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•First report on % level quantification of Nb in Gd2Zr2O7, a burnable poison.•Simple and quick dissolution of Gd2Zr2O7 using ammonium bifluoride fusion.•Selective and quantitative ...recovery of Nb was achieved from refractive Gd2Zr2O7.•Formation of aqueous soluble (NH4)3NbOF6 & NH4NbOF4 confirmed by XRD.•Developed method successfully extended to real sample analysis.
A simple and reliable method for the determination of percentage level niobium (3.5-8 %) in highly refractive gadolinium zirconate (Gd2Zr2O7) doped with niobium, a burnable poison material of nuclear reactor has been proposed. A fusion procedure using ammonium bifluoride (ABF) with Gd2Zr2O7 was developed. Fusion conditions such as time, temperature and ABF to sample ratio were optimised for realizing quantitative recovery of Nb. The fused masses obtained under different conditions were characterized using SEM-EDX and XRD to comprehend the conversion of the refractive oxide form to soluble fluoro compounds and their identification. The real samples fused under optimized conditions were dissolved in 2 % tartaric acid solution and the same was used for quantifying Nb employing spectrophotometry using 5-bromo pyrogallol red as chromogenic agent. Precision of the measurements was better than 3 % (RSD) for Nb(V) at 0.5 ppm and the accuracy of the method is 99.8 %.
The cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanomaterials were prepared by coprecipitation synthesis technique by maintaining the pH of the mother solution at 7, 8, and 9. The prepared nanomaterials were subjected to ...structural and optical characterizations, and the results were examined. The optical absorption spectral studies reveal that the two absorption bands indicate ligand–metal coordination. The photoluminescence spectra contain emission peak at 488 and 745 nm due to size and shape of the synthesized materials. The magnetic nature of the samples was identified from the hysteresis loop traced by vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum of Co3O4 nanomaterials reveals two sharp bands absorbed in 584 and 666 cm-1. This ascribes to the Co-O and O-Co-O stretching, respectively. As the pH of the solution varied from 7 to 10, the SEM image authenticates the transformation of Co3O4 nanomaterials morphology from spherical to cubic to agglomerated shape. From the UV-Vis spectra, two absorption bands around 473 nm and 762 nm are observed for the materials prepared at pH 7 and 8. But at pH 9, these two peaks were shifted towards higher wavelengths 515 nm and 777 nm. The observed ferromagnetic nature of Co3O4 nanomaterials clearly show the role of surface spins and surface morphology on the magnetic properties of Co3O4 nanomaterials. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves show the rectangular type of voltammogram. This is an indication of good charge propagation with the electrodes. The Nyquist plots of Co3O4 nanomaterials have a semicircle in the high frequency region and a vertical line in the low frequency region. The results suggest that Co3O4 is found to be a promising material for the fabrication of light-emitting diodes, solar cells, and optoelectronic devices.
Small-molecule inhibitors of non-canonical IκB kinases TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) and IκB kinase ε (IKKε) have shown to stimulate β-cell regeneration in multiple species. Here we demonstrate that ...TBK1 is predominantly expressed in β-cells in mammalian islets. Proteomic and transcriptome analyses revealed that genetic silencing of TBK1 increased expression of proteins and genes essential for cell proliferation in INS-1 832/13 rat β-cells. Conversely, TBK1 overexpression decreased sensitivity of β-cells to the elevation of cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels and reduced proliferation of β-cells in a manner dependent on the activity of cAMP-hydrolyzing phosphodiesterase 3 (PDE3). While the mitogenic effect of (E)3-(3-phenylbenzocisoxazol-5-yl)acrylic acid (PIAA) is derived from inhibition of TBK1, PIAA augmented glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and expression of β-cell differentiation and proliferation markers in human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived β-cells and human islets. TBK1 expression was increased in β-cells upon diabetogenic insults, including in human type 2 diabetic islets. PIAA enhanced expression of cell cycle control molecules and β-cell differentiation markers upon diabetogenic challenges, and accelerated restoration of functional β-cells in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. Altogether, these data suggest the critical function of TBK1 as a β-cell autonomous replication barrier and present PIAA as a valid therapeutic strategy augmenting functional β-cells.
Background
Symptom expression in SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) may affect patients already symptomatic with cancer. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) can describe symptom burden during the acute and ...postacute stages of COVID-19 and support risk stratification for levels of care. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, our purpose was to rapidly develop, launch through an electronic patient portal, and provide initial validation for a PRO measure of COVID-19 symptom burden in patients with cancer.
Methods
We conducted a CDC/WHO web-based scan for COVID-19 symptoms and a relevance review of symptoms by an expert panel of clinicians treating cancer patients with COVID-19 to create a provisional MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for COVID-19 (MDASI-COVID). English-speaking adults with cancer who tested positive for COVID-19 participated in the psychometric testing phase. Patients completed longitudinal assessments of the MDASI-COVID and the EuroQOL 5 Dimensions 5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L) utility index and visual analog scale, which were presented through an electronic health record patient portal. To test the validity of the MDASI-COVID to distinguish between known groups of patients, we hypothesized that patients hospitalized, including having a hospitalization extended, for COVID-19 versus those not hospitalized would experience higher symptom burden. Correlation of mean symptom severity and interference scores with relevant EQ-5D-5L scores tested concurrent validity. The reliability of the MDASI-COVID was evaluated by calculating Cronbach alpha coefficients and test-retest reliability was evaluated by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients between the initial assessment and a second assessment no more than 14 days later.
Results
The web-based scan found 31 COVID-19-related symptoms; rankings of a 14-clinician expert panel reduced this list to 11 COVID-specific items to be added to the core MDASI. Time from literature scan start in March 2020 to instrument launch in May 2020 was 2 months. Psychometric analysis established the MDASI-COVID’s reliability, known-group validity, and concurrent validity.
Conclusions
We were able to rapidly develop and electronically launch a PRO measure of COVID-19 symptom burden in patients with cancer. Additional research is needed to confirm the content domain and predictive validity of the MDASI-COVID and define the symptom burden trajectory of COVID-19.
In recent times, the utilization of autonomous vehicles (AVs) has been significantly increased over the globe. It is because of the tremendous rise in familiarity and the usage of artificial ...intelligence approaches in distinct application areas. Though AVs offer several benefits like congestion control, accident prevention, and so on, energy management and traffic flow prediction (TFP) remain a challenging issue. This paper concentrates on the design of intelligent energy management and TFP (IEMTFP) technique for AVs using multi-objective reinforced whale optimization algorithm (RWOA) and deep learning (DL). The proposed model involves an energy management module using fuzzy logic system to reach the specified engine torque with respect to different measures. For optimal tuning of the variables involved in the fuzzy logic membership functions (MFs), RWOA is employed to further reduce the energy utilization. Besides, the proposed model uses a DL-based bidirectional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) technique to perform TFP. For validating the efficacy of the IEMTFP technique, an extensive experimental validation is carried out. The resultant values ensured the goodness of the IEMTFP model in terms of energy management and TFP.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the residential sector accounts for one-third of the country's energy consumption. This number is steadily increasing, posing a ...challenge to energy regulators as well as suppliers. To manage the growing demand for energy, there is a need for energy system optimization, especially on the demand side. This paper uses a first principles approach to build a high-resolution energy demand model, which can be used as a test bed by academicians as well as policy makers for performing such optimizations. This framework generates activity-based, building-level, time-dependent demand profiles. The model associates appliance usage with each household activity and calculates energy consumption based on the appliance energy rating, the duration of the energy consuming activity, and the type of activity performed by each household member. It also accounts for shared activities among household members to avoid double counting. Additionally, passive energy consumptions such as space heating/cooling, lighting, etc., are measured. Finally, validation of the results obtained by this model against real-world data for Virginia is carried out. The results indicate that the modeling framework is robust and can be extended to other parts of the U.S. and beyond.
The aqueous extract of Alternanthera sessilis (As) acts as the precursors for the quick reduction of silver ions, which leads to the formation of silver nanoparticles. In the agar, well diffusion ...method of the Klebsiella pneumoniae shows the minimal inhibitory concentration of 12 mm against A. sessilis mediated silver nanoparticles (As-AgNPs) at 60 µg/mL concentration. Fabric treated with novel AS-AgNPs is tested against the K. pneumoniae and shows an inhibitory action of 12 mm with mixed cotton that determines the antimicrobial efficacy of the fabrics. Uv- visible spectrophotometer was performed, showing a surface plasmon resonance peak at 450 nm cm−1. FTIR shows the vibration and the infrared radiation at a specific wavelength of 500–4000 cm−1. The HR-TEM analysis showed the presence of black-white crystalline, spherical-shaped As-AgNPs embedded on the fabrics range of 15 nm–40 nm. In the scanning electron microscope, the presence of small ball-shaped As-AgNPs embedded on the fabrics at a voltage of 30 KV was found with a magnification of 578X. EDAX was performed in which the nanoparticles show a peak of 2.6–3.9 KeV, and it also reveals the presence of the composition, distribution, and elemental mapping of the nanoparticles. The cytotoxic activity of synthesized nanosilver was carried out against L929 cell lines, which show cell viability at a concentration of 2.5 µg mL−1. Cell proliferation assay shows no cytotoxicity against L929 cell lines for 24 h. In this study, the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles from A. sessilis appears to be a cheap, eco-friendly, and alternative approach for curing infectious ulcers on the floor of the stratum corneum. Nanotechnology conjoined with herbal therapeutics provides a promising solution for wound management.
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