Mn+2 and Cd+2 Removal from Industrial Wastewater Using Phillipsitic Tuff from Jabal Uniza, Southern Jordan

Southern Jordanian natural zeolitic tuffs outcropped in Uniza volcano have been investigated and tested for their heavy metals' removal capacity. The main species identified in Uniza natural zeolitic tuffs are: phillipsite and, subordinately, chabazite. The effects of particle size and stirring time were examined in the removal experiments. Two types of Uniza phillipsitic tuff were used in the removal of Mn+2 and Cd+2 from treated industrial wastewater. The first type is the reddish bulk sample (UZ1), while the second type is the separated size (UZ2) fraction between 1 and 0.3 mm. Batch and column tests were performed to determine the removal capacity of Mn+2 and Cd+2 from treated industrial wastewater. In batch experiments (static regime), the use of UZ2 type shows a higher removal percentage of Mn+2 and Cd+2 compared to UZ1 type for the same time. The results of column experiments indicate that toxic metal ions such as Mn+2 and Cd+2 can be removed with approximately 100% efficiency from industrial wastewater containing similar ions using Jordanian zeolitic tuff. In dynamic regime, by using UZ1 the manganese ions (Mn+2) were completely removed up to 57 BV (1.71 L) and the zeolite exhaustion took place after more than 112 BV (3.36 L), while by using UZ2 the manganese ions were completely removed up to 67 BV (2.01 L) and the zeolite exhaustion took place just around 114 BV (3.42 L). For an efficient cadmium ions removal, the use of UZ1 sample showed a complete removal up to 85 BV (2.55 L) and the zeolite exhaustion took place after more than 129 BV (3.87 L), while the use of UZ2 showed that the Cd+2 ions were completely removed after 151 BV (4.53 L) and the zeolite exhaustion took place after more than 205 BV (6.15 L)

Mineralogy, Geochemistry and Volcanology of Volcanic Tuff Rocks from Jabal Huliat Al-Gran, South of Jordan (New Occurrence)

Jabal Huliat Al-Gran (HG) volcano is one of several volcanic eruptions belonging to south Jordanian basaltic eruptions. Thick pyroclastic deposits of volcanic tuff layers alter slowly to complex mineralogical zonations in closed hydrological alkaline environments, and relatively pure deposits can be formed. Hydrological system and temperature are the principal controls over the zeolitization process. This process involves reactions between the vitric silicic volcanic glass and the percolating water in a closed hydrological system to form distinctive zeolite assemblages. Judging from field and experimental data, formation of phillipsite, chabazite and other secondary rock forming minerals probably took place by reaction of percolating water with vitric tuff units. The petrographical, mineralogical and geochemical investigations include thin section, XRD and SEM-EDX to determine the nature, geneses, along with mineralogical and geochemical properties of this new zeolitic occurrence. This work reveals the presence of zeolites in Huliat Al-Gran taffacious materials. Also, the results indicated that the volcanic tuff is highly altered to zeolites and other minerals. The main zeolites are phillipsite Ca-heulandite (mean Si/Al: 3.30) and chabazite Ca-clinoptilolite (mean Si/Al: 4.35). Zeolite minerals compose 10–60% of the whole volcanic tuff rocks. Thermal analysis indicates high stability for temperature difference. The deposit might be of great importance for Jordan, considering its enormous zeolitized outcrop area. However, the quantitative estimation still needs further investigation

Control of Odorants Emissions from Poultry Manure Using Jordanian Natural Zeolites

Natural zeolitic tuffs from Tall Juhira (southern Jordan) have been investigated and tested for their odor removal capacity. Two types of Tall Juhira zeolitic tuffs were used in the odor sorption from animal wastes. The first type is the separated size fraction between 1 and 0.7 mm (TJ1), while the second type is the separated size fraction between 0.7 and 0.3 mm (TJ2). The effect of particle size was examined in the removal experiments. The main species identified in Tall Juhira natural zeolitic tuffs are: chabazite and – subordinately- faujasite and phillipsite. Zeolitic tuff trap and batch tests were performed to determine the effectiveness of Tall Juhira zeolitic tuffs in the reduction of the odor emission from natural broiler manure. The results were interpreted by using percentage removal curves and diagrams. By using TJ1 in zeolitic trap experiments, the removal percentages of NH3 ranged from 93 to 71, while by using TJ2 the removal percentages ranged from 96 to 81. In batch experiments, the use of TJ2 type shows a higher percentage of NH3 retention than TJ1 type for the same time. The odor panel results show that the control manure (untreated) has the highest odor intensity in all trails. In summary, it can be concluded that odor emission from animal waste can be effectively reduced using Juhira zeolitic tuffs

A new method for voice signal features creation

Digital audio is one of the most important types of data at present. It is used in several applications, such as human knowledge and many security and banking applications. A digital voice signal is usually of a large size where the acoustic signal consists of a set of values distributed in one column (one channel) (mono signal) or distributed in two columns (two channels) (stereo signal), these values usually are the results of sampling and quantization of the original analogue voice signal. In this paper we will introduce a method which can be used to create a signature or key, which can be used later to identify or recognize the wave file. The proposed method will be implemented and tested to show the accuracy and flexibility of this method

International multi-center study of iatrogenic retinal tears in pars plana vitrectomy

AIM: To study and compare the effect of different surgical settings on the development of iatrogenic retinal tears (IRT) in conventional (20-gauge) and microincisional vitrectomy. METHODS: An international retrospective comparative study of 394 patients who had simple vitrectomy at three tertiary centers. Surgeries were performed by four retina surgeons using different viewing systems. Two groups of eyes were compared: microincisional vitrectomy (327 eyes) and conventional (67 eyes) vitrectomy. An iatrogenic tear was defined as the occurrence of one or more peripheral retinal tears during surgery or at any visit in the first 6wk postoperatively. RESULTS: Mean age was 67+/-12y and 55% were female. Iatrogenic tears occurred in 11/394 (2.8%) of eyes. The rate of tears was similar among different surgeons and viewing systems (P=0.93 and P=0.76, respectively). Surgical indication, preexisting pseudophakia/aphakia, induction of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) during surgery, and the use triamcinolone acetonide didn\u27t significantly affect the rate of tears (P \u3e 0.1 for all factors). A higher rate of tears was found in the conventional group compared to the microincisional group (respectively, 7.5%, 1.8%, P=0.02). CONCLUSION: The rate of IRT in vitrectomy is not significantly affected by surgical indication, preexisting PVD or pseudophakia, or use of triamcinolone or different viewing systems but is significantly higher in conventional vitrectomy. Microincisional platforms improve the safety of vitrectomy regardless of the viewing system used

Geological and Engineering Properties of Granite Rocks from Aqaba Area

Abstract Jordanian granitic rocks (JG) are highly distributed and available in huge quantities in south Jordan, Aqaba area. Granite in south Jordan (JG) is belonging to Aqaba granite complex. This study has been carried out to investigate geological and engineering properties of JG from Aqaba vicinity, south Jordan, in addition to identify and classify the different granitic rocks. 27 random samples of JG were collected from different quarries in three locations from the study area to investigate their characterization. Engineering properties of JG were tested and investigated using ultra sonic velocity test, abrasion test, flexural strength, specific gravity test, and compressive strength test. Engineering tests results show that JG has metal disk abrasion less than 21 mm, flexural strength of 16.9 Mpa, average dry specific gravity of 2.69 and very low absorption while the compressive strength results range between 60 to 90 Mpa. The results show that the engineering characterization of JG is complying with local and international specifications and standards used for classifying the decorative and building granite stones

Silver colloidal nanoparticle stability: influence on Candida biofilms formed on denture acrylic

Our aim in this study was to evaluate how the chemical stability of silver nanoparticles (SNs) influences their efficacy against Candida albicans and C. glabrata biofilms. Several parameters of SN stability were tested, namely, temperature (50ºC, 70ºC, and 100ºC), pH (5.0 and 9.0), and time of contact (5 h and 24 h) with biofilms. The control was defined as SNs without temperature treatment, pH 7, and 24 h of contact. These colloidal suspensions at 54 mg/L were used to treat mature Candida biofilms (48 h) formed on acrylic. Their efficacy was determined by total biomass and colony-forming unit quantification. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance and the Bonferroni post hoc test (=0.05). The temperature and pH variations of SNs did not affect their efficacy against the viable cells of Candida biofilms (P > 0.05). Moreover, the treatment periods were not decisive in terms of the susceptibility of Candida biofilms to SNs. These findings provide an important advantage of SNs that may be useful in the treatment of Candida-associated denture stomatitis.We thank Dr David Williams, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, for providing the strain 324LA/94. The authors also thank Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, process 2009/15146-5), Brazil, for supporting the work of D. R. M. The authors are indebted to Laboratorio Interdisciplinar de Eletroquimica e Ceramica, Federal University of Sao Carlos, Brazil, in the name of Andressa Kubo, for preparing and characterizing the colloidal suspensions of silver nanoparticles

EFFECT OF INSULIN ON LPS-INDUCED INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN MOUSE COLON SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS IN VITRO

 Objective: The aim of the research is to determine the effect of supraphysiological doses of insulin on mouse colon smooth muscle cells (CSMCs) expression and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1α) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in vitro.Methods: Freshly isolated CSMCs from BALBc mice were cultured in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium and treated with various doses of insulin (0, 1, 5, 10, and 20 nM) for 48 h, with/without lipopolysaccharides (LPS; 1 ug/mL) to induce inflammation. The levels of IL-1α and TNF-α in the cell homogenates and conditioned media were measured using ELISA.Results: Insulin alone (1, 5, 10, and 20 nM) did not elicit a significant change in the expression or secretion of IL-1α or TNF-α form CSMCs; however, insulin (10 and 20 nM) significantly (p<0.05) increased the expression and secretion (~1.3–1.6-fold) of both IL-1α and TNF-α from CSMCs in the presence of inflammatory stimulus LPS when compared to LPS alone.Conclusion: This study highlights the role of hyperinsulinemia on CSMC inflammation and its potential role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) during obesity. Measures that prevent obesity may protect against the development of IBD since the worldwide incidence of both obesity and IBD is increasing in a parallel fashion

Glucagon-like peptide-1 exerts anti-inflammatory effects on mouse colon smooth muscle cells through the cyclic adenosine monophosphate/nuclear factor-κB pathway in vitro

Ahmed Al-Dwairi,1 Tamara E Alqudah,1 Othman Al-Shboul,1 Mohammad Alqudah,1 Ayman G Mustafa,2 Mahmoud A Alfaqih1 1Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan; 2Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan Background: Intestinal smooth muscle cells (SMCs) undergo substantial morphological, phenotypic, and contractile changes during inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). SMCs act as a source and target for different inflammatory mediators, however their role in IBD pathogenesis is usually overlooked. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone reported to exert multiple anti-inflammatory effects in different tissues including the gastrointestinal tract through various mechanisms. Aim: The aim of this research is to explore the effect of GLP-1 analog exendin-4 on the expression and secretion of inflammatory markers from mouse colon smooth muscle cells (CSMCs) after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Materials and methods: Freshly isolated CSMCs from male BALB/c mice were cultured in DMEM and treated with vehicle, LPS (1 µg/mL), LPS+exendin-4 (50 nM), or LPS+exendin-4 (100 nM) for 24 h. Expression of inflammatory cytokines was then evaluated by antibody array membrane. Results: CSMCs showed basal expression of several cytokines which was enhanced with the induction of inflammation by LPS. However, exendin-4 (50 and 100 nM) significantly (p<0.05) reduced the expression of multiple cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1α (IL-1α), T cell activation gene-3 (TCA-3), stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), and macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF). To confirm these results, expression of these cytokines was further assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and real-time polymerase chain reaction and similar results were also observed. Moreover, secretion of TNF-α and IL1-α into the conditioned media was significantly downregulated by exendin-4 when compared to LPS-treated cells. Furthermore, LPS increased NF-κB phosphorylation, while exendin-4 significantly reduced levels of NF-κB phosphorylation. Conclusion: These data indicate that GLP-1 analogs can exert significant anti-inflammatory effects on CSMCs and can potentially be used as an adjunct treatment for inflammatory bowel conditions. Keywords: GLP-1, inflammation, inflammatory bowel disease, smooth muscl