Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of aromatic compounds that contain at least two rings. These compounds are found naturally in petroleum products and are considered the most prevalent pollutants in the environment. The lack of microorganism capable of degrading some PAHs led to their accumulation in the environment which usually causes major health problems as many of these compounds are known carcinogens. Xanthene is one of the small PAHs which has three rings. Many xanthene derivatives are useful dyes that are used for dyeing wood and cosmetic articles. However, several studies have illustrated that these compounds have toxic and carcinogenic effects. The first step of the bacterial degradation of xanthene is conducted by dioxygenase enzymes that introduces two oxygen atoms in the structure of the aromatic rings. In this study we focused on the bacterial bioremediation of xanthene via Sphingobium yanoikuyae B1DR, an engineered strain carrying the dioxin angular dioxygenase from Sphingomonas wittichii RW1. HPLC analysis of supernatant from resting cells of S. yanoikuyae B1DR grown on xanthene and succinate showed the ability of this strain to transform xanthene to 2-hydroxyphenylacetate that was not produced by the wild type of Sphingobium yanoikuyae B1. Production of 2-hydroxyphenylacetate was confirmed by GC-MS. Our results show the importance of this strain in reducing the toxic effects of xanthene in the environment and showed for the first time that ring-hydroxylation enzymes and hydrolases for biphenyl degradation in S. yanoikuyae B1 may function on metabolites generated from the degradation pathway of xanthene. By analyzing our results we were able to draw a novel pathway for xanthene degradation in S. yanoikuyae B1DR.
Before the start of delivery, any membranes rupture could be named as a premature rupture of membranes (PROM), which may need special obstetrical interactions to minimize perinatal complications, it is important topromptly diagnose PROM, the method used should be accurate, cheap, simple, and widely available. This was exactly the idea behind this study to use an ordinary pregnancy test kit aiming to confirm presence of PROM.Over a 6 months’ period, 60 pregnant women with a history of leaking liquor and a positive speculum examination for amniotic fluid pooling were collected prospectively and compared with other 60 women (control group) with uneventful pregnancy. Majority of patients with positive leaking liquor signs and symptoms had a p
... Show MorePPSU hollow fiber nanofiltration membranes are prepared by applying two concentrations and various extrusion pressures according to the phase inversion method. Cross-sectional area and outer structures were characterized by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). In additional to the pore size distribution, either the mean roughness or the mean pore size of the PPSU hollow fiber surfaces was evaluated by AFM. It was found that the morphology of the PPSU fibers had both sponge-like and finger-like structures through different extrusion pressures and PPSU concentrations. The mean pore size and mean roughness for inner and outer surfaces were seen to be decreased with the increase of extrusion pressure at
... Show MoreAl Machraya River was considered as one of the water feeders of Hawizeh Marsh. In 1986, the outlet of this river into the marsh was blocked and the river was used as a main channel for the East Tigris Irrigation Project near Kalat Salih. This causes significant decrease in the available water supply sources, deterioration in the water quality distribution patterns and increasing the stagnation areas within the marsh. This research aims to study the possibility of reusing this river for feeding Hawizeh Marsh. A frequency analysis study was carried out to study the maximum and minimum probable water level (MMPWL) of Tigris River at the upstream of Kalat Salih Barrage. Six statistical models; Normal distribution, Log-Normal type II, Lo
... Show MoreWith the explosive growth of data, it has become very difficult for a person to process the data and find the right information from it. So, to discover the right information from the colossal amount of data that is available online, we need information filtering systems. Recommendation systems (RS) help users find the most interesting information among the options that are available. Ratings given by the users play a vital role in determining the purposes of recommendations. Earlier, researchers used a user’s rating history to predict unknown ratings, but recently a user’s review has gained a lot of attention as it contains a lot of relevant information about a user’s decision. The proposed system makes an attempt to deal w
... Show MoreThe moisture sorption isotherms of Mefenamic acid tablets were investigated by measuring the experimental equilibrium moisture content (EMC) using the static method of saturated salt solutions at three temperatures (25, 35, and 45°C) and water activity range from 0.056 to 0.8434. The results showed that EMC increased when relative humidity increased and the sorption capacity decreased, the tablets became less hygroscopic and more stable when the temperature increased at constant water activity. The sorption curves had a sigmoid shape, type II according to Brunauer’s classification. The hysteresis effect was significant along with the whole sorption process. The results were fitted to three models: Oswin, Smith, and Guggen
... Show MoreIt has become necessary to change from a traditional system to an automated system in production processes, because it has high advantages. The most important of them is improving and increasing production. But there is still a need to improve and develop the work of these systems. The objective of this work is to study time reduction by combining multiple sequences of operations into one process. To carry out this work, the pneumatic system is designed to decrease\ increase the time of the sequence that performs a pick and place process through optimizing the sequences based on the obstacle dimensions. Three axes are represented using pneumatic cylinders that move according to the sequence used. The system is implemented and
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