SOUTHERN JOURNAL OF SCIENCES

Sand casting is a viable waste as an alternative raw material, regarding a good solution in the production of concrete blocks. The use of sand casting to produce concrete blocks is performed by about 80% of the productive capacity of the company considered in this study. Thus, this work aims to make an improvement by applying fuzzy logic. The methodology was applied from the formulation of ranking criteria, which improved the production process. Therefore, after the implementation of the established criteria, was achieved an improvement of about 10%. Thus, the results achieved can help companies, generating alternatives with more excellent reliability and assertiveness. Moreover, Fuzzy is a methodology that provides strong support for decision making, supporting subjective and intuitive criteria.

Background: The American food regulatory landscape has historically been influenced by industry interests, resulting in the widespread use of petroleum-derived synthetic food dyes banned in European countries. Chronic disease rates in American children have increased from 3% in the 1960s to approximately 60% currently, with annual healthcare costs reaching $1 trillion. The appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services marks a paradigmatic shift toward transparency and industry accountability in food safety regulation. Aim: This forum analysis examines Kennedy Jr.'s revolutionary approach to food safety regulation, particularly his confrontational stance against petroleum-based food additives exemplified by his statement, "if they want to eat petroleum, they should add it themselves at home" and evaluates the broader implications for American public health policy and global regulatory standards. Methods: Critical analysis of Kennedy Jr.'s public policy statements, examination of epidemiological data trends, and evaluation of proposed regulatory frameworks through content analysis of official speeches and policy declarations from the Department of Health and Human Services. Results: Kennedy Jr.'s administration targets the systematic elimination of synthetic food dyes through industry partnerships, scientific transparency initiatives, and restoration of rigorous research standards. His confrontational rhetorical approach, compared to Mike Tyson's boxing style, has generated unprecedented industry cooperation with food companies "calling almost daily" seeking compliance guidance. The strategy combines voluntary industry agreements with open-source information databases and enhanced FOIA access. Discussion: This confrontational rhetoric represents unprecedented directness in health policy communication, challenging decades of established regulatory practices. The approach prioritizes scientific transparency over diplomatic language, generating both media attention and voluntary industry engagement that traditional regulatory pressure failed to achieve. Conclusions: Kennedy Jr.'s revolutionary stance may establish new global standards for food additive oversight, prioritizing public health over commercial interests through evidence-based policymaking and industry accountability measures. This paradigm shift from reactive to preventive regulatory models could influence international food safety governance and restore American leadership in global health policy.

This study was designed to examine the DPPH free radical-scavenging activity, in different concentrations (0.025, 0.05, 0.07, 0.1, 0.2, 0.04 and 0.6) of methanolic extracts of Salvia nemorosa L. collected from the northwest of Iran (Zonouz and Ardabil regions) at two-stage of growth (vegetative stage leaves, flowering stage leaves, and flowers). The result showed that the mean of inhibition percentage in the Zonouz region increased in various concentrations and between flowers, vegetative stage leaves, and flowering stage leaves, compared with the plants of the Ardabil region. In each of the regions of Zonouz and Ardabil, the highest amount of DPPH inhibition was observed in the vegetative stage leaves in comparison with flowering stage leaves and flowers. In addition, in the effect of DPPH radical trapping in different concentrations of methanolic extracts of Salvia nemorosa L. was observed that from each of the collected region, methanolic extracts from sage plants were dose-dependent and acted very effective and useful and the best antioxidant activity was in the high concentration of extracts, So in Zonouz and Ardabil regions, the content of inhibition of DPPH increased significantly, by increasing the concentration of 0.025 mg/ml to 0.6 mg/ml and in Zonouz region the content of inhibition of DPPH similarly increased in 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mg/ml concentrations. In the Ardabil region, the most content of inhibition of DPPH was seen in 0.4 mg/ml and 0.6 mg/ml concentrations, but in this region, the content of inhibition of DPPH in 0.2 mg/ml concentration there was only in vegetative stage leaves and flowering stage leaves.