FUTURE OF BITUMEN EMULSION AS-AN ENVIORNMENTAL FRIENDLY ROAD CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL

Bitumen emulsion is a thermodynamically unstable· heterogeneous system in which finelyground bitumen particles are dispersed in an aqueous medium. In most parts of the worldusage of bitumen emulsion as a road construction material has increased during the recentpast partially replacing penetration grade bitumen (tar) and cutback bitumen due toenvironmental reasons. In Sri Lanka bitumen emulsion is used for certain roadconstruction work. However, still there is somewhat reluctance among road engineers touse bitumen emulsion as a substitute for 01her types.There are numerous uses for bitumen emulsion utilizing highly varied techniques, whichresults in several different formulations; namely cationic and anionic depending on particlecharges and rapid setting, medium setting and slow setting depending on its speed ofseparation of bitumen from aqueous medium. In Sri Lanka, cationic type bitumen emulsionis used, as majority of the available local aggregates are acidic except Jaffna limestone.Bitumen emulsion is suitable to the requirements of all road maintenance work. Ease ofstorage and transport make it possible to set up numerous depots and its ease and facility ofuse enable work to be done quickly causing minimum disturbance to the users. It may bethe first choice bituminous material for all maintenance work on road pavements due toenvironmental friendliness, provided that correct proportions and standard specificationsare being used.Bitumen emulsion has proven itself as a binder, which utiJises very low energyconsumption in road maintenance and laying of surface dressings. Penetration gradebitumen requires heating at construction sites, which emit smoke with chemicals and alsoit needs fuel, which is a non-renewable rCS0\JfCC.Kerosene that is used for cutting back theviscosity of bit urn en is also a non-recoverable waste when curing takes place on the road.ThIS paper identifies the advantages of using bitumen emulsion over other traditionalalternatives and investigates the reasons for the reluctance to use locally. The paperproposes suitable remedial measures to overcome the perceived disadvantages and increasethe use of bitumen emulsion as an environment friendly alternative.

Fluconazole resistance in Candida albicans is induced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing

Microorganisms employ quorum sensing (QS) mechanisms to communicate with each other within microbial ecosystems. Emerging evidence suggests that intraspecies and interspecies QS plays an important role in antimicrobial resistance in microbial communities. However, the relationship between interkingdom QS and antimicrobial resistance is largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that interkingdom QS interactions between a bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and a yeast, Candida albicans, induce the resistance of the latter to a widely used antifungal fluconazole. Phenotypic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analyses reveal that P. aeruginosa’s main QS molecule, N-(3-Oxododecanoyl)-L-homoserine lactone, induces candidal resistance to fluconazole by reversing the antifungal’s effect on the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway. Accessory resistance mechanisms including upregulation of C. albicans drug-efflux, regulation of oxidative stress response, and maintenance of cell membrane integrity, further confirm this phenomenon. These findings demonstrate that P. aeruginosa QS molecules may confer protection to neighboring yeasts against azoles, in turn strengthening their co-existence in hostile polymicrobial infection sites

Efficiency of the Sri Lankan Stock Market during the COVID 19 Period

The study looks into how the COVID 19 affects the Sri Lankan stock market. The purpose of this study is to determine if the COVID 19 Pandemic has made the Sri Lankan stock market more efficient or inefficient. The study employed secondary data in the form of time series for a six-month period commencing September 2nd, 2019 and concluding March 31st, 2020. The pre-COVID period runs from September 2nd to December 31st, 2019, while the COVID period runs from January 1st to March 31st, 2020. The study's findings indicated that the Sri Lankan stock market became more inefficient after COVID 19

Differential kinetic profiles and metabolism of primaquine enantiomers by human hepatocytes

BACKGROUND: The clinical utility of primaquine (PQ), used as a racemic mixture of two enantiomers, is limited due to metabolism-linked hemolytic toxicity in individuals with genetic deficiency in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. The current study investigated differential metabolism of PQ enantiomers in light of the suggestions that toxicity and efficacy might be largely enantioselective. METHODS: Stable isotope (13)C-labelled primaquine and its two enantiomers (+)-PQ, (−)-PQ were separately incubated with cryopreserved human hepatocytes. Time-tracked substrate depletion and metabolite production were monitored via UHPLC–MS/MS. RESULTS: The initial half-life of 217 and 65 min; elimination rate constants (λ) of 0.19 and 0.64 h(−1); intrinsic clearance (Cl(int)) of 2.55 and 8.49 (µL/min)/million cells, which when up-scaled yielded Cl(int) of 6.49 and 21.6 (mL/min)/kg body mass was obtained respectively for (+)- and (−)-PQ. The extrapolation of in vitro intrinsic clearance to in vivo human hepatic blood clearance, performed using the well-stirred liver model, showed that the rate of hepatic clearance of (+)-PQ was only 45 % that of (−)-PQ. Two major primary routes of metabolism were observed—oxidative deamination of the terminal amine and hydroxylations on the quinoline moiety of PQ. The major deaminated metabolite, carboxyprimaquine (CPQ) was preferentially generated from the (−)-PQ. Other deaminated metabolites including PQ terminal alcohol (m/z 261), a cyclized side chain derivative from the aldehyde (m/z 241), cyclized carboxylic acid derivative (m/z 257), a quinone-imine product of hydroxylated CPQ (m/z 289), CPQ glucuronide (m/z 451) and the glucuronide of PQ alcohol (m/z 437) were all preferentially generated from the (−)-PQ. The major quinoline oxidation product (m/z 274) was preferentially generated from (+)-PQ. In addition to the products of the two metabolic pathways, two other major metabolites were observed: a prominent glycosylated conjugate of PQ on the terminal amine (m/z 422), peaking by 30 min and preferentially generated by (+)-PQ; and the carbamoyl glucuronide of PQ (m/z 480) exclusively generated from (+)-PQ. CONCLUSION: Metabolism of PQ showed enantioselectivity. These findings may provide important information in establishing clinical differences in PQ enantiomers

Atorvastatin-Diltiazem Combination Induced Rhabdomyolysis Leading to Diagnosis of Hypothyroidism

Statins and hypothyroidism, independently, can rarely cause rhabdomyolysis. The combination of them especially with concurrent intake of drugs such as diltiazem increases the risk of rhabdomyolysis. Hashimoto’s encephalopathy is a rare condition associated with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and some patients with that can present with a stroke like picture. An elderly male who has been on atorvastatin for three years and on diltiazem for a week presented with sudden onset inability to walk and confusion. On examination muscle tenderness was noticed and creatine kinase levels indicated rhabdomyolysis which we attributed to atorvastatin. Patient developed a seizure and myoclonus of masseters. Considering this, his confusion and his neutrophilia and high C-reactive protein levels, empirical antibiotics with dexamethasone were started and the patient responded to that. His cerebrospinal fluid and blood culture reports that arrived later did not show sepsis. After going home also his CK (creatine kinase) levels remained high; TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) level test was done and hypothyroidism was diagnosed. His antithyroid peroxidase antibody levels were also very high. We retrospectively think he had Hashimoto’s encephalopathy as well. His lipid profile and TSH and CK values returned to normal in that order after a few months of levothyroxine therapy

Case Report Atorvastatin-Diltiazem Combination Induced Rhabdomyolysis Leading to Diagnosis of Hypothyroidism

Statins and hypothyroidism, independently, can rarely cause rhabdomyolysis. The combination of them especially with concurrent intake of drugs such as diltiazem increases the risk of rhabdomyolysis. Hashimoto's encephalopathy is a rare condition associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and some patients with that can present with a stroke like picture. An elderly male who has been on atorvastatin for three years and on diltiazem for a week presented with sudden onset inability to walk and confusion. On examination muscle tenderness was noticed and creatine kinase levels indicated rhabdomyolysis which we attributed to atorvastatin. Patient developed a seizure and myoclonus of masseters. Considering this, his confusion and his neutrophilia and high C-reactive protein levels, empirical antibiotics with dexamethasone were started and the patient responded to that. His cerebrospinal fluid and blood culture reports that arrived later did not show sepsis. After going home also his CK (creatine kinase) levels remained high; TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) level test was done and hypothyroidism was diagnosed. His antithyroid peroxidase antibody levels were also very high. We retrospectively think he had Hashimoto's encephalopathy as well. His lipid profile and TSH and CK values returned to normal in that order after a few months of levothyroxine therapy

Chronic kidney disease of unknown aetiology in Sri Lanka: is cadmium a likely cause?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The rising prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and subsequent end stage renal failure necessitating renal replacement therapy has profound consequences for affected individuals and health care resources. This community based study was conducted to identify potential predictors of microalbuminuria in a randomly selected sample of adults from the North Central Province (NCP) of Sri Lanka, where the burden of CKD is pronounced and the underlying cause still unknown.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Exposures to possible risk factors were determined in randomly recruited subjects (425 females and 461 males) from selected areas of the NCP of Sri Lanka using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Sulphosalicylic acid and the Light Dependent Resister microalbumin gel filtration method was used for initial screening for microalbuminuria and reconfirmed by the <it>Micral </it>strip test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Microalbumnuria was detected in 6.1% of the females and 8.5% of the males. Smoking (p < 0.001), alcohol use (p = 0.003), hypertension (p < 0.001), diabetes (p < 0.001), urinary tract infection (UTI) (p = 0.034) and consumption of water from wells in the fields (p = 0.025) were associated with microalbuminuria. In the binary logistic regression analysis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, UTI, drinking well water in the fields, smoking and pesticide spraying were found to be significant predictors of microalbuminuria.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, UTI, and smoking are known risk factors for microalbuminuria. The association between microalbuminuria and consumption of well water suggests an environmental aetiology to CKD in NCP. The causative agent is yet to be identified. Investigations for cadmium as a potential causative agent needs to be initiated.</p

Transverse energy production and charged-particle multiplicity at midrapidity in various systems from sNN=7.7\sqrt{s_{NN}}=7.7 to 200 GeV

Measurements of midrapidity charged particle multiplicity distributions, $dN_{\rm ch}/d\eta$, and midrapidity transverse-energy distributions, $dE_T/d\eta$, are presented for a variety of collision systems and energies. Included are distributions for Au$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$, 130, 62.4, 39, 27, 19.6, 14.5, and 7.7 GeV, Cu$+$Cu collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ and 62.4 GeV, Cu$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV, U$+$U collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=193$ GeV, $d$$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV, $^{3}$He$+$Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV, and $p$$+$$p$ collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV. Centrality-dependent distributions at midrapidity are presented in terms of the number of nucleon participants, $N_{\rm part}$, and the number of constituent quark participants, $N_{q{\rm p}}$. For all $A$$+$$A$ collisions down to $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=7.7$ GeV, it is observed that the midrapidity data are better described by scaling with $N_{q{\rm p}}$ than scaling with $N_{\rm part}$. Also presented are estimates of the Bjorken energy density, $\varepsilon_{\rm BJ}$, and the ratio of $dE_T/d\eta$ to $dN_{\rm ch}/d\eta$, the latter of which is seen to be constant as a function of centrality for all systems.Comment: 706 authors, 32 pages, 20 figures, 34 tables, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012 data. v2 is version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.