Use of nanoporous ceramic membranes for carbon dioxide separation

Natural gas processes accounts for about 5.3 billion tonnes per year of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission to the atmosphere. At this rate of emission, the expectation will drastically rise if not curtailed. In order to achieve this, a cost-effective and environmental friendly technology is required. In recent times, membrane technology has been widely applied for CO2 removal from raw natural gas components. This article examines CO2 separation from natural gas, mainly methane (CH4), through a mesoporous composite membrane. A laboratory scale tubular silica membrane with a permeable length of 348 mm, I.D and O.D of 7 and 10 mm, respectively, was used in this experiment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the morphology of the membrane. Single gas permeation of helium (He), CH4, nitrogen (N2), argon (Ar) and CO2 were determined at permeation temperature range between 25 and 100°C and feed gauge pressure of 0.05 to 5.0 barg. Before silica modification, He recorded the highest flow rate (0.3745 l/min) while CO2 recorded the least flow rate (0.1351 l/min) at 0.4 barg and 25°C. After silica modification, CO2 flow enhances significantly (3.1180 l/min at 1.0 barg) compared to CH4 (2.1200 l/min at the same gauge pressure) due to the influence of surface flow mechanism. Temperature variation described the applicability of Knudsen diffusion for He. A combination of viscous, surface and Knudsen diffusion transport mechanisms were obtained throughout the experiment. Membrane thickness was also calculated to be 2.5 × 10−4 m

Growth Performance, Carcass and Organ Characteristics of Pullets Fed Plantain Ash Supplemented Commercial Diets

The main objective of this study was to compare the effects of different plantain ash sources (plantain root base ash (PRA) and plantain stalk ash (PSA) supplementation on the performance of pullets fed commercial diets. Ninety six Isa brown pullets aged 15 weeks were therefore used to assess the effect of supplementing commercial diets with plantain root base (PRA) and stalk ashes (PSA) on growth performance, carcass and organ characteristics of pullets during 4 weeks before point of laying (19 weeks of age) and 6 weeks of laying period (25 weeks of age). The pullets were divided into two groups of 48 each for supplementation with either PSA or PRA. Each group was divided into four groups of 12, which were further replicated 3 times with 4 birds per replicate in a completely randomized design. At each developmental stage, the feed offered to the birds was supplemented with 0 (control), 1, 2, and 3 g/kg body weight of PSA or PRA. One g/kgBW of PRA supplementation elicited observable growth performance effects on the birds, while for PSA it was 2 g/kgBW. The 2 g/kgBW PSA supplemented birds gained significantly (P<0.05) more weight than the other groups except the control, which consumed significantly (P<0.05) more feed. At point of laying, the 1g/kgBW PRA group recorded significantly (P<0.05) higher body weight and weight gain than the control. Plantain root base ash affected dressing percentage significantly (P<0.05) resulting in higher thigh weights, while organ weights decreased with increasing ash supplementation levels. Plantain ash therefore has positive effect on growth and edible carcass cut. Key words: plantain ash, pullets, feed, carcas

Proximate analysis, phytochemical properties and antifungal activity of ‘miracle plant’, Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken

The leaf and root of Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken were evaluated for proximate composition, vitamins, amino acids, phytochemicals, mineral elements, micro-morphology and its antifungal activities on some selected fungal species obtained from diseased Arachis hypogaea seeds. These were assessed following standard procedures. The study showed that the protein, moisture, ash, crude fibre and crude fat contents were higher in the root of B. pinnatum than in the leaves except for carbohydrate. B. pinnatum leaves and roots had water-soluble vitamins (19.45%; 48.22%), fat-soluble vitamins (11.75%; 29.05), essential amino acids (5.324%, 8.318%) and non-essential amino acids (1.189%, 2.355%), respectively. Phytochemicals and mineral concentrations were higher in the roots of B. pinnatum than in the leaves. The micromorphology revealed aniocystic stomatal type, the presence of tannins in the petiole and stem as seen in the vascular bundle and secretory cells while starch grains were seen in the root. Bryophyllum pinnatum leaf extract inhibited Rhizopus stolonifer mycelia growth followed by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger. The mycelial growth of these fungi ranged from 2.57 – 3.33 cm compared with the control treatment (8.7 cm). These inherent potentials in B. pinnatum could be the reason the plant is recommended for the treatment of various ailments

Production of Periwinkle Shell Reinforced Grindstone

The study involves the use of periwinkle shell particles as reinforcement in the production of grindstone to meliorate its physical and mechanical properties. The assessment of the properties of the periwinkle shell reinforced concrete grindstone showed that reinforcement yielded several promising results. The compressive strength was higher for samples with lower water/cement ratio (7%) than those with higher water/cement ratio (10%). The introduction of concrete that contains periwinkle shells as fine aggregates resulted in the loss of smooth like appearance and reduction in weight. The loss of its smooth like nature introduces the rough nature which improved its functionality. The reinforced sample had the lowest hardness test and in hardness test the lower the number the higher the hardness. There was an increase in the density after absorption test was carried out on specimens. There was also reduction in production cost with periwinkle shells partial replacement of cement and gravel as fine aggregate. The composite was adequate for grindstone production since its sample has a compressive of 18.15Mpa and thus satisfied MOR requirements of 11.5 MPa for general purpose boards

Comparison between three-dimensional linear and nonlinear tsunami generation models

The modeling of tsunami generation is an essential phase in understanding tsunamis. For tsunamis generated by underwater earthquakes, it involves the modeling of the sea bottom motion as well as the resulting motion of the water above it. A comparison between various models for three-dimensional water motion, ranging from linear theory to fully nonlinear theory, is performed. It is found that for most events the linear theory is sufficient. However, in some cases, more sophisticated theories are needed. Moreover, it is shown that the passive approach in which the seafloor deformation is simply translated to the ocean surface is not always equivalent to the active approach in which the bottom motion is taken into account, even if the deformation is supposed to be instantaneous.Comment: 39 pages, 16 figures; Accepted to Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics. Several references have been adde

Combined approach of perioperative 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging and intraoperative 18F-FDG handheld gamma probe detection for tumor localization and verification of complete tumor resection in breast cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (¹⁸F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has become an established method for detecting hypermetabolic sites of known and occult disease and is widely used in oncology surgical planning. Intraoperatively, it is often difficult to localize tumors and verify complete resection of tumors that have been previously detected on diagnostic PET/CT at the time of the original evaluation of the cancer patient. Therefore, we propose an innovative approach for intraoperative tumor localization and verification of complete tumor resection utilizing ¹⁸F-FDG for perioperative PET/CT imaging and intraoperative gamma probe detection.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two breast cancer patients were evaluated. ¹⁸F-FDG was administered and PET/CT was acquired immediately prior to surgery. Intraoperatively, tumors were localized and resected with the assistance of a handheld gamma probe. Resected tumors were scanned with specimen PET/CT prior to pathologic processing. Shortly after the surgical procedure, patients were re-imaged with PET/CT utilizing the same preoperatively administered ¹⁸F-FDG dose.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>One patient had primary carcinoma of breast and a metastatic axillary lymph node. The second patient had a solitary metastatic liver lesion. In both cases, preoperative PET/CT verified these findings and demonstrated no additional suspicious hypermetabolic lesions. Furthermore, intraoperative gamma probe detection, specimen PET/CT, and postoperative PET/CT verified complete resection of the hypermetabolic lesions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Immediate preoperative and postoperative PET/CT imaging, utilizing the same ¹⁸F-FDG injection dose, is feasible and image quality is acceptable. Such perioperative PET/CT imaging, along with intraoperative gamma probe detection and specimen PET/CT, can be used to verify complete tumor resection. This innovative approach demonstrates promise for assisting the oncologic surgeon in localizing and verifying resection of ¹⁸F-FDG positive tumors and may ultimately positively impact upon long-term patient outcomes.</p

A four-surface schematic eye of macaque monkey obtained by an optical method

AbstractSchematic eyes for four Macaca fascicularis monkeys were constructed from measurements of the positions and curvatures of the anterior and posterior surfaces of the cornea and lens. All of these measurements were obtained from Scheimpflug photography through the use of a ray-tracing analysis. Some of these measurements were also checked (and confirmed) by keratometry and ultrasound. Gaussian lens equations were applied to the measured dimensions of each individual eye in order to construct schematic eyes. The mean total power predicted by the schematic eyes agreed closely with independent measurements based on retinoscopy and ultrasound results, 74.2 ± 1.3 (SEM) vs 74.7 ± 0.3 (SEM) diopters. The predicted magnification of 202 μm/deg in one eye was confirmed by direct measurement of 205 μm/deg for a foveal laser lesion. The mean foveal retinal magnification calculated for our eight schematic eyes was 211 ± (SEM) μm/deg, slightly less than the value obtained by application of the method of Rolls and Cowey [Experimental Brain Research, 10, 298–310 (1970)] to our eight eyes but just 4% more than the value obtained by application of the method of Perry and Cowey [Vision Research, 12, 1795–1810 (1985)]

Paving the way for research findings: writers' rhetorical choices in education and applied linguistics

Notwithstanding the existence of previous investigations into how research results are presented in different academic disciplines, fewer studies have looked into how authors pave the way for their results, the interdisciplinary differences in ‘result pavements’, and the interconnections between their communicative functions and linguistic choices. Using the techniques of genre analysis, I have analyzed two corpora of research reports in applied linguistics and education in order to identify the possible ways in which experienced writers schematically pave the way for their findings. Using evidence based on authentic research articles, this study demonstrates how writers set the stage for their research results by (i) demonstrating their control of the structure and flow of result-related information, (ii) connecting past research with a current finding while furnishing pertinent background elements that lead the readership progressively to specific findings, (iii) regenerating readers’ interest in their initial research purposes, and (iv) deploying locatives to embed results in a ‘space-saving strategy’ aimed at presenting an abridged Results section. I have also analyzed interdisciplinary differences in the frequencies of these rhetorical steps and the range of intricate linguistic mechanisms employed by authors as communicative resources in each step to establish a smooth rhetorical transition that sets the stage for their research results