PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF SCAVENGING ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF ADENANTHERA PAVONINA LINN LEAVES

Aim: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals are involved in the oxidative damages resulting in pathogenesis of the various disorders and diseases. Thus, the scavenging activity of methanolic extract of Adenanthera pavonina Linn leaves (MEAP) was evaluated to find the ability to counteract oxidative damages by ROS.Materials and methods: Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined by colorimetric principle using gallic acid and rutin calibration curves respectively. Scavenging activity was evaluated by DPPH free radical and nitric oxide anion scavenging assays. Total reducing power was also evaluated.Results: Phytochemical analysis of MEAP showed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins, sterols, proteins and resins. Total ash, acid insoluble and water soluble ash values were found to be 8.86, 2.24 and 7.18% w/w respectively. Loss on drying was found to be 1.53% w/w. Extractive value was found to be 11.2% w/w. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents in MEAP were found to be 55.43±1.07 µg/ml equivalent to gallic acid and 52.87±1.8 µg/ml equivalent to rutin. The IC50 values for the scavenging of DPPH free radical and nitric oxide anion were found to be 425 µg/ml and 352 μg/ml as compared to that of standard ascorbic acid 320 μg/ml and 280 μg/ml respectively. Total reducing power was found to be increasing with increasing doses of extract.Conclusion: Methanolic extract of Adenanthera pavonina Linn leaves is a potent scavenger of ROS and can counteract oxidative damages by ROS. Thus, MEAP can be employed as an anti-oxidant drug to counteract and treat oxidative damages by ROS.Keywords: Adenanthera pavonina, ROS, scavenging activity, Phenolics, Flavonoids

Numerical study on failure process of aluminium plate subjected to normal impact by hemispherical projectiles

In this paper a study is presented on the numerical analysis of the failure process of aluminium armour plate subjected to normal impact by hemispherical projectiles. The perforation process has been simulated by the application of 3D analysis using IMPACT dynamic FE program suite. The comparison on the elements size of meshing towards failure mode was observed and evaluated. The material behaviour of the target plate was approximated by an appropriate constitutive relation. The study covered different size of meshing element on target plate as well as different level of impact velocities. Different failure modes for each case were found. For low speed impact condition a petalling was observed, whereas for high speed impact a radial neck along with a holes enlargement was observed with better and uniform perforation mode. The deformation and failure mode of the impacted target plate will be given special attention in this investigation

IN- VITRO EVALUATION OF FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY OF ERYTHRINA INDICA LEAVES

Introduction: The plant Erythrina indica has been widely used as traditional Indian herbal medicine against a variety of diseases including diarrhoea, liver disorders, dysentery and convulsion, as a diuretic, rheumatism, asthma, inflammation and leprosy. Methods: The study was aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities of methanolic (50%) leaves extract of Erythrina indica by 1,1diphenyl, 2 picryl hydrazyl assay (DPPH), reducing power, nitric oxide scavenging activity, total flavonoid content and total phenolic content. Results: All the parameters were found to be concentration dependent and increased with increasing amounts of sample. The mechanism underlying the protective effects was assayed in vitro and the E. indica extracts displayed dose dependent free radical activity by utilizing DPPH (IC50= 530±1.52 μg/mL and nitric oxide  (IC50= 495±1.38 μg/mL). Conclusion: This study indicates that E. indica is a potential source of natural antioxidant. Further investigation on the isolation and identification of antioxidant component(s) in the plant may lead to chemical entities with potential for clinical use

Development and Experimental Investigation of a Marine Vessel Utilizing the Energy Ship Concept for Far Offshore Wind Energy Conversion

The energy ship is a concept for offshore wind energy capture which has received very little attention until today. To this date, there had not been yet an experimental proof of concept. In order to tackle this issue, an experimental platform and data acquisition system has been developed. A 5.5m long sailing catamaran served as a platform equipped with a 240mm diameter water turbine. The energy ship platform has been tested several times in the actual river to investigate the workability of the platform and data acquisition system. Results show that energy ship platform can produced 500W electric power for a true wind speed of 10 knots

Optimization of Coconut Fibers Toward Heat Insulator Applications

In this research, usage of coconut fibers and natural rubber as main materials for heat insulation application has been investigated. Both materials have significant advantages due to their high quality characteristic and abundant availability in Malaysia. Cold press technique was used to produce 12 different compositions of latex, which are 5 wt.%, 10 wt.%, 15 wt.%, 20 wt.%, 25 wt.%, 30 wt.%, 35 wt.%, 40 wt.%, 45 wt.%, 50 wt.%, 55 wt.% and 60 wt.%. The result showed that composite specimen with 30 wt. % latex is the best compositions as it can absorb 95% of heat in the heat test. This is better than actual product that was made by synthetic rubber material. Also, the best result of the tensile test and compression test for the Young’s Modulus values are 33.473 kPa and 79.59 kPa respectively. Hence, the composite with 30 wt. % of natural latex is most suitable for the heat insulator application

Spatial-temporal variations in surface ozone over Ushuaia and the Antarctic region: observations from in situ measurements, satellite data, and global models

The Antarctic continent is known to be an unpopulated region due to its extreme weather and climate conditions. However, the air quality over this continent can be affected by long-lived anthropogenic pollutants from the mainland. The Argentinian region of Ushuaia is often the main source area of accumulated hazardous gases over the Antarctic Peninsula. The main objective of this study is to report the first in situ observations yet known of surface ozone (O3) over Ushuaia, the Drake Passage, and Coastal Antarctic Peninsula (CAP) on board the RV Australis during the Malaysian Antarctic Scientific Expedition Cruise 2016 (MASEC’16). Hourly O3 data was measured continuously for 23 days using an EcoTech O3 analyzer. To understand more about the distribution of surface O3 over the Antarctic, we present the spatial and temporal of surface O3 of long-term data (2009–2015) obtained online from the World Meteorology Organization of World Data Centre for greenhouse gases (WMO WDCGG). Furthermore, surface O3 satellite data from the free online NOAA-Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) database and online data assimilation from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)-Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate (MACC) were used. The data from both online products are compared to document the data sets and to give an indication of its quality towards in situ data. Finally, we used past carbon monoxide (CO) data as a proxy of surface O3 formation over Ushuaia and the Antarctic region. Our key findings were that the surface O3 mixing ratio during MASEC’16 increased from a minimum of 5 ppb to ~ 10–13 ppb approaching the Drake Passage and the Coastal Antarctic Peninsula (CAP) region. The anthropogenic and biogenic O3 precursors from Ushuaia and the marine region influenced the mixing ratio of surface O3 over the Drake Passage and CAP region. The past data from WDCGG showed that the annual O3 cycle has a maximum during the winter of 30 to 35 ppb between June and August and a minimum during the summer (January to February) of 10 to 20 ppb. The surface O3 mixing ratio during the summer was controlled by photochemical processes in the presence of sunlight, leading to the depletion process. During the winter, the photochemical production of surface O3 was more dominant. The NOAA-AIRS and ECMWF-MACC analysis agreed well with the MASEC’16 data but twice were higher during the expedition period. Finally, the CO past data showed the surface O3 mixing ratio was influenced by the CO mixing ratio over both the Ushuaia and Antarctic regions. Peak surface O3 and CO hourly mixing ratios reached up to ~ 38 ppb (O3) and ~ 500 ppb (CO) over Ushuaia. High CO over Ushuaia led to the depletion process of surface O3 over the region. Monthly CO mixing ratio over Antarctic (South Pole) were low, leading to the production of surface O3 over the Antarctic region. © 2017, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany

Intelligent clasification sewage treatment plant (STP) using E-nose

The environment is an invaluable gift. In an era of progress, economic activities and development projects are often carried out to improve living standards and keep pace with other developed countries. However, this activity has had a negative impact on the environment because some parties still fail to control the disposal of waste that can cause environmental pollution. The effects of this pollution can give to discomfort and disruption to the life of the community. It is because the effects of toxic emissions have caused air pollution to spread foul odors. Therefore, this study was conducted to classify air odor and water odor from the treatment plant in the area of Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Gambang Campus. The classification of air and water odors was done using case-based reasoning

Retrofitting Options for Un-Reinforced Brick Wall Subjected to Impact Load

Abstract. In this research we investigate the possibility of enhancing the way brick walls can be retrofitted in an economical manner and become more resistant to blast impact. Retrofitting a method usually done on constructed walls; however, the same strengthening procedures can also be applied to a new construction project. In this research we investigate three methods of reinforcing brick walls against blast impact. First, reinforcing the brick layer using carbon fiber strips only without epoxy, with the fiber being placed on the bare bricks before it is plastered with mortar finishing, second, reinforcing the brick wall by placing CFRP onto the bare bricks and fixing with epoxy prior to finishing or being plastered over with mortar, and third, retrofitting the outer surface of a finished, or plastered, brick wall with CFRP and fixed with epoxy as is commonly done. The impact test was conducted using a drop weight released at a fixed height to simulate blast energy of an explosion. The effects of the test on all the samples were observed to identify failure patterns. Flexural testing was also conducted to observe how the samples perform under normal flexural loading. It was discovered that the second option, i.e. placing the CFRP on the bare bricks and fixing with epoxy before it is finished or plastered over with mortar, performs the best. This is due to the CFRP being firmly fixed before mortar finishing, causing the CFRP to be held steadily in place during the impact, thus, helping the wall to resist the impact load. With the third option, the CFRP was able to resist the impact but, as has been observed in other studies, the CFRP delaminates from the wall. The first option does not work very well since the mortar is unable to perform as well as the epoxy in holding the fiber to the wall to resist the impact force. Thus, for plastered brick walls, it is better suited for it to be reinforced by FRP under the finished mortar rather than on it, thus reducing the problem of delaminated FRP from the wall surface

Mechanical and thermal properties of polypropylene/clay roof tiles waste (PP/CRTW) composites

The usage of clay roof tiles waste as a filler in composite was studied. Polypropylene (PP) composites of clay roof tiles wastes (CRTW) for low strength applications were prepared at filler contents 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30%. Unfilled PP used as reference sample. The clay roof tiles wastes were prepared to achieve 45 micron in size to mix with PP. The composites were mixed using double hot roll mill mixer at temperature 190°C. The final products of the composites prepared were in a granul form which undergone granulation process after mixing. Injection moulding process also conducted to get the composites in dumbbell shape. The mechanical and thermal properties of the composites prepared were determined. Results showed that the CRTW improved the hardness properties and melt density with the increases in the filler content. On the other hand melt flow index was however observed to decrease with increases in the filler content. For the thermal properties at maximum loading of filler content it shows the maximum temperature of weight loss rate, Tpeak and the onset decomposition temperature, Tonset higher compared to unfilled PP. The tensile properties for ultimate tensile strength, elongation at break, break strain percentage, maximum load and toughness were however also observed to decrease with increases in the filler content. FTIR results showed the main functional group of PP as a dominant constituent in PP/CRTW composites still remained at the wave number around 2917~2950 cm-1 at all filler content

Physicho and electrochemical characterization of PVC incorporated ZP composite membrane and their important parameters through applying TMS equation

The synthetic organic-inorganic composite membranes have enormous applications in the field of filtration and purification processes. The newly synthesized PVC (polyvinyl chloride) incorporated ZP (zinc phosphate) composite membrane is used as a barrier for the transportation of some strong electrolyte solutions like KCl, NaCl and LiCl. The composite material which used to make the membrane was qualitatively synthesized by sol-gel method of material synthesis. To characterize the structural and thermal properties of membrane there are different techniques like FTIR, XRD, TGA/DTA, SEM-EDX, LCR have been used. By characterizations it is clear that the material has crystalline nature, thermally stable and no breakages or cracks are found on membrane the surface. The electrochemical observation was done by potentiometer, which shows that the membrane is cation selective. To determine the charge density of membrane Teorell-Meyer-Sievers method is used. The observed potential and charge density of the incubated membrane follows KClNaCl>LiCl order respectively. The other important parameters like transport number, mobility ratio, charge effectiveness are also calculated by observed potential values