Antimicrobial Drug Resistance: Need for An National Policy

DOI: 10.3329/bsmmuj.v2i1.3702BSMMU J 2009; 2(1): 1-2

A Survey of Information Resources Required by Ulama to Perform Their Work Roles: A Case Study of Borno State, Nigeria

Information behavior studies within the professional context has came a long way as a major area of study in library and information science as can be seen from the interest it generated as indicated by the large number of researches conducted, especially in the last decade. Despite the influential roles Muslim clerics (Ulama) has been playing and will continue to play especially in the Muslim world, it has been neglected in terms of its information requirement. This study surveys the resources mostly consulted by the Ulama in relation to the role to which the information is used. Five major information resources and four main roles have been identified. The study recommends the development of a comprehensive Islamic database and a suitable IRS that will not only incorporate search terms familiar to the Ulama, but also comply with Islamic search pattern

ELECTRICITY SAVINGS BY IMPLEMENTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS AND LABELS FOR CLOTHES WASHERS IN MALAYSIA

Clothes washers being one of the energy consuming household appliances in Malaysia have become a target for energy efficiency improvements. In the present study, a series of experiment investigations have been conducted on six clothes washers of varying capacities. The objectives are to develop the standards and labels. The test has been performed according to IEC (International Electrotechnical Commision) clothes washers test specification. Using the experimental data, a baseline standard has been developed by statistical method. From the baseline standards, 10% standards have been developed. The baseline unit energy consumption was calculated to be 32 Wh/kg/cycle (average unit energy consumption of the six models) and on the basis of baseline unit, standard unit energy consumption had been proposed to be 29 Wh/kg/cycle. It has been estimated with the introduction of minimum energy efficiency standards for clothes washer 38077037.46 kWh of energy could be saved per year. To develop a comprehensive energy guide labels, three labels had been design, which were star labeling, speedometer labeling and letter bin labeling. A survey was conducted with three different types of labels among the consumers and with the surveys respond, energy guide label of household clothes washers has been proposed for Malaysia. This is result from used of energy-efficient appliances product and is well positioned to promote more widespread efficient improvement

Sesamin from Cuscuta palaestina natural plant extracts: Directions for new prospective applications

The aim of this study is to disclose the potential bioactive components of Cuscuta palaestina, a native parasitic natural plant of flora palaestina and to open direction towards new prospective application. GC-MS analysis identified 18 components in the methanolic extract of C. palaestina for the first time. The most appealing among them are Sesamin and two other phytosterols (Campesterol and Stigmasterol), all of which are documented in the scientific literature for their anticancer activity. Quantitation of Sesamin extracted from C. palaestina by HPLC-PDA with the use of three organic solvents showed that the Sesamin content in the methanolic extract was the highest. Following the disclosure of Sesamin presence in C. palaestina, we raised the question of whether it is produced naturally in C. palaestina or acquired from the host plant. The quantitation of Sesamin in C. palaestina was performed while being with five different host plants, and was compared with the amount of Sesamin in C. palaestina grown alone. The findings reveal that Sesamin is an endogenous secondary metabolite in C. palaestina. Thus, further studies are required to prove if C. palaestina can be used as an alternative source of anticancer phytochemicals, mainly Sesamin, and if proteins in the Sesamin production pathway could be valid biological targets for the development of novel and selective pesticides for control/ eradication of C. palaestina and maybe some other Cuscuta species. As well, the findings from this study raise a big question of whether inferring Sesamin production in C. palaestina could reduce its attack ability to host plants.This study was supported by unrestricted grants from Al-Qasemi Academic College and the Institute of Applied Research±Galilee Society. We acknowledge the Ministry of Science, Space and Technology. We declare that the funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Energy Efficient Microwave Irradiation of Sago Bark Waste (SBW) for Bioethanol Production

The energy efficiency of microwave irradiation for bioethanol production from sago bark waste (SBW) was studied. The maximum sugar yield of 62.6 % was reached at the biomass loading 20% (w/w). The high ethanol yield of 60.2% theoretical yield, ethanol concentration 30.67 g/l was achieved by diluted sulfuric acid supported microwave irradiation with 40% (w/w) biomass loading at 60 h fermentation. The energy consumption of microwave irradiation to produce 1 g sugar and 1 g ethanol was calculated separately. The lowest energy consumption was noticed while biomass loading and energy input were fixed at 40 % (w/w) and 33 kJ (1100 W for 30 s) respectively, and it is amounted to 1.27 and 1.76 kJ to produce 1 g of sugar after enzymatic hydrolysis and 1 g ethanol after fermentation, individually. Usually, 1 g ethanol can produce approximately 27 kJ of energy, and therefore, the energy input for the microwave pretreatment was only 7% of the energy output. The microwave irradiation technique established for SBW to produce ethanol succeeded in 80% energy savings for producing 1 g ethanol compared to rape straw by microwave pretreatment previously reported

Transcriptomic profiling disclosed the role of DNA methylation and histone modifications in tumor-infiltrating myeloid-derived suppressor cell subsets in colorectal cancer

Increased numbers of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are positively correlated with poor prognosis and reduced survivals of cancer patients. They play central roles in tumor immune evasion and tumor metastasis. However, limited data are available on phenotypic/transcriptomic characteristics of the different MDSCs subsets in cancer. These cells include immature (I-MDSCs), monocytic (M-MDSCs), and polymorphonuclear/granulocytic (PMN-MDSCs). Phenotypic characterization of myeloid subsets from 27 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients was assessed by flow cytometric analyses. RNA-sequencing of sorted I-MDSCs, PMN-MDSCs, and antigen-presenting cells (APCs) was also performed. We found that the levels of I-MDSCs and PMN-MDSCs were increased in tumor tissues (TT), compared with normal tissues (NT) in colorectal cancer. Our functional annotation analyses showed that genes associated with histone deacetylase (HDAC) activation- and DNA methylation-mediated transcriptional silencing were upregulated, and histone acetyl transferase (HAT)-related genes were downregulated in tumor-infiltrating I-MDSCs. Moreover, pathways implicated in cell trafficking and immune suppression, including Wnt, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, were upregulated in I-MDSCs. Notably, PMN-MDSCs showed downregulation in genes related to DNA methylation and HDAC binding. Using an ex vivo model, we found that inhibition of HDAC activation or neutralization of IL-6 in CRC tumor tissues downregulates the expression of genes associated with immunosuppression and myeloid cell chemotaxis, confirming the importance of HDAC activation and IL-6 signaling pathway in MDSC function and chemotaxis. This study provides novel insights into the epigenetic regulations and other molecular pathways in different myeloid cell subsets within the CRC tumor microenvironment (TME), giving opportunities to potential targets for therapeutic benefits

Impact of metals on corrosive behavior of biodiesel-diesel- ethanol(BDE) alternative fuel

Corrosive behavior of biodieseledieseleethanol (BDE) fuel blends upon exposure to metals, namely, mild steel, copper and aluminum was studied by static immersion at room temperature and 60 �C. The change of fuel properties, i.e., total acid number, density, viscosity, calorific value, flash point, and color changes were investigated. Moreover, fuel compositional changes, such as water content, oxidation product level, and metal elements in the fuel blends were examined. Finally, the effect of fuel blends on corrosion rate (CR), morphology of corrosion products, and chemical structure of metals were studied. Results revealed that the CR of metals in BDE fuels is in the order: aluminum < mild steel < copper at both temperature conditions. The degradation of fuel properties and corrosion rate of metals in BDE fuel blends are lower than neat biodiesel (B100), whereas higher than petroediesel (B0). Corrosiveness of B20D75E5 is lower than B20D70E10 upon exposure to metals

Performance of Petrol Engine using Gasoline–Ethanol–Methanol (GEM)Ternary mixture as Alternative Fuel

Bioethanol fuel produced from biomass and bioenergy crops has been proclaimed as one of the feasible alternative to gasoline in internal combustion engines. In this study, the effect of gasoline–ethanol–methanol (GEM) ternary blend on performance characteristics of petrol engine was studied. Three different fuel blends, namely, E0 (gasoline), G75E21M4 (75% gasoline, 21% hydrous ethanol and 4% methanol) and E25 (25% anhydrous ethanol and 75% gasoline) were tested in a 1.3-l K3-VE spark-ignition engine having four cylinders, dynamic variable valve timing, and electronic fuel injection. The experimental results revealed that using G75E21M4 fuel blend increased the air-fuel ratio, engine power, torque, brake thermal efficiency, and mean effective pressure compared to E0 and E25, however, fuel consumption also increased

Compatibility of Elastomers in Biodiesel-diesel-bioethanol Blend (BDE)

The present study aims to investigate the impact of biodiesel-diesel-bioethanol (BDE) blended fuel on the degradation behavior of elastomers such as nitrile rubber (NBR) and polytetrafluroethylene (PTFE). Static immersion test in B20D75E5 blends (20% biodiesel, 75% diesel and 5% bioethanol) at 50°C for 200 h was carried out. At the end of immersion test, degradation behaviour of elastomers was investigated by measuring mass, volume and hardness. The exposed surface of elastomers was studied using optical microscope (OM). Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was carried out to identify the chemical and structural changes in the elastomers. Moreover, physical and chemical characteristics of the fuel blend after the immersion test such as total acid number (TAN), density and colour change were also investigated. Results showed that the degradation of NBR was high compared to PTFE

Hypoglycaemia in type 2 diabetes exacerbates amyloid-related proteins associated with dementia

ObjectiveHypoglycemia in diabetes (T2D) may increase the risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). We hypothesized that hypoglycemia‐induced amyloid‐related protein changes would be exacerbated in T2D.MethodsA prospective, parallel study in T2D (n=23) and controls (n=23). Subjects underwent insulin‐induced hypoglycemia with blood sampling at baseline, hypoglycemia and post‐hypoglycemia; proteomic analysis of amyloid‐related proteins was undertaken.ResultsAt baseline: Amyloid‐precursor protein (APP) (