Groundwater Level Simulation Using Soft Computing Methods with Emphasis on Major Meteorological Components

Water Resources Management - Precise estimation of groundwater level (GWL) might be of great importance for attaining sustainable development goals and integrated water resources management....     

Optimising by response surface methodology the dyeing of polyester with a liposome‐encapsulated disperse dye

Optimisation of conditions for dyeing polyester with liposome‐encapsulated CI Disperse Red 50 was performed using response surface methodology. The effects of temperature, time, and lecithin:dye ratio on the colour strength of dyed fabrics were investigated by a central composite design. The coefficient of determination, the probability value in analysis of variance, and the normality plot of residuals demonstrated sufficient significance of the proposed fitness function. It was found that the temperature and time of the dyeing cycle were effective factors in the dyeing of polyester fabrics with encapsulated dye. It was also established that the colour yield of dyed fabrics was above 25 in the case of a dyeing time of >80 min, a lecithin:dye ratio of ≤2, and a temperature of ca. 128 °C. Comparison of colour strengths produced by liposome‐encapsulated dye and commercial dye revealed that there was approximately the same build‐up on polyester. Dyeings from encapsulated CI Disperse Red 50 exhibited very similar fastness to dyeings from conventional CI Disperse Red 50.     

Aesculus hippocastanum L. as a Stabilizer in Hemp Seed Oil Nanoemulsions for Potential Biomedical and Food Applications

Nanoemulsion systems receive a significant amount of interest nowadays due to their promising potential in biomedicine and food technology. Using a two-step process, we produced a series of nanoemulsion systems with different concentrations of hemp seed oil (HSO) stabilized with Aesculus hippocastanum L. extract (AHE). Water and commercially-available low-concentrated hyaluronic acid (HA) were used as the liquid phase. Stability tests, including an emulsifying index (EI), and droplet size distribution tests performed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) proved the beneficial impact of AHE on the emulsion’s stability. After 7 days of storage, the EI for the water-based system was found to be around 100%, unlike the HA systems. The highest stability was achieved by an emulsion containing 5% HSO and 2 g/L AHE in water, as well as the HA solution. In order to obtain the detailed characteristics of the emulsions, UV-Vis and FTIR spectra were recorded, and the viscosity of the samples was determined. Finally, a visible microscopic analysis was used for the homogeneity evaluation of the samples, and was compared with the DLS results of the water system emulsion, which showed a desirable stability. The presented results demonstrate the possible use of oil emulsions based on a plant extract rich in saponins, such as AHE. Furthermore, it was found that the anti-inflammatory properties of AHE provide opportunities for the development of new emulsion formulations with health benefits.     

Evaluation of mechanical and biocompatibility properties of hydroxyapatite/manganese dioxide nanocomposite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering application

The aim of this research was to evaluate the mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and degradation behavior of scaffolds made of pure hydroxyapatite (HA) and HA-modified by MnO₂ for bone tissue engineering applications. HA and MnO₂ were developed using sol-gel and precipitation methods, respectively. The scaffolds properties were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microcopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The interaction of scaffold with cells was assessed using in vitro cell proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assays. The obtained results indicate that the HA/MnO₂ scaffolds possess higher compressive strength, toughness, hardness, and density when compared to the pure HA scaffolds. After immersing the scaffold in the SBF solution, more deposited apatite appeared on the HA/MnO₂, which results in the rougher surface on this scaffold compared to the pure HA scaffold. Finally, the in vitro biological analysis using human osteoblast cells reveals that scaffolds are biocompatible with adequate ALP activity.     

A Sensitive Spectrofluorimetric Method for the Determination of Nitrite in Agricultural Samples

A simple, selective, and very sensitive spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the determination of nitrite in vegetables. The method is based on the reaction between nitrite and 4-amino-3-hydroxynaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (AHNSA) which results in the quenching of the fluorescence of AHNSA. Optimal values of the factors influencing the reaction between nitrite and AHNSA were explored by central composite design (CCD). The factors were pH of the acidic solution and concentration of AHNSA. In optimal conditions, difference between fluorescence intensity of AHNSA and its fluorescence intensity in the presence of nitrite at 442 nm was selected as the analytical signal. The relation between signal and concentration of nitrite was linear in the range of 0.005–0.500 mg L^?1. A detection limit of 2.5?×?10^?3 mg L^?1 was obtained for the determination of nitrite by the proposed method. Using the proposed method, it is possible to determine trace amounts of nitrite in vegetable samples with relative errors lower than 6 %. The relative standard deviation (RSD) values of the method for the determination of nitrite in cucumber, cabbage, lettuce, and tomato samples were 0.12, 0.20, 0.86, and 0.13 %, respectively. Moreover, the proposed method was validated by comparison with a standard method.     

Influence of Treatment Sequence on Tribological Performance of Duplex Surface-Treated AISI 1045 Steel

The surface of AISI 1045 steel specimens was modified via two duplex surface treatments of(i) titanium diffusion coating followed by plasma nitriding(Ti–PN) and(ii) plasma nitriding followed by titanium diffusion coating(PN–Ti). A comparative study on the microstructure and wear properties of the fabricated TiN coatings was conducted. A scanning electron microscope equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer(XRD), and pin-on-disk wear test was utilized to evaluate the microstructures, phases, and wear properties of the coatings. XRD patterns of duplex-treated specimens illustrated that the modified layer consisted of nitride and carbo-nitride phases such as TiN and TiC_(0.7)N_(0.3). The results also showed that Ti–PN treatment led to a low friction coefficient and the lowest wear factors, as compared with the PN–Ti treatment. Oxidation and mild fatigue fracture wear were found to be the main wear mechanism of the Ti–PN coating. The wear mechanism in the PN–Ti specimen involved a higher oxidative wear regime followed by plastic deformation wear regimes.     

Current technologies in the extraction,enrichment and analytical detection of tocopherols and tocotrienols: A review

During the past few years the scientific and medical community has been confronted with a continual interest in vitamin E with the interest prompted by new discoveries. Tocopherols and tocotrienols, commonly known as vitamin E, are extremely invaluable compounds and have various nutritional functionalities and benefits to human health. Great deals of research projects have been launched in order to develop effective methods for the extraction of vitamin E. By and large, three distinct extractive methods are usually employed: supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), molecular distillation, and adsorption methods. These methods are sensitive to different experimental conditions, such as pressure, temperature, and flow rate with noticeable effects on the efficiency of the extraction and enrichment of vitamin E. This review has covered the most commonly adapted extraction methods and has probed into the extraction yields under variable operational parameters.     

Occult hepatitis B infection in a hemodialysis population in Guilan province, northern Iran

Hemodialysis (HD) patients are vulnerable to transfusion-transmitted infections such as hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV infection with undetectable hepatitis B surface antigens (HBsAg) is described as occult HBV and can lead to serious complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of occult HBV and concomitant factors in HD patients. Using a cross-sectional design, clinical and epidemiological data were obtained from May to September 2009 in 11 different HD units in Guilan province in northern Iran. After serological testing for HBV surface antigens in 514 HD patients using a third-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (Diapro, Milano, Italy), HBsAg-negative patients were tested for HBV DNA using a Qiagen PCR kit (Artus Qiagen GmbH, Hilden, Germany). After omission of seven HBsAg-positive patients, 507 patients were included in the study, 280 (55.2%) of whom were male and 227 (44.8%) were female. Patients ranged in age from 16 to 66 years (mean 53.2 years). No HBV DNA was detected in HBsAg-negative patients. Some 59 patients (11.6%) were anti-hepatitis C virus positive and 32 (6.3%) were hepatitis C virus positive according to polymerase chain reaction. The study results indicate that occult HBV infection is not a significant health problem in HD patients in Guilan province.