4-methylaniline and its Schiff base derivative were intercalated into the Bentonite clay interlayers in a solid state reaction followed by a condensation reaction to produce two organo-clay composites. X-ray diffraction was used to identify the changes in basal spacing of montmorillonite layers which exhibited noticeable alteration before and after the formation of the composites. FT-IR spectra, on the other hand, were utilized for identifying the structural compositions of the prepared materials as well as the formation of the intercalated Schiff base derivative. The surface morphology of the composites was examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy SEM and Atomic Force Microscope AFM, which reflected some differences in the surface of prepa

Nanotechnology is a continually expanding field for its uses and applications in multiple areas i.e. medicine, science, and engineering. Biosynthesis is straightforward, less-toxicity, and cost-effective technology. TiO2 NPs biosynthesis has attained consideration in recent decades. In this study, probiotic bacteria were isolated from cow’s raw milk samples, and then were identified by using the Vitek2 system; as Leuconostoc spp. included Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides (Leu.1), Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris (Leu.4), and Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides (Leu.14). All Leuconostoc spp. isolates showed an ability for TiO2 NPs bio-production, after being incubated at anaerobic conditions (30 o C/ 24 h) in DeM

        Peroxidase is a class of oxidation-reduction reaction enzyme that is useful for accelerating many oxidative reactions that protect cells from the harmful effects of free radicals. Peroxidase is found in many common sources like plants, animals and microbes and have extensive uses in numerous industries such as industrial, medical and food processing. In this study, P. aeruginosa was harvested to utilize and study its peroxidases. P. aeruginosa was isolated from a burn patient, and the isolate was verified as P. aeruginosa using staining techniques, biochemical assay, morphological, and a sensitivity test. The gram stain and biochemical test result show rod pink gram-ne

Crop diseases are usually caused by inoculum of pathogens which might exist on alternate hosts or weeds as endophytes. These endophytes, cum pathogens, usually confer some beneficial attributes to these weeds or alternate hosts from protection against herbivores, disease resistance, stress tolerance to secondary metabolites production. This study was therefore carried out to isolate potential crop pathogens which exist as endophytes on weed species in the University of Ilorin plantations. Green asymptomatic leaves were collected from 10 weed species across the plantations, and processed for their endophytic fungi isolation. Isolates were purified into pure cultures and used for molecular identification using the internal transcribed spac

This study investigates the characterization and mechanical performance of Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) mixtures modified with two types of polymers: styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) and high-molecular-weight polyethylene (PE). Neat asphalt cement PG 64-16 was modified using a higher content of SBS and PE at concentrations of 6%, 7%, and 8% by weight of asphalt through the dry blending method to produce Highly Modified Asphalts (HiMA). The physical and rheological properties of the modified binders were evaluated using penetration, softening point, rotational viscosity, and dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) tests. Also, their phase compatibility and morphological changes were evaluated using the storage stability testing and scanning electron

In this work, multilayer nanostructures were prepared from two metal oxide thin films by dc reactive magnetron sputtering technique. These metal oxide were nickel oxide (NiO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2). The prepared nanostructures showed high structural purity as confirmed by the spectroscopic and structural characterization tests, mainly FTIR, XRD and EDX. This feature may be attributed to the fine control of operation parameters of dc reactive magnetron sputtering system as well as the preparation conditions using the same system. The nanostructures prepared in this work can be successfully used for the fabrication of nanodevices for photonics and optoelectronics requiring highly-pure nanomaterials.

             Polymeric microsphere devices occupy a wide range in the field of controlled drug delivery. Subcutaneous injectable preparations of Poly(Lactide-co-Glycolide) (PLGA) microsphere of Daptomycine were prepared by solvent extraction/evaporation technique using different copolymers ratio and molecular weights. Four formulations were prepared (F1-F4) and characterized in term of particle size, surface morphology, bulk density and porosity in addition to the drug content. The effects of the above parameters on the in-vitro release study were evaluated. These formulas were evaluated also for their in-vivo release profile using rat (as an animal model) and

The use of medicinal plant preparations to clean and disinfect root canal infection is gaining popularity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bioactive composition of leaf extracts of Moringa oleifera plants cultivated in Iraq (specifically Baghdad) and their antimicrobial activity against selected root canal pathogens for potential application in endodontic treatment. Materials and Methods. Moringa leaf extracts were prepared either through cold maceration or warm digestion techniques to perform an ethanolic or aqueous extraction, respectively. Phytochemical detection was performed before thin layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to measure flavonoids and phenolic compounds within both