A DFT study of 5-fluorouracil adsorption on the pure and doped BN nanotubes

Abstract The electronic and adsorption properties of the pristine, Al-, Ga-, and Ge-doped BN nanotubes interacted with 5-fluorouracil molecule (5-FU) were theoretically investigated in the gas phase using the B3LYP density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It was found that the adsorption behavior of 5FU molecule on the pristine (8, 0) and (5, 5) BNNTs are electrostatic in nature. In contrast, the 5FU molecule (O-side) implies strong adsorption on the metal-doped BNNTs. Our results indicate that the Ga-doped presents high sensitivity and strong adsorption with the 5-FU molecule than the Al- and Ge-doped BNNTs. Therefore, it can be introduced as a carrier for drug delivery applications. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd

The impact of Silymarin on improvement of platelet abnormalities in patients with severe preeclampsia.

BACKGROUND Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder that is associated with an increase in blood pressure and proteinuria; in severe cases, it can cause platelet abnormalities. Silymarin is the extract of Silybum marianum, which is recognized as a safe antioxidant drug. OBJECTIVE To determine the impact of Silymarin on the improvement of severe preeclampsia in 60 patients with severe preeclampsia. METHODS In this double-blind clinical trial study, This study included 60 patients whose pregnancies were terminated because of severe preeclampsia and who were referred to Hajar Hospital in Shahrekord, Iran, from April 2014 to September 2015. The patients were divided randomly into two groups, i.e., a group of 30 patients and a control group of 30 patients. In addition to the current treatments for preeclampsia, The members of the study group were administered 70 mg of Silymarin at three hours and 24 hours after the termination of their pregnancies. The control group received a placebo at the same times. Platelet count tests were compared at the baseline and at 12, 36, and 60 hours post-measurements in the two groups by SPSS software, version 22, by the ANOVA test, and by the independent-samples t-test. RESULTS At the baseline, the two groups were not significantly different in terms of various criteria, such as age, BMI, and platelet counts. There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding the number of platelets at 12, 36, and 60 h after their pregnancies were ended (p > 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicated that, although oxidative factors are involved in the incidence of complications of preeclampsia, e.g., thrombocytopenia, merely using an oxidative agent does not alleviate this effect. This indicated that other factors likely are involved in the pathogenesis of this disease. Additional studies are needed to prove the beneficial effects of this drug in the treatment of preeclampsia. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION The trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (http://www.irct.ir) with the Irct ID: IRCT201509042388/N1. FUNDING Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences supported this research (project no. 2006)

The Impact of Silymarin on Improvement of Hepatic Abnormalities in Patients with Severe Preeclampsia: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract Background: Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder, associated with increased blood pressure and proteinuria, and in extreme cases it can also cause liver and kidney problems. Objective: To determine the impact of silymarin on the improvement of severe preeclampsia. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted at Hajar Hospital in Shahrekord, Iran, from April 2014 to September 2015. Sixty patients whose pregnancy had ended as a result of severe preeclampsia, were entered into the study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups of thirty study and control groups. In addition to current treatment for preeclampsia, case groups were administered 70 mg of silymarin, three and twenty four hours after the termination of pregnancy. The control group received placebo at the same time. The blood pressure and AST, ALT, ALP, LDH, uric acid, bilirubin and kidney tests were compared at the baseline and 12, 36 and 60 hours post- measurements in two groups by SPSS software, version 22, by the ANOVA test, and by the independent-samples t-test. Results: AST and ALT liver enzyme levels decreased significantly 36 and 60 hours after the termination of pregnancy in the study group compared to the control group (p <0.01). Conclusion: Silymarin is used to treat liver disorders, and has beneficial results. It seems that this drug can be used for accelerating improvement of liver disorders in severe preeclampsia. However, adjusting the dose of the drug for the treatment of liver disorders in severe preeclampsia requires further studies. Clinical trial registration: The trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (http://www.irct.ir) with the Irct ID: IRCT201509042388/N1. Funding: Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences supported this research (project no. 2006)

Conflating Relevance with Practical Significance and Other Issues: Commentary on Sen, Smith, and Van Note’s “Statistical Significance Versus Practical Importance in Information Systems Research”

Expanding on the current debate on the issues of statistical and practical significance in information systems research, where the article by Sen, Smith, and Van Note is a recent contribution, this commentary cautions against conflating relevance with practical significance. We emphasize that relevance is 1) about the real-world usefulness of research findings rather than their impressiveness for the researcher audience, 2) an essential quality of research spanning beyond its findings and not merely limited to statistical studies, and 3) determined by nonacademics rather than academics. We also comment on other aspects of the article by Sen et al., such as the term “practical importance,” the treatment of effect size measures, and the presentation of “marginal effects.

The study of relationship between addiction potentiality and personality characteristics, conformity and gender among pre-university students

زمینه و هدف: ویژگی های شخصیتی و همنوایی از عوامل روان شناختی مهم در گرایش به رفتارهای پر خطر از جمله اعتیاد به شمار می روند. این پژوهش با هدف بررسی رابطه اعتیادپذیری با شخصیت، همنوایی و نقش جنسیت در بین دانش آموزان مقطع متوسطه شهر کرمان انجام شده است. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه توصیفی-تحلیلی 118 دانش آموز مقطع پیش دانشگاهی ناحیه 2 شهر کرمان با روش نمونه گیری خوشه ای انتخاب شدند. ابزارهای پژوهش شامل: آزمون پنج عامل بزرگ شخصیت (فرم کوتاه)، همنوایی ال₇₂ و اعتیاد پذیری بود. داده ها به کمک ضریب همبستگی پیرسون، رگرسیون چند متغیره و آزمون t مورد تحلیل قرار گرفتند. یافته ها: بین همنوایی و اعتیاد پذیری رابطه مثبت معنادار وجود داشت (01/0>P). همچنین اعتیاد پذیری با ویژگی شخصیتی روان رنجوری رابطه مثبت و معنی‌دار و با ویژگی های شخصیتی وجدانی بودن و توافق گرایی رابطه منفی معنی دار وجود داشت (01/0>P). نتایج تحلیل t نشان داد که از لحاظ همنوایی در بین دختران و پسران تفاوتی وجود ندارد (05/0P). نتیجه گیری: افراد همنوا و افرادی که از لحاظ شخصیتی آسیب پذیرند مستعد اعتیاد می باشند. بنابراین ضروری است که در برنامه های آموزشی، پیشگیری و درمانی اعتیاد بر این ویژگی های روانشناختی تأکید گردد

Modified Dolphin Monitoring Operator for Weight Optimization of Frame Structures

In this article, a modified dolphin monitoring (MDM) operatoris introduced and used to improve the performance of the collidingbodies optimization (CBO) algorithm for optimal designof steel structures (CBO-MDM). The performance of the CBO,enhanced colliding bodies optimization (ECBO) and CBOMDMare compared through three well-established structuralbenchmarks. The optimized designs obtained by thesealgorithms are compared, and the results show that the performanceof CBO-MDM is superior to those of the other twoalgorithms. The MDM is found to be a suitable tool to enhancethe performance of the CBO algorithm

Optical Studies of Er-doped Yttrium Aluminium Garnet Phosphor Materials

The need for materials application in solid-state lasers, medical devices, and optoelectronic devices has made the investigation of ceramic materials of increasing importance. A detail study of the optical properties of rare earth element typically from luminescent materials when intentionally doped inside the host materials and in particular crystal (such as YAG) is reported for the photoluminescence, power and lifetime measurement. The rare-earth dopants usually form trivalent lanthanide ions and the energy transfer and optical transitions involved originate from 4f-4f transitions of the ions and between these states and the host material. In order to understand the energy transfer processes in more detail we need to better understand the accompanying optical processes that give rise to the emission they display and it is this that forms the focus of the work presented. Following this second (and higher) order processes are considered that lead to upconversion in erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) materials