Modified desilicated natural zeolite as catalyst for Knoevenagel reaction

Natural zeolite (NaZ) has wide range of usage in agriculture and waste water treatment. However, its application as catalyst has not been widely studied. In this research, natural zeolite was modified its property and applied as base catalyst in the Knoevenagel reaction. The modification was done by desilication in alkaline solution at different temperature followed by ion exchanged with calcium and barium ions of alkaline earth metal. The natural zeolite obtained characterized with XRD showed that desilication results in lowering crystallinity of zeolite crystal while FT-IR showed Si/Al ration of the zeolite framework decrease showing the increase of Al in the framework. The catalyst produced was then tested in Knoevenagel reaction and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) which showed that barium exchanged desilicated NaZ is more active and highly selective than calcium exchanged NaZ due to its higher basicity

A Comparaive Institutional Analysis of Government, NGO and Private Rural Primary Schooling and Pakistan

We argue that Pakistan is unlikely to change its human development ranking and bring it closer to its ranking in per-capita GDP until it copes with it's low achievement in basic schooling. This paper draws on the experience of private sector and NGO schools to identify lessons for the government sector, the main provider of basic education. In a principal-agent framework, we compare the institutional effectiveness of rural primary schooling delivery of the government with the NGO and private sectors. Our main findings are that the NGO schools were the most successful in many respects and that "good management" and/or "good leadership" are the key ingredient for sound schooling. Further, if meaningful "participation" is to be achieved in government schools, the power relations between administrators, teachers, and parents need to be addressed.Basic education, NGOs

Nephroprotective effect of Corn Silk extract on oxalic acid-induced nephrocalcinosis in rabbit model

ABSTRACT Background : Nephrocalcinosis is a state of deposition of calcium phosphate or oxalate in the renal parenchyma. It may occur in patients with renal tubular acidosis, vitamin D intoxication, and hyperparathyroidism. Corn silk was used in traditional Chinese medicine to relieve renal pains. Aim: To evaluate the effect of Corn silk aqueous extract in reducing calcium deposits from renal parenchyma in oxalic acid-induced nephrocalcinosis model. Materials and methods: Fourteen healthy rabbits were allocated to two groups. Two hours before induction of nephrocalcinosis, one group received water and the other received aqueous extract of corn silk and continued feeding for ten days. Blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis before induction and in the fifth and tenth post-induction day. Urine samples were taken to estimate urinary ca+2 levels and crystals. The histopathological examination was carried to check for crystal deposits in renal tissues. Results: Corn silk aqueous extract produced a significant reduction of blood urea nitrogen(5.2+/-0.08 vs 7.3+/-0.2) mmol/l, serum creatinine (85.9+/-0.2 vs 97.3+/-0.5) mmol/l and serum Na+ levels (137+/-0.2 vs 142.16+/-0.7) mmol/l with non-significant reduction in serum K+ (4.0+/-0.02 vs 4.2+/-0.05). There is a significant reduction in calcium deposition in renal parenchyma in comparison to the control group after ten days of treatment. Conclusion: Corn silk had a significant diuretic effect that accelerates the excretion of urinary calcium. [J Intercult Ethnopharmacol 2012; 1(2.000): 75-78

Mitigative potential of kaempferide against polyethylene microplastics induced testicular damage by activating Nrf-2/Keap-1 pathway

Polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) are one of the environmental contaminants that instigate oxidative stress (OS) in various organs of the body, including testes. Kaempferide (KFD) is a plant-derived natural flavonol with potential neuroprotective, hepatoprotective, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the alleviative effects of KFD against PE-MPs-prompted testicular toxicity in rats. Fourty eight adult male albino rats were randomly distributed into 4 groups: control, PE-MPs-administered (1.5 mgkg-1), PE-MPs (1.5 mgkg-1) + KFD (20 mgkg-1) co-treated and KFD (20 mgkg-1) only treated group. PE-MPs intoxication significantly (P < 0.05) lowered the expression of Nrf-2 and anti-oxidant enzymes, while increasing the expression of Keap-1. The activities of anti-oxidants i.e., catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GSR), superoxide dismutase (SOD), hemeoxygene-1 (HO-1) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were reduced, besides malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents were increased significantly (P < 0.05) following the PE-MPs exposure. Moreover, PE-MPs exposure significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the sperm motility, viability and count, whereas considerably (P < 0.05) increased the dead sperm number and sperm structural anomalies. Furthermore, PE-MPs remarkably (P < 0.05) decreased steroidogenic enzymes and Bcl-2 expression, while increasing the expression of Caspase-3 and Bax. PE-MPs exposure significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone, whereas inflammatory indices were increased. PE-MPs exposure also induced significant histopathological damages in the testes. Nevertheless, KFD supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) abrogated all the damages induced by PE-MPs. The findings of our study demonstrated that KFD could significantly attenuate PE-MPs-instigated OS and testicular toxicity, due to its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, androgenic and anti-apoptotic potential

Assessments of Roof-Harvested Rainwater in Disctrict Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

The main objective of this study was to assess the quality and quantity of roof-harvested rainwater to overcome the water shortage problem in the study area. We also aimed to find health hazards associated with rainwater in the study area. For this purpose, rainwater samples were collected from five sites in the study area. The samples were analyzed using standard methods of the World Health Organization and the American Public Health Association in a laboratory. The analysis showed that all the physicochemical parameters were within the permissible limits of the WHO’s guidelines except pH, turbidity, and some trace metals such as iron (Fe) and lead (Pb). The mean values of pH range from 5.18 to 6.26, indicating slight acidity, while the highest mean turbidity was found at 5.77 NTU. Similarly, the highest mean concentrations of Fe and Pb were 0.95 mg/L and 0.056 mg/L, respectively, which was above the permissible limit of the WHO’s guidelines for drinking water. The annual rainwater-harvesting potential was assessed using the formula annual rainfall × roof area× runoff coefficient. The annual rainwater-harvesting potential of the study area was 56.803 L per household. At the same time, the average monthly rainwater-harvesting potential was 4733 L in the study area. This shows the potential for roof-harvested rainwater in the study area. A risk assessment of heavy metals showed that the rainwater of the study area is safe and does not pose any risk. This study concludes that rainwater is suitable for drinking and other domestic consumption if proper care is taken to clean the roof area and storage system and divert the first flush from the storage system