Synthesis of PAN/ferrocyanide composite incorporated with cetrimonium bromide and its employment as a bifunctional adsorbent for coremoval of Cs+ and HCrO4− from aqueous solutions

Polyacrylonitrile/ferrocyanide composite incorporated with cetrimonium bromide (PFICB) was synthesized and evaluated as a novel bifunctional adsorbent for coremoval of Cs⁺ and HCrO₄^?. Results of the reaction time effect showed that adsorption of Cs⁺ and HCrO₄^? onto PFICB were rapid processes. The effect of the solution pH in the range 2.5–10 revealed that PFICB had the ability to simultaneously remove Cs⁺ and HCrO₄^?. The maximum adsorption capacity of PFICB was found to be 41.79 mg/g for Cs⁺ and 19.39 mg/g for HCrO₄^?. These values were compared with those reported in literature using other adsorbents.

     

Estimating Individual Treatment Effect in Observational Data Using Random Forest Methods

Estimation of individual treatment effect in observational data is complicated due to the challenges of confounding and selection bias. A useful inferential framework to address this is the counterfactual (potential outcomes) model, which takes the hypothetical stance of asking what if an individual had received both treatments. Making use of random forests (RF) within the counterfactual framework we estimate individual treatment effects by directly modeling the response. We find that accurate estimation of individual treatment effects is possible even in complex heterogenous settings but that the type of RF approach plays an important role in accuracy. Methods designed to be adaptive to confounding, when used in parallel with out-of-sample estimation, do best. One method found to be especially promising is counterfactual synthetic forests. We illustrate this new methodology by applying it to a large comparative effectiveness trial, Project Aware, to explore the role drug use plays in sexual risk. The analysis reveals important connections between risky behavior, drug usage, and sexual risk. Supplementary material for this article is available online.     

High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatographic Method for the Estimation of Benzyl Isothiocyanate in Salvadora persica Root Extract and Dental Care Herbal Products

JPC – Journal of Planar Chromatography – Modern TLC - A novel, simple, and sensitive high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method has been successfully developed and...     

Phytochemical Investigation by Microwave‐Assisted Extraction of Essential Oil of the Leaves of Walnut Cultivated in Algeria

Walnut (Juglans regia L.) leaves are used traditionally as an herbal tea indicated for non‐insulin‐dependent diabetics. In recent years, the type‐II diabetes is occurring worldwide with increasing frequency. Thus, there is an urgent need to explore the new beneficial biomolecules on the human health. Our objective was to investigate, for the first time, the volatiles profile of Juglans regia L. leaves from Algiers region. The extraction of essential oil of fresh plant material was performed by microwave‐assisted hydrodistillation (MAHD), for the first time, a relatively recent method, then by the conventional hydrodistillation technique (HD) for comparison. The collected extracts were analyzed by GC‐FID and GC/MS using two capillary columns with different polarity. Extraction time of 1 h by MAHD provided higher yields (0.050±0.001% (w/w)) than by HD (0.030±0.006% (w/w)) after 3 h. A total of 38 compounds were identified using both techniques. Essential oils had similar qualitative but different quantitative composition in terms of chemical compounds. The MAHD method improved yield while reducing the extraction time. The sesquiterpenes were the dominant family in both MAHD and HD essential oils with β‐caryophyllene being the major constituent. Monoterpenes, including hydrocarbon and oxygenated, prevail in HD volatile fraction with β‐pinene and eucalyptol, respectively, as major components.