Alien Registration- Vessal, Eula A. (Portland, Cumberland County)

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Removal of sulphates from aluminium powder coating effluent using basic oxygen furnace slag and granulated blast furnace slag

Abstract: Pollution of South Africa water puts a strain on natural resources and Aluminium Powder Coating Effluent (APCE) is one of the pollution sources among industrial effluents. These effluents contain high levels of sulphates about 1230 ppm. This study only focused on the removal of sulphates. The objective of this study was to investigate the removal of sulphates from APCE using Basic Oxygen Furnace Slag (BOFS) and Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GBFS) as an adsorbent. BOFS was used as the basis of all the experiments as it increased the pH of the effluent to be around 12. BOFS removed more than 80% of sulphates. Adsorption experiments were carried out under different operating conditions. Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms were studied and the experimental data best fitted the Langmuir model. Adsorption kinetics was also studied and the pseudo second order gave the best fit at all operating conditions. This brought about a conclusion that BOFS can be used as an absorbent for removal of sulphates

Characterization and pre-treatment of water from the Vaal River

Extensive urbanization, economic development, and industrialization coupled with water wastage are placing increased pressure on the quality of water from the Vaal River system. This research study was carried out to assess the water quality of the Vaal River in terms of physico-chemical parameters and heavy metals concentration. Three (3) locations were identified within the Upper Vaal Water Management Area (WMA) where water samples were collected in the months of July and September 2014. A total of eight water quality parameters namely pH, Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Hardness (CaCO3), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Nitrate (NO3-), Phosphate (PO43-), Sulphate (SO42-) and Heavy Metals concentration were measured in the laboratory using standard analytical procedures. Values of measured parameters were then compared with the South African water quality guidelines for domestic use and aquatic ecosystems. The findings showed that all the physico-chemical parameters and heavy metals concentration measured were within the tolerable limits except nitrate which exceeded the recommended limit of 6 mg/l, with values ranging from 30-31 mg/l in July and 19-21 mg/l in September. The analytical data also indicated that after pre-treatment of the water sample by filtration and adsorption, the TSS level, TDS concentration, and nitrate content were significantly lowered. Nitrate was reduced to below the acceptable limit after treatment. It was therefore concluded that the river water in the Upper Vaal Water Management Area was not suitable for domestic purposes without any form of treatment and frequent monitoring of physico-chemical parameters is imperative in order to have a full representation of the variations in the water quality

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration vs fine-needle biopsy for the diagnosis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

Background and study aims Endoscopic ultrasoundguided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) as a method of obtaining preoperative diagnosis of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) has been reported in several series. Fine-needle biopsies (FNB) are increasingly employed to obtain core specimens during EUS. However, the differences in efficacy between these sampling methods in the diagnosis of PanNETs still needs to be defined. Patients and methods Over a 13-year period, all patients who underwent EUS-guided tissue sampling of suspicious pancreatic lesions with clinical, endoscopic and pathologic details were entered into an electronic database. Lesions underwent EUS-FNA or FNB sampling, or a combination of the two. The accuracy and safety of different EUS-guided sampling methods for confirmed PanNETs were investigated. Results A total of 91 patients (M/F: 42/49, median age: 57 years), who underwent 102 EUS procedures had a final diagnosis of PanNET. Both EUS-guided sampling modalities were used in 28 procedures, EUS-FNA alone was used in 61 cases, while EUS-FNB alone in 13 cases. Diagnostic yield of EUS-FNA and EUS-FNB alone, including the inadequate specimens, was 77.5 % (95 %CI: 68.9 – 86.2%) and 85.4 % (95 % CI: 74.6 – 96.2 %), respectively. The combination of both sampling modalities established the diagnosis in 96.4 % of cases (27/28) (95 %CI: 89.6 – 100%), significantly superior to EUS-FNA alone (P = 0.023). Diagnostic sensitivity among the adequate samples for EUS-FNA, EUS-FNB and for the combination of the two methods was 88.4 % (95 %CI: 80.9 – 96.0 %), 94.3% (95 %CI: 86.6 – 100%) and 100% (95% CI: 100 – 100 %). There was one reported complication, a post-FNA bleeding, treated conservatively. Conclusions EUS-FNB improves diagnostic sensitivity and confers additional information to cytological assessment of PanNETs

(E)-1-[2-Hy­droxy-4,6-bis­(meth­oxy­meth­oxy)phen­yl]-3-[3-meth­oxy-4-(meth­oxy­meth­oxy)phen­yl]prop-2-en-1-one

The title compound, C22H26O9, crystallizes with two independent mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit in which the dihedral angles between the two benzene rings are 21.4 (2) and 5.1 (2)°. An intra­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs in each mol­ecule. Inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds stabilize the crystal structure

Matrix controlled channel diffusion of sodium in amorphous silica

To find the origin of the diffusion channels observed in sodium-silicate glasses, we have performed classical molecular dynamics simulations of Na$_2$O--4SiO$_2$ during which the mass of the Si and O atoms has been multiplied by a tuning coefficient. We observe that the channels disappear and that the diffusive motion of the sodium atoms vanishes if this coefficient is larger than a threshold value. Above this threshold the vibrational states of the matrix are not compatible with those of the sodium ions. We interpret hence the decrease of the diffusion by the absence of resonance conditions.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Rapid astrocyte and microglial activation following pilocarpine-induced seizures in rats.

Astrocyte and microglial activation occurs following seizures and plays a role in epileptogenesis. However, the precise temporal and spatial response to seizures has not been fully examined. The pilocarpine model of temporal lobe epilepsy was selected to examine glial changes following seizures because morphological changes in the hippocampus closely mimic the human condition. Astrocytic and microglial changes in the hippocampus were examined during the first 5 days after pilocarpine-induced seizures in rats by analyzing GFAP, Iba1 and S100B-immunolabeling in CA1, CA3, and the hilus. Also, 3-dimensional reconstructions of microglial cells from the hilus and granule cell layer were analyzed. Lastly, astrocyte hypertrophy was examined in the hilus using electron microscopy. At 1 day after seizures and continuing throughout the 5 days examined, hypertrophied Iba1-labeled microglial cells and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-labeled astrocytes were observed. At 1 and 2 days after seizures, significantly greater Iba1 immunolabeling was observed in CA1, CA3, and the hilus. In addition, both the area of Iba1 labeled processes and the number of their endings were increased in the hilus beginning at 1 day after seizures. S100B-immunolabeling was significantly elevated in CA3 at 1 day, in CA3 and CA1 at 2 days, and in all three hippocampal regions at 3 days after seizures. Electron microscopy confirmed astrocytic hypertrophy and demonstrated astrocytic cell bodies in the location where glial endfeet normally appear on capillaries. The differential response patterns of astrocytes and microglial cells following pilocarpine-induced seizures may signify their detrimental role in neuroinflammation after seizures