A Comparative Study of the Oxidation and Wet Chemical Methods for Uncapping the Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are generally capped at either end with a half of a fullerene. Hence, for storing different materials into the hollow space of CNTs, their caps need to be removed in the first step. In this study, we studied both the oxidation and wet chemical (acid-based) methods for opening the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). In The oxidation method, 250 mg of CNTs were heated at 810 °C for 15 minutes in the air, and yielded about 56 % opened CNTs, while 78 % weight loss was recorded. The second sample with the same weight of the sample 1 was treated at 780 °C for 15 min. The weight loss and yielded uncapped CNTs were recorded 36 % and 47 %, respectively. The 780 °C was observed to be more appropriate than the higher temperature. In the acid-based method, the CNTs were refluxed in boiling nitric acid (65 % analar grade) at 110 °C for 12 h. In this case, about 80 % of the CNTs were thoroughly opened without any weight loss. The acid-based method was finally deduced to be more economical and efficient than the oxidation method. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/3094

Uncapping Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Using Wet Chemical and Oxidation Methods

Different materials can be introduced into hollow space of carbon nanotubes and result in very useful nanostructures for different applications such as energy storage, self-healing materials, nanocomposites, etc. In this study, the multi-walled carbon nanotubes were uncapped using two methods, oxidation with carbon dioxide or oxygen at elevated temperatures, and boiling carbon nanotubes in concentrated nitric acid chemical method was found to be more effective than the oxidation method, since the number of opened nanotubes was about 60 % more than that in oxidation method. Furthermore, unlike the oxidation method, no weight loss was observed in the chemical method. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/3506

A single-center non-blinded randomized clinical trial to assess the safety and effectiveness of PhR160 spray in the treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia

7-16COVID-19 is an emerging pandemic that caused a very widespread infection with more than 1000000 cases in Iran within a year. The main cause of mortality among patients with COVID-19 is pulmonary failure. In Iranian Traditional Medicine, essences have been used for curing pulmonary diseases. Pinen-Hydronoplacton-Ribonucleic acid (PHR) is an inhaler spray made of seven different plants, which all are used by humans and have desirable pharmacological features for treating pulmonary symptoms of COVID-19 patients. This study was conducted to assess the safety and effectiveness of PHR160 spray in improving pulmonary symptoms of COVID-19 patients. This was a single-centre, non-blinded randomized clinical trial with two parallel groups in two different wards of Baqiyatallah hospital, Tehran, Iran. Participants were 63 male patients diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia, divided into 2 groups of 32 in the intervention group and 31 in the control group. The intervention group received 5 days of PHR160 spray, 10 puffs each day, 300 micrograms in each puff in addition to the routine treatment. Oxygen saturation was measured by a pulse oximeter, every six hours and recorded daily. This study showed that administration of PhR 160 in patients of COVID-19 was safe, and it significantly increased the arterial oxygen saturation percentage in COVID-19 patients. In addition, it decreased hospitalization duration, dyspnea score, and cough score significantly in the patients. The statistical modelling test, with adjusting the age and respiratory rate for baseline and 4 days of the intervention, shows that the oxygen saturation percentage mean was significantly more in the intervention group by 5.14 units (p<0.001)

Comparison of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) Responses to Different Endurance Training Intensities in Runner Men

Aims: Blood neurotrophins, such as Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), mediate exercise- induced health benefits in humans. The purpose of this study was to compare the response of BDNF and IGF-1 to different endurance training intensities in runner men. Materials & Methods: In this semi-experimental study with pre-test-posttest design in 2015, 10 people of male runners from Gorgan were selected through purposeful and accessible sampling. The endurance training protocol was 6 km running with moderate (70-75% of heart rate reserve) or severe (80-85% of heart rate reserve) intensity, which was performed within a week's interval. Fasting blood samples were collected before and immediately after both acute training sessions and serum levels of BDNF and IGF-1 were measured by ELISA and radioimmunoassay enzyme. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20 software using independent t-test and paired t-test. Findings: Both acute endurance training significantly increased serum levels of BDNF and IGF-1 in runners, but high intensity endurance exercises increased BDNF levels in comparison with moderate intensity (p0.05). Conclusion: Serum BDNF response in endurance athletes is affected by the intensity of exercise, so that the effect of high intensity endurance training on BDNF levels is greater than moderate intensity exercise, but the response of IGF-1 to acute endurance training is independent of the intensity of exercise

Effect of contraceptive pills on the activity status of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in healthy subjects

Background: Experimental evidences suggest that metabolic activation and conversion of oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) to reactive species are responsible for their genotoxicity. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of low-dose (LD) OCPs on the activities of erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in OCP consumers. Study Design: Enzyme activities were assayed spectrophotometrically in 50 healthy women with normal menstrual cycles who served as the control group and 50 women taking LD OCPs. Results: The pooled data obtained for erythrocyte GPX activity in OCP consumers (50.05±14.9 U/g of Hb) was significantly higher (+15.4, p=.015) than in the control group (42.33±16.31 U/g of Hb), but the same comparison for SOD activity between the control group (83.46±23.97 U/g of Hb) and women receiving OCPs (81.83±23.97 U/g of Hb) showed an insignificant (-2, p=.699) decrease. The duration of intake of OCPs beyond 36 months had an effect on the magnitude of the increase (+16.2) and the decrease (-11) in GPx and SOD activities, respectively. There was a significant and considerable (not significant) correlation between the activities of GPx (p=.039) and SOD (p=.102) with the duration of OCP consumption, respectively. Conclusion: These findings suggested that OCPs may stimulate or reduce the activities of GPx and SOD enzymes, respectively. This may be due to an effect of these pills on bone marrow erythroblast maturation via stimulation or inhibition of the synthesis of new active GPx and SOD molecules or may be a result of the increased frequency of an allele of the GPx and SOD enzymes. It is suggested that these alterations in GPx and SOD activities may be related to their probable protective effects in response to various pathological and physiological properties of OCPs. It seems that probably free radicals produced during metabolism of OCPs provoke the activity of antioxidant enzymes. © 2011 Elsevier Inc

The seismogenic fault system of the 2017 <i>M</i>_w 7.3 Iran–Iraq earthquake: constraints from surface and subsurface data, cross-section balancing, and restoration

The 2017 Mw 7.3 Iran–Iraq earthquake occurred in a region where the pattern of major plate convergence is well constrained, but limited information is available on the seismogenic structures. Geological observations, interpretation of seismic reflection profiles, and well data are used in this paper to build a regional, balanced cross section that provides a comprehensive picture of the geometry and dimensional parameters of active faults in the hypocentral area. Our results indicate (i) the coexistence of thin- and thick-skinned thrusting, (ii) the reactivation of inherited structures, and (iii) the occurrence of weak units promoting heterogeneous deformation within the palaeo-Cenozoic sedimentary cover and partial decoupling from the underlying basement. According to our study, the main shock of the November 2017 seismic sequence is located within the basement, along the low-angle Mountain Front Fault. Aftershocks unzipped the up-dip portion of the same fault. This merges with a detachment level located at the base of the Paleozoic succession, to form a crustal-scale fault-bend anticline. Size and geometry of the Mountain Front Fault are consistent with a down-dip rupture width of 30 km, which is required for an Mw 7.3 earthquake

It is possible for people diagnosed with schizophrenia to recover

Services that support individuals with a diagnosis of Serious Mental Illness are called upon to deliver services that seek to promote their recovery.The National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE, 2005), have been working towards defining the key features of what a recovery oriented service should look like. Optimistic as it may seem, services are a long way to undoing the effects of institutionalisation in the lives of many service users. This article provides an account of an evaluation of a Recovery Group designed to introduce participants to the recovery paradigm, in an attempt to help enhance their hopefulness about their future. It was hypothesised that when people are hopeful about achieving their goals, then they will become more motivated to pursue meaningful activities. An eight week group was conducted using outcome measures such as the Beck Hopelessness scale (1974), Lancashire Quality of Life scale, Bradburn Affect Scale and Cantill’s Life Ladder. Seven mental health service users from a Rehabilitation Inpatient Unit, and Community Team participated in the Recovery group, of whom four service users completed the programme. Despite methodological limitations of this evaluation some improvements were noted for the service users in terms of improved quality of life, a sense of optimism for the future and improved psychological well-being