Enhanced catalytic performance of MnxOy-Na2WO4/SiO2 for the oxidative coupling of methane using an ordered mesoporous silica support

The oxidative coupling of methane is a highly promising reaction for its direct conversion. Silica supported MnxOy–Na2WO4 is a suitable catalyst for this reaction. In this study, a variety of different SiO2 materials have been tested as supports. Surprisingly, the application of ordered mesoporous silicas, here exemplarily shown for SBA-15 as support materials, greatly enhances the catalytic performance. The CH4 conversion increased two fold and also the C2 selectivity is strongly increased

Silica material variation for the Mn_xO_y-Na₂WO₄/SiO₂

The oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) is one of the best methods for the direct conversion of methane.Among the known OCM catalysts, MnxOy-Na2WO4/SiO2 is a promising candidate for an industrial appli-cation, showing a high methane conversion and C2 selectivity, with a good stability during long-termcatalytic activity tests. In the present study, some results have been already published and discussedbriefly in our previous short communication. However, we herein investigated comprehensively theinfluence of various silica support materials on the performance of the MnxOy-Na2WO4/SiO2 systemin the OCM by means of ex situ and in situ XRD, BET, SEM and TEM characterization methods andshowed new results to reveal possible support effects on the catalyst. The catalytic performance of most MnxOy-Na2WO4/SiO2 catalysts supported by different silica support materials did not differ substan-tially. However, the performance of the SBA-15 supported catalyst was outstanding and the methaneconversion was nearly twofold higher in comparison to the other silica supported catalysts at similar C2 selectivity as shown before in the communication. The reason of this substantial increase in performancecould be the ordered mesoporous structure of the SBA-15 support material, homogeneous dispersion ofactive components and high number of active sites responsible for the OCM

Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 by highly potent, hyperthermostable, and mutation-tolerant nanobodies

Monoclonal anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulins represent a treatment option for COVID-19. However, their production in mammalian cells is not scalable to meet the global demand. Single-domain (VHH) antibodies (also called nanobodies) provide an alternative suitable for microbial production. Using alpaca immune libraries against the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein, we isolated 45 infection-blocking VHH antibodies. These include nanobodies that can withstand 95°C. The most effective VHH antibody neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 at 17–50 pM concentration (0.2–0.7 µg per liter), binds the open and closed states of the Spike, and shows a tight RBD interaction in the X-ray and cryo-EM structures. The best VHH trimers neutralize even at 40 ng per liter. We constructed nanobody tandems and identified nanobody monomers that tolerate the K417N/T, E484K, N501Y, and L452R immune-escape mutations found in the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Epsilon, Iota, and Delta/Kappa lineages. We also demonstrate neutralization of the Beta strain at low-picomolar VHH concentrations. We further discovered VHH antibodies that enforce native folding of the RBD in the E. coli cytosol, where its folding normally fails. Such “fold-promoting” nanobodies may allow for simplified production of vaccines and their adaptation to viral escape-mutations

A Cross-Organizational Process Mining Framework for Obtaining Insights from Software Products: Accurate Comparison Challenges

Software vendors offer various software products to large numbers of enterprises to support their organization, in particular Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. Each of these enterprises use the same product for similar goals, albeit with different processes and configurations. Therefore, software vendors want to obtain insights into how the enterprises use the software product, what the differences are in usage between enterprises, and the reasons behind these differences. Cross-organizational process mining is a possible solution to address these needs, as it aims at comparing enterprises based on their usage. In this paper, we present a novel Cross-Organizational Process Mining Framework which takes as input, besides event log, semantics (meaning of terms in an enterprise) and organizational context (characteristics of an enterprise). The framework provides reasoning capabilities to determine what to compare and how. Besides, the framework enables one to create a catalog of metrics by deducing diagnostics from the usage. By using this catalog, the framework can monitor the (positive) effects of changes on processes. An enterprise operating in a similar context might also benefit from the same changes. To accommodate these improvement suggestions, the framework creates an improvement catalog of observed changes. Later, we provide a set of challenges which have to be met in order to obtain the inputs from current products to show the feasibility of the framework. Next to this, we provide preliminary results showing they can be met and illustrate an example application of the framework in cooperation with an ERP software vendor

Prevalence of sleep disorders in the Turkish adult population epidemiology of sleep study

Sleep disorders constitute an important public health problem. Prevalence of sleep disorders in Turkish adult population was investigated in a nationwide representative sample of 5021 Turkish adults (2598 women and 2423 men, response rate: 91%) by an interviewer‐administered questionnaire. Insomnia was defined by the DSM‐IV criteria, habitual snoring and risk for sleep‐related breathing disorders (SDB) by the Berlin questionnaire, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) by the Epworth sleepiness scale score, and restless legs syndrome (RLS) by the complaints according to the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group criteria. Mean age of the participants was 40.7 ± 15.1 (range 18 to 90) years. Prevalence rates (men/women) were insomnia 15.3% (10.5%/20.2%; P < 0.001), high probability of SDB 13.7% (11.1%/20.2%; P < 0.001), EDS 5.4% (5.0%/5.7%; P: 0.09), RLS 5.2% (3.0%/7.3%; P < 0.001). Aging and female gender were associated with higher prevalence of sleep disorders except for habitual snoring. Prevalence rates of the sleep disorders among Turkish adults based on the widely used questionnaires were close to the lower end of the previous estimates reported from different parts of the world. These findings would help for the assessment of the health burden of sleep disorders and addressing the risk groups for planning and implementation of health care

The training needs of Turkish emergency department personnel regarding intimate partner violence

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Violence against females is a widespread public health problem in Turkey and the lifetime prevalence of IPV ranges between 34 and 58.7%. Health care workers (HCW) sometimes have the unique opportunity and obligation to identify, treat, and educate females who are abused. The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of the emergency department (ED) staff regarding intimate partner violence (IPV) at a large university hospital in Turkey.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted in a large university hospital via questionnaire. The study population consisted of all the nurses and physicians who worked in the ED during a two month period (n = 215). The questionnaire response rate was 80.5% (41 nurses and 132 physicians). The main domains of the questionnaire were knowledge regarding the definition of IPV, clinical findings in victims of IPV, legal aspects of IPV, attitudes towards IPV, knowledge about the characteristics of IPV victims and abusers, and professional and personal experiences and training with respect to IPV.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>One-half of the study group were females, 76.3% were physicians, and 89.8% had no training on IPV. The majority of the nurses (89.5%) and physicians (71.1%) declared that they were aware of the clinical appearance of IPV. The mean of the knowledge scores on clinical knowledge were 8.84 ± 1.73 (range, 0–10) for acute conditions, and 4.51 ± 3.32 for chronic conditions. The mean of the knowledge score on legal procedures and the legal rights of the victims was 4.33 ± 1.66 (range, 0–7). At least one reason to justify physical violence was accepted by 69.0% of females and 84.7% of males, but more males than females tended to justify violence (chi square = 5.96; p = 0.015). However, both genders accepted that females who experienced physical violence should seek professional medical help.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study participants' knowledge about IPV was rather low and a training program is thus necessary on this issue. Attention must be given to the legal aspects and clinical manifestations of IPV. The training program should also include a module on gender roles in order to improve the attitudes towards IPV.</p