Evaluation of Carbon Dioxide sequestration in Malaysian coal seams

Sequestration projects are attempting to prevent the release oflarge quantities of C02 into the atmosphere from fossil fuel use in power generation and other industries by capturing C02, transporting it and ultimately, pumping it into underground geologic formations to securely store it away from the atmosphere. It is a potential means of mitigating the contribution of fossil fuel emissions to global warming. The process is based on capturing carbon dioxide (C02) from large point sources, such as fossil fuel power plants, and storing it where it will not enter the atmosphere. The interactions of C02 with coal will be investigated under a set of conditions to determine the effects of the nature of the coal and the sequestration environment including parameters such as rank and moisture content of the coal, the temperature, and pressure, And the effect of these parameters on the C02 adsorption capacity. Some sets of experiments are conducted based on the coal collected from two different basins across Malaysia and the best isotherm obtained based on the best adsorption capacity is selected to be the major basin where the carbon dioxide gas is to be sequestrated. Adsorption experiments were favorable at high pressure and low temperature conditions and the Temkin isotherm was selected to represent the adsorption behavior

Evaluation of Carbon Dioxide sequestration in Malaysian coal seams

Sequestration projects are attempting to prevent the release oflarge quantities of C02 into the atmosphere from fossil fuel use in power generation and other industries by capturing C02, transporting it and ultimately, pumping it into underground geologic formations to securely store it away from the atmosphere. It is a potential means of mitigating the contribution of fossil fuel emissions to global warming. The process is based on capturing carbon dioxide (C02) from large point sources, such as fossil fuel power plants, and storing it where it will not enter the atmosphere. The interactions of C02 with coal will be investigated under a set of conditions to determine the effects of the nature of the coal and the sequestration environment including parameters such as rank and moisture content of the coal, the temperature, and pressure, And the effect of these parameters on the C02 adsorption capacity. Some sets of experiments are conducted based on the coal collected from two different basins across Malaysia and the best isotherm obtained based on the best adsorption capacity is selected to be the major basin where the carbon dioxide gas is to be sequestrated. Adsorption experiments were favorable at high pressure and low temperature conditions and the Temkin isotherm was selected to represent the adsorption behavior

Green Synthesis, Characterization, Antimicrobial and Anticancer Screening of New Metal Complexes Incorporating Schiff Base

A Schiff base ligand of o-vanillin and 4-aminoazobenzene and its transition metal complexes of Ni(II), Co(II), Zn(II), Cu(II), Mn(II), and Zr(IV) were prepared under microwave irradiation as a green approach compared to the conventional method. The structures of new compounds have been characterized and elucidated via elemental and spectroscopic analyses. In addition, magnetic susceptibility, electron spin resonance, and electronic spectra of the synthesized complexes explained their geometrical structures. The thermal stability of Cu(II), Zn(II), and Zr(IV) complexes was studied by thermo-gravimetric analyses (TGA). Coats–Redfern and Horowitz–Metzger equations were used to calculate the thermal and dehydration decomposition activities of proposed structures kinetically. Surface morphologies of the solid compounds were imaged by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The particle size of prepared complexes was measured by using a particle size analyzer at a diffraction angle of 10.9°. The geometry structures of the synthesized compounds were verified utilizing electronic spectra, ESR spectrum, and magnetic moment value. The newly synthesized compounds were screened for antimicrobial activity. Also, the anticancer activity of the free Schiff base ligand and its metal complexes were studied against two cell lines: human colon (HCT-116) and human liver cancer cells (HepG-2). The obtained results showed that the Cu(II) complex displayed the highest cytotoxic activity (IC50 = 18 and 22 μg/mL for HepG-2 and HCT, respectively) compared to the free Schiff base ligand.publishedVersio

Microwave-Assisted One-Pot Synthesis of Novel Polyarylpyrrole Derivatives of Expected Anticancer Activity

An efficient synthesis of Novel pyrrolederivatives was achieved via solventless reaction of chalcones 1(a-e) with different aldehydes 2(a-e) and ammonium acetate in the presence of sodium cyanide in one-pot under microwave irradiation. The notable features are short reaction time, high yield and purification of product by non-chromatographic methods, i.e., by simple recrystalization compared to the classical condition. Some of the synthesized compounds were evaluated against HepG-2, and showed significant antitumor activities.publishedVersio

Value of Urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin versus Conventional Biomarkers in Predicting Response to Treatment of Active Lupus Nephritis

Introduction. Lupus nephritis (LN) affects almost two-thirds of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Despite initial aggressive therapy, up to 25% of patients with LN will progress to permanent renal damage. Conventional serum markers for LN lack the sensitivity of an ideal biomarker. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (UNGAL) is an excellent biomarker for early diagnosis of acute kidney injury and predicting renal outcomes. Objective. To measure UNGAL among LN patients to correlate its levels with renal disease activity and to investigate its predictive performance in response to induction therapy. Patients and Methods. 40 SLE patients with biopsy-proven LN class III, IV, or V were randomly selected. The study was conducted in the internal medicine department and outpatient clinic in Ain Shams University Hospitals and completed after six months. UNGAL was measured at baseline, three-month follow-up, and after complete induction therapy. Results. In LN patients at baseline, the mean serum creatinine was 2.57 ± 0.96 mg/dL and the mean UNGAL was 33.50 ± 18.34 ng/dL. Mean UNGAL levels of complete response, partial response, and nonresponse groups were 14.48 ± 2.99 ng/mL, 34.49 ± 4.09 ng/mL, and 62.07 ± 14.44 ng/mL, respectively. Based on the ROC curve, we found a better performance of baseline UNGAL to discriminate the complete response group from partial and nonresponse groups to predict response to induction, outperforming conventional biomarkers. The area under the curve was 0.943, and the best cutoff level was 26.5 ng/mL (92.31% sensitivity and 88.89% specificity). Conclusion. UNGAL performed better than conventional biomarkers in predicting response to treatment of active LN

Avian influenza virus surveillance in migratory birds in Egypt revealed a novel reassortant H6N2 subtype

Background Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) have been identified from more than 100 different species of wild birds around the globe. Wild migratory birds can act as potential spreaders for AIVs to domestic birds between different countries. Egypt is situated on important migratory flyways for wild birds between different continents. While much is known about circulation of zoonotic potential H5N1 and H9N2 AIVs in domestic poultry in Egypt, little is known about the pivotal role of migratory birds in the maintenance and transmission of the viruses in Egypt. Methods Targeted AIV surveillance has been conducted in 2017 in different wetlands areas in Northern and Eastern Egypt. Results AIV of subtype H5 was detected in two bird species. In addition, a novel reassortant strain of the H6N2 subtype was identified which reveals the continuous risk of new influenza virus(es) introduction into Egypt. This novel virus possesses a reassortant pattern originating from different AIV gene pools. Conclusions Intervention control strategies should be performed to minimize the possible contact of domestic birds with wild birds to lower the risk of virus transmission at this interface. In addition, constant monitoring of AIVs in migratory birds is essential in the early detection of influenza virus introduction into Egypt

Pt Immobilization within a Tailored Porous-Organic Polymer–Graphene Composite: Opportunities in the Hydrogen Evolving Reaction

A facile, postsynthetic treatment of a designed composite of pyrimidine-based porous-organic polymer and graphene (PyPOP@G) with ionic Pt, and the subsequent uniform electrodeposition of Pt metallic within the pores, led to the formation of a composite material (PyPOP-Pt@G). The pyrimidine porous-organic polymer (PyPOP) was selected because of the abundant Lewis-base binding sites within its backbone, to be combined with graphene to produce the PyPOP@G composite that was shown to uptake Pt ions simply upon brief incubation in H₂PtCl₆ solution in acetonitrile. The XPS analysis of PyPOP@G sample impregnated with Pt ions confirmed the presence of Pt­(II/IV) species and did not show any signs of metallic nanoparticles, as further confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Immediately upon electrochemical reduction of the Pt­(II/IV), metallic Pt (most likely atomistic Pt) was observed. This approach stands out, as compared to Pt monolayer deposition techniques atop metal foams, or a recently reported atomic layer deposition (ALD), as a way of depositing submonolayer coverage of precious catalysts within the 1–10 nm pores found in microporous solids. The prepared catalyst platform demonstrated large current density (100 mA/cm²) at 122 mV applied overpotential for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), with measured Faradaic efficiency of 97(±1)%. Its mass activity (1.13 A/mg_Pt) surpasses that of commercial Pt/C (∼0.38 A/mg_Pt) at the overpotential of 100 mV. High durability has been assessed by cyclic and linear sweep voltammetry, as well as controlled potential electrolysis techniques. The Tafel plot for the catalyst demonstrated a slope of ∼37 mV/decade, indicating a Heyrovsky-type rate-limiting step in the observed HER

Worldwide Disparities in Recovery of Cardiac Testing 1 Year Into COVID-19

BACKGROUND The extent to which health care systems have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic to provide necessary cardiac diagnostic services is unknown.OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the pandemic on cardiac testing practices, volumes and types of diagnostic services, and perceived psychological stress to health care providers worldwide.METHODS The International Atomic Energy Agency conducted a worldwide survey assessing alterations from baseline in cardiovascular diagnostic care at the pandemic's onset and 1 year later. Multivariable regression was used to determine factors associated with procedure volume recovery.RESULTS Surveys were submitted from 669 centers in 107 countries. Worldwide reduction in cardiac procedure volumes of 64% from March 2019 to April 2020 recovered by April 2021 in high- and upper middle-income countries (recovery rates of 108% and 99%) but remained depressed in lower middle- and low-income countries (46% and 30% recovery). Although stress testing was used 12% less frequently in 2021 than in 2019, coronary computed tomographic angiography was used 14% more, a trend also seen for other advanced cardiac imaging modalities (positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance; 22%-25% increases). Pandemic-related psychological stress was estimated to have affected nearly 40% of staff, impacting patient care at 78% of sites. In multivariable regression, only lower-income status and physicians' psychological stress were significant in predicting recovery of cardiac testing.CONCLUSIONS Cardiac diagnostic testing has yet to recover to prepandemic levels in lower-income countries. Worldwide, the decrease in standard stress testing is offset by greater use of advanced cardiac imaging modalities. Pandemic-related psychological stress among providers is widespread and associated with poor recovery of cardiac testing. (C) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier on behalf of the American College of Cardiology Foundation