Search results for: water treatment plant

Authors: Tran Thanh Le, Pham Trong Duc

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The fresh groundwater lens of the Pleistocene aquifer in Nam Dinh was formed since 12,900 years ago. Currently, the Pleistocene aquifer has been continuously exploited on average of 154,163m3/day, distributed mainly in the districts of Nghia Hung, Hai Hau, a part of Truc Ninh, Y Yen, Nam Truc and Giao Thuy. The groundwater level is still on a declining trend, saltwater intrusion in this freshwater lens can occur if the growth rate in exploitation is maintained. This study focused on groundwater sustainable use by means of 4 groups of criteria including: Groundwater quality and pollution; Aquifers’ productivity and capacity; Environment impacts due to exploitation (groundwater level decline, land subsidence due to water exploitation); Social and economic impacts. Using a combination of methods including field surveys, geophysics, hydrogeochemistry, isotope and numerical models to determine safe groundwater exploitation thresholds for the whole study area has been determined to be 544,314m3/day and the actual exploitation amount is currently about 30% compared to the safe exploitation threshold. However, it should also be noted that the current groundwater exploitation threshold and level of its exploitation compared to the safe exploitation threshold of each locality are not the same. From this result, the groundwater exploitation threshold map of the study area was established to serve the management, licensing and orientation of groundwater exploitation.

Keywords: criteria, groundwater, fresh groundwater lens, pleistocene, Nam Dinh

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Authors: Ouafa Benaida, Abdelhamid Loukil, Adda Ali Pacha

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In recent years, the growing interest of scientists in the field of image processing and analysis of underwater images and videos has been strengthened following the emergence of new underwater exploration techniques, such as the emergence of autonomous underwater vehicles and the use of underwater image sensors facilitating the exploration of underwater mineral resources as well as the search for new species of aquatic life by biologists. Indeed, underwater images and videos have several defects and must be preprocessed before their analysis. Underwater landscapes are usually darkened due to the interaction of light with the marine environment: light is absorbed as it travels through deep waters depending on its wavelength. Additionally, light does not follow a linear direction but is scattered due to its interaction with microparticles in water, resulting in low contrast, low brightness, color distortion, and restricted visibility. The improvement of the underwater image is, therefore, more than necessary in order to facilitate its analysis. The research presented in this paper aims to implement and evaluate a set of classical techniques used in the field of improving the quality of underwater images in several color representation spaces. These methods have the particularity of being simple to implement and do not require prior knowledge of the physical model at the origin of the degradation.

Keywords: underwater image enhancement, histogram normalization, histogram equalization, contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization, single-scale retinex

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Authors: Adijat Olubukola Olateju

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Women empowerment is an essential developmental tool in every economy especially in less developed countries; as it helps to enhance women's socio-economic well-being. Some empirical evidence has shown that microcredit has been an effective tool in enhancing women empowerment, especially in developing countries. This paper therefore, investigates the impact of microcredit programme on women empowerment in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study used Cowries Microfinance Bank (CMB) as a case study bank, and a total of 359 women entrepreneurs were selected by simple random sampling technique from the list of Cowries Microfinance Bank. Selection bias which could arise from non-random selection of participants or non-random placement of programme, was adjusted for by dividing the data into participant women entrepreneurs and non-participant women entrepreneurs. The data were analyzed with a Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique. The result of the Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATT) obtained from the PSM indicates that the credit programme has a significant effect on the empowerment of women in the study area. It is therefore, recommended that microfinance banks should be encouraged to give loan to women and for more impact of the loan to be felt by the beneficiaries the loan programme should be complemented with other programmes such as training, grant, and periodic monitoring of programme should be encouraged.

Keywords: empowerment, microcredit, socio-economic wellbeing, development

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Authors: Anna Crivellari, Valerio Cozzani

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Even though most of the electricity produced in the entire world still comes from fossil fuels, new policies are being implemented in order to promote a more sustainable use of energy sources. Offshore renewable resources have become increasingly attractive thanks to the huge entity of power potentially obtained. However, the intermittent nature of renewables often limits the capacity of the systems and creates mismatches between supply and demand. Hydrogen is foreseen to be a promising vector to store and transport large amounts of excess renewable power by using existing oil and gas infrastructure. In this work, an offshore hybrid energy system integrating wind energy conversion with hydrogen production was conceptually defined and applied to offshore gas platforms. A techno-economic analysis was performed by considering two different locations for the installation of the innovative power system, i.e., the North Sea and the Adriatic Sea. The water depth, the distance of the platform from the onshore gas grid, the hydrogen selling price and the green financial incentive were some of the main factors taken into account in the comparison. The results indicated that the use of well-defined indicators allows to capture specifically different cost and revenue features of the analyzed systems, as well as to evaluate their competitiveness in the actual and future energy market.

Keywords: cost analysis, energy efficiency assessment, hydrogen production, offshore wind energy

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Authors: Thamo Sutharssan, Diogo Montalvao, Wen-Chung Wang, Yong Chen, Claudia Pisac

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A combined heat and power (CHP) system is an efficient and clean way to generate power (electricity). Heat produced by the CHP system can be used for water and space heating. The CHP system which uses hydrogen as fuel produces zero carbon emission. Its’ efficiency can reach more than 80% whereas that of a traditional power station can only reach up to 50% because much of the thermal energy is wasted. The other advantages of CHP systems include that they can decentralize energy generation, improve energy security and sustainability, and significantly reduce the energy cost to the users. This paper presents the economic benefits of using a CHP system in the domestic environment. For this analysis, natural gas is considered as potential fuel as the hydrogen fuel cell based CHP systems are rarely used. UK government incentives for CHP systems are also considered as the added benefit. Results show that CHP requires a significant initial investment in return it can reduce the annual energy bill significantly. Results show that an investment may be paid back in 7 years. After the back period, CHP can run for about 3 years as most of the CHP manufacturers provide 10-year warranty.

Keywords: combined heat and power, clean energy, hydrogen fuel cell, economic analysis of CHP, zero emission

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Authors: Sundaresan Sivapatham, B. Prabhu

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Cancer results from a multistage, multi-mechanism carcinogenesis process that involves mutagenic, cell death and epigenetic mechanisms, during the three distinguishable but closely allied stages: initiation, promotion, and progression. Chemoprevention is promising in the realm of cancer prevention and it has been shown to reduce the risk of development of carcinoma in highly susceptible individuals such as those with known genetic mutations or high level of risk factors. The present study is aimed at the need of early detection of bladder cancer in order to improve performance in the treatment of this disease. Consumption of certain natural products like DIM is associated with a reduction in cancer incidence in humans. The study showed the protective effects of Diindolylmethane in N-Butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine treated rats. Results of the study had shown the changes in the tumor markers, biomarkers and histopathological alterations in experimental rats when compared to control rats. The protective effects of DIM were shown from the results of cell proliferation, apoptotic markers and histopathological findings when compared with experimental control animals. Hence, our results speculate that the tumor markers, apoptotic markers, histopathological changes and cell proliferation index measured as PCNA serves as an indicator suggestive of protective effects of DIM in BBN induced urinary bladder carcinogenesis.

Keywords: bladder cancer, N-Butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine, diindolylmethane, histopathology

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Authors: Kiran Fatima, Kashif Ali

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Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic human as well as animal pathogen that causes a variety of diseases. A total of 70 staphylococci isolates were obtained from soil, water, yogurt, and clinical samples. The likely staphylococci clinical isolates were identified phenotypically by different biochemical tests. Molecular identification was done by PCR using species-specific 16S rRNA primer pairs, and finally, 50 isolates were found to be positive as Staphylococcus aureus, sciuri, xylous and cohnii. Screened isolates were further analyzed by several microbiological diagnostics tests, including gram staining, coagulase, capsule, hemolysis, fermentation of glucose, lactose, maltose, and sucrose tests enzymatic reactions. It was found that 78%, 81%, and 51% of isolates were positive for gelatin hydrolysis, protease, and lipase activities, respectively. Antibiogram analysis of isolated Staphylococcus aureus strains with respect to different antimicrobial agents revealed resistance patterns ranging from 57 to 96%. Our study also shows 70% of strains to be MRSA, 54.3% as VRSA, and 54.3% as both MRSA and VRSA. All the identified isolates were subjected to detection of mecA, nuc, and hlb genes, and 70%, 84%, and 40% were found to harbour mecA, nuc, and hlb genes, respectively. The current investigation is highly important and informative for the high-level multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections inclusive also of methicillin and vancomycin.

Keywords: MRSA, VRSA, mecA, MSSA

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Authors: Hae-Jun Lee, Ji-Sun Shin, Kyung-Tae Lee

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Potentilla species (Rosasease) have been used in traditional medicine to treat different ailment, disease or malady. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of ethanol extracts of NUTT (EPP) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced Raw 264.7 macrophages and septic mice. EPP suppressed LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in LPS-induced Raw 264.7 macrophages. Consistent with these observations, EPP reduced the expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) by downregulation of their promoter activities. EPP inhibited tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) at production and mRNA levels. Molecularly, EPP attenuated the LPS-induced transcriptional activity, and DNA-binding activity of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and this was associated with a decrease of translocation and phosphorylation of p65 NF-κB by inhibiting the inhibitory κB-α (IκB-α) degradation and IκB kinase-α/β (IKK-α/β) phosphorylation. Furthermore, EPP suppressed the LPS-induced activation of activator protein-1 (AP-1) by reducing the expression of c-Fos and c-Jun in nuclear. EPP also reduced the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), such as p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK). In a sepsis model, pretreatment with EPP reduced the LPS-induced lethality. Collectively, these results suggest that the anti-inflammatory effects of EPP were associated with the suppression of NF-κB and AP-1 activation, and support its possible therapeutic role for the treatment of sepsis.

Keywords: anti-inflammation, activator protein-1, nuclear factor κB, Potentilla paradoxa Nutt

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Authors: Pennapa Palapin

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This study aimed to examine the management and development of forest tourism Kamchanoad. Ban Dung, Udon Thani sustainability. Data were collected by means of qualitative research including in-depth interviews, semi-structured, and then the data were summarized and discussed in accordance with the objectives. And make a presentation in the form of lectures. The target population for the study consisted of 16 people, including representatives from government agencies, community leaders and the community. The results showed that Guidelines for the Management and Development of Forest Tourism Kamchanoad include management of buildings and infrastructure such as roads, water, electricity, toilets. Other developments are the establishment of a service center that provides information and resources to facilitate tourists.; nature trails and informative signage to educate visitors on the path to the jungle Kamchanoad; forest activities for tourists who are interested only in occasional educational activities such as vegetation, etc.; disseminating information on various aspects of tourism through various channels in both Thailand and English, as well as a website to encourage community involvement in the planning and management of tourism together with the care and preservation of natural resources and preserving the local cultural tourist area of Kamchanoad.

Keywords: guidelines for the management and development, forest tourism, Kamchanoad, sustainability

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Authors: Jaeseung Lee, Muhammad Faizan Chinannai, Mohamed Hassan Gundu, Hyunchul Ju

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In this paper, we numerically investigated the effect of metal foams on a real scale 242.57cm2 (19.1 cm × 12.7 cm) polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEFCs) using a three-dimensional two-phase PEFC model to substantiate design approach for PEFCs using metal foam as the flow distributor. The simulations were conducted under the practical low humidity hydrogen, and air gases conditions in order to observe the detailed operation result in the PEFCs using the serpentine flow channel in the anode and metal foam design in the cathode. The three-dimensional contours of flow distribution in the channel, current density distribution in the membrane and hydrogen and oxygen concentration distribution are provided. The simulation results revealed that the use of highly porous and permeable metal foam can be beneficial to achieve a more uniform current density distribution and better hydration in the membrane under low inlet humidity conditions. This study offers basic directions to design channel for optimal water management of PEFCs.

Keywords: polymer electrolyte fuel cells, metal foam, real-scale, numerical model

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Authors: Gulcin Yildiz, Hao Feng

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In recent years there is growing interested in using soy protein because of several advantages compared to other protein sources, such as high nutritional value, steady supply, and low cost. Soy protein isolate (SPI) is the most refined soy protein product. It contains 90% protein in a moisture-free form and has some desirable functionalities. Creating a protein-polysaccharide conjugate to be the emulsifying agent rather than the protein alone can markedly enhance its stability. This study was undertaken to examine the effects of ultrasound treatments on the physicochemical properties of SPI-starch conjugates. The soy protein isolate (SPI, Pro-Fam® 955) samples were obtained from the Archer Daniels Midland Company. Protein concentrations were analyzed by the Bardford method using BSA as the standard. The volume-weighted mean diameters D [4,3] of protein–polysaccharide conjugates were measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Surface hydrophobicity of the conjugates was measured by using 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS) (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA). Increasing the pH from 2 to 12 resulted in increased protein solubility. The highest solubility was 69.2% for the sample treated with ultrasonication at pH 12, while the lowest (9.13%) was observed in the Control. For the other pH conditions, the protein solubility values ranged from 40.53 to 49.65%. The ultrasound treatment significantly decreased the particle sizes of the SPI-modified starch conjugates. While the D [4,3] for the Control was 731.6 nm, it was 293.7 nm for the samples treated by sonication at pH 12. The surface hydrophobicity (H0) of SPI-starch at all pH conditions were significantly higher than those in the Control. Ultrasonication was proven to be effective in improving the solubility and emulsifying properties of soy protein isolate-starch conjugates.

Keywords: particle size, solubility, soy protein isolate, ultrasonication

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Authors: Merrick Lopez, Aashish Abraham, Melissa Egge, Marissa Hood, Jui Shah

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A 3 year old male with unknown medical history presented initially with encephalopathy, intubated for respiratory failure, and admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with refractory shock. During resuscitation in the emergency department, he was found to be in severe metabolic acidosis with a pH of 7.03 and escalated on vasopressor drips for hypotension. His initial sodium was 174. He was noted to have burn injuries to his scalp, forehead, right axilla, bilateral arm creases and lower legs. He had rhabdomyolysis (initial creatinine kinase 5,430 U/L with peak levels of 62,340 normal <335 U/L), cardiac injury (initial troponin 88 ng/L with peak at 145 ng/L, normal <15ng/L), hypernatremia (peak 174, normal 140), hypocalcemia, liver injury, acute kidney injury, and neuronal loss on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Soft restraints and a shock collar were found in the home. He was critically ill for 8 days, but was gradually weaned off drips, extubated, and started on feeds. Discussion Electrical injury, specifically lightning injury is an uncommon but devastating cause of injury in pediatric patients. This patient with suspected abusive use of a dog shock collar presented similar to a lightning strike. Common entrance points include the hands and head, similar to our patient with linear wounds on his forehead. When current enters, it passes through tissues with the least resistance. Nerves, blood vessels, and muscles, have high fluid and electrolyte content and are commonly affected. Exit points are extremities: our child who had circumferential burns around his arm creases and ankles. Linear burns preferentially follow areas of high sweat concentration, and are thought to be due to vaporization of water on the skin’s surface. The most common cause of death from a lightning strike is due to cardiopulmonary arrest. The massive depolarization of the myocardium can result in arrhythmias and myocardial necrosis. The patient presented in cardiogenic shock with evident cardiac damage. Electricity going through vessels can lead to vaporization of intravascular water. This can explain his severe hypernatremia. He also sustained other internal organ injuries (adrenal glands, pancreas, liver, and kidney). Electrical discharge also leads to direct skeletal muscle injury in addition to prolonged muscular spasm. Rhabdomyolysis, the acute damage of muscle, leads to release of potentially toxic components into the circulation which could lead to acute renal failure. The patient had severe rhabdomyolysis and renal injury. Early hypocalcemia has been consistently demonstrated in patients with rhabdomyolysis. This was present in the patient and led to increased vasopressor needs. Central nervous system injuries are also common which can include encephalopathy, hypoxic injury, and cerebral infarction. The patient had evidence of brain injury as seen on MRI. Conclusion Electrical injuries due to lightning strikes and abusive use of a dog shock collar are rare, but can both present in similar ways with respiratory failure, shock, hypernatremia, rhabdomyolysis, brain injury, and multiorgan damage. Although rare, it is essential for early identification and prompt management for acute and chronic complications in these children.

Keywords: cardiogenic shock, dog shock collar, lightning strike, rhabdomyolysis

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Authors: Tomilola J. Ajayi, Moses Ollengo, Lukas le Roux, Michael N. Pillay, Richard J. Staples, Shannon M. Biros Werner E. van Zyl

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The formation, characterization, and dye-sensitized solar cell application of nickel(II), zinc(II) and cadmium(II) ferrocenyl dithiophosphonate complexes were investigated. The multidentate monoanionic ligand [S₂PFc(OH)]¯ (L1) was synthesized from the reaction between ferrocenyl Lawesson’s reagent, [FcP(=S)μ-S]₂ (FcLR), (Fc = ferrocenyl) and water. Ligand L1 could potentially coordinate to metal centers through the S, S’ and O donor atoms. The reaction between metal salt precursors and L1 produced a Ni(II) complex of the type [Ni{S₂P(Fc)(OH)}₂] (1) (molar ratio 1:2), a tetranickel (II) complex of the type [Ni₂{S₂OP(Fc)}₂]₂ (2) (molar ratio (1:1), as well as a Zn(II) complex [Zn{S₂P(Fc)(OH)}₂]₂ (3), and a Cd(II) complex [Cd{S₂P(Fc)(OH)}₂]₂ (4). Complexes 1-4 were characterized by 1H and 31P NMR and FT-IR, and complexes 1 and 2 were additionally analysed by X-Ray crystallography. After co-sensitization, the DSSCs were characterized using UV-Vis, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and photovoltaic measurements (I-V curves). Overall finding shows that co-sensitization of our compounds with ruthenium dye N719 resulted in a better overall solar conversion efficiency than only pure N719 dye under the same experimental conditions. In conclusion, we report the first examples of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) co-sensitized with ferrocenyl dithiophosphonate complexes.

Keywords: dithiophosphonate, dye sensitized solar cell, co-sensitization, solar efficiency

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Authors: Yasir Ali Arfat

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Composite films based on fish protein isolate (FPI) and fish skin gelatin (FSG) blend incorporated with 50 and 100% (w/w, protein) basil leaf essential oil (BEO) in the absence and presence of 3% (w/w, protein) ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONP) were prepared and characterised. Tensile strength (TS) decreased, whilst elongation at break (EAB) increased as BEO level increased (p < 0.05). However, ZnONP addition resulted in higher TS but lower EAB (p < 0.05). The lowest water vapour permeability (WVP) was observed for the film incorporated with 100% BEO and 3% ZnONP (p < 0.05). BEO and ZnONP incorporation decreased transparency of FPI/FSG films (p < 0.05). FTIR spectra indicated that films added with BEO exhibited higher hydrophobicity. Both BEO and ZnONP had a marked impact on thermal stability of the films. Microstructural study revealed that presence of ZnONP prevented bilayer formation of film containing 100% BEO. FPI/FSG films incorporated with 100% BEO, especially in combination with ZnONP, exhibited strong antibacterial activity against food pathogenic and spoilage bacteria and thus could be used as an active food packaging material to ensure safety and to extend the shelf-life of packaged foods.

Keywords: bionanocomposite, fish protein isolate, fish skin gelatin, basil essential oil, ZnO nanoparticles, antimicrobial packaging

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Authors: Merouani Djilali Redha, F. Abdelmalek, A. A. Addou

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Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) utilizing Homogenous photocatalysis (Fenton and photo-Fenton reactions), and Heterogeneous photocatalyse (TiO2 and ZnO) were investigated for the degradation of commercial azo dye ‘Orange G’ wastewater. Fenton and photo-Fenton experimental conditions were: Hydrogen peroxide concentration (10-2 M), Ferrous ions concentration (5.10-4 M), pH (2.8 – 3), UV lamp power (6 watt). Adding more ferrous ions enhanced the oxidation rate for the H2O2/Fe2+ and UV/H2O2/Fe2+ processes. The optimum catalyst loading was found 2.0 g.L-1 in our case for both catalysts TiO2 and ZnO. A comparative study of the photocatalytic degradation showed that these two catalysts have a comparable reactivity; it follows a pseudo-first-order kinetics. The degradation trends followed the order: UV365/Fenton > UV365/TiO2 > Solar Fenton > Solar TiO2 > Fenton ~UV365/ZnO. Among AOPs, processes using Fenton type reagent are relatively cheap and easy to operate and maintain. Moreover, UV365/Fenton process has been shown as effective in the treatment of OG dye. Dye was degraded following second-order kinetics. The rate constants was 0,041 .10+6 L.M-1.min-1. The degradation was followed by spectrophotometric method, chemical oxygen demand (COD) measures and high performance liquid chromatography analyses (HPLC). Some aromatic and aliphatic degradation compounds were identified. Degradation of Orange G by UV Fenton mechanism was also proposed.

Keywords: AOPs, homogeneous catalysis, heterogeneous catalysis, acid orange 10, hydroxyl radical

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Authors: Mohamed Radwan

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Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome is becoming very common among girls from ages 14 to 21 years old, alongside women in their childbearing period. A combination of menstrual irregularities, overweight or obesity, insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes), and symptoms of virilization are characteristics of these cases. Background: A multidisciplinary team should be involved in managing these cases and may consist of A gynecologist, endocrinologist, nutritionist, and psychologist. The role of nutritionists is crucial in these cases in weight reduction and nutritional management. It is mandatory to present some questions that may help in expanding further our understanding of the nutritional management of this syndrome, such as it is not an easy process to reduce the weight of PCO patients (2) we need to know what suitable nutritional plans for these cases are. Methodology: It is not successful to use one diet plan for all patients or a specific plan, but we need to give tailored plans for each patient. We will summarize the medical, nutritional therapy and weight management in polycystic ovary patients and highlight the best eating plan and dietary composition in the treatment of these women. We will also discuss the role of dieticians in treating polycystic ovary cases and overcoming the challenges these women face. Conclusion: All diet plans would decrease the weight of Polycystic ovary cases as low calory diet, low glycemic index diet, high protein diet, as well as Dash diet, but the most suitable diet plan to improve hormones and lead to spontaneous pregnancy is the Mediterranean diet.

Keywords: obesity, PCO mediteranian diet, dash diet, high protein diet

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Authors: Zasha Romero, Roberto Trevino, Lin Wang, Elizabeth Alanis, Jesus Cuellar

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Background: There is a strong relationship between low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and high adiposity levels. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of the Bienestar/Neema Coordinated School Health Program (BN CSHP) on the CRF of preschool children. Methods: This is a randomized cluster trial conducted in preschools of two school districts located along the Texas-Mexico border. Of 48 eligible schools, 28 were randomly selected (intervention, n=14; control, n=14). Family demographics and household health characteristics were collected from parents. CRF, as measured by the Progressive Anaerobic Capacity Endurance Run (PACER) fitness test, was collected from the children. A generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) was used to analyze the data. Results: Family demographics, household health characteristics, and children’s weight, obesity prevalence, and sedentary activity were similar among both treatment groups. After adjusting for covariates, the number of laps run by children in the control group increased by 23% (CI: -5% to 60%) per each data collection period compared with 53% (CI: 7% to 119%) in the intervention group. Conclusions: Children in the BN CSHP, compared to those in the control group, had a significantly higher increase in their CRF. This finding is important because of the health benefits of CRF in children.

Keywords: coordinated school health program, cardiorespiratory fitness, obesity, border health, preschool, physical education, movement

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Authors: Danny Fraser, James Zhang

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Aim of the study: Our study aims to identify any statistically significant evidence as it relates to PROMs for mastectomy and implant-based reconstruction to guide future surgical management. Method: The demographic, pre and post-operative treatment and implant characteristics were collected of all patients at Basildon hospital who underwent breast reconstruction from 2017-2023. We used the Breast-Q psychosocial well-being, physical well-being, and satisfaction with breasts scales. An Independent t-test was conducted for each group, and linear regression of age and implant size. Results: 69 patients were contacted, and 39 PROMs returned. The mean age of patients was 57.6. 40% had smoked before, and 40.8% had BMI>30. 29 had pre-pectoral placement, and 40 had subpectoral placement. 17 had smooth implants, and 52 textured. Sub pectoral placement was associated with higher (75.7 vs. 61.9 p=0.046) psychosocial scores than pre pectoral, and textured implants were associated with a lower physical score than the smooth surface (34.7 VS 50.2 P=0.046). On linear regression, age was positively associated (p=0.007) with psychosocial score. Conclusion: We present a large cohort of patients who underwent breast reconstruction. Understanding the PROMs of these procedures can guide clinicians, patients and policy makers to be more informed of the course of rehabilitation of these operations. Significance: We have found that from a patient perspective subpectoral implant placement was associated with a statistically significant improvement in psychosocial scores.

Keywords: breast surgery, mastectomy, breast implants, oncology

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Authors: Zohra Benfodda, Valentin Duvauchelle, Chaimae Majdi, David Bénimélis, Catherine Dunyach-Remy, Patrick Meffre

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New antibiotics are necessary to treat microbial pathogens, especially ESKAPE pathogens that are becoming increasingly resistant to available treatment. Despite the medical need, the number of newly approved drugs continues to decline. The majority of antibiotics under clinical development are natural products or derivatives thereof. 43 juglone/naphthazarin derivatives were synthesized using Minisci-type direct C–H alkylation and evaluated for their antibacterial properties against various clinical and reference Gram-positive MSSA, clinical Gram-positive MRSA. Different compounds of the synthesized series showed promising activity against clinical and reference MSSA (MIC: 1–8 μg/ml) and good efficacy against clinical MRSA (MIC: 2–8 μg/ml) strains. The synergistic effects of active compounds were evaluated with reference antibiotics (vancomycin and cloxacillin), and it was found that the antibiotic combination with those active compounds efficiently enhanced the antimicrobial activity and consequently the MIC values of reference antibiotics were lowered up to 1/16th of the original MIC. These synthesized compounds did not present hemolytic activity on sheep red blood cells. In addition to the in silico prediction of ADME profile parameter which is promising and encouraging for further development.

Keywords: juglone, naphthazarin, antibacterial, clinical MRSA, synergistic studies, MIC determination

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Authors: Funmilayo Abiola Opadoja, Samuel Olukayode Awotona

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Nursing services costing has been a major interest to nurses for a long period of time. Determination of nursing costing is germane in order to show the effectiveness of nursing practice in an improved and affordable health care delivery system. This has been a major concern of managers that have the mind of quality and affordable health services. The treatment or intervention should be considered as ‘product’ of nursing care and should provide an explainable term for billing. The study was non-experimental, descriptive and went about eliciting the views of nurses on costing nursing care at two public hospitals namely: University College Hospital and Adeoyo Maternity Teaching Hospital. The questionnaire was the instrument used in eliciting nurse’s response. It was administered randomly on 300 selected respondents across various wards within the hospitals. The data was collected and analysed using SPSS20.0 to generate frequency, and cross-tabulations to explore the statistical relationship between variables. The result shows that 89.2% of the respondents viewed costing of nursing care as an important issued to be looked into. The study concluded that nursing care costing is germane to enhancing the status and imagery of the nurses, it is essential because it would enhance the performance of nurses in discharging their duties. There is need to have a procedural manual agreed on by nursing practitioner on costing of each care given.

Keywords: costing, health care delivery system, intervention, nursing care, practitioner

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Authors: R. Pérez Castells, J. M. Carbajo

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Sepiolite is used as a processing aid in the manufacture of fibre cement from the start of the replacement of asbestos in the 80s. Sepiolite increases the inter-laminar bond between cement layers and improves homogeneity of the slurries. A new type of sepiolite processed product, Wollatrop TF/C, has been checked as a retention agent for fine particles in the production of fibre cement in a Hatschek machine. The effect of Wollatrop T/FC on filtering and fine particle losses was studied as well as the interaction with anionic polyacrylamide and microsilica. The design of the experiments were factorial and the VDT equipment used for measuring retention and drainage was modified Rapid Köethen laboratory sheet former. Wollatrop TF/C increased the fine particle retention improving the economy of the process and reducing the accumulation of solids in recycled process water. At the same time, drainage time increased sharply at high concentration, however drainage time can be improved by adjusting APAM concentration. Wollatrop TF/C and microsilica are having very small interactions among them. Microsilica does not control fine particle losses while Wollatrop TF/C does efficiently. Further research on APAM type (molecular weight and anionic character) is advisable to improve drainage.

Keywords: drainage, fibre-reinforced cement, fine particle losses, flocculation, microsilica, sepiolite

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Authors: Tamer El-Messery, Beraat Ozcelik

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This study aimed to produce functional yogurt supplemented with microencapsulated krill oil as a source of omega 3, which is known, to maintain the normal brain function, reduce the risk of cancer, and preventing cardiovascular disease. Krill oil was mixed with black cumin oil (1:1) in order to increase its oxidative stability. β-caroteine (10 mg/100 ml) was used as a standard antioxidant. Maltodextrin (MD) was mixed with whey protein concentrate (WPC) and gum Arabic (GA) at the ratio of 8:2:0.5 ratios and used for microencapsulation of single or mixed oils. The microcapsules were dried by freeze and spray drying in order to maximize encapsulation efficiency and minimize lipid oxidation. The feed emulsions used for particle production were characterized for stability, viscosity and particle size, zeta potential, and oxidative stability. The oxidative stability for mixed krill oil and black cumin oil was the highest. The highest encapsulation efficiency was obtained using spray drying, which also showed the highest oxidative stability. The addition of encapsulated krill and black cumin oils (1:1) powder in yogurt manufacture reduced slightly effects on the development of acidity, textural parameters, and water holding capacity of yogurt as compared to control.

Keywords: Krill oil, black cumin oil, micro-encapsulation, oxidative stability, functional yogurt

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Authors: Yasar N. Kavil, Yasser A. Shaban, Radwan K. Al Farawati, Mohamed I. Orif, Shahed U. M. Khanc

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Photocatalytic way of reduction of CO₂ in polluted seawater into chemical fuel, methanol, was successfully gained over Cu/C-co-doped TiO₂ nanoparticles under UV and natural sunlight. A homemade stirred batch annular reactor was used to carry out the photocatalytic reduction experiments. Photocatalysts with various Cu loadings (0, 0.5, 1, 3, 5 and 7 wt.%) were synthesized by the sol-gel procedure and were characterized by XRD, SEM, UV–Vis, FTIR, and XPS. The photocatalytic production of methanol was promoted by the co-doping with C and Cu into TiO₂. This improvement was attributed to the modification of bandgap energy and the hindrance of the charges recombination. The polluted seawater showing the yield depended on its background hydrographic parameters. We assessed two types of polluted seawater system, the observed yield was 2910 and 990 µmol g⁻¹ after 5 h of illumination under UV and natural sunlight respectively in system 1 and the corresponding yield in system 2 was 2250 and 910 µmol g⁻¹ after 5 h of illumination. The production of methanol in the case of oxygen-depleted water was low, this is mainly attributed to the competition of methanogenic bacteria over methanol production. The results indicated that the methanol yield produced by Cu-C/TiO₂ was much higher than those of carbon-modified titanium oxide (C/TiO₂) and Degussa (P25-TiO₂). Under the current experimental condition, the optimum loading was achieved by the doping of 3 wt % of Cu. The highest methanol yield was obtained over 1 g L-1 of 3wt% Cu/C-TiO₂.

Keywords: CO₂ photoreduction, copper, Cu/C-co-doped TiO₂, methanol, seawater

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Authors: Kirolos Gerges Yakoub Gerges

Abstract:

Self-sustaining agricultural machines act in stochastic surroundings and therefore, should be capable of perceive the surroundings in real time. This notion can be done using image sensors blended with superior device learning, mainly Deep mastering. Deep convolutional neural networks excel in labeling and perceiving colour pix and since the fee of RGB-cameras is low, the hardware cost of accurate notion relies upon heavily on memory and computation power. This paper investigates the opportunity of designing lightweight convolutional neural networks for semantic segmentation (pixel clever class) with reduced hardware requirements, to allow for embedded usage in self-reliant agricultural machines. The usage of compression techniques, a lightweight convolutional neural community is designed to carry out actual-time semantic segmentation on an embedded platform. The community is skilled on two big datasets, ImageNet and Pascal Context, to apprehend as much as four hundred man or woman instructions. The 400 training are remapped into agricultural superclasses (e.g. human, animal, sky, road, area, shelterbelt and impediment) and the capacity to provide correct actual-time perception of agricultural environment is studied. The network is carried out to the case of self-sufficient grass mowing the usage of the NVIDIA Tegra X1 embedded platform. Feeding case-unique pics to the community consequences in a fully segmented map of the superclasses within the picture. As the network remains being designed and optimized, handiest a qualitative analysis of the technique is entire on the abstract submission deadline. intending this cut-off date, the finalized layout is quantitatively evaluated on 20 annotated grass mowing pictures. Light-weight convolutional neural networks for semantic segmentation can be implemented on an embedded platform and show aggressive performance on the subject of accuracy and speed. It’s miles viable to offer value-efficient perceptive capabilities related to semantic segmentation for autonomous agricultural machines.

Keywords: centrifuge pump, hydraulic energy, agricultural applications, irrigationaxial flux machines, axial flux applications, coreless machines, PM machinesautonomous agricultural machines, deep learning, safety, visual perception

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Authors: Isyaka Abdulkadir, Egbe-Ngu Ntui Ogork

Abstract:

This research aims to investigate the effect of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) on Scrap Tyre Steel Fiber Reinforced High Performance Concrete (STSFRHPC). RHA was obtained by control burning of rice husk in a kiln to a temperature of 650-700oC and when cooled sieved through 75µm sieve and characterized. The effect of RHA were investigated on grade 50 STSFRHPC of 1:1.28:1.92 with water cement ratio of 0.39 at additions of Scrap Tyre Steel Fiber (STSF) of 1.5% by volume of concrete and partial replacement of cement with RHA at percentages of 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20. The fresh concrete was tested for slump while the hardened concrete was tested for compressive and splitting tensile strengths respectively at curing ages of 3, 7, 28 and 56 days in accordance with standard procedure. Results of RHA-STSFRHPC indicated a reduction in slump and compressive strength with increase in RHA content, while splitting tensile strength increased with RHA replacement up to 10% and reduction in strength above 10% RHA content. The 28 days compressive strength of RHA-STSFRHPC with up to 10% RHA attained the desired characteristic strength of 50N/mm2 and therefore up to 10% RHA is considered as the optimum replacement dosage in STSFRHPC-RHA.

Keywords: compressive strength, high performance concrete, rice husk ash, scrap tyre steel fibers

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Authors: Karim Hamidi Machekposhti, Hossein Sedghi

Abstract:

This study was designed to find the best stochastic model (using of time series analysis) for annual extreme streamflow (peak and maximum streamflow) of Karkheh River at Iran. The Auto-regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model used to simulate these series and forecast those in future. For the analysis, annual extreme streamflow data of Jelogir Majin station (above of Karkheh dam reservoir) for the years 1958–2005 were used. A visual inspection of the time plot gives a little increasing trend; therefore, series is not stationary. The stationarity observed in Auto-Correlation Function (ACF) and Partial Auto-Correlation Function (PACF) plots of annual extreme streamflow was removed using first order differencing (d=1) in order to the development of the ARIMA model. Interestingly, the ARIMA(4,1,1) model developed was found to be most suitable for simulating annual extreme streamflow for Karkheh River. The model was found to be appropriate to forecast ten years of annual extreme streamflow and assist decision makers to establish priorities for water demand. The Statistical Analysis System (SAS) and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) codes were used to determinate of the best model for this series.

Keywords: stochastic models, ARIMA, extreme streamflow, Karkheh river

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Authors: Anthony P. Anies, Jose C. Muñoz

Abstract:

A new shortcut method for the design of reactive-dividing wall columns (RDWC) is proposed in this work. The RDWC is decomposed into its thermodynamically equivalent configuration naming the Petlyuk column, which consists of a reactive prefractionator and an unreactive main fractionator. The modified FUGK(Fenske-Underwood-Gilliland-Kirkbride) shortcut distillation method, which incorporates the effect of reaction on the Underwood equations and the Gilliland correlation, is used to design the reactive prefractionator. On the other hand, the conventional FUGK shortcut method is used to design the unreactive main fractionator. The shortcut method is applied to the synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) through the liquid phase dehydration of methanol, and the results were used as the starting design inputs for rigorous simulation in Aspen Plus V8.8. A mole purity of 99 DME in the distillate stream, 99% methanol in the side draw stream, and 99% water in the bottoms stream were obtained in the simulation, thereby making the proposed shortcut method applicable for the preliminary design of RDWC.

Keywords: aspen plus, dimethyl ether, petlyuk column, reactive-dividing wall column, shortcut method, FUGK

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Authors: Pyar S. Jassal, Sonal Gupta, Neema Chand, Rajni Johar

Abstract:

In present study, Low molecular weight chitosan naoparticles (LMWCNP) were synthesized by using low molecular weight chitosan (LMWC) and sodium tripolyphosphate for the adsorption of anthraquinone dyes from waste water. The ionic-gel technique was used for this purpose. Size of nanoparticles was determined by “Scherrer equation”. The absorbance was carried out with UV-visible spectrophotometer for Acid Green 25 (AG25) and Reactive Blue 4 (RB4) dyes solutions at λmax 644 and λmax 598 nm respectively. The removal of dyes was dependent on the pH and the optimum adsorption was between pH 2 to 9. The extraction of dyes was linearly dependent on temperature. The equilibrium parameters, RL was calculated by using the Langmuir isotherm and shows that adsorption of dyes is favorable on the LMWCNP. The XRD images of LMWC show a crystalline nature whereas LMWCNP is amorphous one. The thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) shows that LMWCNP thermally more stable than LMWC. As the contact time increases, percentage removal of Acid Green 25 and Reactive Blue 4 dyes also increases. TEM images reveal the size of the LMWCNP were in the range of 45-50 nm. The capacity of AG25 dye on LMWC was 5.23 mg/g, it compared with LMWCNP capacity which was 6.83 mg/g respectively. The capacity of RB4 dye on LMWC was 2.30 mg/g and 2.34 mg/g was on LMWCNP.

Keywords: low molecular weight chitosan nanoparticles, anthraquinone dye, removal efficiency, adsorption isotherm

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Authors: Ali Mashinchian Moradi, Mahmood Sinaei

Abstract:

Study on the biomarkers to assess health status of marine ecosystems has an important value in biomonitoring of marine environment. Accordingly, accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediment, water and tissues (liver and gill) of mudskipper (Boleophthalmus dussmieri) and some physiological responses like lysosomal membrane change in haemocytes and the Glutathione-S Transferase (GST) activity in the liver were measured in mudskippers. Samples were collected from five sites along the noth western cost of the Persian Gulf. PAHs concentration was measured by HPLC method. The activity of GST enzyme was analysed by spectrophotometric method. Total PAH concentration in coastal seawater, sediments, liver and gill tissues ranged between 0.80-18.34 ug/L, 113.550-3384.34 ng/g dw, 3.99-46.64 ng/g dw and 3.11-17.This study showed that PAH concentrations in this region are not higher than available standards. The findings revile that lysosomal membrane destabilization and liver GST activities are highly sensitive to PAHs in mudskipper, B. dussumieri. Sediment PAH concentrations were strongly correlated with biomarkers, indicating PAHs were biologically available to fish. Thus, mudskipper perceived to be good sentinel organism for PAH pollution biomonitoring.

Keywords: PAHs, biomarker, mudskipper, Persian Gulf

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Authors: Manijeh Ghahroudi Tali, Ladan Khedri Gharibvand

Abstract:

Gavkhouni lagoon, in the South East of Isfahan (Iran), is one of the pluvial lakes and legacy of Quaternary era which has emerged during periods with more precipitation and less evaporation. Climate change, lack of water resources and dried freshwater of Zayandehrood resulted in increased entropy and activated a dynamic which in turn is converted to Playa. The morphometry of 61 polygonal clay microforms in wet zone soil, 52 polygonal clay microforms in pediplain zone soil and 63 microforms in sulfate soil, is evaluated by fractal model. After calculating the microforms’ area–perimeter fractal dimension, their turbulence level was analyzed. Fractal dimensions (DAP) obtained from the microforms’ analysis of pediplain zone, wet zone, and sulfate soils are 1/21-1/39, 1/27-1/44 and 1/29-1/41, respectively, which is indicative of turbulence in these zones. Logarithmic graph drawn for each region also shows that there is a linear relationship between logarithm of the microforms’ area and perimeter so that correlation coefficient (R2) obtained for wet zone is larger than 0.96, for pediplain zone is larger than 0.99 and for sulfated zone is 0.9. Increased turbulence in this region suggests morphological transformation of the system and lagoon’s conversion to a new ecosystem which can be accompanied with serious risks.

Keywords: fractal, Gavkhouni, microform, Iran

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