ABSTRACT This study presents an efficient approach for the separation and preconcentration of norepinephrine (NOR) from pharmaceutical formulations, environmental water, and human urine samples using a dispersive micro – solid phase extraction (DμSPE) technique employing magnetic nanoadsorbents. Two adsorbents, Fe3O4@TTAB and Fe3 O4@SiO2@TTAB, were prepared by functionalising iron oxide and silicacoated iron oxide nanoparticles with the cationic surfactant tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB). NOR was first converted into a sensitive diazonium dye via reaction with diazotised sulphamethazine and then extracted using mixed ademicelle – hemimicelle magnetic solid-phase extraction, followed by spectrophotometric quantification. Key adsorption parameters, including contact time, adsorbent dosage, solution pH, and reagent concentration, were optimised to elucidate the dye adsorption mechanism, and sorbent reusability was evaluated over six adsorption – desorption cycles. The surfactant-coated nanoparticles provided high extraction efficiencies, achieving preconcentration factors of 35 for Fe3O4@TTAB and 56 for Fe3O4@SiO2@TTAB, with recoveries of 96–102% and relative standard deviations below 3% for both adsorbents. The method displayed linearity ranges of 0.1–6.0 μg/mL for Fe3O4@TTAB and 0.05–6.0 μg/ mL for Fe3O4@SiO2@TTAB, with detection limits of 0.035 and 0.019 μg/mL, respectively. These results confirm that DμSPE is a reliable and sustainable approach for NOR extraction and preconcentration from diverse matrices.
The control of prostheses and their complexities is one of the greatest challenges limiting wide amputees’ use of upper limb prostheses. The main challenges include the difficulty of extracting signals for controlling the prostheses, limited number of degrees of freedom (DoF), and cost-prohibitive for complex controlling systems. In this study, a real-time hybrid control system, based on electromyography (EMG) and voice commands (VC) is designed to render the prosthesis more dexterous with the ability to accomplish amputee’s daily activities proficiently. The voice and EMG systems were combined in three proposed hybrid strategies, each strategy had different number of movements depending on the combination protocol between voic
... Show MoreWeed control with chemicals is a challenging process that should be performed in a rational way to reduce their negative impact on the surrounding environment. The growth of artificial intelligence algorithms encourages researchers to develop smart spraying robots that detect and spray weeds and distinguish them from the main crop which leads to sustainable use of these chemicals and achieves some of the sustainable development goals. However, few studies are available to comprehensively compare different versions of YOLO algorithm to detect weed. In this research, seven versions of YOLO algorithms were evaluated for their performance to detect and spray four t
Dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis (SD) are common skin disorders affecting the scalp and extending to other body sites in the case of SD. They are associated with pruritus and scaling, causing an esthetical disturbance in the population affected. Treatment of such conditions involves using a variety of drugs for long terms, thus optimizing drug formulation is essential to improve therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance. Conventional topical formulations like shampoos and creams have been widely used but their use is associated with disadvantages. To overcome such effects, novel topical nanotechnology-based formulations are currently under investigation. In the following article, we highlight recently published formulatio
... Show MoreThis study designed to prepare ultrafine apixaban (APX) o/w nanoemulsion (NE) based gel with droplet size below 50 nm as a good method for transdermal APX delivery without using permeation enhancer, alternatively, the formulation components itself act as permeation enhancer. APX, a potent oral anticoagulant drug that selectively and directly inhibit coagulation factor Xa, was selected as a good candidate for transdermal delivery as it displays poor water solubility (0.028 mg/mL) and low bioavailability (50%). APX-NE gel was prepared using triacetin, triton-x-100 and carbitol as oil phase, surfactant and cosurfactant respectively, while Carbopol 940 used as a gelling agent. Ex vivo permeation of APX-NE gel through human stratum c
... Show MoreSymmetric cryptography forms the backbone of secure data communication and storage by relying on the strength and randomness of cryptographic keys. This increases complexity, enhances cryptographic systems' overall robustness, and is immune to various attacks. The present work proposes a hybrid model based on the Latin square matrix (LSM) and subtractive random number generator (SRNG) algorithms for producing random keys. The hybrid model enhances the security of the cipher key against different attacks and increases the degree of diffusion. Different key lengths can also be generated based on the algorithm without compromising security. It comprises two phases. The first phase generates a seed value that depends on producing a rand
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