EDXRF,FTIR, and XRD characterization of low calcium oxalate urinary stones collected from arid area

Low calcium oxalate urinary stones from the kidney, bladder, and ureter have been collected from the arid area (Taif, Saudi Arabia). After careful washing and drying of the collected stones, the samples were converted into a contamination-free homogenous fine powder with a particles' size smaller than 50 μm. The processed urinary stone powders were studied using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), laboratory setup and synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF). The activated function groups, quantitative phase analysis, and the semi-quantitative elemental analysis of the present urinary stones were identified. Seventeen elements were measured in most of the urinary stone samples. The significant elements are Ca, P, S, Cl, Zn, K, Fe, and Cu, whereas other elements were found alternatively in a few number of urinary stone samples. It was recognized that Ca exists with low concentration, which indicates the presence of different calcium phases even with low percentages. In 33% of the urinary stones, the phosphorus (P) was not measured, but there were high concentrations of sulfur (S) and low concentrations of Ca up to 2.15 ± 0.05%. The ATR-FTIR results indicate that the most compounds of the present urinary stones were urea and cystine combined with low ratios of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate compounds. The quantitative phase analysis of the XRD of selected samples proves the presence of the cystine, urea, and calcium oxalate phases with different weight percent.     

A full analysis of a new second order finite volume approximation based on a low-order scheme using general admissible spatial meshes for the unsteady one dimensional heat equation

The present work is an extension of our previous works ,  and  which dealt with first order (both in time and space) and second order time accurate (second order in time and first order in space) implicit finite volume schemes for parabolic equations. We aim in this work (and some forthcoming studies) at getting higher order (both in time and space) finite volume approximations for the exact solution of parabolic equations using the class of spatial generic meshes introduced recently in [13]. We focus in the present contribution on the one dimensional heat equation and its implicit finite volume scheme described in [3]. The implicit finite volume scheme approximating the one dimensional heat equation we consider (hereafter referred to as the basic finite volume scheme) yields linear systems to be solved successively. The matrices involved in these linear systems are tridiagonal. The finite volume approximate solution is of order h+k$h+k$, where h (resp. k  ) is the mesh size of the spatial (resp. time) discretization. We construct a new finite volume approximation of order (h+k)²${(h+k)}^2$ in several discrete norms which allows us to get approximations of order two for the exact solution and its first derivatives. This new high-order approximation can be computed using the same linear systems involved in the basic finite volume scheme while the right hand sides are corrected. The construction of these right hand sides includes the approximations of the second, third, and fourth spatial derivatives of the exact solution. The computation of the approximation of these high-order derivatives can be performed using the same matrices stated above with another two tridiagonal matrices. The manner by which this new high-order approximation is constructed can be repeated to compute successively finite volume approximations of arbitrary order using the same matrices stated above. These high-order approximations can be obtained on any one dimensional admissible finite volume mesh in the sense of [12] without any restrictive condition on the spatial mesh. A full analysis for the stated theoretical results as well as some numerical examples supporting the theory is presented. The results obtained in the present study are based essentially on two facts. The first fact is the use of the results provided in [3] which state the convergence order of the finite volume approximate solution in several norms. The second fact is the comparison between the stated new higher order approximations and suitable auxiliary finite volume approximations.     

Non Parametric Distributed Inference in Sensor Networks Using Box Particles Messages

This paper deals with the problem of inference in distributed systems where the probability model is stored in a distributed fashion. Graphical models provide powerful tools for modeling this kind of problems. Inspired by the box particle filter which combines interval analysis with particle filtering to solve temporal inference problems, this paper introduces a belief propagation-like message-passing algorithm that uses bounded error methods to solve the inference problem defined on an arbitrary graphical model. We show the theoretic derivation of the novel algorithm and we test its performance on the problem of calibration in wireless sensor networks. That is the positioning of a number of randomly deployed sensors, according to some reference defined by a set of anchor nodes for which the positions are known a priori. The new algorithm, while achieving a better or similar performance, offers impressive reduction of the information circulating in the network and the needed computation times.     

Application of High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography for Screening and Simultaneous Determination of Some Angiotensin II Receptor Antagonists in Dosage Forms and Plasma

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - A high-performance thin-layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method was performed for simultaneous quantification of four angiotensin II...     

Excess properties and vapour pressure of (3-diethylaminopropylamine + n-alkanes)

The vapour pressures of liquid (3-diethylaminopropylamine (3-DEPA) + n-heptane) mixtures were measured by a static method between T = (303.15 and 343.15) K at 10 K intervals. The molar excess enthalpies H^E at T = 303.15 K were measured for the systems {3-DEPA + C_nH_2n+2 (n = 6, 7, 12)}. The molar excess Gibbs free energies G^E were obtained with Barker’s method and fitted to the Redlich–Kister equation. The Wilson equation was also used. Deviations between experimental and predicted G^E and H^E, by using group contribution UNIFAC (Gmehling version) model, were evaluated.     

Comparative evaluation of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry versus gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the determination of hexabromocyclododecanes and their degradation products in indoor dust

Domestic and office dust samples (n=37) were analyzed for hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs) using gas chromatography-electron-capture negative ionization-mass spectrometry (GC-ECNI/MS) and liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/MS/MS). To determine the best method to quantify HBCDs using GC-ECNI/MS, BDE 128 was used as internal standard (I.S.) in all samples, while 13C-labeled alpha-HBCD was used as I.S. in some samples. Total HBCD concentrations (sum of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-HBCD diastereomers) were calculated using response factors (RFs) for alpha- and gamma-HBCD as individual diastereomers and using an average RF for both diastereomers. Statistical comparison showed that concentrations obtained via GC-ECNI/MS were statistically indistinguishable (p>0.05) from those obtained using LC-ESI/MS/MS. The closest match between the two techniques was obtained using [13C]alpha-HBCD as I.S. and the average RF for alpha- and gamma-HBCDs. Excellent linear correlations (Pearson coefficient values r>0.9) were obtained between the GC-ECNI/MS and LC-ESI/MS/MS results, with slopes ranging from 0.76 to 1.36. Pentabromocyclododecenes (four isomers) and tetrabromocyclododecadienes (two isomers) were detected in the studied samples and were identified as degradation products of HBCDs after separation from the parent compound on the basis of both retention time and mass spectrum. This finding suggests that the elimination of HBr is the major degradation pathway for HBCDs in dust.     

Recent advances in microchip electrophoresis for analysis of pathogenic bacteria and viruses

Life-threatening diseases, such as hepatitis B, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and COVID-19, are widespread due to pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Therefore, the development of highly sensitive, rapid, portable, cost-effective, and selective methods for the analysis of such microorganisms is a great challenge. Microchip electrophoresis (ME) has been widely used in recent years for the analysis of bacterial and viral pathogens in biological and environmental samples owing to its portability, simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and rapid analysis. However, microbial enrichment and purification are critical steps for accurate and sensitive analysis of pathogenic bacteria and viruses in complex matrices. Therefore, we first discussed the advances in the sample preparation technologies associated with the accurate analysis of such microorganisms, especially the on-chip microfluidic-based sample preparations such as dielectrophoresis and microfluidic membrane filtration. Thereafter, we focused on the recent advances in the lab-on-a-chip electrophoretic analysis of pathogenic bacteria and viruses in different complex matrices. As the microbial analysis is mainly based on the analysis of nucleic acid of the microorganism, the integration of nucleic acid-based amplification techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), quantitative PCR, and multiplex PCR with ME will result in an accurate and sensitive analysis of microbial pathogens. Such analyses are very important for the point-of-care diagnosis of various infectious diseases.     

Remarks on classical solutions to steady quantum Navier-Stokes equations

The paper of Dong [Dong, J. Classical solutions to one-dimensional stationary quantum Navier–Stokes equations, J. Math Pure Appl. 2011] which proved the existence of classical solutions to one-dimensional steady quantum Navier–Stokes equations, when the nonzero boundary value u ₀ satisfies some conditions. In this paper, we obtain a different version of existence theorem without restriction to u ₀. As a byproduct, we get the existence result of classical solutions to the stationary quantum Navier–Stokes equations.     

Heat and mass transfer investigation of rotating hydrocarbons droplet which behaves as a hard sphere

The steady state boundary layer equations around rotating pure hydrocarbon droplet are solved numerically. The droplet is simulated to behave as a hard sphere. The transfer equations are discretized using an implicit finite difference method where Thomas algorithm solves the system of algebraic equations. Moreover, dimensionless parameters of heat and mass transfer phenomena around a rotating hexane droplet concluded. The thickness of the boundary layer is unknown for this model and therefore, it is determined. Further, this work proposes correlations of Nusselt and Sherwood numbers for monocomponent hydrocarbon droplets in evaporation. These correlations consider the rotation phenomena and further, the variation of the thermophysical and transport properties in the vapour phase.