Characterisation and activity of mixed metal oxide catalysts for the gas-phase selective oxidation of toluene

Mixed metal bi-component oxide catalysts, including Fe/Mo, U/Mo, U/W, Fe/U, U/V and U/Sb have been prepared, characterised and evaluated for gas phase selective toluene oxidation. Selective toluene oxidation activity to form benzaldehyde was exhibited by Fe/Mo, U/Mo and U/W mixed oxide catalysts. The Fe/Mo catalyst produced the highest benzaldehyde yield. Catalysts that formed benzaldehyde also produced a range of by-products, these were other partial oxidation and coupling products, and preliminary studies of benzaldehyde oxidation suggests they were formed from secondary reactions of benzaldehyde. The Fe/U, Sb/U and U/V catalysts produced only total oxidation to carbon oxides. Catalysts were characterised by X-ray diffraction, laser Raman spectroscopy and temperature programmed reduction. Single molybdate phases were identified for the Fe/Mo and U/Mo catalysts, and a mixture of uranium molybdate and WO3 was identified for the U/W catalyst. Results suggest that the formation of a molybdate phase is important for the selective oxidation of toluene. In contrast, the U/Fe catalyst was a mixture of U3O8 and V2O5, whilst the Fe/U catalyst was comprised of highly dispersed iron oxide on UO3. The presence of U3O8 was responsible for toluene total oxidation. The U/Sb catalyst did not exhibit selective toluene oxidation, but previous studies have demonstrated that the catalyst exhibits high activity for selective propene oxidation. Similar behaviour has been observed for the other catalysts in this study, and it is apparent that catalysts that were selective for toluene oxidation were not selective for propene/propane oxidation and vice versa

Phonons and specific heat of linear dense phases of atoms physisorbed in the grooves of carbon nanotube bundles

The vibrational properties (phonons) of a one-dimensional periodic phase of atoms physisorbed in the external groove of the carbon nanotube bundle are studied. Analytical expressions for the phonon dispersion relations are derived. The derived expressions are applied to Xe, Kr and Ar adsorbates. The specific heat pertaining to dense phases of these adsorbates is calculated.Comment: 4 PS figure

Position paper of the National Osteoporosis Foundation of South Africa (NOFSA) on the use of parathyroid hormone (PTH 1-34) in the treatment of osteoporosis

No Abstract.Journal of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes of South Africa Vol. 10(2) 2005: 51-5

Influences of Hillslope Biogeochemistry on Anaerobic Soil Organic Matter Decomposition in a Tundra Watershed

We investigated rates and controls on greenhouse gas (CO2 and CH4) production in two contrasting water‐saturated tundra soils within a permafrost‐affected watershed near Nome, Alaska, United States. Three years of field sample analysis have shown that soil from a fen‐like area in the toeslope of the watershed had higher pH and higher porewater ion concentrations than soil collected from a bog‐like peat plateau at the top of the hillslope. The influence of these contrasting geochemical and topographic environments on CO2 and CH4 production was tested in soil microcosms by incubating both the organic‐ and mineral‐layer soils anaerobically for 55 days. Nitrogen (as NH4Cl) was added to half of the microcosms to test potential effects of N limitation on microbial greenhouse gas production. We found that the organic toeslope soils produced more CO2 and CH4, fueled by higher pH and higher concentrations of water‐extractable organic C (WEOC). Our results also indicate N limitation on CO2 production in the peat plateau soils but not the toeslope soils. Together these results suggest that the weathering and leaching of ions and nutrients from tundra hillslopes can increase the rate of anaerobic soil organic matter decomposition in downslope soils by (1) increasing the pH of soil porewater; (2) providing bioavailable WEOC and fermentation products such as acetate; and (3) relieving microbial N limitation through nutrient runoff. We conclude that the soil geochemistry as mediated by landscape position is an important factor influencing the rate and magnitude of greenhouse gas production in tundra soils

Ibuprofen Nanoparticles and its cytotoxicity on A549 and HaCaT cell lines

yesIbuprofen (IBF) is an outstanding non-steroidal drug for analgesic and anti-inflammatory therapies but it exhibits poor solubility in water [1, 2]. Increased dosage administration has been linked to gastrointestinal and cardiovascular complications [3]. Many techniques have been employed to improve the solubility of NSAIDs [4]. In this study, the anti-solvent precipitation method was used to make Ibuprofen nanoparticles (IBF NPs). Optimised preparation parameters such as solvent (ethanol), raw drug concentration (400 mg), solvent/anti-solvent ratio (1:50) and surfactant concentration (0.25 mg/ml) have been studied to yield nanoparticles with a mean size of 58.8 nm, which is confirmed by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. These IBF NPs posess increased aqueous solubility compared to the micro counterpart and maintain with chemical integrity indicated by high performance liquid chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition, in vitro cytotoxicity of IBF NPs has been studied on A549 and HaCat cell lines using MTT and LDH assays. Both cells were obtained from ATCC. The A549 cells were grown in a modification of Ham’s F-12, containing L-glutamine, called F-12K. The HaCaT cells were grown in DMEM containing sodium pyruvate (110 mg/l). Normal cell culture and sub-culture were applied and the cells were used after around 45 passages [5]. The cell culture media containing 105cells/ml were placed in a 96-well plate with addition of IBF NPs and Micro form at concentrations in the range of between 6 and 500 ug/ml by diluting them with DMEM and F-12K for use with the HaCaT and A549 cells respectively. After 24, 48 and 72h exposure, the MTT and LDH cytotoxicity assay were performed in triplicates and on three separate experiment cultures and the absorbance was recorded at 570 nm and 492nm respectively with Elisa micro plate reader. The cell viability (%) related to control (cells in culture medium without NPs) was calculated. A very good cytotoxicity profile was observed, indicating an in vitro cytocompatibility of the IBF NPs in these cell culture systems and no significant changes in cytotoxicity compared with Micro IBF. We conclude that our IBF NPs have increased solubility, same chemical integrity and unchanged cytotoxicity compared to IBF Micro drug. Further work will concentrate on optimising more rigorous parameter to produce excellent quality NPs. More detailed characterisation of IBF NPs is to be tested, such as using PXRD and SEM to further corroborate particle shape and size. The range of no toxic in vitro concentrations is also to be further confirmed. Eventually scaled up preparation of IBF NPs will be developed without relinquishing NPs quality. This would improve the potential for in vitro/ in vivo applications and clinical use of IBF NPs and NSAIDs in general

Mental health in UK Biobank: development, implementation and results from an online questionnaire completed by 157 366 participants

Background UK Biobank is a well-characterised cohort of over 500 000 participants that offers unique opportunities to investigate multiple diseases and risk factors. Aims An online mental health questionnaire completed by UK Biobank participants was expected to expand the potential for research into mental disorders. Method An expert working group designed the questionnaire, using established measures where possible, and consulting with a patient group regarding acceptability. Case definitions were defined using operational criteria for lifetime depression, mania, anxiety disorder, psychotic-like experiences and self-harm, as well as current post-traumatic stress and alcohol use disorders. Results 157 366 completed online questionnaires were available by August 2017. Comparison of self-reported diagnosed mental disorder with a contemporary study shows a similar prevalence, despite respondents being of higher average socioeconomic status than the general population across a range of indicators. Thirty-five per cent (55 750) of participants had at least one defined syndrome, of which lifetime depression was the most common at 24% (37 434). There was extensive comorbidity among the syndromes. Mental disorders were associated with high neuroticism score, adverse life events and long-term illness; addiction and bipolar affective disorder in particular were associated with measures of deprivation. Conclusions The questionnaire represents a very large mental health survey in itself, and the results presented here show high face validity, although caution is needed owing to selection bias. Built into UK Biobank, these data intersect with other health data to offer unparalleled potential for crosscutting biomedical research involving mental health

Vibrations of a chain of Xe atoms in a groove of carbon nanotube bundle

We present a lattice dynamics study of the vibrations of a linear chain of Xe adsorbates in groove positions of a bundle of carbon nanotubes. The characteristic phonon frequencies are calculated and the adsorbate polarization vectors discussed. Comparison of the present results with the ones previously published shows that the adsorbate vibrations cannot be treated as completely decoupled from the vibrations of carbon nanotubes and that a significant hybridization between the adsorbate and the tube modes occurs for phonons of large wavelengths.Comment: 3 PS figure

Enhanced activity and stability of Gold/Ceria-Titania for the low-temperature water-gas shift reaction

Gold supported on ceria-zirconia is one of the most active low temperature water-gas shift catalysts reported to date but rapid deactivation occurs under reaction conditions. In this study, ceria-titania was evaluated as an alternative catalyst support. Materials of different Ce:Ti compositions were synthesized using a sol-gel methodology and gold was supported onto these using a deposition-precipitation method. They were then investigated as catalysts for the low-temperature water-gas shift reaction. Au/Ce0.2Ti0.8O2 exhibited superior activity and stability to a highly active, previously reported gold catalyst supported on ceria-zirconia. High activity and stability was found to be related to the support comprising a high number of oxygen defect sites and a high specific surface area. These properties were conducive to forming a highly active catalyst with well-dispersed Au species