Abstract Fingerprints have a key role in criminal investigations and are the most commonly used form of evidence worldwide. Significant gaps remain however, in the understanding of fingerprint ...chemistry, including enhancement reaction mechanisms and the effect of environmental variables and time on composition. Determining the age of a fingerprint is also a relatively unexplored area. A successful method, with reliable and quantitative estimates, would have numerous advantages. Previous unreliable methods have predominantly focused on enhancement success based on physical and chemical changes. This review explores variations in composition due to donor characteristics and environmental variables, and identifies gaps for further research. We also present a qualitative and quantitative summary of the effect of time on composition. Kinetics are presented where known, with summary schematics for reaction mechanisms. Previous studies exploring methods for determining the age of a fingerprint are also discussed, including their advantages and disadvantages. Lastly we propose a potentially more accurate and reliable methodology for determining fingerprint age based on quantitative kinetic changes to the composition of a fingerprint over time.
The presence of Cr(VI) in welding fumes classifies them as carcinogens, posing a health risk to welders. Therefore, it is crucial to minimize welders’ exposure to Cr(VI) by understanding the role of ...shielding gases in the generation of Cr(VI) during welding. This article offers valuable insights into the impact of shielding gases’ oxygen index on Cr(VI) production in welding fumes and highlights key variables that influence the Cr(VI) generation during welding. The study reveals that the behavior of shielding gases in Cr(VI) production varies between flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) and solid stainless-steel wires, with the oxidation index of the shielding gas playing a significant role in solid stainless-steel wires. Furthermore, the study indicates that the arc stability and ionization potential of shielding gases also affect the amount of Cr(VI) produced. Interestingly, the use of a CO
2
and O
2
mixture with Ar resulted in the lowest formation of Cr(VI). In FCAW, the highest levels of Cr(VI) were observed when argon was used as the shielding gas, primarily due to the presence of Na and K in the wires, which promote the oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(VI). Conversely, the utilization of oxidizing shielding gases reduces the formation of Cr(VI) as Na and K react with oxygen to form their oxides, thereby reducing the availability of these elements to form chromates and dichromates.
A new method of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) is applied to the analysis of burned bones. FTIR analyses were undertaken to examine changes in Crystallinity Index (CI), Ca/P and C/C ...ratios in bone experimentally burned to known, but varying, temperatures and durations. Three sample groups were used to assess the new FTIR method. Blind tests were performed to assess the use of the CI for predicting burning conditions. The results suggested that the new method of FTIR was preferable to the traditional approach, but that CI is affected by factors other than temperature of burning, including the method of FTIR used, and that predictions of burning conditions in archaeological material may not extend beyond that of ‘high’ or ‘low’ intensity of burning.
Gliomas are the most common brain tumours with the high-grade glioblastoma representing the most aggressive and lethal form. Currently, there is a lack of specific glioma biomarkers that would aid ...tumour subtyping and minimally invasive early diagnosis. Aberrant glycosylation is an important post-translational modification in cancer and is implicated in glioma progression. Raman spectroscopy (RS), a vibrational spectroscopic label-free technique, has already shown promise in cancer diagnostics.
RS was combined with machine learning to discriminate glioma grades. Raman spectral signatures of glycosylation patterns were used in serum samples and fixed tissue biopsy samples, as well as in single cells and spheroids.
Glioma grades in fixed tissue patient samples and serum were discriminated with high accuracy. Discrimination between higher malignant glioma grades (III and IV) was achieved with high accuracy in tissue, serum, and cellular models using single cells and spheroids. Biomolecular changes were assigned to alterations in glycosylation corroborated by analysing glycan standards and other changes such as carotenoid antioxidant content.
RS combined with machine learning could pave the way for more objective and less invasive grading of glioma patients, serving as a useful tool to facilitate glioma diagnosis and delineate biomolecular glioma progression changes.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Research in the field of hydrate formation requires more focus upon its modelling to enable the researchers to predict and assess the hydrate formation and its characteristics. The main focus of the ...study was to analyze the deviations induced in various parameters related to hydrate nucleation caused by the choice of different measuring correlations or methods of their sub-components. To serve this purpose under a range of operational conditions, parameters of hydrate nucleation such as rates of nucleation and crystal growth, critical radius of the nucleus, and theoretical induction time for carbon dioxide and methane were considered in this study. From these measurements, we have quantitatively compared the ease of hydrate formation in CO₂ and CH₄ systems in terms of nucleation while analyzing how various correlations for intermediate parameters were affecting the final output. Values of these parameters were produced under the considered bracket of operational conditions and distributed among six cases using both general and guest-gas specific correlations for gas dissolution and fugacity and their combinations. The isotherms and isobars produced from some of the cases differed from each other considerably. The rate of nucleation in one case showed an exponential deviation with a value over 1 × 10
at 5 MPa, while the rest showed values as multiples of 10⁶. These deviations explain how sensitive hydrate formation is to processing variables and their respective correlations, highlighting the importance of understanding the applicability of semi-empirical correlations. An attempt was made to define the induction time from a theoretical perspective and derive a relevant equation from the existing models. This equation was validated and analyzed within these six cases from the experimental observations.
Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of brain cancer, presenting poor prognosis despite current advances in treatment. There is therefore an urgent need for novel biomarkers and therapeutic ...targets. Interactions between mucin 4 (MUC4) and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are involved in carcinogenesis, and may lead to matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) overexpression, exacerbating cancer cell invasiveness. In this study, the role of MUC4, MMP9, and EGFR in the progression and clinical outcome of glioma patients was investigated. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) in fixed tissue samples of glioma patients were used to evaluate the expression and localization of EGFR, MMP9, and MUC4. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was also performed to test the prognostic utility of the proteins for glioma patients. The protein levels were assessed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in serum of glioma patients, to further investigate their potential as non-invasive serum biomarkers. We demonstrated that MUC4 and MMP9 are both significantly upregulated during glioma progression. Moreover, MUC4 is co-expressed with MMP9 and EGFR in the proliferative microvasculature of glioblastoma, suggesting a potential role for MUC4 in microvascular proliferation and angiogenesis. The combined high expression of MUC4/MMP9, and MUC4/MMP9/EGFR was associated with poor overall survival (OS). Finally, MMP9 mean protein level was significantly higher in the serum of glioblastoma compared with grade III glioma patients, whereas MUC4 mean protein level was minimally elevated in higher glioma grades (III and IV) compared with control. Our results suggest that MUC4, along with MMP9, might account for glioblastoma progression, representing potential therapeutic targets, and suggesting the 'MUC4/MMP9/EGFR axis' may play a vital role in glioblastoma diagnostics.
Biochar—charcoal used to amend land and sequester carbon—is attracting considerable interest. Its distinctive physical/chemical/biological properties, including high water-holding capacity, large ...surface area, cation exchange capacity, elemental composition, and pore size/volume/distribution, effect its recognized impacts, especially on microbial communities. These are explored in the context of agriculture, composting, and land remediation/restoration. Considerable focus is given to mycorrhizal associations, which are central to exploitation in environmental technologies involving biochar. The characteristics of biochar, its availability for nutrient cycling, including the beneficial and potentially negative/inhibitory impacts, and the requisite multidisciplinary analysis (physicochemical, microbiological, and molecular) to study these in detail, are explored.
Gas-hydrate formation has numerous potential applications in the fields of water desalination, capturing greenhouse gases, and energy storage. Hydrogen bonds between water and guest gas are essential ...for hydrates to form, and their presence in any system is greatly influenced by the presence of either electrolytes or inhibitors in the liquid or impurities in the gas phase. This study considers CH4 as a gaseous impurity in the gas stream employed to form hydrates. In developing gas-hydrate formation processes to serve multiple purposes, CO2 hydrate formation experiments were conducted in the presence of another hydrate-forming gas, CH4, at low concentrations in saline water. These experiments were conducted in both batch and stirred tank reactors in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as a kinetic additive at 3.5 MPa and 274.15 K, under isobaric and isothermal conditions. Gas loading was taken as the detection criterion for hydrate formation. It was observed that overall gas loading was hindered by more than 70% with the addition of salts after 2 days. The addition of CH4 to the gas stream led to a further reduction of approximately 30% of gas loading in the batch reactor under quiescent conditions. However, the addition of 100 ppm of SDS improved the gas loading by recovering 34% of the loss observed in volumetric gas loading through the addition of salts and CH4. The introduction of stirring improved the gas loading, and 64% of the loss was recovered through the addition of salts and CH4 after 34 h. The investigation was continued further by substituting CH4 with N2, whereupon accelerated hydrate formation was observed.
Background
Melanoma, the most lethal skin cancer type, occurs more frequently in Parkinson's disease (PD), and PD is more frequent in melanoma patients, suggesting disease mechanisms overlap. ...α‐synuclein, a protein that accumulates in PD brain, and the oncogene DJ‐1, which is associated with PD autosomal recessive forms, are both elevated in melanoma cells. Whether this indicates melanoma progression or constitutes a protective response remains unclear. We hereby investigated the molecular mechanisms through which α‐synuclein and DJ‐1 interact, suggesting novel biomarkers and targets in melanoma.
Methods
The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) expression profiles derived from UCSC Xena were used to obtain α‐synuclein and DJ‐1 expression and correlated with survival in skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM). Immunohistochemistry determined the expression in metastatic melanoma lymph nodes. Protein–protein interactions (PPIs) and molecular docking assessed protein binding and affinity with chemotherapeutic drugs. Further validation was performed using in vitro cellular models and ELISA immunoassays.
Results
α‐synuclein and DJ‐1 were upregulated in primary and metastatic SKCM. Aggregated α‐synuclein was selectively detected in metastatic melanoma lymph nodes. α‐synuclein overexpression in SK‐MEL‐28 cells induced the expression of DJ‐1, supporting PPI and a positive correlation in melanoma patients. Molecular docking revealed a stable protein complex, with differential binding to chemotherapy drugs such as temozolomide, dacarbazine, and doxorubicin. Parallel reduction of both proteins in temozolomide‐treated SK‐MEL‐28 spheroids suggests drug binding may affect protein interaction and/or stability.
Conclusion
α‐synuclein, together with DJ‐1, may play a role in melanoma progression and chemosensitivity, constituting novel targets for therapeutic intervention, and possible biomarkers for melanoma.
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