Microstructural refinement and corrosion resistance improvement of heat-treated A356 alloy processed by equal channel angular pressing

The microstructure refinement, hardness and corrosion resistance of heat-treated A356 aluminium alloy processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) were investigated. ECAP was carried out at room temperature using a mold, with a channel angle of 120° via route A. Results of the investigation confirm that the flaky coarse silicon particles were effectively fragmented from 4.22 to 0.761 μm and the grain size reduced from 171 to 40 μm after four passes of heat-treated as-cast using ECAP process. ECAP processing increases the hardness of heat-treated as-cast alloy from 61 Hv to 125 HV after four passes. Heat-treated A356 alloy shows enhanced corrosion resistance from 0.0424 to 0.00149 mmy-1, after four passes. In this research, ECAP processing has been shown to improve the hardness and corrosion resistance of as-cast A356 alloy

CRUDE OIL FOULING: PETRONAS REFINERIES EXPERIENCE

Managing crude oil fouling has been a challenge in PETRONAS refineries. Over the past several years, numerous initiatives have been conducted in order to have better control of the situation [1][2][3][4]. The control strategy currently implemented is to periodically clean the heat exchanger based on the heat exchanger monitoring parameter and supported by antifouling chemical injection program. A review was conducted in one of PETRONAS’ refineries in order to come up with a better fouling control strategy. The review is separated into two parts. Firstly, the plant operational data for two selected hot pre-heat exchanger trains was analyzed. From the analysis, deposition build-up is apparent for only one exchanger train despite both trains receiving the same crude blend. It seems that there are several significant parameters which caused one of the exchanger to fall into fouling threshold region. EXPRESS [5] software was used to evaluate the fouling threshold region for the heat exchanger. Secondly, foulant sample obtained from the heat exchangers were subjected to analytical testing to investigate the constituent of the foulant. The analyses show that it is mainly organic in nature with a minor portion of the inorganic content made up of mostly corrosion products, salt and sand

Impact of chylothorax on the post operative outcome after pediatric cardiovascular surgery

BackgroundChylothorax is the accumulation of chyle in the pleural cavity, usually develops after disruption of the thoracic duct along its intra-thoracic route. In the majority of cases this rupture is secondary to trauma (including cardio thoracic surgeries). Chylothorax is a potentially serious complication after cardiovascular surgeries that require early diagnosis and adequate management.MethodsA retrospective study of all cases complicated with chylothorax after pediatric cardiac surgery in King Abdulaziz Cardiac Center between January 2007 and December 2009 was conducted. The study aim to determine the risk factors, and the impact on the post operative course.ResultsWe have 1135 cases operated during the study period, 57 cases (5%) were complicated with chylothorax in the post operative period. The most common surgeries complicated with chylothorax were the single ventricle repair surgeries (Glenn-Fontan) 15 cases (27%), followed by the arch repair cases 10 cases (18%), the ventricular septal defect cases 10 cases (18%), the Atrioventricular septal defect cases 7 cases (12%), the arterial switch cases 6 cases (11%), and others 8 cases (14%). The ICU stay, the length of hospital stay and the bypass time were significantly longer in the chylothorax group, also the ventilation time, the inotropes duration and number were higher in the chylothorax group.ConclusionChylothorax after pediatric open heart surgery is not an uncommon complication, it occurs more commonly with single ventricle repair and aortic arch repair surgeries, it has a significant impact on the post operative course and post operative morbidity

Evaluation of groundwater recharge based on climate change: a case study at Baung’s watershed, Kota Bharu, Kelantan

The soil water assessment tool (SWAT) is a continuous and distributed hydrologic model created to simulate the effect of land management practices on water in the watershed. Understanding relationship of water extraction of groundwater can lead to better watershed management. The main problem in this study is the complexity of recharge processes and limited observations in groundwater recharge in Malaysia makes it difficult to quantify. This study was done at Baung’s watershed (BW) which can be considered as an ungauged watershed. The estimation of groundwater recharge in BW was done using SWAT. However, BW cannot be calibrated due to lack of streams station availability but the uncalibrated SWAT able to provide satisfactory predictions on hydrologic budget. A framework for SWAT input data including hydrography, terrain, land-use, soil, and weather for BW was then focused in order to achieve the model simulation for ungauged basins. The results emphasize the importance and prospects of using accurate spatial input data for the physically based SWAT model. Normal condition, extreme-low precipitation and future in land-use development represented as scenarios 1, 2, and 3 were evaluated in this study. These conditions give different groundwater recharge rate as different scenarios give different impact to groundwater. Model was found to produce a reliable estimation of groundwater recharge of 405 mm/year (14.6%), 194.12 mm/year (11.1%), and 214.23 mm/year (7.7%) for scenarios 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In conclusion, it suggested that groundwater recharge should not be assumed always 6% of annual rainfall in Malaysia as the factors influencing groundwater recharge need to be took into consideration in assisting groundwater exploration and management

Morphological change of lignocellulosic biomass upon retreatment with deep eutectic solvents (DESS)

Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) has emerged as new type of Ionic liquids which exhibit similar characteristic with the conventional ILs but with additional advantages. Unlike conventional ILs, DESs are made from renewable, cheaper and greener components. Besides, the process synthesis is relatively easier. In light o the wide application of the conventional ILs in the pretreatment of lignocelluloses, it is interesting to study the application of DESs for degrading biomass. For this purpose, MCC (microcrystalline cellulose) structure was used as a model cellulose/substrate to study the structural change of the substrate using DESs. This is achieved by using Thermal Gravitational Analysis (TGA) and Xray Diffraction Methods. Results showed a great reduction of crystalline structure of MCC treated with the DESs. In addition, the effect of structural change was also studied using the real biomass pretreated with DESs. The work was carried out using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) as tool to analyze the structural changes in the Rice Husk treated with DESs

Appraisal of a high protein distiller’s dried grain (DDG) in diets for European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax fingerlings on growth performance, haematological status and related gut histology

High protein distiller's dried grains (HP‐DDG) are co‐products of ethanol production that uses prefractionation technology. An 8‐week growth trial was conducted to investigate the effect of partial replacement of soybean meal (SBM) by three levels of HP‐DDG (30%, 40% and 50%) on growth performance, physiological parameters and histological changes of the intestine of European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax. The results indicated that an increased dietary level of HP‐DDG of more than 30% significantly increases growth performance and improved the FCR of sea bass. In addition, replacement of SBM by HP‐DDG enhanced feed intake efficiency and the health status of fish. Haematology and serum biochemistry (haemoglobin (Hb), red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), packed cell volume (PCV %) and humeral immune parameters including total protein, albumin, globulin, cholesterol, lysozyme activity and total antioxidant capacity significantly increased with increase HP‐DDG inclusion levels. The findings of this study indicated that HP‐DDG is a good complementary protein source for inclusion aquaculture diets and levels above 30% as a replacement of SBM did not compromise growth performance and physiological parameters of sea bass while enhancing some important indices of health status in this species

Incidence of hip fracture in Saudi Arabia and the development of a FRAX model

Summary A prospective hospital-based survey in representative regions of Saudi Arabia determined the incidence of fractures at the hip. The hip fracture rates were used to create a FRAX® model to facilitate fracture risk assessment in Saudi Arabia. Objective This paper describes the incidence of hip fracture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that was used to characterize the current and future burden of hip fracture, to develop a country-specific FRAX® tool for fracture prediction and to compare fracture probabilities with neighbouring countries. Methods During a 2-year (2017/2018) prospective survey in 15 hospitals with a defined catchment population, hip fractures in Saudi citizens were prospectively identified from hospital registers. The number of hip fractures and future burden was determined from national demography. Age- and sex-specific incidence of hip fracture and national mortality rates were incorporated into a FRAX model for Saudi Arabia. Fracture probabilities were compared with those from Kuwait and Abu Dhabi. Results The incidence of hip fracture applied nationally suggested that the estimated number of hip fractures nationwide in persons over the age of 50 years for 2015 was 2,949 and is predicted to increase nearly sevenfold to 20,328 in 2050. Hip fracture rates were comparable with estimates from Abu Dhabi and Kuwait. By contrast, probabilities of a major osteoporotic fracture or hip fracture from the age of 70 years were much lower than those seen in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait due to higher mortality estimates for Saudi Arabia. Conclusion A country-specific FRAX tool for fracture prediction has been developed for Saudi Arabia which is expected to help guide decisions about treatment

Burden and risk factors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa community-acquired pneumonia:a Multinational Point Prevalence Study of Hospitalised Patients

Pseudornonas aeruginosa is a challenging bacterium to treat due to its intrinsic resistance to the antibiotics used most frequently in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Data about the global burden and risk factors associated with P. aeruginosa-CAP are limited. We assessed the multinational burden and specific risk factors associated with P. aeruginosa-CAP. We enrolled 3193 patients in 54 countries with confirmed diagnosis of CAP who underwent microbiological testing at admission. Prevalence was calculated according to the identification of P. aeruginosa. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for antibiotic-susceptible and antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa-CAP. The prevalence of P. aeruginosa and antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa-CAP was 4.2% and 2.0%, respectively. The rate of P. aeruginosa CAP in patients with prior infection/colonisation due to P. aeruginosa and at least one of the three independently associated chronic lung diseases (i.e. tracheostomy, bronchiectasis and/or very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) was 67%. In contrast, the rate of P. aeruginosa-CAP was 2% in patients without prior P. aeruginosa infection/colonisation and none of the selected chronic lung diseases. The multinational prevalence of P. aeruginosa-CAP is low. The risk factors identified in this study may guide healthcare professionals in deciding empirical antibiotic coverage for CAP patients

Tracking development assistance for health and for COVID-19 : a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 204 countries and territories, 1990-2050

Background The rapid spread of COVID-19 renewed the focus on how health systems across the globe are financed, especially during public health emergencies. Development assistance is an important source of health financing in many low-income countries, yet little is known about how much of this funding was disbursed for COVID-19. We aimed to put development assistance for health for COVID-19 in the context of broader trends in global health financing, and to estimate total health spending from 1995 to 2050 and development assistance for COVID-19 in 2020. Methods We estimated domestic health spending and development assistance for health to generate total health-sector spending estimates for 204 countries and territories. We leveraged data from the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database to produce estimates of domestic health spending. To generate estimates for development assistance for health, we relied on project-level disbursement data from the major international development agencies' online databases and annual financial statements and reports for information on income sources. To adjust our estimates for 2020 to include disbursements related to COVID-19, we extracted project data on commitments and disbursements from a broader set of databases (because not all of the data sources used to estimate the historical series extend to 2020), including the UN Office of Humanitarian Assistance Financial Tracking Service and the International Aid Transparency Initiative. We reported all the historic and future spending estimates in inflation-adjusted 2020 US$, 2020 US$ per capita, purchasing-power parity-adjusted US$per capita, and as a proportion of gross domestic product. We used various models to generate future health spending to 2050. Findings In 2019, health spending globally reached$8. 8 trillion (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 8.7-8.8) or $1132 (1119-1143) per person. Spending on health varied within and across income groups and geographical regions. Of this total,$40.4 billion (0.5%, 95% UI 0.5-0.5) was development assistance for health provided to low-income and middle-income countries, which made up 24.6% (UI 24.0-25.1) of total spending in low-income countries. We estimate that $54.8 billion in development assistance for health was disbursed in 2020. Of this,$13.7 billion was targeted toward the COVID-19 health response. $12.3 billion was newly committed and$1.4 billion was repurposed from existing health projects. $3.1 billion (22.4$2.4 billion (17.9%) was for supply chain and logistics. Only $714.4 million (7.7$1519 (1448-1591) per person in 2050, although spending across countries is expected to remain varied. Interpretation Global health spending is expected to continue to grow, but remain unequally distributed between countries. We estimate that development organisations substantially increased the amount of development assistance for health provided in 2020. Continued efforts are needed to raise sufficient resources to mitigate the pandemic for the most vulnerable, and to help curtail the pandemic for all. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

Geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 clades in the WHO European Region, January to June 2020

We show the distribution of SARS-CoV-2 genetic clades over time and between countries and outline potential genomic surveillance objectives. We applied three available genomic nomenclature systems for SARS-CoV-2 to all sequence data from the WHO European Region available during the COVID-19 pandemic until 10 July 2020. We highlight the importance of real-time sequencing and data dissemination in a pandemic situation. We provide a comparison of the nomenclatures and lay a foundation for future European genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.Peer reviewe