Among several oil/water emulsion separation technologies, the utilization of nanoparticle‐decorated membranes with diverse functionalities has received considerable attention in recent years, ...particularly if the antifouling capacity can be improved. In this article, we propose a new membrane based on surface‐hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile electrospun membranes and/or decorated with amine‐functionalized Si‐MCM‐41 nanoparticles to be used as oil/water emulsion separation treatment and to determine their antifouling ability. X‐Ray photoelectron spectrometry, attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and toluidine blue O assay, scanning electron microscopy, contact angle measurements for oil under water and thermogravimetry were used for characterizing the membranes and an assay of permeability was developed to quantify the diffusion of oil molecules across the electrospun membrane. The electrospun and/or decorated membranes showed an underwater oleophobic wettability, which can separate oil‐in‐water emulsions with 87% separation efficiency, results of fouling experiments, evaluated in terms of rejection and flux recovery ratio, exhibited good antifouling ability, but the membrane decoration process did not lead to superior outcomes compared with undecorated membranes.
•A simple straightforward route for the esterification of CNC is proposed.•Citric acid is used as catalyst.•Esterification reaction is restricted to CNC surface.•Reaction allows much better ...dispersibility of derivatized CNC in non polar medium.
A simple straightforward route for the surface esterification of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) is herein proposed. CNC obtained from microcrystalline cellulose were acetylated using as catalyst citric acid, a α-hydroxy acid present in citrus fruits and industrially produced by certain molds in sucrose or glucose-containing medium. No additional solvent was added to the system; instead, the acylant (acetic anhydride) was used in sufficient excess to allow CNC dispersion and proper suspension agitation. By tuning the catalyst load, CNC with two different degree of substitution (i.e. DS=0.18 and 0.34) were obtained. Acetylated cellulose nanocrystals were characterized in terms of chemical structure, crystallinity, morphology, thermal decomposition and dispersion in a non-polar solvent. Results illustrated for the first time the suitability of the protocol proposed for the simple surface acetylation of cellulose nanocrystals.
Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are frequently functionalized to be used for specific applications, including catalysis and biomedical engineering. In this research, MCM-41-MSNs were ...synthesized by the sol–gel method and were functionalized with different quantities of (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) using a post-grafting method to determine the physicochemical and structural changes in the MSNs. The functionalized materials were assessed by different characterization techniques, namely, TGA, FTIR, BET, SEM, TEM, DLS, zeta potential, SAXS, XRD and XPS. The FTIR data confirmed the presence of amino groups on the MSN surfaces, and the results from the XPS, TGA and zeta potential demonstrated that the APTES concentration during post-grafting directly affects the quantity of amino groups bound to the MSNs. The SAXS, TEM and nitrogen adsorption–desorption analyses showed that as the amount of APTES in the MSNs increases, the mesoporous structure become more disordered.
Graphical Abstract
Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy have evolved deeply over the past half century. This paper shows some the changes I have witnessed in them, and the challenges we face in this change ...of era, at the edge of the first quarter of the twenty-first century. Some the challenges are examined: knowing how to transmit in our daily practice the essential relationality of the human being; the relational essence of the process of change through psychotherapy; and a review of our contribution to our institutions being genuinely relational, that is, that we take more care of the space that the Other can inhabit than of preserving our own. We need hope: the hope to change and (again) be people, in connection with others, regaining confidence and being able to be ourself (to be ourselves with others). That is the meaning of our activity, what it is to be a psychoanalyst/psychotherapist today.
The prevalence of certain diagnoses, such as eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder, is higher among women than among men. When it comes to women’s mental health, ...focusing on social aspects influencing the way women fall ill becomes crucial. Using a sample of 368 women, we studied the classification ability of a number of clinical variables and sociocultural factors (conformity to gender norms) in order to ascertain whether or not women were receiving psychological care and determine the importance of each of the variables when predicting which women were receiving therapy. Our results showed that women were more likely to be receiving psychological treatment when scoring high on certain clinical variables (such as Suicidal Ideation and Borderline Features) and on a number of variables related to conforming to gender norms (Care for Children, Nice in Relationships, and Sexual Fidelity). Therefore, we believe that integrating the gender perspective into educational, health-related, and psychological care programmes is essential so that gender roles can become more diverse and less constricting of people’s potential, resulting in improved health.
La prevalencia de determinados diagnósticos –trastorno de la conducta alimentaria, depresión, ansiedad y trastorno límite– es superior en mujeres que en hombres. Considerando la salud mental en mujeres, resulta imprescindible poner el foco en los aspectos sociales que influyen en la forma de enfermar. Se estudia en una muestra de 368 mujeres la capacidad de clasificación de algunas variables clínicas y factores socioculturales (conformidad con las normas de género) para determinar si una mujer está recibiendo asistencia psicológica o no, así como la importancia de cada una de esas variables a la hora de pronosticar qué mujeres estarían recibiendo terapia. Los resultados mostraron que cuando las mujeres puntúan alto en algunas variables clínicas (como Ideaciones Suicidas y Rasgos Límites) y en algunas relacionadas con conformidad con las normas de género (Cuidadora de Niños/as, Agradable en las relaciones y la Fidelidad Sexual) era más probable que estén recibiendo tratamiento psicológico. Por lo tanto, se considera que la inclusión de la perspectiva de género en programas de educativos, de salud y atención psicológica es fundamental para que los roles de género puedan ser más diversos y constriñan menos las potencialidades de las personas, lo que influirá en que tengan una mejor salud.
•BC nanoribbons were partially acetylated by a simple route catalyzed by citric acid.•Reaction variables can be manipulated to acetylate BC to the required DS.•Surface-only acetylated BC with ...increased hydrophobicity could be easily obtained.
Bacterial cellulose (BC) nanoribbons were partially acetylated by a simple direct solvent-free route catalyzed by citric acid. The assay of reaction conditions within chosen intervals (i.e. esterification time (0.5–7h), catalyst content (0.08–1.01mmol/mmol AGU), and temperature (90–140°C)), illustrated the flexibility of the methodology proposed, with reaction variables which can be conveniently manipulated to acetylate BC to the required degree of substitution (DS) within the 0.20–0.73 interval. Within this DS interval, characterization results indicated a surface-only process in which acetylated bacterial cellulose with tunable DS, preserved fibrous structure and increased hydrophobicity could be easily obtained. The feasibility of reusing the catalyst/excess acylant in view of potential scale-up was also illustrated.
Recruitment is a critical component of the plant life cycle, but little is known about its contribution to community assembly in comparison to later plant stages. We aimed to analyze the relevance of ...recruitment niche segregation in community assembly using tidal salt marshes in a Mediterranean climate. With this objective, we recorded the spatio-temporal distribution of seedling emergence and its relationships with propagule density and environmental conditions at the community level along the tidal gradient. Results indicate that seedling recruitment was strongly influenced by differential establishment abilities and the effects of sedimentary and meteorological factors that vary seasonally and along the tidal gradient. Taxa colonizing the same habitats showed some similarities in their recruitment patterns, but they also presented enough differences to configure almost a unique recruitment pattern for each taxa. Sediment characteristics segregated recruitment niches at both extremes of the tidal gradient, and the few species colonizing habitats between these two extremes also showed contrasted spatial recruitment patterns. In addition, sequential differences in seedling emergence segregated within high marsh taxa. Most of the taxa exhibited a continuous germination strategy associated to prolonged flowering periods and the ability to germinate along broad salinity ranges. Our results shed light on the importance of recruitment niche segregation to the assembly of plant communities, which is key for understanding their functioning and guiding their management.
•Seedling recruitment was strongly influenced by differential establishment abilities.•Seedling recruitment was influenced by sedimentary and meteorological factors.•Sediment characteristics segregated recruitment niches at both tidal extremes.•Sequential differences in seedling emergence segregated within high marsh taxa.•Most of the taxa exhibited a continuous germination strategy.
Salicornia species are halophyte plants that are an important source for food, pharmacy, and bioenergy. They can be consumed as a leafy vegetable, but they can accumulate heavy metals that carry a ...health risk when knowledge of how each species behaves in different types of soil is lacking. This present work aimed to determine to what extent S. ramosissima can be cultivated as food in estuaries contaminated by heavy metals and to what extent it can be used in phytoremediation works, by studying its behavior in populations that grow naturally in contaminated soils. We analyzed accumulation and translocation in different parts of the plant for 14 heavy metals and calculated the Health Risk Index value associated with their consumption as a leafy vegetable. The results obtained mean that the S. ramosissima plants that grow in most of the soils of this estuary are unfit for human consumption in some of the populations studied. In conclusion, Salicornia ramosissima J. Woods can accumulate Cd, As, and Pb—among other metals—in its leaves so its consumption should be limited to plants that grow in soils free of these metals.
Grafting polyethylene glycol (PEG) onto a polymer's surface is widely used to improve biocompatibility by reducing protein and cell adhesion. Although PEG is considered to be bioinert, its ...incorporation onto biomaterials has shown to improve cell viability depending on the amount and molecular weight (MW) used. This phenomenon was studied here by grafting PEG of three MW onto polyurethane (PU) substrata at three molar concentrations to assess their effect on PU surface properties and on the viability of osteoblasts and fibroblasts. PEG formed a covering on the substrata which increased the hydrophilicity and surface energy of PUs. Among the results, it was observed that osteoblast viability increased for all MW and grafting densities of PEG employed compared with unmodified PU. However, fibroblast viability only increased at certain combinations of MW and grafting densities of PEG, suggesting an optimal level of these parameters. PEG grafting also promoted a more spread cell morphology than that exhibited by unmodified PU; nevertheless, cells became apoptotic-like as PEG MW and grafting density were increased. These effects on cells could be due to PEG affecting culture medium pH, which became more alkaline at higher MW and concentrations of PEG. Results support the hypothesis that surface energy of PU substrates can be tuned by controlling the MW and grafting density of PEG, but these parameters should be optimized to promote cell viability without inducing apoptotic-like behavior.
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