Methods: The maize seeds were first photobiomodulated with two lasers: 1) a helium-neon (He-Ne) red laser (632.8 nm), and 2) a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) green laser (532 nm). Following three replications of randomized complete block design (RCBD), four irradiation treatments were applied (45 s, 65 s, 85 s, and 105 s) at two power intensities (2 mW/cm2 and 4 mW/cm2).
Results: Based on the results, maize seeds pretreated with a green laser and 2 mW/cm2 power intensity for 105 s exhibited the highest rate of seed emergence (96%) compared to the untreated control seeds with a lower seed emergence rate (62.5%). Furthermore, maize seeds treated with a red laser for 45 s showed an increased vigor index compared to the other treatment options and the control (P
Materials and Methods: Twenty gel matrices were prepared with different durations of microwave irradiation, amounts of maize, and concentrations of sodium bicarbonate as suggested by Design Expert (DX®). The percentage drug release, the coefficient of variance (CV) in release, and the mean dissolution time (MDT) were the properties explored in the designed experimentation.
Results: Target responses were dependent on microwave irradiation time, cross-linker amount, and salt concentration. Classical and microwave heating did not demonstrate statistically significant difference in modifying the percentage of drug released from the matrices. However, the CVs of microwave-assisted formulations were lower than those of the gel matrices prepared via classical heating. Thus, microwave heating produced lesser variations in drug release. The optimized gel matrices demonstrated that the observed percentage of drug release, CV, and MDT were within the prediction interval generated by DX®. The release mechanism of the matrix formulations followed the Peppas-Korsmeyer anomalous transport model.
Conclusion: The DoE-supported microwave-assisted approach could be applied to optimize the critical factors of drug release with less variation.