Syntheses and Step-by-Step Morphological Analysis of Nano-Copper-Decorated Carbon Long Fibers for Aerospace Structural Applications

Carbon long fiber/copper composites were prepared using electroless and electroplating methods with copper metal for potential aerospace applications. Carbon fibers were heat-treated at 450 °C followed by acid treatment before the metallization processes. Three different methods of metallization processes were applied: electroless silver deposition, electroless copper deposition and electroplating copper deposition. The metallized carbon fibers were subjected to copper deposition via two different routes. The first method was the electroless deposition technique in an alkaline tartrate bath using formaldehyde as a reducing agent of the copper ions from the copper sulphate solution. The second method was conducted by copper electroplating on the chemically treated carbon fibers. The produced carbon fiber/copper composites were extensively investigated by Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM) supported with an Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDAX) unit to analyze the size, surface morphology, and chemical composition of the produced carbon long fiber/copper composites. The results show that the carbon fiber/copper composites prepared using the electroplating method had a coated type surface morphology with good adhesion between the copper coated layer and the surface of the carbon fibers. However, the carbon fiber/copper composites prepared using the electroless deposition had a decorated type morphology. Moreover, it was observed that the metallized carbon fibers using the silver method enhanced the electroless copper coating process with respect to the electroless copper coating process without silver metallization. The electrical conductivity of the carbon fiber/copper composites was improved by metallization of the carbon fibers using silver, as well as by the electrodeposition method

Anatomy and histochemistry of structures producing aroma in leaves of Sygyzium aromaticum (L.) Merr. and Clausena excavata Burm. f.

Anatomical and histochemical studies on leaves of Syzygium aromaticum and Clausena excavata have been carried out. This study was conducted in order to investigate the relationship between aroma production and a plant's secretory structures. Leaves from the two tropical aromatic plants were sampled from the Institute of Bioscience (IBS) Conservatory Park and transversely sectioned through lamina, midrib and petiole with a sliding microtome for anatomical investigation. Through light microscopy, oil cells and secretory cavities were distributed near the adaxial and abaxial epidermal layers with large in size, up to 60 µm length. Other leaf anatomical characters such as shape of petiole and midrib, pattern of vascular bundle, palisade and spongy mesophyll, the presence or absence of brachysclereids and crystals are also observed. This study also aimed to investigate the leaf's secretory structures responsible for plants' aroma production and to detect the presence of terpenes and essential oil in secretory structures histochemically

Community stakeholders' knowledge in landscape assessments - Mapping indicators for landscape services

The results show that community involvement and participatory mapping enhance the assessment of landscape services. These benefits from nature demonstrate spatial clustering and co-existence, but simultaneously also a tendency for spatial dispersion, and suggest that there is far more heterogeneity and sensitivity in the ways the benefits are distributed in relation to actual land resources. Many material landscape service indicators are individually based and spatially scattered in the landscape. However, the well-being of communities is also dependent on the non-material services, pointing out shared places of social interaction and cultural traditions. Both material and non-material services are preferred closest to settlements where the highest intensity, richness and diversity are found. Based on the results, the paper discusses the role of local stakeholders as experts in landscape service assessments and implications for local level management processes. It can be pointed out that the integration of participatory mapping methods in landscape service assessments is crucial for true collaborative, bottom-up landscape management. It is also necessary in order to capture the non-utilitarian value of landscapes and sensitivity to cultural landscape services, which many expert evaluations of landscape or ecosystem services fail to do justice. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Financial costs of the Zanzibar elimination of schistosomiasis transmission project

We estimated the financial costs of different interventions against urogenital schistosomiasis, implemented by the Zanzibar Elimination of Schistosomiasis Transmission (ZEST) project, on Pemba and Unguja islands, Tanzania. We used available data on project activities, resources used, and costs reported in the accounting information systems of ZEST partners. The costs were estimated for all the activities related to snail control, behavior change interventions, the impact assessment surveys, and management of the whole program. Costs are presented in US$for the full duration of the ZEST project from 2011/2012 to 2017. The total financial costs of implementing snail control activities over 5 years, excluding the costs for donated Bayluscide, were US$55,796 on Pemba and US$73,581 on Unguja, mainly driven by personnel costs. The total financial costs of implementing behavior change activities were US$109,165 on Pemba and US$155,828 on Unguja, with costs for personnel accounting for 47$0.21. This study showed the value of exploiting administrative data to estimate costs of major global health interventions. It also provides an evidence base for financial costs and main cost drivers of implementing multiple combinations of intervention sets that inform decisions regarding the feasibility and affordability of implementing schistosomiasis control and elimination strategies

The nutritive value of black soldier fly larvae reared on common organic waste streams in Kenya

Open Access JournalIn Africa, livestock production currently accounts for about 30% of the gross value of agricultural production. However, production is struggling to keep up with the demands of expanding human populations, the rise in urbanization and the associated shifts in diet habits. High costs of feed prevent the livestock sector from thriving and to meet the rising demand. Insects have been identified as potential alternatives to the conventionally used protein sources in livestock feed due to their rich nutrients content and the fact that they can be reared on organic side streams. Substrates derived from organic by-products are suitable for industrial large-scale production of insect meal. Thus, a holistic comparison of the nutritive value of Black Soldier Fly larvae (BSFL) reared on three different organic substrates, i.e. chicken manure (CM), brewers’ spent grain (SG) and kitchen waste (KW), was conducted. BSFL samples reared on every substrate were collected for chemical analysis after the feeding process. Five-hundred (500) neonatal BSFL were placed in 23 × 15 cm metallic trays on the respective substrates for a period of 3–4 weeks at 28 ± 2 °C and 65 ± 5% relative humidity. The larvae were harvested when the prepupal stage was reached using a 5 mm mesh size sieve. A sample of 200 grams prepupae was taken from each replicate and pooled for every substrate and then frozen at −20 °C for chemical analysis. Samples of BSFL and substrates were analyzed for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extracts (EE), ash, acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), amino acids (AA), fatty acids (FA), vitamins, flavonoids, minerals and aflatoxins. The data were then subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using general linear model procedure. BSFL differed in terms of nutrient composition depending on the organic substrates they were reared on. CP, EE, minerals, amino acids, ADF and NDF but not vitamins were affected by the different rearing substrates. BSFL fed on different substrates exhibited different accumulation patterns of minerals, with CM resulting in the largest turnover of minerals. Low concentrations of heavy metals (cadmium and lead) were detected in the BSFL, but no traces of aflatoxins were found. In conclusion, it is possible to take advantage of the readily available organic waste streams in Kenya to produce nutrient-rich BSFL-derived feed

Potential drivers for schistosomiasis persistence: population genetic analyses from a cluster-randomized urogenital schistosomiasis elimination trial across the Zanzibar islands

The World Health Organization's revised NTD Roadmap and the newly launched Guidelines target elimination of schistosomiasis as a public health problem in all endemic areas by 2030. Key to meeting this goal is elucidating how selective pressures imposed by interventions shape parasite populations. Our aim was to identify any differential impact of a unique cluster-randomized tri-armed elimination intervention (biannual mass drug administration (MDA) applied alone or in association with either mollusciciding (snail control) or behavioural change interventions) across two Zanzibarian islands (Pemba and Unguja) on the population genetic composition of Schistosoma haematobium over space and time. Fifteen microsatellite loci were used to analyse individual miracidia collected from infected individuals across islands and intervention arms at the start (2012 baseline: 1,522 miracidia from 176 children; 303 from 43 adults; age-range 6-75, mean 12.7 years) and at year 5 (2016: 1,486 miracidia from 146 children; 214 from 25 adults; age-range 9-46, mean 12.4 years). Measures of genetic diversity included allelic richness (Ar), Expected (He) and Observed heterozygosity (Ho), inbreeding coefficient (FST), parentage analysis, estimated worm burden, worm fecundity, and genetic sub-structuring. There was little evidence of differential selective pressures on population genetic diversity, inbreeding or estimated worm burdens by treatment arm, with only the MDA+snail control arm within Unguja showing trends towards reduced diversity and altered inbreeding over time. The greatest differences overall, both in terms of parasite fecundity and genetic sub-structuring, were observed between the islands, consistent with Pemba's persistently higher mean infection intensities compared to neighbouring Unguja, and within islands in terms of infection hotspots (across three definitions). These findings highlight the important contribution of population genetic analyses to elucidate extensive genetic diversity and biological drivers, including potential gene-environmental factors, that may override short term selective pressures imposed by differential disease control strategies. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov ISRCTN48837681

HPLC DETERMINATION OF DIMETHYL-4,4′-DIMETHOXY-5,6,5′,6′ DIMETHYLENE DIOXYBIPHENYL-2,2′-DICARBOXYLATE (DDB) AND CO-ADMINSTERED DIURETICS AS AN EXTEMPORANEOUS MIXTURE IN HUMAN PLASMA

Diuretics are co-adminstered with hepatoprotectant drugs for the treatment of oedema and ascitis inpatients suffering from hepatic cirrhosis.This work presents an accurate and simple method for the in vivo analysisof Dimethyl-4,4'-dimethoxy-5,6,5',6'-dimethylenedioxybiphenyl-2,2'-dicarboxylate (DDB), a hepatoprotectantdrug, with hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) and amiloride hydrochloride (AM) diuretics in human plasma using HPLC.Methodology/Principal Findings: The separation was achieved on Spheri-5 RP-8 (5μ) and Spheri-5 RP-18 (5μ)columns (220 × 4.6 mm i.d.) using 0.02 M disodium hydrogen phosphate, 0.12% w/v sodium laurylsulfate, 0.1%v/v triethylamine adjusted to pH 4 and acetonitrile in a ratio 65:35 v/v as mobile phase. The separation was carriedout at ambient temperature with a flow rate of 1.0 mL min-1. Quantitation was achieved with UV detection at 278nm based on peak area with linear calibration curves at concentration ranges 0.03–30 μg mL-1 for HCT and 0.05–30 μg mL-1 for both AM amd DDB. Conclusions: The proposed method was successfully applied to thedetermination of the investigated drugs in human plasma sample obtained from a healthy male volunteer fourhours after single oral dose administration of the three drugs. The proposed method was validated in terms oflinearity, accuracy, precision, limits of detection and quantitation and other aspects of analytical validation

12．グルタミン酸ナトリウムはglucagon like peptide-1の食後早期の分泌を促進し, 食後血糖の上昇を抑制する

The purpose of this study was to compare the growth and nutritional status of infants fed different diets, some of whom received a low-fat formula. Beginning at four to six months of age, 101 infants were fed whole cow\u27s milk, one of two low-fat follow-up formulas, or a standard infant formula until 12 months of age. Weight, recumbent length, and head circumference were measured at one-month intervals. Analyses of status (values at an age) for all examinations showed no significant differences among the feeding groups in status for weight or recumbent length, but there were significant differences in head circumference for boys and for girls after adjustments for the initial values. Head circumferences were smaller in those fed whole cow\u27s milk and relatively large in those fed follow-up formula, but these differences were small and not of clinical significance. Comparisons with national reference data showed growth in weight, recumbent length, and head circumference was normal regardless of feeding group. These results indicate that, during the second half year of infancy, the use of lower fat concentrations in the follow-up formulas did not retard growth in weight, recumbent length, or head circumference

Multiple responses optimisation in injection moulding parameter for polypropylene-nanoclay-gigantochloa scortechinii via taguchi method

This paper presents the findings of multiple responses optimisation of overall quality performances for the samples made from the blend of polypropylene-nanoclay with different weight percentage of Gigantochloa Scortechinii fibres. The contents of fiber were set at 0 wt. %, 3 wt. % and 6 wt. %. The selected injection moulding parameters were packing pressure, melt temperature, screw speed and filling time. The overall quality performances that need to be improved upon the optimisation were flexural strength, warpage and shrinkage. This research started by drying the fibres at 120°C before mixing the fibres with polypropylene, compatibilizer (polypropylene grafted maleic anhydride) and nanoclay. The compounding of these nanocomposites was performed before injection moulding by using lab compounder and palletizer. The multiple responses optimisation process was compiled by adding the signal to noise ratio for each responses. As for the results, for control sample (0 wt. % fibre) the validated S/NQP was 112.173 dBi by using the optimised parameter. These values were used for comparison purposed. As for the 3 wt. % of fibre content, the validated S/NQP was 133.313 dBi at 35% of packing pressure with 170°C setting of melt temperature. The filled time was 3 seconds with 35% of screw speed. As for the 6 wt. % setting, the validated S/NQP was 135.835 dBi with the same setting of packing pressure and screw speed but with different setting of melt temperature (175°C) and filled time (2 seconds). The most influential parameter for control sample was melt temperature but the parameter changed to packing pressure when the fibre was added. Therefore existence of fibre was proven to affect towards the end results. In conclusion, the optimum values of parameter setting and fibre contend will improve the quality performances specifically for products samples made from polypropylene-nanoclay- Gigantochloa Scortechinii. This material obviously giving a promising manufacturing opportunity to improve the quality of the injected moulding products