Co-combustion of blends of coal and underutilised biomass residues for environmental friendly electrical energy production

This study investigated the co-combustion of the blends of coal and biomass residues from poplar sawdust, rice husk, pine nut shells, and sunflower residues for ecofriendly energy production. Proximate and ultimate analyses and calorific values of the coal and biomass residues were also carried out to evaluate the properties of the coal and biomass residues. The volatile matter in coal was reported as 43.38 wt% and ranged from 56.76 wt% to 80.95 wt% in the biomass residues. The ultimate analysis reported the carbon and sulfur content of coal as 68.7 wt% and 5.5 wt%, respectively. The coal and biomass blends were prepared using different ratios on the thermal basis of coal and biomass given as 100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40, and 50:50 by weight percentage. The consequent stoichiometric air requirements for all the blends were also calculated. The results revealed that the combustion of 60:40 of coal and sunflower residue blend was the most efficient blend, resulting in less emission of NOx, SOx, and CO2 in the flue gas compared to the combustion of pure coal. The study revealed a great perspective of the selected biomass residues to blend with coal for environmentally friendly and sustainable energy production

Blockchain adoption for sustainable supply chain management : economic, environmental, and social perspectives

Due to the rapid increase in environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources, the focus of researchers is shifted from economic to socio-environmental problems. Blockchain is a disruptive technology that has the potential to restructure the entire supply chain for sustainable practices. Blockchain is a distributed ledger that provides a digital database for recording all the transactions of the supply chain. The main purpose of this research is to explore the literature relevant to blockchain for sustainable supply chain management. The focus of this review is on the sustainability of the blockchain-based supply chain concerning environmental conservation, social equality, and governance effectiveness. Using a systematic literature review, a total of 136 articles were evaluated and categorized according to the triple bottom-line aspects of sustainability. Challenges and barriers during blockchain adoption in different industrial sectors such as aviation, shipping, agriculture and food, manufacturing, automotive, pharmaceutical, and textile industries were critically examined. This study has not only explored the economic, environmental, and social impacts of blockchain but also highlighted the emerging trends in a circular supply chain with current developments of advanced technologies along with their critical success factors. Furthermore, research areas and gaps in the existing research are discussed, and future research directions are suggested. The findings of this study show that blockchain has the potential to revolutionize the entire supply chain from a sustainability perspective. Blockchain will not only improve the economic sustainability of the supply chain through effective traceability, enhanced visibility through information sharing, transparency in processes, and decentralization of the entire structure but also will help in achieving environmental and social sustainability through resource efficiency, accountability, smart contracts, trust development, and fraud prevention. The study will be helpful for managers and practitioners to understand the procedure of blockchain adoption and to increase the probability of its successful implementation to develop a sustainable supply chain network

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Effects of Anacetrapib in Patients with Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease

BACKGROUND: Patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease remain at high risk for cardiovascular events despite effective statin-based treatment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. The inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) by anacetrapib reduces LDL cholesterol levels and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. However, trials of other CETP inhibitors have shown neutral or adverse effects on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30,449 adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive atorvastatin therapy and who had a mean LDL cholesterol level of 61 mg per deciliter (1.58 mmol per liter), a mean non-HDL cholesterol level of 92 mg per deciliter (2.38 mmol per liter), and a mean HDL cholesterol level of 40 mg per deciliter (1.03 mmol per liter). The patients were assigned to receive either 100 mg of anacetrapib once daily (15,225 patients) or matching placebo (15,224 patients). The primary outcome was the first major coronary event, a composite of coronary death, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 4.1 years, the primary outcome occurred in significantly fewer patients in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (1640 of 15,225 patients [10.8%] vs. 1803 of 15,224 patients [11.8%]; rate ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 0.97; P=0.004). The relative difference in risk was similar across multiple prespecified subgroups. At the trial midpoint, the mean level of HDL cholesterol was higher by 43 mg per deciliter (1.12 mmol per liter) in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (a relative difference of 104%), and the mean level of non-HDL cholesterol was lower by 17 mg per deciliter (0.44 mmol per liter), a relative difference of -18%. There were no significant between-group differences in the risk of death, cancer, or other serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive statin therapy, the use of anacetrapib resulted in a lower incidence of major coronary events than the use of placebo. (Funded by Merck and others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN48678192 ; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01252953 ; and EudraCT number, 2010-023467-18 .)

Pobudzanie etanolem: skuteczna metoda wzmagająca kiełkowanie i rozwój siewek poprzez ulepszenie systemu antyoksydacyjnego u nasion pomidora

Tomatoes reportedly have a positive response to seed priming. The present study evaluates the effects of ethanol priming on germination, seedling vigour and antioxidative responses of tomato seeds. Priming was achieved by exposing seeds of ‘Roma’ and ‘Nagina’ to 2, 4 and 6% aerated ethanol solutions for 24 h. Priming with low levels (2 and 4%) of ethanol improved seed germination, seedling vigour and enhanced antioxidative activity that results in better performance of tomato seeds. However, priming with 6% ethanol failed to improve seed germination and seedling development which relates to the decreased anti-oxidative activity in tomato seeds due to high ethanol level.Uważa się, że pomidory wykazują pozytywną reakcję na pobudzanie nasion. Niniejsze badanie ocenia wpływ pobudzania etanolem na kiełkowanie, żywotność siewek oraz antyoksydacyjne reakcje nasion pomidora. Pobudzanie osiągnięto działając na nasiona odmian ‘Roma” i „Nagina” 2, 4 i 6% napowietrzonymi roztworami etanoli przez 24 godziny. Pobudzanie za pomocą niskich poziomów (2 i 4%) etanolu poprawiało kiełkowanie nasion, żywotność siewek oraz wzmagało aktywność antyoksydacyjną, która daje lepsze wyniki w odniesieniu do nasion pomidora. Jednak pobudzanie 6% etanolem nie polepszyło kiełkowania nasion ani rozwoju siewek, co ma związek z obniżoną aktywnością antyoksydacyjną u nasion pomidora ze względu na wysoki poziom etanolu

Data from: Novel acridine-based thiosemicarbazones as “turn-on” chemosensors for selective recognition of fluoride anion: a spectroscopic and theoretical study

New thiosemicarbazide linked acridines 3a-c were prepared and investigated as chemosensors for the detection of biologically and environmentally important anions. The compounds 3a-c were found selective for fluoride (Fˉ) with no affinity for other anions i.e. ˉOAc, Brˉ, Iˉ, HSO4ˉ, SO4ˉ2, PO4ˉ3, ClO3ˉ, ClO4ˉ, CNˉ, and SCNˉ. Further, upon the gradual addition of fluoride anion (Fˉ) source (TBAF), a well-defined change in color of solution of probes 3a-c was observed. The anion sensing process was studied in detailed via UV-Vis absorption, fluorescence and 1H NMR experiments. Moreover, during the synthesis of acridine probes 3a-c nickel fluoride (NiF2), a rarely explored transition metal fluoride salt was used as catalyst. Theoretical studies via density functional theory (DFT) were also carried out to further investigate the sensing and anion (Fˉ) selectivity pattern of these probes

Ocorrência de infecção por enterovírus em recém-nascidos internados em maternidade no município de São Paulo, Brasil (1980)

The occurrence of intestinal infection with enterovirus was investigated in 300 healthy children of median age of two days old, born in hospital; the children were analysed before being discharged from hospital. For the investigation, these children were divided into three groups, and each group was composed by equal number of cases. The first group was examined during the period preceding The First National Day for Poliomyelitis Vaccination held in 1980; the second group was analysed soon after this mass immunization and the third after The Second National Day for Poliomyelitis Vaccination, which was achieved in the same year. On purpose of enterovirus investigation, it was analysed the single faeces sample obtained from every child by means of rectal swab. In 300 newborn children analysed, it was obtained poliovírus isolation in 13 (4.3%); among these eight belonged to the first group and five to the second group. From the infected children, twelve eliminated poliovírus 1 and one poliovírus 3. There were no isolation of other enteroviruses. It is considered the possibility of poliovírus infection by transplacental transmission either via delivery canal or through cross infection in hospital environment.Pesquisou-se infecção intestinal por enterovirus em 300 crianças, aparentemente normais, nascidas de parto hospitalar, com a mediana das idades de 2 dias, estudadas antes da alta hospitalar. Essas crianças foram divididas em três grupos de igual número, sendo que o primeiro grupo foi examinado no período que precedeu o 1.º Dia Nacional de Vacinação Contra a Poliomielite, efetuado em 1980, o segundo logo após a realização dessa imunização em massa e o terceiro posteriormente ao 2º Dia Nacional de Vacinação Contra a Poliomielite levado a efeito no mesmo ano. A pesquisa de enterovirus foi feita a partir de uma única amostra de fezes, colhida de cada criança por meio de Swab retal. Obteve-se o isolamento de poliovírus em 13 (4,3%) dos 300 recém-nascidos estudados, sendo que 8 deles pertenciam ao primeiro grupo e os outros 5 ao segundo. Das crianças infectadas, 12 eliminavam poliovírus lei poliovírus 3. Não foram isolados outros enterovirus. Discute-se a possibilidade da infecção por esses poliovírus ter ocorrido por transmissão transplacentária, via canal de parto ou ainda por infecção cruzada no próprio ambiente hospitalar