Single Extraction Research Articles

MODIFICATION OF THE METHOD OF QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF FLAVONOIDS IN THE GRASS OF THE MOUNTAIN BIRD POLÝGONUM AVICULÁRE L.

Аbstract Aim– Modification a methodology of the quantitative content of the sum of flavonoids in the raw material of bird's knotweed (Polýgonum Aviculáre L.) Material and methods. The raw materials of the bird's mountaineer (grass) were collected near the village of Ponomarevka, Dombarovka, Alekseevka, Orenburg region in June-July 2022. The collected material was dried in accordance with the requirements of the GF. The quantitative content was studied using a Vilitek VBS ultrasonic bath at a temperature of 40 ° C and a power of 60 W, a LAB-TB-6/W water bath at a temperature of 90 ° C, a rotary evaporator "IR-1 LT" at a temperature of 70 ° C. The electronic spectra were measured on a UNICO 2800 UV spectrophotometer, in 10 mm thick cuvettes in the wavelength range from 190 to 700 nm. The comparison solution was prepared using 96% ethyl alcohol concentration. Results. The presented method of quantitative determination can be used in "end-to-end" standardization, for raw materials of other types of mountaineer, as well as medicinal herbal preparations based on mountaineers. We selected the extraction conditions using 50% ethyl alcohol in a ratio (raw material-extractant) of 1:50 and boiling in a water bath for 60 minutes, which allowed us to achieve the yield of the amount of flavonoids more than 0.5% declared in GF XIV (FS.2.5.0069.18). Conclusion. New, different from pharmacopoeia conditions for the analysis of the quantitative determination of the amount of flavonoids in the grass of the mountaineer bird are proposed. The main differences, which is a single extraction, in comparison with a three-stage pharmacopoeia; reduction of extraction time in a water bath to 60 minutes, which is 30 minutes less than in the method of GF XIV; the concentration of the extractant and the ratio of "raw materials:extractant". Thus, the method of quantitative determination of the grass of the mountain bird has been modified according to the basic conditions of extraction of raw materials. As a result, based on the data obtained, we can recommend the content of flavonoids in the raw material of bird's knotweed at least 1.5 ± 0.08%.

The Effects of Turmeric and Mangosteen Pericarp Ethanol Extract on Eosinophil Count, TNF-α and TGF-β1 Gene Expression in Asthmatic Rat Model.

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that is characterized by inflammation, bronchial hyperreactivity, and airway remodeling. The long-term use of corticosteroids at high doses causes various side effects. Traditional herbal medicine has been suggested as an alternative therapy that is safe and effective in dealing with asthma. Natural plants such as turmeric and mangosteen are known to treat asthma and reduce inflammation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of turmeric and mangosteen pericarp ethanol extracts on the eosinophil counts, TNF-α and TGF-β1 gene expression, and inflammatory cell counts in the histopathology of an asthmatic rat model. The preliminary study used 30 rats, which were divided into a normal group, negative control group (OVA-sensitized), turmeric normal group, mangosteen group, and positive control group. Blood samples were collected after the sensitization period to determine eosinophil counts. TNF-α and TGF-β1 gene expression, and histopathology were observed in the rat's lungs. The follow-up study used 30 rats divided into a normal group, negative control group (OVA-sensitized), combination of turmeric and mangosteen group (54m/200gr rats, 36mg/200gr rats, and 36mg/200gr rats), and positive control group. The examination procedures were the same as in the preliminary study. The administration of single ethanol extracts of turmeric and mangosteen significantly decreased eosinophils and improved the histopathological features of the lungs (inflammatory cell counts, bronchial inflammatory score, and bronchial smooth muscle thickness) (p<0.05). The combination of turmeric and mangosteen extracts at all doses significantly decreased eosinophils and improved the histopathological features of the lungs (inflammatory cell counts, bronchial inflammatory score, and bronchial smooth muscle thickness) (p<0.05). Both the single and combined administration of turmeric and mangosteen ethanol extracts did not cause significant changes in TNF-alpha and TGF-beta (p>0.05). Turmeric ethanol extract and mangosteen pericarp ethanol extract have a reductional effect on the parameters of asthma based on the eosinophil counts, the inflammatory cell counts and score, and bronchial smooth muscle thickness.

State of Health Estimation Method for Lithium-Ion Batteries Based on Multifeature Fusion and BO-BiGRU Model

Abstract The state of health (SOH) of lithium-ion batteries is a crucial parameter for assessing battery degradation. The aim of this study is to solve the problems of single extraction of health features (HFs) and redundancy of information between features in the SOH estimation. This article develops an SOH estimation method for lithium-ion batteries based on multifeature fusion and Bayesian optimization (BO)-bidirectional gated recurrent unit (BiGRU) model. First, a total of eight HFs in three categories, namely, time, energy, and probability, can be extracted from the charging data to accurately describe the aging mechanism of the battery. The Pearson and Spearman analysis method verified the strong correlation between HFs and SOH. Second, the multiple principal components obtained by kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) can eliminate the redundancy of information between HFs. The principal component with the highest correlation with SOH is selected by bicorrelation analysis to be defined as the fused HF. Finally, to improve SOH estimation accuracy, the BO-BiGRU model is proposed. The proposed method is validated using battery datasets from NASA. The results show that the SOH estimation accuracy of the BO-BiGRU model proposed in this article is high, while mean absolute error (MAE) is lower than 1.2%. In addition, the SOH of the lithium battery is estimated using different proportions of test sets, and the results show that the root-mean-square error (RMSE) and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of the SOH remain within 3%, with high estimation accuracy and robustness.

Epidemiology of obesity during pregnancy in Europe: a systematic review

Abstract Background Obesity during pregnancy poses inter-generational health risks and places added burden on healthcare systems. Characterising levels of obesity during pregnancy is necessary to guide future research, policy and practice. Methods The systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Embase and Web of Science were searched. Studies published between 2009 and 2023 that report the prevalence of obesity during pregnancy in countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European region were eligible. The Joanna Briggs Institute Prevalence Critical Appraisal tool was used. Two reviewers screened studies independently. A single reviewer completed data extraction and quality assessments, a second checked 20% of extractions and a third resolved disagreements. Narrative synthesis was completed. Results 100 studies reporting the prevalence of obesity during pregnancy in the WHO European region were identified. 59% from Western Europe, 36% Northern, 4% Southern and 1% Eastern. Data within the studies was collected between 1950 and 2019. 35% of studies reported national estimates, 65% regional. 39% studies had measured height and weight, 34% did not report how either were ascertained, 6% used self-report for both, 17% had self-reported height but measured weight, 4% a mixture of self-report and measurement. The smallest sample was 157 while the largest was 1,891,097. Estimated prevalence of obesity during pregnancy ranged from 2.3% (Sweden, data collected 1982-1989) to 28.3% (England, 2007). Conclusions This review identifies variation in the prevalence of obesity during pregnancy in the WHO European region. This may reflect diverse sociocultural contexts, different methodological approaches and temporal trends. There was limited evidence available for Southern and Eastern Europe. Key messages • There are high levels of obesity during pregnancy within the WHO European region. • Enhanced primary prevention and resourcing of obstetric services is needed.

Multi-feature enhancement based on sparse networks for single-stage 3D object detection

In the field of autonomous driving, the accuracy and real-time requirements for 3D object detection technology continue to improve, which is directly related to the commercialization process and market popularity of autonomous vehicles. Despite the efficiency of pillar-based coding for onboard systems, it falls short in terms of accuracy and the reduction of incorrect positives. In this paper, we will examine how to solve the problem of high incorrect rate and low accuracy of existing methods. Firstly, a MAP coding module is introduced to optimize previous point cloud feature coding modules, allowing for the efficient extraction of fine-grained features from point cloud data. Then, we introduce an innovative sparse dual attention (SDA) to efficiently filter out irrelevant details in feature extraction, thereby improving the pertinence and efficiency of information extraction. Finally, to address the potential loss of information from single local feature extraction, a local and global fusion module (CTGC) is introduced. Our method has proactively demonstrated its efficiency and accuracy through rigorous experimentation across diverse datasets. Analysis of the results leads to the conclusion that our solutions provide accurate and robust detection results. Code will be available at https://github.com/lcy199905/MyOpenPCDet.git.

Removal of Impurities from Nickel and Cobalt in Mixed Hydroxide Precipitate with Solvent Extraction Using Di(2-Ethylhexyl) Phosphoric Acid

ABSTRACT This study investigates the removal of major impurities, namely Fe, Al, Zn, and Mn, in a solution produced by sulfuric acid leaching of mixed hydroxide precipitate from the Ni and Co via solvent extraction using di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA). The results of extraction experiments showed that the extracted Ni, Co, Fe, Al, Zn, Mn, and Mg increased as the equilibrium pH, D2EHPA concentration, and O/A ratio increased. The optimum extraction condition was achieved at a pH of 3.5, a 20% (v/v) D2EHPA concentration, and an O/A ratio of 1, with a complete (>99.9%) extraction of Al, Fe, Zn, and 97.33% Mn with co-extracted Ni and Co of 22.32% and 29.13%, respectively, in a single extraction stage. Complete Mn removal can be achieved in two extraction stages. Co-extracted Ni and Co can be scrubbed out using a mild sulfuric acid solution at a pH of 1.2 with only less than 2% of the Al, Fe, Zn, and Mn co-scrubbed. McCabe-Thiele diagrams of the scrubbing processes were constructed, and the results showed that Ni and Co can be scrubbed out using a mild acidic solution at a pH of 1.2, O/A ratio of 1, and temperature of 40°C for 10 min of mixing. Zn and Mn can be stripped completely using 0.5 M sulfuric acid solution at an O/A of 1 and temperature of 40°C for 10 min of mixing, while Fe and Al remained unstripped. Fe and Al can subsequently be stripped via reductive stripping.

Calendula Flowers (Calendulae officinalis flos): Methods to Obtain Fractions of Biologically Active Substances

INTRODUCTION. The pharmaceutical industry aims at developing sustainable resource-saving technologies for manufacturing medicines. Approaches to the effective use of herbal drugs include applying technologies yielding compounds with various pharmacological effects in one production cycle. To date, no standardised herbal drug processing technology has been designed to produce calendula flower-based medicinal products with various pharmacological effects. The Member States of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) process calendula flowers by extraction methods yielding one fraction of biologically active substances per cycle (either only flavonoids or only carotenoids).AIM. This article aimed to investigate the possibility of stepwise processing of calendula flowers to obtain biologically active substances with different polarities (carotenoids, flavonoids, and polysaccharides) per cycle.MATERIALS AND METHODS. The authors extracted carotenoids using hexane. The study included additional thermal pretreatment of the herbal drug. Carotenoids and flavonoids were quantified by spectrophotometry, and polysaccharides were quantified by gravimetric analysis. After hexane removal, the dry oily residue was dissolved in oil with mechanical stirring to obtain the oil extract. The study included a three-step processing method that comprised hexane extraction (extraction of carotenoids with a low-polarity organic solvent), extraction with a water–organic solvent system (extraction of flavonoids), and aqueous extraction (precipitation of polysaccharides).RESULTS. The lipophilic extracts obtained by single hexane extraction or by single hexane extraction and heat treatment had the maximum carotenoid content (~4%), which was 10 times the carotenoid content in the extracts obtained using a water– organic solvent system. Oil extracts were prepared from the dry residue left after removing hexane by distillation at its boiling point. The content of biologically active substances in the oil extracts was comparable to that in the intact herbal drug. Water–organic solvent extraction yielded 68.5% more flavonoids from the herbal drug extracted with hexane than from the intact herbal drug. In contrast, aqueous extraction applied to the intact herbal drug yielded 1.7 times the amount of flavonoids obtained by aqueous extraction preceded by hexane extraction. The water-soluble polysaccharide fraction extracted from the intact herbal drug had 10 times the flavonoid content observed in the fraction extracted from the processed herbal drug. Each subsequent processing step decreased the total polysaccharide content and the content of individual polysaccharide fractions and increased their purity. The ratio of polysaccharide fractions remained unchanged across all processing methods tested.CONCLUSIONS. Stepwise processing of calendula flowers ensured that one processing cycle provided three fractions containing increased amounts of carotenoids, flavonoids, and polysaccharides. Relative to the intact herbal drug, there was a 3.3-fold increase in the yield of carotenoids, and the yields of flavonoids and polysaccharides increased by 44.8 and 41.3%, respectively. The resulting product had a higher degree of purity than the products obtained by pretreatment and double hexane extraction or by using the intact herbal drug. The stepwise processing method is advisable for the production of medicines that are enriched with a specific group of biologically active substances or contain smaller amounts of impurities.

Development of Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) Assay for In-Field Detection of American Plum Line Pattern Virus.

American plum line pattern virus (APLPV) is the most infrequently reported Ilarvirus infecting stone fruit trees and is of sufficient severity to be classified as an EPPO quarantine A1 pathogen. In late spring, yellow line pattern symptoms were observed on leaves in a few flowering cherries (Prunus serrulata Lindl.) grown in a public garden in Northwest Italy. RNA extracts from twenty flowering cherries were submitted to Ilarvirus multiplex and APLPV-specific RT-PCR assays already reported or developed in this study. One flowering cherry (T22) with mixed prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) and prune dwarf virus (PDV) infection also showed infection with APLPV. Blastn analysis of PCR products of the full coat protein (CP) and movement protein (MP) genes obtained from flowering cherry T22 showed 98.23% and 98.34% nucleotide identity with reference APLPV isolate NC_003453.1 from the USA. Then, a LAMP-specific assay was designed to facilitate the fast and low-cost identification of this virus either in the laboratory or directly in the field. The developed assay allowed not only the confirmation of APLPV (PSer22IT isolate) infection in the T22 flowering cherry but also the identification of APLPV in an asymptomatic flowering cherry tree (TL1). The LAMP assay successfully worked with crude flowering cherry extracts, obtained after manually shaking a single plant extract in the ELISA extraction buffer for 3-5 min. The developed rapid, specific and economic LAMP assay was able to detect APLPV using crude plant extracts rather that RNA preparation in less than 20 min, making it suitable for in-field detection. Moreover, the LAMP assay proved to be more sensitive in APLPV detection in flowering cherry compared to the specific one-step RT-PCR assay. The new LAMP assay will permit the estimation of APLPV geographic spread in the territory, paying particular attention to surrounding gardens and propagated flowering cherries in ornamental nurseries.

A comparative study on sequential green hybrid techniques (ultrasonication, microwave and high shear homogenization) for the extraction of date seed bioactive compounds and its application as an additive for shelf-life extension of Oreochromis niloticus

This study focuses on the extraction of bioactive compounds from date seeds using five polyol-based deep eutectic solvents (P-DESs) in combination with hybrid green extraction techniques, specifically microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), homogenization-assisted extraction (HAE), and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The optimization of these extraction techniques was achieved using P-DESs showing the highest efficiency for extracting date seed bioactive compounds using response surface methodology (RSM) and central composite design (CCD) approach. The optimized conditions from three green techniques were further applied in the form of hybrid green extraction techniques, involving six binary and three ternary methods, to assess the percentage increase in the extraction efficiency of date seed bioactive polyphenolics. Among the five P-DESs tested, choline chloride: ethylene glycol (ChCl:Eg) exhibited the highest extraction efficiency for recovering date seed phenolic compounds. Using ChCl:Eg as the P-DES, the highest extraction efficacy was found with MAE, followed by > HAE and > UAE. In addition, all hybrid extraction techniques showed higher extraction efficiencies than the single extraction methods. Notably, the binary hybrid techniques combining UAE and MAE (UMAE), HAE and MAE (HMAE) resulted in significantly higher recovery of bioactive compounds, with 52 % and 49 % increases in total phenolic content, respectively, compared to single extraction techniques. The lowest MIC and MBC of P-DES (ChCl:Eg) and date seed P-DES based extract recorded against all the tested bacterial strains was 40 % and 20 % respectively. Furthermore, the date seed extract from MAE was used to extend the shelf life of Oreochromis niloticus stored at 4 °C for 10 days. The results indicated that the date seed polyphenolic extract effectively inhibited microbial growth in Oreochromis niloticus during refrigerated storage, with the total bacterial count (TBC) of all the treated samples within the recommended acceptability limit of < 6 log CFU/g compared to the untreated samples, which showed a total bacterial count (TBC) > 6 log CFU/g. This study demonstrated that sequential hybrid techniques enhance and intensify the recovery of bioactive compounds more effectively than any single green technique.

B-286 Single Experiment, Single Plate Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) Optimization using 47 Drug Analytes as an Example

Abstract Background SPE of biological matrices isolates analytes of interest from interfering matrix components that can affect LC-MS/MS quantitation. Optimal SPE conditions are dependent upon the sample matrix and analyte properties and typically require multiple experiments to determine optimal conditions for SPE extraction. Here, a 96-well method development plate was utilized to streamline method development for a panel of 47 clinical research drug analytes: 14 antipsychotics, 22 antidepressants and 11 anticonvulsants. Methods An SPE plate with four polymeric sorbents: reversed phase (X), strong and weak cation-exchange and weak anion-exchange mixed-mode phases (X-C, X-CW and X-AW) was used. The 47 drugs analytes were extracted on all four sorbents using three sets of conditions: acidic pretreatment/wash (aq) with basic elution (AB), neutral pretreatment/wash (aq) with neutral elution (NN), and basic pretreatment/wash (aq) with acidic elution (BA). A 50/50 methanol/water wash was also included. Elution used neutral or pH adjusted ethyl acetate/isopropanol or methanol/acetonitrile. A reagent blank, matrix blank, extracted serum samples spiked post-elution (n=2), and spiked serum (n=4) were extracted on each sorbent using each set of conditions. Optimal conditions were determined by calculating absolute percent recovery for each analyte. Results Recovery for antipsychotics was 85-97% using X-CW-AB, except Chlorpromazine (59%). It had better recovery (80%) using X-AB. Recovery for the antidepressants was 75-112% using X-C-AB, except Bupropion (35%) and Selegiline (10%). Bupropion had better recovery (83% and 95%) using X or X-CW and BA. Selegiline had better recovery using X, X-CW and X-AW with BA (83-92%). Anticonvulsants comprise zwitterionic, sulfonamides, neutral, acidic, and basic compounds with widely varying pKa and polarity. Targeting a single method for these analytes is difficult. The best recovery for anticonvulsants used X-CW-AB with several exceptions. Lacosamide, Felbamate, and Levetiracetam are neutral and among the most polar analytes and had 7-31% recovery under all SPE conditions tested. Zwitterionic Gabapentin and Pregabalin had 50-53% recovery from X-CW and X-C sorbents. The stronger protic elution (ammoniated methanol/acetonitrile vs ethyl acetate/isopropanol ) improved solubility for complete elution. Oxcarbazepine had 37% recovery from X-CW-AB, but recovery was 71% under BA conditions. Neutral, polar Zonisamide and Topiramate (Sulfonamide compounds) recovery was 25-26% using X-CW-AB. However, recovery was better (47% and 83%) under NN conditions, suggesting the analytes didn’t undergo complete elution from the X-CW sorbent. A stronger elution solvent would improve recovery from X-CW. Conclusions Most antipsychotics were recovered with X-CW-AB. Most antidepressants could be extracted using X-C-AB. Some analytes had higher recovery using hydrophobic interaction (X) SPE. A single mixed-mode SPE two-step elution protocol using a stronger elution solvent may be feasible. Anticonvulsants had mixed results. Some would require a stronger elution solvent. Some could be included in the other two panels to maximize recovery, but some had low recovery under all conditions tested. The method development plate screened 12 SPE methods for 47 analytes in a single experiment, greatly reducing the time and labor required to identify the best sorbent and starting conditions for SPE extraction optimization for drug analysis. This workflow could be implemented for other SPE method development projects.

Quantifying the extended energy metabolome of industrially important microorganisms (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry

This study has developed a new targeted methodology for the separation, detection, and quantification of metabolites from the wider energy metabolome of industrially important microorganisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a single analytical sample. This has been achieved using UHPLC-MS technology in HILIC mode. Absolute concentrations of metabolites nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide reduced (NADH), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate reduced (NADPH), flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), adenosine-monophosphate (AMP), adenosine-diphosphate (ADP), and adenosine-triphosphate (ATP) were determined in a single extraction and analytical methodology.This study demonstrated the development of a rapid, statistically robust, and reproducible methodology through regression calibrations of standard samples from 0.1 to 100 µMol providing a correlation value of r2 = >0.98 for all metabolites. Sample preparation, extraction and analytical methodologies used showed high accuracy, sensitivity, and recovery. With an LOD and LOQ for the targeted analysis of metabolites from the wider energy metabolism in a single sample and analytical run with the lowest LOD of 0.055 nMol (±0.002) and lowest LOQ of 0.167 nMol (±0.006). This method was then applied to Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell culture to evaluate the methodology in industrially used microbial cultures. Results obtained have been statistically determined to be robust and reproducible through recovery analysis using deuterated and isotopically labelled internal standards AMP-15N, ADP-15N and ATP-d14.

Mesiodistal tip expression of mandibular anterior teeth in patients with mandibular incisor extraction treated with Invisalign aligners

Extraction of a single mandibular incisor may be prescribed in conjunction with clear aligner orthodontic treatment. The accuracy of therapeutic mesiodistal tooth positioning for the remaining mandibular anterior teeth for such patients has not been comprehensively evaluated. This retrospective study compared the predicted and achieved mesiodistal tooth movements in the mandibular anterior region for patients treated with Invisalign (Align Technology, Santa Clara, Calif), along with the influence of aligner attachments and the frequency of aligner change. A sample of 83 subjects who had undergone Invisalign treatment with a single mandibular incisor extraction was collected from an existing database. The pretreatment tooth positions, the predicted mesiodistal tooth movement, and the achieved outcomes were measured for the remaining mandibular anterior teeth using Geomagic Control X metrology software (3D Systems, Rock Hill, SC). The predicted and achieved mesiodistal tip movements were analyzed and compared. Regression analysis revealed significant differences (P<0.001) between the predicted and achieved mesiodistal tooth positioning for incisors and canines. For every degree of predicted incisor mesiodistal tip, 78.89% of this tip was achieved (R2= 0.4901). For every degree of predicted canine tip, 54.16% was clinically expressed (R2= 0.5965). The accuracy of mesiodistal tip expression was not significantly affected by the prescribed number of aligners, 1-week vs 2-week aligner change protocols, or the presence of attachments (P>0.05). In addition, incisors were less likely to express the correct direction of the mesiodistal tip predicted than canines (P= 0.020). A shortfall between the predicted and clinically achieved expression of mesiodistal tooth movement with Invisalign was found for the anterior teeth after a mandibular incisor extraction. The number of aligners, duration of aligner wear, and specific attachment designs were not found to significantly influence the accuracy of the achieved mesiodistal tip movements.

UJI EFEK ANTIBAKTERI KOMBINASI DAUN GEDI DAN DAUN KUMIS KUCING TERHADAP Staphyloccocus aureus

Gedi (Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medik) and Java tea leaves (Orthosiphon aristatus (Blume) Miq.) are known to have antibacterial activity. The combination of these two plants in inhibiting Staphylococcus aureus bacteria needs to be known to determine whether there is a synergistic effect from the combination. The synergistic effects can be demonstrated by the presence of greater antibacterial activity in the combination of both plants compared to single plant extracts. The extraction of both leaves was carried out with 96% ethanol and the maceration method. Antibacterial assay utilized the disc diffusion method with an extract concentration of 10,000 ppm and an extract ratio between two extracts was 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100. The positive control used was gentamicin, while the negative control used was dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The resulting inhibition zones of extract combinations were 8.21 mm, 9.49 mm, 7.86 mm, 8.03 mm, and 8.74 mm, respectively. The results of data analysis using One Way ANOVA showed a sig p&gt; 0.05, which indicated that there was no significant difference between extract comparisons, both single and combined. Based on the inhibitory zones was obtained and the statistical analysis, the combination of 10.000 ppm 96% ethanol extract of Gedi and Java tea leaves had an antibacterial activity in the weak category and did not have a synergistic effect in inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus aureus.

Lithium recovery from an alumina electrolysis slag leaching solution with strong acidity: Separation of lithium-ion and production of battery grade lithium carbonate

Lithium (Li) with excellent physicochemical properties is widely used in modern industries. However, the shortage and depletion of Li resources has hindered the sustainable economic development. Li recovery from waste resource was an effective approach, in particular, alumina electrolysis slag is exemplified as Li riched solid waste. In this work, separation of Li from alumina electrolysis slag leaching solution (AESLS) via solvent extraction using bis(2-ethylhexyl) hydrogen phosphate (P204) system was explored. Effects of saponification degree, phase ratio, and reaction time on metal ions impurities and Li extraction were investigated. Operational parameters including extraction, scrubbing, saponification and precipitation were optimized. Results showed that the extraction efficiencies of Mg2+, Ca2+, Al3+, Fe3+ and Li+ were 100 %, 100 %, 99.99 %, 100 % and 20.71 %, respectively, under the optimal single extraction conditions. The loss of Li after scrubbing of loaded organic phase using hydrochloric acid was as low as 1.59 %. The P204 extraction process was proved to be a thermodynamic process with spontaneous entropy increase, and the extraction order of metal ions was Al3+ > Fe3+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > Li+ according to the extraction driving force (ΔC); The solvent-extracted ligand mechanism was elucidated by infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. Additionally, battery-grade lithium carbonate was produced. Our study paves a new way for recovery of Li in AESLS.

Optimal pilot pattern for data‐aided channel estimation for MIMO‐OFDM wireless systems

AbstractThis article presents an optimal pilot pattern for the data‐aided channel estimation (DACE) scheme for both single‐input single‐output (SISO) and multiple‐input multiple‐output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO‐OFDM) wireless systems. The research evaluates the performance of the DACE scheme using different comb‐type pilot patterns for both least square (LS) and linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) channel estimators. In this regard, it is found that pilot spacing significantly influences system performance. Inserting pilot symbols in consecutive subcarriers cannot compensate for increased pilot spacing. Hence, the solution to this problem is to place pilot symbols at appropriate locations within the given spectrum. Moreover, data symbols which are reliably detected at the receiver are used as additional pilot signals to further enhance system performance. However, reliable data symbols need to be determined carefully because wrong detection results in severe performance degradation. In this respect, the proposed comb‐type pilot pattern using a single pilot subcarrier extracts the maximum number of reliable data symbols for the DACE scheme, improves channel estimation accuracy, and provides bandwidth optimization for MIMO‐OFDM systems. Furthermore, it outperforms all other pilot patterns in terms of system mean square error (MSE) and bit‐error‐rate (BER) performance.

Simultaneous and sequential combination of techniques for the sustainable and extensive extraction of proteins and polyphenols from malt rootlets

The emergence of tecnhiques such as microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE), ultrasounds-assisted extraction (UAE), and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) has brough many benefits but their single use does not guarantee the hollistic extraction of target compounds from complex samples. Taking into account their different principles and that one technique may favour the extraction of certain compounds over others, this work proposes the combination of these techniques for improving extraction yields in the recovery of proteins, as example of large molecule, and phenolic compounds, as example of small molecule, from a recalcitrant sample. No single extraction technique recovered all proteins or phenolic compounds, even after a proper optimization. Among them, PLE was the most advantageous, enabling the extraction of 67 % proteins and 1.20 g gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g sample. Analysis of samples by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and separation of extracts by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) revealed that PLE showed the most distinct efficiency among EAE, MAE, and UAE, whereas the latter three exhibited more similar results. Based in these results, ten different combinations (sequential and/or simultaneous) of these techniques were proposed. PLE in combination with another technique showed a great potential for the extraction of both large and small molecules. Particularly, the combination of EAE and PLE recovered 100 % of proteins and more than three times the phenolic compounds extracted by other methods reported in the literature, even revealing significant synergistic effects.

Ensuring the Safety of an Extraction Well from an Upgradient Point Source of Pollution in a Computationally Constrained Setting

Shallow groundwater is an important resource, especially in low- and middle-income countries; however, shallow groundwater is particularly vulnerable to point sources of pollution such as latrines or unlined waste disposal ponds. The objective of this paper is to derive a quantitative criterion for siting an extraction well and an upgradient point source of pollution to ensure that they are hydraulically disconnected, i.e., that no water flows from the point source to the well. To achieve this objective, we modeled the flow of shallow groundwater considering uniform regional flow, a single point source of pollution, and a single extraction well. For any set of flow rates and upgradient point source distance, we sought the minimum “off-center distance” ymin (i.e., the distance in the direction perpendicular to regional flow) that ensures the well and the point source are hydraulically disconnected. For constituencies with access to computing resources and coding expertise, we used a computer-based method for determining ymin that is exact to within the accuracy of a root-finding algorithm; this approach is recommended when computer access is available. For constituencies lacking these resources, we determined a simple, closed-form, approximate solution for ymin that has an average error of less than 3% for the conditions we tested. For a subset of scenarios in which the point source is sufficiently far upgradient of the well (n = 77), the root mean square relative error of the approximate solution is only 0.52%. We found that ymin depends on a length parameter (Qw + Qps)/QR, where Qw is the extraction rate of the well, Qps is the injection rate of the point source, and QR is the regional groundwater flow rate per unit of perpendicular length. Either the exact solution or the closed-form approximation can help to site wells near point sources of pollution, or to site point sources near wells, in a manner that protects the health of the well user. The approximate solution is valuable because many constituencies that rely on shallow wells for water supply and latrines for sanitation also lack access to the computer resources necessary to apply the exact solution.

An ultra-high-definition multi-exposure image fusion method based on multi-scale feature extraction

Multiple exposure image fusion is a technique used to obtain high dynamic range images. Due to its low cost and high efficiency, it has received a lot of attention from researchers in recent years. Currently, most deep learning-based multiple exposure image fusion methods extract features from different exposure images using a single feature extraction method. Some methods simply rely on two different modules to directly extract features. However, this approach inevitably leads to the loss of some feature information during the feature extraction process, thus further affecting the performance of the model. To minimize the loss of feature information as much as possible, we propose an ultra-high-definition (UHD) multiple exposure image fusion method based on multi-scale feature extraction. The method adopts a U-shaped structure to construct the overall network model, which can fully exploit the feature information at different levels. Additionally, we construct a novel hybrid stacking paradigm to combine convolutional neural networks and Transformer modules. This combined module can extract both local texture features and global color features simultaneously. To more efficiently fuse and extract features, we also design a cross-layer feature fusion module, which can adaptively learn the correlation between features at different layers. Numerous quantitative and qualitative results demonstrate that our proposed method performs well in UHD multiple exposure image fusion.

Development of a Combined Protein and Dye Extraction Approach for the Analysis of Keratin-Based Textiles.

Archaeological textiles represent precious remains from ancient culture; this is because of the historical and cultural importance of the information that can be obtained by such relics. However, the extremely complicated state of preservation of these textiles, which can be charred, partially or totally mineralized, with heavy soil or biological contamination, requires highly specialized and sensitive analytical tools to perform a comprehensive study. Starting from these considerations, the paper presents a combined workflow that provides the extraction of dyes and keratins and keratin-associated proteins in a single step, minimizing sampling while maximizing the amount of information gained. In the first phase, different approaches were tested and two different protocols were found suitable for the purpose of the unique workflow for dyes/keratin-proteins: a slightly modified urea protocol and a recently proposed new TCEP/CAA procedure. In the second step, after the extraction, different methods of cleanup and workflow for proteins and dyes were investigated to develop protocols that did not result in a loss of aliquots of the analytes of interest and to maximize the recovery of both components from the extracting solution. These protocols investigated the application of two types of paramagnetic beads, unmodified and carboxylate-coated hydrophilic magnetic beads, and dialysis and stage-tip protocols. The newly designed protocols have been applied to cochineal, weld, orchil, kermes, and indigo keratin-based dyed samples to evaluate the effectiveness of the protocols on several dye sources. These protocols, based on a single extraction step, show the possibility of investigating dyes and keratins from a unique sample of 1 mg or lesser, with respect to the thresholds of sensitivity and accuracy required in the study of textile artifacts of historical and artistic values.

Combining cyclic lipopeptides and cinnamon extract enhance antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum strains pathogenic to banana and delay Fusarium wilt under greenhouse conditions

AbstractFusarium wilt of banana (FWB) caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) is a widely distributed disease that generates devastating losses in banana production. Foc belongs to the Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC) which includes several evolutionary lineages. Nine of them are pathogenic to banana such as F. phialophorum, F. grosmichelli, F. duoseptatum and the most aggressive F. odoratissimum tropical race 4 (TR4). No control method has been successfully implemented to manage FWB, then enhancing the potential of management approaches can avoid or delay disease epidemics and reduce disease severity. Here we determined the antifungal effect of different plant-based extracts against Foc in vitro, and whether the combination of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) extract and Bacillus tequilensis EA-CB0015 cyclic lipopeptides had an additive effect against different Foc lineages in vitro and against FWB in banana plants in greenhouse. We found, from 17 plant-based natural extracts, that cinnamon was highly active against Foc strain IB (race 1). Furthermore, cinnamon and cyclic lipopeptides inhibited different strains of various evolutionary lineages of Foc belonging to race 1 and TR4, and their combination increased in 1.4-fold the effect of the single extracts in vitro. Our results showed that soil concentration of F. odoratissimum TR4-II5 decreased by 1000-fold when treated with the combination of 488 mg L−1 cinnamon and 128 mg L−1 lipopeptides in a soil microcosm system after 5 days of incubation, followed by a partial population recovery after 21 days. In greenhouse experiments, the combination reduced external but not internal FWB symptoms, and cinnamon extract had a significant impact on internal plant symptoms. Taken together, the effect of cyclic lipopeptides with cinnamon extract on Foc supports their function towards delaying the effect of disease progression and suggests that the combination enhances the effect of the single extracts.