Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plant in Djerba island, Tunisia

Objective :The aim of this study was to document the diversity and use of natural plants in the island of Djerba (Tunisia) in traditional pharmacopoeia and other uses in order to develop an ethnobotanical catalogue that could subsequently be the subject of scientific research.Materials and Methods: The technique of semi-structured interviews was used with people originating and residing or not in Djerba. Occasional conversations and direct observations were exploited for one year.Results: We have identified 86 plants out of 122 mentioned belonging to 80 genera and 43 families. Asteraceae were the most important family represented by 13 species followed by Lamiaceae and Poaceae (7 species each). The results showed that 45 species have medicinal uses (52.32%). Leaves were the most used parts (59% of species for medicinal use). Decoction was the most common method for preparing remedies.Conclusion: This study provides an important source of information for flora valorization in the studied region. The results could form a database for the search of new natural substances with added value.   

Formation of Palygorskite Clay from Treated Diatomite and its Application for the Removal of Heavy Metals from Aqueous Solution

Environmental contamination by toxic heavy metals is a serious worldwide phenomenon. Thus, their removal is a crucial issue. In this study, we found an efficient adsorbent to remove Cu2+ and Ni2+ from aqueous solution using two materials. Chemical modification was used to obtain palygorskite clay from diatomite. The adsorbents were characterized using X-ray florescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The effects of contact time, initial concentration, temperature and pH on the adsorption process were investigated. Our results showed that the (%) of maximum adsorption capacity of diatomite was 78.44% for Cu2+ at pH 4 and 77.3% for Ni2+ at pH 7, while the (%) of the maximum adsorption on palygorskite reached 91% for Cu2+ and 87.05% for Ni2+, in the same condition. The results indicate that the pseudo-second-order model can describe the adsorption process. Furthermore, the adsorption isotherms could be adopted by the Langmuir and the Freundlich models with good correlation coefficient (R-2). Thus, our results showed that palygorskite prepared from Tunisian diatomite is a good adsorbent for the removal of heavy metals from water.This research was funded by Department of Education of the Basque Government grant number [IT1008-16]" and "The APC was funded by Department of Education of the Basque Government

SYNTHESIS OF CHALCONES VIA CLAISEN–SCHMIDT CONDENSATION REACTION CATALYZED BY SILICA-H2SO4 UNDER ULTRASOUND IRRADIATION

The synthesis of 1,3-diaryl-2-propenones was carried out by using ultrasonic irradiation in the presence of silica-H2SO4, which was used as a catalyst in solvent-free conditions. The advantages of this process are the high yields (82–98%) it produces, the cost effectiveness of the catalyst, and the simple work-up and purification of products achieved via a non-chromatographic method

Competitive adsorption, selectivity and separation of valuable hydroxytyrosol and toxic phenol from olive mill wastewater

Competitive adsorption and selectivity of toxic phenol and hydroxytyrosol were studied on the macroreticular aromatic polymer (FPX66) and the macroporous polystyrene cross linked with divinylbenzene (MN202). The adsorption equilibrium of phenol and hydroxytyrosol as well as other phenolic compounds in olive mill wastewater (OMW) was investigated taking into account the different affinities of these compounds towards the two above mentioned resins. The experimental results showed that the adsorption equilibrium of phenol on FPX66 can be well interpreted by the BET model, indicating a multilayer adsorption, whereas, the adsorption of hydroxytyrosol on MN202 at equilibrium is well fitted by the Sips model. At low FPX66 concentration, phenol exhibited much higher adsorption percentage than hydroxytyrosol, indicating a stronger interaction with the resin. The adsorption selectivity ratio of phenol/hydroxytyrosol was of about 3.215 at 5 g L−1 of FPX66. Thanks to the large affinity of hydroxytyrosol for the MN202 resin, its adsorption and recovery were higher than 90% on this resin. Thus, under suitable operating conditions, phenol was selectively separated on FPX66, while hydroxytyrosol was largely recovered from the OMW residual solution by adsorption on MN202

Antioxidant, Antifungal and Phytochemical Investigations of Capparis spinosa L.

The antioxidant and antifungal activities of crude hydro-ethanolic extract from Capparis spinosa L. (Capparidaceae) leaves and their fractions, obtained by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) using solvents with increasing polarity (hexane, diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, butanol, and water), were investigated. The crude extract and the obtained fractions were characterized by colorimetric analysis, pyrolysis-gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectroscopy (MS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, and their antioxidant and antifungal capacity were determined. It was observed that the ethyl acetate fraction was enriched in polyphenols, the butanol fraction resulted in purified from proteins and the residual aqueous fraction contains more hydrophobic compounds. The evaluation of the antioxidant activity revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction possesses an interesting capacity 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) radical scavenging with a percentage of inhibition of 84.02% at a concentration of 2 mg/mL and better ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) 4.275 ± 0.011 mmol/g of dry sample than the other fractions tested. Regarding the antifungal activity, the diethyl ether fraction showed the highest activity against Aspergillus niger with 58.78% of inhibition. The results obtained in this work showed the relevance of the valorization of the leaves of Capparis spinosa L., given its richness in bioactive molecules can be regarded as a natural source of antioxidant and antifungal and may be considered in the future to replace synthetic preservatives in food, pharmaceutic products and cosmetic.This research was funded by University of Basque Country, grant number PES20/38 and “The APC was funded by University of Basque Country”

Meningkatkan Kemampuan Menulis Permulaan Menggunakan Media Slime Pada Anak Cerebral Palsy di SLB Hikmah Miftahul Jannah Padang

Penelitian ini mengungkap tentang anak Cerebral Palsy kelas IIIdi SLB HIkmah Miftahul Jannah yang mengalami kesulitan dalam menulis permulaan dikarenakan anak masih mengalami masalah dalam motorik halusnya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui apakah media Slime dapat meningkatkan menulis permulaan pada anak cerebral palsy. Metode penelitian yang digunakan yaitu Single Subject Research dengan menggunakan desain A-B-A. Tes yang diberikanberupa tes perbuatan yaitu menugaskan anak untuk menggerakkan alat tulis, menyalin bentuk dan menebalkan tulisan. Setelah melakukan analisis data diperoleh hasil yaitu pada A1 anak dalam menulis permulaan hasil diperoleh anak 25 persen. Pada kondisi B anak diberikan perlakuan dalam mengenal menulis permulaan menggunakan media Slime dengan pengamatan selama sembilan haridiperoleh hasil 83,33 persen. Kemudian pada A2 (baseline) pengamatan dilakukan selama lima hari dengan tidak menggunakan media Slime dan diperoleh hasil 83,33 persen. Dari hasil tersebut diketahui bahwa kemampuan menulis permulaan anak meningkat menggunakan media Slime

Investigation and Modeling of Electrical Stunning Parameters of Turkey Using Response Surface Methodology

Abstract: The aim of this work is to evaluate the effects of electrical stunning parameters of turkey on the quality of steak and stew using the response surface methodology. 1584 turkeys were used for the study. The parameters tested were the voltage and pulse. The responses were the sensory quality of steak and stew. The rejection rate varies between 0.23% (steak female) and 56.06% (female stew). Results show that it is possible to obtain a low rejection rates (< 1% for the steak of male turkey) at a voltage of 50 Volts and pulse of 7. In comparison of pulse, voltage remains the most important factor. The optimal conditions selected for the total output of the process obtained from the analysis of the response surfaces are: voltage, from 45 to 47 Volts; pulse from 6.5 to 7 and voltage from 50 to 52 Volts; pulse from 6.8 to 7, respectively for female and male turkeys. Under these experimental conditions, the rejection rates range from 0.23% to 0.80% and from 11.93% to 13.27% respectively for steak and stew. The results show that the voltage and pulse are both the parameters meaning on the global quality of steak and stew