Hydrothermal synthesis of Zingiber/ZnO for enhanced photodegradation of ofloxacin antibiotic and reactive red azo dye (RR141).

The examination of photocatalyst powders for the total removal of pollutants from aqueous solutions is a vital research subject within the realm of environmental preservation. The objective of this study is to develop a photocatalyst heterojunction consisting of Zingiber/ZnO-H for the degradation of both the reactive red dye (RR 141) and ofloxacin antibiotic in wastewater. The current investigation outlines the process of synthesising a composite material by combining Zingiber montanum extract with zinc oxide (ZnO) by a hydrothermal method. The synthesis was conducted at a temperature of 180°C for a period of 4 hours. Consequently. The photocatalyst with a constructed heterojunction shown a notable enhancement in its photocatalytic activity as a result of the improved efficiency in charge separation at the interface. The application of economically viable solar energy facilitated the complete eradication of harmful pollutants through the process of detoxification. The removal of impurities occurs by a process that follows a first-order kinetics. Among the pollutants, RR141 demonstrates the greatest rate constant at 0.02 min-1, while ofloxacin has a rate constant of 0.01 min-1. The assessment of the stability of the produced photocatalyst was conducted after undergoing five cycles. This study additionally investigated the influence of sunshine on degradation, uncovering degradation rates of 97% for RR141 and 99% for ofloxacin when exposed to UV Lamp, and degradation rates of 97% for RR141 and 95% for ofloxacin when exposed to Solar Light.

The Synthesis of carbon dots//zincoxide (CDs/ZnO-H400) by using hydrothermal methods for degradation of ofloxacin antibiotics and reactive red azo dye (RR141).

The development of photocatalytic powders to remove contaminants from air solutions is an important field of research in the field of environmental conservation. CD/ZnO-H400, a heterogeneous photocatalytic production, is utilized to degrade the reactive red dye and the antibiotic ofloxacin found in wastewater. This study explains the synthesis of carbon dots (CDs) derived from coconut air and zinc oxide (ZnO) using a hydrothermal method at a temperature of 180 °C with a duration of 4 h and subsequently calcinated at a 400 °C temperature for 4 h. This shows a significant improvement in photocatalytic performance due to improved delivery efficiency at the interface. The cost-efficient use of solar energy allows the comprehensive elimination of harmful pollutants through detoxification. The removal of the contaminant takes place through the first-order reaction, with RR141 showing the highest constant rate at 0.03 min-1, while ofloxacin has a constant speed at 0.01 min-1. The photocatalytic stability is measured after five cycles. The study also tested the impact of sunlight on degradation, showing a degrading rate of 98% for RR141 and 96% for ofloxacin. This study displays a new catalyst powder synthesized from carbon dots derived from the air, coconut and ZnO, showing remarkable photoactivity to completely remove harmful dyes and antibiotics from the surrounding environment.

Cellulose Modified with Polyethylenimine (PEI) Using Microwave Methodology for Adsorption of Chromium from Aqueous Solutions.

A large amount of agricultural waste was used to prepare cellulose (Cel) and then the surface was modified with PEI (Cel-PEI) using the microwave method. To be used as a metal adsorbent, the adsorption of Cr (VI) from an aqueous solution by Cel-PEI was measured using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. The parameters of Cr (VI) adsorption in solution by the Cel-PEI adsorbent were as follows: the pH of the solution was 3, the concentration of the chromium solution was 100 mg/L, and the adsorption time was 180 min at 30 °C using 0.01 g of adsorbent. Cel-PEI had a Cr (VI) adsorption capacity of 106.60 mg/g, while the unadjusted Cel was 23.40 mg/g and the material recovery showed a decrease in efficiency of 22.19% and 54.27% in the second and third cycles, respectively. The absorption isotherm of chromium adsorption was also observed. The Cel-PEI material conformed to the Langmuir model with an R2 value of 0.9997. The kinetics of chromium adsorption showed that under pseudo-second-order analysis, with R2 values of 0.9909 and 0.9958 for Cel and Cel-PEI materials, respectively. The G° and H° values of the adsorption process were negative, indicating that the adsorption is spontaneous and that the adsorption process is exothermic. The efficient preparation adsorbent materials for Cr (VI) was achieved using a short microwave method that is low-cost and environmentally friendly for use in the treatment of Cr-contaminated wastewater.

Fluorophores-rich natural powder from selected medicinal plants for detection latent fingerprints and cyanide.

Forensic science is currently fast-growing for the development detection of the latent fingerprint. Currently, chemical dust quickly enters the body through touch or inhalation and will be affected by the user. In this research, a study on the comparison of natural powder from four species of medicinal plants (Zingiber montanum, Solanum Indicum L., Rhinacanthus nasutus, and Euphorbia tirucall) for the detection of latent fingerprints is carried out that has fewer adverse effects on the user's body by using such natural substances instead. In addition, the fluorescence properties of the dust have been found in some natural powder for sample detection and appear on multi-colored surfaces to show that the latent fingerprints are more pronounced than ordinary dust. In this study, medicinal plants have also been applied to detect cyanide, as it has been known that it is hazardous for humans and can be used as a poisonous compound to kill someone. The characteristics of each powder have also been analyzed using naked-eye detection under UV light, Fluorescence spectrophotometer, FIB-SEM, and FTIR. All the powder obtained can then be used for high potential detection of latent fingerprints on the non-porous surface with their specific characteristics and trace amounts of cyanide using turn-on-off fluorescent sensing method.

Improving Minutiae Image of Latent Fingerprint Detection on Non-Porous Surface Materials under UV Light Using Sulfur Doped Carbon Quantum Dots from Magnolia Grandiflora Flower.

In this study, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) from Magnolia Grandiflora flower as a carbon precursor were obtained using a hydrothermal method under the optimized conditions affected by various heating times (14, 16, 18, and 20 min) and various electric power inputs (900-1400 W). Then, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) was added to dope the CQDs under the same manner. The aqueous solution of the S-CQDs were characterized by FTIR, XPS, EDX/SEM, and TEM, with nanoparticle size at around 4 nm. Then, the as-prepared S-CQDs were successfully applied with fine corn starch for detection of minutiae latent fingerprints on non-porous surface materials. It is demonstrated that the minutiae pattern is more clearly seen under commercial UV lamps with a bright blue fluorescence intensity. Therefore, this research has proved that the S-CQDs derived from plant material have a better potential as fluorescent probes for latent fingerprint detection.

Highly Sensitive Fingerprint Detection under UV Light on Non-Porous Surface Using Starch-Powder Based Luminol-Doped Carbon Dots (N-CDs) from Tender Coconut Water as a Green Carbon Source.

This study aims to synthesize carbon dots from a natural resource and will be used to detect a latent fingerprint on a non-porous surface. The carbon dots (CDs) were prepared by adding luminol to coconut water and ethanol via a hydrothermal method. Luminol enhances the chemiluminescence of the CDs, which show more distinct blue light under a UV lamp compared with bare CDs. To detect the latent fingerprint, luminol carbon dots (N-CDs) were combined with commercial starch and stirred at room temperature for 24 h. Their characteristics and optical properties were measured using EDX-SEM, HR-TEM, FTIR, XPS, UV-visible absorption, and fluorescence. In this research, it was found that the N-CDs had a d-spacing of 0.5 nm and a size of 12.9 nm. The N-CDs had a fluorescence intensity 551% higher than the standard normally used. N-CDs can be used to detect latent fingerprints on a non-porous surface and are easy to detect under a UV lamp at 395 nm. Therefore, luminol has a high potential to increase sensitive and stable traces of chemiluminescence from the green CDs for forensic latent fingerprint detection.

Development of Natural Luminescent Powder for the Detection of Latent Fingerprint.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Nowadays, Dyes is widely used to improve fingerprints identification test. Natural dyes are another interesting way that can be used instead of chemical dyes because of its non-toxicity and lower cost. In this research, the development of rust powder from <i>Plumeria</i> tree was applied for fingerprints identification due to its fluorescence property under UV. Rust and Small Particle Reagent (SPR), containing ZnCO₃were applied to detect hidden fingerprints on non-porous surfaces in both dried and wet condition. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Yellowish Rust from <i>Plumeria</i> tree was extracted with ethanol, grinded, dried and then mixed with ZnCO₃. Powder slurry was sprayed over fingerprint mark on different surfaces and monitored in both dried and wet condition. Visualization of fingerprint under UV was observed. Scanning microscope (SEM), UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) were also used to characterize physical and chemical properties of rust powder. <b>Results:</b> Fingerprints identification by dust technique using <i>Plumeria</i> rust powder as ingredient, provide best quality enhancement of fingerprints under UV light due to its fluorescent property, whereas a conventional technique of Small Particle Reagent technique (SPR) doesn't show fluorescent under UV. Data from SEM and FTIR show slight adhesion between zinc carbonate particles and rust powder. <b>Conclusion:</b> Fluorescence properties of rust powder is still interesting. Further improvement in powder recipe will be further investigated.

Biodiversity of Mushrooms in Conservative Forest in Dansai District of Loei Province, Thailand.

Dansai District is located in Loei Province, Northeast Thailand, rich in natural resources and composes of many kinds of forests, such as evergreen forests and mixed-deciduous forests. The objectives of the study are to determine the diversity of mushrooms and investigate the values of the forest influencing the community way of life and exploration of problems and guidelines for developing the forest along with sufficiency economy theory. The study includes compilation of data from past studies, semi-structured interview with the local communities and discussion with focus group. The survey was done once a month during the rainy season from May to August in 2012 and 2013. The results of the survey revealed 56 species belonging to 26 families, 38 genera. A total of 52 mushroom species belong to Basidiomycota, while 4 species belong to Ascomycota. The community forest remains fertile due to the conservation effort by the community leaders and a group of villagers. A community forestry board were set up to conserve the forest and proposed to the government at Dansai Vocational Community College to officially declare the forest as a formal community forest. The conservation management relied upon the kinship relations, seniority, and religious belief along with the enforcing authorities. If an encroacher is found, he would be fined according to the regulations and defamed publicly. However, encroachment still exists. In general, community forest is valuable and directly affected the villagers' ways of life in which they could generate income from the forest, particularly reducing the daily expenses and promoting their socio-cultural perspective.

Parasitic infections among Karen in Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand.

The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of intestinal parasitic and malarial infections during a period of low infection among the residents of remote Karen villages in Thailand. Fifty-five males and 64 females, aged 6 months to 70 years, were examined for malaria by thick blood smears using the Giemsa staining technique. Of the 119 subjects, 4 (3.36%) showed positive for malaria with vivax gametocytes. Results suggested that mass screening was not an effective way for diagnosing malaria. Stool samples were examined under a light microscope. The overall intestinal parasitic infection rates were 38.24% in 34 males, and 36.11% in 36 females. These were hookworm (17.14%), Ascaris lumbricoides (7.14%), Trichuris trichiura (1.43%), Strongyloides stercoralis (7.14%), Taenia spp (1.43%), Entamoeba histolytica (1.43%), Entamaeba coli (10.00%) and Giatdia lamblia (1.43%). The highest (55.55%) and lowest (16.66%) rates of infection were observed in age groups 0-5 and over 45, years respectively. In addition, A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura were found more frequently in children, while hookworms was found similarly in every age group. Results showed that the Karen living along the western border of Thailand possessed high rates of intestinal parasitic infections. Strict monitoring and control programs for these parasites should be implemented.