Materials coming from renewable resources have drawn recently an increased attention in various applications as an eco-friendly alternative in the synthesis of novel functional materials. ...Polysaccharides, with their prominent representative – chitosan (CS), are well-known for their sorption properties, being able to remove metal ions from dilute solutions either by electrostatic interactions or chelation. In this context, we proposed here a comparative study on Cu2+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Fe3+, and Cr3+ metal ions removal from industrial wastewaters by CS-based composite cryogels using batch technique. The composite cryogels consisting of CS embedding a natural zeolite, namely clinoptilolite, were synthesized by cryogelation, and their sorption performance were compared to those of CS cryogels and of acid-activated zeolite. A deeper analysis of thermodynamics and kinetics sorption data was performed to get insights into the sorption mechanism of all metal ions onto sorbents. Based on the optimized sorption conditions, the removal of the above-mentioned ions from aqueous solutions by the composite sorbent using dynamic technique was also evaluated.
Beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world and the third most popular beverage after water and tea. Emerging health-oriented lifestyle trends, demographics, stricter legislation, ...religious prohibitions, and consumers’ preferences have led to a strong and steady growth of interest for non-alcoholic beers (NABs), low-alcohol beers (LABs), as well for craft beers (CBs). Conventional beer, as the worlds most consumed alcoholic beverage, recently gained more recognition also due to its potential functionality associated with the high content of phenolic antioxidants and low ethanol content. The increasing attention of consumers to health-issues linked to alcohol abuse urges breweries to expand the assortment of conventional beers through novel drinks concepts. The production of these beers employs several techniques that vary in performance, efficiency, and usability. Involved production technologies have been reviewed and evaluated in this paper in terms of efficiency and production costs, given the possibility that craft brewers might want to adapt them and finally introduce novel non-alcoholic drinks in the market.
Fermentation continues to be the most common biotechnological tool to be used in cereal-based beverages, as it is relatively simple and economical. Fermented beverages hold a long tradition and have ...become known for their sensory and health-promoting attributes. Considering the attractive sensory traits and due to increased consumer awareness of the importance of healthy nutrition, the market for functional, natural, and non-alcoholic beverages is steadily increasing all over the world. This paper outlines the current achievements and technological development employed to enhance the qualitative and nutritional status of non-alcoholic fermented cereal beverages (NFCBs). Following an in-depth review of various scientific publications, current production methods are discussed as having the potential to enhance the functional properties of NFCBs and their safety, as a promising approach to help consumers in their efforts to improve their nutrition and health status. Moreover, key aspects concerning production techniques, fermentation methods, and the nutritional value of NFCBs are highlighted, together with their potential health benefits and current consumption trends. Further research efforts are required in the segment of traditional fermented cereal beverages to identify new potentially probiotic microorganisms and starter cultures, novel ingredients as fermentation substrates, and to finally elucidate the contributions of microorganisms and enzymes in the fermentation process.
The paper reports on the performances of cross-linked amidoxime hosted into mesoporous silica (AMOX) in the removal of As(III) and As(V). The optimum pH for sorption of As(III) and As(V) was pH 8 ...and pH 5, respectively. The PFO kinetic model and the Sips isotherm fitted the best the experimental data. The thermodynamic parameters were evaluated using the equilibrium constant values given by the Sips isotherm at different temperatures and found that the adsorption process of As(III) and As(V) was spontaneous and endothermic on all AMOX sorbents. The spent AMOX sorbents could be easily regenerated with 0.2 mol/L HCl solution and reused up to five sorption/desorption cycles with an average decrease of the adsorption capacity of 18%. The adverse effect of the co-existing inorganic anions on the adsorption of As(III) and As(V) onto the sorbent with the highest sorption capacity (AMOX3) was arranged in the following order: H2PO4 – > HCO3 – > NO3 – > SO4 2–.
The current pharmacological agents advised for the management of diabetes as well as cardiovascular and hepatic diseases are subject to numerous studies for safety and efficacy. Therefore, it is ...worth looking into alternative therapeutic aids such as natural products of medicinal plants. By a broad review of in vitro and in vivo studies on the various dandelion, chicory, and mulberry extracts, this work highlights their bioactive compounds and therapeutic action when used as a prevention and management aid in public health such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hepatic disorders like non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Natural products of dandelion leaves and root extracts can suppress the development of liver cancer, decrease insulin resistance, and suppress total triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Recent studies on mulberry leaves extracts indicated that they could decrease palmitic acid-induced lipotoxicity, increase total cholesterol and bile acid excretion, improve superoxide dismutase expression, and improve insulin resistance. Chicory root extracts boost satiety, reverse insulin resistance, and augment lipid metabolism thanks to their contents in chicoric acid, chlorogenic acid, and polysaccharides.
L.,
L., and
L. present hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypolipidemic, and hypoglycemic activities and are shown to be advantageous in the management of obesity, dyslipidemia, Type 2 diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases. These plants are commonly available in the European spontaneous flora and more attention could be paid to their natural products.
•Composite sorbents for removal of metal ions from multi-component mixtures.•Oriented interconnected flow-channels allowing a fast diffusion of metal ions.•Selectivity for copper recovery against ...other metal ions.•Treatment of real-life industrial effluent from photo-etching processes.
Copper, nickel, zinc, chromium, and iron ions are the prevailing contaminants in the aqueous effluents resulting from the photo-etching industry. In this context, we investigate here the metal ion sorption performance of an ion-imprinted cryogel (IIC), consisting of low-cost materials coming from renewable resources, towards multi-component metal ion solutions. The IIC sorbent, which is based on a chitosan matrix embedding a natural zeolite, was synthesized using a straightforward strategy by coupling copper-imprinting and unidirectional ice-templating methods. As consequence, the 1D-orientation and the interconnectivity of flow-channels sustain the fast metal ion diffusion within the IIC anisotropic structure. The removal efficiency of IIC sorbent reached 50% after 30 min, and the sorption equilibrium was attained within 150 min. For assessing the successful formation of imprinted cavities with well-defined sizes controlled by the radius of copper ions used as template, selectivity studies were performed on binary, ternary, and five-component synthetic mixtures. The efficiency of IIC as sorbent was further evaluated on real-life aqueous effluents discharged from photo-etching processes; thus, an IIC dosage of 6 g L−1 was found to remove 98.89% of Cu2+, 94.56% of Fe3+, 91.67% of Ni2+, 92.24% of Zn2+, and 82.76% of Cr3+ ions from this type of industrial wastewaters.
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•Chitosan/ionene/carboxymethylcellulose PECs with high self-antibacterial activity.•High sorption efficiency of ionene containing PEC sponges in multi-pollutant ...systems.•Pseudo-first-order kinetic model fits the best the kinetic data.•Preferential sorption of Cr2O72− and Pb2+ ions in multi-component systems.•Composite tricomponent PEC sponges with high recyclability.
Tricomponent polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) composite cryogels, with remarkable sorption capacity of multiple contaminants and self-antibacterial properties were fabricated from chitosan (CS) and aromatic ionene type polycations evenly dispersed in carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) aqueous solution. Fast cryostructuration at −196 °C (5 min) and overnight at −18 °C conducted to pre-PECs which, after exposure to a source of H+ and freeze-drying, led to PEC composite sponges. The PECs were characterized by FTIR, SEM, EDX, streaming potential titrations, swelling kinetics, swelling at equilibrium as a function of pH, and compressive tests. These PECs were able to simultaneous adsorb oxyanions (HCrO4−, H2PO4−, HAsO42−), and heavy metal ions (HMIs) (Cu2+, Cd2+, Pb2+), and to kill ∼100 % of Gram+ (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Only the tricomponent PECs were able to kill 100 % of Gram- (Escherichia coli) bacteria, while the bicomponent PECs (containing only CS and CMC) were less efficient in this case (only 70 % inhibition of bacteria). The pseudo-first-order kinetic model fitted the best the kinetic data, suggesting the sorption of pollutants by physisorption. In multicomponent systems, HCrO4− ions are preferred, the selectivity coefficients being higher in the case of tricomponent PECs than in the case of bicomponent PECs, while in the case HMIs, Pb2+ ions were preferentially selected. The sustainability of the PEC composite cryogels was demonstrated by their reuse up to five sorption/desorption cycles, with a decrease of the sorption capacity in the fifth cycle of 7 % for H2PO4−, 8.1 % for HCrO4−, and 6.9 % for HAsO42− when tricomponent PEC cryobeads were used as sorbents. All these abilities recommend the PEC composite cryogels as potential materials for filters suitable for point-of-use water purification.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
The management of bronchopulmonary neuroendocrine tumours (BPNETs) is difficult, since imaging, histology and biomarkers have a limited value in diagnosis, predicting outcome and ...defining therapeutic efficacy. We evaluated a NET multigene blood test (NETest) to diagnose BPNETs, assess disease status and evaluate surgical resection.
METHODS
(i) Diagnostic cohort: BP carcinoids (n = 118)—typical carcinoid, n = 67 and atypical carcinoid, n = 51; other lung NEN (large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and small-cell lung carcinoma, n = 13); adenocarcinoma, (n = 26); squamous cell carcinoma (n = 23); controls (n = 90) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 18). (ii) Surgical cohort, n = 28: BP carcinoids (n = 16: typical carcinoid 12; atypical carcinoid 4); large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, n = 3; lung adenocarcinoma, n = 8 and squamous cell carcinoma, n = 1. Blood sampling was performed presurgery and 30 days post-surgery. Transcript levels measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction were calculated as activity scores (0–100% scale: normal < 14%) and compared with chromogranin A (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; normal <109 ng/ml).
RESULTS
NETest was significantly elevated in carcinoids (48.7 ± 27%) versus controls (6 ± 6%, P < 0.001) with metrics: sensitivity 93%, specificity 89%, positive predictive value 92% and negative predictive value 91%. NETest differentiated progressive disease (73 ± 22%) from stable disease (36 ± 19%, P < 0.001) and R0 resections (10 ± 5%, P < 0.001, area under the curve: 0.98). Levels in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancers were 18–24% while elevated in small-cell lung carcinoma/large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (59 ± 10%). In BPNETs on postoperative Day 30, NETest decreased by 60% (P < 0.001). Chromogranin A was elevated in only 40% of carcinoids and not altered by surgery.
CONCLUSIONS
Blood NET gene levels accurately identified BPNETs (100%) and differentiated these from controls, benign and malignant lung disease. Progressive disease could be identified and surgical resection verified. Chromogranin A had no clinical utility. Monitoring NET transcript levels in blood will facilitate management by detecting residual tumour and identifying progressive disease.
Although silicones possess low dielectric constant, they are between the most used polymers in actuation due to their appropriate mechanical properties (low modulus and high elongation). These can be ...easily tuned by the preparation strategy: proper choice of the molecular mass and microstructure of the polymer matrix; adding or not of more or less active fillers; whether these are incorporated in the polymeric matrix (ex situ) or generated in situ; crosslinking mode (through the side or ending functional groups) or mechanism (condensation, radicalic or by hydrosilylation). A relatively low cost and easy scalable procedure was used in this article to prepare silicone composites based on high molecular weight polydiorganosiloxane copolymer and hydrophobized silica and titania nanoparticles. The matrix polymer was synthesized by bulk ring opening copolymerization of different substituted cyclosiloxanes and characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR and gel permeation chromatographic analysis. The composites prepared by the mechanical incorporation of the fillers were crosslinked by radicalic mechanism and investigated by dielectrical spectroscopy, mechanical tests, dynamo-mechanical analysis and dynamic vapor sorption. The actuation measurements revealed displacement values in the range 0.04–5.09 nm/V/mm, while energy harvesting measurements revealed impulse electrical voltage in the range 6–20 V for a dynamic force of 0.1–1 Kgf. The robustness of these composites supported by their thermal, mechanical and surface properties recommends them for use inclusively in harsh environmental conditions, when their behavior is not significantly affected.
The International Conferences on Economics and Social Sciences (ICESS) organized by Bucharest University of Economic Studies provides an opportunity for all those interested in Economics and Social ...Sciences to discuss and exchange research ideas. The papers presented at the Conference are available online in the Conference Proceedings series (ISSN 2704-6524): Volume 2019 Collaborative Research for Excellence in Economics and Social Sciences, ISBN 9788366675322 Volume 2020 Innovative Models to Revive the Global Economy, ISBN 9788395815072 Volume 2021 Resilience and Economic Intelligence Through Digitalization and Big Data Analytics, ISBN 9788366675704 This conference provides an opportunity for all those interested in Economics and Social Sciences to discuss and exchange research ideas. We welcome both empirical and theoretical work that is broadly consistent with the conference' general theme. Especially, researchers, PhD students and practitioners are invited to submit papers on the topics related to new models in entrepreneurship and innovation, sustainability and education, data science and digitalization, marketing and finance, Fintech & Insurtech etc. that will develop innovative instruments for countries, businesses and education. The innovative models for sustainable development aim to ensure simultaneous economic development, social development, and environmental protection, to achieve a higher quality of life for all people and protect all living beings and the planet. The main topics of the conference are focused on but not limited to the following sections: * Fintech & Insurtech - towards a sustainable financial environment * The role of innovation in public and private organizations * Financial perspectives in turbulent times * Global Challenges for Agri-Food Systems and Sustainable Development * Economic Policies for Non-Cyclical Crises * Education for Sustainable Development: impact of universities on society * Marketing and Sustainability * The role of accounting in Sustainable Development * Global world after crisis: towards a new economic model * Sustainability for future business * Current challenges within demographic data: measurement, collection, retrieval, analysis and reporting Scientific Committee ACELEANU Mirela, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania ALBU Lucian, Academia Romana, Romania ANGHEL Ion, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania ARROYO GALLARDO Javier, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain AUSLOOS Marcel, Leicester University, United Kingdom BEGALLI Diego, University of Verona, Italy BELLINI Francesco, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy BRATOSIN ?tefan, Universite Montpellier 3, France CABANIS Andre, Universite Toulouse 1 Capitole, France CASTERAN Herbert, EM Strasbourg University, France CEN?IU Silvian, Retina Communications, San Francisco, USA CERQUETI Roy, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy CHAVEZ Gilbert, Globis University Tokyo, Japan COSTICÃ Ionela, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania COX Michael, London School of Economics, England, UK D'ASCENZO Fabrizio, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy DIMA Alina Mihaela, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania DÂRDALÃ Marian, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania DUMITRESCU Dan Gabriel, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania DUMITRU Ovidiu, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania FELEAGÃ Liliana, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania FONSECA Luis Miguel, Polytechnic of Porto, Portugal GARCÍA-GOÑI Manuel, Universitad Complutense de Madrid, Spain GIUDICI Paolo, The University of Pavia, Italy GRUBOR Aleksandar, University of Novi Sad, Serbia HÄRDLE Wolfgang Karl, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany HURDUZEU Gheorghe, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania ISTUDOR Nicolae, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania KOKUSHO Kyoko, IBM Tokyo, Japan LOMBARDI Mariarosaria, University of Foggia, Italy MEHMANPAZIR Babak, EM Strasbourg University, France MIRON Dumitru, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania NABIRUKHINA Anna Vadimovna, Saint Petersburg State University, Russia NICA Elvira, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania NIJKAMP Peter, Jeronimus Academy of Data Science Den Bosch, Netherlands NOVO CORTI Maria Isabel, Universidade da Coruña, Spain ORDÓÑEZ MONFORT Javier, Jaume I University, Spain PANETTA Roberto, Bocconi University, Italy PARASCHIV Dorel Mihai, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania PICATOSTE Xose, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain PIRO?CÃ Grigore, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania POINT Sébastien, EM Strasbourg University, France POPA Ion, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania PROFIROIU Marius Constantin, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania RICHMOND Peter, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland SÂRBU Roxana, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania SINGER Slavica, J.J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia SMEUREANU Ion, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania STAMULE Tãnase, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania STATE Radu, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg STOIAN Mirela, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania STRAT Vasile Alecsandru, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania STREET Donna, University of Dayton, USA TEIXEIRA DOMINGUES José Pedro, University of Minho, Portugal ?IGU Gabriela, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania VALDEBENITO Carlos Ramirez, University of Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile VEGHE? Cãlin Petricã, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania VERHOEF Peter, University of Groningen, Netherlands VOLKMANN Christine Katharina, Schumpeter School of Business and Economics, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Germany WALTER FARKAS Erich, University of Zurich, Switzerland WIERENGA Berend, Rotterdam School of Management, Netherlands WOODS Michael, University of Aberystwyth, Wales, UK ZIMMERMANN Klaus F., Bonn University (em.) end Global Labor Organization, Germany Open Access Statement These conference proceedings are Open Access proceedings that allow a free unlimited access to all its contents without any restrictions upon publication to all users. Open Access License These conference proceedings provide immediate open access to its content under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0. Authors who publish with these proceedings retain all copyrights and agree to the terms of the above- mentioned CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. ABSTRACTING & INDEXING Innovative Models to Revive the Global Economy is covered by the following services: * Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) * EBSCO Discovery Service * Google Scholar * Naviga (Softweco) * Primo Central (ExLibris) * ReadCube * Summon (ProQuest) * TDOne (TDNet) * WorldCat (OCLC) Online submission platform - Editorial Manager https://www.editorialmanager.com/icess/default1.aspx Editorial Policy ICESS Instruction for authors ICESS 2020 Review process
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