Removal of COD and color from textile industrial wastewater using wheat straw activated carbon: an application of response surface and artificial neural network modeling.

A novel approach has been undertaken wherein chemically modified wheat straw activated carbon (WSAC) as adsorbent is developed, characterized, and examined for the removal of COD and color from the cotton dyeing industry effluent. Thirty experimental runs are designed for batch reactor study using the central composite method (CCM) for optimizing process parameters, namely biochar dose, time of contact, pH, and temperature, for examining the effect on COD and color-removing efficiency of WSAC. The experimental data have been modeled using the machine learning approaches such as polynomial quadratic regression and artificial neural networks (ANN). The determined optimum conditions are pH: 7.18, time of contact: 85.229 min, adsorbent dose: 2.045 g/l, and temperature: 40.885 °C, at which the COD and color removal efficiency is 90.92 and 94.48%, respectively. The nonlinear pseudo-second order (PSO) kinetic model shows good coefficient of determination (R2 ~ 1) values. The maximum adsorption capacity for COD and color by WSAC is at the pH of 7, the temperature of 40 °C, adsorbent dose of 2 g/l is obtained at the contact time of 80 min is 434.78 mg/g and 331.55 PCU/g, respectively. The COD removal and decolorization is more than 70% in the first 20 min of the experiment. The primary adsorption mechanism involves hydrogen bonding, electrostatic attraction, n-π interactions, and cation exchange. Finally, the adsorbent is environmentally benign and cost-effective, costing 16.66% less than commercially available carbon. The result of the study indicates that WSAC is a prominent solution for treating textile effluent. The study is beneficial in reducing the pollutants from textile effluents and increasing the reuse of treated effluent in the textile industries.

The role of long-term mentoring in alternative child care settings.

BACKGROUND: Udayan Care, an NGO based in New Delhi, India, provides alternative care to 'Children without Parental Care', in small-group residential homes. The homes have a Living In Family Environment (L.I.F.E) Model, where 'Group Care' ensures that children are loved and cared for by a group of long-term volunteers, called mentor parents, along with other care staff. A novel parenting concept, the mentor parents are ordinary individuals with extraordinary sensitivity, voluntarily committing themselves for life. They instill in children a sense of trust and belonging to the community and are concurrently empowered and fulfilled by the endeavor. OBJECTIVE: This study attempted to explore the scope and impact of a distinct mentor model in alternative child care, its positive outcomes, and some challenges faced, from the perspective of mentor parents. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: With a qualitative research design, interviews were conducted with the mentor parents (n = 21) from Udayan Care, to capture their experiences and perspectives. METHODS: The interviews were conducted using an indigenously developed semi-structured interview guide, and the responses were transcribed, organized, coded, and analyzed using applied thematic analysis. RESULTS: The unique roles and responsibilities that mentor parents bring to the care system were identified, along with how they add value to the mentor-mentee relationship. Some challenges in the care practice were also discerned. CONCLUSIONS: This paper gleans mentor perspectives that could be valuable for the design and implementation of mentorship programs, encouraging similar scalable models that could support the growth, development, and outcomes of children in care.

Peptic esophageal stricture in an adolescent with Barrett's esophagus.

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is characterized by the replacement of distal esophageal stratified squamous epithelium by columnar epithelium. It is rare in children and the risk factors may include mental retardation, cerebral palsy, esophageal atresia, etc. Apart from corrosive ingestion, peptic stricture is the other leading cause of esophageal strictures in children. However, BE has not been well characterized in the pediatric population and in children presenting with esophageal strictures. A 16-year-old Indian boy presented with a history of gradually progressive dysphagia to solids (but not liquids) for 12 years along with heartburn and poor weight gain. Physical examination and routine blood investigations were unremarkable. Previously performed barium meal studies were suggestive of stricture in the mid and lower esophagus. Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy revealed a non-negotiable stricture with circumferential ulceration at 26 cm. The stricture was traversed using an ultrathin scope and the distal mucosa was found to be columnar. Biopsies revealed cardiac mucosa. The patient was treated with proton pump inhibitors (PPI) and four series of segmental dilatations with Savary Gilliard esophageal dilators. Peptic strictures occurring in the mid-upper esophagus should raise concerns about BE or malignancy. Here, we report a case of peptic esophageal stricture in a child without neurodevelopmental or trachea-esophageal abnormalities.