Fractionation, characterization and speciation of heavy metals in composts and compost-amended soils

Speciation of heavy metals in soils determines the availability for metals for plant uptake and potential for contamination of groundwater following application of composts to agricultural lands. Methodsused to characterize heavy metals in solid phase of composts and compost amended soils include physical fractionation and chemical extraction. Chemical extraction schemes are most frequently usedapproach to fractionate trace metals in soils, sewage sludge and composts. Several variations exist in the sequential extraction procedures. These variations include reagent types, strength, volume and extraction time. A main drawback shared by all sequential extraction schemes is that the procedures themselves are complex and time consuming. This setback has been overcome by the use ofultrasound accelerated extraction which reduce the extraction time for the entire extraction steps to about 90 minutes allowing composting process to be monitored more frequently which help to providedetailed understanding of the partitioning behaviour of heavy metals. Inspite of the variability the sequential extraction schemes, they all aimed at correlating each fraction with the mobility and plantavailability of each metal. Several studies have shown that phase association of heavy metal in composts include water-soluble, exchangeable, precipitated as discrete phases, co-precipitate in metaloxides and adsorbed or complexed by organic ligands and residual forms. The phase association and solubility of metals changes over composting time thereby altering metal availability. It is apparent thatthe positive effects of resulting from compost application far outweigh the negative effect, but more research is needed on a wide range of municipal solid waste compost with more precise determinationof the fate of municipal solid waste compost applied trace metals in the environment

Peran Perpustakaan dalam Pengembangan Budaya Rejang di Perpustakaan SMAN 1 Rejang Lebong

of libraries in developing and preserving culture. The role of the library of SMAN 1 Rejang Lebong in the Rejang cultural heritage container with the Rejang Corner which contains various information on Rejang culture. Where the library of SMAN 1 Rejang Lebong is located in the middle of the Rejang tribal environment. This research is a qualitative descriptive study. The results showed that the library of SMAN 1 Rejang Lebong has carried out one of the cultural functions. The Rejang Corner Service is located on the 2nd floor of the SMAN 1 Rejang Lebong Library. The activities from the rejang corner are (1) the display of rejang traditional goods, (2) the rejang corner is included in the reference service, (3) the obstacles include lack of funds, lack of support from related parties, and difficulty in getting goods. related to rejang customs

A Systematic Review of Exercise Prescription in Patients with Intermittent Claudication: Does Pain Matter?

Background: Current guidelines for intermittent claudication advocate exercise at moderate to maximal claudication pain. However, adherence rates to supervised exercise programmes (SEP) remain poor and claudication pain is a contributing factor. Limited evidence suggests that moderate or pain-free exercise may be just as beneficial and may be better tolerated. However, it remains unclear what ‘level’ of claudication pain is optimal for improving functional outcomes. We therefore conducted a systematic review to synthesise the evidence for exercise prescribed at different levels of claudication pain. Methods: The CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL databases were searched up to October 2020. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that directly compared at least 2 different intensities of claudication pain were included. Outcome measures included walking performance, adherence, quality of life and vascular function. Results: Of 1,543 search results, 2 studies were included. Maximal walking distance improved by 100–128% in the moderate-pain SEP groups, and by 77–90% in the pain-free SEP groups. Importantly, there were no significant differences between the moderate-pain and pain-free SEP groups in either study for improvements in walking performance, though comparison to a maximal-pain SEP group was not made. Conclusions: The efficacy of SEPs for patients with intermittent claudication is irrefutable, though there is no consensus on the optimal level of pain. Therefore, adequately powered RCTs are required to compare the effect of pain-free SEPs, moderate-pain SEPs and maximal-pain SEPs on functional outcomes. (PROSPERO ID: CRD42020213684)

Incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI) among pregnant women in Ibadan, South-Western Nigeria

This study reports the incidence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) among 80 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at Oluyoro Catholic Hospital (OCH), Ibadan, Nigeria, as well as the isolation and identification of the pathogens responsible for the infection. A total of 80 clean voided mid-stream urine samples were collected from pregnant women between the ages of 21-40 years. The results showed that the incidence of UTIs in this study population was 47.5%, and 38 bacterial isolates were identifiedbased on colonial morphology, microscopic characteristics, and biochemical tests. The most predominant bacterium was Escherichia coli 16 (42.1%). This was followed by Staphylococcus aureus 11 (28.9%), Klebsiella aerogenes 7 (18.4%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2 (5.3%), and a mixed culture of K. aerogenes and Staphylococcus aureus 2 (5.3%). Urine microscopy revealed the presence of pus cells in 15 of the urine samples collected. Two urine samples, representing 2.5% of the samples, contained yeast cells, suggesting that candidiasis was also predominant. The high incidence of UTIs reported in this study should be of great concern, as not only do UTIs pose a threat to health, but they also impose an economic and social burden due to the stigma associated with these infections

Molten Salt Carbonization and Activation of Biomass to Functional Biocarbon

Functional carbon materials are useful for energy storage, catalysis, and pollutant adsorption, and are in high demand, for which biomass has become a valuable raw material. Molten salt carbonization and activation (MSCA) is a promising approach to converting biomass to functional biocarbon and reducing or neutralizing carbon impact on the environment. It uses a single thermal treatment and features high-efficiency conversion, rapid production, and low resource and processing costs. More importantly, in this process, the unmatched purely ionic environment at high temperatures can lead to in situ activation (pore generation) of the biocarbon and introduce desired ions into the carbon to enable unique functionalities. The biocarbon obtained possesses a fairly large specific surface area (SSA), balanced pore structure, and specific surface oxygen-containing groups for diverse applications. This review explains the fundamental and technological aspects of MSCA of biomass, focusing on the approaches, salt compositions (mixtures), processing conditions, and products. The properties of the obtained biocarbon are analyzed and compared in the context of practical applications. Areas for further investigation are also explored with the hope of this molten salt route becoming optimized and industrialized for a circular economy

Survival at 10 years following lower extremity amputations in patients with diabetic foot disease

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Springer in Endocrine on 12/04/2020, available online: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-020-02292-7 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.© 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. Background: Amputations are associated with markedly reduced long-term survival in patients with diabetic foot disease. However, there is paucity of long-term survival data in published literature. Methods: We searched the electronic case records and laboratory details of patients who underwent amputations between 1997 and 2006 to obtain at least 10 years of follow up data after the surgery to assess the survival rates and possible risk factors reducing survival in the year 2016. Amputation level below ankle was considered as minor and above ankle as major amputations. Results: Of the 233 cases (159 males; median age 68 years), 161 had major amputations. Of the 72 cases who had minor amputations initially, 63 needed a further amputation or contralateral amputation on follow up. One hundred seventy-seven patients (76%) were not alive after 10 years of follow up. The survival rates at 1, 3, 5, 7, and ≥10 years were 64%, 50%, 40%, 34%, and 24%, respectively. Maximum number of deaths occurred within 4 months of amputations. There was no difference between survival rates following major or minor amputations and among males or females. The only statistically significant parameter affecting lower survival rate was age ≥70 years, with each additional year of age increasing the hazard by a factor of 1.039 (95% CI: 1.024–1.054) or 3.9% (2.4–5.4%). Conclusions: Five-year and 10-year survival rates were 40% and 24%, respectively, following diabetic foot amputations. Higher age ≥70 years was associated with lower survival rate compared with younger age groups after lower extremity amputations.Published versio

Investigation of the nucleon-nucleon tensor force in the three-nucleon system

Proton-deuteron elastic scattering has been investigated at Ep =22.7 MeV by comparison of rigorous Faddeev calculations with experimental results. The observable most sensitive to the tensor force is the nucleon-nucleon polarization transfer coefficient Kyy'. The new angular distribution of Kyy' clearly favours the tensor force of the Bonn A potential, which is weaker than the one of the Paris potential.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28425/1/0000208.pd

POLARIZATION TRANSFER IN ELASTIC p-d SCATTERING AT Ep=22.7 MeV

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