Surface modification of ZnO and Ti02 nanoparticles under mild hydrothermal conditions

There are various techniques for synthesizing different Nanoparticles depending upon the desired properties, application, etc. One of these widely applied techniques is Hydrothermal. However, this technique is known for bulky materials and fabrication of nano-scale materials requires adopting some strategies to alter the properties of materials synthesized. We developed surface modification for this drawback. Application of surface modifier, or surfactant, or capping agent, or organic ligands in proper concentration could not only change morphology, reduce particle size, but also change the surface chemistry of the nanoparticles fabricated. The ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles were modified using n-butylamine and caprylic acid as surface modifier under mild hydrothermal conditions (p= autogenous, T= 150-250°C, and t= 18 h). The nanoparticles modified were systematically characterized using Powder XRD, FTIR, SEM, zeta potential, and BET surface area. The characterization results revealed that nanoparticles have small size range, low agglomeration and highly stable. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/2086

Conceptual framework for developing a diabetes information network

Objective: To provide a conceptual framework for managing diabetic patient care, and creating an information network for clinical research. Background: A wide range of information technology (IT) based interventions such as distance learning, diabetes registries, personal or electronic health record systems, clinical information systems, and clinical decision support systems have so far been used in supporting diabetic care. Previous studies demonstrated that IT could improve diabetes care at its different aspects. There is however no comprehensive conceptual framework that defines how different IT applications can support diverse aspects of this care. Therefore, a conceptual framework that combines different IT solutions into a wide information network for improving care processes and for research purposes is widely lacking. In this study we describe the theoretical underpin of a big project aiming at building a wide diabetic information network namely DIANET. Research design and methods: A literature review and a survey of national programs and existing regulations for diabetes management was conducted in order to define different aspects of diabetic care that should be supported by IT solutions. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used in this study. In addition to the results of a previous systematic literature review, two brainstorming and three expert panel sessions were conducted to identify requirements of a comprehensive information technology solution. Based on these inputs, the requirements for creating a diabetes information network were identified and used to create a questionnaire based on 9-point Likert scale. The questionnaire was finalized after removing some items based on calculated content validity ratio and content validity index coefficients. Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was also calculated (α Total= 0.98, P < 0.05, CI=0.95). The final questionnaire was containing 45 items. It was sent to 13 clinicians at two diabetes clinics of endocrine and metabolism research institute in order to assess the necessity level of the requirements for diabetes information network conceptual framework. The questionnaires were returned by 10 clinicians. Each requirement item was labeled as essential, semi-essential, or non-essential based on the mean of its scores. Results: All requirement items were identified as essential or semi-essential. Thus, all of them were used to build the conceptual framework. The requirements were allocated into 11 groups each one representing a module in the conceptual framework. Each module was described separately. Conclusion: We proposed a conceptual framework for supporting diabetes care and research. Integrating different and heterogeneous clinical information systems of healthcare facilities and creating a comprehensive diabetics data warehouse for research purposes, would be possible by using the DIANET framework. � 2016 Hossein Riazi, Mostafa Langarizadeh, Bagher Larijani, and Leila Shahmoradi

Managing diabetes mellitus using information technology: A systematic review

Objective: To review published evidences about using information technology interventions in diabetes care and determine their effects on managing diabetes. Design: Systematic review of information technology based interventions. Research design and methods: MEDLINE®/PubMed were electronically searched for articles published between 2004/07/01 and 2014/07/01. A comprehensive, electronic search strategy was used to identify eligible articles. Inclusion criteria were defined based on type of study and effect of information technology based intervention in relation to glucose control and other clinical outcomes in diabetic patients. Studies must have used a controlled design to evaluate an information technology based intervention. A total of 3613 articles were identified based on the searches conducted in MEDLINE from PubMed. After excluding duplicates (n = 6), we screened titles and abstracts of 3607 articles based on inclusion criteria. The remaining articles matched with inclusion criteria (n = 277) were reviewed in full text, and 210 articles were excluded based on exclusion criteria. Finally, 67 articles complied with our eligibility criteria and were included in this study. Results: In this study, the effect of various information technology based interventions on clinical outcomes in diabetic patients extracted and measured from selected articles is described and compared to each other. Conclusion: Information technology based interventions combined with the usual care are associated with improved glycemic control with different efficacy on various clinical outcomes in diabetic patients. © 2015 Riazi et al

Observational Constraints on Cosmological Models with the Updated Long Gamma-Ray Bursts

In the present work, by the help of the newly released Union2 compilation which consists of 557 Type Ia supernovae (SNIa), we calibrate 109 long Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) with the well-known Amati relation, using the cosmology-independent calibration method proposed by Liang {\it et al.}. We have obtained 59 calibrated high-redshift GRBs which can be used to constrain cosmological models without the circularity problem (we call them ``Hymnium'' GRBs sample for convenience). Then, we consider the joint constraints on 7 cosmological models from the latest observational data, namely, the combination of 557 Union2 SNIa dataset, 59 calibrated Hymnium GRBs dataset (obtained in this work), the shift parameter $R$ from the WMAP 7-year data, and the distance parameter $A$ of the measurement of the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) peak in the distribution of SDSS luminous red galaxies. We also briefly consider the comparison of these 7 cosmological models.Comment: 19 pages, 3 tables, 10 figures, revtex4; v2: accepted for publication in JCAP; v3: published versio

Hepatitis B virus genotype D is the only genotype circulating in Iranian chronic carriers, the unique pattern of genotypic homogeneity

Aim: To characterize the hepatitis B virus surface protein genotypes and sequence variations among HBsAg positive chronic Iranian patients from different ethnic groups. Method: The surface genes from 312 patients were amplified and directly sequenced. Results: All strains (100) belonged to genotype D and subtypes ayw2. The average nucleotide mutation frequency was 0.91 (dN/dS < 1.0), indicated negative selection. There was no significant correlation between HBV DNA and ALT levels and the occurrence of amino acid substitutions. However, in terms of HBeAg/Anti-HBe status, the association between both groups for silent nucleotide mutation was strong, indicating selection bias on missense mutations. A higher number of amino acid mutations was found in anti-HBe positive versus HBeAg positive patients.Conclusion: The uniqueness pattern of HBV genetics hemogeniety together with the low mutational frequency indicated that HBV has introduced to Iran recently and isolation of people in the absence of intermixing with other genotypes led to a homologous pattern. © 2014 ACT

Photocatalytic degradation of Amaranth and Brilliant Blue FCF dyes using in situ modified tungsten doped TiO2 hybrid nanoparticles

This study focuses on the process of photocatalytic degradation of popular dyes like Amaranth and Brilliant Blue, using reagent grade TiO2 and in situ modified tungsten doped TiO2 hybrid nanoparticles. One of the drawbacks of nanoparticles is their agglomeration and poor dispersion in the medium as well as their limited activity in the ultra violet region, which makes them less efficient. In order to overcome such drawbacks, for the first time, in situ surface modification and doping of TiO2 nanoparticles were carried out employing n-butylamine as surface modifier and tungsten oxide as dopant. Modification was conducted under mild hydrothermal conditions (T = 150 degrees C, P = autogenous). Nanoparticles obtained were characterized using Powder XRD, FTIR, DLS, Zeta potential, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and TEM. The characterization indicated the desired results with respect to morphology, particle size distribution and less agglomeration. The results of the process of photodegradation of Brilliant Blue FCF and Amaranth dyes showed a higher efficiency for in situ modified tungsten doped TiO2 hybrid nanoparticles than for reagent grade TiO2

Removal of disperse orange 25 using in situ surface-modified iron-doped TiO2 nanoparticles

Disperse Orange 25 (DO25) is one of the strong azo dyes, which makes its degradation too difficult. Photodegradation of this dye was conducted using in situ surface modified iron doped TiO2 nanoparticles under sunlight. The nanoparticles were synthesized under mild hydrothermal conditions (p = autogeneous, T = 100 degrees C, t = 18 h) using Fe2O3 and n-butyleamine as dopant and surface modifier respectively. The nanoparticles synthesized were characterized systematically using powder XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDAX, BET surface area, BJT, porosity, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The photodegradation variables were dye concentration, photocatalyst load, time duration, and pH. The removal efficiency was determined using UV-vis spectrophotometer and TOC analyzer. The results revealed that in situ surface modified iron doped TiO2 nanoparticles could remarkably degrade high concentration of DO25 under sunlight, which could not be achieved for reagent grade TiO2