Evaluation of Bio Briquettes made from Musa acuminata Colla, Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana Silk, and Citrus reticulata and Citrus sinensis Peels

Accumulation of food waste and the burning of coal emit harmful chemicals which contribute to environmental problems such as climate change and global warming. These also risk the health of people, which causes deaths. Briquettes help improve and preserve the environment by lessening food waste and coal emissions. This study aims to determine the best treatment for briquettes to help disadvantaged communities and alleviate the adverse effects on the environment and health. A combination of banana (Musa acuminata Colla (AA Group) \u27Lakatan\u27 and Musa acuminata × M. balbisiana (AAB Group) \u27Silk\u27, and orange (Citrus × reticulata and Citrus × sinensis) peels were used as bases for the briquettes. Sawdust also served as a controlled treatment, and two different binder treatments were also used, namely paper pulp and cassava starch. The briquettes\u27 quality was tested based on their density, burning rate, ignition time, and efficiency (Water Boiling Test). One-way Multivariate Analysis of Variance (One-way MANOVA), Shapiro-Wilk Normality Test and Levene’s Homogeneity of Variances Test, One-way ANOVA, Post-Hoc Test, specifically Tukey’s LSD were then used to analyze the gathered results. Results revealed that the best briquettes are orange & cassava (density), banana & paper (burning rate), sawdust & cassava (ignition), and sawdust & cassava (efficiency). The findings indicate that the best briquettes were sawdust & cassava (most efficient in Water Boiling Test and fastest to ignite) and banana & paper (lowest burning rate) briquettes. Additionally, the findings suggest different production practices

Vapor-Phase Oxidation of Benzyl Alcohol Using Manganese Oxide Octahedral Molecular Sieves (OMS-2)

Vapor-phase selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol has been accomplished using cryptomelane-type manganese oxide octahedral molecular sieve (OMS-2) catalysts. A conversion of 92% and a selectivity to benzaldehyde of 99% were achieved using OMS-2. The role played by the oxidant in this system was probed by studying the reaction in the absence of oxidant. The natures of framework transformations occurring during the oxidation reaction were fully studied using temperature-programmed techniques, as well as in situ X-ray diffraction under different atmospheres

International nosocomial infection control consortium (INICC) report, data summary of 36 countries, for 2004-2009

The results of a surveillance study conducted by the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) from January 2004 through December 2009 in 422 intensive care units (ICUs) of 36 countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe are reported. During the 6-year study period, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN; formerly the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system [NNIS]) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infections, we gathered prospective data from 313,008 patients hospitalized in the consortium's ICUs for an aggregate of 2,194,897 ICU bed-days. Despite the fact that the use of devices in the developing countries' ICUs was remarkably similar to that reported in US ICUs in the CDC's NHSN, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were significantly higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals; the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection in the INICC ICUs of 6.8 per 1,000 central line-days was more than 3-fold higher than the 2.0 per 1,000 central line-days reported in comparable US ICUs. The overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia also was far higher (15.8 vs 3.3 per 1,000 ventilator-days), as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (6.3 vs. 3.3 per 1,000 catheter-days). Notably, the frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates to imipenem (47.2% vs 23.0%), Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (76.3% vs 27.1%), Escherichia coli isolates to ceftazidime (66.7% vs 8.1%), Staphylococcus aureus isolates to methicillin (84.4% vs 56.8%), were also higher in the consortium's ICUs, and the crude unadjusted excess mortalities of device-related infections ranged from 7.3% (for catheter-associated urinary tract infection) to 15.2% (for ventilator-associated pneumonia). Copyright © 2012 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Vital signs monitoring using power line communications

Power Line Communications is a technology that utilizes the existing AC lines for data communications. There is no need to set-up new wires because the power lines behind the walls of any structure can function as a transmission medium. Vital Signs monitoring on the other hand is a basic task of any medical practitioner, specifically the nurse. Nurses regularly check the vital signs of their patients Body Temperature, Pulse Rate, Respiration, and Blood Pressure. But this task proves to be tedious especially when nurses are assigned a lot of patients. This thesis solves that problem by using the existing AC lines as the transmission medium. Modules will be set-up for each patient, acquire their vital signs and send the data through the AC Lines. On the monitoring station, a Graphical User Interface processes the data and stores it in a database for future use

Combined experimental and computational study of CO oxidation promoted by Nb in manganese oxide octahedral molecular sieves

Framework-substituted Mn oxide octahedral molecular sieves with different Nb concentrations (2-20mol% Nb-K-OMS-2) were synthesized via a single-step reflux method allowing for direct incorporation of the dopant into the mixed-valent Mn structure. Their specific surface areas ranged from 75 to 199m2g-1 with modified composition, size, morphology, porosity, thermal stability, and redox properties depending on the extent of substitution. Catalytic testing showed that the Nb-K-OMS-2 materials were active for CO oxidation and that the presence of Nb significantly enhanced the activity of pure K-OMS-2. For example, the conversions of 1% CO at 100°C using 0%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% Nb-K-OMS-2 were 4%, 10%, 25%, 62%, 59%, and 41%, respectively. When the O2 concentrations increased from 1% to 10% at 120°C, the activities of 10% and 15% Nb-K-OMS-2 materials were improved by as much as 61% and 69%, respectively. These catalysts were also stable and less prone to deactivation by moisture (~3% H2O) at temperatures >100°C than pure K-OMS-2. Theoretical calculations revealed that the substitution of Mn by Nb was a thermodynamically-favorable process and produced electrophilic centers, which can provide favorable sites for strong CO adsorption on the Nb-K-OMS-2 surface. The interaction of CO at these sites exhibited the beneficial effect of Nb substitution in the K-OMS-2 materials

Combined experimental and computational study of CO oxidation promoted by Nb in manganese oxide octahedral molecular sieves

Framework-substituted Mn oxide octahedral molecular sieves with different Nb concentrations (2-20mol% Nb-K-OMS-2) were synthesized via a single-step reflux method allowing for direct incorporation of the dopant into the mixed-valent Mn structure. Their specific surface areas ranged from 75 to 199m2g-1 with modified composition, size, morphology, porosity, thermal stability, and redox properties depending on the extent of substitution. Catalytic testing showed that the Nb-K-OMS-2 materials were active for CO oxidation and that the presence of Nb significantly enhanced the activity of pure K-OMS-2. For example, the conversions of 1% CO at 100°C using 0%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% Nb-K-OMS-2 were 4%, 10%, 25%, 62%, 59%, and 41%, respectively. When the O2 concentrations increased from 1% to 10% at 120°C, the activities of 10% and 15% Nb-K-OMS-2 materials were improved by as much as 61% and 69%, respectively. These catalysts were also stable and less prone to deactivation by moisture (~3% H2O) at temperatures >100°C than pure K-OMS-2. Theoretical calculations revealed that the substitution of Mn by Nb was a thermodynamically-favorable process and produced electrophilic centers, which can provide favorable sites for strong CO adsorption on the Nb-K-OMS-2 surface. The interaction of CO at these sites exhibited the beneficial effect of Nb substitution in the K-OMS-2 materials