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Desulphurization characteristics of bamboo charcoal from sulfur solution
No full textAbstractSulfur powder and sulfur dioxide (SO2) often floated in air, produced acid rain and algal blooms, and could cause diseases. Bamboo charcoal could have adsorption and filtration properties. In order to figure out the optimal adsorption condition and the intrinsic change of the bamboo charcoal, five chemicals were adsorbed by bamboo charcoal and were analyzed by FT-IR. Fe2(SO4)3’s, Na2SO4’s, Na2S2O8’s, S’s, and Na2SO3’s optimal adsorption condition was the concentration of 19g/1000g and stir time of 20min, 21g/1000g and stir time of 60min, 7g/1000g and stir time of 120min, 11g/1000g and stir time of 120min, 21g/1000g and stir time of 60min, respectively. FT-IR spectra showed that for FT-IR spectra of Fe2(SO4)3, the transmissivity of the peaks at 3435cm−1 and 2925cm−1 achieved the maximum for 60min and the concentration was 19g/1000g, the transmissivity of the peaks at 1630cm−1, 1060cm−1 and 660cm−1 achieved the maximum for 60min and the concentration was 7g/1000g. For FT-IR spectra of Na2SO4, the transmissivity of the peaks at 1630cm−1, 1060cm−1 and 660cm−1 achieved the maximum for 20min and the concentration was 13g/1000g. For FT-IR spectra of Na2S2O8, the transmissivity of the peaks at 3435cm−1, 2925cm−1, 1630cm−1 and 1060cm−1 achieved the maximum for 120min and the concentration was 19g/1000g. For FT-IR spectra of S, the transmissivity of the peaks at 3435cm−1, 2925cm−1, 1630cm−1 and 1060cm−1 achieved the maximum for 20min and the concentration was 11g/1000g, 17g/1000g and 21g/1000g. For FT-IR spectra of Na2SO3, the transmissivity of the peaks at 3435cm−1 achieved the maximum for 120min and the concentration was 5g/1000g, the transmissivity of the peaks at 2925cm−1, 1630cm−1 and 1060cm−1 achieved the maximum for 120min and the concentration was 11g/1000g. In these states, the number of the transmissivity of the maximum peaks is the largest
Blistering in semi-solid die casting of aluminium alloys and its avoidance
No full textAbstractSemi-solid die casting of relatively high solid-fraction aluminum alloys (0.5–0.7 fraction solid) can be used for the production of high quality industrial components. However, surface blistering during solution heat treatment can still be a problem and is associated with the entrapment of gas whether from air or from burned lubricant. Here the mechanism for formation of blisters is presented. The Reynolds number in the surface layer of the semi-solid flow is then analysed to obtain the relationships with hydraulic diameter and flow velocity for different slurry temperatures. The hypothesis is that it is some flow instability at the flow front, even where the overall nature of the flow is essentially laminar, which is leading to the entrapment. The crucial finding is that if the Reynolds number is plotted against temperature there is a decrease followed by an increase. The position of this minimum is dependent on the ratio of fill velocity to the hydraulic diameter, v/D. Thus there is a ‘sweet spot’ in terms of temperature (i.e. fraction liquid), flow velocity and hydraulic diameter (i.e. die design) where the flow front has the maximum stability, giving maximum resistance to blister formation. This is in contrast with conventional wisdom which would suggest that low fractions liquid would give the most stable flow front. A rationale for this is presented in terms of the particle crowding at the relatively low fraction of liquid.Experimental results with aluminium alloy 319s as an exemplar, and a die which has varying cross sectional dimensions, are presented and validate the hypothesis
Diffuse bronchiectasis as the primary manifestation of endobronchial sarcoidosis
No full textAbstractSarcoidosis is an idiopathic disease that most commonly involves the lungs and is characterized by granulomatous inflammation. Bronchiectasis is one pulmonary manifestation of sarcoidosis, although it is almost always observed as traction bronchiectasis in the setting of fibrotic lung disease. A 50-year-old woman was evaluated for chronic cough and bronchiectasis with a small amount of peripheral upper lobe honeycombing and no significant pulmonary fibrosis or lymphadenopathy. After an extensive laboratory and imaging evaluation did not identify a cause of her bronchiectasis, bronchoscopy was performed to assess for primary ciliary dyskinesia and revealed a diffuse cobblestone appearance of the airway mucosa. Endobronchial biopsies and lymphocyte subset analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were consistent with a diagnosis of sarcoidosis. We believe endobronchial sarcoidosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with bronchiectasis
A new role for oxidative stress in aging: The accelerated aging phenotype in Sod1−/− mice is correlated to increased cellular senescence
No full textAbstractIn contrast to other mouse models that are deficient in antioxidant enzymes, mice null for Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (Sod1−/− mice) show a major decrease in lifespan and several accelerated aging phenotypes. The goal of this study was to determine if cell senescence might be a contributing factor in the accelerated aging phenotype observed in the Sod1−/− mice. We focused on kidney because it is a tissue that has been shown to a significant increase in senescent cells with age. The Sod1−/− mice are characterized by high levels of DNA oxidation in the kidney, which is attenuated by DR. The kidney of the Sod1−/− mice also have higher levels of double strand DNA breaks than wild type (WT) mice. Expression (mRNA and protein) of p16 and p21, two of the markers of cellular senescence, which increased with age, are increased significantly in the kidney of Sod1−/− mice as is β-gal staining cells. In addition, the senescence associated secretory phenotype was also increased significantly in the kidney of Sod1−/− mice compared to WT mice as measured by the expression of transcripts for IL-6 and IL-1β. Dietary restriction of the Sod1−/− mice attenuated the increase in DNA damage, cellular senescence, and expression of IL-6 and IL-1β. Interestingly, the Sod1−/− mice showed higher levels of circulating cytokines than WT mice, suggesting that the accelerated aging phenotype shown by the Sod1−/− mice could result from increased inflammation arising from an accelerated accumulation of senescent cells. Based on our data with Sod1−/− mice, we propose that various bouts of increased oxidative stress over the lifespan of an animal leads to the accumulation of senescent cells. The accumulation of senescent cells in turn leads to increased inflammation, which plays a major role in the loss of function and increased pathology that are hallmark features of aging
Effect of PPARγ agonist (rosiglitazone) on the secretion of Th2 cytokine in asthma mice
No full textAbstractObjectiveTo explore the effect of PPARγ agonist (rosiglitazone) on the secretion of Th2 cytokines and the proportion of immune cell subsets in asthma mice.MethodsOvalbumin (OVA)-sensitized mice were used to build asthma models. Those mice were divided into the normal control group, model group and rosiglitazone group. Differences of the changes in lung histopathology of mice in the three groups were observed through hematoxylin and eosin (HE) strain, and the numbers of the total cells, eosinophils and neutrophils in BALF of mice in the three groups were compared. ELISA and real-time PCR were employed to detect the protein levels of interleukin (IL)-5, IL-13, IL-4 and IL-10 and mRNA level, respectively. Flow cytometry number was implied to analyze the proportion of immune cell subsets in peripheral blood of mice.ResultsCompared with the mice in the control group, and mice of the model group, the infiltration of inflammatory cells in BALF increased, bronchial smooth muscle became thickened, a large amount of collagen deposited, the secretion of Th2 cytokine increased significantly, the ratio of regulatory T cells (Treg) decreased, the ratio of T17 cells rose distinctly; while in mice of the rosiglitazone group, the changes of their lung histopathology were improved obviously, the number of infiltration of inflammatory cells declined, the thickened smooth muscle relieved, the deposition of collagen decreased, the secretion of Th2 cytokine was inhibited, the ratio of Treg went up, and the increased of the ratio of T17 cells was inhibited but still not return to normal level.ConclusionsRosiglitazone can regulate the proportion of Treg and Th17 cells and inhibit the secretion of Th2 cytokines, which inhibit the airway inflammatory response for asthma mice effectively
Bacterial assessment of phage magnetoelastic sensors for Salmonella enterica Typhimurium detection in chicken meat
No full textAbstractSalmonella is one of the most common pathogens associated with foodborne illness in chickens. Food outbreaks from this pathogen haven’t declined in the past 15 years according to the data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is our goal to improve food safety monitoring in this area by developing a real time Salmonella detection sensor on food surfaces. Previously, we demonstrated the use of phage C4-22 immobilized onto a rapid magnetoelastic (ME) biosensor for use as a front-line detection ligand to detect all Salmonella enterica serotypes in Tris Buffer Saline (TBS). In this study, by using fluorescent imaging, the phage peptide binding to Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium cells is again confirmed. Moreover, we constructed two detection models to evaluate the detection of Salmonella on/in chicken meat using the phage coated ME sensors.In the chicken surface detection method, phage C4-22 sensors demonstrated more than 12 times higher Salmonella binding capacity than the control sensors with no phage for the Salmonella spiked at the concentration of 7.86 × 105 cfu/mm2. In the second model, phage sensors were placed at different depths inside the chicken breast (0.1 cm; 0.5 cm; 1.0 cm below the meat surface) after surface inoculation of Salmonella. The second detection system showed that 23.27%–33% of the inoculated Salmonella cells absorbed inside the chicken breast fillets below 0.1 cm of the surface.The data for direct detection on chicken showed that phage C4-22 ME biosensors bind ultimately when there are high concentrations of Salmonella on the chicken surface. The results also suggest that the phage sensors can detect Salmonella effectively when the bacterial contaminants are absorbed into the chicken, and are not detectable by the surface detection method
Synthesis, antimicrobial evaluation and QSAR studies of propionic acid derivatives
No full textAbstractA series of Schiff bases (1–17) and esters (18–24) of propionic acid was synthesized in appreciable yield and characterized by physicochemical as well as spectral means. The synthesized compounds were evaluated in vitro for their antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Gram negative bacterium Escherichia coli and fungal strains Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger by tube dilution method. Results of antimicrobial screening indicated that besides having good antibacterial activity, the synthesized compounds also displayed appreciable antifungal activity and compound 10 emerged as the most active antifungal agent (pMICca and pMICan=1.93). The results of QSAR studies demonstrated that antibacterial, antifungal and overall antimicrobial activities of synthesized propionic acid derivatives were governed by the topological parameters, Kier’s alpha first order shape index (κα1) and valence first order molecular connectivity index (1χv)
Defining greenspace: Multiple uses across multiple disciplines
No full textAbstractGreenspace research has been driven by an emerging interest in the impact that biodiversity and ecosystem function has on life in urban areas. Studies from multiple disciplines across the life, physical and social sciences investigate the interactions with or within greenspace, creating a wide range of potentially related, but disparate findings. In order to understand whether these unconnected findings might be integrated, it is important to be able to make comparisons and build meta-analyses. In a review of journal articles about greenspace, we found that less than half of the 125 journal articles reviewed defined what greenspace was in their study; although many articles implied a definition. In those that provided a definition, we identified two overarching interpretations of greenspace using six different definition types. Perhaps arising from how the term has been lexicalized, this suggests that researchers do not have the same understanding of greenspace and limits the ability of researchers to draw meaning from multiple contexts or create syntheses. Rather than suggest a single, prescriptive understanding of greenspace, we propose that researchers construct a definition of greenspace for the context of their research that utilises both qualitative and quantitative aspects
Bloqueio do nervo femoral versus fentanil por via venosa em pacientes adultos com fraturas de quadril – revisão sistemática
No full textResumoJustificativaAs fraturas de quadril são uma questão importante de saúde pública e estão associadas a altas taxas de mortalidade e perda de funcionalidade. As fraturas de quadril referem‐se a uma fratura que ocorre entre a borda da cabeça femoral e 5cm abaixo do trocanter menor e são comuns em emergências ortopédicas. O número de fraturas do fêmur proximal provavelmente aumentará à medida que a população envelhece. O custo médio da assistência médica durante a hospitalização inicial para fratura de quadril pode ser estimado em US 7,000 per patient. Femoral fractures are painful and need immediate adequate analgesia. Treating pain femoral fractures is difficult because there are limited numbers of analgesics available, many of which have side effects that can limit their use. Opiates are the most used drugs, but they can bring some complications. In this context, femoral nerve blocks can be a safe alternative. It is a specific regional anesthetic technique used by doctors in emergency medicine to provide anesthesia and analgesia of the affected leg.ObjectiveTo compare the analgesic efficacy of intravenous fentanyl versus femoral nerve block before positioning to perform spinal anesthesia in patients with femoral fractures assessed by Pain Scales.MethodsA systematic review of scientific literature was conducted. Studies described as randomized controlled trials comparing femoral nerve block and traditional fentanyl are included. Two reviewers (MR and FH) independently assessed potentially eligible trials for inclusion. The methodology assessment was based on the tool developed by the Cochrane Collaboration for assessment of bias for randomized controlled trials. The Cochrane Library, Pubmed, Medline and Lilacs were searched for all articles published, without restriction of language or time.ResultsTwo studies were included in this review. Nerve blockade seemed to be more effective than intravenous fentanyl for preventing pain in patients suffering from a femoral fracture. It also reduced the use of additional analgesia and made lower the risk for systemic complications. Femoral nerve block reduced the time to perform spinal anesthesia to the patient who will be subjected to surgery and facilitate the sitting position for this.ConclusionThe use of femoral nerve block can reduce the level of pain and the need for additional analgesia. There are less adverse systemic events associated with this and the procedure itself does not offer greater risks. More studies are required for further conclusions
Earnings management and annual report readability
No full textAbstractWe explore how the readability of annual reports varies with earnings management. Using the Fog Index to measure readability (Li, 2008), and focusing on the management discussion and analysis section of the annual report (MD&A), we predict and find that firms most likely to have managed earnings to beat the prior year's earnings have MD&As that are more complex. This disruption of the overall pattern of readability increasing with the level of earnings found in Li (2008) challenges the ontological explanation that good news is inherently easier to communicate, and shows that obfuscation contributes to making disclosures more complex