The World with an Admixture of Microplastics

Currently, plastic is the most popular synthetic product. Although its history is rather short – the first plastic was created in the mid-19th century – its versatility has resulted in massive production around the world. The process of disposing of plastic-derived waste does not keep up with its grinding, and therefore the amount of synthetic waste grows at an increasing pace. By means of their inventions, environmentalists hope to move the consciences of consumers who buy food in plastic packaging, guided rather by their own convenience than care for the environment. How many of them actually know how dangerous the plastic they buy can be?

Development and Characterization of Bioactive Polypropylene Films for Food Packaging Applications

Bioactive polypropylene (PP) films with active agents) presence for food packaging application have been prepared and characterized. The novel modified PP films were obtained via PP/additives systems regranulation and cast extrusion. The influence of two types of plasticizers (natural agents as well as commercial synthetic product) and bioactive additives on final features, e.g., mechanical properties, was evaluated. Moreover, the biocidal activity of the films was determined. Due to their functional properties, they are developed as additives to packaging plastic materials such as polyolefins. The study results presented in our work may indirectly contribute to environmental protection by reducing food waste. The aim of the work was to obtain innovative, functional packaging materials with an ability to prolong the shelf life of food products. The best antimicrobial properties were observed for the sample based on 5 wt.% oregano oil (OO) and 5 wt.% cedar oil (OC) in PP matrix. A microbial test revealed that the system causes total reduction in the following microorganisms: B. subtilis, E. coli, S. aureus, P. putida, C. albicans, A. alternata, F. oxysporum.

Sintesis dan Evaluasi Antimalaria In Vitro Turunan Kinin Terhadap Plasmodium falciparum

Nowadays kinin is the most effective antimalarial drug and its used as an alternative in malaria treatment. However, toxicity of quinine restrict its use as an antimalarial drug. Lipophilicity and long half-life (t½) of quinine that reach 10-20 hours are responsible for its toxicity. The aim of this research is to obtain more polar quinine derivatives by means of hydrogen peroxide reactions to reduce the toxicity. The reactions using hydrogen peroxyde is performed analogously to the procedures reported in the literature. Extract of pure anhydrous kinin is purified in coloumn chromatography followed by structure elucidation. Synthetic product is tested in vitro against Plasmodium falciparum. The characterization of reaction products is performed with proton (1H) and carbon 13 (13C) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. It showed that the reaction using reagents led to epoxidation of vinyl substituents of chinuclidine ring with 61,08% yields. Antimalarial test against Plasmodium falciparum obtained 1.250-2.500 μg/mL of IC50 value. The IC50 values indicated that the synthesis products were not potential for malaria treatment.

Underfloor heating as a cause of fire

Introduction. The relevance of the topic, addressed in the article, is backed by the fact that modern heating systems, such as the underfloor heating, remain potential sources of fire, despite the improvement in their designs. The purpose of the study is to identify the causes of fires that occur in the process of operation of modern heating systems “Underfloor Heating”; to analyze and generalize the conclusions made by the fire safety experts in respect of the heating systems analyzed in the article.Materials and methods. To assess the flammability of the infrared film underfloor heating, an experiment was conducted by the experts: the process of underfloor heating was simulated under normal environmental conditions at room temperature.Results and discussion. The experiment has shown that the floor covering, made of the material capable of accumulating heat, is the most dangerous one, although its small area prevents its disconnection from the thermal sensor. When dismantling the construction, the co-authors found out that the foil insulator had been melting in the area of maximal temperatures. Over the course of seven hours of operation, the temperature exceeded 120 ºC, and after that the odor of products of thermal decomposition of a synthetic product appeared.Conclusions. Despite all the features of advanced underfloor heating systems, their automated operation and transformation, they remain potentially flammable. Modern underfloor heating systems can take fire both as a result of violation of the fire precautions in case of non-compliance with the requirements for the operation of heating devices, and as a result of overheated film heaters located under the floor covering.

Amygdalin laetrile-a nascent vitamin B17: a review

Amygdalin is also called Vitamin B17 and its semi synthetic product is laetrile. It is a natural glycoside nutrient which gained popularity due to wide availability and low cost in treating various diseases. Vitamin B17 is derived from natural food sources and can be used for cancer prevention in alternative medicine practices. This review illustrates the proposed anticancer activity and other effects of amygdalin on different body systems along with a variety of clinical trials on humans and animals with pharmacological, toxicological effects and provides a perspective for further investigation and research.

The Au25(pMBA)17Diglyme Cluster

A modification of Au25(pMBA)18 that incorporates one diglyme ligand as a direct synthetic product is reported. Notably the expected statistical production of clusters containing other ligand stoichiometries is not observed. This Au25(pMBA)17diglyme product is characterized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and optical spectroscopy. Thiolate for thiolate ligand exchange proceeds on this cluster, whereas thiolate for diglyme ligand exchange does not.

Quercetin as a precursor in the synthesis of analogues of fulvic acids and their antibacterial properties

A simple, fast and effective method for producing synthetic substances with properties similar to natural humic substances has been proposed. The synthesis method is based on the oxidation of quercetin by molecular oxygen in an alkaline medium, followed by conversion to the acid form by passing through a cation exchange column. Study of elemental and functional compositions, spectral properties (UV/Vis and IR range) and redox characteristics allowed qualifying the resulting product as a synthetic fulvic acid. The enhanced antibacterial properties of the obtained synthetic product were established. The minimum concentration of inhibition of synthetic fulvic acid derived from quercetin is 25 g mL–1, which is in 100 times less than for natural humic substances.

The Power of Porridge: Udmurt Ritual Food

Автор размышляет о главенствующей роли каши в ритуальных трапезах удмуртов. При этом он опирается на свои многолетние полевые исследования, проведенные главным образом в Башкортостане, где удмурты проживают компактно и не подверглись христианскому влиянию, а также на наблюдения в Удмуртии и Татарстане. Задействованы комментарии респондентов, зафиксированные непосредственно в ритуальном процессе. Рассматриваются деревенские общинные моления, где каша является своеобразным завершением, окончательным синтезированным результатом ритуальных действий. Не игнорируются более интимные обряды, проводимые на уровне семьи или рода по поводу календарных или семейных праздников. This article reflects on the importance of porridge as ritual food in Udmurt ceremonies. It concentrates on village animistic ceremonies in which porridge is the final synthetic product, but also examines more intimate calendar ritual ceremonies at the level of the family. The field research was mainly carried out in Bashkortostan, where Udmurt communities have been protected from Christian influence. However, it takes into account case studies from Udmurtia and Tatarstan. The article examines the ingredients of porridge - water, grain, butter, meat - and shows how central they are to the Udmurts’ life and how they have changed in recent decades. Finally, it reflects on the symbolism of porridge, from the gendered aspect of its fabrication to its suggestion of wealth and of Udmurt ethnicity.