Carbon dioxide captured by multi-walled carbon nanotube and activated charcoal: A comparative study

this study, the equilibrium adsorption of CO2 on activated charcoal (AC) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) were investigated. Experiments were performed at temperature range of 298-318 K and pressures up to 40 bars. The obtained results indicated that the equilibrium uptakes of CO2 by both adsorbents increased with increasing pressure and decreasing temperature. In spite of lower specific surface area, the maximum amount of CO2 uptake achieved by MWCNT at 298K and 40 bars were twice of CO2 capture by AC (15 mmol.g-1 compared to 7.93 mmol.g-1). The higher CO2 captured by MWCNT can be attributed to its higher pore volume and specific structure of MWCN T such as hollowness and light mass which had greater influence than specific surface area. The experimental data were analyzed by means of Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherm models. Following a simple acidic treatment procedure increased marginally CO2 capture by MWCNT over entire range of pressure, while for AC this effect appeared at higher pressures. Small values of isosteric heat of adsorption were evaluated based on Clausius-Clapeyron equation showed the physical nature of adsorption mechanism. The high amount of CO2 capture by MWCNT renders it as a promising carrier for practical applications such as gas separation

Evaluating the status of safety and environmental regulations in the laboratories of Golestan University of Medical Sciences in 2019

زمینه و اهداف: وجود انواع مختلف تجهیزات آزمایشگاهی و مواد شیمیایی و بیولوژیکی در آزمایشگاه‌های دانشگاه‌های علوم پزشکی موجب می‌شود تا برای جلوگیری از بروز حوادث احتمالی برنامه‌ریزی دقیق صورت گیرد. این مطالعه جهت ارزیابی وضعیت ايمني و زیست محیطی در آزمایشگاه‌های آموزشی پژوهشی و مطابقت آن با معیارهای استاندارد طراحی شد.   مواد و روش‌ها: در این مطالعه توصیفی برای ارزیابی وضعیت 17 آزمايشگاه دانشگاه علوم پزشكي گلستان ازنظر شرایط ساختمان، خطرات فيزيکي، شيميايي و بيولوژیكي، ایمنی و ارگونومي از چک لیست استاندارد وزرات بهداشت استفاده شد. داده‌ها از طریق مصاحبه و مشاهده در طی فروردین تا شهریور 1398 گردآوری و برای توصیف آن‌ها از SPSS20 استفاده شد. ملاحظات اخلاقی در تمام مراحل اجرای مطالعه رعایت شد.   یافته‌ها: نتایج نشان داد که بیش از 62 درصد مقررات ایمنی و الزامات زیست محیطی در آزمایشگاه‌های دانشگاه علوم پزشکی گلستان رعایت شد. میزان تطابق در بخش‌های ساختمان، خطرات فيزيکي، شيميايي، بيولوژیكي، ایمنی و ارگونومي به ترتیب 61، 70، 71، 59، 56 و 59 درصد بود. عدم جانمایی صحیح ساختمان آزمایشگاه و اختصاص فضای محدود از مشکلات اصلی این واحدها بود.   نتیجه‌گیری: شرایط ایمنی و زیست محیطی در آزمایشگاه‌های مورد مطالعه در محدوده توصیه شده وزارت بهداشت قرار داشت. با این حال، وجود برخی نواقص مثل خطرات مرتبط با سيلندر گاز و یا مواد شیمیایی و بیولوژیکی می‌تواند سلامت کارکنان و محیط زیست را تهدید نماید. لذا برنامه‌ریزی مناسب و اجرای مدیریت ایمن در آزمایشگاه‌های آموزشی و پژوهشی برای پیشگیری از بروز حوادث لازم است.Background and Aims: The existence of different types of laboratory equipment, as well as chemical and biological materials necessitate a careful planning to prevent possible accidents in the laboratories of medical sciences universities. This study set out to assess the safety and environmental status in educational-research laboratories and its compliance with regulatory criteria.   Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, a standardized checklist under the auspicious of the ministry of health was used to assess the situation of 17 laboratories of Golestan University of Medical Sciences in terms of building conditions, physical, chemical and biological hazards, as well as safety and ergonomic. Data were collected via interviews and observations during April to September 2019. SPSS 20 was used to describe obtained information. Ethical principles were observed in all steps of study.   Results: The results showed that more than 62% of safety regulations and environmental requirements were compatible in the laboratories of Golestan University of Medical Sciences. Compliance rates were 61%, 70%, 71%, 59%, 56% and 59% in the sectors of building, physical, chemical and biological hazards, safety and ergonomic, respectively. Lack of proper locating of the laboratory building and allocated limited space were the main problems of these units.   Conclusion:Safety and environmental status of studied laboratories was in the limit of recommended requirements by ministry of health. Nonetheless, the existence of some defects regarding the hazards related to gas cylinders or chemical and biological substances may threaten employee’s health and environment. Hence, an appropriate plan and safe management implementation is needed to prevent accident incidents in the educational-research laboratories

Image-Based Collection and Measurements for Construction Pay Items

Prior to each payment to contractors and suppliers, measurements are made to document the actual amount of pay items placed at the site. This manual process has substantial risk for personnel, and could be made more efficient and less prone to human errors. In this project a customized software tool package has been developed to address these concerns. The Pay Item Measurement (PIM) tool package is provided as two complementary tools, the Orthophoto Generation Tool and the Graphical Measurement Tool. PIM has been developed in close cooperation with the advisory committee and field engineers from INDOT, and is specifically designed to incorporate the typical actions that INDOT personnel follow. PIM is intended to generate orthophotos for measurements on a planar surface. User guidelines explain the process of how to collect suitable high-quality images, which is a critical step for successful orthophoto construction. INDOT will also use PIM to identify features and make annotations, and to readily compute distances, perimeters, and areas for documenting and recording. This customized tool package will be most useful, and accurate, when the user guidelines are followed. Several examples are included to demonstrate the characteristics of high-quality image sets that will be successful, and to also provide examples of sets that would fail. Step-by-step instructions are provided to demonstrate the correct use of the tool. An instructional video and sample digital image sets complement this report and tool package

Smart alginate inks for tissue engineering applications

Amazing achievements have been made in the field of tissue engineering during the past decades. However, we have not yet seen fully functional human heart, liver, brain, or kidney tissue emerge from the clinics. The promise of tissue engineering is thus still not fully unleashed. This is mainly related to the challenges associated with producing tissue constructs with similar complexity as native tissue. Bioprinting is an innovative technology that has been used to obliterate these obstacles. Nevertheless, natural organs are highly dynamic and can change shape over time; this is part of their functional repertoire inside the body. 3D-bioprinted tissue constructs should likewise adapt to their surrounding environment and not remain static. For this reason, the new trend in the field is 4D bioprinting – a new method that delivers printed constructs that can evolve their shape and function over time. A key lack of methodology for printing approaches is the scalability, easy-to-print, and intelligent inks. Alginate plays a vital role in driving innovative progress in 3D and 4D bioprinting due to its exceptional properties, scalability, and versatility. Alginate's ability to support 3D and 4D printing methods positions it as a key material for fueling advancements in bioprinting across various applications, from tissue engineering to regenerative medicine and beyond. Here, we review the current progress in designing scalable alginate (Alg) bioinks for 3D and 4D bioprinting in a "dry"/air state. Our focus is primarily on tissue engineering, however, these next-generation materials could be used in the emerging fields of soft robotics, bioelectronics, and cyborganics.</p

Comparing the Efficacy of Temperature-Controlled Radiofrequency Tonsil Ablation versus CO2-Laser Cryptolysis in the Treatment of Halitosis

Introduction: Halitosis and foreign body sensation are two common and disturbing symptoms of chronic caseous tonsillitis (CCT). The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of temperature-controlled radiofrequency (TC-RF) tonsil ablation with CO2-laser cryptolysis (CO2-LC) in the treatment of patients with halitosis caused by CCT.   Materials and Methods: Sixty-two patients who suffered from halitosis and/or foreign body sensation due to CCT were enrolled in the present randomized clinical trial, and were randomly assigned into two groups. Group A underwent TC-RF tonsil ablation and Group B received CO2-LC. The severity of symptoms including halitosis and foreign body sensation was reported 7 days, 1 month, and 6 months after the procedure. Patient pain levels and amount of bleeding were evaluated as safety outcome measures. Pain levels were evaluated during the intervention, and at Day 1, 3, and 7 following the procedure using a visual analog scale (VAS).   Results: Mean rank of pain score in the RF tonsil ablation group was found to be higher than in the CO2-LC group at all measured timepoints following the procedure. The amount of bleeding in the LC group was found to be significantly less than in the RF group (

The role of the medial geniculate body of the thalamus in the pathophysiology of tinnitus and implications for treatment

Tinnitus is an auditory sensation in the absence of actual external stimulation. Different clinical interventions are used in tinnitus treatment, but only few patients respond to available options. The lack of successful tinnitus treatment is partly due to the limited knowledge about the mechanisms underlying tinnitus. Recently, the auditory part of the thalamus has gained attention as a central structure in the neuropathophysiology of tinnitus. Increased thalamic spontaneous firing rate, bursting activity and oscillations, alongside an increase of GABAergic tonic inhibition have been shown in the auditory thalamus in animal models of tinnitus. In addition, clinical neuroimaging studies have shown structural and functional thalamic changes with tinnitus. This review provides a systematic overview and discussion of these observations that support a central role of the auditory thalamus in tinnitus. Based on this approach, a neuromodulative treatment option for tinnitus is proposed

Description, Host-specificity, and Strain Selectivity of the Dinoflagellate Parasite Parvilucifera sinerae sp.nov. (Perkinsozoa)

17 pages, 7 figures, 2 tablesA new species of parasite, Parvilucifera sinerae sp. nov., isolated froma bloomof the toxic Dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum in the harbor of Arenys de Mar (Mediterranean Sea, Spain), is described. This species is morphologically, behaviourally, and genetically (18S rDNA sequence) different from Parvilucifera infectans, until now the only species of the genus Parvilucifera to be genetically analyzed. Sequence análisis of the 18S ribosomal DNA supported P. Sinerae as a new species placed within the Perkinsozoa and close to P. infectans. Data on the seasonal occurrence of P. sinerae, its infective rates in natural and laboratory cultures, and intra-species strain-specific Resistance are presented. Life-cycle studies in field simples showed that the dinoflagellate resting zygote (restingcyst) was resistant to infection, but the mobile zygote (planozygote) orpelli clestage (temporary cyst) became infected. The effects of Light and salinity level son the growth of P. sinerae were examined, and the results showed that low salinity levels promote both sporangial germination and higher rates of infection. Our findings on this newly described parasite point to a complex host—parasite interaction and provide valuable information that leads to a reconsideration of the biological strategy to control dinoflagellate blooms by jeans of intentional parasitic infectionsThis research was funded by the EU Project SEED (GOCE-CT-2005-003875). R.I. Figueroa work is supported by a I3P contract and E. Garcés’ work is supported by a Ramon y Cajal grant, both from the Spanish Ministry of Education and SciencePeer reviewe