Soil-transmitted helminth infections, associated factors and nutritional status in an estate community in Sri Lanka

Objectives: To determine the prevalence, intensity, and risk factors associated with soil transmitted helminth (STH) infections and to explore the association between STH infections and nutritional status of an estate community.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Hanthana Tea Estate (HTE) in Kandy, Sri Lanka, from September 2013 to November 2014. Demographic data were obtained using an interviewer-administrated structured questionnaire. Haemoglobin and serum albumin concentrations were measured in children. Faecal samples were analyzed by direct smears in saline and iodine and Kato-Katz technique using single-stool samples. Anthropometric measurements were obtained to calculate weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ), and body-mass-index-for-age (BAZ) to evaluate underweight, stunting and wasting, respectively.Results: A total of 233 children (50% female, aged between 1 and 12 years, mean age 6.2±3.4) and 98 parents (93% female, aged between 20 and 52 years, mean age 33±6.2 years) participated in this study. The prevalence of STH infections in children and adults were 27.4% and 14.3% respectively. Ascaris lumbricoides was found in children and adult populations predominantly (26.6% and 14.3% respectively) followed by Trichuris trichiura (0.8% and 1%).Of the infected group, 57.8% of children and 92.8% of adults had a light infection. Moderate infection was found in 40.6% of the children, and 7.2% of the adults. Only one child had a heavy egg count (≥ 50000). The prevalence of STH infections was significantly higher among children than adults (p = 0.014). Not hand washing before a meal (p = 0.002) and after defecation (p &lt; 0.001), greater de-worming period (p &lt; 0.001), use of shared latrine facilities (p = 0.023) and lower levels of mother`s education (p= 0.035) were significantly associated with STH infections. Children with and without STH infection had comparable levels of nutritional indicators. However, 17.6% (n=41) of stunted, 19.3% (n=45) of wasted and 39.5% (n=92) of underweight children were identified in the present study. In addition, 20.2% (n=47) of the children had a low serum albumin level and 15.9% (n=27) had anaemia.Conclusions: Prevalence of STH infections was notably high in both children (27.4%) and their parents (14.3%), indicating a high level of morbidity among the study population. Therefore, a coordinated control and prevention programme considering the diverse socio-demographic characteristics of estate communities is needed to eliminate STH infections in the study population.</p

Influence of growth rate on the epitaxial orientation and crystalline quality of CeO2 thin films grown on Al2O3(0001)

Growth rate-induced epitaxial orientations and crystalline quality of CeO2 thin films grown on Al2O3(0001) by oxygen plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy were studied using in situ and ex situ characterization techniques. CeO2 grows as three-dimensional (3D) islands and two-dimensional layers at growth rates of 1-7 angstrom/min and \u3e = 9 angstrom/min, respectively. The formation of epitaxial CeO2(100) and CeO2(111) thin films occurs at growth rates of 1 angstrom/min and \u3e = 9 angstrom/min, respectively. Glancing-incidence x-ray diffraction measurements have shown that the films grown at intermediate growth rates (2-7 angstrom/min) consist of polycrystalline CeO2 along with CeO2(100). The thin film grown at 1 angstrom/min exhibits six in-plane domains, characteristic of well-aligned CeO2(100) crystallites. The content of the poorly aligned CeO2(100) crystallites increases with increasing growth rate from 2 to 7 angstrom/min, and three out of six in-plane domains gradually decrease and eventually disappear, as confirmed by XRD pole figures. At growth rates \u3e = 9 angstrom/min, CeO2(111) film with single in-plane domain was identified. The formation of CeO2(100) 3D islands at growth rates of 1-7 angstrom/min is a kinetically driven process unlike at growth rates \u3e = 9 angstrom/min which result in an energetically and thermodynamically more stable CeO2(111) surface

Chitosan-Graphene Oxide Dip-Coated Polyacrylonitrile-Ethylenediamine Electrospun Nanofiber Membrane for Removal of the Dye Stuffs Methylene Blue and Congo Red

Textile wastewater accommodates many toxic organic contaminants that could potentially threaten the ecosystem if left untreated. Methylene blue is a toxic, non-biodegradable, cationic dye that is reportedly observed in significant amounts in the textile effluent stream as it is widely used to dye silk and cotton fabrics. Congo red is a carcinogenic anionic dye commonly used in the textile industry. This study reports an investigation of methylene blue and Congo red removal using a chitosan-graphene oxide dip-coated electrospun nanofiber membrane. The fabricated nanocomposite was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), FT-IR Spectroscopy, Raman Spectroscopy, UV-vis Spectroscopy, Drop Shape Analyzer, and X-ray Diffraction. The isotherm modeling confirmed a maximum adsorptive capacity of 201 mg/g for methylene blue and 152 mg/g for Congo red, which were well fitted with a Langmuir isotherm model indicating homogenous monolayer adsorption

Chitosan-Graphene Oxide Dip-Coated Polyacrylonitrile-Ethylenediamine Electrospun Nanofiber Membrane for Removal of the Dye Stuffs Methylene Blue and Congo Red

Textile wastewater accommodates many toxic organic contaminants that could potentially threaten the ecosystem if left untreated. Methylene blue is a toxic, non-biodegradable, cationic dye that is reportedly observed in significant amounts in the textile effluent stream as it is widely used to dye silk and cotton fabrics. Congo red is a carcinogenic anionic dye commonly used in the textile industry. This study reports an investigation of methylene blue and Congo red removal using a chitosan-graphene oxide dip-coated electrospun nanofiber membrane. The fabricated nanocomposite was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), FT-IR Spectroscopy, Raman Spectroscopy, UV-vis Spectroscopy, Drop Shape Analyzer, and X-ray Diffraction. The isotherm modeling confirmed a maximum adsorptive capacity of 201 mg/g for methylene blue and 152 mg/g for Congo red, which were well fitted with a Langmuir isotherm model indicating homogenous monolayer adsorption

Removal of Methylene Blue and Congo Red Using a Chitosan–Graphene Oxide-Electrosprayed Functionalized Polymeric Nanofiber Membrane

Untreated textile effluent may contain toxic organic pollutants that can have negative impacts on the ecosystem. Among the harmful chemicals present in dyeing wastewater, there are two frequently used organic dyes: methylene blue (cationic) and congo red (anionic). The current study presents investigations on a novel two-tier nanocomposite membrane, i.e., a top layer formed of electrosprayed chitosan–graphene oxide and a bottom layer consisting of an ethylene diamine functionalized polyacrylonitrile electrospun nanofiber for the simultaneous removal of the congo red and methylene blue dyes. The fabricated nanocomposite was characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, and Drop Shape Analyzer. Isotherm modeling was used to determine the efficiency of dye adsorption for the electrosprayed nanocomposite membrane and the confirmed maximum adsorptive capacities of 182.5 mg/g for congo red and 219.3 mg/g for methylene blue, which fits with the Langmuir isotherm model, suggesting uniform single-layer adsorption. It was also discovered that the adsorbent preferred an acidic pH level for the removal of congo red and a basic pH level for the removal of methylene blue. The gained results can be a first step for the development of new wastewater cleaning techniques

Improved Extraction Efficiency and Antioxidant Activity of Defatted Canola Meal Extract Phenolic Compounds Obtained from Air-Fried Seeds

This study investigated the efficacy of roasting pre-treatment by air frying to enhance the extraction and recovery of the predominant sinapic acid derivatives (SADs) from roasted canola meal and the antioxidant potential of the methanolic extracts. Canola meal was obtained by air frying canola seed at 160, 170, 180 or 190 °C for 5, 10, 15 or 20 min. Oil was extracted using the Soxhlet method, and the de-oiled meal fraction was air-dried. Phenolic compounds were isolated using ultrasound-assisted extraction with 70% (v/v) methanol and then quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection. The antioxidant potential of the defatted meal methanolic extracts was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and metal ion-chelating activity (MIC) assays. The highest total phenolic content of 3.15 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry weight was recorded in the defatted meal extract from seeds pre-treated with air frying at 190 °C for 15 min. Sinapine, sinapic acid and an unknown compound at a retention time (RT) of 26.6 min were the major sinapates identified in the defatted meal with the highest concentrations of 7572 ± 479.2 µg/g DW, 727 ± 43.45 µg/g DW and 1763 ± 73.5 µg/g DW, respectively, obtained at 160 °C for 5 min. Canolol (151.35 ± 7.65 µg/g DW) was detected after air frying at a temperature of 170 °C for 20 min. The FRAP and MIC correlated positively (r = 0.85) and generally decreased with increased air frying temperature-time conditions. The highest FRAP and MIC values of 0.53 mM and 80% were obtained at 160 °C for 5 and 20 min, respectively. The outcome of this study will contribute new knowledge that could improve the value addition and by-product utilization of canola seeds

A Diagnostic Scoring Model for Leptospirosis in Resource Limited Settings.

BACKGROUND: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infection with significant morbidity and mortality. The clinical presentation of leptospirosis is known to mimic the clinical profile of other prevalent tropical fevers. Laboratory confirmation of leptospirosis is based on the reference standard microscopic agglutination test (MAT), direct demonstration of the organism, and isolation by culture and DNA detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. However these methods of confirmation are not widely available in resource limited settings where the infection is prevalent, and reliance is placed on clinical features for provisional diagnosis. In this prospective study, we attempted to develop a model for diagnosis of leptospirosis, based on clinical features and standard laboratory test results. METHODS: The diagnostic score was developed based on data from a prospective multicentre study in two hospitals in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. All patients presenting to these hospitals with a suspected diagnosis of leptospirosis, based on the WHO surveillance criteria, were recruited. Confirmed disease was defined as positive genus specific MAT (Leptospira biflexa). A derivation cohort and a validation cohort were randomly selected from available data. Clinical and laboratory manifestations associated with confirmed leptospirosis in the derivation cohort were selected for construction of a multivariate regression model with correlation matrices, and adjusted odds ratios were extracted for significant variables. The odds ratios thus derived were subsequently utilized in the criteria model, and sensitivity and specificity examined with ROC curves. RESULTS: A total of 592 patients were included in the final analysis with 450 (180 confirmed leptospirosis) in the derivation cohort and 142 (52 confirmed leptospirosis) in the validation cohort. The variables in the final model were: history of exposure to a possible source of leptospirosis (adjusted OR = 2.827; 95% CI = 1.517-5.435; p = 0.001) serum creatinine > 150 micromol/l (adjusted OR = 2.735; 95% CI = 1.374-4.901; p = 0.001), neutrophil differential percentage > 80.0% of total white blood cell count (adjusted OR 2.163; 95% CI = 1.309-3.847; p = 0.032), serum bilirubin > 30 micromol/l (adjusted OR = 1.717; 95% CI 0.938-3.456; p = 0.049) and platelet count < 85,000/mm3 (adjusted OR = 2.350; 95% CI = 1.481-4.513; p = 0.006). Hosmer-Lemeshow test for goodness of fit was 0.931. The Nagelkerke R2 was 0.622. The area under the curve (AUC) was noted as 0.762. A score value of 14 reflected a sensitivity of 0.803, specificity of 0.602, a PPV of 0.54, NPV of 0.84, a positive LR of 2.01 and a negative LR of 0.32. CONCLUSIONS: The above diagnostic model for diagnosis of leptospirosis is suggested for use in clinical settings. It should be further validated in clinical practice

Surface science analysis of GaAs photocathodes following sustained electron beam delivery

Degradation of the photocathode materials employed in photoinjectors represents a challenge for sustained operation of nuclear physics accelerators and high power free electron lasers (FEL). Photocathode quantum efficiency degradation is due to residual gases in the electron source vacuum system being ionized and accelerated back to the photocathode. These investigations are a first attempt to characterize the nature of the photocathode degradation, and employ multiple surface and bulk analysis techniques to investigate damage mechanisms including sputtering of the Cs-oxidant surface monolayer, other surface chemistry effects, and ion implantation. Surface and bulk analysis studies were conducted on two GaAs photocathodes, which were removed from the JLab FEL DC photoemission gun after delivering electron beam, and two control samples. The analysis techniques include helium ion microscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), atomic force microscopy, and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). In addition, two high-polarization strained superlattice GaAs photocathode samples, one removed from the continuous electron beam accelerator facility (CEBAF) photoinjector and one unused, were also analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and SIMS. It was found that heat cleaning the FEL GaAs wafer introduces surface roughness, which seems to be reduced by prolonged use. The bulk GaAs samples retained a fairly well organized crystalline structure after delivering beam but show evidence of Cs depletion on the surface. Within the precision of the SIMS and RBS measurements, the data showed no indication of hydrogen implantation or lattice damage from ion back bombardment in the bulk GaAs wafers. In contrast, SIMS and TEM measurements of the strained superlattice photocathode show clear crystal damage in the wafer from ion back bombardment