Ml Of Water Research Articles

Evaluation of the anthelmintic property of the endophytic extract of <em>Senna alata</em> in mice model

Background: Senna alata belongs to the family, Fabaceae, which is widely distributed in the humid and tropical regions of the world. It has been ethnobotanically used in the management of diabetes, asthma, typhoid, malaria, worm infestation (ringworms, tinea infections), scabies, skin dermatitis such as eczema, blotch, and herpes. Hence, it is important to quantify the pharmacological properties of the plant, especially in the management of worm infestations. Objectives: In this study, the endophytic extract of Senna alata was evaluated for its antihelmintic properties in mice. Method: The leaves of Senna alata were obtained in Ufuma Orumba North Anambra state, were treated with 70% of ethanol for 3 minutes. Malt extract agar was prepared and transferred into several sterilized Petri dishes, allowed to solidify, before inoculation. Local rice used for the fermentation was prepared in several conical flasks by weighing 100g of the rice into each flask and mixing it with 200ml of water. At the end of the 3-day homogenization, the mixtures were decanted into sterile beakers. The filtrate was then concentrated by exposing them to room temperature for 5-7 days. The extracts were then stored at 25 oC for further use. The anthelmintic activity was performed according to the method followed by Shelke et al., 2020, albendazole was used as the standard drug. Result: It showed that the extract paralyzed worms at the same time Albendazole did and that it was more effective at higher concentrations of 50mg/ml. Conclusion: This plant possesses potent anthelmintic activity in a dose-dependent manner, and may prove useful as a cost-effective and safe anthelmintic alternative.

Highly sensitive determination of three kinds of amanitins in urine and plasma by ultra performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry coupled with immunoaffinity column clean-up

建立了超高效液相色谱-三重四极杆质谱高灵敏测定尿液和血浆中α-鹅膏毒肽、β-鹅膏毒肽和γ-鹅膏毒肽的方法。经过免疫亲和柱净化,尿液样品浓缩20倍、血浆样品浓缩10倍,以Kinetex Biphenyl色谱柱(100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 μm)作为分析柱,甲醇-0.005%(v/v)甲酸水溶液作为流动相进行梯度洗脱分离,电喷雾电离、负离子、多反应监测模式下检测,外标法定量。3种鹅膏毒肽的线性范围为0.1~200 ng/mL,相关系数(r)>0.999。尿液和血浆中3种鹅膏毒肽的基质效应和提取回收率分别为92%~108%和90%~103%,变异系数均小于13%。尿液中3种鹅膏毒肽的准确度为-9.4%~8.0%,重复性和中间精度分别为3.0%~14%和3.5%~18%,当取样量为2.00 mL时,方法的检出限均为0.002 ng/mL;血浆中3种鹅膏毒肽的准确度为-13%~8.0%,重复性和中间精度分别为3.9%~9.7%和5.5%~12%,当取样量为1.00 mL时,方法的检出限均为0.004 ng/mL。该法操作简单、灵敏、准确,已在中毒患者摄入野生蘑菇后138 h的尿液中检出0.0067 ng/mL α-鹅膏毒肽和0.0059 ng/mL β-鹅膏毒肽。该法已成功解决中毒患者尿液和血浆中超痕量鹅膏毒肽的检测难题,对于疑似中毒病人的早诊断、早治疗、降低死亡率都具有非常重要意义,也为今后开展此类毒素毒理作用及机体代谢规律的研究提供了可靠的技术支撑。

Analisis Pengaruh Variasi Massa Material Arang Terhadap Proses Desalinasi Air Laut Tenaga Surya

Desalination is the process of distilling seawater using a heat source from solar energy to obtain fresh water. Therefore, one of the methods used to increase the results of the seawater desalination process is to make a tool using solar energy and charcoal material. This research was conducted to determine the effect of using charcoal material on the seawater desalination process. The use of charcoal material is expected to increase the absorption of heat energy and accelerate the evaporation process of seawater. In this study, the highest efficiency was obtained in basin I with a mass of 500 grams of charcoal, namely 5.393% with 70 ml of water produced, followed by basin IV without using charcoal material with an efficiency of 6.116% with fresh water produced of 60 ml, followed by basin IV. II with a mass of 400 grams of charcoal obtained an efficiency of 1.585% with 59 ml of water produced. And in basin III the efficiency and fresh water produced is less, namely 0.004% and the water produced is 41 ml

Acute Effects of Milk vs. Carbohydrate on Bone Turnover Biomarkers Following Loading Exercise in Young Adult Females.

Dairy products and impact exercise have previously been identified to be independently beneficial for bone mineral properties, however, it is unknown how the combination of these two osteogenic interventions may alter acute bone turnover. Using a randomized crossover design, we compared the acute effects of consuming milk vs. an isoenergetic carbohydrate control beverage on bone biomarkers following loading exercise. Thirteen healthy female participants (Age = 20.3 ± 2.3y; BMI = 21.0 ± 1.1 kg/m2) consumed either 550 mL of 0% skim white milk (MILK) or 52.7 g of maltodextrin in 550 mL of water (CHO), both 5 min and 1 h following completion of a combined plyometric (198 impacts) and resistance exercise (3–4 sets/exercise, 8–12 reps/set, ∼75% 1-RM) bout. Venous blood samples were obtained pre-exercise, and 15 min, 75 min, 24 h and 48 h post-exercise to assess serum concentrations of bone resorption biomarkers, specifically carboxyl-terminal crosslinking telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX), receptor activator nuclear factor kappa-β ligand (RANKL), and sclerostin (SOST), as well as bone formation biomarkers, specifically osteoprotegerin (OPG) and osteocalcin (OC). When absolute biomarker concentrations were examined, there were no interaction or group effects for any biomarker, however, there were main time effects (p < 0.05) for RANKL, SOST, and OC, which were lower, and the OPG: OPG/RANKL ratio, which was higher at 75 min post-exercise compared with baseline in both conditions. In addition to assessing absolute biomarker concentrations at specific timepoints, we also evaluated the relative (% change) cumulative post-exercise response (75 min to 48 h) using an area under the curve (AUC) analysis. This analysis showed that the relative post-exercise CTX response was significantly lower in the MILK compared to the CHO condition (p = 0.03), with no differences observed in the other biomarkers. These results show that while milk does not appear to alter absolute concentrations of bone biomarkers compared to CHO, it may attenuate relative post-exercise bone resorption (i.e., blunt the usual catabolic response to exercise).

Analysis of E. coli trends in the Wheeling Creek watershed

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a gut bacterium found in intestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals and pollutes water bodies through fecal contamination. At high concentrations some strains can cause serious illnesses if ingested by individuals. High concentrations of E. coli can also indicate the presence of other potentially harmful pathogens. Surface waters can become contaminated via nonpoint sources of runoff from agricultural lands and resident waterfowl population and point sources including leaking sewage infrastructure and combined sewer overflows (CSOs). In freshwaters E. coli can live free floating throughout the water column or attached to streambed sediments, and when these sediments are resuspended due to precipitation E. coli concentrations increase in the water column. The USEPA has set a maximum safe limit for recreational waters at 235 CFU/100 mL of water for a single sample and a 30-day five-sample mean of 126 CFU/100 mL. We chose seventeen sampling sites to monitor and identify trends and predictors of E. coli in Wheeling Creek watershed, in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. We measured water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, chloride, and turbidity in the field and used an IDEXX system for E. coli quantification. Our results indicate that 51% of samples (125 out of 245) have exceeded that single sample safe limit (235 CFU/100ml). Escherichia coli concentrations are increasing with increasing urban development and show a positive correlation with turbidity, this could suggest that humans are the primary source of E. coli in Wheeling Creek.

In-syringe cotton fiber-supported liquid extraction coupled with gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of free 3-mono-chloropropane-1,2-diol in edible oils

In the current study, natural cotton fiber was served as the supporter of water, and the water acted as an extractant for liquid-phase microextraction of polar components in low-polar edible oils. An in-syringe extraction device was constructed to facilitate the extraction process by simply loading a certain amount of cotton fibers between the syringe needle and the plastic syringe tube. Then, the extraction process can be conveniently conducted by pull-push the syringe plunger. It can be regarded as a new type of dynamic liquid-phase microextraction method while operated more convent. For the feasibility study, the novel in-syringe cotton fiber-supported liquid extraction (CF-SLECF-SLE) pretreatment method was applied to extract free 3-mono-chloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) in edible oils. Specifically, the cotton fibers supported a certain amount of water by successfully pulling-pushing 1 mL of water and 1 mL of HEX in/out twice, respectively. Then, 2.0 mL of diluted oil sample (containing 0.4 g oil) was loaded in and out four times for extraction, during which process 3-MCPD was extracted into the supported water. The extracted 3-MCPD was desorbed with 1 mL of ethyl acetate (EA), derivatized with trimethyl silane imidazole (TMSI), and analyzed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). For three different spiked edible oils, the internal standard normalized matrix effect (IS-normalized ME) values were in ranges of 96.3–104.8% with RSD being 4.3%, benefiting the accurate quantitative analysis. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was calculated to be 2 ng/g, which met the regular determination requirement of 3-MCPD in edible oils. Satisfied linearity was obtained in 2–500 ng/g, with correlation coefficients (R2) being 0.998. The relative recoveries were in the ranges of 96.9–110.5%. The intra-/inter-day RSDs were less than 8.2% and 10.2%, respectively. The proposed method provides an efficient, simple, low-cost, and easy to automate strategy for determining free 3-MCPD in edible oils.

Microplastics released from food containers can suppress lysosomal activity in mouse macrophages

The ingestion and accumulation of microplastics is a serious threat to the health and survival of humans and other organisms given the increasing use of daily-use plastic products, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, whether direct microplastic contamination from plastic packaging is a threat to human health remains unclear. We analyzed the market demand for plastic packaging in Asia-Pacific, North America, and Europe and identified the commonly used plastic food packaging products. We found that food containers exposed to high-temperature released more than 10 million microplastics per mL in water. Recycled plastic food packaging was demonstrated to continuously leach micro- and nanoplastics. In vitro cell engulfing experiments revealed that both micro- and nanoplastic leachates are readily taken up by murine macrophages without any preconditioning, and that short-term microplastic exposure may induce inflammation while exposure to nanoplastic substantially suppressed the lysosomal activities of macrophages. We demonstrated that the ingestion of micro- and nanoplastics released from food containers can exert differential negative effects on macrophage activities, proving that the explosive growth in the use of plastic packaging can poses significant health risks to consumers.

Reducing Radiation Exposure from PET Patients.

This study measured the typical emitted radiation rate from the urinary bladder of PET patients after their scan and investigated simple methods for reducing the emitted radiation before discharge. Methods: The study included 83 patients (63 18F-FDG and 20 18F-NaF patients). Emitted radiation from the patients' urinary bladder was measured with an ionization survey meter at a 1-m distance, presuming the urinary bladder to be the primary source of radiation. The measurements were taken at different time points after PET image acquisition: immediate (prevoid 1), voided (postvoid 1), after waiting 30 min in the uptake room while drinking 500 mL of water (prevoid 2), and voided again (postvoid 2). Results: For 18F-FDG patients, the reduction of emitted radiation due to drinking water and voiding alone from prevoid 1 to decay-corrected postvoid 2 was an average of 22.49% ± 7.48% (13.65 ± 3.42 μSv/h to 10.48 ± 2.37 μSv/h, P < 0.001). For 18F-NaF patients, the reduction was an average of 25.80% ± 10.03% (9.83 ± 2.01 μSv/h to 7.23 ± 1.49 μSv/h, P < 0.001). Conclusion: In addition to the physical decay of the radiotracers, using the biologic clearance properties resulted in a significant decrease of the emitted radiation in this study. Implementing additional water consumption to facilitate voiding with 30 min of wait time before discharging certain 18F-FDG and 18F-NaF patients who need to be in close contact with others, such as elderly, caregivers, and inpatients, might facilitate lowering their emitted radiation by an average of 22%-25% due to voiding, not counting in the physical decay that should add an additional 17% reduction.

Immunomodulatory Effect of SINA 1.2 Therapy Protocol in Asthmatic Mice Model: A Combination of Oxymel and Sauna.

Alternative medicine, has become popular in asthmatic patients. We evaluated the immunomodulatory effects of SINA 1.2 therapy protocol derived from Persian medicine in an asthmatic mice model. Forty-two male BALB/c mice divided into six groups: one control (sham) and five sensitized groups (by parenteral injection of 20 μg ovalbumin in 100 μL normal saline plus 50 μL alum on days 1 and 14). Sensitized groups were as: untreated, budesonide (1 mg nebulized budesonide: 200 μg/puff every 5 min for 25 min), dry sauna (30 min, 37°C), oral oxymel (gavaged: 0.2 mL of the syrup plus 0.8 mL of water), and SINA protocol No.1.2 (oxymel followed by sauna) groups. Treatments were given for 10 days from day 23 to 33 then sacrificed. Significant gene expression reduction of interleukin(IL)-4, IL-5, and MUC5AC and increase of interferon(IFN)-γ and IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio and decreased perivascular and peribronchial inflammation, goblet cell hyperplasia, and subsequent mucus hypersecretion in SINA group were seen compared to untreated group. SINA lowered IL-5 and MUC5AC gene expression levels similar to the budesonide and acted better than budesonide in increasing IFN-γ gene expression up to normal level. Compared with the asthma group, sauna alone only affected MUC5AC and IFN-γ gene expressions and oxymel alone, only reduced IL-4 gene expression, perivascular and peribronchial inflammation, and mucus hypersecretion. It seems that SINA therapy alleviates asthma via immune modulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and improvement of pathological changes in ovalbumin-induced asthma in mice, supporting the notion of innate healing power mentioned in Persian medicine literature.

Domestic water and accumulating mercury toxicity in the kidney

Chronic kidney disorder may even be a significant health concern in Delta region particularly Dakahlia district, Egypt that’s characterized by permanent loss of kidney function through the years. Mercury considered as a silent threat to the environment and human life, through the world. This work purposes to access the effects of mercury overload in domestic water on the renal function. The study performed in spring 2019 on one hundred participants and conducted in two main areas that are getting ready to Lake Manzala. 100 ml of water, 40 ml of urine and 10 ml of blood samples from patients suffering from kidney diseases and healthy individuals as control group. These samples will be processed and analyzed to determine the incidence of active kidney disease. Mean levels of mercury in water, and urine samples of case group participants exceeded standard references and were significantly higher compared to control group (p = 0.0004 and 0.023 respectively) denoting more exposure to mercury. Proteinuria was significantly higher (p = 0.031) whereas, hemoglobin and hematocrit became significantly lower (p = 0.039 and 0.044 respectively) among case group participants which might be an indicator for kidney affection due to mercury exposure. Mercury overload in domestic water can cause renal impairment. The study showed that urinalysis for Proteinuria and hemoglobin values is commonly used as a screening test to detect kidney damage caused by mercury poisoning. Measures to prevent environmental pollutants and continuous monitoring of water sources in these districts are clearly necessary.

ПРИМЕНЕНИЕ ОРГАНИЧЕСКИХ СОЕДИНЕНИЙ В ТЕРАПЕВТИЧЕСКОЙ ПРАКТИКЕ ПРИ НАРУШЕНИЯХ ФУНКЦИИ ПЕЧЕНИ

Introduction. The nonspecificity of the clinical manifestations of the initial stage of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) - the stage of steatosis, is the reason for the untimely correction and progression of this disease. Aim. The aim of the study was to conduct a randomized open comparative study to determine the effectiveness of the use of the food supplement FanDetox as a source of organic compounds in liver function disorders. Material and methods. This study was a single-center randomized open one and included the study of the possibility of using the herbal product FanDetox in the complex therapy of NAFLD in patients aged 18 to 75 years with a verified diagnosis of obesity and the presence of signs of steatohepatosis, against the background of basic therapy with Carsil Forte. The study was conducted with the involvement of 68 people matched by sex and age, 34 of whom made up the main observation group, whose participants took the study product 1 sachet 2 times a day after meals, in the form of a suspension obtained after mixing the powder in 100 ml of water. The rest 34 patients made up the comparison group. Carsil Forte was chosen as a background drug for both groups. The duration of therapy for each study participant was 3 months. The follow-up process included patient visits with a detailed medical history, therapeutic examination, and laboratory and instrumental examinations. Statistical analysis was carried out using the IBM SPSS Statistics 23 program. Results and discussion. As a result, an improvement in the subjective well-being of patients, a decrease in the echoscopic manifestations of fatty hepatosis, a decrease in the longitudinal size of the liver, a decrease in the manifestations of the cytolysis syndrome and bilirubin levels, as well as a significant positive dynamics of the lipid spectrum in the blood of patients who received complex therapy, including the use of the FanDetox biologically active additive, compared with the comparison group undergoing therapy with the background drug Carsil Forte, were shown. Conclusion. It has been established that taking the food supplement FanDetox helps to reduce the manifestations of fatty hepatosis, reduce the longitudinal size of the liver, blood biochemistry indicators and the general well-being of patients.

Effect of Concentration and Time of Chitosan Application on Pachira Breeding (Pachira Aquatica)

Abstract Pachira is an ornamental plant that can be used as biodiesel, because of the high fat content in the seeds. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel that can be used to replace fossil fuels. By using biodiesel as a fuel, it will support a sustainable agricultural system that can produce energy for other sectors outside of agriculture. Pachira plant breeding has not been widely carried out in Indonesia, so the potential use of pachira seeds as biodiesel has not been highlighted. The aims of the study is to determine the concentration and timing of chitosan application for pachira breeding. This study was conducted in Blora Regency using a completely Randomized Block Experimental Design (RCBD) with two treatment factors, namely concentration and time of application. The concentration was divided into three levels, namely 1%, 2% and 4% concentration, the time of application was divided into three levels, namely in the morning, afternoon, morning and afternoon. The application of chitosan was carried out every week as much as 20 ml according to the treatment. Maintenance carried out is to pour 50 ml of water every day on all research samples. The results showed that treatment with a concentration of 4% and watering in the afternoon could stimulate plant height growth at the beginning of the seedling phase, having the most leaves, producing greener leaf colors and having wider roots.

Effectiveness of Spirulina platensis as a bioremediator candidate for vaname shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) wastewater

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Spirulina platensis for remediation of vannamei shrimp culture waste. The method used in this study was a Non-Factoral Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 4 treatments and 3 replications, namely (A) Control; (B) 50% waste (1500 ml waste + 1500 ml water) + technical fertilizer + Spirulina inoculant; (C) 75% waste (2,250 ml of waste + 750 ml of water) technical fertilizer + Spirulina inoculant; (D) 100% waste + technical fertilizer + Spirulina inoculant. Data analysis used ANOVA with 95% confidence level. The results showed that the use of Spirulina platensis as a remediation agent for vaname shrimp culture had a significant effect on reducing levels of waste ammonia, phosphate, nitrate, and density of Spirulina platensis (Fcount &gt; Ftable 0.05).Keywords: Bioremediator; Innoculant; Vanname shrimp; Waste water

In situ dynamics of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus in water, sediment and triploid Crassostrea virginica oysters cultivated in floating gear.

To understand spatial-temporal distribution of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus in triploid Crassostrea virginica in off-bottom aquaculture. Oysters, sediments and water were seasonally collected in Georgia, USA. V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus were quantified with tlh/tdh/trh and vvhA genes, respectively. No tdh/trh genes were detected. Highest concentrations of tlh gene were observed in summer sediments>oysters>water (105 /g, 104 /g, 103 /ml). VvhA concentrations were similar in sediments and oysters but never exceeded ≥3×101 /ml in water. Concentrations of tlh and vvhA genes correlated to temperature and turbidity, respectively, which along with their different spatial distribution indicated different environmental drivers. In oysters, ratios of the tlh and vvhA to 16S rRNA gene have increased from 0 to 10-1 and 10-2 in summer, while these ratios in water and sediments were lower by 2-3 orders of magnitude. Dynamics of tlh and vvhA concentrations and abundances suggested enrichment of V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus by off-bottom triploid oysters in summer resulting in their abundance by far exceeding that in water. This first report on enrichment of Vibrio pathogens in triploid oysters with no direct contact to sediments reveals a threat to human health suggesting their monitoring in triploid off-bottom C. virginica aquaculture.

Ultrasound-guided estimation of gastric residual volume using Perlas's formula: A validation study in patients.

Background and Aims:Bedside ultrasound (US) is used to evaluate gastric residual volume (GRV) and assess aspiration risk. We examined the accuracy of US-guided measurement of GRV using Perlas’s formula, by two trained anaesthesiologists, in patients who had consumed different types and volumes of fluids.Methods:Patients with no risk factors for delayed gastric emptying were included. Each assessor independently determined the baseline US-guided GRV. The patients were randomly allocated to receive no drink or 100 or 200 mL of water or milk. US-guided GRV was re-assessed within 5 min after the intervention. Investigators were blinded to the measurements performed by each other and to the randomisation arm. The primary outcome was the agreement between actual volumes consumed and estimated change in GRV.Results:Agreement between actual volume consumed and estimated change in GRV was poor [Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.09 to 0.72; P = 0.09 for assessor 1 and ICC 0.37; 95% CI 0.02 to 0.66; P = 0.03 for assessor 2].Conclusion:US-guided GRV measurements using Perlas’s formula, performed by trained anaesthesiologists may not be a reliable measure of GRV.

Pengaruh Metode Perendaman Telur Retak dengan berbagai Konsentrasi Larutan Garam Terhadap Kualiats Internal Telur Ayam Ras

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the salt solution soaking method during storage on the quality of cracked eggs. The study was carried out experimentally with a completely randomized design (CRD) consisting of 6 treatments and 3 replications. Each replication consisted of 3 eggs as an experimental unit with immersion for 15 minutes with a storage time of 14 days using room temperature, for each treatment and replication using a volume of 500 ml of water. Data from observations (observations) were analyzed using analysis of variance at a 5% significance level and continued with the Least Significant Difference (BNT) test (Steel and Torrie, 2013). The observed variable was the egg white index, which was the ratio of thick egg white (albumen) height (mm) to the average diameter (mm). The tool used to measure the egg white index is a caliper and the Egg Yolk Index (IKT) is the ratio of the height of the yolk (mm) to the width of the yolk (mm). Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the effect of storage time for cracked eggs on the quality of broiler eggs with the salt solution immersion method gave results that were not significantly different (P&gt;0.05) on the egg white index and egg yolk index. The results of this study which gave the best effect were found in treatment 4 with a concentration of 1% on the egg yolk index.

RANCANG BANGUN ALAT PENCAMPUR DESINFEKTAN OTOMATIS (STUDI KASUS PENCEGAHAN PANDEMI COVID-19)

The Coronavirus pandemic or Covid-19 caused by Corona Virus which spread widely in 2020 is very dangerous because it threatens the safety of humanity by means of very fast and easy transmission. One of the most popular prevention efforts is the use of disinfectants to eradicate the corona virus. This study examines an automatic disinfectant mixer which uses a flow meter sensor to measure the flowing solution and the volume of the solution. In addition, this tool also uses a solenoid valve as a cover and automatic valve opening that regulates the running of water. This automatic disinfectant mixer is controlled by the Atmega328P microcontroller at Arduino nano board. In this study the capacity is limited from 1 liter to 5 liters of disinfectant with the composition per liter of disinfectant consisting of 905 mL of water and 95 mL of sodium hypochlorite, while the DC motor will stir for 2 seconds. The results of testing this tool, the flow meter can read the flow and the volume of liquid, but there is an error in the calibration of the flow meter sensor of 0.21 to 1.8%, while in testing the disinfectant volume capacity, this tool can mix disinfectants from water and sodium hypochlorite to a maximum volume capacity of 5 liters, but there is a difference of up to 100-170 mL, between the specified disinfectant capacity and the disinfectant volume contained in the measuring cup.

Flexible, Air-Stable, High-Performance Heaters Based on Nanoscale-Thick Graphite Films.

Graphite sheets are known to exhibit remarkable performance in applications such as heating panels and critical elements of thermal management systems. Industrial-scale production of graphite films relies on high-temperature treatment of polymers or calendering of graphite flakes; however, these methods are limited to obtaining micrometer-scale thicknesses. Herein, we report the fabrication of a flexible and power-efficient cm2-scaled heater based on a polycrystalline nanoscale-thick graphite film (NGF, ∼100 nm thick) grown by chemical vapor deposition. The stability of these NGF heaters (operational in air over the range 30-300 °C) is demonstrated by a 12-day continuous heating test, at 215 °C. The NGF exhibits a fast switching response and attains a steady peak temperature of 300 °C at a driving bias of 7.8 V (power density of 1.1 W/cm2). This excellent heating performance is attributed to the structural characteristics of the NGF, which contains well-distributed wrinkles and micrometer-wide few-layer graphene domains (characterized using conductive imaging and finite element methods, respectively). The efficiency and flexibility of the NGF device are exemplified by externally heating a 2000 μm-thick Pyrex glass vial and bringing 5 mL of water to a temperature of 96 °C (at 2.4 W/cm2). Overall, the NGF could become an excellent active material for ultrathin, flexible, and sustainable heating panels that operate at low power.

Characterization and Comparison of Various Lewis Acid Surfactant Combined Catalyst (LASC) and Their Potential for Polylactic Acid Synthesis by Polycondensation

In Polylactic acid (PLA) production, there is a byproduct in the form of water, while Lewis acid catalysts such as Al(III), Ti(IV), and Sn(IV) which is commonly used for PLA production will be rapidly decomposed and deactivated by water. The aim for this research was to synthesize a Lewis acid water-tolerant catalyst called LASC (Lewis Acid Surfactant Combined Catalyst) by combining some Lewis metals with surfactant in the form of Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) which will bind each other to become Fe(dodecyl sulfate)3 [Fe(DS)3], Al(dodecyl sulfate)3 [Al(DS)3], and Cu(dodecyl sulfate)2 [Cu(DS)2] and see their performance to the PLA production using polycondensation method. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (thermogravimetry analysis (TGA)), and spectroscopic analysis (FTIR). While the yield to the PLA production was analyzed gravimetrically. In the LASC spectrum, there are shifts and separations in symmetric and asymmetric modes compared to SDS spectrum which can be related to the interaction of dodecyl sulfate anions with Lewis metals cations (Fe(III), Al(III), and Cu(II). The XRD analysis shows identical position of 2θ at ± 2.4° for SDS and LASC. The interplanar spacing (dhkl) by XRD at 2θ = ± 2.4° were 3.74 nm, 3.63 nm, and 3.7 nm for SDS, Al(DS)3, and Cu(DS)2, respectively. Except for Fe(DS)3, the interplanar spacing at d001 is so small and only can be seen on the graph at 2θ = 2.32°. This LASC also show a good performance with a yield of 52%wt with ±1.2 mL of water was evaporated in the dehydration process of PLA production. The activity of this catalyst can contribute to enhancing the knowledge and applications of Lewis acid-surfactant-combined catalysts for PLA production.

The effect of NaOH concentration and stem size in the making of Oxalic Acid from Banana Stem

The main purpose of this research is to determine the effect of NaOH concentration and size of banana stem pieces on the concentration of oxalic acid produced. The experiment procedure is add 20 grams of banana stems that have been dried into 200 ml NaOH then heated and stirred at temperature of 100°C for 1 hour. Then the molten mixture was added with hot 500 ml of water, then cooled and filtered. Filtrate was taken and added to 100 ml CaCl2. Solution is filtered and the sediment is taken. Sediment is inserted into the Erlenmeyer and 200 ml dilute H2SO4 added and then filtered. 10 g active carbon is added into filtrate of the solution, then filtered. Taking 10 ml of the filtrate above to be titrated. From the research has been done, it can be concluded that the greater the concentration of NaOH, the greater the amount of oxalic acid obtained. The longer the size of the banana midrib, the greater the amount of oxalic acid obtained. And, the maximum amount of oxalic acid obtained is 2.99 g that reach at a concentration of 50% NaOH with a length of the banana leaf 2.5 cm.