Electrochromic properties of a poly(dithienylfuran) derivative featuring a redox-active dithiin unit

A teraryl monomer containing a 1,4-dithiin-furan central unit has been synthesised and characterised by single crystal X-ray crystallography. The di(thienyl)furan monomer 11 was successfully polymerised electrochemically and shown to possess a lower electrochemical band gap than its terthiophene analogue (1.97 eV cf. 2.11 eV). The electrochromic properties of this polymer proved to be superior to PEDOT, with fast switching and reversible colour transformation at high colour contrast (CE = 212 cm(2) C-1 cf. 183 cm(2) C-1 for PEDOT at 95% optical switch)

Performance of Steel-Jacketed RC columns using various cementitious materials

Repair and strengthening techniques of RC elements are considered to be challenging due to time, cost, and space constraints. Conventionally, several techniques have been used in the retrofitting of RC element. These techniques includes epoxy repair, concrete and steel jacketing and FRP. Recently a new technique has been introduced which is concrete filled steel jackets. Although the previously mentioned techniques have been thoroughly studied, little research has been found in this area. Consequently, more data is required towards a safe and efficient design of this technique. In this work, a strengthening technique for RC columns is proposed, which is concrete filled steel jackets. This technique comprises a steel cage consisting of four steel angles with steel strips at fixed spacing to prevent the buckling of the angles. The space between the RC column and the steel cage is filled with different classes of concrete. The experimental program consisted of ten RC columns, two of which are unstrengthened columns. Eight steel cages were used with the same length of the column to confine the RC columns. Four different concrete mixes of filling concrete were prepared with different grades to be used as the filling concrete. No interface or shear connectors were used between the old and new filling concrete. LVDT\u27s and strain gauges were mounted on the specimens to record the load displacement and stress strain curves of the specimens. The properties of hardened concrete mixes were assessed using the cube strength at 28 days. The specimens were then uniaxially loaded until failure. Afterwards, the results of jacketed specimens were compared to each other as well as control specimens i.e. specimens without jacketing. In order to address the effect of the composite jacketing, the strength of the columns are to be compared with the Eurocode 4 and Regalado design equations for composite sections. The results of this study reveal that the proposed technique have significant effects on the capacity, ductility and stiffness of the strengthened columns for different types of filling concrete. Also, this technique is more effective and economic for lower strength filling concrete as it behaves as a composite section. Moreover, the Eurocode 4 design equations tends to overestimate the capacities of the columns and Regalado\u27s equation provide reasonable design values. For future work, it is recommended to examine wider set of concrete mixtures to confirm the findings of this study, the bond between concrete and steel should be thoroughly studied and observe the change in the confinement action on the RC columns and compare the performance of the jacket under eccentric and lateral loads with the results of this stud

Highlights from the 'Noncoding RNA world: From Mechanism to Therapy' conference, July 21-23, 2021

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Effect of Gamma Irradiation on Structural, Morphological and Optical Properties of p-quaterphenyl Thin Films

Para-quaterphenyl thin films were deposited onto glass and quartz substrates by thermal evaporation method. p-quaterphenyl thin films wereexposed to gamma radiation of Cobat-60 radioactive source at room temperature with a dose of 50 kGy to study the effect of ?-irradiation onthe structure and the surface morphology as well as the optical properties of the prepared films. The crystalline structure and the surface morphology of the as-deposited and ?-irradiated films were examined using the X-ray diffraction and the field emission scanning electron microscope. The optical constants (n & k) of the as-deposited and ?-irradiated films were obtained using the transmittance and reflectance measurements, in the wavelength range starting from 250 up to 2500 nm. The analysis of the absorption coefficient data revealed an allowed direct transition with optical band gap of 2.2 eV for the as-deposited films, which decreased to 2.06 eV after exposing film to gamma irradiation. It was observed that the Urbach energy values change inversely with the values of the optical band gap. The dispersion of the refractive index was interpreted using the single oscillator model. The nonlinear absorption coefficient spectra for the as-deposited and ?-irradiated p-quaterphenyl thin films were obtained using the linear refractive index

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells: a potential therapy in an autoimmune hepatitis rat model

Background: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is becoming more common worldwide. The therapy choices for AIH are still limited, with unfavorable side effects resulting in patients with a low quality of life. This study aims to study the therapeutic role of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on AIH in the rat model.Methods: Twenty-nine white Wistar rats were used for a total of 53 days. Four groups were set up; Group I (5 rats) was used as the negative control (CON). Group II (24 rats) was administered Concanavalin A (Con A) 20 mg/kg ip once a week for five consecutive weeks. Sixteen rats from group II were divided among groups III and IV after stoppage of Con A and injected with 2 x106 BM-MSCs via tail vein. Group III (TTT-12) rats were sacrificed after 12 days and Group IV (TTT-18) after 18 days. Morphological, biochemical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical studies were conducted.Results: The administration of BM-MSCs lowered elevated serum levels of AST by 47% after 12 days and 19% after 18 days whereas the level of ALT decreased by 13% and 20.8%in group Con A.  Serum inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) increased in the Con A group were decreased in treated groups by 27% and 23% in TTT-12 and 22.8% and 1.8% in TTT-18. In group TTT-12, the area of Kupffer cells immunostained with CD68 was significantly reduced by 72%, whereas the BM-MSCs immunostained with CD44 were more intense by increasing by 257%. The therapeutic effect of BM-MSCs in group TTT-12 exceeded that in TTT-18 decreasing liver enzymes, inflammation and fibrosis, and restoring liver structure.Conclusions: BM-MSCs achieved a considerable short-term improvement in the AIH model; however, repeated injections were necessary to achieve a sustained therapeutic effect.Keywords: Liver; Autoimmunity; MSCs; Inflammatory cytokines; CD68; CD44; Histopathology 

Cross talk during the periconception period

The cross talk between gametes, embryos, and female reproductive tract plays a crucial role in fine tuning of different reproductive events as well as influencing the epigenetic profile of offspring and their health in adulthood. Here, we describe some background to the recent investigations leading to the discovery of this cross talk. We will also point to important requirements for understanding the maternal communication with gametes and embryos. Finally, we mention two probable hypotheses regarding how gametes and embryos are recognized by the female reproductive tract. It is clear that understanding this cross talk is leading to the production of new means for increasing fertility and potentials for affecting the epigenomic profile of an individual

Design and implementation of optimal controller for DFIG-WT using autonomous groups particle swarm optimization

There are many types of generators used within wind energy such as doubly fed induction generator (DFIG). Particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is simple, robust and easy to implement. In addition to the privilege of PSO, autonomous groups particle swarm optimization (AGPSO) has the advantages of using diverse autonomous groups which result in more randomized and directed search. Applying AGPSO to tune PI controller to control DFIG is proposed in this paper. An implemented laboratory prototype consists of brushless DC motor (BLDC) for simulating the various wind speeds. Wound rotor induction machine, working as DFIG. This system is a stand-alone system. System identification strategy was introduced in this work. In this study, AGPSO is suggested for tuning the PI controller. Different case studies are performed, such as step changes in both speed and electrical load for showing the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. For comparison PSO is used to tune the PI controller. Results from experiments clarify the feasibility of the proposed methodology. It is approved that AGPSO achieves the prevalent control execution (quicker transient response and more modest steady state error (ess)) contrasted with the PSO in tuning PI controller when applied to be used with off-grid systems

المرأة المسلمة والمستجدات المعاصرة رؤية من نافذة السنة

تناول هذا الكتاب ثلاثة محاور قديمة ومستجدة تخص المرأة المسلمة ، وحاول علاجها من خلال النصوص النبوية الشريفة، فكان المحور الأول عن فضايا المرأة وأنواعها، مثل تكريم الإسلام للمرأة ، ثم تناول قضية نقصان العقل والدين وغيرها . اما المحور الثاني فقد ركز على دور الصحابيات في نشر السنة النبوية وحفظها ورعايتها . أما المحور الثالث فقد حاول التركيز على مشكلات المرأة المسلمة وحلها من طريق النصوص النبوية الشريفة ، مثل : حقوق الزوج على زوجته وحقوقها عليه وحق الأصدقاء مع التعرض للمرأة المعيلة ومشاكلها والمرأة العاملة. This book deals with three old and new themes related to Muslim woman, attempting to resolve them in the light of stipulations as available in the recorded sources of the Prophetic traditions. The first theme is woman’s issues and their categories such as honor to woman in Islam, and the issue of woman’s intellectual and religious deficiency. The second theme concerns with the role of Female Companions of the Last Prophet (s.a.w.) in preserving, conserving, and spreading the traditions of the Last Prophet (s.a.w.). As for the third and the last theme, it is devoted to identifying Muslim woman’s problems and suggesting their solution in the light of the stipulations in the Prophetic traditions, such as husband’s rights over the wife and the vice versa, rights of friends, working Muslim woman, and the problems faced by the woman earning livelihood for the family

Pressure, leakage and energy management in water distribution systems

A fast and efficient method to calculate time schedules for internal and boundary PRVs and flow modulation curves has been developed and implemented. Both time and flow modulation can be applied to a single inlet DMA. The time modulation methodology is based on solving a nonlinear programming problem (NLP). In addition, Genetic Algorithms (GA) has been proposed and investigated to calculate the optimal coefficients of a second order relationship between the flow and the outlet pressure for a PRV to minimize the background leakage. The obtained curve can be subsequently implemented using a flow modulation controller in a feedback control scheme. The Aquai-Mod® is a hydraulic device to control and modulate the outlet pressure of a PRV according to the valve flow. The controller was experimentally tested to assess its performance and functionality in different conditions and operating ranges. The mathematical model of the controller has been developed and solved, in both steady state and dynamic conditions. The results of the model have been compared with the experimental data and showed a good agreement in the magnitude and trends. A new method for combined energy and pressure management via integration and coordination of pump scheduling with pressure control aspects has been created. The method is based on formulating and solving an optimisation NLP problem and involves pressure dependent leakage. The cost function of the optimisation problem represents the total cost of water treatment and pumping energy. Developed network scheduling algorithm consists of two stages. The first stage involves solving a continuous problem, where operation of each pump is described by continuous variable. Subsequently, the second stage continuous pump schedules are discretised using heuristic algorithm. Another area of research has been developing optimal feedback rules using GA to control the operation of pump stations. Each pump station has a rule described by two water levels in a downstream reservoir and a value of pump speed for each tariff period. The lower and upper water switching levels of the downstream reservoir correspond to the pump being “ON” or “OFF”. The achieved similar energy cost per 1 Ml of pumped water. In the considered case study, the optimal feedback rules had advantage of small number of ON/OFF switches, which increase the pump stations lifetime and reduce the maintenance cost as well

Al-Mar'ah al muslimah wa al al-mustajaddat al-muasirah: rukyah min Nafizah al-sunnah

تناول هذا الكتاب ثلاثة محاور قديمة ومستجدة تحص المرأة المسلمة وحاول علاجها من خلال النصوص النبوية الشريفة ز فكان المحور الأول عن قضايا المرأة وأنواعهامثل تكرين الإسلام للمرأة . ثم تناول فضية نقصان العقل والدين وغيرها . أما المحور القاني فقد ركز على دور الصحابيات في نشر السنة النبوية وحفظها ورعايتها . أما المحور الثالث فقد حاول التركيز على مشكلات المرأة المسلمة وحلها عن طريق النصوص النبوية الشريفة مثل حقوق الزوج على زوجته وحقوقها عليه وحق الاصدقاء .. مع التعرض للمرأة المعيلة