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Publication date: 15 May 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 182





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Editorial Board

Publication date: 15 May 2018
Source:Talanta, Volume 182





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Novel ZnS-ZnO composite synthesized by the solvothermal method through the partial sulfidation of ZnO for H2 production without sacrificial agent

Publication date: 15 August 2018
Source:Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, Volume 230
Author(s): Yanet Piña-Pérez, Octavio Aguilar-Martínez, Próspero Acevedo-Peña, C.E. Santolalla-Vargas, Socorro Oros-Ruíz, Félix Galindo-Hernández, R. Gómez, F. Tzompantzi
Novel ZnS-ZnO composites were synthesized by the solvothermal method from the partial sulfidation of ZnO using thiourea at low temperatures. The synthesized materials were active for the photocatalytic production of H2 with and without the presence of sacrificial agent without the addition of a co-catalyst; in the present paper, methanol was evaluated as sacrificial agent, increasing the amount of H2 produced up to five times compared to the most active photocatalyst without using sacrificial agent. All the materials were characterized by XRD, N2 Physisorption, FT-IR, XPS, Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy, and HR-TEM. In addition, the materials were characterized by photo-electrochemical techniques to explain the photocatalytic behavior. The most active material was the composite with an atomic ratio of S/Zn = 0.71 synthesized at 100 °C, producing 247 μmol H2 h⁻¹ g⁻¹, the H2 production rate was improved five times with the addition of methanol as sacrificial agent. The improvement of the photocatalytic activity was attributed to the formation of the heterojunction at the interface formed between ZnO and ZnS, promoting a higher electron transfer to the conduction band and a lower charge transfer resistance from the catalyst surface to the solution reaction.

Graphical abstract

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Impact of wastewater effluent containing aged nanoparticles and other components on biological activities of the soil microbiome, Arabidopsis plants, and earthworms

Publication date: July 2018
Source:Environmental Research, Volume 164
Author(s): Jia Liu, Philip C. Williams, Jane Geisler-Lee, Boyd M. Goodson, Masoud Fakharifar, Meisam Peiravi, Da Chen, David A. Lightfoot, Max E. Gemeinhardt
The amount of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in the environment has been increasing due to their industrial and commercial applications. Different types of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) have been detected in effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The effluents have been reclaimed for crop irrigation in many arid and semi-arid areas. Here, a soil micro-ecosystem was established including a microbiome, 4 Arabidopsis thaliana plants, and 3 Eisenia fetida earthworms, for a duration of 95 days. The impact of wastewater effluent (WE) containing aged NPs was studied. WE was taken from a local WWTP and exhibited the presence of Ti, Ag, and Zn up to 97.0 ± 9.4, 27.4 ± 3.9, and 4.1 ± 3.6 µg/L, respectively, as well as the presence of nanoscale particles (1–100 nm in diameter). The plants were irrigated with WE or deionized water (DIW). After 95 days, significantly higher concentrations of extractable Ti and Zn (439.2 ± 24.4 and 9.0 ± 0.5 mg/kg, respectively) were found in WE-irrigated soil than those in DIW-irrigated soil (161.2 ± 2.1 and 4.0 ± 0.1 mg/kg). The extractable Ag concentrations did not differ significantly between the WE- and DIW-irrigated soil. Although microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen were not significantly reduced, the population distribution of the microbial communities was shifted in WE-irrigated soil compared to the control. The abundance of cyanobacteria (Cyanophyta) was increased by 12.5% in the WE-irrigated soil as manifested mainly by an increase of Trichodesmium spp., and the abundance of unknown archaea was enhanced from 26.7% in the control to 40.5% in the WE-irrigated soil. The biomasses of A. thaliana and E. fetida were not significantly changed by WE exposure. However, A. thaliana had a noticeable shortened life cycle, and corrected total cell fluorescence was much higher in the roots of WE-irrigated plants compared to the control. These impacts on the soil micro-ecosystem may have resulted from the aged NPs and/or the metal ions released from these NPs, as well as other components in the WE. Taken together, these results should help inform the reuse of WE containing aged NPs and other components in sustainable agriculture.



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How to Characterize the Function of a Brain Region

Publication date: Available online 28 February 2018
Source:Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Author(s): Sarah Genon, Andrew Reid, Robert Langner, Katrin Amunts, Simon B. Eickhoff
Many brain regions have been defined, but a comprehensive formalization of each region's function in relation to human behavior is still lacking. Current knowledge comes from various fields, which have diverse conceptions of 'functions'. We briefly review these fields and outline how the heterogeneity of associations could be harnessed to disclose the computational function of any region. Aggregating activation data from neuroimaging studies allows us to characterize the functional engagement of a region across a range of experimental conditions. Furthermore, large-sample data can disclose covariation between brain region features and ecological behavioral phenotyping. Combining these two approaches opens a new perspective to determine the behavioral associations of a brain region, and hence its function and broader role within large-scale functional networks.



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Editorial Board

Publication date: 15 March 2018
Source:Journal of Neuroscience Methods, Volume 298





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Comparison of propofol and desflurane for postanaesthetic morbidity in patients undergoing surgery for aneurysmal SAH: a randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Purpose

Surgery for aneurysmal clipping after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) poses a unique anaesthetic challenge. However, data on the influence of anaesthetic agents in these patients are lacking. The study aims to evaluate the superiority of propofol over desflurane for postanaesthetic morbidity in patients undergoing surgery following aneurysmal SAH.

Methods

Seventy World Federation of Neurosurgeons Grade I and II patients were randomized into propofol (n = 35) and desflurane groups (n = 35). Anaesthesia was maintained with propofol/fentanyl in propofol group and desflurane/fentanyl in the desflurane group. Jugular venous oxygen saturation (SjVO₂) and brain relaxation were assessed intraoperatively. Time to eye opening, response to verbal commands, and extubation were noted from the time of discontinuing the anaesthetic agent. Duration of postoperative hospital stay and modified Rankin score (MRS) at discharge were subsequently compared.

Results

Median postoperative hospital stay was 9 (6, 14) days with use of propofol and 9 (7, 12) days in desflurane group (P = 0.671). 18 patients in the propofol group and 14 patients in the desflurane group had good outcome (modified Rankin score 0–1; P = 0.453). Both the anaesthetics were similar in terms of intraoperative haemodynamics, brain relaxation, time to eye opening, response to verbal commands, and extubation time (P > 0.05). Emergence hypertension was more in the desflurane group (P = 0.007). The intraoperative SjVO₂ values were significantly higher in the desflurane group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Propofol and desflurane are comparable in terms of postoperative morbidity in patients undergoing aneurysm neck clipping following SAH.

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