Naproxen (NAP) is an aromatic propionic acid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, and vortioxetine (VOT) is a novel antidepressant drug. In this study, a new 1 : 1 drug-drug salt of NAP and VOT (namely, NAP-VOT) was designed and synthesized by liquid-assisted grinding and slow evaporation. The obtained salt was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Single-crystal structure showed that NAP-VOT is a molecular salt. The NAP and VOT molecules in the salt were connected by N-H+⋯O hydrogen bonds between the carbonyl oxygen of NAP and the piperazine group of VOT. In addition, solubility and dissolution rate experiments were performed in water and pH 6.86 phosphate buffers, and the result suggested that salt formation could increase the solubility and dissolution rate of NAP and VOT in water. Furthermore, this study provides a new research idea to solve the problem of drug-drug combination by achieving drug-drug association at the molecular level.

Medicinal plants represent an important class of traditional medicines. This research was conducted to assess the levels of selected heavy metals in some medicinal plants from Obuasi, a mining area in Ghana. Twenty different medicinal crops were sampled for this study. The levels of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) after wet digestion. The concentrations (mg/kg) of As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Mn, Ni, and Pb were 1.092 − 0.206, 1.341 − 0.253, 6.603 − 2.005, 0.045 − 0.001, 282.798 − 20.583, 4.967 − 1.676, and 26.410 − 0.629, respectively. Some concentrations of Cr, Cd, As, Mn, and Pb analyzed in all 20 medicinal plant samples exceeded WHO permissible limits for medicinal food while concentrations of Ni, As, and Hg for all the samples were below the WHO permissible limit. The estimated dietary intake (EDI) was compared to the tolerable daily intake recommended by WHO/FAO. Results obtained from hazard indices such as the hazard quotient and carcinogenic risk show that the medicinal plants are not likely to cause cancer if they are consumed over a prolonged period of time.

The analysis of iodine content in kelp is mainly focused on determining total iodine content, which lacks a rapid and sensitive analytical method for iodine species corresponding to iodate, iodide, monoiodotyrosine (MIT), and diiodo-tyrosine (DIT). Based on exploring the pretreatment methods of enzymatic hydrolysis of kelp, a rapid determination method of high-performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS) for different iodine species existed in kelp samples was established. The pretreatment method is trypsin hydrolysis of kelp samples treated at 50°C for 10 hours, then the extraction solution was obtained by centrifugation, and filtration was proved for the first time. A high-efficiency separation anion-exchange column (Dionex IonPac AS-14) for iodate, iodide, MIT, and DIT with 0.1 mol·L−1(NH4)2CO3 solution at pH = 9 as a mobile phase, a flow rate of 0.8 mL·min−1 for the first 1500 s, and 1.2 mL·min−1 for the last 1800 s was confirmed. The linear ranges of the standard calibrations on four iodine species are 1.0–150 μg·L−1, and the detection limits are 1.62, 1.02, 1.59, and 2.55 μg·L−1, respectively, while the RSD values of four iodine species are all less than 2%. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method was successfully applied for the speciation analysis of iodine in kelp samples.

Aldose reductase has received extensive research as a key enzyme in the development of long-term problems linked to diabetes mellitus. Overexpression of this enzyme or with exceeded glucose concentration in the blood increases sorbitol on the retina leading to retinopathy, which is the adverse effect of type II diabetes. Approximately 100 million people are suffering from diabetic retinopathy globally. This research is focused on studying the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant potential, and aldose reductase inhibiting properties of selected medicinal plants such as Anacyclus pyrethrum, Bergenia ciliata, Rhododendron arboreum, and Swertia chirayita. In addition, ADMET analysis and molecular docking of seven previously identified compounds from the chosen medicinal plants were carried out against human aldose reductase (PDB ID: 4JIR). The ethanol extract of S. chirayita exhibited the highest TPC (4.63 ± 0.16 mg GAE/g) and TFC (0.90 ± 0.06 mg QE/g). Analysis of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)-based antioxidant assay showed that IC50 of the ethanolic extract of B. cilata and R. arboreum showed a significant antioxidant activity with IC50 value of 0.05 mg/mL. The percentage inhibition of AR by extract of B. ciliata (94.74 ± 0.01%) was higher than other plant extracts. A molecular docking study showed that morin isolated from B. ciliata showed a good binding interaction with AR. This study showed that the extracts of A. pyrethrum, B. ciliata, and R. arboreum could be potential sources of inhibitors against AR to treat retinopathy.

Green synthesis and metal oxide composites have attracted much attention from researchers of industry and academia. As a typical application of green synthesis and metal oxide composites, the continuous change of industrial technology and the continuous improvement of the social and economic level, the demand for oil and gas are also increasing. However, the spatial gap between the place of origin and the place of demand for oil and gas resources is large, so the long-distance oil and gas pipeline came into being. However, under the action of time, coupled with the corrosion effect of the soil due to deep burial, some pipelines have serious aging and corrosion phenomena. Therefore, in order to give corresponding guarantees for economic development, we need to conduct in-depth research and analysis of the corrosion of oil and gas long-distance pipelines and give effective solutions. In this paper, the corrosion rate prediction of buried oil and gas pipelines is studied in Changqing gas field. By improving the inertial weights and learning factors of the traditional particle swarm algorithm, the parameters of the generalized regression neural network are optimized and selected, and the corrosion rate prediction model of buried pipelines is finally constructed. Comparative analysis with other swarm intelligence algorithms shows that the improved particle swarm algorithm has stronger convergence ability and higher prediction accuracy than the BP model and SVM model. In addition, based on the detection data collected at the site of the gathering and transportation pipeline in Changqing gas field, this paper uses the extreme value distribution theory and the local corrosion progress formula to establish a prediction model for the residual life of corrosion of buried pipelines. The model established in this paper can effectively determine the risk pipe segment of buried pipeline and provide a decision-making basis for pipeline management departments. The work provides an important application guidance to green synthesis and metal oxide composites.

Numerous essential oils have been researched as biopesticides because of their effectiveness and environmental safety. Nevertheless, encapsulation is necessary to improve its physical, chemical, and biological properties. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the physicochemical characteristics and antifungal activity of the Artemisia herba-alba essential oil (HAEO) encapsulated in succinic acid-modified β-cyclodextrin (SACD). Hydrodistillation was used to extract a yellowish oil from the plant A. herba-alba, and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry was performed to determine the chemical composition. The scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric analysis, and docking studies were combined to validate the molecular inclusion of HAEO with SACD. The antifungal activity was examined against Botrytis cinerea by direct contact with a potato dextrose agar. The results showed that the main compound in HAEO was α-thujone (65.0%). Furthermore, HAEO has been successfully incorporated into SACD with a binding energy value of −5.3 kJ·mol−1, and its thermal stability improved. At a 0.1% concentration, HAEO in encapsulated form showed a higher ability to inhibit B. cinerea (38.34%), compared to EO in free form (12.00%). Thus, these findings produced evidence that the strategy of encapsulating EOs by SACD can develop novel B. cinerea inhibitors and a promising alternative biopesticide.

Surface water is one of the sources of global potable water. However, the quality of surface water has been degrading due to an increase in human activities. Hence, the present study was conducted to evaluate the spatial and temporal variability in drinking water physico-chemical and bacteriological characteristics from the different sources in Mizan-Aman, Ethiopia. The physico-chemical characteristics of water at the Kosokol site were found to be statistically different () from the other sites (Gacheb, Tsit, Reservoir 1, and Reservoir 2 sites). The dry and wet season temperature (27.1 and 23.8°C), turbidity (37.4 and 54.8 NTU), pH (7.6 and 8.1), biological oxygen demand (18.1 and 20.7 mg/l), phosphate (2.4 and 3.5 mg/l), and ammonia (2.2 and 4.8 mg/l) of the water were beyond the acceptable limit set for drinking water by both Ethiopian standards (temperature: <15°C; turbidity: 7 NTU; pH: 6.5–8.5; BOD: 10 mg/l; phosphate: 0.02 mg/l; and ammonia: 1.5 mg/l) and the WHO standards (temperature: <15°C; turbidity: 5 NT U; pH: 6.5–8.5; BOD: 5 mg/l; phosphate: 0.01 mg/l; and ammonia: 1.5 mg/l). The total coliform (366.5 and 494.3 CFU/100 ml) and fecal coliform (209.5 and 278.3 CFU/100 ml) contents of the water in the dry and wet seasons are beyond the acceptable limits for drinking water by Ethiopian standards (total and fecal coliform: 0) and the WHO standards (total and fecal coliform: 0). The physico-chemical and bacteriological characteristics of the water in the wet season were found significantly higher than those () in the dry season. In general, the water quality changes on a spatial and temporal basis in the study area. Thus, it is important to encourage water quality management works at the upper source sites of the catchment. Furthermore, the city water authority should reinforce safeguarding treatment processes, continuous monitoring of water quality as well as risk assessment and management practices.

The effects of the percentage volume of reinforcement, the ratio of reinforcement, and the matrix size of particles on the wear behavior of AA5052/B4C metal matrix composites (MMCs) examine. This research examines a model function developed from an artificial neural network (ANN). AA5052/B4C composites bent using a powder metallurgy technique to hardness and ball-on-disc wear testing. There are two exemptions such as (1) when the percentage volume of reinforcement is less than 8% and (2) when the ratio of reinforcement particle size (Rs) and matrix particle size (Ms) increases before decreasing. The results show that wear loss decreases with increasing percentage volume of reinforcement and ratio of Rs and Ms. In the second case, wear loss is increased at high levels of percentage volume (14%) since the proportion of reinforcement and matrix size of the particle is close to 1. When the volume percentage of reinforcement is high (14%) and the matrix and reinforcement particle sizes are substantial (120 m), the reinforcement particles become dislodged and break. Because these broken-up particles are easily removed from the surface, the material’s wear resistance is reduced. In this case, raising the volume fraction yields a uniformly higher hardness for all Rs/Ms values; hence, composites with lower reinforcement volume percentages show better wear resistance. Hardness and wear resistance have no relationship with one another.

To evaluate the potential antimicrobial activity, Aloe vera and Opuntia ficus-indica plants were collected from the Jeddah, Al Baha, and Taif areas of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (SA), and their ethanolic extracts were screened by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS). The di(2-propylpentyl) ester and hexadecenoic acid ethyl ester of phthalic acid were the most abundant compounds in the A. vera extract, and 1-(benzyloxy)-3,5-dinitrobenzene and phenol, 5-ethenyl-2-methoxy were the most abundant compounds in the O. ficus-indica extract. The antimicrobial activity of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of these plants against seven fungi and five pathogenic bacteria was also tested. Among all the tested fungi, A. chevalieri showed the largest inhibition zone when treated with the A. vera gel ethanolic extract, followed by P. funiculosum and P. minioluteum, which were more sensitive to and showed larger inhibition zones upon treatment with aqueous extract. For the O. ficus-indica ethanolic extract, T. funiculosus showed the largest inhibition zone. The aqueous extract of the O. ficus-indica showed low antimicrobial activity against all tested fungi. By contrast, both the A. vera and O. ficus-indica extracts showed antibacterial activity against S. aureus, Shigella sp., E. coli, and MRSA except S. typhimurium, which was the most resistant bacterium to both the aqueous and ethanol extracts of A. vera and O. ficus-indica.

Epimedii Folium (EF) is a commonly used traditional Chinese drug that includes many species. In Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020 edition), EF includes Epimedium brevicornu Maxim, E. Sagittatum (Sieb. et Zucc) Maxim, E. pubescens Maxim, E. koreanum Nakai, and Epimedium Wushanense T.S. Ying. It has been reported that the active constituents in EF are different, resulting in the uneven quality of commercial medicinal materials. To explore the specific differences and make a comprehensive quality evaluation of EF, we established an analytical method to simultaneously detect 45 constituents including 23 flavonoids, 4 phenolic acids, 12 amino acids, 5 nucleosides, and 1 alkaloid in 5 species of EF, based on ultrafast performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (UFLC-QTRAP-MS/MS). In addition, orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), analysis of variance (ANOVA), and grey correlation analysis (GRA) were used to discriminate and evaluate different species of samples. The results showed that EF could be divided into three categories and EBM was superior to the other four species. This study provides data basis for the comprehensive evaluation and a new perspective on the quality control of EF from different species.

Ethyl acetate fraction column chromatographic analysis was used to isolate eleven compounds (numerically tagged 1–10) from Cassia occidentalis L. in this study. Two unique metabolites, including a neolignan compound designated as occidentalignan I (9) and a flavonoidal glycoside, chrysin-7-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (10), were identified, while silybin A (8) was the first flavonolignan to be isolated from the Fabaceae family. Four compounds, including β-sitosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), stigmasterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), betulinic acid (3), and vanillic acid (4) were isolated from C. occidentalis for the first time. In addition, four known compounds, cinnamic acid (5), p-hydroxybenzoic acid (6), β- resorcylic acid (7), and citric acid (11), were also detected. The in-vitro cytotoxicity assessment of the methanolic extract of C. occidentalis on seven cancer cell lines, including A-549, Colo-205, Huh-7, HCT-116, PANC-1, SKOV-3, and BNL, demonstrated its selective potent cytotoxicity on lung cancer cells without affecting normal BNL cells. In contrast, the methanolic extract showed moderate activity on Colo-205 and Huh-7 and nearly no activity on HCT-116, PANC-1, and SKOV-3 cell lines. These results suggest that the methanolic extract of C. occidentalis is an excellent candidate with potential antiproliferative activity against lung cancer; however, further studies are necessary to clarify its mechanism of action.

This research created hot-pressed composites of the AA6063 matrix with varying concentrations of ZrO2 (0.25, 0.5, and 1 wt %). At sliding speeds of 80, 120, and 150 mm/s, the wear performance of the specimen was studied at loads of 10 N, 15 N, 20 N, and 25 N. The authors analyzed the counter-face material, the wear debris, and the worn surfaces to learn about the wear mechanisms. Developing these three machine learning (ML) algorithms was to evaluate the ability to predict wear behavior using the same small dataset collected using varying test processes. A thorough examination of each model hyperparameter tuning phase was performed. The predictive performance was analyzed using several statistical tools. The most effective decision-making algorithms for this data collection were those based on trees. Predictions made by the decision tree algorithm for the test and validation measurements have an accuracy of 86% and 99.7%, respectively. The best model was picked out based on the results of the predictions.

Electronic garbage is one of the fastest-growing waste streams. Its disposal and appropriate management are a worldwide concern. Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are critical components in contemporary electronic gadgets that contain toxic elements. Bioprocessing of PCBs for metal recovery employing microbial methods has evolved as a green solution in metallurgical operations. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans were used in this study to leach metals from powdered waste PCBs. The RSM is used for optimizing the leaching conditions. The optimal conditions obtained were a bacterial activation period of 28 days, a pulp density of 23 g/L, and a temperature of 31°C. A confirmatory experiment under these optimal circumstances yielded recovery rates of Cu2+, Sn2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+ of 95.62%, 96.27%, 95.6%, and 98.25%, respectively.

The dwindling of students’ interest in chemistry which leads to students poor achievement in chemistry calls for an inward investigation on the interactive effects of two influential factors on pedagogy, effective mode of instruction and the teacher quality on students’ interest in chemistry. Thus, this study adopted the quasiexperimental design to investigate interactive effects of guided inquiry and teachers’ years of experience on students’ interest in chemistry. The study was conducted using Senior Secondary School 2 chemistry students in Ogidi Education zone of Anambra state, Nigeria. One research question and one hypothesis guided the study. 310 chemistry students random sampled in twelve public secondary schools and twelve regular teachers were included in the study. Data were collected using validated chemistry interest inventory (CII). The CII had an average reliability index of 0.93 as determined using Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient. The hypothesis was tested using the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The study revealed significant interactive effects of teachers’ years of experience and guided inquiry on students’ interest in chemistry.

African malaria mosquitoes (Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto) transmit a malaria parasite (Plasmodium falciparum) to humans. The current control strategies for the vector have mainly focussed on synthetic products, which negatively impact the environment and human health. Given the potential use of environmentally friendly plant-derived volatiles as a control, this work aims to examine and compare the repellency potential of essential oils and headspace volatiles from Ocimum gratissimum, Ocimum tenuiflorum, and Ocimum basilicum and their chemical compositions. The repellency potential and chemical composition of the plants were achieved by using the protected arm-in-cage method and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Among the three Ocimum species, both the essential oils and the headspace volatiles from O. tenuiflorum achieved the longest repellency time lengths of 90–120 minutes. One hundred and one (101) chemical constituents were identified in the headspace volatiles of the three Ocimum spp. Nonetheless, (−)-camphor, (E)-γ-bisabolene, terpinolene, β-chamigrene, cubedol, (E)-farnesol, germacrene D-4-ol, viridiflorol, γ-eudesmol, tetracyclo [6.3.2.0 (2,5).0(1,8)] tridecan-9-ol, 4,4-dimethyl, α-eudesmol, isolongifolol, and endo-borneol were unique only to O. tenuiflorum headspace volatiles. Either essential oils or headspace volatiles from O. tenuiflorum could offer longer protection time length to humans against An. gambiae. Though field studies are needed to assess the complementarity between the chemical constituents in the headspace volatiles of O. tenuiflorum, our observations provide a foundation for developing effective repellents against An. gambiae.

Substituted pyrazolyl derivatives were synthesized through Suzuki cross coupling of aromatic boronic acid with heterocyclic halide using newly synthesized nano-Pd/chitosan catalyst by the water-mediated green synthesis methodology. The reactivity of the nano-Pd catalyst was highly enhanced by incorporating palladium nanoparticles with a biopolymer chitosan matrix. The synthesized nano-Pd/chitosan catalyst was studied thoroughly for its structure, morphology, and other fundamental aspects such as the size and shape by various techniques including XRD, FESEM, and EDAX analyses. The scope of the catalyst was disclosed by their great stability with remarkable reusability for Suzuki cross-coupling reaction with twelve different boronic acids under the green synthetic methodology.

In this study, polymeric nanocomposites of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) were synthesized by assembly of a biomimetic polymer-polydopamine (PDA)onto halloysite nanotubes ([email protected]), followed by the in situ growth of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) on the surface of [email protected] The obtained nanocomposites ([email protected]/ZIF-8) prevented agglomeration of ZIFs and increased the number of active sites derived from PDA. The factors influencing heavy metal ions (Pb2+, Cd2+, Cu2+, and Ni2+) adsorption by [email protected]/ZIF-8 were discussed. The Langmuir model was able to well describe the adsorption, and the maximum adsorption capacity of [email protected]/ZIF-8 was calculated to be 285.00 mg/g for Cu2+, 515.00 mg/g for Pb2+, 185 mg/g for Cd2+ and 112.5 mg/g for Ni2+. Thermodynamic parameters confirmed that the adsorption was exothermic and spontaneous. Moreover, [email protected]/ZIF-8 has good regenerability, which is very important in practical applications. The adsorption mechanism study showed that electrostatic attraction, coordination reactions and ion-exchange were the main mechanisms between the adsorbents and heavy metal ions. Hence, [email protected]/ZIF-8 is a promising candidate for removing heavy metal ions from wastewater.

The phase equilibriums of the ternary system KCl-(NH2)2CO-H2O at 303.15 K, 323.15 K, 333.15 K, and 343.15 K were studied using the isothermal dissolution equilibrium method, in which the composition of equilibrium solid phase was determined by Schreinemaker’s wet residue method and X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. It was found that the ternary system is a simple cosaturated system, without the formation of neither double salt nor solid solution. Wilson and NRTL models were employed to correlate in the solubility data of the system at experimental temperatures. The maximum values of RAD and RMSD of the Wilson model were 2.18 × 10−2 and 0.83 and those of the NRTL model were 1.69 × 10−2 and 0.40, respectively. The two models were utilized to forecast solubility data at various temperatures, and the obtained outcomes were in line with the literature data. Based on the experimental solubility data at 343.15 K, the cooling crystallization process of the system was monitored online by focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) and particle video microscope (PVM). The crystal products were characterized by XRD, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The results showed that the precipitation of (NH2)2CO occurred during the crystallization process, and this was followed by KCl. KCl was formed on the surface of (NH2)2CO crystal. The crystal was a simple mixture containing KCl and (NH2)2CO.

A dendrimer amphiphilic polymer (A-D-HPAM) was synthesized by aqueous solution polymerization of acrylic acid (AA), acrylamide (AM), 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid (AMPS), hydrophobic monomer of cetyl dimethyl allyl ammonium chloride (DMCAAC-16), and skeleton monomer of GA1.0, using ammonium persulfate and sodium bisulfite as initiators. The chemical structure of A-D-HPAM was, respectively, analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The tackifying property, the resistance of shear, temperature and salt, the interfacial tension, and the oil displacement performance of A-D-HPAM were determined. Compared with solutions of HPAM (hydrolyzed polyacrylamide) and HPAM-SDBS (sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate), A-D-PAM exhibits the optimal properties, especially achieving the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) of 15.1%.

The nanostructures synthesized using the green chemistry method have recently attracted the attention of scientists due to their significance in many scientific domains. This work provides an overview of the biosynthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanosheets (NSs) using Phyllanthus emblica plant (PEP) extract. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) were used to analyze the synthesized ZnO-NSs. Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of biosynthesized ZnO-NSs was performed. ZnO-NSs exhibit effective antibacterial activity against Gram-positive (S. pyogenes and S. aureus) and Gram-negative (S. typhi and E. coli) bacterial strains. S. typhi is the most sensitive microbe towards ZnO-NSs and formed a 21 mm zone of inhibition (ZOI). ZnO-NSs are also tested as a photocatalyst in the degradation of methyl orange (MO) and rhodamine B (RB). The degradation rate of MO was 90%, and RB was 96% after being exposed to UV light for 120 min. The as-synthesized ZnO-NSs exhibited selective dye degradation and showed relatively better photocatalytic activity for positively charged (cationic) dyes. This work could lead to the fabrication of high-yield photocatalysts, which have the potential to degrade textile dyes from aqueous solution.