Atatürk University

We report selective electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide on gold nanoparticles (NPs) in 0.5 M KHCO3 at 25 °C. Among monodisperse 4, 6, 8, and 10 nm NPs tested, the 8 nm Au NPs show the maximum Faradaic efficiency (FE) (up to 90% at -0.67 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode, RHE). Density functional theory calculations suggest that more edge sites (active for CO evolution) than corner sites (active for the competitive H2 evolution reaction) on the Au NP surface facilitates the stabilization of the reduction intermediates, such as COOH*, and the formation of CO. This mechanism is further supported by the fact that Au NPs embedded in a matrix of butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate for more efficient COOH* stabilization exhibit even higher reaction activity (3 A/g mass activity) and selectivity (97% FE) at -0.52 V (vs RHE). The work demonstrates the great potentials of using monodisperse Au NPs to optimize the available reaction intermediate binding sites for efficient and selective electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CO.

The antioxidant activities, reducing powers, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activities, amount of total phenolic compounds, and antimicrobial activities of ether, ethanol, and hot water extracts of the leaves and seeds of Rumex crispus L. were studied. The antioxidant activities of extracts increase with increasing amount of extracts (50-150 microg). However, the water extracts of both the leaves and seeds have shown the highest antioxidant activities. Thus, addition of 75 microg of each of the above extracts to the linoleic acid emulsion caused the inhibition of peroxide formation by 96 and 94%, respectively. Although the antioxidant activity of the ethanol extract of seed was lower than the water extract, the difference between these was not statistically significant, P > 0.05. Unlike the other extracts, 75 microg of the ether extract of seeds was unable to show statistically significant antioxidant activity, P > 0.05 (between this extract and control in that there is no extract in the test sample). Among all of the extracts, the highest amount of total phenolic compound was found in the ethanol extract of seeds, whereas the lowest amount was found in the ether extract of seeds. Like phenolic compounds, the highest reducing power and the highest DPPH scavenging activity were found in the ethanol extract of seeds. However, the reducing activity of the ethanol extract of seeds was approximately 40% that of ascorbic acid, whereas in the presence of 400 microg of water and ethanol extracts of seeds scavenging activities were about 85 and 90%, respectively. There were statistically significant correlations between amount of phenolic compounds and reducing power and between amount of phenolic compounds and percent DPPH scavenging activities (r = 0.99, P < 0.01, and r = 0.864, P < 0.05, respectively) and also between reducing powers and percent DPPH scavenging activities (r = 0.892, P < 0.05). The ether extracts of both the leaves and seeds and ethanol extract of leaves had shown antimicrobial activities on Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. However, none of the water extracts showed antimicrobial activity on the studied microorganisms.

Today, there is an increasing interest in antioxidants, especially to prevent the known harmful effects of free radicals in human metabolism and their deterioration during processing and storage of fatty foods. In both cases, natural-source antioxidants are preferred over synthetic antioxidants. So, there has been a parallel increase in the use of assays to estimate antioxidant efficacy in human metabolism and food systems. Today, there are many bioanalytical methods that measure the antioxidant effect. Of these, the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazil (DPPH) removing assay is the most putative, popular, and commonly used method to determine antioxidant ability. In this review, a general approach to the DPPH radical scavenging assay has been taken. In this context, many studies, including attempts to adapt the DPPH radical scavenging method to different analytes, search for the highest antioxidant activity values, and optimize the method of measurement, have previously been performed. Therefore, it is highly important to introduce measures aimed at standardizing the conditions of the DPPH radical scavenging activity, including the various reaction media suitable for this assay. For this aim, the chemical and basic principles of DPPH free radical scavenging are defined and discussed in an outline. In addition, this study describes and defines the basic sections of DPPH free radical scavenging in food and biological systems. Additionally, some chemical, critical, and technical details of the DPPH free radical removal method are given. This is a simple assay in which the prospective compounds or herbal extracts are mixed with the DPPH solution and their absorbance is measured after a certain period. However, despite rapid advances in instrumental techniques and analysis, this method has not undergone extreme modification. This study presents detailed information about the DPPH method and an in-depth review of different developments.

Tannic acid, a naturally occurring plant polyphenol, is composed of a central glucose molecule derivatized at its hydroxyl groups with one or more galloyl residues. In the present paper, we examines the in vitro radical scavenging and antioxidant capacity of tannic acid by using different in vitro analytical methodologies such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl free radical (DPPH) scavenging, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity, total antioxidant activity determination by ferric thiocyanate, total reducing ability determination using by Fe3+–Fe2+ transformation method, superoxide anion radical scavenging by riboflavin–methionine-illuminate system, hydrogen peroxide scavenging and ferrous ions (Fe2+) chelating activities. Also, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), α-tocopherol and trolox, a water-soluble analogue of tocopherol, were used as the reference antioxidant radical scavenger compounds. Tannic acid inhibited 97.7% lipid peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion at 15 μg/mL concentration. On the other hand, the above mentioned standard antioxidants indicated an inhibition of 92.2%, 99.6%, 84.6% and 95.6% on peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion at 45 μg/mL concentration, respectively. In addition, tannic acid had an effective DPPH scavenging, ABTS+ radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, Fe3+ reducing power and metal chelating on ferrous ions activities. Also, those various antioxidant activities were compared to BHA, BHT, α-tocopherol and trolox as references antioxidant compounds. The present study shows that tannic acid is the effective natural antioxidant component that can be used as food preservative agents or nutraceuticals.

Hydatid disease (HD) is a unique parasitic disease that is endemic in many parts of the world. HD can occur almost anywhere in the body and demonstrates a variety of imaging features that vary according to growth stage, associated complications, and affected tissue. Radiologic findings range from purely cystic lesions to a completely solid appearance. Calcification is more common in HD of the liver, spleen, and kidney. HD can become quite large in compressible organs. Hydatid cysts (HCs) can be solitary or multiple. Chest radiography, ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and even urography can depict HCs. The imaging method used depends on the involved organ and the growth stage of the cyst. US most clearly demonstrates the hydatid sands in purely cystic lesions, as well as floating membranes, daughter cysts, and vesicles. CT is best for detecting calcification and revealing the internal cystic structure posterior to calcification. MR imaging is especially helpful in detecting HCs of the central nervous system. Radiologic and serologic findings can generally help establish the diagnosis of HD, but an HC in an unusual location with atypical imaging findings may complicate the differential diagnosis. Nevertheless, familiarity with imaging findings, especially in patients living in endemic regions, is advantageous in this context.

Recent scientific studies have established a relationship between the consumption of phytochemicals such as carotenoids, polyphenols, isoprenoids, phytosterols, saponins, dietary fibers, polysaccharides, etc., with health benefits such as prevention of diabetes, obesity, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, etc. This has led to the popularization of phytochemicals. Nowadays, foods containing phytochemicals as a constituent (functional foods) and the concentrated form of phytochemicals (nutraceuticals) are used as a preventive measure or cure for many diseases. The health benefits of these phytochemicals depend on their purity and structural stability. The yield, purity, and structural stability of extracted phytochemicals depend on the matrix in which the phytochemical is present, the method of extraction, the solvent used, the temperature, and the time of extraction.

The present study adapted the General Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence Scale (GAAIS) to Turkish and investigated the impact of personality traits, artificial intelligence anxiety, and demographics on attitudes toward artificial intelligence. The sample consisted of 259 female (74%) and 91 male (26%) individuals aged between 18 and 51 (Mean = 24.23). Measures taken were demographics, the Ten-Item Personality Inventory, the Artificial Intelligence Anxiety Scale, and the General Attitudes toward Artificial Intelligence Scale. The Turkish GAAIS had good validity and reliability. Hierarchical Multiple Linear Regression Analyses showed that positive attitudes toward artificial intelligence were significantly predicted by the level of computer use (β = 0.139, p = 0.013), level of knowledge about artificial intelligence (β = 0.119, p = 0.029), and AI learning anxiety (β = −0.172, p = 0.004). Negative attitudes toward artificial intelligence were significantly predicted by agreeableness (β = 0.120, p = 0.019), AI configuration anxiety (β = −0.379, p < 0.001), and AI learning anxiety (β = −0.211, p < 0.001). Personality traits, AI anxiety, and demographics play important roles in attitudes toward AI. Results are discussed in light of the previous research and theoretical explanations.

Bu çalışmada içerik analizi çalışmaları; meta-analiz, meta-sentez ve betimsel olmak üzere üç alt başlık altında tanımlanmakta ve özel sayıda beklenen içerik analizi parametreleri açıklanmaktadır. Böylece, yalın bir betimlemenin ötesine geçilerek sistematik içerik analizleri yapılabilmesi konusunda araştırmacılara yol gösterici bir dokümanın sunulması hedeflenmektedir. Oluşturulan parametreleri dikkate alan meta-sentez veya betimsel içerik analizi çalışmalarının eğitimle ilgili araştırmacı ve kurumlara beklenen katma değerleri kazandıracağı düşünülmektedir.

The essential oil isolated from Turkish tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) by hydrodistillation was analyzed by GC-MS. Thirty compounds representing 99.5% of total oil were identified. The predominant components in the oil were (Z)-anethole (81.0%), (Z)-beta-ocimene (6.5%), (E)-beta-ocimene (3.1%), limonene (3.1%), and methyleugenol (1.8%). The antibacterial and antifungal activities of the essential oils isolated from A. dracunculus, Artemisia absinthium, Artemisia santonicum, and Artemisia spicigera oils were also evaluated. In general, the oils exhibited potent antifungal activity at a wide spectrum on the growth of agricultural pathogenic fungi. Among the oils, the weakest antifungal activity was shown by the oil of A. dracunculus. In many cases, the oils of A. absinthium, A. santonicum, and A. spicigera completely inhibited the growth of some fungal species. As compared with antibacterial activities of all of tested oils, A. santonicum and A. spicigera oils showed antibacterial activities over a very wide spectrum. However, the essential oils tested showed lower inhibition zones than the inhibition zones of penicillin. In addition, antioxidant and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities of tarragon oil were determined, and weak antioxidant and DPPH radical scavenging activities were found in comparison to butylated hydroxytoluene.

Eugenol (4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol), a major phenolic component from clove oil (Eugenia caryophyllata), has several biological activities. To estimate the capacity of eugenol to act as an antioxidant, the following were studied: 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl-, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)-, and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine-scavenging activity; total antioxidant activity; and ability to reduce ferric ions and cupric ions. Eugenol inhibited 96.7% (r(2)=0.9319) lipid peroxidation of a linoleic acid emulsion at a 15-μg/mL concentration. Butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene, α-tocopherol, and Trolox(®) displayed 95.4% (r(2)=0.8482), 99.7% (r(2)=0.7798), 84.6% (r(2)=0.9272), and 95.6% (r(2)=0.8511) inhibition of peroxidation, respectively, at the 15-μg/mL concentration. According to the results of this study, eugenol had the most powerful antioxidant activity and radical-scavenging activity. This study should prompt further studies of the antioxidant properties of eugenol.

The number of methods to measure the antioxidants in botanicals, foods, nutraceuticals and other dietary supplements has increased considerably in the last decade. Clove oil is obtained by distillation of the flowers, stems and leaves of the clove tree. In the present paper, clove oil was evaluated by employing various in vitro antioxidant assay such as α,α-diphenyl-β-picryl-hydrazyl free radical (DPPH) scavenging, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging activity, total antioxidant activity determination by ferric thiocyanate, total reducing ability determination by Fe3+–Fe2+ transformation method, superoxide anion radical scavenging by riboflavin/methionine/illuminate system, hydrogen peroxide scavenging and ferrous ions (Fe2+) chelating activities. Clove oil inhibited 97.3% lipid peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion at 15 μg/mL concentration. However, under the same conditions, the standard antioxidant compounds such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), α-tocopherol and trolox demonstrated inhibition of 95.4, 99.7, 84.6 and 95.6% on peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion at 45 μg/mL concentration, respectively. In addition, clove oil had an effective DPPH scavenging, ABTS+ scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, ferric ions (Fe3+) reducing power and ferrous ions (Fe2+) chelating activities. Also, these various antioxidant activities were compared to BHA, BHT, α-tocopherol and trolox as reference antioxidant compounds.

The antioxidant activity of the water extract of Tilia argentea Desf ex DC was determined by the thiocyanate method. The antioxidant activity of the water extract increased with the increasing amount of lyophilized extract (50-400 microg) added into the linoleic acid emulsion. Statistically significant effect was determined in 100 microg and higher amounts. Antioxidant activities of water extracts of tilia (Tilia argentea Desf ex DC), sage (Salvia triloba L.), and two Turkish black teas commercially called Rize tea and young shoot tea (Camellia sinensis) were compared. For comparison studies, 100 microg portions of extracts were added into test samples. All samples were able to show statistically significant antioxidant effect. Both of the tea extracts showed highest antioxidant activities, nevertheless, differences between tilia and sage and tilia and tea were not statistically significant (for both cases p > 0.05). Like antioxidant activity, the reducing power of water extract of Tilia argentea Desf ex DC was also concentration dependent. Even in the presence of 50 microg of extract, the reducing power was significantly higher than that of the control (p < 0.05) in which there was no extract. Unlike antioxidant activity, the highest reducing power activity was shown by sage extract. Among the tea extracts, young shoot extract was the most effective one, however, it had significantly lower activity than sage (p < 0.05). Although tea flower had the lowest reducing power activity, it was higher than that of tilia. But this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). From these results, we could suggest that although the reducing power of a substance may be an indicator of its potential antioxidant activity, there may not always be a linear correlation between these two activities. In addition, antimicrobial activities of each of the above extracts were studied by disk diffusion methods on different test microorganisms. None of the extracts showed antibacterial activity on the studied microorganisms.

Augmented reality (AR), a new generation of technology, has attracted the attention of educators in recent years. In this study, a MagicBook was developed for a neuroanatomy topic by using mobile augmented reality (mAR) technology. This technology integrates virtual learning objects into the real world and allow users to interact with the environment using mobile devices. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of learning anatomy via mAR on medical students' academic achievement and cognitive load. The mixed method was applied in the study. The random sample consisted of 70 second-year undergraduate medical students: 34 in an experimental group and 36 in a control group. Academic achievement test and cognitive load scale were used as data collection tool. A one-way MANOVA test was used for analysis. The experimental group, which used mAR applications, reported higher achievement and lower cognitive load. The use of mAR applications in anatomy education contributed to the formation of an effective and productive learning environment. Student cognitive load decreased as abstract information became concrete in printed books via multimedia materials in mAR applications. Additionally, students were able to access the materials in the MagicBook anytime and anywhere they wanted. The mobile learning approach helped students learn better by exerting less cognitive effort. Moreover, the sensory experience and real time interaction with environment may provide learning satisfaction and enable students to structure their knowledge to complete the learning tasks. Anat Sci Educ 9: 411-421. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

Heavy metals are essential for a wide range of biological processes, including the growth and reproduction of cells, synthesis of biomolecules, many enzymatic reactions, and the body’s immunity, but their excessive intake is harmful. Specifically, they cause oxidative stress (OS) and generate free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in metabolism. In addition, the accumulation of heavy metals in humans can cause serious damage to different organs, especially respiratory, nervous and reproductive and digestive systems. Biologically, metal chelation therapy is often used to treat metal toxicity. This process occurs through the interaction between the ligand and a central metal atom, forming a complex ring-like structure. After metals are chelated with appropriate chelating agents, their damage in metabolism can be prevented and efficiently removed from the body. On the other hand, heavy metals, including Zn, Fe and Cu, are necessary for the suitable functioning of different proteins including enzymes in metabolism. However, when the same metals accumulate at levels higher than the optimum level, they can easily become toxic and have harmful effects toward biomolecules. In this case, it induces the formation of ROS and nitrogen species (RNS) resulting in peroxidation of biological molecules such as lipids in the plasma membrane. Antioxidants have an increasing interest in many fields due to their protective effects, especially in food and pharmaceutical products. Screening of antioxidant properties of compounds needs appropriate methods including metal chelating assay. In this study, a general approach to the bonding and chelating properties of metals is described. For this purpose, the basic principles and chemical principles of metal chelation methods, both in vivo and in vitro, are outlined and discussed. Hence, in the main sections of this review, the descriptions related to metal ions, metal chelating, antioxidants, importance of metal chelating in biological system and definitions of metal chelating assays as widely used methods to determine antioxidant ability of compounds are provided. In addition, some chemical properties, technical and critical details of the used chelation methods are given.

The present study was designated to evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil, obtained by using a Clevenger distillation apparatus, water soluble (polar) and water insoluble (nonpolar) subfractions of the methanol extracts from aerial parts of Satureja hortensis L. plants, and methanol extract from calli established from the seeds using Gamborg's B5 basal media supplemented with indole-3-butyric acid (1.0 ppm), 6-benzylaminopurine (N(6)-benzyladenine) (1.0 ppm), and sucrose (2.5%). The antimicrobial test results showed that the essential oil of S. hortensis had great potential antimicrobial activities against all 23 bacteria and 15 fungi and yeast species tested. In contrast, the methanol extract from callus cultures and water soluble subfraction of the methanol extract did not show antimicrobial activities, but the nonpolar subfraction had antibacterial activity against only five out of 23 bacterial species, which were Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus fecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enteritidis, and Streptococcus pyogenes. Antioxidant studies suggested that the polar subfractions of the methanol extract of intact plant and methanol extract of callus cultures were able to reduce the stable free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl to the yellow-colored diphenylpicrylhydrazine. In this assay, the strongest effect was observed for the tissue culture extract, with an IC(50) value of 23.76 +/- 0.80 microgram/mL, which could be compared with the synthetic antioxidant agent butylated hydroxytoluene. On the other hand, linoleic acid oxidation was 95% inhibited in the presence of the essential oil while the inhibition was 90% with the chloroform subfraction of the intact plant. The chemical composition of a hydrodistilled essential oil of S. hortensis was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC)/flame ionization detection (FID) and a GC-mass spectrometry system. A total 22 constituents representing 99.9% of the essential oil were identified by GC-FID analaysis. Thymol (29.0%), carvacrol (26.5%), gamma-terpinene (22.6%), and p-cymene (9.3%) were the main components.

Bioactive peptides generated from food proteins have great potential as functional foods and nutraceuticals. Bioactive peptides possess several significant functions, such as antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, and antihypertensive effects in the living body. In recent years, numerous reports have been published describing bioactive peptides/hydrolysates produced from various food sources. Herein, we reviewed the bioactive peptides or protein hydrolysates found in the plant, animal, marine, and dairy products, as well as their by-products. This review also emphasizes the health benefits, bioactivities, and utilization of active peptides obtained from the mentioned sources. Their possible application in functional product development, feed, wound healing, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, and their use as food additives have all been investigated alongside considerations on their safety.

A facile approach to the composition-controlled synthesis of monodisperse 2.2 nm AgPd alloy nanoparticles (NPs) is reported. The 2.2 nm AgPd NPs are highly active and durable catalysts for the dehydrogenation of formic acid. The study proves the unique approach in using alloying effects to enhance the catalytic activity of the NPs for hydrogen generation from formic acid (see picture). Formic acid (FA, HCOOH) is a common small organic acid with a melting point of 8.4 °C and boiling point of 100.8 °C. It can undergo a dehydrogenation reaction, HCOOH→H2+CO2, releasing H2 that will be important for hydrogen-based energy applications.1 Traditionally, the dehydrogenation of FA is catalyzed by metal complexes dissolved in an organic solvent and the catalysis is enhanced by adding an additive, such as sodium formate or amine adducts.2 To make more practical catalyst for the dehydrogenation reaction of FA, heterogeneous catalysts based on metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been developed. These catalysts are generally more stable but much less active than the homogeneous ones.3 Recently, bimetallic NP catalysts were found to be more active than their single component counterparts for the dehydrogenation of FA.4 For example, AgPd NPs supported on cerium oxide or AuPd NPs immobilized in a metal–organic framework showed an enhanced FA dehydrogenation catalysis with the initial turnover frequency (TOF) reaching 210 h−1 or 192 h−1 at 90 °C, respectively.5 However, the high rate of hydrogen generation observed from these heterogeneous catalysts could only be achieved when an additive was present and the reaction was maintained at temperatures close to 100 °C.6 Under these “harsh” conditions, HCOOH was also subject to an undesired dehydration reaction, HCOOH→H2O+CO.7 Interestingly, Ag/Pd core/shell NPs were found to be promising in catalyzing the dehydrogenation of FA in an aqueous FA solution at lower temperatures (up to 50 °C) without any additive.8 But their initial TOFs were in the range of 125–252 h−1 at temperatures between 25–50 °C. Considering the limitation seen from the previous syntheses in controlling the NP size and composition, we decided to re-evaluate the binary alloy NPs on their catalysis for the dehydrogenation of FA. Our very recent report showed that monodisperse 4 nm AuPd NPs were more active in catalyzing the dehydrogenation of FA in water at 50 °C without using any additive and their initial TOF reached 230 h−1.9 Encouraged by this result, we further improved our solution phase synthesis and produced monodisperse 2.2 nm AgPd NPs with the desired composition controls. We found that these monodisperse 2.2 nm AgPd alloy NPs were a highly active heterogeneous catalyst for the dehydrogenation of FA. In water without any additive, the Ag42Pd58 NPs showed the highest catalytic activity among all AgPd NPs tested with their initial TOF reaching 382 h−1 at 50 °C and apparent activation energy at 22±1 kJ mol−1. These are the best values ever reported by a heterogeneous catalyst for the dehydrogenation of FA in aqueous solution. It demonstrates the great potential of binary alloy NPs as a more practical catalyst for the dehydrogenation of FA and hydrogen generation. The 2.2 nm AgPd alloy NPs were synthesized by co-reduction of silver(I) acetate, Ag(Ac), and palladium(II) acetylacetonate, Pd(acac)2, in oleylamine (OAm), oleic acid (OA) and 1-octadecene (ODE) at 180 °C (Experimental Section). Here, OA served as a surfactant and OAm was added both as a co-surfactant and mild reducing agent. The composition of the AgPd NPs (Ag25Pd75, Ag42Pd58, Ag52Pd48, Ag60Pd40, and Ag80Pd20) were controlled by varying the molar ratio of Ag(Ac)/Pd(acac)2 and analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES; Table S1 in the Supporting Information). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of the as-synthesized AgPd NPs show that they have a mean particle size of 2.2±0.1 nm (Figure 1 A and Figure S1A–D). Under similar reaction conditions, we also synthesized 2.2±0.1 nm Ag NPs (Figure S1E) and 4.5±0.2 nm Pd NPs (Figure S1F) by reducing only Ag(Ac) or Pd(acac)2. Different from the previous approaches to AgPd alloy NPs (larger than 7 nm) by a strong reducing agent,5a or a multi-step reaction scheme (diffusing Pd into Ag seeds at a high temperature),10 our one-step co-reduction of metal salts by OAm is highly efficient in producing monodisperse AgPd NPs at a particle size of only 2.2 nm. The use of an excess amount of OA was crucial for controlling the NP size. If OA was present in a small amount (e.g. 0.5 mL) or no OA was used, polydisperse AgPd NPs were obtained (Figure S2A&B). A) TEM image of the 2.2 nm Ag42Pd58 NPs. B) HRTEM image of the 2.2 nm Ag42Pd58 NPs. C) XRD patterns of the 2.2 nm Ag25Pd75, Ag42Pd58, Ag60Pd40 and Ag80Pd20 NPs (dashed line and solid line denote standard (111) peak positions of bulk Ag and Pd, respectively). D) TEM image of the carbon-supported 2.2 nm Ag42Pd58 NPs after treatment with acetic acid. A representative high-resolution (HR) TEM image of the 2.2 nm Ag42Pd58 NPs (Figure 1 B) shows the (111) lattice fringe distance of 0.23 nm, which is between the (111) lattice spacing of face-centered cubic (fcc) Ag (0.24 nm) and fcc Pd (0.22 nm) NPs. Figure 1 C is the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the 2.2 nm AgPd NPs. The AgPd NPs have a very weak peak intensity because of their small size. With the Ag amount increased in AgPd, the (111) peak shifts to a lower angle towards Ag(111) because of the increase of the lattice parameters, indicating that AgPd is formed as an alloy and not as a core/shell structure. Furthermore, AgPd NPs show almost no surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption in the UV/Vis spectra, whereas Ag NPs have a very strong SPR absorption at 425 nm (Figure S3). This SPR “quenching” caused by the alloying effect was also observed in other Ag- and Au-based alloy NPs.11 To study NP catalysis for the dehydrogenation of FA in water, we deposited Ag, Pd, or AgPd NPs on Ketjen carbon (C) and cleaned these C-NPs by acetic acid treatment and ethanol washing followed by drying under vacuum (Experimental Section). The representative TEM image (Figure 1 D) and the relevant ICP-AES analysis (Table S2) revealed that these C-AgPd NPs preserved their size, morphology, and composition after the cleaning process. The metal contents of the C-AgPd, C-Pd, and C-Ag catalysts were measured (by ICP-AES) to have 17 wt % AgPd, 19 wt % Pd, and 18 wt % Ag, respectively. The catalytic activity of the C NP catalysts in the dehydrogenation of FA was evaluated in a gas burette system. Figure 2 A shows the plots of volume of gas (CO2+H2) generated versus the reaction time during the dehydrogenation of the aqueous FA solution (10 mL, 1 M FA solution at 50 °C) catalyzed by different C-AgPd and C-Pd catalysts. We can see that most C-AgPd catalysts have a higher activity than the C-Pd NPs, except for C-Ag80Pd20. The C-Ag25Pd75, C-Ag42Pd58, and C-Ag52Pd48 catalysts have the initial TOF of 318, 382, and 228 h−1, respectively. They are even more active than the state-of-the-art AgPd alloy (TOF=210 h−1 at 92 °C) and Ag/Pd core/shell NPs (TOF=252 h−1 at 50 °C). Figure 2 B shows the plot of TOF versus the mole fraction of Ag for the C-AgPd catalyst at different compositions. The TOF increases with increasing Ag mole ratio up to 0.42 and then decreases. The observed “volcano”-type activity of the C-AgPd catalyst versus the Ag/Pd composition indicates that although neither Ag nor Pd is active for catalyzing the dehydrogenation reaction of FA, alloying Ag with Pd provides a necessary synergistic effect on the catalysis and Ag42Pd58 is the optimum catalyst for catalyzing the dehydrogenation of FA. This further supports that Ag and Pd form a uniform alloy structure in the synthesis. A) The plots of generated gas (CO2+H2) versus time during the dehydrogenation of an aqueous FA solution (10 mL of 1 M, 50 °C) in the presence of C-AgPd and C-Pd catalysts and B) TOF vs. mole fraction of Ag for the C-AgPd catalysts at different Ag and Pd compositions. Since dehydration route of FA (HCOOH→CO+H2O) is generally associated with the dehydrogenation at relatively high reaction temperatures (T>60 °C),3, 7 we also tested our reaction and characterized the evolving gas mixture with FT-IR and mass spectroscopy. We found no detectable amount of CO in the gas mixture generated from the C-Ag42Pd58 catalyzed the dehydrogenation of FA (Figure S4). After reacting the gas mixture with the aqueous NaOH solution, the volumes of CO2 and H2 were estimated and the gas mixture was found to consist of equal molar amounts of CO2 and H2 (Figure S5), proving that the AgPd catalyst promotes complete dehydrogenation of FA into CO2 and H2. The drastic dehydrogenation activity enhancement of these 2.2 nm AgPd NPs is likely caused by their small size and the synergistic effect between Ag and Pd in the alloy structure that inhibits the adsorption of CO on Pd. This is consistent with what was observed on the CeO2-supported MPd (M=Ag, Au) systems.5a However, our system is also different from the CeO2-supported MPd catalyst in which the enhanced activity was believed to originate from the NP-support interactions,5a and ours seem to show a more drastic alloy effect with their catalysis optimized when the AgPd catalysts has the composition Ag42Pd58. The concentration of the NP catalyst, FA concentration, and temperature effects were studied to obtain more kinetic information about the dehydrogenation of FA. In the first set of experiments, the dehydrogenation reaction was performed at different catalyst concentrations in the range of 10–40 mg (1.6–6.4 mM) Ag42Pd58 by keeping the FA concentration at 1.0 M and the temperature at 50 °C. The volume of generated gas (CO2+H2) was plotted versus the reaction time during the dehydrogenation of FA at different catalyst concentrations (Figure S6A). The hydrogen generation rates for each catalyst concentration were calculated from the linear portion of each plot comprising a reaction duration of 20 minutes. Figure S6B shows the logarithmic plot of the hydrogen generation rate versus the AgPd concentration. The line with a slope of 0.88 in Figure S6B indicates that the reaction is close to first-order with respect to the catalyst concentration. To study FA concentration effect on the gas generation rate, we kept the C-Ag42Pd58 concentration at 3.2 mM Ag42Pd58 and the temperature at 50 °C. Figure 3 A shows the volume of generated gas (CO2+H2) versus time at different FA concentrations. The initial TOFs (h−1) were calculated and presented in Figure 3 B. From Figure 3 A&B, we can see a volcano-shaped relationship between TOF and HCOOH concentration. The gas generation rate increases almost linearly with the FA concentration in the range of 0.125–1.0 M, but drops when the HCOOH concentration is higher than 1 M. This, plus the catalyst inactivity observed for the dehydrogenation of pure FA, reveals that a large amount of water plays an indispensable role in the catalytic dehydrogenation of FA. To measure the ease of the dehydrogenation reaction catalyzed by the AgPd alloy catalyst, we recorded the time-dependent H2 generation at different temperatures (25–50 °C) in the presence of C-Ag42Pd58 (3.2 mM AgPd) and FA (1 M), as shown in Figure 3 C. By converting the reactivity into TOF and by plotting the logarithmic TOF vs. 1/T, we obtained the Arrhenius plot (Figure 3 D). From the linear Arrhenius behavior, we calculated the apparent activation energy (Eaapp) to be 22±1 kJ mol−1 for the C-Ag42Pd58 catalyzed the dehydrogenation reaction of FA. This is the lowest value ever reported for the dehydrogenation reaction of FA catalyzed by a heterogeneous catalyst. A) The volume of the generated gas (CO2+H2) versus time for the dehydrogenation of FA catalyzed by the C-Ag42Pd58 at different FA concentrations (0.125–2 M). B) Plot of initial TOF (h−1) versus the FA concentration. C) Volume of the generated gas (CO2+H2) versus time for the dehydrogenation of FA catalyzed by C-Ag42Pd58 at different different temperatures (25–50 °C). D) Arrhenius plot (ln(TOF) vs. 1/T). We further tested briefly the stability of the C-Ag42Pd58 catalyst by performing the dehydrogenation of FA in water at 50 °C and recovering the catalyst from the solution after the reaction completion for the next round of reaction. Our tests showed that the C-Ag42Pd58 catalyst preserved 90 % of its initial activity after the fourth run (Figure S7A). We analyzed the recovered catalyst by ICP-AES and TEM (Figure S7B). We found no obvious change in the Ag/Pd composition, catalyst loading on carbon, and NP morphology. These findings indicate that the C-Ag42Pd58 catalyst was stable under the current FA dehydrogenation condition and could be re-used for multiple rounds of the dehydrogenation reaction. Herein, we have demonstrated a facile approach to a composition-controlled synthesis of monodisperse 2.2 nm AgPd NPs. These 2.2 nm AgPd NPs are highly active and durable as catalysts for the dehydrogenation of FA and for hydrogen generation without the need of any additive. Under our evaluation condition (in water at 50 °C), the AgPd NPs show the composition-dependent catalysis and the Ag42Pd58 NPs have the highest activity with an initial TOF of 382 h−1 and an apparent activation energy of 22±1 kJ mol−1—the best catalytic performance ever reported among all heterogeneous catalysts tested for the dehydrogenation of FA in aqueous solution. This, combining with the fact that Pd and Ag NPs are much less active in catalyzing the dehydrogenation of FA, proves the unique approach in using alloying effects to enhance NP catalysis. With the desired control on the NP sizes, compositions, and shapes, NP catalysis for the dehydrogenation of FA can be further optimized and a new type of heterogeneous catalyst may be developed for hydrogen generation and for hydrogen-based energy device applications. Synthesis of AgPd NPs: Under a gentle nitrogen flow, 0.084 g of silver(I) acetate (Ag(Ac), 0.5 mmol) and 0.15 g of palladium(II) acetylacetonate (Pd(acac)2, 0.5 mmol) were magnetically stirred in 4.5 mL of oleic acid (OAc), 0.5 mL of oleylamine (OAm), and 10 mL of 1-octadecene (ODE). The mixture was heated to 60 °C to generate a homogeneous solution. Then the solution was heated to 180 °C at a rate of 3–5 °C minutes−1 and kept at this temperature for 20 minutes during which the transparent solution gradually turned into brown and finally dark-brown color. Once the reaction solution was cooled down to room temperature, the NPs were separated by adding isopropanol (50 mL) and centrifugation (9500 rpm, 8 minutes). To remove the organic impurities and precursor residues, the product was redispersed in 10 mL of hexane and then recollected by adding 40 mL of ethanol and centrifugation (9500 rpm, 8 minutes). This synthesis yielded Ag42Pd58NPs (yield: 95 %), which were dispersed in hexane for future use. Under the same reaction condition, 0.134 g of Ag(Ac) (0.8 mmol) and 0.06 g of Pd(acac)2 (0. 2 mmol) led to the formation of Ag80Pd20 NPs; 0. 126 g of Ag(Ac) (0.75 mmol) and 0.075 g of Pd(acac)2 (0. 25 mmol) generated Ag60Pd40 NPs; 0. 1 g of Ag(Ac) (0.6 mmol) and 0.12 g of Pd(acac)2 (0. 4 mmol) produced Ag52Pd48 NPs; 0. 042 g of Ag(Ac) (0.25 mmol) and 0.225 g of Pd(acac)2 (0. 75 mmol) yielded Ag25Pd75 NPs. Under similar conditions, 0.168 g of Ag(Ac) (1 mmol) in the absence of Pd(acac)2 yielded 2.2 nm Ag NPs. The synthesis of 4.5 nm Pd NPs was conducted according to a protocol published elsewhere.12 Preparation of C-NP catalysts: In 10 mL of hexane 50 mg of Ketjen carbon were suspended and sonicated for 15 minutes. Next, about 25 mg of NPs in hexane was added dropwise into the carbon support mixture under sonication. The resulted mixture was sonicated for 1 h to ensure NP adsorption onto the carbon support. The C-NPs were separated by centrifugation and washed with ethanol. Next, the C-NPs were suspended in 30 mL of acetic acid and the suspension was heated for 10 h at 70 °C. 30 mL of ethanol was added and the mixture was centrifuged at 8500 rpm for 6 minutes. This ethanol washing procedure was repeated three times. The C-NPs were recovered and dried under vacuum. Formic acid dehydrogenation: In 9.6 mL of water 20 mg of C-NP catalysts were dispersed by sonication and then 0.4 mL of formic acid was injected into the catalyst solution at 50 °C. The volume of the gas (CO2+H2) generated during the catalytic reaction was monitored by a gas burette system. As a service to our authors and readers, this journal provides supporting information supplied by the authors. Such materials are peer reviewed and may be re-organized for online delivery, but are not copy-edited or typeset. Technical support issues arising from supporting information (other than missing files) should be addressed to the authors. 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Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) is a hypnotic intravenous agent with in vivo antioxidant properties. This study was undertaken to examine the in vitro antioxidant activity of propofol using different antioxidant tests including by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil (DPPH.) radical scavenging, metal chelating, hydrogen peroxide scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, reducing power and total antioxidant activities. At the concentrations of 25, 50, and 75 microg/ml, propofol exhibited 97.7, 98.6 and 100% inhibition on peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, respectively. On the other hand, at the 75 microg/ml concentration of standard antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and alpha-tocopherol exhibited 88.7, 94.5, and 70.4% inhibition on peroxidation of linoleic acid emulsion, respectively. In addition, at same concentrations, propofol was shown that it had effective reducing power, DPPH. free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging and metal chelating activities. These various antioxidant activities were compared to standard antioxidants such as BHA, BHT and alpha-tocopherol. These results indicate that propofol prevents lipid peroxidation and radicalic chain reactions. At the same time, propofol revealed more effective antioxidant capacity than BHA, BHT and alpha-tocopherol.

The aim of this study is to examine the trends and main findings of the studies concerning the flipped classroom method in the field of English language teaching (ELT). For this purpose, databases including Web of Science, Eric, Taylor & Francis and the Educational full text EBSCO were reviewed, and a total of 43 articles were analysed. Systematic review was used as the research methodology. The articles were analysed utilising a content analysis method. The findings of the study revealed that the flipped classroom method in ELT gained popularity among researchers after 2014, and the number of the studies in the field rapidly increased in the last two years (2016–2017). In addition, the most commonly used research methods in flipped classroom in ELT studies were found to be mixed and quantitative methods. In the examined studies, speaking and writing abilities were the most commonly studied language skills. Further analysis revealed challenges, as well as benefits related to the use of the flipped classroom method in English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom. Additionally, in studies reviewed concerning the effectiveness of the flipped classroom methods, the findings mostly pointed to the benefits of the flipped classroom method. On the basis of the review, various suggestions are made for practitioners and future research.

The compositions of essential oils isolated from the aerial parts of Artemisia absinthium, Artemisia santonicum, and Artemisia spicigera by hydrodistillation were analyzed by GC-MS, and a total of 204 components were identified. The major components of these essential oils were camphor (34.9-1.4%), 1,8-cineole (9.5-1.5%), chamazulene (17.8-nd%), nuciferol propionate (5.1-nd%), nuciferol butanoate (8.2-nd%), caryophyllene oxide (4.3-1.7%), borneol (5.1-0.6%), alpha-terpineol (4.1-1.6%), spathulenol (3.7-1.3%), cubenol (4.2-0.1%), beta-eudesmol (7.2-0.6%), and terpinen-4-ol (3.5-1.2%). The antifungal activities of these essential oils were tested against 11 plant fungi and were compared with that of a commercial antifungal reagent, benomyl. The results showed that all of the oils have potent inhibitory effects at very broad spectrum against all of the tested fungi. Pure camphor and 1,8-cineole, which are the major components of the oils, were also tested for antifungal activity against the same fungal species. Unlike essential oils, these pure compounds were able to show antifungal activity against only some of the fungal species. In addition, the antioxidant and DPPH radical scavenging activities of the essential oils, camphor, and 1,8-cineole were determined in vitro. All of the studied essential oils showed antioxidant activity, but camphor and 1,8-cineole did not.