The present work reports the performance of three types of polyethersulfone (PES) membrane in the removal of highly polluting and toxic lead Pb2+ and cadmium Cd2+ ions from a single salt. This study investigated the effect of operating variables, including pH, types of PES membrane, and feed concentration, on the separation process. The transport parameters and mass transfer coefficient (k) of the membranes were estimated using the combined film theory-solution-diffusion (CFSD), combined film theory-Spiegler-Kedem (CFSK), and combined film theory-finely-porous (CFFP) membrane transport models. Various parameters were used to estimate the enrichment factors, concentration polarization modulus, and Péclet number. The pH values significantly affected the permeation flux of the Pb2+ solution but only had a slight effect on the Cd2+ solution. However, Cd2+ rejection was highly improved by increasing the pH value. The rejection of the PES membranes increased greatly as the heavy metal concentration rose, while the heavy metal concentration moderately affected the permeation flux. The maximum rejection of Pb2+ in a single-salt solution was 99%, 97.5%, and 98% for a feed solution containing 10 mg Pb/L at pH 6, 6.2, and 5.7, for PES1, PES2, and PES3, respectively. The maximum rejection of Cd2+ in single-salt solutions was 78%, 50.2%, and 44% for a feed solution containing 10 mg Cd/L at pH 6.5, 6.2, and 6.5, for PES1, PES2, and PES3, respectively. The analysis of the experimental data using the CFSD, CFSK, and CFFP models showed a good agreement between the theoretical and experimental results. The effective membrane thickness and active skin layer thickness were evaluated using the CFFP model, indicating that the Péclet number is important for determining the mechanism of separation by diffusion.
Dual-species biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus generate difficult-to-treat illnesses. Nutrition stress in biofilms affects physiology, microbial metabolism, and species interactions, impacting bacteria growth and survival. Furthermore, the function of alginate, which is encoded by the algD gene, in the production of biofilms has been established. The present study aimed at investigating the impact of starvation on algD gene expression in single-species biofilm of P. aeruginosa and dual-species biofilms of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus from hospital sewage. A total of six P. aeruginosa and six S. aureus isolates were obtained from the microbiology laboratory at the Department of Biology, College of Science, Universit
... Show MoreBackground Type two diabetes (T2DM) is characterized by insufficient insulin production and secretion. Additionally, the body develops insulin resistance which affects 90–95% of diabetics. Complex cytokines, receptors, genetic pathways, and the immune system are involved in T2DM. Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is one of the inflammatory cytokines associated with Type 2 diabetes. Environmental and genetic variables, including genetic polymorphisms, can increase T2DM risk and its consequences. Single nucleotide gene polymorphisms (SNPs) are important risk factors for diabetes that can be used to find the disease early and treat it better. Objective This study aimed to determine the levels of IL-18 in the serum of Iraqi patients with Type 2 diabetes
... Show MoreSince the invention of the automobile, no aspect of American life, including crime and its control, has remained untouched by this far-reaching innovation in transportation. Vehicular "hot pursuit"-when suspects in motor vehicles use excessive speed in attempting to elude the police. Unfortunately, accounts of wild chases across crowded inner city streets, through tree-lined suburban boulevards, and over remote country roads are very real and not merely fictional material created for entertaining television and motion picture audiences. The specter of "hot pursuit," complete with screaming sirens and red or blue flashing lights, has become a recurring fact of modem life.1 So, too, are the mishaps involving police vehicles or the vehicles pu
... Show MoreA detailed study of adsorption from solution of amitriptyline-HCl, chlorpromazine-HCl and
chlordiazepoxide-HCl on bentonite clay surface has been performed at variable conditions of
temperature, pH and ionic strength. It is aimed in this work to explore the capability of this clay in
treatment of poisoning by the mentioned drugs if taken in quantities higher than the usual doses.
Quantities of drugs adsorbed have been determined by UV spectrophotometric technique. The
sequence of adsorption in neutral media at 37.5 CÙ’ followed the order:
Amitriptyline-HCl > chlorpromazine-HCl > chlordiazepoxide-HCl.
The results were discussed in the light of Langmuir and Freundich adsorption isotherms. The usual
basic th
Background: Traumatic ulcerative granuloma with stromal eosinophilia is an impressive benign chronic ulcerative lesion of the oral mucosa with vague etiopathogenesis. It was supposed to represent an oral counterpart of primary cutaneous CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorder. Histopathologically, it is characterized by mixed inflammatory infiltrate predominated by histiocytes, lymphocytes and eosinophils along with presence of scattered large atypical mononuclear cells. It has worrisome clinical presentation. It may heal spontaneously, but in most occasions it persists and never heal unless removed surgically (incisional or excisional biopsy). A rare subset may show worrisome immunohistochemical features. Follow up is highly recommended. Mat
... Show MoreThis study was designed to evaluate the role of single session autologous facial fat grafting in correcting facial asymmetries after mixing it with platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) and injecting them into rich vascular facial muscular plane.
Fifteen patients (12 females and 3 males) with age ranging from 18 years to 40 years were included in this study and followed up during 6 months, all the patients were treated in the Al-Shaheed Ghazi Al-Hariri for specialized surgeries hospital (Medical City, Baghdad, Iraq).
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The pandemic SARS-CoV-2 is highly transmittable with its proliferation among nations. This study aims to design and exploring the efficacy of novel nirmatrelvir derivatives as SARS entry inhibitors by adapting a molecular modeling approach combined with theoretical design. The study focuses on the preparation of these derivatives and understanding their effectiveness, with a special focus on their binding affinity to the S protein, which is pivotal for the virus’s access to the host cell. Considering molecular docking aspects in the scope of a study on nirmatrelvir derivatives and S protein, dynamics simulations with 25 nanoseconds of their binding are explored. The study shows that these derivatives might work as effective antivi
... Show MoreRapid worldwide urbanization and drastic population growth have increased the demand for new road construction, which will cause a substantial amount of natural resources such as aggregates to be consumed. The use of recycled concrete aggregate could be one of the possible ways to offset the aggregate shortage problem and reduce environmental pollution. This paper reports an experimental study of unbound granular material using recycled concrete aggregate for pavement subbase construction. Five percentages of recycled concrete aggregate obtained from two different sources with an originally designed compressive strength of 20–30 MPa as well as 31–40 MPa at three particle size levels, i.e., coarse, fine, and extra fine, were test
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