Availability of barley straw application on oil spill clean up

Oil spills are a global concern due to the environmental and economical impact. Various commercial systems have been developed to control these spills, including the use of fibers as sorbents. However, most sorbents end up in landfills or in cineration after single use. These options either produce another source of pollution or increase the oil recovery cost. Plant biomass is renewable resource that can be converted into useful materials and energy. Barley straw, an agricultural waste, was used as sorbent material. The present study examines the absorption capacity of raw barley straw for different petroleum products and water pick up. The investigate revealed that the capacity of fibers to remove crude oil from sea water was related to the surface properties of the fibers, concentration of the oil, size of the fiber, amount of the fibers, as well as the temperature of the crude oil. Cyclic sorption /desorption studies indicated that a simple squeezing operation was enough to remove most of the oil sorbed and that recycling was feasible

Osmium [VIH]-catalyzed oxidation of indoles by potassium hexacyanoferrate [III] in alkaline media: a kinetic and mechanistic study

The reaction of indoles with Os [VIII] catalyzed hexacyanoferrate [III] in alkaline media to produce the corresponding oxindole has been studied at constant temperature and ionic strength. The reaction followed first order kinetics with respect to [indole], [OH[-] and [Os [VIII]], fractional order in [Fe[CN][6][-3]. The effects of added electrolytes, potassium hexacyanoferrate [II], relative permitivity and temperature have also been studied. A mechanism consistent with the kinetic data is proposed. Furthermore, the structural influence of the indoles on the reactivity has been discussed

Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation of indoles by alkaline potassium hexacyanoferrate [III]

The reaction of indoles with hexacyanoferrate [III] in alkaline media to produce the corresponding oxindole has been studied at constant temperature and ionic strength. The reaction followed first order kinetics with respect to [indole] and [OH[-], whereas fractional order with respect to [Fe[CN][6][-3]] was found. The effects of added electrolytes, potassium hexacyanoferrate [II], relative permitivity and temperature have also been studied. On the basis of experimental observations, a probable reaction mechanism has been proposed

Oil spill sorption using carbonized pith bagasse: trial for practical application

In the present work, an attempt was made to provide an efficient, easily deployable method of cleaning up oil spills and recovering of the oil. Carbonized pith bagasse, a relatively abundant and inexpensive material is currently being investigated as an adsorbent to remove contaminants 'oil' from water. Fibers extracted from bagasse and carbonized at 300 °C were found to have a high performance for sorption and recovery of light, heavy oils and even the viscous ones. The physical properties of pith bagasse were investigated using scanning electronic microscope to show the inner and the outer surface and the cross section area of the pith bagasse and thermo gravimetric analyzer to investigate the degradation profile of the pith bagasse. The carbonized pith bagasse was packed into a polypropylene bag and its sorption behavior was studied. A comparison was made between the prepared pad and the commercial sorbents show that the pad containing carbonized pith bagasse has higher sorption capacity in comparison to the commercial sorbents. The pad exhibited high oil retention ability and a high selectivity for the oils over the water. The pad showed a possibility of reuse for eight times. The sorption capacity of the pads containing carbonized pith bagasse was found to increase with increasing the time of sorption till it reaches the maximum value at the time of sorption equal to 60 min

Quality assessment of sweetened condensed and evaporated milks in Alexandria governorate [with 4 tables]

Concentrated milk is extensively imported from different countries abroad. These products, with their greater concentration of milk solids are useful in the manufacture of ice cream, candies, and a variety of other food items. Forty random samples of concentrated milk [20 each of sweetened condensed and evaporated milks] of different brands were collected from large supermarkets in Alexandria Governorate. All examined concentrated milk samples were subjected to the physical and organoleptic evaluation. The mean values of total solids, fat, sucrose contents and sugar/water ratio in the examined sweetened condensed milk samples were 30.4 +/- 0.31; 9.18 +/- 0.11; 43.93 +/- 0.54 and 62.94 +/- 0.43, respectively. While, the mean values of total solids and fat content in examined evaporated milk samples were 23.17 +/- 1.64 and 8.54 +/- 0.12, respectively. The mean values of aerobic plate count, anaerobic plat count in the examined sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk samples were 3.05x10[2] +/- 1.07x10 and 2.33x10 +/- 0.88x10; 1.1x10[2] +/- 9.4x10 and 1.33x10 +/- 0.33x10 cfu/g, respectively. Enterococci contaminated 25% of the examined sweetened condensed milk samples with varying numbers. Osmophilic fungi were found in 25% of examined sweetened condensed milk samples with a mean value of 6.44x10 +/- 2.7x10. While, the mean value of total yeast and mould count in examined evaporated milk was 0.95x10 +/- 0.25x10 cfu/g. Bacillus cereus contaminated 20% of examined condensed milk samples with a mean value of 8.75x10 +/- 7.0x10. Salmonellae, Coliforms and Clostridium perfringens failed to be detected in the examined samples of concentrated milk. The public health, economic importance of the isolated species and suggested control measure were discussed

Microbial biofilms in relation to milk quality [with one table and 4 figures]

The attachment of bacteria with subsequent development of biofilms in food processing environments is a potential source of contamination that may lead to food spoilage or transmission of diseases. The present study was carried out in a buffalo dairy farm in Alexandria governorate for studying the biofilm of milking machine. A total of 192 swabs were taken from teatcups, milk jars, milk pipelines [rubber and stainless steel] and bulk tank milk [48 of each] as well as 30 bulk tank milk samples after using farm program, and after application of Iodophores and QACs. By application of Iodophores and QACs, total bacterial counts reduced by 29.03 and 53.37; 79.90 and 80.91; 31.87 and 62.89; 55.65 and 78.03 and 66.18 and 80.37%, respectively, While Coliforms were suppressed by 29.03 and 53.37; 79.90 and 80.91; 31.87 and 62.89; 55.65 and 78.03 and 66.18 and 80.37%, respectively. S. aureus forming biofilm in teatcups, milk pipelines, milk jars and tank milk was reduced by 28.22 and 23.08; 67.62 and 61.62; 93.04 and 86.83 and 87.30 and 84.24%., respectively. The reduction percentages for Enterococci counts of teatcups, milk pipelines, milk jars and tank milk and bulk tank milk after using Iodophores and QACs were 72.45 and 94.05; 74.67 and 92.13; 37.44 and 90.81; 80.25 and 95.99 and 75.46 and 79.37%, respectively. It could be concluded that QACs is more efficient on TBC, Coliforms and Enterococci counts, while Iodophores is more efficient on S. aureus. Both Iodophores and QACs are failed to overcome the microbial biofilm of milking machine

Endometrial thickness, serum estradiol and progesterone in women with bleeding during the use of levonorgestrel subdermal implants [norplant]

The aim of this study is to determine the changes in the thickness of the endometrium and to measure the serum estradiol and progesterone concentration in subdermal implant users and find out the relation of these parameters to the bleeding complaints. The study was conducted at the outpatient Family planning clinic, Ain Shams University, in the period from December 2002 to June 2003. 60 women using Levonorgestrel Subdermal implants [Norplant] for more than 1 year included in this comparative study and classified into. 30 women using levonorgestrel subdermal implants and have bleeding irregularities [Menorrhagia or Menometrorrhagia]. 30 women using levonorgestrel subdermal implants and have no bleeding complaints. The two groups were matched regarding mean age, weight, duration of Norplant, and endometrium thickness. The serum Estradiol was 50 pg/ml in the control [P<0.01] [highly significant]

Perinatal mortality in twin pregnancy a survey of twin deliveries in Zagazig

A survey of all twin deliveries from October 1994 through May 1997, in Zagazig area was done using prenatal data records and hospital files. Among 23, 680 deliveries, there were 188 pairs of twins representing 7.9/1000 births. Among these there were 44 deaths, this gives a prenatal mortality rate of 117/1000 twin birth representing 9% of the overall prenatal deaths, and approximately 6 times the death rate for singletons. 60.5% of all deaths occurred in women who failed to receive antenatal or intranatal care. Immaturity accounts for the majority of prenatal deaths [75%]. 93% of deaths occurred in low birth weight infants < 2500 g, of these 75.5% were <1500g. We recommend increased utilization of prenatal services for all twin pregnancies, and delivery should take place in well equipped and staffed hospitals. Improvement of hospital statisites and recording system by well trained personnel and using of computerized software programs are highly recommended

Evaluation of the results of treatment of fracture shaft humeras in adult by using dynamic compression plate

Twenty one cases of the humeral shaft were treated operatively by an open reduction and internal fixation by plate and screws in El-Monoufia University Hospital. Narrow dynamic compression plate was used in fixation of eighteen cases while rounded hole plate was used in fixation of three cases. Radial nerve injury was associated with humeral shaft fracture in 2 cases. All patients evaluated postoperatively for rate of union, shoulder motion and elbow motion. The results were excellent in 90% of cases and poor in 10% of cases due to severely comminuted fracture and radial nerve injury