Pre-mixed precursors for modulating the porosity of carbons for enhanced hydrogen storage: towards predicting the activation behaviour of carbonaceous matter

Highly porous carbons prepared from pre-mixtures of polypyrrole and raw sawdust or sawdust hydrochar achieve much higher surface area than is possible from single use of any one of the precursors. The pre-mixed precursors offer carbons with ultrahigh surface area (up to 3815 m2 g−1) and pore volume (up to ∼2.6 cm3 g−1) comprising two pore systems in the micropore (6–12 Å) and mesopore (22–28 Å) range. The porosity can be tailored via choice of pre-mix precursor ratios such that it is possible, under identical activation conditions, to generate carbons that are either microporous or mesoporous. The elemental composition of the precursors, in particular the molar ratio of oxygen to carbon (i.e., O/C molar ratio), is a key variable in determining the development of mesopores, with a high ratio favouring greater mesoporosity. The resulting activated carbons are homogeneous regardless of the pre-mix precursor ratios, and exhibit excellent hydrogen storage capacity that is much higher than can be attained by single-precursor derived samples. The carbons have excess hydrogen uptake (at −196 °C) of up to 3.6 wt% (at 1 bar) and 6.7 wt% (at 20 bar). The total hydrogen uptake is up to 8.1 wt% (at 20 bar), and 10 wt% (at 40 bar), which is much higher than that of most currently available benchmark porous materials. Due to their lower mesoporosity, the pre-mix samples have improved packing density, which means that their volumetric hydrogen uptake (at 40 bar) is much greater (ca. 40 g L−1) than that of single precursor samples (ca. 28 g L−1). The carbons are comparable to or outperform many benchmark materials such as MOFs in terms of their hydrogen uptake, including gravimetric uptake, volumetric uptake and deliverable hydrogen capacity (100 to 5 bar at 77 K). The carbons also have attractive room temperature hydrogen storage capacity. Our findings provide a new method for modulating the porosity of carbons that goes beyond current practice. Furthermore, the new insights on the effect of the O/C ratio make it possible to predict the activation behaviour of precursors in a manner that allows optimising porosity of carbons to match specific applications as demonstrated here for hydrogen storage

Trophoblast models for tumour studies: understanding the similarities of tumour and trophoblast invasion

Cell proliferation, migration and invasion are the important features of tumour metastasis. Interestingly, during embryonic development, trophoblast cells show similar attributes like tumour cells to establish foeto-maternal communications and support normal pregnancy. The invasive nature of tumour as well as trophoblast cells (especially during the first trimester) are believed to be enhanced by a collection of "stem-like cells" (SLCs) called "spheroid bodies". This sub-population of SLCs within tumour or trophoblast cells can proliferate to form a heterogeneous cell groups with different functional attributes. However, tumour SLCs proliferate during invasion; while trophoblast cells proliferate and then invade. Although several previous studies have produced SLCs from tumour cell lines in vitro, limited attempts were made to produce SLCs from trophoblast cells. Therefore, this study firstly aimed to produce and characterise SLCs from transformed first trimester trophoblast cell lines (HTR8sv/neo and TEV-1) and choriocarcinoma (trophoblast tumour cell lines JEG-3 and BeWo) in relation to a non-placental tumour cell line MCF-7. Secondly, to date, the factors that are responsible for there uncontrolled versus controlled invasion are not fully understood. On the other hand, it is worth noting that in pre-eclampsia (PE), the invasion of first trimester trophoblast cells is found to be reduced. Therefore, it was hypothesised that it would be possible to identify the important molecules that may be involved in the controlled trophoblast invasion by comparing the status of different factors that are identified with altered expression in tumour cells between (a) normotensive (NT) and PE placentae, and (b) in the SLCs produced in vitro from trophoblast cells. SLCs from transformed trophoblast and choriocarcinoma cells were produced by growing in non-attachable or ultra-low attachment flasks with or without doxorubicin (DOX) to produce DOX-resistant and non-resistant spheroids. The “stemness” feature of these spheroids was characterised by comparing the expressions of stem cell markers. The migration and invasive capacities of DOX-resistant and non-resistant spheroids were compared with their parental cells by wound-healing and 2-D/3-D invasion assays. The status and expression of novel factors that may be involved in cell proliferation and invasion was checked by quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting. Also a comparative proteomic (SWATH-MS) analysis was carried out to identify and compare the global changes of the peptide expression during SLCs transformation. In addition the RNA and protein expression of factors that are involved in trophoblast invasion were compared in 13 NT and 12 PE placentae. Both the transformed trophoblastic cell lines (HTR8/Sv-neo and TEV-1,) and gestational choriocarcinoma cell lines (JEG-3 and BeWo) were able to produce non- spheroidal cells (non-resistant and drug resistant) under 3-D conditions. These spheroids showed increased protein expression of stem cells markers, such as OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG. On the other hand, both trophoblast CDX2 and the cell fate determining transcription factor, NOTCH1, were reduced in spheroidal cells confirming the "stem-like" transformation. Moreover, the 2-D invasion assay showed a statistically significant increase in the invasive potential (number invaded cells) of spheroids. This significance was found to be higher in untreated spheroids from transformed trophoblast cells; P<0.0005 (for both HTR8svneo and TEV-1) and in one of the choriocarcinoma cells JEG-3; whilst the significance between untreated spheroids of BeWo and their parental cells was slightly less (P<0.05). The 3-D invasion assays have shown a significant time dependent increase in the invasions of non-resistant spheroidal cells in comparison with DOX-resistant counterpart, especially the non-resistant spheroidal cells produced from HTR8/Svneo (p<0.0005) at 48 hours. Spheriodal cell invasion of non-resistant TEV-1 and choricarcinoma cells was significantly higher than DOX-resistant cells (p<0.005). Therefore this study has produced spheroidal cells from (a) transformed first trimester trophoblast (HTR8/Svneo and TEV-1) and (b) choriocarcinoma (JEG-3 and BeWo) cells. Since these cell lines are of trophoblast origin, it is possible to use these spheroids as comparative models to study the effects of chemotherapeutic agents on (a) physiologically rapidly dividing cells (HTR8/Svneo and TEV-1) and (b) tumour models (JEG-3 and BeWo) of similar origins. Comparisons of mRNA and protein expression between NT and PE placentae have shown a statistically significant increase in the expressions of ALDH3A1, AURK-A, PDGFRα, and TWIST1 in PE placentae (p<0.05); whilst AURK-C and JAG-1 expression was down-regulated. SWATH-MS analysis has also highlighted up-regulation of novel proteins that are associated with proliferation, invasion and cell cycle control in the spheroids produced from these cell lines. These proteins include plasminogen, vitronectin and ALDH1A3. However, the function of most of these factors have not been fully investigated in placenta. In summary the study has generated and characterised "stem-like" spheroids from transformed trophoblast and choriocarcinoma cells. These spheroidal cells may be useful as in vitro toxicological models to study the in vivo cellular effects on rapidly dividing cells

Biomass to porous carbon in one step: directly activated biomass for high performance CO2 storage

This report explores the direct conversion of biomass to activated carbons in one step. We demonstrate the successful conversion of a range of biomass sources, namely, sawdust, the flowering plant Paeonia lactiflora and seaweed (Sargassum fusiforme), to activated carbons via a direct activation process that negates the need for hydrothermal carbonisation or pyrolysis. This is a departure from established practice that requires biomass sources to be first enriched to carbonaceous matter via hydrothermal carbonisation or pyrolysis prior to activation. The direct activation, with KOH as an activating agent, generated activated carbons at yields that are comparable or higher than those of conventional activation routes. The directly activated carbons, whilst offering the advantages of simplicity, lower cost and a greener more sustainable synthesis route, have properties that are similar or superior to analogous carbons prepared via conventional methods. In particular the textural properties, surface functionality and level of graphitic ordering were found to be similar to those of conventionally generated activated carbons. Depending on the activation conditions, the porosity of the directly activated carbons may be tailored towards pore channels of size 5–7 Å, which favour post-combustion CO2 uptake and thus the carbons capture up to 1.3 and 4.6 mmol g−1 of CO2 at 0.15 and 1 bar, respectively, and 25 °C with high selectivity. On the other hand, at higher levels of activation, the directly activated carbons can be tailored towards possessing a greater proportion of larger micropores (10–20 Å pores) and small mesopores (20–30 Å pores) so as to optimize CO2 uptake at moderate to high pressure, for example up to 22 mmol g−1 (at 25 °C) and 31 mmol g−1 (at 0 °C) at 20 bar

The effects of flavonoids on human first trimester trophoblast spheroidal stem cell self-renewal, invasion and JNK/p38 MAPK activation: Understanding the cytoprotective effects of these phytonutrients against oxidative stress

Adequate invasion and complete remodelling of the maternal spiral arteries by the invading extravillous trophoblasts are the major determinants of a successful pregnancy. Increase in oxidative stress during pregnancy has been linked to the reduction in trophoblast invasion and incomplete conversion of the maternal spiral arteries, resulting in pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, and spontaneous miscarriages resulting in foetal/maternal mortality. The use of antioxidant therapy (vitamin C and E) and other preventative treatments (such as low dose aspirin) have been ineffective in preventing pre-eclampsia. Also, as the majority of antihypertensive drugs pose side effects, choosing an appropriate treatment would depend upon the efficacy and safety of mother/foetus. Since pre-eclampsia is mainly linked to placental oxidative stress, new diet-based antioxidants can be of use to prevent this condition. The antioxidant properties of flavonoids (naturally occurring phenolic compounds which are ubiquitously distributed in fruits and vegetables) have been well documented in non-trophoblast cells. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of flavonoids (quercetin, hesperidin) and their metabolites (Quercetin 3-O-β-glucuronide and hesperetin), either alone or in combination, on first trimester trophoblast cell line HTR-8/SVneo during oxidative stress. The data obtained from this study indicate that selected flavonoids, their respective metabolites significantly reduced the levels of reduced glutathione (p<0.0001) during HR-induced oxidative stress. These flavonoids also inhibited the activation of pro-apoptotic kinases (p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase) during HR-induced phosphorylation. In addition, they enhanced spheroid stem-like cell generation from HTR8/SVneo cells, aiding their invasion. Our data suggest that dietary intake of food rich in quercetin or hesperidin during early pregnancy can significantly improve trophoblast (placenta) health and function against oxidative stress

Fabrication and investigation of carbon materials for carbon dioxide capture and hydrogen storage prepared via templating or activation routes

This thesis details the preparation, fabrication and characterization of nanostructured carbonaceous materials with tuneable porosity for gas storage (CO2 and H2) applications. Two types of carbon-based materials were investigated, namely zeolite templated carbons (ZTCs) and activated carbons (ACs). The ZTCs were prepared using zeolite 13X and zeolite Y as hard templates and furfural alcohol, ethylene, and acetonitrile as carbon precursors. The effects of zeolite compaction before use as hard templates were investigated through the compression of powder forms of zeolites at 370 MPa (equivalent to 5 tonnes) or 740 MPa (equivalent to 10 tonnes) prior to their use as templates. A combination of liquid impregnation (LI) with furfural alcohol and chemical vapour deposition (CVD) with ethylene, or acetonitrile was used to deposit the carbon precursor. Activated carbons (ACs) were prepared using KOH as activating agent from various carbon precursors namely, (i) Eucalyptus wood sawdust (as a cheap, green, renewable and abundantly available raw material), (ii) Lignin-derived carbonaceous matter, (iii) Polythiophene as a sulphur-rich polymer, and (iv) Polypyrrole as a Nitrogen-rich polymer. The activated carbons were prepared via two different routes; (1) activation via thermal treatment of a powder mixture of starting materials and activating agent (KOH) or (2) compactivation (or mechanochemical activation) wherein the mixture of the starting material and KOH is compacted at 5 tonnes (equivalent to 370 MPa) or 10 tonnes (equivalent to 740 MPa) into a pellets/disks prior to activation. The compactivation route was found to be more efficient as it reduces/ removes interparticles voids and space between solid-solid and thus enhances chemical interaction between the precursor and KOH, and also improves both the porosity and the bulk density of the resulting activated carbon

IMPLEMENTASI KEBIJAKAN PARKIR BERLANGGANAN DALAM MENUNJANG PENDAPATAN ASLI DAERAH (PAD) KABUPATEN SIDOARJO

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui dan mendeskrispsikan layanan parkir berlangganan yang terdapat di Kabupaten Sidoarjo serta untuk mengetahui dan mendeskripsikan implementasi kebijakan parkir berlangganan tersebut dalam menunjang pendapatan asli daerah. Isu utama yang muncul dalam pelayanan publik adalah rendahnya kualitas pelayanan publik yang diberikan aparatur pemerintah. Salah satu yang menarik untuk diteliti adalah penyelenggaraan layanan parkir berlangganan di Kabupaten Sidoarjo. Dalam hal ini, peneliti ingin mengetahui sebagai suatu kebijkan yang diberlakukan oleh pemerintah, penyelenggaraan parkir berlangganan tersebut telah mampu menunjang Pendapatan Asli Daerah (PAD) ataukah belum. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif kualitatif. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa kebijakan parkir berlangganan telah mampu menunjang Pendapatan Asli Daerah (PAD), namun dalam penyelenggaraan layanan parkir berlangganan di Kabupaten Sidoarjo perlu untuk ditingkatkan. Kata kunci: kualitas pelayanan publik, kebijakan parkir berlangganan, Pendapatan Asli Daerah (PAD

THE ROLE OF JOURNALISTS IN DEFINING PRESS FREEDOM IN INDONESIA

For almost 20 years, reforms with strong press performance did not mean it could directly create harmony, it even created “new tensions” between press and the government. Indirectly, the superiority of the press has made the press as its own "angel of judge and rectifier" through various news and opinions published. Until the reform of the press has made the superiority of the press no longer an independent institution and only in favor of the truth of information which is a public right, but the press is made freedom as a new "political actor" in the maintenance of government political communications. The research was conducted with a qualitative approach, involving 20 informants consisting of media actors, government, academics, communication experts, and the general public. The results showed that there was a relationship between the media with the government and society to be built in harmony, then it should be strengthened provided that the press as a function of relationship (social responsibility), the press as a tool of development (development). In this case, the community as readers, viewers and recipients are also active in guarding the media. Keywords: Press freedom-journalist-government-Indonesi

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TRAINING PROGRAMS IN THE SURABAYA LABOR DEPARTEMENT

Job training is one form of efforts in preparing human resources by developing skills and knowledge to be more competent and ready to face the world of work according to their responsibilities. Law No. 13 of 2003 concerning manpower has become a reference in the implementation of work training that has been adjusted. Regulation on the implementation of job training is continued by each local government and authorized institution. In the implementation of training must be in accordance with the procedures or standards of training that have been determined in the law. This study aims to analyze the implementation of job training programs in the Surabaya City Manpower Office. This study uses descriptive qualitative methods with data collection techniques through observation, interviews, and documentation. The results of this study stated that the implementation of job training programs was good but not optimal because of the lack of community interest and lack of socialization. Keywords: Implementation, Competence, Job Trainin

Gender Within The Perspective of Media Law

Abstract. Gender as a social construction that gave birth to dissimilarity, was born through socialization, culture, religion, and state power. The noble principles of Indonesian people since independence on 17th of August 1945 until the present, during 73 years of independence, are still unable to found a harmonious relationship between the press (read: media), government and society (women). This research aims to describe gender roles in the perspective of media law. The research methodology used within this study is a qualitative descriptive approach using inductive thinking and thematic analysis. The outcomes of this research show that there are new findings, namely: The establishment of media must be state incorporated; Women as part of the media community understand the functions of non-press and the press media; and finally the media and women realize that the media world is always in touch with the law as well as the legal vacuity. Keywords: Gender, Law Perspective, Media