The aim of this study is to investigate the role of prodigiosin on P. aeruginosa' s biofilm genes involved in the pathogenicity and persistency of the bacteria; Materials and methods: Gram negative bacterial isolates were taken from burn and wounds specimen obtained from some of Baghdad hospitals. Forty six isolates were identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and four isolates as Serratia marcescens by using biochemical tests and VITEK 2 compact system. Susceptibility test was performed for all P. aeruginosa isolates, the results showed that 100% were resistant to Amikacin and 98% were sensitive to Meropenem. Resistant isolates were tested for biofilm formation; the strong and moderate isolates (17) were detected by PCR for AlgD gene presence. From 17 isolates only two had AlgD gene. All serratia isolates were screened for prodigiosin production, which were extracted from the best producer isolate. Minimal inhibitory concentration was assessed for prodigiosin and ciprofloxacin and synergism between them against the two isolates of P. aeruginosa. Results and conclusions: The results showed that the synergistic effect decreased MIC of both prodigiosin and ciprofloxacin by combination, and reduction of biofilm formation was detected. RNA was extracted from the two selected isolates as control in addition to three treatments. The result of quantitative real time PCR showed down regulation in the AlgD gene expression level under some treatments, while there was no gene expression in most treatments with both sub-MICs treatment
The objective of the current research is to find an optimum design of hybrid laminated moderate thick composite plates with static constraint. The stacking sequence and ply angle is required for optimization to achieve minimum deflection for hybrid laminated composite plates consist of glass and carbon long fibers reinforcements that impeded in epoxy matrix with known plates dimension and loading. The analysis of plate is by adopting the first-order shear deformation theory and using Navier's solution with Genetic Algorithm to approach the current objective. A program written with MATLAB to find best stacking sequence and ply angles that give minimum deflection, and the results comparing with ANSYS.
The Catharanthus roseus plant was extracted and converted to nanoparticles in this work. The Soxhlet method extracted alkaloid compounds from the plant Catharanthus roseus and converted them to the nanoscale. Chitosan polymer was used as a linking material and converted to Chitosan nanoparticles using Sodium TriPolyPhosphate (STPP). The extracted alkaloids were linked with Chitosan nanoparticles CSNPs by maleic anhydride to get the final product (CSNPs- Linker- alkaloids). The synthesized (CSNPs- Linker- alkaloids) was characterized using SEM spectroscopy UV–Vis., Zeta Potential, and HPLC High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis shows that the Chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) have small dim
... Show MoreThe fall angle of sun rays on the surface of a photovoltaic PV panel and its temperature is negatively affecting the panel electrical energy produced and efficiency. The fall angle problem was commonly solved by using a dual-axis solar tracker that continually maintains the panel orthogonally positioning to the sun rays all day long. This leads to maximum absorption for solar radiation necessary to produce maximum amount of energy and maintain high level of electrical efficiency. To solve the PV panel temperature problem, a Water-Flow Double Glazing WFDG technique has been introduced as a new cooling tool to reduce the panel temperature. In this paper, an integration design of the water glazing system with a dual-axis tracker has been ac
... Show MoreAbstract—The upper limb amputation exerts a significant burden on the amputee, limiting their ability to perform everyday activities, and degrading their quality of life. Amputee patients’ quality of life can be improved if they have natural control over their prosthetic hands. Among the biological signals, most commonly used to predict upper limb motor intentions, surface electromyography (sEMG), and axial acceleration sensor signals are essential components of shoulder-level upper limb prosthetic hand control systems. In this work, a pattern recognition system is proposed to create a plan for categorizing high-level upper limb prostheses in seven various types of shoulder girdle motions. Thus, combining seven feature groups, w
... Show MoreObjective: Hesperidin (HSP) is a pharmacologically active organic compound found in citrus fruits and peppermint. We synthesized a new HSP derivative by reacting it with 5-Amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thiol in acetic acid. Methods: This compound was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, and electron impact mass spectra. A molecular docking study explores the predicted binding of the compound and its possible mode of action. Bioavailability, site of absorption, drug mimic, and topological polar surface was predicted using absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) studies. Results: The docking study predicts that the new compound binds to the active sites of Aurora-B
... Show MoreNew polymer blend with enhanced properties was prepared from (80 %) epoxy resin (Ep), (20%) unsaturated polyester resin (UPE) as a matrix material. The as-obtained polymer blend was further reinforced by adding Sand particles of particle size (53 μm) with various weight fraction (5, 10, 15, 20 %). Thermal conductivity and sorption measurements are performed in order to determine diffusion coefficient in different chemical solutions (NaOH, HCl) with concentration (0.3N) after immersion for specific period of time (30 days). The obtained results demonstrate that the addition of sand powder to (80%EP/20%UPE) blend leads to an increase of thermal conductivity, with an optimum/minimum diffusion coefficient in (HCl)/(NaOH), respectively.