Foliar Application of Nano-Silicon Complexes on Growth,Oxidative Damage and Bioactive Compounds of Feverfew Under Drought Stress

Silicon - Drought stress limits the growth and yield of essential oils of valuable medicinal plants such as feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium). So, foliar application efficiency of nano-silicon...     

A stabilized foam formulation using FTP-SDS surfactants for wettability alteration and flow diversion in carbonate fractured oil reservoirs

Foam injection contributes to improved oil recovery through flow diversion, reduction of interfacial tension (IFT), and wettability alteration of the rock while its stability is an issue. In this article, nitrogen-foam was optimally formulated using fluorocarbon tubiguard protect (FTP) surfactant stabilized with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) co-surfactant that was later experimentally considered for oil recovery in a fractured carbonate rock taken from an oil field in the Middle East. The results showed that the 5:1 volume ratio of fluorocarbon surfactant and SDS (FS51) generates a stable foaming agent with ability of changing the wettability of the carbonate rock surfaces to an intermediate gas-wet state. A series of core-flood experiments at HPHT conditions were also carried out and designed to properly represent matrix-fracture media using both a horizontally and vertically oriented setup. The oil saturated cores were flooded with nitrogen gas first followed by foam injection. It was concluded that foam can divert the gas to flow from fractures to the matrix blocks and result in a significant oil recovery. The contact angle tests that performed after core-flood experiments revealed the wettability changes of fracture surfaces from an oil-wet to a gas-wet state. This allows gas to be imbibed into the matrix blocks by capillary force and results in enhancement of ultimate oil recovery. This study revealed that trapped oil in matrixes blocks that had not been drained during the gas injection process could be produced by designing a stable foam that sustainably diverts injected fluid from fractures to matrix zone.     

One year soy protein supplementation has positive effects on bone formation markers but not bone density in postmenopausal women

Background  

Although soy protein and its isoflavones have been reported to reduce the risk of osteoporosis in peri- and post-menopausal women, most of these studies are of short duration (i.e. six months). The objective of this study was to examine if one year consumption of soy-containing foods (providing 25 g protein and 60 mg isoflavones) exerts beneficial effects on bone in postmenopausal women.     

Milk Thistle Seed Oil Constituents from Different Varieties Grown in Iran

In this study, fatty acids, phytosterol classes and tocopherols composition of Milk thistle seeds oil were determined at four varieties grown in Ardebil-Iran. The four varieties consisted of two modified foreign varieties—Budakalaszi (originally from Hungary) and the CN-seed variety (originally from England) and two native varieties, namely Khoreslo and Babak Castle. The oil content of the seeds ranged from 26 to 31%. Among the fatty acids, linoleic acid had the highest percentage (50–54%) followed by oleic acid (23–29%) and palmitic acid (7–8%). This is the first detailed report on the phytosterol classes of milk thistle seeds oil. The 4-Desmethylsterol class was predominant (1,800–2,200 μg/g) followed by 4,4′-dimethylsterols (50–85 μg/g) and 4-monomethylsterols (26–35 μg/g). The α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocopherols ranged from 187 to 465, 10 to 51, 9 to 12, and 18 to 80 μg/g oil, respectively. Based on the results obtained, the extracted oil from milk thistle seeds are rich in essential fatty acids, sterols and vitamin E and can be an attractive candidate for use in food preparation mixed with other vegetable oils or alone.     

Comparison of passive ranging integral imaging and active imaging digital holography for three-dimensional object recognition

We present an overview of three-dimensional (3D) object recognition techniques that use active sensing by interferometric imaging (digital holography) and passive sensing by integral imaging. We describe how each technique can be used to retrieve the depth information of a 3D scene and how this information can then be used for 3D object recognition. We explore various algorithms for 3D recognition such as nonlinear correlation and target distortion tolerance. We also provide a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of the two techniques.     

Surface modification of silica-graphene nanohybrid as a novel stabilizer for oil-water emulsion

The surface modification of silica-graphene nanohybrid through treatment with a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acid vapors to prepare a novel stabilizer for decalin-water emulsion was investigated. The nanohybrid was prepared through chemical vapor deposition using silica aerogel and acetylene as catalyst and carbon precursor at atmospheric pressure and 600 °C. The physicochemical properties of the modified nanohybrid were characterized by FT-IR, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, and TEM. The surface modification of nanohybrid was at various duration times (24, 48, and 72 hours) to optimize the surface modification conditions. Zeta potential of ?39.9 mV revealed that the surface modification of nanohybrid after 72 hours had an excellent stability in aqueous phase due to the presence of exceptional functional groups. The emulsion average droplet size decreased by increasing the nanohybrid concentration. The negative value of the zeta potential showed the proposed nanohybrid can be applied as an appropriate stabilizer for emulsion.     

Co-pyrolysis characteristics of polysaccharides-cellulose and the co-pyrolyzed compound distributions over two kinds of zeolite catalysts

Co-pyrolysis characteristics of soluble polysaccharides-cellulose were investigated through thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), kinetic analysis, analytical pyrolyser coupled with gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (Py-GC/MS) and subsequent density functional theory (DFT). Results from TGA and differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTG) analyses indicated that there were synergistic effects in the polysaccharides-cellulose (PS-CE) blends pyrolysis process. Surprisingly in co-pyrolysis process from Py-GC/MS analysis, the furans were suppressed, while the anhydrosugars were increased. The DFT calculation showed that free radicals pyrolyzed from soluble polysaccharides could suppress the ring-opening reaction of D-glucopyranose. The co-pyrolyzed chemical compound distribution over the catalysts (MCM-41, ZSM-5 and their mixtures) was also detected through Py-GC/MS analysis. Both the zeolites showed high selectivity for 5-methyl-2-furaldehyde and 2-furaldehyde. The two kinds of zeolites could induce the generation of furans but suppress the production of anhydrosugars, which was the opposite effect of the co-pyrolysis of PS-CE.