Electroless plating of premetalized polyamide fibers for stretchable conductive devices.

A new approach was used to produce electrically conductive polyamide yarns, employing an electroless plating technique, which involved stabilizing silver nanoparticles on the surface of the yarn using Sn2+. First, the [Ag(NH3)2]+ complex was reduced using Sn2+ to produce silver nanoparticle seed layers on the fiber surface, followed by a formaldehyde reduction. The nucleation and growth of silver nanoparticles on the fiber surface were observed through SEM images, demonstrating varying degrees of silver deposition depending on the silver concentration. This deposition variation was confirmed through XRD patterns, TGA data and UV-vis spectra. Additionally, XPS characterization showed the evolution of the chemical state of silver and tin during the silver reduction process. Electrical resistance revealed that the resistance per unit length of the yarn ranged from 3 ± 0.3 Ω cm-1 to 70 ± 6 Ω cm-1, depending on the silver concentration. The resulting silver-plated yarn was incorporated into a stretchable device, demonstrating stable resistance over multiple cycles. This method of fabricating conductive yarn has the potential to open up new possibilities in the design and manufacture of stretchable conductive devices for flexible electronics.

Efficient Synthesis of 2D Mica Nanosheets by Solvothermal and Microwave-Assisted Techniques for CO2 Capture Applications.

Mica, a commonly occurring mineral, has significant potential for various applications due to its unique structure and properties. However, due to its non-Van Der Waals bonded structure, it is difficult to exfoliate mica into ultrathin nanosheets. In this work, we report a rapid solvothermal microwave synthesis of 2D mica with short reaction time and energy conservation. The resulting exfoliated 2D mica nanosheets (eMica nanosheets) were characterized by various techniques, and their ability to capture CO2 was tested by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Our results showed an 87% increase in CO2 adsorption capacity with eMica nanosheets compared to conventional mica. Further characterization by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), as well as first-principles calculations, showed that the high specific surface area and deposited K2CO3 layer contribute to the increased CO2 adsorption on the mica nanosheets. These results speak to the potential of high-quality eMica nanosheets and efficient synthesis processes to open new avenues for new physical properties of 2D materials and the development of CO2 capture technologies.

Revolution in orthopedic immobilization materials: A comprehensive review.

Immobilization material has slowly revolutionized since 3000 BCE from traditional plaster to modern day synthetic casting tape, including other sustainable immobilization material. This revolution is driven by the search for superior casting material that possesses excellent mechanical and load-bearing properties, non-toxicity, excellent healing rates, patient satisfaction and eco friendliness. Even though the new materials have been evolved, the traditional plaster still remains a material of choice owing to its excellent skin conformability, low cost and availability. This paper aims to present a comprehensive review on the technique of immobilization, existing orthopedic immobilization (casting and splinting) materials and complications associated with immobilization (mainly casting) which aimed to assist the medical practitioners and researchers in casting material improvements and selection. Nine immobilization materials are comprehensively discussed for their desirable properties, drawbacks and the required improvements to the composition, along with the most common cast complications ranging from superficial pressure sores to compartment syndrome and Deep Vein Thrombosis. . This paper identifies that among the existing material, plaster casts are still highly used due to their cost benefit and the ability to fit patients into full body casts, while synthetic material is too rigid and has a higher probability of causing complications such as compartment syndrome and deep vein thrombosis. Patients show a higher preference in using synthetic casts for short term and body extremity casting as they are comparatively more comfortable. New materials such as Woodcast shows good promise but their mechanical characteristics and comfort are yet to be critically analyzed. However, there exists an imminent requirement to upgrade existing material as well as to introduce novel promising sustainable material for long term immobilization.

Counter-Intuitive Magneto-Water-Wetting Effect to CO2 Adsorption at Room Temperature Using MgO/Mg(OH)2 Nanocomposites.

MgO/Mg(OH)2-based materials have been intensively explored for CO2 adsorption due to their high theoretical but low practical CO2 capture efficiency. Our previous study on the effect of H2O wetting on CO2 adsorption in MgO/Mg(OH)2 nanostructures found that the presence of H2O molecules significantly increases (decreases) CO2 adsorption on the MgO (Mg(OH)2) surface. Furthermore, the magneto-water-wetting technique is used to improve the CO2 capture efficiency of various nanofluids by increasing the mass transfer efficiency of nanobeads. However, the influence of magneto-wetting to the CO2 adsorption at nanobead surfaces remains unknown. The effect of magneto-water-wetting on CO2 adsorption on MgO/Mg(OH)2 nanocomposites was investigated experimentally in this study. Contrary to popular belief, magneto-water-wetting does not always increase CO2 adsorption; in fact, if Mg(OH)2 dominates in the nanocomposite, it can actually decrease CO2 adsorption. As a result of our structural research, we hypothesized that the creation of a thin H2O layer between nanograins prevents CO2 from flowing through, hence slowing down CO2 adsorption during the carbon-hydration aging process. Finally, the magneto-water-wetting technique can be used to control the carbon-hydration process and uncover both novel insights and discoveries of CO2 capture from air at room temperature to guide the design and development of ferrofluid devices for biomedical and energy applications.

Engineering Electronic Structure and Band Alignment of 2D Mg(OH)2 via Anion Doping for Photocatalytic Applications.

The wide bandgap of 2D Mg(OH)2 inhibits its applications in visible-light photocatalytic applications. Besides, its mismatched band alignment to the redox potential of O2/H2O, brings about low efficacy of water-splitting performance. Therefore, to release the powder of 2D Mg(OH)2 in photocatalytic research, we explore anion doping strategies to engineer its electronic structure. Here, anion doping effects on electronic properties of 2D Mg(OH)2 are investigated by using DFT calculations for seven dopants (F, Cl, S, N, P, SO4, and PO4). We found (1) S, N and P doping remarkably reduces its band gap from 4.82 eV to 3.86 eV, 3.79 eV and 2.69 eV, respectively; (2) the band gap reduction is induced by the electron transfer to the dopant atoms; (3) F, Cl, SO4, and PO4 doping shifts its valence band to be lower than the oxidation potential of O2/H2O to render its band structure appropriate for photocatalytic water splitting. These results suggest that not only electrical conductivity of 2D Mg(OH)2 can be increased but also their band structure be aligned by using the proposed anion doping strategy. These results enable a new photocatalytic materials design approach while offering exciting possibilities in applications of high-current electrolysis, chemical gas sensing, and photocatalysis.

Bax, Bcl-2, and NF-kappaB expression in sanguinarine induced bimodal cell death.

The apoptosis related proteins Bax, Bcl-2, and NF-kappaB were analyzed in sanguinarine induced apoptosis and blister cell death (BCD) of K562 erythroleukemia cells and in sanguinarine treated high Bcl-2 expressing JM1 pre-B lymphoblastic cells, utilizing immunofluorescence-flow cytometry. Sanguinarine induced apoptosis of K562 cells was found to have increased Bax expression and decreased NF-kappaB, whereas BCD showed a decrease in Bax expression and an increase in NF-kappaB. In contrast, high Bcl-2 expressing JM1 cells, when exposed to the same concentrations (and duration) of sanguinarine that induced PCD and BCD in K562 cells, failed to show the respective morphologies while showing a concomitant increase in Bcl-2. Results from studies with K562 cells suggest that Bax is pro-apoptotic and also that NF-kappaB activation may be associated with BCD. Results from studies with JM1 cells suggest that Bcl-2 is anti-apoptotic and anti-BCD. Results from JM1 cells strengthen the assumption in the literature of the central role Bcl-2 plays in chemoresistance by assuming an anti-PCD role. These results also suggest that, in JM1 cells, Bcl-2 may further complicate chemoresistance by being anti-BCD in nature, in addition to its anti-PCD role.

Antifungal constituent from Gordonia dassanayakei.

The hexane extract of the stem bark of Gordonia dassanayakei showed high antifungal activity against plant pathogenic fungi Curvularia sp., Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Rhizoctonia solani, Corynespora cassiicola, and Fusarium sp. A compound responsible for the antifungal activity was isolated and identified as 3-formyl-2,4-dihydroxy-6-methylbenzoic acid 3-hydroxy-4-(methoxycarbonyl)-2,5-dimethylphenyl ester (1).

Sanguinarine induces bimodal cell death in K562 but not in high Bcl-2-expressing JM1 cells.

Our previous studies with low Bcl-2-expressing K562 cells have shown that, when treated with the putative anti-cancer drug sanguinarine, concentrations of 1.5 microg/ml induced the morphology of apoptosis or programmed cell death (PCD), while concentrations of 12.5 microg/ml induced a morphology of blister formation or blister cell death (BCD). To elucidate the possible role of Bcl-2 in this dual cell death modality induced by sanguinarine, K562 and the high Bcl-2-expressing JM1 cells were treated with sanguinarine concentrations of 1.5 microg/ml and 12.5 microg/ml respectively, and multiple parameters of their effects were studied using light and electron microscopy, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) end-labeling, 51Cr release, trypan blue exclusion, propidium iodide exclusion, and annexin-V binding. In general, we found that, while K562 cells underwent PCD and BCD when treated with sanguinarine, JM1 cells failed to undergo either PCD or BCD under the same experimental conditions. Thus, the over-expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 may have prevented sanguinarine from inducing PCD and BCD in JM1 cells. These results indicate that the resistance of JM1 cells to the alkaloid sanguinarine may have been due to an anti-BCD role played by Bcl-2, in addition to its widely reported anti-apoptotic role.

Role of Bcl-2 family proteins and caspase-3 in sanguinarine-induced bimodal cell death.

Sanguinarine, a benzophenanthridine alkaloid, has anticancer potential through induction of cell death. We previously demonstrated that sanguinarine treatment at a low level induced apoptosis or programmed cell death (PCD) in the Bcl-2 low-expressing K562 human erythroleukemia cells, and that a high level induced blister cell death (BCD); whereas Bcl-2 overexpressing, sanguinarine-treated JM1 pre-B lymphoblastic cells displayed neither apoptosis nor BCD morphologies. Here, we report that sanguinarine-treated K562 cells, when analyzed by western blot, showed significant increase in expression of the pro-apoptotic Bax protein in apoptosis, but not in BCD. cDNA expression array of PCD in K562 cells failed to reveal the presence of Bax at the gene transcript level, which suggests that this cell death process does not require de novo protein synthesis. Treated JM1 cells, on the other hand, showed an increase in the expression of Bcl-2 protein in both forms of cell death, but failed to show Bax expression. The role of other members of the Bcl-2 family remained negligible. Caspase-3 activation was observed in apoptosis of K562 cells but not in BCD or in sanguinarine-treated JM1 cells. These results suggest that sanguinarine in K562 cells induces apoptosis through increasing Bax and activating caspase-3, whereas sanguinarine-induced BCD involves neither. These results also suggest that in JM1 cells, Bcl-2 may play a role in susceptibility of cells to induction of apoptosis and BCD.