Computer-based tools unmask critical mineral nutrient interactions in Hoagland solution for healthy kiwiberry plant acclimatization

The aim of this study was to better understand the response of ex vitro acclimatized plants grown to a set of mineral nutrient combinations based on Hoagland solution. To reach that, two computer-based tools were used: the design of experiments (DOE) and a hybrid artificial intelligence technology that combines artificial neural networks with fuzzy logic. DOE was employed to create a five-dimensional IV-design space by categorizing all macroelements and one microelement (copper) of Hoagland mineral solution, reducing the experimental design space from 243 (35) to 19 treatments. Typical growth parameters included hardening efficiency (Hard), newly formed shoot length (SL), total leaf number (TLN), leaf chlorophyll content (LCC), and leaf area (LA). Moreover, three physiological disorders, namely, leaf necrosis (LN), leaf spot (LS), and curled leaf (CL), were evaluated for each treatment (mineral formulation). All the growth parameters plus LN were successfully modeled using neuro-fuzzy logic with a high train set R2 between experimental and predicted values (72.67 < R2 < 98.79). The model deciphered new insights using different sets of “IF–THEN” rules, pinpointing the positive role of Mg2+ and Ca2+ to improve Hard, SL, TLN, and LA and alleviate LN but with opposite influences on LCC. On the contrary, TLN and LCC were negatively affected by the addition of NO3– into the media, while NH4+ in complex interaction with Cu2+ or Mg2+ positively enhanced SL, TLN, LCC, and LA. In our opinion, the approach and results achieved in this work are extremely fruitful to understand the effect of Hoagland mineral nutrients on the healthy growth of ex vitro acclimatized plants, through identifying key factors, which favor growth and limit physiological abnormalities.Xunta de Galici

New indolinone 1, 2, 3-triazole derivatives: Design, synthesis and anti-Alzheimer activity evaluation

Novel 1,2,3-triazole indolinone derivatives have been synthesized. All the titled compounds were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, MS and IR spectral data. The in vitro AChE and BChE inhibitory activity of all the compounds were evaluated. &nbsp;Introduction: Alzheimer disease is the most frequent cause of dementia, which is very common in elder population with high morbidity. Treatment of this disease is one of the most promising targets in medicinal chemistry researches. Design and synthesis of novel 1,2,3 diazole indolinone derivatives as cholinesterase inhibitor (ChEI), are investigated in this study. Indolinone derivatives with 1,2,3-triazole moiety have been recently reported as potential AChE and BuChE inhibitors. There is also, a growing interest in evaluating the biological activity of these compounds and their derivatives to investigate their role in the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. Methods and Results: The target compounds were prepared via the 1-methyl-3-((prop-2-yn-1-yloxy)imino)indolin-2-one as an intermediate in click reaction with substituted benzyl halides in water and DMF as solvent in room temperature. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, MS and IR spectral data. The in vitro AChE and BuChE inhibitory activity of all the compounds were evaluated. Conclusions: In conclusion, various novel 1,2,3-triazole indolinone derivatives were designed, synthesized, and evaluated against AChE and BChE. All these results clearly confirmed the efficacy of the corresponding compounds for further drug discovery developments

The Role of Perceived Social Support on Quality of Life in People with Cardiovascular Diseases

Background: Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are one of the major causes of hospitalization and mortality worldwide. Strengthening perceived&nbsp; social support and quality of life can reduce these problems. This study aimed to describe the role of perceived social support on cardiovascular&nbsp; patients' quality of life.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2020 to February 2021. We selected 150 cardiovascular patients through&nbsp; convenience sampling. The questionnaires included: the Persian version of the WHOQOL-BREF, Perceived Social Support, and demographic&nbsp; variables. Hierarchical linear regression was used to explore the association between perceived social support and quality of life. Data were&nbsp; analyzed by SPSS version 21.0 software. A P-value less than 0.05 is considered statistically significant. Results: The demographic variables could predict 12.2% of the variance of quality of life in the first step. In the second step, after adjusting control&nbsp; variables and dimensions of social support, the predictability increased to 29% of the variance with the addition of variables. All dimensions of social&nbsp; support, excluding tangible assets support, were significant predictors of quality of life and monthly income status. Self-esteem support (β=&nbsp; 0.387) was the strongest predictor of quality of life in cardiovascular patients. Conclusion: Patients with higher perceived social support have a better quality of life than the other patients. Perceived social support is one of the&nbsp; strategies that can be utilized to improve quality of life and overcome disease in cardiovascular patients.&nbsp

Assessing the efficacy of several impact-based mechanical techniques on fatigue behavior of additive manufactured AlSi10Mg

Post-processing methods to reduce issues associated with the presence of internal and external anomalies are often necessary for obtaining adequate structural performance for additively manufactured products. However, the choice of the proper post-treatment and the corresponding parameters is still a challenge requiring adaption to the material type, geometry, size and undeniably costs. In this study, four different pure impact-based mechanical operations involving ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM), ultrasonic shot peening (USSP), severe shot peening (SSP), and severe vibratory peening (SVP) to investigate their efficacy on the fatigue behavior of hourglass AlSi10Mg specimens manufactured via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) were considered. Experimental characterizations involving microstructural approach, porosity level and surface texture, hardness and residual stresses measurements, as well as tensile and fatigue testing, were conducted. The results exhibited considerable improvement in mechanical/physical performances leading to substantially enhanced fatigue performance of the mechanically treated specimens. Based on a cost-performance analysis, it was found that UNSM, while having reasonable cost, presented considerable improvement on fatigue behavior

The efficiency of tumble finishing as a final post-treatment for fatigue enhancement of notched laser powder bed fusion AlSi10Mg

: A hybrid post-treatment combining tumble finishing as a final step after shot peening and heat treatment was developed to alleviate the adverse effects of internal and surface defects on the fatigue performance of laser powder bed fusion AlSi10Mg samples. The effects of each post-treatment were investigated individually and synergistically on microstructure, surface morphology and roughness, hardness, residual stresses, porosity, and rotating bending fatigue behavior of V-notched AlSi10Mg samples. The results reveal that tumble finishing can highly reduce surface roughness by 28 and 32% compared to the as-built and heat-treated states while inducing extra surface layer hardening and compressive residual stresses. The hybrid post-treatment of heat treatment + shot peening + tumble finishing significantly increased the fatigue life of the samples by over 500 times higher compared to the as-built series

Application of gradient severe shot peening as a novel mechanical surface treatment on fatigue behavior of additively manufactured AlSi10Mg

Post-processing methods can be crucial in addressing the associated anomalies of the as-built state of additively manufactured materials. In this study, for the first time, the effects of gradient severe shot peening as a novel mechanical surface treatment, along with other types of shot peening treatments, including conventional, severe, and over shot peening processes were investigated individually and combined with heat treatment on fatigue behavior of hourglass AlSi10Mg samples fabricated by laser powder bed fusion. Detailed experimental characterizations in terms of microstructure, porosity, surface texture, hardness and residual stresses as well as rotating bending fatigue behavior were conducted. The experimental results revealed a significant fatigue behavior improvement after applying gradient severe shot peening treatments due to their remarkable capacity to modulate surface texture, known as a side effect of peening, besides surface layer nanocrystallization, enhanced hardness, and high compressive residual stresses