Removal of phosphate from River water using a new baffle plates electrochemical reactor

During the last 50 years, the human activities have significantly altered the natural cycle of phosphate in this planet, causing phosphate to accumulate in the freshwater ecosystems of some countries to at least 75% greater than preindustrial levels, which indicates an urgent need to develop efficient phosphate treatment methods. Therefore, the current study investigates the removal of phosphate from river water using a new electrochemical cell (PBPR). This new cell utilises perforated baffle plates as a water mixer rather than magnetic stirrers that require power to work. This study investigates the influence of key operational parameters such as initial pH (ipH), current density (Ј), inter-electrode distance (ID), detention time (t) and initial phosphate concentration (IC) on the removal efficiency, and influence of the electrocoagulation process on the morphology of the surface of electrodes. Overall, the results showed that the new reactor was efficient enough to reduce the concentration of phosphate to the permissible limits. Additionally, SEM images showed that the Al anode became rough and nonuniform due to the production of aluminium hydroxides. The main advantages of the electrocoagulation technique are: 1- The EC method does not produce secondary pollutants as it does not required chemical additives, while other traditional treatment methods required either chemical or biological additives [[1], [2], [3], [4]]. 2- It has a large treatment capacity and a relatively short treatment time in comparison with other treatment methods, such as the biological methods [1,[5], [6], [7]]. 3- The EC method produces less sludge than traditional treatment traditional chemical and biological treatment methods [8,9]. EC technology, like any other treatment method, has some drawbacks that could limit its performance. For instance, it still has a clear deficiency in the variety of reactor design, and the electrodes should be periodically replaced as they dissolve into the solution due to the oxidation process [2,10]

Assessment of flexural and compressive strengths of EQUIA, GC gold hybrid, and conventional GIC restorative materials

Objectives: This in vitro research was performed to assess the flexural and compressive strengths of EQUIA, GC Gold Hybrid (GH), and conventional glass ionomer cement (GIC) restorative materials. Materials and methods: This study compares three restorative Materials: group I—EQUIA Forte GIC, group II—GC GH, and group III—conventional GIC for compressive and flexural strength evaluation. With a specially made Teflon mold, thirty-six cylindrical test specimens measuring 4 mm × 5 mm in dimension were created. They were then placed in 20 mL of deionized water and kept at 37°C for 3 hours every day for 30 days. Later, they were subjected to compressive strength and flexural strength using the universal testing machine. Statistics were used to examine each and every result. Result and Conclusion: EQUIA had the highest average compressive strength and flexural strength, whereas traditional GIC restorative material had the lowest

Clinical assessment of SDF effect in arresting dental caries in deciduous teeth

Objectives: Current research was done to evaluate the effectiveness of 38% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) on carious lesions in deciduous teeth. Materials and Method: The study included kids who had at least one carious lesion in accordance to the International Caries Detection and Assessment System II. A 38% SDF (FAgamin, Tedequim Company, Córdoba, Argentina) solution was applied directly to the lesion on the deciduous teeth as per the manufacturer's instructions. A follow-up evaluation was performed after one, three, and six months. Clinical results were used to assess the efficacy of SDF. The obtained data were statistically evaluated. Result: When it came to halting dental caries in primary teeth, 38% SDF was 92% effective. Conclusion: In conclusion, 38% SDF can be used to effectively stop caries in primary teeth

Assessment of embrace-WetBond and fissurit F pit and fissure sealants' marginal sealing abilities

Objectives: The goal of the current research was to assess marginal sealing abilities of 2 commercial pit and fissure sealants. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 premolar teeth were equally classified into 2 groups: Group A-application of Embrace-WetBond sealant and Group B-application of Fissurit F, Voco sealant. After sealant placement, samples were preserved in artificial saliva for 48 hours prior to thermocycling. Later, samples were submerged for 24 hours in a 2% methylene blue solution. The amount of microleakage based on the quantity of dye penetration at interface between the tooth substance and sealant was compared under an optical stereomicroscope. The obtained data were statistically analysed for the dye penetration scores in both groups. Result: It was observed that 8 samples from Group A (53%) had no dye penetration (Grade 0), whereas 4 samples from Group B (26%) showed Grade 0 penetration. In 5 out of 15 samples (33%) from Group B, the dye penetration was the greatest (Grade 3; P = 0.012). Conclusion: It was concluded that Embrace-WetBond had lesser microleakage compared to group 2-Fissurit F, Voco sealant

Knowledge, attitude and behavioural survey regarding oral hygiene practices amongst rural and urban population of Ahmedabad City, Gujarat: A comparative study

Introduction: It is thought that oral hygiene can be influenced by socioeconomic status to some extent. People with higher socioeconomic status often have better access to resources and opportunities, which can impact their oral hygiene practices and overall dental health. Hence, this study assessed knowledge, attitude and behaviour regarding oral health amongst the adult population in urban and rural populations of Ahmedabad city. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out amongst the urban and rural segments of Ahmedabad district. The zones of the district and participants were selected by systematic random sampling method. The participants in the Ahmedabad district were selected, and those 204 who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were considered. A validated questionnaire was designed in our study so as to satisfy the quality, attain the objective of our study and make the study effective. Results: About 70.42% of the rural population and 77.30% of the urban population has good knowledge, while only 36.1% of the rural population and 47.16% of the urban population had a positive attitude towards oral hygiene practices. 61.27% of the rural population and 64.81% of the urban population showed positive behaviour. The absence of correlation was identified between knowledge-attitude and attitude-behaviour. Conclusion: It has been found that a massive number of the urban population possess a higher level of knowledge and attitude towards oral health than the rural population. No linear positive correlation was seen in knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards oral health

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortiu (INICC) report, data summary of 43 countries for 2007-2012. Device-associated module

We report the results of an International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) surveillance study from January 2007-December 2012 in 503 intensive care units (ICUs) in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. During the 6-year study using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) U.S. National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care–associated infection (DA-HAI), we collected prospective data from 605,310 patients hospitalized in the INICC's ICUs for an aggregate of 3,338,396 days. Although device utilization in the INICC's ICUs was similar to that reported from ICUs in the U.S. in the CDC's NHSN, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals: the pooled rate of central line–associated bloodstream infection in the INICC's ICUs, 4.9 per 1,000 central line days, is nearly 5-fold higher than the 0.9 per 1,000 central line days reported from comparable U.S. ICUs. The overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia was also higher (16.8 vs 1.1 per 1,000 ventilator days) as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (5.5 vs 1.3 per 1,000 catheter days). Frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas isolates to amikacin (42.8% vs 10%) and imipenem (42.4% vs 26.1%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (71.2% vs 28.8%) and imipenem (19.6% vs 12.8%) were also higher in the INICC's ICUs compared with the ICUs of the CDC's NHSN