Investigation of eco-friendly cellulosic nanoparticles potential as reinforcement agent in the production of natural rubber composites

This research focuses on the use of cellulosic nanoparticles obtained from coconut husk, bamboo and cotton linter as reinforcing phase in natural rubber composites with the objective to study the effect of these cellulosic particles and loading ratio on the mechanical, thermal and morphological properties of the resultant composites. Vulcanized natural rubber composites were prepared using cellulosic nanoparticles obtained from bamboo (BNC), coconut husk (CHNC), cotton linter (CLNC) and carbon black (CB) as reinforcing material/fillers. These reinforcing material/fillers were compounded alongside with vulcanizing agents using two roll mixing mill and subsequently cured in order to introduce crosslinks into rubber chains. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed that the free volume holes in the neat rubber were drastically reduced by incorporation of these nanoparticles into the rubber matrix. The differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) study showed a slight shift in the melting temperature of bamboo based composite from 360 to 350 oC while thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the incorporation of bamboo and cotton linter based nanoparticles shifted the thermal stability of neat rubber matrix from 266 to 299 and 300 oC respectively. Coconut husk based composites showed a trend of increase in tensile strength from 1.8 to 3.82 MPa with filler loading of 0 to 25 weight %, while bamboo, cotton linter and carbon black based nanocomposites gave their highest values of 3.16, 3.92 and 4.50 MPa respectively at filler content of 30 weight %.Cellulosic nanoparticles obtained from biomass studied in this experiment can replace or serve as alternative materials to carbon black especially in moderate load bearing rubber articlesKeywords: Mechanical Properties; Cellulosic Nanoparticles; Rubber-Matrix Composites; Carbon Blac

Spectrophotometric determination of ethionamide in pharmaceuticals using Folin–Ciocalteu reagent and iron(III)-ferricyanide as chromogenic agents

AbstractTwo simple and sensitive spectrophotometric methods are described for the determination of ethionamide (ETM) in pure drug and tablets. The first method is based on the reduction of Folin–Ciocalteu (F–C) reagent by ETM in sodium carbonate medium to form a blue coloured complex, which was measured at 760nm (Molybdenum–tungsten blue method). In the second method (Prussian blue method), iron(III) was reduced to iron(II) by ETM in HCl medium, in which iron(II) was complexed with ferricyanide, and the resulting Prussian blue was also measured at 760nm. The absorbance measured in each case was related to the ETM concentration. The experimental conditions were carefully studied and optimised. Beer's law was obeyed in concentration ranges of 1–40μg/ml and 0.2–4.0μg/ml with the Molybdenum-tungsten blue method and the Prussian blue method, respectively, with corresponding molar absorptivity values of 5.72×103 and 3.18×104l/(mol·cm). The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were 0.09 and 0.27μg/ml for the Molybdenum-tungsten blue method and 0.01 and 0.04μg/ml for the Prussian blue method. Within-day and between-day relative standard deviations (%RSD) at three different concentration levels were <3%, and the respective relative errors (%RE) were ≤2%, implying good accuracy and precision of the methods. The proposed methods were successfully applied to the determination of ETM in bulk powder and tablets, and the results demonstrated that the methods were as accurate and precise as the official method

Determinants of Rice Farmers’ Investment in Value Addition and Its Effect on Poverty Status in Kebbi State, Nigeria

The study examined investment of rice value addition activities among farmers in Kebbi State, Nigeria. Data used for the study were collected with the aid of structured questionnaire administered to 123 randomly selected farmers in three local government areas of the state. Data was analyzed using Foster Greek Thoerboeck (FGT) poverty index and logit regression technique. The results showed that poverty status among the rice farmers was high, as 58.3% were poor and 42.7% were non poor. The result of the analysis showed that the marginal effects of income from parboiling, winnowing, drying, destoning, and bagging value addition were negative and statistically significant related to farmer’s poverty status at 1% level. It was concluded that rice farmers’ investment in value addition should be promoted among the farmers in Kebbi State. High cost of labour (81.0%), poor marketing information (75.6%) and inadequate credit (73.1%) were the three most critical constraints limiting the farmers in engaging in value addition activities. It wasrecommended that farmers cooperatives should form collaboration with extension agent to make farmers aware of the benefits of investment in value addition activities and those farmers already investing in value addition should make use of the modern method of processing instead of the traditional practices which help to increase their income. Keywords: Investment, Value addition, Processing, Poverty status and Rice farmer

Production and characterization of asbestos-free brake lining material using agro wastes

The health problems associated with the use of asbestos based brake linings have motivated research on the use of ecofriendly-agro based biomaterials as reinforcing agents in composite materials used for brake pad lining production. This research work studies the possibilities of using palm kernel shell (PKS), coconut shell (CNS), and canarium sweinfurthii shell (CSS) powder for asbestos-free brake lining materials production. The powders alongside the relevant fillers were used in the production of the brake lining. Compositions of the reinforcing powders were varied from 25% to 40% thatof resin binder was varied from 58% to 43%, while those of filler metal and curing agents were kept constant. These materials were weighed, formulated, mixed, cured, and moulded. The developed composite materials were characterized and subjected to water and oil absorption, compressive strength, hardness, and wear tests. Results of the analysis revealed that increase in reinforcing materials results in an increase in the water and oil absorption of the samples. The composite’s compressive strength equally increased with the introduction of up to 35% composition. The measured value of coefficient of friction was found to be within an acceptable range. Also, when mixed with other fillers and bounded, CSS powder proved to be a very promising material for brake lining production

CERES-maize model for determining the optimum planting dates of early maturing maize varieties in northern Nigeria

Open Access JournalField trials were carried out in the Sudan Savannah of Nigeria to assess the usefulness of CERES–maize crop model as a decision support tool for optimizing maize production through manipulation of plant dates. The calibration experiments comprised of 20 maize varieties planted during the dry and rainy seasons of 2014 and 2015 at Bayero University Kano and Audu Bako College of Agriculture Dambatta. The trials for model evaluation were conducted in 16 different farmer fields across the Sudan (Bunkure and Garun—Mallam) and Northern Guinea (Tudun-Wada and Lere) Savannas using two of the calibrated varieties under four different sowing dates. The model accurately predicted grain yield, harvest index, and biomass of both varieties with low RMSE-values (below 5% of mean), high d-index (above 0.8), and high r-square (above 0.9) for the calibration trials. The time series data (tops weight, stem and leaf dry weights) were also predicted with high accuracy (% RMSEn above 70%, d-index above 0.88). Similar results were also observed for the evaluation trials, where all variables were simulated with high accuracies. Estimation efficiencies (EF)-values above 0.8 were observed for all the evaluation parameters. Seasonal and sensitivity analyses on Typic Plinthiustalfs and Plinthic Kanhaplustults in the Sudan and Northern Guinea Savannas were conducted. Results showed that planting extra early maize varieties in late July and early maize in mid-June leads to production of highest grain yields in the Sudan Savanna. In the Northern Guinea Savanna planting extra-early maize in mid-July and early maize in late July produced the highest grain yields. Delaying planting in both Agro-ecologies until mid-August leads to lower yields. Delaying planting to mid-August led to grain yield reduction of 39.2% for extra early maize and 74.4% for early maize in the Sudan Savanna. In the Northern Guinea Savanna however, delaying planting to mid-August resulted in yield reduction of 66.9 and 94.3% for extra-early and early maize, respectively

Process optimization of the mechanical properties of AISI 1020 steel quenched using maize-stover ash potash solution

The process parameter optimization of maize-stover ash potash (MSAP) as a quenching medium for heat treatment of AISI-1020 steel was conducted in this study to improve the mechanical properties of steel after carburization and quenching. The optimization process utilized Taguchi L9(32) orthogonal array method to determine the individual Signal to Noise (S/N) ratio and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). A multi-response weighted analysis technique was applied to derive combined quality responses of the heat treated test pieces. The result shows that the optimal factor level of MSAP solution strength was achieved at AM1BM1, which offered 57.6 HRC hardness, 39 J toughness and 1971 N/mm2 tensile strength as improved mechanical properties for the heat treated steel. Keywords: Optimization, MSAP, quenching, Taguchi, ANOV

IMPACT OF ASPARTAME CONSUMPTION ON NEUROTRANSMITTERS IN RAT BRAIN

Background: Aspartame (APM), a common artificial sweetener, has been used for diabetic subjects and body weight control for a long time. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the impact of APM consumption on neurotransmitters and oxidative stress in rat’s brain. Materials and Methods: Four groups of male Wistar albino rats was used: Group1, control (Rats fed on normal diet). Group 2: Rats were received aspartame (50 mg/kg b w). Group3: Rats were received aspartame (75 mg/kg b w). Group 4: Rats were received aspartame (125 mg/kg b w). Five rats were decapitated after 10, 20, 30 and 40 days from start of experiment. Blood and brain tissue were collected for biochemical analysis. Biochemical analysis of brain tissue includes neurotransmitters (Acetylcholine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, γ-aminobutyric acid and serotonin). Serum for determination of lipid peroxidation (MDA), reduced glutathione and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Results: the data obtained showed that antioxidant activities (SOD and GSH) were reduced significantly (

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

The turmoil at talangsari : a aplinter of the darul islam movement

The turmoil at Talangsari provides of powerful narrative about a heretofore little known fundamentalist group that briefly existed in Indonesia during 1989.xxvi, 258 p.: ill.; 20 c

Corrosion inhibition and adsorption characteristics of camel foot leaves extracts on mild steel in hydrochloric acid solution

Inhibitive performance of Camel foot (Piliostigma thonningii) leave extract was investigated on corrosion of mild steel in 1.5M hydrochloric at different temperature (25oC to 60oC) using weight loss and hydrogen evolution measurement. Phytochemical screening was carried out on the extract and characterized with Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) and Fourier Transformation Infrared (FTIR) analyses. The results obtained showed Camel foot leaf extract (CFLE) contained phytochemical compounds with an important functional groups that inhibit corrosion. It was found that the study plant extract exhibit an excellent inhibitive abilities on corrosion of mild steel in acidic medium. The inhibition efficiency obtained from weight loss and hydrogen evolution measurement at 60oC with addition of 0.5 g/l concentration of CFLE was 64.08% and 62.12% respectively. This shows there was good agreement between the results obtained for both methods adopted. At all investigated temperature, the adsorption of the studied inhibitor obeys’ Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The results of thermodynamic adsorption parameters (△Hads, △Sads, △Gads ) showed that the studied inhibitor is adsorbed on mild steel surface by physical adsorption mechanism, accompanied with an exothermic reaction and spontaneous process.Keywords: Camel foot; Mild steel; Phytochemical compounds; Inhibition performanc