A bioassay-guided fractionation of Juniperus procera berries yielded antiparasitic, nematicidal and antifouling constituents, including a wide range of known abietane, pimarane and labdane diterpenes. Among these, abieta-7,13-diene (1) demonstrated in vitro antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum D6 and W2 strains (IC(50) = 1.9 and 2.0 microg/mL, respectively), while totarol (6), ferruginol (7) and 7beta-hydroxyabieta-8,13-diene-11,12-dione (8) inhibited Leishmania donovani promastigotes with IC(50) values of 3.5-4.6 microg/mL. In addition, totarol demonstrated nematicidal and antifouling activities against Caenorhabditis elegans and Artemia salina at a concentration of 80 microg/mL and 1 microg/mL, respectively. The resinous exudate of J. virginiana afforded known antibacterial E-communic acid (4) and 4-epi-abietic acid (5), while the volatile oil from its trunk wood revealed large quantities of cedrol (9). Using GC/MS, the two known abietanes totarol (6) and ferruginol (7) were identified from the berries of J. procera, J. excelsa and J. phoenicea.

No abstract

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO-NPs) were synthesized via chemical precipitation method using copper (II) chloride dihydrate and sodium hydroxide. Then nanoparticles were characterized by using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), and Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) spectroscopy. The XRD patterns and EDX spectra showed that the prepared CuO-NPs were highly pure, crystalline and nano-sized. The SEM image suggested that nano particles were spherical and there was a tendency of agglomerations. The nanoparticles showed interactions between copper and oxygen atoms supported by FTIR studies.

Jute and glass fiber reinforced low density polyethylene (LDPE) composites were prepared using compression molding technique at 120° C with various percentage of fiber content. Thermal, optical and electrical properties of both composites were studied in this article. Thermal analysis of the composites confirmed the better thermal stability of glass fiber LDPE composites than that of the jute composite. Superposition of the absorption of LDPE and glass fiber in the composites has been confirmed by the peak and line shape of absorptions. The absorption peaks also indicates a better conjugation between the elements of composites. Electrical studies suggest that for both composite capacitance decreases with increase in frequency and voltage, which suggests good electrical properties of LDPE based composites.

No abstract

No abstract

During the last decade, the growing load of sludge from textile industries, the top foreign exchange earning sector of Bangladesh, is a common nuisance to environmental system and community health. The present study was aimed to minimize the environmental impact from the disposal of Electrocoagulated Metal Hydroxide Sludge (EMHS) by using it as a partial substitute of clay in the manufacturing of construction material like building blocks (BBs). Different batches of normal and pressurized building blocks (NBBs and PBBs, resp.) were prepared using up to 50% EMHS with clay and then fired at a particular temperature. EMHS proportion in the mixture and firing temperature were two key factors determining the quality of BB. BB did not show any deformation or uneven surfaces at any of the examined firing temperature. At higher firing temperature and EMHS proportion, more weight loss and shrinkage of BB were noticed. Higher compressive strength and lower water adsorption were found at lower EMHS content and higher firing temperature. It was explored that NBB and PBB with 20 and 30% EMHS in clay, respectively, and fired at 1050 °C would be usable for nonloading applications; namely, ornamental bricks, decoration purposes, and fence of garden.

No abstract