Green Synthesis of High Temperature Stable Anatase Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Using Gum Kondagogu: Characterization and Solar Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dye

The present study reports a green and sustainable method for the synthesis of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) from titanium oxysulfate solution using Kondagogu gum (Cochlospermum gossypium), a carbohydrate polymer, as the NPs formation agent. The synthesized TiO2 NPs were categorized by techniques such as X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope- Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), UV-visible spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and particle size analysis. Additionally, the photocatalytic actions of TiO2 NPs were assessed with regard to their ability to degrade an organic dye (methylene blue) from aqueous solution in the presence of solar light. Various parameters affecting the photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 NPs were examined, including catalyst loading, reaction time, pH value and calcination temperature of the aforementioned particles. This green synthesis method involving TiO2 NPs explores the advantages of inexpensive and non-toxic precursors, the TiO2 NPs themselves exhibiting excellent photocatalytic activity against dye molecules

“Pleasure stolen from the poor”: community discourse on the ‘theft’ of a Banksy

The removal of street art from community walls for private auction is a morally problematic yet legal action. This paper examines community reactions to the removal of Banksy’s No Ball Games for private auction. 500 unique reader comments on online newspaper articles reporting this controversial event were collected and analysed. An emerging set of urban moral codes was used to position street art as a valuable community asset rather than as an index of crime and social decay. An older discourse depicted No Ball Games as unlawful graffiti that was rightfully removed. Here, the operations of ‘the police’ (Rancière, 1999) in the distribution of the sensible are evident in the assertions that validate and depoliticize the removal of No Ball Games. This repertoire was used to attribute responsibility for the work’s removal to deterministic external forces, while reducing the accountability attributable to those responsible for the removal of the work. A contrasting anti removal repertoire depicted street art as a gift to the community, and its removal as a form of theft, and a source of harm to the community. The pro-removal repertoire incorporates and depoliticizes elements of the anti-removal repertoire, by acknowledging the moral wrong of the removal, but yielding to the legal rights of the wall owners to sell the work; and by recognizing the status of street art as valuable, but asserting that the proper place for art is a museum. The anti-removal repertoire counters elements of the pro-removal repertoire, by acknowledging the illegality of street art, but containing this to the initial act of making unsanctioned marks on a wall, after which point the work becomes the property of the community it is located within. This analysis reveals an emergent set of urban moral codes that positions a currently legal action as a form of criminal activity

Assembly of the Inner Perivitelline Layer, a Homo log of the Mammalian Zona Pellucida: An Immunohistochemical and Ultrastructural Study

The avian inner perivitelline layer (IPVL), a homologous structure to the mammalian zona pellucida, is deposited between the granulosa cells and the oocyte cell membrane during folliculogenesis. The glycoprotein meshwork of the IPVL forms a 3-dimensional matrix and possesses important functions in the fertilization process: it contributes to the binding of avian spermatozoa to the oocyte and induces acrosomal exocytosis. In contrast to the zona pellucida of mammals, the IPVL does not prevent the physiological polyspermy found in birds. Previous studies have shown that in the Japanese quail (Cotumix japonica) at least 5 glycoproteins are constituents of the IPVL (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3, ZP4, and ZPD). In this study, we investigated the spatiotennporal assembly pattern of the IPVL during folliculogenesis using immunohistochemical and ultrastructural methods. The obtained results clearly show that these glycoproteins are incorporated into the IPVL at distinct points during follicular development, supporting the hypothesis that ZP2 and ZP4 form a type of prematrix into which ZP1, ZP3, and ZPD are integrated at a later stage of development. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base

Laser spectroscopy for breath analysis : towards clinical implementation

Detection and analysis of volatile compounds in exhaled breath represents an attractive tool for monitoring the metabolic status of a patient and disease diagnosis, since it is non-invasive and fast. Numerous studies have already demonstrated the benefit of breath analysis in clinical settings/applications and encouraged multidisciplinary research to reveal new insights regarding the origins, pathways, and pathophysiological roles of breath components. Many breath analysis methods are currently available to help explore these directions, ranging from mass spectrometry to laser-based spectroscopy and sensor arrays. This review presents an update of the current status of optical methods, using near and mid-infrared sources, for clinical breath gas analysis over the last decade and describes recent technological developments and their applications. The review includes: tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy, cavity ring-down spectroscopy, integrated cavity output spectroscopy, cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy, photoacoustic spectroscopy, quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy, and optical frequency comb spectroscopy. A SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) is presented that describes the laser-based techniques within the clinical framework of breath research and their appealing features for clinical use.Peer reviewe

Physical model tests for ship manoeuvring in ice

Ore carriers navigating through ice filled channels and icebreakers escorting cargo ships are two examples of ships which must manoeuvre in ice. Information about the manoeuvring ability of such ships is required for ship design, for voyage planning, and for personnel training. With numerical simulation the eventual goal, physical model tests are an essential step in determining ship manoeuvring equations and parameters.NRC publication: Ye

Classification of low voltage distribution networks by means of voltage distortion.

Determination of power quality becomes more and more important in the future. Low voltage networks are usually large and very complex. Therefore the calculation of power quality parameters by modeling as equivalent network is hardly possible in practice. That’s why new methods for efficient and exact estimation of power quality parameters in low voltage networks are necessary. The presented method is based on the fact that networks of similar structure have a similar behavior in power quality. The Points of Common Coupling (PCC) are divided into different classes, where each class consists of PCC’s with similar characteristics. This way the method allows the estimation of power quality levels based on the class a PCC is assigned to. The paper demonstrates the method for the 5th voltage harmonic as an example power quality parameter. The above-mentioned classification of substations is based on probabilistic neural networks

Structure of hydrogenase maturation protein HypF with reaction intermediates shows two active sites

[NiFe]-hydrogenases are multimeric proteins. The large subunit contains the NiFe(CN) 2CO bimetallic active center and the small subunit contains Fe-S clusters. Biosynthesis and assembly of the NiFe(CN) 2CO active center requires six Hyp accessory proteins. The synthesis of the CN - ligands is catalyzed by the combined actions of HypF and HypE using carbamoylphosphate as a substrate. We report the structure of Escherichia coli HypF(92-750) lacking the N-terminal acylphosphatase domain. HypF(92-750) comprises the novel Zn-finger domain, the nucleotide-binding YrdC-like domain, and the Kae1-like universal domain, also binding a nucleotide and a Zn 2+ ion. The two nucleotide-binding sites are sequestered in an internal cavity, facing each other and separated by 3c14 . The YrdC-like domain converts carbamoyl moiety to a carbamoyl adenylate intermediate, which is channeled to the Kae1-like domain. Mutations within either nucleotide-binding site compromise hydrogenase maturation but do not affect the carbamoylphosphate phosphatase activity. \ua9 2011 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye