Search results for: ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE)
2389 The Use of Microorganisms in the Bioleaching of Soils Polluted with Heavy Metals
Authors: I. M. Sur, A. M. Chirila-Babau, T. Gabor, V. Micle
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This paper shows researches in order to extract Cr, Cu and Ni from the polluted soils. Research is based on preliminary studies regarding the usage of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans bacterium (9K medium) for bioleaching of soil polluted with heavy metal (Cu, Cr and Ni). The microorganisms (Thiobacillus ferooxidans) selected directly from polluted soil samples were used in this experimental work. Soil samples used in the experimental research were taken from an area polluted with heavy metals from Romania. The soil samples are subjected to the cleaning process using the 9K medium solution (20 mL and 40 mL, respectively), stirred 200 rpm for 20 hours at a controlled temperature (30 ˚C). During the experiment (0, 2, 4, 8 and 20 h), liquid samples have been extracted and analyzed using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer AA-6800 (AAS) in order to determine the Cr, Cu and Ni concentration. Experiments led to the conclusion that these soils can be depolluted by bioleaching, being a biological treatment method involving the use of microorganisms to favor the extraction of Cr, Cu and Ni from polluted soils.Keywords: bioleaching, extraction, microorganisms, soil, polluted, Thiobacillus ferooxidans
Procedia PDF Downloads 1612388 Extraction of Rice Bran Protein Using Enzymes and Polysaccharide Precipitation
Authors: Sudarat Jiamyangyuen, Tipawan Thongsook, Riantong Singanusong, Chanida Saengtubtim
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Rice is a staple food as well as exported commodity of Thailand. Rice bran, a 10.5% constituent of rice grain, is a by-product of rice milling process. Rice bran is normally used as a raw material for rice bran oil production or sold as feed with a low price. Therefore, this study aimed to increase value of defatted rice bran as obtained after extracting of rice bran oil. Conventionally, the protein in defatted rice bran was extracted using alkaline extraction and acid precipitation, which results in reduction of nutritious components in rice bran. Rice bran protein concentrate is suitable for those who are allergenic of protein from other sources eg. milk, wheat. In addition to its hypoallergenic property, rice bran protein also contains good quantity of lysine. Thus it may act as a suitable ingredient for infant food formulations while adding variety to the restricted diets of children with food allergies. The objectives of this study were to compare properties of rice bran protein concentrate (RBPC) extracted from defatted rice bran using enzymes together with precipitation step using polysaccharides (alginate and carrageenan) to those of a control sample extracted using a conventional method. The results showed that extraction of protein from rice bran using enzymes exhibited the higher protein recovery compared to that extraction with alkaline. The extraction conditions using alcalase 2% (v/w) at 50 C, pH 9.5 gave the highest protein (2.44%) and yield (32.09%) in extracted solution compared to other enzymes. Rice bran protein concentrate powder prepared by a precipitation step using alginate (protein in solution: alginate 1:0.006) exhibited the highest protein (27.55%) and yield (6.62%). Precipitation using alginate was better than that of acid. RBPC extracted with alkaline (ALK) or enzyme alcalase (ALC), then precipitated with alginate (AL) (samples RBP-ALK-AL and RBP-ALC-AL) yielded the precipitation rate of 75% and 91.30%, respectively. Therefore, protein precipitation using alginate was then selected. Amino acid profile of control sample, and sample precipitated with alginate, as compared to casein and soy protein isolated, showed that control sample showed the highest content among all sample. Functional property study of RBP showed that the highest nitrogen solubility occurred in pH 8-10. There was no statically significant between emulsion capacity and emulsion stability of control and sample precipitated by alginate. However, control sample showed a higher of foaming and lower foam stability compared to those of sample precipitated with alginate. The finding was successful in terms of minimizing chemicals used in extraction and precipitation steps in preparation of rice bran protein concentrate. This research involves in a production of value-added product in which the double amount of protein (28%) compared to original amount (14%) contained in rice bran could be beneficial in terms of adding to food products eg. healthy drink with high protein and fiber. In addition, the basic knowledge of functional property of rice bran protein concentrate was obtained, which can be used to appropriately select the application of this value-added product from rice bran.Keywords: alginate, carrageenan, rice bran, rice bran protein
Procedia PDF Downloads 2952387 Learning Grammars for Detection of Disaster-Related Micro Events
Authors: Josef Steinberger, Vanni Zavarella, Hristo Tanev
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Natural disasters cause tens of thousands of victims and massive material damages. We refer to all those events caused by natural disasters, such as damage on people, infrastructure, vehicles, services and resource supply, as micro events. This paper addresses the problem of micro - event detection in online media sources. We present a natural language grammar learning algorithm and apply it to online news. The algorithm in question is based on distributional clustering and detection of word collocations. We also explore the extraction of micro-events from social media and describe a Twitter mining robot, who uses combinations of keywords to detect tweets which talk about effects of disasters.Keywords: online news, natural language processing, machine learning, event extraction, crisis computing, disaster effects, Twitter
Procedia PDF Downloads 4782386 Three-Dimensional Computer Graphical Demonstration of Calcified Tissue and Its Clinical Significance
Authors: Itsuo Yokoyama, Rikako Kikuti, Miti Sekikawa, Tosinori Asai, Sarai Tsuyoshi
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Introduction: Vascular access for hemodialysis therapy is often difficult, even for experienced medical personnel. Ultrasound guided needle placement have been performed occasionally but is not always helpful in certain cases with complicated vascular anatomy. Obtaining precise anatomical knowledge of the vascular structure is important to prevent access-related complications. With augmented reality (AR) device such as AR glasses, the virtual vascular structure is shown superimposed on the actual patient vessels, thus enabling the operator to maneuver catheter placement easily with free both hands. We herein report our method of AR guided vascular access method in dialysis treatment Methods: Three dimensional (3D) object of the arm with arteriovenous fistula is computer graphically created with 3D software from the data obtained by computer tomography, ultrasound echogram, and image scanner. The 3D vascular object thus created is viewed on the screen of the AR digital display device (such as AR glass or iPad). The picture of the vascular anatomical structure becomes visible, which is superimposed over the real patient’s arm, thereby the needle insertion be performed under the guidance of AR visualization with ease. By this method, technical difficulty in catheter placement for dialysis can be lessened and performed safely. Considerations: Virtual reality technology has been applied in various fields and medical use is not an exception. Yet AR devices have not been widely used among medical professions. Visualization of the virtual vascular object can be achieved by creation of accurate three dimensional object with the help of computer graphical technique. Although our experience is limited, this method is applicable with relative easiness and our accumulating evidence has suggested that our method of vascular access with the use of AR can be promising.Keywords: abdominal-aorta, calcification, extraskeletal, dialysis, computer graphics, 3DCG, CT, calcium, phosphorus
Procedia PDF Downloads 1622385 Effects of Concentrator and Encapsulated Phase Change Material for Desalination: An Experimental Study
Authors: Arunkumar Thirugnanasambantham, Velraj Ramalingam
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An experimental attempt has been made to study the effect of system integration by two different concentrator assisted desalting systems. The compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) and compound conical concentrator (CCC) are used in this research work. Two solar desalination systems, the single slope solar still (SSSS) and pyramid solar still (PSS), have been integrated with a CCC and compound parabolic concentrator-concentric circular tubular solar still (CPC-CCTSS). To study the effect of system integration, a thick cloth prevents the entry of sunlight into the solar still top. Additionally, the concentrator assisted desalting systems are equipped with phase change material (PCM) for enhancement. In CCC-SSSS, PCM has been filled inside copper balls and placed on the SSSS basin. The PCM is loaded in the specially designed circular trough of the tubular solar still. Here, the used concentrators and distillers are not the same. Two methodologies are followed here to produce the fresh water even while the distillers are blocked from the sunlight. They are (1) thermosyphon effect in CCC-SSSS and (2) waste heat recovery from CPC-CCTSS. The results showed that the productivity of CCC-SSSS, CCC-SSSS with PCM and CCC-SSSS (PCM) top cover shaded were found as 2680 ml / m² / day, 3240 ml / m² / day, and 1646 ml / m² / day. Similarly, the productivity of the CPC-CCTSS-PSS, CPC-CCTSS (PCM)-PSS and CPC-CCTSS (PCM)-PSS top cover shaded were found as 7160 ml / m² / day, 7346 ml / m² / day, and ml / m² / day. The productivity of the CCC-SSSS and CPC-CCTSS-PSS is examined, and conclusions are drawn such as the solar radiation blocked distillers productivity did not drop to zero.Keywords: compound conical concentrator, compound parabolic concentrator, desalination, system integration
Procedia PDF Downloads 2612384 Pantograph-Catenary Contact Force: Features Evaluation for Catenary Diagnostics
Authors: Mehdi Brahimi, Kamal Medjaher, Noureddine Zerhouni, Mohammed Leouatni
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The Prognostics and Health Management is a system engineering discipline which provides solutions and models to the implantation of a predictive maintenance. The approach is based on extracting useful information from monitoring data to assess the “health” state of an industrial equipment or an asset. In this paper, we examine multiple extracted features from Pantograph-Catenary contact force in order to select the most relevant ones to achieve a diagnostics function. The feature extraction methodology is based on simulation data generated thanks to a Pantograph-Catenary simulation software called INPAC and measurement data. The feature extraction method is based on both statistical and signal processing analyses. The feature selection method is based on statistical criteria.Keywords: catenary/pantograph interaction, diagnostics, Prognostics and Health Management (PHM), quality of current collection
Procedia PDF Downloads 2902383 Analyzing the Efficiency of Several Gum Extraction Tapping Systems for Wood Apple Trees
Authors: K. M. K. D Weerasekara, R. M. K. M Rathnayake, R. U. Halwatura, G. Y. Jayasinghe
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Wood apple (Limonia acidissima L.) trees are native to Sri Lanka and India. Wood apple gum is widely used in the food, coating, and pharmaceutical industries. Wood apple gum was a major component in ancient Sri Lankan coating technology as well. It is also used as a suspending agent in liquid syrups and food ingredients such as sauces, emulsifiers, and stabilizers. Industrial applications include adhesives for labeling and packaging, as well as paint binder. It is also used in the production of paper and cosmetics. Extraction of wood apple gum is an important step in ensuring maximum benefits for various uses. It is apparent that an abundance of untapped potential lies in wood apple gum if people are able to mass produce them. Hence, the current study uses a two-factor factorial design with two major variables and four replications to investigate the best gum-extracting tapping system for Wood apple gum. This study's findings will be useful to Wood apple cultivators, researchers, and gum-based industries alike.Keywords: wood apple gum, limonia acidissima l., tapping, tapping cuts
Procedia PDF Downloads 742382 Structural and Magnetic Properties of CoFe2O4:Nd3+/Dy3+/Pr3+/Gd3+ Nanoparticles Synthesized by Starch-Assisted Sol-Gel Auto-Combustion Method and Annealing Effect
Authors: Raghvendra Singh Yadav, Ivo Kuřitka, Jaromir Havlica, Zuzana Kozakova, Jiri Masilko, Lukas Kalina, Miroslava Hajdúchová, Vojtěch Enev, Jaromir Wasserbauer
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In this work, we investigated the structural and magnetic properties of CoFe2O4:Nd3+/Dy3+/Pr3+/Gd3+ nanoparticles synthesized by starch-assisted sol-gel combustion method. X-ray diffraction pattern confirmed the formation of cubic spinel structure of rare-earth ions (Nd3+, Dy3+, Pr3+, Gd3+) doped CoFe2O4 spinel ferrite nanoparticles. Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy study also confirmed cubic spinel structure of rare-earth ions (Nd3+, Dy3+, Pr3+, Gd3+) substituted CoFe2O4 nanoparticles. The field emission scanning electron microscopy study revealed the effect of annealing temperature on size of rare-earth ions (Nd3+, Dy3+, Pr3+, Gd3+) substituted CoFe2O4 nanoparticles and particles were in the range of 10-100 nm. The magnetic properties of rare-earth ions (Nd3+, Dy3+, Pr3+, Gd3+) substituted CoFe2O4 nanoparticles were investigated by using vibrating sample magnetometer. The variation in saturation magnetization, coercivity and remanent magnetization with annealing temperature/ particle size of rare-earth ions (Nd3+, Dy3+, Pr3+, Gd3+) substituted CoFe2O4 nanoparticles was observed. Acknowledgment: This work was supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic – Program NPU I (LO1504).Keywords: starch, sol-gel combustion method, rare-earth ions, spinel ferrite nanoparticles, magnetic properties
Procedia PDF Downloads 3582381 Sulfamethoxazole Degradation by Conventional Fenton and Microwave-Assisted Fenton Reaction
Authors: Derradji Chebli, Abdallah Bouguettoucha, Zoubir Manaa, Amrane Abdeltif
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Pharmaceutical products, such as sulfamethoxazole (SMX) are rejected in the environment at trace level by human and animals (ng/L to mg/L), in their original form or as byproducts. Antibiotics are toxic contaminants for the aquatic environment, owing to their adverse effects on the aquatic life and humans. Even at low concentrations, they can negatively impact biological water treatment leading to the proliferation of antibiotics-resistant pathogens. It is therefore of major importance to develop efficient methods to limit their presence in the aquatic environment. In this aim, advanced oxidation processes (AOP) appear relevant compared to other methods, since they are based on the production of highly reactive free radicals, and especially ●OH. The objective of this work was to evaluate the degradation of SMX by microwave-assisted Fenton reaction (MW/Fe/H2O2). Hydrogen peroxide and ferrous ions concentrations, as well as the microwave power were optimized. The results showed that the SMX degradation by MW/Fe/H2O2 followed a pseudo-first order kinetic. The treatment of 20 mg/L initial SMX by the Fenton reaction in the presence of microwave showed the positive impact of this latter owing to the higher degradation yields observed in a reduced reaction time if compared to the conventional Fenton reaction, less than 5 min for a total degradation. In addition, increasing microwave power increased the degradation kinetics. Irrespective of the application of microwave, the optimal pH for the Fenton reaction remained 3. Examination of the impact of the ionic strength showed that carbonate and sulfate anions increased the rate of SMX degradation.Keywords: antibiotic, degradation, elimination, fenton, microwave, polluant
Procedia PDF Downloads 3982380 Polar Bears in Antarctica: An Analysis of Treaty Barriers
Authors: Madison Hall
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The Assisted Colonization of Polar Bears to Antarctica requires a careful analysis of treaties to understand existing legal barriers to Ursus maritimus transport and movement. An absence of land-based migration routes prevent polar bears from accessing southern polar regions on their own. This lack of access is compounded by current treaties which limit human intervention and assistance to ford these physical and legal barriers. In a time of massive planetary extinctions, Assisted Colonization posits that certain endangered species may be prime candidates for relocation to hospitable environments to which they have never previously had access. By analyzing existing treaties, this paper will examine how polar bears are limited in movement by humankind’s legal barriers. International treaties may be considered codified reflections of anthropocentric values of the best knowledge and understanding of an identified problem at a set point in time, as understood through the human lens. Even as human social values and scientific insights evolve, so too must treaties evolve which specify legal frameworks and structures impacting keystone species and related biomes. Due to costs and other myriad difficulties, only a very select number of species will be given this opportunity. While some species move into new regions and are then deemed invasive, Assisted Colonization considers that some assistance may be mandated due to the nature of humankind’s role in climate change. This moral question and ethical imperative against the backdrop of escalating climate impacts, drives the question forward; what is the potential for successfully relocating a select handful of charismatic and ecologically important life forms? Is it possible to reimagine a different, but balanced Antarctic ecosystem? Listed as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, a result of the ongoing loss of critical habitat by melting sea ice, polar bears have limited options for long term survival in the wild. Our current regime for safeguarding animals facing extinction frequently utilizes zoos and their breeding programs, to keep alive the genetic diversity of the species until some future time when reintroduction, somewhere, may be attempted. By exploring the potential for polar bears to be relocated to Antarctica, we must analyze the complex ethical, legal, political, financial, and biological realms, which are the backdrop to framing all questions in this arena. Can we do it? Should we do it? By utilizing an environmental ethics perspective, we propose that the Ecological Commons of the Arctic and Antarctic should not be viewed solely through the lens of human resource management needs. From this perspective, polar bears do not need our permission, they need our assistance. Antarctica therefore represents a second, if imperfect chance, to buy time for polar bears, in a world where polar regimes, not yet fully understood, are themselves quickly changing as a result of climate change.Keywords: polar bear, climate change, environmental ethics, Arctic, Antarctica, assisted colonization, treaty
Procedia PDF Downloads 4212379 Development of Star Image Simulator for Star Tracker Algorithm Validation
Authors: Zoubida Mahi
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A successful satellite mission in space requires a reliable attitude and orbit control system to command, control and position the satellite in appropriate orbits. Several sensors are used for attitude control, such as magnetic sensors, earth sensors, horizon sensors, gyroscopes, and solar sensors. The star tracker is the most accurate sensor compared to other sensors, and it is able to offer high-accuracy attitude control without the need for prior attitude information. There are mainly three approaches in star sensor research: digital simulation, hardware in the loop simulation, and field test of star observation. In the digital simulation approach, all of the processes are done in software, including star image simulation. Hence, it is necessary to develop star image simulation software that could simulate real space environments and various star sensor configurations. In this paper, we present a new stellar image simulation tool that is used to test and validate the stellar sensor algorithms; the developed tool allows to simulate of stellar images with several types of noise, such as background noise, gaussian noise, Poisson noise, multiplicative noise, and several scenarios that exist in space such as the presence of the moon, the presence of optical system problem, illumination and false objects. On the other hand, we present in this paper a new star extraction algorithm based on a new centroid calculation method. We compared our algorithm with other star extraction algorithms from the literature, and the results obtained show the star extraction capability of the proposed algorithm.Keywords: star tracker, star simulation, star detection, centroid, noise, scenario
Procedia PDF Downloads 962378 An Automated Magnetic Dispersive Solid-Phase Extraction Method for Detection of Cocaine in Human Urine
Authors: Feiyu Yang, Chunfang Ni, Rong Wang, Yun Zou, Wenbin Liu, Chenggong Zhang, Fenjin Sun, Chun Wang
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Cocaine is the most frequently used illegal drug globally, with the global annual prevalence of cocaine used ranging from 0.3% to 0.4 % of the adult population aged 15–64 years. Growing consumption trend of abused cocaine and drug crimes are a great concern, therefore urine sample testing has become an important noninvasive sampling whereas cocaine and its metabolites (COCs) are usually present in high concentrations and relatively long detection windows. However, direct analysis of urine samples is not feasible because urine complex medium often causes low sensitivity and selectivity of the determination. On the other hand, presence of low doses of analytes in urine makes an extraction and pretreatment step important before determination. Especially, in gathered taking drug cases, the pretreatment step becomes more tedious and time-consuming. So developing a sensitive, rapid and high-throughput method for detection of COCs in human body is indispensable for law enforcement officers, treatment specialists and health officials. In this work, a new automated magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction (MDSPE) sampling method followed by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) was developed for quantitative enrichment of COCs from human urine, using prepared magnetic nanoparticles as absorbants. The nanoparticles were prepared by silanizing magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles and modifying them with divinyl benzene and vinyl pyrrolidone, which possesses the ability for specific adsorption of COCs. And this kind of magnetic particle facilitated the pretreatment steps by electromagnetically controlled extraction to achieve full automation. The proposed device significantly improved the sampling preparation efficiency with 32 samples in one batch within 40mins. Optimization of the preparation procedure for the magnetic nanoparticles was explored and the performances of magnetic nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer and infrared spectra measurements. Several analytical experimental parameters were studied, including amount of particles, adsorption time, elution solvent, extraction and desorption kinetics, and the verification of the proposed method was accomplished. The limits of detection for the cocaine and cocaine metabolites were 0.09-1.1 ng·mL-1 with recoveries ranging from 75.1 to 105.7%. Compared to traditional sampling method, this method is time-saving and environmentally friendly. It was confirmed that the proposed automated method was a kind of highly effective way for the trace cocaine and cocaine metabolites analyses in human urine.Keywords: automatic magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction, cocaine detection, magnetic nanoparticles, urine sample testing
Procedia PDF Downloads 2042377 A New Seperation / Precocentration and Determination Procedure Based on Solidified Floating Organic Drop Microextraction (SFODME) of Lead by Using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry
Authors: Seyda Donmez, Oya Aydin Urucu, Ece Kok Yetimoglu
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Solidified floating organic drop microextraction was used for a preconcentration method of trace amount of lead. The analyte was complexed with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphtol and 1-undecanol, acetonitrile was added as an extraction and dispersive solvent respectively. The influences of some analytical parameters pH, volumes of extraction and disperser solvent, concentration of chelating agent, and concentration of salt were optimized. Under the optimum conditions the detection limits of Pb (II) was determined. The procedure was validated for the analysis of NCS DC 73347a hair standard reference material with satisfactory result. The developed procedure was successfully applied to food and water samples for detection of Pb (II) ions.Keywords: analytical methods, graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, heavy metals, solidified floating organic drop microextraction
Procedia PDF Downloads 2772376 Microwave Assisted Solvent-free Catalytic Transesterification of Glycerol to Glycerol Carbonate
Authors: Wai Keng Teng, Gek Cheng Ngoh, Rozita Yusoff, Mohamed Kheireddine Aroua
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As a by-product of the biodiesel industries, glycerol has been vastly generated which surpasses the market demand. It is imperative to develop an efficient glycerol valorization processes in minimizing the net energy requirement and intensifying the biodiesel production. In this study, base-catalyzed transesterification of glycerol with dimethyl carbonate using microwave irradiation as heating method to produce glycerol carbonate was conducted by varing grades of glycerol i.e. 70%, 86% and 99% purity that obtained from biodiesel plant. Metal oxide catalysts were used with varying operating parameters including reaction time, DMC/glycerol molar ratio, catalyst weight %, temperature and stirring speed. From the study on the effect of different operating parameters; it was found that the type of catalyst used has the most significant effect on the transesterification reaction. Admist the metal oxide catalysts examined, CaO gave the best performance. This study indicates the feasibility of producing glycerol carbonate using different grade of glycerol in both conventional thermal activation and microwave irradiation with CaO as catalyst. Microwave assisted transesterification (MAT) of glycerol into glycerol carbonate has demostrated itself as an energy efficient route by achieving 94.3% yield of GC at 65°C, 5 minutes reaction time, 1 wt% CaO and DMC/glycerol molar ratio of 2. The advantages of MAT transesterification route has made the direct utilization of bioglycerol from biodiesel production without the need of purification. This has marked a more economical and less-energy intensive glycerol carbonate synthesis route.Keywords: base-catalyzed transesterification, glycerol, glycerol carbonate, microwave irradiation
Procedia PDF Downloads 2872375 Cytotoxic Activity of Marine-derived Fungi Trichoderma Longibrachiatum Against PANC-1 Cell Lines
Authors: Elin Julianti, Marlia Singgih, Masayoshi Arai, Jianyu Lin, Masteria Yunovilsa Putra, Muhammad Azhari, Agnia S. Muharam
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The search for a source of new medicinal compounds with anticancer activity from natural products has become important to resolve the ineffectiveness problem of pancreatic cancer therapy. Fungal marine microorganisms are prolific sources of bioactive natural products. In this present study, the ethyl acetate extract of cultured broth of Trichoderma longibrachiatum marine sponge-derived fungi exhibited selective cytotoxicity against human pancreatic carcinoma PANC-1 cells cultured under glucose-deficient conditions (IC50 = 98,4 µg/mL). The T. longibrachiatum was fermented by the static method at room temperature for 60 days. The culture broth was extracted using ethyl acetate by liquid-liquid extraction method. The liquid-liquid extraction was conducted toward the ethyl extract by using 90% MeOH-H₂O and n-|Hexane as a solvent. The extract of 90% MeOH-H₂O was fractionated by liquid extraction using by C₁₈ reversed-phase vacuum flash chromatography using mixtures of MeOH-H₂O, from 50:50 to 100:0, and 1% TFA MeOH as the eluents to yield six fractions. The fraction 2 (MeOH-H2O, 70:30) and fraction 3 (MeOH-H2O, 80:20) showed moderate cytotoxicity with IC50 value of 119.3 and 274.7 µg/mL, respectively. Fraction 4 (MeOH-H₂O, 90:10) showed the highest cytotoxicity activity with IC₅₀value of < 10 µg/mL. The chemical compounds of the fractions that are responsible for cytotoxic activity are potent for further investigation.Keywords: cytotoxic activity, trichoderma longibrachiatum, marine-derived fungi, PANC-1 cell line
Procedia PDF Downloads 2922374 Extraction of Osmolytes from the Halotolerant Fungus Aspergillus oryzae
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Salin soils occupy about 7% of land area; they are characterized by unsuitable physical conditions for the growth of living organisms. However, researches showed that some microorganisms especially fungi are able to grow and adapt to such extreme conditions; it is due to their ability to develop different physiological mechanisms in their adaptation. The aim of this study is to identify qualitatively the osmolytes that the biotechnological important fungus A. oryzae accumulated and/or produced in its adaptation, which they were detected by Thin-layer chromatography technique (TLC) using several systems, from different media (Wheat brane, MNM medium and MM medium). The results showed that The moderately halotolerant fungus A. oryzae, accumulates mixture of molecules, containing polyols and sugars , some amino acids in addition to some molecules which were not defined. Wheat bran was the best medium for the extraction of these molecules, where the proportion was 85.71%, followed by MNM medium 64.28%, then the minimum medium MM 14.28%. Properties of osmolytes are becoming increasingly useful in molecular biology, agriculture pharmaceutical, medicinal, and biotechnological interests.Keywords: salinity, aspergillus oryzae, halo tolerance, osmolytes, compatible solutes
Procedia PDF Downloads 4152373 Identification of High-Rise Buildings Using Object Based Classification and Shadow Extraction Techniques
Authors: Subham Kharel, Sudha Ravindranath, A. Vidya, B. Chandrasekaran, K. Ganesha Raj, T. Shesadri
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Digitization of urban features is a tedious and time-consuming process when done manually. In addition to this problem, Indian cities have complex habitat patterns and convoluted clustering patterns, which make it even more difficult to map features. This paper makes an attempt to classify urban objects in the satellite image using object-oriented classification techniques in which various classes such as vegetation, water bodies, buildings, and shadows adjacent to the buildings were mapped semi-automatically. Building layer obtained as a result of object-oriented classification along with already available building layers was used. The main focus, however, lay in the extraction of high-rise buildings using spatial technology, digital image processing, and modeling, which would otherwise be a very difficult task to carry out manually. Results indicated a considerable rise in the total number of buildings in the city. High-rise buildings were successfully mapped using satellite imagery, spatial technology along with logical reasoning and mathematical considerations. The results clearly depict the ability of Remote Sensing and GIS to solve complex problems in urban scenarios like studying urban sprawl and identification of more complex features in an urban area like high-rise buildings and multi-dwelling units. Object-Oriented Technique has been proven to be effective and has yielded an overall efficiency of 80 percent in the classification of high-rise buildings.Keywords: object oriented classification, shadow extraction, high-rise buildings, satellite imagery, spatial technology
Procedia PDF Downloads 1552372 Development and Validation of High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Method for the Determination and Pharmacokinetic Study of Linagliptin in Rat Plasma
Authors: Hoda Mahgoub, Abeer Hanafy
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Linagliptin (LNG) belongs to dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor class. DPP-4 inhibitors represent a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults. The aim of this work was to develop and validate an accurate and reproducible HPLC method for the determination of LNG with high sensitivity in rat plasma. The method involved separation of both LNG and pindolol (internal standard) at ambient temperature on a Zorbax Eclipse XDB C18 column and a mobile phase composed of 75% methanol: 25% formic acid 0.1% pH 4.1 at a flow rate of 1.0 mL.min-1. UV detection was performed at 254nm. The method was validated in compliance with ICH guidelines and found to be linear in the range of 5–1000ng.mL-1. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was found to be 5ng.mL-1 based on 100µL of plasma. The variations for intra- and inter-assay precision were less than 10%, and the accuracy values were ranged between 93.3% and 102.5%. The extraction recovery (R%) was more than 83%. The method involved a single extraction step of a very small plasma volume (100µL). The assay was successfully applied to an in-vivo pharmacokinetic study of LNG in rats that were administered a single oral dose of 10mg.kg-1 LNG. The maximum concentration (Cmax) was found to be 927.5 ± 23.9ng.mL-1. The area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC0-72) was 18285.02 ± 605.76h.ng.mL-1. In conclusion, the good accuracy and low LOQ of the bioanalytical HPLC method were suitable for monitoring the full pharmacokinetic profile of LNG in rats. The main advantages of the method were the sensitivity, small sample volume, single-step extraction procedure and the short time of analysis.Keywords: HPLC, linagliptin, pharmacokinetic study, rat plasma
Procedia PDF Downloads 2412371 Optimization of Extraction Conditions and Characteristics of Scale collagen From Sardine: Sardina pilchardus
Authors: F. Bellali, M. Kharroubi, M. Loutfi, N.Bourhim
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In Morocco, fish processing industry is an important source income for a large amount of byproducts including skins, bones, heads, guts and scales. Those underutilized resources particularly scales contain a large amount of proteins and calcium. Scales from Sardina plichardus resulting from the transformation operation have the potential to be used as raw material for the collagen production. Taking into account this strong expectation of the regional fish industry, scales sardine upgrading is well justified. In addition, political and societal demands for sustainability and environment-friendly industrial production systems, coupled with the depletion of fish resources, drive this trend forward. Therefore, fish scale used as a potential source to isolate collagen has a wide large of applications in food, cosmetic and bio medical industry. The main aim of this study is to isolate and characterize the acid solubilize collagen from sardine fish scale, Sardina pilchardus. Experimental design methodology was adopted in collagen processing for extracting optimization. The first stage of this work is to investigate the optimization conditions of the sardine scale deproteinization on using response surface methodology (RSM). The second part focus on the demineralization with HCl solution or EDTA. Moreover, the last one is to establish the optimum condition for the isolation of collagen from fish scale by solvent extraction. The basic principle of RSM is to determinate model equations that describe interrelations between the independent variables and the dependent variables.Keywords: Sardina pilchardus, scales, valorization, collagen extraction, response surface methodology
Procedia PDF Downloads 4152370 Large-Area Film Fabrication for Perovskite Solar Cell via Scalable Thermal-Assisted and Meniscus-Guided Bar Coating
Authors: Gizachew Belay Adugna
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Scalable and cost-effective device fabrication techniques are urgent to commercialize the perovskite solar cells (PSCs) for the next photovoltaic (PV) technology. Herein, large-area films of perovskite and hole-transporting materials (HTMs) were developed via a rapid and scalable thermal-assisting bar-coating process in the open air. High-quality and large crystalline grains of MAPbI₃ with homogenous morphology and thickness were obtained on a large-area (10 cm×10 cm) solution-sheared mp-TiO₂/c-TiO₂/FTO substrate. Encouraging photovoltaic performance of 19.02% was achieved for devices fabricated from the bar-coated perovskite film compared to that from the small-scale spin-coated film (17.27%) with 2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis-(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9′-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD) as an HTM whereas a higher power conversion efficiency of 19.89% with improved device stability was achieved by capping a fluorinated (HYC-2) HTM as an alternative to the traditional spiro-OMeTAD. The fluorinated exhibited better molecular packing in the HTM film and deeper HOMO level compared to the nonfluorinated counterpart; thus, improved hole mobility and overall charge extraction in the device were demonstrated. Furthermore, excellent film processability and an impressive PCE of 18.52% were achieved in the large area bar-coated HYC-2 prepared sequentially on the perovskite underlayer in the open atmosphere, compared to the bar-coated spiro-OMeTAD/perovskite (17.51%). This all-solution approach demonstrated the feasibility of high-quality films on a large-area substrate for PSCs, which is a vital step toward industrial-scale PV production.Keywords: perovskite solar cells, hole transporting materials, up-scaling process, power conversion efficiency
Procedia PDF Downloads 712369 Extraction and Characterization of Ethiopian Hibiscus macranthus Bast Fiber
Authors: Solomon Tilahun Desisa, Muktar Seid Hussen
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Hibiscus macranthus is one of family Malvaceae and genus Hibiscus plant which grows mainly in western part of Ethiopia. Hibiscus macranthus is the most adaptable and abundant plant in the nation, which are used as an ornamental plant often a hedge or fence plant, and used as a firewood after harvesting the stem together with the bark, and used also as a fiber for trying different kinds of things by forming the rope. However, Hibiscus macranthus plant fibre has not been commercially exploited and extracted properly. This study of work describes the possibility of mechanical and retting methods of Hibiscus macranthus fibre extraction and characterization. Hibiscus macranthus fibre is a bast fibre which obtained naturally from the stem or stalks of the dicotyledonous plant since it is a natural cellulose plant fiber. And the fibre characterized by studying its physical and chemical properties. The physical characteristics were investigated as follows, including the length of 100-190mm, fineness of 1.0-1.2Tex, diameter under X100 microscopic view 16-21 microns, the moisture content of 12.46% and dry tenacity of 48-57cN/Tex along with breaking extension of 0.9-1.6%. Hibiscus macranthus fiber productivity was observed that 12-18% of the stem out of which more than 65% is primary long fibers. The fiber separation methods prove to decrease of non-cellulose ingredients in the order of mechanical, water and chemical methods. The color measurement also shows the raw Hibiscus macranthus fiber has a natural golden color according to YID1925 and paler look under both retting methods than mechanical separation. Finally, it is suggested that Hibiscus macranthus fibre can be used for manufacturing of natural and organic crop and coffee packages as well as super absorbent, fine and high tenacity textile products.Keywords: Hibiscus macranthus, bast fiber, extraction, characterization
Procedia PDF Downloads 2102368 Tool for Metadata Extraction and Content Packaging as Endorsed in OAIS Framework
Authors: Payal Abichandani, Rishi Prakash, Paras Nath Barwal, B. K. Murthy
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Information generated from various computerization processes is a potential rich source of knowledge for its designated community. To pass this information from generation to generation without modifying the meaning is a challenging activity. To preserve and archive the data for future generations it’s very essential to prove the authenticity of the data. It can be achieved by extracting the metadata from the data which can prove the authenticity and create trust on the archived data. Subsequent challenge is the technology obsolescence. Metadata extraction and standardization can be effectively used to resolve and tackle this problem. Metadata can be categorized at two levels i.e. Technical and Domain level broadly. Technical metadata will provide the information that can be used to understand and interpret the data record, but only this level of metadata isn’t sufficient to create trustworthiness. We have developed a tool which will extract and standardize the technical as well as domain level metadata. This paper is about the different features of the tool and how we have developed this.Keywords: digital preservation, metadata, OAIS, PDI, XML
Procedia PDF Downloads 3932367 Dissolved Gas Analysis Based Regression Rules from Trained ANN for Transformer Fault Diagnosis
Authors: Deepika Bhalla, Raj Kumar Bansal, Hari Om Gupta
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Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) has been widely used for fault diagnosis in a transformer. Artificial neural networks (ANN) have high accuracy but are regarded as black boxes that are difficult to interpret. For many problems it is desired to extract knowledge from trained neural networks (NN) so that the user can gain a better understanding of the solution arrived by the NN. This paper applies a pedagogical approach for rule extraction from function approximating neural networks (REFANN) with application to incipient fault diagnosis using the concentrations of the dissolved gases within the transformer oil, as the input to the NN. The input space is split into subregions and for each subregion there is a linear equation that is used to predict the type of fault developing within a transformer. The experiments on real data indicate that the approach used can extract simple and useful rules and give fault predictions that match the actual fault and are at times also better than those predicted by the IEC method.Keywords: artificial neural networks, dissolved gas analysis, rules extraction, transformer
Procedia PDF Downloads 5362366 Phyto-Assisted Synthesis of Magnesium Oxide Nanoparticles: Characterization and Applications
Authors: Surendra Kumar Gautam, Mahesh Dhungana
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Magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) are less toxic to humans and the environment as compared to other metal oxide nanoparticles. Various conventional chemical and physical methods are used for synthesis whose toxicity level is high and highly expensive. As the best alternative, phyto-assisted synthesis has emerged, which uses extracts from plant parts for the synthesis of nanoparticles. Here, we report the synthesis of MgO nanoparticles with the assistance of beetroot extract and leaf extract of P. guajava and A. adenophora. The synthesized MgO NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV-visible spectroscopy. X-ray analysis for the broadening of peaks was used to evaluate the crystallite size and lattice strain using Debye-Scherer and Williamson–Hall method. The results of crystallite size obtained by both methods are in close proximity. The crystallite size obtained by the Williamson-Hall method seems more accurate, with values being 8.1 nm and 13.2 nm for beetroot MgO NPs and P. guajava MgO NPs, respectively. The FT-IR spectroscopy revealed the dominance of chemical bonds as well as functional groups on MgO NPs surfaces. The UV-visible absorption spectra of MgO NPs were found to be 310 nm, 315 nm, and 315 nm for beetroot, P. guajava, and A. adenophora leaf extract, respectively. Among the three samples, beetroot-mediated MgO NPs were effective antibacterial against both gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, synthesized MgO NPs also show significant antioxidant efficacy against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical. Further, beetroot MgO NPs showed the highest photocatalytic activity of about 91% in comparison with other samples.Keywords: MgO NPs, XRD, FTIR, antibacterial, antioxidant and photocatalytic activity
Procedia PDF Downloads 842365 Performance Evaluation of an Ontology-Based Arabic Sentiment Analysis
Authors: Salima Behdenna, Fatiha Barigou, Ghalem Belalem
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Due to the quick increase in the volume of Arabic opinions posted on various social media, Arabic sentiment analysis has become one of the most important areas of research. Compared to English, there is very little works on Arabic sentiment analysis, in particular aspect-based sentiment analysis (ABSA). In ABSA, aspect extraction is the most important task. In this paper, we propose a semantic aspect-based sentiment analysis approach for standard Arabic reviews to extract explicit aspect terms and identify the polarity of the extracted aspects. The proposed approach was evaluated using HAAD datasets. Experiments showed that the proposed approach achieved a good level of performance compared with baseline results. The F-measure was improved by 19% for the aspect term extraction tasks and 55% aspect term polarity task.Keywords: sentiment analysis, opinion mining, Arabic, aspect level, opinion, polarity
Procedia PDF Downloads 1632364 THz Phase Extraction Algorithms for a THz Modulating Interferometric Doppler Radar
Authors: Shaolin Allen Liao, Hual-Te Chien
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Various THz phase extraction algorithms have been developed for a novel THz Modulating Interferometric Doppler Radar (THz-MIDR) developed recently by the author. The THz-MIDR differs from the well-known FTIR technique in that it introduces a continuously modulating reference branch, compared to the time-consuming discrete FTIR stepping reference branch. Such change allows real-time tracking of a moving object and capturing of its Doppler signature. The working principle of the THz-MIDR is similar to the FTIR technique: the incoming THz emission from the scene is split by a beam splitter/combiner; one of the beams is continuously modulated by a vibrating mirror or phase modulator and the other split beam is reflected by a reflection mirror; finally both the modulated reference beam and reflected beam are combined by the same beam splitter/combiner and detected by a THz intensity detector (for example, a pyroelectric detector). In order to extract THz phase from the single intensity measurement signal, we have derived rigorous mathematical formulas for 3 Frequency Banded (FB) signals: 1) DC Low-Frequency Banded (LFB) signal; 2) Fundamental Frequency Banded (FFB) signal; and 3) Harmonic Frequency Banded (HFB) signal. The THz phase extraction algorithms are then developed based combinations of 2 or all of these 3 FB signals with efficient algorithms such as Levenberg-Marquardt nonlinear fitting algorithm. Numerical simulation has also been performed in Matlab with simulated THz-MIDR interferometric signal of various Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) to verify the algorithms.Keywords: algorithm, modulation, THz phase, THz interferometry doppler radar
Procedia PDF Downloads 3442363 Crude Extracts of Medicinal Plants Can Inhibit Some Bacteria of Clinical Importance in Minced Meat
Authors: Chika C. Ogueke, Ijeoma M. Agunwah
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The antimicrobial activities and preservative potentials of crude extracts of Alstonia boonei stem bark and Euphorbia hirta leaves were studied. Soxhlet extraction and cold ethanol extraction methods were used for the extraction of the dried and ground plant samples. Well in agar diffusion method was used for the antimicrobial screening at different concentrations of 25mg/ml, 50mg/ml, 100mg/ml and 200mg/ml on E.coli and B.subtilis. The preservative effects of the extracts at 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3% singly and in combination were determined in minced meat using E. coli and B. subtilis as test isolates. Phytochemical analysis was also conducted on the extracts using standard analytical methods. E.hirta cold and A.boonei cold extracts gave the highest zone of growth inhibition on E. coli and B.substilis with 20mm zone diameter at 200mg/ml concentration. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins and cardiac glycosides. A.boonei at 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3% produced a log cycle reduction on the growth of E.coli. Mixture of A. boonei and E. hirta extracts (1:1) at 0.1% and 0.2% also produced a log cycle reduction on the growth of E.coli and B. subtilis, however the A. boonei extracts had more significant effect on the isolates. The observed antimicrobial activities are attributed to the phytochemicals identified in the extracts. The results reveal the potentials of plant extracts as natural antimicrobial preservatives in minced meat. Thus the crude extracts can act as inhibitors of bacteria in a food system. Upon further purification better results may be obtained.Keywords: antimicrobial preservative, crude extracts, minced meat, test isolates
Procedia PDF Downloads 2932362 Study The Role Effect of Poly Pyrrole on LiFePO4 as Positive Electrode
Authors: Atef Youssef, Marwa Mostafa Moharam
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The effects of poly pyrrole (PP) addition on LiFePO4 have been studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and galvanostatic measurements. PP was prepared with LiFePO₄ in different ways, such as chemically dispersion, insinuation polymerization, and electrochemically polymerization. The EIS results showed that the charge transfer resistance (Rct) of LiFePO₄ was decreased by adding 10% PP polymerized in a situation to 153 vs. 1660 for bare LiFePO₄. The CV curves show that 10% PP added LiFePO₄ had higher electrochemical reactivity for lithium insertion and extraction than the un-doped material. The mean redox potential is E1/2 = 3.45 V vs. Li+/Li. The first discharge curve of the 10% poly pyrrole doped LiFePO₄ showed a mainly flat voltage plateau over the 3.45–3.5 V range, indicating the lithium extraction and insertion reactions between LiFePO₄ and FePO₄. A specific discharge capacity of cells prepared from in-situ 10% PP added LiFePO4to was about 210 vs. 65 mAhg-1 for bare LiFePO₄.Keywords: liFePO₄, poly pyrrole addition, positive electrode, lithium battery
Procedia PDF Downloads 2082361 A Relationship Extraction Method from Literary Fiction Considering Korean Linguistic Features
Authors: Hee-Jeong Ahn, Kee-Won Kim, Seung-Hoon Kim
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The knowledge of the relationship between characters can help readers to understand the overall story or plot of the literary fiction. In this paper, we present a method for extracting the specific relationship between characters from a Korean literary fiction. Generally, methods for extracting relationships between characters in text are statistical or computational methods based on the sentence distance between characters without considering Korean linguistic features. Furthermore, it is difficult to extract the relationship with direction from text, such as one-sided love, because they consider only the weight of relationship, without considering the direction of the relationship. Therefore, in order to identify specific relationships between characters, we propose a statistical method considering linguistic features, such as syntactic patterns and speech verbs in Korean. The result of our method is represented by a weighted directed graph of the relationship between the characters. Furthermore, we expect that proposed method could be applied to the relationship analysis between characters of other content like movie or TV drama.Keywords: data mining, Korean linguistic feature, literary fiction, relationship extraction
Procedia PDF Downloads 3802360 Using Audio-Visual Aids and Computer-Assisted Language Instruction to Overcome Learning Difficulties of Sound System in Students of Special Needs
Authors: Sadeq Al Yaari, Ayman Al Yaari, Adham Al Yaari, Montaha Al Yaari, Aayah Al Yaari, Sajedah Al Yaari
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Background & Objectives: Audio-visual aids and computer-assisted language instruction (CALI) effects are strong in teaching language components (sound system, grammatical structures and vocabulary) to students of special needs. To explore the effects of the audio-visual aids and CALI in teaching sound system to this class of students by speech language therapists (SLTs), an experiment has been undertaken to evaluate their performance during their study of the sound system course. Methods: Forty students (males and females) of special needs at al-Malādh school for teaching students of special needs in Dhamar (Yemen) range between 8 and 18 years old underwent this experimental study while they were studying language sound system course. Pre-and-posttests have been administered at the begging and end of the semester. Students' treatment was compared to a similar group (control group) of the same number under the same environment. Whereas the first group was taught using audio-visual aids and CALI, the second was not. Students' performances were linguistically and statistically evaluated. Results & conclusions: Compared with the control group, the treatment group showed significantly higher scores in the posttest (72.32% vs. 31%). Compared with females, males scored higher marks (1421 vs. 1472). Thus, we should take the audio-visual aids and CALI into consideration in teaching sound system to students of special needs.Keywords: language components, sound system, audio-visual aids, CALI, students, special needs, SLTs
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