A new Schiff’s base polymer for remediation of phenol, 2-chlorophenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol from contaminated aqueous systems

Polymer Bulletin - In the present study, a Schiff’s base polymer (SBP) has been synthesized by the condensation of trifluoroacetylacetone and amino-polystyrene copolymer resin. After the...     

Effect of multi pulse current treatment on microstructure and microhardness of resistance spot welded dual phase steel DP590

In this paper, microhardness and microstructural characteristics of dual phase DP590 steel resistance spot weld joint under two different welding conditions (i. e. single pulse and multi pulse) were studied. It was observed that applying multi pulse currents resulted in quasi-equiaxed grains of tempered martensite in fusion zone (FZ) of the weldment. The refinement of microstructure in fusion zone using multi pulse current treatment resulted in reduced hardness of the weld joint.     

Activin A and Cell-Surface GRP78 Are Novel Targetable RhoA Activators for Diabetic Kidney Disease

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of kidney failure. RhoA/Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) signaling is a recognized mediator of its pathogenesis, largely through mediating the profibrotic response. While RhoA activation is not feasible due to the central role it plays in normal physiology, ROCK inhibition has been found to be effective in attenuating DKD in preclinical models. However, this has not been evaluated in clinical studies as of yet. Alternate means of inhibiting RhoA/ROCK signaling involve the identification of disease-specific activators. This report presents evidence showing the activation of RhoA/ROCK signaling both in vitro in glomerular mesangial cells and in vivo in diabetic kidneys by two recently described novel pathogenic mediators of fibrosis in DKD, activins and cell-surface GRP78. Neither are present in normal kidneys. Activin inhibition with follistatin and neutralization of cell-surface GRP78 using a specific antibody blocked RhoA activation in mesangial cells and in diabetic kidneys. These data identify two novel RhoA/ROCK activators in diabetic kidneys that can be evaluated for their efficacy in inhibiting the progression of DKD.     

Rice-like CuO nanostructures for sensitive electrochemical sensing of hydrazine

In this work, a low temperature aqueous chemical growth methodology was used for the fabrication of CuO nanostructures. The as-synthesised nanostructures were then elaborately characterised by number of analytical techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The obtained nanostructures were observed to possess interlaced rice-shaped structural features with the length and width of individual rice determined to be in the range of 200–300 nm and 50–100 nm respectively. The unique nanostructures when utilised as electrode material exhibited excellent electro-catalytic potential towards oxidation of hydrazine in alkaline media. The excellent conductive of CuO added by the high surface area of obtained nanorice-like structures enabled development of highly sensitive (3087 µA mM⁻¹ cm⁻²), selective and stable electrochemical sensor for hydrazine. In addition, the successfully application of the developed sensor in spiked tap, bottled and industrial water samples for the detection of hydrazine suggested its feasibility for practical environmental application.

     

The effect of plate thickness on the generation of thermal stress and strain in quenched steels of high hardenability

A visco-elastic-plastic mathematical model that also incorporates transformation plasticity has been used to determine the thermal stress and strain generation in quenched plates of various thicknesses. An increase in plate thickness produced an increase in the maximum amount of absolute strain introduced during the quench. This was associated with an increase in the residual strain at the end of a water quench, but the residual strain was reduced in the case of an oil quench. Former results were in agreement with the experimental data obtained from 20 and 40 mm thick specimens. In contrast, the level of residual absolute stress at specific points in water quenched plates fell as the thickness increased, mainly on account of the amount of stress-relaxation in the later stages of the cooling process, as the temperature in the interior of the thicker sections fell to ambient. This effect did not agree well with the experimental results and casts some doubt on the viscous flow data used at longer times and lower temperatures. The agreement between calculation and experiment was much better in the case of the oil quenched material.     

The thermal conductivity of porous catalyst pellets

Thermal conductivities of γ-alumina and alumina supported nickel catalysts prepared by impregnation and coprecipitation have been measured by a transient method. Results obtained were compared with predictive models and it was found that a simple modification' of a one parameter model gave good agreement with the results for the support and impregnated catalysts but did not give satisfactory predictions for the coprecipitated catalyst.     

Primary spinal T-cell rich B-cell lymphoma: a case report

During my nursing career, I remember constantly being aware of patients who needed some emotional help--those who were frightened about a forthcoming operation, those who were shocked and despairing after being given their diagnosis and prognosis, others who were down in the dumps because they couldn't go home as soon as they had hoped. There were also the 'ward clowns' who tried to make everyone laugh with their good humour and little pranks, yet felt no less anxious, worried or depressed than anyone else. Patients seem to fit into categories: the nervous ones, the depressives, the jovial types, the moaners, those who demand attention and those who shun it. I feel sure that every nurse has noticed the different 'types' of people who fill hospital beds-ordinary people who seem to take on a new persona as soon as they get into their pyjamas and become a 'patient'. Somehow, their identity gets folded up and put away in their locker along with their outdoor clothes and other reminders of the outside world.     

Optimized Hybrid Block Adams Method for Solving First Order Ordinary Differential Equations

Multistep integration methods are being extensively used in the simulations of high dimensional systems due to their lower computational cost. The block methods were developed with the intent of obtaining numerical results on numerous points at a time and improving computational efficiency. Hybrid block methods for instance are specifically used in numerical integration of initial value problems. In this paper, an optimized hybrid block Adams block method is designed for the solutions of linear and nonlinear first-order initial value problems in ordinary differential equations (ODEs). In deriving the method, the Lagrange interpolation polynomial was employed based on some data points to replace the differential equation function and it was integrated over a specified interval. Furthermore, the convergence properties along with the region of stability of the method were examined. It was concluded that the newly derived method is convergent, consistent, and zero-stable. The method was also found to be A-stable implying that it covers the whole of the left/negative half plane. From the numerical computations of absolute errors carried out using the newly derived method, it was found that the method performed better than the ones with which we compared our results with. The method also showed its superiority over the existing methods in terms of stability and convergence.     

Opportunities and challenges in using WPAN and WLAN technologies in medical environments [Accepted from Open Call]

The present view of medical environments, where isolated networks are used for IT and medical applications, is changing toward an integrated heterogeneous network scenario that can support a wide range of applications. WPAN and WLAN technologies play a fundamental role in enabling such integrated environment that is expected to support both medical and nonmedical applications. The ultimate goal is to exploit WPAN and WLAN technologies, as well as other wireless networks, such as 3G cellular systems and satellite networks, to support highly efficient medical care delivery, anytime and anywhere. However, the life-critical nature of some medical applications imposes additional challenges that have not been considered in nonmedical scenarios. This article discusses some future scenarios where WLAN and WPAN technologies can be used to provide an integrated and ubiquitous network in medical environments, and identifies the main issues to be addressed in order to meet the QoS requirements of different medical applications when operating in integrated environment     

Characterization of Fe2O3/CeO2 oxygen carriers for chemical looping hydrogen generation

Fe₂O₃ is currently the most proper active metal oxide for chemical looping hydrogen generation (CLHG). However, supports are necessary to improve the reactivity and redox stability. CeO₂ can enhance the oxygen mobility, leading to high redox reactivity and carbon deposition resistance, which can be an excellent alternative support for oxygen carriers. In this paper, Fe₂O₃/CeO₂ oxygen carriers prepared by the co-precipitation method with different Fe₂O₃ loadings were investigated on a batch fluidized bed regarding the hydrogen yield and purity, redox reactivity and stability in CLHG with CO as fuel. The results showed that Fe6Ce4 is the best given comprehensive performance with no CO or CO₂ observed in the obtained hydrogen (detection limit 0.01% in volume). The oxygen mobility property for the reducible support CeO₂ and the physical contact between un-integrated Fe₂O₃ and CeO₂ could improve the reduction of Fe₂O₃. In addition, the formation of the hematite-like solid solution and perovskite-type CeFeO₃ could bring about abundant oxygen vacancies and promote the oxygen mobility, which contributes to the elimination of carbon deposition, counteracts the negative effect of serious sintering and guarantees the reactivity and redox stability of the Fe₂O₃/CeO₂ oxygen carriers. The Fe₂O₃/CeO₂ oxygen carriers were characterized by carbon monoxide temperature-programmed reduction measurement and X-ray diffraction patterns, and Fe6Ce4 was also selected to be characterized by scanning electron microscopy images and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer analysis.