Software reuse issues and perspectives

Software reuse could be implemented at several levels including the specification level, design level, program/subprogram library level, code level, and object-code level. However, reuse has a distinct definition for each of the above-mentioned levels. Moreover, the techniques applied to organize and manage reuse is different from one level to another. What's more, the complexity of the reuse methods and techniques increases as it moves from the specification level to the code and object-code levels. On the positive side, the time and space efficiency resulting from the application of reuse techniques improves in the same direction. Specification and design levels are at higher levels of abstraction than the other reuse levels, therefore their potential for accommodating reuse is greater and their adaptation to new applications can be simpler. However, the reuse process of the specification and design levels ultimately involves coding (be it system-generated or manual), testing, and debugging. On the other hand, reuse at code and object-code levels essentially eliminates coding and overall testing, hence it is more economical where a large collection of reusable software is organized in a software library     

An Iterative Multiuser Detector for Overloaded LDPC Coded CDMA Systems

Maximum number of users in a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, disregarding the type of used signature sequences, is equal to the processing gain; but in overloaded CDMA systems, it is tried to use some special methods of applying signature sequences so that the number of users exceeds the processing gain of the system. This growth in capacity is gain at the cost of decrease in performance of the conventional systems; and usually it is tried to use channel coding methods or multi-user detectors to compensate this decrease. Because of advantages of using coding methods joined with multiuser detectors in achieving better performance and also because of some benefits of using (Low Density Parity Check) LDPC method in comparison with similar capacity achieving coding methods, in this article, an iterative multi-user detector for an overloaded LDPC Coded CDMA system is proposed. This receiver consists of a combination of matched filters in the first stage and a linear (Minimum Mean Square Error) MMSE detector and an Interference Cancellation (IC) scheme in the successive stages. In the suggested method, a bank of LDPC decoders gives the soft information to the IC blocks, which help for the better interference cancellation. Comparing the performance of the proposed system with that of Turbo coded system shows that the proposed system, in addition to advantages of using LDPC codes instead of Turbo codes, has better bit error rate performance.     

Advanced Bioresponsive Multitasking Hydrogels in the New Era of Biomedicine

Advanced forms of hydrogels have many inherently desirable properties and can be designed with different structures and functions. In particular, bioresponsive multifunctional hydrogels can carry out sophisticated biological functions. These include in situ single-cell approaches, capturing, analysis, and release of living cells, biomimetics of cell, tissue, and tumor-specific niches. They can allow in vivo cell manipulation and act as novel drug delivery systems, allowing diagnostic, therapeutic, vaccination, and immunotherapy methods. In the present review of multitasking hydrogels, new approaches and devices classified into point-of-care testing (POCT), microarrays, single-cell/rare cell approaches, artificial membranes, biomimetic modeling systems, nanodoctors, and microneedle patches are summarized. The potentials and application of each format are critically discussed, and some limitations are highlighted. Finally, how hydrogels can enable an “all-in-one platform” to play a key role in cancer therapy, regenerative medicine, and the treatment of inflammatory, degenerative, genetic, and metabolic diseases is being looked forward to.     

杏核的活性壳：一种用于黄金回收的有价值的吸附剂

Activated carbon has been proven to be an effective adsorbent for the recovery of a wide variety of metal ions from aqueous solutions. In this research, the activated hard shell of Iranian apricot stones was used for gold recovery from electro-plating wastewater. The effect of parameters such as dose and particle size of adsorbent,pH, agitation speed of mixing on the gold recovery was investigated. The results showed that under the optimum operating conditions more than 98% of gold ions were adsorbed onto activated carbon after just 3 h. In addition, the adsorbed gold could be eluted from this adsorbent by improved striping method. The process involves contact of gold-laden adsorbent with a strong base at ambient temperatures followed by elution with an aqueous solution containing an organic solvent. It was found that activated hard shell of apricot stones has the potential to replace im ported commercial activated carbons in gold adsorption processes.     

Competitive Separation of Lead,Cadmium, and Nickel from Aqueous Solutions Using Activated Carbon: Response Surface Modeling,Equilibrium, and Thermodynamic Studies

In this study, the competitive separation of lead, cadmium, and nickel ions from aqueous solutions using a commercial activated carbon (AC) has been investigated and optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal conditions to reach the highest adsorption capacity for these metals were found as follows: initial pH = 6.3, temperature = 56.8°C, and shaking speed = 308 rpm. Under these conditions, the sequence of adsorption capacity toward the metal ions was as follows: Pb (II): 9.44 mg g^?1 > Cd (II): 9.37 mg g^?1 > Ni (II): 4.52 mg g^?1. The effect of shaking speed on the adsorption capacity of AC was higher than the effects of the initial pH and temperature, indicating the more important role of physisorption than chemisorption in the adsorption of these metal ions. This was confirmed by the results of thermodynamic studies. The equilibrium adsorption data were fitted to the Freundlich, Langmuir adsorption isotherm models and the Dubinin–Radushkevich model parameters were evaluated. All the models were tested and all were shown to represent the experimental data satisfactorily. The thermodynamic parameters such as ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG were computed from the experimental data. These values show that the adsorption is endothermic and spontaneous. The positive value of ΔS° indicates increasing of randomness at the solid/liquid interface during the adsorption of metal ions on AC.     

Pd(II)/Pd(0) Anchored on Magnetic Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles: A Nanocatalyst for Suzuki–Miyaura and Heck–Mizoroki Coupling Reactions

Journal of Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers and Materials - 3-Chloropropyltrimethoxysilane (CPTMS) was grafted on the surface of silica coated Fe3O4 core (Fe3O4@MCM-41) and then condensed with...     

<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-Aspartic acid incorporated optically active poly(amide-imide)s: synthesis and characterization

N-trimelliticimido-l-aspartic acid (1) was prepared from the reaction of trimellitic anhydride with l-aspartic acid in a mixture of glacial acetic acid and pyridine solution (3/2 ratio) under refluxing conditions. The solution polycondensation of the corresponding activated monomer with eight aromatic diamines were carried out in DMAc. The resulting poly(amide-imide)s were obtained in quantitative yields, showed admirable inherent viscosities (0.20–0.36 dl g⁻¹), good optical activity (+7.32o to +15.24o), and were readily soluble in polar aprotic solvents. They start to decompose (T _10%) above 170 °C and display glass-transition temperatures at 120–237 °C. All of the above polymers were fully characterized by UV, FT–IR, and ¹HNMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analyses, DSC, inherent viscosity measurement, and specific rotation.     

Continuous production of fine zinc oxide nanorods by hydrothermal synthesis in supercritical water

Continuous production of highly crystalline ZnO nanorods by supercritical hydrothermal synthesis was reported in this article. Zinc nitrate aqueous solution was pressurized to 30 MPa at room temperature and rapidly heated to 673 K by mixing with supercritical water and then fed into a tubular reactor. Residence time is about 10 s. Production of ZnO nanorod particles with uniform particle size distribution showed a strong ultraviolet light emission at room temperature. This article also reported in-situ surface modification of ZnO nanorods with organic reagents by the supercritical hydrothermal synthesis.     

Sono-sorption as a new method for the removal of lead ion from aqueous solution

Sorption of Pb(II) as a toxic heavy metal ion, onto styrene-divinylbenzene co-polymer resin in the presence of ultrasound (sono-sorption) and in its absence (classical method) is presented in this work. Batch experiments were conducted to study the effect of the main parameters such as the amount of sorbent, concentration of sorbate, contact time, intensity of ultrasound and temperature on this sorption process. The equilibrium between liquid and solid phase was described by Langmuir model better than the Freundlich model. The time to reach equilibrium especially in the presence of ultrasound was very fast. This indicates that the resin mentioned has a high potential for the sorption of this pollutant ion. The isotherm constants were obtained under several different conditions. These constants were used in the calculation of the thermodynamic parameters of sorption. According to the results, the kinetics of sorption was in agreement with both pseudo-first-order and first-order reversible models.     

Reduction toxicity of Amphotericin B through loading into a novel nanoformulation of anionic linear globular dendrimer for improve treatment of leishmania major

Amphotericin B (A) as an antileishmanial drug has limited clinical application owing to severe side-effects and low-water solubility. This is the first study reported using Anionic Linear Globular Dendrimer (ALGD) as A carrier for the increase of A solubility rate, decrease its toxicity, and improve its therapeutic effects. ALGD was synthesized and A was loaded into nanoparticles for the first time with the drug-loading efficiency of 82%. Drug loading was confirmed using characterization methods. The drug solubility rate was increased by 478-folds. The results of the study showed that the A toxicity was significantly decreased by 95% in vitro and in vivo environments, which was confirmed by pathology findings and enzymatic evaluation. Furthermore, the nanodrug caused that mortality rate was reached to zero. Moreover, the nanodrug was as potent as the free drug and glucantime (GUL) in reducing the parasite burden and parasite number. These findings indicated the potency of ALGD to decrease the drug side-effects, increase the drug solubility rate, and improve the drug efficacy. Moreover, the nanoformulation was a non-toxic and cost-effective formulation. The conformity between in vitro and in vivo results suggested that the A-loaded ALGD could be considered as a promising candidate in reducing the side-effects of A in leishmaniasis treatment.

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