Pharmaceuticals have been widely remaining contaminants in wastewater, and diclofenac is the most common pharmaceutical pollutant. Therefore, the removal of diclofenac from aqueous solutions using activated carbon produced by pyrocarbonic acid and microwaves was investigated in this research. Apricot seed powder and pyrophosphoric acid (45 wt%) were selected as raw material and activator respectively, and microwave irradiation technique was used to prepare the activated carbon. The raw material was impregnated in pyrophosphoric acid at 80◦C with an impregnation ratio of 1: 3 (apricot seeds to phosphoric acid), the impregnation time was 4 h, whereas the power of the microwave was 700 watts with a radiation time of 20 min. A series of experiments were conducted at constant mixing speed (300 revolutions per minute) to evaluate the effect of experimental factors likes, adsorption time, pH of diclofenac solution, diclofenac initial concentration, and dosage of activated carbon on removal efficiency. The design of experiments (version 13 Stat-Ease) was implemented using the central composite method to define the optimum effect of the process factors on the removal efficiency. The analysis of variance showed that the quadratic model for the experiment was significant with a very low probability value (P- value < 0.0001). The adjusted R2 of the model was 0.9826 and the predicted R2 was 0.9574. Whereas the optimum conditions suggested by the model for the process variable were found to be 150 min, 3.25 pH, 30 mg/L, 0.267g, for adsorption time, pH of diclofenac solution, diclofenac initial concentration, a dosage of activated carbon, respectively and the maximum removal efficiency was found to be 94.6%. The data obtained from the experiments were fitted with Langmuir and Freundlich models and the results show that the data was well fitted Langmuir model with R2 = 0.9685 as compared to the Freundlich model which has R2 = 0.93249. Likewise, the data was analyzed by pseudo first and second-order kinetic models and the results show that the adsorption on apricot-activated carbon was well adequate with the pseudo-second-order model.
Improved oral bioavailability of lipophilic substances can be achieved using self-emulsifying drug delivery systems. However, because the properties of self-emulsifying are greatly influenced by surfactant amount and type, type of oil used, droplet size, charge, cosolvents, and physiological variables, the synthesis of self-emulsifying is highly complex; consequently, only a small number of excipient self-emulsifying formulations has been developed so far for clinical use. This study reports a highly effective procedure for developing self-emulsifying formulations using a novel approach based on the hydrophilic-lipophilic difference theory. Microemulsion characteristics, such as the constituents and amounts of oil and surfactant electrolyte
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Backgrounds: Jaundice occurs in most newborn due to increased bilirubin concentration. Jaundice is observed during the first week after birth in approximately 60% of term neonates. A high level of bilirubin is neurotoxic and may cause neonatal kernicterus, auditory neuropathy or death.
Objectives: to compare the Rh group compatibility, serum bilirubin (total and direct), serum albumin and several liver enzymes between physiological and pathological neonatal jaundice
Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study for one hundred neonates with jaundice divided into group 1: 50 newborns with physiological jaundice, Group 2: 50 newborns with
... Show MoreBackground: This study was performed to compare the marginal fit changes and facture resistance of metal ceramic crowns constructed from Ceramill Sintron metal coping veneered with three different porcelain veneering materials (Vita Master Koromikos VMK, Willi Geller Creation CC and GC initial MC), also to evaluate the influence of thermocycling on load at fracture. Materials and Methods: Master brass die was scanned ,then metal coping was designed and milled from Ceramill Sintron blank to get 60 metal copings, then divided randomly into three groups(20 sample), then veneered with porcelain: VITA, Creation or GC. The marginal gaps were measured before and after porcelain veneering then marginal fit changes was calculated. Fracture resist
... Show MoreWe present a simple model of charge transfer current through sensitizer N3 molecule contact to TiO2 and ZnO semiconductors to calculate the charge transfer current. The model underlying depends on the fundamental parameters of the charge transfer reaction and it is based on the quantum transition theory approach. A transition energy, driving energy and potential barrier have been taken into account charge transfer current at N3 / TiO2 and N3 / ZnO devices with wide polarity solvents Acetic acid, 2-Methoxyethanol, 1-Butanol, Methyl alcohol, chloroform, N,N-Dimethylacetamide and Ethyl alcohol via the quantum donor-acceptor system.The effects of the transition energy and potential barrier are computed and discussion on charge transfer current.
... Show MoreIn this paper, an intelligent tracking control system of both single- and double-axis Piezoelectric Micropositioner stage is designed using Genetic Algorithms (GAs) method for the optimal Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller tuning parameters. The (GA)-based PID control design approach is a methodology to tune a (PID) controller in an optimal control sense with respect to specified objective function. By using the (GA)-based PID control approach, the high-performance trajectory tracking responses of the Piezoelectric Micropositioner stage can be obtained. The (GA) code was built and the simulation results were obtained using MATLAB environment. The Piezoelectric Micropositioner simulation model with th
... Show MoreBackground: Ruptured uterus is a catastrophic event to both
mother and her fetus. Apart from maternal and fetal mortality
rates, the incidence of rupture of uterus is often taken as an
index of the standard of obstetric care.
Objective: To determine the frequency, causes, management
outcome of ruptured uterus at Al Batool maternity hospital.
Method: The study was conducted in the department of
obstetrics and gynecology at Al Batool maternity hospital
Mosul-Iraq over a period of three years from October 1st 2002
to August 30th 2005. All the cases of uterine rupture presented
during the study period were recorded and managed in the
department. Data was recorded on designed forms.
Results: Thirty nine cas
Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic rheumatic inflammatory disease affecting mainly the spine and sacroiliac joints. Since the copper-to-zinc ratio (Cu/Zn) indicates an inflammatory response, the change in ratio is expected to correlate with axSpA. This study compared levels of Cu/Zn in the serum of axSpA patients. Serum samples were obtained from 53 patients with axSpA divided according to biological treatment into cohorts A and B, and 28 healthy control as cohort C. Serum levels of Cu and Zn were determined first by a fully automated chemistry analyzer TC-Matrix Plus, then the ratio was obtained. The elevated serum Cu concentration means of cohort B (189.32 ± 13.808 µg/dL) compared to cohort A (168.85 ± 7.244 µg/dL) a
... Show MoreOdontogenic cysts and tumors often form hard and soft structures that resemble odontogenesis. It is well known that amyloid is produced in Pindborg tumors; however, it is still debatable whether it is also formed in other odontogenic tumors and cysts. This study aimed to detect the presence of amyloid in different odontogenic cysts and tumors in correlation to matrix proteins secreted during enamel formation; namely amelogenin and odontogenic ameloblast‐associated protein.
This study included formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue blocks of 106 different types of odontogenic