BELT AGGREGATES IN HIGH-SPEED TEXTURING

The performance of the false twist texturing process is investigated. The analysis deals with false twisting systems employing belt aggregates. Theoretical analyses are compared with experimental values run at texturing speeds in the range of 800 m/min. The application of belt-twisting as an aggregate is analyzed and its feasibility as an efficient twisting element is discussed. The analysis shows the changes in yarn tension and twist level as a function of the B/Y ratios (belt to yarn speeds) and belt angle. Experimental results were found to agree fairly well with the predicted analysis

Proper selection of thermal insulation materials

Thermal insulation plays a key role in the overall energy management picture. It is interesting to consider that by using the insulation, the entire energy requirements of a system are reduced. Since, the main function of insulation is to reduce the heat transfer, the insulation material must have the appropriate characteristic to retard the transport of heat occurred by conduction, convection and radiation. The proper selection and application of various insulation materials are very important in the domain of heat transfer. This paper discusses how to select thermal insulation material and on what basis a decision is made for application, concerning material selection and costs, through brief discussion about major insulation materials, properties, steps for economic selection, applications, economics of insulation and thickness, location, case study and conclusion

Exploring the antimicrobial activity of <i>Origanum majorana L.</i> against the highly virulent multidrug-resistant <i>Acinetobacter baumannii AB5075</i>:UPLC-HRMS profiling with in vitro and in silico studies

BackgroundThe infamous multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii is becoming a nightmare in intensive care units across the globe. Since there are now very few effective antimicrobial agents, it is necessary to explore unconventional resources for novel antimicrobials. This study investigated the potential antimicrobial activity of Origanum majorana L. against A. baumannii employing multiple approaches including antimicrobial susceptibility, fractionation, ultra-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS) dereplication, and in silico analysis for target/ligand identification.ResultsOn the extremely pathogenic MDR strain A. baumannii AB5075, O. majorana L. has shown a significant growth inhibitory effect (MIC = 0.675 mg/mL). The polar 50% methanol fraction was the most active (MIC = 0.5 mg/mL). The UPLC-HRMS dereplication of the bioactive fraction detected 29 metabolites belonging to different chemical classes. Justicidin B, one of the identified metabolites, was projected by preliminary in silico analysis to be the most highly scoring metabolite for binding with molecular targets in A. baumannii with a Fit score = 8.56 for enoyl-ACP reductase (FabI) (PDB ID: 6AHE), suggesting it to be its potential target. Additionally, docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and bioinformatics analysis suggested that this interaction is similar to a well-known FabI inhibitor. The amino acids involved in the interaction are conserved among different MDR A. baumannii strains and the effectiveness could extend to Gram-negative pathogens within the ESKAPE group.ConclusionsOriganum majorana L. extract exhibits antimicrobial activity against A. baumannii using one or more metabolites in its 50% methanol fraction. The characterized active metabolite is hypothesized to be justicidin B which inhibits the growth of A. baumannii AB5075 via targeting its fatty acid synthesis

Human infection with Dicrocoelium dendriticum in Turkey

Human dicrocoeliosis is reported sporadically in various parts of the world. We report a case in a 21-year-old male, who had right upper abdominal pain, weight loss, and chronic relapsing watery diarrhea three to four times daily for four weeks. The patient had abdominal tenderness to palpation in the right upper quadrant. Alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, and serum immunoglobulin E levels were slightly elevated; all other biochemical and hematological findings were in their normal ranges. The duodenal biopsy samples were normal and an abdominal ultrasonography showed no biliary or hepatic abnormality. Stool microscopy revealed numerous eggs of Dicrocoelium dendriticum. As pseudoparasitosis can result from eating raw, infected animal liver, the patient was given a liver-free diet for three days, to rule out that possibility. Subsequent stool examinations showed eggs in each of the samples indicating that the infection was genuine. The patient was treated with triclabendazole 10 mg/kg in a single dose. Four weeks later, no parasite eggs were detected in the microscopic examination of the stool samples. The patient got better gradually and the symptoms disappeared. Physicians should keep in mind parasitic diseases such as the rarely encountered dicrocoeliosis