Determination of Electrostatic Charge Density and Adhesion Force of Particles on a Glass Surface Using an Electrostatic Detachment Method

Attachment of particles to certain surfaces like glass plays a critical role in engineering and natural processes. An application can be found in the solar energy field as the accumulation of dust particles on the solar photo voltaic (PV) panel surface can reduce the efficiency of the solar panel with time. The main objective was to determine whether the electrostatic detachment method can be used to calculate electrostatic charge density and the upper limit of adhesion force of dust particles at various air humidity levels. The independent variables in this investigation were particle diameter and air humidity. The dependent variables were the electrostatic charge density and the upper limit of adhesion force between a particle and the glass surface. The apparatus used in the experiment included a microscope, a high-speed camera, a high voltage amplifier, a data acquisition system and ITO-coated glass plates housed in a 3D-printed chamber. Upon application of a steady uniform electric field, the particles traveled from the bottom glass plate to the top glass plate. The arrival of particles at the top glass plate was recorded using the high-speed camera at 4100 frames per second (fps) from which the time of flight was obtained. Using image analysis software, the particle size was extracted. The experiment was carried out at relative humidity (RH) levels of 10%, 30%, and 80% at atmospheric pressure. The results showed that the upper limit of adhesion force increased with increasing particle diameters at all humidity levels; the highest adhesion force magnitudes were found at 30% RH. On the other hand, electrostatic charge density decreased with increasing particle size. Additional experiments are needed to obtain more statistically meaningful results

Gaining Competitive Advantage through Strategic Green Supply Chain Management: From a Literature Review towards a Conceptual Model

The link between green supply chain practices (GSCPs) and competitive advantages (CAs) is a subject of growing interest amongst academics and practitioners. Despite the theoretical arguments that environmentally conscious practices would give competitive advantages for companies, there is no consensus in empirical research concerning the positive impact of GSCPs on CAs. Due to this lack of clarity in the literature, this study undertakes a comprehensive review to evaluate the circumstances necessary for GSCPs to achieve sustainable CAs. Subsequently, a conceptual model is proposed to elaborate on the causal relationship between GSCPs and CAs. Future research opportunities are recommended to expand on the proposed conceptual model and to address the shortcomings of the existing literature

A Snapshot of Different Types of Under Research Vaccines Against COVID-19: A Review

SARS-CoV-2 as an emerging coronavirus, which first emerged in late 2019 in China causes a respiratory disease called “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)’’. SARS-CoV-2 has since infected more than 26 million people worldwide and caused more than 864000 deaths as of September 04, 2020. The SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein consists of two subunits: S1 and S2, which plays a role in binding to cellular receptors and mediating the fusion process between the membranes of the virus and host cells. The S protein has an important role to induce neutralizing-antibody, as well as protective immunity, during SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this review, we focused on different types of the vaccine against COVID-19. *Corresponding Author: Maryam Fazeli; Email: [email protected] Please cite this article as: Zandi M, Rashid S, Nasimzade S, Pourhossein B, Fazeli M. A Snapshot of Different Types of Under Research Vaccines Against COVID-19: A Review. Arch Med Lab Sci. 2020;6:1-7 (e7). https://doi.org/10.22037/amls.v6.3237

Prestasi kecekapan pengurusan kewangan dan agihan zakat: perbandingan antara Majlis Agama Islam Negeri di Malaysia

Kajian perbandingan pengukuran kecekapan pengurusan kewangan institusi Majlis Agama Islam Negeri (MAIN) dengan prestasi agihan kewangan dan bukan kewangan di antara institusi zakat boleh membuka ruang untuk meningkatkan mutu agihan institusi zakat. Pengurusan kewangan sesebuah organisasi adalah penting untuk memastikan institusi tersebut dapat mencapai matlamat yang telah ditentukan. Hal ini kerana masih wujud tanggapan negatif ketidakcekapan agihan institusi zakat dan ia merupakan antara salah satu punca yang telah menjejaskan tahap keyakinan masyarakat Islam untuk menjalankan kewajipan membayar zakat kepada institusi zakat. Ketidakcekapan agihan tersebut boleh dilihat melalui lebihan zakat yang tidak diagihkan dan kegagalan institusi zakat mengagihkan zakat kepada kelapan-lapan golongan asnaf dan tidak mengikut keutamaan asnaf. Persoalannya adakah wujud hubungan antara prestasi pengurusan kewangan dan prestasi pengagihan zakat. Kajian telah mengkategorikan prestasi pengurusan kewangan kepada tiga (3) bahagian iaitu kecairan, kesolvenan dan keuntungan; manakala aspek prestasi kecekapan agihan institusi zakat pula terbahagi kepada dua (2) bahagian iaitu kecekapan agihan berbentuk kewangan (lebihan zakat tahunan) dan bukan kewangan (keutamaan asnaf). Kajian ini juga mengkaji corak agihan zakat kepada setiap asnaf sebagai satu tambahan pengukuran prestasi agihan zakat. Data sekunder terdiri daripada laporan tahunan MAIN telah dianalisis bermula tahun 2000 hingga 2013. Kajian ini mengkaji lima institusi MAIN iaitu Majlis Agama Islam Selangor (MAIS) dan Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Pulau Pinang (MAINPP) yang mewakili institusi yang telah mengkorporatkan kutipan dan agihan zakat; dan Majlis Agama Islam Johor (MAIJ), Majlis Agama Islam dan Adat Melayu Terengganu (MAIDAM) dan Majlis Ugama Islam Sabah (MUIS) yang mewakili negeri yang tidak mengkorporatkan kutipan dan agihan zakat. Hasil kajian mendapati secara umumnya wujud hubungan yang sepadan antara prestasi pengurusan kewangan MAIN dengan prestasi pengagihan zakat dalam aspek agihan kewangan dan bukan kewangan. Hasil kajian juga mendapati corak agihan zakat oleh institusi korporat adalah berbeza dengan corak agihan zakat oleh institusi yang tidak korporat pengurusan zakat. Beberapa cadangan dan implikasi dasar turut dicadangkan dalam kajian ini

Cellulose isolation from leucaena leucocephala seed: effect on concentration sodium hydroxide / Nur Aini Nabilah Ab Rashid... [et al.]

The isolation of cellulose fibres requires the removal of other components such as lignin, hemicellulose, and pectin from the biomass. In this study, the matured Leucaena leucocephala seeds (LLS) was applied as a raw material to extract cellulose. The influence of sodium hydroxide concentration (2% - 6%) on the structure of cellulose isolated LLS was studied. The highest yield 23.7% of cellulose was extracted using 4 wt% NaOH treatment. The chemical-physical properties of cellulose extracted were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). FTIR spectrum indicated that of all treated samples shows the peaks of cellulose structure. The highest crystallinity index of cellulose was obtained from 6% NaOH treatment which is 76.04%. Under FESEM images, the cellulose appeared in fibrils-like structure. The cellulose obtained can be further disintegrate to micro and nano cellulose to increase the chemical physical properties for various application such as in biocomposite, biomedicine and other value-added chemicals

Comparative growth and physiological responses of tetraploid and hexaploid species of wheat to flooding stress

Present study is aimed to comparatively investigate the response of two ploidy levels of wheat including a tetraploid (Triticum turgidum L.) and a hexaploid (Triticum aestivum L.) wheat to different durations of flooding stress. Wheat seedlings were exposed to flooding stress for 0, 3, 6 and 9 days. Results showed that all flooding treatments significantly decreased the shoot and root length, and chlorophyll content of both species of wheat. The decrease in chlorophyll content of tetraploid wheat was more than that of hexaploid one. In both species, ADH activity of root was significantly increased under flooding stress, where the increase was more in hexaploid wheat. Flooding stress did not significantly affect root and shoot water content, root porosity, and shoot protein content of any wheat species. Tetraploid and hexaploid wheat used different mechanisms for better tolerance of flooding condition, where tetraploid wheat increased the proline content but in hexaploid wheat, an increase in soluble sugar content was observed.</p

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ASTHMA SEVERITY & CONTROL AMONG PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH & WITHOUT CO-MORBID RHINITIS

Objective: This study hopes to compare the severity and control of asthma among patients presenting with and without co-morbid rhinitis. Methodology:This retrospective, comparative analysis was conducted upon a total of 377 asthmatic patients, presenting at the medical out-patient department with and without co-morbid rhinitis. The data was collected using a structured interview based questionnaire (after taking written informed consent) which included in-depth inquiries regarding the asthma severity and control for the past 4 week. The data obtained was analyzed using SPSS v. 21. 0. Results: Among the 377 subjects, 200 were males while 177 were females. Mean age of the subjects was 36 years. 172 asthmatic patients in the sample suffered from the co-morbid rhinitis, while the remaining did not have the said comorbidity. Asthmatic patients with co-morbid rhinitis experienced more frequent asthmatic attacks. The incidence of visits to the emergency room and frequency of hospital admissions too was high among asthmatic patients with co-morbid rhinitis. Conclusion: The results reveal that, all attempts to draw a comparison of asthma severity and control among patients with and without comorbid rhinitis yield clear and unidirectional results, leading to a transparent conclusion i.e. the asthma severity and control is considerably poorer in asthmatics with co-morbid rhinitis. Keywords: Asthma, Severity, Control, Rhinitis and Co-morbidity