ABSTRACT: A carbon nanotube (CNT)/Co3O4 composite is introduced as a catalyst for the air electrode of lithium-air (Li/air) batteries. Co3O4 nanoparticles are successfully attached to the sidewall of the CNT by a hydrothermal method. A high discharge capacity and a low over-voltage indicate that the CNT/Co3O4 composite is a very ...

Using a mesoscale computational model, we probe the release of nanoparticles and linear macromolecules from hollow microgel capsules that swell and deswell in response to external stimuli. Our simulations reveal that responsive microcapsules can be effectively utilized for steady and pulsatile release of encapsulated solutes. Swollen gel capsules allow steady, ...

Nickel phosphide-embedded graphene, prepared by the hydrothermal reaction of red phosphorus, nickel chloride, and graphene oxide in a mixture of ethylene glycol-water, is investigated as the counter electrode of DSSCs. It is demonstrated that the DSSC with the nickel phosphide-embedded graphene as the new counter electrode presents an excellent performance ...

Filled microcapsules made from double emulsion templates in microfluidic devices are attractive delivery systems for a variety of applications. The microfluidic approach allows facile tailoring of the microcapsules through a large number of variables, which in turn makes these systems more challenging to predict. To elucidate these dependencies, we start ...

Cotton crêpe and stretch bandages are commonly used in back-slabs and casts in orthopaedic practice. In theory they allow swelling to occur after injury while splinting the fracture. The application of a wet bandage prevents the Plaster-of-Paris (POP) setting too rapidly, giving time to apply a mould or attain correct ...

Gold nanoparticle-assembled capsules (GNACs) with controllable size and tunable morphology were fabricated through a simple two-step mixing procedure. Cationic polyelectrolyte was first induced to self-assemble into spherical aggregates in the presence of multivalent anions. Then, the aggregates served as an effective template for the self-assembly of gold nanoparticles to form ...

Multi-purpose amphiphilic branched copolymer surfactants can be used to simultaneously stabilise and cross-link emulsion droplets to produce encapsulated spheres and hollow capsules.

Objectives: The use of ultrasound to guide peripheral nerve blocks is now a well-established technique in regional anaesthesia. However, despite reports of ultrasound guided epidural access via the paramedian approach, there are limited data on the use of ultrasound for central neuraxial blocks, which may be due to a poor ...

Nine solutions containing opiod analgesics and local anesthetics as typically use in epidural catheters were tested for antimicrobial stability. Administration via a pefusor syringe requires several refill processes. It was shown that repetitive refilling of the syringes did not result in any microbiological contamination.

The objective of the present study was to formulate a microemulsion system for oral administration to improve the solubility and bioavailability of fenofibrate. Various formulations were prepared using different ratios of oils, surfactants and co-surfactants (S&CoS). Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were constructed to evaluate the microemulsification existence area. The formulations were ...

Dielectric measurements of biological samples are obscured by electrode polarization, which at low frequencies dominates over the actual sample response. Reduction of this artifact is especially necessary in studying interactions of electric field with biological systems in the α-dispersion range. We developed a method to reduce the influence of electrode ...

Rh-doped SrTiO₃ (SrTiO₃:Rh) photocatalyst electrode which was readily prepared by pasting SrTiO₃:Rh powder on an indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent electrode gave cathodic photocurrent under visible light irradiation (λ>420 nm) indicating the SrTiO₃:Rh photocatalyst electrode possessed p-type semiconductor character. The cathodic photocurrent increased with an increase in the amount of ...

Nanostructured polymeric capsules are regarded as highly promising systems with different potential applications ranging from drug delivery, biosensing and artificial cells. To fully exploit this potential, it is required to produce bio-activated stable and biocompatible capsules. To this purpose, in present work we proposed the combination of the layer-by-layer self ...

Microcapsules were prepared by microsieve membrane cross flow emulsification of Eudragit FS 30D/dichloromethane/edible oil mixtures in water, and subsequent phase separation induced by extraction of the dichloromethane through an aqueous phase. For long-chain triglycerides and jojoba oil, core-shell particles were obtained with the oil as core, surrounded by a shell ...

Electrokinetic particle translocation through a nanopore containing a floating electrode is investigated by solving a continuum model, composed of the coupled Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) equations for the ionic mass transport and the modified Stokes equations for the flow field. Two effects due to the presence of the floating electrode, the induced-charge ...

Oil-in-water (o/w) and water-in-oil (w/o) Pickering emulsions were prepared using ferritin-polymer conjugates. UV cross-linking stabilised the particle assembly around the fluid droplets. The resulting soft protein-polymer capsules were transferred to a medium of equal polarity as the inside of the capsule, creating water-in-water (w/w) and oil-in-oil (o/o) capsules.

We describe the capsulation of colloidally templated polythiophene (P3-TAA) arrays with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) after colloidal template electropolymerization. The dissolution of the polystyrene (PS) particle templates, which were assembled via the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB)-like technique, allowed the formation of hollow-shell Janus type arrays.

Hyponatremia is the main complication of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH), sometimes fatal. Treatment strategy depends on the cause and the severity of the hyponatremia. Recent studies have shown the efficacy of urea in treating acute hyponatremia secondary to SIADH, by inducing an osmotic water drive. We describe an infant ...

p-Phosphonic acid calix[5]arene forms molecular capsules in water based on two of the molecules, which can be loaded with carboplatin using intense shearing, and attached to single wall carbon nano-tubes. Spin coating of the capsules onto a substrate affords 2 nm fibres of stacked calixarenes, with the self-assembly understood using ...

Magnetoresponsive hybrid capsules formed with polyelectrolytes, amphiphile bilayers and Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles were fabricated by a colloid-templating technique. Melamine-formaldehyde (MF) core particles with polyelectrolyte multilayer shell were prepared by layer-by-layer assembly. Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles were additionally deposited on the capsular surface. Hollow capsules were obtained by the removal of the MF core ...

An electrochemical biosensor was developed using boron-doped diamond (BDD) as an electrode material. To enhance the electrical performance of the electrode, the BDD electrode was decorated with Pt-nanoparticles (Pt-NPs) by electrochemical deposition. Their morphology according to the applied potentials for the synthesis of Pt-NPs was characterized by SEM. To identify ...

We prepared emulsions and capsules that were stabilized by wool powder particles. These powder particles were adsorbed on oil-water interfaces, and they formed both oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions. These emulsions were observed in ternary systems containing silicone oil, n-dodecane, fluoric oil, oleic acid, or linoleic acid as the oil phase.

Unsubstituted hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (HBC)-a small and well defined model system for graphite/graphene-was exfoliated and dissolved in water and the resulting individualized nano graphene sheets were characterized spectroscopically for the first time.

In this work, we introduce anisotropically shaped, ultrathin micro- and nano-capsules fabricated by layer-by-layer approach. The original cubic and tetrahedral shapes of the template particles were replicated to produce hollow capsules with well-defined edges. Introducing tannic acid as a component of LbL shells resulted in enhanced chemical stability of these ...

Samples of artesian well, shallow well, surface water, tap water, and bottled water were collected from different areas in Khartoum; these were chemically analyzed and used as diluents to vaccinate chicks against Newcastle disease. Immune response in vaccinated chicks, as measured by the hemagglutination inhibition test, was significantly better in ...

To assess the cost-effectiveness of water compared with normal land delivery. A retrospective controlled study was conducted over a two-year period in a Northern Italian hospital. The cohort included all the 110 women who completed a water birth and 110 women who had a land birth during the same period. ...

The conjugate addition of anilines onto unsaturated ketones, esters and N-acylpyrroles was investigated. Based on a recently proposed explanation for the phenomenon of on-water catalysis, operationally simple and mild reaction conditions for effecting these addition reactions have been developed. The success of these additions provides further support for the acid-catalysed ...

Abstract The questions that must be asked about any health-care intervention, including the use of immersion in the second stage of labour with birth into the water, are: is it useful?, does it do any harm? and do any benefits outweigh any harms? There is little subjective evidence (and no ...

There is no doubt that water is pivotal to life. Yet, as the emergence of life is still a big challenge in science, the detailed involvement of water in that process is not well recognized. Following the clues provided by recent single-molecule studies on DNA, we attempt to elucidate the ...

Although water pipe tobacco smoking is common in Lebanon and Syria, prevalence in neighboring Jordan is uncertain. The purposes of this study were (a) to assess the prevalence of water pipe tobacco smoking among university students in Jordan and (b) to determine associations between sociodemographic variables and water pipe tobacco ...

We studied the effect of some mineral waters and some of their constituents on the apical uptake of (14)C-butyrate ((14)C-BT) and (3)H-O-methyl-D-glucose ((3)H-OMG) by Caco-2 cells. Uptake of (14)C-BT increased after a 20-minute exposure to 1 % (v/v) distilled water, and, compared to distilled water, it was decreased by Pedras ...

In this review, we describe water balance requirements of blood-feeding arthropods, particularly contrasting dehydration tolerance during the unfed, off-host state and the challenges of excess water that accompany receipt of the bloodmeal. Most basic water balance characteristics during the off-host stage are applicable to other terrestrial arthropods, as well. A ...

Time-motion studies indicate the importance of repeated high-intensity activities during water polo match play. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of an in-water repeated-sprint test, which comprised 6x10-m all-out sprints, departing every 17 s. This protocol was chosen to replicate the regular intense periods of match ...

According to water purification equipment suppliers, estates and facilities teams are now increasingly involved in specifying, purchasing, configuring, and maintaining the sophisticated equipment required to clean and disinfect endoscopes, and, more especially, the water purification equipment needed to ensure an effective "clean". However, changing guidelines on the levels of water ...

The aim of the study was to compare physiological responses between runners adapted and not adapted to deep water running at maximal intensity and the intensity equivalent to the ventilatory threshold. Seventeen runners, either adapted (n = 10) or not adapted (n = 7) to deep water running, participated in ...

Water-pipe smoking is growing in popularity, especially among young people, because of the social nature of the smoking session and the assumption that the effects are less harmful than those of cigarette smoking. It has however been shown that a single water-pipe smoking session produces a 24-hour urinary cotinine level ...

The efficient palladium-catalyzed synthesis of a range of substituted 2H-Indazoles via C-H arylation is reported. Reactions are performed on water and provide a direct and mild route toward 2,3-diaryl indazoles of widespread biological significance.

Extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) production by Lactobacillus confusus in liquid and solid state fermentation was carried out using coconut water and sugarcane juice as renewable wastes. High concentrations of EPS of 62 (sugarcane juice) and 18 g/l of coconut water were produced in solid state fermentation when nitrogen sources were reduced ...

The authors point out the therapeutic properties of sulphate-bicarbonate mineral waters. After summarizing the general mechanism of action of mineral waters, the main indications of such waters in thermal treatment are examined including: biliary sand, biliary dyskinesia, functional dyspepsia, irritable colon, chronic primitive constipation. The dysfunctions of biliary and digestive ...

Electrolyzed reduced water (ERW) has attracted much attention because of its therapeutic effects. In the present study, a new culture medium, which we designated Water medium, was developed to elucidate the effects of ERW on the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans. Wild-type C. elegans had a significantly shorter lifespan in Water ...

In a nationally representative study with a sample size of 1495, Australian residents were asked about their attitudes to recycled and desalinated water. Specifically, they were asked to state how likely they would be to use these sources of water for 14 purposes. Recycled water was found to have a ...

To qualify as a "basic" taste quality or modality, defined as a group of chemicals that taste alike, three empirical benchmarks have commonly been used. The first is that a candidate group of tastants must have a dedicated transduction mechanism in the peripheral nervous system. The second is that the ...

The emergence of alcohol-based hand cleansers may represent an alternative to soap and water in the clinical dental setting. In this study, the antimicrobial efficacy of traditional hand washing vs. a unique alcohol-based hand cleanser with persistence was evaluated. Two experienced dentists participated over a 10-day period. On days 1-5, ...

Herein we report a mild, facile method for the preparation of 1,4-keto-sulfonates and sulfones on water. Further synthetic manipulations can result in products that are not readily accessed by hydroacylation of electron rich alkenes.

Water was a prominent substance with Pythagoras, Xenophanes, Heraclitus and Parmenides, who flourished in the years 530-490 bc. The basic Pythagorean elements were earth and fire, and between them there were 2 intermediate entities (water and air), which were instrumental and indispensable components of specific solids. All things are a ...

Water is a complex source of imagination, dreams and rituals, where cultural differences ebb and flow, where a plethora of meanings and interpretations interlink and wash over one another. Water has an ambivalent character as stated in most of the ancient cosmogonies and in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Water's composition ...

We examined prevalence rates of water pipe tobacco smoking among young people as a first step in assessing the health implications of this form of tobacco use. We examined water pipe use with data from the 2007 Florida Youth Tobacco Survey, which assessed tobacco-related beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors among the ...

The present study examined for the first time whether a Morris water-maze can be used to explore compass and other orientation mechanisms in the ruin lizard Podarcis sicula. In the open field, during sunny days, lizards were individually trained to swim from the center of the water maze onto a ...

Distilled water is used worldwide to check on hemostasis at the end of pelvic oncological operations. Nevertheless, reports about this method are lacking. The aim of this study was to explain the method and to discuss possible side effects. After the addition of distilled water to the surgically exposed pelvis, ...

The aim of the present study was to identify the compounds responsible for a characteristic medicinal off-odour in mineral water. 2-Dimensional high resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, in combination with olfactometry (HRGC-MS/O), led to the identification of 2-iodophenol and 2-iodo-4-methylphenol as the two compounds exhibiting the medicinal odour notes in ...