Effect of GEMPEHD thermal properties on the propagation of heat in solar stills

The properties of GEMPEHD as an absorber material in a prototype of solar still have been investigated in a temperature range from 300 K to 400 K. Results showed a dependency between temperature and its properties. The enegy absorbed by the GEMPEHD increases its temperature, the power received by the air and the air temperature. Overall losses increase with the difference of the temperature between the GEMPEHD and windows. This increases the efficiency of the solar still and minimizes the entropy of the system. The study of thermal aging is dedicated to the interpretation of various analyses the GEMPEHD before and after its use in the solar still. The thermal aging GEMPEHD in the air is a physical loss and chemical consumption immediately followed by a brutal oxidation of the polymer. The losses would be governed primarily by the chemical consumption of antioxidants.Keywords: GEMPEHD, temperature, solar collector, agin

Bio-oxidation of a low grade chalcopyrite ore by mixed culture of acidophilic bacteria

A study on the extent of biooxidation of a low grade Chalcopyrite ore using a mixed acidophilic bacterial consortium predominantly of the Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans strain has been carried out.  The influence of additive and pH on the bio-oxidation of the ore has been examined. The results of the investigations showed that bio-oxidation was enhanced by the addition of nutrient broth at lower pH. The enhancement in biooxidation of a chalcopyrite ore was 54% and 19% with and without addition of broth in 10 days incubation time, respectively. The study showed that at a lower pH (≤ 4.0), the biooxidation of the ore was higher in presence of broth. Consequently, in presence of nutrient broth, the concentration of Fe and Cu leached were 1200 mg/L and 350 mg/L; and without nutrient broth yielded 580 mg/L and 220 mg/L, respectively within 10 days of incubation and decreases afterwards

Comparison between the BACTEC MGIT 960 system and the agar proportion method for susceptibility testing of multidrug resistant tuberculosis strains in a high burden setting of South Africa

BACKGROUND: The increasing problem of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) [ie resistant to at least isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF)] is becoming a global problem. Successful treatment outcome for MDR-TB depends on reliable and accurate drug susceptibility testing of first-line and second-line anti-TB drugs. METHOD: Consecutive M. tuberculosis isolates identified as MDR-TB during August 2007 to January 2008 using the BACTEC MGIT 960 systems and the agar proportion method were included in this study. Susceptibility testing of MDR-TB isolates against ethambutol (EMB) and streptomycin (STR) as well as two second-line anti-TB drugs, kanamycin (KAN) and ofloxacin (OFX) was performed using the BACTEC MGIT 960 systems at a routine diagnostic laboratory. The results were compared to those obtained by the agar proportion method. RESULT: The agreement between the BACTEC MGIT 960 system and the agar proportion method was 44% for EMB, 61% for STR and 89% for both KAN and OFX. The sensitivity and specificity of the BACTEC MGIT 960 system using the agar proportion method as a gold standard was 92% and 37% for EMB, 95% and 37% for STR, 27% and 97% for KAN and 84% and 90% for OFX, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The BACTEC MGIT 960 system showed acceptable sensitivity for EMB, STR, and OFX; however, the BACTEC MGIT 960 system was less specific for EMB and STR and demonstrated a low sensitivity for KAN. The lower agreement found between the two methods suggests the unreliability of the BACTEC MGIT 960 system for the drugs tested. The reasons for the lower agreement between the two methods need to be investigated and further studies are needed in this setting to confirm the study finding.The project was supported by a grant from the NHLS.http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/12/369am2013ay201

Reductive Metabolism of AGE Precursors: A Metabolic Route for Preventing AGE Accumulation in Cardiovascular Tissue

OBJECTIVE—To examine the role of aldo-keto reductases (AKRs) in the cardiovascular metabolism of the precursors of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Steady-state kinetic parameters of AKRs with AGE precursors were determined using recombinant proteins expressed in bacteria. Metabolism of meth-ylglyoxal and AGE accumulation were studied in human umbil-ical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and C57 wild-type, akr1b3 (aldose reductase)-null, cardiospecific-akr1b4 (rat aldose reduc-tase), and akr1b8 (FR-1)-transgenic mice. AGE accumulation and atherosclerotic lesions were studied 12 weeks after streptozoto-cin treatment of C57, akr1b3-null, and apoE- and akr1b3-apoE– null mice. RESULTS—Higher levels of AGEs were generated in the cytosol than at the external surface of HUVECs cultured in high glucose

Experimental study of flow characteristics around floodplain single groyne

This study investigated the flow around river’s floodplain single groynes. Two different compound channels with one and two symmetrical floodplains having widths of 1- and 2-times of the main channel width, respectively, were used. Both impermeable and permeable groynes with three different relative lengths (relative to the floodplain width) and having three different permeability values of 40, 60, and 80% were investigated. The 3D flow velocities were measured in the horizontal plane at 0.25 and 0.5 of floodplain water depth (hf), and in the vertical plane at the main channel's centerline. Therefore, the flow velocities in the longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions, and the flow water surfaces were measured and analyzed. The results showed that, as the groyne permeability increased up to 60%, a reduction of up to 30% to the maximum velocity and 22 % to the tip velocity were observed. The permeable groyne length had limited influence on the flow structure. Both the groyne permeability and the length ratio had significant effects on the floodplain water depth. The scouring and the deposition activities resulting from impermeable groynes can be avoided, should the groyne length be kept below half of the floodplain width

Polarized Virtual Photon Structure Function g2γg_2^\gamma and Twist-3 Effects in QCD

We investigate the twist-3 effects in the polarized virtual photon structure. The structure functions $g_1^\gamma$ and $g_2^\gamma$ of polarized photon could be experimentally studied in the future polarized $ep$ or $e^+e^-$ colliders. The leading contributions to $g_1^\gamma$ are the twist-2 effects, while another structure function $g_2^\gamma$, which only exists for the virtual photon target, receives not only the twist-2 but also twist-3 contributions. We first show that the twist-3 effects actually exist in the box-diagram contributions and we extract the twist-3 part, which can also be reproduced by the pure QED operator product expansion. We then calculate the non-trivial lowest moment ($n=3$) of the twist-3 contribution to $g_2^\gamma$ in QCD. For large $N_c$ (the number of colors), the QCD analysis of the twist-3 effects in the flavor nonsinglet part of $g_2^\gamma$ becomes tractable and we can obtain its moments in a compact form for all $n$.Comment: 27 pages, LaTeX, 9 eps figures, eqsection.sty file included, Appendix A added, some minor changes for Fig.

Molecular characterization and second-line antituberculosis drug resistance patterns of multidrug-resistant mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from the Northern Region of South Africa

Despite South Africa being one of the high-burden multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) countries, information regarding the population structure of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains is limited from many regions of South Africa. This study investigated the population structure and transmission patterns of drug-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates in a highburden setting of South Africa as well as the possible association of genotypes with drug resistance and demographic characteristics. A total of 336 consecutive MDR-TB isolates from four provinces of South Africa were genotyped using spoligotyping and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive-unit–variable number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) typing. Drug susceptibility testing for ofloxacin, kanamycin, and capreomycin was performed using the agar proportion method. The results showed that 4.8% of MDR-TB isolates were resistant to ofloxacin, 2.7% were resistant to kanamycin, and 4.5% were resistant to capreomycin, while 7.1% were extensively drug resistant (XDR), and the remaining 83.6% were susceptible to all of the second-line drugs tested. Spoligotyping grouped 90.8% of the isolates into 25 clusters, while 9.2% isolates were unclustered. Ninety-one percent of the 336 isolates were assigned to 21 previously described shared types, with the Beijing family being the predominant genotype in the North-West and Limpopo Provinces, while the EAI1_SOM family was the predominant genotype in the Gauteng and Mpumalanga Provinces. No association was found between genotypes and specific drug resistance patterns or demographic information. The high level of diversity and the geographical distribution of the drug-resistant M. tuberculosis isolates in this study suggest that the transmission of TB in the study settings is not caused by the clonal spread of a specific M. tuberculosis strain.http://jcm.asm.org/am2013ay201

A two-fluid model for high-viscosity upward annular flow in vertical pipes

Proper selection and application of interfacial friction factor correlations has a significant impact on prediction of key flow characteristics in gas–liquid two-phase flows. In this study, experimental investigation of gas–liquid flow in a vertical pipeline with internal diameter of 0.060 m is presented. Air and oil (with viscosities ranging from 100–200 mPa s) were used as gas and liquid phases, respectively. Superficial velocities of air ranging from 22.37 to 59.06 m/s and oil ranging from 0.05 to 0.16 m/s were used as a test matrix during the experimental campaign. The influence of estimates obtained from nine interfacial friction factor models on the accuracy of predicting pressure gradient, film thickness and gas void fraction was investigated by utilising a two-fluid model. Results obtained indicate that at liquid viscosity of 100 mPa s, the interfacial friction factor correlation proposed by Belt et al. (2009) performed best for pressure gradient prediction while the Moeck (1970) correlation provided the best prediction of pressure gradient at the liquid viscosity of 200 mPa s. In general, these results indicate that the two-fluid model can accurately predict the flow characteristics for liquid viscosities used in this study when appropriate interfacial friction factor correlations are implemented

Serogroup W135 meningococcal disease, The Gambia, 2012.

In 2012, an outbreak of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W135 occurred in The Gambia. The attack rate was highest among young children. The associated risk factors were male sex, contact with meningitis patients, and difficult breathing. Enhanced surveillance facilitates early epidemic detection, and multiserogroup conjugate vaccine could reduce meningococcal epidemics in The Gambia

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London