Bio-Waste Aloe vera Leaves as an efficient adsorbent for Titan Yellow from Wastewater: Structuring of a novel adsorbent using Plackett-Burman factorial design

Titan yellow (TY), a triazene azo dye, was removed from contaminated wastewater samples using a green adsorbent recycled from Aloe vera leaves (AV) waste. Two adsorbents were developed-air-dried Aloe vera (ADAV) and thermally treated Aloe vera (TTAV). Adsorption efficacy of both adsorbents was assessed in terms of percent removal (%R) of TY and adsorption capacity (qe). ADAV had a better performance compared to TTAV. Plackett-Burman design (PBD) was exploited to establish the experimental pattern of the study. Four variables were studied: pH, adsorbent dose (AD), dye concentration (DC), and stirring time (ST). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 95.0 confidence interval (CI), control, and quality charts helped establish regression model(s). Characterization of both adsorbents was performed using FT-IR/Raman spectroscopy together with TGA/dTGA and SEM/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses. Textural properties were determined using nitrogen adsorption isotherms at 77 K. Results showed that the surface areas of ADAV and TTAV300 were 3.940 and 7.076 m2/g, respectively. Raman analysis showed that the TTAV had clear Dand G-bands. Equilibrium studies revealed that data were well fitted to Freundlich isotherm with a maximum adsorption capacity of 55.25 mg/g using Langmuir equation, and the adsorption was physisorption. Adsorption followed a pseudo-second order that occurred in two steps-diffusion and then adsorption. - 2019 by the authors.The project members would like to extend their special thanks to the Central Lab Unit (CLU) at the Qatar University. This work was made possible by Qatar University Internal Student Grant [QUST-2-CAS-2019-18] from Qatar University. The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. The publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National LibraryScopu

Comparison of Fusarium head blight resistance in cytoplasmic male sterile, maintainer and restorer lines in winter wheat

Fusarium head blight (FHB, caused by Fusarium graminearum) is a severe disease which threatens the yield and quality of harvested grain products, and hence causes major economic losses in wheat (Triticum spp.) and other small grain cereals. One of the infection routes for the pathogen is believed to be through the extruded anther. In order to study the role of the anther on FHB infection, FHB resistance was measured among wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars with non-extruded infertile anthers in cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines and with extruded fertile anthers in their alloplasmic maintainer lines, and in an unrelated restorer line. We artificially inoculated the lines with F. graminearum (isolate NE 90) at 1.0 × 105 or 2.0 × 105 spores mL−1 for 72 or 96 hours. The results indicated that CMS cultivars were significantly more resistant than the maintainer and restorer cultivars. As the CMS lines differed from the maintainer lines by cytoplasm, anther health, anther extrusion, and seed set, additional experiments are needed to determine the role of each factor in infection. However, this research indicates that fertile anthers most likely are an important part of the infection pathway and of susceptibility to FHB

Statistics and geometry of cosmic voids

We introduce new statistical methods for the study of cosmic voids, focusing on the statistics of largest size voids. We distinguish three different types of distributions of voids, namely, Poisson-like, lognormal-like and Pareto-like distributions. The last two distributions are connected with two types of fractal geometry of the matter distribution. Scaling voids with Pareto distribution appear in fractal distributions with box-counting dimension smaller than three (its maximum value), whereas the lognormal void distribution corresponds to multifractals with box-counting dimension equal to three. Moreover, voids of the former type persist in the continuum limit, namely, as the number density of observable objects grows, giving rise to lacunar fractals, whereas voids of the latter type disappear in the continuum limit, giving rise to non-lacunar (multi)fractals. We propose both lacunar and non-lacunar multifractal models of the cosmic web structure of the Universe. A non-lacunar multifractal model is supported by current galaxy surveys as well as cosmological $N$-body simulations. This model suggests, in particular, that small dark matter halos and, arguably, faint galaxies are present in cosmic voids.Comment: 39 pages, 8 EPS figures, supersedes arXiv:0802.038

Adsorption of Pb(II) from aqueous solution using alkaline-treated natural zeolite: Process optimization analysis

Alkaline-treated natural zeolite was prepared by sodium hydroxide treatment of natural zeolite and applied in the adsorption of Pb(II). The response surface methodology (RSM) analysis was conducted under manipulated variables of initial concentration (X1 = 50–400 mg/L), pH (X2 = 2–10), and adsorbent dosage (X3 = 0.5–5.0 g/L). The optimal condition was attained at X1 = 240 mg/L, X2 = 6, and X3 = 1.07 g/L, with Pb(II) removal of 60.75 %. The characterization of alkaline-treated natural zeolite of fresh and spent confirmed the adsorption of Pb(II) onto alkaline-treated natural zeolite. The reusability and regeneration experiments revealed the ability of the alkaline-treated natural zeolite in multiple cycles of the adsorption process. This study proved that alkaline-treated natural zeolite could be an alternative low-cost adsorbent for wastewater treatment containing Pb(II)

Holographic Renormalization of Foliation Preserving Gravity and Trace Anomaly

From the holographic renormalizationg group viewpoint, while the scale transformation plays a primary role in the duality by providing the extra dimension, the special conformal transformation seems to only play a secondary role. We, however, claim that the space-time diffeomorphism is crucially related to the latter. For its demonstration, we study the holographic renormalization group flow of a foliation preserving diffeomophic theory of gravity (a.k.a. space-time flipped Horava gravity). We find that the dual field theory, if any, is only scale invariant but not conformal invariant. In particular, we show that the holographic trace anomaly in four-dimension predicts the Ricci scalar squared term that would be incompatible with the Wess-Zumino consistency condition if it were conformal. This illustrates how the foliation preserving diffeomophic theory of gravity could be inconsistent with a theorem of the dual unitary quantum field theory.Comment: 18 pages, v2: reference added, v3: comments on more recent literature added in response to referee's reques

Characterization of microaneurysm closure after focal laser photocoagulation in diabetic macular edema

Purpose: To characterize microaneurysm closure following focal laser photocoagulation in diabetic macular edema (DME) using simultaneous fluorescein angiography (FA) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Design: Retrospective observational case series. Methods: Leaking microaneurysms (n\ua0= 123) were analyzed in eyes (n\ua0= 29) with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) that underwent navigated focal laser photocoagulation in DME and were followed at 3, 6, and 12\ua0months. Closure of diabetic microaneurysms was characterized in detail following focal laser using SD-OCT. Results: Closure rate of microaneurysms by both FA and SD-OCT was 69.9% (84/123), 79.7% (98/123), and 82.9% (102/123) at 3, 6, and 12\ua0months, respectively. Microaneurysm closure rate increased at 6 and 12\ua0months compared to 3\ua0months (P < .003, P < .001). Over half of closed microaneurysms (45/86, 52.3%) left hyperreflective spots while the remaining half (41/86, 47.7%) disappeared without any hyperreflectivity by SD-OCT at 3\ua0months. Hyperreflective spots decreased at 6 (36/99, 36.4%) and 12\ua0months (17/102, 16.7%) with a concomitant increase in complete loss of reflectivity at 6 (63/99, 63.6%) and 12\ua0months (85/102, 83.3%). Smaller outer and inner diameters and heterogeneous lumen reflectivity were positively associated with microaneurysm closure at 12\ua0months (P < .0001, P < .001, P < .03). Conclusions: Characterization of microaneurysms following focal laser photocoagulation resulted in hyperreflective spots and complete resolution of all reflectivity using SD-OCT. Smaller microaneurysms and those with heterogeneous lumen were positively associated with microaneurysm closure. These findings provide greater understanding of localized retinal changes following focal laser photocoagulation in DME treatment

A study of backward going pp and π−\pi^{-} in νμCC\nu_{\mu}CC interactions with the NOMAD detector

Backward proton and $\pi^-$ production has been studied in $\nu_{\mu}CC$ interactions with carbon nuclei. Detailed analyses of the momentum distributions, of the production rates, and of the general features of events with a backward going particle, have been carried out in order to understand the mechanism producing these particles. The backward proton data have been compared with the predictions of the reinteraction and the short range correlation models.Comment: 29 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Nucl. Phys.

Measurement of W Polarisation at LEP

The three different helicity states of W bosons produced in the reaction e+ e- -> W+ W- -> l nu q q~ at LEP are studied using leptonic and hadronic W decays. Data at centre-of-mass energies \sqrt s = 183-209 GeV are used to measure the polarisation of W bosons, and its dependence on the W boson production angle. The fraction of longitudinally polarised W bosons is measured to be 0.218 \pm 0.027 \pm 0.016 where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic, in agreement with the Standard Model expectation

Search for Anomalous Couplings in the Higgs Sector at LEP

Anomalous couplings of the Higgs boson are searched for through the processes e^+ e^- -> H gamma, e^+ e^- -> e^+ e^- H and e^+ e^- -> HZ. The mass range 70 GeV < m_H < 190 GeV is explored using 602 pb^-1 of integrated luminosity collected with the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies sqrt(s)=189-209 GeV. The Higgs decay channels H -> ffbar, H -> gamma gamma, H -> Z\gamma and H -> WW^(*) are considered and no evidence is found for anomalous Higgs production or decay. Limits on the anomalous couplings d, db, Delta(g1z), Delta(kappa_gamma) and xi^2 are derived as well as limits on the H -> gamma gamma and H -> Z gamma decay rates