To help fill the knowledge gap regarding the potential human health impacts of food pigment TiO2, a comparative toxicity study was performed on a food-grade TiO2 (f-TiO2), a bulk TiO2 (b-TiO2), and a nano-sized TiO2 (...
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To help fill the knowledge gap regarding the potential human health impacts of food pigment TiO2, a comparative toxicity study was performed on a food-grade TiO2 (f-TiO2), a bulk TiO2 (b-TiO2), and a nano-sized TiO2 (Degussa P25), and in the nematode caenorhabditis elegans. Acute phototoxicity and chronic toxicity effects including reproduction, lifespan, and vulval integrity were evaluated. The f-TiO2, b-TiO2, and P25 had a primary particle size (size range) of 149 (53-308) nm, 129 (64-259) nm, and 26 (11-52) nm, respectively. P25 showed the greatest phototoxicity with a 24-h Lc50 of 6.0mg/L (95% cI 5.95, 6.3), followed by the f-TiO2 (Lc50=6.55mg/L (95% cI 6.35, 6.75)), and b-TiO2 was the least toxic. All three TiO2 (1-10mg/L) induced concentration-dependent effects on the worm's reproduction, with a reduction in brood size by 8.5 to 34%. They all caused a reduction of worm lifespan, accompanied by an increased frequency of age-associated vulval integrity defects (Avid). The impact on lifespan and Avid phenotype was more notable for P25 than the f-TiO2 or b-TiO2. Ingestion and accumulation of TiO2 particles in the worm intestine was observed for all three materials by light microscopy. These findings demonstrate that the food pigment TiO2 induces toxicity effects in the worm and further studies are needed to elucidate the human health implication of such toxicities.
LiFePO4/ccathode material was prepared via high-temperature ball-milling route with ultrasonic dispersion as mixing process using eutectic molten salt (0.76 LiOH center dot H2O-0.24 Li2cO3) as lithium source. Box-Beh...
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LiFePO4/ccathode material was prepared via high-temperature ball-milling route with ultrasonic dispersion as mixing process using eutectic molten salt (0.76 LiOH center dot H2O-0.24 Li2cO3) as lithium source. Box-Behnken design was used to study the combined effects of ultrasonic time, ball-milling temperature, and ball-milling time on the discharge capacity to obtain the optimum predicted conditions. The optimum conditions were as follows: ultrasonic time was 63 min, ball-milling temperature was 638 degrees c, and ball-milling time was 7 h. LiFePO4/c prepared from the optimized experimental conditions exhibited a well electrochemical performance;its discharge capacity was 161.3 mAh g(-1) at a 0.1 c-rate which was in consistence with the predicted discharge capacity of 160.2 mAh g(-1). Moreover, its capacity retention rate achieved 93.6% at a 10 c-rate over 100 cycles.
Despite the effectiveness of carbon fibre reinforced polymers (cFRPs) and steel braces equipped with hysteretic dissipative devices (HYDBs) to improve the seismic performance of r.c. framed structures, the only use of...
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Despite the effectiveness of carbon fibre reinforced polymers (cFRPs) and steel braces equipped with hysteretic dissipative devices (HYDBs) to improve the seismic performance of r.c. framed structures, the only use of cFRPs may be unsatisfactory for the retrofitting of buildings designed for gravity loads only while HDYBs may be unsuitable without a preliminary upgrading. The use of cFRP and HYDB as a combined technique for the seismic retrofitting of reinforced concrete (r.c.) buildings is investigated herein. To this end, two-, four- and eight-storey r.c. framed structures are designed with reference to the structural codes for r.c. buildings in force in Italy before and after 1971. A computer code for the nonlinear static and dynamic analysis of r.c. framed structures is modified to include cFRPs and HYDBs. Firstly, the nonlinear static analysis of the original test structures is carried with the aim of improving preliminarily strength and displacement capacities by applying cFRPs laminates, at the top and bottom sides of r.c. frame members, and cFRPs wraps, at the critical end zones of columns, respectively. Then, a displacement-based design procedure of HYDBs is adopted to complete the seismic retrofitting, starting from capacity curves of the upgraded test structures. To check the reliability of the combined cFRP-HYDB technique, nonlinear dynamic analysis of the original and retrofitted structures is performed considering two sets of seven near- and far-fault ground motions scaled to the seismic design level. Results highlight that the insertion of the HYDBs is effective in reducing the seismic demand of previously upgraded cFRP structures, with Post71 types generally performing better than Ante71 ones.
Background:The diagnosis of contrast-induced nephropathy(cIN)is usually based on changes in serum creatinine(scr).However,scr has poor sensitivity as a biomarker of kidney *** aim of this study was to investigate the ...
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Background:The diagnosis of contrast-induced nephropathy(cIN)is usually based on changes in serum creatinine(scr).However,scr has poor sensitivity as a biomarker of kidney *** aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of serum cystatin c(scysc)to predict cIN after intra-arterial ***:A total of 360 consecutive patients underwent intra-arterial procedures using digital subtraction ***,scysc,and estimated glomerular filtration rate were measured at 1 to 2 days before and at 48,72 h,and 7 days after the ***:Thirty-one patients(8.61%)developed *** operating characteristic(ROc)curve analysis showed that preoperative scysc levels had good discriminatory power(area under the curve[AUc]=0.634;95%confidence interval[cI]=0.526-0.743)for evaluating the risk of cIN after an endovascular procedure,with a sensitivity of 53.33%and specificity of 73.70%.ROc analysis showed that scysc at 48 h after contrast medium administration was predictive of cIN after an endovascular procedure(AUc=0.735;95%cI=0.647-0.822)with satisfactory sensitivity of 74.20%and specificity of 63.90%.Diabetes mellitus was an independent risk factor for cIN(odds ratio=2.778;95%cI=1.045-7.382;P=0.040).conclusions:Scysc is an appropriate biomarker to predict the occurrence of *** scysc before an intervention is useful to obtain a preliminary estimate of the risk of cIN.A 48-h cut-off value of scysc of 0.99 mg/L after an endovascular procedure may help to rule out patients at lower risk of cIN.
Li4Ti5O12/c has been successfully synthesized by a solid-state reaction method of Li2cO3 and TiO2 followed by direct flaming of acetylene gas. Li4Ti5O12 with 2-h milling time is indexed as single-phase crystal structu...
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Li4Ti5O12/c has been successfully synthesized by a solid-state reaction method of Li2cO3 and TiO2 followed by direct flaming of acetylene gas. Li4Ti5O12 with 2-h milling time is indexed as single-phase crystal structure of Li4Ti5O12 (JcPDS 04-0477). The SEM results show particle sizes between 0.192 and 0.360 mu m with a spherical shape, but there is agglomeration due to high temperature when the direct flaming of acetylene gas process is applied. The desired carbon content by direct flaming of acetylene gas is still very low at 0.6% for 10 min and 0.9% for 20 min. Li4Ti5O12 with 10 min of direct flaming of acetylene gas has the highest specific discharge capacity of 210.61 mAh/g. This is attributed to the pure single phase and the higher conductivity of the sample. This result shows that Li4Ti5O12/c synthesized by ball milling and direct flaming of acetylene gas could be a good candidate as anode for lithium-ion battery.
Aims To synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with cell free extract of Acinetobacter sp. and evaluate antifungal activity against planktonic and biofilm of candida. Also, to study mechanism of antifungal action of ...
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Aims To synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with cell free extract of Acinetobacter sp. and evaluate antifungal activity against planktonic and biofilm of candida. Also, to study mechanism of antifungal action of AgNPs. Methods and Result Acinetobacter spp were screened for synthesis of AgNPs. Physio-chemical parameters were optimized to obtained monodispersed nanoparticles. Optimized nanoparticles were characterized using spectroscopic, microscopic and diffraction techniques. Antifungal and biofilm disruption activity of AgNPs (10 +/- 5 nm) were investigated against c. albicans. Mechanism of antifungal activity of nanosilver was deduced by growth curve, reactive oxygen species generation, thiol interaction and microscopic analysis. Acinetobacter sp. GWRFH 45 gave maximum synthesis of AgNPs. At optimized condition monodispersed, spherical nanoparticles were obtained which were crystalline with negative surface charge. AgNPs exhibited antifungal activity against planktoniccells and biofilm of candida. AgNPs showed synergistic effect with amphotericin B as well as fluconazole against biofilm disruption. AgNPs were found to affect growth of candida, generate reactive oxygen species and disrupt cellular morphology. conclusions cell free extract of A. calcoaceticus GWRFH 45 has ability to synthesize AgNPs. AgNPs alone and in combination with drugs have potential to inhibit c. albicans. Significance and Impact of the Study This is the first report of bacteriogenic AgNPs used in combination with antifungal drugs against candida.
beta-catenin signaling is triggered by WNT proteins and is an important pathway that negatively regulates adipogenesis. However, the mechanisms controlling the expression of WNT proteins during adipogenesis remain inc...
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beta-catenin signaling is triggered by WNT proteins and is an important pathway that negatively regulates adipogenesis. However, the mechanisms controlling the expression of WNT proteins during adipogenesis remain incompletely understood. Lysine demethylase 5A (KDM5A) is a histone demethylase that removes trimethyl (me3) marks from lysine 4 of histone 3 (H3K4) and serves as a general transcriptional corepressor. Here, using the murine 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation model and an array of biochemical approaches, including chIP, immunoprecipitation, RT-qPcR, and immunoblotting assays, we show that Kdm5a is a target gene of ccAAT/enhancer-binding protein (c/EBP), an important early transcription factor required for adipogenesis. We found that c/EBP binds to the Kdm5a gene promoter and transactivates its expression. We also found that siRNA-mediated KDM5A down-regulation inhibits 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation. The KDM5A knockdown significantly up-regulates the negative regulator of adipogenesis Wnt6, having increased levels of the H3K4me3 mark on its promoter. We further observed that WNT6 knockdown significantly rescues adipogenesis inhibited by the KDM5A knockdown. Moreover, we noted that c/EBP negatively regulates Wnt6 expression by binding to the Wnt6 gene promoter and repressing Wnt6 transcription. Further experiments indicated that KDM5A interacts with c/EBP and that their interaction cooperatively inhibits Wnt6 transcription. Of note, c/EBP knockdown impaired the recruitment of KDM5A to the Wnt6 promoter, which had higher H3K4me3 levels. Our results suggest a mechanism involving c/EBP and KDM5A activities that down-regulates the Wnt/-catenin pathway during 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation.
The Li4Ti5O12/ccomposites were synthesized by one-step solid-phase reaction using metatitanic acid, lithium carbonate and sucrose as raw materials. The effects of the molar ratio of lithium to titanium, calcining tem...
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The Li4Ti5O12/ccomposites were synthesized by one-step solid-phase reaction using metatitanic acid, lithium carbonate and sucrose as raw materials. The effects of the molar ratio of lithium to titanium, calcining temperature, calcination time, and sucrose content on the structure of Li4Ti5O12/ccomposites were studied. XRD, SEM, TEM and electrochemical performance tests were used to characterize the results. The results showed that n(Li):n(Ti) = 0.85, calcination temperature was 750 degrees c, calcination time was 6 h, and the sucrose addition amount was 30% of the total mass of raw materials. Under the conditions, the pure Li4Ti5O12/ccomposites can be synthesized. The particles are uniform, the particle size is 0.1-1 mu m, and the carbon envelopment is better. The specificcapacity is up to 163.94 mAh/g at 0.1 c rate, and the theoretical specificcapacity is 175 mAh/g very close.
The gas separation performance of metal-organic framework (MOF) adsorbents could be enhanced by tuning the pores, whereas the presence of moisture usually compromises the efficiency. Herein, two MOFs, Fe-BDc-TPT-BF 4 ...
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The gas separation performance of metal-organic framework (MOF) adsorbents could be enhanced by tuning the pores, whereas the presence of moisture usually compromises the efficiency. Herein, two MOFs, Fe-BDc-TPT-BF 4 , Ni-BDc-TPT-TMA (TMA + = (cH 3 ) 4 N + ), were synthesized by exchanging countering ions in parent MOFs, Fe-BDc-TPT-cl and Ni-BDc-TPT-Me 2 NH 2 , respectively. Fe-BDc-TPT-BF 4 and Ni-BDc-TPT-TMA exhibited a high c 2 H 2 adsorption uptake of 203.1 cm 3 /g and 200.1 cm 3 /g at 298 K and 1 bar, and high c 2 H 2 /cO 2 selectivity of 4.6 and 4.4. Humid breakthrough experiments revealed that high c 2 H 2 productivity of high c 2 H 2 purity was achieved on Ni-BDc-TPT-TMA at 35% relative humidity. cycling dynamic breakthrough experiments demonstrate good recyclability of Ni-BDc-TPT-TMA for humid c 2 H 2 /cO 2 separation. The alteration of countering ions changed the pore size and chemistry, leading to high c 2 H 2 uptake, high c 2 H 2 selectivity, and retained performance in the presence of moisture, making it a promising candidate for practical applications. This work highlights that ion exchange modification of MOFs has been developed as a facile and powerful strategy to optimize the inner pores for better performance in challenging separations.
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