Removal of Lead Ions from Wastewater by using a Local Adsorbent from Charring Tea Wastes

   Adsorption of lead ions from wastewater by native agricultural waste, precisely tea waste. After the activation and carbonization of tea waste, there was a substantial improvement in surface area and other physical characteristics which include density, bulk density, and porosity. FTIR analysis indicates that the functional groups in tea waste adsorbent are aromatic and carboxylic. It can be concluded that the tea waste could be a good sorbent for the removal of Lead ions from wastewater. Different dosages of the adsorbents were used in the batch studies. A random series of experiments indicated a removal degree efficiency of lead reaching (95 %) at 5 ppm optimum concentration, with adsorbents R2 =97.75% for tea. Three models (Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin) have been used to show which is the best operation. It was found that tea waste has an adsorption capacity (qmax) equal to 2.7972 (mg/g). Equilibrium data fitted well with the Freundlich isotherm because Freundlich assumptions are more suitable to represent the relationship between adsorbent and adsorbate. Two Kinetic Models were applied (first order, and second order) for this study. The adsorption kinetics was investigated and the best fit was achieved by a first-order equation with R2= 95.91%

Otitis Media; Etiology and Antibiotics Susceptibility among Children under Ten Years Old in Hillah city,Iraq

Background: This is an aerobic bacteriological study of acute otitis media to identify common pathogens and to evaluate their antibiotic susceptibility pattern. Otitis media is a major health problem of children in low income countries. Objectives: This study was done to determine the bacterial isolates and antimicrobial susceptibility of otitis media from children under 10 years old. Methods: Infected samples were collected from sixty (190) children under ten years old suffering from otitis media from out clinic and Al-Hillah education Hospital in babil, Iraq. Over a 9 months period (September 2012 to May 2013). Antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed using disc diffusion technique as per the standard Kirby-Bauer method. Results: In this study, 48% of patients were males and 52% were females. Patients ranged in age from 0 to 8 years old. 34 percent of patients had no previous visit and regular treatment. The results of the bacteriological studies on the 190 cases showed that microbiological culture was yielded from 190 samples. Pure cultures consist of (166/30.1%) had a single organism isolated from the middle ear discharge, while the remaining or Mixed growth (367/66.37%) had two or more organisms isolated. There were (20/3.62%) samples who had a no culture with any microorganism isolated Conclusion: Otitis media linked with high levels of multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria is a major health concern in all age groups of the study population. There is a need for culture and susceptibility test facilities for appropriate antimicrobial therapy of otitis media and antimicrobial resistant infections

Metals on ZrO2: Catalysts for the Aldol Condensation of Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) to C8 Ketones

Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) was converted to heavier ketones in one step, using a multi-functional catalyst having both aldol condensation (aldolization and dehydration) and hydrogenation properties. 15% Cu supported zirconia (ZrO2) was investigated in the catalytic gas phase reaction of MEK in a fixed bed reactor. The results showed that the main product was 5-methyl-3-heptanone (C8 ketone), with side products including 5-methyl-3-heptanol, 2-butanol, and other heavy products (C12 and up). The effects of various reaction parameters, like temperature and molar ratio of reactants (H2/MEK), on the overall product selectivity were studied. It was found that with increasing the temperature of the reaction, the selectivity to the C8 ketone increased, while selectivity to the 2-butanol decreased. Also, hydrogen pressure played a significant role in the selectivity of the products. It was observed that with increasing the H2/MEK molar ratio, the 2-butanol selectivity increased because of the hydrogenation reaction, while decreasing this ratio led to increasing the aldol condensation products. In addition, it was noted that both the conversion and selectivity to the main product increased using a low loading percentage of copper, 1% Cu–ZrO2. The highest selectivity of 5-methyl-3-heptanone reached ~64%, and was obtained at a temperature of around 180 °C and a molar ratio of H2/MEK equal to 2. Other metals (Ni, Pd, and Pt) that were supported on ZrO2 also produced 5-methyl-3-heptanone as the main product, with slight differences in selectivity, suggesting that a hydrogenation catalyst is important for producing the C8 ketone, but that the exact identity of the metal is less important

Study for the production of local adsorbent from tea and coffee wastes for removal of lead ions from an aqueous solution

In this article, the manufacture of low-cost adsorbents from tea and coffee waste for the removal of lead from an aqueous solution was batch experimental of the created adsorbent. After charring tea and coffee waste, there was a considerable improvement in surface area and other physical parameters such as density, bulk density, and porosity.  In the batch studies, different dosages of both adsorbents were utilized, and the equilibrium isotherm was of the very favorable type for adsorbents, and two models (Freundlich and Langmuir) were used, and the data corresponded well with the Freundlich isotherm. a random set of experiments showed a removal degree efficiency of lead reaching (99 percent ).productio

Conversion of 5-Methyl-3-Heptanone to C8 Alkenes and Alkane over Bifunctional Catalysts

A one-step catalytic process was used to catalyze the hydrodeoxygenation of 5-methyl-3-heptanone (C8 ketone) to a mixture of 5-methyl-3-heptene, 5-methyl-2-heptene (C8 alkenes), and 3-methyl heptane (C8 alkane). High conversion of C8 ketone to the desired products was achieved over a single bed of a supported catalyst (bifunctional heterogeneous catalyst) consisting of one transition metal (copper (Cu) or platinum (Pt)) loaded on alumina (Al2O3) under mild operating conditions (reaction temperatures were varied between 180 °C to 260 °C, and the pressure was 1 atm). The C8 ketone was hydrogenated to 5-methyl-3-heptanol (C8 alcohol) over metal sites, followed by dehydration of the latter on acid sites on the support to obtain a mixture of C8 alkenes. These C8 alkenes can be further hydrogenated on metal sites to make a C8 alkane. The results showed that the main products over copper loaded on alumina (20 wt% Cu–Al2O3) were a mixture of C8 alkenes and C8 alkane in different amounts depending on the operating conditions (the highest selectivity for C8 alkenes (~82%) was obtained at 220 °C and a H2/C8 ketone molar ratio of 2). However, over platinum supported on alumina (1 wt% Pt–Al2O3), the major product was a C8 alkane with a selectivity up to 97% and a conversion of 99.9% at different temperatures and all H2/C8 ketone ratios

Memantine and its role in parkinsonism, seizure, depression, migraine headache, and Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurological disorder characterized by mental and behavioral changes that develop progressively with a decline in brain function. Dysfunctions in glutamatergic and cholinergic pathways, along with an increased concentration of beta-amyloid protein (Aβ), lead to synapses that are full of phosphorylated protein. These changes result in several pathological, biochemical, cellular, and molecular alterations that increase neural excitation directly or indirectly at the neural level, affecting the synapse, axons, signal transmission, and all parts of neurons. All these alterations, with continuous excitatory effects, eventually lead to neural loss and degradation due to stimulation of the immune response. However, memantine is a non-competitive antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) glutamatergic receptors of moderate affinity and voltage-dependent that blocks the effects of pathologically elevated glutamate tonic levels, which can lead to neuronal dysfunction. Memantine has shown improvement in cognition, global clinical status, activities of daily living, and behavioral disturbances in moderate and severe AD. In this review, we will discuss the effects of memantine use and side effects, as well as its application in treating other diseases or pathological conditions with the prospective use of memantine or an alternative. Memantine is generally well-tolerated, and the most common adverse reactions are vertigo, headache, and hallucinations, which are usually mild

Study of Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibilities of Uropathogenic Isolated from Patients in Al-Hillah city

In this study, 200 patients (100 male and 100 female) suffering from Urinary tract infection who presented to the Emergency Department of Babylon Maternity and Children Hospital  and Al-Hillah educational Hospital from October\2012 to February\2013 underwent a history and physical examination. In this study, Escherichia coli formed the major causative agent (10.8% in male and 13.2% in female) followed by staphylococcus aureus (5.4% in male and 4% in female), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4% in male and 4.6% in female). All isolates were tested for the sensitivity to Amikacin, Chloromphenicol, Nitrofurantoin, Ofloxacin, Norfloxacin, while Pseudomonas aeruginosa shows sensitivity with Norfloxacin, Ofloxacin, Piperacillin, Tobramycin, Proteus species shows sensitivity with Amikacin, Amoxicillin , Cefodizime, Cefoxitin, Cephalexin, Gentamycin, , Norfloxacin, Piperacillin, Tobramycin and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates shows sensitivity with Amikacin, Norfloxacin, Piperacillin, Tobramycin. Our investigation showed that from the 200 patients with UTI, 62 male and 84 had pyuria > 5 WBCs/hpf, 84 male and 75 female had pyuria >10 WBCs/mL, 86 male and 64 female had CRP >24 mg/L, 67 male and 70 female had ESR >35 mm/hour, and 69 male and 55 female had WBC >15 000/mL

Role of Interleukin 1, IL-18 and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Levels in Seminal Plasma of Infertile Males in Hillah Patients

Objective: Evaluation the role of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF?) and interleukin-18 (IL- 18) in male infertility. Intervention: Interleukin 1, IL-18 and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha levels were measured in seminal plasma of in different groups of infertile males as well as in control men. Results: The mean of the cytokines for Normospermia IL-1 24.11, IL-18 327.50, TNF-? 7.05. While the mean of the cytokines for Oligospermia IL-1 48.25, IL-18 584.60, and TNF-? 32.50. For the Azoospermia The mean of the cytokines IL-1 55.03, IL-18 741.30, TNF-? 35.73. There was significantly elevated in the levels of TNF? and Interleukin 1 in seminal fluid correlate with leukocyte counts and ratios in the same ejaculates, also there was significantly elevated in the levels of IL-18 in seminal levels among infertile groups compared to normal control subjects. Conclusions: Cytokines and especially IL-18 and TNF? may play a role in pathogenesis of male factor infertility and may be a part of infertility workup in near future

Experimental Investigation and Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation of Hydrodynamics of Liquid–Solid Fluidized Beds

The present study provides and examines an experimental and CFD simulation to predict and accurately quantify the individual phase holdup. The experimental findings demonstrated that the increase of solid beads has a significant influence on the (Umf), as comparatively small glass beads particles require a low (Umf) value, which tends to increase as the diameter of the beads increases. Besides that, the expansion ratio is proportional to the velocity of the liquid. Even though, the relationship becomes inversely proportional to the diameter of the beads. The liquid holdup was found to increase with increasing liquid velocity, however, the solid holdup decreased. The Eulerian–Eulerian granular multiphase flow technique was used to predict the overall performance of the liquid–solid fluidized beds (LSFBs). There was a good agreement between the experimental results and the dynamic properties of liquid–solid flows obtained from the CFD simulation, which will facilitate future simulation studies of liquid–solid fluidized beds. This work has further improved the understanding and knowledge of CFD simulation of such a system at different parameters. Furthermore, understanding the hydrodynamics features within the two-phase fluidization bed, as well as knowing the specific features, is essential for good system design, enabling the systems to perform more effectively