Preparation and characterization of mixed matrix membrane based on Polysulfone (PSF) and Lanthanum Orthoferrite (LaFeO3) for gas separation

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of polysulfone (PSF) and lanthanum orthoferrite (LaFeO3) incorporated mixed matrix membrane (MMM) on gas permeation and selectivity properties. PSF/LaFeO3 MMMs were prepared with various weights loading of LaFeO3. The membranes obtained were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier-transform infra-red (FT-IR). The gas transport properties of MMM were measured using single gas permeation set up (CO2, CH4, O2 and N2) at ambient temperature, and feed pressure of 2, 4 and 6 bar. The permeation test showed that the mixed matrix membrane exhibited high permeability. With increasing LaFeO3 weight loading to 1.0%, the highest permeability values were 47.74 GPU for CO2, 29.85 GPU for CH4, 57.56 GPU for O2, and 40.66 GPU for N2. The results also showed that by incorporating 1.0wt% of LaFeO3 into PSF matrix, the highest CO2/CH4 and O2/N2 selectivity of 1.60 and 1.42 respectively were obtained. Overall, all the resultants MMM showed higher permeability and selectivity compared to pure PSF membrane

Aging changes of the testis in albino rat: light, electron microscopic, morphometric, immunohistochemical and biochemical study

Background: Aging has a deleterious effect on the morphology of the male reproductive system which might, in turn, lead to changes in spermatogenesis and consequently, decrease in both quality and quantity of spermatozoa. Materials and methods: The present study elucidated the histological and ultrastructural changes of testes of adult albino rats during aging and applied morphometric measures to obtain quantitative data for these changes. The oxidative and antioxidative markers of aged testes were also assessed. Results: The results documented the presence of age-related regressive structural changes of the testis accompanied with an increase in the apoptosis and a decrease in the proliferative capacity. Conclusions: The biochemical results gave evidence of an imbalance between the oxidative damage and the antioxidant defence indicating increased oxidative stress of aged testis

Onset of uncontrolled polytypism during the Au-catalyzed growth of wurtzite GaAs nanowires

The optoelectronic properties of a semiconductor are determined by the combination of its elemental composition and the crystal structure. The vapor-liquid-solid nanowire growth mechanism offers the controlled epitaxy of the zinc-blende and wurtzite polytype for a number of semiconductors. Long, thin, and phase-pure wurtzite GaAs nanowires are desirable as epitaxial templates for the growth of hexagonal SiGe shells, but the growth of such nanowires remains a challenge. Here, we study the growth of wurtzite GaAs nanowires and find a diameter dependent critical length beyond which the crystal phase becomes mixed. The onset of uncontrolled polytypism is modeled with a small contribution of As diffusion during growth. Due to this increased supply of As during prolonged growth, Ga is depleted from the liquid catalyst, thereby decreasing the contact angle. We investigate possible pathways of As through diffusion on the facets and edges of the nanowire, and from the scaling of the critical length we deduce that edge diffusion has an important contribution. This study offers new insights for realizing long, phase-pure wurtzite GaAs nanowires with high aspect ratio.</p

Automatic urinary bladder detection from medical computed tomography scans using convolutional neural network

This paper introduces a system for detecting and evaluating an algorithm that segments the urinary bladder in medical images obtained from contrast-less computed tomography (CT) scans of patients with bladder tumors. Multiple segmentation methods are needed in situations where tumors in the bladder cause structural changes that appear as irregularities in images, complicating the slicing process. The segmentation process begins with viewing the urinary bladder DICOM in three different perspectives, and then enhancing the image to expand the dataset. Next, the areas of the urinary bladder are pinpointed, with the urinary bladder dataset being split into 70% for training and 30% for testing to distinguish it from the nearby tissues, organs, and bones. The suggested system was evaluated on eight 3D CT images obtained from the cancer imaging archive (TCIA). Results from the experiment show that the designed system is effective in identifying and delineating the urinary bladder

Probing Lattice Dynamics and Electronic Resonances in Hexagonal Ge and SixGe1-x Alloys in Nanowires by Raman Spectroscopy

Recent advances in nanowire synthesis have enabled the realization of crystal phases that in bulk are attainable only under extreme conditions, i . e ., high temperature and/or high pressure. For group IV semiconductors this means access to hexagonal-phase Si x Ge 1- x nanostructures (with a 2H type of symmetry), which are predicted to have a direct band gap for x up to 0.5-0.6 and would allow the realization of easily processable optoelectronic devices. Exploiting the quasi-perfect lattice matching between GaAs and Ge, we synthesized hexagonal-phase GaAs-Ge and GaAs-Si x Ge 1- x core-shell nanowires with x up to 0.59. By combining position-, polarization-, and excitation wavelength-dependent μ-Raman spectroscopy studies with first-principles calculations, we explore the full lattice dynamics of these materials. In particular, by obtaining frequency-composition calibration curves for the phonon modes, investigating the dependence of the phononic modes on the position along the nanowire, and exploiting resonant Raman conditions to unveil the coupling between lattice vibrations and electronic transitions, we lay the grounds for a deep understanding of the phononic properties of 2H-Si x Ge 1- x nanostructured alloys and of their relationship with crystal quality, chemical composition, and electronic band structure

THE ROLE OF HUMIC AND AMINO ACIDS IN IMPROVING GROWTH AND QUALITY OF PASPALUM TURF

A field experiment was conducted at the nursery of Hort. Res. Inst., ARC., Giza, Egypt during 2014 and 2015 seasons to study the effect of spraying with humic acid at 0, 5 and 10 ml/l and adding mixture of amino acids as soil drench at 0, 1 and 2 g/pot individually or in combinations on growth, covering rate (%) and chemical composition of seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum, Swartz.) plants grown in 40-cm-diameter plastic pots filled with sand medium.The obtained results showed that all treatments caused improvement in plant height, covering rate, number of plants/pot and herb fresh and dry weights compared with control, also, chemical results of chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids content in the leaves and total sugars content in the herb. The best treatments used resulted from the combining between humic acid at 10 ml/l and mixture of amino acids at 2 g/pot which recorded the highest means.Hence, in order to get the best growth and quality of paspalum plants, it could be recommended to spray with humic acid at 10 ml/l and adding a mixture of amino acids as soil drench at 2 g/pot six times with one month interval

ZOONOTIC AND HISTO-PATHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF VARIOUS TOXOPLASMA GONDII STRAINS IN FEMALE RATS

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most opportunistic zoonotic protozoan, typifying three virulent types; I, II, and III; with possible characteristic pathological and serological aspects, showing zoonotic and reproductive impact. The present investigation dealt with the concept, and focused on studying the susceptibility of female rats to cerebral and uterine toxoplasmosis, with reference to diversity of T. gondii virulent types through histo-pathological and serological assays. Materials and Methods: A total of thirty pathogen free Sprague-Dawley female rats were used for the study. They were divided into two main groups (acute and chronic) groups: Both were further subdivided into three additional subgroups in correspondence with the three T. gondii types; I, II and III (local isolates) strains. ELISA IgM / IgG as well as pathological investigations of visceral organs; brain and muscles were done prior to 7 days post Inoculation. (DPI) and 35 DPI, represent the acute and chronic stages respectively. Results: The results revealed that type I possess, a higher percentage for inducing cerebral and uterine toxoplasmosis in addition to higher elevation of both parasite load and immunoglobulin titers; while cystogenic types II and III showed lower values. Conclusion: It could be concluded that; successful recognition of cerebral and uterine toxoplasmosis were sequential to the three T. gondii virulent types, and reflects the possible match of pathological and serological alters with humans at similar circumstance