Photocatalytic ozonation degradation of ciprofloxacin using ZnO nanoparticles immobilized on the surface of stones

Ciprofloxacin is used in the treatment of bacterial infections. Because ciprofloxacin is not effectively degraded by biological processes, advanced oxidation processes such as photocatalytic ozonation are applied to remove this antibiotic from wastewater. The aim of this study was to investigate photocatalytic ozonation for the removal of ciprofloxacin from aquatic environments and optimization of the effective parameters of the process. For this purpose, ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized using the thermal method and immobilized on the surface of stones. The structural properties of the nanoparticles were determined by XRD, TEM, Photoluminescence (PL) and SEM. Experiments were carried out in a Plexiglas reactor supported with the continuous injection of ozone. The effective parameters for removal efficiency were reaction time, initial concentration of ciprofloxacin, pH, photocatalyst concentration and reaction kinetics. The highest ciprofloxacin removal efficiency occurred at the following optimal conditions: pH of 7, reaction time of 30?min, photocatalyst concentration of 3?g/L and initial ciprofloxacin concentration of 10?mg/L. Removal efficiency of 96% was obtained under these conditions. Linear kinetic models showed that the process followed pseudo-first order and Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics. This process had a high removal efficiency and suitable for removal of ciprofloxacin from aquatic environments.GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT     

Rheology of interfacial layers

The response of interfacial layers to deformations in size and shape depends on their composition. The corresponding main mechanical quantities are elasticity and viscosity of dilation and shear, respectively. Hence, the interfacial rheology represents a kind of two-dimensional equivalent to the traditional bulk rheology. Due to growing interest in the quantitative understanding of foams and emulsions, more works are dedicated to studies on interfacial rheology. This overview presents the theoretical basis for traditional and recently developed experimental tools and discusses their application to different interfacial systems. While dilational rheology provides information on the composition of mixed interfacial layers, the shear rheology gives answers essentially on structures formed at an interface. The most frequently used methods at present are the oscillating drop and bubble tensiometry methods for dilational deformations and oscillating ring/bicone rheometers for shear deformations.     

Design and construction of a 110 W green laser for medical application

In this paper, the design and the construction of a high-power side-diode-pumped Nd:YAG solid-state laser at repetition rates of 6 and 10 kHz has been presented. Second harmonic of the Nd:YAG laser with green light at 532 nm, with an average power of 111.5 W at 10 kHz repetition rate, and with 90 ns pulse duration, has been obtained by the nonlinear crystal of KTP with 59% conversion efficiency and 12% diode-to-green optical–optical efficiency in the linear resonator. Beam spot size and divergence is 4 mm and 8 mrad, respectively. The laser stability is about 97%. As a medical application of this laser, investigation of degree of effectiveness and penetration depth of laser on adenomas of resected prostate after open prostatectomy has been done.     

On the approximation of local efflux/influx bed discharge in the shallow water equations based on a wave propagation algorithm

In cities, flood waves may propagate over street surfaces below which lie complicated pipe networks used for storm drainage and sewage. The flood and pipe flows can interact at connections between the underground pipes and the street surface. The present paper examines this interaction, using the shallow water equations to model the flood wave hydrodynamics. Sources and sinks in the mass conservation equation are used to model the pipe inflow and outflow conditions at bed connections. We consider the problem reduced to one dimension. The shallow water equations are solved using a Godunov‐type wave propagation scheme. Wave speeds are modified in the wave propagation algorithm to enable flows to be simulated over nearly dry beds and dry states. First, the model is used to simulate vertical flows through finite gaps in the bed. Next, the interaction of the vertical flows with a dam break flow is considered for both dry and wet beds. An efflux number, En, is defined based on the vertical efflux velocity and the gap length. Comparisons are made with numerical predictions from STAR‐CD, a commercial Navier–Stokes solver that models the free‐surface motions, and a parameter study is undertaken to investigate the effect of the one‐dimensional approximation of the present model, for a range of non‐dimensional efflux numbers. It is found that the shallow flow model gives sensible predictions at all time provided En<0.5, and for long durations for En>0.5. Dam break flow over an underground connecting pipe is also considered. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Theoretical study of the electronic conduction through organic nanowires

A substantial amount of researches have been carried out on the electron transport properties of gold surfaces. In order to study the role of linkage in the conductive properties of a molecular wire, different linkers such as sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, CS, SH, NS, and CN are considered in our study. It is found that nitrogen or sulfur linkages can bond Au covalently to cis- and trans-butadiene, whereas on the other hand, oxygen linkage with the same shows a weak interaction and a non-covalent character. Further, this research is also an attempt to study the dependence of the molecular electronic structure of gold-molecule complexes on the external electric field. In addition, electronic conduction has been investigated from the perspective of alteration in shape of molecular orbitals and the development of the HOMO-LUMO gap of moleculegold complexes under the effect of an electric field.     

Hydrogel Nanocomposite as a Synthetic Intra-Ocular Lens Capable of Accommodation

A hydrogel nanocomposite was designed, synthesized, and evaluated for use as an auto-focusing intra-ocular lens. The hydrogel scaffold was composed of a monomer-free, thiol that contained polyacrylamide (5%), which was allowed to gel in the presence of nanoparticles at pH 7.4, 25°C. The nanoparticles consisted of a proteo-mimetic polyacrylamide nanogel (∼42 nm), bovine serum albumin (BSA) (∼6 nm), and hydrophilized silica (∼3 nm). The extent of nanoparticle loading increased with decreasing particle size. The elastic modulus increased with increasing loading of the proteo-mimetic nanogels and BSA, and it decreased with hydrophilized silica. In this investigation, the hydrogel that contained silica was the most promising class of nanocomposite hydrogels with properties comparable to that of a young porcine lens. A nanocomposite that consisted of 10% hydrogel scaffold and 24% hydrophilized silica (elastic [E] modulus of ∼1.0 kPa and refractive index [RI] of 1.42) was injected into a pre-evacuated porcine lens capsular bag. The composite lens was evaluated in a custom-designed four-arm radial stretcher, and its force-time spectrum was characterized by time constants of 60 ± 8.9 and 800 ± 32 ms. These results were comparable to a young porcine lens (E Modulus of 1.2 kPa; RI of 1.4105; time constants of 48.3 ± 0.58 and 668 ± 24.6 ms, respectively)     

Resampling based inference for a distribution function using censored ranked set samples

This article deals with constructing confidence intervals/bands for a distribution function based on censored ranked set samples. Toward this end, a resampling plan is suggested and its validity is investigated. Monte Carlo simulations are used to compare performances of the bootstrap confidence intervals with their asymptotic analogs, and their modifications by jackknife. An environmental data set is finally analyzed.     

Partitioning of Recombinant Pseudomonas putida POS-F84 Proline Dehydrogenase in Aqueous Two-Phase Systems: Optimization Using Response Surface Methodology

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - Empirical modeling the partition behavior and recovery of a recombinant Pseudomonas putida POS-F84 proline dehydrogenase (ProDH) in aqueous two-phase...     

Study of Complex Formation between Kryptofix 21 with La<Superscript>3+</Superscript>, Y<Superscript>3+</Superscript> and Ce<Superscript>3+</Superscript> Cations in Some Binary Mixed Non-Aqueous Solvents Using the Conductometric Method

The complexation reactions between La³⁺, Y³⁺ and Ce³⁺ cations with the macrocyclic ligand, kryptofix 21, were studied in methanol-acetonitrile (MeOH-AN) and methanol-methylacetate (MeOHMeOAc) binary mixed solvent solutions at different temperatures using the conductometric method. The conductance data show that in most solvent systems, the kryptofix 21 forms a 1: 1 [M: L] complex with La³⁺, Y³⁺ and Ce³⁺ metal cations, but in the case of Y³⁺ cation in pure methylacetate, in addition of formation of a 1: 1 [ML] complex, 1: 2 [ML₂] and 1: 3 [ML₃] complexes are formed in solution. In the case of Ce³⁺cation, a 1: 1 [ML] and also a 1: 2 [ML₂] complexes are formed in this solvent system at all studied temperatures. The electrical conductance data in acetonitrile, show that a 1: 1 [ML] and also a 1: 2 [ML₂] complexes are formed between the ligand and La³⁺ and Ce³⁺ metal cations at different temperatures. The stability constants of the 1: 1 [ML] complexes were determined using the conductometric data and a computer program, GENPLOT. A non-monotonic relationship was observed between log_{K f} of the 1: 1 complexes with the composition of the binary solvent solutions which was discussed in term of solvent-solvent interactions and also preferential solvation of the metal cations and the ligand in solutions. The selectivity order of the ligand for the metal cations in MeOH–AN and MeOH–MeOAc binary solvent solutions, at 25°C was found to be: Y³⁺ > La³⁺ > Ce³⁺ and La³⁺ > Y³⁺ > Ce³⁺, respectively. The values of the standard thermodynamic quantities (ΔH _c ^° and ΔS _c ^° ) for formation of the 1: 1 complexes were obtained from temperature dependence of the stability constans of the complexes and the results show that the thermodynamics of the complexation reactions between kryptofix 21 and La³⁺, Y³⁺ and Ce³⁺ cations, is affected by the nature and composition of the mixed solvents systems.     

Characterisation of alkyl amines at the water/air surface with the drop and bubble profile analysis tensiometry

Pendant drop and buoyant bubble methods have been used to study the surface characteristics of alkyl amines at the water/air surface. The investigated alkyl amines, triethylamine and octylamine, showed unusual changes in the surface tension as a function of time: an initially steep drop and a subsequent steady increase in the surface tension until a value close to the one of the pure water/air system was observed. This phenomenon is explained by the evaporation of the alkyl amines, for which several sets of experiments have been conducted with the pendant drop and buoyant bubble methods. Using an appropriate experimental protocol, the equilibrium adsorption behaviour of the two amines can be quantitatively measured.