Register of hazardous materials in printing industry as a tool for sustainable development management

The paper explains the concept of pollutants register. The studies are in the domain of printing industry as a relatively low source of environmental polluter, and the presented concepts, methodology and results represent the contribution to the sustainable development management. Method of data collection, compilation of the printing pollution register as well as classification of harmful substances which are emitted during the printing process is presented. Furthermore, the paper analyzes the result of the quantitative identification of hazardous substances emitted in printing industry of Novi Sad.     

Dependence of thermoelectric behaviour on severe plastic deformation parameters: A case study on p-type skutterudite DD0.60Fe3CoSb12

High-pressure torsion (HPT), a severe plastic deformation technique, can effectively improve the thermoelectric performance of skutterudites, resulting in ZT values higher than for ball-milled and hot-pressed (BMHP) samples. In this paper the influence of the HPT parameters, i.e. the number of revolutions (equivalent to the applied strain), the processing temperature and the hydrostatic pressure on the microstructural and thermoelectric properties of the skutterudite DD_0.60Fe₃CoSb₁₂ are evaluated and compared with the BMHP samples before HPT processing. Whilst the three parameters have specific effects on (i) the crystallite size, (ii) the density of lattice defects and (ii) the density of cracks, a suitable combination thereof allows for an increase of the figure of merit by at least 20%.     

In vitro silver ion release kinetics from nanosilver/poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels synthesized by gamma irradiation

A nanosilver (nano‐Ag)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel device was synthesized with γ irradiation because it is a highly suitable tool for enhanced nano‐Ag technologies and biocompatible controlled release formulations. The amount of the Ag⁺ ions released in vitro by the nano‐Ag/PVA hydrogel device was in the antimicrobial parts per million concentration range. The modeling of the Ag⁺ ion release kinetics with the elements of the drug‐delivery paradigm revealed the best fit solution (R² > 0.99) for the Kopcha and Makoid–Banakar's pharmacokinetic dissolution models. The term A/B, derived from the Kopcha model, indicated that the nano‐Ag/PVA hydrogel was mainly an Ag⁺‐ion diffusion‐controlled device. Makoid–Banakar's parameter and the short time approximated Ag⁺‐ion diffusion constant reflected the importance of the size of the Ag nanoparticles. However, it appeared that the cell oxidation potential of the Ag nanoparticles depended on the diffusion characteristics of the fluid penetrating into the Ag/PVA nanosystem. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40321.     

Lipidomics Provides New Insight into Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Targets of the Ischemia—Reperfusion Injury

Lipids play an essential role in both tissue protection and damage. Tissue ischemia creates anaerobic conditions in which enzyme inactivation occurs, and reperfusion can initiate oxidative stress that leads to harmful changes in membrane lipids, the formation of aldehydes, and chain damage until cell death. The critical event in such a series of harmful events in the cell is the unwanted accumulation of fatty acids that leads to lipotoxicity. Lipid analysis provides additional insight into the pathogenesis of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) disorders and reveals new targets for drug action. The profile of changes in the composition of fatty acids in the cell, as well as the time course of these changes, indicate both the mechanism of damage and new therapeutic possibilities. A therapeutic approach to reperfusion lipotoxicity involves attenuation of fatty acids overload, i.e., their transport to adipose tissue and/or inhibition of the adverse effects of fatty acids on cell damage and death. The latter option involves using PPAR agonists and drugs that modulate the transport of fatty acids via carnitine into the interior of the mitochondria or the redirection of long-chain fatty acids to peroxisomes.     

The New Therapeutic Approaches in the Treatment of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease which is characterized by extremely complex pathogenetic mechanisms and multifactorial etiology. Some of the many pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the development of NAFLD include oxidative stress, impaired mitochondrial metabolism, inflammation, gut microbiota, and interaction between the brain-liver-axis and the regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism. The new therapeutic approaches in the treatment of NAFLD are targeting some of these milestones along the pathophysiological pathway and include drugs like agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists, sodium/glucose transport protein 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists, probiotics, and symbiotics. Further efforts in biomedical sciences should focus on the investigation of the relationship between the microbiome, liver metabolism, and response to inflammation, systemic consequences of metabolic syndrome.     

Interplay between key variables of peroxide cured EPDM and evaluation of electromechanical efficiency for MV cables

Extensive work has been done on ethylene‐propylene‐diene monomer (EPDM) vulcanizates and the main factors influencing their cure efficiency. However, very little attention has been given to the evolution of material properties and the interplay between key variables formulation. The effect of ethylene/propylene content and concentration of peroxide and type on viscoelastic and dielectric properties of EPDM elastomers was investigated using dynamic mechanical analysis and electric property measurements at room temperature. In order to compare results, these measurements were obtained by FTIR spectroscopy. Differences between real and imaginary (loss) part of the permittivity of EPDM/ dicumyl peroxide (DCP) composites were more significant than those in EPDM/di(tert‐butylperoxyisopropyl)benzene (DTBPIB) composites. For peroxide DTBPIB, the dielectric percolation limit moves further with the increase of ethylene content of EPDM. The dielectric percolation limit of the peroxide DTBPIB is found to be approximately 60 g at a 75% of ethylene in EPDM. The FTIR analysis showed that a termoxidative degradation was promoted at mixes with peroxide DCP at 45 and 75% of ethylene in EPDM. Therefore, we could interestingly show the decrease in electrical properties particularly associated with termoxidative degradation of peroxide DCP. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46139.     

Dry-pressed anodized titania nanotube/CH3NH3PbI3 single crystal heterojunctions: The beneficial role of N doping

Highly ordered, anodically grown TiO₂ nanotubes on titanium supports were annealed in ammonia atmosphere in order to incorporate nitrogen doping (≤2?at.%) in the titanium oxide lattice. FESEM micrographs revealed nanotubes with an average outer diameter of 101.5?±?1.5?nm and an average wall thickness of about 13?nm. Anatase crystals were formed inside the tubes after annealing in ammonia atmosphere for 30?min. With further annealing, rutile peaks appeared due to the thermal oxidation of the foil and rise as the duration of heat treatment was increased. The concentration and chemical nature of nitrogen in the nanotube arrays can be correlated to the optical response of dry-pressed heterojunctions of doped TiO₂/CH₃NH₃PbI₃ single crystals. The N-TiO₂/perovskite heterojunction with the highest amount of interstitial nitrogen exhibited an improved photocurrent, indicating the importance of the semiconductor doping-based heterojunction optimization strategies to deliver competitive levels of halide perovskite-based optoelectronic devices to be envisioned for urban infrastructures.     

Physical Properties of Chocolate with Addition of Cocoa Butter Equivalent of Moderate Hardness

In this study, the fat phase of chocolate samples which contained cocoa butter from Ghana and cocoa butter equivalent (CBE) of moderate hardness was analyzed. Physical properties and shelf life of chocolate depend on the fat phase behavior as well as the amount and composition of added CBE. The laboratory-made chocolate samples were tempered at three different pre-crystallization temperatures (25, 27 and 29 °C), with three different concentrations of CBE, amounting to 3, 5 and 7 %, calculated on chocolate. The color and other physical attributes of chocolate samples were investigated by the following analytical methods: thermoreographic measurement, solid fat content (SFC) of chocolate, Blooming test (thermo-cycle test 32/20 °C) and color measurement. It was found that using CBE of moderate hardness did not change the melting properties of chocolate in relation to the investigated cocoa butter from Ghana (of moderate hardness). It was found that all three applied temperatures of pre-crystallization are optimum for the chocolate mass with the addition of the investigated CBE under the given measurement conditions. At all these temperatures, the chocolate had excellent fat bloom resistance.     

Potential contribution of bioethanol fuel to the transport sector of Vojvodina

The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an Autonomous Province in Serbia and it is an energy-deficient country. The indigenous reserves of oil and gas are limited and the country is heavily dependent on the import of oil. The oil import bill is a serious strain on the country's economy and has been deteriorating the balance of payments situation. The country has become increasingly more dependent on fossil fuels and its energy security hangs on the fragile supply of imported oil that is subject to disruptions and price volatility. The transport sector has a 26% share in the total commercial energy consumption in Vojvodina. About 0.62 million tons of gasoline were consumed by this sector in 2008. Gasoline consumption in the transport sector is also a major source of environmental degradation especially in urban areas. Consequently, Vojvodina needs to develop indigenous, environment-friendly energy resources, such as bioethanol, to meet its transport sector's energy needs. Vojvodina produces about 3 million tons of sugar beet every year. There is a vast potential for bioethanol production from molasses of sugar beet in the country. Bioethanol can be used in transport sector after blending with gasoline, in order to minimize gasoline consumption and associated economical and environmental impacts. This paper presents the assessment of the potential contribution of bioethanol in the transport sector of Vojvodina. It is concluded that 20% of annual gasoline consumption in transport sector could be met from ethanol by the year 2026.