Integrated photocatalysis adsorption processes for oxytetracycline removal: using volborthite and its composite with g-C3N4.

The photocatalytic-adsorption performance of the composites of volborthite (CuVA) and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was studied in this work using oxytetracycline (OTC) as model pollutant under LED light irradiation. CuVA at different weight percentages (10, 30, 50), namely, C10, C30, and C50, were loaded onto graphitic carbon nitride using wet chemical method. The physical, chemical, and optical properties were evaluated via various analytical techniques. Through integrated adsorption-photocatalytic process, no significant photocatalytic reaction occurred in g-C3N4 and the composite even after 4 h of irradiation. The setup was modified such that each run was conducted in the presence and absence of light. Aside from photolysis and g-C3N4, all composites performed better under the presence of light in which CuVA improved the most from ~ 50% down to ~ 20% of initial concentration. CuVA performed almost identically (80% removal of OTC) under the presence of light irradiation at ambient temperature (22 °C) and in the dark at 32 °C, confirming that temperature was the contributing factor to the improvement instead of light. CuVA exhibited excellent adsorption capacity of 171 mg/g and adsorption rate of 90% towards the removal of highly concentrated OTC (100 mg/L) under optimized parameters of pH 5.0 and at 42 °C after 3 h of adsorption process. Life cycle assessment revealed that close to 50% of fresh 100 ppm OTC could be removed after five cycles without any desorption process.

Predicting Union, Osteomyelitis, and Amputation Outcomes of Gustilo IIIC Open Tibial Fractures: A Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVE: Open tibial fractures are frequently encountered in high-energy traumas and can result in significant complications such as nonunion, osteomyelitis, and even amputation. Among open tibial fractures, Gustilo type IIIC cases are particularly challenging due to the concomitant occurrence of neurovascular injuries and soft tissue defects. This study aimed to assess factors that affect union time and complications in Gustilo IIIC tibial fractures. METHODS: Patients who presented at our center with IIIC open tibial fractures from January 2000 to October 2020 were eligible for this retrospective analysis. Patient demographics, fracture characteristics, and the timing, number, and type of surgical intervention were documented. Outcomes of interest included union time, occurrence of osteomyelitis, and amputation. We performed univariate analyses including chi-squared test, Fischer's exact test, analysis of variance, and Kruskal-Wallis test based on the normality of the data and multivariate analyses including Cox proportional hazards model and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients were enrolled and grouped by fracture healing time; eight had timely union (13.8%); 27 had late union (46.6%); eight had delayed union (13.8%); three had nonunion (5.2%); and 12 underwent amputation (20.7%). Nine fractures (15.5%) were complicated by osteomyelitis. Union time was prolonged in cases of triple arterial injury, distal third fractures, multiple trauma with injury severity score (ISS) ≥ 16 points, and increased bone defect length. Additionally, a bone gap >50 mm, diabetes mellitus, low body mass index, and triple arterial injury in the lower leg were significant risk factors for amputation. A time from injury to definitive soft tissue coverage of more than 22 days was the major risk factor for osteomyelitis. A scoring system to predict union time was devised and the predicted probability of union within 2 years was stratified based on this score. CONCLUSION: IIIC tibial fractures involving the distal third of the tibia, fractures with bone defects, triple arterial injury, and multiple trauma with ISS ≥16 points demonstrated delayed union, and an effective prediction system for union time was introduced in this study. Early soft tissue coverage can reduce the risk of osteomyelitis. Finally, diabetes and severe bone and soft tissue defects pose a higher risk of amputation.

Prospective outcome analysis of ulnar tunnel syndrome: Comparing traumatic versus non-traumatic etiologies.

BACKGROUND: Ulnar tunnel syndrome (UTS) is relatively uncommon compared to the carpal tunnel or cubital tunnel syndromes. Few reports dedicated to the functional outcomes after surgical intervention of the UTS exist. Herein we compare the outcomes of patients with UTS of different etiologies. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with UTS between 2016 and 2020 were recruited. Ulnar tunnel release was performed in all patients, along with other necessary osteosynthesis or reconstructive procedures in the traumatic group. Patients were followed-up every six months post-operatively. Outcomes measured include: objective evaluations, subjective questionnaires, records of clinical signs, and grading of the British Medical Research Council scale for intrinsic muscle strength. RESULTS: 21 patients were recruited, and favorable results were noted in all of them after surgery. Traumatic UTS patients had a worse initial presentation than the non-traumatic cases, but had a greater improvement after surgery and yielded outcomes comparable with those of the patients without trauma. Patients with aberrant muscles in their wrists had better outcomes in some objective measurements than those without aberrant muscles. CONCLUSIONS: Ulnar tunnel release improves the outcome of patients regardless of the etiology, especially in patients with trauma-induced UTS. Thus, a proper diagnosis of the UTS should be alerted in all patients encountering paresthesia in the ulnar digits, ulnar-sided pain, weakness of grip strength, or intrinsic weakness to ensure good outcomes.

Comparison of the clinical outcomes between vascularized bone graft and the Masquelet technique for the reconstruction of Gustilo type III open tibial fractures.

BACKGROUND: Gustilo type III tibial fractures commonly involve extensive soft tissue and bony defects, requiring complex reconstructive operations. Although several methods have been proposed, no research has elucidated the efficacies and differences between vascular bone graft (VBG) and the Masquelet technique (MT) to date. We aimed to evaluate and compare the clinical effectiveness of VBG and the MT for the reconstruction of Gustilo type III tibial fractures. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study enrolled patients who underwent reconstruction for Gustilo type III tibial fractures using VBG or the MT in a single center from January 2000 to December 2020. The patients' demographics, injury characteristics, and surgical interventions were documented for analysis. The clinical outcomes including union status, time to union, postoperative infections, and the causes of union failure were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: We enrolled 44 patients: 27 patients underwent VBG, and 17 underwent MT. The average union time was 20.5 ± 15.4 and 15.1 ± 9.0 months in the VBG and MT groups, respectively (p = 0.232). The postoperative deep infection rates were 70.4% and 47.1% in the VBG and MT groups (p = 0.122), respectively. Though not statistically significant, the VBG group had a shorter union time than did the MT group when the bone defect length was > 60 mm (21.0 ± 17.0 versus 23.8 ± 9.4 months, p = 0.729), while the MT group had a shorter union time than did the VBG group when the bone defect was length < 60 mm (17.2 ± 5.6 versus 10.7 ± 4.7 months, p = 0.067). CONCLUSIONS: VBG and MT are both promising reconstruction methods for Gustilo type III tibial fractures. VBG appears to have more potential in reconstructing larger bone defects, while MT may play an important role in smaller bone defects, severe surgical site infections, and osteomyelitis. Therefore, flexible treatment strategies are required for good outcomes in Gustilo type III open tibial fractures.

Accelerated sunlight photocatalysis through improved electron mobility between g-C3N4 and BiPO4 nanomaterial.

Herein, we report a detailed study on creating heterojunction between graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and bismuth phosphate (BiPO4), enhancing the unpaired free electron mobility. This leads to an accelerated photocatalysis of 2,4-dichlorophenols (2,4-DCPs) under sunlight irradiation. The heterojunction formation was efficaciously conducted via a modest thermal deposition technique. The function of g-C3N4 plays a significant role in generating free electrons under sunlight irradiation. Together, the generated electrons at the g-C3N4 conduction band (CB) are transferred and trapped by the BiPO4 to form active superoxide anion radicals (•O2-). These active radicals will be accountable for the photodegradation of 2,4-DCPs. The synthesized composite characteristics were methodically examined through several chemical and physical studies. Due to the inimitable features of both g-C3N4 and BiPO4, its heterojunction formation, 2.5wt% BiPO4/g-C3N4 achieved complete 2,4-DCP removal (100%) in 90 min under sunlight irradiation. This is due to the presence of g-C3N4 that enhanced electron mobility through the formation of heterojunctions that lengthens the electron-hole pairs' lifetime and maximizes the entire solar spectrum absorption to generate active electrons at the g-C3N4 conduction band. Thus, this formation significantly draws the attention for future environmental remediation, especially in enhancing the entire solar spectrum's harvesting.

The Optimal Application of Medium Potency Topical Corticosteroids in Preventing Laser-Induced Inflammatory Responses-An Animal Study.

BACKGROUND: During ablative fractional resurfacing (AFR) laser therapy, thermal damage to the skin is inevitable, resulting in inflammatory responses and small wounds. Corticosteroids are known for their anti-inflammatory effect. However, inappropriate application of corticosteroids carries the risk of delayed wound healing. Therefore, we aimed to find the optimal administration route, timing, and duration of medium potency corticosteroid treatment to prevent AFR laser-induced inflammatory responses and to minimize the risk of delayed wound healing. METHODS: We determined the anti-inflammatory efficacy of corticosteroids by skin erythema and tissue biopsies on C57BL/6 mice. Wound healing was evaluated by crust area and epithelial gap. Finally, Masson's trichrome stain and α-SMA immunohistochemistry stain were used to analyze scar contracture. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that one dose of medium-potency topical corticosteroid applied immediately after AFR laser treatment could prevent erythema effectively with minimal disruption to wound healing. Notably, when more than one dose was administered, wound healing was delayed and scar contracture was aggravated by the application of medium-potency topical corticosteroids in a dosage-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that single-dose medium-potency topical corticosteroids could potentially improve AFR laser-induced acute inflammatory responses in clinical applications.

End-to-Side Anterior Interosseous Nerve Transfer: A Valuable Alternative for Traumatic High Ulnar Nerve Palsy.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis of high ulnar nerve injury is poor despite nerve repair or grafting. Anterior interosseous nerve (AIN) transfers provide a satisfactory recovery. However, the efficacy of end-to-side (ETS) AIN transfer and optimal timing in Sunderland grade IV/V of high ulnar nerve injury is lacking. OBJECTIVE: The goals were to compare the outcomes of high ulnar nerve injury managed with ETS AIN transfers with those managed with conventional procedures (nerve repair or graft only) and identify differences between early and delayed transfers. METHODS: Patients with isolated high ulnar nerve injury (Sunderland grade IV/V) from 2010 to 2017 were recruited. Patients with conventional treatments and AIN transfers were designated as the control and AIN groups, respectively. Early transfer was defined as the AIN transfer performed within 8 weeks postinjury. Outcomes were measured and analyzed by the British Medical Research Council (BMRC) score, grip strength, and pinch strength. RESULTS: A total of 24 patients with high ulnar nerve injury (Sunderland grade IV/V) were included. There were 11 and 13 patients in the control and AIN groups, respectively. In univariate analysis, both early and delayed AIN transfers demonstrated significantly better motor recovery among BMRC score and strength of grip and pinch at 12 months (P < 0.05). No statistical significance was found between early and delayed transfer. In multivariate analysis, both early and delayed transfers were regarded as strong and independent factors for motor recovery of ulnar nerve. Compared with the control, early [odds ratio (OR), 1.83; P < 0.001] and delayed (OR, 1.59; P < 0.001) transfers showed significant improvement with regard to BMRC scores. The pinch strength in early (OR, 31.68; P < 0.001) and delayed (OR, 26.45; P < 0.001) transfers was also significantly better. CONCLUSION: The ETS AIN transfer, in either early or delayed fashion, significantly improved intrinsic motor recovery in high ulnar nerve injuries classified as Sunderland grade IV/V. The early transfer group demonstrated a trend toward better functional recovery with less downtime.

Novel Carbon Quantum Dots/Silver Blended Polysulfone Membrane with Improved Properties and Enhanced Performance in Tartrazine Dye Removal.

This study produced a novel polysulfone (PSF) membrane for dye removal using lemon-derived carbon quantum dots-grafted silver nanoparticles (Ag/CQDs) as membrane nanofiller. The preparation of CQDs was completed by undergoing hydrothermal treatment to carbonize the pulp-free lemon juice into CQD solution. The CQD solution was then coupled with Ag nanoparticles to form Ag/CQDs nanohybrid. The synthesized powders were characterized in terms of morphologies, functional groups and surface charges. A set of membranes was fabricated with different loadings of Ag/CQDs powder using the nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) method. The modified membranes were studied in terms of morphology, elemental composition, hydrophilicity and pore size. In addition, pure water flux, rejection test and fouling analysis of the membranes were evaluated using tartrazine dye. From the results, 0.5 wt % of Ag/CQD was identified as the optimum loading to be incorporated with the pristine PSF membrane. The modified membrane exhibited an excellent pure water permeability and dye rejection with improvements of 169% and 92%, respectively. In addition, the composite membrane also experienced lower flux decline, higher reversible fouling and lower irreversible fouling. This study has proven that the addition of CQD additives into membrane greatly improves the polymeric membrane's properties and filtration performance.

Integrity of the Prefronto-striato-thalamo-prefrontal Loop Predicts Tai Chi Chuan Training Effects on Cognitive Task-switching in Middle-aged and Older Adults.

Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) exercise has been shown to improve cognitive task-switching performance in older adults, but the extent of this positive effect varies among individuals. Past research also shows that brain white matter integrity could predict behavioral gains of cognitive and motor learning. Therefore, in this randomized controlled trial (NCT02270320), we examined whether baseline integrity of three target white matter tract groups was predictive of task-switching improvement after 12-week TCC training in middle-aged and older adults. Thirty-eight eligible participants were randomly assigned to a TCC group (n = 19) and a control group (n = 19). Cognitive task-switching and physical performances were collected before and after training. Brain diffusion spectrum MR images were acquired before training and the general fractional anisotropy (GFA) of each target white matter tract group was calculated to indicate baseline white matter integrity of that group. Correlation and regression analyses between these GFAs and post-training task-switching improvement were analyzed using adjusted p-values. After 12 weeks, significant task-switching and physical performance improvements were found only in the TCC group. Moreover, higher baseline GFA of the prefronto-striato-thalamo-prefrontal loop fibers (r = -0.63, p = 0.009), but not of the prefronto-parietal/occipital (r = -0.55, p = 0.026) and callosal (r = -0.35, p = 0.189) fiber groups, was associated with greater reductions of task-switching errors after the TCC training. Multiple regression analysis revealed that baseline GFA of the prefronto-striato-thalamo-prefrontal loop fibers was the only independent white matter integrity predictor of task-switching error reductions after TCC training (ß = -0.620, adjusted R2 change = 0.265, p = 0.009). These findings not only highlight the important role of baseline integrity of the prefronto-striatal circuits in influencing the extent of positive cognitive task-switching effects from short-term TCC training, but also implicate that preserving good white matter integrity in the aging process may be crucial in order to gain the best cognitive effects of exercise interventions.

An overview of photocatalytic degradation: photocatalysts, mechanisms, and development of photocatalytic membrane.

Photocatalysis is an ecofriendly technique that emerged as a promising alternative for the degradation of many organic pollutants. The weaknesses of the present photocatalytic system which limit their industrial applications include low-usage of visible light, fast charge recombination, and low migration ability of the photo-generated electrons and holes. Therefore, various elements such as noble metals and transition metals as well as non-metals and metalloids (i.e., graphene, carbon nanotube, and carbon quantum dots) are doped into the photocatalyst as co-catalysts to enhance the photodegradation performance. The incorporation of the co-catalyst which alters the photocatalytic mechanism was discussed in detail. The application of photocatalysts in treating persistent organic pollutants such as pesticide, pharmaceutical compounds, oil and grease and textile in real wastewater was also discussed. Besides, a few photocatalytic reactors in pilot scale had been designed for the effort of commercializing the system. In addition, hybrid photocatalytic system integrating with membrane filtration together with their membrane fabrication methods had also been reviewed. This review outlined various types of heterogeneous photocatalysts, mechanism, synthesis methods of biomass supported photocatalyst, photocatalytic degradation of organic substances in real wastewater, and photocatalytic reactor designs and their operating parameters as well as the latest development of photocatalyst incorporated membrane.

Prognosis of Traumatic Ulnar Nerve Injuries: A Systematic Review.

Ulnar nerve injury (UNI) is not uncommon and often results in incomplete motor recovery after the initial nerve repair and requires secondary functional reconstruction. To clarify the prognosis and predicting factor of UNI, and if it is reasonable to wait after the initial repair, a systematic literature review from PubMed computerized literature database and Google scholar was performed. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) checklist and guidelines were followed to develop the search protocol for this literature review. Two reviewers independently assessed titles, abstracts, and full-text articles, and a third reviewer resolved any disagreements. Seventeen articles with 260 cases were found with sufficient data and enough follow-up. After multiple logistic regression, age, injury level, gap of lesion, and delayed time to surgery were significant prognostic factors in UNI. If considering only high-level injuries (injury at or above proximal forearm), age became the only predicting factor. In cases with likely poor prognosis, their motor recovery tends to be unsatisfactory, and observation for months after the initial repair might not be reasonable. Other surgical interventions such as early nerve transfer may be an option to improve the outcome.

Amalgamation of N-graphene quantum dots with nanocubic like TiO2: an insight study of sunlight sensitive photocatalysis.

In this work, a sunlight-sensitive photocatalyst of nanocubic-like titanium dioxide (TiO2) and N-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) is developed through a simple hydrothermal and physical mixing method. The successful amalgamation composite photocatalyst characteristics were comprehensively scrutinized through various physical and chemical analyses. A complete removal of bisphenol A (BPA) is attained by a synthesized composite after 30 min of sunlight irradiation as compared to pure TiO2. This clearly proved the unique contribution of N-GQDs that enhanced the ability of light harvesting especially under visible light and near-infrared region. This superior characteristic enables it to maximize the absorbance in the entire solar spectrum. However, the increase of N-GQDs weight percentage has created massive oxygen vacancies that suppress the generation of active radicals. This resulted in a longer duration for a complete removal of BPA as compared to lower weight percentage of N-GQDs. Hence, this finding can offer a new insight in developing effective sunlight-sensitive photocatalysts for various complex organic pollutants degradation.

Task-Switching Performance Improvements After Tai Chi Chuan Training Are Associated With Greater Prefrontal Activation in Older Adults.

Studies have shown that Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) training has benefits on task-switching ability. However, the neural correlates underlying the effects of TCC training on task-switching ability remain unclear. Using task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with a numerical Stroop paradigm, we investigated changes of prefrontal brain activation and behavioral performance during task-switching before and after TCC training and examined the relationships between changes in brain activation and task-switching behavioral performance. Cognitively normal older adults were randomly assigned to either the TCC or control (CON) group. Over a 12-week period, the TCC group received three 60-min sessions of Yang-style TCC training weekly, whereas the CON group only received one telephone consultation biweekly and did not alter their life style. All participants underwent assessments of physical functions and neuropsychological functions of task-switching, and fMRI scans, before and after the intervention. Twenty-six (TCC, N = 16; CON, N = 10) participants completed the entire experimental procedure. We found significant group by time interaction effects on behavioral and brain activation measures. Specifically, the TCC group showed improved physical function, decreased errors on task-switching performance, and increased left superior frontal activation for Switch > Non-switch contrast from pre- to post-intervention, that were not seen in the CON group. Intriguingly, TCC participants with greater prefrontal activation increases in the switch condition from pre- to post-intervention presented greater reductions in task-switching errors. These findings suggest that TCC training could potentially provide benefits to some, although not all, older adults to enhance the function of their prefrontal activations during task-switching.

M/g-C3N4 (M=Ag, Au, and Pd) composite: synthesis via sunlight photodeposition and application towards the degradation of bisphenol A.

In this work, natural sunlight successfully induced the deposition of gold (Au), silver (Ag), and palladium (Pd) nanoparticles (NPs) with 17.10, 9.07, and 12.70 wt% onto the surface of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). The photocatalytic evaluation was carried out by adopting Bisphenol A (BPA) as a pollutant under natural sunlight irradiation. The presence of noble metals was confirmed by EDX, HRTEM, and XPS analysis. The deposition of Ag NPs (7.9 nm) resulted in the degradation rate which was 2.15-fold higher than pure g-C3N4 due to its relatively small particle size, contributing to superior charge separation efficiency. Au/g-C3N4 unveiled inferior photoactivity because the LSPR phenomenon provided two pathways for electron transfer between Au NPs and g-C3N4 further diminished the performance. The improved degradation lies crucially on the particle size and Schottky barrier formation at the interface of M/g-C3N4 (M=Au, Ag, and Pd) but not the visible light harvesting properties. The mechanism insight revealed the holes (h+) and superoxide radical (•O2-) radical actively involved in photocatalytic reaction for all composites.

Mechanistic insights into plasmonic photocatalysts in utilizing visible light.

The utilisation of sunlight as an abundant and renewable resource has motivated the development of sustainable photocatalysts that can collectively harvest visible light. However, the bottleneck in utilising the low energy photons has led to the discovery of plasmonic photocatalysts. The presence of noble metal on the plasmonic photocatalyst enables the harvesting of visible light through the unique characteristic features of the noble metal nanomaterials. Moreover, the formation of interfaces between noble metal particles and semiconductor materials further results in the formation of a Schottky junction. Thereby, the plasmonic characteristics have opened up a new direction in promoting an alternative path that can be of value to the society through sustainable development derived through energy available for all for diverse applications. We have comprehensively prepared this review to specifically focus on fundamental insights into plasmonic photocatalysts, various synthesis routes, together with their strengths and weaknesses, and the interaction of the plasmonic photocatalyst with pollutants as well as the role of active radical generation and identification. The review ends with a pinnacle insight into future perspectives regarding realistic applications of plasmonic photocatalysts.

Sugarcane juice derived carbon dot-graphitic carbon nitride composites for bisphenol A degradation under sunlight irradiation.

Carbon dots (CDs) and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) composites (CD/g-C3N4) were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method using urea and sugarcane juice as starting materials. The chemical composition, morphological structure and optical properties of the composites and CDs were characterized using various spectroscopic techniques as well as transmission electron microscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results revealed new signals for carbonyl and carboxyl groups originating from the CDs in CD/g-C3N4 composites while X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed distortion of the host matrix after incorporating CDs into g-C3N4. Both analyses signified the interaction between g-C3N4 and CDs. The photoluminescence (PL) analysis indicated that the presence of too many CDs will create trap states at the CD/g-C3N4 interface, decelerating the electron (e-) transport. However, the CD/g-C3N4(0.5) composite with the highest coverage of CDs still achieved the best bisphenol A (BPA) degradation rate at 3.87 times higher than that of g-C3N4. Hence, the charge separation efficiency should not be one of the main factors responsible for the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of CD/g-C3N4. Instead, the light absorption capability was the dominant factor since the photoreactivity correlated well with the ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-vis DRS) results. Although the CDs did not display upconversion photoluminescence (UCPL) properties, the π-conjugated CDs served as a photosensitizer (like organic dyes) to sensitize g-C3N4 and injected electrons to the conduction band (CB) of g-C3N4, resulting in the extended absorption spectrum from the visible to the near-infrared (NIR) region. This extended spectral absorption allows for the generation of more electrons for the enhancement of BPA degradation. It was determined that the reactive radical species responsible for the photocatalytic activity were the superoxide anion radical (O2•-) and holes (h+) after performing multiple scavenging tests.

Mechanistic Characteristics of Surface Modified Organic Semiconductor g-C3N4 Nanotubes Alloyed with Titania.

The visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of Bisphenol A (BPA) was investigated using the binary composite of alkaline treated g-C3N4 (HT-g-C3N4) deposited over commercial TiO2 (Evonik Degussa GmbH, Essen, Germany). The existence and contribution of both TiO2 and g-C3N4/HT-g-C3N4 in the composite was confirmed through various analytical techniques including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-vis-DRS), and photoluminescence (PL) analysis. The results showed that the titania in the binary composite exhibited both pure rutile and anatase phases. The morphological analysis indicated that the spongy "morel-like" structure of g-C3N4 turned to nanotube form after alkaline hydrothermal treatment and thereby decreased the specific surface area of HT-g-C3N4. The low surface area of HT-g-C3N4 dominates its promising optical property and effective charge transfer, resulting in a deprived degradation efficiency of BPA two times lower than pure g-C3N4. The binary composite of HT-g-C3N4/TiO2 exhibited excellent degradation efficiency of BPA with 2.16 times higher than the pure HT-g-C3N4. The enhanced photocatalytic activity was mainly due to the promising optical band gap structure with heterojunction interface, favorable specific surface area, and good charge separation.

Post-treatment of palm oil mill effluent (POME) using combined persulphate with hydrogen peroxide (S2O82-/H2O2) oxidation.

The aim of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of combined persulphate with hydrogen peroxide (S2O82-/H2O2) oxidation as a post-treatment of biologically treated palm oil mill effluent (POME) for the first time in the literature. The removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N), and suspended solids (SS) were 36.8%, 47.6%, and 90.6%, respectively, by S2O82- oxidation alone under certain operation conditions (i.e., S2O82- = 0.82 g, pH 11, and contact time 20 min). Nevertheless, the combined process (S2O82-/H2O2) achieved 75.8% and 87.1% removals of NH3-N and SS, respectively, under 2.45/1.63 g/g H2O2/S2O82-, pH 11, and 20 min oxidation. Moreover, 56.9% of COD was removed at pH 8.4.

Synthesis, features and solar-light-driven photocatalytic activity of TiO2 nanotube arrays loaded with SnO2.

In the present study TiO2 nanotube arrays (TNTs) were loaded with a post-transition metal oxide particles namely SnO2 via incipient wet impregnation method by varying its concentration (1.59 wt%, 2.25 wt% and 2.84 wt%). The photocatalytic activity of the prepared photocatalyst was evaluated for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) in presence of natural solar light irradiation. The morphological analyses revealed that the prepared TNTs had average inner diameter of 109 nm, wall thickness of 15 nm and tube length of 7-10 µm, respectively, while the crystalline phase and Raman spectra confirmed the 100% anatase mineral form of TiO2. Further, the presence of SnO2 in TNTs was confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The visible light absorption properties of TNTs improved drastically with increasing SnO2 loadings. The coupling effect of SnO2 and TiO2 significantly enhanced degradation efficiency of MB. An 84% degradation of MB was achieved in 6 h of irradiation under clear sky condition.

Tai chi chuan exercise for patients with cardiovascular disease.

Exercise training is the cornerstone of rehabilitation for patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although high-intensity exercise has significant cardiovascular benefits, light-to-moderate intensity aerobic exercise also offers health benefits. With lower-intensity workouts, patients may be able to exercise for longer periods of time and increase the acceptance of exercise, particularly in unfit and elderly patients. Tai Chi Chuan (Tai Chi) is a traditional Chinese mind-body exercise. The exercise intensity of Tai Chi is light to moderate, depending on its training style, posture, and duration. Previous research has shown that Tai Chi enhances aerobic capacity, muscular strength, balance, and psychological well-being. Additionally, Tai Chi training has significant benefits for common cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, poor exercise capacity, endothelial dysfunction, and depression. Tai Chi is safe and effective in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, congestive heart failure (HF), and stroke. In conclusion, Tai Chi has significant benefits to patients with cardiovascular disease, and it may be prescribed as an alternative exercise program for selected patients with CVD.