243 research outputs found
An innovative, fast and facile soft-template approach for the fabrication of porous PDMS for oil-water separation
Oil wastewater and spilled oil caused serious environmental pollution and
damage to public health in the last years. Therefore, considerable efforts are
made to develop sorbent materials able to separate oil from water with high
selectivity and sorption capacity. However most of them are low reusable, with
low volume absorption capacity and poor mechanical properties. Moreover, the
synthesis is time-consuming, complex and expensive limiting its practical
application in case of emergency. Here we propose an innovative approach for
the fabrication of porous PDMS starting from an inverse water-in-silicone
procedure able to selectively collect oil from water in few seconds. The
synthesis is dramatically faster than previous approaches, permitting the
fabrication of the material in few minutes independently from the dimension of
the sponges. The porous material evidenced a higher volume sorption capacity
with respect to other materials already proposed for oil sorption from water
and excellent mechanical and reusability properties.This innovative fast and
simple approach can be successful in case of emergency, as oil spill accidents,
permitting in situ fabrication of porous absorbents
Polydopamine-Coated Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: From Design to Applications
Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have been extensively investigated due to their applications in various fields such as biomedicine, sensing, and environmental remediation. However, they need to be coated with a suitable material in order to make them biocompatible and to add new functionalities on their surface. This review is intended to give a comprehensive overview of recent advantages and applications of iron oxide nanoparticles coated by polydopamine film. The synthesis method of magnetic nanoparticles, their functionalization with bioinspired materials and (in particular) with polydopamine are discussed. Finally, some interesting applications of polydopamine-coated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles will be pointed out
A drug safety evaluation of abiraterone acetate in the treatment of prostate cancer
Introduction: To evaluate the safety profile characteristics of abiraterone acetate (AA) in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa). Areas covered: In this literature review the authors evaluate safety data from phase III trials investigating the combination of abiraterone acetate plus prednisone (AAP) in patients with metastatic prostate cancer. In particular, the aim was to clarify its toxicity profile, long-term exposure impact, and the correlation with general health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Expert opinion: Based on the studies reviewed, it appears that abiraterone acetate has favourable outcomes, is effective and well tolerated, mostly in asymptomatic or slightly symptomatic patients, and has recognised toxicity profile characteristics. Incidence of adverse events (AEs), such as mineralocorticoid- and corticosteroid-releated AEs, and hepatotoxicity is well known and widely described. Understanding the toxicity profile of AA could assist decision-making in clinical practice
WIRELESS ENERGY MONITORING SYSTEM OF PHOTOVOLTAIC PLANTS WITH SMART ANTI-THEFT SOLUTION INTEGRATED WITH CONTROL UNIT OF HOUSEHOLD ELECTRICAL CONSUMPTION
Centrifugation force and time alter CASA parameters and oxidative status of cryopreserved stallion sperm
Conventional sperm selection techniques used in ARTs rely on centrifugation steps. To date, the different studies reported on the effects of centrifugation on stallion sperm motility provided contrasting results and do not include effects on mitochondrial functionality and different oxidative parameters. The effects of different centrifugation protocols (300 ×g for 5’, 300 ×g for 10’, 1500 ×g for 5’ and 1500 ×g for 10’ vs no centrifugation) on motility and oxidative status in cryopreserved stallion sperm, were analyzed. After centrifugation, almost all motility parameters were significantly altered, as observed by computer-assisted sperm analysis. A polarographic assay of oxygen consumption showed a progressive decrease in mitochondria respiration from the gentlest to the strongest protocol. By laser scanning confocal microscopy, significant reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential, at any tested protocol, and time-dependent effects, at the same centrifugal force, were found. Increased DNA fragmentation index at any tested protocol and time-dependent effects at the same centrifugal force were found, whereas increased protein carbonylation was observed only at the strongest centrifugal force. These results provide more comprehensive understandings on centrifugation-induced effects on cryopreserved stallion sperm and suggest that, even at a weak force for a short time, centrifugation impairs different aspects of equine sperm metabolism and functionality
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE SOLUTION DEVELOPED IN ARM MBED ENVIRONMENT FOR DRIVING AND CONTROLLING DC BRUSHLESS MOTORS BASED ON ST X-NUCLEO DEVELOPMENT BOARDS
Conspicuity and muscle-invasiveness assessment for bladder cancer using VI-RADS: a multi-reader, contrast-free MRI study to determine optimal b-values for diffusion-weighted imaging
To (1) compare bladder cancer (BC) muscle invasiveness among three b-values using a contrast-free approach based on Vesical Imaging-Reporting and Data System (VI-RADS), to (2) determine if muscle-invasiveness assessment is affected by the reader experience, and to (3) compare BC conspicuity among three b-values, qualitatively and quantitatively
OPERATION PRINCIPLE, ADVANCED PROCEDURES AND VALIDATION OF A NEW FLEX-SPI COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL FOR SMART IoT DEVICES
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