Predicting PVT properties of Egyptian crude oils by a modified Soave–Redlich–Kowng equation of state

The study aims to predict the physical properties of Egyptian crude oils using modified Soave–Redlich–Kowng equation of state. The modification was theoretically developed and then performed by using data of 43 black oil samples representing all active oil producing areas of Egypt. The equation enables to predict the bubble-point pressure, oil formation volume factor, gas–oil ratio, oil density, crude oil gravity, gas gravity and gas formation volume factor of black oils with average relative errors ranging from 0.01% to 10.713%.Calculation sensitivity of the proposed MSRKE is determined by testing four oil samples collected from different locations in Egypt and comparing the measured PVT properties with those calculated from MSRKE. These evaluations show an excellent agreement between the measured properties and calculated ones.The estimation of reservoir liquid and gas properties from MSRKE is often needed when detailed laboratory PVT data are not available.     

Direct conversion of natural gas into COx-free hydrogen and MWCNTs over commercial Ni–Mo/Al2O3 catalyst: Effect of reaction parameters

A commercial hydrotreating nickel molybdate/alumina catalyst was used for the direct conversion of natural gas (NG) into CO_x-free hydrogen and a co-valuable product of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The catalytic runs were carried out atmospherically in a fixed-bed flow reactor. The effect of reaction temperature between 600 and 800 °C, and dilution of the NG feed with nitrogen as well as pretreatment of the catalyst with hydrogen were investigated. At a reaction temperature of 700 °C and dilution ratio of NG/N₂ = 20/30, the optimum yield of H₂ (～80%) was obtained with higher longevity. However, using the feed ratio of NG/N₂ = 30/20, the optimum yield of MWCNTs was obtained (669%). X-ray diffraction pattern for the catalyst after the reaction showed that the MWCNTs were grown on the catalyst at all reaction temperatures under study. TEM pictures revealed that the as-grown MWCNTs at 600, 650 and 800 °C are short and long with a low graphitization degree. At 700 °C a forest of condensed CNTs is formed, whereas both carbon nanofibers and CNTs were formed at 750 °C.     

Preparation,characterization, and mechanical properties of poly(ε‐caprolactone)/polylactic acid blend composites

Mechanical properties of poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) and polylactic acid (PLA) blend reinforced with Dura and Tenera palm press fibers were studied. Dicumyl peroxide (DCP) was used as compatibilizer in the blend composites. Fourier transforms infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) was used to study the effect of treatment on the fibers and fiber/matrix adhesion respectively. The uncompatibilized blend composites exhibited higher Young's modulus than the compatibilized blend composites. Impact strength of compatibilized blend composites of Tenera fibers (FM) increased by 161% at 10 wt% fiber load more than the uncompatibilized blend composites at same fiber load. The Dura fibers (FN) enhanced impact strength by 133% at 10 wt% fiber load. Tensile strength increased by 40% for compatibilized FM blend composites. In conclusion, it was observed that DCP incorporation resulted in good interfacial adhesion as revealed by the FESEM micrographs and evidenced in the improved mechanical properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Synthesis and characterization of PVA/YBCO nanocomposite for improvement of solar energy conversion

The development of nano‐metal oxide materials with unique optoelectronic properties such as highly solar energy absorption and generation of dense amount of electrons is one of the hottest topics now days. The incorporation of these nanomaterials into polymers results in an improvement of the properties of these polymers. Therefore, the understanding of their electronic properties is an essential demand to introduce these nanocomposites into service life. In this work, Yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) nanopowders with a uniform particle size of around 11 nm was prepared, sintered, and blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) by casting technique. The characteristics of the structure and morphology of PVA/YBCO nanocomposite films are studied using X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The influence of YBCO nanoparticles on the thermal stability of PVA showed that the YBCO enhanced the thermal stability and reduced the rate of thermal degradation of PVA nanocomposites. Current–voltage behavior of PVA/YBCO nanocomposite films was measured at different temperatures. An explanation for the charge carrier concentration in the conduction band with the calculation of the barrier height, activation energy, and conversion and their dependence on temperature and applied field is presented.POLYM. COMPOS., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

An expert egg grading system based on machine vision and artificial intelligence techniques

The main purpose of this research was design and development of an intelligent system based on combined fuzzy logic and machine vision techniques for grading of egg using parameters such as defects and size of eggs. The detected defects were internal blood spots, cracks and breakages of eggshell. The Hue-Saturation-Value (HSV) color space was found useful in obtaining visual features during Image Processing (IP) stage. The fuzzy inference system (FIS) was designed based on triangular and trapezoidal membership functions, fuzzy rules with logical operator of AND inference system of Mamdani and method of center average for defuzzifier. The evaluation results of IP algorithms showed that use of IP technique has good performance for defects and size detection. The Correct Classification rate (CCR) was 95% for size detection, 94.5% for crack detection and 98% for breakage detection. The overall accuracy FIS model in grading of the eggs was 95.4.     

Effect of chitosan solution on the inhibition of Acidovorax citrulli causing bacterial fruit blotch of watermelon

BACKGROUND: The production of watermelon in China has been seriously hampered by fruit blotch disease and limited control measures are now applied. Chitosan has been employed to control a variety of plant diseases and is considered to be the most promising biochemical to control this disease. RESULTS: The in vitro antibacterial effect of chitosan and its ability in protection of watermelon seedlings from bacterial fruit blotch were evaluated. Results showed that three types of chitosan, in particular, chitosan A at 0.40 mg mL^?1 significantly inhibited the growth of Acidovorax citrulli. The antibacterial activity of chitosan A was affected by chitosan concentration and incubation time. The direct antibacterial activity of chitosan may be attributed to membrane lysis evidenced by transmission electron microscopic observation. The disease index of watermelon seedlings planted in soil and the death rate of seedlings planted in perlite were significantly reduced by chitosan A at 0.40 mg mL^?1 compared to the pathogen control. Fresh and dry weight of watermelon seedlings planted in soil was increased by chitosan seed treatment, but not by chitosan leaf spraying. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that chitosan solution may have a potential in controlling bacterial fruit blotch of watermelon. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Boesenbergin A,a chalcone from Boesenbergia rotunda induces apoptosis via mitochondrial dysregulation and cytochrome c release in A549 cells in vitro: Involvement of HSP70 and Bcl2/Bax signalling pathways

The anti-cancer effect of Boesenbergin A (BA) isolated from Boesenbergia rotunda, via the induction of apoptosis resulting from mitochondrial dysfunction was assessed in human non-small cell lung cancer (A549) cells. The apoptotic mechanisms of BA induction on cancer cells were studied in the present study for the first time. Nuclear stain, measuring the accumulation of sub-G₁ cell population and DNA ladder were done to determine the apoptosis. Further investigations into the depletion of mitochondrial membrane potential and release of cytochrome c determined that BA treatment induced apoptosis via the regulation of the expression of pro-survival and pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members. The involvement of both intrinsic and extrinsic caspases (caspase 3/7, 9 and 8) were significantly increased. Moreover the role of free radicals was significantly found to be elevated with concomitant decrease in HSP70. In conclusion the results from the current study indicated BA could be a promising agent for the treatment of lung cancer.     

β-Glucan administration to diabetic rats reestablishes redox balance and stimulates cellular pro-survival mechanisms

The mechanisms underlying the beneficial effect observed in diabetic rats after treatment with a commercially available β-glucan-enriched extract (BGEE) were examined. Multiple low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) diabetes was used (40 mg STZ/kg) as a model for type 1 diabetes. BGEE was administered daily (80 mg/kg) for 4 weeks, starting from the last day of the STZ treatment. In vitro and in vivo experiments suggest that significant free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities of BGEE were responsible for a systemic adjustment of the redox disturbance and reduction of DNA damage in the liver and kidney of diabetic rats. BGEE-treated diabetic rats also displayed increased Akt kinase activity and decreased pro-caspase-3 degradation, implying that BGEE mediates its beneficial effects through activation of the cellular pro-survival pathway. We conclude that β-glucan administration under diabetic conditions promotes a systemic improvement that can be expected to increase the organism’s resistance to the onset of diabetic complications.     

A novel treatment for multifunctional finishing and reactive dyeing of polyamide‐6–cotton blend

A new approach to simultaneous functional finishing and reactive dyeing of polyamide‐6–cotton fabric (50/50) is developed. The extent of improvement in the functional and dyeing properties is determined by the UV‐absorber, UV‐Sun® CEL, concentration, type and concentration of the used reactive dye as well as the treatment sequence. The UV‐protection and the antibacterial properties, against S. aureus (G+ve) and E. coli (G?ve) bacteria, of the simultaneously finished and dyed fabric samples are maintained even after 15 washing cycles. After 15 washing cycles, the depth of shades and the fastness properties of the obtained dyeings are not seriously affected. The incorporation of the used UV‐absorber onto the blend fibres was also confirmed by SEM analysis.     

Parameter optimization for spray-drying microencapsulation of jaboticaba (Myrciaria jaboticaba) peel extracts using simultaneous analysis of responses

The present study aimed to conduct a simultaneous optimization of different carrier agents and temperatures for the production of jaboticaba extracts by spray-drying microencapsulation. The 30% maltodextrin (control), 25% arabic gum + 5% maltodextrin and 25% Capsul™ + 5% maltodextrin carriers were used at air-drying inlet temperatures of 140, 160 and 180 °C. The following responses were evaluated: anthocyanin retention (AR), moisture content (MC), total solids (TS), hygroscopicity (H), overall color difference and antioxidant activity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was also performed. The AR, MC, H and overall color difference parameters were selected for simultaneous optimization by the desirability approach. The results showed that the highest desirability (0.7–0.8) was achieved when 30% maltodextrin was used at 180 °C. According to the SEM analysis, the use of maltodextrin and gum arabic allowed for the formation of more homogeneous particles, which is recommended in spray-drying microencapsulation.