Characterization of minocycline loaded chitosan/polyethylene glycol/glycerol blend films as antibacterial wound dressings

Wound care has been a challenging subject for medical teams and researchers. Bacterial infections are one of the most serious complications in injured skins that often affect healing process. Antibacterial wound dressings can be used to facilitate wound healing process. The purpose of this study is to fabricate chitosan (Chito)/polyethylene glycol (PEG) antibacterial wound dressing doped with minocycline, and to evaluate the influence of composition ratio on the blending properties of the films. To improve the mechanical properties of these films, we examined various amounts of glycerol as a plasticizer. Moreover, we investigated morphological and mechanical aspects, water uptake, degradation, water vapor transmission and wettability properties of the films prepared with various ratios of Chito/PEG/Gly. Assessment of mechanical properties revealed that film containing 80:20 ratio Chito/PEG with 40 PHR Gly content exhibits the highest ultimate tensile strength and elongation at break (9.74 MPa and 45.73% respectively). Furthermore, results demonstrated that upon increasing PEG and Gly contents, degradability and hydrophilicity of the films increased whereas water uptake decreased. Water vapor transmission rate of the films was close to the range of 530–1200 g/m²d, indicating that the as formed films are possible candidates for dressing low exudate wounds or burns. Minocycline loaded films exhibited a biphasic drug release profile and it was more effective on gram-positive bacteria than on gram-negative bacteria. The polymeric film with the highest amount of loaded drug (2%) exhibited insignificant cytotoxicity (88%) against normal fibroblast cell line.     

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) authentication and batch-to-batch consistency for different types of paints using benchtop and handheld FTIR spectrophotometers for oil and gas industry

Standardization of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) fingerprint region for paints and assessment on the reproducibility using different spectrophotometers were investigated. While selective fingerprint regions may be confusing for technicians/analysts who are non-chemists, we attempt to generalize these regions (e.g., 1300–1000 cm⁻¹ for Epoxy part A and 1400–1000 cm⁻¹ for Epoxy part B) by choosing a universal region (2000–900 cm⁻¹) that works for different paints. Comparison result using a paired student t-test shows that the degree of similarity (r) values from the studied regions are not statistically different. The paint fails the screening analysis occasionally on-site when analyzed using handheld FTIR due to the higher level of noise that gives low r values (r < 0.900 ± 0.002). The same samples were analyzed using a benchtop FTIR and the r values are above 0.900 ± 0.002. While the screening may lead to a false rejection of the sample on-site, there could be occurrence of false acceptance. The on-site screening of EPZ part A with different formulations, for instance, shows that the r values over the entire IR spectrum are above 0.900 ± 0.002 when analyzed using handheld FTIR. After the samples were analyzed using the benchtop, the r values fall below 0.900 ± 0.002.     

Thermal antioxidative kinetics of sesamol in triacylglycerols and fatty acid methyl esters of sesame,olive, and canola oils

Oxidation kinetics of the triacylglycerols (TAGs) and fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) of sesame, olive, and canola oils were studied in the presence of the different concentrations of sesamol (0.1%–0.16%) at 60, 80, and 100°C. Sesamol increased the temperature coefficient, T_C, and Q₁₀ number of the TAGs more significantly compared to the FAMEs. All the sesamol-added TAG and FAME systems, respectively, of the olive, canola, and sesame oils, respectively, exerted increased values of the Arrhenius (activation energy, E_a, and frequency factor, A) and Eyring (enthalpy, ΔH⁺⁺, and entropy, ΔS⁺⁺) equation parameters. Sesamol improved the Gibbs free energy (ΔG⁺⁺) of the activated complex formation in the canola, sesame, and olive systems, respectively, and the effect was greater in the FAMEs.     

pHEMA: An Overview for Biomedical Applications

Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) as a biomaterial with excellent biocompatibility and cytocompatibility elicits a minimal immunological response from host tissue making it desirable for different biomedical applications. This article seeks to provide an in-depth overview of the properties and biomedical applications of pHEMA for bone tissue regeneration, wound healing, cancer therapy (stimuli and non-stimuli responsive systems), and ophthalmic applications (contact lenses and ocular drug delivery). As this polymer has been widely applied in ophthalmic applications, a specific consideration has been devoted to this field. Pure pHEMA does not possess antimicrobial properties and the site where the biomedical device is employed may be susceptible to microbial infections. Therefore, antimicrobial strategies such as the use of silver nanoparticles, antibiotics, and antimicrobial agents can be utilized to protect against infections. Therefore, the antimicrobial strategies besides the drug delivery applications of pHEMA were covered. With continuous research and advancement in science and technology, the outlook of pHEMA is promising as it will most certainly be utilized in more biomedical applications in the near future. The aim of this review was to bring together state-of-the-art research on pHEMA and their applications.     

A Quest for (sila)0-4cyclopentasilylenes and their Arduengo Analogs by DFT

Silicon - Following our interest in exotic silylenes, here we compare and contrast 20 novel five-membered cyclic silylenes, including saturated (sila)0–4 cyclopentasilylenes (1–10) and...     

Photocatalytic removal of pesticide dichlorvos from indoor air: a study of reaction parameters, intermediates and mineralization

This paper presents for the first time the investigation of TiO2 photocatalysis for the removal of pesticides in gas phase. Dichlorvos was used as a model pesticide, and experiments were carried out using both static and dynamic reaction systems to explore the different aspects of the process. Thus, adsorption, reaction kinetics, and the influence of several operational parameters such as relative humidity (RH), inlet concentration, flow rate, and association of TiO2 with activated carbon (AC) were all examined in detail. Furthermore, a special attention was devoted to the analysis of reaction products by means of various analytical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, automated thermal desorption technique coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry instrument, gas chromatography equipped with a pulse discharge helium photoionization detector, and ion chromatography. The results showed an immediate and total removal of dichlorvos at ppbv levels (50-350 ppbv) along with a high mineralization extent (50-85%) into harmless final products (CO2, HCl, PO43-). Moreover, RH was found to significantly affectthe mineralization extent and the formation of reaction intermediates. On the basis of identification data, direct charge transfer and chlorine radical (Cl*) attack were shown to play a key role in the reaction mechanism at low RH, whereas at high RH, HO* radicals were the predominant active species.     

Thermogravimetric analysis and kinetic study of heavy oil pyrolysis

Pyrolysis, so-called devolatilization, is one of the first steps of all thermochemical processes occurring in an inert atmosphere. The authors discuss the main kinetic features of heavy oil pyrolysis, on the basis of the data derived m from a TGA analysis and by using a kinetic model. The samples were heated over a range of temperature from 400 K to 430°C at various heating rates between 10 and 80°C/min. Experimental results showed that the effect of time is considerable in the case of tar conversion, compared to char and gases.     

Improving the Pressurized Flushing Efficiency in Reservoirs: an Experimental Study

Sediment flushing in many reservoirs of the world is accomplished with low efficiency. In this study, a new configuration was proposed for reservoir bottom outlet to increase the pressurized flushing efficiency. In the new configuration, a projecting semi-circular structure was connected to the upstream edge of bottom outlet. It was observed that by employing the projecting bottom outlet, the sediment removal efficiency increased significantly compared to the flushing via typical bottom outlet. In the case of new-configuration bottom outlet with L _sc /D _outlet  = 5.26 and D _sc /D _outlet  = 1.32, the dimensionless length, width and depth of flushing cone increased 280%, 45% and 14%, respectively, compared to the reference test. The proposed structure can ensure the sustainable use of reservoirs.     

BOUNDARY ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF GREEN AND LINDSAY THEORY UNDER THERMAL AND MECHANICAL SHOCK IN A FINITE DOMAIN

A boundary element formulation based on the Laplace transform method is developed for transient coupled thermoelasticity problems with relaxation times in a two-dimensional finite domain. The dynamic thermoelastic model of Green and Lindsay is selected for the present study. The Laplace transform method is applied to the time domain, and the resulting equations in the transformed field are discretized using the boundary element method. The nodal dimensionless temperature and displacements in the transformed domain are inverted to obtain the actual physical quantities using the numerical inversion of the Laplace transform method. This work considers the Green and Lindsay theory of thermoelasticity with the thermal and mechanical loading in a finite domain. The creation and propagation of elastic and thermoelastic waves in a finite domain and their effects on each other are investigated. Different relaxation times are chosen to briefly illustrate the events that take place in GL theory. Details of the formulation and numerical implementation are also presented.