THE INFLUENCE OF ACTIVATED ZEOLITE ON THE DECREASING OF NH3 CONCENTRATION IN FISH POND WATER

A research on the utilization of zeolite from Tadisi Village, Sumarorang, Polmas, West Sulawesi had been carried out. The objective of this research is to identify the influence of activated zeolite both physically and chemically on the decreasing of NH3 concentration in fish pond water. The physical activation in this research was done by heating of zeolite samples at the temperature of 100, 200 and 300°C , while the chemical activation was carried out by using reagent of NaOH with the concentration of 2 N. The particle size of the zeolite used in this research was – 4 + 10 mesh and the weight of activated zeolite samples put into the fish pond water samples were 1; 5; and 10 grams with contact time of 0, 1, and 5 days, respectively. The optimal result of this research indicated that by the addition of 5 grams of the activated zeolite (which had been activated at the temperature of 300°C with contact time for one day), the NH3 concen- tration of fish pond water samples decreased as much as 54.97 %. The addition 10 grams of the activated zeolite (which had been activated by NaOH with concentration of 2 N with contact time for five days showed the optimum result by decreasing of the NH3 concentration in fish pond water samples as much as 45.01 %

Kepelbagaian dan habitat pteridofit di Hutan Simpan Angsi, Negeri Sembilan

Sejumlah 51 takson pteridofit yang tergolong dalam 30 genus dan 18 famili telah direkodkan di Hutan Simpan Angsi, Negeri Sembilan. Ini termasuk lapan spesies lokofit dalam dua genus dan dua famili. Jumlah ini merangkumi lapan peratus daripada 647 spesies yang telah dilaporkan di Semenanjung Malaysia. Famili terbesar yang direkodkan terdiri daripada Selaginellaceae dan Pteridaceae masing-masing dengan tujuh spesies diikuti oleh Polypodiaceae (enam spesies) dan Tectariaceae (empat spesies). Paku-pakis terestrial merupakan yang paling banyak direkodkan iaitu 60% daripada keseluruhan takson yang didapati diikuti dengan paku pakis epifit (24%) dan paku pakis batuan (16%)

Systematic significance of stipe anatomy of Selaginella (Selaginellaceae) in Peninsular Malaysia

An anatomical study was carried out on 14 taxa belonging to Selaginellaceae in an attempt to study their stipe anatomical characteristics and to provide anatomical data for the selected taxa in Selaginellaceae. Out of 29 taxa of Selaginellaceae recorded in Peninsular Malaysia, 14 taxa have been selected namely Selaginella alutacia, S. argentea, S. frondosa, S. intermedia var. intermedia, S. intermedia var. dolichocentrus, S. mayeri, S. morganii, S. ornata, S. plana, S. polita, S. roxburghii var. roxburghii, S. stipulata, S. wallichii and S. willdenowii. Method used in this study was sectioning using sliding microtome. Findings in this study have shown that Selaginellaceae species studied can be clustered into two groups based on the stipe stellar systems, which are monostelic and tristelic groups. There are some variations exist in the cross sections of the stipes of the same species due to the presence and absence of the leaf trace. Each species is proved to have distinct stipe anatomical characteristics that can be used to differentiate species in Selaginellaceae

Recurrent sudden unexpected death in infancy : a case series of sibling deaths

Objectives: To determine the rate of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) for infants born after a previous SUDI in the same family, and to establish the causes of death and the frequency of child protection concerns in families with recurrent SUDI. Design: Observational study using clinical case records. Setting: The UK’s Care of Next Infant (CONI) programme, which provides additional care to families who have experienced SUDI with their subsequent children. Patients: Infants registered on CONI between January 2000 and December 2015. Main outcome measures: Cause of death, presence of modifiable risk factors for SUDI and child protection concerns. Results: There were 6608 live-born infants registered in CONI with 29 deaths. 26 families had 2 deaths, and 3 families had 3 deaths. The SUDI rate for infants born after one SUDI is 3.93 (95% CI 2.7 to 5.8) per 1000 live births. Cause of death was unexplained for 19 first and 15 CONI deaths. Accidental asphyxia accounted for 2 first and 6 CONI deaths; medical causes for 3 first and 4 CONI deaths; and homicide for 2 first and 4 CONI deaths. 10 families had child protection concerns. Conclusions: The SUDI rate for siblings is 10 times higher than the current UK SUDI rate. Homicide presenting as recurrent SUDI is very rare. Many parents continued to smoke and exposed infants to hazardous co-sleeping situations, with these directly leading to or contributing to the death of six siblings. SUDI parents need support to improve parenting skills and reduce risk to subsequent infants

Respiratory Administration of Infliximab Dry Powder for Local Suppression of Inflammation

The airways are verified as a relevant route to improve antibody therapeutic index with superior lung concentration but limited passage into systemic blood stream. The current research aimed to process spray-dried (SD) powder of Infliximab to assess the feasibility of respiratory delivery of antibody for local suppression of lung-secreted tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). Molecular and structural stability of powders were determined through size exclusion chromatography (SEC-HPLC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Particle properties were characterized by laser light scattering, twin stage impinger (TSI), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In vitro biological activity was quantified applying L-929 cell line. Ovalbumin (OVA)-challenged balb/c mice were employed to evaluate the anti-TNFα activity of antibody formulation as in vivo experimental model. SD sample consisting of 36 mg trehalose, 12 mg cysteine, and 0.05 of Tween 20 was selected with minimum aggregation/fragmentation rate constants of 0.07 and 0.05 (1/month) based on 1 and 2 months of storage at 40°C and relative humidity of 75. Fine particle fraction (FPF) value of this formulation was 67.75 with desired particle size and surface morphology for respiratory delivery. EC 50 was 8.176 and 6.733 ng/ml for SD Infliximab and Remicade®, respectively. SD antibody reduced TNFα (26.56 pg/ml) secretion in mouse lung tissue, more than 2 orders of magnitudes comparing positive control group (TNFα, 68.34 pg/ml). The success of antibody inhalation mainly depended on the spray drying condition, formulation components, and stability of antibody within aerosolization. Inhaled Infliximab could be a potential drug for local inhibition of lung inflammation. © 2019, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists

Mortality of babies enrolled in a community-based support programme: CONI PLUS (Care of Next Infant Plus).

OBJECTIVE: To report mortality in babies enrolled on a community-based programme, Care of Next Infant Plus (CONI PLUS), which primarily supports parents anxious because of previous sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) in their extended family or following an apparent life threatening event (ALTE) in their baby. DESIGN: Prospective observational study from 1996 to 2010 in the UK. RESULTS: Of 6487 babies enrolled, 37 died (5.7 per 1000). There were 2789 (43.0%) SUDI related babies of whom, six died suddenly and unexpectedly (2.15 per 1000). Four babies were sharing a sofa at night or a bed with parent(s) who smoked or had consumed alcohol. Of the 1882 (29.0%) babies enrolled following an ALTE, five died suddenly and unexpectedly (2.66 per 1000): four unexplained and one due to infection. None occurred while sharing a sleep surface, and at least three died during the day. The remaining 1816 (28%) babies were enrolled for other reasons. Seven died suddenly and unexpectedly (3.85 per 1000), two were unexplained and none associated with bed sharing. CONCLUSIONS: The number of SUDI deaths in babies enrolled on CONI PLUS is higher than expected from UK averages. Deaths in babies enrolled because of family history of SUDI were mostly associated with inappropriate sharing of a sleep surface at night and mostly outside the peak age range for sudden infant death. The opposite is true for those enrolled following an ALTE. The number of deaths is small but findings suggest a different mechanism for death in these two groups

Anisotropic pH-Responsive Hydrogels Containing Soft or Hard Rod-Like Particles Assembled Using Low Shear

A simple and versatile low-shear approach for assembling hydrogels containing aligned rod-like particles (RLPs) that are birefringent and exhibit pH-triggered anisotropic swelling is developed. Anisotropic composite hydrogels are prepared by applying low shear (0.1 s–1) to mixtures of pH-responsive nanogels (NGs) and RLPs. The NGs, which contained high methacrylic acid contents, acted as both shear transfer vehicles and macro-cross-linkers for anisotropic gel formation. Three model RLP systems are investigated: (i) soft triblock copolymer worms, (ii) stiff self-assembled β-sheet peptide fibers, and (iii) ultrahigh modulus nanocrystalline cellulose fibers. RLP alignment was confirmed using polarized light imaging, atomic force microscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering as well as modulus and anisotropic swelling experiments. Unexpectedly, the composite gel containing the soft copolymer worms showed the most pronounced anisotropy swelling. The copolymer worms enabled higher RLP loadings than was possible for the stiffer RLPs. For fixed RLP loading, the extent of anisotropic swelling increased with intra-RLP bonding strength. The facile and versatile approach to anisotropic gel construction demonstrated herein is expected to enable new applications for strain sensing or biomaterials for soft tissue repair

Bilateral multifocal Warthin's tumors in upper neck lymph nodes. report of a case and brief review of the literature

Cystadenolymphomas (Warthin's tumors) are the second most frequent lesions of the parotid gland. Due to their benign clinical behavior, the low rates of recurrence and malignant transformation they were classified as tumor-like lesions. In addition, a polyclonal growth of the epithelial components of the tumor could be detected. Warthin's tumors occur bilateral in 7-10%, whereas a multifocal appearance is extremely rare. Even if the pathogenesis is still unclear a heterotopia of salivary tissue during embryogenesis is the most likely explanation for the origin of these tumors in the upper neck and periparotideal region. Here we present a rare case of bilateral, multifocal, extraglandular Warthin's tumors in lymph nodes of the upper neck and give a brief review of the literature. If a primary malignancy can be excluded by a careful staging procedure prior to the operation an isolated excision of the lesions of the neck is the adequate treatment

Responsive Nanogel Probe for Ratiometric Fluorescent Sensing of pH and Strain in Hydrogels

In this study a new pH-responsive nanogel probe containing a complementary nonradiative resonance energy transfer (NRET) fluorophore pair is investigated and its ability to act as a versatile probe of network-related changes in three hydrogels demonstrated. Fluorescent sensing using NRET is a powerful method for studying relationships between Angstrom length-scale structure and macroscopic properties of soft matter. Unfortunately, inclusion of NRET fluorophores into such materials requires material-specific chemistry. Here, low concentrations of preformed nanogel probes were included into hydrogel hosts. Ratiometric photoluminescence (PL) data for the gels labeled with the nanogel probes enabled pH-triggered swelling and deswelling to be studied as well as Ca2+-triggered collapse and solute release. PL measurements during compression of a nanogel probe-labeled nanocomposite gel demonstrated mechanochromic behavior and strain sensing. The new nanogel probes have excellent potential for investigating the internal structures of gels and provide a versatile ratiometric fluorescent platform for studying pH and strain