The behavior of arsenic trioxide in non-ferrous extractive metallurgical processing

pre-printStudy of the acid bake-leach process has shown potential advantages for the treatment of enargite (Cu3AsS4) concentrates. Among the most important advantages of the process is the transformation of enargite to water-soluble copper sulfate and highly soluble arsenic trioxide (arsenolite). Because arsenic is retained in the condensed phase during the baking, the vapor pressure of arsenic trioxide should be estimated at typical baking temperatures (e.g. 473 K). To that end, the vapor pressure of As4O6 (g) was estimated under the baking conditions based on published thermodynamic values. The vapor pressure of arsenolite at 473 K was found to be approximately 9.03 x 10-4 atm. Based on the linear regression analysis of the published vapor pressure values for arsenolite in the temperature range 366-579 K, the equation for the best fit line was found to be as follows, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9973: Available information on arsenic trioxide does not allow a definite conclusion regarding the arsenolite/claudetite transformation temperature and their exact melting points. However, the transition temperature has been reported to be in the wide range of 240-506 K in different references. Furthermore, the thermodynamic information concerning arsenolite/ claudetite is sparse and at times not consistent. An effort has been made in this paper to compile the most reliable thermodynamic information for arsenic trioxide (arsenolite and claudetite)

Non-Simplified SUSY: Stau-Coannihilation at LHC and ILC

If new phenomena beyond the Standard Model will be discovered at the LHC, the properties of the new particles could be determined with data from the High-Luminosity LHC and from a future linear collider like the ILC. We discuss the possible interplay between measurements at the two accelerators in a concrete example, namely a full SUSY model which features a small stau_1-LSP mass difference. Various channels have been studied using the Snowmass 2013 combined LHC detector implementation in the Delphes simulation package, as well as simulations of the ILD detector concept from the Technical Design Report. We investigate both the LHC and ILC capabilities for discovery, separation and identification of various parts of the spectrum. While some parts would be discovered at the LHC, there is substantial room for further discoveries at the ILC. We finally highlight examples where the precise knowledge about the lower part of the mass spectrum which could be acquired at the ILC would enable a more in-depth analysis of the LHC data with respect to the heavier states.Comment: 42 pages, 18 figures, 12 table

A trend in the effective spin distribution of LIGO binary black holes with mass

Binary black holes (BBHs) detected by gravitational wave (GW) observations could be broadly divided into two formation channels: those formed through field binary evolution and those assembled dynamically in dense stellar systems. Each of these formation channels, and their sub-channels, populate a distinct region in the effective spin-mass ($\chi_{\rm eff}-M$) plane. Depending on the branching ratio of different channels, an ensemble of BBHs could show a trend in this plane. Here we fit a mass-dependent distribution for $\chi_{\rm eff}$ to the GWTC-1 BBHs from the first and second observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. We find a negative correlation between mass and the mean effective spin ($\bar{\chi}_{\mathrm{eff}}$), and positive correlation with its dispersion ($\sigma_{\chi_\mathrm{eff}}$) at 75\% and 80\% confidence. This trend is robust against the choice of mass variable, but most pronounced when the mass variable is taken to be the chirp mass of the binary. The result is consistent with significant contributions from both dynamically assembled and field binaries in the GWTC-1 catalog. The upcoming LIGO O3a data release will critically test this interpretation.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ main journa

Olive tree leaves - a source of valuable active compounds

The agricultural and processing activities of olive crops generate a substantial amount of food by-products, particularly olive leaves, which are mostly underexploited, representing a significant threat to the environment. Olive leaves are endowed with endogenous bioactive compounds. Their beneficial/health-promoting potential, together with environmental protection and circular economy, merit their exploitation to recover and reuse natural components that are potentially safer alternatives to synthetic counterparts. These biomass residues have great potential for extended industrial applications in food/dietary systems but have had limited commercial uses so far. In this regard, many researchers have endeavoured to determine a green/sustainable means to replace the conventional/inefficient methods currently used. This is not an easy task as a sustainable bio-processing approach entails careful designing to maximise the liberation of compounds with minimum use of (i) processing time, (ii) toxic solvent (iii) fossil fuel energy, and (iv) overall cost. Thus, it is necessary to device viable strategies to (i) optimise the extraction of valuable biomolecules from olive leaves and enable their conversion into high added-value products, and (ii) minimise generation of agro-industrial waste streams. This review provides an insight to the principal bioactive components naturally present in olive leaves, and an overview of the existing/proposed methods associated with their analysis, extraction, applications, and stability.FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(UID/BIO/04469/2020)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Anxiety Level of Pregnant Women from Ahwaz Exposed to Domestic Violence

Background: Domestic violence is a concern in the communities and need a wide attention. Violence against women can cause all kinds of physical and mental illness. This is a threat to woman’s and family member’s health. Stress, anxiety and depression during pregnancy are risk factors for adverse consequences. Little is known about the level of the mental illnesses in women who exposed to domestic violence during pregnancy. This study reported the level of anxiety in women who were victims of domestic violence in health centers in Ahwaz.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which a sample of 110 pregnant women with domestic violence and pregnant women without violence were recruited.  The data were collected using the demographic questionnaire, World Health Organization standardized domestic violence questionnaire, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The data entered in SPSS 21 and were analyzed using Chi-Square, Independent-t and Multiple Logistic Regression.Results: The pregnant women in the domestic violence group had a higher mean score of anxiety (P<0.05). Women exposed to violence experienced psychological violence (57.75%), physical violence (37.73%) and sexual violence (33.88%). The psychological violence was the greatest influence on the level of anxiety in pregnant women.Conclusion: This study demonstrated the impact of domestic violence on the level of anxiety in pregnant women and confirmed its treat to women's mental health

A label-free biosensor based on graphene and reduced graphene oxide dual-layer for electrochemical determination of beta-amyloid biomarkers

A label-free biosensor is developed for the determination of plasma-based Aβ1–42 biomarker in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The platform is based on highly conductive dual-layer of graphene and electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The modification of dual-layer with 1-pyrenebutyric acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (Pyr-NHS) is achieved to facilitate immobilization of H31L21 antibody. The effect of these modifications were studied with morphological, spectral and electrochemical techniques. The response of the biosensor was evaluated using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The data was acquired at a working potential of ~ 180 mV and a scan rate of 50 mV s−1. A low limit of detection (LOD) of 2.398 pM is achieved over a wide linear range from 11 pM to 55 nM. The biosensor exhibits excellent specificity over Aβ1–40 and ApoE ε4 interfering species. Thus, it provides a viable tool for electrochemical determination of Aβ1–42. Spiked human and mice plasmas were used for the successful validation of the sensing platform in bio-fluidic samples. The results obtained from mice plasma analysis concurred with the immunohistochemistry (IHC) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data obtained from brain analysis.This work was financially supported by H2020 MSCA-ITN-ETN BBDiag project under grant no. 721281.Peer reviewe

Detection of a Double-Stranded MGMT Gene Using Electrochemically Reduced Graphene Oxide (ErGO) Electrodes Decorated with AuNPs and Peptide Nucleic Acids (PNA)

The ability to detect double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) as a biomarker without denaturing it to single-stranded DNA (ss-DNA) continues to be a major challenge. In this work, we report a sandwich biosensor for the detection of the ds-methylated MGMT gene, a potential biomarker for brain tumors and breast cancer. The purpose of this biosensor is to achieve simultaneous recognition of the gene sequence, as well as the presence of methylation. The biosensor is based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) electrodes decorated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and uses Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) that binds to the ds-MGMT gene. The reduction of GO was performed in two ways: electrochemically (ErGO) and thermally (TrGO). XPS and Raman spectroscopy, as well as voltammetry techniques, showed that the ErGO was more efficiently reduced, had a higher C/O ratio, showed a smaller crystallite size of the sp2 lattice, and was more stable during measurement. It was also revealed that the electro-deposition of the AuNPs was more successful on the ErGO surface due to the higher At% of Au on the ErGO electrode. Therefore, the ErGO/AuNPs electrode was used to develop biosensors to detect the ds-MGMT gene. PNA, which acts as a bio-recognition element, was used to form a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on the ErGO/AuNPs surface via the amine-AuNPs interaction, recognizing the ds-MGMT gene sequence by its invasion of the double-stranded DNA and the formation of a triple helix. The methylation was then detected using biotinylated-anti-5mC, which was then measured using the amperometric technique. The selectivity study showed that the proposed biosensor was able to distinguish between blank, non-methylated, non-complementary, and target dsDNA spiked in mouse plasma. The LOD was calculated to be 0.86 pM with a wide linear range of 1 pM to 50 µM. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on using PNA to detect ds-methylated DNA. This sandwich design can be modified to detect other methylated genes, making it a promising platform to detect ds-methylated biomarkers.</jats:p

The influence of infertility on sexual and marital satisfaction in Iranian women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a case-control study

Background: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate sexual and marital satisfaction in couples with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). A case-control study was conducted on 90 couples with PCOS and 90 healthy couples as a control group. Three measures were used to evaluate sexual function and marital satisfaction: the female sexual function index (FSFI), the Larson sexual satisfaction, and the ENRICH marital satisfaction measures. Results: The results of this study show that the mean scores of sexual function, sexual satisfaction, and marital satisfaction were significantly lower in PCOS couples compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Infertility was reported as the strongest predictive factor for sexual function and marital satisfaction in couples with PCOS (P < 0.05). Compared to the control group, sexual and marital satisfaction was lower in patients with PCOS and their partners. Conclusion: Since infertility is the strongest predictive factor for the sexual health of couples with PCOS and sexual health is important in family health and marital life, sexual counseling may prove beneficial for these patients