An Experimental Investigation of Cavitation Bulk Nanobubbles Characteristics: Effects of pH and Surface-active Agents

Understanding the behavior of nanobubbles (NBs) in various aqueous solutions is a challenging task. The present work investigates the effects of various surfactants (i.e., anionic, cationic, and nonionic) and pH medium on bulk NBs formation, size, concentration, bubble size distribution (BSD), zeta potential, and stability. The effect of surfactant was investigated at various concentrations above and below critical micelle concentrations. NBs were created in DI water using a piezoelectric transducer. The stability of NBs was assessed by tracking the change in size and concentration over time. NBs size is small in the neutral medium compared to the other surfactant or pH mediums. The size, concentration, BSD, and stability of NBs are strongly influenced by the zeta potential rather than the solution medium. BSD curve shifts to lower bubble sizes when the magnitude of zeta potential is high in any solution. NBs were observed to exist for a long time, either in pure water, surfactant, or pH solutions. The longevity of NBs is shortened in environments with pH less than 3. Surfactant adsorption on the NBs surface increases with surfactant concentration up to a certain limit, beyond which it declines considerably. The Derjaguin-LandauVerwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory was used to interpret the NBs stability, which resulted in a total potential energy barrier that is positive and greater than 43.90kBT for pH ranging from 6.0 to 11.0, whereas, for pH below 6, the potential energy barrier essentially vanishes. Moreover, an effort has also been made to elucidate the plausible prospect of ion distribution and its alignment surrounding NBs in cationic and anionic surfactants. The present research will extend the in-depth investigation of NBs for industrial applications involving NBs

Evaluation Indicators for Priorities of Standardization in Traditional Medicine: using Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP)

The entire manuscript is available for download as a single PDF file. Higher-resolution images are unavailable. For assistance, please contact [email protected]. Fieldwork Team: Philippe Beaujard (Director of Research, French National Centre for Scientific Research). Technical Team: Dr. Vika Zafrin (Digital Scholarship Librarian, BU Libraries), Eleni Castro (OpenBU and Electronic Theses & Dissertations Librarian, BU Libraries), Dr. Fallou Ngom (Director of the African Studies Center), Dr. Peter Quella (Assistant Director, African Studies Center), Mustapha Hashim Kurfi (PhD Candidate, Department of Political Science), and Zachary Gersten (Research Assistant, African Studies Center). This collection of Malagasy Ajami materials is copied as part of the African Studies Center’s African Ajami Library. This project is partly funded by the BU African Studies Center. We thank Dr. Tim Longman, past Director of the African Studies Center, and the entire African Studies team for their support. For Inquiries: Please contact Professor Fallou Ngom ([email protected]).The material is the fourth part of the second of two texts copied and owned by Jean, a diviner-healer (called ombiasy in Malagasy). Jean belonged to the Anakara Clan and lived in a village called Vatomasina in the Antemoro region (in the valley of the Matatàña River). The original author of the material is unknown. The material was photographed between 1983 and 1990. The material was written on paper school notebooks. While the exact content of material is unknown, it is believed to contain guidance for charms, divination, and healing through prayers, geomancy, and astrology

Acoustic Sensor-Based Multiple Object Tracking with Visual Information Association

Abstract Object tracking by an acoustic sensor based on particle filtering is extended for the tracking of multiple objects. In order to overcome the inherent limitation of the acoustic sensor for the simultaneous multiple object tracking, support from the visual sensor is considered. Cooperation from the visual sensor, however, is better to be minimized, as the visual sensor's operation requires much higher computational resources than the acoustic sensor-based estimation, especially when the visual sensor is not dedicated to object tracking and deployed for other applications. The acoustic sensor mainly tracks multiple objects, and the visual sensor supports the tracking task only when the acoustic sensor has a difficulty. Several techniques based on particle filtering are used for multiple object tracking by the acoustic sensor, and the limitations of the acoustic sensor are discussed to identify the need for the visual sensor cooperation. Performance of the triggering-based cooperation by the two visual sensors is evaluated and compared with a periodic cooperation in a real environment.</p

Effect of Intravenous High Dose Vitamin C on Postoperative Pain and Morphine Use after Laparoscopic Colectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and Objective. Vitamin C has antioxidant, neuroprotective, and neuromodulating effects. Recently, it showed antinociceptive effect as a result of the antioxidant properties. Therefore, we designed this study to assess the effect of intravenous vitamin C on opiate consumption and pain in patients undergoing laparoscopic colectomy. Methods. A total of 100 patients were enrolled and allocated to receive 50 mg/kg vitamin C or placebo by intravenous infusion immediately after induction of anesthesia. Morphine consumption and scores of pain were assessed at 2, 6, and 24 h after completion of surgery. Results. There were 97 patients included in the analysis. Patients who received vitamin C had higher plasma concentrations of vitamin C at the end of surgery, significantly lower morphine consumption at the 2 h after end of surgery, and significantly lower pain scores at rest during first 24 h postoperatively. There was no significant difference between groups in side effects, fatigue score, or pain score during cough. Conclusion. This study shows high dose vitamin C infusion decreased postoperative pain during the first 24 h and reduced morphine consumption in the early postoperative period. Additional research needed to examine whether higher doses of vitamin C and longer infusion times can amplify these effects

Oral Administration of Animal and Plant Protein Mixture with <i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> IDCC 3501 Improves Protein Digestibility

A combined usage of animal and plant proteins-mixture could aid to solve environmental and social problems arising from the use of animal protein alone, while also improving the taste and texture of plant protein. Protein mixtures could be a better protein source due to the high availability of amino acids in the body compared with single proteins. Consuming proteins with probiotics can provide more beneficial health effects by helping to hydrolyze protein and absorb amino acids in the body. In this study, coadministration of an animal and plant protein mixture with a high concentration of probiotics was investigated to increase protein digestibility and amino acids absorbability in a mice model. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum IDCC 3501, which has the maximum ability to hydrolyze a protein mixture, composed of soybean protein and milk protein, was selected, and the changes in mice (C57BL/6J, male, six weeks) were investigated after the coadministration of protein mixture and 5 × 108 or 5 × 109 CFU/mL of L. plantarum for eight weeks. Normal diet, high-protein diet (HPD), and HPD supplementing L. plantarum were separately administered to mice. Food and water consumption of the mice did not differ depending on diet type. Measurements of the serum concentrations of amino acids showed that the absorption of aspartate, glutamate, isoleucine, leucine, valine, and lysine increased when high concentrations of protein and probiotics were administered. Thus, high L. plantarum concentrations could be a protein diet supplementation to improve health by promoting the absorption of amino acids

Escape behaviors in prey and the evolution of pennaceous plumage in dinosaurs

Abstract Numerous non-avian dinosaurs possessed pennaceous feathers on their forelimbs (proto-wings) and tail. Their functions remain unclear. We propose that these pennaceous feathers were used in displays to flush hiding prey through stimulation of sensory-neural escape pathways in prey, allowing the dinosaurs to pursue the flushed prey. We evaluated the escape behavior of grasshoppers to hypothetical visual flush-displays by a robotic dinosaur, and we recorded neurophysiological responses of grasshoppers’ escape pathway to computer animations of the hypothetical flush-displays by dinosaurs. We show that the prey of dinosaurs would have fled more often when proto-wings were present, especially distally and with contrasting patterns, and when caudal plumage, especially of a large area, was used during the hypothetical flush-displays. The reinforcing loop between flush and pursue functions could have contributed to the evolution of larger and stiffer feathers for faster running, maneuverability, and stronger flush-displays, promoting foraging based on the flush-pursue strategy. The flush-pursue hypothesis can explain the presence and distribution of the pennaceous feathers, plumage color contrasts, as well as a number of other features observed in early pennaraptorans. This scenario highlights that sensory-neural processes underlying prey’s antipredatory reactions may contribute to the origin of major evolutionary innovations in predators