MEASUREMENT OF WOOD DUST PARTICLE SIZE BY OPTICAL MICROSCOPY TECHNIQUE AND LONG-TERM EFFECT ON SAWMILL WORKERS: A RANDOM STUDY

ABSTRACTObjective: Sawmill workers are exposed to wood dust particles of different sizes, and they cause different respiratory effects depending on the size,physical, and chemical nature of the dust particle and also it is related to the duration of exposure.Introduction: Many studies are done in concern with respiratory effects of wood dust exposure and its toxicity on sawmill workers. Only few studieshave been done regarding measurement of particle size. Hence, this study has been undertaken. To measure the size of wood dust particle of sawmillsto which the workers are exposed to and also to study significance to the duration of exposure to different sizes of wood dust and effect on long-termexposure.Methods: Random samples collected from three different places of different sawmills where there is maximum production and exposure of wooddust. The samples were analyzed and particle was measured using optical microscopy technique. 50 healthy participants from these mills wereassessed for chest expansion in cm and compared against years of wood dust exposure.Results and Conclusion: Overall, it is observed that percentage distribution of size of wood dust particles: 45.9% <0.1 μm, 23.3% 2.5-10,22.3% 0.1-2.5 μm, and 8.5% >10 μm. It may be concluded that occupational hazards are directly proportional to the size of the particle and durationof exposure to wood dust particles. Chest expansion in cm was also found reduced with the increase in the years of exposure to wood dust.Keywords: Sawmill workers, Wood dust, Optical microscopy, Chest expansion

Microelectromechanical systems vibration powered electromagnetic generator for wireless sensor applications

This paper presents a silicon microgenerator, fabricated using standard silicon micromachining techniques, which converts external ambient vibrations into electrical energy. Power is generated by an electromagnetic transduction mechanism with static magnets positioned on either side of a moving coil, which is located on a silicon structure designed to resonate laterally in the plane of the chip. The volume of this device is approximately 100 mm3. ANSYS finite element analysis (FEA) has been used to determine the optimum geometry for the microgenerator. Electromagnetic FEA simulations using Ansoft’s Maxwell 3D software have been performed to determine the voltage generated from a single beam generator design. The predicted voltage levels of 0.7–4.15 V can be generated for a two-pole arrangement by tuning the damping factor to achieve maximum displacement for a given input excitation. Experimental results from the microgenerator demonstrate a maximum power output of 104 nW for 0.4g (g=9.81 m s1) input acceleration at 1.615 kHz. Other frequencies can be achieved by employing different geometries or material

Cyberspace Knowledge Gaps and Boundaries in Sustainability Science: Topics, Regions, Editorial Teams and Journals

The scholarly world of sustainability science is one that is international and interdisciplinary, but is one, on close reading of research contributions, editoral teams, journal citations, and geographic coverage, that has much unevenness. The focus of this paper is on the cyberspace boundaries between and within fields and disciplines studying sustainability; these boundaries separate knowledge gaps or uneven patterns in sustainability scholarship. I use the volume of hyperlinks on Google Search Engine and Google Scholar to illustrate the nature and extent of the boundaries in cyberspace that exist and also the subject and geographic gaps in the home countries of sustainability journal editors and editorial board members of 69 journals, many which have appeared since 2000. The results reveal that knowledge boundaries are part of the current nature of sustainability scholarship and that, while there is global coverage in our knowledge of sustainability, as well as sustainability maps and photographs, we know much less about sustainability in countries of the Global South than the Global North. This unevenness extends to the dominance of North America, Europe, and China as leaders in what we know. English-speaking countries also tend to dominate both journal editors and editorial board members, even though countries in the Global South have representation. The volumes of hyperlinks for the sustainability journals associated with both databases are similar with major interdisciplinary journals having the largest numbers. As the field of international sustainability science continues to evolve, it bears observing whether the cyberspace knowledge or boundary gaps will narrow in what is recognized by most science and policy scientists as one of the most important transdisciplinary fields of study in the Global South and North

Biomass in the manufacture of industrial products—the use of proteins and amino acids

The depletion in fossil feedstocks, increasing oil prices, and the ecological problems associated with CO2 emissions are forcing the development of alternative resources for energy, transport fuels, and chemicals: the replacement of fossil resources with CO2 neutral biomass. Allied with this, the conversion of crude oil products utilizes primary products (ethylene, etc.) and their conversion to either materials or (functional) chemicals with the aid of co-reagents such as ammonia and various process steps to introduce functionalities such as -NH2 into the simple structures of the primary products. Conversely, many products found in biomass often contain functionalities. Therefore, it is attractive to exploit this to bypass the use, and preparation of, co-reagents as well as eliminating various process steps by utilizing suitable biomass-based precursors for the production of chemicals. It is the aim of this mini-review to describe the scope of the possibilities to generate current functionalized chemical materials using amino acids from biomass instead of fossil resources, thereby taking advantage of the biomass structure in a more efficient way than solely utilizing biomass for the production of fuels or electricity

Total Synthesis of Repeating Unit of O-Polysaccharide of Providencia alcalifaciens O22 via One-Pot Glycosylation

The first total synthesis of the phosphorylated trisaccharide repeating unit of Providencia alcalifaciens O22 is reported. The trisaccharide contains rare deoxyamino sugar AAT at the reducing end and D-glyceramide 2-phosphate at the other end. The efficient synthesis involves one-pot assembly of trisaccharide and late-stage phosphorylation as key steps

EFFECT OF MOULD VIBRATION ON MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF CASTING DURING SOLIDIFICATION -A REVIEW.

In order to achieve better performance from alloy, manufactures may alter the alloy composition or the manufacturing process. The alterations can be done by composition or the manufacturing process. The alteration can be done by means off addition of alloying elements, by means of changes to the component design, or by means of changing the processing parameters. In the present work, a review on the work carried out on the effect of mold vibrations on the microstructure and mechanical properties of casting i.e of aluminum alloy during solidification is presente

Effect Of Mould Vibration On Microstructure And Mechanical Properties Of Casting During Solidification -A Review.

In order to achieve better performance from alloy, manufactures may alter the alloy composition or the manufacturing process. The alterations can be done by composition or the manufacturing process. The alteration can be done by means off addition of alloying elements, by means of changes to the component design, or by means of changing the processing parameters. In the present work, a review on the work carried out on the effect of mold vibrations on the microstructure and mechanical properties of casting i.e of aluminum alloy during solidification is presente