Effect of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles on Surfactants and Their Impact on the Interfacial Properties of the Oil-Water-Rock System.

The application of nanoparticles (NPs) in the oil and gas industry has received wide attention in recent years because it is increasingly being considered a promising approach to recovering trapped oil in conventional hydrocarbon reservoirs. Numerous studies have demonstrated that combining nanoparticles with a surfactant can enhance surfactant performance by changing the interfacial properties of the solution when it comes in contact with crude oil and rock surfaces. However, more information and additional experimental data are required concerning the application of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in alkyl ethoxy carboxylic surfactants. In this study, we measure the changes in interfacial tension and wettability due to the addition of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (0, 100, 250, and 500 ppm) in alkyl ethoxy carboxylic surfactant using a spinning drop tensiometer and contact angle measurements. The interfacial tension of the crude oil-water (surfactant) system decreases by approximately two orders of magnitude with an increasing titanium dioxide concentration, exhibiting a minimum value of 5.85 × 10-5 mN/m. Similarly, the contact angle decreases on the surface of the Berea sandstone by combining the surfactant with titanium dioxide, reaching a minimum contact angle of 8.8°. These results demonstrate the potential of this new approach to maximize the recovery of trapped oil and significantly improve oil production.

Effect of ozone treatment on microbial and quality alteration of onions during 2 months storage.

Storing and preserving onion using pesticides is common in Brebes District. The study determined the use of ozone to reduce microorganisms and to maintain the onion quality during months of post-harvesting. There were three chambers with 2.5 m3 in size, and with a capacity of 20 kg onion used for this study. Each chamber received different treatment for 2 months; chamber I: no treatment; chamber II: pesticide; chamber III: ozone. The ozone treatment maintained better temperature and humidity for preservation. Ozone treatment was also observed to maintain low level of mass damage (1.8%) as compared to control and pesticide (6.5% and 2.4%). The protein, ash, fat and vit B1 of onions were remained high in ozone-treated chamber. Total Plate Count (CFU/mL) and the Mold Yeast Count (colonies/mL) decreased on day 30 and 60 after pesticides and ozone treatment. This study showed the importance of ozone treatment to maintain better quality of onion after months of storage as compared to pesticide treatment. Therefore, ozone can be a potential use to replace the pesticide for preservation at post-harvesting.

Chronic Anterior Pituitary Dysfunction Following Traumatic Head Injury: Prospective Study in Hospital Sultanah Aminah Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

Background: Hypopituitarism following traumatic brain injury (TBI) is not rare however most patients were left undiagnosed and untreated. Association of post TBI hypopituitarism causing neurobehavioural and quality of life impairment. The aim of the study is to determine the incidence of the chronic anterior pituitary deficiency in patients with traumatic brain injury. Subsequently determine the risk factor and the outcome of the patient with chronic anterior pituitary dysfunction. Methods: This is single centre cross-sectional study involved 105 traumatic head injury patients under the Neurosurgical Department Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. The primary investigator will do an interview and the patients will be asked question to complete a questioner from SF-36 (36 questions). Subsequently, consent for participation will be taken and blood sampling will be done. Results: Thirty-three patients were noted to have anterior pituitary dysfunction. The mean age was 36.97 ± 12.96 years old. Twenty-seven patients (32.5%) were male and six patients were female (27.3%). Chronic anterior pituitary dysfunction in patients with a severe traumatic head injury around 47.1% (23 patients), as compared to a moderate head injury (8 patients, 38.1%) and 2 sustained mild head injury (5.6%). The mean duration after the onset of trauma was 10.3 ± 1.79 months. All patient with anterior pituitary dysfunction had positive CT brain findings with 22 had subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) at the basal cistern and 27 patients had a base of skull fracture, where 52.1% of the patient underwent surgical intervention, 84.8% involved one axis and another 5 patients had two axes involved. Severity of the head injury (P < 0.001), prolonged duration of hospital stay (P = 0.014), radiological findings of a base of skull fracture (P < 0.001) and presence of SAH at basal cistern (P < 0.001) was significantly associated with pituitary dysfunction. The patient with anterior pituitary dysfunction has the lower 36-item Short Form Survey (SF-36) marks 56.3 ± 10.3. Conclusion: The prevalence of hypopituitarism was 31%. Indicators are increased TBI severity, prolonged hospitalisation and positive finding in radiological assessment. Post-traumatic chronic anterior pituitary dysfunction also related with poor quality of life as showed by low SF-36 marks.

Immune modulation by nutritional intervention in malnourished children: Identifying the phenotypic distribution and functional responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Malnourished children are susceptible to an increased risk of mortality owing to impaired immune functions. However, the underlying mechanism of altered immune functions and its interaction with malnutrition is poorly understood. This study investigates the immune function and evaluates the effect of a particular nutritional intervention on the immune cells of undernourished children. Stunted (LAZ <-2) and at-risk of being stunted (length-for-age Z-scores, LAZ <-1 to -2) children aged between 12 and 18 months were enrolled and were provided with the daily nutritional intervention of one egg and 150 mL cow's milk for 90 days. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated at enrolment and upon completion of the intervention. Phenotypic profiles for CD3+ cells, CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, NKT cells, and B cells were similar in both cohorts, both before and after the intervention. However, activated B cells (CD25+) were increased after nutritional intervention in the at-risk of being stunted cohort. Several pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF-α, were elevated in the stunted children following the nutritional intervention. The results of the study indicate that nutritional intervention may have a role on activated B cells (CD25+) s in children who are at-risk of being stunted and may alter the capacity of PBMC to produce inflammatory cytokines in stunted children.

Degradation of ciprofloxacin in aqueous solution using ozone microbubbles: spectroscopic, kinetics, and antibacterial analysis.

Ciprofloxacin (CIP) has been listed in the last version of the surface water due to its ability to kill human cells by inhibiting the activity of DNA topoisomerase IV. Thus, CIP, along with other antibiotic pollution has become a serious threat to the environment and public health. Ozonation has been used as an advanced technique that is applied in wastewater treatment to remove CIP, but the primary limitation of this method is the low solubility of ozone in water. This study is the first report of CIP removal in a scale-up of its aqueous solution using a self-developed aerator pump-enhanced ozonation (APO) system, which only employs a propeller and a zigzag arrangement of meshes. This aerator pump decreased the size of ozone bubbles by 90% and increased the effective ozone solubility to 0.47 ppm. The mechanism of degradation of CIP is attributed to an oxidation reaction of the antibiotic with reactive oxygen species, such as hydroxyl, oxygen, and hydroperoxyl radicals, generated on the surface of the ozone microbubbles. It was found that the rate and efficiency of degradation of CIP using the APO system were 3.64 × 10-3/min and 83.5%, respectively, which is higher compared with those of conventional flow ozonation (FO) systems (1.47 × 10-3/min and 60.9%). The higher degradation efficiency of CIP by the APO system was also revealed by its higher electrical energy efficiency (0.146 g/kWh), compared to that of the FO system (0.106 g/kWh). The degradation of CIP was also monitored by the resulting antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

Adsorption Behavior and Dynamic Interactions of Anionic Acid Blue 25 on Agricultural Waste.

In this study, adsorption characteristics of a negatively charged dye, Acid Blue 25 (AB25), on pomelo pith (PP) was studied by varying the adsorption parameters, with the aim of evaluating the adsorption mechanism and establishing the role of hydrogen bonding interactions of AB25 on agricultural wastes. The kinetics, intraparticle diffusion, mechanism, and thermodynamics of the AB25 adsorption were systematically evaluated and analyzed by pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, the Weber-Morris intraparticle and Boyd mass transfer models, the Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich, and Temkin isotherm models, and the Van't Hoff equation. It was found that AB25 adsorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics, governed by a two-step pore-volume intraparticle diffusion of external mass transfer of AB25 onto the PP surface. The adsorption process occurred spontaneously. The adsorption mechanism could be explained by the Langmuir isotherm model, and the maximum adsorption capacity was estimated to be 26.9 mg g-1, which is comparable to many reported adsorbents derived from agricultural wastes. Changes in the vibrational spectra of the adsorbent before and after dye adsorption suggested that AB25 molecules are bound to the PP surface via electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions. The results demonstrated that the use of pomelo pith, similar to other agricultural wastes, would provide a basis to design a simple energy-saving, sustainable, and cost-effective approach to remove negatively charged synthetic dyes from wastewater.

Topical Administration Effect of Sargassum duplicatum and Garcinia mangostana Extracts Combination on Open Wound Healing Process in Diabetic Mice.

This research aimed to determine the topical administration effect of the combination of Sargassum duplicatum and Garcinia mangostana extracts to ameliorate diabetic open wound healing. The study used 24 adult males of Mus musculus (BALB/c strain, 3-4 months, 30-40 g). They were divided into normal control groups (KN) and diabetic groups. The diabetic group was streptozotocin-induced and divided further into three treatment groups: the diabetic control group (KD), the S. duplicatum treatment group (PA), and the combination of S. duplicatum and G. mangostana treatment group (PAM). The dose of treatment was 50 mg/kg of body weight. Each group was divided into three treatment durations, which were 3 days, 7 days, and 14 days. The wound healing process was determined by wound width, the number of neutrophils, macrophages, fibroblasts, fibrocytes, and collagen density. Histological observation showed that the topical administration of combination extracts increased the re-epithelialization of the wounded area, fibroblasts, fibrocytes, and collagen synthesis. The topical administration of combination extracts also decreased the number of neutrophils and macrophages. This study concluded that the topical administration of the combination of S. duplicatum and G. mangostana extracts improved the open wound healing process in diabetic mice.

Genome of a middle Holocene hunter-gatherer from Wallacea.

Much remains unknown about the population history of early modern humans in southeast Asia, where the archaeological record is sparse and the tropical climate is inimical to the preservation of ancient human DNA1. So far, only two low-coverage pre-Neolithic human genomes have been sequenced from this region. Both are from mainland Hòabìnhian hunter-gatherer sites: Pha Faen in Laos, dated to 7939-7751 calibrated years before present (yr cal BP; present taken as AD 1950), and Gua Cha in Malaysia (4.4-4.2 kyr cal BP)1. Here we report, to our knowledge, the first ancient human genome from Wallacea, the oceanic island zone between the Sunda Shelf (comprising mainland southeast Asia and the continental islands of western Indonesia) and Pleistocene Sahul (Australia-New Guinea). We extracted DNA from the petrous bone of a young female hunter-gatherer buried 7.3-7.2 kyr cal BP at the limestone cave of Leang Panninge2 in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Genetic analyses show that this pre-Neolithic forager, who is associated with the 'Toalean' technocomplex3,4, shares most genetic drift and morphological similarities with present-day Papuan and Indigenous Australian groups, yet represents a previously unknown divergent human lineage that branched off around the time of the split between these populations approximately 37,000 years ago5. We also describe Denisovan and deep Asian-related ancestries in the Leang Panninge genome, and infer their large-scale displacement from the region today.

Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles Immobilized on Activated Carbon Nanoparticles: Antibacterial Activity Enhancement Study and Its Application on Textiles Fabrics.

This research aimed to enhance the antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesized from silver nitrate (AgNO3) using aloe vera extract. It was performed by means of incorporating AgNPs on an activated carbon nanoparticle (ACNPs) under ultrasonic agitation (40 kHz, 2 × 50 watt) for 30 min in an aqueous colloidal medium. The successful AgNPs synthesis was clarified with both Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometers. The successful AgNPs-ACNPs incorporation and its particle size analysis was performed using Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). The brown color suspension generation and UV-Vis's spectra maximum wavelength at around 480 nm confirmed the existence of AgNPs. The particle sizes of the produced AgNPs were about 5 to 10 nm in the majority number, which collectively surrounded the aloe vera extract secondary metabolites formed core-shell like nanostructure of 8.20 ± 2.05 nm in average size, while ACNPs themselves were about 20.10 ± 1.52 nm in average size formed particles cluster, and 48.00 ± 8.37 nm in average size as stacking of other particles. The antibacterial activity of the synthesized AgNPs and AgNPs-immobilized ACNPs was 57.58% and 63.64%, respectively (for E. coli); 61.25%, and 93.49%, respectively (for S. aureus). In addition, when the AgNPs-immobilized ACNPs material was coated on the cotton and polyester fabrics, the antibacterial activity of the materials changed, becoming 19.23% (cotton; E. coli), 31.73% (polyester; E. coli), 13.36% (cotton; S. aureus), 21.15% (polyester; S. aureus).

Retrieval and Investigation of Data on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Using Bioinformatics Approach.

Sudden emergence and a rapid outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 accompanied by a devastating impact on the economy and public health has driven extensive scientific mobilization to study and elucidate the various associated concerns about SARS-CoV-2. Bioinformatics plays a crucial role in addressing and providing solutions to questions about SARS-CoV-2. It helps shorten the duration for the vaccine development process and the discovery of potential clinical interventions through the simulation and information retrieval, and the development of well-ordered information hubs and resources, which are essential to derive data and meaningful findings from the current massive information about SARS-CoV-2. Advanced algorithms in this field also provide approaches that are essential to elucidate the relationship, origin, and evolutionary process of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we report essential bioinformatics entities, such as database and platform development, molecular evolution and phylogenetic analyses, and vaccine designs, that are useful to solve the SARS-CoV-2 conundrum.

Ozonated Aloe vera Oil Effective Increased the Number of Fibroblasts and Collagen Thickening in the Healing Response of Full-Thickness Skin Defects.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of ozonated Aloe vera oil on the wound healing response of full-thickness defect tissue in Sprague-Dawley rats, assessed by collagen thickness and the number of fibroblasts. METHODS: This was an experimental research method using control groups and treatment groups with a posttest only control group design. The results showed that collagen thickness in wounds tended to increase, assessed on day 3 and day 7 using Masson's trichrome staining and microscopic evaluation. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the number of fibroblasts between the two control and treatment groups on days 3 and 7 tested using one-way Kruskal-Wallis test, with a value of p=0.001(p < 0.05), resulting in a significant difference in wound size reduction between the groups. Further post hoc analysis using the Mann-Whitney test indicated a significant difference between the control groups and the treatment groups (P0, P1 versus P3, P4, P5, P8, P9, and P10) with a value of p=0.009(p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Ozonated Aloe vera oil is effective in increasing the healing response of full-thickness defects, leading to the increase in the number of fibroblasts and collagen thickening that in turn accelerates wound healing in Sprague-Dawley rats.

SEM, XRD and FTIR analyses of both ultrasonic and heat generated activated carbon black microstructures.

The microstructures of the activated carbon black microparticles (ACBMPs) generated through both treatments of 20 min ultrasonic and 400 °C thermal energy equivalent have been analyzed properly using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy methods. The research was aiming to generate binding or active sites points on the outer surface of the ACBMPs body of which commonly plays an important role in both adsorption and catalytic processes. It was observed that around 150 nm up to 400 nm in average diameter super macro voids with many various turns of nano-scale wells, and around 1.84 angstrom (Å) up to 15.98 Å intraparticle pores were generated. In addition, the parallel planes spacing of the carbonaceous framework sheets, namely d hkl in Miller indexes terminology, of about 4.44 Å up to 2.98 Å constructed the inner particles of the ACBMPs body. A new nomenclature method for the binding or active site shapes identification and classifying them into four categories based on the quadrants terminology, i.e. quadrant one (Q1), two (Q2), three (Q3) and four (Q4) is proposed. Each the quadrants contains four categories of turns types, i.e. sharp, semi sharp, obtuse and non-significant turns depending on the angle of the associated turn in radian angle, θ. Finally, it can be concluded that the combination of ultrasonic and thermal energy treatments in fabricating ACBMPs could generate binding or active site points with unique shapes as a transit terminal for any guest molecules, in this context is methyl red (MR) molecules to enter into the suitable intra-particles pores of the ACBMPs body.

Indonesian online newspaper reporting of suicidal behavior: Compliance with World Health Organization media guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Despite the lack of attention, suicide is a major public and mental health problem in Indonesia. Research on how Indonesian newspapers portray suicide case has been lacking. AIM: To assess the quality of Indonesian online newspaper reporting suicide news and its compliance with the World Health Organization (WHO) mass media reporting guidelines. METHODS: The content of suicide news reported in online newspapers was searched and scrutinized against the WHO suicide reporting guidelines. RESULTS: Within the duration of 6 months, there were 548 suicide news reported. This consisted of 16.8% attempted suicide and 83.2% completed suicide. Approximately 90.3% reported age, 97.3% reported gender and 64.3% reported the marital status of the victims. Furthermore, 68% reported the methods of suicide in headline or title, 40.5% shown the picture of the victims and 56.6% shown illustration only, and 67.2% reported life event related to suicide act. CONCLUSION: The vast majority of online newspapers in Indonesia exaggerate suicide news. They rarely inform the readers that there is hope and help available. The majority also do not conform to the WHO media guidelines.

Association of faecal pH with childhood stunting: Results from a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Gut microbiota plays an important role in the growth of children. The gut of children with optimum growth is enriched in certain species, especially Bifidobacteria and Clostridia. Bifidobacteria and commensal Clostridia both contribute to formation of acidic stool, and an elevated faecal pH indicates reduction of these species in the gut. The purpose of the study was to investigate the association of faecal pH with childhood stunting. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 100 children with length-for-age Z score (LAZ) <-1 aged between 12 and 18 months were enrolled from the ongoing Bangladesh Environmental Enteric Dysfunction study conducted in Dhaka, Bangladesh. LAZ was measured by anthropometry and data on factors affecting linear growth were recorded. Faecal pH measurement was done using pH metre on freshly collected non-diarrhoeal faecal samples following standard procedure. Multiple quantile regression was done to quantify the relation between faecal pH and LAZ scores. RESULTS: The mean LAZ and faecal pH of the children were -2.12±0.80 and 5.84±1.11, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis showed a statistically significant negative correlation between stool pH and the LAZ scores (p<0.01). After inclusion of other factors affecting linear growth into the regression model, a statistically significant inverse association was observed between faecal pH and LAZ score (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Elevated faecal pH was found to have a significant association with stunted growth. As an indicator of gut microbiota status, faecal pH might have emerged as a possible indirect determinant of childhood stunting. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02812615.

Serum Adipokines, Growth Factors, and Cytokines Are Independently Associated with Stunting in Bangladeshi Children.

Growth in young children is controlled through the release of several hormonal signals, which are affected by diet, infection, and other exposures. Stunting is clearly a growth disorder, yet limited evidence exists documenting the association of different growth biomarkers with child stunting. This study explored the association between different growth biomarkers and stunting in Bangladeshi children. A quasi-experimental study was conducted among 50 stunted (length-for-age Z-score (LAZ) < -2 SD) and 50 control (LAZ ≥ -2 SD) children, aged 12-18 months, residing in a Bangladeshi slum. The enrolled stunted children received an intervention package, which included food supplementation for three months, psychosocial stimulation for six months, and routine clinical care on community nutrition center at the study field site. The controls received routine clinical care only. All children were clinically screened over the study period. Length, weight, fasting blood and fecal biomarkers were measured. All biomarkers levels were similar in both groups except for oxyntomodulin at enrolment. Leptin (adjusted odds ratio, AOR: 4.0, p < 0.01), leptin-adiponectin ratio (AOR 5.07 × 108, p < 0.01), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) (AOR 1.02, p < 0.05), and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) (AOR 0.92, p < 0.05) levels were independently associated with stunting at enrolment. Serum leptin, leptin-adiponectin ratio, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and fecal alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) levels increased significantly (p < 0.001), while IFN-γ levels significantly decreased among stunted children after six months of intervention. Leptin, leptin-adiponectin ratio, IGF-1, and IFN-γ are independently associated with stunting in Bangladeshi children. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02839148.

Synthesis, Molecular Mechanism and Pharmacokinetic Studies of New Epoxy Lignan-Based Derivatives.

The oxidative demethylation procedure for a new epoxy lignan isolated from Piper nigrum was applied to the synthesis of 3'-methoxy-3",4"-(methylenedioxy)-2,5-epoxylignan-4'-ol-6'-one. This compound inhibited the mRNA expression of the protein patched homolog (Ptch) in human pancreatic cancer cells (PANC1) and therefore might be valuable as a probe for tumor-related disease. The pharmacokinetic profile of 3'-methoxy-3",4"-(methylenedioxy)-2,5-epoxylignan-4'-ol-6'-one was rapidly determined using ultra-fast liquid chromatography. The compound was rapidly absorbed in blood.