Carbon dioxide removal in emulsion liquid membrane containing 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol /monoethanolamine

Absorption using aqueous alkanolamine is commonly used in industry to remove the carbon dioxide. However it has several weaknesses such as corrosion problem and low absorption rate. Emulsion liquid membrane is introduced as an alternatives method for CO2 absorption because it can reduce the corrosion problem and the formation water droplets creates large interfacial area for absorption to occur. 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) and monoethanolamine (MEA) present in the aqueous phase in the form of aqueous droplets, surrounded by the organic solution to form water in oil (w/o) emulsion. In this study, effects of amines ratios and amine quantities, and emulsification time and speed on the ELM stability and CO2 absorption were investigated. The ELM was prepared by homogenizing the aqueous and the organic phases. AMP and MEA were added into sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution to form aqueous solution, and kerosene and Span-80 were mixed to form the organic solution. The absorption study was carried out in rotating disc contactor (RDC) column. A mixture of 12 v% MEA, 4 v% AMP in 100 ml aqueous solution and 8 v% Span-80 in 100 ml organic phase has high stability and can remove 60% of CO2. The stability of the emulsion remained high even after the absorption. This study proved that ELM has the potential to remove CO2 by using only small amount of amines

Development of Smart Security System for Building or Laboratory Entrance based on human’s brain (EEG) and Voice Signals

The drastic increment in cyber-crimes and violent attacks involving our properties and lives made the world become much vigilant towards ill-intentioned peoples. Thus, it leads to the booming of smart security system industry which relies heavily on biometrics technology. However, due to certain circumstances, some users may find the existing biometrics technologies such as fingerprint, palm, iris and face recognition are unable to detect the necessary data precisely due to the physical injuries of the users. Furthermore, the fact that these biometrics technologies are easily retrieved from the user and be used as counterfeit to access to the security system undetected. Thus, in this research, in order to enhance the existing security system based on the biometric technologies, the combination of the human physiological signals such as brain and voice signals will be employed in order to unlock the magnetic door entrance to the laboratory, building or office. This research has utilized mobile Electroencephalogram (EEG) headset and voice recognizer to capture human’s brain and voice signals respectively. The extracted features from the captured signals then are analyzed, classified and translated to determine the device command for the microcontroller to control the door entrance’s locking system. The high rate of classification results of the selected features of EEG and voice signals at 96.7% and 99.3% respectively show that selected features can be translated to command parameters to control device

The effect of mdea/amp and span-80 in water-in-oil (w/o) emulsion for carbon dioxide absorption

Emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) has been widely studied as an alternative method for amine absorption technology in the removal of acid gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S). However, searching for stable ELM formulation with an enhanced CO2absorption remains as challenge. Therefore, in this study, the aqueous solution containing a mixture of methyl diethanolamine (MDEA) and 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution was introduced as a dispersed phase, kerosene as continuous phase and Span-80 acts as a surfactant for the formation of water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion. In this study, the dispersed phase consists of 8% v/v MDEA and 4% v/v AMP and the continuous phase which contains 6% v/v Span-80 produced a stable emulsion and exhibited 65.2% of CO2removal. This study indicates that the introduction of blended amine able to produce stable emulsion with an enhanced CO2remova

Design and analysis of different optical attocells deployment models for indoor visible light communication system

Visible light communication (VLC) is a promising candidate that is expected to revolutionize indoor environment communications performance and fulfill fifth generation and beyond (5GB) technologies requirements. It offers high and free bandwidth, electromagnetic interference immunity, low-cost front end and low power consumption. Also, VLC has dual functions that could be utilized in both illumination and communication concurrently. The number of optical attocells (OAs) and their deployment in the room represent the main issue that should be taken into consideration in designing an optimal VLC system. In this paper, we have introduced a new model of five OAs in the typical room. In addition to an investigation of various optical attocells (OAs) deployment models, in which a multi-variable evaluation was performed in terms of received power, illumination, SNR and RMS delay spread in order to determine the optimal OAs model. Also, various modulation schemes performances were investigated which included NRZ-OOK, BPSK, and QPSK in order to improve the BER performance. Results indicated that BPSK modulation had superior BER performance when compared with all OAs models. Further, a comprehensive results analysis and comparison of all proposed models was conducted over various parameters, in which our new proposed OAs model achieved an optimal performance in comparison with the other models

A systematic review of the safety of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate

BACKGROUND: Here we review the safety and tolerability profile of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX), the first long-acting prodrug stimulant for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: A PubMed search was conducted for English-language articles published up to 16 September 2013 using the following search terms: (lisdexamfetamine OR lisdexamphetamine OR SPD489 OR Vyvanse OR Venvanse OR NRP104 NOT review [publication type]). RESULTS: In short-term, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, phase III trials, treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) in children, adolescents, and adults receiving LDX were typical for those reported for stimulants in general. Decreased appetite was reported by 25-39 % of patients and insomnia by 11-19 %. The most frequently reported TEAEs in long-term studies were similar to those reported in the short-term trials. Most TEAEs were mild or moderate in severity. Literature relating to four specific safety concerns associated with stimulant medications was evaluated in detail in patients receiving LDX. Gains in weight, height, and body mass index were smaller in children and adolescents receiving LDX than in placebo controls or untreated norms. Insomnia was a frequently reported TEAE in patients with ADHD of all ages receiving LDX, although the available data indicated no overall worsening of sleep quality in adults. Post-marketing survey data suggest that the rate of non-medical use of LDX was lower than that for short-acting stimulants and lower than or equivalent to long-acting stimulant formulations. Small mean increases were seen in blood pressure and pulse rate in patients receiving LDX. CONCLUSIONS: The safety and tolerability profile of LDX in individuals with ADHD is similar to that of other stimulants

Steroid therapy and outcome of parapneumonic pleural effusions (STOPPE): Study protocol for a multicenter, double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major global disease. Parapneumonic effusions often complicate CAP and range from uninfected (simple) to infected (complicated) parapneumonic effusions and empyema (pus). CAP patients who have a pleural effusion at presentation are more likely to require hospitalization, have a longer length of stay and higher mortality than those without an effusion. Conventional management of pleural infection, with antibiotics and chest tube drainage, fails in about 30% of cases. Several randomized controlled trials (RCT) have evaluated the use of corticosteroids in CAP and demonstrated some potential benefits. Importantly, steroid use in pneumonia has an acceptable safety profile with no adverse impact on mortality. A RCT focused on pediatric patients with pneumonia and a parapneumonic effusion demonstrated shorter time to recovery. The effects of corticosteroid use on clinical outcomes in adults with parapneumonic effusions have not been tested. We hypothesize that parapneumonic effusions develop from an exaggerated pleural inflammatory response. Treatment with systemic steroids may dampen the inflammation and lead to improved clinical outcomes. The steroid therapy and outcome of parapneumonic pleural effusions (STOPPE) trial will assess the efficacy and safety of systemic corticosteroid as an adjunct therapy in adult patients with CAP and pleural effusions. METHODS: STOPPE is a pilot multicenter, double-blinded, placebo-controlled RCT that will randomize 80 patients with parapneumonic effusions (2:1) to intravenous dexamethasone or placebo, administered twice daily for 48 hours. This exploratory study will capture a wide range of clinically relevant endpoints which have been used in clinical trials of pneumonia and/or pleural infection; including, but not limited to: time to clinical stability, inflammatory markers, quality of life, length of hospital stay, proportion of patients requiring escalation of care (thoracostomy or thoracoscopy), and mortality. Safety will be assessed by monitoring for the incidence of adverse events during the study. DISCUSSION: STOPPE is the first trial to assess the efficacy and safety profile of systemic corticosteroids in adults with CAP and pleural effusions. This will inform future studies on feasibility and appropriate trial endpoints. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN1261800094720

Permeance Based Algorithm For Computation Of Flux Linkage Characteristics Of Non-Linear 6/4 Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM)

The concept of permeance is used in the analysis of flux linkage of 6/4 SRM. The aim of this paper is to develop an efficient algorithm exploiting the nonlinear feature of the 6/4 SRM using the aforementioned concept of permeance. The first step is to generate the relevant equations related to permeances of the 6/4 SRM under study. The 6/4 SRM’s magnetization curve is then derived from the summation of mmf drops at various blocks representing the motor. The air gap permeances are derived at various angles and 3-D leakage effects are taken into account. These permeances are used for the mmf drop computation. The algorithm is capable of efficiently computing mmf drop at every block to consequently yield a complete accurate nonlinear flux linkage feature of the 6/4 switched reluctance motor. In this way, the capability of the SRM to produce the expected four times the specific output torque due to operation in high saturation region compared to an equivalent induction motor as special the attribute of the SRM is demonstrated

Transcript Expression Analysis of Putative Trypanosoma brucei GPI-Anchored Surface Proteins during Development in the Tsetse and Mammalian Hosts

Human African Trypanosomiasis is a devastating disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma brucei. Trypanosomes live extracellularly in both the tsetse fly and the mammal. Trypanosome surface proteins can directly interact with the host environment, allowing parasites to effectively establish and maintain infections. Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchoring is a common posttranslational modification associated with eukaryotic surface proteins. In T. brucei, three GPI-anchored major surface proteins have been identified: variant surface glycoproteins (VSGs), procyclic acidic repetitive protein (PARP or procyclins), and brucei alanine rich proteins (BARP). The objective of this study was to select genes encoding predicted GPI-anchored proteins with unknown function(s) from the T. brucei genome and characterize the expression profile of a subset during cyclical development in the tsetse and mammalian hosts. An initial in silico screen of putative T. brucei proteins by Big PI algorithm identified 163 predicted GPI-anchored proteins, 106 of which had no known functions. Application of a second GPI-anchor prediction algorithm (FragAnchor), signal peptide and trans-membrane domain prediction software resulted in the identification of 25 putative hypothetical proteins. Eighty-one gene products with hypothetical functions were analyzed for stage-regulated expression using semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The expression of most of these genes were found to be upregulated in trypanosomes infecting tsetse salivary gland and proventriculus tissues, and 38% were specifically expressed only by parasites infecting salivary gland tissues. Transcripts for all of the genes specifically expressed in salivary glands were also detected in mammalian infective metacyclic trypomastigotes, suggesting a possible role for these putative proteins in invasion and/or establishment processes in the mammalian host. These results represent the first large-scale report of the differential expression of unknown genes encoding predicted T. brucei surface proteins during the complete developmental cycle. This knowledge may form the foundation for the development of future novel transmission blocking strategies against metacyclic parasites

Gene Coexpression Network Analysis as a Source of Functional Annotation for Rice Genes

With the existence of large publicly available plant gene expression data sets, many groups have undertaken data analyses to construct gene coexpression networks and functionally annotate genes. Often, a large compendium of unrelated or condition-independent expression data is used to construct gene networks. Condition-dependent expression experiments consisting of well-defined conditions/treatments have also been used to create coexpression networks to help examine particular biological processes. Gene networks derived from either condition-dependent or condition-independent data can be difficult to interpret if a large number of genes and connections are present. However, algorithms exist to identify modules of highly connected and biologically relevant genes within coexpression networks. In this study, we have used publicly available rice (Oryza sativa) gene expression data to create gene coexpression networks using both condition-dependent and condition-independent data and have identified gene modules within these networks using the Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Analysis method. We compared the number of genes assigned to modules and the biological interpretability of gene coexpression modules to assess the utility of condition-dependent and condition-independent gene coexpression networks. For the purpose of providing functional annotation to rice genes, we found that gene modules identified by coexpression analysis of condition-dependent gene expression experiments to be more useful than gene modules identified by analysis of a condition-independent data set. We have incorporated our results into the MSU Rice Genome Annotation Project database as additional expression-based annotation for 13,537 genes, 2,980 of which lack a functional annotation description. These results provide two new types of functional annotation for our database. Genes in modules are now associated with groups of genes that constitute a collective functional annotation of those modules. Additionally, the expression patterns of genes across the treatments/conditions of an expression experiment comprise a second form of useful annotation

Is There a Classical Nonsense-Mediated Decay Pathway in Trypanosomes?

In many eukaryotes, messenger RNAs with premature termination codons are destroyed by a process called “nonsense-mediated decay”, which requires the RNA helicase Upf1 and also, usually, an interacting factor, Upf2. Recognition of premature termination codons may rely on their distance from either a splice site or the polyadenylation site, and long 3′-untranslated regions can trigger mRNA decay. The protist Trypanosoma brucei relies heavily on mRNA degradation to determine mRNA levels, and 3′-untranslated regions play a major role in control of mRNA decay. We show here that trypanosomes have a homologue of Upf1, TbUPF1, which interacts with TbUPF2 and (in an RNA-dependent fashion) with poly(A) binding protein 1, PABP1. Introduction of a premature termination codon in either an endogenous gene or a reporter gene decreased mRNA abundance, as expected for nonsense-mediated decay, but a dependence of this effect on TbUPF1 could not be demonstrated, and depletion of TbUPF1 by over 95% had no effect on parasite growth or the mRNA transcriptome. Further investigations of the reporter mRNA revealed that increases in open reading frame length tended to increase mRNA abundance. In contrast, inhibition of translation, either using 5′-secondary structures or by lengthening the 5′-untranslated region, usually decreased reporter mRNA abundance. Meanwhile, changing the length of the 3′-untranslated region had no consistent effect on mRNA abundance. We suggest that in trypanosomes, translation per se may inhibit mRNA decay, and interactions with multiple RNA-binding proteins preclude degradation based on 3′-untranslated region length alone