The increasing demand for energy has encouraged the development of renewable resources and environmentally benign fuel such as biodiesel. In this study, ethyl fatty esters (EFEs), a major component of biodiesel fuel, were synthesized from soybean oil using sodium ethoxide as a catalyst. By-products were glycerol and difatty acyl urea (DFAU), which has biological characteristics, as antibiotics and antifungal medications. Both EFEs and DFAU have been characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique. The optimum conditions were studied as a function of reaction time, reactant molar ratios, catalyst percentage and the effect of organic solvents. The conversion ratio of soybean oil into pure EFEs was 76% after 10 h of reaction. The highest conversion yield of EFEs is obtained when the urea/soybean oil ratio was from 6.2 mmol to 1 mmol, while the highest production of DFAU is obtained when the ethoxide (as a catalyst)/soybean oil ratio is from 6.4 mmol to 1 mmol in hexane as the reaction medium.
Numerical simulation of charge density produced in plasma actuators is dependent upon the development of models dealing with electrical properties. The main aim of this work is to investigate the characteristics surface charge density and space charge density of DBD plasma actuator. A simple design of surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator is used in the study. The discharge gas was N2:H2 mixture with applied voltage equal to 1.5 kV. A theoretical plasma model is used to establish the charge density details. Results show that surface charge density increased in value and spread in width alone the exposed electrode as the voltage increased and reached to the amplitude value.
This paper presents a study (experimentally) for strengthening reinforced concrete (RC) beams with Near-Surface-Mounted (NSM) technique. The use of this technique with CFRP strips or rebars is an efficient technology for increasing the strength for flexure and shear or for repairing damaged reinforced concrete (RC) members. The objective of this research is to study, experimentally, RC beams either repaired or strengthened with NSM CFRP strips and follow their flexural behavior and failure modes. NSM-CFRP strips were used to strengthen three RC beam specimens, one of them was initially strengthened and tested up to failure. Four beam specimens have been initially subjected to preloading to 50% and 80% of ultimate load. Two of the sp
... Show MoreMigraine affects more than one billion individuals each year across the world, and is one of the most common neurologic disorders, with a high prevalence and morbidity, especially among young adults and females. Migraine is associated with a wide range of comorbidities, which range from stress and sleep disturbances to suicide. The complex and largely unclear mechanisms of migraine development have resulted in the proposal of various social and biological risk factors, such as hormonal imbalances, genetic and epigenetic influences, as well as cardiovascular, neurological, and autoimmune diseases. Experimental findings suggest an involvement of neuroinflammatory mechanisms in the pathophysiology of migraine. Specifically, preclinical
... Show MoreThe aim of this study is to look at the potential of a local sustainable energy network in a pre-existing context to develop a novel design beneficial to the environment. Nowadays, the concept of smart cities is still in the developmental phase/stage andwe are currently residing in a transitional period, therefore it is very important to discover new solutions that show direct benefits the people may get from transforming their city from a traditional to a smart city. Using experience and knowledge of successful projects in various European and non-European smart cities, this study attempts to demonstrate the practical potential of gradually moving existing cities to t
... Show MorePumping a BBO crystal by a violet diode laser with a wavelength of (405 nm) output power of (24 mW) and a line width of (3nm) was employed to generate entangled photons with a wavelength of 810 nm by achieving type II phase matching conditions.The coincidence count rate obtained in this experiment was in the range of (18000) counts/s. Two BBO crystals with different thicknesses of (4 mm and 2 mm) were tested, where maximum count rates of about (18000) counts/s was obtained with a (5*5*2) mm BBO crystal where the short coherence time for the pumping source was tolerated by using shorter BBO crystals. Also, the effect of compensating crystal on the walk-off effect was studied. The coincidence count rates were increased by using these crystal
... Show MoreIn this study the Sub family of Nomiinae Robertson,1904 (Hyminoptera: Halictidae) was revised There were five species registered in our investigation:
A rapid, simple and sensitive spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of chromium is studied. The method is based on the interaction of chromium with indigo carmine dye in acidic medium and the presence of oxalates as a catalyst for interaction, and after studying the absorption spectrum of the solution resulting observed decrease in the intensity of the absorption. As happened (Bleaching) for color dye, this palace and directly proportional to the chromium (VI) amount was measured intensity of the absorption versus solution was figurehead at a wavelength of 610 nm. A plot of absorbance with chromium (VI) concentration gives a straight line indicating that Beer’s law has been obeyed over the range of 0.5
... Show MoreThe current work discusses the removal of brilliant dyes. These dyes were Brilliant Cresyl Blue (BCB) and Brilliant Green (BG) by the use of poly acrylic acid hydrogel beads (PAA). We examined the adsorption isotherms and found that the factors preferring it are temperature and salt, shaking effects, wet PAA, (BCB) and (BG) follows Freundlich equation more than other equations. Based on the results, there is a positive correlation between adsorption of dyes (BCB and BG) and temperature (Endothermic process). We calculated the thermodynamic functions (ΔG, ΔS, and ΔH). The ion strength effects on the adsorptions at (20 °C) increased adsorption if the salt concentrations is high. We treated the kinetics outcomes based on Lagergren Equation
... Show MoreZerumbone (ZER), a natural compound has been extracted from Zingiber zerumbet with known pharmacological activities. The aim was to determine the anti-human Burkitt’s lymphoma (Raji) cell effect of ZER. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5,-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to determine cytotoxic effect while the Annexin-V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide-PI flow cytometric assays was used to determine apoptotic effect of ZER on the human Burkitt’s lymphoma (Raji) cell (ATCC CCL-86) cell line. The expressions of Bax, Bcl-2, and c-Myc genes were determined via real-time PCR. ZER suppressed the proliferation of Raji cells with a 48 h IC50 value of 5.1 μg/mL. Treated Raji cells also underwen
... Show MoreA Novel artificial neural network (ANN) model was constructed for calibration of a multivariate model for simultaneously quantitative analysis of the quaternary mixture composed of carbamazepine, carvedilol, diazepam, and furosemide. An eighty-four mixing formula where prepared and analyzed spectrophotometrically. Each analyte was formulated in six samples at different concentrations thus twentyfour samples for the four analytes were tested. A neural network of 10 hidden neurons was capable to fit data 100%. The suggested model can be applied for the quantitative chemical analysis for the proposed quaternary mixture.