•There is a need for economical medical oxygen synthesis and storage methods•Improving existing systems could increase production rate and lower costs.•Conventional means are expensive, energy ...intensive or feasible only on a small scale.•Integrated Energy Systems (IES) offer renewable-powered energy.•IES and Ion Transport Membranes (ITM) produce high-purity oxygen at low costs.
The whole world has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and oxygen demand is greater than ever, but the supply is expectedly short. People in need of this oxygen are not able to receive it, especially those who cannot afford it. In addition to these issues, the oxygen from production plants is not getting delivered to hospitals on a timely basis due to insufficient availability of tankers and cylinders. It is therefore crucial to enable access of oxygen beds and cylinders to the public by developing economical methods for medical oxygen generation. Conventional methods like oxygen concentrators, the Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Technique and Air Separation Units (ASUs) are either too expensive, energy intensive or feasible only on a small scale. This indicates the need to exploit methods that have not been utilized fully yet, such as Integrated Energy Systems (IES). However, reducing the cost of a process is not enough. It needs to be scaled up to have a real impact on the situation at hand. Ion Transport Membranes (ITM) are promising in this aspect as they can produce large volumes of extremely high-purity oxygen at low costs. All these methods along with their economic aspects have been discussed and then compared to identify the most feasible one.
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Nano-engineered textiles: Development and applications Meda, Ujwal Shreenag; Soundarya, V. Gnana; Madhu, H. ...
Materials science & engineering. B, Solid-state materials for advanced technology,
October 2023, 2023-10-00, Letnik:
296
Journal Article
Recenzirano
•Insitu and exsitu methods are used to incorporate nanoparticles onto fabrics.•Nanoparticles prevent cross-infection due to high surface area and permeability.•Z-scheme nanocomposites provide ...chemical stability and lower interface resistance.•Insitu synthesis is quick, cost effective, ecofriendly and most widely used method.•Indirect negative effects of nanoparticles on environment should not be overlooked.
Researchers all over the world are continuously exploring the possibility of enhancing the functionality of fabrics. Textile industries are extensively working on incorporating nanomaterials into fabrics. At the same time, antiviral/antifungal/antimicrobial fabrics are gaining importance post-pandemic. Research on the development of such fabrics for various purposes like medical gowns, face masks, gloves, socks, other textiles, protective clothing, etc. is being carried out intensively. While many antibacterial nanoparticles are coated on textile materials, there is little research on nanoparticles acting against viruses. This review focuses on the identification of antimicrobial and antiviral metal/metal oxide nanoparticles, methods of impregnation or coating of these nanoparticles on natural/synthetic fabrics, the microorganisms they target, the mechanism of inactivation on microbial activity, characterization of the NP-impregnated fabrics, the associated challenges, and products that are currently available in the market. It also shines a light on the methods of incorporation of nanoparticles on an industrial scale.
Hydrogen is a promising alternative to fossil fuels and is extensively used in process industries. The transportation industry is gearing up towards the use of fuel cells where hydrogen, as a fuel, ...plays a major role. Irrespective of the application/sector, safe handling and storage of hydrogen are crucial. Storing hydrogen in metal cylinders as compressed gas is a common practice. However, hydrogen embrittlement is a challenge in such cases and needs to be addressed. Embrittlement leads to the deterioration of the metal cylinders in which the hydrogen gas is stored and is therefore a safety concern. High-strength steels are more susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement as susceptibility to the phenomenon increases with strength. Safe hydrogen storage systems demand improved storage materials and modification of existing ones. Few materials and methods are available to reduce hydrogen diffusion in these steels. However, a detailed microstructural analysis of high-strength steel is necessary to make it a hydrogen-impermeable material. Multilayered coatings can be effective in the prevention of embrittlement. In this article, the analysis of current hydrogen storage methods along with the various coatings and deposition techniques that can reduce hydrogen permeation in high-strength steels is carried out.
•High strength steels are avoided in hydrogen storage systems due to embrittlement.•Assessing material's susceptibility to hydrogen permeation and trapping is crucial.•Trace amounts of hydrogen penetrating the steel accumulates at the crack tips.•Exposure time, material's microstructure and residual stresses are critical.•Multi-layered coatings could significantly increase resistance to embrittlement.
Hydrogen has the most potential as an energy resource alternative to fossil fuels, with numerous applications across sectors. It is clean and is present in a great amount in nature. However, due to ...the challenges in handling hydrogen and hydrogen embrittlement, its storage remains a concern, which is why high strength steels are rarely employed for such applications. To improve these hydrogen storage systems and address issues such as low energy efficiency, weight, long refueling periods, durability, hydrogen embrittlement, and costs, better hydrogen impermeable materials must be created. There are many material-based storage methods and coatings to reduce embrittlement and other problems faced by conventional storage methods like compression and liquefaction, but more investigation on high strength steels is necessary as they could be more efficient hydrogen storage materials.
Abstract
Objectives
Health literacy (HL) about healthy cognitive aging is essential in preventing cognitive decline and promoting cognitive well‐being. It is important that one such HL module should ...be scientifically designed, delivered in a technically sound manner to the audience, and specific to the context. The present study thus aimed at developing and validating educational multimedia about cognitive health.
Methods
The study followed a methodological framework and was carried out across three phases, that is, identification of themes, development and validation of educational script and design, and validation of educational multimedia. The module was scripted based on the Integrated HL framework and the recommendations made during the modified nominal group technique among the research team. Seven speech‐language pathologists (SLPs), with expertise in the field of cognitive sciences, and 15 representatives of the general public validated the module using the Educational Content Validation Instrument in Health and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials questionnaire.
Results
The scientific content of the educational script received satisfactory agreements among the experts (content validity index CVI: 0.93) and representatives of the general public (CVI: 0.86). The technical aspects of the educational multimedia were rated to have high understandability (experts: 92.8%; representatives of general public: 98.8%) and actionability (experts and representatives of general public 100%).
Conclusion
Overall, the developed educational multimedia scored optimally with respect to the objective, structure, relevance of the content, actionability and understandability of the multimedia. The developed module holds the potential to be used at community and national level health educational programs or awareness campaigns to enhance public knowledge and beliefs pertaining to cognitive health.
Patient or Public Contribution
SLPs with expertise in the field of cognitive science and representatives from the general public were included to validate and obtain feedback on the developed educational multimedia.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting multiple developmental domains including social communication, behavioral-affective, sensorimotor, and cognitive systems. ...There is growing evidence for the use of holistic, whole-body, Creative Movement Therapies (CMT) such as music, dance, yoga, theater, and martial arts in addressing the multisystem impairments in ASD. We conducted a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative review of the evidence to date on the effects of CMT on multiple systems in individuals with ASD. The strongest evidence, both in terms of quantity and quality, exists for music and martial arts-based interventions followed by yoga and theater, with very limited research on dance-based approaches. Our review of 72 studies (
= 1,939 participants) across participants with ASD ranging from 3 to 65 years of age suggests that at present there is consistent evidence from high quality studies for small-to-large sized improvements in social communication skills following music and martial arts therapies and medium-to-large improvements in motor and cognitive skills following yoga and martial arts training, with insufficient evidence to date for gains in affective, sensory, and functional participation domains following CMT. Although promising, our review serves as a call for more rigorous high-quality research to assess the multisystem effects of CMT in ASD. Based on the existing literature, we discuss implications of our findings for autism researchers and also provide evidence-based guidelines for clinicians to incorporate CMT approaches in their plan of care for individuals with ASD.
Individuals with developmental disabilities present with perceptuo-motor, social communication, and cognitive impairments that often relate to underlying atypical brain structure and functioning. ...Physical activity/movement interventions improve behavioral performance of individuals with and without developmental disabilities. Majority of the evidence on potential neural mechanisms explaining the impact of physical activity/movement interventions is based on studies in individuals with typical development; there is a dearth of systematic reviews synthesizing the neural effects of physical activity/movement interventions in individuals with developmental disabilities. In this systematic review, we have gathered evidence on the neural effects of physical activity/movement interventions from 32 papers reporting substantial neural effects and behavioral improvements in individuals with developmental disabilities. Chronic intervention effects (multiple sessions) were greater than acute intervention effects (single session). Specifically, using electroencephalogram, functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy, studies found physical activity/movement intervention-related changes in neural activity, indicating normalization of cortical arousal in individuals with attention-deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), increased social brain connectivity in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and more efficient executive functioning processes in individuals with a wide range of other developmental disabilities. Despite promising results, more research is clearly needed in this area with larger sample sizes, using standardized neuroimaging tools/variables, and across multiple diagnoses to further explore the neural mechanisms underlying physical activity/movement interventions and to replicate findings from the present review.
Gene regulatory networks (GRNs) comprising interactions between transcription factors (TFs) and regulatory loci control development and physiology. Numerous disease-associated mutations have been ...identified, the vast majority residing in non-coding regions of the genome. As current GRN mapping methods test one TF at a time and require the use of cells harboring the mutation(s) of interest, they are not suitable to identify TFs that bind to wild-type and mutant loci. Here, we use gene-centered yeast one-hybrid (eY1H) assays to interrogate binding of 1,086 human TFs to 246 enhancers, as well as to 109 non-coding disease mutations. We detect both loss and gain of TF interactions with mutant loci that are concordant with target gene expression changes. This work establishes eY1H assays as a powerful addition to the toolkit of mapping human GRNs and for the high-throughput characterization of genomic variants that are rapidly being identified by genome-wide association studies.
Abstract
Understanding of mechanistic details of Mediator functioning in plants is impeded as the knowledge of subunit organization and structure is lacking. In this study, an interaction map of ...Arabidopsis Mediator complex was analyzed to understand the arrangement of the subunits in the core part of the complex. Combining this interaction map with homology-based modeling, probable structural topology of core part of the Arabidopsis Mediator complex was deduced. Though the overall topology of the complex was similar to that of yeast, several differences were observed. Many interactions discovered in this study are not yet reported in other systems. AtMed14 and AtMed17 emerged as the key component providing important scaffold for the whole complex. AtMed6 and AtMed10 were found to be important for linking head with middle and middle with tail, respectively. Some Mediator subunits were found to form homodimers and some were found to possess transactivation property. Subcellular localization suggested that many of the Mediator subunits might have functions beyond the process of transcription. Overall, this study reveals role of individual subunits in the organization of the core complex, which can be an important resource for understanding the molecular mechanism of functioning of Mediator complex and its subunits in plants.
Due to unavailability of a specific drug/vaccine to attenuate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the current strategy to combat the infection has been largely dependent upon the use of ...anti‐inflammatory drugs to control cytokines storm responsible for respiratory depression. Thus, in this study, we discovered novel pyrazole analogs as a potent nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐ĸB) inhibitor. The compounds were assessed for NF‐ĸB transcriptional inhibitory activity in RAW264.7 cells after stimulation with lipopolysaccharides (LPS), revealing Compound 6c as the most potent analog among the tested series. The effect of Compound 6c was further investigated on the levels of interleukin‐1β, tumor necrosis factor‐α, and interleukin‐6 in LPS‐stimulated RAW267.4 cells by enzyme immunoassay, where it causes a significant reduction in the level of these cytokines. In Western blot analysis, Compound 6c also causes the inhibition of inhibitor kappa B‐α and NF‐κB. It was found to be snugly fitted into the inner grove of the active site of NF‐ĸB by forming H‐bonds and a nonbonded interaction with Asn28 in a docking analysis.
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