Fabrication and characterization of polyurethane foam prepared from liquefied oil palm mesocarp fibre with renewable monomer made from waste cooking oil

This study aims performance characteristics of polyurethane foams prepared by the reaction of biopolyol prepared from liquefied oil palm mesocarp fibre and renewable monomer with methylene diphenyl diisocyanate. The effect of prepared oil palm mesocarp biopolyol with incorporation of renewable monomer of PU foam on the thermal stability, mechanical properties and was analyzed by thermo gravimetric analysis, tensile and compressive tests and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The improved thermal properties were achieved at a composition of oil palm mesocarp fibre foams (PMF). Oil PMF foams showed mechanical strength as compared to renewable monomer foams. PU foam prepared from oil palm mesocarp biopolyol with incorporation of renewable monomer improved the foams strength. An infrared spectroscopy study demonstrated the formation of urethane linkage

GREEN SYNTHESIS OF PLANT-MEDIATED METAL NANOPARTICLES: THE ROLE OF POLYPHENOLS

The use of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) in various fields is increasing day-by-day leading to a genuine concern about the issues related to their environmental and biological safety. The major approaches for the synthesis of NPs include physical and chemical methods which are expensive and hazardous to health in addition to being toxic to the environment. This review highlights the potential of plant extracts to carry out the synthesis of MNPs with a special emphasis on the role of flavonoids in nanosynthesis. This green and clean approach have been actively utilized in recent years as an alternative to conventional hazardous approaches. It has proved as cost-effective, non-toxic, less time and labor consuming, efficient, and eco-friendly method for the synthesis of MNPs with specific biological actions. This review also focuses on the role of polyphenols, including the flavonoids as bioreductants of metal salts for the synthesis of NPs along with their biomedical applications. Various examples of the MNPs, along with their biological actions, have also been summarized

Development of bambangan (Mangifera pajang) carbonated drink

Mangifera pajang Kostermans or bambangan is a popular fruit among Sabahan due to its health and economic values. However, the fruit is not fully commercialized since it is usually been used as traditional cuisine by local people. Thus, development of bambangan fruit into carbonated drink was conducted to produce new product concept. The objectives of this study were to conceptualize, formulate, evaluate consumer acceptance, and determine physicochemical properties and nutritional composition of the accepted product. Method used in conceptualising the product was based on questionnaire. The consumer acceptance was evaluated based on descriptive and affective tests with four product formulations tested. The physicochemical properties on carbon dioxide volume, colour, pH, total acidity, total soluble solid (TSS) and viscosity were highlighted, meanwhile nutritional composition on fat, protein, carbohydrates and energy content were determined. About 77% respondents gave positive feedback, and 69% respondents decided this product is within their budget. The formulation of 5% bambangan pulp, 70% water, 25% sugar and 0.2% citric acid was highly accepted in descriptive and affective tests with 4.4 and 6.39 mean scores, respectively. The physicochemical properties and nutritional composition of the acceptance product were in optimum value except for colour, total acidity and TSS. Overall, this study showed that the product has high potential to be commercialized as new product concept, and heritage of indigenous people can be preserved when this fruit is known regionally

Исследование методов оптимизации сборочных процессов дефибрилляционного оборудования

The electronic medical equipment developing process includes the problems and tasks of medical devices’ technical characteristics improvement, using alternative physical methods of recording medical information. Medical electronic equipment includes defibrillation equipment of various classes, the modernization of which is inextricably connected with scientific and technical research in the field of physics, circuit engineering, design, technology, modeling, characteristics’ measurement, as well as medicine. One of the interdisciplinary research areas at the cardiology and engineering issue is the development of new and modernisation of existing defibrillation devices, improving their functional and operational characteristics, as well as their application efficiency, which is necessary for the provision of extended resuscitation measures. This research is devoted to the research and modeling of defibrillator performance characteristics taking into account components reliability and the operational failure rate determination. The paper also contains study of the production process optimizing methods, in particular assembly operations of high-tech defibrillation products, where the search of optimization solutions was carried out using simulation modeling. Podoliak O. O., Ovchinnikova V. A., Selyahov S. N., Kormin T. G., Korejatov A. V. Optimization methods of assembly processes of defibrillation equipment. Ural Radio Engineering Journal. 2021;5(4):410–431. (In Russ.) DOI: 10.15826/urej.2021.5.4.005. Процесс разработки радиоэлектронного оборудования медицинского назначения включает в себя проблемы и задачи совершенствования технических характеристик медицинских приборов, использования альтернативных физических методов регистрации медицинской информации и так далее. К радиоэлектронному оборудованию медицинского назначения относится деффибрилляционная техника различного класса, модернизация которой неразрывно связана с научными и техническими исследованиями в области физики, схемотехники, конструкции, технологии, моделирования, измерения характеристик, а также медицины. Одно из направлений междисциплинарных исследований на стыке кардиологии и инженерии состоит в разработке новых и совершенствовании существующих деффибрилляционных приборов, повышении их функциональных и эксплуатационных характеристик, а также их эффективности применения, что необходимо для оказания расширенных реанимационных мероприятий. Настоящая статья посвящена исследованию и моделированию эксплуатационных характеристик дефибриллятора с учетом надежности составных частей изделия и определения эксплуатационной интенсивности отказов. Также в статье приведено исследование методов оптимизации производственного процесса, в частности сборочных операций высокотехнологичной дефибрилляционной продукции, где поиск оптимизационных решений проводился с использованием имитационного моделирования. Подоляк О. О., Овчинникова В. А., Селяхов С. Н., Кормин Т. Г., Корежатов А. В. Исследование методов оптимизации сборочных процессов дефибрилляционного оборудования. Ural Radio Engineering Journal. 2021;5(4):410–431. DOI: 10.15826/urej.2021.5.4.005. 

Processing of Watermelon Rind Dehydrated Candy

Watermelon rind (Citrullus lanatus) dehydrated candy was prepared by using osmotic dehydration process that involves slow impregnation of syrup before drying at 50°C for 8, 14 and 20 hours. From the study, it can be seen that drying time significantly affected the moisture content of the watermelon rind dehydrated candy. The moisture content was significantly decreased with drying time. For colour evaluation, the L* value of watermelon rind dehydrated candy was slightly decreased with drying time while the a* value was slightly increased. Watermelon rind dehydrated candy that dried for 14 hours was the most preferred sample by the panelists as it received the highest score for texture, taste and overall acceptability attributes. So, it can be concluded that 14 hours of drying time is the most appropriate time to dry the candied watermelon rind

Antiproliferative activity of five garcinia species collected in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo against estrogen receptor-human breast carcinoma (MCF-7) cell line

Garcinia species are well-known for their unique properties of having natural secondary metabolite compounds called xanthone as well as their ethnomedicinal values such as antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. The study was conducted to investigate the antiproliferative activity of peel, flesh and seed extracts of G. dulcis, G. parvifolia, G. nitida, G. mangostana var. mangosta and G. cambogia collected from Malaysian Borneo (Sabah) against estrogen receptor-positive human breast carcinoma (MCF-7) cells. The antiproliferative activity was assessed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The results showed that G. dulcis seed induced strongest antiproliferative activity against MCF-7 cancer cell line with the IC50 value of 2.5±0.0 μg/ml, followed by G. dulcis flesh, G. mangostana var. mangostana peel and G. dulcis peel with IC50 values of 9.33 ± 3.21, 11.17 ± 1.04 and 17.67 ± 2.08 μg/ml, respectively. Meanwhile, the IC50 value for G. cambogia peel was 56.67 ± 10.5 μg/ml. No IC50 value was detected in all parts of G. parvifolia and G. nitida at concentration tested (<100 μg/ml). Overall, this study clearly showed that the whole fruit of G. dulcis displayed potent cytotoxic effect by inducing antiproliferative activity at low concentration. Further studies are needed in the future to develop this fruit as pharmaceutical and nutraceutical product for the treatment and prevention against cancer

Next Generation Driver for Attosecond and Laser-plasma Physics

The observation and manipulation of electron dynamics in matter call for attosecond light pulses, routinely available from high-order harmonic generation driven by few-femtosecond lasers. However, the energy limitation of these lasers supports only weak sources and correspondingly linear attosecond studies. Here we report on an optical parametric synthesizer designed for nonlinear attosecond optics and relativistic laser-plasma physics. This synthesizer uniquely combines ultra-relativistic focused intensities of about 10(20)W/cm(2) with a pulse duration of sub-two carrier-wave cycles. The coherent combination of two sequentially amplified and complementary spectral ranges yields sub-5-fs pulses with multi-TW peak power. The application of this source allows the generation of a broad spectral continuum at 100-eV photon energy in gases as well as high-order harmonics in relativistic plasmas. Unprecedented spatio-temporal confinement of light now permits the investigation of electric-field-driven electron phenomena in the relativistic regime and ultimately the rise of next-generation intense isolated attosecond sources

Optimization Methods of Assembly Processes of Defibrillation Equipment

Благодарим за содействие АО «ПО «УОМЗ», в главного конструктора конструкторского бюро медицинской техники Чупова Алексея Александровича.Поступила: 11.01.2022. Принята в печать: 24.01.2022.We are grateful for the assistance of JSC “PA ‘UOMP’” represented by Alexey A. Chupov Chief Designer of the Design Bureau of Medical Equipment.Received: 11.01.2022. Accepted: 24.01.2022.Процесс разработки радиоэлектронного оборудования медицинского назначения включает в себя проблемы и задачи совершенствования технических характеристик медицинских приборов, использования альтернативных физических методов регистрации медицинской информации и так далее. К радиоэлектронному оборудованию медицинского назначения относится деффибрилляционная техника различного класса, модернизация которой неразрывно связана с научными и техническими исследованиями в области физики, схемотехники, конструкции, технологии, моделирования, измерения характеристик, а также медицины. Одно из направлений междисциплинарных исследований на стыке кардиологии и инженерии состоит в разработке новых и совершенствовании существующих деффибрилляционных приборов, повышении их функциональных и эксплуатационных характеристик, а также их эффективности применения, что необходимо для оказания расширенных реанимационных мероприятий. Настоящая статья посвящена исследованию и моделированию эксплуатационных характеристик дефибриллятора с учетом надежности составных частей изделия и определения эксплуатационной интенсивности отказов. Также в статье приведено исследование методов оптимизации производственного процесса, в частности сборочных операций высокотехнологичной дефибрилляционной продукции, где поиск оптимизационных решений проводился с использованием имитационного моделирования.The electronic medical equipment developing process includes the problems and tasks of medical devices’ technical characteristics improvement, using alternative physical methods of recording medical information. Medical electronic equipment includes defibrillation equipment of various classes, the modernization of which is inextricably connected with scientific and technical research in the field of physics, circuit engineering, design, technology, modeling, characteristics’ measurement, as well as medicine. One of the interdisciplinary research areas at the cardiology and engineering issue is the development of new and modernisation of existing defibrillation devices, improving their functional and operational characteristics, as well as their application efficiency, which is necessary for the provision of extended resuscitation measures. This research is devoted to the research and modeling of defibrillator performance characteristics taking into account components reliability and the operational failure rate determination. The paper also contains study of the production process optimizing methods, in particular assembly operations of high-tech defibrillation products, where the search of optimization solutions was carried out using simulation modeling.Данная статья является частью работы, посвященной реализации проекта «Создание высокотехнологичного производства медицинских изделий для восстановления функции сердца в обеспечение общедоступной дефибрилляции».The article is a part of the work devoted to the implementation of the project “Creation of high-tech production of medical devices for the restoration of heart function to ensure public defibrillation”

Study on the biodegradability and water adsorption of ldpe/sago starch blend

The aim of this study is to develop starch incorperated with low density polyethylene (LDPE) composites with enhanced degradable properties. The degradable test has been carried out by hydrolysis. The water uptake of the composites has been determined. The degradability of the compatible thermoplastic LDPE/starch was investigated by weight loss percent (WLP). Simple and alkaline hydrolysis of the composites apparently involves surface starch granules; embedded granules are not easily accessible because of the poor moisture absorption of the matrix. Exposure of the composites to hydrolysis resulted in massive deterioration typified by turbidity, discoloration, embrittleness and dimensional changes. Moisture uptake increased with increased starch content and immersion time. The time taken for the composites to equilibrate was about three months even when they were immersed completely in water. The mechanical properties of the composite also dropped with increasing moisture uptake. SEM imaging was also carried out on the samples before and after degradation. High content of starch also was found to increase the rate of biodegradability of LDPE/sago starch mould