Biodiesel is an environmentally friendly fuel and a good substitution for the fossil fuel. However, the purity of this fuel is a major concern that challenges researchers. In this study, a calcium oxide based catalyst has been prepared from local waste eggshells by the calcination method and tested in production biodiesel. The eggshells were powdered and calcined at different temperatures (700, 750, 800, 850 and 900 °C) and periods of time (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 hr.). The effect of calcination temperature and calcination time on the structure and activity of the solid catalyst were examined by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Brunaure-Emmett-Teller (BET). The optimum catalyst performance was obtained at 900 °C

Hard-grade asphalt binders, such as AC 20–30, offer excellent resistance to permanent deformation but are inherently brittle, making them highly susceptible to fatigue and low-temperature cracking. While polymer modification addresses these issues, virgin polymers remain expensive. Despite the growing interest in recycled plastics, the rheological impact of complex waste streams, specifically polyvinyl chloride (PVC) derived from flex banners containing plasticizers, on excessively stiff binders within the complete Superpave Performance Grading (PG) framework remains critically underexplored. This study introduces a novel valorization approach by utilizing solvent-extracted flex banner waste (WPVC) as a dual-action modifier. It leverages

A critical milestone in nano-biotechnology is establishing reliable and ecological friendly methods for fabricating metal oxide NPs. Because of their great biodegradable, electrical, mechanical, and optical qualities, zirconia NPs (ZrO₂NPs) attract much interest among all zirconia NPs (ZrO₂NPs). Zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) has piqued the interest of researchers throughout the world, particularly since the development of methods for the manufacture of nano-sized particles. An extensive study into the creation of nanoparticles utilizing various synthetic techniques and their potential uses has been stimulated by their high luminous efficiency, wide bandgap, and high exciton binding energy. Zirconium dioxide nano

The study objectives were to 1) explore the real-world experience of hospital pharmacists with the differences in effectiveness safety, and interchangeability between biosimilar medicines and their reference biological counterparts, 2) reveal pharmacist recommendations to enhance the safety of biopharmaceutical medicines in public hospitals.

The study has a mixed-method design where the core component was qualitative (interviews) and the supplemental component was quantitative (adverse drug reaction, ADR, reports). This qualitative component included semi-structured (mostly face-to-face) interviews involving hospital pharmacists from different hospitals with experience with biological or biosimilar medicines. The interviews were c

Therapeutic contact lenses TCLs is an approach used to enhance corneal residence time and reduce frequent instillation, which is a problem with eye drops.  The problem with CLs is loading of hydrophobic drugs. In this research the CLs were prepared with molecular imprinting MI to enhance the loading of itraconazole, which is used as antifungal drug for fungal keratitis. CLs using different  concentration of hydroxyethyl methacrylate HEMA and methacrylic acid MAA were prepared with and without MI using PEGDA (25 μL) and AIBN (37 mg) as crosslinker and initiator respectively. All the prepared CLs were clear and have good folding endurance. MICLs had significantly higher drug loading compared to conventional CLs. The release of i

The present study aims to evaluate the effects of methotrexate (MTX) with and without vitamin A (Vit. A) on some biochemical parameters and histological structure in male rabbits liver. Twenty male rabbits weighing 1250-1480 gm were divided into four equal number groups. The first group was given 2 ml distilled water as control group. The second group was given MTX (20 mg/kg), the third group was given Vit. A (5000 IU), while the fourth group was given MTX (20 mg/kg) +Vit. A (5000 IU) in alternative days. Following four weeks of treatment, lipid profile total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), [low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)]; in addition to thyroid hormones tr

Bovine milk is one of the richest nutrients that contain minerals and vitamins that enhance immunity, especially in children, but because many children do not want to drink the raw milk, therefore this study aimed to enhance the sensory characteristics of raw milk by using hibiscus plant extract, which is characterized by red color and distinctive flavor as well as studying the effect of aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa on inhibiting the growth of microorganisms, by using three concentrations of the aqueous extract (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%), where the statistical results showed a significant difference (P≤0.05) between the concentrations in color, texture and general acceptance, and the best results appeared when using

Nanocomposites of polymer material based on CdS as filler
material and poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) as host matrix have
been fabricated by chemical spray pyrolysis method on glass
substrate. CdS particles synthesized by co-precipitation route using
cadimium chloride and thioacetamide as starting materials and
ammonium hydroxide as precipitating agent. The structure is
examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), the resultant film has
amorphous structure. The optical energy gap is found to be (4.5,
4.06) eV before and after CdS addition, respectively. Electrical
activation energy for CdS/PMMA has two regions with values of
0.079 and 0.433 eV.

One hundred isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were obtained from patients admitted to Baghdad hospitals, Iraq during the period between May 2018 until July 2018. These isolates were distributed as 15 isolates from blood, 25 isolates from urinary tract infections, 10 isolates from sputum, 12 isolates from wounds, 15 isolates from ear infections, 15 isolates from bronchial wash of patients suffering from respiratory tract infections in addition to 8 isolates from cystic fibrosis patients. The isolates were initially identified by culturing on MacConkey agar, blood agar and P. aeruginosa agar then diagnosed by performing some morphological and biochemical tests. The second diagnosis was done by API 20E system followed by Vitek 2 compact syste