A Comprehensive Review on Chemotaxonomic and Phytochemical Aspects of Homoisoflavonoids,as Rare Flavonoid Derivatives

Homoisoflavonoids (3-benzylidene-4-chromanones) are considered as an infrequent flavonoid class, possessing multi-beneficial bioactivities. The present study gives an overview on phytochemical aspects of homoisoflavonoids, including utilized plant species, parts, extracts, and separation techniques. Overall, these compounds have mainly been isolated and identified from bulbs and rhizomes of the plants belonging to Asparagaceae and Fabaceae families, particularly the genera of Ophiopogon, Dracaena, Scilla, Polygonatum, and Caesalpinia.     

Violence detection in videos using interest frame extraction and 3D convolutional neural network

Multimedia Tools and Applications - With the rapid development of detecting violent behaviors in surveillance cameras, requests on systems that automatically recognize violent events are expanded....     

Effect of fortification with asparagus powder on the qualitative properties of processed cheese

The qualitative properties of processed cheese (PC) fortified with different levels of asparagus powder (AP) (0.5%, 1% and 1.5% wt/wt) were evaluated during storage. AP decreased the pH and lipolysis indexes and increased the phenolic content, antioxidant activity and proteolysis of the processed cheeses. AP made the structure of the cheese more elastic, increased the rigidity and decreased the spreadability compared with the control sample, which corresponded to the results obtained using dynamic oscillatory rheometry. The results showed that AP as a rich source of bioactive components could be used for the fortification of processed cheeses.     

Theoretical and experimental analyses of rheological,compatibility and mechanical properties of PVMQ/XNBR-g GMA/XNBR/GO ternary hybrid nanocomposites

Iranian Polymer Journal - Effects of graphene oxide (GO) on various properties of rubber hybrid nanocomposites based on PVMQ/XNBR-g-GMA/XNBR (phenyl-vinyl-methyl-polysiloxane/carboxylated nitrile...     

Carbon nanotube based miniaturized electron gun and column assembly

We report on the application of silicon micromachining for the fabrication of miniaturized electron gun (MEG) assembly using vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. The proposed MEG consists of two main parts of electron gun and the accelerating column. While the electron gun consists of carbon nanotubes grown on a silicon substrate acting as an electron emission source, the accelerating column is made of micromachined silicon wafers with 5 μm thick membranes operating as objective lenses. These two wafers are placed together and sealed using a three-dimensional packaging technique. The simulation and experimental results show the evolution of a narrow electron beam by applying a proper voltage to the anodes and objective lens. The diverging and focusing of the beam can be controlled by applying the proper voltage on electrostatic lenses. This structure could be suitable for low energy SEM devices and surface physics applications.     

Estimation of the critical properties of compounds using volume-based thermodynamics

The importance, yet scarcity of the critical constants of thermally unstable fluids warrants the development of reliable methods for the estimation of these essential thermodynamic properties. A thorough investigation undertaken in this study on 1,589 compounds belonging to 83 chemical classes, indicated that the ratio of critical temperature to critical pressure of both low and high molecular weight compounds could be well expressed in terms of their volumetric properties. In addition, two new methodologies are presented for estimating V_c, as well as an indirect approach for prediction of T_c from surface tension data, altogether allowing the calculation of Z_c. Moreover, comparative studies are made with five group contribution methods. It is also demonstrated that by employing the Peng-Robinson EOS, and without prior knowledge of the critical properties, it is possible to calculate various thermophysical properties including P^sat., T_b, , ∆H^vap. , C_p, and even the T_c and P_c themselves.     

Quantifying nonclassicality of correlations based on the concept of nondisruptive local state identification

A bipartite state is classical with respect to party A if and only if party A can perform nondisruptive local state identification (NDLID) by a projective measurement. Motivated by this we introduce a class of quantum correlation measures for an arbitrary bipartite state. The measures utilize the general Schatten p-norm to quantify the amount of departure from the necessary and sufficient condition of classicality of correlations provided by the concept of NDLID. We show that for the case of Hilbert–Schmidt norm, i.e., \(p=2\), a closed formula is available for an arbitrary bipartite state. The reliability of the proposed measures is checked from the information-theoretic perspective. Also, the monotonicity behavior of these measures under LOCC is exemplified. The results reveal that for the general pure bipartite states these measures have an upper bound which is an entanglement monotone in its own right. This enables us to introduce a new measure of entanglement, for a general bipartite state, by convex roof construction. Some examples and comparison with other quantum correlation measures are also provided.     

Development of degradation model for urban asphalt pavement

There is a lack of a profound understanding of urban pavement deterioration pattern. This is due to the complexity of traffic conditions and the variety of pavement structures in urban roads. The lack of a suitable deterioration model for the urban pavements limits the possibility of making any scientific and cost-effective repair and maintenance strategy. There is a need for a better understanding of the long-term behaviour of urban pavements by which predictive pavement condition models can be derived and consequently a suitable maintenance management system can be built. In response to this need, a comprehensive field study was performed in three Iranian cosmopolitan cities. Pervasive pavement damages were defined and an urban pavement condition index was established. A deterioration model was developed by monitoring and analysing the conditions of road pavements in a period of four years. This model varies as the structural and loading conditions of the pavement change. The efficiency and practicability of the model in predicting the conditions of the pavements were illustrated.     

Mechanism study of silver nanoparticle production using Neurospora intermedia

Elucidation of the molecular mechanism of silver nanoparticle (AgNP) synthesis is necessary to control nanoparticle size, shape, and monodispersity. In this study, the mechanism of AgNP formation by Neurospora intermedia was investigated. The higher production rate of AgNP formation using a culture supernatant heat‐treated at 100° and 121°C relative to that with an un‐treated culture supernatant indicated that the native form of the molecular species is not essential. The effect of the protein molecular weight (MW) on the nanoparticle size distribution and average size was studied by means of ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. Using un‐treated and concentrated cell‐free filtrate passed through 10 and 20 kDa cut‐off filters led to the production of AgNPs with average sizes of 25, 30, and 34 nm, respectively. Also, using the permeate fraction of cell‐free filtrate passed through a 100 kDa cut‐off filter led to the formation of the smallest nanoparticles with the narrowest size distribution (average size of 16 nm and polydispersity index of 0.18). Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of the fungal extracellular proteins showed two notable bands with the MWs of 15 and 23 kDa that are involved in the reduction and stabilisation of the nanoparticles, respectively.Inspec keywords: silver, nanoparticles, nanofabrication, proteins, molecular weight, ultraviolet spectra, visible spectra, cellular biophysics, electrophoresis, molecular biophysicsOther keywords: Neurospora intermedia, molecular mechanism, silver nanoparticle synthesis, nanoparticle shape, nanoparticle monodispersity, AgNP formation, untreated culture supernatant, molecular species, protein molecular weight, MW, nanoparticle size distribution, ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, untreated cell‐free filtrate, concentrated cell‐free filtrate, cut‐off filters, permeate fraction, polydispersity index, Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis, fungal extracellular proteins, nanoparticle reduction, nanoparticle stabilisation, temperature 100 degC, temperature 121 degC, size 25 nm, size 30 nm, size 34 nm, size 16 nm, Ag     

Improved electrochemical performance of nitrocarburised stainless steel by hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films for bone tissue engineering

In this study, hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films, structurally similar to diamond‐like carbon (DLC), were deposited on the surface of untreated and plasma nitrocarburised (Nitrocarburizing‐treated) stainless steel medical implants using a plasma‐enhanced chemical vapour deposition method. The deposited DLC thin films on the nitrocarburising‐treated implants (CN+DLC) exhibited an appropriate adhesion to the substrates. The results clearly indicated that the applied DLC thin films showed excellent pitting and corrosion resistance with no considerable damage on the surface in comparison with the other samples. The CN+DLC thin films could be considered as an efficient approach for improving the biocompatibility and chemical inertness of metallic implants.Inspec keywords: tissue engineering, bone, biomedical materials, electrochemistry, amorphous state, carbon, hydrogen, thin films, plasma CVD, adhesion, corrosion resistance, surface hardeningOther keywords: electrochemical performance, plasma nitrocarburised stainless steel medical implants, hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films, bone tissue engineering, plasma‐enhanced chemical vapour deposition method, adhesion, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, chemical inertness, metallic implants, C:H