Novel Green Corrosion Inhibitor for Mild Steel in Sulfuric Acid

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - Salix leaves water extract was studied for the corrosion inhibition of mild steel in H2SO4 at different temperatures. Energy dispersive...     

Inhomogeneous flow model of natural convection,entropy generation,and heatlines visualization in wavy I-shaped enclosure with rectangular heater

The present investigation is on examination of the natural convection and entropy generation considering the heatlines visualization of nanofluid I-shaped enclosure with two corrugated walls considering inner rectangular heater of three different heights. The influence of Brownian motion along with thermophoresis had been implemented using Inhomogeneous two-phase model of nanofluid. The governing equations were solved numerically using COMSOL software. Influence of Rayleigh number $$, Buoyancy ratio number $$, Lewis number $$, heater length $$. The results indicate that the influence of Lewis number on heat transfer bettering is stronger at high Rayleigh number $$ while its impact is negligible at a lower value of Rayleigh number (conduction mode). In addition, the total entropy generation gets its highest value at Lewis number $$. Bejan number, fluid flow strength and heat rate increase as the rectangular heater height increases. Also, higher heat transfer augmentation is taken when the heater height is $$ while increasing the heater height to $$ leads to more total entropy generation. The impact of heater height on total entropy generation is highly affected by Rayleigh number as increasing the heater height from $$ into $$, total entropy generation increases by $$ at $$ while it increases by $$ at $$.     

Anticarcinogenecity of microbiota and probiotics in breast cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most important causes of cancer related morbidity and mortality in the world. Along with genetic, environmental factors also play a multifaceted role in the development of disease. Breast contains several bacterial species performing specialized functions. Probiotics, as functional food, play pivotal role against breast cancer development in vivo and in vitro. Current review summarized all the available data related to diet, probiotics, and their association with breast cancer risk along with underlying mechanisms. Presently, it was believed that many of the commercially available probiotic products were safe to use and had some beneficial health effects for the host. Probiotics had a potential to act against breast cancer progression evidenced by many animal model and cell-based experiments. Some probiotics strains may be useful as an adjuvant therapy for breast cancer prevention or treatment, by modulating immune response or breast microbial community. However, large-scale clinical trials and intense research are mandatory to explore probiotics-related metabolic and molecular mechanisms in breast cancer.     

Der f 38 Is a Novel TLR4-Binding Allergen Related to Allergy Pathogenesis from Dermatophagoides farinae

It is difficult to treat allergic diseases including asthma completely because its pathogenesis remains unclear. House dust mite (HDM) is a critical allergen and Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 is a member of the toll-like receptor family, which plays an important role in allergic diseases. The purpose of this study was to characterize a novel allergen, Der f 38 binding to TLR4, and unveil its role as an inducer of allergy. Der f 38 expression was detected in the body and feces of Dermatophagoides farinae (DF). Electron microscopy revealed that it was located in the granule layer, the epithelium layer, and microvilli of the posterior midgut. The skin prick test showed that 60% of allergic subjects were Der f 38-positive. Der f 38 enhanced surface 203c expression in basophils of Der f 38-positive allergic subjects. By analysis of the model structure of Der p 38, the expected epitope sites are exposed on the exterior side. In animal experiments, Der f 38 triggered an infiltration of inflammatory cells. Intranasal (IN) administration of Der f 38 increased neutrophils in the lung. Intraperitoneal (IP) and IN injections of Der f 38 induced both eosinophils and neutrophils. Increased total IgE level and histopathological features were found in BALB/c mice treated with Der f 38 by IP and IN injections. TLR4 knockout (KO) BALB/c mice exhibited less inflammation and IgE level in the sera compared to wild type (WT) mice. Der f 38 directly binds to TLR4 using biolayer interferometry. Der f 38 suppressed the apoptosis of neutrophils and eosinophils by downregulating proteins in the proapoptotic pathway including caspase 9, caspase 3, and BAX and upregulating proteins in the anti-apoptotic pathway including BCL-2 and MCL-1. These findings might shed light on the pathogenic mechanisms of allergy to HDM.     

Cationic liposome-DNA complexes: from liquid crystal science to gene delivery applications

At present, there is an unprecedented level of interest in the properties and structures of complexes consisting of DNA mixed with oppositely charged cationic liposomes (CLs). The interest arises because the complexes mimic natural viruses as chemical carriers of DNA into cells in worldwide human gene therapy clinical trials. However, since our understanding of the mechanisms of action of CL-DNA complexes interacting with cells remains poor, significant additional insights and discoveries will be required before the development of efficient chemical carriers suitable for long-term therapeutic applications. Recent studies describe synchrotron X-ray diffraction, which has revealed the liquid crystalline nature of CL-DNA complexes, and three-dimensional laser-scanning confocal microscopy, which reveals CL-DNA pathways and interactions with cells. The importance of the liquid crystalline structures in biological function is revealed in the application of these modern techniques in combination with functional transfection efficiency measurements, which shows that the mechanism of gene release from complexes in the cell cytoplasm is dependent on their precise liquid crystalline nature and the physical and chemical parameters (for example, the membrane charge density) of the complexes. In [section sign] 5, we describe some recent new results aimed at developing bionanotube vectors for gene delivery.     

Urinary oestradiol and testosterone levels from novel male mice approach values sufficient to disrupt early pregnancy in nearby inseminated females

Previous research has established that exposure to novel male mice can disrupt intrauterine implantation of fertilised ova in inseminated females and that much of this effect is mediated by factors in the male urine. The present studies were designed to examine whether the steroid content of male urine is sufficient to account for this effect. Pregnancy was terminated by exogenous 17beta-oestradiol administered intranasally on days 2-4 after insemination in doses as low as 0.14 microg/day. Enzyme immunoassay indicated that male mouse urine reliably contains unconjugated 17beta-oestradiol and testosterone. A small but significant increase in the amount of urinary oestradiol was observed in males housed nearby previously inseminated females as opposed to those housed in isolation. This influence was absent in the sire and absent in novel males when the sire was also present. The quantity of active steroids in novel male urine approaches the level sufficient to account for the disruption of implantation in nearby inseminated females.     

Nanoparticle surface as activation site

The immense surface-to-volume (S/V) ratio in nanoparticles leads to large surface energy density. These high densities play the role of sites for activities that are not triggered in bulk materials. Here we present some examples of such distinctive activities taking place at nanoparticle surfaces. Our first example involves the morphological changes in silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) brought about by lipophilic amorphous silica nanoparticles (LASN). Microscopy studies show that nanoparticles severely alter the structure of the virus envelope by a 'deflation' of the viral polyhedron and formation of elongated structures. The second example shows the spatial variation in aggregation potential with temperature, for dodecanethiol-capped Au nanoparticles on an amorphous polystyrene film surface. We find that on increasing the temperature from 32 degrees C to 50 degrees C the aggregating potential becomes almost completely confined to the film surface, whereas going over to 100 degrees C the confining potential is overcome and out-of-plane growth takes place. A tentative and qualitative explanation has been attempted.     

Second Stage Gas Turbine Blade Premature Replacement Investigation

This article investigates the root causes of the premature failure and replacement of a set of second-stage turbine blades from a heavy industrial gas turbine engine. The investigations included dye-penetrant testing, optical microscopy, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. Moreover, the effect of heat treatment process on restoring the blade microstructure so that the properties were suitable for service was also explored. As a result of the investigation, the second-stage turbine blades premature failure was attributed to the grain boundary secondary phase precipitates. These precipitates were present in the “as-found” condition of the investigated blades.     

Integrated resource strategic planning in China

Many governments around the world are focusing on emissions reduction through energy efficiency improvements, particularly on the demand side. Although Integrated Resource Planning (IRP), which considers both supply-side and demand-side options, had been a useful tool in the planning process for the power industry, its effectiveness has been challenged recently with the restructuring of the power sector that has occurred in China and elsewhere around the world. The paper proposes Integrated Resource Strategic Planning (IRSP) as an alternative to IRP in a deregulated power sector. IRSP takes the resource planning process one step further to the national level. In this paper, the authors demonstrate the tremendous potential for efficiency improvements on both the supply and demand sides of the power sector in China with IRSP. The results show that between 2009 and 2020, the potential for electricity savings will reach about 1228.5 TWh, and the potential reduction in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions will be about 1020.5 million tons. Another important finding of this study is that the current market-based pricing system in China should be improved to provide sufficient incentives for pursuing energy savings on the demand side.     

Nickel oxide nanoparticles grown on mesoporous carbon as an efficient electrocatalyst for urea electro-oxidation

Nickel oxide nanoparticles were formed on mesoporous carbon (NiO/MC) through precipitating nickel hydroxide species followed by post annealing treatment. The as-prepared electrocatalysts were physically characterized using XRD, Raman, EDX, SEM, TEM and HRTEM analysis techniques. Very fine nanoparticles were shown in TEM image and their chemical identity was proved in XRD pattern by three crystal indices of nickel oxide species as (111), (200) and (220). The electrocatalytic activity of NiO/MC electrocatalysts was investigated for oxidizing urea molecules in 0.5 M NaOH solution. Adding variable nickel oxide loading values during the electrocatalyst preparation method appreciably affected the obtained oxidation current density. Increasing the deposited oxide weight percentage would enhance the activity of formed nanocomposite to attain its optimum performance at the electrocatalyst containing 17.5 wt% NiO. The effect of altering urea concentration and scan rate during the oxidation process on the resultant electrocatalyst activity was studied. Chronoamperograms displayed improved steady state oxidation current density values after 1800 s revealing stable nanocatalysts. This promising electrocatalytic behavior of NiO/MC elects its application as an active component for urea electro-oxidation in many potential applications including hydrogen production, fuel cells and water purification.