Novel Surfactant-Free Water Dispersion Technique of TiO2 NPs Using Focused Ultrasound System

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are used in a wide variety of products, such as renewable energy resources, cosmetics, foods, packaging materials, and inks. However, large quantities of surfactants are used to prepare waterborne TiO2 nanoparticles with long-term dispersion stability, and very few studies have investigated the development of pure water dispersion technology without the use of surfactants and synthetic auxiliaries. This study investigated the use of focused ultrasound to prepare surfactant-free waterborne TiO2 nanoparticles to determine the optimal conditions for dispersion of TiO2 nanoparticles in water. Under 395–400 kHz and 100–105 W conditions, 1 wt% TiO2 colloids were prepared. Even in the absence of a surfactant, in the water dispersion state, the nanoparticles were dispersed with a particle size distribution of ≤100 nm and did not re-agglomerate for up to 30 days, demonstrating their excellent dispersion stability.

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Drawdowns at the Free Water Table During Pumping Tests in Artesian and Semiartesian Aquifers

Hydrology Research ◽

10.2166/nh.1980.0020 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 11 (3-4) ◽

pp. 159-168 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Henrik Kærgaard

Keyword(s):

Water Table ◽

Free Water ◽

Pumping Test ◽

Water Withdrawal ◽

Specific Yield ◽

Minor Role ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Long Term Storage ◽

Term Storage

In an earlier paper I have shown an example of how long term drawdowns can be used for the computation of long term storage in artesian and semiartesian areas. In most cases the long term storage is more or less equivalent to the specific yield at the water table; the storage mechanisms of consolidation playing a minor role in long term situations. The specific yield in artesian areas is a very important parameter in the prediction of long term effects of ground water withdrawal. Especially the stream depletion will often mainly be governed by draw-downs in upper nonpumped aquifers near the water table, and these drawdowns depend to a great extent on the specific yield at the water table. A determination of long term storage will often necessitate long term draw-down data, however, under certain circumstances a determination can be made on the basis of a pumping test of limited duration (3-5 weeks) provided drawdown observations at the water table can be made. In this paper some formulas dealing with water table drawdowns in different geohydrologic systems are reviewed, and two cases in which these formulas have been used in practice are presented.

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Deep Brain Stimulation for Tremor: Update on Long-Term Outcomes, Target Considerations and Future Directions

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10163468 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (16) ◽

pp. 3468

Author(s):

Naomi I. Kremer ◽

Rik W. J. Pauwels ◽

Nicolò G. Pozzi ◽

Florian Lange ◽

Jonas Roothans ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Deep Brain Stimulation ◽

Brain Stimulation ◽

Focused Ultrasound ◽

Neurosurgical Procedures ◽

Drug Resistant ◽

Long Term Outcomes ◽

Future Directions ◽

Ventral Intermediate Nucleus ◽

Deep Brain

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the thalamic ventral intermediate nucleus is one of the main advanced neurosurgical treatments for drug-resistant tremor. However, not every patient may be eligible for this procedure. Nowadays, various other functional neurosurgical procedures are available. In particular cases, radiofrequency thalamotomy, focused ultrasound and radiosurgery are proven alternatives to DBS. Besides, other DBS targets, such as the posterior subthalamic area (PSA) or the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract (DRT), may be appraised as well. In this review, the clinical characteristics and pathophysiology of tremor syndromes, as well as long-term outcomes of DBS in different targets, will be summarized. The effectiveness and safety of lesioning procedures will be discussed, and an evidence-based clinical treatment approach for patients with drug-resistant tremor will be presented. Lastly, the future directions in the treatment of severe tremor syndromes will be elaborated.

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Development of a Water Matrix Certified Reference Material for Volatile Organic Compounds Analysis in Water

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26144370 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (14) ◽

pp. 4370

Author(s):

Liping Fang ◽

Linyan Huang ◽

Gang Yang ◽

Yang Jiang ◽

Haiping Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Volatile Organic Compounds ◽

Reference Material ◽

Organic Compounds ◽

Certified Reference Material ◽

Pure Water ◽

Term Stability ◽

Long Term Stability ◽

Water Matrix ◽

Volatile Organic

Water matrix certified reference material (MCRM) of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is used to provide quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) during the analysis of VOCs in water. In this research, a water MCRM of 28 VOCs was developed using a “reconstitution” approach by adding VOCs spiking, methanol solution into pure water immediately prior to analysis. The VOCs spiking solution was prepared gravimetrically by dividing 28 VOCs into seven groups, then based on ISO Guide 35, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to investigate the homogeneity and long-term stability. The studies of homogeneity and long-term stability indicated that the batch of VOCs spiking solution was homogeneous and stable at room temperature for at least 15 months. Moreover, the water MCRM of 28 VOCs was certified by a network of nine competent laboratories, and the certified values and expanded uncertainties of 28 VOCs ranged from 6.2 to 17 μg/L and 0.5 to 5.3 μg/L, respectively.

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High-intensity focused ultrasound combined with transarterial chemoembolization for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: Long-term follow-up and clinical analysis

European Journal of Radiology ◽

10.1016/j.ejrad.2010.08.042 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 80 (3) ◽

pp. 662-669 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Chengbing Jin ◽

Hui Zhu ◽

Zhibiao Wang ◽

Feng Wu ◽

Wenzhi Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

High Intensity ◽

Transarterial Chemoembolization ◽

Focused Ultrasound ◽

Clinical Analysis ◽

High Intensity Focused Ultrasound ◽

Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Long Term Follow Up

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Treatment of Synthetic Produced Water using Hybrid Membrane Processes

Journal of Applied Membrane Science & Technology ◽

10.11113/amst.v22n2.145 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

Author(s):

N. Chin ◽

S. O. Lai ◽

K. C. Chong ◽

S. S. Lee ◽

C. H. Koo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tio2 Nanoparticles ◽

Produced Water ◽

Removal Rate ◽

Pure Water ◽

Water Flux ◽

Transmembrane Pressure ◽

Oil Removal ◽

Permeate Flux ◽

Uf Membranes ◽

Pes Membrane

The study was concerned with the treatment of tank dewatering produced water using hybrid microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) processes. The pre-treatment MF membrane was fabricated with polyethersulfone (PES), n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The UF membranes meanwhile contained additional component, i.e., titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles in the range of zero to 1.0 wt.%. The membrane performances were analysed with respect to permeate flux, oil removal and flux recovery ratio. An increase in TiO2 nanoparticles enhanced the pore formation, porosity and pure water permeability due to improved hydrophilicity. The permeate flux of UF membranes increased with the increase of TiO2 nanoparticles and pressure. The oil removal rate by MF process was only 52.35%, whereas the oil rejection efficiency was between 82.34% and 95.71% for UF process. It should be highlighted that the overall oil removal rate could achieve as high as 97.96%. Based on the results, the PES membrane incorporated with 1.0 wt.% TiO2 was proved to be the most promising membrane at a transmembrane pressure of 3 bar. Although 1.0 M NaOH solution could be used as cleaning agent to recover membrane water flux, it is not capable of achieving good results as only 52.18% recovery rate was obtained.

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Outcome and Complications of MR Guided Focused Ultrasound for Essential Tremor: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.654711 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Mohit Agrawal ◽

Kanwaljeet Garg ◽

Raghu Samala ◽

Roopa Rajan ◽

Vikas Naik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Essential Tremor ◽

Focused Ultrasound ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Post Procedure ◽

Standard Mean Difference ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Long Term Follow Up

Background: Magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is a relatively novel technique to treat essential tremor (ET). The objective of this review was to analyze the efficacy and the safety profile of MRgFUS for ET.Methods: A systematic literature review was done. The post procedure changes in the Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (CRST) score, hand score, disability and quality of life scores were analyzed.Results: We found 29 studies evaluating 617 patients. DTI based targeting was utilized in six cohorts. A significant difference was observed in the pooled standard mean difference between the pre and postoperative total CRST score (p-value < 0.001 and 0.0002), hand score (p-value 0.03 and 0.02); and the disability at 12 months (p-value 0.01). Head pain and dizziness were the most in procedure complications. The immediate pooled proportion of ataxia was 50%, while it was 20% for sensory complications, which, respectively, declined to 31 and 13% on long term follow up. A significant reduction (p = 0.03) in immediate ataxia related complications was seen with DTI targeting.Conclusion: MRgFUS for ET seems to be an effective procedure for relieving unilateral tremor. Use of DTI based targeting revealed a significant reduction in post procedure ataxia related complications as compared to traditional targeting techniques. Analysis of other complications further revealed a decreasing trend on follow up.

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Study on the production and use of biomass energy in the Timis County

ROMANIAN BIOTECHNOLOGICAL LETTERS ◽

10.25083/rbl/26.2/2434.2440 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 2434-2440

Author(s):

CRISTINA BACĂU ◽

◽

NICOLETA MATEOC-SÎRB ◽

RAMONA CIOLAC ◽

TEODOR MATEOC ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Renewable Energy ◽

Energy Production ◽

Nuclear Energy ◽

Renewable Energy Sources ◽

Biomass Energy ◽

Renewable Energy Resources ◽

Continuous Increase ◽

Fossil Energy ◽

Term Energy

The use of renewable energy resources is gaining more and more ground, thanks to the continuous increase in the price of fossil energy and the decrease in stocks, and the management of waste from nuclear energy production, respectively. The implementation of an energy strategy to harness the potential of renewable energy sources (RES) is part of the coordinates of Romania’s medium – and long-term energy development and provides the appropriate framework for the making of decisions on energy alternatives and the inclusion in the Community acquis in the field. In this respect, a study on the biomass potential of Timiş County and on the possibilities of producing unconventional energy from biomass has been carried out. The study is based on research, data collection from the literature, as well as from official documents or official websites, the processing and interpretation of the data and their quantitative and qualitative analysis. It was concluded that biomass is a promising renewable energy source for Romania, both in terms of potential and in terms of usability.

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