Carbon dioxide captured by multi-walled carbon nanotube and activated charcoal: A comparative study

this study, the equilibrium adsorption of CO2 on activated charcoal (AC) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) were investigated. Experiments were performed at temperature range of 298-318 K and pressures up to 40 bars. The obtained results indicated that the equilibrium uptakes of CO2 by both adsorbents increased with increasing pressure and decreasing temperature. In spite of lower specific surface area, the maximum amount of CO2 uptake achieved by MWCNT at 298K and 40 bars were twice of CO2 capture by AC (15 mmol.g-1 compared to 7.93 mmol.g-1). The higher CO2 captured by MWCNT can be attributed to its higher pore volume and specific structure of MWCN T such as hollowness and light mass which had greater influence than specific surface area. The experimental data were analyzed by means of Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherm models. Following a simple acidic treatment procedure increased marginally CO2 capture by MWCNT over entire range of pressure, while for AC this effect appeared at higher pressures. Small values of isosteric heat of adsorption were evaluated based on Clausius-Clapeyron equation showed the physical nature of adsorption mechanism. The high amount of CO2 capture by MWCNT renders it as a promising carrier for practical applications such as gas separation

An Explanation of the Experiences of Faculty Members with the Education Evaluation System in Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Background & Objective: The main purpose and role of higher education is to train professional workforce in the fields required by society through training them the necessary skills for their field. Today, the promotion of educational quality is considered as the basis of an authentic higher educational system. Therefore, the most efficient way to improve educational quality is educational evaluation in order to understand the success rate of faculty members on achieving this goal. Nevertheless, researches indicate that the evaluation of faculty members seems to be one of the most controversial issues of medical education and needs further attention and research. Obtaining faculty member's experiences, which is the main goal of this study, seems to be valuable. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to explore faculty member's experiences of the educational evaluation system. Methods: The present qualitative study was carried out using content analysis in Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2013. Participants included 8 faculty members, who volunteered to take part in the study. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and purposeful sampling and continued until saturation. Results: From the results, 3 main themes of lack of a clear objective for the evaluation system, inappropriate methods of evaluating faculty members, and the impact of their characteristics on the evaluation were achieved. Conclusion: The study results show the necessity of comprehensive fundamental reform in the method of educational evaluation of faculty members, improvement of evaluators’ awareness and commitment, improvement of education quality, and ultimately, promotion of higher educational systems. Moreover, the provision of solutions for the enhancement of faculty members’ efficacy and motivation is required. On the other hand, it is essential to diminish their worries and concerns through creating an authentic, justice-oriented evaluation system, and ultimately, to achieve maximum improvement in educational policies and programs. Key Words: Evaluation, Faculty members, Experiences, Qualitative content analysi

ALKYL IMIDAZOLINES AND THEIR ETHOXYLATED DERIVATIVES AS ANTIOXIDANTS FOR HYDROCARBON PRODUCTS

Alkyl imidazolines have been reportedly used in a wide range of industrial formulations with different applications. Ethoxylated alkyl imidazolines with appropriate ethoxylation degrees can be used as antioxidants and retarders in the formation of peroxides resulting from oxidation in hydrocarbon media. In this work, ethoxylated imidazolines were shown to be more effective in hydrocarbon media in comparison with reference antioxidants. According to the experimental results, ethoxylated alkyl imidazolines (12 moles EO), as an antioxidant, were twice as efficient as zinc dialkyldithiophosphoric acid (ZDDP)

Mitochondrial mutation in Iranian patients with multiple sclerosis, correlation between haplogroups H, A and clinical manifestations

As multiple sclerosis (MS) has long been known to be associated with Leber, hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), a disease caused by mitochondrial (mtDNA) mutations, in this study we assessed possible involvement of mtDNA point mutation in MS patients. Fifty-two MS patients whose disease was confirmed with revised McDonald criteria and referred to Iranian Center of Neurological Research of Imam Khomeini hospital during 2006–2007 entered the study. Secondary mtDNA mutations, age, gender, clinical disability according to expanded disability status scale (EDSS), course of the disease, and presenting symptoms were the variables investigated in this study. DNA purification was performed by Diatom DNA Extraction Kit. Analysis of data was done by SPSS V11.5. The prevalent mutations with frequency of 19.2% were J, L, and T haplogroups. Haplotype A was more prevalent in patients with younger age of onset (P-value = 0.012) and high proportion of haplogroup H was associated with optic nerve involvement (P-value = 0.015). No motor symptoms were seen in haplogroup H patients. There is no significant relationship between duration of the disease and EDSS in different mutation of mtDNA

The global burden of adolescent and young adult cancer in 2019 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background In estimating the global burden of cancer, adolescents and young adults with cancer are often overlooked, despite being a distinct subgroup with unique epidemiology, clinical care needs, and societal impact. Comprehensive estimates of the global cancer burden in adolescents and young adults (aged 15-39 years) are lacking. To address this gap, we analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, with a focus on the outcome of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), to inform global cancer control measures in adolescents and young adults. Methods Using the GBD 2019 methodology, international mortality data were collected from vital registration systems, verbal autopsies, and population-based cancer registry inputs modelled with mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs). Incidence was computed with mortality estimates and corresponding MIRs. Prevalence estimates were calculated using modelled survival and multiplied by disability weights to obtain years lived with disability (YLDs). Years of life lost (YLLs) were calculated as age-specific cancer deaths multiplied by the standard life expectancy at the age of death. The main outcome was DALYs (the sum of YLLs and YLDs). Estimates were presented globally and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintiles (countries ranked and divided into five equal SDI groups), and all estimates were presented with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). For this analysis, we used the age range of 15-39 years to define adolescents and young adults. Findings There were 1.19 million (95% UI 1.11-1.28) incident cancer cases and 396 000 (370 000-425 000) deaths due to cancer among people aged 15-39 years worldwide in 2019. The highest age-standardised incidence rates occurred in high SDI (59.6 [54.5-65.7] per 100 000 person-years) and high-middle SDI countries (53.2 [48.8-57.9] per 100 000 person-years), while the highest age-standardised mortality rates were in low-middle SDI (14.2 [12.9-15.6] per 100 000 person-years) and middle SDI (13.6 [12.6-14.8] per 100 000 person-years) countries. In 2019, adolescent and young adult cancers contributed 23.5 million (21.9-25.2) DALYs to the global burden of disease, of which 2.7% (1.9-3.6) came from YLDs and 97.3% (96.4-98.1) from YLLs. Cancer was the fourth leading cause of death and tenth leading cause of DALYs in adolescents and young adults globally. Interpretation Adolescent and young adult cancers contributed substantially to the overall adolescent and young adult disease burden globally in 2019. These results provide new insights into the distribution and magnitude of the adolescent and young adult cancer burden around the world. With notable differences observed across SDI settings, these estimates can inform global and country-level cancer control efforts. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

High seroprevalence of bluetongue virus antibodies in goats in southeast Iran

Objective: To describe the seroprevalence rate of bluetongue virus (BTV) in goat flocks in southeast of Iran. Methods: The blood samples were collected randomly from herds of southeast of Iran. A total of 93 sera samples were collected between 2011 and 2012. Antibodies to BTV in sera were detected by using a commercial competitive ELISA 3 according to manufacturer's instructions. Results: The seroprevalence rates were 67.7% for goats. Within a herd, prevalence of BTV seropositive animals ranged from 33.3% to 100.0%. All goat flocks were positive to BTV antibodies. Conclusions: This study describes a high seroprevalence rate of BTV in goat flocks in southeast of Iran for the first time

Predictions of the adsorption equilibrium of CO2/O2 mixture on multi-walled carbon nanotube using Ideal Adsorbed Solution Theory

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were found to be an effective separation media for purifing CO2 from O2.  Significant uptakes of CO2 and O2 were measured at 288 K, 298K and 308 K over the pressure range of 1 to 40 bar using volumetric method in dual sorption vessels. The same shape of isotherms introduced a common mechanism of adsorption but the amount of CO2 adsorbed on MWCNT is 2 times higher than O2 adsorption.  The mass uptake of CO2 and O2 by MWCNT was found to increase with increasing pressure and decreasing temperature. The experimental data was well fitted by the Langmuir and Freundlich model isotherms considering the values of regression correlation coefficients. Following a simple acidic treatment procedure, CO2 and O2 adsorption was increased over range of pressure. The adsorbents was characterized by N2 adsorption isotherm at 77 K, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The effect of temperature and pressure on selectivity obtained from IAST demonstrated that maximum selectivity over the pressure and temperature ranges p = 0.5-5 bar and T = 298–308 K was achieved at 308 K and 5 bar

Enhancing residents’ neonatal resuscitation competency through team-based simulation training: an intervention educational study

Abstract Background Neonatal resuscitation training in a simulated delivery room environment is a new paradigm in pediatric medical education. The purpose of this research is to highlight team-based simulation as an effective method of teaching neonatal resuscitation to senior pediatric residents. Methods In an intervention educational study, we evaluated the impact of team-based simulation training in the development of neonatal resuscitation. A team consisting of a three-person group of senior pediatric residents performed neonatal resuscitation on a low-fidelity newborn simulator based on the stated scenario. Video-based structured debriefing was performed and followed by the second cycle of scenario and debriefing to evaluate the feasibility of conducting team-based simulation training in a lesser-resourced environment. Evaluation criteria included megacode scores which is a simulation performance checklist, pre-and post-test scores to evaluate residents’ knowledge and confidence, the survey checklist as a previously developed questionnaire assessing residents’ satisfaction, and debriefing from live and videotaped performances. Four months after the end of the training course, we measured the behavioral changes of the residents by conducting an OSCE test to evaluate post-training knowledge retention. Mean ± SD was calculated for megacode, satisfaction (survey checklist), and OSCE scores. Pre- and post-program gains were statistically compared. The first three levels of Kirkpatrick’s training effectiveness model were used to evaluate the progress of the program. Results Twenty-one senior residents participated in the team-based simulation. The mean ± SD of the megacode score was 35.6 ± 2.2. The mean ± SD of the overall satisfaction score for the evaluation of the first level of the Kirkpatrick model was 96.3 ± 3.7. For the evaluation of the second level of the Kirkpatrick model, the pre-posttest gain in overall confidence score had a statistically significant difference (P = 0.001). All residents obtained a passing grade in OSCE as an evaluation of the third level. Conclusions Team-based simulation training in neonatal resuscitation improves the knowledge, skills, and performance of pediatric residents and has a positive effect on their self-confidence and leadership skills. There is still a need to investigate the transfer of learning and abilities to real-life practice, and further research on cost-effectiveness and impact on patient outcomes is warranted