The discharge of harmful dyes in water bodies is a serious pollution problem, dangerous for the ecosystem's equilibrium and human health. In this sense, the aim of this work was to determine the ...influence of electrolytes (NaCl, KCl, CaCl
2
and MgCl
2
) in the adsorption of Reactive Blue BF-5G dye, the most common dye used in industrial process for fabric colouring, using bovine bone char as the adsorbent. The bovine bone char was characterized by pH of point of zero charge (pH
PZC
), N
2
adsorption-desorption isotherms, Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray diffractometry (XDR). The characterization revealed a mesoporous structure (pore mean diameter of 94 Å and S
BET
∼107 m
2
g
-1
) with negative charge distribution at the surface (pH
PZC
= 3.8). The adsorption experiments revealed that the presence of KCl enhanced the material adsorption capacity (q
max
= 195 mg g
−1
), that the Sips isotherm best fitted the experimental data (R
2
> 0.9 except for KCl solution) and the adsorption process was mono- and multilayered. The kinetic adsorption experiments indicated that the inorganic electrolytes increased the initial adsorption velocity and the data was best modelled by the surface diffusional model (SDM), implying a resistance (aqueous > CaCl
2
> NaCl > MgCl
2
> KCl) to mass transfer at the surface of the pores which, in turn, prevented the dye diffusion to the interior of the adsorbent (q
e
= 71 mg g
−1
). Therefore, small quantities of KCl can be used to lower the mass transfer resistance and provide higher adsorption capacity with reduced time of operation, thus increasing the overall process efficiency.
A new microfluidic concept for multi-analyte testing in a dipstick format is presented, termed "Lab-on-a-Stick", that combines the simplicity of dipstick tests with the high performance of ...microfluidic devices. Lab-on-a-stick tests are ideally suited to analysis of particulate samples such as mammalian or bacterial cells, and capable of performing multiple different parallel microfluidic assays when dipped into a single sample with results recorded optically. The utility of this new diagnostics format was demonstrated by performing three types of multiplex cellular assays that are challenging to perform in conventional dipsticks: 1) instantaneous ABO blood typing; 2) microbial identification; and 3) antibiotic minimum inhibitory (MIC) concentration measurement. A pressure balance model closely predicted the superficial flow velocities in individual capillaries, that were overestimated by up to one order of magnitude by the Lucas-Washburn equation conventionally used for wicking in cylindrical pores. Lab-on-a-stick provides a cost-effective, simple, portable and flexible multiplex platform for a range of assays, and will deliver a new generation of advanced yet affordable point-of-care tests for global diagnostics.
Approximately 200 million people suffer from type 2 diabetes (T2D) worldwide, and the rapid increase in the prevalence of this disease is likely a result of multiple environmental factors, such as ...increased food intake and decreased physical activity in genetically predisposed individuals. Different population studies have demonstrated a strong association of two polymorphic variations in the TCF7L2 gene, the noncoding single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs7903146 (C/T) and rs12255372 (G/T), with T2D. Herein, we analyzed the association of these SNPs with T2D in a population from northeastern Brazil. Our results showed that the genotype and allele frequencies in TCF7L2 rs7903146 and rs12255372 were similar in the patient and control groups (P > 0.05). In addition, the allele frequencies were not significantly associated with T2D risk rs7903146: odds ratio (OR) = 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.52-1.76, P = 1.00, and rs12255372: OR = 1.38, 95%CI = 0.72-2.62, P = 0.41. These data suggest that the TCF7L2 SNPs rs7903146 and rs12255372 may not significantly contribute to T2D susceptibility in this population. However, our results may reflect the small number of subjects. Alternatively, these results may be attributable to specific ethnic effects, as most of the previously reported associations were demonstrated with predominantly European populations. To reach a definitive conclusion on the role of such gene variants for T2D in mixed populations, additional efforts are necessary to replicate this study with larger populations from areas with more ethnic heterogeneity.
Action sport cameras (ASC) are currently adopted mainly for entertainment purposes but their uninterrupted technical improvements, in correspondence of cost decreases, are going to disclose them for ...three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis in sport gesture study and athletic performance evaluation quantitatively. Extending this technology to sport analysis however still requires a methodologic step-forward to making ASC a metric system, encompassing ad-hoc camera setup, image processing, feature tracking, calibration and 3D reconstruction. Despite traditional laboratory analysis, such requirements become an issue when coping with both indoor and outdoor motion acquisitions of athletes. In swimming analysis for example, the camera setup and the calibration protocol are particularly demanding since land and underwater cameras are mandatory. In particular, the underwater camera calibration can be an issue affecting the reconstruction accuracy. In this paper, the aim is to evaluate the feasibility of ASC for 3D underwater analysis by focusing on camera setup and data acquisition protocols. Two GoPro Hero3+ Black (frequency: 60Hz; image resolutions: 1280×720/1920×1080 pixels) were located underwater into a swimming pool, surveying a working volume of about 6m3. A two-step custom calibration procedure, consisting in the acquisition of one static triad and one moving wand, carrying nine and one spherical passive markers, respectively, was implemented. After assessing camera parameters, a rigid bar, carrying two markers at known distance, was acquired in several positions within the working volume. The average error upon the reconstructed inter-marker distances was less than 2.5mm (1280×720) and 1.5mm (1920×1080). The results of this study demonstrate that the calibration of underwater ASC is feasible enabling quantitative kinematic measurements with accuracy comparable to traditional motion capture systems.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This paper presents a comparative analysis of the effects of short-range and long-range electric vehicles charging on transformer life. Long-range vehicles are expected to become more common in the ...future. They have higher battery capacity and charge at higher power levels, modifying demand profile. A probabilistic analysis is performed using the Monte Carlo Simulation, evaluating the transformer hottest-spot temperature and the aging acceleration factor. Residential demand is modeled based on real electricity measurements, and EVs’ demand is modeled based on real data collected from a trial project developed in the United Kingdom. Simulations are conducted considering the influence of ambient temperature analyzing summer and winter seasons and several EV penetration levels. Results show the impacts caused by long-range vehicles are more severe because they charge at higher power levels, especially during winter, when residential demand is higher. For penetration level of 50% during summer, the use of long-range EVs brings a minimum equivalent aging factor of 5.2, which means the transformer aged 124.8 h in a cycle of only 24 h, decreasing its lifetime.
•A library of sucrose 1,2,3-triazoles has been screened for their biological activities.•Their antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic activities were tested.•4-Pentylphenyl triazole derivative had ...the highest antibacterial activity.•4-Bromophenyl triazole derivative was the strongest antifungal agent.•The compounds showed moderate cytotoxic potential without hepatotoxicity.
A library of 1-(1′,2,3,3′,4,4′,6-hepta-O-acetyl-6′-deoxy-sucros-6′-yl)-1,2,3-triazoles have been investigated for their antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic activities. Most of the target compounds showed good inhibitory activity against a variety of clinically and food contaminant important microbial pathogens. In particular, 1-(1′,2,3,3′,4,4′,6-hepta-O-acetyl-6′-deoxy-sucros-6′-yl)-4-(4-pentylphenyl)-1,2,3-triazole (5) was highly active against all the tested bacteria with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging between 1.1 and 4.4 µM and bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) from 2.2 and 8.4 µM. The compound 1-(1′,2,3,3′,4,4′,6-hepta-O-acetyl-6′-deoxy-sucros-6′-yl)-4-(4-bromophenyl)-1,2,3-triazole (3) showed antifungal activity with MICs from 0.6 to 4.8 µM and minimal fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) ranging between 1.2 and 8.9 µM. Furthermore, some of the compounds possessed moderate cytotoxicity against human breast, lung, cervical and hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, without showing toxicity for non-tumor liver cells. The above mentioned derivatives represent promising leads for the development of new generation of sugar-triazole antifungal agents.
Lithium-metal batteries, such as Li-O
2
, are some of the most promising candidates for high-performance energy storage applications, however, their performance is still limited by the electrolyte ...instability. To overcome this limitation it is necessary to develop improved electrolytes with good electrochemical stability and decent ionic transport. Here, we are the pioneers to investigate the influence of the imidazolium-based ionic liquid crystal (ILC) 1-hexadecyl-3-methylimidazole bromide C
16
mimBr as an additive for an aprotic electrolyte, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) 0.100 M LiClO
4
. Combining experimental and theoretical methods, we studied the influence of the C
16
mimBr addition on the electrolyte properties from a macroscopic up to an atomistic level. The unique structural features of the ILC were investigated and an enhancement in the electrolyte stability was shown due to its self-aggregation ability, which suggests fewer DMSO molecules available to react during the battery operation and consequent less electrolyte degradability. For the ionic transport perspective, the ILC addition leads to an ionic conductivity increase until 1.456 M concentration, after this point, a further ILC addition causes a small decrease in the conductivity due to the high viscosity and the decay in the ions self-diffusion coefficient. By combining Raman spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations, we confirmed that the C
16
mimBr interactions within the ions and molecules of this ternary system enabled the ILC to organize itself into large aggregates at high ILC concentrations. Besides DMSO, these ILC features can be reached in other aprotic and also aqueous electrolytes.
Lithium-metal batteries, such as Li-O
2
, are some of the most promising candidates for high-performance energy storage applications, however, their performance is still limited by the electrolyte instability.
The therapeutic use of proteins has created an increasing demand for feasible and economical methods for both up- and downstream processes. However, whereas upstream processes have attracted ...substantial investment and commercial attention, downstream processing has been overlooked, causing a production bottleneck that is shifting the costs of production. This review focuses on the use of aqueous two-phase extraction as an option for the downstream processing of therapeutic proteins. It is a potential and promising liquid–liquid extraction technique for the purification of biomolecules, such as monoclonal antibodies, growth factors and hormones, that combines a high selectivity and biocompatibility with an easy scale-up and continuous operation mode.
Rosuvastatin Affecting Aortic Valve Endothelium to Slow the Progression of Aortic Stenosis Luis M. Moura, Sandra F. Ramos, José L. Zamorano, Isabel M. Barros, Luis F. Azevedo, F. Rocha-Gonçalves, ...Nalini M. Rajamannan Calcific aortic stenosis is the most common indication for surgical valve replacement in the U.S. For years this disease was thought to be a degenerative process that could only be treated with surgical therapy. The RAAVE (Rosuvastatin Affecting Aortic Valve Endothelium) study is the first prospective trial to target the treatment of low-density lipoprotein in patients with aortic stenosis. This study shows the beneficial effect of a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor in the slowing of the progression of aortic stenosis by echocardiography. These results provide the first clinical evidence showing that the aortic valve has an active biology that can be targeted with medical therapy.
► Physico-chemical characterization of 20 aqueous two-phase systems. ► 10 ATPS selected to cover the whole range of physico-chemical features. ► Solute descriptors for eight ionic compounds obtained ...in those 10 ATPS. ► Partition ratios values for the compounds in the remaining 10 ATPS can be predicted.
Partition ratios of several ionic compounds in 20 different polymer/polymer aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) containing 0.15M NaCl in 0.01M phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, were determined. The differences between the electrostatic properties of the phases in all the ATPS were estimated from partitioning of the homologous series of dinitrophenylated-amino acids. Also the solvatochromic solvent parameters characterizing the solvent dipolarity/polarizability (π*), solvent hydrogen-bond donor acidity (α), and solvent hydrogen-bond acceptor basicity (β) of aqueous media were measured in the coexisting phases of the ATPS. The solute-specific coefficients for the compounds examined were determined by the multiple linear regression analysis using the modified linear solvation energy relationship equation. The minimal number of ATPS necessary for determination of the coefficients was established and 10 ATPS were selected as a reference ATPS set. The solute-specific coefficients values obtained with this reference set of ATPS were used to predict the partition ratios for the compounds in 10 ATPS not included in the reference set. The predicted partition ratios values were compared to those determined experimentally and found to be in good agreement. It is concluded that the presented model of solute–solvent interactions as the driving force for solute partitioning in polymer/polymer ATPS describes experimental observations with 90–95% accuracy.
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