CeO -anchored β-Ni(OH) nanosheets onto nickel foam for efficient energy-saving hydrogen production an electrocatalytic glucose oxidation reaction.

Electrolytic glucose oxidation has garnered great interest in energy-saving hydrogen generation. However, high charge-transfer resistance and inefficient active centers have been recognized as the primary issues for poor electrochemical performance. In this study, for the first time, we offer a novel defect-rich CeO /β-Ni(OH) composite nanosheet-decorated Ni foam electrocatalyst (denoted as Ce@NF-GA), synthesized a unique hydrothermal approach under the co-participation of glycerol and acetic acid.

A surrogate-assisted extended generative adversarial network for parameter optimization in free-form metasurface design.

Metasurfaces have widespread applications in fifth-generation (5G) microwave communication. Among the metasurface family, free-form metasurfaces excel in achieving intricate spectral responses compared to regular-shape counterparts. However, conventional numerical methods for free-form metasurfaces are time-consuming and demand specialized expertise.

Perception of learners on the effectiveness and suitability of MyDispense: a virtual pharmacy simulation and its integration in the clinical pharmacy module in Viet Nam.

Background: My Dispense is a virtual pharmacy simulation developed for students to train and practice dispensing skills in a safe environment that causes no harm to patients. This study was aimed to investigate learners' perspectives on the effectiveness of MyDispense and its suitability to integrate into the clinical pharmacy module in Viet Nam.

Methods: A mixed method approach was undertaken.

Spotlighting of the role of catalysis for biomass conversion to green fuels towards a sustainable environment: Latest innovation avenues, insights, challenges, and future perspectives.

Recently, extensive resources were dedicated to studying how to use catalysis to convert biomass into environmentally friendly fuels. Problems with this technology include the processing of lignocellulosic sources and the development/optimization of novel porous materials as efficient monofunctional and bifunctional catalysts for biomass fuel production. This paper reviews recent advancements in catalysts procedures.

Magnetic Co/CoOx@NCNT catalysts for activation of potassium peroxymonosulfate to deteriorate phenol from wastewater.

Phenols are of much toxicological and they must be effectively removed from the wastewater from industries as well as sewage treatment. Such removal demands a special and strong composite. So, this piece of research aims to activate Potassium peroxymonosulfate (PPMS) with the large surface area of magnetite nitrogen-fixed porous carbon nanotube composites (Co/CoOx@NCNT).

Assessment and treatment of floodwater in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta using a simple filter system based on silver nanoparticles coated onto activated carbon derived from rice husk.

The floods in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta have long caused a shortage of clean water supply, which has a significant impact on the indigenous people in the region. We have conducted a preliminary survey of the water quality of the Hau Giang River (one of the two main branches of the Mekong River) before, during, and after the flood season. The obtained results demonstrated that the water in the Hau Giang River was highly turbid and contaminated with a large number of harmful microorganisms.

Natural core-shell structure activated carbon beads derived from Litsea glutinosa seeds for removal of methylene blue: Facile preparation, characterization, and adsorption properties.

In this study, natural core-shell structure activated carbon beads (ACBs) from Litsea glutinosa seeds were successfully produced, characterized, and applied for adsorption of methylene blue (MB). The ACBs were prepared using single-step carbonization-activation with NaHCO at the optimized activation temperature, time, and activating agent concentration of 450 °C, 60 min, and 5%, respectively. Batch experiments were performed to determine the optimum adsorption conditions, suitable kinetic and isotherm models, and thermodynamic parameters for the adsorption of MB onto ACBs.

Adsorption of Ni(II) ions by magnetic activated carbon/chitosan beads prepared from spent coffee grounds, shrimp shells and green tea extract.

Magnetic activated carbon/chitosan composite (MACCS) beads from spent coffee grounds and shrimp shells were synthesized using green tea extract as a crosslinker. The adsorbent was then applied for removal of Ni(II) ions from aqueous solution after carefully characterizing it by various techniques (XRD, FTIR, FE-SEM, EDX, VSM and BET). The adsorption kinetics, isotherms, thermodynamics, the effects of key adsorption factors such as the pH value, initial Ni(II) concentration, contact time, adsorbent dose and temperature were investigated in detail.

The impact of fatty acids on the antibacterial properties of N-thiolated β-lactams.

Bacterial fatty acid synthesis (FAS) is a potentially important, albeit controversial, target for antimicrobial therapy. Recent studies have suggested that the addition of exogenous fatty acids (FAs) to growth media can circumvent the effects of FAS-targeting compounds on bacterial growth. Consequently, such agents may have limited in vivo applicability for the treatment of human disease, as free FAs are abundant within the body.

Enhancement of salivary IgA response to a DNA vaccine against Streptococcus mutans wall-associated protein A in mice by plasmid-based adjuvants.

A specific salivary IgA (sIgA) response was obtained in mice by intranasal immunization with a naked DNA vaccine consisting of the Streptococcus mutans wall-associated protein A gene (wapA) inserted into the mammalian expression vector pcDNA3.1/V5/His-TOPO. In the present study, the vaccine, referred to as pcDNA-wapA, was administered with or without the cationic lipid DMRIE-C.

Lymph node retrieval in abdominoperineal surgical specimen is radiation time-dependent.

Background: A low yield of lymph nodes (LN) in abdominoperineal resection (APR) specimen has been associated with preoperative radiation therapy (XRT) in population-based studies, which may preclude adequate staging of anorectal carcinomas. We hypothesized that the number of LN retrieved in APR specimen was correlated with the dose and the timing of pelvic irradiation.

Patients And Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 102 patients who underwent APR in a single institution between 1980 and 2004.

Identification and characterization of collagen-binding activity in Streptococcus mutans wall-associated protein: a possible implication in dental root caries and endocarditis.

Streptococcus mutans is implicated in coronal and dental root decay, and in endocarditis. Comparative study of the amino acid sequence of S. mutans 47 kDa wall-associated protein A (WapA) revealed a collagen-binding domain (CBD) at the N-terminal region.

Differential immunogenicity of a DNA vaccine containing the Streptococcus mutans wall-associated protein A gene versus that containing a truncated derivative antigen A lacking in the hydrophobic carboxyterminal region.

Two plasmid DNA constructs were obtained by cloning separately into the eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1/V5-His-TOPO the wall-associated protein A (wapA) gene of Streptococcus mutans GS-5 or its truncated derivative antigen A (agA) gene encoding a known candidate antigen for dental caries vaccine. The immunogenicity of the two constructs, designated pcDNA-wapA and pcDNA-agA, was compared by intranasal immunization of two groups of mice using the cationic DMRIE-C (1,2-dimyristyloxypropyl-3-dimethylhydroxy ethyl ammonium bromide-cholesterol) as an adjuvant.

Identification, molecular cloning, and sequence analysis of a deoxyribose aldolase in Streptococcus mutans GS-5.

Bacterial fitness in the environment, where nutrients are limited and competition is intense, plays a central role in survival and virulence of the organisms. Deoxyribose aldolase, found in several species of bacteria, is known to be involved in the catabolism of deoxynucleosides arising from dead cells, thereby giving a selective advantage to the microorganisms with a capability to consume DNA as an alternative carbon and energy source. A gene encoding a deoxyribose aldolase gene ( deoC) was identified in the cariogenic Streptococcus mutans strain GS-5 by comparative sequence analysis and gene cloning.

Effects of brevetoxins on murine myeloma SP2/O cells: aberrant cellular division.

Massive deaths of manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) during the red tide seasons have been attributed to brevetoxins produced by the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis (formerly Ptychodiscus breve and Gymnodinium breve). Although these toxins have been found in macrophages and lymphocytes in the lung, liver, and secondary lymphoid tissues of these animals, the molecular mechanisms of brevetoxicosis have not yet been identified. To investigate the effects of brevetoxins on immune cells, a murine myeloma cell line (SP2/O) was used as a model for in vitro studies.

Immunization for the migrant fulani: identifying an under-served population in southwestern Nigeria.

Rural populations are often at a disadvantage for receiving health services. Although Nigeria launched its Expanded Programme of Immunization in 1978, and has revised it twice since then, rural immunization coverage is still low. These problems may be compounded when the population is nomadic; thus a study was designed to learn about immunization coverage among a minority group of nomadic Fulani cattle herders living in southwestern Nigeria.