Carbon filter layer for respirator derived from acrylic filter felt.

Pyrolysis emerges as a strategy for handling waste textiles, wherein the conversion of high-carbon-content textile waste into carbonaceous materials facilitates the restoration of its economic value, concurrently mitigating the environmental impact posed by textile waste. The present study fabricated carbon felts for respiratory filter layers through single-step pyrolysis of acrylic filter felts. The advantage of employing conductive carbon felt as a respiratory filter layer is its capability to concurrently serve two functions: filtration and electrical heating for high-temperature disinfection.

Three-dimensional characterization of nanoporous membranes by capillary filling using high speed interferometry.

A high-speed interferometric system was developed to analyze nanostructured porous silicon (PS) membranes by measuring reflectance variations during capillary filling from both sides. A high-speed camera was employed to capture the reflectance evolution of the entire sample area with the necessary temporal resolution, providing quantitative information on filling dynamics. By integrating these data with a simple fluid dynamic model, it is possible to examine the internal structure of the membranes and determine the effective pore radii profiles along their thickness.

A Novel Organic-Inorganic-Nanocomposite-Based Reduced Graphene Oxide as an Efficient Nanosensor for NO Detection.

There are three components to every environmental protection system: monitoring, estimation, and control. One of the main toxic gases with considerable effects on human health is NO, which is released into the atmosphere by industrial activities and the transportation network. In the present research, a NO sensor is designed based on FeO piperidine-4-sulfonic acid grafted onto a reduced graphene oxide FeO@rGO-N-(piperidine-4-SOH) nanocomposite, due to the highly efficient detection of pollution in the air.

Portable emissions toxicity system: Evaluating the toxicity of emissions or polluted air by exposure of cell cultures at air-liquid interface in a compact field-deployable setup.

Exposure of cell cultures at air-liquid interface (ALI), mimicking i.e. human lung surface, is believed to be one of the most realistic means to model toxicity of complex mixtures of pollutants on human health.

Characterization of Archaea membrane lipids in radioactive springs using shotgun lipidomics.

Lipids from microorganisms, and especially lipids from Archaea, are used as taxonomic markers. Unfortunately, knowledge is very limited due to the uncultivability of most Archaea, which greatly reduces the importance of the diversity of lipids and their ecological role. One possible solution is to use lipidomic analysis.

Analysis of the Influence of Different Diameters of De Laval Supersonic Nozzles on the Key Splashing Parameters of Remaining Slag.

The paper is devoted to the analysis of a supersonic nozzle system effect in gas-cooled lances on the technological parameters of slag splashing in an oxygen converter. Simulation calculations were carried out, taking into account the parameters of nozzles used in the technological lines of converter steel plants in Ukraine and Brazil. The problems were solved in several stages.

Influence of Loading Mode on the Biaxial Stress-Strain Curve at Hydraulic Bulge Test.

Stress-strain curves are generally a very important material characteristic. For example, in numerical simulations, especially in sheet metal forming, stress-strain curves represent one of the most important data inputs. However, there is quite a wide range of parameters that influence their outline under the chosen technological conditions and, therefore, must always be taken into account.

Improving Antimicrobial Properties of Biopolymer-Based Films in Food Packaging: Key Factors and Their Impact.

Biodegradable films derived from polysaccharides are increasingly considered eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic packaging in the food industry. The study's purpose was to improve the antimicrobial properties of biopolymer-based films made from starch, chitosan, alginate, and their blends (starch/chitosan and starch/alginate) and to evaluate the effects of modifiers, i.e.

Real-world outdoor air exposure effects in a model of the human airway epithelium - A comparison of healthy and asthmatic individuals using a mobile laboratory setting.

We developed a mobile laboratory allowing field exposure of lung tissue models to ambient air at localities with various pollution sources (Background, Industrial, Traffic, Urban) in different seasons (summer/fall/winter). In samples originating from healthy and asthmatic individuals, we assessed the parameters of toxicity, lipid peroxidation and immune response; we further performed comprehensive monitoring of air pollutants at sampling sites. We measured lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and adenylate kinase (AK) production and transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), analyzed 15-F-isopostane (IsoP) and a panel of 20 cytokines/chemokines/growth factors.

Topical siRNA therapy of diabetic-like wound healing.

Non-healing wounds are a serious complication in diabetic patients. One of the detrimental factors contributing to limited wound healing is the accumulation of metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in the wound. Selective inhibition of MMP-9 is one of the established therapeutic targets for diabetic wound healing.

Fullerenol C(OH) Nanoparticles and Ectoine Protect Human Nasal Epithelial Cells Against the Cytokine Storm After Addition of the Full-Length Spike Protein from SARS-CoV-2.

Introduction And Objective: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) enters the nasal cavity, penetrates the nasal epithelial cells through the interaction of its spike protein with the host cell receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and then triggers a cytokine storm. We aimed to assess the biocompatibility of fullerenol nanoparticles C(OH) and ectoine, and to document their effect on the protection of primary human nasal epithelial cells (HNEpCs) against the effects of interaction with the fragment of virus - spike protein. This preliminary research is the first step towards the construction of a intranasal medical device with a protective, mechanical function against SARS-CoV-2 similar to that of personal protective equipment (eg masks).

The Influence of In-Mould Annealing and Accelerated Ageing on the Properties of Impact-Modified Poly(Lactic Acid)/Biochar Composites.

In the last few decades, a large number of natural additives have been analysed in connection with the improvement of the properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) bioplastic materials. This article comprehensively analyses the applicability of a highly stable and progressive multifunctional additive produced from renewable resources-biochar. The effect of biochar on the structural development and various thermo-mechanical properties was evaluated as a function of the biochar size and volume, addition of an impact modifier and in-mould annealing during injection moulding.

Air quality prediction and control systems using machine learning and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system.

Accurately predicting air quality concentrations is a challenging task due to the complex interactions of pollutants and their reliance on nonlinear processes. This study introduces an innovative approach in environmental engineering, employing artificial intelligence techniques to forecast air quality in Semnan, Iran. Comprehensive data on seven different pollutants was initially collected and analyzed.

Comparing the effectiveness of different DNA extraction methods in MX-80 bentonite.

Approaches to DNA extraction play a crucial role in determining the variability of results obtained through 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Particularly, clay-rich samples can impede the efficiency of various standard cultivation-independent techniques. We conducted an inter-laboratory comparison study to thoroughly assess the efficacy of two published DNA extraction methods (kit-based and phenol-chloroform-based) specifically designed for bentonite samples.

Single-Step Synthesis of Highly Sensitive F MRI Tracers by Gradient Copolymerization-Induced Self-Assembly.

Amphiphilic gradient copolymers are promising alternatives to block copolymers for self-assembled nanomaterials due to their straightforward synthesis via statistical copolymerization of monomers with different reactivities and hydrophilicity. By carefully selecting monomers, nanoparticles can be synthesized in a single step through gradient copolymerization-induced self-assembly (gPISA). We synthesized highly sensitive F MRI nanotracers via aqueous dispersion gPISA of hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) with core-forming ,-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)acrylamide (TFEAM).

Sacroiliac joint auricular surface morphology modulates its mechanical environment.

The sacroiliac joint (SIJ) exhibits significant variation in auricular surface morphology. This variation influences the mechanics of the SIJ, a central node for transmitting mechanical energy from upper body to lower limbs and vice versa. The impact of the auricular surface morphology on stress and deformation in the SIJ remains poorly understood to date.

Thermal Conductivity of AlSi10MnMg Alloy in Relation to Casting Technology and Heat Treatment Method.

Nowadays, with the development of electromobility, the requirements not only for the mechanical properties but also for the thermal conductivity of castings are increasing. This paper investigates the influence of casting and heat treatment technology on the thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of an AlSi10MnMg alloy. The thermal diffusivity was monitored as a function of temperature in the range of 50-300 °C for the material cast by high-pressure die casting (HPDC) and also by gravity sand casting (GSC) and gravity die casting (GDC).

Plating after tumor curettage in human femora does not efficiently improve torsional stability ex vivo.

Background: Surgical treatments of benign primary bone tumors of the femur face the challenge of limiting tissue damage and contamination while providing sufficient stabilization to avoid fracture. While no clear treatment guidelines exist, surgical treatment commonly consists of femoral fenestration and curettage with optional filling and plating of the defect. Mono- or bicortical plating of distal femoral defects aim to reduce fracture risk and have been shown to increase axial stability.

Spatiotemporal transcriptomic map of glial cell response in a mouse model of acute brain ischemia.

The role of nonneuronal cells in the resolution of cerebral ischemia remains to be fully understood. To decode key molecular and cellular processes that occur after ischemia, we performed spatial and single-cell transcriptomic profiling of the male mouse brain during the first week of injury. Cortical gene expression was severely disrupted, defined by inflammation and cell death in the lesion core, and glial scar formation orchestrated by multiple cell types on the periphery.

Long-term leaching kinetics and solution chemistry of aqueous BaTiO powder suspensions: a numerical model supported experiment.

The advent of lead-free perovskite materials with favorable toxicity profiles has made them candidates for and environmental applications. However, their tendency to leach A-site cations raises concerns about toxicity, catalytic efficiency, and slurry properties. The present study investigates the long-term leaching kinetics of BaTiO powders over 31 days in aqueous solutions of varying pH levels.

Economic evaluation of kinetic energy storage systems as key technology of reliable power grids.

In recent years, energy-storage systems have become increasingly important, particularly in the context of increasing efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change associated with the use of conventional energy sources. Renewable energy sources are an environmentally friendly source of energy, but by their very nature, they are not able to supply the required amount of energy in a uniform distribution. This study evaluated the economic efficiency of short-term electrical energy storage technology based on the principle of high-speed flywheel mechanism using vacuum with the help of an innovative approach based on life cycle cost analysis (LCC).