Flavonoid, hesperidine, total phenolic contents and antioxidant activities from Citrus species

Citrus has long been regarded as a food and also as a medicinal plant. Fruits of four species of citrus which are commonly available in Malaysia, namely C. hystrix (wild lime), C. aurantifolia (common lime), C. microcarpa (musk lime) and C. sinensis (orange), were chosen to investigate their total phenolic, flavonoid and hesperidine contents. Additionally, the antioxidant activities were also determined by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. C. hystrix had the highest flavonoid and total phenolic contents while C. aurantifolia had the highest hesperidine content. The antioxidant activity of C. hystrix was highest determined by FRAP and DPPH assays compared to other citrus species. A strong positive correlation of R2 = 0.9090 between total phenolic content and FRAP values was observed in this investigation. This study indicated that C. hystrix exhibited the highest antioxidant, flavonoid and phenolic content and can be used potentially as a readily accessible source of natural antioxidant

Efficient Photoelectrochemical Performance of Gamma Irradiated gC3N4 and its g-C3N4@BiVO4 Heterojunction for Solar Water Splitting

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Chemical Society via the DOI in this recordComprehensive experimental and density functional theory simulations have been performed for the enhanced photoelectrochemical performance of gamma irradiated g-C3N4 and its heterojunction with BiVO4. The structure and morphology of g-C3N4@BiVO4 as a heterojunction were analyzed and verified from the correlation of experimental and theoretical data. It is found that gamma radiations have changed the bonding structure of g-C3N4 which ultimately reduces the optical bandgap energy. Moreover, the performance of gamma-irradiated g-C3N4 is two-fold, compared to that of non-irradiated one; increases from 3.59 to 5.86 µAcm-2 at 1.23 V versus Ag/AgCl in 0.5 M Na2SO4 electrolyte solution (pH 7). Finally, it is observed that the performance of gamma irradiated g-C3N4 in g-C3N4@BiVO4 heterojunction increased from 0.53 mA cm-2 to 1.38 mA cm-2, compared to that of the non–irradiated one. In summary, it has been concluded that gamma-irradiated g-C3N4 and its heterojunction is potentially be applied in PEC solar water splitting.National University of Malaysi

Serum magnesium levels and acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a retrospective study

A decrease in serum Mg+ 2 is associated with airway hyper-reactivity and impaired pulmonary function. The purpose of this study was to determine if decreased serum Mg+ 2 levels in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with acute exacerbations. In a retrospective study, the charted serum Mg+ 2 levels in 100 COPD patients were examined. These included 50 patients who presented with an acute exacerbation of COPD and 50 stable patients. Chart review was sequential within both groups. Serum Mg 2+ levels in the stable COPD patients averaged 0.91±0.10 mmol/L (mean±SD) with a 95% CI of 0.88–0.94 mmol/L. Patients undergoing an exacerbation had significantly lower serum Mg+ 2 levels (0.77±0.10 mmol/L; CI, 0.74–0.79; p< 0.0001). Logistic regression of the dichotomous outcomes as a function of serum Mg+ 2 concentration demonstrated a highly significant

Non-Invasive MRI of Blood-Cerebrospinal Fluid Barrier Function

The blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) is a highly dynamic transport interface that serves brain homeostasis. To date, however, understanding of its role in brain development and pathology has been hindered by the absence of a non-invasive technique for functional assessment. Here we describe a method for non-invasive measurement of BSCFB function by using tracer-free MRI to quantify rates of water delivery from arterial blood to ventricular cerebrospinal fluid. Using this method, we record a 36% decrease in BCSFB function in aged mice, compared to a 13% decrease in parenchymal blood flow, itself a leading candidate biomarker of early neurodegenerative processes. We then apply the method to explore the relationship between BCSFB function and ventricular morphology. Finally, we provide proof of application to the human brain. Our findings position the BCSFB as a promising new diagnostic and therapeutic target, the function of which can now be safely quantified using non-invasive MRI

Performance of Palm Oil Clinker Lightweight Aggregate Concrete Comprising Spent Garnet as Fine Aggregate Replacement

Data Availability: The data used to support the findings of this study are included within the article.Copyright © 2022 Nur Farah Aziera Jamaludin et al. The increase in building activity as a result of population expansion has resulted in an overexploitation of aggregate, with disastrous environmental consequences. Simultaneously, the disposal of spent garnet by the shipbuilding industry and palm oil clinker by palm oil mills harms the environment and needs a greater amount of landfill space. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the influence of spent garnet as a fine aggregate substitute on the fresh, mechanical, and durability properties of palm oil clinker concrete. Concrete mixes were created using various percentages of spent garnet as a fine aggregate substitute, including 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%. The workability, compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, water absorption, and acid resistance of the water cured concrete were all determined. It was determined that using 20% spent garnet increased the compressive strength of lightweight concrete. The positive filler effect of spent garnet resulted in a densely packed internal structure of concrete, allowing it to have the lowest percentage of water absorption. The same mixtures exhibited the least mass change and strength reduction when exposed to acid solution. The results established that ecologically friendly concrete may be manufactured by including considerable volumes of waste from the shipbuilding and palm oil sectors.University Malaysia Pahang (UMP) (Research Grant RDU190342 and RDU213306)

Modulation of Sn concentration in ZnO nanorod array: intensification on the conductivity and humidity sensing properties

Tin (Sn)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays (TZO) were synthesized onto aluminum-doped ZnO-coated glass substrate via a facile sonicated sol–gel immersion method for humidity sensor applications. These nanorod arrays were grown at different Sn concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 3 at.%. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the deposited TZO arrays exhibited a wurtzite structure. The stress/strain condition of the ZnO film metamorphosed from tensile strain/compressive stress to compressive strain/tensile stress when the Sn concentrations increased. Results indicated that 1 at.% Sn doping of TZO, which has the lowest tensile stress of 0.14 GPa, generated the highest conductivity of 1.31 S cm− 1. In addition, 1 at.% Sn doping of TZO possessed superior sensitivity to a humidity of 3.36. These results revealed that the optimum performance of a humidity-sensing device can be obtained mainly by controlling the amount of extrinsic element in a ZnO film

Surface Enhancement in Ti-6al-4v Fabricated by Selective Laser Melting on Bone-Like Apatite Formation

Medical grade Tie-6Al-4V implants fabricated using selective laser melting (SLM) are recognized as a commercial biomaterial used for bone repairs and fracture fixation. However, there have been cases of failed bone remodeling and implant infections caused by deficient osteointegration. To improve osteogenesis, the Ti implants are treated by acid etching. This study focused on the effect of surface treatment by using different percent ages of sulfuric acid (H2SO4), hydrochloric acid (HCL), and hydrofluoric acid (HF) on the SLM Ti-6Al-4V. The microstructure and surface topography before and after treatment were evaluated. Then, the presence of a thicker anatase layer that was detectable on the surface was also observed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The apatite-forming capabilities which indicated a sample bioactivity were assessed in simulated body fluid (SBF) for periods of 3 days and 7 days. The apatite formed on the surface of sample and XRD scanning revealed the deposition of Ca/P, suggesting successful bone-like apatite. The study discovered that these surface improvements were appropriate for the SLM Ti-6Al-4V prior to clinical applications and were likely to yield higher levels of osseointegration

Tissue magnetic susceptibility mapping as a marker of tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease is connected to a number of other neurodegenerative conditions, known collectively as 'tauopathies', by the presence of aggregated tau protein in the brain. Neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in AD are associated with tau pathology and both the breakdown of axonal sheaths in white matter tracts and excess iron accumulation grey matter brain regions. Despite the identification of myelin and iron concentration as major sources of contrast in quantitative susceptibility maps of the brain, the sensitivity of this technique to tau pathology has yet to be explored. In this study, we perform Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) and T2* mapping in the rTg4510, a mouse model of tauopathy, both in vivo and ex vivo. Significant correlations were observed between histological measures of myelin content and both mean regional magnetic susceptibility and T2* values. These results suggest that magnetic susceptibility is sensitive to tissue myelin concentrations across different regions of the brain. Differences in magnetic susceptibility were detected in the corpus callosum, striatum, hippocampus and thalamus of the rTg4510 mice relative to wild type controls. The concentration of neurofibrillary tangles was found to be low to intermediate in these brain regions indicating that QSM may be a useful biomarker for early stage detection of tau pathology in neurodegenerative diseases