We describe here a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction method for the detection of malaria parasites. Ten in vitro-cultured isolates of Plasmodium falciparum and 16 specimens from patients infected with P. falciparum were used to examine the specificity and sensitivity of the test. The sensitivity of the test was 0.3 parasites per microliter of blood. Specificity was determined by matching the sequences of the specimens' DNA to published sequences of 18S ribosomal RNA genes in the species-specific region. The test proved to be very sensitive and specific for the detection of P. falciparum infection.
This study evaluated the properties of banana pseudo-stem (BPS) biochar derived from two different types of pyrolysis. The fast pyrolysis experiment was performed using a worktable-scale fluidized-bed reactor, while a bench-scale fixed-bed reactor was used in the slow pyrolysis experiment. The preliminary analysis shows that the feedstock contains 80.6 db wt% of volatile matter, 12.5 db wt% of ash and 33.6% of carbon content. Biochar yield reduces as the pyrolysis temperature elevates for both pyrolysis experiments. Fast pyrolysis yields a higher percentage of biochar (40.3%) than biochar yield obtained from the slow pyrolysis experiment (34.9 wt%) at a similar temperature of 500 °C. The evaluation of biochar derived at 500 °C shows that the biochar obtained from the slow pyrolysis process has higher carbon content, heating value, and surface area with lower ash content. Meanwhile, FESEM images show significant differences in surface morphology and the number of pores for biochar derived from fast and slow pyrolysis. These findings indicate the potential and suitability of BPS biochar derived from the slow pyrolysis process in applications such as soil amelioration and solid biofuel.