Cu-Catalyzed, Mn-Mediated Propargylation and Allenylation of Aldehydes with Propargyl Bromides

A simple, practical, and high chemo-selective method for the synthesis of propargyl alcohol and allenyl alcohols via Cu-catalyzed, Mn-mediated propargylation and allenylation of aldehydes with propargyl bromides has been established. When 3-bromo-1-propyne was conducted under the standard condition, the aldehydes were transformed to the corresponding propargylation products completely, while when 1-bromo-2-pentyne was used, allenic alcohol was the only product. Variety of homopropargyl alcohols and allenyl alcohols were obtained in high yields and the reaction is compatible with broad substrate scopes. In addition, the large-scale reaction could also be proceeded smoothly indicating the potential synthetic applications of this transformation.

Ameliorative Effects of Gallic Acid on Cisplatin-Induced Nephrotoxicity in Rat Variations of Biochemistry, Histopathology, and Gene Expression

Background. Cisplatin is a powerful chemotherapeutic drug mainly used in the treatment of solid tumors. Aggregation of the drug in renal proximal tubule cells causes nephrotoxicity and renal failure. Investigations showed nephrotoxicity as Cisplatin’s dose-limiting side effect. One of the Cisplatin toxicity mechanisms is generation of reactive oxygen species, which leads to oxidative stress and renal damage. The purpose of this study was evaluation of the modulating effects of Gallic acid on Cisplatin-induced variations including Caspase-3 and Clusterin expression and histopathological and biochemical parameters in adult male Wistar rats. Method. Rats were kept under standard condition of temperature, light, and humidity. The animals were divided into 4 groups: GpI: control group (received distilled water for 10 days); GpII: Gallic acid (alone) (50 mg/kg bw, once a day for 10 days); GpIII: Cisplatin (alone), single dose (6 mg/kg bw, I.P. on 5th day of study); GpIV: Gallic acid (50 mg/kg bw, once a day for 10 days) and also injected with single dose of Cisplatin (6 mg/kg bw, I.P., on 5th day of study). After 10 days, all rats were anaesthetized and plasma collected to estimate urea, creatinine, and uric acid. The right kidneys were removed for the study of gene expression and biochemical parameters. The left kidneys were used for histopathological studies. Results. The Cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity was evident from the elevated levels of creatinine, urea, uric acid, and renal tissue MDA and also decreased levels of SOD, CAT, GPX, and GSH in renal tissue. Administration of Gallic acid significantly modulated nephrotoxicity markers, gene expression variations, and histopathological damage. Conclusion. Outcomes of the present investigation suggest that Gallic acid provides protection against CP-induced nephrotoxicity, but for application in people, further studies are needed.

Circulating Fluidized Bed Fly Ash Mixed Functional Cementitious Materials: Shrinkage Compensation of f-CaO, Autoclaved Hydration Characteristics and Environmental Performance

Circulating fluidized bed (CFB) fly ash is a by-product from CFB power generation, which is hard to utilize in cement because it contains f-CaO and SO3. This work aims to explore the mechanism of the shrinkage compensation of free-CaO (f-CaO) and the autoclaved hydration characteristics and environmental performance of CFB fly ash mixed cementitious materials (CMM). In this work, long-term volume stability of CMM is improved with the addition of CFBFA. These findings suggest that the compressive strength of sample CMM0.5 is the highest under both standard condition (67.21 MPa) and autoclaved condition (89.56 MPa). Meanwhile, the expansion rate (0.0207%) of sample CMM0.5 is the lowest, which proves the shrinkage compensation effect of f-CaO in CFBFA. The main hydration products of CMM0.5 are Ca2SiO4•H2O (C-S-H) gel, CaAl2Si2O7(OH)2•H2O (C-A-S-H) gel and Ca(OH)2. In addition, the high polymerization degree of [Si(Al)O4] and the densified microstructure are presented at the sample CMM0.5. The leaching results indicates that the heavy metals in CMM0.5 satisfies the WHO standards for drinking water due to physical encapsulation and charge balance. Therefore, this investigation provides a novel method of using CFB fly ash in cement.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CORRECTING THE DEGREE OF DISTRIBUTION OF TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF VEGETATION REMOVAL FROM THE TERRITORIES OF LINEAR INFRASTRUCTURAL FACILITIES

With the maintenance of transport networks in proper condition, the problem of removing unwanted tree and shrub vegetation continues to be relevant. Work on cleaning the territories of the relevant infrastructure facilities from undesirable vegetation can be performed both manually and mechanically with the involvement of various machines, mechanisms and equipment. Considering that at present, when removing unwanted tree and shrub vegetation from the territories of linear infrastructure facilities, a total of more than 50 technological processes are used, the purpose of the study was to identify the possibility of adjusting the degree of their prevalence by types of infrastructure facilities. The article provides a formula for establishing the degree of prevalence of the technological process of removing vegetation along linear infrastructural objects, the distribution of the specified degree by the sites of impact on unwanted vegetation is presented, the content of the corresponding technological processes is disclosed, recommendations are proposed for adjusting the degree of prevalence of technological processes for removing vegetation from the territories of linear infrastructure facilities. The results of the study can be used by industrial enterprises performing work to maintain the territory of transport infrastructure facilities in a standard condition.

Impact of measured global spectrum variation on solar photovoltaic efficiencies

In comparisons of solar photovoltaic performance, variation in the spectrum of sunlight is infrequently considered. A single spectrum, AM1.5, is used as the standard condition both for comparison of competing solar cell technologies and evaluation of energy generation from solar power plants. The addition of solar spectrum variation provides a more relevant basis for comparison and reduces prediction error and its financial impacts. Ground-level measurements collected worldwide have been pooled to provide an extensive – though by no means comprehensive – sampling of the global variation in spectral irradiance. Applied to nine solar cell types, the resulting variation in solar cell performance indicates that a single spectrum is not sufficient for comparison of cells with different spectral responses. The performance of different cell types diverges from that under standard conditions. Increases in the degree of sun tracking decrease efficiency for cells with a narrow spectral response. Cells with two or more junctions tend to have efficiencies below that obtained under AM1.5. Of the nine cell types, silicon exhibits the least spectral sensitivity: the median relative variation at a single site is 3%.

The current state and prospects for development of the road network in the Far East in the context of providing economic security of the region

The article analyzes the current state and prospects for further development of the road network in the Far Eastern Federal District in terms of ensuring the economic security of the region. Keywords: regional economic security, transport, roads, standard condition, backbone network, Far East

Perancangan Alat Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) Monitoring pada Air Boiler berbasis Mikrokontroler di Pabrik Kelapa Sawit Naga Sakti

Steam is a utility that have an essential function in palm oil production. Steam is mainly used in steam turbine to move the generator to produce electricity. Steam also has a lot of other functions such as heating cold oil in storage tank, heating coil in kernel drying, etc. Steam is produced in a machine called boiler. Boiler require a treated feed water as an input. To maintain boiler performance and lifetime, one need to control the TDS (Total Dissolved Solid) in boiler feed water in a range of 2100 2500 ppm. TDS is a parameter that shows the solid concentration which dissolved in the water. TDS has to be checked every hour to maintain its concentration controlled. In a practical use, TDS monitoring is a simple process but take a lot of time to proceed. Water from the sampling pipe collected in a bottle then cooled until room temperature. TDS from cooled boiler water then measured with a device called TDS meter. To control TDS value in the standard condition, the measurement time need to be reduced. Therefore, a faster method to measure TDS in boiler water is needed. An easier and faster measurement using a system which consisted of sensor, microcontroller, LCD display is one of the idea to reduce unneccessary measuring time. The development and experiment of this TDS monitoring device is situated in Nagasakti Palm Oil Mill, Riau Province, Indonesia.

Evaluation of Compressive Strength and Setting Expansion of GC and Adenta Dye Stones

Introduction: The aim of this study was the Evaluation of compressive strength and setting expansion of GC and Adenta dye stones. Materials & Methods: This study was an experimental study. The sample number was 21 for each group (n = 21). Compressive strength and setting expansion of GC and Adenta dye stones was tested based on ADA Standard 25 and Iranian Standard No. 2792. Data analysis was done with Independent-Sample t-test (p value = 0.05). Results: There was no significant difference between GC (47.61 ± 5.54) and Adenta groups (44.31 ± 7.71) in terms of compressive strength. Also, there was no significant difference in the setting expansion between GC (0.07 ± 0.008) and Adenta dye stones (0.08 ± 0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that there is no statistically significant difference in setting expansion and compressive strength between GC and Adenta dye stones and both samples was under standard condition )p value < 0.05).

The Development of Combustion Strategy in Improving the Performances of SI-PFI Engine Using E50 of Gasoline-Bioethanol Fuel Blend

This research aims to improve the combustion performance of gasoline-bioethanol fuel blended in the ratio of 50:50 (E50) on the spark-ignition engine by employing a new combustion strategy. The Box Behnken Design of Response Surface Methodology and Non-Linear Programming was employed to optimize the performance of the engine and create some engine parameters. The performance of the engine consists of power, torque, thermal efficiency, fuel consumption, and the emission of CO and HC, while the engine and combustion parameters are compression ratio, ignition timing, and engine speed. A new combustion strategy will be applied in this study with a tiered mapping process for each engine parameter based on the MBT. The brake torque increased by 13.5 % while HC and CO emissions decreased by 15 % and 71 % respectively when the combustion strategy applied if compared o the pure gasoline in engine standard condition. Furthermore, the BSFC increased by 33 % while BTE decreased by 15 % towards the gasoline fuel. The non-linear programming applied in this study intended to figure out the best combination of the engine parameters in obtaining optimum engine performances. In the RSM analysis, the codes --1, 0, 1 represented 12, 12.5, and 13 of compression ratio, 16, 20, and 24 BTDC of ignition timing and 2000, 5000, and 8000 rpm of engine speed. Therefore, 20 BTDC of ignition timing and 13:1 of compression ratio is the optimum engine parameters used in gaining the optimal performance of the engine when E50 runs in SI-PFI engine of 150 cm3

The gut microbiota of environmentally enriched mice regulates visual cortical plasticity

Exposing animals to an enriched environment (EE) has dramatic effects on brain structure, function and plasticity. The poorly known "EE derived signals" mediating the EE effects are thought to be generated within the central nervous system. Here, we shift the focus to the body periphery, revealing that gut microbiota signals are crucial for EE-driven plasticity. Developmental analysis of intestinal bacteria composition in EE mice revealed striking differences from standard condition (ST) animals and enhanced levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Depleting the EE mice gut microbiota with an antibiotic cocktail decreased SCFA and prevented EE induction of adult ocular dominance (OD) plasticity, spine dynamics and microglia rearrangement. SCFA treatment in ST mice mimicked the EE induction of adult OD plasticity and morphological microglial rearrangement. Remarkably, transferring the microbiota of EE mice to ST recipients activated adult OD plasticity. Thus, taken together our data suggest that experience-dependent changes in gut microbiota regulate brain plasticity.