Modeling of Temperature Swing Adsorption-Oxidation of Volatile Organic Compounds

In this work, we simulated a single-bed 4-step temperature swing adsorption-oxidation (TSAO) process for capture and in situ oxidation of benzene, as a model VOC, over Ni/ZrO2-SiO2, as a dual-function material (DFM). The TSAO cycles consisted of adsorption, preheating, desorption/oxidation, and cooling steps. The model sensitive parameters were estimated via parameter estimation and validated against experimental data. Extensive parametric analysis was carried out to investigate the effects of key process variables on the TSAO performance. Model results revealed relatively good prediction of the process. Under the conditions investigated, adsorption, oxidation and total removal efficiencies were estimated to be 76, 84 and 66%, respectively. It was also established that the proposed 4-step cyclic TSAO could be reduced to a 3-step TSAO process consisting of adsorption, heating/desorption/oxidation, and cooling steps without any loss in performance. Finally, it was demonstrated that indirect convective cooling is far superior to direct feed cooling

Neurofeedback Training in Schizophrenia: A Study on Executive Functioning

The present study was designed to investigate the viability of neurofeedback training which entails the acquisition of effortful learning skills to gain volitional control on electrocortical activity in order to ameliorate executive function of schizophrenic patients. In this pre-test post-test design 30 schizophrenic male inpatients were selected out of which fifteen were trained to inhibit delta and theta at frontal cortex and reward SMR at vertex. Wisconsin Card Sorting Test was administered prior and after the training stage. Descriptive methods were used and P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. The results revealed significant improvement in executive functioning measures in experimental group relative to the control group. Our finding suggests that being the prime feature of the disorder does not necessarily imply intractability.  It was once believed that schizophrenic patients could not learn to modify their bioelectrical functioning while the findings of the current research prompted a re-thinking

Neurofeedback Training in Schizophrenia: A Study on Executive Functioning

The present study was designed to investigate the viability of neurofeedback training which entails the acquisition of effortful learning skills to gain volitional control on electrocortical activity in order to ameliorate executive function of schizophrenic patients. In this pre-test post-test design 30 schizophrenic male inpatients were selected out of which fifteen were trained to inhibit delta and theta at frontal cortex and reward SMR at vertex. Wisconsin Card Sorting Test was administered prior and after the training stage. Descriptive methods were used and P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. The results revealed significant improvement in executive functioning measures in experimental group relative to the control group. Our finding suggests that being the prime feature of the disorder does not necessarily imply intractability.  It was once believed that schizophrenic patients could not learn to modify their bioelectrical functioning while the findings of the current research prompted a re-thinking

Opposite magnetic polarity of two photospheric lines in single spectrum of the quiet Sun

We study the structure of the photospheric magnetic field of the quiet Sun by investigating weak spectro-polarimetric signals. We took a sequence of Stokes spectra of the Fe I 630.15 nm and 630.25 nm lines in a region of quiet Sun near the disk center, using the POLIS spectro-polarimeter at the German VTT on Tenerife. The line cores of these two lines form at different heights in the atmosphere. The 3$\sigma$ noise level of the data is about 1.8 $\times 10^{-3} I_{c}$. We present co-temporal and co-spatial Stokes-$V$ profiles of the Fe I 630 nm line pair, where the two lines show opposite polarities in a single spectrum. We compute synthetic line profiles and reproduce these spectra with a two-component model atmosphere: a non-magnetic component and a magnetic component. The magnetic component consists of two magnetic layers with opposite polarity: the upper one moves upwards while the lower one moves downward. In-between, there is a region of enhanced temperature. The Stokes-$V$ line pair of opposite polarity in a single spectrum can be understood as a magnetic reconnection event in the solar photosphere. We demonstrate that such a scenario is realistic, but the solution may not be unique.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, accepted in Astronomy & Astrophysics Letter

Attenuation of hemodynamic responses to laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation: Propacetamol versus lidocaine - A randomized clinical trial

The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of propacetamol on attenuating hemodynamic responses subsequent laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation compared to lidocaine. In this randomized clinical trial, 62 patients with the American Anesthesiologists Society (ASA) class I/II who required laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation for elective surgery were assigned to receive propacetamol 2 g/I.V./infusion (group P) or lidocaine 1.5 mg/kg (group L) prior to laryngoscopy. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP, DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and heart rate (HR) were recorded at baseline, before laryngoscopy and within nine minutes after intubation. In both groups P and L, MAP increased after laryngoscopy and the changes were statistically significant (P < 0.001). There were significant changes of HR in both groups after intubation (P < 0.02), but the trend of changes was different between two groups (P < 0.001). In group L, HR increased after intubation and its change was statistically significant within 9 minutes after intubation (P < 0.001), while in group P, HR remained stable after intubation (P = 0.8). Propacetamol 2 gr one hour prior intubation attenuates heart rate responses after laryngoscopy but is not effective to prevent acute alterations in blood pressure after intubation. © 2014 Ali Kord Valeshabad et al

Analysis of Sequential Adsorption-Oxidation of VOCs on Atomic Layer-Deposited PtNi/ZrO2-SiO2Dual-Function Materials

To develop efficient dual-function materials (DFMs) for capture and destruction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), we prepared a series of composite materials comprising PtNi nanoparticles supported on ZrO2-promoted SiO2(PtNi/ZrO2-SiO2) via atomic layer deposition (ALD) method and investigated them for sequential adsorption and desorption/catalytic oxidation of benzene, as a model VOC compound. ZrO2was first deposited on a unimodal SiO2support, followed by deposition of Pt and Ni nanoparticles with varried amount. Dynamic adsorption experiments were conducted using a 500 ppmv-laden feed at 25 °C and 1 atm, followed by in situ catalytic oxidation at 200 °C. Among the DFMs investigated, 1Pt2Ni/ZrSi emerged as the material with overall in situ conversion of ∼96% due to its retaively high PtNi acid sites density compared with other DFMs. Kinetic analysis was conducted on 1Pt2Ni/ZrSi by investigating the effects of feed concentration, regenerative feed flow rate, and oxidation temperature on the benzene conversion in the sequential adsorption-oxidation process. The results of the kinetic analysis revealed that a complete oxidation can be attained over 1Pt2Ni/ZrSi and its performance can be improved upon decreasing adsorptive feed benzene concentration (maximum value of 99.7% at 125 ppmv) and regenerative feed flow rate (100% at 5 mL/min), and increasing oxidation temperature (100% at 200 °C). Overall, the obtained results highlighted the optimal operation conditions for sequential adsorption and oxidation of VOCs over ALD-based DFMs

Atomic Layer Deposited Pt/TiO2-SiO2 and Pt/ZrO2-SiO2 for Sequential Adsorption and Oxidation of VOCs

In this work, Pt nanoparticles were loaded on SiO2, TiO2-thin-film-modified SiO2 (TiO2-SiO2), or ZrO2-thin-film-modified SiO2 (ZrO2-SiO2) particles and the composites were investigated for sequential adsorption and desorption/catalytic oxidation of benzene. The SiO2 was prepared via sol–gel method, while TiO2-SiO2 and ZrO2-SiO2 were synthesized via atomic layer deposition (ALD) thin film coating of TiO2 or ZrO2 on SiO2 particles substrate. In the sequential capture-reaction tests, the materials were first exposed to ca. 500 ppmv benzene gas at 25 °C and 1 atm until 5% breakthrough was attained, followed by tandem desorption and catalytic oxidation while raising bed temperature to 200 °C. The benzene vapor adsorption isotherms followed type-IV isotherm classification, revealing a combination of monolayer, multilayer and capillary condensation adsorption mechanisms in sequence. The xPt/ZrO2-SiO2 materials exhibited superior capture-conversion capabilities relative to their xPt/TiO2-SiO2. In particular, 3Pt/ZrO2-SiO2, prepared with 3 cycles of Pt ALD, exhibited the maximum in-situ conversion at ∼ 100% and turnover frequency of 17.1 mmolC6H6/molPt/s with a dynamic adsorption capacity of 0.45 mmol/g, indicating synergistic effects of Pt nanoparticles and ZrO2 in the ALD-based dual-function materials

Demonstration Of High Detoxification Efficiency Of Glassy Polymer-Metal Hydroxide Composites Toward Chemical Warfare Agent Simulants

The design and development of polymeric composites that can effectively capture and destruct toxic chemicals with a fast detoxification rate is of high importance for protecting the military, first responders, and civilians. Here we report the synthesis and assessment of zirconium hydroxide (Zr (OH)4)-incorporated Ultem, Matrimid, and PIM-1 composites for detoxification of dimethyl 4-nitrophenylphosphonate (DMNP), as a type G toxic nerve agent simulant. Maintaining homogeneity, three different loadings (8, 20, 30 wt %) of Zr (OH)4 were incorporated into the polymers, and the thin films of composite materials were developed for subsequent hydrolysis tests. Our results indicated that increasing the Zr (OH)4 loading enhances the hydrolysis rate and the amount of DMNP converted for all three polymers. While the surface area and porosity of PIM-1 reduced upon increasing Zr (OH)4 loading, 30%-Zr (OH)4@PIM-1 was found to be the best performing material to achieve ∼100% conversion in 2 h with a hydrolysis rate of 5.5 x 10-3 μmol/s at room temperature. It was also observed that the performance of 30%-Zr (OH)4@PIM-1 is drastically improved at 60 °C by exhibiting a conversion rate of 4.9 μmol/s, while achieving 100% conversion almost instantaneously (within 5 s). Our findings represent a substantial improvement of this class of materials over previously reported polymer-metal hydroxide composites toward the detoxification of toxic gases

MiR-144: A new possible therapeutic target and diagnostic/prognostic tool in cancers

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small and non-coding RNAs that display aberrant expression in the tissue and plasma of cancer patients when tested in comparison to healthy individuals. In past decades, research data proposed that miRNAs could be diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in cancer patients. It has been confirmed that miRNAs can act either as oncogenes by silencing tumor inhibitors or as tumor suppressors by targeting oncoproteins. MiR-144s are located in the chromosomal region 17q11.2, which is subject to significant damage in many types of cancers. In this review, we assess the involvement of miR-144s in several cancer types by illustrating the possible target genes that are related to each cancer, and we also briefly describe the clinical applications of miR-144s as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in cancers