This study investigates the oxidation of pharmaceuticals, endocrine disrupting compounds and pesticides during ozonation applied in drinking water treatment. In the first step, second-order rate ...constants for the reactions of selected compounds with molecular ozone
(
k
O
3
)
were determined in bench-scale experiments at pH 8.10: caffeine (650
±
22
M
−1
s
−1), progesterone (601
±
9
M
−1
s
−1), medroxyprogesterone (558
±
9
M
−1
s
−1), norethindrone (2215
±
76
M
−1
s
−1) and levonorgestrel (1427
±
62
M
−1
s
−1). Compared to phenolic estrogens (estrone, 17β-estradiol, estriol and 17α-ethinylestradiol), the selected progestogen endocrine disruptors reacted far slower with ozone. In the second part of the study, bench-scale experiments were conducted with surface waters spiked with 16 target compounds to assess their oxidative removal using ozone and determine if bench-scale results would accurately predict full-scale removal data. Overall, the data provided evidence that ozone is effective for removing trace organic contaminants from water with ozone doses typically applied in drinking water treatment. Ozonation removed over 80% of caffeine, pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors within the CT value of about 2
mg
min
L
−1. As expected, pesticides were found to be the most recalcitrant compounds to oxidize. Caffeine can be used as an indicator compound to gauge the efficacy of ozone treatment.
The majority of universities provides on- and off-campus residential quarters for students during their studies which enables them to keep connected to other students and focus on their studies ...usually with a small amount of money. The manner of designing a dormitory has a direct impact on the performance of the students and therefore requires a lot of attention. This includes but not limited to a mostly independent and private quiet room maintaining good indoor air quality through adequate ventilation and air conditioning. Undoubtedly, the most important aspect of such a place is saving energy in a way that does not influence the quality of student's life. The type of usage of such buildings causes different presence time and different ideas about the lights and temperature's set point. In this paper, we will discuss aspects of designing a dormitory as well as optimization of occupants comfort and energy efficiency using renewable energies such as solar energy to produce electricity, wind energy for natural ventilation and above all using architectural techniques to lower the energy consumption.
Modules in which every submodule is isomorphic to a direct summand is called virtually semisimple. In this article, we carry out a study of virtually semisimple modules over a commutative ring R. A ...structure theorem of finitely generated virtually semisimple R-modules is given. Also, it is proven that if every submodule of an R-module M is virtually semisimple, then
where I is an index set and for each i,
is a principal ideal domain and
with semisimple and torsionfree
-modules S
i
and T
i
, respectively. As an application of our "structure theorem," we give a characterization of commutative rings for which each proper ideal is virtually semisimple.
Protein folding quality control in cells requires the activity of a class of proteins known as molecular chaperones. Heat shock protein‐90 (Hsp90), a multidomain ATP driven molecular machine, is a ...prime representative of this family of proteins. Interactions between Hsp90, its co‐chaperones, and client proteins have been shown to be important in facilitating the correct folding and activation of clients. Hsp90 levels and functions are elevated in tumor cells. Here, we computationally predict the regions on the native structures of clients c‐Abl, c‐Src, Cdk4, B‐Raf and Glucocorticoid Receptor, that have the highest probability of undergoing local unfolding, despite being ordered in their native structures. Such regions represent potential ideal interaction points with the Hsp90‐system. We synthesize mimics spanning these regions and confirm their interaction with partners of the Hsp90 complex (Hsp90, Cdc37 and Aha1) by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). Designed mimics selectively disrupt the association of their respective clients with the Hsp90 machinery, leaving unrelated clients unperturbed and causing apoptosis in cancer cells. Overall, selective targeting of Hsp90 protein–protein interactions is achieved without causing indiscriminate degradation of all clients, setting the stage for the development of therapeutics based on specific chaperone:client perturbation.
Cutting contact: A novel, fully rational computational approach predicts the unfolding/unstable regions of proteins. Designed synthetic mimics of such regions block protein interactions with chaperones in cells, and induce apoptosis in cancer cells.
Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were incorporated into an epoxy matrix with three weight fractions of 0.1%, 0.5% and 1% which were then reinforced with unidirectional carbon fibers (CFs) to fabricate ...laminated composites with cross-ply configuration. Thermomechanical analysis and tensile tests of the specimens were carried out to characterize thermal and mechanical properties of CNF/epoxy composites and compare them with the behavior of the neat resin. Characterization showed that the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the epoxy matrix is significantly reduced by adding small amounts of CNF. CNFs also moderately increase the Young’s modulus of the epoxy. The slitting method was used for the measurement of residual stresses in cross-ply CF/epoxy and CNF-reinforced CF/epoxy laminates. It involves cutting a narrow slit progressively from one surface of the laminate, and measuring the released strains at the other surface. The results showed that the addition of 0.1%, 0.5% and 1wt.% CNF leads to 4.4%, 18.8% and 25.1% reductions in residual stress, respectively. These findings confirm that CNFs possess excellent potential to be used as a thermal expansion compensator for the modification of the thermal behavior of the epoxy matrix and the reduction of the thermal residual stresses in the fiber/epoxy laminated composites.
In this study the anticorrosion performance of a two component water-based epoxy coating system is improved by using the 3-glycidoxypropyl trimethoxy silane (GPTMS). The structure of products is ...characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). The formation of nanosiloxane coating is confirmed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Transition electron microscopy (TEM). EIS measurements also indicated an enhancement in protectiveness of water-based nanosiloxane epoxy coating against corrosion, which was characterized by higher coating resistances (Rc), and Z modulus at low frequencies .The improvement in adhesion properties of water-based nanosiloxane epoxy coating is explained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Tapping-mode atomic force microscopy (AFM). Results of salt spray and adhesion tests showed that anticorrosive performance of water-based epoxy coatings improved by adding only 1
wt.% GPTMS to water based curing agent, which is equal with 27
wt.% of water-based epoxy coating.
► With using water-based polyamidoamine curing agent, the hydrolysis reaction increased and accordingly the formation of nanosiloxane domains between coating and metal surface enhanced. ► The good distribution of nanosilanes in the curing agent and film coating caused its performances (the adhesion and anticorrosion properties) to improve significantly. ► Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests confirm the low level of porosity and defects in the modified coating.
The human brain is the most vital organ and the body’s command center. As a result, its protection is essential. This paper aims to simulate the impact of an object colliding with a rigid plate on ...the human skull bone using Visco-elastic analysis. Abaqus software can be used to compute the stresses associated with all parts of the sphere after hitting a rigid object with the Von-Mises criterion and construct and evaluate the energy-strain diagram in terms of time. The stresses in question can be measured and compared between different materials in different parts of the solid isotropic sphere by changing the material with the highest toughness. Furthermore, the stress and strain energy obtained in various parts of the object over time are compared to the stress and strain energy at the moment of collision; then, for each of the materials, the velocity parameter is changed, and the effect of velocity on the stresses and strain energy of the object is investigated. Strain energies and stresses in all materials on all object parts are reduced to zero after the collision. Finally, as the velocity parameter increases, the stresses induced by the object’s collision are valid for all materials.
Prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) after surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) for aortic stenosis is generally associated with worse outcomes. Transcatheter AVR (TAVR) can achieve a larger valve ...orifice and the effects of PPM after TAVR are less well studied.
The authors utilized the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology TVT (Transcatheter Valve Therapy) registry to examine the frequency, predictors, and association with outcomes of PPM after TAVR in 62,125 patients enrolled between 2014 and 2017.
On the basis of the discharge echocardiographic effective valve area indexed to body surface area, PPM was classified as severe (<0.65 cm
/m
), moderate (0.65 to 0.85 cm
/m
), or none (>0.85 cm
/m
). Multivariable regression models were utilized to examine predictors of severe PPM as well as adjusted outcomes, including mortality, heart failure (HF) rehospitalization, stroke, and quality of life, at 1 year in 37,470 Medicare patients with claims linkage.
Severe and moderate PPM were present following TAVR in 12% and 25% of patients, respectively. Predictors of severe PPM included small (≤23-mm diameter) valve prosthesis, valve-in-valve procedure, larger body surface area, female sex, younger age, non-white/Hispanic race, lower ejection fraction, atrial fibrillation, and severe mitral or tricuspid regurgitation. At 1 year, mortality was 17.2%, 15.6%, and 15.9% in severe, moderate, and no PPM patients, respectively (p = 0.02). HF rehospitalization had occurred in 14.7%, 12.8%, and 11.9% of patients with severe, moderate, and no PPM, respectively (p < 0.0001). There was no association of severe PPM with stroke or quality-of-life score at 1 year.
Severe PPM after TAVR was present in 12% of patients and was associated with higher mortality and HF rehospitalization at 1 year. Further investigation is warranted into the prevention of severe PPM in patients undergoing TAVR.
The concept/phenomenon of valve prosthesis/patient mismatch (VP-PM), described in 1978, has stood the test of time. From that time to 2011, VP-PM has received a great deal of attention but studies ...have come to varying conclusions. This is largely because of the determination of prosthetic heart valve area called effective orifice area index (EOAi) by projection rather than by actual measurement, variable criteria to assess severity of EOAi and the timing of determination of EOAi. All prosthetic heart valves have some degree of VP-PM which must be placed in a proper clinical perspective. This can be done by determining its effects on function and outcomes. For mortality one needs to focus especially on severe/critical degree of VP-PM and determine the cause of death was due to VP-PM. For the period "beyond 2011" a road map is suggested that will have uniformity of assessment of VP-PM and a focusing on the important goals of VP-PM.
Multiple studies demonstrate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-targeted biopsy detects more clinically significant cancer than systematic biopsy; however, some clinically significant cancers are ...detected by systematic biopsy only. While these events are rare, we sought to perform a retrospective analysis of these cases to ascertain the reasons that MRI-targeted biopsy missed clinically significant cancer which was subsequently detected on systematic prostate biopsy.
Patients were enrolled in a prospective study comparing cancer detection rates by transrectal MRI-targeted fusion biopsy and systematic 12-core biopsy. Patients with an elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA), abnormal digital rectal examination, or imaging findings concerning for prostate cancer underwent prostate MRI and subsequent MRI-targeted and systematic biopsy in the same setting. The subset of patients with grade group (GG) ≥3 cancer found on systematic biopsy and GG ≤2 cancer (or no cancer) on MRI-targeted biopsy was classified as MRI-targeted biopsy misses. A retrospective analysis of the MRI and MRI-targeted biopsy real-time screen captures determined the cause of MRI-targeted biopsy miss. Multivariable logistic regression analysis compared baseline characteristics of patients with MRI-targeted biopsy misses to GG-matched patients whose clinically significant cancer was detected by MRI-targeted biopsy.
Over the study period of 2007 to 2019, 2,103 patients met study inclusion criteria and underwent combined MRI-targeted and systematic prostate biopsies. A total of 41 (1.9%) men were classified as MRI-targeted biopsy misses. Most MRI-targeted biopsy misses were due to errors in lesion targeting (21, 51.2%), followed by MRI-invisible lesions (17, 40.5%) and MRI lesions missed by the radiologist (3, 7.1%). On logistic regression analysis, lower Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS
) score was associated with having clinically significant cancer missed on MRI-targeted biopsy.
While uncommon, most MRI-targeted biopsy misses are due to errors in lesion targeting, which highlights the importance of accurate co-registration and targeting when using software-based fusion platforms. Additionally, some patients will harbor MRI-invisible lesions which are untargetable by MRI-targeted platforms. The presence of a low PI-RADS score despite a high PSA is suggestive of harboring an MRI-invisible lesion.
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