Physicochemical and rheo-mechanical properties of titanium dioxide reinforced sage seed gum nanohybrid hydrogel

Sage seed gum (SSG) is a promising biopolymer candidate for utilization and substitution prevalent galactomannan gels of interest in soft biomaterial applications. Herein, physicochemical and rheo-mechanical properties of SSG matrix reinforced by various titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles loading (0-25wt%) were monitored. Particle size and density of the nanocomposite increased with raising TiO2 content, due to the creation of more compact agglomerated and aggregated microstructure. Increasing the particle size resulted in lower electrophoretic mobility of SSG-TiO2 systems upon nanoparticles addition, confirmed the adsorption of TiO2 on the SSG macromolecule. Mechanical spectra of the SSG-based nanocomposites demonstrated a more solid-like behavior by lower frequency-dependent viscoelastic moduli, suggested a structural decoration of the nanohybrid gels discussed in terms of polymer bridging effect and formation of percolated matrix-particle superstructure. Crucial textural parameters improved with increasing TiO2 until a critical level (15 wt%), after which further increments in filler resulted in a reduction of hardness, adhesiveness and apparent modulus of elasticity. Deformation of rod-like junction zones acting as physical crosslinks in the system and fracture theory were used to explain the strain-stiffening and adhesive behavior of SSG-based gels, respectively. The nanocomposite gels with tunable functional properties might be ideal candidates for biomaterial industry. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Novel nanobiocomposite hydrogels based on sage seed gum-Laponite: Physico-chemical and rheological characterization

In this study, the physico-chemical and rheo-mechanical properties of sage seed gum hydrogel, reinforced by various ratios (0-25 wt.%) of Laponite, were investigated. Particles size measurements indicated the formation of large SSG-Laponite microstructures upon nanoparticle adding, due to the interactions generated between the anionic SSG and the charged surfaces of clay platelets. Laponite affected the surface tension and density of the SSG-based systems significantly, but only influenced the-potential above 20 wt.%. The dynamic rheological behavior of SSG-based nanocomposites reflected the reinforcing effect of secondary structures and percolated three-dimensional network, suggested a structural modification of the hydrogels with the Laponite loading. An improvement in texture profile analysis parameters was observed in Laponite content 5 wt.%, whereas for nanoparticles > 5 wt.%, a significant decrease was obtained. In conclusion, Laponite improved the rheological and physico-chemical properties of SSG-based hydrogel and extended its potential as promising future bio-products for industrial applications.Peer reviewe

The Comparative Semantics of the Term Irteqab (Revelation) in Sunni and Shi’ite Exegesis

Translators of the words of Wahy (revelation) have considered some vocabularies as synonymous with each other in the translation of the Qur’an. Moreover, sometimes they have applied one single meaning as equivalent for different Arabic words in the Qur’an while paying attention to the accurate meaning of the words is a way to untangle the mystery of some Quranic verses and traditions. Using pictorial translation can provide a more meaningful translation than what Sunni and Shi’ite translators have already stated in their books. The term “Irteqab” in Sunni and Shi’ite exegesis is considered as synonymous with “waiting” so its semantic delicacies are ignored. Comparing Sunni and Shi’ite exegetic theories, it is attempted in this study to delve deep into the ignored points in translation and to analyze the semantics of the term using pictorial interpretative method relying on the Qur’an and the style of the verses in the story of Naqeh Saleh (the miracle camel of Prophet Saleh) in Surah al-Qamar. In addition to maintaining conceptual structure and consistency with the concepts provided by verbal dictionaries, the pictorial interpretative method in this study represents more accurate, tangible, and practical meaning along with the Quranic divine programs for the intended words. Among Sunni and Shi’ite early commentators, Zeyd ibn Ali, Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan, Abu Sa’iid Khudri, and most importantly Imam Ali (PBUH) have discussed the subject of “Irteqab in Surah Ad-Dukhan” more precisely

Frequency analysis of HLA class I alleles in Iranian patients with progressive and non-progressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a malignant disorder of B cell origin, with low incidence in Asian populations. In this study we investigated the HLA-class I A and B allele frequencies in 87 Iranian CLL patients and 64 healthy controls using sequence specific primer-polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR) technique. Our results showed increased frequencies of HLA-A11:01 (p=0.02) and HLA-B35:01 (p=0.002) alleles and HLA-A11:01/B35:01 haplotype (p=0.036) and decreased frequencies of HLA-A01:01 (p=0.02), HLA-A26:01 (p=0.03), HLA-B65:01 (p=0.03) and HLA-B53:01 (p<0.00001) alleles in CLL patients compared to the control group. Classification of the patients into non-progressive and progressive groups did not reveal significant differences for the frequency of any of the HLA-A and -B alleles or haplotypes between these two subtypes. Comparison between patients with immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region genes (IGHV) mutated (n=56) and unmutated (n=31) subtypes showed a significant increase in HLA-A32:01 (p=0.05) and HLA-A33:01 (p=0.05) alleles in IGHV unmutated patients compared to IGHV mutated patients. Similarly, a higher frequency of HLA-B52:01 (p=0.037) alleles was observed in CD38+ compared with CD38- patients. Our results obtained from an Iranian population indicate that CLL is associated with distinct HLA class I alleles and haplotypes some of which are linked to disease prognostic factors.Tehran University of Medical SciencesMinistry of Health and Medical Education of IranManuscrip

An imperialist competitive algorithm for the winner determination problem in combinatorial auction

Winner Determination problem (WDP) in combinatorial auction is an NP-complete problem. The NP-complete problems are often solved by using heuristic methods and approximation algorithms. This paper presents an imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) for solving winner determination problem. Combinatorial auction (CA) is an auction that auctioneer considers many goods for sale and the bidder bids on the bundle of items. In this type of auction, the goal is finding winning bids that maximize the auctioneer’s income under the constraint that each item can be allocated to at most one bidder. To demonstrate, the postulated algorithm is applied over various benchmark problems. The ICA offers competitive results and finds good-quality solution in compare to genetic algorithm (GA), Memetic algorithm (MA), Nash equilibrium search approach (NESA) and Tabu search

The role of T helper 9(Th9) against Infectious Diseases

Background and aims: Infectious diseases are disorders caused by organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites .The Th9 subset develops in response to combined signals from TGF-b and IL-4 among a cacophony of other cytokines in an extracellular milieu. T helper 9 (Th9) cells, as a novel CD4 T cell subset, seem to play a complex role in the outcome of specific immune responses. In this article, we aimed to review the role of these cells in infectious disease. Methods: In this mini-review study, we study 25 novel articles since 2009 to 2014 about the role of T helper 9 in some Infectious Diseases. Results: Pleural mesothelial cells promoted Th9 cell differentiation by presenting antigen. It significantly differentiated Th17, but not Th9 cells in the development of CVB3-induced VMC. The microenvironment of VMC seemed to contribute to the differentiation and proliferation of Th17 rather than to differentiation of Th9 cells. Having reviewed the limited number of articles considering this relevance, we came to this result that Lymphatic Filariasis and mycobacterium tuberculosis infections confirmed the existence of such relationship. In addition, Rapamycin resistant murine Th9 cells have a stable in vivo phenotype and inhibit graft-versus-host reactivity but concerning Viral Myocarditis, Th9 cells could not protect against it. Conclusion: The accurate molecular mechanisms underlying the generation and differentiation of human Th9 cells are not elucidated completely. Th9 cells exhibit Ag specific expansion in a chronic helminth infection (lymphatic filariasis), but in relevance to viral myocarditis, Th9 cells did not play an efficient role against it. However; knowing that whether Th9 cells participate in the protection against infections needs further research