A polystyrene (PS)-anchored Pd(II) metal complex was synthesized on cross-linked polymer by heating a mixture of chlorometylated polystyrene with phenyldithiocarbazate and carbon disulfide in the presence of potassium hydroxide (KOH) in dimethylformamide (DMF). The reaction mixture was heated at 80 °C to form the corresponding phenyldithiocarbazate-functionalized polymer. Then, it was treated with bis(benzonitrile)palladium(II) chloride. The properties of dark colored polymer, impregnated with the metal complex was then characterized by various spectroscopic technique such as Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDX), CHNS elemental analysis, BET surface area, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric (TGA) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission (ICP-OES) spectroscopy.
Heel Effect is the well known phenomena in x-ray production. It contributes the effect to image
formation and as well as scattered radiation. But there is paucity in the study related to heel effect.
This study is for mapping and profiling the dose on the surface of water phantom by using mobile
C-arm unit Toshiba SXT-1000A. Based on the result the dose profile is increasing up to at least
about 57% from anode to cathode bound of the irradiated area. This result and information can be
used as a guide to manipulate this phenomenon for better image quality and radiation safety for
this specific and dedicated fluoroscopy unit.
Tin selenide (SnSe) and copper indium diselenide (CuInSe2) compounds were synthesized by high temperature reaction method using combination of sealed ampoule (at relatively low pressure ~10-1 Pa without inert gas) and heating at specific temperature profile in rocking furnace. Powder X-Ray diffraction analysis showed that the products involved only single phases of SnSe and of CuInSe2 only. Using the reaction products as source materials, the SnSe and CuInSe2 thin films were vacuum-deposited on glass substrates at room temperature. Structural, elemental, surface morphological and optical properties of the as-deposited films were studied by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX) analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy. Single phase of SnSe and CuInSe2 films were obtained by thermal evaporation technique from synthesized SnSe and CuInSe2 compound without further treatment.
CaxZn(1_x)Al204thin films (x = 0.00; 0 .05 ; 0.10; 0.15 and 0.20) were prepared by sol-gel method with the substitution of Zn2+ by Ca" in the framework of ZnAl204. The effect of Ca addition on the structure and morphology of CaZnAl204thin films was investigated by x-ray diffraction (xRD), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDx), ultra-violet visible (uv-Vis) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The xRD patterns showed the characteristic peaks of face-centred cubic (fcc)ZnAl204and CaZnAl204. The addition of Ca increased the crystallite size from 8.9 to 302 nm. The bandgap of CaxZnuld204 thin film was found in the range of 3.40 to 3.84 eV. sEm micrograph shows the morphology of all thin films is sphere-like, with the grain size increased from 33 to 123 nm. The AFM images show the roughness of surface morphology increased. The substitution of Zn2+ by Ca" increased the crystallite size, grain size and surface roughness which evidently increased the density (4.59 to 4.64 glcm3) and dielectric constant (8.48 to 9.54). The composition of CaxZn(1_x)Al204is considered as suitable material for GPS patch antennas.
The physical properties and structural stability of the Quad Flat No-Leads (QFN) package with different gamma radiation doses have been investigated. The packages were irradiated with Co-60 gamma radiation with varying doses of 5 Gy, 50 Gy, 500 Gy, 5 kGy and 50 kGy with operating dose of 2.54 kGylh at room temperature. The infinite focus microscope (IFM) was used to measure the dimensional change and slantinglwarpage behaviour, while the 3D CT Scan X-ray machine was used to determine the occurrence of deflection on a wire in package due to exposure. It is believed that radiation effect on ceramic filler in the epoxy mold compound (EMC) plays an important role to induce the defects and resulted in swelling of the package. The slantinglwarpage behaviour is believed to be caused by the swelling behaviour of ceramic filler and further induced structural stability. The induced stress on the EMC structural after the dimensional change and slantinglwarpage failure leads to the occurrence of wire sweep. The finding suggests that defect production in swelled ceramic filler leads to the occurrence of dimensional and structure instability.
The effects of the X-ray irradiation and chemical etching on the physical and optical properties of cR-39 plastic detectors were investigated for different doses of X-ray. cR-39 detectors were etched in the solution of the 3 M of NaOH after irradiation for revelations of the track. The tracks formed on cR-39 either by irradiated X-ray or due to the effect of environment. The changes in the thickness after exposed have significant decrease in 60 kVp and started to increase in the range of 70 kVp up to 100 kVp due to the formation of oxidation layer on surface by free radicals. The optical band gaps before etching and after etching were determined by using Ultraviolet-visible (uv-Vis) spectroscopy. The optical band gap is attributed to the indirect transition due to its amorphous nature which is significantly decline trend energy in increase of the energy fluence of radiation. The Urbach's energy, is defined as the width of the tail localized states in the forbidden band gap which change increment trend as increase in dose delivered due to the distortion structure of the cR-39 in terms of the electron charges in valences electron hence attributes to the induced modification of angle bond between the neighboring atoms.
Molluscan shells are attracting research interest due to the diverse application properties possessed. As shells are very similar to bones, this study was conducted to analyze the mineral and physiochemical composition of Cockle (Anadara granosa) shell and three other types of molluscan shell, namely Strombus canarium, Oliva sayana and Terebra dislocata as potential biomaterial for bone tissue engineering applications. Approximately 200 g of shells from each species were processed and powdered for the purpose of this study. Carbon was analyzed using the carbon analyzer while minerals and heavy metals through ICP-MS. The phase purity and crystallographic structures of the powders were identified using X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) while the chemical functionality was determined using the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer. The analysis showed that Cockle shells contained higher content of calcium and carbon including varying amount of other minor elements comparatively. However, all four types of shell powders were found to contain below detectable levels of toxic elements. Physiochemical analysis on phase purity and crystallographic structures showed similar characteristics of carbonate group present in all four shell types. A predominantly aragonite form of calcium carbonate was detected in both XRD diffractogram and FTIR spectra for all samples. Our findings demonstrated that different types of molluscan shells have almost similar mineral and physiochemical characteristics and a predominantly aragonite form of calcium carbonate that provides a strong basis for their use as a potential bone tissues engineering material.
Syzygium campanulatum Korth is an equatorial, evergreen, aboriginal shrub of Malaysia. Conventionally it has been used as a stomachic. However, in the currently conducted study dimethyl cardamonin or 2',4'-dihydroxy-6'-methoxy-3',5'-dimethylchalcone (DMC) was isolated from S. campanulatum Korth, leaf extract. The structural characterization of DMC was carried out by making use of various techniques including UV, IR, NMR spectral followed by LC-MS, and X-ray crystallographic techniques. For determining the purity of compound, highly effective techniques including TLC, HPLC, and melting point were used. The cytotoxicity of DMC and three different extracts of S. campanulatum was evaluated against human colon cancer cell line (HT-29) by three different assays. DMC and ethanolic extract revealed potent and dose-dependent cytotoxic activity on the cancer cell line with IC50 12.6 and 90.1 µg/mL, respectively. Quite astonishingly to our knowledge, this is the very first report on S. campanulatum as being a rich source (3.5%) of DMC, X-ray crystallography, and anticancer activity on human colon cancer cells.
A new isomers of thiourea derivatives, namely N-(4-chlorobutanoyl)-N'-(2-methylphenyl)-thiourea (1a), N-(4-chlorobutanoyl)-N'-(3-methylphenyl)thiourea (1b) and N-(4-chlorobutanoyl)-N'-(4-methylphenyl)thiourea (1c) have been synthesized by refluxing mixture of equimolar amounts of 4-chlorobutanoylisothiocyanate with 2, 3 or 4-toluidine, respectively. The three isomers were characterized by spectroscopic (UV/vis, FT-IR and NMR) and X-ray crystallography techniques. To investigate the isomerization effect on spectroscopic data, DFT and TD-DFT calculations have been carried out using five hybrid functionals (B3LYP, B3P86, CAM-B3LYP, M06-2X and PBE0) to predict UV/vis absorption bands (n→π∗ and π→π∗), (1)H and (13)C NMR chemical shifts, FT-IR vibration modes and X-ray parameters (bonds, bond angles and torsion angles) for 1a, 1b and 1c isomers. The results showed that the isomerization effect is significant on λ(MAX) absorption bands, while for IR and NMR the effect is negligible. In accordance with previous studies, B3LYP, B3P86 and PBE0 gave the most reliable to predict the excitation energies of thiourea derivatives.
The X-ray single crystal analysis of isomeric ortho, meta, and para bromo-substituted α-methylsulfonyl-α-diethoxyphosphoryl acetophenones showed that this class of compound adopts synclinal (gauche) conformations for both [-P(O)(OEt)2] and [-S(O)2Me] groups, with respect to the carbonyl functional group. The phosphonate, sulfonyl, and carbonyl functional groups are joined through an intramolecular network of attractive interactions, as detected by molecular orbital calculations at the M06-2X/6-31G(d,p) level. These interactions are responsible for the more stable conformations in the gas phase, which also persist in the solid-state structures. The main structural distinction in the title compounds relates to the torsion angle of the aryl group (with respect to the carbonyl group), which gives rise to different interactions in the crystal packing, due to the different positions of the Br atom.
In regard to thermoluminescence (TL) applied to dosimetry, in recent times a number of researchers have explored the role of optical fibers for radiation detection and measurement. Many of the studies have focused on the specific dopant concentration, the type of dopant and the fiber core diameter, all key dependencies in producing significant increase in the sensitivity of such fibers. At doses of less than 1 Gy none of these investigations have addressed the relationship between dose response and TL glow peak behavior of erbium (Er)-doped silica cylindrical fibers (CF). For x-rays obtained at accelerating potentials from 70 to 130 kVp, delivering doses of between 0.1 and 0.7 Gy, present study explores the issue of dose response, special attention being paid to determination of the kinetic parameters and dosimetric peak properties of Er-doped CF. The effect of dose response on the kinetic parameters of the glow peak has been compared against other fiber types, revealing previously misunderstood connections between kinetic parameters and radiation dose. Within the investigated dose range there was an absence of supralinearity of response of the Er-doped silica CF, instead sub-linear response being observed. Detailed examination of glow peak response and kinetic parameters has thus been shown to shed new light of the rarely acknowledged issue of the limitation of TL kinetic model and sub-linear dose response of Er-doped silica CF.
A novel (2E)-1-(5-chlorothiophen-2-yl)-3-{4-[(E)-2-phenylethenyl]phenyl}prop-2-en-1-one [C21H15ClOS] compound has been synthesized and its structure has been characterized by FT-IR, Raman and single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. The conformational isomers, optimized geometric parameters, normal mode frequencies and corresponding vibrational assignments of the compound have been examined by means of HF, MP2, BP86, BLYP, BMK, B3LYP, B3PW91, B3P86 and M06-2X functionals. Reliable vibrational assignments and molecular orbitals have been investigated by the potential energy distribution and natural bonding orbital analyses, respectively. The compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group P-1 with the cis-trans-trans form. There is a good agreement between the experimentally determined structural parameters and vibrational frequencies of the compound and those predicted theoretically using the density functional theory with the BLYP and BP86 functionals.
Textile industries consume large volumes of water for dye processing, leading to undesirable toxic dyes in water bodies. Dyestuffs are harmful to human health and aquatic life, and such illnesses as cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A, and hinder the photosynthetic activity of aquatic plants. To overcome this environmental problem, the advanced oxidation process is a promising technique to mineralize a wide range of dyes in water systems. In this work, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was prepared via an advanced chemical reduction route, and its photocatalytic activity was tested by photodegrading Reactive Black 5 (RB5) dye in aqueous solution. rGO was synthesized by dispersing the graphite oxide into the water to form a graphene oxide (GO) solution followed by the addition of hydrazine. Graphite oxide was prepared using a modified Hummers' method by using potassium permanganate and concentrated sulphuric acid. The resulted rGO nanoparticles were characterized using ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to further investigate their chemical properties. A characteristic peak of rGO-48 h (275 cm-1) was observed in the UV spectrum. Further, the appearance of a broad peak (002), centred at 2θ = 24.1°, in XRD showing that graphene oxide was reduced to rGO. Based on our results, it was found that the resulted rGO-48 h nanoparticles achieved 49% photodecolorization of RB5 under UV irradiation at pH 3 in 60 min. This was attributed to the high and efficient electron transport behaviors of rGO between aromatic regions of rGO and RB5 molecules.
Multidrug resistance poses a great challenge to cancer treatment. In order to improve the targeting and codelivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) and doxorubicin, and to overcome multidrug resistance, we conjugated a cholic acid-polyethylenimine polymer with folic acid, forming CA-PEI-FA micelles. CA-PEI-FA exhibited a low critical micelle concentration (80 μM), small average particle size (150 nm), and positive zeta potential (+ 12 mV). They showed high entrapment efficiency for doxorubicin (61.2 ± 1.7%, w/w), forming D-CA-PEI-FA, and for siRNA, forming D-CA-PEI-FA-S. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis revealed the presence of external FA on D-CA-PEI-FA micelles. About 25% doxorubicin was released within 24 h at pH 7.4, while more than 30% release was observed at pH 5. The presence of FA enhanced micelle antitumor activity. The D-CA-PEI-FA and D-CA-PEI-FA-S micelles inhibited tumor growth in vivo. No significant differences between their in vitro cytotoxic activities or their in vivo antitumor effects were observed, indicating that the siRNA coloading did not significantly increase the antitumor activity. Histological analysis revealed that tumor tissues from mice treated with D-CA-PEI-FA or D-CA-PEI-FA-S showed the lowest cancer cell density and the highest levels of apoptosis and necrosis. Similarly, the livers of these mice exhibited the lowest level of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase among all treated groups. The lowest serum vascular endothelial growth factor level (VEGF) (24.4 pg/mL) was observed in mice treated with D-CA-PEI-FA-S micelles using siRNA targeting VEGF. These findings indicated that the developed CA-PEI-FA nanoconjugate has the potential to achieve targeted codelivery of drugs and siRNA.
We report a rare case of sling shot injury that presented with a gunshot-like wound with preseptal cellulitis, in a toddler. An 11-month-old Malay child presented with a gunshot-like wound over the forehead following sling shot injury. On examination, he had a deep circular laceration wound over the forehead, measuring 2.0 cm in diameter, with minimal bleeding. There was no obvious foreign body seen inside the wound and no palpable foreign body surrounding the wound. The gunshot-like wound was associated with left preseptal cellulitis. A skull X-ray showed a white opaque foreign body in the left frontal bone. Computed tomography (CT) scan of orbit and brain revealed a left comminuted fracture of the left orbital roof, and left frontal brain contusion with prelesional edema. Wound exploration was performed and revealed a 0.5 cm unshattered marble embedded in the left frontal bone. The marble and bone fragments were removed. The left preseptal cellulitis responded well to intravenous antibiotic and topical antibiotic.
This study investigated the dry and aqueous erosion of mild steel using electrochemical and dry sand impact techniques. In dry sand impact experiments, mild steel was eroded with 45 μm and 150 μm sand particles. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and micro-hardness techniques were used to elaborate the surface morphology of the eroded samples. The results revealed significant change in morphology of the eroded samples. In-depth analysis showed that although the metal erosion due to larger particles was significantly higher, the fines also notably damaged the metal surface. The surface damages were appreciably reduced with decrease in impact angle of the accelerated particles. The maximum damages were observed at an impact angle of 90°. The hardness of the samples treated with 45 μm and 150 μm sand remained in the range of 88.34 to 102.31 VHN and 87.7 to 97.55 VHN, respectively. In electrochemical experiments, a triple electrode probe was added into the metal treatment process. The linear polarization resistance (LPR) measurements were performed in slurries having 5% (by weight) of sand particles. LPR of the samples treated with 45 μm and 150 μm sand slurries was calculated about 949 Ω.cm(2) and 809 Ω.cm(2), respectively.
The popularity of ultrasound for acute diagnosis of fractures in the Emergency Department (ED) has increased over the recent years. This present study aimed to determine the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound use for detection of fractures in a different environment, which is at the triage area of the ED. We compared the results of bedside ultrasound in detecting non-critical fractures to the current gold standard of X-rays in the triage area. The design was a single centered crosssectional study. From August 2014 till November 2014, a total of 46 patients were recruited, creating 75 image pairs. Following consent, a bedside ultrasound was performed and subsequently compared with X-ray reporting regarding the presence or absence of fractures. SPSS analysis was used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound in diagnosing fracture as compared to X-rays. Ultrasound had a sensitivity of 72% (95% CI, 50.6% - 87.9%) and a specificity of 80% (95%CI: 66.3 - 90%) when compared to X-rays in fracture diagnosis. The kappa analyses showed moderate inter observer agreement (0.5) between ultrasound and X-rays in diagnosing fractures. This study suggests that the use of ultrasound as a triage tool yet has unacceptable sensitivity and needs further evaluation and consideration.
The National Clinical Practice Guideline in Tuberculosis (TB) was designed to improve the quality of tuberculosis care. However, it remains unknown whether primary care doctors adhere to it well. This audit aims to assess the quality of care in the process of TB contact tracing in a primary care setting. Methods: Data on TB contact tracing from 1st February 2013 to 15th February 2013 was obtained retrospectively from all medical records of diagnosed pulmonary TB in a public primary care clinic. All patients who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study. Results: A total of 102 medical records of adult TB contacts were recruited. The median age of the TB contact was 34 (IQR=10) years and 65 % were male. Seventy two percent of the adult TB contact had a TBIS 10C3 form created, and 95% of the medical records were fully documented. History taking and physical examination were recorded on 97% and 99% of patients respectively during the first follow-up at the polyclinic. Eighty five percent and 100% of the patients had a chest-x-ray and sputum direct smear for acid-fast bacilli done respectively. The turn-up rate for the first, second, third and fourth visit was 100% to 32%, 10% and 2% respectively. Conclusion: The quality of care for adult TB contacts tracing in this clinical audit was found to be suboptimal. There is a difference between the current national guidelines and practice in the clinic. Certain measures to improve the quality of care for adult TB contact tracing
are urgently needed.
Sol-gel barium titanate (BaTiO3) and erbium doped barium titanate (Er-BaTiO3) were deposited on SiO2/Si substrates. The phase and crystallinity of the thin films were identified using x-ray diffractometer (XRD). The effect of Er dopant into BaTiO3 thin film on its grain size and surface roughness was studied using atomic force microscope (AFM) in tapping mode. XRD patterns revealed that the films were crystallized with perovskite structure. At the same time, it was shown that introducing Er dopant into BaTiO3 thin film caused the dominant peak to shift towards higher angle. AFM micrographs indicated that the films had well distributed grains, dense and crack-free surface. In general, substitution of Er dopant into Ba-site reduced the grain sizes and roughness parameter of the BaTiO3 which was attributed to the smaller ionic radius of Er.
There are several alternative sampling and analytical methods available for the determination of respirable
crystalline silica exposure among workers. The commonly used ones are, (1) NIOSH Manual Analytical Method
No.7500(NMAM 7500) which is Silica, crystalline, by X-ray difractometer via filter deposition(NIOSH 2003), and
(2) MDHS 101 (Methods for the Determination of Hazardous Substances (MDHS) Guidance No.101: Respirable
crystalline silica in respirable airborne dust). The aim of this study is to compare applicability of respirable crystalline
silica sampling and analysis between method MDHS 101 and NMAM 7500. Laboratory procedures will be performed
strictly based on MDHS 101 and NMAM 7500. Both methods apply X-ray diffraction as analytical technique with
many variations on sampling techniques and laboratory preparations. Quality assurance values such as detection
limits, accuracy and precision are derived from both data and will be compared to determine which of the method
establishes better quality assurance. The method which establishes better quality assurance will be recommend to be
used in Malaysian respirable crystalline silica monitoring programme. The strength of this research lies on its potential
to provide local capabilities in analysis of respirable crystalline silica in Malaysian setting.