right limbs. He had increased appetite and hyperphagia and also developed mood and behavioral changes (aggressiveness, irritability, anxiety, and sometimes obscene speech). The magnetic resonance imaging revealed infarct area in left subthalamus. In our case, hemiballismus is caused by infarction in left subthalamic area. Occurrence of irritability, anxiety, and some behavioral changes such as aggressiveness and obscene speech can be explained by impairment of STN role in nonmotor behavior and cognitive function as a result of infarct

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Deformation Mechanisms in the Mechanical Response of Nanoporous Gold

The mechanical behaviour of nanoporous gold has so far been the subject of studies for bicontinuous morphologies, while the load transfer between ligaments is the primary challenge for using nanoporous structures-especially membranes with nanopores-in single-molecule sensors. This work studies the pore shape effect on deformation mechanisms of nanoporous gold membranes through molecular dynamics simulations. Tension and compression tests are carried out for nanoporous gold with circular, elliptical, square and hexagonal pore shapes. A significant pore shape effect on the mechanical properties is observed with distinct load transfer capabilities. A uniform stress transfer between ligaments constitutes a distinguished set of mechanical responses for structures with the hexagonal pore shape under tension, while a unique stress distribution in nanoporous with the circular pore shape introduces a high strength and ductile structure under compression. Further to shed light on the existing experimental observations, this work provides a comprehensive study on load transfer capabilities in the mechanical behaviour of nanoporous gold for sensing applications