Paracetamol biodegradation by activated sludge and photo-catalysis and its removal by a micelleclay complex, activated charcoal and reverse osmosis membranes

Kinetic studies on the stability of the pain killer paracetamol in Al-Quds activated sludge demonstrated that paracetamol underwent biodegradation within less than one month to furnish p-aminophenol in high yields. Characterizations of bacteria contained in Al-Quds sludge were accomplished. It was found that Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the bacterium most responsible for the biodegradation of paracetamol to p-aminophenol and hydroquinone. Batch adsorptions of paracetamol and its biodegradation product (p-aminophenol) by activated charcoal and a composite micelle (octadecyltrimethylammonium)-clay (montmorillonite) were determined at 25°C. Adsorption was adequately described by a Langmuir isotherm, and indicated better efficiency of removal by the micelle-clay complex. The ability of bench top reverse osmosis (RO) plant as well as advanced membrane pilot plant to remove paracetamol was also studied at different water matrixes to test the effect of organic matter composition. The results showed that at least 90% rejection was obtained by both plants. In addition, removal of paracetamol from RO brine was investigated by using photocatalytic processes; optimal conditions were found to be acidic or basic pH, in which paracetamol degraded in less than 5 min. Toxicity studies indicated that the effluent and brine were not toxic except for using extra low energy membrane which displayed a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC-50) value of 80%

Aqueous synthesis of LiFePO4 with Fractal Granularity

Altres ajuts: Beatriu de Pinos Program (BP-DGR-2013)Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO) electrodes with fractal granularity are reported. They were made from a starting material prepared in water by a low cost, easy and environmentally friendly hydrothermal method, thus avoiding the use of organic solvents. Our method leads to pure olivine phase, free of the impurities commonly found after other water-based syntheses. The fractal structures consisted of nanoparticles grown into larger micro-sized formations which in turn agglomerate leading to high tap density electrodes, which is beneficial for energy density. These intricate structures could be easily and effectively coated with a thin and uniform carbon layer for increased conductivity, as it is well established for simpler microstructures. Materials and electrodes were studied by means of XRD, SEM, TEM, SAED, XPS, Raman and TGA. Last but not least, lithium transport through fractal LiFePO electrodes was investigated based upon fractal theory. These water-made fractal electrodes lead to high-performance lithium cells (even at high rates) tested by CV and galvanostatic charge-discharge, their performance is comparable to state of the art (but less environmentally friendly) electrodes

Capacitive vs Faradaic Energy Storage in a Hybrid Cell with LiFePO4/RGO Positive Electrode and Nanocarbon Negative Electrode

We report an advanced device based on a Nitrogen-doped Carbon Nanopipes (N-CNP) negative electrode and a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO) positive electrode. We carefully balanced the cell composition (charge balance) and suppressed the initial irreversible capacity of the anode in the round of few cycles.We demonstrated an optimal performance in terms of specific capacity 170 mAh/g of LiFePO with energy density of about 203 Wh kg and a stable operation for over 100 charge-discharge cycles. The components of this device (combining capacitive and faradaic electrodes) are low cost and easily scalable. This device has a performance comparable to those offered by the present technology of LIBs with the potential for faster charging; hence, we believe that the results disclosed in this work may open up new opportunities for energy storage devices

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

“All-in-one” synthesis and self-assembly of naked Ag nanoparticles

Trabajo presentado a la Conferencia "BNC-b Research Meeting" celebrada en Barcelona el 14 de julio de 2011.This research was supported partially by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (CTQ2008-06779-C02-01). The authors thank CSIC and the European Social Fund for financing of D.M-R. through the I3P program.Peer reviewe

Novel strategies for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles and nanostructures

238 páginas.-- Tesis presentada por D. Omar Daud Hasan Ayyad para optar al grado de Dr. en Ciencias Químicas siendo la tutora la Dra. Núria Llorca-Isern, el supervisor el Dr. Pedro Gómez-Romero y co-supervisor el Dr. David Muñoz-Rojas.Metal nanoparticles embedded in host polymers have gained significant interest in recent years. These materials exhibit unique electrical, optical, and/or mechanical properties making them valuable for applications in many areas. Furthermore, the embedding of nanoscopic metals in polymer matrices is one of the easiest and most convenient way for metallic nanoparticles/nanostructures stabilization and handling process. The objectives of this thesis research focus on synthesis of silver nanoparticles and nanostructures within various types of polymer matrices. Article one presents three different methods for the synthesis of silver-agar hybrid materials through in-situ approach. This development substantially simplifies the nanocomposite synthesis by eliminating the need for any additional organic reducing or capping agents, which was previously used to stabilize the produced nanoparticles and to suppress their continuing growth. With the appropriate synthetic parameters, one can achieve silver nanoparticles or nanostructures by changing the reaction conditions and modifying the fabrication method. Article two describes a simple technique for the preparation of highly concentrated agar gel networks. The resulted gel networks exhibit greater compactness, smaller size porosity and higher mechanical strength in comparison with low concentration agar gels prepared hydrothermally, or with the gels of agar prepared conventionally. These highly concentrated agar gels can widen the possible applications of this widely used biocompatible polysaccharide. Article three introduces a novel strategy for the fabrication of silver nanostructures coated with polypyrrole polymer by using a relatively low reduction potential solid silver oxide as a metal precursor. The silver nanosnakes coated with PPy polymer are fabricated through in-situ approach by hydrothermal method. The pyrrole monomer serving as the reducing agent, while it s oxidized form, PPy polymer, enforcing preferential orientation of the produced metallic silver within the matrix that gives snake nanostructures core. Also, the PPy polymer functions as a stabilizing and protecting agent for the fabricated nanosnakes. The silver snake nanostructures are obtained by fine-tuning the synthetic parameters such as Ag:Py ratio, time and temperature of synthesis reaction. The resulting Ag@PPy core-shell nanostructures are prepared by a simple one-pot reaction, and the peculiar singe crystal silver nanosnake core is obtained without using any additional capping, stabilizing or assistant agent. In Article 4, the growth mechanism of Ag@PPy nanosnakes is investigated. The effect of different preparative experimental parameters on the formation of the peculiar Ag-PPy core-shell nanostructures is carefully studied. The Ag2O agglomerates coated with PPy film is the initial main product obtained before any hydrothermal treatment. The thermal activation of this composite mixture by heating it hydrothermally cause the formation of silver-PPy agglomerates, which in turn evolve with time to give Ag-PPy core-shell nanostructures as the main product. The presence of the PPy matrix plays a key role in the formation of the single crystal silver nanosnake core. The mobility of the metallic silver produced is limited by the surrounding PPy matrix.This limited mobility slows down the fusing process of the silver aggregated particles together and give them the opportunity to orient themselves due to the assembly process and to produce the peculiar silver-PPy coreshell nanosnakes through oriented attachment growth mechanism. In article five, growth constrains are imposed by an interfacial reaction rather than a polymer matrix. The synthesis and self-assembly of monodispersed Ag nanoparticles is accomplished by a hydrothermal two-compartment set up. This novel stategy yields a golden colored, 2-D array of naked and monodispersed silver nanoparticles formed on the aqueous solution surface without the aid of any additional surface modifying agents to stabilize the nanoparticles or to direct their self-assembly.I appreciate the financial support from the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education (Saudi Committee for the Relief of the Palestinian People) throughout my study. I would also like to thank the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (AECI) for their financial support during the first year of my Ph.D study. I gratefully acknowledge the financial support, as a loan, from Al-Quds University, represented by its president Prof. Sari Nusseibeh, during the whole period of my study abroad.Peer reviewe

Copper@polypyrrole nanocables

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.A simple hydrothermal redox reaction between microcrystalline CuOHCl and pyrrole leads to the isolation of striking nanostructures formed by polypyrrole-coated copper nanocables. These multicomponent cables that feature single-crystalline face-centered cubic Cu cores (ca. 300 nm wide and up to 200 μm long) are smoothly coated by conducting polypyrrole, which in addition to its functionality, offers protection against oxidation of the metal core.Partial Funding for this research was made possible by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) (MAT2011-28931). JSG gratefully acknowledges a JAE Predoc Fellowship from CSIC (Spain).We acknowledge the support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).Peer Reviewe

Secondary treated wastewater as a concrete component and its impact on the basic strength properties of the material

In Jordan, the unprecedented proliferation of building projects is anticipated to increase the potable water demand in the construction manufacturing. In the present work, secondary treated wastewater (STW) and potable water (PW) were used in the production of concrete mixes, which were subjected to testing after 3 to 28 days of curing to determine how the, mechanical properties of concrete was affected by the addition of secondary treated wastewater in various proportions (25-100%). Results indicated that the use of 25% and 75% of secondary treated wastewater in concrete production increased the compressive strength to 39 MPa after 28 days of curing. A more noticeable increment was recorded in tensile strength, which was double that achieved with the standard design. Overall, the compressive strength increased by 21.95% when secondary treated wastewater was used, while the expenditure related to water usage was halved. Furthermore, there was consistency between the results obtained from scaling up to actual ready-mix concrete production and the results of the empirical work

The use of sand columns in the reinforcement of weak layers in road engineering

It is an established fact that when roads are planned and constructed, consideration needs to be given to ensuring the strength of the road surface. It is, however, also the case that when an existing road is being rebuilt or is under maintenance, its base may need to be fortified to increase the road’s vehicle-carrying capacity. The base may, for example, contain a high proportion of weak soil that would be difficult, time-consuming, and costly to remove. This paper aims to investigate the efficacy of using sand-filled piles to reduce road deformation. Experiments conducted on sponge samples confirm that there is a relationship between the total area of sand-filled piles and relative reduction in deformation. It finds that the relationship is non-linear, but that the relationship can be made linear by adjusting the area of sand-filled piles. When the area of sand-filled piles increases from 7.8% to 19.4%, the deformation module can change by up to 100%. Relative reduction in deformation can change from 14% to 45.5% when the area of sand-filled piles increases from 7.8% to 11.7%. The maximum reduction in deformation - 92.4% - occurs when the area of sand-filled piles exceeds 19.5%. Changing the loads borne also affects the deformation module. This paper found that when there was a 10 to 15kg load, and the number of sandfilled piles was increased, there was a change in the deformation module by 380-470%. When there was only a 5kg load on the sample, and the number of sand-filled piles was increased, there was a change in the deformation module by up to 1217%