| 1. |
- Ademuyiwa, Adesoji O., et al.
(författare)
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Determinants of morbidity and mortality following emergency abdominal surgery in children in low-income and middle-income countries
- 2016
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Ingår i: BMJ Global Health. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2059-7908. ; 1:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Child health is a key priority on the global health agenda, yet the provision of essential and emergency surgery in children is patchy in resource-poor regions. This study was aimed to determine the mortality risk for emergency abdominal paediatric surgery in low-income countries globally.Methods: Multicentre, international, prospective, cohort study. Self-selected surgical units performing emergency abdominal surgery submitted prespecified data for consecutive children aged <16 years during a 2-week period between July and December 2014. The United Nation's Human Development Index (HDI) was used to stratify countries. The main outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality, analysed by multilevel logistic regression.Results: This study included 1409 patients from 253 centres in 43 countries; 282 children were under 2 years of age. Among them, 265 (18.8%) were from low-HDI, 450 (31.9%) from middle-HDI and 694 (49.3%) from high-HDI countries. The most common operations performed were appendectomy, small bowel resection, pyloromyotomy and correction of intussusception. After adjustment for patient and hospital risk factors, child mortality at 30 days was significantly higher in low-HDI (adjusted OR 7.14 (95% CI 2.52 to 20.23), p<0.001) and middle-HDI (4.42 (1.44 to 13.56), p=0.009) countries compared with high-HDI countries, translating to 40 excess deaths per 1000 procedures performed.Conclusions: Adjusted mortality in children following emergency abdominal surgery may be as high as 7 times greater in low-HDI and middle-HDI countries compared with high-HDI countries. Effective provision of emergency essential surgery should be a key priority for global child health agendas.
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| 2. |
- Naqvi, Salman Raza, et al.
(författare)
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Potential of biomass for bioenergy in Pakistan based on present case and future perspectives
- 2018
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Ingår i: Renewable & sustainable energy reviews. - : Elsevier. - 1364-0321 .- 1879-0690. ; 81:1, s. 1247-1258
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Future energy security and environmental issues are major driving forces for increased biomass utilization globally and especially in developing countries like Pakistan. For efficient utilization of indigenous biomass resources in the future energy mix, it is important to gain knowledge of current energy system in various sectors. Some of the technologies and initiatives are under development to achieve transition from non-renewable resources to renewable resources, and reducing fossil fuel dependency and greenhouse gas emissions. Recently, number of proposals has been presented for the development of sustainable biofuels production methods for promise for accelerating a shift away from an unsustainable approach to possible sustainable production practices or a sustainable social, economic and environment. This article presents an extensive literature review of the biomass-based renewable energy potential in Pakistan based on current energy scenario and future perspectives. It also highlights the availability of the indigenous and local biomass resources and potential biomass conversion technologies to convert such resources to bioenergy. The drivers for utilization of indigenous biomass resources in future energy mix and challenges regarding awareness among stakeholders and R & D to fill knowledge gaps are economically restraints. The article concludes with suggestions on future directions and policies for effective implementation of biomass based renewable energy production.
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| 3. |
- Farooq, Usman, et al.
(författare)
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Synthesis of nZVI@reduced graphene oxide : an efficient catalyst for degradation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) in percarbonate system
- 2017
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Ingår i: Research on chemical intermediates (Print). - : SPRINGER. - 0922-6168 .- 1568-5675. ; 43:5, s. 3219-3236
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Graphene-oxide-supported nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) composite (nZVI-rGO) was synthesized and tested as an efficient percarbonate activator for degradation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA). Significant dispersion of nZVI on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was observed, with good limitation of nanoparticle agglomeration and aggregation. Good TCA degradation efficiency of 90% was achieved in 2.5 h in presence of 0.8 g/l nZVI-rGO catalyst and 30 mM sodium percarbonate (SPC) oxidant; however, excessive catalyst or oxidant concentration reduced the degradation efficiency. Investigation of reactive oxygen species using radical probe compounds as well as radical scavengers confirmed presence of hydroxyl (OH center dot) and superoxide () radicals that are responsible for the TCA degradation. The morphology and surface characteristics of the heterogeneous catalyst were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis revealed that the synthesized catalyst had large surface area and small particle size of 299.12 m(2)/g and 20.10 nm, respectively, compared with 5.33 m(2)/g and 1.12 A mu m for bare graphene oxide. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed good dispersion of nZVI on the surface of rGO. Fourier-transform infrared characteristic peaks confirmed strong attachment of Fe onto the rGO surface. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis validated the stoichiometric composition of the prepared Fe/rGO material. In conclusion, use of nZVI-rGO-activated SPC could represent an alternative technique for remediation of TCA-contaminated groundwater.
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| 4. |
- Danish, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
-
An efficient catalytic degradation of trichloroethene in a percarbonate system catalyzed by ultra-fine heterogeneous zeolite supported zero valent iron-nickel bimetallic composite
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Applied Catalysis A. - : Elsevier. - 0926-860X .- 1873-3875. ; 531, s. 177-186
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Zeolite supported nano iron-nickel bimetallic composite (Z-nZVI-Ni) was prepared using a liquid-phase reduction process. The corresponding surface morphologies and physico-chemical properties of the Z-nZVI-Ni composite were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDS), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) adsorption, wide angle X-ray diffractometry (WA-XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results indicated high dispersion of iron and nickel nano particles on the zeolite sheet with an enhanced surface area. Complete destruction of trichloroethene (TCE) and efficient removal of total organic carbon (TOC) were observed by using Z-nZVI-Ni as a heterogeneous catalyst for a Fenton-like oxidation process employing sodium percarbonate (SPC) as an oxidant. The electron spin resonance (ESR) of Z-nZVI-Ni verified the generation and intensity of hydroxyl radicals (OH center dot). The quantification of OH center dot elucidated by using p-chlorobenzoic acid, a probe indicator, confirmed the higher intensity of OH center dot. The transformation products were identified using GC-MS. The slow iron and nickel leaching offered higher stability and better catalytic activity of Z-nZVI-Ni, demonstrating its prospective long term applications in groundwater for TCE degradation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 5. |
- Danish, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
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Characterization of South Asian agricultural residues for potential utilization in future 'energy mix'
- 2015
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Ingår i: Energy Procedia. - : Elsevier. ; 75, s. 2974-2980
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper characterizes various locally available agricultural residues in South Asian region to evaluate their potential as feedstock for renewable energy production and contributing toward solving energy crisis and environmental issues. The thermo-chemical characterization has been performed in order to determine if the residues have potential to be used in biomass conversion technologies producing combined heat and power. The characterization methods for comparing different agricultural residues include proximate and ultimate analysis, heating value, ash content, thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and structural composition analysis (SCA). Widely available agricultural wastes in South Asian region were selected for the characterization i.e. bagasse, almond shell, corn cob, cotton stalks, wheat straw, sawdust, corn leaf, rice husk, rice straw, and corn straw. The analysis showed that the corn cob had the highest moisture content that will result in low energy efficiency of the thermal conversion technology due to energy requirement for drying. Whereas almond shell had the lowest moisture content. Ash and volatile contents were found to be highest in rice straw and almond shell respectively. The thermo gravimetric analysis showed that most of the agricultural residues can be easily decomposed and represent potential feedstock for biomass flexible combined heat and power systems through pyrolysis or gasification.
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| 6. |
- Danish, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of solution matrix and pH in Z-nZVI-catalyzed percarbonate system on the generation of reactive oxygen species and degradation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane
- 2017
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Ingår i: Water Science and Technology. - London, UK : IWA PUBLISHING. - 1606-9749 .- 1607-0798. ; 17:6, s. 1568-1578
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study primarily focuses on evaluating the effects of solution matrix and pH for the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROSs) in a Z-nZVI-catalyzed sodium percarbonate (SPC) system to degrade 1,1,1-trichloroethane (1,1,1-TCA) in the absence and presence of a reducing agent (RA), i.e. hydroxylamine. Degradation of 1,1,1-TCA was 49.5% and 95% in the absence and presence of RA. Probe tests confirmed the generation of major hydroxyl radicals (OH center dot) and minor superoxide species (O-2(-center dot)), and scavenger tests verified the key role of OH center dot and less of O-2(-center dot) radicals. Degradation of 1,1,1-TCA decreased significantly in the presence of Cl- and HCO3-, while NO3- and SO42- had negligible effects in the absence of RA. Addition of RA significantly enhanced 1,1,1-TCA degradation by generating more OH center dot and O-2(-center dot) radicals in the presence of anions. Degradation of 1,1,1-TCA increased in the acidic range (1-5), while an inhibitive trend from neutral to basic (7-9) was observed. In contrast, a significant increase in 1,1,1-TCA degradation was observed with the addition of RA at all pH values (1-9). In conclusion, the anions and pH significantly influenced the generation and intensity of ROSs and 1,1,1-TCA was effectively degraded in the Z-nZVI-catalyzed SPC system in the presence of RA.
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| 7. |
- Danish, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
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Efficient transformation of trichloroethylene activated through sodium percarbonate using heterogeneous zeolite supported nano zero valent iron-copper bimetallic composite
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Chemical Engineering Journal. - : Elsevier. - 1385-8947 .- 1873-3212. ; 308, s. 396-407
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Zeolite supported nano zero valent iron copper bimetallic composite (Z-nZVFe-Cu) was synthesized using an ion exchange method. The morphology and physico-chemical properties of the Z-nZVFe-Cu composite were determined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET), energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The results showed that iron and copper nano particles were well dispersed on the zeolite sheet. The degradation efficiency of trichloroethylene (TCE) achieved was more than 95% using Z-nZVFe-Cu as a heterogeneous Fenton like catalyst. An efficient removal of total organic carbon (TOC) was promoted as compared to zeolite supported iron nano composite (Z-nZVFe) and unsupported nano iron (nZVFe). Electron spin resonance (ESR) detection confirmed the intensity of hydroxyl radicals (OH.) in the system. While benzoic acid (BA), a probe indicator for the quantification of OH., demonstrated the higher intensity of hydroxyl radicals in Z-nZVFe-Cu as compared to Z-nZVFe and nZVFe. The less iron and copper leaching of from Z-nZVFe-Cu presented its higher stability and better catalytic activity, displaying its potential long term applications for TCE degradation in groundwater. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 8. |
- Naqvi, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
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An experimental study on hydrogen enriched gas with reduced tar formation using pre-treated olivine in dual bed steam gasification of mixed biomass compost
- 2016
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Ingår i: International journal of hydrogen energy. - : Elsevier. - 0360-3199 .- 1879-3487. ; 41:25, s. 10608-10618
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The study investigated the effects of pre-treated olivine in dual bed steam gasification (DBSG) of biomass compost in order to produce H-2 enriched synthesis gas with significantly reduced tar formation. The DBSG employed circulating fluidized bed (CFB) of silica sand as first stage and fixed catalytic bed of pre-treated olivine as second stage. The mixed biomass compost contained 15-20 wt. % of agri-residues (mainly wheat straw) and 80-85 wt. % of cow manure. The study compared the synthesis gas distribution and tar reductions using pre-treated olivine in the DBSG scheme with Ni-Al based DBSG scheme. The effects of operating condition on the synthesis gas distribution and tar formation are studied such as: (i) effect of steam to biomass ratio, (ii) effects of relative oxidation (relox), (iii) operating temperature of the reactor, (iv) performance and comparison of employed catalysts, and (v) yield of synthesis gas together with carbon conversion efficiency. Experimental analysis showed that H-2 concentration obtained from pre-treated olivine based DBSG is considerably higher than H-2 produced from compared gasification schemes. The H-2 production is favoured at higher temperatures and higher SBR under the influence of pre-treated olivine catalyst. However, the conditions are less advantageous for the production of CO and CH4. Among all experiments, the synthesis gas composition obtained at SBR = 1.40 and at 800 degrees C consisted of highest H-2 concentration (35 vol.% d.n.f) in the pre-treated olivine DBSG. Higher steam to biomass ratio (SBR) resulted in lower cold gas energy efficiency and lower heating value of the synthesis gas mainly due to large steam content in the gas. The tar removal efficiency of 98% is achieved with the pre-treated olivine DBSG system. The total tar content is significantly reduced (approximate to 40%) in the DBSG with pre-treated olivine. Higher relative oxidation resulted in increased concentration of CO2 in the synthesis gas due to increased partial oxidation of organic matter in the gasifier. The pre-treated olivine catalyst in the DBSG consistently promoted the process of steam reforming and tar cracking and thus improved the quality of the syngas by limiting the tar contents. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 9. |
- Naqvi, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
-
Gasification integrated with small chemical pulp mills for fuel and energy production
- 2017
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Ingår i: PROCEEDINGS OF THE 9TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON APPLIED ENERGY. - : Elsevier. ; 142, s. 977-983
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pulp mills without black liquor recovery cycle could play a major role in employing black liquor gasification (BLG) to produce transport fuels. In conventional chemical pulp mills, black liquor is burnt in recovery boilers to generate steam and electricity to meet energy demands. The inorganic chemicals are reused for the digestion process. However, the energy content and inorganic chemicals are not recovered in small scale pulp mills especially in the developing countries which do not employ recovery cycle. This study investigates the potential of synthetic natural gas (SNG) production by integrating BLG island with a reference pulp mill without chemical recovery cycle. The improvements in overall energy efficiency are evaluated using performance indicators such as biofuel production potential, integrated system's efficiency, and energy ratios. The oxygen-blown circulating fluidized bed (CFB) gasification with direct causticization is integrated with reference pulp mill. The results showed considerable SNG production without external biomass import. However to compensate total electricity deficit, the electricity will be imported from the grid. There is a substantial CO2 abatement potential of combining CO2 capture using seloxol absorption, and CO2 mitigation from SNG by replacing gasoline. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
- Berglund, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Teaching and Learning Computer Science at Al Baha University, Saudi Arabia : Insights from a staff development course
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Proc. 3rd International Conference on Learning and Teaching in Computing and Engineering. - Los Alamitos, CA : IEEE Computer Society. - 9781479999675 ; , s. 1-6
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this special session we meet a set of projects in computer science and engineering education at a university in Saudi Arabia. They are the product of a pedagogical development course ran in collaboration with a Swedish university during the academic year 2013/2014. The projects reflect the local situation, with its possibilities and challenges, and suggest steps to take, in the local environment, to enhance education. As such it is a unique document that brings insights from computer science and engineering education into the international literature.
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| 12. |
- Bhatti, Muhammad Khurram, et al.
(författare)
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Locality-aware task scheduling for homogeneous parallel computing systems
- 2018
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Ingår i: Computing. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0010-485X .- 1436-5057. ; 100:6, s. 557-595
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In systems with complex many-core cache hierarchy, exploiting data locality can significantly reduce execution time and energy consumption of parallel applications. Locality can be exploited at various hardware and software layers. For instance, by implementing private and shared caches in a multi-level fashion, recent hardware designs are already optimised for locality. However, this would all be useless if the software scheduling does not cast the execution in a manner that promotes locality available in the programs themselves. Since programs for parallel systems consist of tasks executed simultaneously, task scheduling becomes crucial for the performance in multi-level cache architectures. This paper presents a heuristic algorithm for homogeneous multi-core systems called locality-aware task scheduling (LeTS). The LeTS heuristic is a work-conserving algorithm that takes into account both locality and load balancing in order to reduce the execution time of target applications. The working principle of LeTS is based on two distinctive phases, namely; working task group formation phase (WTG-FP) and working task group ordering phase (WTG-OP). The WTG-FP forms groups of tasks in order to capture data reuse across tasks while the WTG-OP determines an optimal order of execution for task groups that minimizes the reuse distance of shared data between tasks. We have performed experiments using randomly generated task graphs by varying three major performance parameters, namely: (1) communication to computation ratio (CCR) between 0.1 and 1.0, (2) application size, i.e., task graphs comprising of 50-, 100-, and 300-tasks per graph, and (3) number of cores with 2-, 4-, 8-, and 16-cores execution scenarios. We have also performed experiments using selected real-world applications. The LeTS heuristic reduces overall execution time of applications by exploiting inter-task data locality. Results show that LeTS outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms in amortizing inter-task communication cost.
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| 13. |
- Farooq, Muhammad Umar, et al.
(författare)
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Thresholds of Braided Convolutional Codes on the AWGN Channel
- 2018
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Ingår i: 2018 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory, ISIT 2018. - 9781538647806 ; 2018-June, s. 1375-1379
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, we perform a threshold analysis of braided convolutional codes on the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. The decoding thresholds are estimated by Monte-Carlo density evolution techniques and compared with approximate thresholds from an erasure channel prediction. The results show that, with spatial coupling, the predicted thresholds are very accurate and quickly approach capacity if the coupling memory is increased. For uncoupled ensembles with random puncturing, the prediction can be improved with help of the AWGN threshold of the unpunctured ensemble.
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| 14. |
- Farooq, U., et al.
(författare)
-
A step forward towards synthesizing a stable and regeneratable nanocomposite for remediation of trichloroethene
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Chemical Engineering Journal. - : Elsevier BV. - 1385-8947 .- 1873-3212. ; 347, s. 660-668
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Synthesizing supported heterogeneous catalysts is always considered as a persistent approach for degradation of contaminants. However, the stability of these nanocomposites and improvement of process conditions influencing target pollutants degradation are still limited. Herein, on the basis of self-adhesive nature of polydopamine (PDA) and its strong electrostatic interaction with metallic ions, we synthesized a facile, stable, magnetically separable, and environmentally benign PDA decorated, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported Fe nanocatalyst (PDA@Fe/rGO). The effects of process variables (pH, PDA@Fe/rGO, and persulphate (PS) dose) on the degradation performance of trichloroethene (TCE), a model chlorinated organic pollutant selected in this study, were investigated. PDA not only encapsulated the host Fe/rGO magnetic particles but also exhibited high magnetization. PDA wrapping tremendously enhanced the thermal stability of nanocatalyst with just 24.1% weight loss at elevated temperature compared to solo Fe/rGO (40.2%). Moreover, TCE degradation mechanism was interpreted by ESR and radical scavenger tests, validating OH[rad], SO4 [rad]− and O2 [rad]− radicals being responsible for TCE degradation. Considering its eminent catalytic activity, simple synthesis approach and excellent kinetics, this recyclable and improved PDA assisted Fe/rGO nanocatalyst further opens a door for practical implementation in the field of contaminated groundwater remediation.
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| 15. |
- Farooq, U., et al.
(författare)
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Efficient transformation in characteristics of cations supported-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites for the destruction of trichloroethane
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Applied Catalysis A. - : Elsevier B.V.. - 0926-860X .- 1873-3875. ; 544, s. 10-20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Experiments were conducted to investigate the use of graphene-oxide supported metallic nanocomposites for improving the degradation of trichloroethane (TCA) by sodium percarbonate (SPC). Two methods of production, chemical reduction (CR) and solvo-thermal (ST), were tested for preparation of single (Fe) and binary (Fe-Cu) nanocomposites supported by reduced graphene oxide (rGO). A variety of analytical techniques including N2 adsorption Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), x-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier-transfrom infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmisison electron microscopy (TEM) were applied to characterize the physicochemical and microstructural properties of the synthesized nanocomposites. The characterization indicated that the CR method produced nanocomposites that comprised only mesoporous structure. Conversely, both micro and mesoporous structures were present for samples produced with the ST method. The synthesized single and bimetallic composites produced from the ST method showed higher surface areas, i.e. 93.6 m2/g and 119.2 m2/g as compared to the ones synthesized via the CR method, i.e. 13.8 m2/g and 38.0 m2/g respectively. The results of FTIR and XRD analyses confirmed that the ST method produced highly crystalline nanocomposites. SEM and TEM analysis validated that metallic particles with definite morphology well distributed on the surface of rGO. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the homogeneity nanocomposites and occurrence of variation in copper oxidation states during degradation process. EDS mapping validate the homogeneous distribution of Cu and Fe at reduced graphene oxide surface. The Fe-Cu/rGO (ST) activated SPC system effectively degraded TCA (92%) in 2.5 h at low nanocomposite dose compared to the Fe-Cu/rGO (CR) and only Fe, for which the maximum degradation efficiencies achieved were 81% and 34%. In conclusion, excellent catalytic characteristics were observed for the ST-synthesized single and bimetallic (Fe/rGO, Fe-Cu/rGO) catalysts. These catalysts were successful in improving the degradation of TCA via activated SPC.
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| 16. |
- Klar, Joakim, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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A missense variant in ITPR1 provides evidence for autosomal recessive SCA29 with asymptomatic cerebellar hypoplasia in carriers.
- 2017
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Ingår i: European Journal of Human Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1018-4813 .- 1476-5438. ; 25:7, s. 848-853
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) comprise a heterogeneous group of inherited neurological disorders characterized by a range of symptoms from both cerebellar and extra cerebellar structures. We investigated the cause of autosomal recessive, congenital SCA in six affected family members from a large consanguineous family. Using whole-exome sequencing, we identified a homozygous ITPR1 missense variant [c.5360T>C; p.(L1787P)] segregating in all affected individuals. Heterozygous carriers were asymptomatic despite cerebellar hypoplasia. Variants in the ITPTR1 gene have previously been associated exclusively with autosomal dominant SCA15 and SCA29 with slow or no progression. The L1787 residue is highly conserved and the leucine to proline substitution has a predicted destabilizing effect on the protein structure. Additionally, the L1787P variant is located in a domain separated from previously described and dominant-acting missense variants consistent with a distinct effect on IP3R1 tetramer structure and function. Taken together, we show for the first time that a biallelic ITPR1 missense variant may cause an autosomal recessive and infantile onset SCA29, albeit with subclinical cerebellar hypoplasia in carriers. Our findings add to the genetic complexity of SCA29 and broaden the correlations between ITPR1 variants and their clinical expression.
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| 17. |
- Naqvi, Muhammad, et al.
(författare)
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Polygeneration system integrated with small non-wood pulp mills for substitute natural gas production
- 2018
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Ingår i: Applied Energy. - : Elsevier. - 0306-2619 .- 1872-9118. ; 224, s. 636-646
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study aims to examine the potential substitute natural gas (SNG) production by integrating black liquor gasification (BLG) island with a small wheat straw-based non-wood pulp mills (NPM), which do not employ the black liquor recovery cycle. For such integration, it is important to first build knowledge on expected improvements in an overall integrated non-wood pulp mill energy system using the key performance indicators. O2-blown circulating fluidized bed (CFB) gasification with direct causticization is integrated with a reference small NPM to evaluate the overall performance. A detailed economic analysis is performed together with a sensitivity analysis based on variations in the rate of return due to varying biomass price, total capital investment, and natural gas prices. The quantitive results showed considerable SNG production but significantly reduced electricity production. There is a substantial CO2 abatement potential combining CO2 capture and CO2 mitigation from SNG use replacing compressed natural gas (CNG) or gasoline. The economic performance through sensitivity analysis reflects significant dependency on both substitute natural gas production and natural gas market price. Furthermore, the solutions to address the challenges and barriers for the successful commercial implementation of BLG based polygeneration system at small NPMs are discussed. The system performance and discussion on the real application of integrated system presented in this article form a vital literature source for future use by large number of small non-wood pulp industries.
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| 18. |
- Naqvi, Salman Raza, et al.
(författare)
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Pyrolysis of high-ash sewage sludge : Thermo-kinetic study using TGA and artificial neural networks
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Fuel. - Oxon, UK : Elsevier Ltd. - 0016-2361 .- 1873-7153. ; 233, s. 529-538
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pyrolysis of high-ash sewage sludge (HASS) is a considered as an effective method and a promising way for energy production from solid waste of wastewater treatment facilities. The main purpose of this work is to build knowledge on pyrolysis mechanisms, kinetics, thermos-gravimetric analysis of high-ash (44.6%) sewage sludge using model-free methods & results validation with artificial neural network (ANN). TG-DTG curves at 5,10 and 20 °C/min showed the pyrolysis zone was divided into three zone. In kinetics, E values of models ranges are; Friedman (10.6–306.2 kJ/mol), FWO (45.6–231.7 kJ/mol), KAS (41.4–232.1 kJ/mol) and Popescu (44.1–241.1 kJ/mol) respectively. ΔH and ΔG values predicted by OFW, KAS and Popescu method are in good agreement and ranged from (41–236 kJ/mol) and 53–304 kJ/mol, respectively. Negative value of ΔS showed the non-spontaneity of the process. An artificial neural network (ANN) model of 2 * 5 * 1 architecture was employed to predict the thermal decomposition of high-ash sewage sludge, showed a good agreement between the experimental values and predicted values (R2 ⩾ 0.999) are much closer to 1. Overall, the study reflected the significance of ANN model that could be used as an effective fit model to the thermogravimetric experimental data. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd
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| 19. |
- Sethi, Jatin, et al.
(författare)
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Water resistant nanopapers prepared by lactic acid modified cellulose nanofibers
- 2018
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Ingår i: Cellulose. - : Springer. - 0969-0239 .- 1572-882X. ; 25:1, s. 259-268
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The current work reports a novel, completely water based approach to prepare the water resistant modified cellulose nanopapers. Lactic acid in aqueous medium was attached on cellulose nanofibers surface with the aid of ultra-sonication and later oligomerized (polymerized) by compression molding under high temperature and pressure, to obtain the modified nanopapers with enhanced mechanical properties. The modified nanopapers showed an increase of 32% in the elastic modulus and 30% in the yield strength over reference nanopapers. Additionally, the modified nanopaper was hydrophobic in nature and had superior storage modulus under moist conditions. The storage modulus of wet modified nanopaper was three times (2.4 GPa) compared to the reference nanopapers (0.8 GPa) after 1 h immersion in water. Finally, the thermal stability of the modified nanopaper was also higher than reference nanopaper. The material reported is 100% bio-based
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