Digital predictions of complex cylinder packed columns

A digital computational approach has been developed to simulate realistic structures of packed beds. The underlying principle of the method is digitisation of the particles and packing space, enabling the generation of realistic structures. Previous publications [Caulkin, R., Fairweather, M., Jia, X., Gopinathan, N., & Williams, R.A. (2006). An investigation of packed columns using a digital packing algorithm. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 30, 1178–1188; Caulkin, R., Ahmad, A., Fairweather, M., Jia, X., & Williams, R. A. (2007). An investigation of sphere packed shell-side columns using a digital packing algorithm. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 31, 1715–1724] have demonstrated the ability of the code in predicting the packing of spheres. For cylindrical particles, however, the original, random walk-based code proved less effective at predicting bed structure. In response to this, the algorithm has been modified to make use of collisions to guide particle movement in a way which does not sacrifice the advantage of simulation speed. Results of both the original and modified code are presented, with bulk and local voidage values compared with data derived by experimental methods. The results demonstrate that collisions and their impact on packing structure cannot be disregarded if realistic packing structures are to be obtained

Improving Tuberculosis Case Finding in Indonesia

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The most frequent clinical manifestation of the disease is pulmonary TB, but it can affect any part of the body (extra-pulmonary TB), including the skin, lymph nodes, spine, joints, genitourinary tract, nervous system, and gastrointestinal tract.[1] TB is an old disease. It existed in ancient Egypt; historical records show that pathological signs of TB were present in a mummy dating back to 2400 BC.[2] An effective treatment for TB only became available in the 1940s, when the fi rst anti -TB drug streptomycin was discovered.[3] The use of anti -TB drugs, together with improved socio-economic conditions and systematic control of TB in many Western countries, led to a fi rm belief in the 1980s that TB had been conquered and that priority status was no longer justified for the disease.[4,5] However, the emerging HIV epidemic in Africa in the latter half of the 1980s caused a second wave TB epidemic that increased at an alarming speed due to TB-HIV co-infection. Multi -drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) concurrently emerged in several countries due to poorly organized TB services.[3] As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared TB a global emergency in 1993,[6,7] which boosted international efforts to curb the TB epidemic. WHO and the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (IUATLD) introduced the direct observed treatment short course therapy (DOTS) strategy.[8] The Stop TB Partnership was established in 2000 as a global movement to accelerate social and political action aimed at stopping TB.[9] Reduction of the TB burden has also been part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that aim to halt and reverse the incidence of TB by 2015. A substantial amount of international funding has been secured and channeled through the Global Fund initiative since 2002. However, despite all of these efforts, TB remains a major global health threat and a leading cause of death from curable infectious disease worldwide, especially in Africa and Asia.[9] As the country with the fifth highest TB burden, Indonesia had an estimated 430,000 new cases in 2009, with an estimated mortality of 62,000.[10] TB was the second leading cause of death in Indonesia in 2009.[11

Surgical Management of an Indian Spotted Eagle with Compound Fracture of Humerus

An adult Indian Spotted Eagle (Aquila hastata) was presented with a history of being unable to fly. Clinical examination and radiography revealed a compound oblique fracture in the distal humerus of the right wing. The fracture site was grossly contaminated and the fragments were necrosed. Hence, to save the life of the bird, the wing was amputated under general anaesthesia, induced and maintained with ketamine. The surgical intervention led to uncomplicated recovery of an eagle

Retrieval of Pharyngeal Foreign Body Through Oral Approach in Three Dogs

Three dogs aged between 2 to 4 years old were presented to the Referral Veterinary Polyclinic, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar with clinical signs of anorexia, hypersalivation and repeated attempts at swallowing. Two cases showed shaking of head, pawing at the mouth and rubbing the head against wall, while in one case behavioral signs of depression were observed. Clinical examination and lateral plain radiograph of head and neck revealed radio opaque foreign body in the pharynx of all the animals. The foreign bodies were retrieved through the oral approach under general anaesthesia. This clinical paper reports the successful management of pharyngeal foreign bodies through oral approach using long curved artery forceps without any complication

INTRODUKSI INDIGOFERA ZOLLINGERIANA SEBAGAI UPAYA PENINGKATAN PRODUKTIVITAS TERNAK DI KELOMPOK TANI TERNAK RUKUN MAKMUR TANGKIT PROVINSI JAMBI

ABSTRAKProduktivitas ternak ruminansia, khususnya ternak sapi yang rendah sehubungan dengan ketersediaan dan akses terhadap pakan berkualitas yang kurang, dan minimnya pengetahuan tentang cara pembudidayaan hijauan khususnya legum pohon merupakan permasalahan yang dihadapi oleh peternak di kelompok Tani Rukun Makmur, Tangkit, Jambi. Disamping beternak, para peternak juga melakukan kegiatan pertanian yang didominasi oleh tanaman sayuran. Tujuan kegiatan Pengabdian Pada Masyarakat (PPM) ini untuk mengenalkan potensi Indigofera zollingeriana sebagai hijauan pakan ternak berkualitas dan pemberian bibit / benih I. zollingeriana ke peternak di kelompok Tani Rukun Makmur, Tangkit, Jambi. Metode yang dipakai dalam pencapaian tujuan adalah pendidikan masyarakat melalui penyuluhan. Solusi yang ditawarkan meliputi: 1) peningkatan pengetahuan peternak tentang pakan hijauan berkualitas dan cara budidayanya dalam lahan usaha tani sayuran melalui penyuluhan, dan 2) introduksi dan pemberian benih dan bibit. Kegiatan PPM yang meliputi penyuluhan dan penanaman bibit Indigofera berjalan lancar. Pelaksanaan penyuluhan terjadi di lapangan bersamaan dengan penanaman seluruh bibit yang diberikan. Hasil kegiatan pendampingan, peternak juga melakukan pembibitan dari benih yang diberikan. Kegiatan PPM ini diliput oleh media televisi lokal untuk disiarkan sekaligus sebagai ajang promosi bagi kelompok Tani Rukun Makmur yang menggeluti usaha penggemukan sapi. Kata kunci: Introduksi; Indigofera zollingeriana; pakan berkualitas; pendidikan masyarakat ABSTRACTThe low productivity of ruminants, especially cattle, is related to the availability and access to poor quality feed, and the lack of knowledge about how to cultivate forages, especially tree legumes, is a problem faced by farmers in the Rukun Makmur Farmer Group, Tangkit, Jambi. Besides raising livestock, the farmers also carry out agricultural activities which are dominated by vegetable crops.The purpose of this community service (PPM) activity was to introduce the potential of Indigofera zollingeriana as high-quality forage for livestock and provide I. zollingeriana seeds and seedlings to farmers in the Rukun Makmur Farmer group, Tangkit, Jambi. The method used in achieving the goals was community education through outreach activity. The solutions offered include: 1) improving farmers’ knowledge about quality forage and how to cultivate it in vegetable farming fields through outreach activity, and 2) introduction and provision of seeds and seedlings. The activities which included outreach activity and planting of Indigofera seedlings went right. The outreach activity took place in the field at the same time aplanting all the seedlingsas given. As a result of mentoring activities, farmers also carried out nurseries from the seeds provided. This outreach activity was broadcasted by local television media and a promotional event for the Rukun Makmur Farmer group, which has cattle fattening business. Keywords: high quality forage; Indigofera zollingeriana; introduction; community educatio

Limited access to hepatitis B/C treatment among vulnerable risk populations

Background: To investigate access to treatment for chronic hepatitis B/C among six vulnerable patient/population groups at-risk of infection: undocumented migrants, asylum seekers, people without health insurance, people with state insurance, people who inject drugs (PWID) and people abusing alcohol. Methods: An online survey among experts in gastroenterology, hepatology and infectious diseases in 2012 in six EU countries: Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. A four-point ordinal scale measured access to treatment (no, some, significant or complete restriction). Results: From 235 recipients, 64 responses were received (27%). Differences in access between and within countries were reported for all groups except people with state insurance. Most professionals, other than in Spain and Hungary, reported no or few restrictions for PWID. Significant/complete treatment restriction was reported for all groups by the majority in Hungary and Spain, while Italian respondents reported no/few restrictions. Significant/complete restriction was reported for undocumented migrants and people without health insurance in the UK and Spain. Opinion about undocumented migrants in Germany and the Netherlands was divergent. Conclusions: Although effective chronic hepatitis B/C treatment exists, limited access among vulnerable patient populations was seen in all study countries. Discordance of opinion about restrictions within countries is seen, especially for groups for whom the health care system determines treatment access, such as undocumented migrants, asylum seekers and people without health insurance. This suggests low awareness, or lack, of entitlement guidance among clinicians. Expanding treatment access among risk groups will contribute to reducing chronic viral hepatitis-associated avoidable morbidity and mortality

Language support for linguistic minority chronic hepatitis B/C patients: an exploratory study of availability and clinicians’ perceptions of language barriers in six European countries

Background: Language support for linguistic minorities can improve patient safety, clinical outcomes and the quality of health care. Most chronic hepatitis B/C infections in Europe are detected among people born in endemic countries mostly in Africa, Asia and Central/Eastern Europe, groups that may experience language barriers when accessing health care services in their host countries. We investigated availability of interpreters and translated materials for linguistic minority hepatitis B/C patients. We also investigated clinicians’ agreement that language barriers are explanations of three scenarios: the low screening uptake of hepatitis B/C screening, the lack of screening in primary care, and why cases do not reach specialist care. Methods: An online survey was developed, translated and sent to experts in five health care services involved in screening or treating viral hepatitis in six European countries: Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK). The five areas of health care were: general practice/family medicine, antenatal care, health care for asylum seekers, sexual health and specialist secondary care. We measured availability using a three-point ordinal scale (‘very common’, ‘variable or not routine’ and ‘rarely or never’). We measured agreement using a five-point Likert scale. Results: We received 238 responses (23% response rate, N = 1026) from representatives in each health care field in each country. Interpreters are common in the UK, the Netherlands and Spain but variable or rare in Germany, Hungary and Italy. Translated materials are rarely/never available in Hungary, Italy and Spain but commonly or variably available in the Netherlands, Germany and the UK. Differing levels of agreement that language barriers explain the three scenarios are seen across the countries. Professionals in countries with most infrequent availability (Hungary and Italy) disagree strongest that language barriers are explanations. Conclusions: Our findings show pronounced differences between countries in availability of interpreters, differences that mirror socio-cultural value systems of ‘difference-sensitive’ and ‘difference-blindness’. Improved language support is needed given the complex natural history of hepatitis B/C, the recognised barriers to screening and care, and the large undiagnosed burden among (potentially) linguistic minority migrant groups

Development and properties of polymeric nanocomposite coatings

Polymeric-based nanocomposite coatings were synthesized by reinforcing epoxy matrix with titanium nanotubes (TNTs) loaded with dodecylamine (DOC). The performance of the developed nanocomposite coatings was investigated in corrosive environments to evaluate their anti-corrosion properties. The SEM/TEM, TGA, and FTIR analysis confirm the loading of the DOC into the TNTs. The UV-Vis spectroscopic analysis confirms the self-release of the inhibitor (DOC) in response to the pH change. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) analysis indicates that the synthesized nanocomposite coatings demonstrate superior anticorrosion properties at pH 2 as compared to pH 5. The improved anticorrosion properties of nanocomposite coatings at pH 2 can be attributed to the more effective release of the DOC from the nanocontainers. The superior performance makes polymeric nanocomposite coatings suitable for many industrial applications.Qatar University, University of Auckland, Qatar FoundationScopu

Terrain Mapping From Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

In land surveying, digital terrain model (DTM) and digital surface model (DSM) have long been benefitted in many applications related to terrain mapping. Conventional methods of generating DTM and DSM have limitations in terms of practicality, time consumption and costing. The problems are much more serious for tropical regions where clouds are persistence and tend to affect the accuracy of most of these devices. This study aims to propose a novel way of generating DTM and DSM by utilizing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for different land covers including forest, plantation and developed areas in the tropical region of Malaysia. The aerial images obtained from non-matrix digital compact camera payload on UAV were processed photogrammetrically to produce terrain mapping products including DTM, DSM and orthophoto. A detailed survey is also conducted at these areas to produce contour map as benchmark data in which is less being practiced by UAV mappers. To determine the accuracy, quantitative and qualitative analysis were carried out by means of root mean square error (RMSE) and visual inspection. The results show that the RMSE of DTM for forest, plantation and developed area are ± 1.806m, ± 0.938m and ± 0.549m, respectively while for DSM are ± 3.143m, ± 0.637m and ± 0.276m respectively. This study has determined that, the development area gives the highest accuracy compared to the plantation and forested area in which for developed and plantation area the DSM is better than DTM while vice-versa for forested area. It can be concluded that the complexity if terrain is found to be one of the key factors that influences the accuracy of the generated DSM and DTM

A Smart IoT-Based Prototype System for Rehabilitation Monitoring

Smart healthcare is growing significantly in the healthcare sector due to the Internet of Things. A remote monitoring system is one of the smart healthcare implementations for rehabilitating stroke patients. Nowadays, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, patients undergoing home rehabilitation have difficulty meeting with their physicians due to movement constraints. In addition, the healthcare facilities are devoted to treating patients with COVID-19. As a result, physicians and patients could not frequently meet to gather their rehabilitation progress. This study involves developing a prototype to monitor a post-stroke patient's rehabilitation process using the Arduino Nano 33 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and force-sensing resistor (FSR). The prototype analyzes critical aspects of the rehabilitation process based on handgrip, heart rate, sleep, and step tracking measurements. The results of the handgrip, heart rate, sleep, and step tracking measurements are evaluated for various types of subjects and six testing approaches showed an accurate and consistent results. However, experiments partially success with a small error is detected while tracking the steps of each subject. Several recommendations are highlighted to improve the prototype using other sensors such as force sensing resistor and flex sensor for handgrip force transducer, electromyogram (EMG) sensor for stroke-patients rehabilitation, and others