scholarly journals The Monitoring of Fungal Contamination in Indoor Air of Two Hospitals in Shiraz

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fariba Abbasi ◽  
Mahrokh Jalili ◽  
Mohammad Reza Samaei ◽  
Ali Mohammad Mokhtari ◽  
Elahe Azizi
Keyword(s):  
Indoor Air ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Growth Media ◽  
Specialist Care ◽  
Effective Parameters ◽  
Emergency Rooms ◽  
Fungal Contamination ◽  
Air Contamination

Introduction: Hospitals, as one of the important elements in the health system, play an important role in patient’s health. Fungi are one of the effective parameters on indoor air quality. This study aimed to compare of fungal contamination of two hospitals in Shiraz City. Materials and Methods: Sampling was conducted based on NIOSH 0800 standard (1.5 meters above the ground level with one stage Anderson and Sabaroud dextrose agar enriched chloramphenicol as the growth media) in January-September 2017. The investigated wards included pathological laboratory, emergency rooms, neonatal specialist care, radiology, operating room, and maternity ward. The results showed that the variation and concentration of fungi were higher in hospital X than hospital Y, which was located in an agricultural area far from the city center. Results: The predominant fungi were Monillia, Aspergillus, and Penicillium in hospital Y, while they were Aspergillus and Penicillium in hospital X. The highest concentrations were found in emergency and laboratory wards. With regard to higher fungal contamination of hospital X and its different location, it can be concluded that the geographical properties and outdoor air are effective factors on indoor air contamination at hospitals.   Conclusion: Appropriate management of patients' admission and visiting time can be effective on indoor air contamination at hospitals. Furthermore, efficient ventilation using high-efficiency particulate air and appropriate devices for elimination of fungi level are recommended to this end. Moreover, these parameters can provide physical and psychometric health problems for patients’ careers and other health workers.

scholarly journals Can Public Spaces Effectively Be Used as Cleaner Indoor Air Shelters during Extreme Smoke Events?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 4085
Author(s):  
Amanda J. Wheeler ◽  
Ryan W. Allen ◽  
Kerryn Lawrence ◽  
Christopher T. Roulston ◽  
Jennifer Powell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Air Conditioning ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Public Building ◽  
Central Air Conditioning ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Pm2.5 Concentration

During extreme air pollution events, such as bushfires, public health agencies often recommend that vulnerable individuals visit a nearby public building with central air conditioning to reduce their exposure to smoke. However, there is limited evidence that these “cleaner indoor air shelters” reduce exposure or health risks. We quantified the impact of a “cleaner indoor air shelter” in a public library in Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia when concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were elevated during a local peat fire and nearby bushfires. Specifically, we evaluated the air quality improvements with central air conditioning only and with the use of portable high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter air cleaners. We measured PM2.5 from August 2019 until February 2020 by deploying pairs of low-cost PM2.5 sensors (i) inside the main library, (ii) in a smaller media room inside the library, (iii) outside the library, and (iv) co-located with regulatory monitors located in the town. We operated two HEPA cleaners in the media room from August until October 2019. We quantified the infiltration efficiency of outdoor PM2.5 concentrations, defined as the fraction of the outdoor PM2.5 concentration that penetrates indoors and remains suspended, as well as the additional effect of HEPA cleaners on PM2.5 concentrations. The infiltration efficiency of outdoor PM2.5 into the air-conditioned main library was 30%, meaning that compared to the PM2.5 concentration outdoors, the concentrations of outdoor-generated PM2.5 indoors were reduced by 70%. In the media room, when the HEPA cleaners were operating, PM2.5 concentrations were reduced further with a PM2.5 infiltration efficiency of 17%. A carefully selected air-conditioned public building could be used as a cleaner indoor air shelter during episodes of elevated smoke emissions. Further improvements in indoor air quality within the building can be achieved by operating appropriately sized HEPA cleaners.

scholarly journals Evaluation of removal efficiency of residual diclofenac in aqueous solution by nanocomposite tungsten-carbon using design of experiment

2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 1466-1473 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. H. Salmani ◽  
M. Mokhtari ◽  
Z. Raeisi ◽  
M. H. Ehrampoush ◽  
H. A. Sadeghian
Keyword(s):  
Aqueous Solution ◽  
Removal Efficiency ◽  
Design Of Experiment ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Carbon Powder ◽  
Batch Adsorption ◽  
Effective Parameters ◽  
Initial Concentration ◽  
Carbon Nanocomposite ◽  
Maximum Removal

Wastewater containing pharmaceutical residual components must be treated before being discharged to the environment. This study was conducted to investigate the efficiency of tungsten-carbon nanocomposite in diclofenac removal using design of experiment (DOE). The 27 batch adsorption experiments were done by choosing three effective parameters (pH, adsorbent dose, and initial concentration) at three levels. The nanocomposite was prepared by tungsten oxide and activated carbon powder in a ratio of 1 to 4 mass. The remaining concentration of diclofenac was measured by a spectrometer with adding reagents of 2, 2′-bipyridine, and ferric chloride. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to determine the main and interaction effects. The equilibrium time for removal process was determined as 30 min. It was observed that the pH had the lowest influence on the removal efficiency of diclofenac. Nanocomposite gave a high removal at low concentration of 5.0 mg/L. The maximum removal for an initial concentration of 5.0 mg/L was 88.0% at contact time of 30 min. The results of ANOVA showed that adsorbent mass was among the most effective variables. Using DOE as an efficient method revealed that tungsten-carbon nanocomposite has high efficiency in the removal of residual diclofenac from the aqueous solution.

scholarly journals The Factors of Affect Indoor Air Quality Inpatient at Private Hospital, Pekanbaru, Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (13) ◽  
pp. 2208-2212
Author(s):  
Endang Purnawati Rahayu ◽  
Zulfan Saam ◽  
Sukendi Sukendi ◽  
Dedi Afandi
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Private Hospital ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
P Value ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Inpatient Hospitalisation ◽  
Food And Drink

BACKGROUND: Air quality in inpatient rooms influenced by several factors. Room not qualified health can cause disease and can spread through equipment, the material used, food and drink, health workers, patients and visitors. AIM: The purpose of this study is to know the factors that affect air quality in the inpatient room at a private hospital, Pekanbaru. METHODS: The research is quantitative analytic by design cut latitude study. Samples from 120 nurses were selected overall sampling. The data do with the measurement directly, interviews and observation using a questionnaire. Data analysed by using the chi-square with significance p-value less than 0.05. RESULTS: The quality of the air in inpatient rooms has met the standard. Variables are affecting air quality in inpatient rooms in the hospital significantly with p-value more than 0.05 is temperature, dust, the germ, density occupancy, sanitation room. While the moisture, standard operating procedures and behaviour is not significant. CONCLUSION: The factors that significantly affect indoor air quality inpatient hospitalisation are temperature, dust, germ numbers, occupancy density, room sanitation.

scholarly journals Removal of contaminants in indoor air by using green plant treated with titanium dioxide nanoparticles

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled Fikry salama ◽  
Mubashir Zafar Zafar
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Titanium Dioxide ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles ◽  
Plant Root ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Green Plant ◽  
Growth Media ◽  
Novel Approach

Abstract Background: Indoor air pollution is important environmental health problem. Nanotechnology is one of the most important methods to reduce the air pollution. The aim of this study to determine the effectiveness of nanotechnology for removal of toxic air indoor pollution by using Saudi myrtle plants treated with titanium dioxide. Methods: Experiments were conducted in the two academic departments of labs at public sector universities. Aplying titanium dioxide-containing growth media to at least one of a Myrtus communis plant root, stem, and leaf. Growing the plant in the growth media, a gel growth media, or both; exposing the plant to contaminant-containing air Results: It is found that the levels of formaldehyde, Volatile organic compounds and other pollutants were significantly reduced the concentration from 10% to 98% in air. The duration of the intervention from 4 hours to 8 hours, Air containing the concentration of NO2 SO2, formaldehyde, TVOCs and CO reduced from range of 0.3 ppm- 0.4ppm to range of 0.1ppm -0.3 ppm after exposure of Myrtus plant to ambient air and duration of the exposure is 4 hours to 8 hours. Conclusion: Application of Tio2 in green plant specially Mytrus Communis is a novel approach for reduction of concentrations of harmful gaseous toxic and carcinogenic air pollutants in indoor environment.

scholarly journals Ground Level Integrated Diverse Energy Storage (GLIDES) Cost Analysis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saiid Kassaee ◽  
Adewale Odukomaiya ◽  
Ahmad Abu-Heiba ◽  
Xiaobing Liu ◽  
Matthew M. Mench ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Economic Model ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Capital Cost ◽  
High Energy Density ◽  
Oak Ridge ◽  
Storage Technology ◽  
Energy Storage Technology

With the increasing penetration of renewable energy, the need for advanced flexible/scalable energy storage technologies with high round-trip efficiency (RTE) and high energy density has become critical. In this paper, a techno-economic model of a novel energy storage technology developed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is presented and used to estimate the technology’s capital cost. Ground-Level Integrated Diverse Energy Storage (GLIDES) is an energy storage technology with high efficiency which can store energy via input of electricity and heat and supply dispatchable electricity. GLIDES stores energy by compressing and expanding a gas using a liquid piston. GLIDES performance has been extensively studied analytically and experimentally. This study aims to develop a comprehensive combined performance and cost modeling environment. With the desired system storage capacity kilowattage, storage time (hours), and an initial RTE guess as inputs, the model optimizes the selection of system components to minimize the capital cost. The techno-economic model described in this paper can provide preliminary cost estimates and corresponding performance for various system sizes and storage times.

scholarly journals Effective medium for in vitro sprouting of the buds and multiplication of the plantlets, and identification of the fungal contaminant associated with the explants of Gnetum

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 001-013
Author(s):  
Abwe Mercy Ngone ◽  
Lawrence Monah Ndam ◽  
Rita Mungfu Njilar ◽  
Doungous Oumar ◽  
Thomas Eku Njock
Keyword(s):  
Culture Medium ◽  
Culture Media ◽  
Fungal Growth ◽  
Growth Media ◽  
Fungal Contamination ◽  
Surface Sterilization ◽  
Pure Cultures ◽  
Nodal Cuttings ◽  
Baseline Information

Plant tissue culture requires the optimization of growth media. Gnetum, known locally in Cameroon as “Eru” is an indigenous gymnospermous vegetable with diverse medicinal, nutritional, cultural and socio-economic values. This resource is over-exploited and expected to neighboring countries, resulting to increased scarcity in the forest. Preliminary work on the in vitro culture of nodal cuttings was faced by the problem of fungal contamination. It was therefore necessary to isolate and identify the fungal contaminant, optimize the surface sterilization of field material and compose an appropriate medium for sprouting. Pure cultures of the fungus were obtained and grown on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA). The identification was based on the appearance of the fungal growth on plates and also on the microscopic view. This was affected by the use of keys. Gnetum explants were disinfected with the various concentrations of disinfectants, preceded in some instances by pre-treatments, as well as incorporating fungicides in the culture medium. Two different culture media were employed: the Woody Plant Medium (WPM) and the Murashige and Skoog (MS) based establishment medium (Y-1). Gnetum was found to live in association with a complex of Microsporum species. The level of contamination of cultures was reduced from 100% to 40% when pre-treated before disinfection and even lower to 10% by incorporating fungicides in the medium. Sprouting was observed in WPM. This study provides baseline information on the in vitro propagation of Gnetum and thus opens up avenues for more research to be carried out in this field.

scholarly journals Evaluation of an Experimentally Designed Molecular Imprinted Polyurethane Foam Performance for Extraction of Alprazolam

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 662-670
Author(s):  
Zeynab Tavakoli ◽  
Majid Soleimani ◽  
Mir Mohammad Alavi Nikje
Keyword(s):  
Polyurethane Foam ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
Selective Adsorption ◽  
Selective Extraction ◽  
Extraction Methods ◽  
Effective Parameters ◽  
Rigid Foam ◽  
Adsorption Processes ◽  
Central Composite

Abstract Industrial polyurethane rigid foam (PUF) was selected as a substrate for selective solid phase extraction of Alprazolam. Effective parameters for raising selectivity of the PUF were evaluated. Synthetic molecularly imprinted polyurethane foam (MIPUF) was tracked as selective adsorbent and its characteristic was pondered by analytical methods. Optimization was done by central composite design (CCD) to have high efficiency of the polymer adsorption. Two different extraction methods were compared in the selective adsorption processes using MIPUF and NIPUF, batch system and continuous (cartridge) system. Results of the adsorption of alprazolam on the MIPUF had 39% more recovery than NIPUF (reference polymer). Then, the proposed method suggests a selective extraction of mentioned analyte from urine and tablets as complex matrixes.

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