Use of Activated Carbon Derived from Maize Cob and Mahogany Seed Shell for the Removal of Colour from Textile Effluent

In the present study natural adsorbents Maize Cob (MC) and Mahogany Shells (MS) were carbonized and activated with steam/zinc chloride and sieved into 600μm particle sizes. The adsorbents were treated for the removal of colour from textile effluent at different time. These adsorbents were also evaluated at different adsorbent doses and effluent concentrations. It was found that Maize cob has the highest colour removal efficiency of 86% and also at shorter time of 25minutes compared to Mahogany shells which record 73% and at 30, respectively. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models were used for the mathematical description of colour adsorption equilibrium onto the adsorbents and the result obtained showed that the adsorption equilibrium data onto MC was closely fitted to the Langmuir model whereas the adsorption equilibrium data onto MS was closely fitted to the Freundlich model. Hence, adsorption of the colour onto the adsorbents is monolayer adsorption process.Keywords: Adsorption Isotherm, Mahogany Shells, Maize Cob, % Removal, Textile Effluen

Prevalence of Group A beta-haemolytic Streptococcus isolated from children with acute pharyngotonsillitis in Aden, Yemen.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of Group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus (GAS) and non-GAS infections among children with acute pharyngotonsillitis in Aden, Yemen, to evaluate the value of a rapid diagnostic test and the McIsaac score for patient management in this setting and to determine the occurrence of emm genotypes among a subset of GAS isolated from children with acute pharyngotonsillitis and a history of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) or rheumatic heart disease (RHD). METHODS: Group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus infections in school-aged children with acute pharyngotonsillitis in Aden, Yemen, were diagnosed by a rapid GAS antigen detection test (RADT) and/or GAS culture from a throat swab. The RADT value and the McIsaac screening score for patient management were evaluated. The emm genotype of a subset of GAS isolates was determined. RESULTS: Group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus pharyngotonsillitis was diagnosed in 287/691 (41.5%; 95% CI 37.8-45.3) children. Group B, Group C and Group G beta-haemolytic streptococci were isolated from 4.3% children. The RADT had a sensitivity of 238/258 (92.2%) and specificity of 404/423 (95.5%) against GAS culture. A McIsaac score of ≥4 had a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 82% for confirmed GAS infection. The emm genotypes in 21 GAS isolates from children with pharyngitis and a history of ARF and confirmed RHD were emm87 (11), emm12 (6), emm28 (3) and emm5 (1). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates a very high prevalence of GAS infections in Yemeni children and the value of the RADT and the McIsaac score in this setting. More extensive emm genotyping is necessary to understand the local epidemiology of circulating strains

The use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethno-medicine for the treatment of epilepsy among people of South Asian origin in the UK

Studies have shown that a significant proportion of people with epilepsy use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM use is known to vary between different ethnic groups and cultural contexts; however, little attention has been devoted to inter-ethnic differences within the UK population. We studied the use of biomedicine, complementary and alternative medicine, and ethnomedicine in a sample of people with epilepsy of South Asian origin living in the north of England

Megameatus intact prepuce variety of hypospadias: tips for repair using the modified glanular approximation procedure

Background/purpose Megameatus and intact prepuce (MIP) is an unusual, anterior hypospadias variant. Cosmetic remodeling is usually carried out to avoid disturbing the child’s psychological state. Several approaches are used for MIP repair. The purpose of this study was to present a single institution’s experience with the modified glanular approximation procedure (GAP) in the treatment of the MIP variant of hypospadias and the tips needed to obtain the best outcome.Patients and methods Seventeen patients with MIP were repaired between May 2004 and May 2009 by the modified GAP technique. The technique was used to achieve a conical glans with a vertical slit, tip-cited meatus, and a straight urine stream. Patient/parent satisfaction was assessed by a subjective score that ranged between 0 and 3 and complications were reported.Results All patients were repaired using the modified GAP technique. The age of the patients ranged from 6 months to 28 years. Four patients were circumcised with a history of intact prepuce. An intermediate layer was added in seven patients. Excision of a part of the redundant urethral plate was carried out in six cases. Disruption of the repair occurred in one patient as a result of wound infection. Excellent cosmetic results were achieved in 14 patients (10 with a subjective score of 3 and four with a subjective score of 2). Two patients expressed an acceptable score of 1 and one patient was dissatisfied with a subjective score of 0.Conclusion Good cosmetic results, such as achievement of a straight urine stream and patient satisfaction, can be achieved using the modified GAP procedure. The steps should be tailored to individual cases.Keywords: hypospadias, megameatus, modified glanular approximation procedur

Antioxidant Activity of the Phenolic Leaf Extracts from Monechma ciliatum in Stabilization of Corn Oil

The total phenolic content and the antioxidan potential of methanolic extract (ME), ethyl acetate extract (EAE), and hexane extract (HE) from Monechma ciliatum leaves (MCL) were evaluated. The Folin-Ciocalteu, b-carotene bleaching, the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and the accelerated oxidation methods were used for evaluation. Both the extraction yield and the antioxidant activity (AOA) were strongly dependent on the solvent. Among the extracts, ME exhibited highest total phenolic compounds (TPC) and IC50 values for DPPH, followed by EAE and HE, respectively. Peroxide value (PV), anisidine value (AV) conjugated dienes (CD), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were taken as the parameters for evaluation of stabilization efficacy of MCL extracts and results revealed MCL to be a potent antioxidant for the stabilization of corn oil. As a general trend, increased AOA was observed for increased extract concentration. The predominant phenolic compounds identified by HPLC-DAD in MCL extracts were p-coumaric acid, vanillin and ferulic acid

Transition probabilities for general birth-death processes with applications in ecology, genetics, and evolution

A birth-death process is a continuous-time Markov chain that counts the number of particles in a system over time. In the general process with $n$ current particles, a new particle is born with instantaneous rate $\lambda_n$ and a particle dies with instantaneous rate $\mu_n$. Currently no robust and efficient method exists to evaluate the finite-time transition probabilities in a general birth-death process with arbitrary birth and death rates. In this paper, we first revisit the theory of continued fractions to obtain expressions for the Laplace transforms of these transition probabilities and make explicit an important derivation connecting transition probabilities and continued fractions. We then develop an efficient algorithm for computing these probabilities that analyzes the error associated with approximations in the method. We demonstrate that this error-controlled method agrees with known solutions and outperforms previous approaches to computing these probabilities. Finally, we apply our novel method to several important problems in ecology, evolution, and genetics

The Global Longitudinal Study of Osteoporosis in Women (GLOW): rationale and study design

SUMMARY: The Global Longitudinal study of Osteoporosis in Women (GLOW) is a prospective cohort study involving 723 physicians and 60,393 women subjects >or=55 years. The data will provide insights into the management of fracture risk in older women over 5 years, patient experience with prevention and treatment, and distribution of risk among older women on an international basis. INTRODUCTION: Data from cohort studies describing the distribution of osteoporosis-related fractures and risk factors are not directly comparable and do not compare regional differences in patterns of patient management and fracture outcomes. METHODS: The GLOW is a prospective, multinational, observational cohort study. Practices typical of each region were identified through primary care networks organized for administrative, research, or educational purposes. Noninstitutionalized patients visiting each practice within the previous 2 years were eligible. Self-administered questionnaires were mailed, with 2:1 oversampling of women >or=65 years. Follow-up questionnaires will be sent at 12-month intervals for 5 years. RESULTS: A total of 723 physicians at 17 sites in ten countries agreed to participate. Baseline surveys were mailed (October 2006 to February 2008) to 140,416 subjects. After the exclusion of 3,265 women who were ineligible or had died, 60,393 agreed to participate. CONCLUSIONS: GLOW will provide contemporary information on patterns of management of fracture risk in older women over a 5-year period. The collection of data in a similar manner in ten countries will permit comparisons of patient experience with prevention and treatment and provide insights into the distribution of risk among older women on an international basis

Influential factors on the levels of cation exchange capacity in sediment at Langat river.

An exploratory study was carried out at 22 sampling stations along the Langat River, Selangor in order to investigate on the vitality of cation exchange capacity (CEC) in sediment (0–5 cm). Parameters such as pH, Eh, salinity, and electrical conductivity (EC) were determined. The CEC in sediment has been calculated by the determination of Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, and K+ using the flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer, while the organic matter content in sediment was ascertained using the loss on ignition method. The characteristic of the sediment shows that pH (3.09–7.46), salinity (0.02–10.71 ppt), EC (3.39–517 μS/cm) and Eh (−16.20–253.10 mV) were substantially high in variation. This study also revealed that exchangeable Ca2+ and Mg2+ were controlled by organic matter contents, while exchangeable Na+ and K+ were influenced by salinity. Salinity was observed to play a major part in controlling all the exchangeable cations, as it gives strong significant correlations with Na+, K+, Mg2+, CEC, and organic matter at p < 0.01. The presence of seawater, clay mineralogy, and organic matter proves that it does play an important role in determining the CEC and soon relates to the pollution magnitude in the sediment