Development and validation of a chromatographic method for quantification of rasagiline in human plasma

Purpose: To develop a sensitive, reliable and cost-effective bioanalytical method for the pharmacokinetic analysis of rasagiline in human plasma.Method: Rasagiline was extracted by liquid-liquid extraction method and analyzed by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using a mixture of ammonium acetate (pH 5.8) and acetonitrile (55:45, v/v) as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 mL/min. The separation was performed on a Lichrosphere reverse-phase (RP) C18 column (250 x 4.6 mm, 5 μm particle size) at ambient temperature and rasagiline was detected at a wavelength of 265 nm by ultra-violet UV detection. The method was validated according to European Medicine Agency (EMA) guidelines. Results: The developed method was linear over a concentration range of 0.5 - 20 μg/ml with r2 ≥ 0.999 in human plasma. Run time was 10 min with rasagiline peak appearing at 7 min with no interference. Relative recovery and relative standard deviation (RSD) for accuracy and precision were within the acceptable limits prescribed in EMA guidelines. Rasagiline remained stable in human plasma for 24 h at room temperature, after three freeze and thaw cycles and also for 3 months at -20 °C.Conclusion: A simple and reliable method has been successfully developed and validated for the determination of rasagiline concentration in human plasma.Keywords: Rasagiline, Pharmacokinetics, Validation, Parkinson's diseas

Optimal energy management of a campus microgrid considering financial and economic analysis with demand response strategies

An energy management system (EMS) was proposed for a campus microgrid (µG) with the incorporation of renewable energy resources to reduce the operational expenses and costs. Many uncertainties have created problems for microgrids that limit the generation of photovoltaics, causing an upsurge in the energy market prices, where regulating the voltage or frequency is a challenging task among several microgrid systems, and in the present era, it is an extremely important research area. This type of difficulty may be mitigated in the distribution system by utilizing the optimal demand response (DR) planning strategy and a distributed generator (DG). The goal of this article was to present a strategy proposal for the EMS structure for a campus microgrid to reduce the operational costs while increasing the self-consumption from green DGs. For this reason, a real-time-based institutional campus was investigated here, which aimed to get all of its power from the utility grid. In the proposed scenario, solar panels and wind turbines were considered as non-dispatchable DGs, whereas a diesel generator was considered as a dispatchable DG, with the inclusion of an energy storage system (ESS) to deal with solar radiation disruptions and high utility grid running expenses. The resulting linear mathematical problem was validated and plotted in MATLAB with mixed-integer linear programming (MILP). The simulation findings demonstrated that the proposed model of the EMS reduced the grid electricity costs by 38% for the campus microgrid. The environmental effects, economic effects, and the financial comparison of installed capacity of the PV system were also investigated here, and it was discovered that installing 1000 kW and 2000 kW rooftop solar reduced the GHG generation by up to 365.34 kg CO2/day and 700.68 kg CO2/day, respectively. The significant economic and environmental advantages based on the current scenario encourage campus owners to invest in DGs and to implement the installation of energy storage systems with advanced concepts

Structural analysis and biological toxicity of Aflatoxin B1 and B2 degradation products following detoxification by Ocimum basilicum and Cassia fistula aqueous extracts

This study showed the comparison between Ocimum basilicum and Cassia fistula (leaves & branch) aqueous extracts for their ability to detoxify of aflatoxin B1 and B2 (AFB1; 100 µg L-1 and AFB2; 50 µg L-1) by In Vitro assays and decontamination studies. Results indicated that O. basilicum leaves extract was found to be highly significant (P < 0.05) in degrading AFB1 and AFB2 i.e. 90.4% and 88.6% respectively. However O. basilicum branch, C. fistula leaves and branch extracts proved to be less efficient in degrading these aflatoxins, under optimized conditions i.e., pH 8, temperature 30˚C and incubation period of 72h. Moreover the antifungal activity of these plants extracts were also tested. The findings depicted that O. basilicum leaves extract showed maximum growth inhibition of aflatoxigenic isolates i.e., 82 – 87% as compared to other tested plants extracts. The structural elucidation of degraded toxin products by LCMS/MS analysis showed that nine degraded products of AFB1 and AFB2 were formed. MS/MS spectra showed that most of the products were formed by the removal of double bond in the terminal furan ring and modification of lactone group indicating less toxicity as compared to parent compounds. Brine shrimps bioassay further confirmed the low toxicity of degraded products, showing that O. basilicum leaves extract can be used as an effective tool for the detoxification of aflatoxins

A State-of-the-Art Review of Smart Energy Systems and Their Management in a Smart Grid Environment

A smart grid (SG), considered as a future electricity grid, utilizes bidirectional electricity and information flow to establish automated and widely distributed power generation. The SG provides a delivery network that has distributed energy sources, real-time asset monitoring, increased power quality, increased stability and reliability, and two-way information sharing. Furthermore, SG provides many advantages, such as demand response, distribution automation, optimized use of electricity, economical energy, real-time grid status monitoring, voltage regulation or VAR control, and electricity storage. In this survey, we explore the literature on smart Grid enabling technologies until 2022. We dig out four major systems: (1) the smart grid’s prominent features and challenges; (2) the smart grid standard system and legislations; (3) smart grid energy subsystem; and (4) the smart grid management system and protection system for new researchers for their future projects. The research challenges and future recommendations are also presented in the conclusion section to explore the new paradigm

IoT-Enabled Campus Prosumer Microgrid Energy Management, Architecture, Storage Technologies, and Simulation Tools: A Comprehensive Study

Energy is very important in daily life. The smart power system provides an energy management system using various techniques. Among other load types, campus microgrids are very important, and they consume large amounts of energy. Energy management systems in campus prosumer microgrids have been addressed in different works. A comprehensive study of previous works has not reviewed the architecture, tools, and energy storage systems of campus microgrids. In this paper, a survey of campus prosumer microgrids is presented considering their energy management schemes, optimization techniques, architectures, storage types, and design tools. The survey is comprised of one decade of past works for a true analysis. In the optimization techniques, deterministic and metaheuristic methods are reviewed considering their pros and cons. Smart grids are being installed in different campuses all over the world, and these are considered the best alternatives to conventional power systems. However, efficient energy management techniques and tools are required to make these grids more economical and stable

Adsorbent filters for removing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the atmosphere

Indoor activities involving cooking and warming, outdoor sources, smoking, and candle and in-cense burning may introduce a massive portion of polycyclic fragrant hydrocarbons. These are well known for their mutagenicity and carcinogenicity and are omnipresent in urban situations as a result of the combustion of fuel. Due to small particle size, penetration has been suspected to be one major source of indoor polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In the current study, the manufacturing of three types of filters (electrostatic charge-based, pomegranate peel biochar-based, and birds’ feathers-based) was carried out. Their efficiency was tested to remove molecules bounded PAHs and also other geno-toxic compounds associated with these particles. The electrostatic filter was more efficient (27.42%) than pomegranate peel-based and birds’ feathers-based filters (13.86% and 8.32%, respectively). The carcinogenetic effects of PAHs emitted from outdoor and indoor pollutants can be reduced using these kinds of filters

3E analyses of battery-assisted photovoltaic-fuel cell energy system: Step towards green community

Diesel generator-based energy systems (DGES) are often utilized for rural electrification, which is neither economical nor an eco-friendly choice. Also, fuel logistics in rural areas and uncertain varying prices of diesel are obstacles that make the DGES technically and economically unfeasible. Thus, a battery-assisted photovoltaic-fuel cell (PV-FC) green energy system (GES) is proposed to meet the energy demand of the rural community in Pakistan. 3E (energy, economic, and environmental) analyses are conducted to access the feasibility of GES in all three domains. The sensitivity analyses are performed to evaluate the effect of the most uncertain parameters on the economy of GES. In addition, the proposed GES is contrasted with DGES. It is investigated that the TNPC and COE of the proposed GES are 15% and 38.4% less expensive than DGES. The proposed GES contributes no emissions to the environment saving 384.47 tons/yr of greenhouse gas emissions as compared to DGES. Furthermore, no significant difference in the technical performance of both DGES and GES is observed. Hence, it is concluded that the proposed GES is financially, technically, and environmentally a feasible solution for rural electrification. Finally, future work is recommended to further explore this research direction