Separation of CO2/CH4 through Carbon Tubular Membranes: Effect of Carbonization Temperature

Carbon membranes have received much attention as advance materials in the gas separation technology due to their superior gas permeation performance and thermal and chemical stability. In order to increase the mechanical strength of the membrane, supported carbon membrane were produced using ceramic tube as support layer. Carbon tubular membranes were produced by carbonizing polymeric tubular membrane under different process parameter. In this study, carbon tubular membranes originating from Matrimid were prepared and characterized n term of its gas permeation properties. The preparation method involved dip-coating of the ceramic tubes with a Matrimid-based solution. The carbon tubular membranes were obtained by carbonization of the resultant polymeric tubular membrane under Argon gas flow in the horizontal tube furnace. The effects of the carbonization temperature on the gas permeation performance were investigated. Pure gas permeation tests were performed using CO2 and CH4 at room temperature with pressure 8 bars. The permeance and selectivity data indicate that the highest CO2/CH4 selectivity of 87.30 was obtained for carbon tubular membrane prepared at carbonization temperature of 850 ºC

Comparative sensitivity and specificity of Typhidot and Typhidot-M tests in the diagnosis of Enteric fever in Malaysian children

Suntu penelitian untuk mengetahui sensitivitas dan spesifisitas uji Typhidot dan Typhidot-M daLam mendiagnosis demam enterik pada anak-anak Malaysia telah dilakukan. Pasien dibagi dalam dua kelompok: (i) pasien dengan biakan darah dan-/ ataufeses positif S. typhi dan/atau dengan gambaran klinis yang jelas untuk demam enterik; (ii) pasien dengan kedua biakan negatif dan dengan gambaran klinis atau bukti lain adanya demam oleh sebab lain. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa Typhidot maupun TyphidorM sama sensitifnya dengan uji Widal. Uji Typhidot-M memiliki spesifisins yang sedikit Lebih tinggi daripada uji Typhido4 keduanya memiliki spesifisitas sekitar l0% Iebih baik daripada uji Widal. Data juga menunjukkan bahwa uji Typhidot-M mungkin dapat meningkntkan ketepatan diagnosis demam oleh sebab lain pada anak-anak, yang dibuktikan dengan perbaikan spesifitas. Baik uji Typhidot maupun Typhidot-M adalah alat bantu diagnosis yang cepat dan dapat diandalkan dalam penatalaksanaan demam enterik. Uji Typhidot-M mungkin lebih disukai daripada uji Typhidot dalam mengidentifikasi pasien yang menderita demam oleh sebab lain sementara ia daLam masa penyembuhan demam enterik. A study was carcied out to compare the sensitivity and specificity of Typhidot and Typhidot-M tests in the diagnosis of enteric fever in Malaysian children. The patients were divided into two groups: (i) those who were bLood and /or stool culture positive for S. typhi and/or who had clinical features strongly suggestive of enteric fever; (ii) those who were both culture - negative and had clinical or other evidence of another febrile illness. The results showed both Typhidot and Typhidot-M tests.were as sensitive as WidaL test. The Typhidot-M test hnd slightly greater specificity than the Typhidot test; both had around l07a better specificity than the Widal test. The data aLso suggest that the Typhidot-M test may, as evidenced by improved specificity, increase diagnostic accuracy for other febrile iLlnesses in children. The Typhidot and Typhidot-M are both prompt and reliable diagnostic aids in the management of enteric fever The typhidot-M test may be more preferable to the orginal Typhidot test in identifiing patients who develop other febrile illnesses whilst recovering from enteric fever

PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LAFEO3 USING DUAL-COMPLEXING AGENTS FOR PHOTODEGRADATION OF HUMIC ACID

Humic Acid (HA) is considered as one of the major components that represents a major fraction of dissolved in natural water. Complex mixture of organic compounds on HA lead to the problematic issue for municipal wastewater treatment plants such as undesirable taste, colour to drinking water and fouling in pipe line. The reaction of HA with chlorine during disinfection processes would produce carcinogenic by-products like trihalomethanes. In this study, for the first time, LaFeO3 photocatalyst was successfully synthesized via gel-combustion method using combined glucose/citric acid as chelating agents and was further calcined at 400°C. The photocatalytic activity of samples was investigated by degradation of Humic Acid (HA) in water under visible light irradiation. Results proved that the photocatalytic degradation of HA is dependent on the catalyst dosage, initial concentration of HA, and oxygen availability in the aeration. The photocatalytic degradation also was enhanced by high surface area of synthesized LaFeO3 obtained by amorphous structure. Overall, the percentage removal of HA by varying the catalyst dosage are in the order of 88%, 90%, 98% and 97% for 0.6 g/L, 0.8 g/L, 1.0 g/L, and 1.2 g/L respectively for an irradiation period of 120 minutes. Next, the removal of HA by manipulating its initial concentration are 98%, 90%, 85% and 86% with respect to 10 g/L, 20 g/L, 30 g/L and 40 g/L taken for 120 minutes. Overall, the optimal operational parameters for the removal of HA of catalyst dosage is 1.0 g/L performing at 98%, for initial concentration of HA which was removed efficiently at 97% is 10 g/L and via aeration in this study was about 93%, after 120 min of irradiation times

Morphological study of synthesized RGO/ Pt nanocomposites via facile chemical reduction method

Reduced graphene oxide nanosheet (RGO)/Pt nanocomposite have been successfully prepared through a facile chemical reduction method. The reduction of Pt precursor was carried out using sodium borohydride as the efficient chemical reductant. The morphology of RGO/Pt nanocomposite was investigated using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). HRTEM analysis showed that platinum nanoparticles were homogenously distributed onto the surface of RGO. The electrochemical study proved that Pt nanoparticles were successfully incorporated onto RGO. Therefore, it can be concluded that the proposed method could provide well-dispersed of Pt nanoparticles onto RGO to form RGO/ Pt nanocomposite

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries1,2. However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world3 and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health4,5. However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol—which is a marker of cardiovascular risk—changed from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95% credible interval 3.7 million–4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world.</p

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries1,2. However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world3 and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health4,5. However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol�which is a marker of cardiovascular risk�changed from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95 credible interval 3.7 million�4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world. © 2020, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited

The effect of polymer composition on CO2/CH4 separation of supported carbon membrane

Recently, membrane technology has attracted vast attention from many scientists and engineers, particularly from the industrial area. The membrane for gas separation is favoured due to its economically feasibility and high separation performance with respect to gas permeability and selectivity. In this study, the effect of different polymer concentrations (5, 10, 13, 15 and 18 wt%) on the gas permeation properties of CO2/CH4 separation was investigated. Matrimid 5218 was chosen as the based polymer for tubular carbon membrane preparation owing to its excellent membrane properties (i.e. high mechanical and thermal stability) in order to fulfil the membrane requirement for high gas separation performance. The commercialised tubular membrane was dip-coated into Matrimid/NMP solution and then proceed with carbonisation process at the optimum condition with a heating rate of 2 K/min and under Argon gas flow rate at 200 mL/min at temperature of 1,123.15 K by using argon gas. The pure gas permeation tested for both CO2 and CH4 was carried out under room temperature at pressure controlled at 800 kPa. From the experimental results, the tubular membrane made of 15 wt % Matrimid performed the highest CO2/CH4 selectivity (87.34 %) as compared to the other membranes. The excellent performance obtained from the membrane could be attributed by the micropores formation, where the chain of the polymer had increased its packing density. Thus, membrane porosity can be increased by increasing the polymer concentration in the solution

Constructing a compact heterojunction structure of ag2co3/ag2o in-situ intermediate phase transformation decorated on zno with superior photocatalytic degradation of ibuprofen

In this study, the ZnO/Ag2CO3/Ag2O photocatalyst had been successfully fabricated via the facile two-step synthesis method, which included the heterojunction of Ag2CO3 on ZnO, followed by the in-situ phase transformation method of Ag2CO3/Ag2O. The phase transformation from Ag2CO3 to Ag2O over ZnO surfaces was observed in different phase structures and the O atom possessed by Ag2O had diffused towards the Ag2CO3 surface, signifying the presence of Ag2CO3/Ag2O heterostructure over the ZnO. The result indicates that the heterojunction of Ag2CO3/Ag2O over ZnO surfaces exhibited a 99.3% photodegradation of Ibuprofen (IBF) solution under visible-light irradiation, with 10-folds higher reaction rate compared to the pristine ZnO. Compact interfacial heterojunction in ZnO–Ag2CO3-Ag2O sample had promoted effective interfacial charge transfers due to synergistic effect of Ag2CO3/Ag2O heterostructure. This situation leads an extended light absorption due to light sensitive Ag2CO3 and Ag2O which can all lead to an improved photocatalytic activity of the ZnO/Ag2CO3/Ag2O. Experimental and characterization results have shown that a plausible mechanism of highlighting the surface of redox reaction and charge transfer pattern on ZnO/Ag2CO3/Ag2O had been attained. Hence, heterojunction with interface structure could be a promising photocatalyst for photocatalytic applications