Earth Sciences

In vitro screening of the dichloromethane extracts of 16 Asteraceae species native to Sudan for activity against major protozoan pathogens revealed that a Xanthium brasilicum Vell. [syn. X. strumarium var. brasilicum (Vell.) Baker in Mart.] extract was the most active against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, the etiological agent of East African human trypanosomiasis (IC(50) = 0.1 microg/mL). This plant extract also exhibited noticeable activities against T. cruzi (Chagas disease), Leishmania donovani (Kala-Azar) as well as Plasmodium falciparum (Malaria tropica). Bioactivity-guided fractionation resulted in the isolation of four bioactive sesquiterpene lactones (STL) of the xanthanolide series (4,5-seco-guaianolide-type). They were identified by spectroscopic means as 8-epixanthatin (1), 8-epixanthatin 1beta,5beta-epoxide (2), and as the dimers pungiolide A (4) as well as pungiolide B (5). Two further modified xanthanolide sesquiterpene lactones, xanthipungolide (3) and 4,15-dinor-1,11(13)-xanthadiene-3,5beta:12,8beta-diolide (6) were isolated. While xanthipungolide turned out to be inactive against the tested parasites, the dinor-xanthanlide showed significant activity against T. brucei rhodesiense and L. donovani. All isolated compounds were previously known from other Xanthium species but this is the first report on their occurrence in X. brasilicum, and, most notably, on their antiprotozoal activity. As the most active single compound from this extract, 8-epixanthatin 1beta,5beta-epoxide showed IC(50) values of 0.09, 2.95, 0.16 and 1.71 microg/mL (0.33, 11.3, 0.6 and 6.5 microM) against T. brucei rhodesiense, T. cruzi, L. donovani and P. falciparum, respectively, while its cytotoxicity against rat myoblast cells used as control was determined at 5.8 microg/mL (22.1 microM). Besides assessment of their antiprotozoal activity, the structural assignments for the dimeric xanthanolides pungiolide A and B were reinvestigated and fully established.

Physical properties of rocks are measured and analyzed, and their relationships are discussed in this paper. Permeability and mercury porosimetry methods, porosity, and pore size distribution are determined. Furthermore, bulk and particle densities of rocks are determined. The morphology of the porous medium has been approached by mercury porosimetry which gives an appearance to the pore distribution of the material. The permeability of a variety of natural materials is characterized using a relatively new laboratory apparatus. Permeability and porosity are in close relation, and it could be assumed that its relationship is linear, i.e., with increasing porosity, permeability increases as well. This relationship is influenced by other rock properties, such as the amount of open and closed pores within the rock sample, size, and distribution of pores. From this point of view, it is necessary to study these physical properties of natural materials as well, because this enables an over...

The determination of P-wave velocity is an easy and simple task and it can be determined in field as well as in laboratory. Determination of P-wave velocity is non-destructive and easy to apply, that is why it is increasingly being used in geotechnical engineering. The present work deals with the use of simple and non destructive technique, ultrasonic velocity to predict the porosity of calcarenite that are characteristic in historical monument. Good correlations between P-wave velocity and porosity were found, which indicate them as appropriate technique for estimating the porosity.