Search results for: nucleic acid extraction

Authors: H. Yousefnia, S. Zolghadri

Abstract:

An early diagnosis of bone metastases is very important for providing a profound decision on a subsequent therapy. A prerequisite for the clinical application of new diagnostic radiopharmaceutical is the measurement of organ radiation exposure dose from biodistribution data in animals. In this study, the dosimetric studies of a novel agent for SPECT-imaging of bone methastases, 111In-(4-{[(bis(phosphonomethyl))carbamoyl]methyl}-7,10-bis(carboxymethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododec-1-yl) acetic acid (111In-BPAMD) complex, have been estimated in human organs based on mice data. The radiolabeled complex was prepared with high radiochemical purity at the optimal conditions. Biodistribution studies of the complex were investigated in male Syrian mice at selected times after injection (2, 4, 24 and 48 h). The human absorbed dose estimation of the complex was performed based on mice data by the radiation absorbed dose assessment resource (RADAR) method. 111In-BPAMD complex was prepared with high radiochemical purity >95% (ITLC) and specific activities of 2.85 TBq/mmol. Total body effective absorbed dose for 111In-BPAMD was 0.205 mSv/MBq. This value is comparable to the other 111In clinically used complexes. The results show that the dose to critical organs the complex is well within the acceptable considered range for diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures. Generally, 111In-BPAMD has interesting characteristics and can be considered as a viable agent for SPECT-imaging of the bone metastases in the near future.

Keywords: In-111, BPAMD, absorbed dose, RADAR

Procedia PDF Downloads 481

Authors: Chaoran Liu

Abstract:

Bioactive polysaccharides and polysaccharide-protein complex derived from mushrooms and fungi have a wide range of immunomodulatory activity with low side-effects and have therefore the potential to be developed as an adjuvant in cancer therapies. Mushrooms sclerotium is rich in polysaccharides and the polysaccharides isolated from the sclerotium of Polyporus rhinocerus have shown potent in vivo and in vitro immunomodulatory effects. Macrophages are considered to be an important component of the innate immune response against bacterial infection and cancer. To better understanding the immunomodulatory effects and its underlying mechanisms of sclerotial water-soluble polysaccharides extracted from P. rhinocerus on macrophages, the objectives of this study are to purify the water-soluble novel sclerotial polysaccharides and to characterize the structure and properties as well as to study the detailed molecular mechanisms of the in vitro immunomodulating effects in murine macrophages. The hot water-soluble fraction PRW from the sclerotium of P. rhinocerus was obtained using solvent extraction. PRW was further fractionated by membrane ultrafiltration to a give a fraction (PRW1) with molecular mass less than 50 kDa. PRW1 was characterized to be a polysaccharide-protein complex composed of 45.7% polysaccharide and 44.2% protein. The chemical structure of the carbohydrate moiety of PRW1 was elucidated by GC and FTIR to be mainly beta-D-glucan with trace amount of galactose and mannose. The immunomodulatory effects of PRW1 on murine RAW 264.7 macrophages were demonstrated in terms of the increase in nitric oxide production and cytokine production. Mechanistically, PRW1 initiates ERK phosphorylation to activate macrophages within 15 min and significantly improves the expression level of inducible NOS (iNOS) from 6 h after treatment. In summary, this study indicates that PRW1 is a potent immunomodulatory agent for macrophages and suggests that mushroom sclerotia from Polyporus rhinocerus requires for further investigation in cancer research.

Keywords: Polyporus rhinocerus, mushroom sclerotia, Polysaccharide-Protein Complex, macrophage activation

Procedia PDF Downloads 233

Authors: Ziyad S. Haidar

Abstract:

Millions of teeth are removed annually, and dental extraction is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures globally. Whether due to caries, periodontal disease or trauma, exodontia and the ensuing wound healing and bone remodeling processes of the resultant socket (hole in the jaw bone) usually result in serious deformities of the residual alveolar osseous ridge and surrounding soft tissues (reduced height/width). Such voluminous changes render the placement of a proper conventional bridge, denture or even an implant-supported prosthesis extremely challenging. Further, most extractions continue to be performed with no regard for preventing the onset of alveolar osteitis (also known as dry socket, a painful and difficult-to-treat/-manage condition post-exodontia). Hence, such serious resorptive morphological changes often result in significant facial deformities and a negative impact on the overall Quality of Life (QoL) of patients (and oral health-related QoL), alarming, particularly for the geriatric with compromised healing and in light of the thriving longevity statistics. Opportunity: Despite advances in tissue/wound grafting, serious limitations continue to exist, including efficacy and clinical outcome predictability, cost, treatment time, expertise and risk of immune reactions. For cases of dry sockets, specifically, the commercially-available and often-prescribed home remedies are highly lacking. Indeed, most are not recommended for use anymore. Alveogyl is a fine example. Hence, there is a great market demand and need for alternative solutions. Solution: Herein, SockGEL/PLUG (patent pending), an all-natural, drug-free and injectable stimuli-responsive hydrogel, was designed, formulated, characterized and evaluated as an osteogenic, angiogenic, anti-microbial and pain-soothing suture-free intra-alveolar dressing, safe and efficacious for use in several oro-dental and cranio-maxillo-facial interventional applications; for example: in fresh dental extraction sockets, immediately post-exodontia. It is composed of FDA-approved, biocompatible and biodegradable polymers, self-assembled electro-statically to formulate a scaffolding matrix to (a) prevent the onset of alveolar osteitis via securing the fibrin-clot in situ and protecting/sealing the socket from contamination/infection; and (b) endogenously promote/accelerate wound healing and bone remodeling to preserve the volume of the alveolus. Findings: The intrinsic properties of the SockGEL/PLUG hydrogel were evaluated physico-chemico-mechanically for safety (cell viability), viscosity, rheology, bio-distribution and essentially, capacity to induce wound healing and osteogenesis (small defect, in vivo) without any signaling cues from exogenous cells, growth factors or drugs. The performed animal model of cranial critical-sized and non-vascularized bone defects shall provide vitally critical insights into the role and mechanism of the employed natural bio-polymer blend and gel product in endogenous reparative regeneration of soft tissues and bone morphogenesis. Alongside, the fine-tuning of our modified formulation method will further tackle appropriateness, reproducibility, scalability, ease and speed in producing stable, biodegradable and sterilizable stimuli (thermo-sensitive and photo-responsive) matrices (3-dimensional interpenetrating yet porous polymeric network) suitable for an intra-socket application, and beyond. Conclusions and Perspective: Findings are anticipated to provide sufficient evidence to translate into pilot clinical trials and validate the bionanomaterial before engaging the market for feasibility, acceptance and cost-effectiveness studies. The SockGEL/PLUG platform is patent pending: SockGEL is a bio-inspired drug-free hydrogel; SockPLUG is a drug-loaded hydrogel designed for complex indications.

Keywords: hydrogel, injectable, dentistry, craniomaxillofacial complex, bioinspired, nanobiotechnology, biopolymer, sol-gel, stimuli-responsive, matrix, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine

Procedia PDF Downloads 72

Authors: Fawibe O. O., Mustafa A. A., Oyelakin A. S., Dada O. A., Ojo E. S.

Abstract:

Field experiment was carried out during the cropping season of 2021 to examine the influence of the sole or combined application of rice-straw biochar and poultry manure on yield, nutrient uptake, and physiological attributes of Capsicum frutescens. The experiment was a randomized complete block design with five replicates. Treatments were 10 t/ha biochar (BC), 5 t/ha biochar + 5 t/ha poultry manure (BC+PM), 10 t/ha poultry manure (PM), and no amendment as the control (NA ). Parameters determined were fruit yield, aboveground biomass, macro and micro nutrients in leaves, antinutrients content, and pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids) concentration. Data were analysed with one-way analysis of variance, while means were separated using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test at p<0.05. Soil amended with PM increased the nitrogen content of C. frutescens leaves by 40.9%, while polyphenol and phytic acid were reduced by 20.5% and 29.2%, respectively, compared with NA. Moreover, PM increased chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b by 91.9% and 16.4%, whereas proline was reduced by 31.3% compared with NA. However, PM and BC+PM had comparable influence on pigments, nutrients and antinutrients contents of C. frutescens. BC+PM significantly increased yield and aboveground biomass of C. frutescens by 52.9% and 99.2%, respectively, compared with NA. BC had no significant influence on the yield and nutrient uptake of C. frutescens compared with NA. In conclusion, sole application of poultry manure or combined with rice-straw biochar increased yield and nutrients availability in the leaves of C. frutescens.

Keywords: capsicum frutescens, biochar, nutrient uptake, poultry manure, organic amendment

Procedia PDF Downloads 101

Authors: Omar Dib, Rita Yaacoub, Luc Eveleigh, Nathalie Locquet, Hussein Dib, Ali Bassal, Christophe B. Y. Cordella

Abstract:

The potential of front-face fluorescence coupled with chemometric techniques, namely parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and multiple linear regression (MLR) as a rapid analysis tool to characterize Lebanese virgin olive oils was investigated. Fluorescence fingerprints were acquired directly on 102 Lebanese virgin olive oil samples in the range of 280-540 nm in excitation and 280-700 nm in emission. A PARAFAC model with seven components was considered optimal with a residual of 99.64% and core consistency value of 78.65. The model revealed seven main fluorescence profiles in olive oil and was mainly associated with tocopherols, polyphenols, chlorophyllic compounds and oxidation/hydrolysis products. 23 MLR regression models based on PARAFAC scores were generated, the majority of which showed a good correlation coefficient (R > 0.7 for 12 predicted variables), thus satisfactory prediction performances. Acid values, peroxide values, and Delta K had the models with the highest predictions, with R values of 0.89, 0.84 and 0.81 respectively. Among fatty acids, linoleic and oleic acids were also highly predicted with R values of 0.8 and 0.76, respectively. Factors contributing to the model's construction were related to common fluorophores found in olive oil, mainly chlorophyll, polyphenols, and oxidation products. This study demonstrates the interest of front-face fluorescence as a promising tool for quality control of Lebanese virgin olive oils.

Keywords: front-face fluorescence, Lebanese virgin olive oils, multiple Linear regressions, PARAFAC analysis

Procedia PDF Downloads 453

Authors: Fadime Eroglu

Abstract:

Acanthamoeba genus belongs to kingdom protozoa, and it is known as free-living amoebae. Acanthamoeba genus has been isolated from human bodies, swimming pools, bottled mineral water, contact lens solutions, dust, and soil. The members of the genus Acanthamoeba causes Acanthamoeba Keratitis which is a painful sight-threatening disease of the eyes. In recent years, the prevalence of Acanthamoeba keratitis has been high rate reported. The eight different Acanthamoeba species are known to be effective in Acanthamoeba keratitis. These species are Acanthamoeba castellanii, Acanthamoeba polyphaga, Acanthamoeba griffini, Acanthamoeba hatchetti, Acanthamoeba culbertsoni and Acanhtamoeba rhysodes. The conventional diagnosis of Acanthamoeba Keratitis has relied on cytological preparations and growth of Acanthamoeba in culture. However molecular methods such as real-time PCR has been found to be more sensitive. The real-time PCR has now emerged as an effective method for more rapid testing for the diagnosis of infectious disease in decade. Therefore, a real-time PCR assay for the detection of Acanthamoeba keratitis and Acanthamoeba species have been developed in this study. The 18S rRNA sequences from Acanthamoeba species were obtained from National Center for Biotechnology Information and sequences were aligned with MEGA 6 programme. Primers and probe were designed using Custom Primers-OligoPerfectTMDesigner (ThermoFisherScientific, Waltham, MA, USA). They were also assayed for hairpin formation and degree of primer-dimer formation with Multiple Primer Analyzer ( ThermoFisherScientific, Watham, MA, USA). The eight different ATCC Acanthamoeba species were obtained, and DNA was extracted using the Qiagen Mini DNA extraction kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany). The DNA of Acanthamoeba species were analyzed using newly designed primer and probe set in real-time PCR assay. The early definitive laboratory diagnosis of Acanthamoeba Keratitis and the rapid initiation of suitable therapy is necessary for clinical prognosis. The results of the study have been showed that new primer and probes could be used for detection and distinguish for Acanthamoeba species. These new developing methods are helpful for diagnosis of Acanthamoeba Keratitis.

Keywords: Acathamoeba Keratitis, Acanthamoeba species, fast diagnosis, Real-Time PCR

Procedia PDF Downloads 120

Authors: Fahad Qureshi

Abstract:

This paper provides detailed study on the diagnosis of intermittent high vibration spikes at exhaust bearing (Non-Drive End) of Mitsubishi H-25 gas turbine installed in a petrochemical plant in Pakistan. The diagnosis is followed by successful root cause analysis of the issue and recommendations for improving the reliability of machine. Engro Polymer and Chemicals (EPCL), a Chlor Vinyl complex, has a captive power plant consisting of one combined cycle power plant (CCPP), having two gas turbines each having 25 MW capacity (make: Hitachi) and one extraction condensing steam turbine having 15 MW capacity (make: HTC). Besides, one 6.75 MW SGT-200 1S gas turbine (make: Alstom) is also available. In 2018, the organization faced an issue of intermittent high vibration at exhaust bearing of one of H-25 units having tag GT-2101 A, which eventually led to tripping of machine at configured securities. Since the machine had surpassed 64,000 running hours and major inspection was also due, so bearings inspection was performed. Inspection revealed excessive coke deposition at labyrinth where evidence of rotor rub was also present. Bearing clearance was also at upper limit, and slight babbitt (soft metal) chip off was observed at one of its pads so it was preventively replaced. The unit was restated successfully and exhibited no abnormality until October 2020, when these spikes reoccurred, leading to machine trip. Recurrence of the issue within two years indicated that root cause was not properly addressed, so this paper furthers the discussion on in-depth analysis of findings and establishes successful root cause analysis, which captured significant learnings both in terms of machine design deficiencies and gaps in operation & maintenance (O & M) regime. Lastly, revised O& M regime along with set of recommendations are proposed to avoid recurrence.

Keywords: exhaust side bearing, Gas turbine, rubbing, vibration

Procedia PDF Downloads 186

Authors: Dong Hwi Kim, Dharaneedharan Subramanian, So Hyun Park, Ha-Ri Choi, Ji-Hyung Kim, Dong-Hoon Lee, Moon Soo Heo

Abstract:

The present study was performed to evaluate the use of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens JFP-2 isolated from a traditional fermented sea food, as probiotic bacteria in the diets for Rock-bream, Oplegnathus faciatus. A total of 180 fish (187.4 ± 2.7 g) were divided into two groups, control (C) and probiotic (P) group (90 fish per group) in triplicate. C group was fed with basal diet without probiotic, while P group was fed with B. amyloliquefaciens spores at concentration of 1.4 x 106 colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) of feed. After two months of feeding experiments, P group fish showed significant improvements in body weight (BW), weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR) and food conversion ratio (FCR) compared with C group. Also, bi-weekly assessment of serum protein, glucose, fatty acid profile showed a significant increase in probiotic fed fish than that of control fish group. Similar increase in serum antioxidant and lysozyme activity was found in probiotic fed fish group. Twenty days challenge experiment shows decrease mortality in probiotic fed fish group when compared with that of control group. Hence, these results indicate that the use of B. amyloliquefaciens JFP-2 as a feed supplement, is beneficial to improve the health status of Oplegnathus fasciatus challenged with Vibrio anguillarum.

Keywords: Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Oplegnathus fasciatus, probiotic feed, rock bream

Procedia PDF Downloads 259

Authors: Soukaina Motia, Nadia El Alami El Hassani, Alassane Diouf, Benachir Bouchikhi, Nezha El Bari

Abstract:

Parabens are the antimicrobial molecules largely used in cosmetic products as a preservative agent. Among them, the methylparaben (MP) is the most frequently used ingredient in cosmetic preparations. Nevertheless, their potential dangers led to the development of sensible and reliable methods for their determination in environmental samples. Firstly, a sensitive and selective molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) based on screen-printed gold electrode (Au-SPE), assembled on a polymeric layer of carboxylated poly(vinyl-chloride) (PVC-COOH), was developed. After the template removal, the obtained material was able to rebind MP and discriminate it among other interfering species such as glucose, sucrose, and citric acid. The behavior of molecular imprinted sensor was characterized by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. Then, the biosensor was found to have a linear detection range from 0.1 pg.mL^-1 to 1 ng.mL^-1 and a low limit of detection of 0.12 fg.mL^-1 and 5.18 pg.mL^-1 by DPV and EIS, respectively. For applications, this biosensor was employed to determine MP content in four wastewaters in Meknes city and two cosmetic products (shower gel and shampoo). The operational reproducibility and stability of this biosensor were also studied. Secondly, another MIP biosensor based on tungsten trioxide (WO₃) functionalized by gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) assembled on a polymeric layer of PVC-COOH was developed. The main goal was to increase the sensitivity of the biosensor. The developed MIP biosensor was successfully applied for the MP determination in wastewater samples and cosmetic products.

Keywords: cosmetic products, methylparaben, molecularly imprinted polymer, wastewater

Procedia PDF Downloads 319

Authors: Melkamu A., Woldu B., Sitotaw C., Seyoum M., Aynalem M.

Abstract:

Background: Liver disease is any condition that affects the liver cells and their function. It is directly linked to coagulation disorders since most coagulation factors are produced by the liver. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude and associated factors of coagulation abnormalities among liver disease patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from August to October 2022 among 307 consecutively selected study participants at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected using a structured questionnaire and data extraction sheet, respectively. About 2.7 mL of venous blood was collected and analyzed by the Genrui CA51 coagulation analyzer. Data was entered into Epi-data and exported to STATA version 14 software for analysis. The finding was described in terms of frequencies and proportions. Factors associated with coagulation abnormalities were analyzed by bivariable and multivariable logistic regression. Result: In this study, a total of 307 study participants were included. Of them, the magnitude of prolonged Prothrombin Time (PT) and Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) were 68.08% and 63.51%, respectively. The presence of anemia (AOR = 2.97, 95% CI: 1.26, 7.03), a lack of a vegetable feeding habit (AOR = 2.98, 95% CI: 1.42, 6.24), no history of blood transfusion (AOR = 3.72, 95% CI: 1.78, 7.78), and lack of physical exercise (AOR = 3.23, 95% CI: 1.60, 6.52) were significantly associated with prolonged PT. While the presence of anaemia (AOR = 3.02; 95% CI: 1.34, 6.76), lack of vegetable feeding habit (AOR = 2.64; 95% CI: 1.34, 5.20), no history of blood transfusion (AOR = 2.28; 95% CI: 1.09, 4.79), and a lack of physical exercise (AOR = 2.35; 95% CI: 1.16, 4.78) were significantly associated with abnormal APTT. Conclusion: Patients with liver disease had substantial coagulation problems. Being anemic, having a transfusion history, lack of physical activity, and lack of vegetables showed significant association with coagulopathy. Therefore, early detection and management of coagulation abnormalities in liver disease patients are critical.

Keywords: coagulation, liver disease, PT, Aptt

Procedia PDF Downloads 60

Authors: Tagouelbe Tiho, Amissa Augustin Adima, Yao Casimir Brou, Nabayo Traore, Gouha Firmin Kouassi, Thierry Roland Kouame, Maryline Kouba

Abstract:

The work aimed to study Borassus aethiopum Mart (B.a) dried pulp nutritional value for its incorporation in human and poultry diets. Firstly, the mature fruit macro-composition was assessed. Secondly, the pulp was dried at 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80ᵒC. Thereafter, the analysis was performed for fat, protein, total sugars, Ca, P, Mg, and fatty acid profile monitoring. As a result, the fruits weighed 1,591.35, delivered 516.73, and 677.82 grams of pulp and seeds, respectively. Mainly, increasing heat adversely affected the outputs. Consequently, the fat results were 14.12, 12.97, 8.93, 8.89ᶜ, and 5.56%; protein contents were 11.64, 10.15, 8.97, 8.84, and 8.42%; total sugar deliveries were 6.28, 6.05, 5.26, 5.02, and 4.76% (P < 0.01). Thereafter, the metabolizable energies were 3,785.22; 3,834.28; 3,616.62; 3,667.03; and 3,608.33 kcal/kg (DM). Additionally, Calcium (Ca) contents were 0.51, 0.55, 0.69, 0.77, and 0.81%, while phosphorus (P) mean was 0.17%, and the differences were not significant (P < 0.01). So, the Ca/P ratios were 2.79, 3.04, 4.10, 4.71, and 4.95. Finally, fatty acids (FA) assessments revealed 22.33 saturated (SFA), 77.67 unsaturated (UFA), within which 67.59% were monounsaturated (MUFA). Interestingly, the rising heat depressed n-6/n-3 ratios that were 1.1, 1.1, 0.45 and 0.38, respectively at 40, 50, 70 and 80ᵒC. In short, drying did not only enhance the product shelf life but it also improved the nutritional value. Thus, B.a mature fruit pulps dried at 70ᵒC are good functional foods, with more than 66% MUFA, and energy source for human and poultry nutrition.

Keywords: Borassus aethiopum Mart, fatty acids, metabolizable energy, minerals, protein

Procedia PDF Downloads 171

Authors: Waddah S. Abdullah, Saleh M. Al-Sarem

Abstract:

Electrokinetic remediation of contaminated soils has undoubtedly proven to be one of the most efficient techniques used to clean up soils contaminated with polar contaminants (such as heavy metals) and nonpolar organic contaminants. It can efficiently be used to clean up low permeability mud, wastewater, electroplating wastes, sludge, and marine dredging. EK processes have proved to be superior to other conventional methods, such as the pump and treat, and soil washing, since these methods are ineffective in such cases. This paper describes the use of electrokinetic remediation to clean up soils contaminated with nickel. Open cells, as well as advanced cylindrical cells, were used to perform electrokinetic experiments. Azraq green clay (low permeability soil, taken from the east part of Jordan) was used for the experiments. The clayey soil was spiked with 500 ppm of nickel. The EK experiments were conducted under direct current of 80 mA and 50 mA. Chelating agents (NaEDTA), disodium ethylene diamine-tetra-ascetic acid was used to enhance the electroremediation processes. The effect of carbonates presence in soils was, also, investigated by use of sodium carbonate. pH changes in the anode and the cathode compartments were controlled by using buffer solutions. The results showed that the average removal efficiency was 64%, for the Nickel spiked saturated clayey soil.Experiment results have shown that carbonates retarded the remediation process of nickel contaminated soils. Na-EDTA effectively enhanced the decontamination process, with removal efficiency increased from 64% without using the NaEDTA to over 90% after using Na-EDTA.

Keywords: buffer solution, contaminated soils, EDTA enhancement, electrokinetic processes, Nickel contaminated soil, soil remediation

Procedia PDF Downloads 245

Authors: Chioma J. Nwakamma, Blessing O. Oyedemi, Garuba Omosun

Abstract:

This research surveys and documents information on medicinal plants and their botanical preparations used in the treatment of children’s ailments in South-Eastern Nigeria. Children under the age of 5 in developing countries suffer from diseases with high morbidity and mortality rate yearly due to inaccessible and unaffordable healthcare. Structured questionnaires were administered to herbal sellers, traditional medicine practitioners, nursing mothers, and adult dwellers to collect data on the names of plants used to treat the conditions, methods of preparation, duration of treatment, adverse effects, and the methods of administration of the plant materials. A total of 135 plants belonging to 55 families were identified for the management of children’s health in the area. Common pediatric ailments which were said to be treated with herbal remedies by the respondents included malaria, pneumonia, stomach ache, diarrhea, dysentery, measles, chickenpox/smallpox, convulsion, jaundice, pile, ringworm, scabies, eczema, stubborn cough, scurvy, catarrh, wounds, boils, insect bites, food poison, cholera, and umbilical cord complications. Percentages of respondents were; herbal sellers (48.2%), traditional medical practitioners (21.6%), nursing mothers (11.1%), and others (19.1%). The most occurring plant families were Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, and Apocynaceae, with 8 species of plants each followed by Annonaceae and Asteriaceae with 7 and 6 species, respectively. The recipes were made from the combination of different parts of two or more plant species, and others were made from single plant parts. Methods of extraction were mostly decoction and raw-squeezing out of the juice and infusion, while oral administration was the main route of administration.

Keywords: ethno-botanicals, children’s health, medicinal plants, South-Eastern Nigeria

Procedia PDF Downloads 102

Authors: Gennaro Marino

Abstract:

This paper concerns a case of a 10.75 inch diameter buried gas transmission line which was exposed to mine subsidence ground movements. The pipeline was buried about 4ft. below the surface with maximum operating pressure of 1440 psi. The mine subsidence movement was the result of long walling ore at a depth of approximately 1600 ft. As ore extraction progressed, the stress in the monitored pipeline worsened and was approaching unacceptable levels. The excessive pipe compression resulted when it was exposed to the compression zone of subsidence basin created by mining. The pipe stress reached a significant compressive level due to the extensive length of the pipe exposed to frictional ground-pipe slip resistance. The backfill ground movement slip resistance depends on normal stress around the pipe, the rate of slip, and the backfill characteristics. Normal stress depends on the burial depth of the backfill density and the lateral subsidence induced stress. The backfill in this site has a soil dry density of approximately 90 PCF. A suite of direct shear tests was conducted a residual friction angle of 36 was determined for the ambient backfill. These tests showed that the residual shearing resistance was reached within a fraction of an inch. The pipe was coated with fusion-bonded epoxy, so friction reduce factory of 0.6 can be considered. To relieve ground movement induced compressive stress, the line was uncovered. As more of the pipeline was exposed, the pipe abruptly bowed in the excavation. An analysis of this pipe formation which was performed is provided in this paper. Also discussed in this paper are ways to mitigate this pipe deformation or upheaval buckling from occurring. Keywords: Pipe Upheaval, Pipe Buckling, Ground subsidence, Buried Pipeline, Pipe Stress Mitigation.

Keywords: pipe upheaval, pipe buckling, ground subsidence, buried pipeline, pipe stress mitigation

Procedia PDF Downloads 161

Authors: Ogunniran Kehinde Olurotimi, Adekoya Joseph, Ehi-Eromosele Cyril, Mehdi Shihab, Mesubi Adediran, Tadigoppula Narender

Abstract:

Nicotinic acid hydrazide and 2,4-dihydoxylbenzaldehyde were condensed at 20°C to form an acylhydrazone (H3L) with ONO coordination pattern. The structure of the acylhydrazone was elucidated by using CHN analyzer, ESI mass spectrometry, IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and 2D NMR such as COSY and HSQC. Thereafter, five novel metal complexes [Mn(II), Fe(II), Pt(II) Zn(II) and Pd(II)] of the hydrazone ligand were synthesized and their structural characterization were achieved by several physicochemical methods, namely elemental analysis, electronic spectra, infrared, EPR, molar conductivity and powder X-ray diffraction studies. Structural geometries of some of the compounds were supported by using Hyper Chem-8 program for the molecular mechanics and semi-empirical calculations. The stability energy (E) and electron potentials (eV) for the frontier molecules were calculated by using PM3 method. An octahedral geometry was suggested for both Pd(II) and Zn(II) complexes while both Mn(II) and Fe(II) complexes conformed with tetrahedral pyramidal. However, Pt(II) complex agreed with tetrahedral geometry. In vitro antitubercular activity study of the ligand and the metal complexes were evaluated against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, H37Rv, by using micro-diluted method. The results obtained revealed that (PtL1) (MIC = 0.56 µg/mL), (ZnL1) (MIC = 0.61 µg/mL), (MnL1) (MIC = 0.71 µg/mL) and (FeL1) (MIC = 0.82 µg/mL), exhibited a significant activity when compared with first line drugs such as isoniazid (INH) (MIC = 0.9 µg/mL). H3L1 exhibited lesser antitubercular activity with MIC value of 1.02 µg/mL. However, the metal complexes displayed higher cytoxicity but were found to be non-significant different (P ˂ 0.05) to isoniazid drug.

Keywords: hydrazones, electron spin resonance, thermogravimetric, powder X-ray diffraction, antitubercular agents

Procedia PDF Downloads 268

Authors: Kaoutar Chbihi, Aziza Menouni, Emilie Hardy, Matteo Creta, Nathalie Grova, An Van Nieuwenhuyse, Lode Godderis, Samir El Jaafari, Radu-Corneliu Duca

Abstract:

Industrial products and materials are often treated with additional compounds like brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and heavy metals in order to prevent their ignition, increase their functionality and improve their performance like electrical conductivity. Consequently, this could potentially expose children to harmful chemicals through indoor dust and through hand-to-mouth or toy-chewing behaviors. The aim of this study was to assess the exposure of Moroccan children aged 5-11 years to BFRs and heavy metal elements and investigate their impacts on the epigenetic profile, namely through global DNA methylation modifications. First, parents were asked to answer a questionnaire on children’s lifestyle, then blood and urine samples were collected from (n= 93) children, following the ethical guidelines, for biomonitoring and DNA methylation analysis, using a set of solid phase extraction (SPE), LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS and ICP/MS techniques. BFRs were detected in 54.84% of samples with a median concentration of 0.01 nmol/mL (range: 0.004-0.051 nmol/mL), while metal elements were detected in more than 90% of samples. No association was found between BFRs and global DNA methylation, unlike metal element levels that showed significant variations with global DNA methylation biomarkers, namely 5-mdC, 5-OH-mdC and N⁶-mA levels. To conclude, Moroccan children could be significantly exposed to flame retardant compounds and heavy metal elements through several routes, such as dust or equipment usage and are therefore susceptible to the adverse health effects that could be linked with such chemicals. Further research is required to assess the exposure to environmental pollutants among the Moroccan population in order to protect Moroccan health and prevent the incidence of diseases.

Keywords: biomonitoring, children, DNA methylation, epigenetics, flame retardants, heavy metals, Morocco

Procedia PDF Downloads 97

Authors: Chungkham Sarojnalini, Wahengbam Sarjubala Devi

Abstract:

Antioxidant properties and nutritive values of raw and cooked Pool barb, Puntius sophore (Hamilton-Buchanan) of Eastern Himalayas, India were determined. Antioxidant activity of the methanol extract of the raw, steamed, fried and curried Pool barb was evaluated by using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay. In DPPH scavenging assay the IC50 value of the raw, steamed, fried and curried Pool barb was 1.66 microgram/ml, 16.09 microgram/ml, 8.99 microgram/ml, 0.59 microgram/ml whereas the IC50 of the reference ascorbic acid was 46.66 microgram/ml. This results shows that the fish have high antioxidant activity. Protein content was found highest in raw (20.50±0.08%) and lowest in curried (18.66±0.13%). Moisture content in raw, fried and curried was 76.35±0.09, 46.27±0.14 and 57.46±0.24 respectively. Lipid content was recorded 2.46±0.14% in raw and 21.76±0.10% in curried. Ash content varies from 12.57±0.11 to 22.53±0.07%. The total aminoacids were varied from 36.79±0.02 and 288.43±0.12 mg/100 g. Eleven essential mineral elements were found abundant in all the samples. The samples had a considerable amount of Fe ranging from 152.17 to 320.39 milligram/100 gram, Ca 902.06 to 1356.02 milligram/100 gram, Zn 91.07 to 138.14 milligram/100 gram, K 193.25 to 261.56 milligram/100 gram, Mg 225.06 to 229.10 milligram/100 gram. Ni was not detected in the curried fish. The Mg and K contents were significantly decreased in frying method; however the Fe, Cu, Ca, Co and Mn content were increased significantly in all the cooked samples. The Mg and Na contents were significantly increased in curried sample and the Cr content was decreased significantly (p<0.05) in all the cooked samples.

Keywords: antioxidant property, pool barb, minerals, aminoacids, proximate composition, cooking methods

Procedia PDF Downloads 222

Authors: Kaniz Roksana, Aluthgun Hewage Shaini, Cheng Zhu

Abstract:

Lead is environmentally hazardous because it may persist for a long time in soil, water, and air, and it can travel large distances when carried by wind or water. Lead is toxic to many different species of organisms and has the potential to disrupt ecosystem stability. Moreover, lead can contaminate crops and livestock, which can then have an adverse effect on human health. This study was conducted to use the enzyme-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (EICP) technique from soybean crude extract urease along coconut fiber derived biochar’s (CFB) to bioremediate lead. To study the desorption rates of heavy metals from the soil, lead (Pb) was added to the soil at load ratios of 50 and 100 mg/kg. There were five separate treatment soil columns created: control sample, only CFB, only EICP, EICP with 2% (w/w) CFB, and EICP with 4% (w/w) CFB. Laboratory scale experiment demonstrates significant lead removal from soil. The amount of CaCO₃ precipitated in the soil was measured using a gravimetric acid digestion test, which related heavy metal desorption to the amount of precipitated calcium carbonate. These findings were validated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), which revealed calcium carbonate and lead coprecipitation. As a result, the study reveals that the EICP technique, in conjunction with coconut fiber biochar, could be an efficient alternative in the remediation of heavy metal ion-contaminated soils.

Keywords: enzyme induced calcium carbonate precipitation (EICP), coconut fiber derived biochar’s (CFB), bioremediation, heavy metal

Procedia PDF Downloads 76

Authors: Yifan Hou, Haibo Liu, Le Jiang, Wandong Su, Binqing Wang

Abstract:

Road defect detection is crucial for modern urban management and infrastructure maintenance. Traditional road defect detection methods mostly rely on manual labor, which is not only inefficient but also difficult to ensure their reliability. However, existing deep learning-based road defect detection models have poor detection performance in complex environments and lack robustness to multi-scale targets. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a distinct detection framework based on the one stage algorithm network structure. This article designs a deep feature extraction network based on RCSDarknet, which applies channel shuffling to enhance information fusion between tensors. Through repeated stacking of RCS modules, the information flow between different channels of adjacent layer features is enhanced to improve the model's ability to capture target spatial features. In addition, a multi-scale feature fusion mechanism with weighted dual flow paths was adopted to fuse spatial features of different scales, thereby further improving the detection performance of the model at different scales. To validate the performance of the proposed algorithm, we tested it using the RDD2022 dataset. The experimental results show that the enhancement algorithm achieved 84.14% mAP, which is 1.06% higher than the currently advanced YOLOv8 algorithm. Through visualization analysis of the results, it can also be seen that our proposed algorithm has good performance in detecting targets of different scales in complex scenes. The above experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed algorithm, providing valuable insights for advancing real-time road defect detection methods.

Keywords: roads, defect detection, visualization, deep learning

Procedia PDF Downloads 9

Authors: Akshita Jindal, Renu Chadha, Maninder Karan

Abstract:

Supramolecular chemistry has gained recent eminence in a flurry of research documents demonstrating the formation of new crystalline forms with potentially advantageous characteristics. Mesalamine (5-amino salicylic acid) belongs to anti-inflammatory class of drugs, is used to treat ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Unfortunately, mesalamine suffer from poor solubility and therefore very low bioavailability. This work is focused on preparation and characterization of cocrystal of mesalamine with nicotinamide (MNIC) a coformer of GRAS status. Cocrystallisation was achieved by solvent drop grinding in stoichiometric ratio of 1:1 using acetonitrile as solvent and was characterized by various techniques including DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry), PXRD (X-ray Powder Diffraction), and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer). The co-crystal depicted single endothermic transitions (254°C) which were different from the melting peaks of both drug (288°C) and coformer (128°C) indicating the formation of a new solid phase. Different XRPD patterns and FTIR spectrums for the co-crystals from those of individual components confirms the formation of new phase. Enhancement in apparent solubility study and intrinsic dissolution study showed effectiveness of this cocrystal. Further improvement in pharmacokinetic profile has also been observed with 2 folds increase in bioavailability. To conclude, our results show that application of nicotinamide as a coformer is a viable approach towards the preparation of cocrystals of potential drug molecule having limited solubility.

Keywords: cocrystal, mesalamine, nicotinamide, solvent drop grinding

Procedia PDF Downloads 177

Authors: Anthony Ayodeji Adegoke, Olayinka Ayobami Aiyegoro, Thor Axel Stenstrom

Abstract:

A study to investigate the species diversities, antibiogram and antibiotic resistance genes in Staphylococcus species from raw meat and dairy products collected from an abattoir and a farm shop of a research institute in Irene, South Africa over a six-month period was conducted. Polymerase Chain Reaction was used to speciate the bacteria and to detect the presence and otherwise of resistance genes. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by disk diffusion method on Mueller-Hinton agar according to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute standards. A total of twenty-six (26) antibiotics were used to determine the antibiotic susceptibility. S. xylosus was the predominant isolate with 30% total occurrence, followed by S. epidermis, S. aureus, S. saprophyticus and S. haemolyticus with 25%, 15%, 15%, and 10% abundance respectively. The isolates were resistant to ceftezidime, gentamycin, nalidixic acid, nortrafuration, ampicillin, penicillin, oxytetracycline, tetracycline, doxycycline, clindamycin and lincomycin. mecA genes was detected among the methicillin resistant Staphylococcus species (MRSS) but no vancomycin resistance genes (van A and van B) were detected in these isolates. The presence of MRSS and multidrug resistant Staphylococcus species in meat affirms the need to avoid consumption of partially cooked meat currently rampant in South Africa, to avoid the spread of difficult to control pathogens in epidemiological proportion.

Keywords: Staphylococcus species, antibiotics, antibiotic resistance genes, food products, methicillin resistance, mecA gene

Procedia PDF Downloads 299

Authors: Farnaz Firuzian, Farhad Choobdar, Ali Mazouri

Abstract:

As Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) neonates cannot tolerate enteral feeding, parenteral nutrition (PN) must be administered shortly after birth. To find an optimal combination of nutrition, in this study, we compare administering high glucose versus high protein intake as a component of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) to test their effect on birth weight (BW) regain in VLBW. This study employs a multi-arm randomized trial: 145 newborns with BW < 1500 g were randomized to control (C) or experimental groups: high glucose (G) or high protein (P). All samples in each group received the same TPN regimens except glucose and protein intake: Glocuse was provided by dextrose water (DW) serum: 7-15 g/kg/d (10% DW) in groups C and P versus 8.75-18.75 g/kg/d (12.5% DW) in group G. Protein provided by amino acids 3 g/kg/d for groups C and G versus 4 g/kg/d for group P. Outcomes (weight, height, and head circumference) was monitored on a daily basis until the BW was regained. Data has been gathered recently and is being processed. We hypothesize that neonates with higher amino acid intake will result in sooner BW regain than other groups. The result will be presented at the conference. The findings of this study not only can help optimize nutrition, cost reduction, and shorter NICU admission of VLBW neonates at the hospital level but eventually contribute to reduced healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and an improved health economy.

Keywords: very low birth weight neonates, weight gain, parenteral nutrition, glucose, amino acids

Procedia PDF Downloads 83

Authors: Elida Gastelum-Martinez, Neith A. Pacheco-Lopez, Juan L. Morales-Landa

Abstract:

Cashew agroindustry obtained from cashew apple crop (Anacardium occidentale L.) generates large amounts of unused waste in Campeche, Mexico. Despite having a high content of nutritional compounds such as ascorbic acid, carotenoids, fiber, carbohydrates, and minerals, it is not consumed due to its astringent sensation. The aim of this work was to develop a processing method for cashew apple waste in order to obtain a powder with reduced astringency able to be used as an additive in the food industry. The processing method consisted first in reducing astringency by inducing tannins from cashew apple peel to react and form precipitating complexes with a colloid rich in proline and histidine. Then cashew apples were processed to obtain a dry powder. Astringency reduction was determined by total phenolic content and evaluated by sensorial analysis in cashew-apple-powder based cookies. Total phenolic content in processed powders showed up to 72% lower concentration compared to control samples. The sensorial evaluation indicated that cookies baked using cashew apple powder with reduced astringency were 96.8% preferred. Sensorial characteristics like texture, color and taste were also well-accepted attributes. In conclusion, the method applied for astringency reduction is a viable tool to produce cashew apple powder with desirable sensorial properties to be used in the development of food products.

Keywords: astringency reduction, cashew apple waste, food industry, sensorial evaluation

Procedia PDF Downloads 351

Authors: Anuradha Gupta, Neelam Bansal, Varinder Uppal

Abstract:

The present investigation was made on 35 Indian buffalo fetuses ranging from 0.9 cm to 104 cm curved crown rump length (CVRL). The gross anatomical study revealed that all structures were developed at 13 cm CVRL (87 days) in group I. At 0.9 cm CVRL (32 days) the heart was unseptated and tubular and was clearly divided into common atrial chamber dorsally and primitive ventricle in 1.2 cm CVRL fetus (34 days). Septum primum appeared at 1.9 cm CVRL (37 days), truncal ridges at 2.5 cm CVRL (39 days) and foramen ovale in 3.0 cm CVRL (42 days) buffalo foetuses. At 7.6 cm CVRL (62 days) endocardial cushions fused to form left and right atrioventricular openings and four chambered heart was formed in 8.7 cm CVRL (66 days). Endocardium and epicardium was thicker in atria as compared to ventricles in all the age groups. Myocardium of atria was thin as compared to ventricles in all the age groups and was loosely arranged. Immature hyaline cartilage was first appeared at base of aorta in 62 cm CVRL (213 days) fetuses. Intercalated discs were seen in group III and aorta, pulmonary artery, coronary artery were well appreciated in 3.2 cm CVRL (43 days). Neutral and acid mucopolysaccharides were comparatively more in atria than ventricles. Basic proteins showed strong reaction in atrium and ventricle, and intense in conduction system. Lipids and phospholipids were more in myocardium and conduction system than endocardium and epicardium. All the histochemical moieties were comparatively more in tunica intima than media and adventitia of all the great vessels of heart.

Keywords: buffalo, fetal development, histochemistry, heart

Procedia PDF Downloads 275

Authors: H. K. G. K. D. K. Hapuhinna, R. D. Gunaratne, H. M. J. C. Pitawala

Abstract:

Hydroxyapatite is a bioceramic which can be used for applications in orthopedics and dentistry due to its structural similarity with the mineral phase of mammalian bones and teeth. In this study, it was synthesized, chemically changing natural Eppawala chloroapatite mineral as a value-added product. Sol-gel approach and solid state sintering were used to synthesize products using diluted nitric acid, ethanol and calcium hydroxide under different conditions. Synthesized Eppawala hydroxyapatite powder was characterized using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) in order to find out its composition, crystallinity, presence of functional groups, bonding type, surface morphology, microstructural features, and thermal dependence and stability, respectively. The XRD results reflected the formation of a hexagonal crystal structure of hydroxyapatite. Elementary composition and microstructural features of products were discussed based on the XRF and SEM results of the synthesized hydroxyapatite powder. TGA and DSC results of synthesized products showed high thermal stability and good material stability in nature. Also, FTIR spectroscopy results confirmed the formation of hydroxyapatite from apatite via the presence of hydroxyl groups. Those results coincided with the FTIR results of mammalian bones including human bones. The study concludes that there is a possibility of producing hydroxyapatite using commercially available Eppawala chloroapatite in Sri Lanka.

Keywords: dentistry, Eppawala chlorapatite, hydroxyapatite, orthopedics

Procedia PDF Downloads 235

Authors: Jorge A. Cruz-Morales, Joel Vargas, Arlette A. Santiago, Mikhail A. Tlenkopatchev

Abstract:

In industrial processes such as oil extraction and refining, products are handled or generated in the gas phase, which represents a challenge in terms of treatment and purification. During the past three decades, new scientific findings and technological advances in separation based on the use of membranes have led to simpler and more efficient gas separation processes, optimizing the use of energy and generating less pollution. This work reports the synthesis and ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of new structural isomers based on norbornene dicarboximides bearing trifluoromethyl moieties, specifically N-2-trifluoromethylphenyl-exo,endo-norbornene-5,6-dicarboximide (2a) and N-3-trifluoromethylphenyl-exo,endo-norbornene-5,6-dicarboximide (2b), using tricyclohexylphosphine [1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)-4,5-dihydroimidazol-2-ylidene][benzylidene] ruthenium dichloride (I), bis(tricyclohexylphosphine) benzylidene ruthenium (IV) dichloride (II), and bis(tricyclohexylphosphine) p-fluorophenylvinylidene ruthenium (II) dichloride (III). It was observed that the -CF3 moiety attached at the ortho position of the aromatic ring increases thermal and mechanical properties of the polymer, whereas meta substitution has the opposite effect. A comparative study of gas transportation in membranes, based on these fluorinated polynorbornenes, showed that -CF3 ortho substitution increases permeability of the polymer membrane as a consequence of the increase in both gas solubility and gas diffusion. In contrast, gas permeability coefficients of the meta-substituted polymer membrane are rather similar to those of that which is non-fluorinated; this can be attributed to a lower fractional free volume. The meta-substituted polymer membrane, besides showing the largest permselectivity coefficients of all the isomers studied here, was also found to have one of the largest permselectivity coefficients for separating H2/C3H6 into glassy polynorbornene dicarboximides.

Keywords: gas transport membranes, polynorbornene dicarboximide, ROMP, structural isomers

Procedia PDF Downloads 255

Authors: Dylan Treger, Lujia Zhang, Xiaoxiao Jia, Jessica H. Hui, Munkh-Amgalan Gantumur, Mizhou Hui, Li Liu

Abstract:

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is involved in wound healing via inflammation, granulation, and re-epithelialization mechanisms. The poor physical properties of natural high-molecular-weight polymers limit their direct use in the medical field. In this clinical study, we investigated whether the local injection of a tissue-permeable 35 kDa HA fragment (HA35) could favor the healing process in patients with chronic wounds accompanied by neuropathic pain. The HA35 fragments were freshly manufactured by degradation of high-molecular-weight HA with bovine testis-derived hyaluronidase PH20. Twenty patients in this study had nonhealing wounds and wound-related pain for more than 3 months. Freshly produced HA35 was locally injected into healthy skin immediately surrounding chronic wounds once a day for 10 days. Wound-associated pain and the degree of wound healing were evaluated. The injection of HA35 relieved the pain associated with chronic wounds in 24 hours. HA35 treatment significantly promoted the healing of chronic wounds, including expanded fresh granulation tissue on the wounds; reduced darkness or redness, dryness, and damaged areas on the surface of the skin surrounding the wounds; and decreased the size of the wound area. It can be concluded that the topical injection of tissue-permeable HA35 around chronic wounds has great potential to promote wound healing.

Keywords: 35 kDa hyaluronan fragment HA35, chronic wound, wound healing, tissue permeability

Procedia PDF Downloads 166

Authors: Xiang Zhang, Daohong Yang, Ziyuan Wu, Lei Li, Wanting Zhou

Abstract:

Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (VSLAM) uses cameras to collect information in unknown environments to realize simultaneous localization and environment map construction, which has a wide range of applications in autonomous driving, virtual reality and other related fields. At present, the related research achievements about VSLAM can maintain high accuracy in static environment. But in dynamic environment, due to the presence of moving objects in the scene, the movement of these objects will reduce the stability of VSLAM system, resulting in inaccurate localization and mapping, or even failure. In this paper, a robust VSLAM method was proposed to effectively deal with the problem in dynamic environment. We proposed a dynamic region removal scheme based on semantic segmentation neural networks and geometric constraints. Firstly, semantic extraction neural network is used to extract prior active motion region, prior static region and prior passive motion region in the environment. Then, the light weight frame tracking module initializes the transform pose between the previous frame and the current frame on the prior static region. A motion consistency detection module based on multi-view geometry and scene flow is used to divide the environment into static region and dynamic region. Thus, the dynamic object region was successfully eliminated. Finally, only the static region is used for tracking thread. Our research is based on the ORBSLAM3 system, which is one of the most effective VSLAM systems available. We evaluated our method on the TUM RGB-D benchmark and the results demonstrate that the proposed VSLAM method improves the accuracy of the original ORBSLAM3 by 70%˜98.5% under high dynamic environment.

Keywords: dynamic scene, dynamic visual SLAM, semantic segmentation, scene flow, VSLAM

Procedia PDF Downloads 116

Authors: Nizaha Juhaida Mohamad, David Gray, Bettina Wolf

Abstract:

Chocolate is a material composite with a high fraction of solid particles dispersed in a fat phase largely composed of cocoa butter. Viscosity properties of chocolate can be manipulated by the amount of fat - increased levels of fat lead to lower viscosity. However, a high content of cocoa butter can increase the cost of the chocolate and instead surfactants are used to manipulate viscosity behaviour. Most commonly, lecithin and polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) are used. Lecithin is a natural lipid emulsifier which is based on phospholipids while PGPR is a chemically produced emulsifier which based on the long continuous chain of ricinoleic acid. Lecithin and PGPR act to lower the viscosity and yield stress, respectively. Recently, natural lipid emulsifiers based on galactolipid as the functional ingredient have become of interest. Spinach lipid is found to have a high amount of galactolipid, specifically MGDG and DGDG. The aim of this research is to explore the influence of spinach lipid in comparison with PGPR and lecithin on the rheological properties of sugar/oil suspensions which serve as chocolate model system. For that purpose, icing sugar was dispersed from 40%, 45% and 50% (w/w) in oil which has spinach lipid at concentrations from 0.1 – 0.7% (w/w). Based on viscosity at 40 s-1 and yield value reported as shear stress measured at 5 s-1, it was found that spinach lipid shows viscosity reducing and yield stress lowering effects comparable to lecithin and PGPR, respectively. This characteristic of spinach lipid demonstrates great potential for it to act as single natural lipid emulsifier in chocolate.

Keywords: chocolate viscosity, lecithin, polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), spinach lipid

Procedia PDF Downloads 248

Authors: Samadhan S. Nagane, Sachin S. Kuhire, Prakash P. Wadgaonkar

Abstract:

Lignocellulose-derived chemicals such as furfural, furandicarboxylic acid, syringol, guaiacol, etc are highly attractive as sustainable alternatives to petrochemicals for the synthesis of monomers and polymers. We wish to report herein the facile synthesis of fully bio-based bisphenols containing pendant furyl group by base-catalyzed condensation of furfural with guaiacol. Bisphenols possessing pendant furyl group represent valuable monomers for the synthesis of a range of polymers which include epoxy resins, polyesters, polycarbonates, poly(aryl ether)s, etc. Several new homo/co-poly(arylene ether sulfone)s have been prepared by the reaction of 4,4(-fluorodiphenyl sulfone (FDS) with 4,4'-(furan-2-ylmethylene)bis(2-methoxyphenol) (BPF) and 4,4(-isopropylidenediphenol (BPA) using different molar ratios of bisphenols. Poly(arylene ether sulfone)s showed inherent viscosities in the range 0.92-1.47 dLg-1 and number average molecular weights (Mn), obtained from gel permeation chromatography (GPC), were in the range 91,300 – 1,31,000. Poly(arylene ether sulfone)s could be cast into tough, transparent and flexible films from chloroform solutions. X-Ray diffraction studies indicated amorphous nature of poly(arylene ether sulfone)s. Poly(arylene ether sulfone)s showed Tg values in the range 179-191 oC. Additionally, the pendant furyl groups in poly(arylene ether sulfone)s provide reactive sites for chemical modifications and cross-linking via Diels-Alder reaction with maleimides and bismaleimides, respectively.

Keywords: bio-based, bisphenols, Diels-Alder reaction, poly(arylene ether sulfone)s

Procedia PDF Downloads 256