Review on the pharmacological properties of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) as a promising source of bioactive compounds

Despite the quantities and diversity of chemical compounds such as flavonoids discovered in lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus DC.), available data are fragmentary. Their variation depending on the type of extract and origin of the plant and their effect on biological activities are not deeply discussed. Therefore, this paper provides a critical discussion of bioactive compounds including flavonoid content in extracts of Cymbopogon citratus, and their associated biological properties. Recorded data showed that recent studies have addressed the flavonoids qualitatively and quantitatively in various extracts of C. citratus. Existing literature clarified a significant variation of chemicals depending on the used parts of the plants. However, data on the effects of climate change and other environmental on the quantity and quality of flavonoids are not yet available. On the other hand, the recorded flavonoids were associated with a wide range of pharmacological properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammation, anti-microbial, and anti-diabetic effects, which are variable depending on the types of flavonoids. Other properties such as anticancer, analgesic, and diuretic activities are not yet investigated in the flavonoids extracted from the plant, thus more advanced studies are needed to optimize the extraction of biomolecules counting flavonoids, and then apply them to the most devastating diseases and pathogens.N/

Machine learning-assisted decision support in industrial manufacturing: a case study on injection molding machine selection

Selecting the right injection molding machine for new products remains a challenging task that significantly influences the profitability and flexibility of companies. The conventional approach involves performing theoretical calculations for clamping force, conducting mechanical validations of the mold, and carrying out real trials for new parts. This approach is time-consuming, costly, and requires a high level of expertise to ensure the optimal machine choice. This study explores the use of machine learning (ML) methods for efficient machine selection based on product, material, and mold criteria. Six supervised learning techniques were tested on a dataset comprising 70 plastic parts and five machines. Evaluation metrics like F1-score, recall, precision, and accuracy were used to compare models. The results indicate that ML can provide guidance for predicting machine selection, with a preference for the random forest (RF), decision tree (DT), and support vector machine (SVM) models. The most favorable outcome is demonstrated by the RF model, displaying an accuracy of 93%. In this manner, these findings may be helpful for injection molding businesses that are considering the significance of using classification algorithms in their manufacturing process.

Emerging and re-emerging viral diseases

Emerging infectious diseases can be defined as infections that have either newly appeared in a population, or existed, but are rapidly increasing in incidence or geographical range. Even thought there was considerable development regarding prevention, control and elimination of some of the infectious diseases through proper use of hygiene and sanitation practices in addition to development of anti- biotics (bacteria) and vaccination, some infectious diseases remained as the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There are many factors involved in the emergence of new infectious diseases or the re-emergence of “old” infectious diseases. Increasing global epidemiological surveillance, improving public health systems, education and research into new antibiotics and new vaccines will allow us to effectively combat the constantly renewed threat of infectious diseases. This review summarizes the work on aspects of virus emergence

Removal of Carbofuran Pesticide from Aqueous Solution by Adsorption onto Animal Bone Meal as New Low Cost Adsorbent

The objective of this study is to investigate the Carbofuran pesticide adsorption from aqueous solution using animal bone meal as an alternative low cost adsorbent. The effects of various experimental factors; adsorbent dose, initial Carbofuran concentration, contact time, solution pH and particle size of adsorbent were studied by using the batch technique. The results showed that Carbofuran adsorption equilibrium was rapidly attained after 70 min of contact time. A maximum of 98.3% removal of the Carbofuran pesticide was observed by 25 mg of Animal Bone Meal (ABM). Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied for the analysis of equilibrium adsorption data obtained. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity was 18.5 mg/g. The characteristic results; dimensionless separation factor, R L , and the adsorption intensity, n, showed that animal bone meal can be employed as an alternative to commercial adsorbents in the removal of Carbofuran pesticide from aqueous solution.Keywords: Animal Bone Meal, Carbofuran, Adsorption Isotherms, Water treatment

Phytochemical screening, nutritional properties and biological activities of sweet and conventional potato planted in Morocco

This study aimed at studying phytochemical composition, nutritional properties and biological activities (antioxidant and anti-inflammatory) of two potato varieties (sweet potato (SP): Ipomoea batatas L. and conventional potato (CP): Solanum tuberosum L.) planted and consumed in Morocco. For this, potato samples (SP and CP) were firstly subjected to phytochemical and nutritional analysis, including water content, total and reducing sugars, proteins, lipids, vitamin C, carotenoids, phenolic compounds and flavonoids. Secondly, phenolic compounds extracts were subjected to biological activities namely antioxidant and invitro anti-inflammatory. Potato extracts antioxidant activity was tested by DPPH and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) methods. Proteins and lipids contents were found much higher in SP (5.21 ± 0.26 and 0.29 ± 0.02 g/100g DW) respectively than in CP (2.93 ± 0.15 and 0.11 ± 0.01 g/100g DW) respectively. Besides, total and reducing sugars contents were 16.65 and 2.53 g/100g DW in the CP, and 12.47 and 2.13 g/100g DW in the SP, respectively. The antioxidant activity of different SP extracts was found to be higher than those of CP, by using DPPH and TAC methods. These findings could be explained by SP richness in carotenoids (212 ± 10.60 mg/100g DW), phenolic compounds (130.11 ± 6.51 mg GAE/100g DW), flavonoids (85.03 ± 4.2 5mg QE/100g DW) and vitamin C (471.33 ± 23.57 mg/100g DW). Exclusion chromatography done by Sephadex G50 showed that polymeric phenolic compounds in SP were more abundant when compared to monomeric ones. This difference was consistent with the anti-inflammatory activity assessed in vitro.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Investigation of monocrystalline silicon surface texturization by image processing program

One of the main issues in the photovoltaic industry of silicon solar cells is the optical losses via reflection. To overcome this issue, texturization (chemical etching) remains the most commonly used method to produce a random pyramid structure to reduce reflection and thus increase photocurrent generation. Because of the anisotropic etching property of alkaline solution, square-based upright pyramids are formed, i.e., the difference in etching rates between (100) and (111) planes. In this paper, the following etching solutions were studied: 4/10, 6/6, and 10/4 (KOH weight percentage/IPA volume percentage).The optical, morphological, and electric characterizations using UV-Vis spectroscopy, electron scanning microscopy (SEM), and quasi-steady-state photoconductance (QSSPC) device are performed. Also, the standard weighted reflectance (SWR) was calculated. The pyramid size distribution generated using KOH-IPA solutions was investigated using an image processing program (ImageJ) via SEM images. The calculation of the height of the pyramids reveals that the typical pyramid size ranges from 3 to 9 m, with large pyramids of small proportions. Furthermore, when the pyramids are distributed in a mixture of tiny and medium pyramids in precise proportions, the reflectivity is at its lowest, and as the number of large pyramids rises, the reflectivity increases

Effect of phenolic compounds extracted from turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) and ginger (Zingiber officinale) on cutaneous wound healing in wistar rats

Turmeric and ginger, widely used rhizomes in culinary arts, have several beneficial biological activities, such as hypoglycemic, hepato-protective, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. This work investigated the effects of three phenolic extracts isolated from turmeric and ginger rhizomes on anti-inflammatory and healing properties using the solid–liquid extraction method. Wistar rats were used as a biological model. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated on induced edema in the rat’s hind paw using carrageenan (1%). Paw volume was measured at 0 min, 45 min, 3 h, and 5 h. Treatment with turmeric and ginger extracts, administered at a dose of 100 mg/kg, revealed a reduction in edema volume by 98.8%, 94.8%, and 98.3% using an aqueous extract of turmeric, ethanolic extract of turmeric, and methanolic extract of ginger, respectively. The healing activity parameters of induced burns on the rat’s dorsal region in nine groups (7 rats each) were monitored daily throughout the experiment’s duration. Results showed that the application of creams composed of petroleum jelly dispersing turmeric and ginger extracts to wounds at a dose of 100 mg/kg g induced complete healing after 19 days while the negative control was only 60% cured. On day 14, the aqueous, ethanolic, and methanolic turmeric extracts nearly resulted in complete tissue repair by 95.26%, 98.34%, and 87.39%, respectively. According to the chromatographic analysis (Sephadex G50 column), there is a variation in the molecular weight distribution of phenolic compounds (polymers, oligomers, and monomers) in the three studied extracts, which has a differential effect on the anti-inflammatory and wound healing activities of the extracts.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Antibacterial activity of Lactic acid bacteria strains Isolated from Marine Algae against Pathogenic Bacteria

This work aims at evaluating the antibacterial activity of 14 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains isolated from two species of marine algae (Sargassum muticum and Ulva lactuca) against six pathogenic bacteria, including Escherichia coli ATCC 10536, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 9144, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Bacillus cereus ATCC 33019, Bacillus sp. CIP 104717, and Salmonella sp. LAB inhibitory capacity was assessed by using agar well diffusion test. Results showed that significant inhibitory zones of 30.33, 23.33, 13, 12, 9, and 8 mm were obtained against E. coli, B. subtilis, B. cereus, Bacillus sp., Salmonella sp. and S. aureus, respectively. These findings underscore the potential use of marine LAB for producing antibacterial substances, suggesting their applications in biotechnological processes targeting food spoilage and human infections

Effect of powdered rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) essential oil and phenolic compounds on broiler chickens zootechnical parameters

This work aims at exploiting the essential oil (EO) and phenolic compounds (PC) of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) in a formulation containing leaf powder stabilized with chitin (1%, w/w) to improve chicken meat and investigate their effect on qualitatively and quantitatively broiler chickens’ growth performances. To such a purpose, chicks, at 1 day of age, were distributed in pens on ground divided into four batches. The two control batches were fed with conventional feed, but the positive control contained flavomycin (0.5 g/kg) as growth factor. The two treated batches received a conventional feed supplemented with two doses of 20 and 50 g/kg of the developed formulation. Essential oil and phenolic compound contents in powdered leaves were, respectively, 1.20 and 22.86% in ethanolic extract. 1,8-Cineole (46.88%), followed by camphor (19.20%), α-pinene (9.56%), L.α.-terpineol (5.91%) and β-pinene (4.40%) were the main compounds of the used EO. The two batches of treated chicks showed a significant improvement in body weight (281.88 and 283.75 g, respectively), a decrease in feed conversion and a reduction in mortality (8%), when compared to the control batches. In addition, the elaborated formulation induced catalase activity used as an indicator of cellular antioxidant activity modulation