Fertilizer drawn hollow fiber forward osmosis for desalination

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.Continuous increase in fresh water demand has underscored the importance of developing a low cost water desalination process. Fertilizer drawn forward osmosis (FDFO) presents a promising step forward for low cost desalination using the natural osmotic pressure of the fertilizer draw solution (DS) as a driving force. FDFO carries a distinct advantage over other FO processes because the final diluted draw solution requires minimal to no treatment processes and it can be easily used for any useful fertigation application. This helps to eliminate the energy intensive permeate recovery step for the FO process and represents an economical desalination option. However, the performance ratio outcome for the earlier FO studies has highlighted a number of areas that can be improved in relation to FO performance. This study evaluated FDFO using eight commercial fertilizers as DS for the flat sheet FO membrane using sea water (SW) quality feed (35 g/L NaC1) and targeting the NPK fertilizer and water requirements for tomato crops. Diverse results were achieved as some of the fertilizers showed significant flux while others showed negative or very low flux outcomes. This indicated that all commercial fertilizers may not be effectively used as DS for the SW quality feed. The results with various quality feed solutions (FS) and DS concentrations indicated that the flux performance does not vary in a linear sense with the changes in Δπ. Varying flux outcome for various individual or mixed fertilizer DS’s carrying similar Δπ values reflects the involvement of some unknown interactions between the DS and membrane surfaces, both at the active layer (AL) and the support layer (SL), for these specific results. These results further highlighted the fact that the osmotic pressure of the DS alone may not be used as the main criteria for the DS selection but rather the association between the DS solutes and the active and support layers of the membrane are also vital in terms of understanding the FO flux performances. In addition, these outcomes revealed a number of limitations in relation to the FDFO e.g. reverse solute flux issues, higher nutrients concentration in the final DS and low recovery for osmotic equilibrium issues. These fertilizer DS’s were further assessed and their performance was compared for cellulose triacetate (CTA) flatsheet and polyamide (PA) hollow fiber FO (HFFO) membranes to understand the association between the DS properties and the membrane characteristics for the FO outcome. It was observed that at similar operating parameters, the PA hollow fiber showed a comparatively better outcome in terms of flux and reverse solute flux (RSF). HFFO was also evaluated for the effects of various operating conditions and markedly enhanced performances were found. It was observed that for 2 M NaC1 as DS and DI water as FS, the HFFO successfully delivered water flux of 62.9 LMH at DS/FS Reynolds number (Re) of 3750/1500 whereas the same membrane in AL-FS orientation showed a flux of 9.67 LMH at DS/FS Re of 200/500. This indicated a flux increase of about 511% for a set of two operating conditions for the same FO membrane which further suggested that the changes in the operating conditions induce some indistinct changes in the membrane structure that can affect the water transport phenomenon through the membrane. It is therefore recommended that further studies be undertaken to investigate the real mechanism for the water transport through the membrane as this could contribute to the development of a higher performing membrane for the FO process. Results also indicate that cationic and anionic parts of the DS seriously affect the RSF outcomes. Further evaluation in this regard may contribute towards the creation of a better DS for the FO process with reduced RSF consequences. The HFFO membrane was further evaluated for inorganic scaling and organic fouling issues using brackish ground water quality FS loaded with various model organic foulants such as humic acid, alginate and bovine serum albumine (BSA). During these FO fouling studies, it was noted that the commonly used FO fouling protocol which is similar to the RO fouling protocol may not be successfully used to evaluate FO fouling. The RO fouling was evaluated against a fixed driving force (hydraulic pressure) and any changes in the flux performance were referred to the fouling impact. However, in FO, as the driving force (net osmotic pressure difference between the FS and DS) kept changing constantly, it was really difficult to predict any flux change which was particularly associated with the scaling or fouling. For any two tests, at any particular time, the FO did not show the same driving force and hence for the evaluation of the fouling, the flux comparison for two different curves was not always useful. Accordingly, a new protocol is suggested for the FO fouling studies. The fouling results indicated that FO, like the RO membrane, also posed potential operational risks in terms of scaling and fouling. The HFFO membrane indicated varying degrees of fouling potential for the membrane used in the AL-FS and AL-DS orientation and these were not related to membrane properties. Instead the hydrodynamic conditions employed for the process affected the fouling potential of the membranes used. Results indicated that the higher crossflow rate helped to keep the membrane clean from inorganic scale and the turbulence shear force did not allow scale build-up at the high Re. It was also observed that the inorganic scaling was not fully reversed for the HFFO membrane used in the AL-FS and AL-DS orientations which employed hydraulic cleaning practices because the cleaning totally depended on how the flow shear forces using various cross flowrates were applied on the membrane surface. For the organic foulants, the turbulence shear force could not overcome the membrane–foulant interactions and foulants layer deposited on the membrane surfaces and reduce the FO performance which was not recovered by hydraulic flushing. The chemical cleaning which used HC1, NaOH and EDTA was evaluated and it was found that the EDTA (pH 11) showed a better outcome for FO membrane cleaning

The Impact of poor glycaemic control on the prevalence of erectile dysfunction in men with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review.

To determine the impact of poor glycaemic control on the prevalence of erectile dysfunction among men with type 2 Diabetics aged 27 to 85 years.The databases Embase classic+Embase, Global health, Ovid Medline and PsychINFO, were searched for relevant studies in June 2014 using the keywords: (Diabetes Mellitus OR diabetes mellitus type2 OR DM2 OR T2DM OR insulin resistance) AND (erectile dysfunction OR sexual dysfunction OR impotence) AND glycaemic control.All study settings were considered (primary care, secondary care and tertiary care setting).Type 2 Diabetic Patients with erectile dysfunction.Included studies must include one of the following outcomes: (1) HBA1c for assess the level of glycaemic control; (2) Erectile dysfunction (any stage: IIEF-5 = 21 or less).Five cross-sectional studies involving 3299 patients were included. The findings pointed to a positive association between erectile dysfunction and glycaemic control. Three studies showed a significant positive association, while one study showed only a weak correlation and one study showed borderline significance. Patients age, diabetes mellitus duration, peripheral neuropathy and body mass index had positive association with erectile dysfunction. However, smoking and hypertension were not associated with erectile dysfunction in most included studies. Physical activity had a protective effect against erectile dysfunction.We may conclude that the risk of erectile dysfunction is higher in type 2 diabetic men with poor glycaemic control than those with good control

The justice system is failing victims and survivors of sexual violence

Tammi Walker, Alison Foster, Rabiya Majeed-Ariss and Miranda Horvath on a role for psychologists in improving processes and protection around rape cases. The justice system in England and Wales continues to fail survivors of sexual violence. Official figures from the Crown Prosecution Service and Police highlight the ongoing problem of attrition of rape cases from the criminal justice system. Here, we outline the limitations of the endless cycle of reviews in response to the poor treatment of survivors. We argue that solutions which could lead to significant improvements for survivors of sexual violence are possible

Study of Absorbance and Emissivity Solar Radiation by Clouds, Aerosols and Some Atmospheric Gases

The atmosphere consists of a quantity of clouds, aerosols, and gases. The solar radiation that reaches the earth's surface depends on this quantity. The amounts of solar radiation at the earth's surface are lower than the amounts of solar radiation reaching the upper surface of the atmosphere. The aim of this research is the study of absorbance and emissivity solar radiation by cloud, aerosols and methane gas. Data were taken by Top Solar Radiation (TSR), Surface Solar Radiation (SSR), Surface Thermal Radiation (STR), Surface Thermal Radiation Downward (STRD), Top Thermal Radiation (TTR), Albedo (AL), Total Cloud Cover (TCC), Aerosols Optical Depth at wavelength550nm (AOD550nm) and Methane (CH4) from satellites recorded by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) the choice of year is 2016 in Baghdad city (33.375°N-44.375°E). Where we studied the short and long-wave solar radiation and its relationship with a cloud, aerosol and methane gas during the hourly mean at the times 00:00 am-12:00 pm and a cycle in temperature variation. The results showed that at the time 00:00 am was inverse correlation coefficient highest was -0.9 and their positive correlation coefficient highest was 0.6 with CH4. where represent very high correlation then followed and clouds and aerosols. Absorption, emission, and albedo by clouds, aerosols, and gases depend on the quantity, abundance, composition, location, distribution, meteorological parameters and wavelength of each air component, as well as on the strength of the solar and the thermal radiation at the times 00:00 am-12:00 pm

Analysis of EUV/FUV dayglow and auroral measurements

This report documents investigations carried out over the twelve month period which commenced in November 1992. The contract identifies the following three tasks: analysis of the O II 83.4 nm dayglow and comparison with incoherent scatter radar data, analysis of the EUV spectrum of an electron aurora, and analysis of the EUV spectrum of a proton-hydrogen-electron aurora. The analysis approach, data reduction methods, and results, including plots of O I 98.9 nm versus time and average spectra, are presented for the last two tasks. The appendices contain preprints of two papers written under the first task. The first paper examines the effect of new O(3P) photoionization cross sections, N2 photoabsorption cross sections, and O(+) oscillator strengths and transition probabilities on the O II 83.4 nm dayglow. The second addresses the problem of remotely sensing the dayside F2 region using limb O II 83.4 nm data

Thermospheric O/N2 Based on DE-1 FUV Dayglow Imaging Data

Work performed during the second half of Year 1 of the contract is summarized. The primary objective of the work is to derive global dayside thermospheric oxygen concentrations from DE-1 far ultraviolet imaging data which we are considering under both magnetically quiet and disturbed times. Work to date has been more qualitative in producing maps showing intensity variations beyond those that can be explained by changes in solar zenith angle (SZA) and look angle across an image (Craven et al., 1995; Meier et al., 1994; Gladstone, 1994). In meeting our primary objective, four tasks have been addressed during the reporting period: (1) Investigating the uniqueness of the relationship between the dayglow emission seen using DE-1's 123 filter (dominated by OI 130.4 nm emission) and the column abundance of O relative to N2 referenced to an N2 depth of 10(exp 17) cm(exp 2); (2) Completion of the algorithm for rapid conversion of DE-1 disk dayglow measurements to O/N2 values; (3) Applying the algorithm to a simulation in which a model DE image was constructed using TIGCM atmospheres. The retrieved image of O/N2 was compared to TIGCM O/N2 obtained by integrations of the TIGCM densities; and (4) Applying the algorithm to selected DE-1 data

Identifying naturally occurring communities of primary care providers in the English National Health Service in London

Objectives - Primary Care Networks (PCNs) are a new organisational hierarchy with wide-ranging responsibilities introduced in the National Health Service (NHS) Long Term Plan. The vision is that they represent ‘natural’ communities of general practices (GP practices) working together at scale and covering a geography that make sense to practices, other healthcare providers and local communities. Our study aims to identify natural communities of GP practices based on patient registration patterns using Markov Multiscale Community Detection, an unsupervised network-based clustering technique to create catchments for these communities. Design - Retrospective observational study using Hospital Episode Statistics – patient-level administrative records of inpatient, outpatient and emergency department attendances to hospital. Setting – General practices in the 32 Clinical Commissioning Groups of Greater London Participants - All adult patients resident in and registered to a GP practices in Greater London that had one or more outpatient encounters at NHS hospital trusts between 1st April 2017 and 31st March 2018. Main outcome measures The allocation of GP practices in Greater London to PCNs based on the registrations of patients resident in each Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) of Greater London. The population size and coverage of each proposed PCN. Results - 3,428,322 unique patients attended 1,334 GPs in 4,835 LSOAs in Greater London. Our model grouped 1,291 GPs (96.8%) and 4,721 LSOAs (97.6%), into 165 mutually exclusive PCNs. The median PCN list size was 53,490, with a lower quartile of 38,079 patients and an upper quartile of 72,982 patients. A median of 70.1% of patients attended a GP within their allocated PCN, ranging from 44.6% to 91.4%. Conclusions - With PCNs expected to take a role in population health management and with community providers expected to reconfigure around them, it is vital we recognise how PCNs represent their communities. Our method may be used by policy-makers to understand the populations and geography shared between networks

Platelet - Rich Fibrin (PRF) - The effect of storage time on platelet concentration

The aim of this study was to determine whether storage time had a significant effect on the platelet concentration of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF). Three blood samples were drawn from each participant into a sterile blood sampling tube. Two of the blood samples were centrifuged to form PRF. The third non-centrifuged sample was used to measure the baseline blood platelet concentration. After PRF had formed, it was removed from the respective test tubes at different time intervals i.e. immediately after centrifugation (Group A) and after 60 min of storage time in the blood collecting tube (Group B). The residual blood from each group was tested for platelet concentration and compared with the baseline reading (as an indirect measure of the platelet concentrate of PRF). The PRF produced in Group A (PRF A) had a mean platelet concentration of 274 + - 57.8 X 109/L, whereas the PRF of Group B (PRF B) was 278 + - 58.2 X 109/L. A statistically significant difference was seen between the groups (p < 0.001).DHE

Smoking, SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: a review of reviews considering implications for public health policy and practice

IntroductionThere has been significant speculation regarding the association between Severe Acute RespiratorySyndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogen, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and smoking.We provide an overview of the available literature regarding the association between smoking, risk ofSARS-CoV-2 infection, and risk of severe COVID-19 and poor clinical outcomes, with the aim ofinforming public health policy and practice in England.MethodsPublications were identified utilising a systematic search approach on PUBMED and Google Scholar.Publications presenting a systematic review or meta-analysis considering the association betweensmoking and SARS-COV-2 infection or COVID-19 outcomes were included.ResultsEight studies were identified. One considered the relationship between smoking and the probability ofSARS-CoV-2 infection, three considered the association between COVID-19 hospitalisation andsmoking history and six reviewed the association between smoking history and development ofsevere COVID-19. One study specifically investigated the risk of mortality. The studies consideringrisk of severe disease indicate that there is a significant association between COVID-19 and currentor ever smoking.ConclusionsThis is a rapidly evolving topic. Current analysis remains limited due to the quality of primary data,although early results indicate an association between smoking and COVID-19 severity. We highlyrecommend public health messaging to continue focusing on smoking cessation efforts

Processes of equatorial thermal structure at Jupiter: An analysis of the Galileo temperature profile with a three‐dimensional model

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94956/1/jgre1925.pd