A reversed-phase HPLC method with fluorescence detection for the determination of the aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 in 42 animal feeds, comprising corn (16), soya bean meal (8), mixed meal (13), sunflower, wheat, canola, palm kernel, copra meals (1 each) was carried out. The samples were first extracted using acetonitrile:water (9:1), and was further cleaned-up using a multifunctional column. Optimum conditions for the extraction and chromatographic separation were investigated. By adopting an isocratic chromatographic system using a mobile phase comprising acetonitrile:methanol:water (8:27:65, v/v/v), the separation of the four aflatoxins was possible within 30 min. Recoveries for aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 were 98 ± 0.7%, 95 ± 1.0%, 94

As one type of heating furnaces, the electric heating furnace (EHF) typically suffers from time delay, non-linearity, time-varying parameters, system uncertainties, and harsh en-vironment of the furnace, which significantly deteriorate the temperature control process of the EHF system. In order to achieve accurate and robust temperature tracking performance, an integration of robust state feedback control (RSFC) and a novel sliding mode-based disturbance observer (SMDO) is proposed in this paper, where modeling errors and external disturbances are lumped as a lumped disturbance. To describe the characteristics of the EHF, by using convection laws, an integrated dynamic model is established and identified as an uncertain nonlinear second ord

The Gas Assisted Gravity Drainage (GAGD) process has become one of the most important processes to enhance oil recovery in both secondary and tertiary recovery stages and through immiscible and miscible modes.  Its advantages came from the ability to provide gravity-stable oil displacement for improving oil recovery, when compared with conventional gas injection methods such as Continuous Gas Injection (CGI) and Water – Alternative Gas (WAG). Vertical injectors for CO2   gas were placed at the top of the reservoir to form a gas cap which drives the oil towards the horizontal oil producing wells which are located above the oil-water-contact. The GAGD process was developed and tested in vertical wells to increase oil r

A simple and rapid spectrophotometric method for the determination of sulphite SO3-2 is described. The method is based on the rapid reduction of known amount of chromate CrO4-2 in the presence of sulphite in acidic medium of 2N H2SO4. The amount of excess of chromate was measured after it reactions with 1,5-diphenylcarbazide which finally gives a pink-violet, water soluble and stable complex, which exhibit a maximum absorption at 542 nm. Beer's law was obeyed in the concentration range from 0.004-6.0 µg of sulphite in a final volume of 25 ml with a molar absorbtivity of 4.64×104 l.mol-1.cm-1, Sandal's sensitivity index of 0.001724 ?g .cm-2 and relative standard deviation of ±0.55 - ±0.83 depending on the concentration level. The present

The main objective of this paper is to study the behavior of Non-Prismatic Reinforced Concrete (NPRC) beams with and without rectangular openings either when exposed to fire or not. The experimental program involves casting and testing 9 NPRC beams divided into 3 main groups. These groups were categorized according to heating temperature (ambient temperature, 400°C, and 700°C), with each group containing 3 NPRC beams (solid beams and beams with 6 and 8 trapezoidal openings). For beams with similar geometry, increasing the burning temperature results in their deterioration as reflected in their increasing mid-span deflection throughout the fire exposure period and their residual deflection after cooling. Meanwhile, the existing ope

Abstract

A sensitive, precise and reliable indirect spectrophotometric method for the determination of chlordiazepoxide (CDE) in pure and pharmaceutical dosage forms is described. The method is based on oxidative coupling reaction between amino group resulting from acidic decomposition of CDE with phenothiazine in the presence of sodium periodate to produce an intense green soluble dye that is stable and shows a maximum absorption at 602 nm. The calibration plot indicates that Beer’s law is obeyed over the concentration range of 0.1?50 µg/mL, with a molar absorptivity of 1×10⁴ L/mol cm and correlation coefficient of 0.9994.All the conditions that affecting on the stability and sensitivity of the fo

This paper presents an experimental study of cooling photovoltaic (PV) panels using evaporative cooling. Underground (geothermal energy) water used to extract heat from it during cooling and cleaning of PV panels. An experimental test rig was constructed and tested under hot and dusty climate conditions in Baghdad. An active cooling system was used with auxiliary an underground water tank to provide cold water as a coolant over both PV surfaces to reduce its temperature. The cellulose pad has been arranged on the back surface and sprays cooling on the front side. Two identical PV panels modules used: without cooling and evaporative water cooling. The experiments are comprised of four cases: Case (I): backside cooling, Ca