1,164 research outputs found
Removal of Acid Yellow 25 from Aqueous Solution by Chitin Prepared from Waste Snow Crab Legs
Acid Yellow 25 (AY25) is used in the textile industry for dyeing of natural and synthetic fibers, and is also used as a coloring agent in paints, inks, plastics, and leathers. Effluents from such industries are major sources of water pollution. Hence, it is important to find simple, efficient, and inexpensive ways to remove these dyes from wastewater. Here, we determined the suitability of chitin extracted from waste crab legs as an adsorbent for removing AY25 dye. The adsorption kinetics was modeled using pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, and intraparticle diffusion equations to determine the rate controlling step. Results showed that the pseudo-second order adsorption mechanism is predominant, and the overall rate of the dye adsorption process is therefore controlled by an adsorption reaction. Adsorption isotherms were analyzed by utilizing the Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) and Temkin isotherm models at 23ËšC, with data collected by using various initial dye concentrations with different chitin dosages. Our results show the highest correlation with the Langmuir model, consistent with the fact that chitin contains both a monolayer and homogeneous adsorption sites. Based on the D-R model, the adsorption of AY25 dye onto chitin is via chemisorption. Furthermore, we have concluded that the rate constants of both pseudo-second order adsorption and film diffusion are correlated to the initial dye concentrations and chitin dosages. In conclusion, chitin from waste crab legs is a very suitable adsorbent material that is capable of rapidly removing up to 95% of the initial concentration of AY25 dye at a pH of 2 and room temperature
Mechanotransduction: use the force(s).
Mechanotransduction - how cells sense physical forces and translate them into biochemical and biological responses - is a vibrant and rapidly-progressing field, and is important for a broad range of biological phenomena. This forum explores the role of mechanotransduction in a variety of cellular activities and highlights intriguing questions that deserve further attention
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Neutron-exposure parameters for the fourth HSST series of metallurgical irradiation capsules
The neutron exposure parameters for the Heavy Section Steel Technology (HSST) Experiments performed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) can be determined conservatively to +-10% (1sigma) variance. The neutron exposure parameters used for this study were fluence greater than 1 MeV, fluence greater than 0.1 MeV, and displacements per atom (dpa). Measured reaction rates, calculated neutron transport fluxes, and cross sections values were combined in the logarithmic least square adjustment code LSL
Is HR 6819 a triple system containing a black hole? -- An alternative explanation
HR 6819 was recently proposed to be a triple system consisting of an inner
B-type giant + black hole binary with an orbital period of 40d and an outer Be
tertiary. This interpretation is mainly based on two inferences: that the
emission attributed to the outer Be star is stationary, and that the inner
star, which is used as mass calibrator for the black hole, is a B-type giant.
We re-investigate the properties of HR 6819 by spectral disentangling and an
atmosphere analysis of the disentangled spectra to search for a possibly
simpler alternative explanation for HR 6819. Disentangling implies that the Be
component is not a static tertiary, but rather a component of the binary in the
40-d orbit. The inferred radial velocity amplitudes imply an extreme mass ratio
of M_2/M_1 = 15 +/- 3. We infer spectroscopic masses of 0.4
Msun and 6 Msun for the primary and secondary, which agree well
with the dynamical masses for an inclination of i = 32 deg. This indicates that
the primary might be a stripped star rather than a B-type giant. Evolutionary
modelling suggests that a possible progenitor system would be a tight (P_i ~
2d) B+B binary system that experienced conservative mass transfer. While the
observed nitrogen enrichment of the primary conforms with the predictions of
the evolutionary models, we find no indications for the predicted He
enrichment. We suggest that HR 6819 is a binary system consisting of a stripped
B-type primary and a rapidly-rotating Be star that formed from a previous
mass-transfer event. In the framework of this interpretation, HR 6819 does not
contain a black hole. Interferometry can distinguish between these two
scenarios by providing an independent measurement of the separation between the
visible components.Comment: Submitted to A&A, 13 pages (16 figures and 2 tables); 4 pages
supplementary material (4 figures and 4 tables). Comments are welcom
Atom Interferometers
Interference with atomic and molecular matter waves is a rich branch of
atomic physics and quantum optics. It started with atom diffraction from
crystal surfaces and the separated oscillatory fields technique used in atomic
clocks. Atom interferometry is now reaching maturity as a powerful art with
many applications in modern science. In this review we first describe the basic
tools for coherent atom optics including diffraction by nanostructures and
laser light, three-grating interferometers, and double wells on AtomChips. Then
we review scientific advances in a broad range of fields that have resulted
from the application of atom interferometers. These are grouped in three
categories: (1) fundamental quantum science, (2) precision metrology and (3)
atomic and molecular physics. Although some experiments with Bose Einstein
condensates are included, the focus of the review is on linear matter wave
optics, i.e. phenomena where each single atom interferes with itself.Comment: submitted to Reviews of Modern Physic
Maternally inherited piRNAs direct transient heterochromatin formation at active transposons during early Drosophila embryogenesis
The PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway controls transposon expression in animal germ cells, thereby ensuring genome stability over generations. In Drosophila, piRNAs are intergenerationally inherited through the maternal lineage, and this has demonstrated importance in the specification of piRNA source loci and in silencing of I- and P-elements in the germ cells of daughters. Maternally inherited Piwi protein enters somatic nuclei in early embryos prior to zygotic genome activation and persists therein for roughly half of the time required to complete embryonic development. To investigate the role of the piRNA pathway in the embryonic soma, we created a conditionally unstable Piwi protein. This enabled maternally deposited Piwi to be cleared from newly laid embryos within 30 min and well ahead of the activation of zygotic transcription. Examination of RNA and protein profiles over time, and correlation with patterns of H3K9me3 deposition, suggests a role for maternally deposited Piwi in attenuating zygotic transposon expression in somatic cells of the developing embryo. In particular, robust deposition of piRNAs targeting roo, an element whose expression is mainly restricted to embryonic development, results in the deposition of transient heterochromatic marks at active roo insertions. We hypothesize that roo, an extremely successful mobile element, may have adopted a lifestyle of expression in the embryonic soma to evade silencing in germ cells
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