Investigating the performance of acetylated diethyl ether–Camelina sativa biodiesel as fuel in compression ignition engine

This research aims to test the suitability of a blend of Camelina sativa biodiesel and acetylated diethyl ether as fuel for compression ignition (CI) engines in terms of engine emission, performance, and combustion properties. A Kiloskar TV 1 diesel engine was used to test the fuel samples: Camelina sativa biodiesel (71% v/v) and dimethyl ether blend (29% v/v) (CD), Camelina sativa biodiesel (71% v/v), diethyl ether (20% v/v), and acetylene (9% v/v) (CDA), and conventional diesel. Based on the analyses, the CDA and CD gave higher BTEs of 4.8 and 3.7% than the diesel fuels. The heat release rates (HRRs) were higher than those recorded for the conventional diesel with a longer combustion duration for the blends. Moreover, the CDA fuel gave the lowest CO2, HC, CO, smoke, and NOx emissions. The resulting peak emissions for the blends are in the following increasing order: unburnt HC (CDA (97) < CD (105) < Diesel (110) < CB (111 g/kWh), NOx (CDA (176) < CD (208) < CB (392) < Diesel (500) g/kWh), and CO (CDA (284) < CD (301) < CB (520) < Diesel (541) g/kWh. The remarkable performance of the CDA fuel is due to the synergistic effect of the DEE acetylene in the biodiesel, which culminated in improved heat ratios, engine stability, air excess coefficient (lambda (λ) as well as moderate vibrations and noise

Non-invasive index of liver fibrosis induced by alcohol, thioacetamide and schistosomal infection in mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Non invasive approaches will likely be increasing utilized to assess liver fibrosis. This work provides a new non invasive index to predict liver fibrosis induced in mice.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fibrosis was generated by thioacetamide (TAA), chronic intake of ethanol, or infection with <it>S. mansoni </it>in 240 mice. Both progression and regression of fibrosis (after treatment with silymarin and/or praziquantel) were monitored. The following methods were employed: (i) The METAVIR system was utilized to grade and stage liver inflammation and fibosis; (ii) Determination of hepatic hydroxyproline and collagen; and (iii) Derivation of a new hepatic fibrosis index from the induced changes, and its prospective validation in a group of 70 mice.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The index is composed of 4 serum variable including total proteins, γ-GT, bilirubin and reduced glutathione (GSH), measured in diseased, treated and normal mice. These parameters were highly correlated with both the histological stage and the grade. They were combined in a logarithmic formula, which non-invasively scores the severity of liver fibrosis through a range (0 to 2), starting with healthy liver (corresponding to stage 0) to advanced fibrosis (corresponding stage 3).Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) for the accuracy of the index to predict the histological stages demonstrated that the areas under the curve (AUC) were 0.954, 0.979 and 0.99 for index values corresponding to histological stages 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Also, the index was correlated with stage and grade, (0.947 and 0.859, respectively). The cut off values that cover the range between stages 0-1, 1-2 and 2-3 are 0.4, 1.12 and 1.79, respectively. The results in the validation group confirmed the accuracy of the test. The AUROC was 0.869 and there was good correlation with the stage of fibrosis and grade of inflammation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The index fulfils the basic criteria of non-invasive marker of liver fibrosis since it is liver-specific, easy to implement, reliable, and inexpensive. It proved to be accurate in discriminating precirrhotic stages.</p

A Comparative Study of Cerium- and Ytterbium-Based GO/g-C3N4/Fe2O3 Composites for Electrochemical and Photocatalytic Applications

The design of sustainable and efficient materials for efficient energy storage and degradation of environmental pollutants (specifically organic dyes) is a matter of major interest these days. For this purpose, cerium- and ytterbium-based GO/g-C3N4/Fe2O3 composites have been synthesized to explore their properties, especially in charge storage devices such as supercapacitors, and also as photocatalysts for the degradation of carcinogenic dyes from the environment. Physicochemical studies have been carried out using XRD, FTIR, SEM, and BET techniques. Electrochemical techniques (cyclic voltammetry, galvanic charge discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) have been employed to measure super-capacitance and EDLC properties. Results show that the gravimetric capacitance calculated from GCD results is 219 Fg−1 for ytterbium- and 169 Fg−1 for cerium-based nanocomposites at the current density of 1 A/g and scan rate of 2 mV/sec. The specific capacitance calculated for the ytterbium-based nanocomposite is 189 Fg−1 as compared to 125 Fg−1 for the cerium-based material. EIS results pointed to an enhanced resistance offered by cerium-based nanocomposites as compared to that of ytterbium, which can be assumed with the difference in particle size, as confirmed from structural studies including XRD. From obtained results, ytterbium oxide-based GO/g-C3N4/Fe2O3 is proven to be a better electro-catalyst as compared to cerium-based nanocomposites. Photocatalytic results are also in agreement with electrochemical results, as the degradation efficiency of ytterbium oxide-based GO/g-C3N4/Fe2O3 (67.11 and 83.50% for rhodamine B and methylene blue dyes) surpasses values observed for cerium-based GO/g-C3N4/Fe2O3 (63.08 and 70.61%)

Assessing the Radiological Risks Associated with High Natural Radioactivity of Microgranitic Rocks: A Case Study in a Northeastern Desert of Egypt

This study aimed to evaluate the radiological hazards of uranium (238U), thorium (232Th), and potassium (40K) in microgranitic rocks from the southeastern part of Wadi Baroud, a northeastern desert of Egypt. The activity concentrations of the measured radionuclides were determined by using a gamma-ray spectrometer (NaI-Tl-activated detector). The mean (238U), (232Th), and (40K) concentrations in the studied rocks were found to be 3680.3, 3635.2, and 822.76 Bq/kg, respectively. The contents in these rocks were elevated, reaching up to 6.3 wt%. This indicated the alkaline nature of these rocks. The high ratios of Th/U in the mineralized rocks could be related to late magmatic mineralization, suggesting the ascent of late magmatic fluids through weak planes such as faults and the contact of these rocks with older granites. The present data were higher than those of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) guideline limits. All the radiological hazard results indicated high human health risks. This confirmed that this area is not radiologically safe, and care must be taken when working in this area. This study showed that the area under investigation had high U content suitable for uranium extraction that could be used in the nuclear fuel cycle. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.This work was supported by Taif University Researchers Supporting Project number (TURSP-2020/109), Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia. The authors would like to thank Mohamed Galal el Feky for help in collecting the samples and for access to the labs at the Nuclear Materials Authority, Egypt

Glass Fabrication Using Ceramic and Porcelain Recycled Waste and Lithium Niobate: Physical, Structural, Optical and Nuclear Radiation Attenuation Properties

The ceramic and porcelain industry in the Arab Republic of Egypt annually produces a huge amount of by-product waste. Public health is threatened by the accumulated ceramic and porcelain dust and crumbs. In this study, five different ceramic and porcelain waste samples were recycled in glass form of xLiNbO3-(40-x)Waste and investigated with different LiNbO3 contents of x = 8, 16, 20, 24, 32 wt.% for useful nuclear radiation shielding applications. The amorphous structure of prepared samples is assured with XRD analyses. The radiation protection features of the prepared samples were investigated experimentally and compared with theoretical calculations for photon energies in the range of 81–2614 KeV. Moreover, optical parameters of waste glasses such as absorption coefficient, skin depth, and extinction coefficient have been calculated. The radiation protection factors showed that the Waste32 sample with 32 wt.% LiNbO3 is the best shield out of the fabricated Waste-x samples. The insertion of ceramic and porcelain wastes in the glass system reached 32 wt.%. © 2021 The Author(s).This work was supported by Taif University Researchers Supporting Project number (TURSP-2020/109), Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia. The APC was covered by "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati, Romania

Experimental Design Modeling of the Effect of Hexagonal Wurtzite—ZnO Synthesis Conditions on Its Characteristics and Performance as a Cationic and Anionic Adsorbent

Surface composite design was used to study the effect of the ZnO synthesis conditions on its adsorption of methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB). The ZnO was prepared via hydrothermal treatment under different conditions including temperature (T), precursor concentration (C), pH, and reaction time (t). Models were built using four Design expert-11 software-based responses: the point of zero charge (pHzc), MO and MB removal efficiencies (RMO, RMB), MO and MB adsorption capacities (qMO, qMB), and hydrodynamic diameter of ZnO particles (Dh). ZnO was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV/VIS spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The formation of ZnO was confirmed by the XRD, UV, and FTIR spectra. Results showed a very high efficiency for most of the samples for adsorption of MB, and more than 90% removal efficiency was achieved by 8 samples among 33 samples. For MO, more than 90% removal efficiency was achieved by 2 samples among 33 samples. Overall, 26 of 31 samples showed higher MB adsorption capacity than that of MO. RMB was found to depend only on the synthesis temperature while RMO depends on temperature, pH, and reaction time. pHzc was found to be affected by the synthesis pH only while Dh depends on the synthesis pH and precursor concentration

Effect of alpha-tocopherol on tissue transglutaminase and reversibility of thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis in rats [Alfa-tokoferol'ün doku transglutaminazlar üzerine etkisi ve sıçanda tiyoasetamid uyarımlı geridönüşümlü karaciğer fibrozu]

Both experimental and clinical studies have suggested the association between the deposition and stabilization of the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, and the development of liver fibrosis. Tissue transglutaminase (tTG) is known to stabilize the ECM proteins by its crosslinking activity that may play a key role in the development of liver fibrosis. This work was designated to evaluate the curative and/or the protective effect of α-tocopherol in relation to the activity of tTG in liver fibrosis. To establish this goal the effects of α-tocopherol on oxidative stress (measured as malondialdehyde, MDA), liver fibrosis (evaluated histologically and as hepatic collagen), and the activity of tTG were investigated in liver fibrosis generated in rats by intraperitoneal injection (i.p.i.) of thioacetamide (TAA). The data showed that α-tocopherol, significantly decreased the level of hepatic malondialdehyde when it was administrated after or before TAA treatment (P 0.05, respectively). Although, TAA increased the tTG activity, α-tocopherol, variably lowered the enzyme activity when it was taken after, during or before TAA treatment. The histopathologic score of fibrosis was lower in rats treated with TAA then α-tocopherol compared with TAA only. The data suggest that TAA-induced liver fibrosis was reversed by α-tocopherol after the fibrotic inducer was eliminated. Also, α-tocopherol largely protects against the subsequent oxidative stress and liver fibrosis and slightly decrease the tTG activity after, during or before TAA treatment. The data indicate that, α-tocopherol functions as a potent fibrosuppressant and antioxidant, and may be a therapeutic choice