Application of π receptors to the spectrophotometric determination of naftidrofuryl oxalate in pure form and its pharmaceutical preparation

Three different spectrophotometric methods are developed for the determination of naftidrofuryl oxalate (NAF) in pure form and its pharmaceutical preparation. The methods are based on charge transfer complexation reactions of NAF as n-electron donor with either p-chloranilic acid (PCA) or 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) or tetracyano ethylene (TCNE) as π-receptors to give highly colored anion radicals species. The colored products were quantified spectrophotometrically at 515, 588 and 396 nm in PCA, DDQ and TCNE methods, respectively. Under the optimized experimental conditions, Beer's law is obeyed over the concentration ranges of 75.0-300.0, 25.0-150.0 and 15.0- 50.0 μg/mL NAF for PCA, DDQ and TCNE methods, respectively. The proposed methods were applied successfully to the determination of NAF in pure form and its commercial tablets with good accuracy and precision. Statistical comparison of the results was performed using Student's t-test and F-ratio at 95% confidence level, showing that there is no significant difference between the reference and the proposed methods with regard to accuracy and precision. Further, the validity of the proposed methods was confirmed by standard addition technique

Theoretical and technical potential evaluation of solar power generation in Iran

Nowadays, utilizing solar energy for power production at high efficiency and in a cost-effective status is a challenging issue for power plant engineers. This challenge would be answered by considering several affecting parameters such as technical, economic, and environmental criteria. In this investigation, in order to provide an assessment for implementing solar power plants in the southeast of Iran, Sistan and Baluchistan province, a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) approach is linked to a geographic information system (GIS). The MCDM approach is used to appraise the effective criteria for implementing solar power plants. The environment, orography, economic and climate are selected as the important criteria. Each criterion is assessed for the defined location of the investigation (Sistan and Baluchistan province) and in addition, GIS is employed to provide a geographical-graphical valuation to determine the most appropriate place for installing a large-scale solar power production plant. The solar systems considered in this study are photovoltaic (PV) collectors and concentrated solar power (CSP) generation plants (e.g. solar trough collectors). Technical and theoretical valuations are made to specify the amount of solar power which can be harnessed in Sistan and Baluchistan. In overall, it is demonstrated that this specific location in the southeast of Iran has the technical potential to provide 7,419 TWh/y and 8,758 TWh/y of solar electricity by installing CSP and PV technologies, respectively

Federated learning empowered ultra-dense next-generation wireless networks

The evolution of wireless networks, from first-generation (1G) to fifth generation (5G), has facilitated real-time services and intelligent applications powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Nevertheless, prospective applications like autonomous driving and haptic communications necessitate the exploration of beyond fifth-generation (B5G) and sixth-generation (6G) networks, leveraging millimeter-wave (mmWave) and terahertz (THz) technologies. However, these high-frequency bands experience significant atmospheric attenuation, resulting in high signal propagation loss, which necessitates a fundamental reconfiguration of network architectures and paves the way for the emergence of ultra-dense networks (UDNs). Equipped with massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) and beamforming technologies, UDNs mitigate propagation losses by utilising narrow line-of-sight (LoS) beams to direct radio waves toward specific receiving points, thereby enhancing signal quality. Despite these advancements, UDNs face critical challenges, which include worsened mobility issues in dynamic UDNs due to the susceptibility of LoS links to blockages, data privacy concerns at the network edge when implementing centralised ML training, and power consumption challenges stemming from the deployment of dense small base stations (SBSs) and the integration of cutting edge techniques like edge learning. In this context, this thesis begins by investigating the prevailing issue of beam blockage in UDNs and introduces novel frameworks to address this emerging challenge. The main theme of the first three contributions is to tackle beam blockages and frequent handovers (HOs) through innovative sensing-aided wireless communications. This approach seeks to enhance the situational awareness of UDNs regarding their surroundings by using a variety of sensors commonly found in urban areas, such as vision and radar sensors. While all these contributions share the common goal of proposing sensing-aided proactive HO (PHO) frameworks that intelligently predict blockage events in advance and performs PHO, each of them presents distinctive framework features, contributing significantly to the improvement of UDN operations. To provide further details, the first contribution adhered to conventional centralised model training, while the other contributions employed federated learning (FL), a decentralised collaborative training approach primarily designed to safeguard data privacy. The utilisation of FL technology offers several advantages, including enhanced data privacy, scalability, and adaptability. Simulation results from all these frameworks have demonstrated the remarkable performance of the proposed latency-aware frameworks in improving UDNs’ reliability, maintaining user connectivity, and delivering high levels of quality of experience (QoE) and throughput when compared to existing reactive HO procedures lacking proactive blockage prediction. The fourth contribution is centred on optimising energy management in UDNs and introduces FedraTrees, a lightweight algorithm that integrates decision tree (DT)-based models into the FL setup. FedraTrees challenges the conventional belief that FL is exclusively suited for Neural Network (NN) models by enabling the incorporation of DT models within the FL context. While FedraTrees offers versatility across various applications, this thesis specifically applies it to energy forecasting tasks with the aim of achieving the energy efficiency requirement of UDNs. Simulation results demonstrate that FedraTrees performs remarkably in predicting short-term energy patterns and surpasses the state-of-the-art long short-term memory (LSTM)-based federated averaging (FedAvg) algorithm in terms of reducing computational and communication resources demands

The Impact of Electronic Sales Channels on Customers Response of Convenience Products Outlets Stores

Purpose: The current study sought to determine the effect of electronic sales channels on customer response to appropriate product outlet stores.   Theoretical framework: With the development of modern means of communication and technologies that have proven effective and efficient, the online shopping system has evolved to be an important resource in the field of electronic commerce. Therefore, in recent times, the issue of customer response has become a sensitive issue for companies, especially in light of the intense competition in the business environment.   Design/methodology/approach: The study used the descriptive analytical approach, and the administrative survey was designed to access the data. The study population consisted of (10) major electronic sales outlets located in the city of Irbid, and a random sample of a total of (400) respondents was used. To analyze the data, this study used modern systems, which is the statistical program (SPSS).   Findings: The results of the study indicate the positive impact of electronic sales channels on customer response.   Research, Practical & Social implications: The study recommended the need, and most importantly, to recommend the adoption of a diversity strategy in e-mail so that companies can access more widespread applications, which increases the interest of the customer and thus is reflected in his purchase decision.   Originality/value: Despite the scientific contribution that was evident in this study, we still need more future studies related to electronic sales channels about customer response in other dimensions such as purchasing decisions, sales and marketing performance, customer trust, and customer intention in different commercial and marketing environments

Strong attenuation using subwavelength apertures in a phononic plate

International audienceThe aim of this study is to demonstrate an acoustic screening in a periodically perforated plate. The phononic structure is constituted of sub-wavelength slit arrays, of the order of λ/10, in an aluminium plate that is immersed in water. These arrays act as Fabry-Pérot acoustic resonators, and through the coupling effect between them, we obtain a series of asymmetric shape peaks in the transmission spectra. This leads to an enhanced transmission at the res-onance frequencies as well as to improve the attenuation significantly at the anti-resonance frequencies. Therefore, the composition between these anti-resonance frequencies, through the geometrical features, enables to reach an attenuation up to 23 dB, with a relative band-width of 11% and a center frequency of 175 kHz

Integrated datasets of proteomic and metabolomic biomarkers to predict its impacts on comorbidities of type 2 diabetes mellitus

© 2020 Cheema et al. Objective: The objective of the current study is to accomplish a relative exploration of the biological roles of differentially dysregulated genes (DRGs) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The study aimed to determine the impact of these DRGs on the biological pathways and networks that are related to the associated disorders and complications in T2DM and to predict its role as prospective biomarkers. Methods: Datasets obtained from metabolomic and proteomic profiling were used for investigation of the differential expression of the genes. A subset of DRGs was integrated into IPA software to explore its biological pathways, related diseases, and their regulation in T2DM. Upon entry into the IPA, only 94 of the DRGs were recognizable, mapped, and matched within the database. Results: The study identified networks that explore the dysregulation of several functions; cell components such as degranulation of cells; molecular transport process and metabolism of cellular proteins; and inflammatory responses. Top disorders associated with DRGs in T2DM are related to organ injuries such as renal damage, connective tissue disorders, and acute inflammatory disorders. Upstream regulator analysis predicted the role of several transcription factors of interest, such as STAT3 and HIF alpha, as well as many kinases such as JAK kinases, which affects the gene expression of the dataset in T2DM. Interleukin 6 (IL6) is the top regulator of the DRGs, followed by leptin (LEP). Monitoring the dysregulation of the coupled expression of the following biomarkers (TNF, IL6, LEP, AGT, APOE, F2, SPP1, and INS) highlights that they could be used as potential prognostic biomarkers. Conclusion: The integration of data obtained by advanced metabolomic and proteomic technologies has made it probable to advantage in understanding the role of these biomarkers in the identification of significant biological processes, pathways, and regulators that are associated with T2DM and its comorbidities

Anti-apolipoprotein A-I antibodies and paraoxonase 1 activity in systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients have an increased risk of atherosclerosis. Identification of at-risk patients and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in SLE remain elusive. Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) and anti-apolipoprotein A-I antibody (anti-Apo A-I) appear to have a potential role in premature atherosclerosis in SLE. The aim of this work was to study PON1 activity and anti-Apo A-I antibody in SLE female patients and to demonstrate their relations to disease activity as well as disease related damage. Forty SLE female patients and 40 apparently healthy volunteers were included. Anti-Apo A-I antibodies levels and PON1 activity levels were assessed. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) and systemic Lupus International Collaboration Clinics (SLICC)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) damage index were preformed in all patients. Compared with controls, SLE patients showed significantly lower PON1 activity and significantly higher titers of anti-Apo A-I. Anti-Apo A-I antibody titers correlated inversely with PON1 activity. Elevated titers of anti-Apo A-I antibody and reduced PON activity were related to increased SLEDAI and (SLICC/ACR) damage index scores. We concluded that there is decreased PON1 activity and formation of anti-Apo A-I antibodies in female patients with SLE. SLE-disease activity assessed by SLEDAI and SLE disease related organ damage assessed by SLICC/ACR damage index are negatively correlated with PON1 activity and positively correlated with anti-Apo A-I antibodies. PON1 activity and anti-Apo A-I antibodies might be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in SLE patients

Design, synthesis and cytotoxic evaluation of 2-amino-4- aryl-6-substituted pyridine-3,5-dicarbonitrile derivatives

Purpose: To synthesize novel pyridine derivatives and evaluate their efficiency as potent inhibitors of cyclin dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) enzyme for cancer therapy.Methods: Pyridine scaffold were synthesized using one-pot multicomponent condensation reaction of arylidine with different primary amines. The cytotoxic potential of the new compounds was assessed using various cell lines. Furthermore, molecular docking studies based on the crystal structure of CDK2 was carried out to determine the possible binding modes that influence the anticancer activities.Results: The results indicate that one-pot multicomponent reaction generated a series of functionalized pyridines with good yield. In vitro cytotoxicity study revealed superior cytotoxicity of the designed compounds against prostate and cervical cancer cell lines compared to 5-fluorouracil (standard anticancer compound) with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 0.1 – 0.85 and 1.2 –74.1 μM, respectively. Finally, molecular modeling simulation of the newly synthesized compounds showed that they fit well and are stabilized into CDK2 active site via hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions.Conclusion: The results indicate that the newly synthesized pyridine can exert potent anticancer activity presumably via inhibition of CDK2. However, this will need to be confirmed in in vivo studies