A novel, highly sensitive and selective safrole sensor has been developed using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) coated with polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) nanofibers. The nanofibers were collected on the ...QCM sensing surface using an electrospinning method with an average diameter ranging from 612 nm to 698 nm and relatively high Q-factors (rigid coating). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to analyze the PVAc nanofiber surface morphology, confirming its high surface area and roughness, which are beneficial in improving the sensor sensitivity compared to its thin-film counterpart. The as-spun PVAc nanofiber sensor could demonstrate a safrole limit of detection (LOD) of down to 0.7 ppm with a response time of 171 s and a sensitivity of 1.866 Hz/ppm. It also showed good reproducibility, rapid response time, and excellent recovery. Moreover, cross-interference of the QCM sensor response to non-target gases was investigated, yielding very low cross-sensitivity and high selectivity of the safrole sensor. Owing to its high robustness and low fabrication cost, this proposed sensing device is expected to be a promising alternative to classical instrumental analytical methods for monitoring safrole-based drug precursors.
PURPOSE OF REVIEWThe Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) provides a comprehensive review and guidance for clinicians managing patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary ...disease (COPD). However, adherence to GOLD guidelines has been suboptimal over the years. The current review summarizes the current body of literature addressing the multitude of reasons for the lack of adherence to GOLD guidelines in clinical practice.
RECENT FINDINGSThere continue to be several reasons for suboptimal adoption of GOLD guidelines in clinical practice. A primary and recurrent theme appears to be both delayed as well as missed diagnosis of COPD. There are several reasons for this including lack of awareness about current COPD guidelines, lack of availability as well as utilization of office spirometry and improper symptom assessment. Other issues include improper selection of proper pharmacotherapy options, misdiagnosis/mislabeling of COPD phenotypes, lack of smoking cessation counselling as well as enrollment in pulmonary rehabilitation. Potential solutions include adoption of clinical decision support systems, self-care models and careful phenotyping of COPD patients.
SUMMARYThere are currently several barriers for the adoption of GOLD guidelines into routine clinical practice. These barriers are all amenable to systematic solutions that will increase adherence to current GOLD guidelines.
Herein, we investigated and analysed the performance and characteristics of a compression ignition engine on methanol/diesel blends and the impact of engine loads on tailpipe emissions and engine ...performance. Four combinations of blended methanol were tested and compared with pure diesel. Engine characteristics, such as: brake thermal efficiency, brake specific fuel consumption and brake power were analysed. HCs and CO emissions followed similar trends. The highest HCs concentration reached 40 ppm at lower load (L1) for pure diesel and 5 ppm for blended fuel at a higher load (L5, B40). NOx emissions showed a different trend, showing a higher concentration of 640 ppm for higher load (L5, B40) and the lowest concentration appeared at lower load (L1) for pure diesel. For each individual load, with blended methanol at different percentages, NOx has increased with higher methanol blends. Whilst with HCs, CO emissions were reduced with an increased percentage of methanol addition. Additionally, smoke emissions were significantly reduced by increasing the methanol percentage in methanol/diesel blends. Pure diesel at all engine loads showed higher brake thermal efficiency and lower fuel consumption. The highest brake specific fuel consumption was found at lower load (L1, B40) and reached up to 0.75 g/kWh.
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•Characteristics of diesel engine with methanol diesel blends were investigated.•Tailpipe emissions were influenced by engine operation and fuel blends.•Methanol diesel blended fuel showed improvement in engine power.•Brake thermal efficiency was decreased when methanol diesel blends introduced.•Methanol diesel blends improved engine performance and reduced smoke emissions.
It is still believed that the progress of Green Chemistry necessities to upsurge at a higher pace, if 'molecular science' is to meet the encounters of sustainability. And it is also aforesaid that ...the revolution of a particular day becomes the new-fangled belief of the next. Therefore, keeping the importance of sustainability as well as green chemistry in mind, herein we report a green perspective of a very well-known named reaction, dubbed as Paal-Knorr pyrrole synthesis. In this document, we have tried to cover some interesting synthetic green approaches belonging to this particular class. We hope that this review article will be very useful to the researchers working in organic chemistry in general and heterocyclic chemistry in particular.
•Performance of gasoline engine fuelled with ethanol blend has been investigated.•Hydrocarbons and NOx emissions were influenced by engine operation and fuel type.•Gasoline/ethanol blend showed ...improvement in engine torque and brake power.•Break thermal efficiency was increased when gasoline/ethanol blend was used.
The aim of this study was to investigate the range of opportunities and future prospects of presenting a blend of gasoline/ethanol fuel to run a gasoline engine. Biofuel’s advantages involve emission of low quantities of contaminants to the atmosphere and its renewable character in order to trim down dependency on gasoline as a fuel. Analyses have been carried out to show the influence of compression ratio on engine performance and tailpipe emissions by using unleaded gasoline and gasoline blends with (10 and 20%) pure ethanol SI (spark ignition) engine having a variable compression ratio with the air-cooled single-cylinder engine. Experiments were conducted on five different compression ratios (CRs) of 4:1, 5.5:1, 7:1 8.5:1, and 10:1 with a wide-open throttle. Two combinations of blended fuels were compared to the unleaded gasoline. The results showed that the BMEP (brake mean effective pressure), BTE (brake thermal efficiency), and BSFC (brake specific fuel consumption) obtained with the use of gasoline blends at all CRs were generally higher in comparison to those of pure gasoline. In general, gasoline blends provided a lower exhaust emission compared to gasoline’s emissions at all CRs. Furthermore, NOx emissions were affected much more than other exhaust emissions when changing the compression ratios compared to unleaded gasoline.
Since the 1980s-90s, Venture capital has grown to be widely considered as an effective source of funding for creative operations besides playing a pivotal role in the development of economies. ...Focusing primarily on sixteen Emerging economies of Asia-Pacific, the research sheds light on the determinants of venture capital, over the period 2006-2021, coinciding with the peak of venture capital activity in this region. By employing Panel regression analysis, incorporating fixed and random effects, and complementing the findings with Pairwise Granger Causality tests, this scholarly work offers a comprehensive understanding of the distributional and operational characteristics of the Asia-Pacific venture capital market. Moreover, it provides valuable insights for entrepreneurs and policymakers on how to efficiently foster venture capital activities in emergent economies.
BACKGROUND Diffuse pulmonary meningotheliomatosis (DPM) is an exceedingly rare diffuse pulmonary disease with a female predominance. It is characterized by the presence of widespread bilateral minute ...pulmonary meningothelial-like nodules (MPMNs) on chest imaging. Patients are generally asymptomatic or may present with nonspecific symptoms such as dyspnea. The nodules are typically detected incidentally on imaging for other indications. Here, we present a rare case of DPM in a 55-year-old woman. CASE REPORT A 55-year-old woman presented to the clinic with non-exertional chest pressure and dry cough of 4-month duration. She had a history of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypothyroidism, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and impaired fasting blood glucose and was a lifelong nonsmoker. Physical examination was unremarkable. High-resolution chest computed tomography (CT) showed innumerable diffuse small ground-glass nodules. An extensive laboratory workup was negative for autoimmune and infectious etiologies. The patient underwent uncomplicated right video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, and lung biopsy showed multiple well-circumscribed interstitial meningothelial-like nodules in perivenular distribution with occasional whorling of cells. The diagnosis of diffuse pulmonary meningotheliomatosis (DPM) was confirmed. The patient continued to complain of non-exertional chest pressure without pulmonary complaints, and a repeat chest CT showed stable findings 1 year after the diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS DPM should be considered in the differential diagnosis for patients presenting with diffuse bilateral pulmonary nodules. Patients are typically asymptomatic and it is most commonly detected incidentally. Further research is needed to better understand this disease and its clinical significance.
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