ADVANCED AMPLITUDE CENTERING AS AN INVIGORATING MANIPULATION FOR UNIFIED WAVELENGTH SPECTRAL RESOLUTION OF TERNARY MIXTURES

Objective: This work presented the novel spectrophotometric approach namely, advanced amplitude centering (AAC). The method was applied for the resolution of ternary mixtures with partially or completely overlapped spectra.Methods: Advanced amplitude centering was based on the determination of ternary mixtures using single divisor where the concentrations of the components are determined through progressive manipulation performed on the same ratio spectrum. The centered amplitude at unified wavelength was resolved and applied for the determination of three components with partially and severely overlapped spectra. The work discussed the applications and advantages of the novel univariate advanced amplitude centering compared to the chemometric model, partial least square (PLS).Results: The specificity of the proposed methods was checked using laboratory-prepared mixtures of amlodipine (AML), valsartan (VAL) and hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) and was successfully applied for the analysis of two pharmaceutical formulations. The validity of results was assessed by applying the standard addition technique.Conclusion: The results obtained were found to agree statistically with those obtained by a reported method, showing no significant difference with respect to accuracy and precision

A comparative study of validated spectrophotometric and TLC- spectrodensitometric methods for the determination of sodium cromoglicate and fluorometholone in ophthalmic solution

AbstractThe determination of sodium cromoglicate (SCG) and fluorometholone (FLU) in ophthalmic solution was developed by simple, sensitive and precise methods. Three spectrophotometric methods were applied: absorptivity factor (a-Factor method), absorption factor (AFM) and mean centering of ratio spectra (MCR). The linearity ranges of SCG were found to be (2.5–35μg/mL) for (a-Factor method) and (MCR); while for (AFM), it was found to be (7.5–50μg/mL). The linearity ranges of FLU were found to be (4–16μg/mL) for (a-Factor method) and (AFM); while for (MCR), it was found to be (2–16μg/mL). The mean percentage recoveries/RSD for SCG were found to be 100.31/0.90, 100.23/0.57 and 100.43/1.21; while for FLU, they were found to be 100.11/0.56, 99.97/0.35 and 99.94/0.88 using (a-Factor method), (AFM) and (MCR), respectively. A TLC-spectrodensitometric method was developed by separation of SCG and FLU on silica gel 60 F254 using chloroform:methanol:toluene:triethylamine in the ratio of (5:2:4:1v/v/v/v) as developing system, followed by spectrodensitometric measurement of the bands at 241nm. The linearity ranges and the mean percentage recoveries/RSD were found to be (0.4–4.4μg/band), 100.24/1.44 and (0.2–1.6μg/band), 99.95/1.50 for SCG and FLU, respectively. A comparative study was conducted between the proposed methods to discuss the advantage of each method. The suggested methods were validated in compliance with the ICH guidelines and were successfully applied for the determination of SCG and FLU in their laboratory prepared mixtures and commercial ophthalmic solution in the presence of benzalkonium chloride as a preservative. These methods could be an alternative to different HPLC techniques in quality control laboratories lacking the required facilities for those expensive techniques

Global Buckling Analysis of Tapered Steel Members with Nonsymmetric Sections via an Updated-Lagrangian Line-Element Formulation

With the advancement in manufacturing technology, fabricating nonsymmetric steel sections by cold-forming or robotic welding is feasible, enabling innovative structural forms of being more structurally efficient. Nevertheless, members with nonsymmetric sections usually experience complex behaviour such as torsional, flexural-torsional, and lateral-torsional buckling, complicating their buckling strength prediction. The line-element method is proven efficient and robust for the stability analysis of framed structures. This paper develops a new tapered line-element suiting for nonlinear elastic buckling analysis of steel structures comprising tapered members with nonsymmetric sections. The approximate prediction of the varied cross-sectional properties along the length via the tapered variability indexes shows more accurate results than the stepped-element representation approach. Extensive parametric studies are conducted for the geometric parameters of typical shapes of nonsymmetric sections. The element tangent stiffness matrix, compatible with the existing frame analysis programs, is derived via the total potential energy principle. Moreover, the numerical procedure of the proposed method via the Updated-Lagrangian (UL) approach is elaborated and validated through several benchmark examples generated by shell-finite elements. Finally, the practical application of the proposed method is explored. This paper provides a new line element for a nonlinear elastic analysis to examine global buckling behaviours that represent an initial basis for forthcoming nonlinear collapse simulations with imperfections that are the primary goals in future studies.The first author would like to acknowledge the financial support from the Competitive Research Projects, Postgraduate, Research, and Cultural Affairs Sector, Mansoura University, Egypt

Modeling and control of a voltage-lift cell split-source inverter with MPPT for photovoltaic systems

In this study, a new single-stage inverter with improved boosting performance was proposed to enhance the recently developed split-source inverter (SSI) topology. The study introduced new SSI configurations with high voltage gain. The proposed design features a voltage-lift cell made of capacitors, inductors, and diodes, which increases the boosting capability. The decoupled control technique, where The DC input current is controlled by the AC modulation signals,allows for independent adjustment of both the DC input and AC output current. The research also employed a modified space vector modulation approach to manage the inverter switches and reduce current ripple. The combination of the proposed topology and the modified SVPWM scheme significantly improves the DC-boosting capabilities. the validity of the proposed solution was confirmed through simulation using three-phase SSI models in MATLAB/SIMULINK®. Finally, The validity of the simulation and experimental investigation of the analysis and performance of the topologies provided

Immobilization of glucose isomerase onto radiation synthesized P(AA-co-AMPS) hydrogel and its application

AbstractIsomerization of glucose to fructose was carried out using Glucose isomerase (GI) that immobilized by entrapment into Poly(acrylic acid) P(AA) and Poly(acrylic acid-co-2-Acrylamido 2-methyl Propane sulfonic acid) P(AA-co-AMPS) polymer networks, the enzyme carriers were prepared by radiation induced copolymerization in the presence of (Methylene-bisacrylamide) (MBAA) as a crosslinking agent. The maximum gel fraction of pure P(AA) and P(AA-co-AMPS) hydrogel was found to be 95.2% and 89.6% for P(AA) and P(AA-co-AMPS), respectively at a total dose of 20 kGy. Effects of immobilization conditions such as radiation dose, MBAA concentration, comonomer composition and amount of GI were investigated. The influence of reaction conditions on the activity of immobilized GI were studied, the optimum pH value of the reaction solution is 7.5 and reaction temperature is 65 °C. The immobilized GI into P(AA-co-AMPS) and P(AA) polymer networks retained 81% and 69%, respectively of its initial activity after recycled for 15 times while it retained 87% and 71%, respectively of its initial activity after stored at 4 °C for 48 days. The Km values of free and immobilized GI onto P(AA-co-AMPS) and onto P(AA) matrices were found to be 34, 29.2 and 14.5 mg/mL, respectively while the Vmax Values calculated to be 3.87, 1.6 and 0.79 mg/mLmin, respectively. GI entrapped into P(AA-co-AMPS) hydrogel show promising behavior that may be useful as the newly glucose isomerase reactor in biomedical applications

The Accuracy Degree of CFD Turbulence Models for Butterfly Valve Flow Coefficient Prediction

Abstract Although engineers are mainly interested in the prediction of mean flow behavior, the turbulence cannot be ignored, because the fluctuations give rise to the extra Reynolds stresses on the mean flow. These extra stresses must be modeled in commercial CFD by selecting convenient turbulence model. The flow inside the control valve is complex and the control valves performance is precisely evaluated by determining the valve coefficient named, flow coefficient. Hence, aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of turbulence model type on the solution accuracy for the valve disk angles 40° and 60° as well as to implement the degree of agreement between experimental and numerical results. The numerical verification has been investigated by FLUENT 6.3 and the valve is meshed by GAMBIT 2. The mesh independent test has been carried out only by standard k-ε to evaluate the mesh effectiveness and attain the best accuracy. Among from these several turbulence models which have been studied here are standard k-ε, realized k-ε, k-ω, and RSM. Butterfly valve, STC model and (DN 50) diameter is chosen to be the test specimen in this research. The results showed that, there is no general turbulent model that can deal successfully with all cases. Numerical and experimental results are in general in good agreement, however are different in details, and showed that, RSM model is the most efficient numerical solver when applied to butterfly valve flow coefficient evaluation. For the future, a significant amount of work still needs to be undertaken in experimental unsteady butterfly valve flow analysis with RSM numerical model

Ultrasonographic evaluation of fetal lung histogram versus lamellar body count in the prediction of fetal lung maturity

Objective: The current study aims to compare the ultrasonographic evaluation of fetal lung Gray-level histogram width (GLHW) ratio with an amniotic fluid lamellar body count (LBC) in the prediction of fetal lung maturity. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary University Hospital in the period between May 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018. The study included pregnant women with a single fetus at ≥37 weeks of gestation scheduled for delivery by elective cesarean section (CS). Ultrasound evaluation was performed for assessment of the fetal lung to liver GLHW ratio to predict lung maturity. Lamellar body count was determined from an amniotic fluid sample obtained via amniotomy during CS. The lamellar body count for this sample was measured using a hematology analyzer. These data were further compared to Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes after delivery to assess the condition of the newborn immediately after birth, the degree of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and the need for resuscitation. Results: One hundred twenty women and their neonates were included in the study. There was a statistically significant decrease in the levels of both GLHW and LBC among those neonates that showed distressed respiration after Apgar testing as compared with those who did not show similar distress, with p-value <0.001. The Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (ROC) for LBC levels in the prediction of respiratory distress shows the best cutoff point for LBC was found at ≤20214/μL with a sensitivity of 100.0%, specificity of 75.47% and area under the curve (AUC) of 88.4%. The ROC curve for GLWH levels in the prediction of respiratory distress shows the best cutoff point for GLWH was found at ≤0.93 with sensitivity of 100.0%, specificity of 84.91% and AUC of 97.1%. Conclusions: Ultrasonographic evaluation of GLHW of the fetal lung and liver is a non-invasive, inexpensive and time-efficient test for prediction of fetal lung maturity that has higher sensitivity and specificity

Human Treated Dentin Matrix Hydrogel as a Drug Delivery Scaffold for Regenerative Endodontics

Introduction: The objective of the current study was to develop a human treated dentin matrix (hTDM) hydrogel for use as a scaffold to allow the controlled release of an antimicrobial agent for regenerative endodontics. Materials and Methods: Human extracted teeth were treated via chemical demineralization using ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid solution to produce hTDM powder. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was conducted to determine the functional groups of hTDM, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to define the morphology/particle size of hTDM, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis was performed to identify the superficial apatite groups. Prepared hTDM powder was added to the amoxicillin-clavulanate mixture with a mass ratio of 1:1. Then, the combination was dripped into a 5% (w/v) calcium chloride solution. Antibiotic release profiles were evaluated for 14 days via high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Hydrogel degradation properties were studied for 14 days using 10 mL of phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Encapsulation efficiency was determined by HPLC, while minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of amoxicillin-clavulanate were determined against Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis). The antibacterial activity of amoxicillin-clavulanate against E. faecalis was investigated for 14 days via agar diffusion test. Statistical analysis was performed with the Shapiro-Wilk test (P=0.05). Results: hTDM showed statistically a significant difference for percentage weight change (P=0.1). The encapsulation efficiencies for hTDM hydrogel with antibiotic and hydrogel with antibiotic was 96.08%±0.02 and 94.62%±0.11, respectively. MIC and MBC values of amoxicillin-clavulanate against E. faecalis were 2.4 µg/mL and 9.6 µg/mL, respectively. The antibacterial activity of antibiotic loaded hTDM hydrogels was significantly greater than loaded hydrogels alone by 31% after 4 and 100% at 14 days, respectively (P≤0.001). Conclusions: This in vitro study showed antibiotic-loaded injectable hTDM hydrogel could be an alternative system to transfer antibiotic-based intracanal medicaments for use in regenerative endodontics

Mathematical Description of the Change in Properties of Casuarina Wood Upon Exposure to Gamma Radiation. 1. Changes in the Compressive and Tensile Strength

Casuarina cunninghamiana specimens were exposed to gamma-radiation doses ranging from 104 to 108 rad and tested in compression and tension parallel to grain. The percentage values of the irradiated specimens relative to that of the matched control (Y) were determined. The relationship between (Y) and log gamma radiation dose (X) was represented mathematically by the equation: Y = aXbcx. This equation described the change in compressive and tensile strength very well as was detected from the high correlation coefficients. Generally these properties increased slightly at low levels of radiation, reached a maximum, then decreased gradually thereafter. The reduction in tensile strength was more pronounced than in compressive strength.The threshold dose, i.e., the dose beyond which the properties began to decrease, was calculated. This dose ranged from 3.69 x 106 to 3.76 x 106 rad for compressive strength properties and from 1.51 x 106 to 1.70 x 106 rad for tensile strength properties. This indicated that irradiated casuarina wood had a greater resistance to compression than to tension