Evaluation of external radiological hazard in bottom and fly ash from coal fired pilot plant

Coal is the most important fossil fuel for non-nuclear power generation industries. The burning of coal generates ashes which contain natural radionuclides namely 238U and 232Th series including 40K that are released into the environment. This study presents an evaluation of the radioactivity content found in the feed coal and ashes sampled from typical coal fired power plants. The sample was measured for activity concentration of the radionuclides and the results were used to evaluate the radiological hazard index of the sample.The findings revealed that the values of the external radiological hazard obtained were acceptable and safe to be reutilized

Natural radioactivity from non-nuclear power generation power industries: regulatory control of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) for environmental sustainability

Coal is a widely used mineral and contains almost all elements which include Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) from natural origin such as from Uranium-238 (238U) and Thorium-232 (232Th) Series along with Potassium-40 (40K). It is the most important source of fossil fuel for non-nuclear power generation industries due to its accessibility and abundance in nature. The burning of coal generates bottom and fly ash which are released into the atmosphere. This process potentially tends to distribute the natural radionuclides originating from coal and enriched in the environment that could contribute to higher external radiation exposure to the population at large. This study aimed to presents an analysis of radioactivity concentration of feed coal burned and ashes from a typical coal fired power plants (CFPP) which is a non-nuclear power generation in Malaysia. The sample was analyzed for two most important natural radionuclides content namely 238U and 232Th by using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). An extensive investigation of this nature is warranted for radiation protection towards legislative compliance in ensuring safety of the public and workers and the protection of the environment

Comparative assessment on learning outcomes achievement among students participating in uniform bodies programs in a Malaysian Public University

Extracurricular activities are extra activities outside the classroom, besides curriculum. It is also known as co-curriculum. University students are encouraged to participate in co-curriculum activities as it can help students improve their soft skills. AIM: A cross sectional survey was conducted to evaluate the achievement of learning outcomes among students who participated in various uniform bodies programs in a Malaysian public university. Furthermore, this research wanted to assess the reasons students participated in the uniform bodies programs and evaluate the effects of such involvement in the extra-curricular in terms of academic performance, time management and social life. The skills that student’s learnt from the extra- curricular were also evaluated. METHOD: A set of validated questionnaire was used as a research tool. The uniform bodies that participated in this survey were ROTU, SUKSIS, BSMM and SISPA. The total number of respondents was 333 students. Statistical Package (SPSS) version 20.0 was used for analysis of data. RESULTS: The study found that majority of students participated in uniform bodies programs because of their own interest the programs (31.5%). There were positive correlations between participation in uniform bodies programs and revision hours (r = 0.256) and also with and social hours (r = 0.147) but there was negative correlation between time spent in uniform body programs and GPA (r=-0.140). There were differences in the soft skills that student’s achieved from different uniform bodies programs. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we found that students learnt and obtained various soft skills when they participated in uniform bodies programs. This will be useful for their later development especially when they are seeking employment upon graduation

Development of nanofiltration polyethersulfone hollow fiber membrane for cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase (CGTase) separation

The main objective of this research is to produce high performance nanofiltration (NF) hollow fiber membranes for Cyclodextrin Glycosyltransferase (CGTase) separation. For the first stage of this study, three types of spinning solution had been formulated by using titration method. These spinning solutions were formulated close to its cloud point (binodal line) in order to speed up the coagulation of nascent fibers so that the relaxation effect of molecular orientation was reduced. The dry/wet spinning process was applied in hollow fiber fabrication with water as bore fluid. At the second stage, hollow fibers were fabricated at four different type of dope extrusion rate (DER) ranging from 2.0 to 3.5 cm3/min. It was found that the optimum condition occurred at DER 2.5 cm3/min, which yields an optimal performance of sodium chloride rejection and better membrane morphology. The results exhibited that as the DER increased, the rejection value increases until critical level is achieved but the flux value gradually reduced. The optimized DER, at 2.5 cm3/min was selected to fabricate the fibers at different air gap length. Thus, by increasing air gap length, the rejection value is significantly increased. The results suggested that it is possible to separate the CGTase enzyme up to 99.11% with the flux of about 0.47 l/m2.h and enhance the NF hollow fiber membranes performance in CGTase separation by the approach proposed in this study. Finally, at the last stage, the produced NF membranes were characterized by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR-ATR). Results revealed that phase inversion and rheological factors significantly influencing the separation performance of Polyethersulfone (PES) NF hollow fiber membranes

Preparation and characterization of polyethersulfone hollow fiber nanofiltration membranes made from PES/NMP/PEG 400/WATER

The objective of this study is to develop nanofiltration hollow fiber membrane from a sophisticated multi component spinning dope. Polyethersulfone (PES) asymmetric nanofiltration (NF) hollow fibers membranes were prepared by a simple dry/wet phase inversion process from spinning solution consisted of N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP), Polyethylene-glycol (PEG 400) as polymeric additive and pure water as a non-solvent additive. These fibers have been produced from a newly developed spinning solution with a mass ratio of 21.34/31.22/10.2/7.24 (PES/NMP/PEG/water). The dope formulation was designed to be very close to its cloud point (binodal line) in order to speed up the coagulation of the nascent fibers so that the relaxation effect on molecular orientation is reduced. Sodium chloride solution was used to determine the rejection rate of the membranes. In order to achieve high performance NF membranes, the effects of shear rate on the separation performance of NF hollow fiber membrane were studied. Thus, different dope extrusion rate (DER) ranging from 2.0 to 3.5 cm3/min were used to produce the fibers. The results are used to correlate the relationship between DER and the separation performance (rejection) of the membrane. Experimental results show a significant effect of extrusion shear on the rejection rate of the membranes. As the shear rate was increased, the rejection increased until a certain level, before the rejection decreases. Finally, the optimum shear rate was observed in this study and it was about 2.5 cm3/min. In conclusion, we demonstrated that increasing the shear rate (DER) experienced by the spinning solution during membrane fabrication increased the molecular orientation and this had favorable effect on membrane rejection

Evaluation of radiological hazards of particulates emissions from a coal fired power plant

Natural minerals may contain radionuclides of natural origin of Uranium-238 (238U) and Thorium-232 (232Th) decay series. Similarly, coal like any other minerals found in nature contains trace amount of such naturally occurring radionuclides including Potassium-40 (40K). The generation of electricity by coal fired power plant (CFPP) releases particulates emission to the atmosphere and deposited on the surrounding area that may increase the natural background radiation level within the facility. This paper presents an evaluation of the natural radioactivity concentration found in the particulates emission from a typical CFPP in Malaysia. Standard Gaussian dispersion model approach was used to predict the potential radiological hazards arising from the particulates released from the stack. The predicted maximum ground level particulate (Cmax) concentration and downwind distance (X) was 52 µg m–3 and 1,600 m of away from the CFPP, respectively. The air dispersion modelling results recorded that the calculated Cmax released from the CFPP was found lower than the national and international ambient air quality limits, which means that radiological hazards due to inhalation of natural radionuclides in particulate released to the environment is insignificant. The findings revealed that, this activity does not impose any significant radiological risk to the human population at large and the operation is in compliance with the national legislation and international practice

Effects of Polyphenols in Tea (Camellia sinensis sp.) on the Modulation of Gut Microbiota in Human Trials and Animal Studies

A diet high in polyphenols is associated with a diversified gut microbiome. Tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world, after water. The health benefits of tea might be attributed to the presence of polyphenol compounds such as flavonoids (e.g., catechins and epicatechins), theaflavins, and tannins. Although many studies have been conducted on tea, little is known of its effects on the trillions of gut microbiota. Hence, this review aimed to systematically study the effect of tea polyphenols on the stimulation or suppression of gut microbiota in humans and animals. It was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol. Articles were retrieved from PubMed and Scopus databases, and data were extracted from 6 human trials and 15 animal studies. Overall, large variations were observed in terms of microbiota composition between humans and animals. A more consistent pattern of diversified microbiota was observed in animal studies. Tea alleviated the gut microbiota imbalance caused by high-fat diet-induced obesity, diabetes, and ultraviolet-induced damage. The overall changes in microbiota composition measured by beta diversity analysis showed that tea had shifted the microbiota from the pattern seen in animals that received tea-free intervention. In humans, a prebiotic-like effect was observed toward the gut microbiota, but these results appeared in lower-quality studies. The beta diversity in human microbiota remains intact despite tea intervention; supplementation with different teas affects different types of bacterial taxa in the gut. These studies suggest that tea polyphenols may have a prebiotic effect in disease-induced animals and in a limited number of human interventions. Further intervention is needed to identify the mechanisms of action underlying the effects of tea on gut microbiota

The Immunosuppressive Effect of TNFR2 Expression in the Colorectal Cancer Microenvironment

Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents one of the most common causes of death among cancers worldwide. Its incidence has been increasing among the young population. Many risk factors contribute to the development and progression of CRC and about 70% of them are sporadic. The CRC microenvironment is highly heterogeneous and represents a very complex immunosuppressive platform. Many cytokines and their receptors are vital participants in this immunosuppressive microenvironment. Tumor necrosis factors (TNFs) and TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2) are critical players in the development of CRC. TNFR2 was observed to have increased the immunosuppressive activity of CRC cells via regulatory T cells (T regs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) in the CRC microenvironment. However, the exact mechanism of TNFR2 in regulating the CRC prognosis remains elusive. Here, we discuss the role of TNFR2 in immune escape mechanism of CRC in the immunosuppressive cells, including Tregs and MDSCs, and the complex signaling pathways that facilitate the development of CRC. It is suggested that extensive studies on TNFR2 downstream signaling must be done, since TNFR2 has a high potential to be developed into a therapeutic agent and cancer biomarker in the future