Predicting thermodiffusion in an arbitrary binary liquid hydrocarbon mixtures using artificial neural networks

A previously presented neural network-based thermodiffusion model that was valid for n-alkane type components has been extended to predict the thermo-solutal diffusion in an arbitrary binary hydrocarbon mixture. The enhanced model uses additional input information about the binary system and is based on a significantly large database of thermodiffusion data. Apart from the development and validation with respect to an extensive set of experimental data on the binary mixtures from the literature, the ability of the model to predict the known thermodiffusion trends has been demonstrated. The model can be potentially extended to multi-component mixtures and for any type of mixture, viz., polymers, molten metals, water-alcohol, colloidal mixtures etc.     

A neurocomputing model to calculate the thermo-solutal diffusion in liquid hydrocarbon mixtures

A thermodiffusion model based on the principles of artificial neural networks has been proposed. In addition to the development and validation with respect to the experimental data of binary n-alkane mixtures from the literature, the ability of the model to predict the known thermodiffusion trends has been presented. Comparison with other models in the literature is made to establish the superiority of the method. The model can be easily extended to multi-component mixtures and has potential to be applicable to study thermodiffusion in a wide variety of mixtures, viz., polymers, water-alcohol, colloidal mixtures, etc.     

Mitigation of methane emissions from sanitary landfills and sewage treatment plants in Jordan

Mitigation of Greenhouse gases deals with measures to reduce the vulnerability of a certain sector to climate change through minimizing net emissions. In this paper, mitigation scenarios aimed at reducing Jordan methane emissions from sewage treatment plants and sanitary landfill sites were proposed and investigated. In the case of sewage treatment plants, As-Samra plant (the largest in Jordan) was selected for this mitigation study. Two scenarios (I and II) were proposed, the first was to expand the plant by the year 2005 using waste stabilization ponds the current treatment technology, and the second scenario involved switching the treatment technology to activated sludge type when the expansion starts in the year 2005. For sanitary landfills, the proposed mitigation scenario was the construction of two biogas plants, each with a processing capacity of 1,000 tons of solid waste per day at Rusaifeh and Akaider—the two largest landfills in Jordan at the beginning of the year 2005. For As-Samra plant, the cumulative reduction in methane emissions by the year 2030 was calculated to be 49 and 146 Gg under mitigation scenarios I and II, respectively. On the other hand, the biogas plant scenario reduces the methane emissions at each landfill by 28.1 Gg annually. The total emission reduction from both landfills in the life span (25 years) of the biogas plants will be about 1,406 Gg CH_4. In addition, this scenario generates electricity at a cost of 4.6 cents per kWh, which is less than the Jordan electric long-run marginal cost of generation at 5.5 cents/kWh. Moreover, annual savings of US$4.65 million will be achieved by the replacement of fuel oil with the generated biogas. The mitigation scenarios presented in this paper include measures that positively contribute to the national development of Jordan in addition to considerable reduction in methane emission.. This forms a win–win situation that favors the adoption of investigated mitigation scenarios by the decision-makers of the waste sector in Jordan.     

Pharmacological Dissection of the Crosstalk between NaV and CaV Channels in GH3b6 Cells

Thanks to the crosstalk between Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ channels, Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ homeostasis interplay in so-called excitable cells enables the generation of action potential in response to electrical stimulation. Here, we investigated the impact of persistent activation of voltage-gated Na⁺ (Na_V) channels by neurotoxins, such as veratridine (VTD), on intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i) in a model of excitable cells, the rat pituitary GH3b6 cells, in order to identify the molecular actors involved in Na⁺-Ca²⁺ homeostasis crosstalk. By combining RT-qPCR, immunoblotting, immunocytochemistry, and patch-clamp techniques, we showed that GH3b6 cells predominantly express the Na_V1.3 channel subtype, which likely endorses their voltage-activated Na⁺ currents. Notably, these Na⁺ currents were blocked by ICA-121431 and activated by the β-scorpion toxin Tf2, two selective Na_V1.3 channel ligands. Using Fura-2, we showed that VTD induced a [Ca²⁺]_i increase. This effect was suppressed by the selective Na_V channel blocker tetrodotoxin, as well by the selective L-type Ca_V channel (LTCC) blocker nifedipine. We also evidenced that crobenetine, a Na_V channel blocker, abolished VTD-induced [Ca²⁺]_i elevation, while it had no effects on LTCC. Altogether, our findings highlight a crosstalk between Na_V and LTCC in GH3b6 cells, providing a new insight into the mode of action of neurotoxins.     

Electrochemical behavior of AZ91D magnesium alloy in phosphate medium: Part II. Induced passivation

Induced passivation of AZ91D magnesium alloy in phosphate solution was carried out both chemically, using various inorganic oxidants, namely, molybdate, vanadate and iodate, as well as electrochemically by anodizing the alloy under various controlled overpotentials within the range 0.1–3.4 V. In acidic phosphate (pH 4.5), molybdate and vanadate anions exhibit similar behavior, as they show a dissolution effect at lower concentrations and passivation at higher concentrations. On the other hand, iodate anions shows critical behavior with a passivation effect up to 0.1 mM and depassivation for higher concentrations. Generally, over the concentration domain (0.01–1.0 mM) the results reveal small inhibitive effects with maximum values of 19.7% for and 24–25% for and manifesting weak propensities for these inorganic species to enhance the corrosion resistance of AZ91D alloy in acidic phosphate medium. The effect of anodic potential on the characteristics of surface films formed on the alloy in alkaline phosphate solution (pH 11.9) indicates that higher forming overpotential induces better passivation due to the formation of rather thicker and more resistive anodic films. The stability of the films is greater in alkaline as compared to acidic phosphate solutions.     

An application of simultaneous stochastic optimisation of an open-pit mining complex with tailings management

ABSTRACT

This paper presents an application of a stochastic framework that simultaneously optimises mining, destination, processing and tailings management decisions for a multi-pit gold mining complex. The application explicitly accounts for supply uncertainty via stochastic orebody simulations. The tailings management component of the case study integrates a capital expenditure investment option to expand the existing tailings storage facility, evaluating its feasibility within the simultaneous stochastic optimisation framework. The results provide a risk-resilient long-term schedule that produces more metal than conventional forecasts and show that the operation has a positive growth outlook beyond its current life-of-mine.     

Ozone in Medicine: Clinical Evaluation and Evidence Classification of the Systemic Ozone Applications,Major Autohemotherapy and Rectal Insufflation,According to the Requirements for Evidence-Based Medicine

Now that indications are clearly defined, applications have mostly become standardized and the active mechanisms have been well confirmed, medical ozone application in the form of the low-dose concept, is established and proven as a complementary medical method in the treatment of chronic inflammations or diseases associated with chronic inflammatory conditions. More than 11,000 systemic ozone treatments in the form of Major Ozone Autohemotherapy (MAH) in 577 patients and ≥ 47,000 Rectal Insufflations (RI) in 716 patients in various clinical studies are subjected to critical clinical assessment and classification according to the criteria of evidence-based medicine (EBM). Statistically significant clinical and/or pharmacological improvements without side-effects or adverse reactions are found in all studies; special attention is drawn to maintaining hygiene when working with blood and to the use of ozone-resistent and biocompatible materials. On summarizing the evidence classification under RCT + CT (Randomized Controlled Trials + Controlled Trials), i.e., Levels Ib and IIa, 12 studies with 657 ozone-treated patients are obtained for MAH and 6 studies with 227 patients for RI. As a result of the evidence here assessed, the two systemic ozone applications, MAH and RI are part of evidence-based medicine. Both applications are effective, safe and economic.     

Assessment of the nutritional status of preschool-age children during the second Intifada in Palestine

BACKGROUND: The Palestinian economy has dramatically deteriorated at all levels since the Al-Aqsa Intifada (uprising) began in 2000, resulting in an unprecedented catastrophe to the livelihoods of the Palestinians residing in the West Bank and Gaza. It was also marked by lack of household physical and financial access to food and health care, which placed children at increased risk of malnutrition and poor health. This prompted a significant increase in food aid from 2002 until the summer of 2003. OBJECTIVES: To assess the nutritional status of children 6 to 59 months of age after 1 year of food assistance. METHODS: In the West Bank and Gaza, a nationally representative sample of children 6 to 59 months of age was randomly selected with a validated multistage clustered design, with the Health Survey 1999 sample used as the sampling frame. The sample was stratified according to governorate, place of residence (urban, nonurban, or refugee camp), locality, and size of locality (number of households). A cross-sectional survey of nutritional status was carried out. Data were collected by interviews with the primary caregivers of the children. Measurements were made of children's weight and height or length. Food-intake data were collected by the 24-hour food-recall method with the use of a booklet of photographs of foods commonly eaten in Palestine. RESULTS: A total of 3,089 children were assessed, of whom 3.1% in the West Bank and 3.9% in the Gaza Strip were suffering from acute malnutrition; the prevalence of chronic malnutrition was 9.2% in the West Bank and 12.7% in the Gaza Strip (p = .02). Sex, refugee status, locality, and maternal education were not significantly associated with acute malnutrition by logistic regression analysis, whereas infants 6 to 23 months of age were significantly at risk. Calorie and protein intakes were generally lower than recommended dietary allowances. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence rates of both acute and chronic malnutrition among children in the West Bank and Gaza are significantly higher than the national Palestinian averages. There is a need to establish nutritional surveillance systems to monitor the nutritional status of children in conflict areas.     

Evaluation of the ratio of the evaporation energy to the activation energy for estimating the thermodiffusion coefficient

Thermodiffusion has an important role in displacements of hydrocarbon reservoir. The ratio of the evaporation energy to the activation energy of viscous flow in pure limits, τ_pure,k, is of a great importance in estimating the thermodiffusion coefficient for non‐associating fluid mixtures. Several methods may be used to estimate τ_pure,k which causes different values for thermodiffusion coefficients. A fixed value for τ_pure,k was considered to predict the thermodiffusion coefficient. In this paper, Abbasi et al.'s [J. Non‐Equilib. Thermodyn. 2010;35:1–14] model and Shukla and Firoozabadi's model have been applied to predict thermodiffusion coefficients for linear chain hydrocarbon binary mixtures. The results show a very good performance of the simple approach in respect to the previous models in estimating thermodiffusion coefficients. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering