Vacuum Pyrolysis of Waste Vehicle Tyres into Oil Fuel Using A Locally, Fabricated Reactor

Abstract Some countries still face daunting challenges of managing ever-increasing waste generated, especially plastic and waste vehicle tyres.  Whilst some developed countries have adopted innovative ways such as catalytic or pyrolytic decomposition processes for energy or fuel generation from these wastes, developing countries like Ghana still dispose off indiscriminately around communities or un-engineered dumpsites. Hence, this study sought to transform waste vehicle tyres into fuel which invariably minimises or eliminates its environmental impact. Particularly, waste vehicle tyres (sourced from dumpsites in Tarkwa, Ghana) were washed, shredded and decomposed via pyrolysis at high temperature range (~ 450 - 650 oC) using locally designed and fabricated reactor. The physicochemical properties (such as water content, flashpoint, density, sulphur content, solids and viscosity) of the pyrolysis oil produced were also examined using the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards and procedures. The results showed that the viscosity, flashpoint and the density of the pyrolysis oil produced were 0.904 cSt, 34.5 oC, and 850.6 kg/m3 (at 15 oC), respectively. The sulphur, water and solids/particulates contents were 4340.0 ppm, 0.8 vol.%, and 483,495.5 ppm, respectively. It was also observed that the pyrolysis oil obtained appeared as thick, single-phase liquid with dark colour and strong odour at room temperature. Relatively, the properties of pyrolysis oil produced without further treatment did not meet the International specification for diesel fuel, hence its usage would require further treatments such as desulphurisation, decanting, centrifugation and filtration. Overall, the study has demonstrated that the pyrolysis of waste vehicle tyres into fuel provides an alternative method for managing end-of-life vehicle tyres and adding value to waste in general.   Keywords: Pyrolysis, Waste Vehicle Tyres, Reactor, Pyrolysis Oil, Biofue

Digyalipopeptide A, an antiparasitic cyclic peptide from the Ghanaian Bacillus sp. strain DE2B.

Acknowledgements We acknowledge the mass spectrometry data received from the laboratory of Professor Pieter C. Dorrestein and Andrés Mauricio Caraballo Rodrígueze. Funding K.K., H.D and M.J. are grateful for the financial support of Leverhulme Trust-Royal Society Africa award (AA090088) and the jointly funded UK Medical Research Council–UK Department for International Development (MRC/DFID) Concordat Agreement African Research Leaders Award (MR/S00520X/1). A.P.N. is thankful for the award of a Ph.D. scholarship by the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the Carnegie BANGA-Africa Project Award for a Ph.D. scholarship.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Stem Cell Niche Microenvironment: Review

yesThe cornea comprises a pool of self‐regenerating epithelial cells that are crucial to preserving clarity and visibility. Limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs), which live in a specialized stem cell niche (SCN), are crucial for the survival of the human corneal epithelium. They live at the bottom of the limbal crypts, in a physically enclosed microenvironment with a number of neighboring niche cells. Scientists also simplified features of these diverse microenvironments for more analysis in situ by designing and recreating features of different SCNs. Recent methods for regenerating the corneal epithelium after serious trauma, including burns and allergic assaults, focus mainly on regenerating the LESCs. Mesenchymal stem cells, which can transform into self‐renewing and skeletal tissues, hold immense interest in tissue engineering and innovative medicinal exploration. This review summarizes all types of LESCs, identity and location of the human epithelial stem cells (HESCs), reconstruction of LSCN, and artificial stem cells for self‐renewal

A Study on Amorphous Silicon Electronic Portal Imaging Device (A-Si EPID) Response to Delivered Radiation Doses

The use of amorphous silicon flat panel-type electronic portal imaging device (a-Si EPID) as dosimeters in radiotherapy has seen gradual increase in recent times. This research study has assessed dosimetric response of a-Si EPID (Elekta iViewGT) with respect to photon beam qualities on Elekta Synergy Platform linac. Images acquired under reference conditions of 10×10 cm² open field with the a-Si EPID at source to EPID distance (SED) of 159 cm and varying dose of 1-3 Gy in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) solid water phantom slabs were used. The experiment was repeated with Farmer-type PTW ionization chamber (IBA 30010) in position and measurement taken at 10 cm in the solid water phantom. Set up conditions for EPID and IC remained same throughout the study. The study observed similar and proportional increases in EPID and IC signals with increasing dose. Maximum deviation of 7.2 % was recorded between EPID and IC measurements. Outcome of the study demonstrates that the a-Si EPID is appropriate for dosimetric verification purposes on the Elekta linac. Comprehensive evaluation of dosimetric properties of EPIDs is thus necessary to ensure reliability in dose measurements on different linac systems

Implementing treat-to-target urate-lowering therapy during hospitalisations for gout flares.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a strategy designed to optimise care and increase uptake of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) during hospitalisations for gout flares. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study to evaluate a strategy that combined optimal in-hospital gout management with a nurse-led, follow-up appointment, followed by handover to primary care. Outcomes, including ULT initiation, urate target attainment, and re-hospitalisation rates, were compared between patients hospitalised for flares in the 12 months post-implementation and a retrospective cohort of hospitalised patients from 12 months pre-implementation. RESULTS: 119 and 108 patients, respectively, were hospitalised for gout flares in the 12 months pre- and post-implementation. For patients with 6-month follow-up data available (n = 94 and n = 97, respectively), the proportion newly initiated on ULT increased from 49.2% pre-implementation to 92.3% post-implementation (age/sex-adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 11.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.36-30.5; p < 0.001). After implementation, more patients achieved a serum urate ≤360 micromol/L within 6 months of discharge (10.6% pre-implementation vs. 26.8% post-implementation; aOR 3.04; 95% CI 1.36-6.78; p = 0.007). The proportion of patients re-hospitalised for flares was 14.9% pre-implementation vs. 9.3% post-implementation (aOR 0.53, 95% CI 0.22 to 1.32; p = 0.18). CONCLUSION: Over 90% of patients were initiated on ULT after implementing a strategy to optimise hospital gout care. Despite increased initiation of ULT during flares, recurrent hospitalisations were not more frequent following implementation. Significant relative improvements in urate target attainment were observed post-implementation; however, for the majority of hospitalised gout patients to achieve urate targets, closer primary-secondary care integration is still needed

Migration, Health, and Gender and Its Effects on Housing Security of Ghanaian Women

We explored how migration influences our understanding of health and housing security of women who have or have not migrated to find work in Ghana. This article focuses on housing security. We used a multisite ethnographic research design. The setting was two distinct contexts in Ghana: a rural village and an urban context. We interviewed 44 women. Thematic content analysis was conducted. The main themes that emerged were decisions influencing migration, housing security, and the relationship between housing and health. Women voiced concerns about health related to housing conditions – for example, its effect on upper respiratory infections. We conclude that improving housing and services to the urban poor can have a positive impact on their health. Available, affordable, suitable, and adequate housing has the potential to contribute to economic growth, create more jobs, and improve the well-being of migrant women and, subsequently, their families in Northern Ghana

Performance of Multimodal Biometric Systems Using Face and Fingerprint (Short Survey)

YesBiometric authentication is the science and engineering of assessing and evaluating bioinformatics from the human body in order to increase system security by providing reliable and accurate behaviors and classifiers for personal identification and authentication. Its solutions are widely used in industries, governments, and the military. This paper reviews the multimodal biometric systems that integrated both faces and fingerprints as well as shows which one has the best accuracy and hardware complexity with the methods and databases. Several methods have been used in multimodal biometric systems such as KNN (K-Nearest Neighbor), CNN (Convolutional Neural Network), PCA (Principal Component Analysis), and so on. A multimodal biometric system for face and fingerprints that uses an FoM (Figure of Merit) to compare and show between the articles the best accuracy that have used multimodal biometric system face and fingerprints methods. The best performance has been found is 99.43% by using the cascade multimodal method.Horizon-MSCA-RISE-2019-2023, Marie Sklodowska-CurieThe full-text of this conference paper will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 27 Oct 2022