Photocatalytic removal of Escherichia coli from aquatic solutions using synthesized ZnO nanoparticles: a kinetic study

Development of effective and low-cost disinfection technology is needed to address the problems caused by an outbreak of harmful microorganisms. In this work, an effective photocatalytic removal of Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli from aqueous solution was reported by using ZnO nanoparticles under UV light irradiation. The effect of various parameters such as solution pH, ZnO dosage, contact time and initial E. coli concentration were investigated. Maximum photocatalytic disinfection was observed at neutral pH because of the reduced photocatalytic activity of ZnO at low and high pH values originated from either acidic/photochemical corrosion of the catalyst and/or surface passivation with Zn(OH)2. As the ZnO dosage increased, the photocatalytic disappearance of E. coli was continuously enhanced, but was gradually decreased above 2 g/L of ZnO due to the increased blockage of the incident UV light used. The optimum ZnO dosage was determined as 1 g/L. Photocatalytic removal of E. coli decreased as initial E. coli concentration increased. Three kinetic models (zero-, first- and second-order equations) were used to correlate the experimental data and to determine the kinetic parameters

Employee Performance Analysis Of Social Rehabilitation Pamardi Khusnul Khotimah Tangerang Selatan

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of organizational culture, work ethic and discipline on the employees performance either partially or simultaneously of Social Rehabilitation Institution Pamardi Khusnul Khotimah at Tangerang Selatan. The results showed that organizational culture based on partial test was positive and significant effect on the performance of 76,2%, while work ethos can be good too was positive and significant effect on the performance of 72,2%, then work discipline also was positive and significant effect on the performance of 73%. The result of correlation coefficient (R2) of 76,7% can be summed up the effect of the variable X1 (organizational culture),  X2 (work ethos) and X3 (discipline) to variable Y (employees performance) where the relationship is positive. The results of calculation for 53.874 F-value further consultation with the F-table with dk = k numerator and denominator dk = (nk-1) with a 5% error level the importance of the F table = 2,80. Provisions applicable for F-value greater than F-table (53.874  > 2,80), it can be stated that the multiple correlation is significant. Thus the null hypothesis (H0) that states there is no effect between organizational culture, work ethos and discipline influence on employees performance is rejected, while the alternative hypothesis (Ha) is accepte

Developing Mobile Application For Parliament Election Process in Jordan.

The long-term vision for E-Government is to create a society where electronic government is a contributor to the electronic and social development of Jordan. The E-Government will empower and benefit all the in society through access to government information, public-private partnerships and improved public services, communications and transactions with the government (Hussein, 2006). However, dynamic development of the Information Communication and Technology (ICT) makes the life different and creates new businesses, and rapid changes. Moreover, by utilizing the ICT, countries around the world are constructing the e-government to change their national administrative methods and to achieve efficiency. One of services that the government provides to its citizens through the construction of the e- government is e-election system. The e-Election is a system used to enhance the efficiency for voting process by automating the current manual voting process skilful with electronic devices. Moreover, introducing the e-Election system will support efficiency in voting by reducing time required for ballot counting and numbering errors, and advancing democracy by encouraging more citizens to vote. In addition, as the cost for voting will be reduced through the use of digital devices, accordingly, the voting system can be more widely used in the decision making process

The economics of the Arab Spring

This article explores the economic underpinnings of the Arab spring. We locate the roots of the regiosn's long-term economic failure in a statist model of development that is financed through external windfalls and rests on inefficient forms of intervention and redistribution. We argue that the rising cost of repression and redistribution is calling into question the long-term sustainability of this development model. A singular failure of tyhe Arab world is that it has been unable to develop a private sector that is independent, competetive and intergrated with global markets. We argue that developing such a orivate sector is both a political as well as a regional challenge. In so far as the private sector genertaes incomes that are independent of the rent streams controlled by the state and can pose a direct political challenge, it is viewed as a threat. And, the Arab world's economic fragmentation into isolated geographic units further undermines the prospects for private sector development. We explain this economic fragmentation as a manifestation of dentralized and segmented administrative structures. Revisiting the polictics and geo-politics of regional trade, we argue that overcoming regional economic barriers constitues the single most important collective action problem that the region has faced since the fall of the Ottoman Empire.Arab Spring, Fragmentation, Regional Trade, Protectionism

SB 909/HB 1408 Virginia Fair Housing Law; unlawful discriminatory housing practices

This report provides a legislative racial impact analysis of Senate Bill (SB) 909, a proposed bill in the Virginia General Assembly, to expand the Virginia Fair Housing Law to include lawful sources of income. Specifically, this report examines state and county source of income laws and their variances by race and ethnicity

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Knowledge Conversion Processes On Motivation, Learning Strategies, Metacognition, And Performance In A Blended Learning Environment

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of knowledge conversion processes on motivation, learning strategy, metacognition and performance in an LMS supported blended learning environment. Many studies have investigated the effects of these variables on each other using bivariate analysis but no study has investigated their effects using Nonaka and Takeuchi’s (1995) knowledge conversion model which comprises factors of Socialization, Externalization, Combination, and Internalization, nor employed a simultaneous analysis of the effects of all the factors using tools such as structural equation modeling. This study employed the survey research method and involved a sample of 202 undergraduate students currently enrolled in classes using blended learning and the LMS at one university in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia. Two sets of questionnaires, namely the SECI questionnaire that was developed by the researcher, and the MSLQ questionnaire developed by Pintrich et al. (1991) were employed for this study. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) that allowed for simultaneous analysis of all the factors using the regression method. The findings showed that all the factors of SECI and MSLQ were extracted in the measurement model but in the final structural model only the factors of Socialization & Externalization were represented together with the MSLQ factors

Kuy-e Narmak: A Resilient Heritage of Modern Housing in Tehran, Iran

Similar to many Middle-Eastern countries during the 20th century, Iran underwent a unique process of modernisation. This process was accelerated in Tehran after the second World War, when the urban population density dramatically grew, due to rural-urban migration, and the construction of mass housing got a prominent place in the development agenda of the Iranian government. Furthermore, for creating a modern nation that made Iran part of the civilized world, the government diffused the notion of modern living through mass housing largely carried out by a group of Western-trained Iranian architects. Creating cross-cultural exchanges, they played the mediator role between the International Style and the Iranian culture, and they helped the Iranian government to purse the objectives of the development plans. Accordingly, the government established a new financial organisation named Bank-e Sakhtemani (Construction Bank) to fund new urban projects, and the parliament adopted a new law by which the arid lands beyond the border of cities were declared as state properties. Doing so braced the role of Bank-e Sakhtemani in land-use strategies, and as a result, a series of new neighbourhoods was constructed in Tehran, such as Kuy-e Narmak (1951-58), Kuy-e Nazi-Abad (1952-54), and Tehran-Pars (1958-72). Among these neighbourhoods, Narmak played a crucial role in forming modern Tehran’s Identity, and the project created a strong collective identity among its residents. Situated in the North-Eastern part of Tehran, Narmak was constructed on an area of 507 hectares, from which around 200 hectares was allocated to the public and collective amenities. This project aimed at accommodating 25,000 residents; however, it houses approximately 340,000 inhabitants, at present. To understand this adaptability, the spatial organisation of Narmak and its development should be studied. The urban layout of Narmak proposed a series of public outdoor spaces including a grid of linear gardens (Chaharbagh), and 110 enclosed gardens (Meydan) allocated to each respective block. In the block layout, houses were located around the edges of Meydans, and the repetition of this pattern provided the urban structure of Narmak. In this structure, Chaharbaghs and Meydans have become the permanent constituting a frame around which change could take place. Although these public spaces have remained unchanged, based on new needs, the inhabitants have had the possibilities to transfer their low-rise houses to mid-rise apartments, and adapt their private spaces. Therefore, by analysing Narmak’s urban form and development, this paper reveals typological elements, socio-cultural characteristics, and economic features that led to the survival and resilience of this modern urban form over times. Understanding the development of this model demonstrates whether the process of modernisation through affordable housing practices in a non-western country such as Iran presents a sense of continuity in the structure, meaning, character and identity of place, or generates a sense of disjuncture

Viewpoint | Personal Data and the Internet of Things: It is time to care about digital provenance

The Internet of Things promises a connected environment reacting to and addressing our every need, but based on the assumption that all of our movements and words can be recorded and analysed to achieve this end. Ubiquitous surveillance is also a precondition for most dystopian societies, both real and fictional. How our personal data is processed and consumed in an ever more connected world must imperatively be made transparent, and more effective technical solutions than those currently on offer, to manage personal data must urgently be investigated.Comment: 3 pages, 0 figures, preprint for Communication of the AC