In the present study, the feasibility of soil used as a low-cost adsorbent for the removal of Cu(2+), Zn(2+), and Pb(2+) ions from aqueous solution was investigated. The kinetics for adsorption of the heavy metal ions from aqueous solution by soil was examined under batch mode. The influence of the contact time and initial concentration for the adsorption process at pH of 4.5, under a constant room temperature of 25 ± 1 °C were studied. The adsorption capacity of the three heavy metal ions from aqueous solution was decreased in order of Pb(2+) > Cu(2+) > Zn(2+). The soil was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopic-energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), and Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) surface area analyzer. From the FTIR analysis, the experimental data was corresponded to the peak changes of the spectra obtained before and after adsorption process. Studies on SEM-EDX showed distinct adsorption of the heavy metal ions and the mineral composition in the study areas were determined to be silica (SiO2), alumina (Al2O3), and iron(III) oxide (FeO3). A distinct decrease of the specific surface area and total pore volumes of the soil after adsorption was found from the BET analysis. The experimental results obtained were analyzed using four adsorption kinetic models, namely pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich, and intraparticle diffusion. Evaluating the linear correlation coefficients, the kinetic studies showed that pseudo-second-order equation described the data appropriable than others. It was concluded that soil can be used as an effective adsorbent for removing Cu(2+), Zn(2+), and Pb(2+) ions from aqueous solution.
This study reports for the first time molecular detection of Anaplasma platys infection in 4 (13.3%) of 30 Malaysian dogs investigated. A low occurrence (3.3%) of Babesia gibsoni was also noted, being detected in one of the 30 dogs. Rickettsia, Bartonella, Orientia tsutsugamushi, and Ehrlichia DNA were not detected in the dog blood samples. The role of A. platys as an agent of canine anaplasmosis and its transmission through Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks merits further investigation.
Pedicular arthrodesis is the traditional procedure in terms of increase in the biomechanical stability with higher fixation rate. The current work aims to identify the effect of three spinal pedicle screws considering cortical and cancellous degeneracy condition. Lumbar section L2-L3 is utilized and various load and moment conditions were applied to depict the various biomechanical parameters for selection of suitable screw. Three dimensional model is considered in finite element analysis to identify the various responses of pedicle screw at bone screw juncture. Computed tomography (CT) images of a healthy male were considered to generate the finite element vertebral model. Generated intact model was further utilized to develop the other implanted models of degenerated cortical and cancellous bone models. The three fused instrumented models with different cortical and cancellous degeneracy conditions were analyzed in finite element analysis. The results were obtained as stress pattern at bone screw boundary and intervertebral disc stress. FE simulated results represents significant changes in the von Mises stress due to various load and moment conditions on degenerated bones during different body movement conditions. Results have shown that among all pedicle screws, the 6.0 mm diameter screw reflects very less stress values at the juncture. Multiple results on biomechanical aspects obtained during the FE study can be considered to design a new stabilization device and may be helpful to plan surgery of critical sections.
The aims of this study were to evaluate the effect of types of protein-based microcapsules and storage at various ambient temperatures on the survival of Lactobacillus acidophilus during exposure to simulated gastrointestinal tract and on the change in thermo-tolerance during heating treatment. The encapsulating materials were prepared using emulsions of protein (sodium caseinate, soy protein isolate, or pea protein), vegetable oil, and glucose, with maltodextrin was used as a wall material. The formulations were heated at 90 °C for 30 min to develop Maillard substances prior to being incorporated with L. acidophilus. The mixtures were then spray dried. The microspheres were stored at 25, 30, and 35 °C for 8 wk and examined every 4 wk. The addition of proteins as encapsulating materials demonstrated a significant protective effect (P < 0.05) as compared to the control sample. Sodium caseinate and soy protein isolate appeared more effective than pea protein in protecting the bacteria after spray drying and during the storage at different room temperatures. Storage at 35 °C resulted in a significant decrease in survival at end of storage period regardless the type of encapsulating materials. The addition of protein-based materials also enhanced the survival of L. acidophilus during exposure to simulated gastrointestinal condition as compared to the control. After spray drying and after 0th wk storage, casein, soy protein isolate, and pea protein-based formulations protected the bacteria during heat treatment. In fact, a significant decrease in thermal tolerance was inevitable after 2 wk of storage at 25 °C.
The lemongrass plant, which is widely cultivated in Asia, Australia, and Africa, has been reported to have many significant health benefits such as antimicrobial, insecticide, anticancer, fight fever, and disinfection. Therefore, it is an added benefit to have lemongrass compounds in cooking oil. This study was aimed to compare the conventional (CSE), and ultrasound-assisted solvent extraction (UASE) for citral compounds from lemongrass (Cymbopogon) leaves and to optimize the best extraction method using the response surface methodology (RSM) and ANOVA. RSM design of experiments using three types of cooking oils; palm oil, sunflower oil, and corn oil. The effect of three independent variables, which are temperature (48.2-81.8°C), extraction time (4.8-55.2 min), and solvent to leaves ratio (5.3-18.7), was investigated. The characterization of lemongrass-infused cooking oil was evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis for confirmation of the citral compound extraction. This extraction process is optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for producing the lemongrass-infused cooking oil. After optimization, the UASE process gives 1.009 × 106 maximum citral area for palm oil and 1.767 × 106 maximum citral area for sunflower oil. CSE process only can give 2.025 × 105 and 2.179 × 105 citral area in the GC-MS spectrum for palm oil and sunflower oil respectively. For both the UASE and the CSE, the optimum operating conditions are 81.8°C of extraction temperature and 55.2 min of extraction time except for lemongrass-infused palm oil in the CSE process with 45 min extraction time. The optimum solvent to leaves ratio varies from 5.3:1 to 12.9:1. This study found that corn oil cannot be used as a solvent to extract lemongrass-infused cooking oil due to the insignificant changes and no citral peak. The lemongrass (Cymbopogon)-infused palm oil and sunflower oil extracted using the UASE have a higher maximum citral area than the CSE process.
More than half the world's rainforest has been lost to agriculture since the Industrial Revolution. Among the most widespread tropical crops is oil palm (Elaeis guineensis): global production now exceeds 35 million tonnes per year. In Malaysia, for example, 13% of land area is now oil palm plantation, compared with 1% in 1974. There are enormous pressures to increase palm oil production for food, domestic products, and, especially, biofuels. Greater use of palm oil for biofuel production is predicated on the assumption that palm oil is an "environmentally friendly" fuel feedstock. Here we show, using measurements and models, that oil palm plantations in Malaysia directly emit more oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds than rainforest. These compounds lead to the production of ground-level ozone (O(3)), an air pollutant that damages human health, plants, and materials, reduces crop productivity, and has effects on the Earth's climate. Our measurements show that, at present, O(3) concentrations do not differ significantly over rainforest and adjacent oil palm plantation landscapes. However, our model calculations predict that if concentrations of oxides of nitrogen in Borneo are allowed to reach those currently seen over rural North America and Europe, ground-level O(3) concentrations will reach 100 parts per billion (10(9)) volume (ppbv) and exceed levels known to be harmful to human health. Our study provides an early warning of the urgent need to develop policies that manage nitrogen emissions if the detrimental effects of palm oil production on air quality and climate are to be avoided.