21 research outputs found
Activated carbon from Moringa husks and pods
Moringa oleifera is the most widespread species of the plant family Moringaceae. It is a rapidly growing tree native to the sub-Himalayan regions of north-west India
and indigenous to many parts of Africa, South America and Asia, typically reaching a height of 3-4 metres, flowering and fruiting in one year from a 0.3 metre seedling even in poor quality soil (Sutherland, Folkard et al., 1994).
It is known by different names around the world (Jahn, 1986), for example in India “Drumstick” or “Horseradish” tree. The tree produces large seed pods which can
either be harvested when green for food or left to dry. The dried seeds can be crushed to produce a high quality vegetable oil and the resulting press-cake mixed with water and strained to form a coagulant for water treatment (McConnachie, Mtawali et al., 1994). The residue containing seed husks is currently discarded as waste. The research presented here has been carried out at the
University of Edinburgh and the University of Malawi and demonstrates that a simple steam pyrolysis procedure can form high quality microporous activated carbons
from both the waste husks of Moringa oleifera and the pods. The work is part of an overall assessment of the viability of the establishment of Moringa oleifera plantations in tropical areas for the benefit of rural communities and is being carried out in collaboration with the Engineering Department, The University of Leicester, U.K
Odour testing using moringa carbon
Provision of safe and potable drinking water to urban communities is a challenge to professionals in many low
and middle income countries (WEDC, 1996). The situation is aggravated in those under-developed countries where agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. Fertilisers are extensively used in these countries and this leads to increased run-off of nutrients into surface water sources, with the negative consequence of prolific algal growths in the receiving waters. In Malawi, surface
waters are the main source of drinking water, with only a small percentage of the supply being drawn from groundwater supplies. These surface waters are invariably infested with algae. This paper assesses the degree of odour removal at a conventional water treatment plant (Lilongwe Water Works, Malawi) and a direct filtration plant (Blantyre water works, Malawi). The effect of ageing in a rapid gravity sand filter was also investigated to assess its effectiveness in odour removal as the filter-run progressed
2-year remission of type 2 diabetes and pancreas morphology: a post-hoc analysis of the DiRECT open-label, cluster-randomised trial
Background:
The pancreas is small and irregular in shape in people with type 2 diabetes. If these abnormalities are caused by the disease state itself rather than being a predisposing factor, remission of type 2 diabetes should restore normal pancreas morphology. The objective of this study was to determine whether changes in pancreas volume and shape occurred during 2 years of remission.
Methods:
For this post-hoc analysis, we included a subset of adult participants of the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT), who had type 2 diabetes and were randomly assigned to a weight management intervention or routine diabetes management. Intervention group participants were categorised as responders (HbA1c <6·5% [48 mmol/mol] and fasting blood glucose <7·0 mmol/L, off all anti-diabetes medication) and non-responders, who were classified as remaining diabetic. Data on pancreas volume and irregularity of pancreas border at baseline, 5 months, 12 months, and 24 months after intervention were compared between responders and non-responders; additional comparisons were made between control group participants with type 2 diabetes and a non-diabetic comparator (NDC) group, who were matched to the intervention group by age, sex, and post-weight-loss weight, to determine the extent of any normalisation. We used a mixed-effects regression model based on repeated measures ANOVA with correction for potential confounding. Magnetic resonance techniques were employed to quantify pancreas volume, the irregularity of the pancreas borders, and intrapancreatic fat content. β-cell function and biomarkers of tissue growth were also measured.
Findings:
Between July 25, 2015, and Aug 5, 2016, 90 participants with type 2 diabetes in the DiRECT subset were randomly assigned to intervention (n=64) or control (n=26) and were assessed at baseline; a further 25 non-diabetic participants were enrolled into the NDC group. At baseline, mean pancreas volume was 61·7 cm3 (SD 16·0) in all participants with type 2 diabetes and 79·8 cm3 (14·3) in the NDC group (p<0·0001). At 24 months, pancreas volume had increased by 9·4 cm3 (95% CI 6·1 to 12·8) in responders compared with 6·4 cm3 (2·5 to 10·3) in non-responders (p=0·0008). Pancreas borders at baseline were more irregular in participants with type 2 diabetes than in the NDC group (fractal dimension 1·138 [SD 0·027] vs 1·097 [0·025]; p<0·0001) and had normalised by 24 months in responders only (1·099 [0·028]). Intrapancreatic fat declined by 1·02 percentage points (95% CI 0·53 to 1·51) in 32 responders and 0·51% (−0·17 to 1·19) in 13 non-responders (p=0·23).
Interpretation:
These data show for the first time, to our knowledge, reversibility of the abnormal pancreas morphology of type 2 diabetes by weight loss-induced remission
Dark Matter signals from Draco and Willman 1: Prospects for MAGIC II and CTA
The next generation of ground-based Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs)
will play an important role in indirect dark matter searches. In this article,
we consider two particularly promising candidate sources for dark matter
annihilation signals, the nearby dwarf galaxies Draco and Willman 1, and study
the prospects of detecting such a signal for the soon-operating MAGIC II
telescope system as well as for the planned installation of CTA, taking special
care of describing the experimental features that affect the detectional
prospects. For the first time in such a study, we fully take into account the
effect of internal bremsstrahlung, which has recently been shown to
considerably enhance, in some cases, the gamma-ray flux at the high energies
where Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes operate, thus leading to significantly
harder annihilation spectra than traditionally considered. While the detection
of the spectral features introduced by internal bremsstrahlung would constitute
a smoking gun signature for dark matter annihilation, we find that for most
models the overall flux still remains at a level that will be challenging to
detect unless one adopts rather (though by no means overly) optimistic
astrophysical assumptions about the distribution of dark matter in the dwarfs.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, minor changes, matches the published version
(JCAP
Effects and moderators of exercise on quality of life and physical function in patients with cancer: An individual patient data meta-analysis of 34 RCTs
A MODEST review
We present an account of the state of the art in the fields explored by the
research community invested in 'Modeling and Observing DEnse STellar systems'.
For this purpose, we take as a basis the activities of the MODEST-17
conference, which was held at Charles University, Prague, in September 2017.
Reviewed topics include recent advances in fundamental stellar dynamics,
numerical methods for the solution of the gravitational N-body problem,
formation and evolution of young and old star clusters and galactic nuclei,
their elusive stellar populations, planetary systems, and exotic compact
objects, with timely attention to black holes of different classes of mass and
their role as sources of gravitational waves.
Such a breadth of topics reflects the growing role played by collisional
stellar dynamics in numerous areas of modern astrophysics. Indeed, in the next
decade, many revolutionary instruments will enable the derivation of positions
and velocities of individual stars in the Milky Way and its satellites and will
detect signals from a range of astrophysical sources in different portions of
the electromagnetic and gravitational spectrum, with an unprecedented
sensitivity. On the one hand, this wealth of data will allow us to address a
number of long-standing open questions in star cluster studies; on the other
hand, many unexpected properties of these systems will come to light,
stimulating further progress of our understanding of their formation and
evolution.Comment: 42 pages; accepted for publication in 'Computational Astrophysics and
Cosmology'. We are much grateful to the organisers of the MODEST-17
conference (Charles University, Prague, September 2017). We acknowledge the
input provided by all MODEST-17 participants, and, more generally, by the
members of the MODEST communit
Deprivation, psychological distress, and consultation length in general practice
BACKGROUND: Recent research has shown the benefits of longer consultations in general practice. Approximately 40% of patients presenting to general practitioners (GPs) are psychologically distressed. Studies have shown that psychological morbidity increases with increasing socioeconomic deprivation. The combined effects of psychological morbidity and socioeconomic deprivation on consultation length are unknown. In addition, though it is known that doctors correctly identify half their distressed patients as such, the effect of consultation length on identification is unknown.<p></p>
AIM: To examine factors associated with presentation and recognition of psychological distress in GPs' surgeries and the interaction of these factors with consultation length.<p></p>
DESIGN OF STUDY: A cross-sectional study.<p></p>
SETTING: Nine general practices in the West of Scotland, involving 1075 consultations of 21 full-time GPs.<p></p>
METHOD: The main outcome measures were patient psychological distress (measured by General Health Questionnaire-12), doctors' identification of psychological distress, consultation length, and Carstairs deprivation category scores.<p></p>
RESULTS: The mean consultation length was 8.71 minutes (SD = 4.40) and the prevalence of positive GHQ scores was 44.7%. Increasing GHQ (greater psychological distress) and lower deprivation category scores (greater affluence) were associated with longer consultations. Positive GHQ scoring increased with greater socioeconomic deprivation and also peaked in the 30 to 39 years age group. Recognition of psychological distress was greater in longer consultations (50% increase in consultation length associated with 32% increase in recognition).<p></p>
CONCLUSION: Increasing socioeconomic deprivation is associated with higher prevalence of psychological distress and shorter consultations. This provides further evidence to support Tudor Hart's 'inverse care law' and has implications for the resourcing of primary care in deprived areas
Nomogram for the decline in serum antimüllerian hormone: a population study of 9,601 infertility patients
Objective: To define an optimal model for the decline in circulating antimullerian hormone (AMH) with age and develop a validated age-related nomogram.
Design: Cohort study with validation of linear, biphasic linear, differential, power, and quadratic equations undertaken in two additional cohorts.
Setting: United Kingdom infertility clinics.
Patient(s): Training cohort of 4,590 infertile women. Two separate validation cohorts; 4,588 infertile women, and 423 women with confirmed ovulation and normal pelvic ultrasound who have a male partner with severe oligospermia.
Intervention(s): Serum AMH measurement.
Main Outcome Measure(s): Optimal fit and age-related AMH nomogram.
Result(s): The linear model had the largest sum of absolute and squared residuals and provided a less adequate fit than the four nonlinear models. Of these, the R-2 ranged from 19.45% to 19.48% in the training dataset, from 21.30% to 21.36% in the validation dataset, and from 13.29% to 13.75% in the partners of oligospermic males. The parameters of the differential model were difficult to estimate, and the goodness-of-fit of the power model was slightly inferior to the quadratic model.
Conclusion(s): Circulating AMH concentrations decline with increasing reproductive age in a manner optimally described by a quadratic equation. This validated age-related AMH nomogram will enable counseling of infertility patients regarding reproductive performance
Advice to remain active with arm pain reduces disability
Background: arm pain is common amongst working-aged adults and causes substantial work disability. The results of a population-based randomized controlled trial (the ARM trial) suggested that advice to remain active reduced disability after 6 months.Aims: to verify ARM trial results amongst people in paid employment.Methods: the ARM trial recruited adults with distal arm pain referred for physiotherapy and randomized equally to three groups: wait-listed for physiotherapy (advised to rest); wait-listed for physiotherapy (advised to remain active) or early physiotherapy. The primary outcome was absence of disability at 26 weeks. Secondary analyses were undertaken amongst participants in paid employment.Results: amongst 538 trial participants, 347 (64%) were in paid employment, mean age 46.1 years and 47% in manual work. Employed participants were randomized equally to the three arms. Amongst the 271 (78% workers with 26-week data), 43% of those advised to remain active were free from disability, as compared with 37% of those advised to rest. Forty per cent of those who waited for physiotherapy were disability-free as compared with 35% of those treated rapidly. Advice to rest was associated with lower chances of recovery amongst workers who lift/carry weights and those who believed work had caused their symptoms (P = 0.023).Conclusions: although not powered as a trial for workers only, our findings suggest that advising activity was as beneficial for people currently in paid work and may be superior to advice to rest in reducing disability. Addressing harmful beliefs about causation of symptoms has the potential to reduce disability.<br/
C-reactive protein and prediction of coronary heart disease and global vascular events in the prospective study of pravastatin in the elderly at risk (PROSPER)
<p><b><i>Background</i></b> - The role of C-reactive protein (CRP) in predicting vascular events and response to statin therapy remains uncertain. Additional large prospective studies are required.</p>
<p><b><i>Methods and Results</i></b> - Baseline CRP was related to risk over 3.2 years for primary a combined end point (definite or suspected death from coronary heart disease, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and fatal or nonfatal stroke; n = 865 events) and secondary (coronary heart disease events or stroke alone) and tertiary (stroke plus transient ischemic attack) end points in the Prospective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (n = 5804 men and women; age, 70 to 82 years). CRP levels were higher in subjects who had a subsequent primary end-point event compared with those who did not (geometric mean; 3.64 mg/L [SD, 3.08 mg/L] versus 3.01 mg/L [SD, 3.05 mg/L]; P < 0.0001). CRP correlated positively with body mass index and smoking status and negatively with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The unadjusted hazard ratio for the primary end point was 1.48 (95% CI, 1.26 to 1.74) in a comparison of top and bottom thirds for CRP, falling to 1.36 (95% CI, 1.15 to 1.61) with adjustment for established predictors and body mass index. Similar results were obtained for other end points or when results were examined separately by history of vascular disease. However, baseline CRP added minimally to risk prediction beyond conventional predictors and did not relate to the magnitude of pravastatin benefit.</p>
<p><b><i>Conclusions</i></b> - Elevated CRP minimally enhances cardiovascular disease prediction beyond established vascular risk factors and does not predict response to statin therapy in elderly subjects at risk. These data suggest that CRP has limited clinical value in cardiovascular disease risk stratification or predicting response to statin therapy in elderly people.</p>