SEM-EDX and FTIR analysis of archaeological ceramic potteries from southern Italy.

Sherds of ancient ceramics potteries, dating back to the seventh century BC and excavated from southern Italy, were analyzed in terms of microstructure and porosity (SEM), elemental composition (EDX), chemical bonding and mineralogical components (FTIR) in order to establish correlation with firing temperature, firing condition and provenance. Si/Al ratio from EDX analysis showed three major categories of raw materials (illite/montmorillonite, kaolinite and mullite), suggesting difference in provenance. Uniformly sized silica nanoparticle (0.

Tobacco Cost of Illness Studies: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: To identify studies reporting costs arising from tobacco use and detail their (1) economic approaches, (2) health outcomes, and (3) other cost areas included.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, EconLit, and Google Scholar for studies published between 2008 and April 2018 in English. Eligible articles reported tobacco-related costs and included all tobacco-using populations (multinational, national, subpopulations, and involuntary smokers).

Cheap non-toxic non-corrosive method of glass cleaning evaluated by contact angle, AFM, and SEM-EDX measurements.

Glass surface cleaning is the very first step in advanced coating deposition and it also finds use in conserving museum objects. However, most of the wet chemical methods of glass cleaning use toxic and corrosive chemicals like concentrated sulfuric acid (HSO), piranha (a mixture of concentrated sulfuric acid and 30% hydrogen peroxide), and hydrogen fluoride (HF). On the other hand, most of the dry cleaning techniques like UV-ozone, plasma, and laser treatment require costly instruments.

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye by zinc oxide nanoparticles obtained from precipitation and sol-gel methods.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized by precipitation and sol-gel methods. The aim of this study was to understand how different synthetic methods can affect the photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanoparticles. As-synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-Visible spectroscopic techniques.

The effect of sugar solution type, sugar concentration and viscosity on the imbibition and energy intake rate of bumblebees.

Nectar is an essential resource for bumblebees and many other flower-visiting insects. The main constituents of nectar are sugars, which vary in both composition and concentration between plant species. We assessed the influence of sugar concentration, sugar solution viscosity and sugar solution composition on the imbibition and energy intake rate of bumblebees, Bombus impatiens Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

Polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles: surface modification and end-functionalization.

ATRP (atom transfer radical polymerization) approach was employed to synthesis polymer-coated magnetite nanoparticles. These particles had an average diameter of 7.1 nm and a narrow size distribution.