Applying Membrane Distillation for the Recovery of Nitrate from Saline Water Using PVDF Membranes Modified as Superhydrophobic Membranes.

In this study, a flat sheet direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) module was designed to eliminate nitrate from water. A polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane was used in a DCMD process at an ambient pressure and at a temperature lower than the boiling point of water. The electrical conductivity of the feed containing nitrate increased, while the electrical conductivity of the permeate remained constant during the entire process. The results indicated that the nitrate ions failed to pass through the membrane and their concentration in the feed increased as pure water passed through the membrane. Consequently, the membrane was modified using TiO2 nanoparticles to make a hierarchical surface with multi-layer roughness on the micro/nanoscales. Furthermore, 1H,1H,2H,2H-Perfluorododecyltrichlorosilane (FTCS) was added to the modified surface to change its hydrophobic properties into superhydrophobic properties and to improve its performance. The results for both membranes were compared and reported on a pilot scale using MATLAB. In the experimental scale (a membrane surface area of 0.0014 m2, temperature of 77 °C, nitrate concentration of 0.9 g/Kg, and flow rate of 0.0032 Kg/s), the flux was 2.3 Kgm-2h-1. The simulation results of MATLAB using these data showed that for the removal of nitrate (with a concentration of 35 g/Kg) from the intake feed with a flow rate of 1 Kg/s and flux of 0.96 Kgm-2h-1, a membrane surface area of 0.5 m2 was needed

A new nickel-based co-crystal complex electrocatalyst amplified by NiO dope Pt nanostructure hybrid; a highly sensitive approach for determination of cysteamine in the presence of serotonin.

A highly sensitive electrocatalytic sensor was designed and fabricated by the incorporation of NiO dope Pt nanostructure hybrid (NiO-Pt-H) as conductive mediator, bis (1,10 phenanthroline) (1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione) nickel(II) hexafluorophosphate (B,1,10,P,1,10, PDNiPF6), and electrocatalyst into carbon paste electrode (CPE) matrix for the determination of cysteamine. The NiO-Pt-H was synthesized by one-pot synthesis strategy and characterized by XRD, elemental mapping analysis (MAP), and FESEM methods. The characterization data, which confirmed good purity and spherical shape with a diameter of ⁓ 30.64 nm for the synthesized NiO-Pt-H. NiO-Pt-H/B,1,10, P,1,10, PDNiPF6/CPE, showed an excellent catalytic activity and was used as a powerful tool for the determination of cysteamine in the presence of serotonin. The NiO-Pt-H/B,1,10, P,1,10, PDNiPF6/CPE was able to solve the overlap problem of the two drug signals and was used for the determination of cysteamine and serotonin in concentration ranges of 0.003-200 µM and 0.5-260 µM with detection limits of 0.5 nM and 0.1 µM, using square wave voltammetric method, respectively. The NiO-Pt-H/B,1,10,P,1,10,PDNiPF6/CPE showed a high-performance ability for the determination of cysteamine and serotonin in the drug and pharmaceutical serum samples with the recovery data of 98.1-103.06%

A chemiluminescent method for the detection of H 2 O 2 and glucose based on intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of WS 2 quantum dots

Currently, researchers are looking for nanomaterials with peroxidase-like activity to replace natural peroxidase enzymes. For this purpose, WS 2 quantum dots (WS 2 QDs) were synthesized via a solvothermal method, which improved the mimetic behavior. The resulting WS 2 QDs with a size of 1�1.5 nm had a high fluorescence emission, dependent on the excitation wavelength. WS 2 QDs with uniform morphology showed a high catalytic effect in destroying H 2 O 2 . The peroxidase-like activity of synthesized nanostructures was studied in H 2 O 2 chemical and electrochemical reduction systems. The mimetic effect of WS 2 QDs was also shown in an H 2 O 2 �rhodamine B (RB) chemiluminescence system. For this aim, a stopped-flow chemiluminescence (CL) detection system was applied. Also, in order to confirm the peroxidase-like effect of quantum dots, colorimetry and electrochemical techniques were used. In the enzymatic reaction of glucose, H 2 O 2 is one of the products which can be determined. Under optimum conditions, H 2 O 2 can be detected in the concentration range of 0�1000 nmol·L � 1 , with a detection limit of 2.4 nmol·L � 1 . Using this CL assay, a linear relationship was obtained between the intensity of the CL emission and glucose concentration in the range of 0.01�30 nmol·L � 1 , with a limit of detection (3S) of 4.2 nmol·L � 1 © 2019 by the authors

A Chemiluminescent Method for the Detection of H�O� and Glucose Based on Intrinsic Peroxidase-Like Activity of WS� Quantum Dots

Currently, researchers are looking for nanomaterials with peroxidase-like activity to replace natural peroxidase enzymes. For this purpose, WS� quantum dots (WS� QDs) were synthesized via a solvothermal method, which improved the mimetic behavior. The resulting WS� QDs with a size of 1�1.5 nm had a high fluorescence emission, dependent on the excitation wavelength. WS� QDs with uniform morphology showed a high catalytic effect in destroying H�O�. The peroxidase-like activity of synthesized nanostructures was studied in H�O� chemical and electrochemical reduction systems. The mimetic effect of WS� QDs was also shown in an H�O��rhodamine B (RB) chemiluminescence system. For this aim, a stopped-flow chemiluminescence (CL) detection system was applied. Also, in order to confirm the peroxidase-like effect of quantum dots, colorimetry and electrochemical techniques were used. In the enzymatic reaction of glucose, H�O� is one of the products which can be determined. Under optimum conditions, H�O� can be detected in the concentration range of 0�1000 nmol·L-1, with a detection limit of 2.4 nmol·L-1. Using this CL assay, a linear relationship was obtained between the intensity of the CL emission and glucose concentration in the range of 0.01�30 nmol·L-1, with a limit of detection (3S) of 4.2 nmol·L-1

Motion-compensated noninvasive periodontal health monitoring using handheld and motor-based photoacoustic-ultrasound imaging systems

Simultaneous visualization of the teeth and periodontium is of significant clinical interest for image-based monitoring of periodontal health. We recently reported the application of a dual-modality photoacoustic-ultrasound (PA-US) imaging system for resolving periodontal anatomy and periodontal pocket depths in humans. This work utilized a linear array transducer attached to a stepper motor to generate 3D images via maximum intensity projection. This prior work also used a medical head immobilizer to reduce artifacts during volume rendering caused by motion from the subject (e.g., breathing, minor head movements). However, this solution does not completely eliminate motion artifacts while also complicating the imaging procedure and causing patient discomfort. To address this issue, we report the implementation of an image registration technique to correctly align B-mode PA-US images and generate artifact-free 2D cross-sections. Application of the deshaking technique to PA phantoms revealed 80% similarity to the ground truth when shaking was intentionally applied during stepper motor scans. Images from handheld sweeps could also be deshaken using an LED PA-US scanner. In ex vivo porcine mandibles, pigmentation of the enamel was well-estimated within 0.1 mm error. The pocket depth measured in a healthy human subject was also in good agreement with our prior study. This report demonstrates that a modality-independent registration technique can be applied to clinically relevant PA-US scans of the periodontium to reduce operator burden of skill and subject discomfort while showing pot

A multidisciplinary consensus on the morphological and functional responses to immunotherapy treatment

The implementation of immunotherapy has radically changed the treatment of oncological patients. Currently, immunotherapy is indicated in the treatment of patients with head and neck tumors, melanoma, lung cancer, bladder tumors, colon cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, liver cancer, leukemia and lymphomas. However, its efficacy is restricted to a limited number of cases. The challenge is, therefore, to identify which subset of patients would benefit from immunotherapy. To this end, the establishment of immunotherapy response criteria and predictive and prognostic biomarkers is of paramount interest. In this report, a group of experts of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), the Spanish Society of Medical Radiology (SERAM), and Spanish Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SEMNIM) provide an up-to-date review and a consensus guide on these issues

A miniaturized piezoresistive flow sensor for real-time monitoring of intravenous infusion.

Drug overdose (DO) is considered one of the current issues of intravenous (IV) infusion particularly resulting in serious injuries and deaths. Malfunction of infusion pumps is reported as the main cause of the drug overdose. Live monitoring and flow rate calculation by health professionals have been practicing to avoid DO. However, human errors and miscalculations are inevitable. A secondary measurement tool is required to avoid the risk of OD when infusion pump malfunctions cannot be detected immediately. Here, inspired by nature, we developed a real-time monitoring device through which an administrator can review, evaluate, and modify the IV infusion process. Our flow sensor possesses an erected polymer hair cell on a multi-layered silicon base forming from a patterned gold strained gauge layer on a piezoresistive liquid crystal polymer (LCP) membrane. Gold strain gauges on an LCP membrane have been used instead of a piezoresistive silicon membrane as the sensing element. The combination of gold strain gauges and LCP membrane provides better sensitivity than a piezoresistive silicon membrane of the same dimensions and thickness. We also miniaturized our biocompatible sensor such that it can be possible to install it inside the IV tube in contact with the liquid providing an in-suite online flow monitoring. The proposed LCP membrane sensor is compared with two commercially available IV sensors to validate its flow sensing ability. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed sensor provides a low threshold detection limit of 5 mL/hr, which betters the performance of other commercial sensors at low flow rates

Anti-coking freeze-dried NiMgAl catalysts for dry and steam reforming of methane

Finding supported nickel catalysts with high activity and stability is yet a challenging aim for industrial applications. In this work, we synthesized a surface defect-promoted Ni catalyst supported on Mg/Al hydrotalcite via a freeze-dried method instead of calcination. This approach leads to the increase in oxygen vacancies, which is attributed to the high dispersion of active sites after adding samarium. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements demonstrate a homogeneous layered double hydroxide (LDH) structure without the formation of any oxides. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy images (FE-SEM) illustrated that the samarium-promoted NiMgAl catalyst possesses a scaffold structure with surface defects and oxygen vacancies compared to the unpromoted NiMgAl catalyst which confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Moreover, the impact of the samarium incorporation on the physicochemical features of NiMgAl catalysts was investigated for catalytic activity in dry and steam reforming of methane at 700 °C. NiMgAl-Sm catalyst showed the highest conversion of CH4 (72%) and stability without any carbon formation during 20 h of time on stream in dry reforming process. because the strong metal–support interaction inhibits the sintering of nanocatalysts at 700 °C and the scaffold structure increases the mass transportation of feedstock and products. © 2021 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistr

Mesopourous Fe3O4@SiO2-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite: Green sonochemical synthesis using strawberry fruit extract as a capping agent, characterization and their application in sulfasalazine delivery and cytotoxicity

The present study introduces a simple, biocompatible and effective drug delivery system by using mesoporous nanocomposite-based platform. To achieve this goal, mesopourous Fe3O4@SiO2-hydroxyapatite nanocomposite (mFSH) was synthesized by sonochemical process in presence of strawberry fruit extract as capping agent (mFSH-SW). The impact of various factors such as sonication time (5, 15, 30 and 45 min), capping agent (cherry (CH), strawberry (SW), malus domestica (MD), andean blackberry (AB)), pH (10, 11 and 12) and sonication power (30, 60 and 80 W) were investigated to reach optimum condition. To reach high efficiency of drug loading, mFSH was grafted with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES). Uniform, regular and spherical morphology of nanocomposite were specified by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), dynamic light scattering (DLS), nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherm and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques. The mean pore size, surface area, and pore volume of mFSH-SW were 63.2 m2 g−1, 14.1 nm and 0.24 cm3 g−1, respectively. Sulfasalazine (SLN) loading and release were carried out by various products. The functionalized mFSH-SW showed high adsorption capacity (approximately 59.1 ) for SLN that possesses amino functional groups. The results showed that 100 of SLN-loaded nanocomposite could be released after 36 h at intestinal conditions (pH = 6.8). In addition, in-vitro and in-vivo toxicity investigations of product were performed with apoptosis/necrosis, XTT and pathology assay, respectively. All in all, unique properties of the nanocomposite including low toxicity, high drug loading, slow release and biodegradable showed that it can be used in biomedical sciences. © 2020 Elsevier B.V