Fabrication and Characterization of Novel AgNPs Functionalized with Chlorothymol (C@AgNPs)

In this study, novel silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were successfully synthesized and functionalized with an antibacterial agent, namely chlorothymol (denoted C@AgNPs). The resulting colloid (C@AgNPs) was purified by two comparative methods: ultrafiltration and ultracentrifugation. Ultrafiltration proved to be more efficient in purifying and size selecting (10 kD filter) and concentrating the C@AgNPs than ultracentrifugation. The physicochemical properties of the filtered C@AgNPs were then characterized by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), Raman spectroscopy, Cytoviva hyperspectral imaging, and Scanning electron microscopy. These measurements confirmed the functionalization of the core AgNPs with chlorothymol and suggest the proposed mechanism of C@AgNP formation through a coordinate covalent bond between the oxygen atom of chlorothymol and the Ag atoms at the nano surface

Using p-Si/BDD anode for the electrochemical oxidation of norfloxacin

[EN] This study evaluated the electrochemical advanced oxidation process (EAOP) using boron-doped diamond (p-Si/BDD) anode in the abatement of the antibiotic norfloxacin (NOR). The influence of the applied current density (iapp), initial concentration of NOR, sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) concentration and reactor operation conditions were evaluated. The mechanism of NOR oxidation (direct or indirect) was also studied by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The results showed that, depending on the iapp, and the NOR and Na2SO4 concentration, the NOR could be oxidized by direct electron transfer, with the carbon-sp2 impurities on the p-Si/BDD surface, and indirect, by persulfate ions (S2O82¿), sulfate (SO4·¿) and/or hydroxyl radicals (HO) electro-generated at the anode surface. When the reactor is operated favoring the electro-generated HO, NOR abatement and chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction are simultaneous. Conversely, at the time that the reactor is operated favoring the NOR direct oxidation and by S2O82¿ and SO4·¿, NOR and COD reduction are not parallel leading to high byproducts formation. Therefore, it is important to know the matrix content (organic and sulfate content), for the correct choice of the operational parameters that will lead to a low byproducts formation.The authors thank Cyted, CNPq, CAPES/DGPU project no. 7595/14-0, FAPERGS and FINEP. The authors thank the financial support from MINECO (Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, Spain) under project CTQ2015-65202-C2-1-R, co-financed with FEDER funds.Wohlmuth Da Silva, S.; Ortega Navarro, EM.; Siqueira Rodrigues, MA.; Moura Bernardes, A.; Pérez-Herranz, V. (2019). Using p-Si/BDD anode for the electrochemical oxidation of norfloxacin. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry. 832:112-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelechem.2018.10.049S11212083

INTERVENIMI HUMANITAR NË RASTIN E KOSOVËS PREJ 1998-1999 = ХУМАНИТАРНАТА ИНТЕРВЕНЦИЈА ВО СЛУЧАЈОТ СО КОСОВО ОД 1998-1999

The humanitarian nature of intervention in Kosovo has been called into question. On March 24th, 1999 North Atlantic Treaty Orga-nization (NATO) warplanes were seen over the Serbian province, inten-ding to ward off the conflict that was taking place in Kosovo by com-pelling Serbia to pull back its units from the latter’s territory. The March events in Kosovo raised the query whether the interference might be considered as a humanitarian, taking into consideration that the latter’s conflict did not started with Kosovo but with Croatia, Bosnia. Most of the analysts are concentrated on the intervention as a completed action without the legal authorization of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that violated international law and the United Nations (UN) charters. This research seeks to explain the ‘humanitarian intervention’ doctrine and applicability in Kosovo case during the war period 1998-1999; how the concept of humanitarian intervention took an extraordinary context; on what interventions are built despite the law that continually seeks to prevent conflicts and provide aid to the people; and most importantly, explore the possibilities of conflict prevention before 1998-99. The Security Council authorizes intervention as an en-forcement action under Chapter VII Article 41 and 42. The enforcement once had greater legitimacy but has become more complex due to the UN member states’ position. The theoretical framework developed by Walzer, Chomsky, and Gray indicates that Kosovo has challenged the international order. Their analyzes are that interventions as such it should depend on the United Nations (UN) charter or be flexible on a case by case-based on political conflict in a particular country

MENAXHIMI I HUMBJEVE TË UJIT TË PIJSHËM NË KOMUNËN E MALISHEVËS

Subjekt i këtij punimi të masterit është menaxhimi i humbjes së ujit në sistemin e furnizimit me ujë të pijshëm, si një faktor që kërcënon vazhdimisht ruajtjen e furnizimit të qëndrueshëm dhe të sigurt me ujë, si dhe të biznesit me përgjegjësi, për Kompaninë e Ujësjellësit “Hidroregjioni Jugu”-Njësia Operative në Malishevë. Tashmë, pas futjes fillestare në strukturën e humbjeve, do të jetë e qartë se sa e rëndësishme është shfaqja e humbjeve, duke qenë se madhësia e tyre paraqet një politikë të zhvillimit, menaxhimin dhe mirëmbajtjen e sistemit të furnizimit me ujë në veçanti, si dhe në kuadër të Kompanisë “Hidroregjioni”, në përgjithësi. Kompanitë lokale të shërbimeve, shpesh veprojnë në prag të përfitimit dhe pa staf të mjaftueshëm teknik dhe të përgatitur profesionalisht, të sigurt dhe të qëndrueshëm për të menaxhuar sistemin, duke rezultuar me kushtet operative të paqëndrueshme, me zona të presionit të pabalancuar. Për shkak të mungesës së burimeve financiare në dispozicion, mirëmbajtja shpesh kufizohet në rehabilitimin emergjent, që përfundimisht rezulton me humbje të lartë të ujit në sistem. Duke pasur parasysh se çdo [m3] të ujit të humbur në sistem përfaqëson një humbje financiare për kompaninë, kjo situatë padyshim çon në operacione joekonomike. Gjithashtu, humbjet e ujit kërcënojnë furnizimin e rregullt të ujit, shkaktojnë dëme në infrastrukturën përrreth dhe kërkojnë më shumë energji se sa është e nevojshme, e cila me siguri ka një ndikim negativ edhe mjedisor. Ne zonen e studimite kemi rrethe 286 konsumatore per vitin 2019. Sipas analizës të paraqitur në kapitullin e rezultateve rezulton se vëllimi total i ujit për vitin 2019 është 137,518 m3. Nga ky vëllim është faturuar uji në vëllim prej 31,252 m3 apo rreth 23%. Nga kjo shifet se humbjet e ujit per këtë zone janë rreth 77% ku nga kjo përqindje si humbje komerciale janë rreth 60508 m3 apo rreth 44%, kurse humbje teknik janë 45959 m3 apo rreth 33%. Ky hulumtim ofron një pasqyrë teorike të metodologjisë së llogaritjes dhe shfaqjen e humbjeve të ujit, metodat e zbulimit, shkaqet e tyre dhe shembullin praktik të vlerësimit të gjendjes aktuale të sistemit të furnizimit me ujë të lokaliteteve të Malishevës, në bazë të metodologjisë së përcaktuar

Application of 3D Technology in Accessories and Fashion Design

This article delves into 3D Printing\u27s multifaceted applications in fashion, emphasizing its potential for intricate parametric designs and personalized clothing, reshaping the industry. The article includes a practical case study demonstrating iLogic\u27s efficient use to automate part attribute determination and conduct comprehensive stress analysis on a 3D-printed keychain

Étude de l'influence du matériel d'électrode dans l'application des procédés électrochimiques d'oxydation avancée au traitement des polluants pharmaceutiques

Permanent production and use of organic chemicals for many purposes has resulted in their introduction and accumulation in the environment. Depending on their physicochemical properties they can be transported by different ways from the source to very remote regions of the planet. Many organic chemicals are used in agriculture as pesticides for cultures protection or nutrient. Residues of these chemicals can always be found in fields, and under the effect of precipitations they leach and pass in streams and rivers. Pharmaceuticals and personal health care products and other house holding chemicals are continuously introduced in the environment through municipal wastewaters. These substances exhibit, in most of the cases, perturbation effects towards the living organisms, moreover the effect of many of them is not known yet. Despite their concentration in water is low, the exposure of organisms for long periods can lead to negative consequences, but these effects cannot be measured instantly. In order to reduce or avoid the pollution of water with chemicals many water treatment methods has been developed like adsorption of pollutants on adsorbents, membrane filtration, microbiological treatment, chemical oxidation with oxidizing agents and advanced oxidation processes. Most of the methods used in waste water treatment plants (WWTP) do not completely destroy the organic contaminants or they only separate the contaminants from water. Then they have to be deposed somewhere else remaining always a potential source of contamination. Advanced oxidation processes and in particular electrochemical advanced oxidation processes are methods developed later and are proven as more effective as they can completely oxidize the organic matter in water. The subject of this thesis is the use of electro-Fenton, an electrochemical advanced oxidation process for efficient destruction of organic pollutants in aqueous medium. In this method, organic pollutants are eliminated by H hydroxyl radicals (high oxidation power species) which are produced in situ through the Fenton's reagent (H2O2 + Fe2+) itself generated in the solution electrochemically and continuously. In this process, the electrode material is of fundamental importance in order to have an efficient process, so we have studied at large extent the influence of both cathode and anode material in this work. Firstly a systematic study on the oxidation capacity of the process of amoxicillin (AMX) as model pollutant with several anodes materials: BDD, Pt, DSA, PbO2 Carbon felt, Graphite and Carbon fibre was realised. In all cases a stainless steel electrode was used as cathode. The degradation of AMX was followed by HPLC analysis whereas the mineralization efficiency ot the process was measured by total organic carbon analyser (TOC). This revealed that BDD was the most efficient anode for AMX oxidation and DSA was the weakest one. Carbon felt showed a characteristic behaviour; it was very efficient on AMX oxidation but it could not transform AMX to CO2 and H2O. Afterwards four anodes were tested for their influence on electro-Fenton process efficiency namely Pt, BDD, DSA and Carbon felt, the cathode was always carbon felt. Sulfamethazine (SMT) was used as model pollutant. Apparent rate constants have given only moderate values of mineralization for currents lower than 100 mA. Here again the BDD anode was distinguished for its excellent mineralization capacity owing to the additional hydroxyl radicals and other oxidizing species introduced in the system. When electro-Fenton applied good degradation and mineralization results were obtained even with the DSA anode (...)La production ainsi que l'utilisation massive des produits chimiques pour divers usages, a résulté à leur introduction et accumulation dans l'environnement. Ces produits peuvent se transporter par différentes façons de leur source à des régions très lointaines de la planète, ce qui dépend de leur propriété physico-chimiques. Une quantité et variété importante de composés organiques sont utilisées dans l'agriculture comme pesticides, afin de protéger les cultures et augmenter les rendements. Les résidus de ces produits peuvent toujours se trouver dans les champs, puis sous l'effet des précipitations ils passent par lixiviation dans les fleuves et d'autres system aqueux. Les produits pharmaceutiques et les produits de soins personnels sont introduits dans l'environnement de façon continue par les eaux usés municipales. Ces substances manifestent, dans la plus part des cas, des effets perturbants sur les organismes vivants. Malgré leur concentration faible dans les eaux naturelles, le contact permanent des organismes aquatiques peut avoir des conséquences négatives telles que la modification du comportement sexuel observé chez les poissons d'eau douce. Dans le but de réduire ou éliminer la pollution chimique des eaux des nombreuses méthodes ont vu le jour, telles que: l'adsorption des polluants sur des adsorbants, la filtration membranaire, le traitement microbiologique, l'oxydation chimique et les procédés d'oxydation avancée. La plus part des méthodes utilisées dans les stations d'épuration des eaux ne détruisent pas efficacement les contaminants organiques. L'utilisation des méthodes physiques permet de les séparer de l'eau, ce qui nécessite des opérations supplémentaires pour leur élimination. Au contraire, les procédés d'oxydation avancée et en particulier les procédés électrochimiques d'oxydation avancée (méthodes développées récemment) se montrent plus efficace dans l'élimination des polluants toxiques et non-biodégradables, car ces procédés sont capables à conduire jusqu'à minéralisation totale de la matière organique. Le sujet de cette thèse repose donc sur l'application du procédé électro-Fenton qui est un procédé électrochimique d'oxydation avancée pour la destruction des contaminants organiques dans l'eau. Cette méthode fait appel aux radicaux hydroxyles (espèces très oxydantes et extrêmement réactives) pour l'élimination des polluants récalcitrants, qui sont produit in situ à travers le réactif du Fenton (H2O2 + Fe2+). Ce réactif est généré in situ électrochimiquement. . Dans ce procédé la nature du matériau de l'électrode a une importance cruciale. Ainsi nous avons étudié dans ce travail l'influence du matériel de l'anode et de la cathode sur l'efficacité du procédé électro-Fenton. Dans un premier temps nous avons étudié de manière systématique le pouvoir d'oxydation d'anode comme de différentes matériaux d'anodes tels que : BDD, Pt, DSA, PbO2, Feutre de carbone, Graphite et Fibre de carbone dans l'oxydation de l'antibiotique amoxicilline (AMX). Dans tous les cas une électrode d'acier inox a été utilisée comme cathode. La dégradation de AMX a été suivie par l'analyse CLHP alors que la minéralisation de ses solutions par l'analyseur du carbone organique totale (COT). Il s'est avéré que l'anode BDD a était l'anode la plus puissante pour l'oxydation de l'AMX tandis que l'anode DSA a présenté les performances les plus faibles. D'autre part, le feutre de carbone a présenté un comportement caractéristique; il était très efficace sur l'oxydation de l'AMX mais ces performances en minéralisation étaient médiocres. Dans l'étape suivante, quatre anodes (Pt, BDD, DSA and Feutre de carbone) ont été testées pour élucider leur influence sur l'efficacité du procédé électro-Fenton, en utilisant toujours une cathode de feutre de carbone. L'antibiotique sulfamethazine (SMT) a été choisi comme polluant modèle (...

CIKLI JETËSOR I PRODUKTIT, INOVACIONET DHE RRITJA EKONOMIKE

Ky punim diplome përshkruan ciklin jetësor si koncept nga marketing si dhe fazat përbërëse të ciklit. Gjithashtu një pjesë i kushtohet edhe rëndësisë së teknologjisë dhe evolucionit industrial të shekullit të 18-të dhe elaboron rëndësinë e tij për rritjen ekonomike. Një koncept tjetër mjaft me rëndësi është teoria e “Shaktërrimit Krijues” e Schumpeter-it si dhe ndërlidhja e kësaj teorie me progresin teknologjik. Për të punuar punimin është përdorur literaturë nga autorë të shumtë të cilët shpjegojnë teorinë e “Shkatërrimit krijues” të ekonomistit Joseph Schumpeter. Gjithashtu janë nxjerrë rezultate të cilat lidhin ndryshimet teknologjike me rritjen e standardit jetësor të popullsisë botërore.Duke e ndërlidhur me progresin teknologjik është shtjelluar dhe paraqitur grafikisht edhe teoria e Kurbës S-formëshe, duke paraqitur mjaft mirë dobinë e dy teknologjive asaj të re dhe asaj të vjetëruar. Punimi i diplomës është punuar në atë mënyrë, që fazat e ndryshme të ciklit jetësor përshkruhen secila mjaft detajisht, duke filluar nga faza e zhvillimit e deri tek faza e rënjes apo varësisht nga strategjija e kompanisë edhe tek inovacionet. Gjithashtu para rastit studimor një nënkapitull i kushtohet progresit teknologjik. Lexuesi gjithashtu do të ketë mundësi të kuptojë ciklin jetësor të produktit si proces të plotë, me anë të rastit studimor me CD disqet

Interwencja Humanitarna w Budowaniu Narodu; Sprawa Kosowa z lat 1998-2017

Humanitarny charakter interwencji w Kosowie został poddany w wątpliwość. Dnia 24 marca 1999 r NATO pojawiło się z samolotami wojennymi nad terytorium Jugosławii, mając na celu zapobieżenie wojnie, która miała miejsce, zmuszając Serbię do wycofania wojsk z terytorium Kosowa. Marcowe wydarzenia w Kosowie postawiły pytanie, czy interwencja może być postrzegana jako humanitarna! Różnice istniejące pomiędzy interwencją w Kosowie i innymi interwencjami, które zostały wykonane przez NATO / ONZ i podmioty międzynarodowe, różniły się w zależności od kraju w znaczący sposób.Jednak większość badaczy skupia się na interwencji NATO w Kosowie, która nie została zatwierdzona przez Radę Bezpieczeństwa i w związku z tym przekroczyła międzynarodowe prawo i Kartę Narodów Zjednoczonych. Interwencja nie miała oczekiwanego wpływu z powodu braku mądrości w utrzymaniu Serbów i Kosowian w Kosowie. Niniejsza praca magisterska próbuje wyjaśnić doktrynę "interwencji humanitarnej", przedstawiając porównanie z sytuacją w Kosowie przed i po interwencji; jak dramatycznie zmieniła się koncepcja interwencji humanitarnej; i w jaki sposób interwencje są budowane pomimo faktu, że interwencje konsekwentnie starają się zapobiegać konfliktom i zapewniać pomoc ludności. Można argumentować, że nawet jeśli interwencja została zatwierdzona przez Radę Bezpieczeństwa Organizacji Narodów Zjednoczonych, sankcja Rady Bezpieczeństwa niekoniecznie ma aspekt moralny.Rada Bezpieczeństwa zezwala na interwencję jako działanie egzekucyjne na podstawie VII rozdziału Karty. To miało kiedyś większą legitymację, ale stało się trudniejsze ze względu na postawy państw członkowskich ONZ. Analizując Kosowo jako temat tej pracy magisterskiej, zobaczymy szczegółowo, w jaki sposób przeprowadzono interwencję, szkodząc Serbii w tym procesie.Ta praca magisterska wykracza poza badanie interwencji NATO która stłumiła konflikt w 1999 roku; omawia także międzynarodowe podmioty, które przybyły do Kosowa po zakończeniu wojny. Niektórzy z nich nadal pozostali, ale co najważniejsze czy przyczyniły się one w wystarczającym stopniu do budowania narodu w Kosowie jako jednego z najmłodszych krajów politycznie w Europie. Co więcej, ramy teoretyczne opracowane przez Allena Buchanana, Alexa Bellamy'ego i Fernando R. Tesona pokazują, że sprawa Kosowa zmieniła doktrynę interwencji humanitarnej, jak analizują czy powinna zależeć od Karty Narodów Zjednoczonych, czy też być elastyczna dla każdego przypadku ze względu na konflikt polityczny w tym kraju lub kraju sąsiadującym, jak to ma miejsce w przypadku Kosowa. Pomyślnie czy nie, Kosowo po interwencji humanitarnej jeszcze bardziej rozproszyło się z własnego toru po interwencji humanitarnej, ponieważ brakowało im zdolności do utrzymywania pokojowych stosunków między Serbami i Kosowianami. Niemniej jednak podmioty międzynarodowe stopniowo przejęły obowiązki, których NATO nie wykonało, co osłabiło zdolność Kosowa.The humanitarian nature of the intervention in Kosovo has been called into question. On 24th March 1999, NATO appeared with warplanes over the Yugoslavia territory, aiming to prevent the war that was occurring by compelling Serbia to withdraw troops from Kosovo’s territory. The March events in Kosovo raised the question whether the intervention might be seen as humanitarian! The differences that exist, between the intervention in Kosovo and other interventions that have been accomplished by NATO/ UN and the international actors, vary by country in a significant way.However, most of the researchers focus on the NATO intervention in Kosovo that was not approved by Security Council and, as a result, overstepped international law and UN charters. The intervention did not have the expected impact due to the lack of wisdom in the maintenance of Serbs and Kosovars in Kosovo. This thesis tries to explain the ‘humanitarian intervention’ doctrine, drawing comparisons with the situation in Kosovo before and after the intervention; how the concept of humanitarian intervention changed dramatically; and in what interventions are built upon despite the fact that interventions consistently seek to prevent a conflict and provide aid to the population. It may be argued that, even if the intervention was authorized by the United Nations Security Council, the sanction by the Security Council does not necessarily have a moral aspect.The Security Council authorizes intervention as an enforcement action under Chapter VII of the Charter. This once had greater legitimacy, but has become more difficult due to the attitudes of UN member states. By analyzing Kosovo as a case of this thesis, we will see in detail how the intervention was carried out, harming Serbia in the process.This thesis goes beyond examining the NATO intervention that subdued the conflict in 1999; it also discusses the international actors that came to Kosovo after the war period ended. Some of them still remain, but what is most important is whether they contributed fairly enough to nation building of Kosovo as one of the youngest countries in Europe politically. Moreover, the theoretical framework developed by Allen Buchanan, Alex Bellamy and Fernando R. Teson, demonstrates that the Kosovo case has changed the humanitarian intervention doctrine, as they analyze whether it should depend on UN charter or be flexible on a case by case based on political conflict in that country or neighbor country as it is in Kosovo case.Successful or not, Kosovo got even more distracted from its own track after the humanitarian intervention, as they had the lack of capability to maintain peaceful relations between Serbs and Kosovars. Nonetheless, international actors gradually took on the duties that NATO left unaccomplished which has weakened Kosovo’s capacity

Barriers and strategies in communication between nurse and patient : A literature review

Bakgrund: Kommunikation är en tvåvägsinteraktion där information överförs mellan parterna. Att kommunicera, verbalt eller icke-verbalt, innebär att förmedla budskap, dela information och att etablera, förstärka eller påverka relationer. Informationen överförs via språk, ljud eller en kod där det sistnämnda innebär bland annat kroppsspråk. Dessa faktorer är grundläggande för kommunikationen men också för att sjuksköterskor skall kunna utföra en god och säker vård. Därav är det intressant att undersöka faktorer som påverkar kommunikationen och synliggöra dessa för att trygga sjuksköterskors fortsatta arbete med evidensbaserad omvårdnad. Syfte: Litteraturstudiens syfte var att beskriva faktorer som påverkar kommunikation mellan sjuksköterska och patient utifrån sjuksköterskans perspektiv. Metod: En litteraturöversikt med induktiv ansats. Resultat: Resultatet framkom från nio vetenskapliga artiklar av kvalitativ design. Artiklarna sammanfattades och presenterades i fyra huvudteman; språkförbistring, tolkning vid språkförbistring, icke-verbal kommunikation samt sjuksköterske-patienten relationen. Slutsats: Språkförbistring är en faktor som påverkar kommunikationen. En strategi är att använda tolk. Vid ickeverbal kommunikation används andra strategier, framförallt kroppsspråk men även hjälpmedel. Möjligheten till en bra kommunikation påverkas av relationen mellan sjuksköterska och patient. Tiden är en bristvara när svårigheter i kommunikationen uppstår mellan sjuksköterska och patient.Background: Communication is a two-way interaction where information is transmitted between the parties. Communicating, verbally or non-verbally, involves communicating messages, sharing information and establishing, enhancing or influencing relationships. Information is transmitted via language, audio or code as body language. These factors are essential for communication, but also for nurses to be able to perform good and safe care. Hence, it is interesting to investigate factors that affect communication and make them visible to ensure the nurses' continued work with evidence-based nursing. Purpose: The aim of the literature review was to describe factors that influence communication between nurse and patient based on nurse perspective. Method: A literature review with inductive approach. Result: The result emerged from nine scientific articles of qualitative design. The articles were summarized and presented in four main themes; language barriers, interpretation at linguistic confusion, non-verbal communication and nurse-patient relation. Conclusion: Language barriers is one factor that affects communication. A strategy is to use an interpreter. When using nonverbal communication, other strategies are used, especially body language but also utility aids. The opportunity for a good communication is influenced by the relation between nurse and patient. When difficulties occur in the nurse-patient communication, time becomes a shortcoming