Elucidating the physiological mechanisms of the irregular yet concerted flowering rhythm of mass flowering tree species in the tropics requires long-term monitoring of flowering phenology, exogenous and endogenous environmental factors, as well as identifying interactions and dependencies among these factors. To investigate the proximate factors for floral initiation of mast seeding trees in the tropics, we monitored the expression dynamics of two key flowering genes, meteorological conditions and endogenous resources over two flowering events of Shorea curtisii and Shorea leprosula in the Malay Peninsula. Comparisons of expression dynamics of genes studied indicated functional conservation of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) and LEAFY (LFY) in Shorea. The genes were highly expressed at least 1 month before anthesis for both species. A mathematical model considering the synergistic effect of cool temperature and drought on activation of the flowering gene was successful in predicting the observed gene expression patterns. Requirement of both cool temperature and drought for floral transition suggested by the model implies that flowering phenologies of these species are sensitive to climate change. Our molecular phenology approach in the tropics sheds light on the conserved role of flowering genes in plants inhabiting different climate zones and can be widely applied to dissect the flowering processes in other plant species.
The activation of lipases has been postulated to proceed by interfacial activation, temperature switch activation, or aqueous activation. Recently, based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulation experiments, the T1 lipase activation mechanism was proposed to involve aqueous activation in addition to a double-flap mechanism. Because the open conformation structure is still unavailable, it is difficult to validate the proposed theory unambiguously to understand the behavior of the enzyme. In this study, we try to validate the previous reports and uncover the mystery behind the activation process using structural analysis and MD simulations. To investigate the effects of temperature and environmental conditions on the activation process, MD simulations in different solvent environments (water and water-octane interface) and temperatures (20, 50, 70, 80, and 100°C) were performed. Based on the structural analysis of the lipases in the same family of T1 lipase (I.5 lipase family), we proposed that the lid domain comprises α6 and α7 helices connected by a loop, thus forming a helix-loop-helix motif involved in interfacial activation. Throughout the MD simulations experiments, lid displacements were only observed in the water-octane interface, not in the aqueous environment with respect to the temperature effect, suggesting that the activation process is governed by interfacial activation coupled with temperature switch activation. Examining the activation process in detail revealed that the large structural rearrangement of the lid domain was caused by the interaction between the hydrophobic residues of the lid with octane, a nonpolar solvent, and this conformation was found to be thermodynamically favorable.
A hot water burn is a thermal injury that results in cell death. Thermal eye injury triggers inflammatory processes, including inflammatory cell influx and/or the activation of various inflammatory cells, which result in the rapid accumulation of extravascular fluid in the ocular tissue. The ocular effect depends on the temperature of the water, and the final visual outcome depends on the severity of the damage to the intraocular structures. We report a 23-year-old woman who experienced a facial hot water burn that resulted in blindness. The patient presented late to the hospital after the unsuccessful use of traditional medication. Facial burns are a known cause of blindness. Public health education on prompt hospital presentation, and resistance to the use of potentially harmful traditional medicine in facial burns is suggested.
In the present research, aluminum oxide- water (Al2O3-H2O) nanofluid free convection due to magnetic forces through a permeable cubic domain with ellipse shaped obstacle has been reported. Lattice Boltzmann approach is involved to depict the impacts of magnetic, buoyancy forces and permeability on nanoparticles migration. To predict properties of Al2O3- water nanofluid, Brownian motion impact has been involved. Outcomes revels that considering higher magnetic forces results in greater conduction mechanism. Permeability can enhance the temperature gradient.
Enhancing the resilience of corals to rising temperatures is now a matter of urgency, leading to growing efforts to explore the use of heat tolerant symbiont species to improve their thermal resilience. The notion that adaptive traits can be retained by transferring the symbionts alone, however, challenges the holobiont concept, a fundamental paradigm in coral research. Holobiont traits are products of a specific community (holobiont) and all its co-evolutionary and local adaptations, which might limit the retention or transference of holobiont traits by exchanging only one partner. Here, we evaluate how interchanging partners affect the short- and long-term performance of holobionts under heat stress using clonal lineages of the cnidarian model system Aiptasia (host and Symbiodiniaceae strains) originating from distinct thermal environments. Our results show that holobionts from more thermally variable environments have higher plasticity to heat stress, but this resilience could not be transferred to other host genotypes through the exchange of symbionts. Importantly, our findings highlight the role of the host in determining holobiont productivity in response to thermal stress and indicate that local adaptations of holobionts will likely limit the efficacy of interchanging unfamiliar compartments to enhance thermal tolerance.
The thermal pretreatment of oilseed prior to oil extraction could increase the oil yield and improve the oil quality. Phenolic compounds are important antioxidants in rapeseed oil. In this study, we investigated the impact of thermal pretreatment method on the rapeseed oil based on phenolic compound levels. Liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis showed that the phenolic compound contents in the microwave-pretreated oil were higher than those in the oven- and infrared-treated oils. Sinapic acid (SA) and canolol (CA), which are the top two phenolic compounds in rapeseed oil, exerted well 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity with IC50 values of 8.45 and 8.80 μmol/L. The cell experiment uncovered that SA and CA have significant biological activities related to rapeseed oil quality, including increase of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), alleviation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and cytotoxicity of HepG2 cells after the intake of excessive oleic acid. Further investigation indicated that SA and CA reduced cell apoptosis rate through Bax-Bcl-2-caspase-3 and p53-Bax-Bcl-2-caspase-3, respectively. Taken together, our findings suggest that microwave pretreatment is the best method to improve the content of phenolic compounds in rapeseed oil compared with oven and infrared pretreatments.
Background:
Prevention of hypothermia in patients undergoing major posterior approach spinal surgery can be difficult, as a
large body surface is exposed to the cold environment of the operating theatre. We compared the efficacy of a
new under-body forced-air warming blanket with that of a resistive heating blanket in preventing hypothermia.
Methods:
Sixty patients undergoing major posterior approach spinal surgery lasting for more than 2 hours were randomly
assigned to warming with a full under-body forced-air warming blanket or three segments of resistive heating
blankets, both set at 42°C. The ambient temperature was kept near 20°C. Nasopharyngeal, rectal and axillary
temperatures were measured at regular intervals. Changes in core temperature (average of nasopharyngeal
and rectal) over time were compared by the independent t-test.
Results:
The characteristics of the patients were comparable. The baseline core temperature was 36.36 ±0.38°C in the
forced-air group and 36.27 ± 0.46°C in the resistive heating group. During the first hour, the core temperature
decreased similarly from baseline in both groups. From 100 minutes after induction until the end of the surgery,
core temperature rose in both groups. At the end of surgery, the core temperature was increased by 0.08
± 0.09°C from baseline in the forced-air group but decreased by 0.40 ±0.04°C from baseline in the resistive
heating group. The difference in the change of the core temperature, at the end of the surgery, between the
two groups is statistically significant (P
Ascorbic acid was used for the first time to synthesize crystalline starch nanoparticles (CSNP). The physical properties of the CSNP were investigated. Rheological properties of the crystalline starch nanofluid (CSNF) were compared with native cassava starch (CS) and commercial polymer xanthan. Interfacial properties of the CSNF at the interface of oil and water (O/W) were investigated at different concentrations and temperatures. Wettability alteration efficiency of CSNF on oil-wet sandstone surface was investigated using the sessile drop method. Core flooding experiment was conducted at reservoir conditions. The methods were effective in producing spherical and polygonal nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 100 nm and increased in crystallinity of 7%. Viscosity increased with increase in surface area and temperature of the CSNF compared to a decrease in viscosity as the temperature increases for xanthan. Interfacial tension (IFT) decreased with increase in concentration of CSNF, electrolyte and temperature. The results show that CSNF can change the wettability of sandstone at low concentration, high salinity and elevated temperature. Pressure drops data shows stability of CSNF at 120 °C. The formation of oil bank was enough to increase oil recovery by 23%.
This paper presents the successful application of ultrasound-assisted packed-bed (UAE-PB) method for the extraction of hypericin from the Hypericum perfuratum L. The Soxhlet system was utilized for the determination of suitable solvent from ethanol, methanol or from the mixture of different proportions of ethanol-methanol. The mixture of 50:50 v/v ethanol-methanol was obtained to be the most suitable solvent since it led to the highest extraction amount of hypericin. The extraction amount of hypericin increased by 13.6% and 21.4% when the solvent changed from pure methanol to the mixture of 50:50 v/v ethanol-methanol for the extraction time of 3 and 8 h, respectively. Subsequently, the extraction was conducted through the UAE-PB, and the effects of temperature, time, and the ratio of solvent to the dried plant were studied. The response surface method (RSM) was used to investigate the effect of parameters on the extraction in the UAE-PB system. At the temperature of 60 °C, extraction time of 105 min, and the solvent to plant ratio of 15.3, the maximum extraction yield of hypericin was achieved. In the optimal conditions, the amount of extraction was 0.112 mg hypericin/g dried plant, which was in accordance with the optimized predicted value (0.111 mg hypericin/g dried plant) from Design-Expert software.
Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was applied for the extraction of bioactive valuable compounds from winter melon (Benincasa hispida) seeds. Effects of amplitude (25-75%), temperature (40-60°C) and sonication time (20-60 min) on crude extraction yield (CEY) and radical scavenging activities (RSA, % inhibition of DPPH˙ and ABTS˙+ free radicals) of extracts were determined using complete randomised design (CRD). The results showed that the CEY and RSA of extracts significantly affected by independent variables. The maximum value of CEY (97.14±0.36 mgg-1), scavenging of DPPH˙ radicals (32.12 ± 0.38%) and scavenging of ABTS˙+ radicals (40.52±0.73%) were obtained at the combined treatment conditions of 75%, 55°C and 40 min. The UAE results obtained were compared with those achieved by using conventional Soxhlet extraction (CSE) method. It was found UAE allowed extraction at lower temperature and the extracts obtained posses higher quality compare with CSE. UAE is a promising environment friendly technique for the extraction of bioactive compounds from winter melon (Benincasa hispida) seeds.
Konjac glucomannan (KGM) was treated with or without sonication and/or hydrochloric acid (HCl).
Hydrolysis effects on KGM were studied for properties such as degree of hydrolysis, fluidity, molecular mass, and creep properties. The degree of hydrolysis for sonicated KGM and acid treated KGM were not significantly different. However, the combination treatment of acid hydrolysis and sonication was found effective in yielding a smaller molecular weight fraction of KGM and solution with higher fluidity. From the creep analysis, KGM treated with combination treatment exhibited the highest compliance among samples tested. In general, ultrasound mediated acid hydrolysis was found to be a promising technique in degrading high molecular weight biopolymer. This could be attributed to a localized high temperature and high shear forces generated during cavitation that facilitated the endothermic acid hydrolysis.
An upsurge in sustainable energy demands has ultimately made supercapattery one of the important choice for energy storage, owing to highly advantageous energy density and long life span. In this work, novel strontium based mixed phased nanostructures were synthesized by using probe sonicator with sonication power 500 W at frequency of 20 kHz. The synthesized material was subsequently calcined at different temperature ranging from 200 to 800 °C. Structural and morphological analysis of the synthesized materials reveals the formation of mixed particle and rod like nanostructures with multiple crystal phases of strontium oxides and carbonates. Crystallinity, grain size and morphology of grown nanomaterials significantly improved with the increase of calcination temperature due to sufficient particle growth and low agglomeration. The electrochemical performance analysis confirms the redox activeness of the Sr-based electrode materials. Material calcined at 600 °C show high specific capacitance of 350 F g-1 and specific capacity of 175 C g-1 at current density of 0.3 A g-1 due to less particle agglomeration, good charge transfer and more contribution of electrochemical active sites for redox reactions. In addition, the developed supercapattery of Sr-based nanomaterials//activated carbon demonstrated high performance with maximum energy density of 21.8 Wh kg-1 and an excellent power density of 2400 W kg-1 for the lower and higher current densities. Furthermore, the supercapattery retain 87% of its capacity after continuous 3000 charge/discharge cycles. The device characteristics were further investigated by analyzing the capacitive and diffusion controlled contributions. The versatile strategy of developing mixed phased nanomaterials pave the way to synthesize other transition metal based nanomaterials with superior electrochemical performance for hybrid energy storage devices.
The ultrasonic extraction (UE) method of anthocyanin from Clitoria ternatea flowers using response surface methodology (RSM) was performed in this study. By using RSM, the objective is to optimise the extraction yield of anthocyanin from C. ternatea which is influenced by various factors, including the extraction temperature, time, ratio of solvent to solid and ultrasonic power. The empirical model was investigated by performing first-level optimisation in a two-level factorial design with Design Expert 7 software. In comparison with the conventional solvent extraction, UE showed a 246.48% better extraction yield and produced an anthocyanin extract with a radical scavenging activity of 68.48% at the optimised factors of 50°C, 150 min, 15 mL/g and 240 W.
This study investigated the efficacy of using phosphate-modified zeolite (PZ) as an adsorbent for removing thorium from aqueous solutions. The effects of various factors such as contact time, adsorbent mass, initial thorium concentration, and pH value of the solution on the removal efficiency were analyzed using the batch technique to obtain optimum adsorption condition. The results revealed that the optimal conditions for thorium adsorption were a contact time of 24 h, 0.03 g of PZ adsorbent, pH 3, and a temperature of 25 °C. Isotherm and kinetics parameters of the thorium adsorption on PZ were also determined, with equilibrium studies showing that the experimental data followed the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity (Qo) for thorium was found to be 17.3 mg/g with the Langmuir isotherm coefficient of 0.09 L/mg. Using phosphate anions to modify natural zeolite increased its adsorption capacity. Furthermore, adsorption kinetics studies demonstrated that the adsorption of thorium onto PZ adsorbent fitted well with the pseudo-second-order model. The applicability of the PZ adsorbent in removing thorium from real radioactive waste was also investigated, and nearly complete thorium removal was achieved (> 99%) from the leached solution obtained from cracking and leaching processes of rare earth industrial residue under optimized conditions. This study elucidates the potential of PZ adsorbent for efficient removal of thorium from rare earth residue via adsorption, leading to a reduction in waste volume for ultimate disposition.
Synthesis of palm oil based-urethane acrylate (POBUA) resins was carried out by acrylation of epoxidizedpalm oil (EPOP) using acrylic acid in the presence of a catalyst and followed by isocyanation to obtainthe POBUA. Using the monomer as a diluent in the formulation, 4% of photoinitiator and incorporationof organoclay (1-5% wt), nanocomposites were obtained upon UV irradiation. The X-ray DiffractoryXRD study revealed that the nanocomposites obtained were of the exfoliation type. The presence ofthe clay improved the hardness and did not affect the thermal stability. Similarly, it increased the glasstransition temperature Tg but reduced the modulus as the clay content was increased. The improvementof the tensile strength was only obtained when the clay concentration was 5 phr.
Palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD), is a by-product of the crude palm oil refining process. It comprises mainly of free fatty acids-around 45% palmitic and 33% oleic acids-as the major components. Ultra-violet (UV) curable urethane acrylate (UA) oligomers could be synthesized from PFAD, by the following procedure. A hydroxyl terminated macromer was first prepared by reacting PFAD with a mixture of isophthalic acid, phthalic anhydride, neopentagylcol (NPG), and pentaerythritol. The macromer was then reacted with 2-hydroxylethylacrylate (2HEA) and toluene diisocynate (TDI) to generate a resin, containing acrylate side chains for UV curable application. A series of UA resins were prepared by using 15, 25, 45, 55, and 70% of PFAD, respectively. The UA resin has Mw in the range of 3,200 to 27,000. They could be cured by UV irradiation at an intensity of 225 mW/cm². Glass transition temperature (Tg) of the cured film was measured by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and hardness of the film was determined by a pendulum hardness tester, according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)4366. The resins were used in a wood-coating application. All of the cured films showed good adhesion, hardness, and chemical resistance except for the one using the 70% PFAD, which did not cure properly.
Ethylene glycol in the presence of sodium hydroxide was utilised as pretreatment for effective delignification and reduced the recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass which ramified the exposure of cellulose. Two-staged acid hydrolysis was also investigated which demonstrated its synergistic efficiency by minimising the deficiency of single stage acid hydrolysis. The operating parameters including acid concentration, temperature, residence time and cellulose loading for two-staged acid hydrolysis were studied by using ethylene glycol delignified degraded oil palm empty fruit bunch (DEFB) to recover the sugar based substrates for potential biofuels and other bio-chemicals production. In this study, stage I 45 wt% acid at 65 °C for 30 min coupled with high cellulose loading 21.25 w/v% and 12 wt% acid at 100 °C for 120 min was able to release a total of 89.8% optimum sugar yield with minimal formation of degradation products including 0.058 g/L furfural, 0.0251 g/L hydroxymethylfurfural and 0.200 g/L phenolic compounds.
The influence of SiO2/TiO2 nanocomposites (STNCs) content on non-radiative energy transfer (Förster-type) from poly (9,9'-dioctylfluorene-2,7-diyl) (PFO) to poly [2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) using steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopies was investigated at room temperature. The improved energy transfer from PFO to MEH-PPV upon an increment of the STNCs was achieved by examining absorbance, emission (PL) and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra. The shorter values of the quantum yield (φDA) and lifetime (τDA) of the PFO in the hybrid thin films compared with the pure PFO, indicating efficient energy transfer from PFO to MEH-PPV with the increment of STNCs in the hybrid. The energy transfer parameters can be tuned by increment of the STNCs in the hybrid of PFO/MEH-PPV. The Stern-Volmer value (kSV), quenching rate value (kq), Förster radius (R0), distance between the molecules of PFO and MEH-PPV (RDA), energy transfer lifetime (τET), energy transfer rate (kET), total decay rate of the donor (TDR), critical concentration (Ao), and conjugation length (Aπ) were calculated. The gradually increasing donor lifetime and decreasing acceptor lifetime, upon increasing the STNCs content, prove the increase in conjugation length and meanwhile enhance in the energy transfer.
Chloramphenicol (CAP) is commonly employed in veterinary clinics, but illegal and uncontrollable consumption can result in its potential contamination in environmental soil, and aquatic matrix, and thereby, regenerating microbial resistance, and antibiotic-resistant genes. Adsorption by efficient, and recyclable adsorbents such as mesoporous carbons (MPCs) is commonly regarded as a "green and sustainable" approach. Herein, the MPCs were facilely synthesized via the pyrolysis of the metal⁻organic framework Fe₃O(BDC)₃ with calcination temperatures (x °C) between 600 and 900 °C under nitrogen atmosphere. The characterization results pointed out mesoporous carbon matrix (MPC700) coating zero-valent iron particles with high surface area (~225 m²/g). Also, significant investigations including fabrication condition, CAP concentration, effect of pH, dosage, and ionic strength on the absorptive removal of CAP were systematically studied. The optimal conditions consisted of pH = 6, concentration 10 mg/L and dose 0.5 g/L for the highest chloramphenicol removal efficiency at nearly 100% after 4 h. Furthermore, the nonlinear kinetic and isotherm adsorption studies revealed the monolayer adsorption behavior of CAP onto MPC700 and Fe₃O(BDC)₃ materials via chemisorption, while the thermodynamic studies implied that the adsorption of CAP was a spontaneous process. Finally, adsorption mechanism including H-bonding, electrostatic attraction, π⁻π interaction, and metal⁻bridging interaction was proposed to elucidate how chloramphenicol molecules were adsorbed on the surface of materials. With excellent maximum adsorption capacity (96.3 mg/g), high stability, and good recyclability (4 cycles), the MPC700 nanocomposite could be utilized as a promising alternative for decontamination of chloramphenicol antibiotic from wastewater.
In this study, tunable Schiff's base-cross-linked chitosan-glutaraldehyde (CS-GLA) was modified and applied to remove reactive red 120 (RR120) dye from an aqueous solution. Different ratios of TiO2 nanoparticles, such as 25% TiO2 nanoparticles (CS-GLA/TNC-25) and 50% TiO2 nanoparticles (CS-GLA/TNC-50), were loaded into the CS-GLA's molecular structure. The adsorptive properties of CS-GLA, CS-GLA/TNC-25, and CS-GLA/TNC-50 for the RR120 dye in the aqueous solution were evaluated. CS-GLA/TNC-25 exhibited the best adsorptive property possibly because of the perfect balancing between the surface area and available amine (NH2) groups in the composite formulation. The impact of adsorption key parameters, such as adsorbent dosage (0.01-1.2 g), RR120 dye concentration (30-400 mg/L), solution pH (3-12), and contact time (0-400 min) were explored by batch adsorption mode. The adsorption was well described by the Freundlich model and pseudo-second order kinetic model. The adsorption capacity of CS-GLA/TNC-25 for RR120 dye was 103.1 mg/g at 303K. The adsorption mechanism of RR120 on the CS-GLA/TNC-25 surface can be assigned to various interactions, such as electrostatic attraction, n-π stacking, and H-bonding. Results indicate the potential application of CS-GLA/TNC-25 as environment-friendly biosorbent for removing acid and/or textile dyes, such as RR120, from aqueous environments.