Facies analysis, glauconite distribution and sequence stratigraphy of the middle Eocene Qarara Formation, El-Minya area, Egypt

AbstractThe Qarara Formation consists mainly of shale at the base and overlain by limestone at the top. The formation is Middle Eocene (Lutetian) in age. Three sections located at the eastern bank of the Nile River in El-Minya Province have been measured, described, and sampled. These sections from north to south are: Gebel Qarara, El-Sheikh Fadl, and Gebel El-Ahmar.The main microfacies identified in the studied sections are: silty claystone, silty shale, fossiliferous glauconite, glauconitic (green) sand, glauconitic fossiliferous ironstone, glauconitic bioclastic wacke-packstone, glauconitic bioclastic lime-mudstone-wackestone. These microfacies have been deposited in shallow open marine environment.Collectively the studied rocks contain two principal facies: lower argillaceous facies and upper carbonate facies that separated by glauconitic fossiliferous ironstone bed. The lower argillaceous part represents highstand systems tract (HST), whereas the upper carbonate part represents transgressive systems tract (TST). The glauconitic fossiliferous ironstone bed is recognized as a sequence boundary (SB)

Towards an Adaptive Design of Quality, Productivity and Economic Aspects When Machining AISI 4340 Steel With Wiper Inserts

The continuous pursue of sustainable manufacturing is motivating the utilization of new advanced technology, especially for hard to cut materials. In this study, an adaptive approach for optimization of machining process of AISI 4340 using wiper inserts is proposed. This approach is based on advance yet intuitive modeling and optimization techniques. The approach is based on Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA), as well as Linear Programming Techniques for Multidimensional Analysis of Preference (LINMAP), for modeling, optimization and multi-criteria decision making respectively. This integrated approach, to best of the authors’ knowledge, has been deployed for the first time to adaptively serve different designs of manufacturing processes. Such designs have different orientations, namely cost, quality, productivity, and balanced orientation. The capability of the proposed approach to serving such diverse requirements answers one of the most accelerating demands in the manufacturing community due to the dynamics of the uprising smart production lines. Besides, the proposed approach is presented in a straightforward manner that can be extended easily to other design orientations as well as other engineering applications. Based on the proposed design, a balanced general setting of 197.4 m/min, 0.95 mm, and 0.168 mm/rev was recommended along with other settings for more sophisticated requirements. Confirmatory experiments showed a good agreement (i.e., no more than 7% deviation) with the predicted optimum responses. This shows the validity of the proposed approach as a viable tool for designers to promote holistic and sustainable process design

Efficacy and Safety of Topical Tranexamic Acid Alone or in Combination with Either Fractional Carbon Dioxide Laser or Microneedling for the Treatment of Melasma

Introduction: Tranexamic acid (TXA) is a promising treatment modality for melasma. Microneedling (MN) and fractional carbon dioxide (CO2) laser were reported to enhance TXA transepidermal delivery. Objectives: To compare efficacy and safety of topical TXA alone or in combination with either fractional CO2 laser or MN for treatment of melasma. Methods: Thirty females with facial melasma were divided randomly into 3 equal groups after excluding pregnant and lactating women and those using oral contraceptives or other hormonal therapy. Patients of group A were treated with fractional CO2 laser and those of group B were treated with MN (4 sessions, 3 weeks apart for both) with immediate topical application of TXA 5% solution after sessions and daily application of 5% TXA cream for both groups. Patients of group C were treated by topical daily application of TXA 5% cream. Evaluation was done by modified melasma area and severity index scores (mMASI), patient satisfaction and dermoscopy. Results: Statistically significant improvement of mMASI was reported in all studied groups with a significantly better improvement in patients of groups A and B than those of group C, meanwhile the difference between groups A and B was statistically insignificant. Conclusions: Topical TXA is a safe and fairly effective treatment modality for facial melasma. Combining TXA with either fractional CO2 laser or MN yielded significantly better improvement than when used alone. Fractional CO2 laser carries the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in patients with skin types III and IV and requires meticulous patient selection

Chemical studies of chromanone-thiadiazole, pyridazine and thiosulfin hybrid

3-Chlorochromanon derivatives 4a,b are reacted with hydrazine hydrate to afford 3-hydrazino-2-tetrahydro(pyran or thiopyran)chroman-4-ones 5a,b. Then compound 5a,b is reacted with carbon disulfide and acetylacetone to give 5'-thiolo - 2-tetrahydro(pyrane or thiopyran)- spiro[chroman-3,2'- [1,3,4]-thiadiazole]-4-one 6a,b and 3', 5'-dimethyl- 2-tetrahydro(pyran or thiopyran) spiro [chroman-3,2'- piprazine]-4-one 7a,b, respectively. α-Chlorosulfenyl chlorides 2a,b are treated with thioacetic acid to form α-chloroalkyl disulfides 8a,b, the latter compounds 8a,b were treated with morpholine to furnish a mixture of 1,3,4-oxadithiins 9a,b, 1,3,4,5,6-oxatetrathiocins 10a,b, 1,2,4-trithiolanes 11a,b (cis- and trans-), 1,2,4,5-tetrathiins (cis- and trans-) 12a,b. The formation of the new compounds are confirmed by spectral (IR, 1H NMR, and MS) analysis

Topical Oxybutynin 3% Gel versus Aluminum Chloride 15% Lotion in Treatment of Primary Focal Hyperhidrosis

Introduction: Hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating beyond thermoregulatory needs. It is a potentially disabling condition with challenging management. Aluminum chloride is the established topical treatment; however, response remains unsatisfactory. Oxybutynin is an anticholinergic drug that stands as a therapeutic chance for hyperhidrosis. Objectives: comparing the efficacy of topical oxybutynin 3% gel versus aluminum chloride 15% lotion in treatment of primary focal hyperhidrosis. Methods: Forty patients with hyperhidrosis were randomly distributed into 2 equal groups treated by either topical oxybutynin 3% gel or topical aluminum chloride 15% lotion once daily night application for 4 weeks (both groups). Evaluation was done at 2 and 4 weeks of treatment and after 1 month of the end of treatment for follow up by Minor iodine starch test, hyperhidrosis disease severity scale (HDSS) and dermatology life quality index (DLQI). Results: Both treatment modalities were effective with insignificant differences between patients of both groups regarding improvement in Minor iodine starch test and HDSS after 2 weeks of treatment (P = 0.561, 0.33 respectively). Oxybutynin 3% gel yielded significantly better improvement of Minor’s test, HDSS and patient’s quality of life at the end of 4 weeks of treatment with lower recurrence rate than aluminum chloride 15% lotion at 1 month follow up. Minimal adverse effects were noted in both studied groups. Conclusions: Oxybutynin 3% gel could be considered as a promising treatment modality for hyperhidrosis with higher efficacy than aluminum chloride 15% lotion and lower recurrence rate

Conserved peptides within the E2 region of Hepatitis C virus induce humoral and cellular responses in goats

The reason(s) why human antibodies raised against hepatitis C virus (HCV) E2 epitopes do not offer protection against multiple viral infections may be related to either genetic variations among viral strains particularly within the hypervariable region-1 (HVR-1), low titers of anti E2 antibodies or interference of non neutralizing antibodies with the function of neutralizing antibodies. This study was designed to assess the immunogenic properties of genetically conserved peptides derived from the C-terminal region of HVR-1 as potential therapeutic and/or prophylactic vaccines against HCV infection. Goats immunized with E2-conserved synthetic peptides termed p36 (a.a 430–446), p37(a.a 517–531) and p38 (a.a 412–419) generated high titers of anti-p36, anti-p37 and anti-P38 antibody responses of which only anti- p37 and anti- p38 were neutralizing to HCV particles in sera from patients infected predominantly with genotype 4a. On the other hand anti-p36 exhibited weak viral neutralization capacity on the same samples. Animals super-immunized with single epitopes generated 2 to 4.5 fold higher titers than similar antibodies produced in chronic HCV patients. Also the studied peptides elicited approximately 3 fold increase in cell proliferation of specific antibody-secreting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from immunized goats. These results indicate that, besides E1 derived peptide p35 (a.a 315–323) described previously by this laboratory, E2 conserved peptides p37 and p38 represent essential components of a candidate peptide vaccine against HCV infection

Synthesis and pharmacological activities of some condensed 4-chloro-2,2-dialkyl chromene-3-carbaldehyde derivatives

Novi hidrazono- 5a,b, tiosemikarbazono- 6a-c i oksimo kromeni 7a-c sintetizirani su iz odgovarajućeg β-klorkarbaldehida 3 i hidrazina, aromatskog hidrazina, tiosemikarbazida ili hidroksilamin hidroklorida, dok su eterski derivati 8a-h pripremljeni iz pripadajućih aldoksima 7a-c. Novi spojevi ispitani su na protuupalno i ulcerogeno djelovanje, a njihovo djelovanje uspoređeno je s djelovanjem indometacina.Some new hydrazono- 5a,b, thiosemicarbazono- 6a-c, and oximo chromenes 7a-c were prepared via the reaction of the corresponding β-chlorocarbaldehyde 3 with hydrazine, aromatic hydrazine, thiosemicarbazide and hydroxylamine hydrochloride, respectively. In addition, ether derivatives 8a-h were prepared from the corresponding aldoximes 7a-c. The new products were tested for anti-inflammatory and ulcerogenic score activities compared to indomethacin

Derivatization and biological activity studies of 3-chloro-3-chlorosulfenyl spiro tetrahydropyran/tetrahydrothiopyran-4,2'-chroman-4'-one

The adducts 4a,b-7a,b have been obtained either by reducing α-chloro-β-oxosulfenyl chlorides 2a,b with iodide ion in the presence of dienes namely, 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene (isoperene), 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene, 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorocyclopentadiene, or 1,3-cyclohexadiene, respectively; or by thermolysis of oxadithiin derivatives 3a,b in the presence of the same aforementioned dienes presumably via the formation of the same intermediate A in both cases of compounds 2a,b and 3a,b. It is observed that α-chloro-β-oxosulfenyl chlorides 2a,b undergo straight forward substitution with potassium cyanide to give 8a,b. Direct oxidation of 2a,b with H2O2/AcOH affords 3,3-dichloropyran-4-ones 9a,b, while conversion of 2a,b to the sulfonamides 10a,b followed by oxidation provides 3-chloropyranones 11a,b. Antioxidant and antimicrobial evaluation of compounds 4a,b-6a,b shows moderate activiy. MIC of the derivative 6b reveals a remarkable inhibition of the pathogenic gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus ) as well as gram negative E coli.

Derivatization and biological activity studies of 3-chloro-3-chlorosulfenyl spiro tetrahydropyran/tetrahydrothiopyran-4,2'-chroman-4'-one

1502-1510The adducts 4a,b-7a,b have been obtained either by reducing α-chloro-β-oxosulfenyl chlorides 2a,b with iodide ion in the presence of dienes namely, 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene (isoperene), 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene, 1,2,3,4- tetrachlorocyclopentadiene, or 1,3-cyclohexadiene, respectively; or by thermolysis of oxadithiin derivatives 3a,b in the presence of the same aforementioned dienes presumably via the formation of the same intermediate A in both cases of compounds 2a,b and 3a,b. It is observed that α-chloro-β-oxosulfenyl chlorides 2a,b undergo straight forward substitution with potassium cyanide to give 8a,b. Direct oxidation of 2a,b with H2O2/AcOH affords 3,3-dichloropyran-4-ones 9a,b, while conversion of 2a,b to the sulfonamides 10a,b followed by oxidation provides 3-chloropyranones 11a,b. Antioxidant and antimicrobial evaluation of compounds 4a,b-6a,b shows moderate activiy. MIC of the derivative 6b reveals a remarkable inhibition of the pathogenic gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus ) as well as gram negative E coli