Melt blending and characterization of carbon nanoparticles-filled thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers

In this work, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) elastomers reinforced with carbon nanosized particles were produced by a special melt blending technique. A TPU was melt blended with high-structured carbon black and carbon nanofibres (1 wt%). A miniature asymmetric batch mixer, which applies high shear levels to the melt, ensured good particles dispersion. The TPU material systems were then thoroughly characterized using thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, tensile mechanical testing, electrical resistance measurements and flammability tests. The different nanofillers exhibited different influences on the TPU properties, these materials featuring interesting and improved multifunctional behaviours, with high propensity for large deformation sensors applications.This work was supported by FCT – Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology through projects NANOSens – PTDC/CTM/73465/2006

Hybrid assembly with long and short reads improves discovery of gene family expansions

BACKGROUND: Long-read and short-read sequencing technologies offer competing advantages for eukaryotic genome sequencing projects. Combinations of both may be appropriate for surveys of within-species genomic variation. METHODS: We developed a hybrid assembly pipeline called "Alpaca" that can operate on 20X long-read coverage plus about 50X short-insert and 50X long-insert short-read coverage. To preclude collapse of tandem repeats, Alpaca relies on base-call-corrected long reads for contig formation. RESULTS: Compared to two other assembly protocols, Alpaca demonstrated the most reference agreement and repeat capture on the rice genome. On three accessions of the model legume Medicago truncatula, Alpaca generated the most agreement to a conspecific reference and predicted tandemly repeated genes absent from the other assemblies. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest Alpaca is a useful tool for investigating structural and copy number variation within de novo assemblies of sampled populations

An overview of the utilisation of microalgae biomass derived from nutrient recycling of wet market wastewater and slaughterhouse wastewater

Microalgae have high nutritional values for aquatic organisms compared to fish meal, because microalgae cells are rich in proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. However, the high cost for the commercial production of microalgae biomass using fresh water or artificial media limits its use as fish feed. Few studies have investigated the potential of wet market wastewater and slaughterhouse wastewater for the production of microalgae biomass. Hence, this study aims to highlight the potential of these types of wastewater as an alternative superior medium for microalgae biomass as they contain high levels of nutrients required for microalgae growth. This paper focuses on the benefits of microalgae biomass produced during the phycore-mediation of wet market wastewater and slaughterhouse wastewater as fish feed. The extraction techniques for lipids and proteins as well as the studies conducted on the use of microalgae biomass as fish feed were reviewed. The results showed that microalgae biomass can be used as fish feed due to feed utilisation efficiency, physiological activity, increased resistance for several diseases, improved stress response, and improved protein retention

Review—Recent Developments in the Applications of 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides as Electrocatalysts in the Generation of Hydrogen for Renewable Energy Conversion

There has never been a more pressing need to develop sustainable energy systems as dramatic climate changes emerge across the World. Some of these effects can be alleviated by the development of efficient devices that are capable of producing hydrogen gas in an environmentally acceptable manner, which in turn can be employed as a clean fuel. In this context, the splitting of water is especially attractive. However, this technology requires the design of new cost-effective electrocatalytic materials. In this review, the progress made in the development of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and their composites as electrocatalysts for both acidic and alkaline electrolysis cells and as photocatalysts for the formation of hydrogen is described and discussed. Following a short introduction to the mechanisms of the electrochemical hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions and the photoelec- trochemical generation of hydrogen, an introduction to TMDs, their relevant general properties and the methods used in their synthesis are described. Then, the performance of various TMD-based materials in the electrochemical splitting of water is discussed, with a final brief overview of the application of TMDs in photoelectrochemical devices. Although challenges clearly remain, TMD-based materials are emerging as promising electrocatalysts and photoelectrocatalysts for the production of hydrogen. © 2022 The Author(s). Published on behalf of The Electrochemical Society by IOP Publishing Limited. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse of the work in any medium, provided the original work is properly cite

An endophyte Paenibacillus dendritiformis strain APL3 promotes Amaranthus polygonoides L. sprout growth and their extract inhibits food-borne pathogens

Green leafy vegetables are rich sources of antioxidants and minerals, which prevent food-borne pathogen infections during our diet. This study was aimed to isolate and identify the plant growth-promoting endophytic bacterium from several plant species to enhance the growth of Amaranthus polygonoides L. and their antimicrobial potential against food-borne pathogens. Seven endophytic bacterial isolates were tested on two Amaranthus species to identify the suitable beneficial bacterium. The antioxidants capacity and antimicrobial activity of bacterial isolate (APL3) treated plants were analyzed. The bacterial isolate, APL3 showed a significantly higher growth of A. polygonoides L. than other isolates. It was identified as Paenibacillus dendritiformis strain APL3 by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. The endophyte (APL3) treated A. polygonoides L. sprouts had higher antioxidants potentials and significantly inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp., Staphylococcus sp. and Pseudomonas sp. The results of the present study suggest that utilization of P. dendritiformis strain APL3 triggers the growth of A. polygonoides L. and induces metabolic changes in plants to improve their antimicrobial properties to prevent foodborne pathogens

Insight into the synergistic effect of 2D/2D layered metal selenides wrapped nickel boride nanoparticles based ternary heterostructure for constructing asymmetric supercapacitors with excellent energy density

Tuning the structural and electronic properties of layered metal selenides is a highly feasible approach for developing high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs). In this work, a ternary heterostructure of yttrium diselenide/molybdenum diselenide (YSe2/MoSe2) with amorphous nickel boride nanoparticles (NixB NPs) was prepared by a simple hydrothermal method followed by a liquid phase route. Interestingly, this ternary heterostructure consists of multiple layers of YSe2/MoSe2 nanosheets uniformly wrapped by NixB NPs over the entire surface. The characterization results by X-ray diffraction, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the strong synergism between YSe2/MoSe2 and NixB NPs indicates an obvious electron transfer from NixB to the YSe2/MoSe2 hybrid, which contributes to the enhancement of the electrical conductivity of the electrode. Due to its exclusive heterostructure network, the single YSe2/MoSe2/NixB electrode achieved a specific capacitance of 893.3 F/g at 1 A/g and a capacity retention of 128.17% over 5000 cycles. In addition, the asymmetric YSe2/MoSe2/NixB||rGO device with a working potential of 1.6 V showed an impressive energy density of 39.5 Wh kg− 1 with a power density of 800 W kg− 1 and excellent cycling stability with 85.60% capacity retention after 5000 cycles in aqueous electrolyte. This result of the designed ASC device encourages the development of a new platform for the design of electrode materials based on metal selenides and metal boride

A non-enzymatic amperometric hydrogen peroxide sensor based on iron nanoparticles decorated reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite

© 2016 Elsevier Inc. A simple and facile green process was used for the synthesis of iron nanoparticles (FeNPs) decorated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite by using Ipomoea pes-tigridis leaf extract as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The as-prepared rGO/FeNPs nanocomposite was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The nanocomposite was further modified on the glassy carbon electrode and used for non-enzymatic sensing of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Cyclic voltammetry results reveal that rGO/FeNPs nanocomposite has excellent electro-reduction behavior to H2O2 when compared to the response of FeNPs and rGO modified electrodes. Furthermore, the nanocomposite modified electrode shows 9 and 6 folds enhanced reduction current response to H2O2 than that of rGO and FeNPs modified electrodes. Amperometric method was further used to quantify the H2O2 using rGO/FeNPs nanocomposite, and the response was linear over the concentration ranging from 0.1 μM to 2.15 mM. The detection limit and sensitivity of the sensor were estimated as 0.056 μM and 0.2085 μA μM−1 cm−2, respectively. The fabricated sensor also utilized for detection of H2O2 in the presence of potentially active interfering species, and found high selectivity towards H2O2

Association Between Early Prostacyclin Therapy and Extracorporeal Life Support Use in Patients With Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

IMPORTANCE: Prostacyclin (PGI2) is a therapeutic option to treat congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH)-associated pulmonary hypertension in neonates. Its use may decrease the need for extracorporeal life support (ECLS). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of early PGI2 therapy with ECLS use and outcomes among patients with CDH. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a cohort study from the CDH Study Group (CDHSG) registry of patients born from January 2007 to December 2019. Patients were from 88 different tertiary pediatric referral centers worldwide that contributed data to the CDHSG. Patients were included in the study if they were admitted within the first week of life. Propensity score matching was performed using estimated gestational age, birth weight, transfer status, 1-minute and 5-minute Apgar scores, highest and lowest partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide in the first 24 hours of life, and degree of pulmonary hypertension as covariates to generate a matched cohort of exposed and unexposed patients. Data were analyzed from January 2021 to December 2022. EXPOSURES: Early PGI2 therapy was defined as initiation of PGI2 within the first week of life. Patients who received ECLS were included in the early PGI2 group if PGI2 was started prior to ECLS. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome of the study was the proportion of patients receiving ECLS in the exposed and unexposed groups. RESULTS: Of 6227 patients who met inclusion criteria (mean [SD] gestational age, 37.4 [2.36] weeks; 2618 [42%] female), 206 (3.3%) received early PGI2 therapy. ECLS was used in 46 of 206 patients who received PGI2 (22.2%) and 1682 of 6021 who did not (27.9%). After propensity score matching, there were 147 patients in the treatment and control groups. Thirty-four patients who received PGI2 (23.3%) and 63 who did not (42.9%) received ECLS. Those who received PGI2 were less likely to receive ECLS (adjusted odds ratio, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.22-0.68) and had shorter mean (SD) duration of ECLS (8.6 [3.73] days vs 12.6 [6.61] days; P \u3c .001), although there was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this study, there was decreased use of ECLS and decreased ECLS duration among patients with CDH who started PGI2 therapy during the first week of life. These results identify a potential advantage of early prostacyclin therapy in this population

Flower-like strontium molybdate anchored on 3D N-rich reduced graphene oxide aerogel composite: An efficient catalyst for the detection of lethal pollutant nitrobenzene in water samples

Nitrobenzene (NB) is a carcinogenic water pollutant that can have dangerous effects on humans, animals, and the environment even in trace amounts. It can persist in contaminated sites and leach into the adjacent aquatic environment. Therefore, the detection of trace amounts of NB is of great interest. To address this challenge, we have fabricated strontium molybdate microflowers (SrMoO4, SMO MFs) grown on nitrogen-rich, porous three-dimensional (3D) reduced graphene oxide aerogels (SMO/N-rGO) for sensitive detection of NB in water samples. The 3D N-rGO and SMO/N-rGO composites were prepared by simple hydrothermal and precipitation methods. The fabricated SMO/N-rGO composites exhibited a porous and 3D structure with a strong synergistic effect between the SMO MFs and the N-rich porous rGO sheets with open voids that facilitate the diffusion of NB. The electrochemical detection of NB at the SMO/N-rGO modified electrode was significantly enhanced. Using amperometry (i-t), the modified SMO/N-rGO sensor was shown to have two linear response ranges in the sensing of NB, with the lower linear concentration range from 7.1 nM to 1.0 mM and the higher linear concentration range varying from 1.1 mM to 2.5 mM. In addition, the limit of detection (LOD) was calculated to be 2.1 nM using the amperometric (i-t) technique. Common nitro derivatives, biomolecules, and cations often found in water systems had no influence on the detection of NB. At the same time, a good recovery of 96.1–99.6% was obtained for real-time monitoring analysis in tap and lake water samples. In this work, new electrochemical sensors for monitoring various pollutants are developed based on anchoring conductive metal oxide electrocatalysts on porous 3D carbon aerogels