University of Basrah

About: University of Basrah is a education organization based out in Basra, Iraq. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Thin film. The organization has 2264 authors who have published 2761 publications receiving 22280 citations. The organization is also known as: Jāmi'at Al Basrah.

Magnetic EDTA-modified chitosan/SiO2/Fe3O4 adsorbent: Preparation, characterization, and application in heavy metal adsorption

Abstract: The aim of this study was to develop a novel magnetic EDTA-modified chitosan/SiO2/Fe3O4 adsorbent (EDCMS) for removal of heavy metals ions from aqueous solution. EDCMS was prepared by surface modification of chitosan/SiO2/Fe3O4 (CMS) with EDTA using water-soluble carbodiimide as the cross-linker in buffer solution. Both EDCMS and CMS were characterized and their adsorption properties for removal of heavy metal ions under varied experimental conditions were also investigated. The results revealed that EDCMS had better tolerance to low pH and exhibited much higher removal efficiency for the metal ions in comparison with CMS. Moreover, the adsorption kinetics for EDCMS and CMS followed the mechanism of the pseudo-second order kinetic model, and their equilibrium data were fitted with the Langmuir isothermal model well. The maximum adsorption capacities of CMS were found to be 0.495, 0.045, 0.040 mmol g−1 for Cu(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions at pH 5.0 (25 °C), respectively, which showed the selective adsorption of Cu(II) ions, and the values of EDCMS were 0.699, 0.596, 0.563 mmol g−1 for Cu(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II) ions under the same conditions, respectively, which were much higher than that of CMS. The adsorption process of EDCMS and CMS was endothermic, and further recycle experiments showed there was about 25% loss in the adsorption capacity of EDCMS for heavy metal ions after 12 times reuse. All the results demonstrate that EDCMS is a potential recyclable adsorbent for hazardous metal ions in waste water.

A Comprehensive Review on Medicinal Plants as Antimicrobial Therapeutics: Potential Avenues of Biocompatible Drug Discovery.

Abstract: The war on multidrug resistance (MDR) has resulted in the greatest loss to the world’s economy. Antibiotics, the bedrock, and wonder drug of the 20th century have played a central role in treating infectious diseases. However, the inappropriate, irregular, and irrational uses of antibiotics have resulted in the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. This has resulted in an increased interest in medicinal plants since 30–50% of current pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals are plant-derived. The question we address in this review is whether plants, which produce a rich diversity of secondary metabolites, may provide novel antibiotics to tackle MDR microbes and novel chemosensitizers to reclaim currently used antibiotics that have been rendered ineffective by the MDR microbes. Plants synthesize secondary metabolites and phytochemicals and have great potential to act as therapeutics. The main focus of this mini-review is to highlight the potential benefits of plant derived multiple compounds and the importance of phytochemicals for the development of biocompatible therapeutics. In addition, this review focuses on the diverse effects and efficacy of herbal compounds in controlling the development of MDR in microbes and hopes to inspire research into unexplored plants with a view to identify novel antibiotics for global health benefits.

Hypoglycaemic and antihyperglycaemic effects of Trigonella foenum-graecum leaf in normal and alloxan induced diabetic rats

Abstract: The aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Trigonella foenum-graecum leaf were tested for hypoglycaemic activity in normal and alloxan-diabetic rats. Graded amounts (0.06, 0.2, 0.5, 1 g/kg, i.p. and 1, 2, 8 g/kg, p.o.) of the aqueous extract of Trigonella foenum-graecum leaf when given to both normal and alloxan-diabetic rats, a significant reduction of blood glucose concentration was noticed. On the other hand ethanolic extract of Trigonella foenum-graecum leaf produced no reduction in blood glucose concentration in normal rats but intra-peritoneal administration of 0.8 g/kg of the ethanolic leaf extract to diabetic rats produced a significant reduction of blood glucose concentration (p < 0.02) at 2 and 24 h only. Intraperitoneal and oral acute toxicity (LD50) and target organ effects were studied for the aqueous extract of Trigonella leaf in mice. LD50 of i.p. and oral administration were 1.9 and 10 g/kg respectively. The main organ affected after i.p. administration of the aqueous extract was the liver while oral administration of the aqueous extract of Trigonella did not produce any sign of organ damage. These results suggest that the aqueous extract of Trigonella foenum-graecum leaves given both orally and intraperitoneally possesses a hypoglycaemic effect in normoglycaemic and alloxan induced hyperglycaemic rats.

A survey of algorithms for the single machine total weighted tardiness scheduling problem

Abstract: This paper surveys algorithms for the problem of scheduling jobs on a single machine to minimize total weighted tardiness. Special attention is given to two dynamic programming and four branch and bound algorithms. The dynamic programming algorithms both use the same recursion defined on sets of jobs, but they generate the sets in lexicographic order and cardinality order respectively. Two of the branch and bound algorithms use the quickly computed but possibly rather weak lower bounds obtained from linear and exponential functions of completion times problems. These algorithms rely heavily on dominance rules to restrict the search. The other two branch and bound algorithms use lower bounds obtained from the Lagrangean relaxation of machine capacity constraints and from dynamic programming state-space relaxation. They invest a substantial amount of computation time at each node of the search tree in an attempt to generate tight lower bounds and thereby generate only small search trees. A computational comparison of all these algorithms on problems with up to 50 jobs is given.

Thermal Performance of a Heat Storage Module Using PCM’s With Different Melting Temperatures: Mathematical Modeling

Abstract: In the present study, the performance of a heat storage unit consisting of number of vertical cylindrical capsules filled with phase change materials, with air flowing across them for heat exchange has been analyzed. Earlier theoretical models did not consider temperature distribution in the radial direction within the capsules, an assumption that limits their applications for small diameter capsules. The mathematical model developed in this work is based on solving the heat conduction equation in both melt and solid phases in cylindrical coordinates, taking into account the radial temperature distribution in both phases. Heat flux was then evaluated at the surface of the first row of the capsules to determine the temperature of the air leaving that row by a simple heat balance. It was found that such computation may be carried out for every few rows rather than for a single row to minimize computer time. The simulation study showed a significant improvement in the rate of heat transfer during heat charge and discharge when phase change materials with different melting temperatures were used. Air must flow in the direction of decreasing melting temperature during heat charge, while it must be reversed during heat discharge.