• Advances in nano research
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.187-198
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• 2014

Magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) of different sizes were synthesized by solvothermal process maintaining their stoichiometric composition and unique structural phase. Utilizing hydrated ferric (III) chloride as unique iron precursor, it was possible to synthesize sub-micrometric magnetite clusters of sizes in between 208 and 381 nm in controlled manner by controlling the concentration of sodium acetate in the reaction mixture. The sub-micrometer size nanoclusters consist of nanometric primary particles of 19 - 26.3 nm average size. The concentration of sodium acetate in reaction solution seen to control the final size of primary MNPs, and hence the size of sub-micrometric magnetite nanoclusters. All the samples revealed their superparamagnetic behavior with saturation magnetization ($M_s$) values in between 74.3 and 77.4 emu/g. $M_s$. The coercivity of the nanoclusters depends both on the size of the primary particles and impurity present in them. The mechanisms of formation and size control of the MNPs have been discussed.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.1686-1694
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• 2019

Objective: Lignin plays a relevant role in the inhibition of cell wall (CW) structural carbohydrate degradation. Thus, obtaining accurate estimates of the lignin content in tropical plants is important in order to properly characterize the mechanism of lignin action on CW degradation. Comparing conflicting results between the different methods available for commercial use will bring insight on the subject. This way, providing data to better understand the relationship between lignin concentration and implications with tropical forage degradation. Methods: Five grass species, Brachiaria brizantha cv $Marand{\acute{u}}$, Brachiaria brizantha cv $Xara{\acute{e}}s$(MG-5), Panicum maximum cv Mombaça, Pennisetum purpureum cv Cameroon, and Pennisetum purpureum cv Napier, were harvested at five maturity stages. Acid detergent lignin (ADL), Klason lignin (KL), acetyl bromide lignin (ABL), and permanganate lignin (PerL) were measured on all species. Lignin concentration was correlated with in vitro degradability. Results: Highly significant effects for maturity, lignin method and their interaction on lignin content were observed. The ADL, KL and ABL methods had similar negative correlations with degradability. The PerL method failed to reliably estimate the degradability of tropical grasses, possibly due to interference of other substances potentially soluble in the $KMnO_4$ solution. Conclusion: ADL and KL methods use strong acid ($H_2SO_4$) and require determination of ash and N content in the lignin residues, therefore, increasing time and cost of analysis. The ABL method has no need for such corrections and is a fast and a convenient method for determination of total lignin content in plants, thus, it may be a good option for routine laboratory analysis.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.216-222
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• 2006

In the present study, we compared six different solubilization buffers and optimized two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) conditions for human lymph node proteins. In addition, we developed a simple protocol for 2-D gel storage. Efficient solubilization was obtained with lysis buffers containing (a) 8M urea, 4% CHAPS (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate), 40 mM Tris base, 65 mM DTT(dithiothreitol) and 0.2% carrier ampholytes; (b) 5M urea, 2M thiourea, 2% CHAPS, 2% SB 3-10 (N-decyl-N, N-dimethyl-3-ammonio-1-propanesulfonate), 40mM Tris base, 65 mM DTT and 0.2% carrier ampholytes or (c) 7M urea, 2M thiourea, 4% CHAPS, 65 mM DTT and 0.2% carrier ampholytes. The optimal protocol for isoelectric focusing (IEF) was accumulated voltage of 16,500 Vh and 0.6% DTT in the rehydration solution. In the experiments conducted for the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), best results were obtained with a doubled concentration (50 mM Tris, 384 mM glycine, 0.2% SDS) of the SDS electrophoresis buffer in the cathodic reservoir as compared to the concentration in the anodic reservoir (25 mM Tris, 192 mM glycine, 0.1% SDS). Among the five protocols tested for gel storing, success was attained when the gels were stored in plastic bags with 50% glycerol. This is the first report describing the successful solubilization and 2D-electrophoresis of proteins from human lymph node tissue and a 2-D gel storage protocol for easy gel handling before mass spectrometry (MS) analysis.

• ALGAE
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.267-276
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• 2016

Microalgae are currently a very promising source of biomass and triacylglycerol (TAG) for biofuels. In a previous study, we identified Chlorella saccharophila as a suitable source of oil for biodiesel production because it showed high biomass and lipid content with an appropriate fatty acid methyl esters profile. To improve the TAG accumulation in C. saccharophila, in this study we evaluated the effect of abscisic acid (ABA) addition on cell concentration, lipid content and TAG production in this microalga. First, we evaluated the effects of four ABA concentrations (1, 4, 10, and 20 μM) added at the beginning of a single-stage cultivation strategy, and found that all concentrations tested significantly increased cell concentration and TAG content in C. saccharophila. We then evaluated the addition of 1 μM ABA during the second stage of a two-stage cultivation strategy and compared it with a nitrogen deficiency treatment (ND) and a combination of ND and ABA (ND + ABA). Although ABA alone significantly increased lipid and TAG contents compared with the control, ND showed significantly higher TAG content, and ND + ABA showed the highest TAG content. When comparing the results of both strategies, we found a superior response in terms of TAG accumulation with the addition of 1 μM ABA at the beginning of a single-stage cultivation system. This strategy is a simple and effective way to improve the TAG content in C. saccharophila and probably other microalgae as a feedstock for biodiesel production.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.17-40
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• 2023

This article presents studies of the adsorption process in a continuous system of fluoride solutions at a concentration of 30 mg/L using a bone char packed in fixed-bed columns, as well as regeneration studies in the same system using HNO₃, HCl and NaOH at 0.01, 0.1 and 1 M. The Thomas Model, Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Numerical Integration and Mass Transfer Zone were used for the modeling of asyemmetrical breakthrough curves obtained from the fluoride adsorption on bone char. The maximum adsorption capacity of the breakthrough curves was estimated, and various design parameters of the columns were obtained for the different operating conditions. Results showed that an improvement in the modeling capabilities of the Thomas model can be obtained using ANNs. Moreover, ANNs are useful for determining reasonable and accurate design parameters of packed-bed adsorption columns. This modeling approach can be useful for the process system engineering of dynamic adsorption systems involved in the field of water treatment and purification. It is important to highlight that the obtained results indicate that, when using HCl or HNO₃ at a concentration of 0.1 M, a large number of adsorption-desorption cycles are obtained and, therefore, the highest values of adsorption capacity, which leads to a reduction in operation costs.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.231-244
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• 2017

Graphene oxide (GO) was prepared by modified Hummer's method to produce reduced graphene oxide (RGO) following standard thermal and chemical reduction processes. Prepared RGO colloids were utilized to fabricate RGO films over glass and FTO coated glass substrates through drop-coating. A systematic study was performed to evaluate the effect of reduction degree on the optical and electrical properties of the RGO film. We demonstrate that both the reduction process (thermal and chemical) produce RGO films of similar optical and electrical behaviors. However, the RGO films fabricated using chemically reduced GO colloid render better performance in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), when they are used as counter electrodes (CEs). It has been demonstrated that RGO films of optimum thicknesses fabricated using RGO colloids prepared using lower concentration of hydrazine reducer have better catalytic performance in DSSCs due to a better catalytic interaction with redox couple. The better catalytic performance of the RGO films fabricated at optimal hydrazine concentration is associated to their higher available surface area and lower grain boundaries.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.314-321
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• 2023

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of thymus extract on corrosion inhibition of aluminum 5083 alloy in a 0.1 M NaCl medium prepared using a mixture of ethylene glycol and water using potentiodynamic and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The potentiodynamic electrochemical technique showed an increase in corrosion inhibition efficiency starting from 49.63% at a concentration of 0.25 g/L to 92.71% at a maximum concentration of 1.25 g/L of the extract. These results were consistent with those obtained via EIS analysis. Spectral characterization of the tested plant extract using the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) technique confirmed the presence of organic compounds having different oxygen and aromatic functionalities in the extract that could help enhance the adsorption of these compounds on the aluminum surface. This study reveals possible adsorption isotherm of the thymus extract on the aluminum surface, supporting a Langmuir isotherm for the adsorption of inhibitor molecules on this surface.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.123-130
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• 2020

Submerged Membrane bioreactor (SMBR) is one of the last techniques that allow a high quality of treated industrial effluents by coupling biological treatment and membrane separation. Thus, this research was an effort to evaluate performance of a SMBR treating a model textile wastewater (MTWW). Different SMBR operating parameters like mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and Dissolved oxygen concentration, hydraulic retention time (HRT), and nutrients addition (N and P) have been investigated. MTWW (influent to the SMBR) was generated using the reactive azo-dye, Novacron blue FNG (100mg/L feed concentration). Results of MTWW treatment using SMBR under optimal operating conditions (MLSS, 4.2-13.3g/L; HRT, 4 days; pH, 6.9-7.2; conductivity, 400-900 μS/cm and temperature, 19.4-22.2 ℃) showed that COD and blue colour treatment performances are between 94-98% and 30-80%, respectively. It is concluded that SMBR can be used in large scale textile wastewater treatment plants to improve effluent quality in order to meet effluent discharge standards.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2018

Coagulation process using aluminum sulfate ($Al_2(SO_4)_3$) and ferric chloride ($FeCl_3$) was employed as a treatment method for decolorization of a synthetic textile wastewater containing red dye in this paper. Factors such as initial pH, coagulant dosage, initial concentration, conductivity and mixing conditions that influence color removal efficiency were experimentally tested. It was found that $Al_2(SO_4)_3$ is more efficient than $FeCl_3$ as coagulant. When $40mgL^{-1}$ aluminum sulfate was used, results showed that color induced by the red dye was efficiently removed (> 90 %) and was obtained in a large range of initial pH from 4 to 8 with, and for a dye concentration lower than $235mg\;L^{-1}$. After addition of the coagulant, the medium had to be mixed for 30 min at 60 rpm, then allowed to settle for 40 min. The effects of water conductivity in the range $0.035-2.42mS\;cm^{-1}$ and dye concentration up to $380mg\;L^{-1}$ were also followed and discussed.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.1176-1181
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• 2005

This study investigated the effects of restricted suckling (RS) on some physiological and behavioural stress parameters compared to temporal weaning (TW). Twenty Brahman (Bos indicus) cow-calf pairs were assigned to one of two groups: Calves in the RS group were limited to suckle their dams once daily for 30 min during days 30 to 33, while calves in the TW group were removed from their dams during days 59 to 62 postpartum. Heart and respiratory rates, serum cortisol concentration and body temperature were registered in cows and calves. In addition, the number of steps was also registered in calves. All parameters were recorded 24, 48 and 72 h after the beginning of the two treatments, respectively. In TW calves, higher (p<0.05) cortisol concentration and number of steps were recorded in the 1st samples and 1$^{st}$ and 2$^{nd}$ observations, respectively. No difference was found in body temperature between treatments. However, respiration and heart rates differed in the 1$^{st}$ and 2$^{nd}$ observations, respectively. In general, a significant decrease (p<0.05) in these three parameters was observed over time. In cows, no differences were found in cortisol concentration or body temperature between treatments or with time. Heart and respiratory rates were lower (p<0.05) in the TW treatment only 24 h after beginning of treatment. It was concluded that (a) RS resulted in less behavioural and physiological indices of distress compared to TW in calves, although in general, differences were found only in some variables, mainly during the 1$^{st}$ day following start of the treatment, and there in a chance of age effects. (b) Cows were less affected than their young, regardless of the treatment applied.