Phosphorus Removal from Si-Fe Alloy Using SiO2-Al2O3-CaO Slag

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B - Phosphorus removal from silicon using a combination of solvent and slag refining, with lower carbon footprint and lower energy requirement than the...     

Effects of Raw Material Molar Ratio and Addition of Mg on Titanium Aluminide–Alumina Composite Formation Mechanism

Powder Metallurgy and Metal Ceramics - In this study, the effects of molar ratio of the raw materials (TiO2 and Al) and the addition of Mg on the titanium aluminide–alumina composite...     

填充了碳纳米管的连续纳米纤维的静电纺丝

<正>尽管在单壁碳纳米管(SWNTs)的合成和表征方面已经取得了重大进展,但还有一重大挑战,即寻找一条有效途径来接通纳米管及工程材料和结构之间的尺寸和性能的通道。为了将SWNT的超性能转化到中型和大型结构中,人们已经花费了很大精力来开发线性和平面SWNT组件。本文描述的静电     

Radiation induced decontamination of Cr(Ⅵ), Cu(Ⅱ) and phenol in some tannery effluents

Industrialization has led to a number of environmental problems, such as release of toxic metals and other toxic organic and inorganic compounds to the environment. Among all, the rapid expansion of leather related industries in Pakistan have resulted in considerable environmental problems and effluents from processing of both domestic and imported hides and skins have increased pollution to alarming levels. Some tannery effluents of Peshawar area investigated in the present study showed high concentrations of Cr(Ⅵ) (2.7-12.6 mg/L), Cu(Ⅱ) (2.6-11.4 mg/L) and phenol (0.1-4.2 mg/L). These contaminants are very toxic and must be removed from effluents before releasing into water bodies. A new technique of gamma irradiation has been investigated to decrease the load of COD and concentrations of Cr(Ⅵ), Cu(Ⅱ) and phenol associated with tannery effluents to the permitted values. It was observed that concentration of Cr(Ⅵ) in the effluents can be brought to the permitted level by applying radiation dose of 3 kGy. A radiation dose of 2.5 kGy was required to remove more than 95% of Cu(Ⅱ) and 100 % degradation of phenol in tannery effluents could be achieved by only one kGy of radiation dose.     

Assessment of in vitro antioxidant, antibacterial and immune activation potentials of aqueous and ethanol extracts of Phyllanthus niruri

BACKGROUND: Recently much attention has been paid to biologically active plants because of their low production cost and fewer adverse effects compared with chemical drugs. In the present investigation the bioactivity of Phyllanthus niruri ethanol and aqueous extracts was evaluated in vitro. RESULTS: The ethanol extract of P. niruri showed a high level of flavonoid content (123.9 ± 0.002 mg g^?1), while the aqueous extract showed the highest 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH; IC₅₀6.85 ± 1.80 µmol L^?1) and 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS; 46.44 ± 0.53 µmol L^?1) free radical scavenging activities with high phenol content (376 ± 0.02 mg g^?1) and elevated levels of ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP; 23 883 ± 0.019 mmol g^?1) with excellent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (20 mm inhibition zone) and Streptococcus agalactiae (12 mm inhibition zone), respectively, in addition to the best immune activation potential of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (450.5%). CONCLUSIONS: It is clear from our results that both extracts of P. niruri has excellent bioactivity roles via elevated levels of antibacterial, antioxidant and percentage of peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation, which could lead to the development of medications for clinical use. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Essential Oils from Carum copticum Seed and Ferula assafoetida Latex

Carum copticum and Ferula assafoetida have several medicinal properties including antispasmodic, carminative, sedative, analgesic, and antiseptic. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) scavenging activities of Carum and Ferula oils along with their antibacterial and antifungal activities were examined. Thymol (40.25%), γ‐terpinene (38.7%) and p‐cymene (15.8%) were detected as the main components of Carum oil while, β‐pinene (47.1%), α‐pinene (21.36%), and 1, 2‐dithiolane (18.6%) were the main components of Ferula oil. Inhibitory concentrations (IC50) for total radical scavenging were between 40 and 60 and 130 and 160 μg/mL of Carum and Ferula oil, respectively. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) for Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus niger, and Candida albicans were 78 ± 8, 65 ± 7, 14 ± 3, 5 ± 2, 5.6 ± 1.3, and 8.8 ± 2.2 μg/mL of Carum oil, respectively. MIC for S. typhi, E. coli, S. aureus, B. subtilis, A. niger, and C. albicans were >200, >200, 125 ± 17, 80 ± 12, 85 ± 5, and 90 ± 11 μg/mL of Ferula oil, respectively. Accordingly, Carum and Ferula oils could be used as safe and effective natural antioxidants to improve the oxidative stability of fatty foods during storage and to preserve foods against food burn pathogens. Practical Application : This study clearly demonstrates the potential of Carum and Ferula oil especially Carum oil as natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agent. The chemical composition of essential oils was identified. Thus, identification of such compounds also helps to discover of new antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal agents for potential applications in food safety and food preservation.     

Oxidation stability and compositional characteristics of oils from microwave roasted pumpkin seeds during thermal oxidation

The oxidative stability and compositional characteristics of the pumpkin seed oil (PSO) exposed to microwaves were studied during heating at 170°C. The oxidative indices such as free fatty acid (FFA), peroxide value (PV), p-anisidine value (p-AV), TOTOX, specific extinctions and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value of oils were significantly increased, and the increments were found to be significantly higher (P < 0.05) in unroasted seed oil as compared to roasted seed oil. The relative contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were decreased to 84.7%, and saturated fatty acids (SFAs) were increased to 119.5% in unroasted sample, after 9 h of heating. On the other hand, in 12 min roasted samples, the relative contents of PUFAs were decreased to 97.0%, and SFAs were increased to 102.6% after 9 h of heating. The triacylglycerol species LLL and OLL levels were decreased as a consequence of increased heating time, and the reduction tended to be significantly higher in unroasted samples as compared to roasted ones. The oxidation products formed were also investigated by FTIR. The present results indicated that microwave roasting of pumpkin seeds markedly enhanced the oxidative stability of the oils during heating.     

Hepatoprotective effect of Cassia obtusifolia seed extract and constituents against oxidative damage induced by tert‐butyl hydroperoxide in human hepatic HepG2 cells

The aim of the present study was to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of different soluble fractions of methanolic derived Cassia obtusifolia seeds extract (COE) and its active components in tert‐butyl hydroperoxide (t‐BHP)‐induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells. Among the tested fractions, the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction was the most active hepatoprotective fraction. From the active EtOAc fraction, six anthraquinones (alaternin, emodin, aloe emodin, 2‐hydroxyemodin 1‐methyl ether, chryso‐obtusin‐2‐O‐β‐d ‐glucoside, and questin) and one naphthopyrone glycoside (cassiaside) were isolated. The cytotoxic effect in 200 µM t‐BHP‐induced HepG2 cells was inhibited by COE and their bioactive compounds. The protective effect of COE in 200 µM t‐BHP‐induced HepG2 cells may be associated with positive regulation of glutathione (GSH) and decreased in reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation of their bioactive compounds. The increased ROS and decreased GSH levels observed in t‐BHP‐treated HepG2 cells were ameliorated by pretreatment with cassiaside, alaternin, and aloe emodin, indicating that the hepatoprotective effects of these major constituents are mediated by induction of cellular defense against oxidative stress. Overall, COE displayed a significant cytoprotective effect against oxidative stress, which may most likely be because of active compounds like cassiaside, alaternin, and aloe emodin in COE, which leads to maintenance of the normal redox status of cells.

Practical applications

The dried and roasted seeds of Cassia obtusifolia are commonly consumed as brew tea and medicinal foods in Korea. The seeds have multiple therapeutic actions related to the treatment of liver disease, dementia, diabetes, eye inflammation, photophobia and lacrimation, dysentery, headache, as well as dizziness. The present study demonstrates the hepatoprotective effect through prevention of oxidative stress, suggesting that C. obtusifolia and its constituents may have beneficial effects in preventing hepatic diseases.