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Bacteria mediated infections may cause various acute or chronic illnesses and antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria has become a serious health problem around the world due to their excessive use or misuse. Replacement of existing antibacterial agents with a novel and efficient alternative is the immediate demand to alleviate this problem. Graphene-based materials have been exquisitely studied because of their remarkable bactericidal activity on a wide range of bacteria. Graphene-based materials provide advantages of easy preparation, renewable, unique catalytic properties, and exceptional physical properties such as a large specific surface area and mechanical strength. However, several queries related to the mechanism of action, significance of size and composition toward bacterial activity, toxicity criteria, and other issues are needed to be addressed. This review summarizes the recent efforts that have been made so far toward the development of graphene-based antibacterial materials to face current challenges to combat against the bacterial targets. This review describes the inherent antibacterial activity of graphene-family and recent advances that have been made on graphene-based antibacterial materials covering the functionalization with silver nanoparticles, other metal ions/oxides nanoparticles, polymers, antibiotics, and enzymes along with their multicomponent functionalization. Furthermore, the review describes the biosafety of the graphene-based antibacterial materials. It is hoped that this review will provide valuable current insight and excite new ideas for the further development of safe and efficient graphene-based antibacterial materials.

UV-radiations are the invisible part of light spectra having a wavelength between visible rays and X-rays. Based on wavelength, UV rays are subdivided into UV-A (320-400 nm), UV-B (280-320 nm) and UV-C (200-280 nm). Ultraviolet rays can have both harmful and beneficial effects. UV-C has the property of ionization thus acting as a strong mutagen, which can cause immune-mediated disease and cancer in adverse cases. Numbers of genetic factors have been identified in human involved in inducing skin cancer from UV-radiations. Certain heredity diseases have been found susceptible to UV-induced skin cancer. UV radiations activate the cutaneous immune system, which led to an inflammatory response by different mechanisms. The first line of defense mechanism against UV radiation is melanin (an epidermal pigment), and UV absorbing pigment of skin, which dissipate UV radiation as heat. Cell surface death receptor (e.g. Fas) of keratinocytes responds to UV-induced injury and elicits apoptosis to avoid malignant transformation. In addition to the formation of photo-dimers in the genome, UV also can induce mutation by generating ROS and nucleotides are highly susceptible to these free radical injuries. Melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) has been known to be implicated in different UV-induced damages such as pigmentation, adaptive tanning, and skin cancer. UV-B induces the formation of pre-vitamin D3 in the epidermal layer of skin. UV-induced tans act as a photoprotection by providing a sun protection factor (SPF) of 3-4 and epidermal hyperplasia. There is a need to prevent the harmful effects and harness the useful effects of UV radiations.

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A new absorption liquid based on amino acid salts has been studied for CO2 removal in membrane gas-liquid contactors. Unlike conventional gas treating solvents like aqueous alkanolamines solutions, the new absorption liquid does not wet polyoleÿn microporous membranes. The wetting characteristics of aqueous alkanolamines and amino acid salt solutions for a hydrophobic membrane was studied by measuring the surface tension of the liquid and the breakthrough pressure of the liquid into the pores of the membrane. The dependence of the breakthrough pressure on surface tension follows the Laplace-Young equation. The performance of the new absorption liquid in the removal of CO2 was studied in a single ÿber membrane contactor over a wide range of partial pressures of CO2 in the gas phase and amino acid salt concentrations in the liquid. A numerical model to describe the mass transfer accompanied by multiple chemical reactions occurring during the absorption of CO2 in the liquid owing through the hollow ÿber was developed. The numerical model gives a good prediction of the CO2 absorption ux across the membrane for the absorption of CO2 in the aqueous amino acid salt solutions owing through the hollow ÿber.

Solubility and diffusivity of N 2 O in aqueous solutions of potassium taurate are reported over a wide range of concentration and temperature. Also, the solubility of N 2 O in aqueous potassium glycinate solution is reported at 295 K. The ion specific constants, based on the model of Schumpe, 5,6 are reported for taurate and glycinate anions. A modified Stokes-Einstein relationship is proposed for the diffusivity of N 2 O in aqueous potassium taurate solution in the temperature range 293-308 K.

Crystallization of a reaction product was observed during the absorption of CO2 in aqueous potassium taurate solutions at 298 K. The crystallizing solid was found to be the protonated amine. The critical CO2 loading value at which crystallization occurred was measured for various amino acid salt concentrations. A simple relation between the critical CO2 loading value, initial amino acid salt concentration, and solubility of the amino acid in water is established. This relation seems to hold well in predicting the critical CO2 loading value for salts of amino acids other than taurine, for which Hook (Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 1997, 36, 1779) has recently published some qualitative experimental data. The influence of the formation of the solid reaction product during the absorption of CO2 in aqueous potassium taurate solutions on the mass-transfer characteristics of a gas−liquid contactor was investigated semiquantitatively for a stirred reactor. In particular, the effect of the presence and absence of crystals in CO2-loaded solutions on the liquid-side volumetric mass-transfer coefficient was studied by carrying out physical N2O absorption experiments in CO2-loaded aqueous potassium taurate solutions.

Dietary oxalate is plant-derived and may be a component of vegetables, nuts, fruits, and grains. In normal individuals, approximately half of urinary oxalate is derived from the diet and half from endogenous synthesis. The amount of oxalate excreted in urine plays an important role in calcium oxalate stone formation. Large epidemiological cohort studies have demonstrated that urinary oxalate excretion is a continuous variable when indexed to stone risk. Thus, individuals with oxalate excretions >25 mg/day may benefit from a reduction of urinary oxalate output. The 24-h urine assessment may miss periods of transient surges in urinary oxalate excretion, which may promote stone growth and is a limitation of this analysis. In this review we describe the impact of dietary oxalate and its contribution to stone growth. To limit calcium oxalate stone growth, we advocate that patients maintain appropriate hydration, avoid oxalate-rich foods, and consume an adequate amount of calcium.