Co-Expression of Putative Cancer Stem Cell Markers, CD133 and Nestin, in Skin Tumors

Sabet, Mehrdad Nasrollahzadeh,Rakhshan, Azadeh,Erfani, Elham,Madjd, Zahra Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.19

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSC) are populations of cells responsible for tumor initiation, progression and therapeutic resistance in many cancers. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the expression pattern and clinical significance of two CSC markers, CD133 and Nestin, in a series of skin tumors. Materials and Methods: One hundred and thirteen paraffin blocks from skin cancers including 16 (14%) cases of melanoma, 37 (33%) of squamous cell cancer (SCC) and 60 (53%) of basal cell cancer (BCC) were collected and assembled in a tissue microarray (TMA). The samples were immunohistochemically examined for the expression of CD133 and Nestin. Expression of these markers was also correlated with clinicopathological parameters. Results: A significant difference was observed in the expression of CD133 and Nestin in melanomas, SCC and BCC (p value=0.001). Furthermore, the level of expression was significantly higher in the melanomas compared to the SCC and BCC tumors. Expression of CD133 in the melanoma was significantly associated with increased tumor invasiveness (p value=0.05), a higher rate of metastasis (p value=0.04) and the presence of ulceration (p value=0.02). Increased expression of Nestin was observed in metastatic melanoma (p value=0.04), while no statistically significant correlation was found with other clinicopathological parameters including Breslow thickness, Clark level and ulceration. Conclusions: Elevated expression levels of CD133 and Nestin in the melanomas are associated with advanced disease, with more aggressive and metastatic skin tumors. Therefore, these markers could be potential therapeutic targets for malignant tumors of the skin.

Design of a drying system for a rollover carwash machine using CFD

Sabet, Seyyed M.M.,Marques, Jorge,Torres, Rui,Nova, Mario,Nobrega, Joao M. Society for Computational Design and Engineering 2016 Journal of computational design and engineering Vol.3 No.4

This work describes the design and development of a new drying system for a rollover carwash machine with the support of numerical tools. The drying system is composed of a pair of stationary vertical dryers and a moveable horizontal dryer that can adjust itself to the contour of a vehicle. After the definition of the dryers' concept, their performance was assessed individually to check their internal flow pattern and to improve their airflow distribution. These issues are expected to provide feedback on redesign and geometric optimization of the dryers. After redesign of the dryers separately, the behaviour of the complete drying system was studied on actual vehicle models, representative of the shortest and tallest dimensions that can be washed with the existing carwash machine sector. The drying efficiency of the whole system was studied by calculation of shear stress distribution on various surfaces of a given vehicle. The results allowed concluding that the overall drying performance of the design system is very good and assure adequate drying on most vehicles surfaces. The results obtained from numerical studies were then validated with experimental measurements and a good agreement was found between the two. The procedure employed in this work can be applied to support the design and analysis of other mechanical drying systems.

Durability Properties and Microstructure of Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag Cement Concrete

Bahador Sabet Divsholi,Tze Yang Darren Lim,Susanto Teng 한국콘크리트학회 2014 International Journal of Concrete Structures and M Vol.8 No.2

Ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) is a green construction material used to produce durable concrete. The secondary pozzolanic reactions can result in reduced pore connectivity; therefore, replacing partial amount of Portland cement (PC) with GGBS can significantly reduce the risk of sulfate attack, alkali?silica reactions and chloride penetration. However, it may also reduce the concrete resistance against carbonation. Due to the time consuming process of concrete carbonation, many researchers have used accelerated carbonation test to shorten the experimental time. However, there are always some uncertainties in the accelerated carbonation test results. Most importantly, the moisture content and moisture profile of the concrete before the carbonation test can significantly affect the test results. In this work, more than 200 samples with various water?cementitious material ratios and various replacement percentages of GGBS were cast. The compressive strength, electrical resistivity, chloride permeability and carbonation tests were conducted. The moisture loss and microstructure of concrete were studied. The partial replacement of PC with GGBS produced considerable improvement on various properties of concrete.

Viscosity reduction of extra-heavy crude oil using nanocatalysts

Seyed Amir Sabet,Mohammadreza Omidkhah,Arezou Jafari 한국화학공학회 2022 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.39 No.5

Exploiting extra-heavy crude oil and converting it to operational products is considered a challenging processin the industry due to the difficulty in processing this kind of crude oil. So, in the present study, viscosity reductionof extra-heavy crude oil is inquired using nanocatalysts. This is the first study that investigates and juxtaposes theresults of viscosity reduction of extra-heavy crude oil based on direct heating and microwave radiation as the indirectheating source at the presence of ZSM-5 catalyst as well as silica, clay, and synthesized nickel oxide nanocatalysts inorder to facilitate the process of extra-heavy crude oil upgrading. The results illustrate that nanocatalysts have a fundamentalimpact on the viscosity reduction of extra-heavy crude oil. According to the findings, nanosilica represents thebest efficiency among others as it makes a 98.3% reduction in the extra-heavy crude oil viscosity. Besides, the applicationof microwave radiation in the upgrading of extra-heavy crude oil leads to an incredible reaction duration reduction asapproximately 60% of sample oil viscosity is reduced in just 90 seconds. Analysis of upgraded oil reveals that addingexcess nanocatalyst to the extra-heavy crude oil actuates an efficiency reduction due to the agglomeration of nanoparticles. Finally, the findings offer appealing information for the enhancement of upgrading processes in the industry.

말레이시아 제2차 동방정책: 지속과 변화 그리고 새로운 도전

에블리사벳사리부라자 ( Evaely Sabet Saribu Raja ),황인원 ( Hwang In-won ) 서강대학교 동아연구소 2017 東亞 硏究 Vol.36 No.1

1982년 마하티르 모하마드 말레이시아 총리에 의해 도입된 동방정책(Look East Policy)은 지난 30여년간 말레이시아의 경제성장에 있어서 중요한 역할을 담당했다. 말레이시아는 2013년을 기점으로 제2차 동방정책을 추진하고 있다. 이런 맥락에서 제1차 동방정책의 과실을 분석하는 것은 매우 의미 있는 일이다. 이 연구는 제1차 동방정책에 대한 분석을 통하여 기존의 정책이 말레이시아의 발전 모델로서 한국과 일본에 동등한 비중으로 받아들여지기 보다는 지나치게 일본지향적인 성향을 띠고 있다고 주장한다. 이를 마하티르 자신의 친일본 성향을 반영하기도 하지만 지나치게 일본에 편중되었던 동방정책은 그 성과에 못지않게 한계를 드러냈다고 할 수 있다. 이런 맥락에서 이 연구는 제2차 동방정책의 지향점은 지나치게 일본 지향적인 한계를 벗어나서 한국은 물론 중국을 비롯한 동아시아 국가들이 적절하게 고려되는 포괄적인 방향으로 추진될 필요가 있음을 주장하고 있다. In 2013, Malaysia announced the second wave of its Look East Policy (LEP 2.0) which focuses on developing strategic sectors with a special emphasis on high technology and high-end service industries. As Malaysia is currently still in the starting phase of LEP 2.0, it is important to review the first phase of LEP to fully understand its limitations and weaknesses existent in it, so as to better understand how certain regional transformations should be incorporated into the new wave successfully. This paper argues that the first wave of LEP showed pro-Japan biasness rather than a relatively balanced approach toward both Japan and Korea. The bilateral ties of Malaysia-Japan outweighed those between Malaysia-Korea, as indeed, the former Prime Minister`s pro-Japanese inclination affected the full outcome of LEP. In other words, Mahathir`s pro-Japanese stance produced a largely neglected attitude toward Korea. Therefore, despite all the achievements and fruitful results of the LEP, the program still had inherent weaknesses. The ongoing changing global scenarios and the importance of Asian regionalism, however, has now pushed Malaysia to announce the LEP 2.0 under Prime Minister Najib`s administration.

Experimental investigation of nanofibrous poly(vinylidene fluoride) membranes for desalination through air gap membrane distillation process

Javad Karimi-Sabet,Mojtaba Shariaty-Niassar,Rasoul Moradi,Younes Amini 한국화학공학회 2016 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.33 No.10

A comparative study was conducted to evaluate the performance of two membrane types of electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and commercial ploytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The optimized needleless electrospinning technique was used to prepare PVDF membranes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), wettability tests, water flux, mechanical strength and liquid entry pressure (LEP) measurements were performed to evaluate the prepared membrane. Air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) experiments were carried out to investigate the salt rejection performance and the durability of membranes. The results show that our nanofibrous PVDF membrane presents higher water permeation flux (>20 kg/m2 h) compared to commonly used PTFE. In addition, the experimental data confirms that competitive salt rejection efficiency (>99.8%) was obtained in this new membrane.

Optimization and modification of PVDF dual-layer hollow fiber membrane for direct contact membrane distillation; application of response surface methodology and morphology study

Mehdi Bahrami,Javad karimi Sabet,Ali Hatamnejad,Abolfazl Dastbaz,Mohammad Ali Moosavian 한국화학공학회 2018 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.35 No.11

RSM methodology was applied to present mathematical models for the fabrication of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) dual-layer hollow fibers in membrane distillation process. The design of experiments was used to investigate three main parameters in terms of polymer concentration in both outer and inner layers and the flow rate of dope solutions by the Box-Behnken method. According to obtained results, the optimization was done to present the proper membrane with desirable properties. The characteristics of the optimized membrane (named HF-O) suggested by the Box-Behnken (at the predicted point) showed that the proposed models are strongly valid. Then, a morphology study was done to modify the fiber by a combination of three types of a structure such as macro-void, sponge-like and sharp finger-like. It also improved the hydrophobicity of outer surface from 87 to 113o and the mean pore size of the inner surface from 108.12 to 560.14nm. The DCMD flux of modified fiber (named HF-M) enhanced 62% more than HF-O when it was fabricated by considering both of RSM and morphology study results. Finally, HF-M was conducted for long-term desalination process up to 100hr and showed stable flux and wetting resistance during the test. These stepwise approaches are proposed to easily predict the main properties of PVDF dual-layer hollow fibers by valid models and to effectively modify its structure.

Effect of a forensic nursing virtual education course on knowledge and clinical decision-making of master’s nursing students in Iran: a non-equivalent control group pre- and post-test study

Zeynab Firuzi,Mitra Sedghi Sabet,Fateme Jafaraghaee,Hedayat Jafari,Ehsan Kazemnezhad Leyli,Samad Karkhah,Mohammad Javad Ghazanfari 한국보건의료인국가시험원 2022 보건의료교육평가 Vol.19 No.-

Purpose Forensic nursing is a specialty in the nursing profession based on legal procedures. This study aimed to assess the effect of a forensic nursing virtual education course on knowledge and clinical decision-making among master’s nursing students. Methods In a quasi-experimental study with a pre- and post-test, 106 master’s nursing students at Guilan (n=65) and Mazandaran (n=41) Universities of Medical Sciences, Iran were enrolled. Data were collected using census sampling from March to April 2021. Participants in the intervention group received a forensic nursing virtual education course in three 90-minute sessions for 2 days. Results A total of 88 out of 106 master’s nursing students were enrolled in this study. The mean post-education score for knowledge in the intervention group was significantly higher than in the control group (12.52 vs. 7.67, P<0.001). The mean post-education score for clinical decision-making in the intervention group was significantly higher than in the control group (16.96 vs. 13.64, P<0.001). Conclusion The level of knowledge and clinical decision-making of master’s nursing students regarding forensic evidence improved after the forensic nursing virtual education course in the intervention group compared to the control group. Nursing managers and policymakers can develop appropriate strategies to improve the knowledge and clinical decision-making of nursing students by using forensic nursing education courses in the curricula of nursing programs, especially in postgraduate education as an elective or mandatory course.

Separation performance investigation of packed distillation columns using simple NEQ approach based on packing multicomponent efficiencies and effective mass transfer coefficients

Hadi Poortalari,Javad karimi Sabet,Farshad Varaminian 한국화학공학회 2018 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.35 No.5

A simple non-equilibrium modeling approach is proposed to simulate multicomponent distillation process in packed columns. The real behavior of the column is simply considered by the evaluation of interphase mass transfer rate based on the overall mass transfer coefficient. Two distinct methods are used to calculate this overall coefficient including the effective mass transfer coefficient method and the packing efficiency method. The modelling procedure consists of an iterative segment-wise algorithm implemented in a MATLAB home-code. For verification, the obtained composition profiles from a structured and a random packed column are compared with reported experimental data. Comparisons show that the packing efficiency-based model could acceptably predict the experimental profiles with an average relative deviation of 18% and 25% for structured and random packed columns, respectively. This confirms that our simple non-equilibrium approach is a reliable and robust model for the performance evaluation of packed columns.

Preparation and characterization of a novel calcium-conducting polymer inclusion membrane: Part I

Reza Darvishi,Javad karimi Sabet,Mohsen Nasr Esfahany 한국화학공학회 2018 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.35 No.10

The preparation and characterization of a novel type of castor oil-based polymer inclusion membrane (PIM) was investigated, focusing on its flux and selective recovery of Ca2+ over competitive ions such as K+, Na+, and Mg2+. The PIM contains a cross-linked high-molecular-weight green polyol (GPO) as a polymer base, benzene-18crown-6 as a carrier, and an ionic liquid called 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride as a plasticizer. GPO was first synthesized by a reaction between an epoxidized castor oil and a cellulose acetate, thereafter, cross-linked by isophorene isocyanate. The base polymer and the prepared PIM were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The FTIR results indicate that oxirane groups in the epoxidized castor oil molecules reacted with the primary hydroxyl groups of cellulose acetate chains. The contact angle measurement hints at the hydrophobic characteristics of the prepared membrane. Compared to the PVC-, CA-, and PVDF-based polymer inclusion membrane, the cured GPO-based PIM, showed higher selectivity and flux of calcium ions with the same composition. The greater stability and significantly higher surface roughness are further favorable features of the novel PIM.