Development of artificial neural networks software for arsenic adsorption from an aqueous environment.

Arsenic contamination is a global problem, as it affects the health of millions of people. For this study, data-driven artificial neural network (ANN) software was developed to predict and validate the removal of As(V) from an aqueous solution using graphene oxide (GO) under various experimental conditions. A reliable model for wastewater treatment is essential in order to predict its overall performance and to provide an idea of how to control its operation. This model considered the adsorption process parameters (initial concentration, adsorbent dosage, pH, and residence time) as the input variables and arsenic removal as the only output. The ANN model predicted the adsorption efficiency with high accuracy for both training and testing datasets, when compared with the available response surface methodology (RSM) model. Based on the best model synaptic weights, user-friendly ANN software was created to predict and analyze arsenic removal as a function of adsorption process parameters. We developed various graphical user interfaces (GUI) for easy use of the developed model. Thus, a researcher can efficiently operate the software without an understanding of programming or artificial neural networks. Sensitivity analysis and quantitative estimation were carried out to study the function of adsorption process parameter variables on As(V) removal efficiency, using the GUI of the model. The model prediction shows that the adsorbent dosages, initial concentration, and pH are the most influential parameters. The efficiency was increased as the adsorbent dosages increased, decreasing with initial concentration and pH. The result show that the pH 2.0-5.0 is optimal for adsorbent efficiency (%).

Knowledge extraction of sonophotocatalytic treatment for acid blue 113 dye removal by artificial neural networks.

Removing decolorizing acid blue 113 (AB113) dye from textile wastewater is challenging due to its high stability and resistance to removal. In this study, we used an artificial neural network (ANN) model to estimate the effect of five different variables on AB113 dye removal in the sonophotocatalytic process. The five variables considered were reaction time (5-25 min), pH (3-11), ZnO dosage (0.2-1.0 g/L), ultrasonic power (100-300 W/L), and persulphate dosage (0.2-3 mmol/L). The most effective model had a 5-7-1 architecture, with an average deviation of 0.44 and R2 of 0.99. A sensitivity analysis was used to analyze the impact of different process variables on removal efficiency and to identify the most effective variable settings for maximum dye removal. Then, an imaginary sonophotocatalytic system was created to measure the quantitative impact of other process parameters on AB113 dye removal. The optimum process parameters for maximum AB 113 removal were identified as 6.2 pH, 25 min reaction time, 300 W/L ultrasonic power, 1.0 g/L ZnO dosage, and 2.54 mmol/L persulfate dosage. The model created was able to identify trends in dye removal and can contribute to future experiments.

Predictive capability evaluation and optimization of Pb(II) removal by reduced graphene oxide-based inverse spinel nickel ferrite nanocomposite.

Pb(II) is a heavy metal that is a prominent contaminant in water contamination. Among the different pollution removal strategies, adsorption was determined to be the most effective. The adsorbent and its type determine the adsorption process's efficiency. As part of this effort, a magnetic reduced graphene oxide-based inverse spinel nickel ferrite (rGNF) nanocomposite for Pb(II) removal is synthesized, and the optimal values of the independent process variables (like initial concentration, pH, residence time, temperature, and adsorbent dosage) to achieve maximum removal efficiency are investigated using conventional response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networks (ANN). The results indicate that the initial concentration, adsorbent dose, residence time, pH, and process temperature are set to 15 mg/L, 0.55 g/L, 100 min, 5, and 30 °C, respectively, the maximum removal efficiency (99.8%) can be obtained. Using the interactive effects of process variables findings, the adsorption surface mechanism was examined in relation to process factors. A data-driven quadratic equation is derived based on the ANOVA, and its predictions are compared with ANN predictions to evaluate the predictive capabilities of both approaches. The R2 values of RSM and ANN predictions are 0.979 and 0.991 respectively and confirm the superiority of the ANN approach.

Artificial neural networks modeling for lead removal from aqueous solutions using iron oxide nanocomposites from bio-waste mass.

Heavy metal ions in aqueous solutions are taken into account as one of the most harmful environmental issues that ominously affect human health. Pb(II) is a common pollutant among heavy metals found in industrial wastewater, and various methods were developed to remove the Pb(II). The adsorption method was more efficient, cheap, and eco-friendly to remove the Pb(II) from aqueous solutions. The removal efficiency depends on the process parameters (initial concentration, the adsorbent dosage of T-Fe3O4 nanocomposites, residence time, and adsorbent pH). The relationship between the process parameters and output is non-linear and complex. The purpose of the present study is to develop an artificial neural networks (ANN) model to estimate and analyze the relationship between Pb(II) removal and adsorption process parameters. The model was trained with the backpropagation algorithm. The model was validated with the unseen datasets. The correlation coefficient adj.R2 values for total datasets is 0.991. The relationship between the parameters and Pb(II) removal was analyzed by sensitivity analysis and creating a virtual adsorption process. The study determined that the ANN modeling was a reliable tool for predicting and optimizing adsorption process parameters for maximum lead removal from aqueous solutions.

Modeling and optimization of process parameters of biofilm reactor for wastewater treatment.

The efficiency of heavy metal in biofilm reactors depends on absorption process parameters, and those relationships are complicated. This study explores artificial neural networks (ANNs) feasibility to correlate the biofilm reactor process parameters with absorption efficiency. The heavy metal removal and turbidity were modeled as a function of five process parameters, namely pH, temperature(°C), feed flux(ml/min), substrate flow(ml/min), and hydraulic retention time(h). We developed a standalone ANN software for predicting and analyzing the absorption process in handling industrial wastewater. The model was tested extensively to confirm that the predictions are reasonable in the context of the absorption kinetics principles. The model predictions showed that the temperature and pH values are the most influential parameters affecting absorption efficiency and turbidity.

Prediction of batch sorption of barium and strontium from saline water.

Celestite and barite formation results in contamination of barium and strontium ions hinder oilfield water purification. Conversion of bio-waste sorbent products deals with a viable, sustainable and clean remediation approach for removing contaminants. Biochar sorbent produced from rice straw was used to remove barium and strontium ions of saline water from petroleum industries. The removal efficiency depends on biochar amount, pH, contact time, temperature, and Ba/Sr concentration ratio. The interactions and effects of these parameters with removal efficiency are multifaceted and nonlinear. We used an artificial neural network (ANN) model to explore the correlation between process variables and sorption responses. The ANN model is more accurate than that of existing kinetic and isotherm equations in assessing barium and strontium removal with adj. R2 values of 0.994 and 0.991, respectively. We developed a standalone user interface to estimate the barium and strontium removal as a function of sorption process parameters. Sensitivity analysis and quantitative estimation were carried out to study individual process variables' impact on removal efficiency.

Modeling and optimization of chlorophenol rejection for spiral wound reverse osmosis membrane modules.

This study shows an artificial neural network (ANN) model of chlorophenol rejection from aqueous solutions and predicting the performance of spiral wound reverse osmosis (SWRO) modules. This type of rejection shows complex non-linear dependencies on feed pressure, feed temperature, concentration, and feed flow rate. It provides a demanding test of the application of ANN model analysis to SWRO modules. The predictions are compared with experimental data obtained with SWRO modules. The overall agreement between the experimental and ANN model predicted was almost 99.9% accuracy for the chlorophenol rejection. The ANN model approach has the advantage of understanding the complex chlorophenol rejection phenomena as a function of SWRO process parameters.

Free-Standing NiS2 Electrode as High-Rate Anode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Owing to the speculated price hike and scarcity of lithium resources, sodium-ion batteries are attracting significant research interest these days. However, sodium-ion battery anodes do not deliver good electrochemical performance, particularly rate performance. Herein, we report the facile electrospinning synthesis of a free-standing nickel disulfide (NiS²) embedded on carbon nanofiber. This electrode did not require a conducting agent, current collector, and binder, and typically delivered high capacity and rate performance. The electrode delivered a high initial capacity of 603 mAh g-1 at the current density of 500 mA g-1. Moreover, the electrode delivered the capacity of 271 mAh g-1 at the high current density of 15 A g-1. The excellent rate performance and high coulombic efficiency of the electrode were attributed to its low charge transfer resistance and unique structure.

Bio-waste derived dialdehyde cellulose ethers as supports for α-chymotrypsin immobilization.

Enzyme immobilization is an important technique to enhance stability, storability and reusability of enzymes. In the present work, pine needles, a forest bio-waste, were used as a feedstock of cellulose to synthesize new materials as supports for immobilization of α-chymotrypsin (CT) enzyme. The extracted cellulose from pine needles was etherified with different alkyl bromides (RBr) and etherified products were further modified to dialdehyde via oxidation with NaIO4 to get the desired products, dialdehyde cellulose ethers (ROcellCHO). CT was then covalently immobilized onto as-synthesized dialdehyde cellulose ethers via Schiff-base formation, i.e., imine linkage. The synthesized products and enzyme immobilization were confirmed by different characterization techniques and the activity assay of the free and the immobilized CT was carried out using standard protocol with variation of different parameters such as temperature, pH and substrate concentration. The storage stability and reusability of the immobilized CT were also investigated. CT activity was also studied in simulated physiological conditions in the artificial gastric fluid and artificial intestinal fluid. Artificial neural network (ANN) model was employed to correlate the relationship with% relative activity and time, temperature and pH affecting enzyme activity. A good correlation of experimental data was predicted by ANN model.

Availability of doctors at primary health centres of Andhra Pradesh, India.

BACKGROUND: Availability of doctors at primary health centres (PHCs) is a major concern. We measured the operational availability of doctors in PHCs and examined the effect of residential distance and private practice. METHODS: Thirty-six health centres, consisting of six randomly selected PHCs from six purposively chosen districts in Andhra Pradesh were studied. Cross-sectional data on residential distance, private practice and attendance pattern of 38 operationally available medical officers were analysed. RESULTS: About 80% of doctors residing within 20 km attended their PHC on all 6 days of a week, compared with only 33% for those staying >40 km away. Among those staying >20 km away from their PHC, the odds of absenteeism by privately practising doctors was 3-24 times more than for those not practising privately. CONCLUSION: Residential distance seems to affect the operational availability of doctors. Private practice by doctors living within 20 km from the PHC does not seem to affect their operational availability. However, private practice by doctors staying >20 km away from their PHC may affect their availability.

Penetrating foreign body neck: a case report.

Penetrating neck wounds are potentially dangerous and require emergency management because of the presence of vital structures in the neck. Organic foreign bodies further carries a risk of wound infection. We present a case of penetrating broken branch of a tree traversing from zone II to zone III without any neurovascular injury. Neck exploration was done with midline mandibulotomy approach and foreign body was removed without any complication.

Orbital cellulitis--a complication of sinusitis.

A 9 years old patient presented with swelling and severe pain in right eye with diplopia; with normal visual acuity. CT scan of paranasal sinus revealed right eye axial proptosis and dehiscence in lamina papyracia. After thorough investigation, patient was posted for surgical drainage and decompression of the right orbit. Patient, improved after surgery and followed regularly for last 2 months.

An Increased Risk of Osteoporosis during Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.

Osteoporosis is characterized by decreased bone mineral density and mechanistic imbalances of bone tissue that may result in reduced skeletal strength and an enhanced susceptibility to fractures. Osteoporosis in its most common form affects the elderly (both sexes) and all racial groups of human beings. Multiple environmental risk factors like acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are believed to be one of the causes of osteoporosis. Recently a high incidence of osteoporosis has been observed in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals. The etiology of this occurrence in HIV infections is controversial. This problem seems to be more frequent in patients receiving potent antiretroviral therapy. In AIDS, the main suggested risk factors for the development of osteoporosis are use of protease inhibitors, longer duration of HIV infection, lower body weight before antiretroviral therapy, high viral load. Variations in serum parameters like osteocalcin, c-telopeptide, levels of elements like Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, concentration of vitamin-D metabolites, lactate levels, bicarbonate concentrations, amount of alkaline phosphatase are demonstrated in the course of development of osteoporosis. OPG/RANKL/RANK system is final mediator of bone remodeling. Bone mineral density (BMD) test is of added value to assess the risk of osteoporosis in patients infected with AIDS. The biochemical markers also aid in this assessment. Clinical management mostly follows the lines of treatment of osteoporosis and osteopenia.

A survey of the treatment of displaced intracapsular femoral neck fractures in the UK.

A survey was undertaken to investigate the treatment of displaced intracapsular femoral neck fractures across the UK. The usual practice at 223 hospitals was recorded for two groups of patients, active and frail. Management of stereotyped fractures, in similar patients, varied between hospitals. There was also variation between specialists within some hospitals: two or more of the alternative methods of treatment were in routine use for active patients at 22% of hospitals and for frail patients at 27%. Overall, for active patients, bipolar hemiarthroplasty was undertaken at 41% of hospitals, internal fixation at 37%, unipolar hemiarthroplasty at 32% and total hip replacement at 16%. Cemented prostheses were used in 74% of arthroplasties for active patients. For frail patients, hemiarthroplasty with an Austin Moore or Thompson prostheses was undertaken at 94% of hospitals; bipolar prostheses were used at 8%; internal fixation was undertaken at 1%. Cement was used in 46% of hemiarthroplasties. These findings indicate a lack of consensus in aspects of the treatment of displaced intracapsular femoral neck fractures and are likely to reflect difficulties in determining "best practice."

Contents of minerals in green leafy vegetables cultivated in soil fortified with different chemical fertilizers.

Content of selected minerals in spinach (Spinacea oleracea) and ambat chuka (Rumex vesicarius) cultivated in soil fortified with different chemical fertilizers was determined in a pot experiment. Addition of NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) fertilizer along with micronutrients, iron and zinc, enhanced the concentration of zinc, iron and magnesium in selected green leafy vegetables markedly (p < 0.05), while the concentration of copper was not altered significantly (p > 0.05). Potassium content in the green leafy vegetables was not affected (p > 0.05) by the addition of chemical fertilizers to soil. Spinach and ambat chuka differed remarkably in their mineral contents. Contents of potassium, zinc and copper were significantly high in spinach, while the contents of magnesium and iron were markedly high in ambat chuka (p < 0.05).

Synthesis of melithasterol A, a 5alpha,6alpha-epoxy-7alpha-hydroxy Delta(8)-steroid.

A short, first synthesis of melithasterol A (3) utilizing microwave irradiation-induced isomerization of 5alpha,8alpha-epidioxy steroid (1) as the key step has been achieved in 80% yield.

Bull-specific effect on fertilization rate and viable embryo recovery in the superovulated buffalo (Bubalus bubalis).

This study was conducted to compare fertilization rate and viable embryo recovery rate in superovulated buffalo (n = 64) following insemination with semen from buffalo bulls (n = 5) having different fertility rates as determined by AI. Frozen-thawed semen from fertile bulls with similar post-thaw progressive motility and sperm morphology was used to inseminate buffalo at superovulatory estrus. Fertilization and viable embryo recovery rates differed among bulls, but this bull-specific effect was not related to the overall herd fertility rate as determined by AI in normal cyclic animals. These results indicate that individual bulls differ in their contribution to fertilization of superovulated donors and also to embryonic development, as determined by viable embryo recovery. Moreover, the results also suggest that buffalo bulls can be screened for optimal fertility and embryo recovery rates in superovulated donors. Further studies are warranted to ascertain the factors which contribute to such bull-specific effects.

Factors affecting pregnancy rate following nonsurgical embryo transfer in buffalo (Bubalus bubalis): a retrospective study.

The objectives of this study were to determine the pregnancy rate and factors affecting it following nonsurgical embryo transfer in buffalo. Donor buffalo were superovulated with FSH, and embryos collected nonsurgically were evaluated for stage of development and quality. They were transferred nonsurgically to 91 recipients on Days 5 to 7 of the natural (n = 52) or induced (n = 39) estrus (estrus = Day 0). The overall pregnancy rate of 24/91(26.4%) was higher than in earlier reports for buffalo but was much lower than in cattle. Pregnancy rates were not affected by season (autumn vs winter), side of transfer (right vs left uterine horn), or type of estrus (spontaneous vs induced). The pregnancy rate was high 11/27(40.7%) when donors and recipients were closely synchronized, while it was compromised when recipients were in estrus at +12 h (1/7, 14.3%) and at -12 h (5/27, 18.5%). Asynchrony beyond 12 h on either side resulted into conception failure. The pregnancy rate tended to increase with the increase in CL size of recipients, while stage of embryonic development had no effect. The transfer of an 8-cell embryo with a 16-cell embryo led to the birth of heterosexual twins, indicating that the uterine milieu of Day 5 to 6 recipients may be tolerated by the out-of-phase 8-cell embryo, at least in the presence of a more mature embryo. Embryo quality had the greatest effect on pregnancy rate as it was higher (P < 0.005) after the transfer of Grade I than Grade III embryos (6/10, 60.0% vs 3/36, 13.9%). Assessment of returns to estrus indicated that among nonpregnant recipients, 17/67 (25.4%) embryos never matured sufficiently to prevent luteolysis through maternal recognition of pregnancy (MRP), while 14/67 (20.8%) embryos probably died following MRP. These results indicate that efforts to increase pregnancy rate following embryo transfer in buffalo should include prevention of luteolysis during the first week of transfer and a reduction in the incidence of embryonic mortality.

Effect of spraying selected pesticides on the contents of specified minerals in cabbage.

The present study was conducted to assess the effect of spraying of pesticides on the content of minerals in cabbage harvested at varying waiting periods (0, 7, 14 and 21 days) after spraying. The amounts of phosphorus and zinc in cabbage were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased while those of iron, calcium and potassium were significantly (p < 0.05) increased by the sprayings of pesticides. At varying waiting periods after the spraying of pesticides calcium, phosphorus, zinc and potassium contents of cabbage were found to be decreased remarkably (p < 0.05) while the content of iron was increased significantly (p < 0.05). Between the two pesticides, the spraying of endosulfan exerted a more pronounced effect in altering the contents of minerals than the spraying of malathion.

The results of surgical management of displaced tibial plateau fractures in the elderly.

We retrospectively reviewed 32 elderly patients (mean age 71.7 years, range 66-83 years) with displaced tibial plateau fractures after a mean of 3.7 years (range 1-7 years) after operative treatment. Schatzker type 2 fracture was the commonest pattern of fracture (60.3 per cent). According to the modified Rasmussen clinical and radiographic criteria, there were nine excellent, 14 good, five fair and four poor results clinically, and 11 excellent, 12 good, six fair and three poor results radiographically. There was no significant correlation between the final radiographic appearance and clinical outcome. Fourteen patients mobilized postoperatively on a continuous passive motion machine followed by a cast brace had a better result than those mobilized in a cast brace alone, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.29). Postoperative complications included deep vein thrombosis in two patients.