Performance analysis of hydrochar derived from catalytic hydrothermal carbonization in the multicomponent emerging contaminant systems: Selectivity and modeling studies

In this work, as an alternative to pyrochar, catalytic hydrothermal carbonization has been employed to synthesize hydrochar to eliminate emerging contaminants in multicomponent systems. The hydrochar has been synthesized using a single step catalytic hydrothermal carbonization at low temperature (200 °C) without any secondary activation with high specific surface area and very good adsorption efficiency for the removal of emerging contaminants. The synthesized hydrochar (HC200) was characterized using various analytical techniques and found to have porous structure with 114.84 m2.g-1 of specific surface area and also contained various oxygen-containing functionalities. The maximum adsorption efficiencies of 92.4 %, 85.4 %, and 82 % were obtained for ibuprofen, sulfamethoxazole, and bisphenol A, respectively. Humic acid, a naturally occurring organic compound had a negligible effect on the adsorption of the selected contaminants. The hydrochar's selectivity towards the emerging contaminants in binary and ternary multicomponent systems was in the order of ibuprofen > sulfamethoxazole > bisphenol A.

UiO-66 octahedrons for adsorptive removal of direct blue-6: process optimization, interaction mechanism, and phytotoxicity assessment

The materials for water treatment have been evolving in multitude of dimensions, indicating the importance of water reuse and increasing level of water pollution around the globe. Among the various materials that are utilized in wastewater treatment, the material that has attracted the research community for the past decades is the metal organic framework (MOF). In this work one of the water stable and microporous MOF, UiO-66, and its aminated version has been employed to adsorb an anionic azo dye, direct blue-6 (DB-6), from the aqueous matrix. Performance of both the MOFs was compared to know the efficiency under varying solution conditions. The optimized parameters for DB-6 adsorption by UiO-66 was performed using response surface methodology. This numerical optimization was further extended with canonical and ridge analysis. Under optimal conditions, the materials were exhibiting a good adsorption capacity of 754.4 mg/g. The materials were analyzed in terms of morphology, crystallinity, thermal stability, and surface area using instruments like X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and BET surface area analysis. The mechanism of interaction between UiO-66 and DB-6 molecule was elucidated with the help of XPS analysis which helps to know the main interacting group of UiO-66. This study was concluded with a phytotoxicity analysis of DB-6 and the antioxidant system of Vigna radiata assessed using pre and post adsorbed water.

Valorization of sawdust by mineral acid assisted hydrothermal carbonization for the adsorptive removal of bisphenol A: A greener approach

sawdust was valorized using acid-assisted hydrothermal carbonization and used in the removal of endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA). The effect of acid addition on the hydrothermal carbonization of sawdust and removal of BPA was studied. Two different hydrochars were prepared using deionized water (HC_D) and hydrochloric acid solution (HC_AH) as feed water. The prepared hydrochars were characterized using FESEM, EDS, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR, TGA, and surface area analysis to study the structural and functional changes. Then they were compared in the removal of bisphenol A. Out of the two hydrochars prepared, acid-assisted hydrothermal carbonized hydrochar (HC_AH) showed better removal efficiency. Hence, HC_AH was used to study the influence of different parameters like pH, adsorbent dosage, and initial bisphenol A concentration by one variable at a time approach. Further, the study of interactive effects and optimization of adsorption of bisphenol A onto HC_AH was carried out using RSM-CCD. The isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamic studies revealed that the adsorption of bisphenol A could be explained by the Freundlich isotherm, pseudo-second-order kinetics fitted well in all the initial BPA concentrations, and the adsorption of bisphenol A onto HC_AH was exothermic and spontaneous.

Analytical method validation for related substances in sodium valproate oral solution by gas chromatography

Background

Sodium Valproate is the sodium salt of valproic acid (VPA). Valproic acid is mainly used for the treatment of epilepsy. The specific aim of the study is to develop and validate an optimized method for the determination of six related substances such as N,N-dimethyl valpronamide, valeric acid, 2-methyl valeric acid, 2-ethyl valeric acid, 2-isopropyl valeric acid and 2-n-butyl valeric acid in Sodium Valproate Oral Solution by Gas Chromatography. Chromatographic separations of these six related substances were achieved on DB-FFAP fused silica capillary column (30 m × 0.53 mm) bonded with a 0.5-µm layer of macrogol 20,000 2-nitroterephthalate materials used as stationary phase. The six related impurities were extracted using heptane and monitored by Gas Chromatography coupled with flame ionization detector. The performance of the developed method was assessed by evaluating system suitability, method precision, specificity, linearity and range, ruggedness, accuracy, robustness.

Results

The correlation coefficient was within the acceptance criteria in the range of 0.9998. The evaluated concentrations for Sodium Valproate were in the ranges of 5.05–25.27 ppm. The average recovery values were in the range of 92.4–100.4%. Solution Stability experiments were performed to evaluate the degradation behavior of SVS.

Conclusion

A novel, precise and sensitive GC method was developed, validated and optimized for the determination of six related substances in sodium Valproate oral solution. The results obtained from the validation experiments demonstrated that the method is accurate, precise, linear, specific, sensitive and robust. Hence, the proposed method can be an alternative method, for the determination of related substances in sodium valproate oral solution drug substance.

Electrocatalytic removal of fluroquinolones from simulated pharmaceutical effluent: Chemometric analysis, chemical blueprint of electrodes and generated sludge

Electrocatalytic removal of fluroquinolones from simulated pharmaceutical effluent is studied in this work. The effects of parameters like NaCl concentration, pH and initial concentration of Ofloxacin were studied. The synergistic effect of H₂O₂ on the degradation of Ofloxacin paves the way to move towards radical based chemistry. The process was modelled and statistically evaluated through Central Composite Design approach towards the maximum concentration of Ofloxacin degraded (for 0.8 mM) as 0.46 mM at pH-3.0 and the concentration of H₂O₂ at 0.2 mM. The model was analyzed mathematically and observed as saddle response based on canonical and ridge analysis. The process follows pseudo first order kinetics with k = 0.047 min^-1 and reaction rate of 13.6 mg.L^-1.min^-1. The mineralization efficiency of the process was studied using Total Organic Carbon analysis and 76.5% removal efficiency was obtained on the simulated pharmaceutical effluent containing Ofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin and Norfloxacin. The crystal structure of the green and red colour sludge was determined by XRD to be lepidocrocite (a = 3.87 Å, b = 12.4 Å, c = 3.06 Å) and gupeiite (a = 5.6620 Å), respectively. The elemental composition of sludge and electrodes were found using SEM-EDX. Morphological change in electrode surface was determined using roughness plot.

Can human overcome viral hijack-? Comprehensive review on COVID-19 in the view of diagnosis and mitigation across countries

The novel COVID-19, a pandemic disease, is showing an alarming spread and severity throughout the world. Globally, the community transmission of this disease is affecting people in large clusters and so it is necessary to mitigate and control them in order to minimise the social and economic consequences. This review emphasize on the origin of the coronoviral epidemics, discussion on the structural and functional basis of SARS-CoV-2, epidemiology, pathognomonic symptoms, fatality, available rapid diagnostic methods and proposed possible treatment methods for the treatment of COVID-19. The diagnostic markers with respect to genetic material of the virus based on PCR, CRISPR & APTAMER and with respect to proteins based on Antigens were discussed which provides new arena for the development. In control of a pandemic situation the policy adoption and implementation by the governments plays a major role and the policy implementation in different countries are discussed which establishes the effectiveness of the policies framed by the governments. The effectiveness of ethnic traditional medicines of various countries such as India and China in Immunity enhancement, along with their utilisation is also discussed. This review provides an insights towards the COVID-19 which helps in continuous investigation on different dimensions which could help us to understand the mysteries behind the havoc created by this invisible creature.

BSFS: Design and Development of Exponential Brain Storm Fuzzy System for Data Classification

The inductive learning of fuzzy rule classifier suffers in the rule generation and rule optimization when the search space or variables becomes high. This creates the new idea of making the fuzzy system with precise rules leading to less scalability and improved accuracy. Accordingly, different approaches have been presented in the literature for optimal finding of fuzzy rules using optimization algorithms. Here, we make use of the brain storm optimization algorithm for rule optimization. In this paper, a new fuzzy system called, exponential brain storm fuzzy system is developed by modifying the traditional fuzzy system in rule definition process. In rule derivation, we have presented an algorithm called, EBSO by modifying the BSO algorithm with exponential model. Also, the membership function is designed using simple uniform distribution-based approach. Finally, data classification is performed with a new BSFS system using three medical databases such as, PID, Cleveland and DRD. The experimentation proved that the proposed BSFS clearly outperformed in all the three datasets by reaching the maximum accuracy.

Propelling and spinning of microsheets in nematic liquid crystals driven by ac electric field

Dynamics of microparticles in isotropic liquids by transducing the energy of an applied electric field have been studied for decades. Recently, such studies in anisotropic media like liquid crystals have opened up new perspectives in colloid science. Here, we report studies on ac-electric-field-driven dynamics of microsheets in nematic liquid crystals. In planar aligned liquid crystals, with negative dielectric anisotropy, the microsheets are propelled parallel to the director. A steady spinning of the microsheets is observed in homeotropic cells with positive dielectric anisotropy liquid crystals. The velocity of propelling and the angular frequency of spinning depends on the amplitude and the frequency of the applied electric field. The electrokinetic studies of anisotropic microparticles are important as they are potential for applications in microfluidics and in areas where the controlled transport or rotation is required.

Dynamics of electro-orientation of birefringent microsheets in isotropic and nematic liquid crystals

We study the dynamics of electric field driven multiaxis electro-orientation of birefringent microsheets in both the isotropic and nematic phases of a liquid crystal. For a fixed direction of applied field in the isotropic phase, there are two critical fields above which the microsheets show two orientations. In the nematic phase, it shows three rotations in both planar and homeotropic cells. These orientations are observed at varying voltages and wide time scales and are explained based on the competing effect of the electric, elastic, and viscous torques. The control of the orientation of anisotropic microparticles (both optically and geometrically) by transducing external energy may be useful in electro-optics and photonics.

Chromosomal Aberrations and Sister-Chromatid Exchange Frequencies in Workers Occupationally Exposed to Textile Dyes

The peripheral lymphocytes of 11 male and seven female workers occupationally exposed to textile dyes were studied for cytogenetic change. A significant increase in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges were recorded regardless of the duration of the workers' exposure to the dyes.

Orientation, interaction and laser assisted self-assembly of organic single-crystal micro-sheets in a nematic liquid crystal

Colloidal self-assembly has been one of the major driving themes in material science to obtain functional and advanced optical materials with complex architecture. Most of the nematic colloids reported so far are based on the optically isotropic spherical microparticles. We study organic single crystal micro-sheets and investigate their orientation, interaction and directed assembly in a nematic liquid crystal. The micro-sheets induce planar surface anchoring of the liquid crystal. The elasticity mediated pair interaction of micro-sheets shows quadrupolar characteristics. The average orientation angle of the micro-sheets in a planar cell and the angle between two micro-sheets in a homeotropic cell are supported by the Landau-de Gennes Q-tensor modeling. The self-assembly of the micro-sheets is assisted by a laser tweezer to form larger two-dimensional structures which have the potential for application of colloids in photonics.

Multidisciplinary approach of congenitally missing upper laterals: A case study

In an orthodontic patient, missing teeth will require restoration or reshaping of an adjacent tooth, after the orthodontic treatment. Furthermore, each type of restoration may require slightly different tooth position. Therefore, it is mandatory for the team to establish a treatment plan. The orthodontist should join hands with the restorative dentist and consult before the treatment plan. However, some adult orthodontic patients may have several missing permanent teeth. If teeth have been absent for several years, the remaining teeth may have been drifted. In such situation, it may be necessary to position the teeth in unusual place. These patients may require a combination of orthodontic and restorative dentistry to rehabilitate their occlusion. In these patients, it may be difficult for the orthodontist to visualize or foresee the final result as she/he may not be aware of restorative requirements or the eventual restoration plans and vice versa for the restorative dentist also.

A case of primary ovarian lymphoma with autoimmune hemolytic anemia achieving complete response with Rituximab-based combination chemotherapy

Ovarian involvement as primary or secondary lymphomatous process is extremely uncommon. In most cases, the diagnosis is usually not suspected initially and is confirmed only after detailed histopathological evaluation. We report a patient with primary ovarian diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and associated auto-immune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) who achieved complete remission after treatment with Rituximab-cyclophosphamide-doxorubicin-vincristine and prednisolone (R-CHOP) chemotherapy. This patient was a 50 year old female, who presented with fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, weight loss and anemia. Computed tomography scan of the abdomen and pelvis revealed a large left ovarian mass with bilateral hydronephrosis. We performed exploratory laparotomy and partial resection of the mass was done due to the adhesions. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of DLBCL. After six R-CHOP chemotherapy cycles, patient achieved complete response with correction of anemia. To our knowledge, this may be the first case report till date of primary ovarian DLBCL with AIHA treated with R-CHOP chemotherapy who achieved complete remission in terms of primary disease as well as hemolytic anemia.

Electrochemical oxidation and reuse of tannery saline wastewater

In this present work, electrochemical treatment of saline wastewater with organic (protein) load was studied. The influence of the critical parameters of electro-oxidation such as pH, period, salt concentration and current density on the reduction of organic load was studied using graphite electrodes. It was found that current density of 0.024 A/cm(2) for a period of 2 h at pH 9.0 rendered best results in terms of reduction in COD and TKN. The energy requirement for the reduction of 1 kg of TKN and 1 kg of COD are 22.45 kWh and 0.80 kWh respectively at pH 9 and 0.024 A/cm(2). Reuse experiments were conducted at commercial scale. One of the saline waste streams in leather manufacturing process, pickling was treated and reused continuously thrice. The characteristics of the waste stream and the quality of the leathers indicate that the reuse of saline streams with intermittent electrochemical treatment is feasible.

Studies on luminous, Vibrio harveyi associated with shrimp culture system rearing Penaeus monodon

Microbiological studies in a modified extensive shrimp culture system at Nambuthalai, southeast coast of India were carried out fora period of 120 days. Population dynamics and distribution profile of luminous bacteria and total heterotrophic bacteria in the water sediment and animal samples were monitored. Luminous bacteria associated with exoskeleton, gills and gut were isolated and quantified. The total heterotrophic bacterial counts ranged from 1.3 x 10(4) to 25.3 x 10(4) CFU ml(-1) in water and 1.5 x 10(6) to 26.2 x 10(6) CFU g(-1) in sediment. The V. harveyi population density varied between 0.6 x 10(4) and 8.8 x 10(4) LCFU ml(-1) in water and from 1.2 x 10(6) to 10.4 x 10(6) LCFU g(-1) sediment respectively. The gut of the animal was found to harbor high density of V. harveyi than gills and exoskeleton. The total heterotrophic bacteria and V. harveyi population density showed increasing trend during the culture period. The high V harveyi density observed in this study at the end of the culture period correlated with the outbreak of white spot disease.

Pelvic Kidney and Aorto-iliac Aneurysm—A Rare Association—Case Report and Literature Review

Association of a congenital pelvic kidney with abdominal aortic aneurysm is rare and to date only a handful cases have been reported in literature. We report one such case, which was successfully treated using the technique of temporary extra-anatomical perfusion of the kidney.

Fresh water fishes as indicators of Kaveri River pollution

The survey of fish fauna in Kaveri River at polluted and unpolluted sites revealed a direct effect on the distribution of fishes in that 14 species were observed in unpolluted site and only 6 species in polluted site. Further, the haemotological parameters like RBC, WBC and haemoglobin content increased in fishes collected from polluted site whereas the organic constituents of muscle decreased in the above fishes when compared to the fishes of unpolluted site. The reason for the above changes is discussed.

Radial artery mycotic pseudoaneurysm in a haemophiliac: a potentially fatal complication of arterial catheterization

We present a case of radial artery pseudoaneurysm formation in a haemophiliac patient, which developed after radial artery cannulation. Haematologists and anaesthetists should be aware of this potentially fatal condition.

Separation of xylidine isomers by micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Xylidines are important precursors for the production of dyes, drugs, and various other products. Because of the high carcinogenic nature of some xylidine isomers it becomes very essential and relevant to develop suitable analytical procedures to separate isomers as well as enhance detection at very low concentrations. Micellar electrokinetic chromatography has been standardized at various influencing parameters such as pH, ionic strength, and micelle modifiers, and the optimum conditions have been ascertained for the best separation and sensitivity of standard mixtures. The applicability of the procedure in environmental samples is studied.

Determination of crude fat in meat by supercritical fluid extraction: direct method: PVM 3:2000

Meat samples are prepared by passing meat through a food chopper, bowl cutter, or food processor, subsampling the meat, and mixing the meat with granular diatomaceous earth. No drying step is necessary. Supercritical CO2 is then used to extract crude fat (which is defined as the components of meat that are extractable with petroleum ether, without digestion of the sample). Extracted material is deposited on glass wool contained in collection vials. After removal of any residual moisture from the extracts, percent crude fat is determined by weight gain of the collection vial. This method has been peer-verified by 3 laboratories, for a wide variety of raw and processed meat products containing 6-28% crude fat. Samples were prepared at the submitting laboratory. Ground samples were split into 4 portions, packed in Whirlpack bags, and immediately frozen. Frozen samples were sent by overnight room temperature, and percent fat was determined (in triplicate), without further processing of the samples. Analysis of the samples was completed within 1 week of sample prepara. tion. On the basis of this study, it can be estimated that all repeatability and reproducibility values are <3.0. Mean accuracy of the direct gravimetric supercritical fluid extraction method for meat samples ranged from +0.22 to -1.41 when the method was compared with AOAC Method 960.39. Interferences are unlikely but would include any nonfat substance that is added to (processed) meat, is soluble in nonpolar solvents, and is present in a quantity that would alter results. This method is expected to perform equally well for all meats with fat content within the stated range of applicability.

Upper limb venous gangrene, a lethal condition

Venous gangrene of the upper extremity is rare. It was the mode of presentation in a 41-year-old woman who died 10 days later of heart failure due to acute myocardial infarction. There is evidence from this and previous publications that patients with this condition tend to have characteristics in common. Most have either advanced malignant disease or seriously impaired myocardial function and venous gangrene usually occurs as a pre-terminal event. Treatment should be directed primarily at the underlying illness but there may be a case for early amputation if permitted by the general condition of the patient.

Prevalence of psychiatry morbidity in an urban community of pondicherry

A cross-sectional study on psychiatric morbidity was conducted in an urban area of Pondicherry between October 1988 and July 1989. A sample of 225 families covering 1115 people of all ages was selected by simple random technique. The prevalence rate was 99.4 per 1000, the prevalence among children being 58.6 per 1000. It was found that age, education, occupation and marital status had significant correlation with mental morbidity. Out of 90 cases detected among adults, psychosis formed 20%, neuroses 47% and alcohol dependence syndrome constituted 30%. Among children two conditions commonly identified were mental retardation and nocturnal enuresis.

Intra-arterial injection of temazepam in drug abusers

The effects of intra-arterial injection of Temazepam are described in 11 drug abusers admitted over a 6 month period. All patients suffered severe ischaemia, and injection into the radial artery invariably resulted in tissue loss leading to amputation. The pathogenesis and options for treatment are discussed.

The methoxatin semiquinone: a pulse radiolysis study

Methoxatin is a novel o-quinone found in bacterial dehydrogenases and mammalian plasma amine oxidase. This is the first report of the redox potential and spectrum of the 1-electron reduced methoxatin semiquinone obtained by the method of pulse radiolysis in aqueous solution.

Methylamine dehydrogenase and cytochrome c552 from the bacterium W3A1

We describe a two-step purification of the methoxatin-containing enzyme methylamine dehydrogenase from crude extracts of the bacterium W3A1, and a longer purification of cytochrome c552 from the same organism. Some of the kinetic properties of the dehydrogenase are presented, together with the demonstration that c552 is an electron acceptor for this enzyme. Cytochrome c552 is the only hemeprotein we observed in the visible spectrum of intact W3A1 cells that were grown under the same culture conditions used for the protein purifications. Addition of methylamine to whole cells causes an increase in the rate of O2 uptake together with an abrupt reduction of c552. We propose that, in vivo, the electrons from the amine reach the hemeprotein through the dehydrogenase.