Betel quid chewing elevates human exposure to arsenic, cadmium and lead

Several studies have reported increased skin lesions in betel quid (a mixture of Piper betel leaves, areca nut, tobacco/flavoured tobacco, lime) chewers compared to non-chewers, exposed to arsenic (As) contaminated drinking water in Bangladesh and India. The current study has determined As, cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) levels of betel quids and its components using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The highest concentrations of As were found in slaked lime (4.56 mg kg(-1)) followed by Piper betel leaves (0.406 mg kg(-1)) and flavoured tobacco (zarda) (0.285 mg kg(-1)), with a mean concentrations of As in betel quids of 0.035 mg kg(-1) (SD 0.02 mg kg(-1)). Mean concentrations of Cd and Pb in ordinary quids were 0.028 (SD 0.07 mg kg(-1)) and 0.423 (SD 1.4 mg kg(-1)), respectively. We estimated that a daily intake of 6 betel quids could contribute 1.2, 1.9 and 8.5% of the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMDTI) for As, Cd and Pb, respectively. Since betel quid chewing is most prevalent among women, our finding raises concern that women chewers - especially pregnant chewers - may be harming their health and that of their unborn babies through increased exposure to a mixture of toxic elements (As, Cd and Pb).     

Oil palm empty fruit bunch extract and powder as an eco‐friendly corrosion inhibitor for mild steel: A comparison study

A comparison study in terms of inhibition performance between oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) extract and OPEFB powder against mild steel corrosion in 1 M hydrochloric acid was evaluated using weight loss technique and adsorption isotherms. OPEFB extract and powder were prepared at various concentrations of 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, and 1.0% (v/v) and dosages of 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 g, respectively. The results showed that OPEFB extract achieved higher inhibition efficiency (IE) at high concentration and short immersion time compared to OPEFB powder. Despite having lower IE, OPEFB powder seemed to have better behavior; 6.6% IE increment at longer immersion time, gradual release of active compounds and stronger adsorption capacity. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and energy‐dispersive X‐ray studies confirmed the presence of active compounds in OPEFB extract and powder that is responsible for inhibition. Thermodynamic study revealed that both OPEFB extract and powder obeyed Langmuir isotherm and worked through physical adsorption. Overall, OPEFB powder is concluded to have better performance as corrosion inhibitor compared with OPEFB extract.     

Determining the effect of trace elements on biohydrogen production from fruit and vegetable wastes

Trace elements are one of the important parameters for dark fermentative H₂ production because they work as co-factors in H₂ formation biochemistry. Lack or excess of trace element and its concentrations could be an important reason for the low yield of H₂ production. In this study, the effects of 11 different trace elements (Fe, Ni, Zn, Co, Cu, Mn, Al, B, Se, Mo and W) were tested at two levels in terms of biohydrogen production from Fruit and Vegetable Wastes (FVW) with Biochemical Hydrogen Potential (BHP) Tests using Plackett-Burman statistical design. 1.1–2.8 times enhancement of biohydrogen production was determined with its addition. The most effective trace elements were found as Zn and Ni. In order to reveal the resident microbial flora, Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis was carried out on all BHP effluent samples. Results of DGGE analysis, four microbial sequences evaluated as Clostridium sp., Clostridium baratii, Uncultured bacterium, Uncultured Streptococcus sp., and their similarity rates were 99%, 100%, 89%, 98%, respectively.     

On the appraisal of “Triple-A” energy efficiency investments

Traditional investment institutions lack the technical understanding of the essence of energy efficiency investments. This often creates a lack of trust to such investments, which acts as a barrier to including energy efficiency projects in the investment portfolio, even though such investments are often robust and have a guaranteed return. Mainstreaming energy efficiency finance remains still a challenge. This paper proposes a decision support framework for identifying “Triple-A” energy efficiency investments, aiming to reduce the respective time and effort required at the early stage of the project conceptualization as well as increase transparency and efficiency of decision making. The “Triple-A” investments are the ones that successfully pass the proposed three-step approach, namely Assess – Agree – Assign. By elaborating a meta-analysis on the De-risking Energy Efficiency Platform available data, first insights from the adoption of such an approach are derived. Moreover, future directions are presented and discussed.     

Assessing energy-saving measures in buildings through an intelligent decision support model

Indeed, in the recent years, important efforts in applying energy management processes have been focused on the building sector, which demonstrates the increasing energy intensity and energy consumption indexes. The role of the building energy management systems (BEMS) is known and significant in this respect, for the management of the daily energy operations of a typical building. Effective energy management however requires the use of tools and methodologies that support the strategic decision making process of selecting energy saving measures, which are viable and environmental friendly. The aim of this paper is the presentation of an innovative intelligent decision support model for the identification of the need for intervention and further evaluation of energy saving measures in a typical existing building, based on the systematic incorporation of BEMS data (loads, demands and user requirements). The operation of the model is supportive to the decision makers authorized with the energy-efficient performance of the building and responsible for its management (energy auditors and building administration). In addition, the corresponding computerized decision support system and the appraisal of its pilot application to a typical existing office building in Athens, Greece, are presented and discussed.     

Effects of experimental challenge of ewes with Mannheimia haemolytica on subsequent milk composition

The objective was to describe the physicochemical changes during the early phase of subclinical mastitis and to associate them with pathological findings. A Mannheimia haemolytica strain was deposited into one teat duct of 25 ewes and the clinical, bacteriological, cytological, physicochemical (pH, milk composition), gross-pathological and histological findings were subsequently recorded. The organism was consistently isolated from samples of teat duct material (140/150) but not from mammary secretion (50/150). California Mastitis Test (CMT) scores increased (>1) and remained high (143/150 samples) after challenge; polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) predominated in milk films, but the proportion of lymphocytes and macrophages progressively increased. Increased pH values (>7.0) were recorded in the mammary secretion from the challenged side. Furthermore, content of fat, total proteins and lactose therein decreased markedly. Histological changes (leucocytic infiltration, destruction of epithelial cells) were observed in the mammary parenchyma of the ewes. The present results confirm that the reduction of milk constituents is the effect of cellular damage and can occur soon after infection.     

Fusion of laser and visual data for robot motion planning and collision avoidance

In this paper, a method for inferring scene structure information based on both laser and visual data is proposed. Common laser scanners employed in contemporary robotic systems provide accurate range measurements, but only in 2D slices of the environment. On the other hand, vision is capable of providing dense 3D information of the environment. The proposed fusion scheme combines the accuracy of laser sensors with the broad visual fields of cameras toward extracting accurate scene structure information. Data fusion is achieved by validating 3D structure assumptions formed according to 2D range scans of the environment, through the exploitation of visual information. The proposed methodology is applied to robot motion planning and collision avoidance tasks by using a suitably modified version of the vector field histogram algorithm. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.Received: 10 May 2002, Accepted: 18 December 2002, Published online: 7 October 2003     

Tele-Presence in Populated Exhibitions Through Web-Operated Mobile Robots

This paper presents techniques that facilitate mobile robots to be deployed as interactive agents in populated environments such as museum exhibitions or trade shows. The mobile robots can be tele-operated over the Internet and, this way, provide remote access to distant users. Throughout this paper we describe several key techniques that have been developed in this context. To support safe and reliable robot navigation, techniques for environment mapping, robot localization, obstacle detection and people-tracking have been developed. To support the interaction of both web and on-site visitors with the robot and its environment, appropriate software and hardware interfaces have been employed. By using advanced navigation capabilities and appropriate authoring tools, the time required for installing a robotic tour-guide in a museum or a trade fair has been drastically reduced. The developed robotic systems have been thoroughly tested and validated in the real-world conditions offered in the premises of various sites. Such demonstrations ascertain the functionality of the employed techniques, establish the reliability of the complete systems, and provide useful evidence regarding the acceptance of tele-operated robotic tour-guides by the broader public.     

Investigation on Structural,Morphological, Optical and Ammonia Sensing Properties Indium Doped Nano Crystalline ZnO Thin Films Synthesized by Spray Pyrolysis Technique

In the present work, nanostructured In doped ZnO thin films were synthesized using spray pyrolysis technique with different molarity concentrations (0.001–0.004). X-ray diffraction patterns confirms the polycrystalline nature of the films with hexagonal structure. The crystallite size is going to be increases with increase in dopant concentration. The field-emission scanning electron micrograph of undoped ZnO exhibits spherical shaped particles with intergrain pores and the intergrain pores decreases with increases in indium concentration. The transmittance and band gap is going to be decreases with increase in indium concentration. The ammonia (NH₃) sensing properties of the undoped ZnO and In doped ZnO thin films were carried out at room temperature and the sensing responses of the samples towards NH₃ concentrations were reported.