Publications by authors named "Nancy A Elnaker"

The misuse of antibiotics has become a concerning environmental issue, posing a significant threat to public health. Levofloxacin (LFX), a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, is particularly worrisome due to its detrimental impact on human health and the ecosystem. Therefore, the selective and accurate identification of LFX is of utmost importance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

α-glucosidase inhibitors represent an important class of type 2 antidiabetic drugs and they act by lowering postprandial hyperglycemia. Today, only three synthetic inhibitors exist on the market, and there is a need for novel, natural and more efficient molecules exhibiting this activity. In this study, we investigated the ability of Tamarix nilotica ethanolic and aqueous shoot extracts, as well as methanolic fractions prepared from aqueous crude extracts to inhibit α-glucosidase.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lyophilization is the "gold standard" for drying plant extracts, which is important in preserving their quality and extending their shelf-life. Compared to other methods of drying plant extracts, lyophilization is costlier due to equipment, material and operational expenses. An alternative method is post-extraction oven-drying, but the effects of this process on extract quality are unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Understanding the microbial ecology of a system allows linking members of the community and their metabolic functions to the performance of the wastewater bioreactor. This study provided a comprehensive conceptual framework for microbial communities in wastewater treatment electro-bioreactors (EBRs). The model was based on data acquired from monitoring the effect of altering different bioreactor operational parameters, such as current density and hydraulic retention time, on the microbial communities of an EBR and its nutrient removal efficiency.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The assessment of bacterial communities in wastewater electro-bioreactors has garnered attention to improve efficiency of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) processes. This study evaluated the effects of applying different current densities on the function and microbial community structure of an electro-bioreactor by measuring nutrient removal efficiency and analyzing 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing. The electro-bioreactors at current density of 3, 5 and 7 A/m resulted in an enrichment of operational taxonomic units belonging to distinct functional bacterial families such as (Nitrospiraceae: 8.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Several studies have been carried out to understand bulking phenomena and the importance of environmental factors on sludge settling characteristics. The main objective of this study was to carry out functional characterization of microbial community structure of wastewater electro-bioreactor sludge as it undergoes serial passaging in the presence or absence of a current density over 15 days. Illumina MiSeq sequencing and QIIME were used to assess sludge microbial community shifts over time.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The impact of hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the performance and microbial community structure of control and electro-bioreactors was investigated. Control bioreactors and electro-bioreactors were operated at HRT ranging between 6 and 75 hr. The total bacterial counts in addition to the removal efficiency of NH -N, sCOD, and PO -P was assessed in all the reactors tested.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF