Islamic Azad University

About: Islamic Azad University is a education organization based out in Tehran, Iran. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Catalysis. The organization has 83635 authors who have published 113437 publications receiving 1275049 citations. The organization is also known as: Azad University.

Simultaneous electrochemical determination of heavy metals using a triphenylphosphine/MWCNTs composite carbon ionic liquid electrode

Abstract: A constructed triphenylphosphine-modified carbon nanotube composite with a room temperature ionic liquid as pasting binder was employed as a novel electrode for sensitive and simultaneous determination of Cd 2+ , Pb 2+ and Hg 2+ . The morphology and properties of electrodes surface were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The electrochemical response characteristics of the modified electrode toward the analytes ions were investigated by square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV). The responses of modified electrode for Cd 2+ , Pb 2+ and Hg 2+ were found to be improved significantly in comparison with those obtained using a conventional carbon paste electrode. The experimental conditions for simultaneous determination of these ions have been established. Relative standard deviations to detect the Cd 2+ , Pb 2+ and Hg 2+ in ternary mixtures were less than 3.0% and they can be determined in the ranges of 0.1–150.0 nM. Under optimal conditions the limits of detection were 6.0 × 10 −5 , 9.2 × 10 −5 and 7.4 × 10 −5 μM for Pb 2+ , Hg 2+ and Cd 2+ with a 75 s preconcentration, respectively. The method was applied to determine the cadmium, lead and mercury in soil, gasoline, fish, tap water and waste water samples.

Curcuminoids modulate pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance but not the immune response to heat shock protein 27 and oxidized LDL in obese individuals.

Abstract: Curcuminoids have potentially important functional qualities including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. In this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled cross-over trial, the effects of a curcuminoid supplement on serum pro-oxidant–antioxidant balance (PAB) and antibody titres to Hsp27 (anti-Hsp27) and oxLDL (anti-oxLDL) were investigated. Thirty obese individuals were randomized to receive either curcuminoids (1 g/day) or placebo for a period of 30 days. After a wash-out period of 2 weeks, subjects were crossed over to the alternate regimen for another 30 days. Serum PAB along with anti-Hsp27 and anti-oxLDL titres was measured at the beginning and at the end of each study period. There was no significant carry-over effect for any of the assessed parameters. Curcuminoid supplementation was associated with a significant decrease in PAB (p=0.044). However, no significant change was observed in serum concentrations of anti-Hsp27 or anti-oxLDL (p>0.05). These findings suggest that oral curcuminoids supplementation (1g/day) is effective in reducing oxidative stress burden, though this needs to be validated in larger study populations. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Selecting the optimal renewable energy using multi criteria decision making

Abstract: Renewable energies are well-known as one of the most important energy resources not only due to limited other energy resources, but also due to environmental problems associated with air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable energy project selection is a multi actors and sophisticated problem because it is a need to incorporate social, economic, technological, and environmental considerations. Multi criteria decision making (MCDM) methods are powerful tools to evaluate and rank the alternatives among a pool of alternatives and select the best one. COPRAS (COmplex PRoportional ASsessment) is an MCDM technique which determines the best alternative by calculating the ratio to the ideal solution and the negative ideal solution. On the other hand, analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is widely used in order to calculate the importance weights of evaluation criteria. In this paper an integrated COPRAS-AHP methodology is proposed to select the best renewable energy project. In order to validat...