Stability of binary complexes of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II) with maleic acid in TX100-water mixtures

Binary complexes of maleic acid with toxic metal ions such as Pb(II), Cd(II) and Hg(II) have been studied in 0.0-2.5% v/v tritonX-100 (TX100) - water media at 303 K  at an ionic strength of 0.16 M. The active forms of the ligand are LH2, LH- and L2-. The derived ‘best fit’ chemical speciation models are based on crystallographic R-factors, χ2 and Skewness and Kurtosis factors. The predominant species formed are of the type ML2, ML2H and ML3. The trend in variation of complex stability constants with change in the mole fraction of the medium is explained on the basis of prevailing electrostatic and non-electrostatic forces. The species distribution as a function of pH at different compositions of TX100-water mixtures and plausible speciation equilibria are presented and discussed. KEY WORDS: Maleic acid, TritonX-100, Toxic metal ions, Mole fraction, Binary complexes Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2014, 28(3), 383-391.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v28i3.

Chemoattraction of bone marrow-derived stem cells towards human endometrial stromal cells is mediated by estradiol regulated CXCL12 and CXCR4 expression

AbstractBone marrow derived cells engraft to the uterine endometrium and contribute to endometriosis. The mechanism by which these cells are mobilized and directed to the endometrium has not been previously characterized. We demonstrate that human endometrial stromal cells (hESCs) produce the chemokine CXCL12 and that bone marrow cells (BMCs) express the CXCL12 receptor, CXCR4. Treatment with physiological levels of estradiol (E2) induced both CXCL12 and CXCR4 expression in hESCs and BMCs, respectively. BMCs migrated towards hESCs conditioned media; a CXCR4 antagonist blocked migration indicating that CXCL12 acting through its receptor, CXCR4, is necessary for chemoattraction of BM cells to human endometrial cells. E2 increased both CXCL12 expression in endometrial cells and CXCR4 expression in BM cells, further enhancing chemoattraction. E2 induced CXCL12/CXCR4 expression in endometrium and BM, respectively, drives migration of stem cells to the endometrium. The E2-CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling pathway may be useful in determining treatments for endometrial disorders, and may be antagonized to block stem cell migration to endometriosis

Determination of Tellurium(IV) in Various Environmental Samples with Spectrophotometry

A rapid, simple and sensitive spectrophotometer method for the determination of traces and ultra traces of tellurium(IV) were studied. These method were based on either the oxidation of leuco methylene green (LMG) to its blue form of methylene green by tellurium in acidic medium, the formed dye shows an absorption maximum at 650 nm in acetate buffer medium (pH 3.0 to 5.0). Beer’s law were obeyed in the concentration range 0.4-2.5 µg mL-1, having molar absorptivity and Sandal’s sensitivity of 4.9×104 L mol-1 cm-2 , and 0.0026 µg cm-2, respectively. The optimum reaction conditions and other analytical parameters were investigated to enhance the sensitivity of the present method. The tolerance limit of various ions with this method has been studied. The proposed method was applied for the analysis of tellurium in spiked, river, lake, spring, waste water samples, plant materials and soil samples. The results obtained by the proposed method were superior to the reported method. The performances of proposed methods were evaluated in terms of student’s ‘t’-test and variance ratio ‘f’-test which indicates the significance of proposed methods over reported methods

Bioelectricity generation using long-term operated biocathode: RFLP based microbial diversity analysis

FRH/BPD/33864/2009 UIDB/50006/2020 UIDP/50006/2020In the present work, power generation and substrate removal efficiencies of long-term operated microbial fuel cells, containing abiotic cathodes and biocathodes, were evaluated for 220 days. Among the two microbial fuel cell (MFC) types, the one containing biocathode showed higher power density (54 mW/m2), current density (122 mA/m2) coulombic efficiency (33%), and substrate removal efficiency (94%) than the abiotic cathode containing MFC. Voltammetric analysis also witnessed higher and sustainable electron discharge for the MFC with biocathode, when compared with the abiotic cathode MFC. Over the tested period, both MFC have shown a cell voltage drop, after 150 and 165, days, for the MFC with biocathode and abiotic cathodes, respectively. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis identified 281 clones. Bacteria belonging to Acinetobacter, Acidovorax, Pseudomonas and Burkholderia were observed in the abiotic cathode MFC. Bacteria belonging to Geobacter, Cupriavidus and Acidobacteria were observed in the biocathode MFC. Almost similar types of archaea (Methanosarcinales, Methanolinea, Nitrososphaera and Methanomicrobiales) were observed in both MFCs.publishersversionpublishe

Online) An Open Access

ABSTRACT Two models are said to be non-nested models, if one can not be derived as a special case of another. Much attention in classical statistics has been devoted to testing non-nested regression models. Within the classical framework, there are three alternative general approaches to test non-nested models namely, the use of specification error tests; the use of comprehensive model method; and the use of procedures based upon Keywords: Non-Nested Model, Studentized Residuals INTRODUCTION The selection of a good model is an art. The basic idea in statistics is how to select a good model for the purpose of the study. Once a model is given, however, there are statistical criteria to judge whether the given model is bad or not. Since, many models can explain the same set of data about equally well, a given set of data can be used to screen out bad models but not to generate good models, whatever statistical techniques are used. The subject of model selection is treated in classical statistics, which deals with the two topics of estimation and testing of hypotheses. The problem of determining an appropriate model based on a subset of the original set of variables contains three basic ingredients namely, i) The computational technique used to provide the information for the analysis; ii) The criterion used to analyze the variables and select a subset, if that is an appropriate; and iii) The estimation of coefficients in the final model. In model selection criteria, there may be two important problems those arising from nested and nonnested model structures. The nested models arise with, for instance, two models specified in such a way that one model is a special case of the other; the non-nested model arise when neither model follows as a special case of the other. The model selection criterion is a problem of choice among competing models. The choice of a model follows some preliminary data search. In the context of the linear model, it leads to the specification of explanatory variables that appear to be the most important on prior grounds. Often, some explanatory variables appear in one model and reappear in another model gives rise to the nested models; often again neither model, in the case of two models appears to be a special case of the other model gives rise to the non-nested models. In the process of choosing models, statisticians have developed a variety of diagnostic tests. These tests have been classified into two categories: (i) Tests of Nested Regression models, and (ii) Tests of Non-nested Regression models If a modelI can be derived as a special case of another modelII then modelI is said to be nested model within modelII. Two models are said to be non-nested models, if one can not be derived as a special case of another

Measuring Resilience in Adult Women Using the 10-Items Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Role of Trauma Exposure and Anxiety Disorders

International audiencePURPOSE: Resilience is the ability of individuals to adapt positively in the face of trauma. Little is known, however, about lifetime factors affecting resilience. METHODS: We assessed the effects of psychiatric disorder and lifetime trauma history on the resilience self-evaluation using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) in a high-risk-women sample. Two hundred and thirty eight community-dwelling women, including 122 participants in a study of breast cancer survivors and 116 participants without previous history of cancer completed the CD-RISC-10. Lifetime psychiatric symptoms were assessed retrospectively using two standardized psychiatric examinations (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and Watson's Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Inventory). RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression adjusted for age, education, trauma history, cancer, current psychiatric diagnoses, and psychoactive treatment indicated a negative association between current psychiatric disorder and high resilience compared to low resilience level (OR = 0.44, 95% CI [0.21-0.93]). This was related to anxiety and not mood disorder. A positive and independent association with a trauma history was also observed (OR = 3.18, 95% CI [1.44-7.01]). CONCLUSION: Self-evaluation of resilience is influenced by both current anxiety disorder and trauma history. The independent positive association between resilience and trauma exposure may indicate a "vaccination" effect. This finding need to be taken into account in future studies evaluating resilience in general or clinical populations

Acoustic Emission Studies of Bearing Failure in Composites

Superior structural performance of composites has been widely known to the aircraft industry for a long time now. The availability of advanced composite materials and a wide variety of material forms have attracted aircraft designers to adopt composites for the development of large primary and secondary aircraft structures. This growth of composites technology has and their acoustic signatures as they occur in laminated composites. Traditionally, the role of Non-Destructive Testing in quality assurance has been limited to defect detection. With advances in technology, Non-Destructive Testing has evolved into a multi-disciplinary science and has a critical role in ensuring quality and reliability. Of all the available Non-destructive Testing techniques, Acoustic Emission (AE) is probably the only technique that can be applied for monitoring damage initiation and propagation in real-time. Researchers have verified AE as a successful technique for detecting different micro-failures necessitated improvements in quality assurance during both manufacturing and in-service