PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING, ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES IN VARIOUS EXTRACTS FROM THE LEAVES OF FLAGELLARIA INDICA L. FROM SABAH, MALAYSIA

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the antioxidant capacities of the leaves of Flagellaria indica L. (FI) and its phytochemical constituents in six different extracts.Methods: The assessment was done via a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay for the antioxidant test, the Folin-ciocalteau method for total phenolic content, Willet's method for total flavonoid content and several other qualitative phytochemical tests carried out on all extracts.Results: The results show the highest values of radical scavenging in the following order of extracts: butanol>ethyl acetate>aqueous>chloroform>methanol>hexane. The total phenolic content is the highest in the ethyl acetate (e. acetate) extract (153.28 mg/g) followed by butanol (134.78 mg/g), aqueous extract (65.88 mg/g), chloroform (55.28 mg/g), methanol (45.98 mg/g) and hexane (22.78 mg/g), expressed as gallic acid equivalents. The total flavonoids content was also the highest in e. acetate extract (38.96 mg/g) followed by butanol (28.45 mg/g), aqueous (21.18 mg/g), chloroform (12.9 mg/g), methanol (10.78 mg/g) and hexane extract (4.92 mg/g) using cathechin equivalents.Conclusion: The antioxidant and radical scavenging activities of FI might be due to the strong presence of phenolic constituents, flavonoids and several other bioactive compounds. Thus, further research can be conducted to elucidate the potential of this plant for pharmacological importance.Â

A Psychological Rendition of Toni Morrison’s Bildungsroman novel, Song of Solomon

Toni Morrison became the first Black woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Her works have been a source of transformation in its writing and rewriting of black life, its history and culture. Toni Morrison’s novels touch and explain deeply on the domestic ideas like family, culture and relationships. The author develops on the serious matter of familial dysfunction of the African- American community in her works, especially Song of Solomon and Sula. This paper focuses on the deterioration of family relations in Song of Solomon. Song of Solomon explains Morrison's attachment to black life, culture and relationships and scrutinizes the role of African Americans in relation to white society, the slavery and the experience of blacks in America. Hence this paper which follows the psychoanalytic method unwinds the plight of people who struggle in dysfunctional social set-up and the trauma and pain of the characters, both physically and psychologically

Hardness, Tribology and Microstructural studies on Aluminium – Flyash metal Matrix Composites

165-170Flyash reinforced aluminium metal matrix composites (Al-MMC) have been synthesized by stir casting method and was fabricated by sand casting in to required sizes. Flyash content with various compositions (9, 14 and 19 wt %) was used with aluminium metal by adding magnesium content 1% for the present investigations. Flyash content with various compositions of Al-MMCs were tested for its hardness using Vicker’s microhardness tester. It was found that the hardness increases with increase in flyash content. The surface morphology of the samples were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and optical microscopic techniques. Tribological properties such as coefficient of friction and wear rate for various flyash compositions were obtained and the results were discussed in detail

A comparative study on the performances of flat plate and evacuated tube collectors deployable in domestic solar water heating systems in different climate areas

Using TRNSYS software, a comparison of the energy performances of flat-plate collectors (FPCs) and evacuated-tube collectors (ETCs) in domestic solar water heating systems located in different climate areas was carried out in order to ascertain solar energy utilization. Investigations were carried out on single FPCs and ETCs and also for strings of four panels connected in series. Tests were conducted using simulations for water as heat transfer fluid with a fixed fluid flow rate and varying the temperature of the collector's returning fluid. The maximum power peak decreases with the increase in the inlet temperature of the fluid to the collector in the FPC. The maximum outlet temperature of the FPC is higher than the ETC, most of the time. The evacuated-tube collector performs better only in cold climate areas. Simulations suggest that the use of the FPC is strongly discouraged in cold climatic areas due to thermal losses, whereas the ETC works well with reduced dispersion of heat. In warm seasons, on the contrary, the FPC takes advantage of the high environmental temperature which heats the fluid. The maximum yearly outlet temperature and useful power peak predicted in different climatic areas were investigated by varying the temperature of the fluid inlet fed to the two strings of four FPCs and ETCs. In all cases, the outlet temperature is higher in the ETC technology