PVA, Starch/PVA, and Starch/PVA/sugar samples of different
concentrations (10, 20, 30 and 40 % wt/wt) were prepared by casting
method. DSC analysis was carried; the results showed only one glass
transition temperature (Tg) for the samples involved, which suggest
that starch/PVA and starch/PVA/sugar blends are miscible. The
miscibility is attributed to the hydrogen bonds between PVA and
starch. This is in a good agreement with (FTIR) results. Tg and Tm
decrease with starch and sugar content compared with that for
(PVA). Systematic decrease in ultimate strength, due to starch and
sugar ratio increase, is attributed to (PVA), which has more hydroxyl
groups that made its ultimate strength higher than that for
starch/PVA, and starch/PVA/sugar blends. It is observed from water
uptake tests that the solubility time decreases with starch ratio; it is
attributed to decrease in hydroxyl groups caused by PVA ratio
decrease. The inter- and inter-molecular bonds of the hydroxyl
groups enhanced the solubility process of the starch/PVA blends in
water. The water immersion causes hydrogen bonds (inter and
intermolecular bonds) to decompose, that increases the film
solubility. Water absorption and capacity of degradability are most
important in biodegradable materials. The results suggest the samples
that have undergone investigation, can be used for shopping, and
food packaging.
The study of soil burial for the sample at (3cm) depth, and at (13cm)
depth has exhibited weight loss increase with soil burial time. The
biodegradability rapidly increases at the first (6-7) weeks; it is found
that the weight loss at (3cm) depth is greater than that at (13cm) that
was attributed to the differences in the availability of oxygen ratio. It
is found that PVA undergoes lowest weight loss, the weight loss
changes with starch, and sugar content. In dry soil, the weight loss is
lower. The results proved that the biodegradation decreases with soil
burial time after seven weeks of burial. It is concluded that the
samples involved are biodegradable material that can be used for
packaging applications and biologically friendly synthetic polymer
blends to solve the solid waste accumulation problem.
The purpose of present study is to evaluate the effect of co-administration of curcumin (CUR) at various doses on the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of tacrolimus (TAC), a CYP 3A4 substrate in healthy male rabbits. Healthy male rabbits (n=18) were employed in an in vivo, parallel-randomized study. Three groups of rabbits were selected and separated: The rabbits in the first group (control group) received 1 mg/kg TAC orally. Blood samples (1.5-2 mL) were drawn from rabbits' ear marginal veins at the following time frames: 15.0, 30.0, 45.0, 60.0, 90.0, 120.0, 150.0, 180.0 and 300 minutes after TAC administration post dosing and analyzed by using a TAC chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLIA) detection kit. In the second and third gro
... Show MoreIn this study, Laser Shock Peening (LSP) effect on the polymeric composite materials has been investigated experimentally. Polymeric composite materials are widely used because they are easy to fabricate and have many attractive features. Unsaturated polyester resin as a matrix was selected and Aluminum powder with micro particles as a reinforcement material was used with different volume fraction (2.5%, 5% and 7.5%). Hand lay-up process was used for preparation the composites. Fatigue test with constant amplitude with stress ratio (R =-1) was carried out before and after LSP process with two levels of energy (1Joule and 2Joule). The result showed an increase in the endurance strength of 25.448% at 7.5% volume fraction when peened is 1J
... Show MoreThis study aimed to identify the effect of resistance training on the biomechanics and accuracy of serve receiving skills in volleyball. The research community was composed of 26 young volleyball players of Baghdad volleyball clubs. A total of 4 players were selected for the preliminary experiment, while 14 participants were recruited as the main sample for the study. In the present study, a set of resistance exercises were designed by the researchers for the volleyball players of the sample. Exercises were performed by the sample participants during the course of study. The biomechanical variables considered in the present study were: Preparation moment (shoulder joint angle, hip angle, knee joint angle), moment of pr
... Show MoreFluoxetine (FX) is an antidepressant drug administered only orally in humans. Despite the wide use of FX, until now, there is only limited literature concerning the pharmacokinetics (PK) of FX and the effect of food on its PK. Thus, the objective of this investigation was to study the PK of FX in Arabic healthy male adult volunteers under fasting and fed conditions. In the fasting study, FX 20 mg capsules (Prozac®, Eli Lilly, Canada) were administered to 41 volunteers after overnight fasting of 12 hours, followed by blood sampling from each volunteer immediately before dosing (zero time) and then at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 96, 120, and eventually at 144 hours after FX dosing. The fed study was conduct
... Show MoreAn investigation was conducted for the improvement of viscosity index of light lubricating oil fraction (40 stock)
obtained from vacuum distillation unit of lube oil plant of Daura Refinery, using solvent extraction process.
In this study furfural solvent was used to extract the undesirable materials which reduce the viscosity index of raw
lubricating oil fraction.
The studied effecting variables of extraction were extraction temperature range from 70 to 110°C, and solvent to oil
ratio range from 1:1 to 4:1 (wt/wt).
The n-d-M method was used for calculation of carbon distribution and structural group analysis of the raffinate
produced from furfural extraction.
Also the three component phase diagram for a mixed-ba
Materials recycling has a significant economic and environmental impact; as a result, steel, aluminium, plastic, and other recyclable materials have been pushed for use in construction materials. One of these recyclable materials is the crumb rubber, has been considered as a pavement component. The general behaviour of the composite rubber-hot mix asphalt system would be varied from that of the conventional rubber free mix. In this review, desirable characteristics of hot mix asphalt are highlighted first. Also, effect of gradation and the main types of rubber are specified. Afterward, many studies that considered the crumb rubber as a waste product and its associated mixture and modifiers are reviewed. The factors affect the crumb
... Show MoreThe electrospun nanofibers membranes (ENMs) have gained great attention due to their superior performance. However, the low mechanical strength of ENMs, such as the rigidity and low strength, limits their applications in many aspects which need adequate strength, such as water filtration. This work investigates the impact of electrospinning parameters on the properties of ENMs fabricated from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) solved in N, N-Dimethylformamide (DMF). The studied electrospinning parameters were polymer concentration, solution flow rate, collector rotating speed, and the distance between the needle and collector. The fabricated ENMs were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to understand the surface morphology and es
... Show MoreNowadays, the use of recycled waste construction materials instead of aggregates is becoming popular in construction owing to its environmental benefits. This paper presents an experimental and analytical campaign to study the behavior of axially loaded columns constructed from recycled aggregates. The latter was used instead of natural aggregates, and they were collected from the waste of previous concrete constructions. Different concrete mixtures made from varying amounts of recycled aggregates ranged from 0 to 50% of the total coarse aggregate were conducted to achieve 28 MPa. The effect of steel fibers is another investigated variable with volumes ranged from 0 to 2% concerning concrete’s mixture. The experimental
... Show MoreIn this study, the optical and thermal performance of a Parabolic Trough Collector PTC system is investigated theoretically. A series of numerical simulations and theoretical analysis has been conducted to investigate the effect of the receiver geometry and location relative to the focal line on its optical performance. The examined receiver geometries are circular, square, triangular, elliptical and a new design of circular‐ square named as channel receiver. The thermal performance of PTC is studied for different flow rates from (0.27 to 0.6 lpm) theoretically. Results showed that the best optical design is the channel receiver with an optical efficiency of 84% while the worst is the elliptical