Search

Post-combustion CO2 capture, storage, and separation have garnered colossal research interest in the energy industry, although realistic implementation of the available porous adsorbents is restricted owing to their cost competitiveness, stability, and scalability issues. The integration of heteroatom functionalities (N, O, or S) at the molecular level into the organic skeleton of porous framework materials endowed them with superior CO2 adsorbents to mitigate greenhouse gases. In this work, we have successfully introduced triazine–thiophene (Tt) groups to the nanoporous organic polymer (POP) skeleton by Friedel–Craft alkylation of Tt (as a monomer) with a series of cross-linking agents including formaldehyde dimethyl acetal, 1,4-bis-(bromomethyl)-benzene (BMB), and 4,4′-bis-(bromomethyl)-biphenyl, which contained methylene, bis-methylene benzene, and bis-methylene biphenyl moieties in each linker unit, respectively. The precise skeleton engineering with the variation of organic cross-linking agents at the molecular level leads to the development of Tt-POP-1, Tt-POP-2, and Tt-POP-3, having nanorod-, nanocoral-, and nanocloud-like morphologies, respectively. In particular, at 273 K, Tt-POP- 1, Tt-POP- 2, and Tt-POP-3 exhibited CO2 uptake capacities of about 33.04, 40.06, and 34.12 cm3/g, respectively, up to 1 bar pressure. Interestingly, Tt-POP-2 bearing a BMB linker exhibited enhanced CO2 uptake capacity both at 298 and 273 K in comparison with the other Tt-POP-1 and Tt-POP-3, respectively. An in-depth study of the CO2 adsorption mechanism by density functional theory calculations showed that the benzyl rings of linker units in Tt-POP-2 and Tt-POP-3 play a pivotal role in CO2 uptake. The more polarized interaction of CO2 with the thiophenyl and benzyl rings compared to the N and S atoms in Tt-POP-2 results in enhanced CO2 uptake capacity with respect to the others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sign and symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 are not only restricted to the respiratory system but includes a myriad of clinical manifestations involving various systems. There are various sequelae of COVID-19 reported. Here, we report a series of three cases of tuberculosis along with new onset of diabetes mellitus and hypertension in previously euglycemic, normotensive patients following recovery from COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present in this paper a novel parametrization class of analytically tractable local volatility diffusion models used to price and hedge financial derivatives. A complete theoretical framework for computing the local volatility and the transition probability density is provided along with efficient model calibration for vanilla option prices, and reliable extrapolation procedures for producing the volatility function. Our approach is based on the spectral analysis of the pricing operator in the time invariant case, along with some specific properties of the class that we propose. In order to show the applicability of our model, numerical examples with market data are analyzed. Finally, some extensions of our parametrization class are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the chaotic motion of a semi-classical optomechanical system coupled to a non-Markovian environment with a finite correlation time. By studying the emergence of chaos using the Lyapunov exponent with the changing non-Markovian parameter, we show that the non-Markovian environment can significantly enhance chaos. It is observed that a non-Markovian environment characterized by the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck type noise can modify the generation of chaos with different environmental memory times. As a comparison, the crossover properties from Markov to non-Markovian regimes are also discussed. Our findings indicate that the quantum memory effects on the onset of chaos may become a useful property to be investigated in quantum manipulations and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A series of heteroatom (N, P, S) doped Fe-carbon sphere catalysts are synthesized. • The role of dopants in catalysts is explored in the CO 2 -assisted ODH of ethylbenzene. • Dopant changes the carbon structure from quasi to hollow to perfect spheres. • Fe 3 C phase in N-doped Fe-hollow sphere catalyst favours the RWGS reaction. • The efficient CO 2 activation is hampered by Brønsted acidic sites. Distinctly shaping carbon materials together with doping is an excellent approach for tailoring advanced materials. In this study, a series of heteroatom (N, S, P)-doped Fe-carbon sphere catalysts were prepared by a hydrothermal process to explore the effect of unary and binary dopants on the CO 2 -mediated ethyl benzene oxidative dehydrogenation. Upon doing so, a transformation from quasi to hollow to perfect spheres was observed that takes place due to the increasing hydrolysis rate and attainment of supersaturation. It was shown that each type of heteroatom has a beneficial role in creating specific chemical entities as well as in defining the iron amount of the catalyst. Catalytic activity correlated with XPS and Raman analysis reveal that the direct dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene is controlled by the iron content at low temperatures, while defect sites are the controlling parameter at high temperatures. Under oxidative conditions, the N-doped hierarchical Fe-hollow sphere carbon (Fe-N-C) catalyst shows the highest catalytic performance among all synthesized catalysts due to the cooperative action of pyridinic N species and the Fe 3 C phase for CO 2 activation as well as RWGS reaction promotion. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a new phosphonate ligand (H 8 L) based MnII-MOF (H 8 L-Mn-MOF) for selective recognition of L-arginine (Arg) over L-lysine (Lys) and other amino acids. It showed excellent responsive behaviour in different bio-fluids: fatal bovine serum and urine suggesting bio-applicability. [Display omitted] • A new tetraphosphonate ligand (H 8 L) based MnII-MOF has been reported. • MnII-MOF displayed selective recognition of L-arginine (Arg) over other amino acids. • MOF showed selective fluorescent "Turn-On" behaviour and DFT studies support it. • MOF displayed excellent responsive behaviour in fatal bovine serum and human urine. • Detection of L-Arg from serum and human urine would be helpful for clinical use. Selective detection of a particular amino acid in aqueous medium by using suitable solid state fluorescence sensor can offer a reliable diagnostic tool in biomedical research. Herein, we report a tetratopic phosphonate ligand (H 8 L) based MnII-MOF (H 8 L-Mn-MOF) [ a = 28.211(8) Å, b = 12.265(3) Å, c = 10.535(3) Å, α = 90°, β = 99.295° (14), γ = 90° and CCDC no. −1922966] for selective recognition of L-arginine (Arg) over L-lysine (Lys) and other amino acids with detection limit of 7.1 ppm. Primarily the MOF remains in fluorescent quenched state in aqueous medium due to the presence of paramagnetic metal centres (MnII). However, upon interaction with electron rich amino acid (Arg), the MOF showed selective "Turn-On" behaviour, which was also supported from the DFT studies. In addition, the MOF material showed equal responsive behaviour in different bio-fluids such as fatal bovine serum and human urine suggesting its bio-applicability. Thus, the detection of this biomarker (L-Arg) from serum and human urine would help immensely towards preparing a paediatric reference range for clinical use. As an artefact, the patients with "Sepsis" disease will be detected with an ease using this tetraphosphonate based Mn-MOF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scrub typhus is a very important cause of acute undifferentiated febrile illness in the Asia-Pacific region. Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare and life-threatening condition characterised by widespread immune system activation, resulting in tissue damage throughout multiple organ systems. HLH is categorised into primary HLH, arising from intrinsic defects in lymphocytes and macrophages, and secondary HLH, primarily triggered by infections or connective tissue disorders. HLH is one of the rarest complications of scrub typhus. We present the case of a previously healthy young man who presented to our facility with a history of acute febrile illness. Clinical examination revealed an eschar and subsequent laboratory investigations confirmed the diagnosis of scrub typhus. The patient's haematological parameters showed pancytopenia, raising suspicion of this rare association. Confirmatory tests established the diagnosis of HLH, and the patient achieved an uneventful recovery following treatment for the underlying illness and supportive care., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The development of inexpensive and reusable nanocatalysts to convert the hazardous pollutant 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) into a valuable platform chemical 4-aminophenol (4-AP) is quite demanding due to environmental and public health concerns. Herein, we report a facile strategy for the preparation of supported Bi nanoparticles (NPs) over the surfaces of nitrogen-rich porous covalent triazine-piperazine-3D nanoflowers (BiNPs@3D-NCTP). SEM and TEM image analysis suggested 3D-flower-like morphology of the composite consisting of the self-assembly of interweaving and the slight bending of the nanoflakes. The powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis also confirmed the loading of Bi NPs. N 2 sorption analysis suggested BET surface areas of 663 and 364 m 2  g -1 for the 3D-NCTP and BiNPs@3D-NCTP materials, respectively. The large surface area, bimodal pores and 3D nanoflower architecture enable uniform loading of Bi nanoparticles, while its nitrogen-rich functionality stabilizes and acts as a capping agent restricting further nanoparticle expansion. BiNPs@3D-NCTP showed a 99.85 % conversion for the 4-NP to 4-AP within four minutes. The normalized rate constant of 38.3 min -1  mg -1 of BiNPs@3D-NCTP catalyst for the reduction of 4-NP suggested its superior catalytic efficiency. Nitrogen-rich functionality activates the catalytic site to accelerate the reaction, while bimodal pores can promote the diffusion of reactant molecules. After five catalytic cycles, the nanocatalyst showed high chemical stability and negligible activity loss., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: Assessment of diabetes health takes into account metabolic, nonmetabolic, and self-care measures like diet, exercise, follow-up, and habits. On the other hand, the index of complications includes the macro- and microvascular complications of diabetes along with foot complications. The Blue Index (BI) is a composite assessment of both diabetic health-related parameters and systemic complications stemming from diabetes. The present study aimed to evaluate the diabetes control status of the patients as a single index., Methods: A prospective, observational study included a total of 100 adult diabetic patients in whom diabetic health status (DHS) and Komplications Score (KS) were assessed for cardiovascular/macrovascular, microvascular, and foot complications. The BI was calculated as a composite ratio, and measures were obtained at baseline, after 3 months, and at 6 months. Data were statistically analyzed., Results: Diabetic health status significantly increased at the 3rd month and the 6th month, respectively, compared to baseline ( p = 0.000). KS significantly decreased at the 3rd month and the 6th month, respectively, compared to baseline measures ( p = 0.000). The composite BI scores showed a steady increase of 9.62 at the 3rd month and 13.14 at the 6th month, respectively, compared to baseline. Assessing based on the duration of diabetes detection, the scores of DHS, KS, and BI showed similar changes. Assessing based on patients' gender, DHS was significantly higher in females at baseline compared to males, with gradual improvement in scores over time for both genders. Contrastingly, KS was significantly lower in males compared to females, with scores showing gradual decrement over the time frame, signifying improvement in complications. DHS was significantly correlated with the duration of diabetes detection ( p = 0.001) and age ( p = 0.01)., Conclusion: The BI is a simple tool that incorporates various parameters covering different aspects of diabetes care, including complications. It may be used not only by endocrinologists but also by all physicians as a tool to monitor and improve diabetic care., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2024.)

Background Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) constitutes a significant cause of chronic liver disease globally. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a crucial risk factor for MASLD. This investigation is aimed at assessing hepatic fibrosis in T2DM patients with MASLD. Methods This cross-sectional study focused on T2DM patients with MASLD attending a tertiary care center in eastern India. Exclusion criteria were chronic alcohol intake (more than 21 units/week for males and more than 14 units/week for females), other chronic liver diseases, and pregnancy. The study utilized abdominal ultrasonography and transient elastography, complemented by calculating the BARD score, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) fibrosis score, aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) score, and fibrosis 4 (FIB-4) index. The prevalence of advanced fibrosis in patients with T2DM and MASLD was assessed using transient elastography. Results Among the 149 T2DM patients with MASLD studied, 59.7% were female, with an average age of 49.09 years and a T2DM duration of 7.3 years. Transaminitis was detected in 9.4% of the subjects. The risk assessment of hepatic fibrosis revealed that 14.1% of patients had a high risk of hepatic fibrosis on BARD scoring, the NAFLD fibrosis score was in the range of F3-F4 in 8.7% of patients, the FIB-4 index showed a high risk of fibrosis in 5.4% of patients, and the APRI scoring showed severe fibrosis in 3.4% of patients. The prevalence of advanced fibrosis in patients with T2DM and MASLD was 7.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.7 to 12.8), while 75.8% (95% CI 68.2 to 82.5) of participants had at least some level of hepatic fibrosis as measured by transient elastography. Notably, there was a significant positive correlation between these scores and the duration of diabetes and serum bilirubin levels, as corroborated by concordant transient elastography findings. On multivariate logistic regression, systolic blood pressure, serum total bilirubin level, and serum aspartate aminotransferase level had significant predictive value for advanced hepatic fibrosis. Conclusion The significant predictive value of systolic blood pressure, serum total bilirubin level, and serum aspartate aminotransferase level for hepatic fibrosis emphasizes the importance of integrated monitoring for these patients., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Clinical Research Ethics Committee, School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata issued approval CREC-STM/2022-AIS24. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Naskar et al.)

A large number of scientific investigations are needed for developing a sustainable solid sorbent material for precombustion CO 2 capture in the integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) that is accountable for the industrial coproduction of hydrogen and electricity. Keeping in mind the industrially relevant conditions (high pressure, high temperature, and humidity) as well as good CO 2 /H 2 selectivity, we explored a series of sorbent materials. An all-rounder player in this game is the porous organic polymers (POPs) that are thermally and chemically stable, easily scalable, and precisely tunable. In the present investigation, we successfully synthesized two nitrogen-rich POPs by extended Schiff-base condensation reactions. Among these two porous polymers, TBAL-POP-2 exhibits high CO 2 uptake capacity at 30 bar pressure (57.2, 18.7, and 15.9 mmol g -1 at 273, 298, and 313 K temperatures, respectively). CO 2 /H 2 selectivities of TBAL-POP-1 and 2 at 25 °C are 434.35 and 477.93, respectively. On the other hand, at 313 K the CO 2 /H 2 selectivities of TBAL-POP-1 and 2 are 296.92 and 421.58, respectively. Another important feature to win the race in the search of good sorbents is CO 2 capture capacity at room temperature, which is very high for TBAL-POP-2 (15.61 mmol g -1 at 298 K for 30 to 1 bar pressure swing). High BET surface area and good mesopore volume along with a large nitrogen content in the framework make TBAL-POP-2 an excellent sorbent material for precombustion CO 2 capture and H 2 purification.