Mechanical properties of concrete containing untreated palm oil fuel ash and egg shell powder

This study aims to use two (2) waste products, namely Palm Oil Fuel Ash (POFA) and Egg Shell Powder (ESP) as cement replacement in concrete. This is because the properties of POFA and ESP are similar to the properties of cement. The objective of this study is to determine the mechanical properties (compressive strength and tensile strength) of concrete containing POFA and ESP as cement replacement. With both properties known, the optimum percentage of POFA and ESP as cement replacement can then be determined. The percentage of replacement of POFA was fixed at 20%, however the percentages of ESP varied from 0 to 20%. Six 100 � 100 � 100 mm cubes and six 100 � 200 mm cylinders were prepared for each variation of percentages. The cubes and cylinders were tested for compressive and tensile strength after 7 and 28 days of water curing. Generally, as the percentages of ESP increased, the workability, compressive strength and tensile strength of the concrete sample decreased. In conclusion, the combination of POFA and ESP as cement replacement in concrete is only able to achieved 76% of targeted strength

A modified method for removal and stabilization of cesium metal in vitrified matrix

Laboratory experiments were designed to investigate the separation and stabilization of cesium metal. Cesium was removed from simulated waste through sorption under certain physicochemical conditions. Silica sand (locally purchased) was used to remove cesium from simulated liquid waste. The range of pH and temperature was optimized and maximum removal (94 – 98 %) of cesium was achieved with pH 10 at temperature 36°C. Under optimized conditions with temperature range of 301– 315K ΔH, ΔS and ΔG309K for 150 ppm solution are – 27.22±0.18 KJ/mol, – 74.1± 0.96 J/mol and – 3071±2.1 KJ/mol respectively, and for 200 ppm solution thermodynamic entities are ΔH= – 20.2±0.20 KJ/mol, ΔS = – 47.86±0.66 J/mol and G301K = – 4344±3.7 KJ/mol. The sorbed metal ion has chances of desorption under changed physicochemical conditions in final disposal. To overcome this problem the final "secondary waste (metals on sorbents)" was stabilized by converting it into a stable vitreous borosilicate matrix through vitrification process to prevent leaching. It was found that the sorbed cesium was evaporated during heating at 1250°C. The evaporation of cesium during vitrification was overcome by modifying the process. This modified vitrification process is found excellent to immobilize the sorbed cesium. Stability was tested by desorption attempts at different pH

Assessment parameters for coal-fired generation plant site selection

In order to meet future demand for electricity, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) is committedto the long-term strategic planning in locating suitable sites for future development of power stations.Site selection is an important process in the early planning stage of any power plant development asit will have significant implications on the capital investment, operational as well as the environmentand socio-economic costs of the power plant.The aim of this presentation is to briefly describe the ten (10) main assessment parametershaving the most profound effects on the selection of potential coal-fired generation plant sites.These assessment parameters were derived based on a survey of approximately 40 experts, comprisingfrom various specialists such as engineers from TNB, senior officers from Department Of EnvironmentMalaysia (DOE), scientist from University Malaya (UM) and a number of other independentconsultants

Aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage in a Chilean population, with emphasis on risk factors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) is caused principally by the rupture of intracranial aneurisms. Important risk factors have been described such as age, sex, hypertension (HT) and season of the year, among others. The objective is to investigate the demographic characteristics and possible risk factors in a population of Chilean patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This retrospective study was based on the analysis of 244 clinical records of patients diagnosed with aneurismal SAH who were discharged from the Instituto de Neurocirugía ASENJO in Santiago, Chile.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean age of patients was 49.85 years and the male:female ratio was 1:2.7. The signs and symptoms were not different between sexes; cephalea (85.7%) was predominant, followed by loss of consciousness, vomiting/nausea and meningeal signs. Risk factors included sex, age and HT. Concordant with other reports, the incidence of SAH was greatest in spring.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The demographic characteristics and risk factors observed in patients with aneurismal SAH treated in ASENJO were comparable to those of other populations. We were not able to conclude that tobacco and alcohol consumption were risk factors for this population.</p

Defining Research to Improve Health Systems

Robert Terry and colleagues present working definitions of operational research, implementation research, and health systems research within the context of research to strengthen health systems

Frequency and clinical patterns of stroke in Iran - Systematic and critical review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cerebrovascular disease is the second commonest cause of death, and over a third of stroke deaths occur in developing countries. To fulfil the current gap on data, this systematic review is focused on the frequency of stroke, risk factors, stroke types and mortality in Iran.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirteen relevant articles were identified by keyword searching of PubMed, Iranmedex, Iranian University index Libraries and the official national data on burden of diseases.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The publication dates ranged from 1990 to 2008. The annual stroke incidence of various ages ranged from 23 to 103 per 100,000 population. This is comparable to the figures from Arab Countries, higher than sub-Saharan Africa, but lower than developed countries, India, the Caribbean, Latin America, and China. Similarly to other countries, ischaemic stroke was the commonest subtype. Likewise, the most common related risk factor is hypertension in adults, but cardiac causes in young stroke. The 28-day case fatality rate is reported at 19-31%.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Data on the epidemiology of stroke, its pattern and risk factors from Iran is scarce, but the available data highlights relatively low incidence of stroke. This may reflect a similarity towards the neighbouring nations, and a contrast with the West.</p

Anti-Cripto Mab inhibit tumour growth and overcome MDR in a human leukaemia MDR cell line by inhibition of Akt and activation of JNK/SAPK and bad death pathways

Doxorubicin (DOX) selection of CCRF-CEM leukaemia cell line resulted in multidrug resistance (MDR) CEM/A7R cell line, which overexpresses MDR, 1 coded P-glycoprotein (Pgp). Here, we report for the first time that oncoprotein Cripto, a founding member of epidermal growth factor-Cripto-FRL, 1-Criptic family is overexpressed in the CEM/A7R cells, and anti-Cripto monoclonal antibodies (Mab) inhibited CEM/A7R cell growth both in vitro and in an established xenograft tumour in severe combined immunodeficiency mice. Cripto Mab synergistically enhanced sensitivity of the MDR cells to Pgp substrates epirubicin (EPI), daunorubicin (DAU) and non-Pgp substrates nucleoside analogue cytosine arabinoside (AraC). In particular, the combination of anti-Cripto Mab at less than 50% of inhibition concentrations with noncytotoxic concentrations of EPI or DAU inhibited more than 90% of CEM/A7R cell growth. Cripto Mab slightly inhibited Pgp expression, and had little effect on Pgp function, indicating that a mechanism independent of Pgp was involved in overcoming MDR. We demonstrated that anti-Cripto Mab-induced CEM/A7R cell apoptosis, which was associated with an enhanced activity of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase and inhibition of Akt phosphorylation, resulting in an activation of mitochondrial apoptosis pathway as evidenced by dephosphorylation of Bad at Ser136, Bcl-2 at Ser70 and a cleaved caspase-9