Propulsion simulation on fully appended ship model

This study presents the numerical investigation for the flow around the propeller of the ONR Tumblehome combatant in open water and for the flow around the same ship in the case of self-propulsion with actuator disk method. Computational Fluid Dynamics based on RANS-VOF solver have been used in order to analyse the flow. The free surface treatment is multi-phase flow approach, incompressible and nonmiscible flow phases are modelled through the use of conservation equations for each volume fraction of phase. Accuracy involves close attention to the physical modelling, particularly the effects of turbulence, as well as the numerical discretization.

Isolation of Ethyl p-Methoxycinnamate from Azadirachta indica Root Bark as Hong Kong Caterpillar (Tenebrio molitor) Antifeedant

This study aims to identify the antifeedant activity of Azadirachta indica A. Juss root bark against Hong Kong caterpillar (Tenebrio molitor). A. indica A. root was macerated in n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The investigation of antifeedant activity was conducted by using the no choice leaf disk method. The antifeedant activity (%AI) tests showed that the extracts of n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol with each concentration of 0.5% were 6.71, 71.78, and 40.14%, respectively. The ethyl acetate extract demonstrated the most active antifeedant activity. Ethyl acetate extract was fractionated to obtain five subfractions (A-E). Each subfraction with each concentration of 0.5% showed the %AI of 70.55, 85.29; 67.40, 82.70 and 82.22%, respectively. Furthermore, GC-MS results demonstrated that ethyl acetate extract contained 19 compounds. The main compounds are methyl hexadecanoate and methyl 8-octadecenoate. Further purification of fraction A, which has the highest amount, was then carried out. The obtained isolate, i.e., A32, was determined as ethyl p-methoxycinnamate confirmed by 13C- and 1H-NMR, FTIR, and MS spectra. The presence of ethyl p-methoxycinnamate makes A. indica A. root is potential as T. molitor antifeedant. The implication of these findings is to reference herbal antifeedants and reduce the use of synthetic pesticides.

Investigation of the Wear Behavior of AA6082 Against Different Counterparts

In this study, the effect of different counterparts on the wear resistance of AA6082 aluminum alloy was investigated. In tests using pin-on-disk method, 6 mm diameter Al2O3, 100Cr6 and WC-6Co balls were used as counterparts. The tests were carried out using 500 m sliding distance and 5N load. The lowest specific wear rate was measured as 7.58x10-4 mm3/Nm in WC-6Co / AA6082 couple, and the highest value was measured as 9.71x10-4 mm3/Nm in 100Cr6/AA6082 couple. In the Al2O3/AA6082 couple, the specific wear rate of the AA6082-T6 sample was determined as 8.23x10-4 mm3/Nm.While it was observed that the dominant wear type in the 100Cr6/AA6082 pair was abrasive wear, oxidation wear and oxide tribofilm were detected in the WC-6Co/AA6082 and Al2O3/AA6082 couple besides the abrasive wear.

SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, AND STUDY THE BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF SOME SCHIFF'S BASES, AND 1,3 - OXAZEPINE COMPOUNDS DERIVED FROM SULFAMETHOXAZOLE DRUG

This study including synthesis of some new Schiff bases compounds [1‐6] from the reaction of Sulfamethoxazole drug with some aromatic aldehydes in classical Schiff base method then treatment Schiff bases with succinic anhydride to get oxazepines rings [7-11]These derivatives were characterized by melting point, FT‐IR, 1H NMR and mass spectra. Some of synthesized compounds were evaluated in vitro for their antibacterial activities against three kinds of pathogenic strains Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by agar diffusion disk method, and against the fungal species (Candida). The results showed that some of these derivatives have good antibacterial activities compared to biological activity of parent drug.

Curcumin-meropenem synergy in carbapenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae curcumin-meropenem synergy

Background and Objectives: The frequency of multiple resistant bacterial infections, including carbapenems, is increasing worldwide. As the decrease in treatment options causes difficulties in treatment, interest in new antimicrobials is increasing. One of the promising natural ingredients is curcumin. It is known to be effective in bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Burkholderia pseudomallei through efflux pump inhibition, toxin inhibition and enzymes. However, because its bioavailability is poor, it seffectiveness occurs in combination with antibiotics. In the study, the interaction of meropenem and curcumin in carbapenemase producing strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae was tested. Materials and Methods: Thirty-nine Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates, resistant to meropenem, were used in this study. From those 15 MBL, 6 KPC, 17 OXA-48 and 1 AmpC resistance pattern were detected by combination disk method. Meropenem and Curcumin MIC values were determined by liquid microdilution. Checkerboard liquid microdilution was used to determine the synergy between meropenem and curcumin. Results: Synergistic effects were observed in 4 isolates producing MBL, 3 isolates producing KPC, 4 isolates producing OXA-48, and 1 isolates producing AmpC (totally 12 isolates) according to the calculated FICI. No antagonistic effects were observed in any isolates. Conclusion: Curcumin was thought to be an alternative antimicrobial in combination therapies that would positively contribute to the treatment of bacterial infection. The effectiveness of this combination should be confirmed by other in vitro and clinical studies.

Thermal properties of wood measured by the hot-disk method: comparison with thermal properties measured by the steady-state method

The hot-disk method is a transient method for the measurement of thermal properties. This method can measure both the thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity in a short time for isotropic materials. To establish a method for measuring the thermal properties of wood by the hot-disk method, the relationship between the thermal properties of wood obtained by the hot-disk method and those obtained by the steady-state method was investigated. The thermal properties were measured by the hot-disk method using small pieces of kiri (Paulownia tomentosa), sugi (Cryptomeria japonica), hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa), yachidamo (Fraxinus mandshurica), and buna (Fagus crenata) when the hot-disk sensor was in contact with the cross section, radial section, and tangential section. The thermal conductivities in the longitudinal, radial, and tangential directions were also measured by the comparison method using the same specimen. The thermal properties obtained by the hot-disk method and the steady-state method were compared, based on the assumption that the thermal diffusivity measured by the hot-disk method was the geometric mean of that in the two main directions in the plane of the sensor, and the thermal conductivity measured by the hot-disk method was a power of that in three main directions. As a result, the thermal conductivity obtained by the hot-disk method was 10–20% higher than that obtained by the steady-state method; the thermal diffusivity measured by the hot-disk method was equal to that obtained by the steady-state method on average, while in the former thermal diffusivity varied widely. These results were found to be explainable in terms of the Dufour effect, which is the heat flow induced by the mass flow caused by the heating of the sensor, and the existing findings on the time dependence of the sensitivity coefficient in the hot-disk method. The present study proposed two methods for calculating the thermal properties of wood from the hot-disk method were proposed, and it was found that the errors between the obtained thermal properties and those obtained by the steady-state method differed depending on the calculation method.

Detection of Extended-Spectrum ß-Lactamases among Acinetobacter Baumannii Isolated from Hospitals of Qazvin, Iran

BACKGROUND፡ Acinetobacter baumannii is a major contributor to nosocomial infections. Extended-spectrum ßlactamase (ESBL)-producing A. baumannii is spreading worldwide. We aimed to determine the frequency of ESBLencoding genes in clinical isolates of A. baumannii and to access their clonal relationship by repetitive extragenic palindromic-PCR (rep-PCR).METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 203 isolates of A. baumannii were collected from Qazvin hospitals. The Identification of isolates was performed by standard laboratory methods. To verify ESBL production, all isolates were screened by disk agar diffusion and confirmed by the combined disk method. Subsequently, ESBL-encoding genes were detected by PCR and sequencing. Possible clonal association of ESBL-producing isolates was evaluated using rep-PCR.RESULTS: Two hundred (98.5%) isolates showed reduced susceptibility to one of the antibiotics used in the ESBL screening test, of which 127 isolates (62.6%) produced ESBL. PCR results showed blaOXA-1 (20.5%) was the most prevalent gene followed by blaTEM-1 (20%), blaGES-1 (15.7%), blaCTX-M-15 (7.9%), and blaPER-1(1.6%). Rep-PCR results revealed that ESBL-producing isolates belonged to clones A (85%), B (13.4%), and C (1.6%).CONCLUSION: Our study showed the significant presence of blaOXA-1, blaTEM-1, blaGES-1, blaCTX-M-15, and blaPER-1 genes in ESBLproducing A. baumannii isolates in the studied hospitals. This is the first report on the emergence of blaOXA-1 gene in these isolates in Iran. The use of comprehensive antimicrobial treatment guidelines based on laboratory data and appropriate infection control interventions are essential.

Molecular characterization of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli isolated from postpartum uterine infection in dairy cattle in India

Background and Aim: Selection and dissemination of plasmid-encoded extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) among Enterobacteriaceae confers resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and molecular characteristics of ESBL-producing organisms isolated from dairy cattle with a uterine infection. Materials and Methods: Bacterial isolates (n=62) were characterized by biochemical test for genus and species determination. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed by Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method using panel of antibiotics for initial screening of ESBL organism. Phenotypic confirmation of ESBL-suspected strains was done by combination disk method and double-disk method. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out for phylogrouping of Escherichia coli isolates as well as for genotyping ESBL genes. Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-PCR method was used for genotypic characterization of isolates. Results: Antibiotic susceptibility profile of E. coli (n=40) isolates showed high rates of resistance for ampicillin (95.0%), cefpodoxime (97.5%), cefotaxime (87.5%), and ceftriaxone (70%). However, low rates of resistance were observed for cefoxitin (25%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (20%), ceftazidime (17.5%), gentamicin (10%), and ertapenem (7.5%). A total of 39/40 E. coli isolates were confirmed as ESBL with Epsilometer test as well as the genotypic method and 28 (70%) of them were multidrug-resistant. Genotype blaCTX-M was observed as a predominant beta-lactamase type with the preponderance of CTX-M Group 1. The following combinations were observed: blaTEM + blaCTX-M in 15 (36.2%) isolates, blaTEM / blaSHV in 8 (5.2%) isolates, and blaCTX-M / blaSHV in 6 (5.2%) isolates. The phylogenetic grouping of E. coli strains revealed the highest prevalence for B1 (22.0%) followed by A (20%). Conclusion: This report shows a high frequency of ESBL E. coli from cattle with postpartum uterine infections. These isolates showed reduced susceptibility to common antibiotics used for the treatment of uterine infections greater affecting the therapeutic outcome.