THE ROLE OF CEMENT DUST IN BASALT-DE-ALUMINATED KAOLIN BRICKS

ABSTRACT Effect of gradual substitution of altered basalt by a few percent of cement dust (0, 5, 10, and wt.15%) on the ceramic properties of basalt-de-aluminated kaolin fired up to 1100ºC was studied. The results show that the samples containing 5 and 10 wt% cement dust give the higher suitable ceramic properties than the other samples. As the cement dust contents increases in the sample the apparent porosity enhances and the bulk density decreases at all temperature. Also, The XRD results reveal that the peaks of plagioclase and pyroxene of the altered basalt completely disappears in the sample containing cement dust and the intensity peaks of diopside sharply increase with cement dust content and firing temperature

PENGARUH MODEL PEMBELAJARAN DISKURSUS MULTI REPRESENTASI TERHADAP KEMAMPUAN REPRESENTASI MATEMATIS SISWA DI MADRASAH TSANAWIYAH JAUHARUL IMAN SENAUNG

Penelitian ini membahas pengaruh penerapan model pembealajaran Diskursus Multi Representasi terhadap peningkatan kemampuan representasi matematis peserta didik Madrasah Tsanawiyah Swasta Jauharul Iman Senaung pada pokok bahasan Bangun Ruang Sisi Datar. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mencari bukti apakah benar penerapan model pembelajaran diskursus multi representasi mampu meningkatkan kemampuan representasi matematis. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kuantitatif dengan desain Posttest Only Control Design. Teknik pengambilan sampel menggunakan Simple Random Sampling dengan sampel berjumlah 15 peserta didik di kelas VIII A sebagai kelas eksperimen dan 15 peserta didik di kelas VIII B sebagai kelas kontrol. Teknik pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan teknik tes dengan tes essay berjumlah 4 soal. Analisis pada penelitian ini menggunakan uj

Evaluation of Long-Term Respiratory Effects of Exposure to Welding Fumes

Abstract Welding fumes are known to cause respiratory health problems. We aimed to evaluate the long-term respiratory effects of exposure to welding fumes. Inception cohorts of welding, plumbing, and heating apprentices were prospectively contacted 7-17 years post-apprenticeship. Questionnaires, as well as spirometry and non-specific bronchial hyperresponsiveness (NSBHR) tests were repeatedly administered. A long-term evaluation was done in 71 former apprentices at the Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal between 2013 and 2017. Post-apprenticeship exposure to welding fumes and gasses was evaluated using three methods: self-report, expert assessment and the asthmaspecific job exposure matrix. The incidence of wheezing and excessive lung function decline, given continued post-apprenticeship exposure to welding fumes, was estimated using Cox regression. Incident wheezing was found in 18.8% of subjects, and excessive lung function decline was observed in 12.7% of subjects. All three exposure assessment methods consistently showed that subjects with continued, post-apprenticeship exposure to welding fumes or gasses had a lower risk of developing wheezing symptoms or excessive decline in lung function, although none of the associations were significant. In conclusion, continued post-apprenticeship exposure to welding fumes does not seem to increase the risk of developing long-term respiratory outcomes.Keywords: apprentices, lung function, occupational, welding Abstrak Asap dan gas pengelasan (welding fumes and gasses) diketahui dapat menyebabkan masalah pernapasan. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengevaluasi efek pernapasan jangka panjang dari pajanan asap dan gas pengelasan. Mantan peserta sekolah kejuruan pengelasan secara prospektif dihubungi 7-17 tahun pasca-pendidikan. Subjek penelitian melengkapi kuesioner, uji spirometri dan uji bronkus non-spesifik. Evaluasi jangka panjang dilakukan pada 71 subjek di Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal antara tahun 2013 dan 2017. Pajanan asap dan gas pengelasan pascapendidikan dievaluasi menggunakan tiga metode: laporan oleh pekerja, penilaian oleh ahli dan penggunaan matriks pajanan di tempat kerja pekerjaan khusus. Hubungan antara pajanan asap dan gas pengelasan dengan insidens mengi dan penurunan fungsi paru-paru berlebihan dievaluasi menggunakan regresi Cox. Insidens mengi ditemukan pada 18,8% subjek, dan penurunan fungsi paru berlebihan diamati pada 12,7% subjek. Ketiga metode penilaian pajanan secara konsisten menunjukkan bahwa subjek dengan pajanan asap dan gas pengelasan pasca-pendidikan memiliki risiko lebih rendah terkena gejala mengi atau penurunan fungsi paru-paru yang berlebihan, meskipun tidak ada hubungan yang bermakna. Sebagai kesimpulan, pajanan asap dan gas pengelasan jangka panjang tampaknya tidak meningkatkan risiko penurunan fungsi pernapasan.Kata kunci: fungsi paru, pekerjaan, asap dan gas pengelasa

Reproductive performance of Zebra Fish (Danio rerio) exposed to palm oil mill eflluent in chronic toxicity

Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is potentially harmful to the aquatic environment. POME contains high organic material including COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) TTS (Total Suspended Solid) and various type of heavy metals. of zebra fish (Danio rerio). Reproductin has an important role in producing new individuals which directly affect the population. Impaired reproductive performance potentially impairs juvenile production optimization. The present study investigated how sub-chronic toxicity of POME impact the reproductive performance used Completely randomized Design (CRD) in three treatments and four replicates based on value of LC50-96 hours (5.156 ml/l): Control (0 ml/L), treatment A 10% POME (0,5 ml/L), treatment B 20 % POME (1 ml/L). The fecundity, relative fecundity, GSI, and egg diameter were analyzed. Data was analyzed with Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and followed with Least Significance Difference (LSD) test. Results showed that fecundity in treatment A (149 ± 38.70) and treatment B (85± 11.35) were significantly decreased compared to the control (219 ± 42.38) (P<0.05). While relative fecundity significantly decreased in treatment B (0.33 ± 0.13) rather than control (0,87 ± 0,14). Significantly decline is also observed on GSI in tretment A (4.79 ± 2.55%) and treatment B (2.55 ± 0.21%) compared to control (6.96 ± 1.70%). While the egg diameter only shows a significantly decline in treatment B (0.57 ± 0.18 mm) compared to control (0.71 ± 0.27 mm)

Toxicity and teratogenicity evaluation of ethanolic extract from Momordica charantia fruit using zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo model

Zebra fish (Danio rerio), a freshwater fish, has become a favoured animal model to assess the teratogenicity effects of various compounds. Momordica charantia is a fruit traditionally used as a functional food to treat various ailments. In the present work, 80% ethanolic extract of M. charantia fruit was investigated for its teratogenicity effects on the zebrafish embryos. The embryos of 12 h post-fertilisation were immersed in the ethanolic extract at various concentrations of 250, 500, 750, 1,000, and 1,250 mg/L prepared in 2% DMSO. Microscopic observation was carried out every 24 h. Results showed an increased mortality rate, and a delayed hatching rate with increasing concentration. Some of the deformities observed included hyperactivity, crooked backbone, reduced pigmentation, awkward positioning, and coagulation at the highest concentration. Probit analysis resulted in 725.90 mg/L as the median lethal concentration (LC50). Chromatographic analysis revealed the presence of propanedioic acid, malic acid, contrunculin-A, glutamine, D-fructose, sorbopyranose, xylitol, galactonic acid, D-mannitol, and mannose. These compounds may contribute to the deformities observed in a concentration-dependent manner. Therefore, M. charantia fruit must be consumed with caution and within the recommended amount

Review: Antimicrobial properties of apis mellifera’s bee venom

Bee venom (BV) is a rich source of secondary metabolites from honeybees (Apis mellifera L.). It contains a variety of bioactive ingredients including peptides, proteins, enzymes, and volatile metabolites. The compounds contribute to the venom’s observed biological functions as per its anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. The antimicrobial action of BV has been shown in vitro and in vivo experiments against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The synergistic therapeutic interactions of BV with antibiotics has been reported. The synergistic effect contributes to a decrease in the loading and maintenance dosage, a decrease in the side effects of chemotherapy, and a decrease in drug resistance. To our knowledge, there have been no reviews on the impact of BV and its antimicrobial constituents thus far. The purpose of this review is to address the antimicrobial properties of BV and its compounds

Correlation of the GC-MS-based metabolite profile of Momordica charantia fruit and its antioxidant activity

Momordica charantia or bitter melon (Cucurbitaceae) is a widely consumed edible fruit with strong antioxidant properties. Due to these properties, it has been commercialised by the natural product industries as a coadjutant in the treatment of various ailments attributable to the deleterious effects of oxidants. The present work aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of M. charantia fruit extracts made with different compositions of ethanol:water, and to identify the metabolites that are responsible for this activity. To this end, the fruit samples were extracted using six different concentrations of ethanol in water (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and multivariate data analysis (MVDA) were used to identify significant antioxidants. The 80% ethanol:water extract showed the most significant (p < 0.05) antioxidant activity when tested with the 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) antioxidant assays. The multivariate data analysis revealed that the metabolites related to this antioxidant activity were gentiobiose, glucose, galactonic acid, palmitic acid, galactose, mannose, and fructos

Screening for natural and derived bio-active compounds in preclinical and clinical studies: one of the frontlines of fighting the coronaviruses pandemic

Background: Starting December 2019, mankind faced an unprecedented enemy, the COVID-19 virus. The world convened in international efforts, experiences and technologies in order to fight the emerging pandemic. Isolation, hygiene measure, diagnosis, and treatment are the most efficient ways of prevention and intervention nowadays. The health organizations and global care systems screened the available resources and offered recommendations of approved and proposed medications. However, the search for a specific selective therapy or vaccine against COVID-19 remains a challenge. Methods: A literature search was performed for the screening of natural and derived bio-active compounds which showed potent antiviral activity against coronaviruses using published articles, patents, clinical trials website (https://clinicaltrials.gov/) and web databases (PubMed, SCI Finder, Science Direct, and Google Scholar). Results: Through the screening for natural products with antiviral activities against different types of the human coronavirus, extracts of Lycoris radiata (L’H´er.), Gentiana scabra Bunge, Dioscorea batatas Decne., Cassia tora L., Taxillus chinensis (DC.), Cibotium barometz L. and Echinacea purpurea L. showed a promising effect against SARS-CoV. Out of the listed compound Lycorine, emetine dihydrochloride hydrate, pristimerin, harmine, conessine, berbamine, 4`-hydroxychalcone, papaverine, mycophenolic acid, mycophenolate mofetil, monensin sodium, cycloheximide, oligomycin and valinomycin show potent activity against human coronaviruses. Additionally, it is worth noting that some compounds have already moved into clinical trials for their activity against COVID-19 including fingolimod, methylprednisolone, chloroquine, tetrandrine and tocilizumab. Conclusion: Natural compounds and their derivatives could be used for developing potent therapeutics with significant activity against SARS-COV-2, providing a promising frontline in the fighting against COVID-19

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitory effect of psychotria malayana jack leaf: A rapid analysis using infrared fingerprinting

The plant Psychotria malayana Jack belongs to the Rubiaceae family and is known in Malaysia as “meroyan sakat/salung”. A rapid analytical technique to facilitate the evaluation of the P. malayana leaves’ quality has not been well-established yet. This work aimed therefore to develop a validated analytical technique in order to predict the alpha-glucosidase inhibitory action (AGI) of P. malayana leaves, applying a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) fingerprint and utilizing an orthogonal partial least square (OPLS). The dried leaf extracts were prepared by sonication of different ratios of methanol-water solvent (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% v/v) prior to the assessment of alpha-glucosidase inhibition (AGI) and the following infrared spectroscopy. The correlation between the biological activity and the spectral data was evaluated using multivariate data analysis (MVDA). The 100% methanol extract possessed the highest inhibitory activity against the alpha-glucosidase (IC50 2.83 ± 0.32 µg/mL). Different bioactive functional groups, including hydroxyl (O-H), alkenyl (C=C), methylene (C-H), carbonyl (C=O), and secondary amine (N-H) groups, were detected by the multivariate analysis. These functional groups actively induced the alpha-glucosidase inhibition effect. This finding demonstrated the spectrum profile of the FTIR for the natural herb P. malayana Jack, further confirming its medicinal value. The developed validated model can be used to predict the AGI of P. malayana, which will be useful as a tool in the plant’s quality control

Recent insights into chemical and pharmacological studies of bee bread

Background: Bee bread is a product of the fermentation of a mixture of pollen, nectar and bee saliva that is inoculated by a wide range of bacteria and yeasts necessary for fermentation after storage in comb cells. Bee bread is regarded as the chief protein resource that bees can utilize, especially for feeding of larvae and adults. Since ancient times, bee bread has been used in different cultures for several nutritional and therapeutic purposes. Scope and approach: In this review, we attempt to highlight the possible biological activities, chemical components, methods of isolation and structure of bee bread in addition to its food supplement value and/or medical applications. Key findings and conclusions: Bee bread has been shown to exhibit antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiradical, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activities. The basic chemical components of bee bread include carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins, as well as minerals, fatty acids and other substances such as enzymes, natural antibiotics, antioxidants and hormones. Bee bread is considered to be a beneficial food supplement. In recent years, there has been significant interest in the use of bee bread to treat many illnesses