An investigation of glycidyl methacrylate terpolymers for mixed mode LC separations

Enhancing efficient separation techniques for use in proteomics or metabolomics is a growing area in recent years. Monolithic columns, as innovative separation materials have gained more attention and acceptance for proteomic and metabolic separation as alternatives to conventional packed columns. Moreover, monolithic columns have advantages over conventional columns such as fast and easy modifications, no requirement for retaining frits, ability to improve analyte mass transfer, lower back pressure due to high porosity, and broad selectivity. Five monomers were used to prepare the monolithic columns alongside glycidyl methacrylate, styrene, 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, lauryl methacrylate, and stearyl methacrylate. Ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) was used as cross-linker, while 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone was used as initiator. The v/v ratio between the two monomers has been investigated, while the ratio between the monomer to cross-linker was not changed. Three ratios (90:10, 50:50, and 10:90)% between the two monomers were used to prepare monoliths with appropriate surface area and pore size that can be used to separate small and macro molecules. The results indicated that the glycidyl methacrylate-co-stearyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate monolith was formed at all the ratios tested, yet (30:70, 20:80, and 10:90) ratios that gave higher average surface area compared to other ratios. The average surface area was between 19.5938-21.0283 m2g-1, and the average pores size was 5.12, 4.80, and 4.2 nm for (30:70, 20:80, and 10:90)% of GMA:SMA respectively. Correct formation of the monolith was proven using different techniques such as FTIR, and 1HNMR.Mixed mode properties were investigated by ring opening the epoxy group of glycidyl methacrylate to form free hydroxyl functions to give HILIC/revers phase functionality and by converting the epoxy groups to sulphonate groups to give cation exchange/revers phase properties. The effect of several porogenic solvents and the irradiation time on the monolith formation were investigated to obtain even higher surface areas. The best results were obtained using a50:50 v/v ratio of 1-propanol to methanol with an irradiation time of 23 minutes. The monolithic column produced gave average surface areas of 73m2 g-1and was tested for the separation of proteins, however, base line separation could only be achieved with the strong cation exchange/revers phase monolith. Base line separation was obtained with all proteins samples tested, depending on the pI value of each protein, also, with peptides, hydrophobic compounds, and a mixture of hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds, which was a better result compared to the HILIC/RP monolithic columns. The strong cationic exchange/ reversed phase monolithic columns were also prepared inside a glass microchip device and used for LC separation. The result showed base line separation was obtained forpharmaceutical and hydrophobic compounds

ANALISIS STRATEGI PUBLIC RELATIONS DALAM UPAYA MENINGKATKAN MINAT KONSUMEN PT. POS INDONESIA

Penelitian ini berjudul “Analisis Strategi Public Relations Dalam Meningkatkan Minat Konsumen PT. Pos Indonesia” , dibuat dibawah bimbingan Dr. Sutrisno, S. Sos., M.si yang disusun sebagai syarat untuk menyelesaikan program studi jenjang Sarjana Ilmu Komunikasi di Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik Universitas Pasundan. Penulisan Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui upaya apa saja yang dilakukan Kantor Pos khususnya dalam bidang Public Relations untuk meningkatkan minat konsumennya serta mengukur respon yang dirasakan oleh konsumen Kantor Pos sendiri setelah strategi tersebut telah dijalankan. Metode pendekatan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode Deskriptif yang merupakan metode penelitian yanf menggambarkan kondisi secara terperinci mengenai kejadian atau peristiwa berdasarkan fakta dan data yang terjadi pada saat penelitian dilangsungkan. T eknik pengumpulan data menggunakan studi pustaka, observasi, wawancara dan pembagian kuisioner kepada para sampel peneltian atau disebut responden sebanyak 188 orang. Hasil pembahasan menunjukan bahwa strategi public relations yang dilakukan oleh Kantor Pos yang terdiri dari dua bagian secara garis besar yaitu strategi persuasif dengan dimensi advertising, public service activities, media release dan strategi kontributif yang berdimensi tanggung jawab sosial perusahaan dan sponsorship memiliki tingkat keefektifan yang berbeda dari setiap dimensinya namun secara keseluruhan bisa dibilang bahwa usaha yang dilakukan sudah cukup baik. Hal-hal yang ingin peneliti rekomendasikan sebagai bahan masukan bagi pihak manajemen Kantor Pos dalam meningkatkan minat konsumennya yaitu sebaiknya dilakukan publikasi yang maksimal terhadap semua kegiatan yang telah dilakukan oleh Kantor Pos yang ditujukan untuk memperkuat citra di mata masyarakat, menumbuhkan rasa hormat terhadap perusahaan dan meningkatkan Brand awareness publik terhadap perusahaan yang ditujukan agar minat konsumen dapat secara langsung terangkat

The Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Weight Loss for Overweight and Obese Men and Woman in Saudi Arabia

There was a growing prevalence of obesity in Saudi Arabia during the last two decades. Therefore, many types of diets had spread for weight loss. The intermittent fasting diet has gained great popularity among Arabs due to ease of following, and there is no limit to any nutrients. This study was designed to investigate the effect of intermittent fasting diet on body weight in overweight and obese adults in Saudi Arabia. The sample was between 18-40 years old. The questionnaire was about personal information, general information about intermittent fasting diet, types of diet, and the intermittent fasting diet to identify people's knowledge around the positive impact of the intermittent fasting diet on weight loss. Results showed that 321 out of the participants had physical activity, and there were no changes in their usual dietary patterns. Also, the results showed that participants were aware of the intermittent fasting diet, and most of them aware of its effectiveness in weight reduction. Almost half of the participants followed other types of diets to weight loss such as ketogenic diet. The results revealed that 146 participants of 340 were following the intermittent fasting diet, most of whom received the benefit after following the diet (weight loss), but there were some side effects such as headaches and hair loss. In conclusion, intermittent fasting diet was prevalent among Arabs because of their habituation towards it. It was found useful and effective in weight loss. There is a need for food education intervention for those who follow the diet, should not only follow the diet but be attentive to the basic elements that the body needs

Impact of treating dental caries on schoolchildren's anthropometric, dental, satisfaction and appetite outcomes: a randomized controlled trial

There are no randomized controlled trials to assess the impact of treating dental caries on various aspects of children's health. This study was conducted to assess the impact of dental treatment of severe dental caries on children's weight, height and subjective health related outcomes, namely dental pain, satisfaction with teeth and smile, dental sepsis and child's appetite

A New Synthesis of Copper Nanoparticles and Its Application as a Beta-Hematin Inhibitor

To prevent the development of drug resistance and unwanted side effects, nanomaterials have been studied for their potential to inhibit beta-hematin, an important protein for the survival of malaria parasites. The use of nanomaterials as a medication against parasites and mosquito vectors has recently shown promising drug therapeutic strategies. One of the newest areas of interest in nanotechnology and nanoscience is the environmentally friendly production of nanoparticles. Green synthesis to produce metal nanoparticles is the most important strategy to overcome the possible dangers of toxic chemicals for a safe and harmless environment. For this study, copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) were synthesized using Iraqi basil leaf extract, demonstrating its novelty in nanosciences. The formation of CuNPs can be seen visually as a color shift from green to brownish. UV-vis absorption spectra, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the synthesized nanoparticles. The surface plasmon resonance property (SPR) of CuNPs is revealed by UV-vis analysis, which shows a distinctive absorption peak at 420–430 nm, whereas SEM reveals the spherical shape of CuNPs with sizes ranging from 30 to 50 nm

Obesity and caries in four-to-six year old English children: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and caries are common conditions in childhood and can have significant implications on children's wellbeing. Evidence into their association remains conflicting. Furthermore, studies examining the ssociation between obesity and caries commonly focus on individual-level determinants. The present study aimed to examine the association between obesity and caries in young English children and to determine the impact of deprivation and area-level characteristics on the distribution of the two conditions. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study among children in Plymouth city aged four-to-six years. Anthropometric measurements included weight and height (converted to Body Mass Index centiles and z-scores), and waist circumference. Caries was assessed by using the sum of the number of teeth that were decayed, missing or filled. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on children's demographic characteristics, oral hygiene, and dietary habits. The impact of deprivation on anthropometric variables and caries was determined using Linear and Poisson regression models, respectively. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association between different anthropometric measures and caries. Logistic regression models were also used to examine the impact of several demographic characteristics and health behaviours on the presence of obesity and caries. RESULTS: The total sample included 347 children aged 5.10 ± 0.31 (mean ± SD). Deprivation had a significant impact on caries and BMI z-scores (p < 0.05). Neither BMI- nor waist circumference z-scores were shown to be significantly associated with dental caries. Among the neighbourhood characteristics examined, the percentage of people dependent on benefits was found to have a significant impact on caries rates (p < 0.05). Household's total annual income was inversely related to caries risk and parental educational level affected children's tooth brushing frequency. CONCLUSIONS: No associations between any measure of obesity and caries were found. However, deprivation affected both obesity and caries, thus highlighting the need to prioritise disadvantaged children in future prevention programmes

Impact of dental treatment on anthropometric and health outcomes: a randomised controlled trial amongst Saudi children

Background: Dental caries is a significant public health problem in many countries. There is equivocal evidence of an association between caries and children's anthropometric outcomes. On the other hand, some studies from developed countries showed that dental treatment of severe caries accelerated weight gain in low weight children. Objectives: 1) To assess the relationship between caries and children’s anthropometric and health related outcomes in a high caries population. 2) To evaluate the effect of treatment of severe caries on children’s anthropometric and health related outcomes. Methods: Two studies were conducted. Study I was a cross sectional survey of 417 school children between the ages of 5-8-year (42.0% males and 58.0% females). Dental and anthropometric examinations were performed using WHO standardised procedures. Study II was a randomised controlled trial of 86 children from Study I who satisfied certain selection criteria. CONSORT guidelines were followed. Dental treatment was provided to the test group and all selected outcomes were measured 6-month post-intervention for test and control groups. ANCOVA and regression modelling were used to analyse data. Results: Study I: Children with higher levels of caries had significantly lower anthropometric outcomes and higher dental impacts than those with lower caries levels. Study II: There were insignificant improvements in anthropometric outcomes between test and control groups after treatment of caries. Children in test group reported to have significantly better health related outcomes than controls. Conclusions: The negative linear trend which was detected in Study I between caries and all anthropometric outcomes implies that caries level may be a risk factor for poor growth in children. In Study II, although dental treatment did not significantly improve the mean weight and height Z-scores, treated children had lower levels of dental pain, sepsis and dissatisfaction with teeth and smiling. Interestingly, a significant increase in appetite was identified in test group compared to controls

Synthesis and study of new small molecules for organic photovoltaic applications

This thesis describes the synthesis and characterisation of novel organic small molecules with potential optoelectronic application. In chapter one, a general introduction relating to photovoltaics and the different types of solar cells with an overview of the working principle of two types of these cells, bulk heterojunction solar cells (BHJSCs) and dye synthesis solar cells (DSSCs), including examples of some molecular designs of the best performing dyes is provide. Chapter two, describes the synthesis of a new library of phenothiazine based small molecules with A-π spacer-D- π spacer-A configuration. These molecules employed as a potential active donor material for BHJSCs, reporting a power conversion efficiency of 1% as the best result. In chapter three, two new molecules based on 2,1,3-Benzothiadiazole are synthesised and fully characterized for BHJSCs. These compounds used as donor component blended with PC71BM acceptor in the device, reporting a power conversion efficiency of 1.24 %. The main advantage of these compounds would be the easy two steps synthesis, starting from cheap starting materials. The fourth chapter includes the successful synthesis and characterization of three conjugated organic molecules based on phenothiazine and phenazine. These compounds employed as a HTMs for perovskite solar cells. Among these, two molecules containing methoxy triaryl amine on the nitrogen position (4.48 and 4.49) were tested, and the best reporting PCE reached 3.94 % and 5.47 respectively. Finally, the last chapter describes the synthesis and fully characterization of several phenothiazine and phenoxazine derivatives in order to explore their performance as a photosensitiser in DSSCs. All these dyes exhibit broad absorption spectra from 300 to 600 nm and will be tested by our collaborato

Impact of treating dental caries on schoolchildren’s anthropometric, dental, satisfaction and appetite outcomes: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background There are no randomized controlled trials to assess the impact of treating dental caries on various aspects of children’s health. This study was conducted to assess the impact of dental treatment of severe dental caries on children’s weight, height and subjective health related outcomes, namely dental pain, satisfaction with teeth and smile, dental sepsis and child’s appetite. Methods The study was a community-based, randomized, controlled trial in schoolchildren aged 6-7 years with untreated dental caries. Participants were randomly assigned to early (test) or regular (control) dental treatment. The primary outcome was Weight-for-age Z-score. Secondary outcomes were Height-for-age and BMI-for-age Z-scores, dental pain, dental sepsis, satisfaction with teeth and child’s appetite. Results 86 children were randomly assigned to test (42 children) and control (44) groups. Mean duration of follow-up was 34.8 (±1.1) weeks. There were insignificant improvements in anthropometric outcomes between the groups after treatment of caries. However, treated children had significantly less pain experience (P = 0.006) (OR 0.09, [0.01-0.51]) and higher satisfaction with teeth (P = 0.001) (OR 9.91, [2.68-36.51]) compared to controls. Controls had significantly poorer appetites (P = 0.01) (OR 2.9, [1.24-6.82]) compared to treated children. All treated children were free of clinical dental sepsis whereas 20% (9 of 44) of controls who were free of sepsis at baseline had sepsis at follow-up. Conclusions Although dental treatment did not significantly improve the anthropometric outcomes, it significantly improved the dental outcomes and children’s satisfaction with teeth, smile and appetite. This is the first study to provide evidence that treatment of severe dental caries can improve children’s appetite. Trial registration Effect of Dental Treatment on Children's Growth. Clinical Trial Gov ID# NCT01243866</p