Peningkatan Nilai Kalori pada Batubara Lignit dengan Metode Aglomerasi Air dan Minyak Sawit pada PT. Indonesia Power Ujp Pltu Barru

Penggunaan batubara di PLTU sangat bergantung kepada kualitas batubara yang digunakan, karena semakin tinggi kualitas batubara maka akan memaksimalkan pembakaran dan secara langsung akan berdampak pada produksi listrik yang dihasilkan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui peningkatan nilai kalori pada batubara lignit. Pada penelitian ini digunakan metode aglomerasi dengan media air dan minyak sawit yang pada setiap sampel diberi perlakukan yang sama namun mengalami peningkatan yang berbeda. Ada tiga sampel yang digunakan pada penelitian ini dimana pada setiap sampel memiliki komposisi batubara lignit seberat 1 gram, minyak sawit sebanyak 10,20,30 ml dan air sebanyak 100 ml. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa semakin banyak konsentrasi minyak maka semakin tinggi kadar karbon yang diikat, sehingga dapat meningkatkan nilai kalori batubara. Dilihat dari konsentrasi 30% pada setiap sampel batubara mengalami peningkatan nilai kalori yang sebelumnya 3.765,23 cal/gr menjadi 5.279,46 cal/gr pada sampel pertama, 3.567,44 cal/gr menjadi 4.989,07 cal/gr pada sampel kedua dan 4.026,07 cal/gr menjadi 5.166,98 cal/gr pada sampel ketiga. Dari hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa batubara lignit yang digunakan di PLTU dapat ditingkatkan nilai kalorinya menggunakan metode aglomerasi air dan minyak sawit

Bakteriyel iletişimin sisteminin (Quorum Sensing) kesilmesi: Bakteri aracılı hastalıklarla savaşta umut vaat eden yeni bir yol

Antibiyotikler bakteriyel enfeksiyonların tedavisinde yaygın bir şekilde kullanılmaktadırlar. İlaç tedavisinde antibiyotiklerin gereksiz ve rastgele kullanımları, bu ajanlara karşı yaygın direnç gelişmesine neden olmuştur. Çoklu antibiyotik direncine sahip bakterilerin ortaya çıkması ve hızla yayılması, halihazırda mevcut antibiyotiklerle bakteriyel infeksiyonların tedavisini giderek güçleştirmektedir. Dolayısıyla, bakterilerle savaş yeteneğimizin azaldığı post-antibiyotik bir dönemle karşı karşıyayız ve infeksiyöz hastalıklarla başa çıkmak için yeni stratejilere olan gereksinim gün geçtikçe artmaktadır. Patojenik bakterilerin patojenite ve virülans faktörlerinin üretimini bakteriler arası iletişim sistemini kullanarak düzenlendiklerinin keşfi, bakteriler arası iletişim sistemini antimikrobiyal tedavi için cazip bir hedef haline getirmiştir. Bakterileri öldürmek yerine patogenezi hedef almak, direnç gelişimi için daha az seçici baskı uygulayabilir, bu nedenle bakteriyel iletişim inhibitörleri kullanarak bakteriler arası iletişimin inaktive edilmesi, infeksiyöz hastalıkların tedavisi için büyük umut vaat etmektedir

DOUBLE BLIND CONTROLLED STUDY OF ADDING FOLIC ACID TO FLUOXETINE IN THE TREATMENT OF OCD

Background: Folate is important for the synthesis of serotonin the neurotransmitter which plays a main role in OCD. We, therefore, explored the efficacy of folic acid as add on treatment to fluoxetine in a double blind study among patients with OCD. Subjects and methods: A double blind, 12-week study comparing the efficacy of folic acid as add on treatment and placebo in patients with OCD was conducted on thirty six (36) patients. Patients were randomly assigned to folic acid (5 mg/day) or placebo group in addition to fluoxetine (40 mg/day). After the baseline assessment, on week 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 assessments were performed by using YBOCS, HAM-D, HAM-A and CGI-S. Serum folate, erythrocyte folate, serum homocysteine and B12 levels were measured both baseline and the end of study. Results: A mixed model repeated measures ANCOVA on Y-BOCS scores were used to determine the difference between folic acid and placebo groups. No significant differences were found in the ratios of gender or in the mean age, serum folic acid level, erythrocyte folate level, serum homocysteine level and serum B12 level between the treatment groups at the baseline. Consecutively scores collected over six measurements on YBOCS, HAM-D, HAM-A and CGI showed non-significant differences between folic acid and placebo groups. Conclusion: None of the biological markers of one carbon metabolism were associated with the change in YBOCS scores. It may be assumed that there is no beneficial effect of folic acid addition to fluoxetine in the treatment of OCD

Prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Prisoners.

People involved with criminal justice frequently are exposed to violence and traumatic experiences. This may lead to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, no review, to our knowledge, has synthetized findings in this setting. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate prevalence rates of PTSD in prison populations. Original studies in which prevalence rates of PTSD in unselected samples of incarcerated people were reported were systematically searched between 1980 and June 2017. Data were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis, and sources of heterogeneity for prespecified characteristics were assessed by meta-regression. We identified 56 samples comprising 21,099 imprisoned men and women from 20 countries. Point prevalence of PTSD ranged from 0.1% to 27% for male, and from 12% to 38% for female prisoner populations. The random-effects pooled point prevalence was 6.2% (95% confidence interval: 3.9, 9.0) in male prisoners and 21.1% (95% confidence interval: 16.9, 25.6) in female prisoners. The heterogeneity between the included studies was very high. Higher prevalence was reported in samples of female prisoners, smaller studies (n ≤ 200), and for investigations based in high-income countries. Existing evidence shows high levels of PTSD among imprisoned people, especially women. Psychosocial interventions to prevent violence, especially against children and women, and to mitigate its consequences in marginalized communities must be improved. Trauma-informed approaches for correctional programs and scalable PTSD treatments in prisons require further consideration.German National Academic Foundation (to G.B.), the Wellcome Trust (grant 202836/Z/16/Z to S.F.), and the Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research), Ministry of Education, of the Republic of Chile (Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico (National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development) Regular, grant 1160260 to A.P.M.)