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Metronidazole is a highly effective active antibacterial against trichomoniasis and protozoan infections. A ZnO nanoparticle-modified graphite carbon paste electrode was constructed as an electrochemical sensor for the electroanalysis of metronidazole. The electro-catalytic properties of the ZnO@CPE electrode were examined by cyclic voltammetry and EIS. Zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized on graphite carbon nanosheets by thermal route under studied and optimized experimental conditions were found to have excellent electro-catalytic performance for the reduction of metronidazole traces. The relationship between pH and Epc gave a slope of −59 mV/ZnO@CPE in the pH range of 4.5 to 9.5. Reflecting that the number of electrons and protons participating in the reaction convert the ϕ-NO2 attractor groups of Metronidazole molecules on the electro-catalytic surface of the fabricated electrode are equal. The morphology analysis of the fabricated electrode surface indicates the formation of zinc oxide crystals, the XRD study confirms the crystal structure of the hexagonal phase of ZnO. The calibration curve was constructed by the differential pulse voltameter method in the concentration range of 0.8–100 µmol L−1, with a limit of detection and limit of quantification of metronidazole equal to 1.018 10−7 M and 3.395 10−7 M respectively. The proposed method has been successfully tested for the detection of trace amounts of metronidazole in real samples such as urine and serum. The proposed method is also simple, fast and inexpensive. It has a good recovery rate, good selectivity and high sensitivity.

Metronidazole is an anti-parasitic drug of the nitro-5-imidazole class, discovered in 1959. The objective of this research was to construct a highly sensitive sensor to detect Metronidazole in real samples. We elaborated a carbon paste electrode modified with Al2O3 microparticles that are hydrothermally formed on the graphite carbon sheet. As a working electrode, the different experimental parameters have been optimized. The electrochemical behavior of the antibacterial metronidazole was examined by the proposed sensor is perfectly irreversible. This device presents an excellent electro-catalytic activity for metronidazole reduction, as shown by a peak of maximum metronidazole reduction localized at the position of −0.61v /µAl2O3@CPE relative to Ag/AgCl. The pH effect of PBS shows that the number of protons and electrons was equal. The diffusion coefficient and the electro-catalytic rate constant were evaluated at 6.34x10-4 cm2/s and 3.4 cm3/mol/s respectively. The morphology and chemical composition of the prepared paste have been characterized by SEM, X-ray diffraction and IR, the size of Al2O3 microparticles is about 4.45 µm, the calibration curve has been plotted in the concentration range of 10−3 to 0.5 × 10−6 M using the Differential pulse voltammetry method. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were calculated to be 0.253 × 10−6 M and 0.844 × 10−6 M, respectively. The applicability of our µAl2O3@CPE sensors in the determination of Metronidazole in real samples contaminated with the Metronidazole antibacterial, including tap water, river water and urine. The electro-analysis results obtained show a very satisfactory recovery rate of more than 94%.

Abstract. Combinations of different raw materials (beans, einkorn wheat, and buckwheat) for obtaining formulations with high protein content and balanced amino acid composition were studied using simplex centroid design. The target functions for optimization were content of protein, sulfur-containing amino acid methionine and cysteine, lysine, and tryptophan. The optimal area of combinations of raw materials in the food formulas with balanced biochemical composition was obtained. Optimized ternary mixture consisting of 50% bean, 40% einkorn wheat, and 10% buckwheat with different moisture content (16, 22, and 28%) has been extruded in a laboratory single screw extruder (Brabender 20 DN, Germany). Extrusion parameters were as follows: feed screw speed 50 rpm, die diameter 3 mm, screw compression ratio 2:1, temperature profile 100/140/160ºC, screw speed 160 rpm. The three extrudates with different initial moisture were evaluated by sectional expansion index, water absorption index, water solubility index, and density, with the aim of choosing the best treatment. The results demonstrated that the 22% initial moisture content yielded an extrudate with good physicochemical characteristics overall but an optimization study is needed to confirm this.

We have presented and developed new theoretic-empirical models of the extinction coefficients of the molecular scattering in the lower, close to the ground troposphere. We have included the indicatrices of backscattering. The models have been presented using general analytical functions valid for the whole wavelength interval 300-1100 nm and for the whole interval of visibility from 0.1 km up to 50 km. The results have been compared in quantity with the model and experimental data of other authors. The modeling of troposphere scattering is necessary for the analysis and design of all optoelectronic free space systems: atmospheric optical communication systems, location systems for atmospheric research (LIDAR), optical radiometric systems.

The present study investigated the Kinetic parameter determination of edible argan oil (coldpressed from roasted argan kernels) and cosmetic argan oil (cold-pressed from unroasted argan kernels) under the Rancimat test conditions. The physicochemical parameters of edible and cosmetic argan oil immediately after preparation and after accelerated oxidation test Rancimat at different temperatures 90 °C, 100 °C, 110 °C, 120 °C, 130 °C and 140 °C were determined and compared. The natural logarithms of the kinetic rate constant (kvalue) varied linearly with respect to temperature. An increasing rate of oxidation could be observed as temperature increased. On the basis of the Arrhenius equation and the activated complex theory, frequency factors A, activation energies Ea, Q10 numbers, activation enthalpies ΔH, and activation entropies ΔS for oxidative stability of the vegetable oils were calculated. The accelerated oxidation and Kinetic parameters have shown that edible argan oil can be stored much better than cosmetic oil.

The sleeping giant of molybdenum-99 ((99)Mo) production is grinding to a halt and the world is wondering how this happened. Fewer than 10 reactors in the world are capable of producing radio nuclides for medicine; approximately 50% of the world's supply of raw material comes from National Research Universal (NRU) reactor in Canada. Many of these reactors, like the NRU, are old and aging. No one of these reactors, and probably not even all of them in combination, can replace the production of NRU. As the healthcare industry faces an aging population and the demand for diagnostic services using (99m)Tc continues to rise, the need for a consistent, reliable supply of (99)Mo has become increasingly important, so alternative methods to produce (99)Mo or even directly (99m)Tc had to be considered to avoid a supply shortage in the coming years. This need guides to the production of (99)Mo by replacing the Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) target in a nuclear reactor with Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) and furthermore to the use of accelerators for manufacturing (99)Mo or for directly producing (99m)Tc.