Evaluation of caffeine adsorption by MgAl-LDH/biochar composite dos Santos Lins, Pollyanna Vanessa; Henrique, Danielly Carlos; Ide, Alessandra Honjo ...
Environmental science and pollution research international,
11/2019, Volume:
26, Issue:
31
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
In the present work, the composite MgAl-LDH/biochar using activated carbon from bovine bone as support for the layered double hydroxide particles was successfully synthesised and used as an ...alternative adsorbent for caffeine removal from water. Kinetic studies showed that the equilibrium was achieved in only 20 min of contact between the adsorbent and the adsorbate. The pseudo-first-order model represented the experimental data more satisfactorily (R
2
= 0.95), suggesting a physical adsorption process. The isotherms were performed at three temperatures, in which it was observed the decrease in the adsorption in higher temperatures. It was obtained a maximum adsorption capacity of 26.219 mg/g at 40 °C, and the experimental data were better adjusted by Redlich–Peterson,
R
2
> 0.9942. In short, the study demonstrated that the composite was satisfactorily synthesised and its use in the caffeine removal was quite attractive, being a potential adsorbent for water treatment applications.
Aims/hypothesis We sought to determine the effect of an aerobic exercise intervention on clustered metabolic risk and related outcomes in healthy older adults in a single-centre, explanatory ...randomised controlled trial. Methods Participants from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study (born 1931-1939) were randomly assigned to 36 supervised 1 h sessions on a cycle ergometer over 12 weeks or to a non-intervention control group. Randomisation and group allocation were conducted by the study co-ordinator, using a software programme. Those with prevalent diabetes, unstable ischaemic heart disease or poor mobility were excluded. All data were collected at our clinical research facility in Cambridge. Components of the metabolic syndrome were used to derive a standardised composite metabolic risk score (zMS) as the primary outcome. Trial status: closed to follow-up. Results We randomised 100 participants (50 to the intervention, 50 to the control group). Mean age was 71.4 (range 67.4-76.3) years. Overall, 96% of participants attended for follow-up measures. There were no serious adverse events. Using an intention-to-treat analysis, we saw a non-significant reduction in zMS in the exercise group compared with controls (0.07 95% CI −0.03, 0.17, p = 0.19). However, the exercise group had significantly decreased weight, waist circumference and intrahepatic lipid, with increased aerobic fitness and a 68% reduction in prevalence of abnormal glucose metabolism (OR 0.32 95% CI 0.11-0.92, p = 0.035) compared with controls. Results were similar in per-protocol analyses. Conclusions/interpretation Enrolment in a supervised aerobic exercise intervention led to weight loss, increased fitness and improvements in some but not all metabolic outcomes. In appropriately screened older individuals, such interventions appear to be safe. Trial registration: Controlled-trials.com ISRCTN60986572 Funding: Medical Research Council
RESUMO Este artigo objetivou fazer uma avaliação da fusão entre as companhias aéreas Azul e Trip, mensurando os potenciais ganhos de eficiência decorrentes do ato de concentração. Modelos de análise ...envoltória de dados (DEA), conjuntamente com a técnica de reamostragem denominada bootstrap, foram utilizados como instrumentos para obter essa mensuração. Os resultados mostraram que os ganhos de eficiência decorrentes da fusão são muito pequenos; uma combinação da aplicação com a teoria mostra que os ganhos podem ser negativos; os efeitos de escala não atuam em favor da fusão, enquanto os efeitos de aprendizado atuam em favor da fusão; os ganhos obtidos poderiam ocorrer mesmo sem a fusão (individualmente).
ABSTRACT This article aimed to evaluate the merger between the airlines Azul and Trip, measuring the potential efficiency gains from the act of concentration. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) models, in conjunction with the resampling technique called bootstrap, were used as instruments for this measurement. The results showed that: the efficiency gains resulting from the merger are very small; a combination between the application and the theory shows that the gains could be negative; the effects of scale do not work in favor of the merger, while the learning effects works in favor of the merger; the gains could occur in isolation (individually).
After solid organ transplantation, tacrolimus is given to prevent rejection. Therapeutic drug monitoring is used to reach target concentrations of tacrolimus in whole blood. Because the site of ...action of tacrolimus is the lymphocyte, and tacrolimus binds ~80% to erythrocytes, the intracellular tacrolimus concentration in lymphocytes is possibly more relevant. For this purpose, we aimed to develop, improve and validate a UPLC–MS/MS method to measure tacrolimus concentrations in isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). PBMCs were isolated using a Ficoll separation technique, followed by a washing step using red blood cell lysis. A cell suspension of 50 μL containing 1 million PBMCs was used in combination with MagSiMUS‐TDMPREP. To each sample we added 30 μL lysis buffer, 20 μL reconstitution buffer containing 13C2H4‐tacrolimus as internal standard, 40 μL MagSiMUS‐TDMPREP Type I Particle Mix and 175 μL Organic Precipitation Reagent VI for methanol‐based protein precipitation. A 10 μL aliquot of the supernatant was injected into the UPLC–MS/MS system. The method was validated, resulting in high sensitivity and specificity. The method was linear (r2 = 0.997) over the range 5.0–1250 pg/1 × 106 PBMCs. The inaccuracy was <5% and the imprecision was <15%. The washing steps following Ficoll isolation could be performed at either room temperature or on ice, with no effect of the temperature on the results. A method for the analysis of tacrolimus concentrations in PBMCs was developed and successfully validated. Further research will be performed to investigate the correlation between concentrations in PBMCs and clinical outcome.
Objective
To investigate the potential long‐term effects of adolescent parenthood on completed education and income.
Design
Population‐based birth cohort study.
Setting
All live births in 1982, whose ...mothers lived in the urban area of Pelotas, southern Brazil.
Sample
A total of 3701 participants: 1914 women and 1787 men at age 30 years.
Methods
Questionnaires were completed by the mothers in the early phases of this study, and by the cohort members in adolescence and adulthood. Linear regression models and G‐computation were used in the analyses.
Main outcome measures
Educational attainment and income at age 30 years.
Results
In women, adolescent parenthood was associated with lower attained education compared with women without adolescent maternity: by −2.8 years 95% confidence interval (CI) −3.2 to −2.3 if their first birth was at age 16–19, and by −4.4 years (−5.5 to −3.3) at age 11–15. These effects were greater among women who had three or more children. Women with adolescent parenthood also had 49 or 33% lower income at age 30 if their first child was born when aged 16–19 or 11–15, respectively. In men, the adverse effect of adolescent parenthood on education appeared to be mediated by a higher number of children and there was no effect of adolescent paternity on income at age 30 years.
Conclusion
These findings suggest lasting socio‐economic disadvantages of adolescent parenthood, with larger effects being apparent in women than in men.
Tweetable
Adolescent parenthood has an adverse effect on educational attainment later in life, and on household income among women.
Tweetable
Adolescent parenthood has an adverse effect on educational attainment later in life, and on household income among women.
The prevalence of obesity and diabetes in the Middle East is among the highest in the world. Valid measures of abdominal adiposity are essential to understanding the metabolic consequences of ...obesity. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is increasingly being utilised to assess body composition in population studies, and has recently been used to estimate visceral adipose tissue (VAT). The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of DXA-derived VAT in a Middle Eastern population using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the criterion measure.
VAT was estimated from abdominal DXA measures in 237 adult men (n=130) and women (n=107), aged 18-65 years, participating in the Kuwait Wellbeing Study. These estimates were compared with MRI measures of the corresponding anatomical region. The agreement between methods was assessed using Bland-Altman as well as correlation analysis.
Median MRI VAT was 1148.5 cm
(95% confidence interval: 594.2-1734.6) in men and 711.3 cm
(95% confidence interval: 395.5-1042.8) in women. DXA estimates of VAT showed high correlations with corresponding MRI measures (r=0.94 (P<0.0001) in men; r=0.93 (P<0.0001) in women). DXA overestimated VAT with a mean bias (95% limits of agreement) of 79.7 cm
(-767 to 963) in men and 46.8 cm
(-482 to 866) in women. The imprecision of DXA increased with increasing VAT level in both men and women.
DXA estimates of VAT are valid for use in Middle Eastern populations, although accuracy decreases with increasing level of visceral adiposity.
The radiation used in hadrontherapy treatments interacts with the patient body producing secondary particles, either neutral or charged, that can be used for dose and Bragg peak monitoring and to ...provide a fast feedback on the treatment plans. Recent results obtained from the authors on simplified setups (mono-energetic primary beams interacting with homogeneous tissue-like target) have already indicated the correlation that exists between the flux of these secondaries coming from the target (e.g. protons and photons) and the position of the primary beam Bragg peak. In this paper, the measurements of charged particle fluxes produced by the interaction of a 220 MeV/u carbon ion beam at GSI, Darmstadt, with a polymethyl methacrylate target are reported. The emission region of protons (p), deuterons (d) and tritons (t) has been characterized using a drift chamber while the particle time-of-flight, used to compute the kinetic energy spectra, was measured with a LYSO scintillator. The energy released in the LYSO crystal was used for particle identification purposes. The measurements were repeated with the setup at 60° and 90° with respect to the primary beam direction. The accuracy on the fragments emission profile reconstruction and its relationship with the Bragg peak position have been studied. Based on the acquired experimental evidence, a method to monitor the dose profile and the position of the Bragg peak inside the target is proposed.
The state of art of μ-RWELL technology Bencivenni, G.; de Oliveira, R.; De Lucia, E. ...
Journal of instrumentation,
08/2023, Volume:
18, Issue:
8
Journal Article
Background/Objectives: Both intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT) are associated with cardiovascular risk factors, even in childhood. Currently, the ...gold standard in assessing IAAT and SAAT is computed tomography (CT), which is not widely applicable. The aim of this study was to estimate abdominal fat using anthropometry, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and ultrasound, and compare these estimates with the amounts of IAAT and SAAT determined by CT in 6 to 7-year-old children. Subjects/Methods: In 31 healthy children, weight, height, circumferences, skinfolds, DEXA, abdominal ultrasound and CT were performed. Measurements were compared by simple correlations and receiver operating characteristic analyses. Results: Total abdominal fat on CT did not differ between boys and girls (86.5 versus 89.8 cm3, P=0.84). Boys had a higher IAAT to SAAT ratio than girls (0.56 versus 0.37, P=0.03). The sum of supra-iliac and abdominal skinfolds was most strongly correlated with SAAT on CT (r=0.93, P<0.001), and the abdominal skinfold with IAAT on CT (r=0.72, P<0.001). Diagnosis of subcutaneous abdominal and intra-abdominal adiposity can also be made using skinfolds. The associations with circumferences, body mass index and DEXA were less pronounced; however, these techniques can also be used to classify children according to SAAT and IAAT. Ultrasound can be used to diagnose subcutaneous adiposity, although it was not superior to skinfold measurements. Conclusion: Skinfold measurements are the best non-invasive technique in predicting subcutaneous as well as intra-abdominal fat in our population of 6 to 7-year-old children.
Tests of the T, CP and CPT symmetries in the neutral kaon system are performed by the direct comparison of the probabilities of a kaon transition process to its symmetry-conjugate. The exchange of in ...and out states required for a genuine test involving an antiunitary transformation implied by time-reversal is implemented exploiting the entanglement of K0K‾0 pairs produced at a ϕ-factory.
A data sample collected by the KLOE experiment at DAΦNE corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 1.7 fb−1 is analysed to study the Δt distributions of the ϕ→KSKL→π+π−π±e∓ν and ϕ→KSKL→π±e∓ν3π0 processes, with Δt the difference of the kaon decay times. A comparison of the measured Δt distributions in the asymptotic region Δt≫τS allows to test for the first time T and CPT symmetries in kaon transitions with a precision of few percent, and to observe CP violation with this novel method.
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