Proportion Of Ag Research Articles

Risk factor of elevated matrix metalloproteinase-3 gene expression in synovial fluid in knee osteoarthritis women.

Metalloproteinases-3 (MMP3) are the main enzymes involved in cartilage degradation. Several genetic and non-genetic factors can increase the expression of MMP3 in patients with osteoarthritis (OA). This study aims to analyze the risk factors associated with the expression of the MMP3 gene rs679620 fluid synovial knee OA patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the orthopedic polyclinic Arifin Achmad Riau Province and Ibn Sina Hospital in Pekanbaru City. Ninety women who experienced knee OA were taken as samples by consecutive sampling and then signed the informed consent. Data were obtained through interviews using a questionnaire about characteristics, followed by weight and height measurements. Interleukin-1 β (IL-1β) and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF-α) were examined from the synovial fluid using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. The Metalloproteinases-3 (MMP3) gene polymorphism rs679620 was obtained from the DNA analysis of joint fluid results in the Biomedical Laboratory of the Faculty of Medicine, Andalas University. The data was processed computerized and then analyzed using the correlation Spearman-Rank, and chi-square tests. The results of statistical analysis are considered significant if the p-value is 0.05. The MMP3 rs679620 gene polymorphism of the mutant type was 88.9%, with the same proportion of AG and GG alleles (44.4%). Subjects aged ≥ 60 years were 53.3%, 85.6% did not work and 84.4% had menopause. The highest degree of OA was grade 2 (53.3%), most of whom had a risky nutritional status (84.4%). The median expression of the MMP3 rs679620 gene was 5.28 copies number. There is a significant relationship between MMP3 gene polymorphism rs679620, age, IL-1β, and TNF-α with MMP3 gene expression rs679620. There is no significant relationship between BMI, work status, and menopausal status with MMP3 gene expression rs679620. Conclusion. MMP3 gene polymorphism rs679620, age, levels of IL-1β and TNF-α are risk factors for increased MMP3 gene rs679620 expression in female knee OA.

Metafilms for visible and infrared compatible camouflage of high-temperature targets

With the rapid development of multispectral detection, infrared and visible compatible camouflage becomes necessary. Metafilms with dielectric/metal/dielectric (D/M/D) structures can be highly transparent in visible band (380 ∼ 780 nm) and highly reflective in infrared atmospheric windows (3 ∼ 5 μm, 8 ∼ 14 μm). The metafilm can be deposited on the equipment surface, and the high visible transmittance can make the original camouflage coating continue to achieve visible camouflage, while the low infrared emissivity can inhibit the infrared signal to achieve infrared camouflage. Compatible camouflage is urgently needed by high-temperature targets such as exhaust pipes and engine cabins. Therefore, the thermal stability of multilayer structure is very important. In this study, a D/M/D-structured metafilm with improved thermal performance is proposed. Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) is selected as the material of the dielectric layers due to good thermal stability, and high visible transmittance is realized through the mechanism of admittance matching. Ag is selected as the material of the metal layer to increase infrared reflectance. The metafilm with the structure of AZO/Ag/AZO is rigorously designed and fabricated. The results from Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and spectrophotometer show that the integrated visible transmittance and infrared emissivity at room temperature is higher than 0.87 and lower than 0.05, respectively. The camouflage performance of the metafilm is demonstrated on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. The camouflage performance of metafilm samples at 20 ∼ 140 °C is tested on a model cabin. The metafilm does not affect the original camouflage coating, so it can achieve visible camouflage. The radiation temperature of the metafilm is approximately 80 °C lower than that of the control surface, and the infrared signature is significantly attenuated. In order to further investigate the thermal stability and thermal fatigue resistance of the metafilm, metafilm deposited on quartz substrate is continuously heated and periodically heated at different temperatures. It is found that the sample can withstand continuous heating at 450 °C for 4 h or repeated heating for 20 cycles. SEM (scanning electron microscope) and EDS (energy dispersive spectrometer) scanning shows that if heated at higher temperature or for more cycles, the AZO layer becomes blocky, and the proportion of Ag and O changes significantly. This leads to the decrease of visible transmittance and the increase of infrared emissivity of samples.

Occurrence and size distribution of silver nanoparticles in wastewater effluents from various treatment processes in Canada

The occurrence of silver (Ag) in urban effluents is partly associated with the increasing use of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) as an antiseptic agent in various consumer products. Distinction among Ag forms must be taken into account in the assessment of exposure and toxicological effects to aquatic organisms. Wastewater treatment processes effectively remove Ag particles and colloids (mostly > 95%), but this still leaves notable concentrations (in order of ng/L) escaping to effluent-receiving waters. Total suspended Ag concentrations in various studied effluents ranged from 0.1 to 6 ng/L. The purpose of this study was then to measure and characterize Ag NPs in urban effluents for their concentrations and size distribution using the single particle ICP-MS technique (SP-ICP-MS). Wastewater influents and effluents from various treatment plants—from aerated lagoons to advanced treatment technology—were collected for three sampling days. Our results showed the presence of Ag NP in all samples with concentrations reaching 0.5 ng/L on a mass basis. However, on a particle number basis, Ag NP concentrations (expressed in particle/mL) in the 20–34-nm fraction (up to 3400 particles/mL) were much more abundant (> 700%) than in the > 35-nm larger fraction. The proportion of Ag at the nanoscale (1–100 nm) represents less than 8% of the total suspended Ag for all effluent samples, regardless of their origins. A significant correlation (linear regression: r2 > 0.7) was observed between Ag NP and total suspended Ag concentrations in investigated effluents. Because Ag nanotoxicity is size dependent, the determination of size distribution and exposure concentration on a particle number basis is urgently needed for risk assessment of this class of nanoparticles.

Ag modified Ni x Al y Mn z O 2 polynary metal oxides (Ag@ NAM ) synthesized by a facile precipitation method as bifunctional catalyst for high performance air electrode of lithium‐oxygen batteries

An ideal catalyst material in the air electrode can reduce the over-potentials and obtain an excellent electrochemical performance for lithium-oxygen batteries. In this paper, Ag modified NixAlyMnzO2 polynary metal oxides (Ag@NAM) is synthesized by a facile precipitation method and as a bifunctional catalyst for high performance air electrode of lithium-oxygen batteries. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrum test results show that the Ag@NAM catalyst has high crystallinity, which can prevent the lattice distortion caused by manganese dissolution and Ag staying on the surface can change the bond energy in order to supply some special catalytic effects. Through scanning electron microscope observation, Ag@NAM with the proportion of Ag and NixAlyMnzO2 polynary metal oxides to 8.5:1.5 has regular block morphology and uniform grain size. When an air electrode catalyst for lithium-oxygen batteries, Ag@NAM can provide a large electrochemical reaction space along with enough oxygen atoms and lithium ions for electrocatalytic and electrochemical reactions. Specific discharge capacities can achieve to 6834.83, 6477.07, and 4357.14 mAh g−1 at 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 mA cm−2 current densities, respectively. In addition, this air electrode can carry out stable 28-time charge and discharge cycles. Hence, we feel that Ag@NAM catalyst can play an ideal bifunctional catalytic role and effectively reduce the polarization resistance.

Modeling to capture bystander-killing effect by released payload in target positive tumor cells

BackgroundAntibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are intended to bind to specific positive target antigens and eradicate only tumor cells from an intracellular released payload through the lysosomal protease. Payloads, such as MMAE, have the capacity to kill adjacent antigen-negative (Ag–) tumor cells, which is called the bystander-killing effect, as well as directly kill antigen-positive (Ag+) tumor cells. We propose that a dose-response curve should be independently considered to account for target antigen-positive/negative tumor cells.MethodsA model was developed to account for the payload in Ag+/Ag– cells and the associated parameters were applied. A tumor growth inhibition (TGI) effect was explored based on an ordinary differential equation (ODE) after substituting the payload concentration in Ag+/Ag– cells into an Emax model, which accounts for the dose-response curve. To observe the bystander-killing effects based on the amount of Ag+/Ag– cells, the Emax model is used independently. TGI models based on ODE are unsuitable for describing the initial delay through a tumor–drug interaction. This was solved using an age-structured model based on the stochastic process.Resultsβ∈(0,1] is a fraction parameter that determines the proportion of cells that consist of Ag+/Ag– cells. The payload concentration decreases when the ratio of efflux to influx increases. The bystander-killing effect differs with varying amounts of Ag+ cells. The larger β is, the less bystander-killing effect. The decrease of the bystander-killing effect becomes stronger as Ag+ cells become larger than the Ag– cells. Overall, the ratio of efflux to influx, the amount of released payload, and the proportion of Ag+ cells determine the efficacy of the ADC. The tumor inhibition delay through a payload-tumor interaction, which goes through several stages, may be solved using an age-structured model.ConclusionsThe bystander-killing effect, one of the most important topics of ADCs, has been explored in several studies without the use of modeling. We propose that the bystander-killing effect can be captured through a mathematical model when considering the Ag+ and Ag– cells. In addition, the TGI model based on the age-structure can capture the initial delay through a drug interaction as well as the bystander-killing effect.

Photodeposition of Ag and Cu binary co-catalyst onto TiO2 for improved optical and photocatalytic degradation properties

This paper deals with the influence of binary co-deposition of Ag and Cu metals on TiO2 photocatalyst to investigate its adsorption, optical and photocatalytic properties relative to monometallic (Ag/Cu) deposition. Hence, different proportion of Ag and Cu has been simultaneously deposited on TiO2 in an inert (argon) atmosphere under UV irradiations. It was found that the plasmonic absorption bands appeared in the visible region (480 and 640 nm for Ag and Cu, respectively) due to the binary deposition of Ag-Cu nanoparticles (∼9–20 nm) onto TiO2 surface as revealed by TEM size analysis and EDS/elemental mapping. The fluorescence spectrum of Ag-Cu-TiO2 showed higher quenching of emission peak intensities at λ > 450 nm in a different extent due to efficient charge separation as compared to respective monometallic (Ag/Cu)-TiO2 nanocomposites. The photocatalytic activities of binary Ag-Cu-TiO2 for the degradation of methylene blue and salicylic acid under UV and visible irradiations were found to be notably higher than monometallic deposited TiO2. The reaction rates and CO2 formation exhibited due to binary deposition always gives enhanced photoactivity which could be useful for removal of toxic environmental pollutants under solar radiations.

A Novel Inward Gradient Self-Lubrication Layer with Soft Alloys and Its Lubricating Mechanism

A novel ceramic composite inward gradient distribution layer has been developed. The layer is a lubricating layer in which soft-metal lubricants are compounded into the ceramic matrix by high frequency induction infiltrating method. The design of the layer and its lubricating mechanism are investigated in the paper. The results show that the property of the layer greatly depends on the wetting angle of the soft-metal lubricants on the matrix and the proportion of Ag, Cu, Sn, and Pb as well as the infiltrating parameters. Based on a lot of experiments, a novel inward gradient layer with Pb28Sn19Ag6Cu has been developed. The layer has an excellent lubricating property (friction coefficient about 0.2~0.3 at 600°C). The research reveals the lubricating mechanism, observing the phenomenon that the soft-metal in the matrix diffuses out of the frictional surface, and measures the lubricating film thickness as about 20 μm on the worn surface.

Plasma-catalytic degradation of benzene over Ag–Ce bimetallic oxide catalysts using hybrid surface/packed-bed discharge plasmas

Plasma-assisted catalysis has been employed for the degradation of benzene by hybrid surface/packed-bed discharge (HSPBD) plasmas over a series of Agx Ce1−x/γ-Al2O3 catalysts in in-plasma catalysis (IPC) and post-plasma catalysis (PPC) configurations. In order to study the influence of catalysts placement on discharge characteristics and the consequent synergetic effect in plasma-catalysis process, the catalysts were introduced inside and downstream the surface discharge region (region I) and packed-bed discharge region (region II), respectively, and the benzene degradation performance was investigated in these systems. The effects of the Ag/Ce molar ratio and water vapor have also been investigated in terms of benzene degradation efficiency and CO2 selectivity. Compared with the plasma-only process, the combination of plasma with Agx Ce1−x/γ-Al2O3 catalyst significantly improved the reaction performance, and the combined degradation efficiency is a synergistic effect rather than simply an additive effect. Besides, the emission of discharge products (O3 and NOx) and hazardous intermediates (formic acid and CO) was markedly suppressed with the introduction of catalyst. The highest benzene degradation efficiency of 96.2% and CO2 selectivity of 77.3% can be achieved with Ag0.9Ce0.1/γ-Al2O3 catalyst at the SIE of 400J/L. This result suggests that the interaction between a certain proportion of Ag and Ce species over the catalyst is capable of activating the surface lattice and generating more surface adsorbed oxygen (Oads), which favors the plasma-catalytic oxidation reaction. PPC processes can decompose O3 and destroy benzene more effectively than IPC processes, especially when the catalyst was introduced downstream the region II. Adding a small amount of water vapor into plasma-catalysis system enhanced the catalyst activity, however, further increased the water vapor caused an obvious negative impact on the catalyst activity.

Morphological evolution and reconstruction of silver nanoparticles in aquatic environments: The roles of natural organic matter and light irradiation

With the proliferation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), their potential entry into the environment has attracted increasing concern. Although photochemical transformation is an important fate of AgNPs in aquatic environments due to their strong light absorption, little is known about the evolution and transformation mechanisms of AgNPs. This study investigated the morphological evolution and reconstruction of AgNPs during photoconversion in the presence of natural organic matter (NOM). In the dark, the AgNPs formed chain-like structures through bridging effects with NOM at concentrations of 0.1 and 1mg/L, and the proportion of Ag+ in solution in the presence of 10mg/L NOM was reduced by roughly half compared with that in the absence of NOM. Under irradiation, NOM participated in the photoreaction of AgNPs and can decelerate the photoreaction of AgNPs via several mechanisms, including light attenuation, the formation of a NOM coating, and competing with Ag for photons. Additionally, NOM can substitute for citrate as a stabilizing agent to compensate for the loss of AgNP stability due to citrate mineralization under extended irradiation, producing stable triangular nanosilver in aquatic environments. This study sheds light on the behavioral differences of AgNPs in different aquatic systems, which create uncertainties and difficulties in assessing the environmental risks of AgNPs.

Platelet activation and reactivity in the convalescent phase of ischaemic stroke

The study was aimed at the evaluation of blood platelet activation and reactivity in patients in the convalescent phase of stroke (n=58) and controls matched in respect to risk factors of vascular pathology (n=55). Both groups were treated daily with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), 150 mg/day. Using flow cytometry, the expressions of P-selectin and the active GP IIb/IIIa receptor, as well as the fraction of platelet-derived microparticles (PMPs) and total platelet aggregates (Ag), were evaluated in non-stimulated platelets and in platelets stimulated in vitro by thrombin, thrombin receptor activating peptide (TRAP) or ADP. The expression of P-selectin in non-stimulated platelets was found to be significantly (p=0.04) lower in stroke patients. In parallel, these patients manifested a significantly (p=0.0008) higher proportion of PMPs and a lowered (p=0.003) proportion of Ag, as compared to the controls. In the stroke patients the increased expressions of P-selectin and active GP IIb/IIIa in TRAP- or ADP-activated cells were less pronounced (p<0.01), while the increments in PMP fraction remained higher (p<0.05). Our results may indicate that chronic platelet activation develops in patients in the convalescent phase of stroke and the process of PMP generation prevails over blood platelet degranulation and aggregation. This shift may be particularly unfavourable due to the procoagulative and proatherosclerotic properties of PMPs, accompanied by their decreased sensitivity to the action of antiplatelet drugs.