The Performance of Portland Cement Pastes (OPC) Incorporated with Ceramic Sanitary Ware Powder Waste (CSPW) at Ambient Temperature

The physical and mechanical performance of Portland cement pastes (OPC) incorporated waste ceramic sanitary ware powder waste (CSPW) at ambient temperature has been investigated. Cement mixes were prepared by replacing the cement with CSPW at proportions of 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 wt. %. The results showed that the water of consistency and setting times (initial and final) were increased with the gradual addition of CSP, whereas the water absorption and total porosity were decreased, while the bulk density slightly was enhanced but only up to 16 wt. % CSPW. The same trend was displayed with mechanical properties, where the flexural (FS) and compressive strengths (CS) of the cement specimens were also improved and enhanced till 16 wt. %, but then all were decreased with further addition of CSPW. The experimental results indicated that the CSPW has the potential to be successfully recycled in the OPC pastes as a partial replacement merely up to 16 wt. % which had a better performance than the blank at ambient temperature. The FT-IR spectra illustrated that the amount of CSHs was increased, while that of free lime content decreased. This was confirmed by SEM microscopy. Moreover, the recovery of CSPW contributes to both reducing environmental pollution and CO2 emissions

Effect of Silver Nano Particle, Ferrous Sulfate and Hydrogen Peroxide on Photodgradtion of Tornasole RPe and Alizarin Yellow G

Abstract: Many industries such as paper, food, cosmetics, textiles etc. use dyes in order to color their products. The presence of these dyes in water even at very low concentration is highly visible and undesirable. Color is the first contaminant to be recognized. Photodgradtion technique offers a good potential to remove color from wastewater. In the present paper these methods were employed for removal of Tornasole RPe and Alizarin yellow G and the techniques were found to be very useful and cost effective for a better removal of dye and comparison between removal dye by hydrogen peroxide, ferrous sulfate, and silver nano particle in sun light effect. We obtain 100% of degradation of dyes

Structural, optical and magnetic properties of nanostructured Cr-substituted Ni-Zn spinel ferrites synthesized by a microwave combustion method

Nanoparticles of Cr3+-substituted Ni-Zn ferrites with a general formula Ni0.4Zn0.6-xCrxFe2O4 (x = 0.0 - 0.6) have been synthesized via a facile microwave combustion route. The crystalline phase has been characterized by XRD, TEM, FT-I and XPS revealing the spinel ferrite structure without extra phases. Crystallite sizes of 23 - 32 nm as estimated by XRD analyses, after corrections for crystal stains by Williamson-Hall method, are comparable to the average particle sizes observed by TEM which indicates successfully synthesized nanocrystals. Rietveld refinement analyses of the XRD patterns have inferred a monotonic decrease behavior of the lattice parameter with Cr doping in agreement with Vegard's law of solid solution series. Furthermore, cations distribution with an increased inversion factor indicate the B-site preference of Cr3+ ions. The oxidation states and cations distribution indicated by XPS results imply the Cr3+ doping on the account of Zn2+ ions and a partial reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+ to keep the charge balance in a composition series of (Ni2+)0.4(Zn2+, Cr3+)0.6(Fe2+, Fe3+)2(O2-)4. The optical properties were explored by optical UV-Vis spectroscopy indicating allowed direct transitions with band gap energy that decreases from 3.9 eV to 3.7 eV with Cr doping. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) dye was investigated showing largely enhanced photodecomposition up to 30% of MO dye over Ni0.4Cr0.6Fe2O4 for 6 hours. A vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) measurements at room temperature show further enhancement in the saturation magnetization of Ni0.4Zn0.6Fe2O4 , the highest in Ni-Zn ferrites, from about 60 to 70 emu/g with the increase of Cr concentration up to x = 0.1, while the coercivity shows a general increase in the whole range of Cr doping.Comment: 21 page, 9 figure

Effect of Grazing Supplementation on Some Reproductive Traits of Sudanese Nubian Goat

Abs tract: In this experiment twelve female Sudanes e Nubian goat kid s b o rn d uring the period between October 1998 to A ugus t 2000, to parent s tock rais e d o n t ra d itional pastroralis m, were us ed in completely randomized des ign to inves tigate the effect of grazing s upplementatio n on age and weight at sexual maturity, age and weight at firs t conception and age at firs t kid d in g . The average a g e a t puberty of female kids was 9.15 ± 0.17 months , while the average weight at puberty was 12.74 ± 1.37 kg. Nutritional supplementation did not s ignificantly affect both traits . The avera g e age at first conception was 10.86 ± 2.41 mo n t h s , with an average body weight of 15.10 ± 1.62 kg. The nutritional s upplementation exerted non-s ig n ificant effect on both traits . The average age at 1 kidding was 16.5 st ± 2.67 months . Nutritional supplementation had non-s ignificant effect on age at 1 kidding. s

Comparing monolithic and fused core HPLC columns for fast chromatographic analysis of fat soluble vitamins

HPLC stationary phases of monolithic and fused core type can be used to achieve fast chromatographic separation as an alternative to UPLC. In this study, monolithic and fused core stationary phases are compared for fast separation of four fat-soluble vitamins. Three new methods on the first and second generation monolithic silica RP-18e columns and a fused core pentafluoro-phenyl propyl column were developed. Application of three fused core columns offered comparable separations of retinyl palmitate, DL-α-tocopheryl acetate, cholecalciferol and menadione in terms of elution speed and separation efficiency. Separation was achieved in approx. 5 min with good resolution (Rs >5) and precision (RSD ≤ 0.6 %). Monolithic columns showed, however, a higher number of theoretical plates, better precision and lower column backpressure than the fused core column. The three developed methods were successfully applied to separate and quantitate fat-soluble vitamins in commercial products

The (Un)Sustainability of Higher Education Institutions in Jordan

Higher education in Jordan has been tied closely to the state-building process in the century since the modern Hashemite state\u27s foundation in 1921, with its explicit purpose being to educate and train high volumes of students who are competent and capable to serve as contributors to the state\u27s development. Though this purpose has largely been successful to date, it is becoming increasingly clear that more is needed than simply issuing degrees. In an increasingly globalized world, it is necessary to educate those who can contribute to future research arenas and labor markets over which a single state has limited control. Within this perspective, we detail the evolved societal position that higher education institutions in Jordan occupy and how that position has made such institutions a liability in the nation\u27s continued sustainable development. It is important to emphasize that we do not address here classical sustainability issues, but rather focus on more fundamental and culturally-relevant issues pertaining to the survivability of universities in Jordan upon which more global sustainability views and solutions can be predicated. Specifically, we outline the unsustainability of impersonal, inefficient and ineffective infrastructure, centralization of policies and academic practices, lack of autonomy and/or self-governance, considerable financial dependence on the state, and a general hesitation for higher education institutions to seek boldly societal and economic impact beyond the simple production of graduates. To counter this unsustainability, we propose a three-pronged approach that can help catalyze the re-imagining of Jordan\u27s higher education institutions so that they become maximally effective contributors to the state\u27s future sustainable development. Our proposed approach is based on (i) internally decentralizing higher education institutions to enable greater autonomy and academic freedom, (ii) re-purposing these institutions to become more student-centric, and (iii) embracing diversity and academic community recognition. Finally, it is the intention of this perspective to highlight not only those challenges facing higher education institutions in Jordan, but also to present clearly the necessary and practical steps that institutions themselves may take immediately to ensure their relevance in, and impact on, modern society

The synergistic reno-protective effect of Rhizophora mucronata and Avicennia marina aqueous extracts against diabetes induced renal changes

Background: The conventional medications of diabetes mellitus have many side effects that bring to diabetic cases, so there is a need for introducing natural remedies with antidiabetic effect. The objectives of this study aimed to evaluate the hypoglycemic and antidiabetic effects of aqueous extracts of a mixture of R. mucronata and A. marina against experimentally streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats and to assess its efficacy in alleviating diabetes-induced impact on kidney function.Methods: Sixty rats distributed into four groups (n=15) were used in this study. They included the control, STZ-induced diabetic, STZ-induced diabetic treated with a mixture of Rhizophora mucronata and Avicennia marina extract and non-diabetic group received a mixture of Rhizophora mucronata and Avicennia marina extract. After 6 weeks of treatment, the biochemical and histological alterations were investigated in all rats.Results: Daily oral administration of a mixture of R. mucronata and A. marina leaves extract to STZ-induced diabetic significant (p≤0.001) increase serum insulin levels and reduced fasting blood glucose levels, serum BUN and uric acid compared to the untreated diabetic rats. This mixture also improved the renal degeneration and inflammation induced by diabetes and reduced the number of the apoptotic cell in both renal cortex and medulla.Conclusions: The mixture of R. mucronata and A. marina extract significantly improve the diabetes-associated biochemical and histopathological renal changes indicating its potential effect as a natural nephroprotective agent against diabetic-induced nephropathy

Morpho-agronomical and biochemical traits screening and genetic variability in selected black cumin (Nigella sativa) mutant lines

The production of new Nigella sativa cultivars by plant breeding programs is difficult due to its narrow genetic base. A number of induced morphological traits, yield components and percent content of fatty acid methyl esters in the parent line and nine selected mutants (Mt1-Mt9) have been reported in two generations (M3 and M4) of N. sativa to determine the best genotype to release as a new cultivar. The results showed that Mt2 plants were the tallest (118.3 and 149.7 cm in M3 and M4, respectively). The highest seed yield per plant was measured for Mt5; Mt4 showed the highest per cent of palmitic and stearic acids, 11.93% and 13.70%, respectively; whereas Mt8 had the highest percent content (45.67%) of linoleic acid. Five Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers were used to investigate genetic variability within mutant lines and their parent. These primers generated 71 reproducible and scorable amplification products across the genotypes tested. Fifty-eight of these fragments were highly polymorphic (81.7%). The proportion of common bands (13) was low (18.3%). All primers produced unique fragments and generated 33 specific alleles. The average number of amplification products per primer was 14.2. The size of ISSR amplified fragments varied from 1109 to 148 base pairs (bp). The similarity between each mutant and the parent line varied from 0.56% to 100%. Finally, the present investigation indicated that mutants Mt5 and Mt6 are promising high yielding genotypes which can be recommended as new cultivars, whereas Mt3 and Mt7 possess an attractive phenotype appropriate for ornamental use