Hexavalent chromium compounds are considered carcinogenic to humans. Its reduction to Cr(III), which is relatively non-toxic and an essential nutrient for humans, is a critical process. Heterogeneous photocatalysis with TiO2 is a promising remediation method with satisfactory results. However, this semiconductor cannot be released into an aqueous media because it is dangerous to multiple forms of life. The removal of TiO2 requires laborious and costly methods, so a practical method is needed. One of these alternatives is to immobilise TiO2 on magnetic particles to facilitate its extraction. In this work, the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) is carried out with TiO2 immobilised on SiO2-coated magnetite particles, called FST-5. As a sacrificial reduction agent, EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) was used with satisfactory results. When both are combined, a significant decrease in the aqueous Cr(VI) amount is observed. It indicates its potential application for the remediation of water courses contaminated with this heavy metal.
Liver cancer ranks as the sixth most common cancer globally, with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) being its predominant form, accounting for 90% of cases. HCC is closely linked to chronic inflammation and fibrosis driven by factors such as hepatitis B and C, alcoholic liver disease, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). In the liver, persistent regenerative responses trigger activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), collagen deposition, and fibrosis, which collectively pave the way for carcinogenesis. For patients diagnosed in the early stages of liver cancer, curative options such as surgical resection or liver transplantation may be viable. However, the majority of cases are diagnosed at advanced stages, rendering surgical intervention unsuitable. Systemic treatments for advanced liver cancer often show limited efficacy, highlighting the importance of understanding liver cancer’s development processes to enhance early diagnosis and therapeutic strategies. This review delves into the molecular mechanisms underpinning the progression of liver cancer, tracing the pathological continuum from hepatitis to cirrhosis and ultimately to liver cancer. It explores the immune responses activated during this transition, particularly focusing on inflammatory responses and their central roles. Furthermore, it highlights the significance of inflammatory cytokines and HSCs in liver fibrosis, which creates a microenvironment conducive to cancer development. The review also examines immune regulation and cell signaling in the tumor microenvironment, offering insights into the transformation from hepatitis to liver cancer and paving the way for improved treatment strategies.
The escalating impacts of global warming have raised concerns at local and global levels, necessitating urgent mitigation efforts, particularly among households in urban settings. However, limited information on household energy consumption and its associated carbon footprint may constrain effective climate mitigation and policy development in Bauchi metropolis. This study assessed household energy consumption in Bauchi metropolis to establish its carbon footprint and inform policy development amid evident climate change. The study adopted a descriptive survey approach involving questionnaires and observational field measurements using a weighing scale to establish the average unit weight of energy sources across six wards. A two stage sampling technique involving cluster and purposive sampling was adopted. Descriptive statistics and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines were used to analyse the data and estimate the related carbon footprint. The result of 403 analysed responses revealed that the average annual carbon footprint from firewood, charcoal, grid electricity, LPG, petrol, diesel, kerosene, and sawdust was 6.61 tCO2 per household, with firewood and charcoal identified as priority areas for emission reduction. The study concluded that household energy consumption contributes to carbon emissions in the Bauchi metropolis and therefore recommends targeted interventions should reduce dependence on firewood and charcoal and promote cleaner household energy sources.
Offshore expansion of aquaculture is constrained by the prohibitive cost of subsea grid connection, making off-grid renewable generation an alternative to the diesel supply that currently dominates. This study addresses a fundamental question: is there an optimal renewable energy infrastructure suitable for universal deployment in offshore aquaculture, or must solutions be site-specific? A probabilistic decision-making framework incorporating influence diagrams, Markov chains, temporal modelling, investment cost forecasting, and five renewable energy infrastructure designs was evaluated against performance, environmental impact, and techno-economic criteria. Application to two Tasmanian case study sites revealed that multi-source renewable infrastructures outperformed single-source alternatives, yet different technology combinations proved optimal at each location (VAWT-PV-OWC at Bass Strait, HAWT-PV or HAWT at Storm Bay). Under equal criterion weighting, renewable alternatives scored 15–35% lower in utility than diesel generation, at a cost of valued energy approximately 9–14 times the diesel baseline on a 2030 forecast basis, but this ranking reversed once environmental weighting exceeded 37%, within the range of plausible stakeholder priorities. The site-specific rankings were unchanged across all 64 cost-parameter perturbation scenarios tested, indicating robustness to cost-forecast uncertainty. These findings demonstrate that effective renewable energy deployment for offshore aquaculture requires site-specific assessment rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, and provide a transferable methodology for conducting assessment.
Acrylamide and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) are chemical process contaminants generated in black garlic through the Maillard reaction. Vacuum aging (16 kPa, 70–75 °C for 12 days) was introduced as a new aging technology to mitigate acrylamide and 5-HMF in black garlic. Results showed that vacuum aging suppressed the formation of acrylamide (from 2.86 μg/g to below the detection limit, i.e., 100% reduction) and 5-HMF (from 173.26 μg/g to 7.90 μg/g, i.e., 95.4% reduction) in black garlic due to the reduced thermal exposure. Vacuum aging inhibited the Maillard reaction, and resulted in the higher lightness (L = 22.14) and the lower browning degree (ΔE = 62.76) of black garlic than those (L = 15.16, ΔE = 69.47) prepared by conventional aging. The reduced thermal exposure also restrained the hydrolytic release of fructose, glucose, total polyphenols, and total flavonoids in vacuum-aged black garlic. It reduced them by 95.0%, 100%, 89.9%, and 91.8%, respectively, which in turn diminished its antioxidant capacity by 58.4% and 79.1% based on the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. These limitations of vacuum aging, including decreased antioxidant capacity together with sensorial quality reduction, require further process refinement in future work before this technology can be implemented for industrial-scale production of black garlic.
