Abatement of VOCs using packed bed non-thermal plasma reactors : a review

Non thermal plasma (NTP) reactors packed with non-catalytic or catalytic packing material have been widely used for the abatement of volatile organic compounds such as toluene, benzene, etc. Packed bed reactors are single stage reactors where the packing material is placed directly in the plasma discharge region. The presence of packing material can alter the physical (such as discharge characteristics, power consumption, etc.) and chemical characteristics (oxidation and destruction pathway, formation of by-products, etc.) of the reactor. Thus, packed bed reactors can overcome the disadvantages of NTP reactors for abatement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as lower energy efficiency and formation of unwanted toxic by-products. This paper aims at reviewing the effect of different packing materials on the abatement of different aliphatic, aromatic and chlorinated volatile organic compounds

Health informatics and institutional review board – making research easier and ethical

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An assessment of sociodemographic factors and family planning practices in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India: a cross sectional study

Background: India was the first country in the world to launch a National Family Planning Programme in 1952. It was purely a demographic programme with the sole objective of reducing the birth rate to stabilize the population. As per 2011 census population increased with the growth rate of 17.7%. Thus even after 63 years of programme & many more new advances & updates in programme, India could not reach its target of at least 60% of couple protection rate. So there would be some definite factors prohibiting its use.Methods: A cross section study of 450 reproductive age group women was conducted to find out the factors of unmet need of contraception & socio demographic profile.Results: In present study couple protection rate was 57.11%, majority being permanent sterilization. The selection of contraception was influenced by her husband in 43.24% & by mother-in-law in 62.16%.Conclusions: The study revealed that almost half of the couple population was using the contraception that included temporary as well as permanent methods of contraception

Catalytic Acetylation of Aromatics with Metal Chlorides and Solid Acids − a Comparative Study

Evaluation of catalytic performances of selected metal chlorides such as AlCl3, SnCl4, ZnCl2, FeCl3, InCl3 and GaCl3 with solid acids such as sulfated zirconia, and zeolite beta was accomplished for acetylation of anisole, toluene and naphthalene. Presence of super acidity (Lewis or Bronsted acid) is found to be indispensable for activation of substrates towards acetylation reactions. In addition, presence of redox centers would further complement with the Lewis acid sites rendering catalytic stamina against deactivation. Strength of Lewis acid basically determines the activity of the metal chlorides towards acetylation. Among the Lewis acids investigated, FeCl3, InCl3 and GaCl3 exhibit their catalytic behaviour mostly through redox property as is evident from the conservation of Turn over number even after first cycle. Sulfated zirconia surpasses all the acid catalysts including metal chlorides and exhibits extended catalytic activity in acetylation of anisole. The pre-eminence of sulphated zirconia over other catalytic systems is owing to the synergistic effect of Lewis and Bronsted acidity

Teraphtal (sodium salt of cobalt 4,5-carboxyphthalocyanine) Decreases Sensitivity of Tumor Cells to Anthracycline Antibiotics and Mitoxantrone in Vitro

Background. Anthracycline antibiotics (AA) are widely used in clinical oncohematology. As is well known АА cytotoxicity diminishes in the presence of hemin (FePPIX), an endogenous metalloporphyrine. Aim. To study effect of teraphtal (TPh) and its structural analog FePPIX on cytotoxicity of “anthraquinone” drugs AA and mitoxantrone (MiTOX) in vitro. Materials & Methods. The study was performed using human leukemia cells of K562 line and HCT 116 adenocarcinoma cell line. TPh ability to prevent AA-induced tumor cell death has been estimated by the following methods: MTT assays, flow cytometry, light microscopy, cytochemical method for determination of b-galactosidase expression using X-Gal substrate, DNA electrophoresis, LDH release, real time RT-PCR, and radiometric method. Results. In the presence of TPh (10 µM) the AA and MiTOX cytotoxicity diminishes approximately 4- and 20-fold respectively. The TPh protective potency is dependent on the AA chemical structure. In the presence of TPh aclarubicin toxicity remains constant. The TPh/FePPIX protection from the AA cytotoxicity can involve the same mechanism reducing the ability of the cells, including the leukemia tumor cells, to accumulate AA in the presence of modulators. TPh/FePPIX protects human tumor cells from AA-induced death, such as apoptosis, necrosis, and accelerated senescence (АS). АS in K562 leukemia cell line induced by AA + TPh/FePPIX results in cell-suspension-derived-small-cell colonies. Вeclin-lysosomal pathway of autophagy is not engaged in reducing of the AA toxicity of K562 cells in the presence of TPh. Conclusion. Reducing of the AA toxicity and revival of cell population growth in the presence of TPh/FePPIX should be taken into consideration when using hematoporphyrins and phthalocyanines having a structure similar to TPh as sensitizers in the chemotherapy protocols

Formation of Gold Nanoparticle Self-Assembling Films in Various Polymer Matrices for SERS Substrates

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is regarded as a versatile tool for studying the composition and structure of matter. This work has studied the preparation of a SERS substrate based on a self-assembling plasmonic nanoparticle film (SPF) in a polymer matrix. Several synthesis parameters for the SPF are investigated, including the size of the particles making up the film and the concentration and type of the self-assembling agent. The result of testing systems with different characteristics is discussed using a model substance (pseudo isocyaniniodide). These models can be useful in the study of biology and chemistry. Research results contain the optimal parameters for SPF synthesis, maximizing the SERS signal. The optimal procedure for SPF assembly is determined and used for the synthesis of composite SPFs within different polymer matrices. SPF in a polymer matrix is necessary for the routine use of the SERS substrate for various types of analytes, including solid samples or those sensitive to contamination. Polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and polyethylene are investigated to obtain a polymer matrix for SPF, and various methods of incorporating SPF into a polymer matrix are being explored. It is found that films with the best signal enhancement and reproducibility were obtained in polystyrene. The minimum detectable concentration for the SERS substrate obtained is equal to 10 10 M We prepared a SERS substrate with an analytical enhancement factor of 2.7 104, allowing an increase in the detection sensitivity of analyte solutions of five orders of magnitude

Shaping Scientific Worldview of Schoolchildren by Including Synergetics into the Content of Education

Introduction. The article presents an optimal use of synergy elements as most important methods of forming a generalized worldview in schoolchildren. It determines the relevance of this study. A brief theoretical analysis of synergetic as a self-organization theory is given. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the efficiency of synergetics in the process of molding the worldview of high school s tudents. Materials and Methods. Pedagogical experiment method, test method, sign criterion method, analysis, comparison and generalization were used as research tools. Results. Methodological tools to enhance the formation of the system of ideological knowledge among students were identified. Elective courses are considered as an effective means of realizing the worldview functions of high school subjects. The results of the pedagogical experiment are presented. In the experiment levels of formation of the system of worldview knowledge in natural science and humanities were revealed. The authors used the ideas of synergetics in the process of forming the scientific worldview of students, who assimilated the knowledge holistically, but not in fragments. They got an integral view of reality and formed a synergetic picture of the world. Discussion and Conclusion. The practical significance of the research is in the introduction of ideas of synergetics into the educational process of secondary schools and the structuring the content of natural sciences and humanities. This content is aimed at the formation of a generalized worldview of schoolchildren. The novelty of the research lies in the development of integrative subjects, courses and interdisciplinary programs with synergistic content. This development allows you to prepare high-quality teaching staff. These frames are capable of realizing the ideological function of school subjects. Further development of the material presented in the article is seen in expanding the scope of research in these areas: designing a system of ideological and synergistic knowledge. This knowledge is necessary for the formation of the generalized worldview; development of methods and technologies for teaching a system of synergistic knowledge

Engineering a highly defective stable UiO-66 with tunable Lewis-Brønsted acidity : the role of the hemilabile linker

The stability of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) typically decreases with an increasing number of defects, limiting the number of defects that can be created and limiting catalytic and other applications. Herein, we use a hemilabile (Hl) linker to create up to a maximum of six defects per cluster in UiO-66. We synthesized hemilabile UiO-66 (Hl-UiO-66) using benzene dicarboxylate (BDC) as linker and 4-sulfonatobenzoate (PSBA) as the hemilabile linker. The PSBA acts not only as a modulator to create defects but also as a coligand that enhances the stability of the resulting defective framework. Furthermore, upon a postsynthetic treatment in H2SO4, the average number of defects increases to the optimum of six missing BDC linkers per cluster (three per formula unit), leaving the Zr-nodes on average sixfold coordinated. Remarkably, the thermal stability of the materials further increases upon this treatment. Periodic density functional theory calculations confirm that the hemilabile ligands strengthen this highly defective structure by several stabilizing interactions. Finally, the catalytic activity of the obtained materials is evaluated in the acid-catalyzed isomerization of a-pinene oxide. This reaction is particularly sensitive to the Bronsted or Lewis acid sites in the catalyst. In comparison to the pristine UiO-66, which mainly possesses Bronsted acid sites, the Hl-UiO-66 and the postsynthetically treated Hl-UiO-66 structures exhibited a higher Lewis acidity and an enhanced activity and selectivity. This is further explored by CD3CN spectroscopic sorption experiments. We have shown that by tuning the number of defects in UiO-66 using PSBA as the hemilabile linker, one can achieve highly defective and stable MOFs and easily control the Bronsted to Lewis acid ratio in the materials and thus their catalytic activity and selectivity

Synthesis and photophysical properties of covalent conjugates of aqua platinum (II) and octacarboxy-substituted zinc phthalocyanine

New covalent conjugates of aqua platinum(II) and octacarboxy-substituted zinc phthalocyanine, bearing one, two, three and four aqua platinum moieties on the periphery of the Pc ligand have been synthesized and characterized. The effect of the stepwise introduction of the aqua platinums on the photophysical and photochemical properties of these compounds has been investigated in dimethylsulfoxide solution. It has been found that aqua platinum moieties have only a limited effect on the dynamics of the singlet and triplet excited states, on the ability to sensitize singlet oxygen formation and on the photostability. Each conjugate has a high singlet oxygen quantum yield (ΦΔ 0.51–0.62) and thus retains potential for use as a dual action anticancer drugs by acting as a sensitizer for PDT in addition to the likely chemotherapeutic effects of the Pt(II) complexes