BiFeO3-synthesis,characterization and its photocatalytic activity towards doxorubicin degradation from water

Pure bismuth ferrite was successfully obtained through the thermolysis of new bismuth ferrioxalate coordination compound, namely BiFe(C₂O₄)₃·3H₂O. The synthesized precursor was characterized by chemical analysis, infrared spectroscopy and thermal analysis. The bismuth ferrite obtained after a heating treatment of the precursor for at 450–800?°C/1?h was investigated by X-ray diffraction, FE-SEM, TEM and HRTEM. The obtained pure bismuth ferrite nanoparticles (480?°C) was tested as photocatalyst towards the degradation of doxorubicin (DOX), a well-known anti-cancer drug commonly used for the treatment of various cancer types, which has been detected in hospital effluent water. The comparative results of DOX degradation through photolysis and photocatalysis under UV irradiation showed a great photocatalytic activity of bismuth ferrite towards DOX degradation and mineralization from water. The kinetics aspects were discussed based on the first-order kinetics model that fitted the best the experimental photocatalysis results.     

Steady-state Green's functions for thermal stresses within rectangular region under point heat source

This article presents new steady-state Green's functions for displacements and thermal stresses for plane problem within a rectangular region. These results were derived on the basis of structural formulas for thermoelastic Green's functions which are expressed in terms of Green's functions for Poisson's equation. Structural formulas are formulated in a special theorem, which is proved using the author's developed harmonic integral representation method. Green's functions for thermal stresses within rectangle are obtained in the form of a sum of elementary functions and ordinary series. In the particular cases for a half-strip and strip, ordinary series vanish and Green's functions are presented by elementary functions. These concrete results for Green's functions and respective integration formulas for thermoelastic rectangle, half-strip and strip are presented in another theorem, which is proved on the basis of derived structural formulas. New analytical expressions for thermal stresses to a particular plane problem for a thermoelastic rectangle under a boundary constant temperature gradient also are derived. Analytical solutions were presented in the form of graphics. The fast convergence of the infinite series is demonstrated on a particular thermoelastic boundary value problem (BVP). The proposed technique of constructing thermal stresses Green's functions for a rectangle could be extended to many 3D BVPs for unbounded, semibounded, and bounded parallelepipeds.     

Catalytic Combustion of the Stoichiometric n-Butane/Air Mixture on Isothermally Heated Platinum Wire

The catalytic combustion of the stoichiometric n-butane–air mixture per se or diluted with N₂, on a platinum wire at different initial pressures (10–70 kPa) and temperatures (690–1,080 K) was studied. The chemical heat flow rate, dQ _r/dt, of the surface reaction was measured in isothermal and isobaric conditions and the overall kinetic parameters were evaluated for both steady state and initial transient catalytic combustion. At low total pressure (10 kPa), the temperature dependence of dQ _r/dt indicated a normal (Arrhenius) behavior for 690 < T < 900 K, while at higher temperatures, over 900 K, an anti-Arrhenius behavior was found. The obtained results are consistent with a diffusion-controlled process, accompanied by reactant depletion around the catalytic surface, at higher temperatures.     

Automatic brachytherapy seed placement under MRI guidance

The paper presents a robotic method of performing low dose rate prostate brachytherapy under magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance. The design and operation of a fully automated MR compatible seed injector is presented. This is used with the MrBot robot for transperineal percutaneous prostate access. A new image-registration marker and algorithms are also presented. The system is integrated and tested with a 3T MRI scanner. Tests compare three different registration methods, assess the precision of performing automated seed deployment, and use the seeds to assess the accuracy of needle targeting under image guidance. Under the ideal conditions of the in vitro experiments, results show outstanding image-guided needle and seed placement accuracy.     

Glycine fluoromethylketones as SENP-specific activity based probes

We report here the synthesis and biochemical properties of a new peptidyl activity-based probe 1 for SUMO proteases, SENPs. The activity-based probe has at its C terminus a glycine-derived fluoromethylketone moiety as a reactive group designed to target the active-site cysteine of SENPs. Based on a study of the interactions between SENPs and SUMOs, we introduced further design elements that allow the activity-based probe to selectively target SENPs at low micromolar to high nanomolar concentrations. Moreover, 1 out-competes SUMO1 from the reversible SUMO1-SENP1 complex, thus suggesting that 1 and SUMO1 share a common binding site on SENP1.     

Space-dependent perfusion coefficient identification in the transient bio-heat equation

The identification of the space-dependent perfusion coefficient in the one-dimensional transient bio-heat conduction equation is investigated. While Dirichlet boundary conditions are assumed, the additional measurement necessary to render a unique solution is either a heat-flux measurement or a time-average temperature measurement inside the space region of interest. A numerical approach based on the Crank–Nicolson finite-difference scheme combined with the first-order Tikhonov’s regularization method is developed. Numerical results are presented and discussed.     

Enhanced Bio-Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide by Using Neutral Red as a Redox Mediator

Microbial electrosynthetic cells containing Methylobacterium extorquens were studied for the reduction of CO₂ to formate by direct electron injection and redox mediator-assisted approaches, with CO₂ as the sole carbon source. The formation of a biofilm on a carbon felt (CF) electrode was achieved while applying a constant potential of −0.75 V versus Ag/AgCl under CO₂-saturated conditions. During the biofilm growth period, continuous H₂ evolution was observed. The long-term performance for CO₂ reduction of the biofilm with and without neutral red as a redox mediator was studied by an applied potential of −0.75 V versus Ag/AgCl. The neutral red was introduced into the systems in two different ways: homogeneous (dissolved in solution) and heterogeneous (electropolymerized onto the working electrode). The heterogeneous approach was investigated in the microbial system, for the first time, where the CF working electrode was coated with poly(neutral red) by the oxidative electropolymerization thereof. The formation of poly(neutral red) was characterized by spectroscopic techniques. During long-term electrolysis up to 17 weeks, the formation of formate was observed continuously with an average Faradaic efficiency of 4 %. With the contribution of neutral red, higher formate accumulation was observed. Moreover, the microbial electrosynthetic cell was characterized by means of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to obtain more information on the CO₂ reduction mechanism.     

On a simplified system for steam production in nuclear power plants with pressurized water reactors

The paper develops the idea of a new system of steam production (Simplified System for Steam Production, SSSP) in nuclear power plants (NPPs) with PWR reactors, which is simplified as compared to the system used in the classical NPP of this type where steam is produced by steam generators (SGs). With the SSSP, expanders are used instead of SGs. The particularities of a NPP with a SSSP are analyzed in comparison to the classical NPP equipped with PWR and BWR reactors, which are used almost exclusively at present to produce electric energy at the industrial level.     

PLOD2 Is a Prognostic Marker in Glioblastoma That Modulates the Immune Microenvironment and Tumor Progression

This study aimed to investigate the role of Procollagen-Lysine, 2-Oxoglutarate 5-Dioxygenase 2 (PLOD2) in glioblastoma (GBM) pathophysiology. To this end, PLOD2 protein expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in two independent cohorts of patients with primary GBM (n₁ = 204 and n₂ = 203, respectively). Association with the outcome was tested by Kaplan–Meier, log-rank and multivariate Cox regression analysis in patients with confirmed IDH wild-type status. The biological effects and downstream mechanisms of PLOD2 were assessed in stable PLOD2 knock-down GBM cell lines. High levels of PLOD2 significantly associated with (p₁ = 0.020; p₂ < 0.001; log-rank) and predicted (cohort 1: HR = 1.401, CI [95%] = 1.009–1.946, p₁ = 0.044; cohort 2: HR = 1.493; CI [95%] = 1.042–2.140, p₂ = 0.029; Cox regression) the poor overall survival of GBM patients. PLOD2 knock-down inhibited tumor proliferation, invasion and anchorage-independent growth. MT1-MMP, CD44, CD99, Catenin D1 and MMP2 were downstream of PLOD2 in GBM cells. GBM cells produced soluble factors via PLOD2, which subsequently induced neutrophils to acquire a pro-tumor phenotype characterized by prolonged survival and the release of MMP9. Importantly, GBM patients with synchronous high levels of PLOD2 and neutrophil infiltration had significantly worse overall survival (p < 0.001; log-rank) compared to the other groups of GBM patients. These findings indicate that PLOD2 promotes GBM progression and might be a useful therapeutic target in this type of cancer.     

Telocytes’ Role in Modulating Gut Motility Function and Development: Medical Hypotheses and Literature Review

This review article explores the telocytes’ roles in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), presenting the mechanisms and hypotheses related to epithelial regeneration, progressive fibrosis, and dysmotility as a consequence of TCs’ reduced or absent number. Based on the presented mechanisms and hypotheses, we aim to provide a functional model to illustrate TCs’ possible roles in the normal and pathological functioning of the digestive tract. TCs are influenced by the compression of nearby blood vessels and the degree of fibrosis of the surrounding tissues and mediate these processes in response. The changes in intestinal tube vascularization induced by the movement of the food bowl, and the consequent pH changes that show an anisotropy in the thickness of the intestinal tube wall, have led to the identification of a pattern of intestinal tube development based on telocytes’ ability to communicate and modulate surrounding cell functions. In the construction of the theoretical model, given the predictable occurrence of colic in the infant, the two-layer arrangement of the nerve plexuses associated with the intestinal tube was considered to be incompletely adapted to the motility required with a diversified diet. There is resulting evidence of possible therapeutic targets for diseases associated with changes in local nerve tissue development.