2011年

"Nitrates and phosphates cause eutrophication when present in high concentrations.\r This project aims to employ macrophytes to reduce such macronutrients in water bodies via growth and kinetic studies, which is a unique fusion of methodologies. It also involves a novel design and analysis of several enclosure prototypes to introduce macrophytes into waterways and their effects on the waterway’s ability to convey storm water rapidly away from flood-prone areas.\r Tropical macrophytes (emergent macrophytes Typha angustifolia and Cyperus haspan, submerged macrophytes Hydrilla verticillata and Cabomba aquatica, floating macrophytes Lemna minor) were grown in simulated wastewater with high nitrate and phosphate concentrations. Analysis of the growth and uptake kinetics of the macrophytes showed a correlation between high growth rate and high nitrates and phosphates uptake. C. aquatica had the highest uptake rate for nitrates and phosphates as well as the highest growth rate of 6.11 ± 1.2 % day-1 . The remaining macrophytes were proven to exhibit good phytoremediative properties, with emergent macrophytes C. haspan and T. angustifolia having great affinity (as indicated by a low Km value) for phosphate and nitrate respectively. An analysis of the phytoremediative abilities of each macrophyte was done to provide recommendations for growth in different aquatic areas.\r A total of eight nettings, made from different materials-linen and plastic, and pore sizes were used to design the enclosure prototypes. These enclosures possess a metal skeletal structure for greater stability. Results show that a combination of 2 different nettings provided the best trade-off between ensuring that the macrophytes were contained within the enclosures and minimising the enclosure’s impact on the flow velocity of the waterways. Enclosures could then be attached to existing infrastructure like the float booms as a platform for large scale phytoremediation locally."

Cultures of bacteria were analyzed using fractal geometry and statistics to provide a method for predicting organism growth, paving the way for a better design of treatment drugs. Images of three cultures of isolated Bacillus subtilis were taken at time intervals of two to three hours for eight days. The images were processed using the IDOLON program and quantitatively described using three statistical formulas: fractal dimension D, Renyi dimension and Hausdorff-Besicovitch dimension. The three variables were integrated to compute the maximum of the distribution and were used as coordinates for a 3-dimensional graph f. A 2-dimensional graph g containing the maximum of a distribution under time analysis was also constructed. Topological properties of the graphs, including slope, direction and area were used to determine the interrelationship of the three fractal values. The two graphs, described as φ - : X -? P1 where X is the smooth algebraic assimilation of the four variables under time analysis, was extended using Java. A computer-aided prediction model of the graphs f and g were made which combined the topology of f and g at infinity. The computed fractal values showed the existence of a fractal pattern in the growth of Bacillus subtilis with fractal dimension ranging from 0.900 to 4.000, indicating a linear iteration. This was supported by the values of the Renyi dimension, which showed a horizontal growth pattern of the bacterial cultures, establishing the growth of the bacteria to be inclined to go towards the North East direction. There was consistency in the computed fractal values, maximum of distribution and topographical computations of all three cultures which also indicated the existence of a pattern of growth which could be extended to tinfinity, thereby allowing prediction of the direction and rate of growth of the bacterial colonies. The fractal patterns in the growth of bacteria, in this case Bacillus subtilis, yielded the direction and rate of growth of the bacteria as shown by the analysis of the fractal patterns and statistical values, showing that the growth of harmful organisms can therefore be predicted, making it possible to improve on the design of drugs for the control of perilous cells. By preventing the growth of insidious cells, the potential effects of virulent organisms may be avoided, and treatment may be made more possible.

1. Purpose of the research: Recovering bioethanol from fruit wastes by using brewing yeast and enzyme Viscozyme L\r 2. Procedures: Four different experiments were conducted in our project.\r Experiment-1: Samples in RM by the addition of only S.Cerevisia.\r Experiment-2: Samples in RM broth meduim by the addtion of 100 μl/g ViscozymeL and S. Cerevisiae\r Experiment-3 : ViscozymeL with different concentration\r Experiment-4: to determenine whether the enzyme with high concentration inhibited the fermentation.\r Analysis of ethanol: HPLC method was used for the analysis;\r HPLC method: (high performance liquid chromatography)\r 3. Data\r HPLC measured initial and final concentrations of glucose and ethanol by the addtion of S. Cerevisiae.\r Initial glucose concentration and final ethanol concentration was the highest in Grape pulp 12 and 9 g/L respectively. Despite the glucose concentration was the lowest, the ethanol concentration was quite high (7 g/L) in the mixture with orange. The lowest ethanol was produced in the mixture with pomegranate.\r Concentrations of ethanol and glucose from the samples in RM broth meduim by the addtion of 100 μl/g ViscozymeL and S. Cerevisiae\r After the 24 hour incubation by the addition of enzyme glucose concentration incresed by 1, 4 and 2 respectively in sample 1, 2 and 3. The ethanol concentrations in comparison to first experiment were higher especially in the sample1 (grape pulp).\r Effect of ViscozymeL with different concentration on glucose production.\r The glucose concentration generally increased by the addition of 200 micro L of enzyme as the time proceeded. In grape pulp sample glucose concentartion didnt increased by the addition of 500 micro L enzyme.\r The remaning glucose and produced ethanol concentrations by the addition of viscozyme L with two different concentartion and S. Cerevisiae\r As the concentartion of enzyme added incresed the amout of ethanol also inreased in sample 2 and 3 but in the sample 3 the fermentation was inhibited.\r 4. Conclusions\r In this study sugars in fruit wastes that are regularly not recylecled were fermented successfully into ethanol by using S. Cerevisiae.\r Generally we get more ethanol from the samples when the enzyme was used. As the graph5 shows the ethanol concentration generally increased as the enzyme concentration increased. But especially in the sample1 (mixture with pomegranate) at 200 and 500 micro liter concentrations, ethanol production were 2 and 0 g/L respectively. In the light of this daha we conluded that the enzyme with high concentartion might inhibit the fermentation. When the activity of enzyme was inhibited by keeping the pretreated enzyme in boiling water, the fermentation restarted and recovered more ethanol; 8 and 12 g/L at the enzyme concentration of 200 and 500 microliter respectively.

Nano-sized calcium phosphate was used in the synthesis of starch-based composite plastics to provide a cheap but sturdier biodegradable alternative to petroleum derived plastics used in film packaging. Nano-sized calcium phosphates were produced from the precipitation reaction of calcium nitrate tetrahydrate (Ca(NO3)2 ‧ 4H2O) and phosphoric acid (H3PO4). The nanoparticles were co-extruded and molded with thermoplastic starch (TPS) at ratios of 0%, 1%, and 5% by mass. Tensile strength and elongation percentage of the resultant composite plastics were tested in three replicates. The results show that there is a significant difference between the tensile strengths of the 0% and 5% calcium phosphate composites at a 5% level of significance. The trend between the composite’s tensile strength and percentage calcium phosphate follows a geometric progression, enabling a projection for the 10% nano-calcium phosphate to have a tensile strength of 10 MPa, the average tensile strength for low-density polyethylene (LDPE). This shows that it is feasible to synthesize a 10% nano-calcium phosphate-TPS plastic that can be a viable substitute for LDPE plastics in film packaging, paving the way for the commercialization of starch-based plastics. The use of biodegradable plastics with improved physical characteristics will lessen consumer dependence on petroleum derived plastics and solve the environmental issues brought about by the use of such plastics.

Purpose of the Research:\r 1) To determine whether a poor understanding and inability of Grade 7 and 8 learners to apply the BODMAS principle in mathematics, influences scores obtained in a mathematics test.\r 2) To determine whether scores obtained in the given mathematics test can be improved with a BODMAS learning tool.\r Procedures:\r 1. Get the educators opinion on mathematics in schools. Send a total of 50 questionnaires to four schools.\r 2. Determine what percentage of a mathematical test/examination requires the application of BODMAS\r 3. Do a pre-test at two schools, a total of 370 grade 7 and 8 learners.\r 4. Design a BODMAS learning tool and verify it with three educators.\r 5. Implement the tool at the two schools.\r 6. Do a post-test at the two schools.\r 7. Get all the educators who were at the implementation session to evaluate the session.\r 8. Investigate two other schools, by sending 270 pre-tests to those two schools, to determine whether applying the BODMAS principle correctly is also a problem for learners in those schools.\r 9. Implement the BODMAS learning tool into the intermediate phase syllabus.\r Data:\r 1. Of the 41 educators in the sample, 52% think the standard of maths in their schools is average.\r 2. 38.9% of a grade 8 mathematics examination paper and 46% of grade 8 mathematics tests contains questions that are BODMAS related.\r 3. The learners achieved an overall average of 22.57% in the pre-test\r 4. The educators evaluated the BODMAS learning tool as very good as it is.\r 5. Learners and educators enjoyed the implementation session of the BODMAS learning tool.\r 6. In the post test learners did much better, the overall average increased by 21.00% to 43.57%.\r 7. Educators were positive about the way in which the tool was explained.\r 8. The learners in the other two schools also struggled with applying the BODMAS principle.\r 9. A second pilot study is being done in four primary schools by the Department of Education for the implementation in the Free State mathematics 2013 syllabus. \r Conclusion:\r My hypothesis is supported. \r 1) A poor understanding and inability of Grade 7 and 8 learners to apply the BODMAS principle in mathematics, influenced scores obtained in a mathematics test.\r 2) Scores obtained in the given mathematics test were improved with a BODMAS learning tool.

The objectives of this study were to investigate (1) the floral biology of Jatropha curcas Linn. as well as its possible pollinators, (2) the correlation between the number of pollen on stigma and the frequency of floral visitors, (3) the attractiveness of essential oil extracts from three species of Lamiaceae, i.e. Hyptis suaveolens, Plectranthus ambonicus and Orthosiphon aristatus, to Apis florae, (4) the repellent effect of crude extracts from three species of Graminae, i.e. Imperata cylindrica, Eleusine indica and Dactyloctenium aegyptium, on Polyphagotarsonemus latus, and (5) the effect of appropriate combination between lamiacean essential oil and graminaceous crude extract on the percentage of fruit setting and insect pest protection. \r Jatropha curcas is monoecious plants with tiny male and female flowers borne on the same paniculate cyme. One plant produces 15-30 inflorescence. Each inflorescence composes of 70-120 florets, and only 4-8 florets are successfully setting fruits. Each flower takes approximately 17 days in developing from floral bud till floral opening. The appropriate time for pollination is from 09.00 am to 10.00 am. While bees, wasps, hornets, flies and dragonflies are its potential pollinators, mites, aphids and worms are its harmful insect pests. \r Three volumetric, 1, 3, 6 and 9 ml, of each essential oil extracts were separately sprayed on each observed inflorescence. According to the experiment, 6 and 9 ml of each of the essential oil extracts give similar effective outcome, However, The H. suaveolens extract at 6 ml is the most effective attractant for A. florae. because it uses less of the oil extracts.\r Four concentrations, 0.1 %, 0.5 %, 1.0 %, 1.5 % and 2.0 % of each of the crude extracts from three graminaceous plants were sprayed on each tested plants separately. Concentations above 1.0% consistently provided an effective biocidal activity against Imperata cylindrica , however 1.0% is accecptable. because it uses a reduced level of the crude extracts\r The combination of H. suaveolens’s essential oil and I. cylindrica crude extract both significantly enhanced fruit setting of J. curcas and protected the plant from Polyphagotarsonemus latus without adverse effect on its pollinators.

Neuroinflammation is implicated as a contributive factor to neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Increased iron accumulation and deposition of -synuclein within Lewy Bodies in PD brains have been observed. It has been hypothesized that unbound iron is able to react with H2O2 to generate free radicals. Using the Divalent Metal Transporter-1 (DMT1) as a vehicle to transport iron into the brain, a DMT1 transgenic mouse model (DTg) was generated to recapitulate iron deposition in PD. The DTg was crossbred with the SNCA (synuclein) transgenic mouse to produce a DMT1_SNCA (BTg) mouse model to study the link between iron, -synuclein and neuroinflammation in PD. Our hypothesis predicts that iron exacerbates -synuclein toxicity by inducing larger inflammatory responses and consequently compromising functions of biomolecules. Our study shows that –synuclein triggers a low-grade inflammatory response by microglia and astrocytes while iron exacerbates -synuclein toxicity by eliciting immunological responses mediated by glia cells in the brain observed both in the DTg and BTg mice. Elevated levels of nitrated proteins were observed in the DTg, suggesting the role of iron in inducing nitrosative stress via upregulation of iNOS in glia cells. With the BTg mice, we hope to understand the effect of iron accumulation as an environmental stressor in aggravating -synuclein toxicity which may lead to the selective demise of dopaminergic neurons.

During an expedition to the White Sea Winter Coast, samples of schlich with numerous garnets were collected. The coast itself is primarily a set of high steeps of sandstones and mudstones with no garnets. On the beach, however, there are numerous pebbles of metamorphic rocks, and many of them contain garnets. They were brought there by the Quaternary glacier and the present day glacier activity. Their source could be the existing or fully eroded metamorphic rocks of the Kola Penninsila and Northern Karelia.\r Goal of the research: To discover the possible origin of the garnets.\r Tasks: 1) To analyze the structure and the chemical composition of the garnets. 2) To study the works on the garnets of the Kola Penninsila and Northern Karelia in order to compare the information to the results of the analysis.\r Methods: 1) Granulometric analysis; 2) Magnetic and electromagnetic separation; 3) Microscope study of the garnets; 4) X-ray diffraction analysis; 5) X-ray fluorescence analysis. \r RESULTS\r 1. The sample garnets could be divided into two types: the bright red and the pale pink.\r 2. Both types are almandines with spessartine components. The pale-pink one contains Arizona ruby components, and the bright red contains andradite ones. \r 3. Only a few samples from Khangaz Varaki, Malye Keivy, and Tersky Coast are similar to the garnets that we collected. It is possible that the glacier brought them from the Kola Penninsula, but it is also possible that the rocks, where the glacier brought our garnets from, have been totally eroded.