Assessment of Cell Toxicity and Oxidation Catalytic Activity of Nanosized Zinc-doped Ceria UV Filter

The abundance of cerium in natural resources, its ability to absorb UV light while being transparent to visible light, as well as low photocatalytic activity make ceria (CeO2) a promising candidate for UV filter material in sunscreens. Doping with different elements can further decrease ceria catalytic and photocatalytic activity, thus preventing the degradation of other sunscreen ingredients. In this work, pure and zinc-doped ceria nanoparticles were prepared by a simple and environmentally benign hydrothermal synthesis, and characterized using various techniques. Fine ceria and doped ceria nanoparticles with particle sizes of 6.1±0.9 and 4.2±0.4 nm were prepared. In both samples, cubic ceria was the only crystalline phase, but the homogeneous distribution of zinc in the doped sample was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. Nanoparticles exhibited transparency in the visible region and absorbance in the UV region with band gap of 3.23 to 3.14 eV for pure and doped sample, respectively. The oxidation stability time, determined through Castor oil oxidation process, was 23 hours for the pure and 15 hours for the doped sample, which is quite satisfactory. In vitro cytotoxicity study showed that the prepared nanoparticles were well tolerated by human skin keratinocytes (HaCaT cell line) with no significant differences in skin cells viability. However, further investigations on in vivo systems are necessary to reach a firm conclusion regarding the toxicity of ceria and doped ceria nanoparticles, and other potential dopants should be considered for improvement of ceria properties for sunscreen application. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Effect of thermomechanical processing schedule on the texture and microstructure of pipeline grade API X80 microalloyed steel

The presence of micro alloying constituents like Ti, Nb in microalloyed steel enhances its mechanical properties through grain size control and precipitation strengthening. The strengthening capability of microalloying additions can be fully utilized by choosing proper thermomechanical processing (TMP) schedule. The TMP schedule needs to be designed based on determination of critical temperatures of transformation in steel including no recrystallisation temperature (i.e ., Tnr) of microalloyed steels. The TMP was carried out on API X80 grade pipeline steel using Gleeble® 3800 Thermal mechanical simulator. The samples were deformed in plain strain condition at three different temperatures (860, 950 and 1050°C) by keeping other deformation parameters constant. The deformation temperature was chosen based on CCT and Tnr determination studies. The deformed samples were examined in EBSD and TEM to obtain the texture and microstructural information. It is also observed that formation of acicular ferrite and bainite microstructures in these steel is very much dependent on the deformation strain levels in the austenite matrix prior to transformation. The grain boundary misorientation angle distribution obtained from EBSD analysis can be a very important parameter to distinguish the different microstructural constituents apart from grain shape and image quality. Effect of thermomechanical processing schedule on the texture and microstructure of pipeline grade API X80 microalloyed steel (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303524095_Effect_of_thermomechanical_processing_schedule_on_the_texture_and_microstructure_of_pipeline_grade_API_X80_microalloyed_steel [accessed Nov 15 2017]

Agronomic performance and farmer preferences for biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato varieties in Zimbabwe

This report summarizes the findings of a study carried out to evaluate the agronomic performance and sensory acceptance by small holder farmers of six biofortified orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) varieties that were first introduced from CIP’s sweetpotato breeding hub for Southern Africa in Mozambique. The study was participatory and carried out under different agroecological environments in Zimbabwe. The six OFSP varieties, namely Alisha, Victoria, Delvia, Sumaia, Namanga and Irene were planted in the 2019/20 agricultural season along with two non-biofortified white-fleshed local varieties, namely Chingova and German II, at seven DR&SS research stations (Kadoma, Marondera, Harare, Henderson, Gwebi, Makoholi and Panmure) and 120 farmer managed on-farm trial sites in 12 LFSP districts of Bindura, Gokwe North, Gokwe South, Guruve, Kwekwe, Makoni, Mazowe, Mount Darwin, Mutasa, Mutare, Shurugwi and Zvimba. At all but one of the research stations, two trials were set up, one under irrigation and the other under rain-fed conditions. On-farm trials were established following the Mother-Baby Trial approach with 2 mother trials and 8 baby trials per district. In each of the districts, one mother trial was planted under irrigation while the other was rain-fed. All the baby trials were rain-fed

X-ray and ion emission studies from subnanosecond laser-irradiated SiO2 aerogel foam targets

In this experiment, a comparative study of ion and X-ray emission from both a SiO2 aerogel foam and a quartz target is performed. The experiment is performed using Nd:glass laser system operated at laser energy up to 15 J with a pulse duration of 500 ps with focusable intensity of 1013–1014 W/cm2 on target. X-ray fluxes in different spectral ranges (soft and hard) are measured by using X-ray diodes covered with Al filters of thickness 5 µm (0.9–1.56 keV) and 20 µm (3.4–16 keV). A 2.5 times enhancement in soft X-ray flux (0.9–1.56 keV) and a decrease of 1.8 times in hard X rays (3.4–16 keV) for 50 mg/cc SiO2 aerogel foam is observed compared with the solid quartz. A decrease in the flux of the K-shell line emission spectrum of soft X rays is noticed in the case of the foam targets. The high-resolution K-shell spectra (He-like) of Si ions in both the cases are analyzed for the determination of plasma parameters by comparing with FLYCHK simulations. The estimated plasma temperature and density are T c = 180 eV, n e = 7 × 1020 cm−3 and T c = 190 eV, n e = 4 × 1020 cm−3 for quartz and SiO2 aerogel foam, respectively. To measure the evolution of the plasma moving away from the targets, four identical ion collectors are placed at different angles (22.5, 30, 45, and 67.5°) from target normal. The angular distribution of the thermal ions are scaled as cosnθ with respect to target normal, where n = 3.8 and 4.8 for the foam and quartz, respectively. The experimental plasma volume measured from the ion collectors and shadowgraphy images are verified by a two-dimensional Eulerian radiative–hydrodynamic simulation (POLLUX code

Community mobilisation to prevent violence against women and girls in eastern India through participatory learning and action with women's groups facilitated by accredited social health activists: a before-and-after pilot study

BACKGROUND: Almost one in three married Indian women have ever experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence from husbands in their lifetime. We aimed to investigate the preliminary effects of community mobilisation through participatory learning and action groups facilitated by Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), coupled with access to counselling, to prevent violence against women and girls in Jharkhand, eastern India. METHODS: We piloted a cycle of 16 participatory learning and action meetings with women's groups facilitated by ASHAs in rural Jharkhand. Participants identified common forms of violence against women and girls, prioritised the ones they wanted to address, developed locally feasible strategies to address them, implemented the strategies, and evaluated the process. We also trained two counsellors and two ASHA supervisors to support survivors, and gave ASHAs information about legal, health, and police services. We did a before-and-after pilot study involving baseline and endline surveys with group members to estimate preliminary effects of these activities on the acceptability of violence, prevalence of past year emotional and physical violence, and help-seeking. RESULTS: ASHAs successfully conducted monthly participatory learning and action meetings with 39 women's groups in 22 villages of West Singhbhum district, Jharkhand, between June 2016 and September 2017. We interviewed 59% (679/1149) of women registered with groups at baseline, and 63% (861/1371) at endline. More women reported that violence was unacceptable in all seven scenarios presented to them at endline compared to baseline (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR]: 1.87, 95%: 1.39-2.52). Fewer women reported experiencing emotional violence from their husbands in the last 12 months (aOR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.43-0.71), and more sought help if it occurred (aOR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.51-3.17). In addition, fewer women reported experiencing emotional or physical violence from family members other than their husbands in the last 12 months (aOR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.32-0.53, and aOR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.26-0.50, respectively). CONCLUSION: Combining participatory learning and action meetings facilitated by ASHAs with access to counselling was an acceptable strategy to address violence against women and girls in rural communities of Jharkhand. The approach warrants further implementation and evaluation as part of a comprehensive response to violence

Elizabeth Cary and Intersections of Catholicism and Gender in Early Modern England

Historians have analyzed the life of Elizabeth Cary, Lady Falkland, primarily in the context of her highly publicized conversion to Catholicism and her equally public separation from her Protestant husband, Henry Cary. Through this scrutiny, she has become one among many English Catholic recusant heroines. Literary critics, in contrast, have celebrated Cary\u27s literary corpus both for its challenge to traditional ideals of early modern women as chaste, silent, and obedient and for its reevaluation of women\u27s roles within marriage.1 To circumscribe our understandings of Cary in such ways obscures one of her greatest contributions. Elizabeth Cary, albeit unintentionally, provided an alternative model of Catholic woman hood that sought to negotiate a new balance between religion and gender, thus challenging assumptions about women\u27s roles in English Catholic communities and about the rigid character of Catholicism in the Reformation era