Local scour due to free fall jets in non-uniform sediment

AbstractThe results of experiments on the local scour due to free fall jets are presented in this paper. Experiments were conducted for various values of the densimetric Froude number, the relative tailwater depth, the relative drop height and the relative sediment size. It has been found that by increasing the sediment non-uniformity parameter the scour hole parameters decrease. Moreover, in non-uniform sediment, d90 can be used instead of d50 in the densimetric Froude number of the jet. By using the present and previous experimental data, new equations for the scour parameters were developed. The validity of the developed equations was checked by available prototype data on the scour depth

Controlled and cellulose eco-friendly synthesis and characterization of Bi2O2CO3 quantum dot nanostructures (QDNSs) and drug delivery study

This work aimed to prepare solvent-free or green Bi2O2CO3 for quantum dot nanostructures (QDNSs) based on cellulose as a stabilizer and green capping agent to sorafenib delivery for liver targeting. Because the walnut tree is one of the most abundant trees in Iran, it was tried to synthesize Bi2O2CO3 QDNSs using a walnut skin extract. The saturation magnetization for Bi2O2CO3 QDNSs was calculated to be 68.1. Also, the size of products was measured at around 60�80 nm with the Debye�Scherrer equation. Moreover, the morphology, functional groups, and crystallography of the Bi2O2CO3 nanoparticles were investigated using atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, vibrating-sample magnetometer, and Uv�vis spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that Bi2O2CO3 QDNSs have opto-magnetic properties and they can be suggested as the candidate materials for the sorafenib delivery on the liver tissue. The optical band gap estimated for Bi2O2CO3 QDNSs was found to be red-shift from 3.22 eV. This study suggests the preparation of the Bi2O2CO3 QDNSs based on cellulose as new opto-magnetic materials at different temperatures of 180 °C, 200 °C, 220 °C, and 240 °C for sorafenib delivery as a type of biological therapy drug. © 2020, The Author(s)

A survey of traditional Iranian food products for contamination with toxigenic Clostridium botulinum

Summary: This study aimed to determine the rate of Clostridium botulinum contamination in some traditional Iranian food products (cheese, kashk and salted fish) and evaluate the efficacy of the mouse bioassay method in detection of C. botulinum toxins in these foods. A total of 131 samples (57 cheese, 11 kashk and 63 salted fish) were collected and examined to determine the rate of contamination by C. botulinum. Standard monovalent anti-toxins were used to determine the types of toxin. C. botulinum bacteria were detected in 4.58% of the examined samples (1.52% of cheese and 3.06% of salted fish samples). While no contamination was detected in the kashk samples, C. botulinum types A and E were found to be dominant in cheese and salted fish samples, respectively. These results indicate—some traditional Iranian foods may be contaminated with different types of C. botulinum, and the consumption of these products, either raw or cooked, may contribute to food-borne intoxications. Keywords: Clostridium botulinum, Botulinum toxin, Traditional food