Analysis of fluid motion during jigging

Flow of water inside a jig has a strong bearing on the rate of stratification of particles. For this reason, various fluid waveforms are proposed for achieving optimal stratification rate. In the present investigation, the flow of water is analyzed in a carefully controlled laboratory jig. In a very simplified manner, the amplitude and frequency of pulsation is controlled by means of the compensator pressure and a level sensor. This allows for proper analysis of the dynamics of motion of the fluid as function of the amplitude and frequency of pulsation. Furthermore, the effects of amplitude and frequency of pulsation on the stratification behavior of the particles is analyzed to establish the existence of an optimal operating condition in terms of amplitude and frequency of pulsation.     

Influence of temperature on the tribochemical reactions of hexadecane

This paper investigates the tribochemical reactions of n‐hexa‐decane proceeding in a tribosystem lubricated by n‐hexadecane at ambient and elevated temperatures. It is hypothesised that, at ambient temperature, reactions are mostly initiated by the mechanical action of the system, and at elevated temperature (200°C) thermochemical reactions should be dominant. An experimental study was performed using a ball‐on‐disc machine with steel‐on‐steel mating elements. To analyse wear tracks, Fourier transform infrared microspectrophotometry (FTIRM) and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA/XPS) were used. To investigate chemical changes in the bulk lubri cant, gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/ MS) was applied. The results provide clear evidence for the hypothesis that two types of oxygenation processes of n‐hexa ‐decane under boundary lubrication conditions should be considered. The first, at ambient temperature, is controlled by the mechanical action and the second is clearly controlled by temperature. The analytical techniques applied gave evidence of the formation of some reaction products from hexadecane under boundary lubrication conditions. These products include compounds having Fe‐O bonding (salts and chelates), carbonyl compounds, and iron carbide.     

Role of Energy Metabolism in the Progression of Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is a common childhood cancer possessing a significant risk of death. This solid tumor manifests variable clinical behaviors ranging from spontaneous regression to widespread metastatic disease. The lack of promising treatments calls for new research approaches which can enhance the understanding of the molecular background of neuroblastoma. The high proliferation of malignant neuroblastoma cells requires efficient energy metabolism. Thus, we focus our attention on energy pathways and their role in neuroblastoma tumorigenesis. Recent studies suggest that neuroblastoma-driven extracellular vesicles stimulate tumorigenesis inside the recipient cells. Furthermore, proteomic studies have demonstrated extracellular vesicles (EVs) to cargo metabolic enzymes needed to build up a fully operative energy metabolism network. The majority of EV-derived enzymes comes from glycolysis, while other metabolic enzymes have a fatty acid β-oxidation and tricarboxylic acid cycle origin. The previously mentioned glycolysis has been shown to play a primary role in neuroblastoma energy metabolism. Therefore, another way to modify the energy metabolism in neuroblastoma is linked with genetic alterations resulting in the decreased activity of some tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes and enhanced glycolysis. This metabolic shift enables malignant cells to cope with increasing metabolic stress, nutrition breakdown and an upregulated proliferation ratio.     

Description of Release Process of Doxorubicin from Modified Carbon Nanotubes

The article discusses the release process of doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) from multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The studies described a probable mechanism of release and actions between the surface of functionalized MWCNTs and anticancer drugs. The surface of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been modified via treatment in nitric acid to optimize the adsorption and release process. The modification efficiency and physicochemical properties of the MWCNTs+DOX system were analyzed by using SEM, TEM, EDS, FTIR, Raman Spectroscopy and UV-Vis methods. Based on computer simulations at pH 7.4 and the experiment at pH 5.4, the kinetics and the mechanism of DOX release from MWNT were discussed. It has been experimentally observed that the acidic pH (5.4) is appropriate for the efficient release of the drug from CNTs. It was noted that under acidic pH conditions, which is typical for the tumour microenvironment almost 90% of the drug was released in a relatively short time. The kinetics models based on different mathematical functions were used to describe the release mechanism of drugs from MWCNTs. Our studies indicated that the best fit of experimental kinetic curves of release has been observed for the Power-law model and the fitted parameters suggest that the drug release mechanism of DOX from MWCNTs is controlled by Fickian diffusion. Molecular dynamics simulations, on the other hand, have shown that in a neutral pH solution, which is close to the blood pH, the release process does not occur keeping the aggregation level constant. The presented studies have shown that MWCNTs are promising carriers of anticancer drugs that, depending on the surface modification, can exhibit different adsorption mechanisms and release.     

The Effect of Bacterial Infections,Probiotics and Zonulin on Intestinal Barrier Integrity

The intestinal barrier plays an extremely important role in maintaining the immune homeostasis of the gut and the entire body. It is made up of an intricate system of cells, mucus and intestinal microbiota. A complex system of proteins allows the selective permeability of elements that are safe and necessary for the proper nutrition of the body. Disturbances in the tightness of this barrier result in the penetration of toxins and other harmful antigens into the system. Such events lead to various digestive tract dysfunctions, systemic infections, food intolerances and autoimmune diseases. Pathogenic and probiotic bacteria, and the compounds they secrete, undoubtedly affect the properties of the intestinal barrier. The discovery of zonulin, a protein with tight junction regulatory activity in the epithelia, sheds new light on the understanding of the role of the gut barrier in promoting health, as well as the formation of diseases. Coincidentally, there is an increasing number of reports on treatment methods that target gut microbiota, which suggests that the prevention of gut-barrier defects may be a viable approach for improving the condition of COVID-19 patients. Various bacteria–intestinal barrier interactions are the subject of this review, aiming to show the current state of knowledge on this topic and its potential therapeutic applications.     

ROS-Scavengers,Osmoprotectants and Violaxanthin De-Epoxidation in Salt-Stressed Arabidopsis thaliana with Different Tocopherol Composition

To determine the role of α- and γ-tocopherol (TC), this study compared the response to salt stress (200 mM NaCl) in wild type (WT) Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. And its two mutants: (1) totally TC-deficient vte1; (2) vte4 accumulating γ-TC instead of α-TC; and (3) tmt transgenic line overaccumulating α-TC. Raman spectra revealed that salt-exposed α-TC accumulating plants were more flexible in regulating chlorophyll, carotenoid and polysaccharide levels than TC deficient mutants, while the plants overaccumulating γ-TC had the lowest levels of these biocompounds. Tocopherol composition and NaCl concentration affected xanthophyll cycle by changing the rate of violaxanthin de-epoxidation and zeaxanthin formation. NaCl treated plants with altered TC composition accumulated less oligosaccharides than WT plants. α-TC deficient plants increased their oligosaccharide levels and reduced maltose amount, while excessive accumulation of α-TC corresponded with enhanced amounts of maltose. Salt-stressed TC-deficient mutants and tmt transgenic line exhibited greater proline levels than WT plants, lower chlorogenic acid levels, and lower activity of catalase and peroxidases. α-TC accumulating plants produced more methylated proline- and glycine- betaines, and showed greater activity of superoxide dismutase than γ-TC deficient plants. Under salt stress, α-TC demonstrated a stronger regulatory effect on carbon- and nitrogen-related metabolites reorganization and modulation of antioxidant patterns than γ-TC. This suggested different links of α- and γ-TCs with various metabolic pathways via various functions and metabolic loops.     

Screening for the Active Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Polyphenols of Gaultheria procumbens and Their Application for Standardisation: From Identification through Cellular Studies to Quantitative Determination

Aerial parts, leaves, and stems of Gaultheria procumbens are polyphenol-rich herbal medicines with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. The present study focused on identifying active markers of the G. procumbens extracts in an integrated approach combining phytochemical and biological capacity tests. The target compounds, representing all classes of Gaultheria polyphenols, were pre-selected by LC-ESI-PDA-MS/MS. For unambiguous identification, the key analytes, including a rare procyanidin trimer (cinnamtannin B-1), miquelianin potassium salt, and two new natural products: quercetin and kaempferol 3-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-d-glucuronopyranosides, were isolated by preparative HPLC and investigated by spectroscopy (HR-ESI-MS, UV-vis, CD, 1D- and 2D-NMR), thiolysis, flame photometry, optical rotation experiments, and absolute configuration studies. The significant contribution of the pre-selected compounds to the biological effects of the extracts was confirmed in vitro: the analytes significantly and in a dose-dependent manner down-regulated the pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory functions of human neutrophils ex vivo (inhibited the release of reactive oxygen species, IL-1β, TNF-α, and neutrophils elastase, ELA-2), inhibited two key pro-inflammatory enzymes (cyclooxygenase, COX-2, and hyaluronidase), and most of them, except gaultherin, exerted potent direct antioxidant activity (ferric reducing antioxidant power and superoxide anion scavenging capacity). Moreover, cellular safety was confirmed for all compounds by flow cytometry. Eventually, as these mechanisms have been connected to the health benefits of G. procumbens, 11 polyphenols were accepted as active markers, and a simple, accurate, reproducible, and fully validated RP-HPLC-PDA method for standardisation of the target extracts was proposed.     

Enhanced performance of DMFC prepared by 10Cu/CeO2 catalyst and nanocomposite SPVA membranes with layer-by-layer coating of polyacrylic acid and chitosan

In the present study, TiO₂ nanoparticles are used as inorganic nanofiller material to prepare nanocomposite proton exchange membrane (PEM). Sulfonated polyvinyl alcohol (SPVA) is synthesized by 4-formylbenzene-1,3-disulfonic acid disodium salt hydrate and water. The cross-linking reaction is performed by glutaraldehyde. These membranes were then dip coated with polyacrylic acid and chitosan alternately and one layer-by-layer (LBL), two LBL and three LBL membranes were prepared. The chemical structure evaluation of SPVA membrane is performed using FTIR. The direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) catalysts of 10Cu/CeO₂ and 10 Pt-10 CeO₂/C were prepared by reduction reaction and hydrothermal technique. Thus obtained material was spin coated on 2 × 2 cm² carbon paper to prepare catalyst anode/cathode. The morphology, size, and purity of catalyst particles are analysed by SEM, UV–visible spectroscopy, FTIR and EDS. Electrochemical analysis is also done to test the performance. Results show that Cu/CeO₂ catalyst shows excellent catalysis towards methanol oxidation, which is better than 10 Pt-10 CeO₂/C particles. The 10Cu/CeO₂ catalyst gives peak voltage of 915 mV for infinite resistance, which is higher than the reported value of the conventional 20 Pt/C catalyst (810 mV).     

Effect of Impingement Density and Nozzle to Target Distance on Spray Cooling of Steel Plate—An Experimental Investigation

In the steel making industry, high heat fluxes are obtained using effective cooling techniques such as spray impingement cooling. Spray impingement technique involve factors like droplet size, spray height and spray angle, impingement density, and nozzle geometry rendering it very difficult to measure the effects of individual parameters. In the present study, the cooling rate of the plate was experimentally investigated using distilled water as coolant in 3 pressurized nozzles for spray over the surface of the steel plate at elevated temperatures and the behavior of plate temperature with time was tabulated. Cooling curves were generated for different and varying spray parameters like water pressures, nozzle tip to surface distance, and impingement density. It was observed that the cooling rate at the stagnation zone was strongly dependent on the water pressures and nozzle tip to surface distances with maximum cooling rates reaching within 1–2 seconds after the impingement. The average impingement density increased with increase in water pressure and the cooling rate reduces at higher pressures and nozzle tip to surface distances.