Synthesis, Characterization and Optimization of Magnetite Molecularly Imprinted Polymer for Application in the Removal of Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS)

Diclofenac (DCF) remains one of the most extensively used sold anti-inflammatory and analgesics that have been in use for an extended period. It has been widely detected in aquatic environments at concentrations that are indicative of detrimental environmental effects in addition to its inclusion on the EU's first watch list therefore, its removal from the environment is crucial. In this study, a selective Molecularly Imprinted Polymer(MIP) was synthesized via a bulk polymerization strategy with methacrylic acid (MAA) as the functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the cross-linker, Azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator and Diclofenac sodium (DCF) as the template molecule. The structure of the prepared MIP/ NIP was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Several parameters influencing the adsorption efficiency of the MIP were optimized via the batch adsorption experiment. The results revealed that the maximum removal efficiency of the MIP (79%) was achieved at the optimized conditions of pH 2, 10 mL of 10 mg/L of adsorbate solution at 60 min contact time which was higher than its corresponding non molecularly imprinted polymer (NIP) whichwas (57%). The result of the reusability study showed that the adsorbent can be reused up to five cycles, hence it is efficient and promising for the removal of diclofenac from aqueous media. Keywords: NSAIDs, optimization, removal, reusability, selectivit

The Effect of Religious Education on Student Learning Achievement in Elementary Schools

The field of religious education has a pivotal function in the molding of students' character, morality, and ethical frameworks. Additionally, it facilitates an intimate grasp of the tenets and values espoused by various belief systems. The efficacy of teaching methods in education can have a notable impact on students' academic performance. Nevertheless, no research has been conducted at SDN Bhakti Karya to assess the impact of teaching methods in PAI on students' academic achievement. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of instructional approaches in Religious Education on students' academic performance at SDN Bhakti Karya. A qualitative approach was employed, whereby data were collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis. The findings indicate that effective teaching methods in Religious Education have a beneficial impact on students' academic achievement. Instructional methods that facilitate active engagement, the utilization of multimedia resources, group discussions, and the application of hands-on activities to comprehend religious concepts facilitate enhanced comprehension and the development of academic skills. Factors that facilitate the implementation of teaching methods include the provision of adequate facilities and infrastructure, as well as the training and development of competencies among teachers. However, obstacles such as time constraints and a curriculum that restricts the variety of teaching methods must also be addressed. In order to enhance students' academic performance, it is essential to reinforce facilities and infrastructure support, enhance teacher training, and assess the necessity and flexibility of the curriculum

Horizontal localization in simulated unilateral hearing loss

Background and Objectives: The ability to localize a sound source is one of the binaural hearing benefits in a horizontal plane based on interaural time difference and interaural intensity difference. Unilateral or bilateral asymmetric hearing loss will affect binaural hearing and lead to sound locating errors. In this cross sectional analytical descriptive study, the localization error was investigated when participants turned their heads to the sound source with closed eyes and after simulating unilateral hearing loss by placing earplugs inside the right ear canal. Subjects and Methods: This cross sectional analytical descriptive study was carried out on 30 right-handed adults, 22 female and 8 male (average: 25 years, standard deviation: 3.16). They were selected with the available random access method. Horizontal localization was evaluated with five speakers located at 0, ±30, and ±60 degree azimuths at a 1-meter distance from the examinee. Narrow-band noise signals were delivered at 35 dB SL in two "without earplug" and "with earplug" situations and the results were compared. The study was performed between September and December 2016 in Tehran, Iran. Results: Significant differences were observed in localization errors between the "with earplug" and "without earplug" situations. The localization differences were greater for left-side speakers (-30 and -60 degrees) compared with right-side speakers (+30 and +60 degrees). The differences were more apparent at 4,000 and 6,000 Hz, which confirmed the effect of unilateral simulated hearing loss on interaural latency differences. Conclusions: Simulating hearing loss by using an earplug in one ear (right) increased localization errors at all frequencies. The errors increased at higher frequencies. © 2018 The Korean Audiological Society and Korean Otological Society

Horizontal localization in simulated unilateral hearing loss

Background and Objectives: The ability to localize a sound source is one of the binaural hearing benefits in a horizontal plane based on interaural time difference and interaural intensity difference. Unilateral or bilateral asymmetric hearing loss will affect binaural hearing and lead to sound locating errors. In this cross sectional analytical descriptive study, the localization error was investigated when participants turned their heads to the sound source with closed eyes and after simulating unilateral hearing loss by placing earplugs inside the right ear canal. Subjects and Methods: This cross sectional analytical descriptive study was carried out on 30 right-handed adults, 22 female and 8 male (average: 25 years, standard deviation: 3.16). They were selected with the available random access method. Horizontal localization was evaluated with five speakers located at 0, ±30, and ±60 degree azimuths at a 1-meter distance from the examinee. Narrow-band noise signals were delivered at 35 dB SL in two "without earplug" and "with earplug" situations and the results were compared. The study was performed between September and December 2016 in Tehran, Iran. Results: Significant differences were observed in localization errors between the "with earplug" and "without earplug" situations. The localization differences were greater for left-side speakers (-30 and -60 degrees) compared with right-side speakers (+30 and +60 degrees). The differences were more apparent at 4,000 and 6,000 Hz, which confirmed the effect of unilateral simulated hearing loss on interaural latency differences. Conclusions: Simulating hearing loss by using an earplug in one ear (right) increased localization errors at all frequencies. The errors increased at higher frequencies. © 2018 The Korean Audiological Society and Korean Otological Society

No-Drag String Configurations for Steadily Moving Quark-Antiquark Pairs in a Thermal Bath

We investigate the behavior of stationary string configurations on a five-dimensional AdS black hole background which correspond to quark-antiquark pairs steadily moving in an N=4 super Yang-Mills thermal bath. There are many branches of solutions, depending on the quark velocity and separation as well as on whether Euclidean or Lorentzian configurations are examined.Comment: references added; statements corrected; eliminated computation of jet quenching parameter from Wilson loop of [Liu, Rajagopal, Wiedemann, hep-th/0605178] using Euclidean string configurations since those authors advocate [hep-th/0607062, footnote 14] the use of spacelike Lorentzian string configurations instea

Effects Of Induction Heating On Thixoformed MWCNT-Al Alloy Composite

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of vertical induction heating on MWCNT-Al alloy composite during thixoforming. Several feedstocks of MWCNT-A356 alloy composite with a non-dendritic microstructure were prepared using a mechanical stirring of liquid casting. During thixoforming, the feedstocks were reheated up to the 50 % liquid fraction in the semi-solid state at 580 °C and compress into an upper mold. The heat distribution is determined by analyzing the microstructures and densities throughout the cross-sectional of the feedstock. After that, real time temperature monitoring is carried out using the EPAD-Base2 data acquisition systems, optical microscopic observations and electronic densimeter measurements were used, respectively at its surface, top, center, and bottom locations. The results show that the temperatures distribution is consistent with only ± 10 °C variation. The homogeneous heat distribution has also been observed by the similar coarsening rates of α-Al grain after thixoforming with the average grain diameter of 37.9 ± 22.8 µm and spherical factor (SF) of 0.564 ± 0.127, and the densities are almost identical of 2.675 ± 0.009 g/cm3, 2.676 ± 0.011 g/cm3 and 2.676 ± 0.007 g/cm3 at these locations. Therefore, the vertical induction heating in this study is suitable for thixoforming of the composite aluminium alloy

Revitalising the function of agricultural extension in Indonesia to support rice self-sufficiency

The role of agricultural extension workers is very much needed to guide farmers so they can adopt technology and facilitate the growth and development of farmer institutions. However, agricultural extension institutions have faced uncertainty and have even lost direction since the Regional Government issued Law No. 23/2014. Agricultural extension workers no longer have an agricultural extension-coordinating agency; therefore, supervision and guidance do not function properly. As a result, the performance of agricultural extension experiences stagnation. This study aims to formulate alternative agricultural extension policies after the issuance of Presidential Regulation No. 35/2022 on Strengthening the Function of Agricultural Extension. The analysis method used a literature review approach. Based on the study results, it is necessary to derive policies that provide synergy between the centre and regions to support strengthening agricultural extension toward national rice self-sufficiency. If agricultural extension activities run according to their duties and functions, they can increase rice productivity by 29−33%. Recommended policy alternatives: (1) strengthening coordination between the Ministry of Agriculture and agricultural extension institutions at the provincial, district/city, and sub-district levels; (2) refocusing agricultural extension programs and activities; and (3) strengthening the agricultural extension budget through an assistance task mechanism

Effect of Nitrate Acid Treated Dolomite on the Tensile Properties of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) Composites

Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) polymers have been used in biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility, durability, toughness and high wear resistance. To enhance the mechanical properties, various types of minerals are commonly utilized as fillers in UHMWPE. One of the minerals is dolomite, which has been recognized as a valuable mineral with versatile applications, particularly in the field of biomedical applications. This paper presents the tensile properties of UHMWPE composites that filled with dolomite and treated-dolomite at various filler loading (i.e., 1-5 wt.%). Nitric acid and diammonium phosphate were used to treat the dolomite. From the results, the peaks of the FTIR spectrum displays carbonate (CO3–2), phosphate (PO4–3) and hydroxyl (OH–) groups in the ct-dolomite powder sample while the XRD pattern reveals that using dolomite treated with 1M nitric acid resulted in the presence of calcium hydroxide phosphate (Ca10(PO4)5(OH)) and MgO. For tensile strength, UHMWPE/ct-dolomite composites show better tensile strength than the pure UHMWPE composites. Treated improve the dolomite filler and resulted in significantly better matrix-filler interfacial interactions and improve the properties

Spacelike strings and jet quenching from a Wilson loop

We investigate stationary string solutions with spacelike worldsheet in a five-dimensional AdS black hole background, and find that there are many branches of such solutions. Using a non-perturbative definition of the jet quenching parameter proposed by Liu et. al., hep-ph/0605178, we take the lightlike limit of these solutions to evaluate the jet quenching parameter in an N=4 super Yang-Mills thermal bath. We show that this proposed definition gives zero jet quenching parameter, independent of how the lightlike limit is taken. In particular, the minimum-action solution giving the dominant contribution to the Wilson loop has a leading behavior that is linear, rather than quadratic, in the quark separation.Comment: 38 pages, 6 figures, statements correcte

The 4E-BP Caf20p Mediates Both eIF4E-Dependent and Independent Repression of Translation

Translation initiation factor eIF4E mediates mRNA selection for protein synthesis via the mRNA 5’cap. A family of binding proteins, termed the 4E-BPs, interact with eIF4E to hinder ribosome recruitment. Mechanisms underlying mRNA specificity for 4E-BP control remain poorly understood. Saccharomyces cerevisiae 4E-BPs, Caf20p and Eap1p, each regulate an overlapping set of mRNAs. We undertook global approaches to identify protein and RNA partners of both 4E-BPs by immunoprecipitation of tagged proteins combined with mass spectrometry or next-generation sequencing. Unexpectedly, mass spectrometry indicated that the 4E-BPs associate with many ribosomal proteins. 80S ribosome and polysome association was independently confirmed and was not dependent upon interaction with eIF4E, as mutated forms of both Caf20p and Eap1p with disrupted eIF4E-binding motifs retain ribosome interaction. Whole-cell proteomics revealed Caf20p mutations cause both up and down-regulation of proteins and that many changes were independent of the 4E-binding motif. Investigations into Caf20p mRNA targets by immunoprecipitation followed by RNA sequencing revealed a strong association between Caf20p and mRNAs involved in transcription and cell cycle processes, consistent with observed cell cycle phenotypes of mutant strains. A core set of over 500 Caf20p-interacting mRNAs comprised of both eIF4E-dependent (75%) and eIF4E-independent targets (25%), which differ in sequence attributes. eIF4E-independent mRNAs share a 3’ UTR motif. Caf20p binds all tested motif-containing 3’ UTRs. Caf20p and the 3’UTR combine to influence ERS1 mRNA polysome association consistent with Caf20p contributing to translational control. Finally ERS1 3’UTR confers Caf20-dependent repression of expression to a heterologous reporter gene. Taken together, these data reveal conserved features of eIF4E-dependent Caf20p mRNA targets and uncover a novel eIF4E-independent mode of Caf20p binding to mRNAs that extends the regulatory role of Caf20p in the mRNA-specific repression of protein synthesis beyond its interaction with eIF4E