scholarly journals Preliminary Study on Extraction of Bio-flocculants from Okra and Chinese Yam

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chai Siah Lee ◽  
Mei Fong Chong ◽  
John Robinson ◽  
Eleanor Binner

Natural bio-flocculants were extracted from okra and Chinese yam using water extraction method, and the extract yield and their flocculating abilities were evaluated. Results showed that extraction of okra with seed removal and incubation followed by freeze drying enhanced the extract yield by 91% and improved the flocculating ability greatly by achieving solids removal of above 99% when compared with extraction without incubation and followed by oven drying. The effect of an incubation step was further investigated by using Chinese yam. With incubation, a higher extract yield of 2.95% was obtained compared with the extraction without incubation at 2.13% and high flocculating ability was achieved at 99.5% solids removal. To further investigate the application of bio-flocculants, the samples with the highest extract yield and flocculating ability were selected for a case study focusing on treatment of oleochemical wastewater. Yam bio-flocculant showed its flocculating activity with 80% solids removal when it was coupled with coagulant without pH alteration. However, pH adjustment was required for okra bio-flocculant. In conclusion, highly efficient okra and yam bio-flocculants were successfully extracted and their applicability to wastewater treatment was proven.

Author(s):  
Youngjun Park ◽  
Haekwon Chung ◽  
Sohyun Park

Aim: This study explores the changes in regular walking activities during the phases of the pandemic. Background: With the spread of COVID-19 transmission, people are refraining from going out, reducing their physical activity. In South Korea, COVID-19 broke out in the 4th week of 2020 and experienced the first cycle phases of the pandemic, such as outbreak, widespread, and decline. In response to the pandemic, the government encouraged voluntary participation in social distancing campaigns, and people reduced their outside activities. Methods: This article examines the decrease and increase of the Prevalence of Regular Walking (≥30 min of moderate walking a day, on ≥5 days a week) by the COVID-19 phases. This study is based on weekly walking data for 15 weeks in 2020, via the smartphone healthcare app, which is managed by 25 public health offices of the Seoul government. Results: According to the findings, the level of prevalence of regular walking (PRW) has a significant difference before and after the outbreak, and every interval of the four-stage COVID-19 phases, that is, pre-pandemic, initiation, acceleration, and deceleration. The level of PRW sharply decreased during initiation and acceleration intervals. In the deceleration interval of COVID-19, the PRW kept increasing, but it has not yet reached the same level as the previous year when the COVID-19 did not exist. Conclusions: As a preliminary study, this study explains empirically how COVID-19 changed PRW in Seoul. It would be helpful to enhance our understanding of the changes in physical inactivity in the pandemic period.


Author(s):  
Janet Bourne

This chapter describes a cognitively informed framework based on analogy for theorizing cinematic listening; in this case, it tests the hypothesis that contemporary listeners might use associations learned from film music topics to make sense of western art music (WAM). Using the pastoral topic as a case study, a corpus of film scores from 1980–2014 determines common associations for this topic based on imagery, emotion, and narrative contexts. Then, the chapter outlines potential narratives a modern moviegoer might make by listening “cinematically” to a Sibelius movement. The hypothesis is empirically tested through an experiment where participants record their imagined narratives and images while listening to WAM and film music. The meaning extraction method, a statistical analysis for identifying associational themes, is used to analyze people’s responses.


2021 ◽  
pp. 127762
Author(s):  
Hengfeng Liu ◽  
Yanjun Wang ◽  
Shun Pang ◽  
Xinfu Wang ◽  
Jianguo He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Syofia Delfi ◽  
Hamidah Yamat

Learners’ reading performances are needed to be studied in order to clarify the appropriate context of studies about learners’ extensive reading experiences. This article is based on a preliminary study on “a Case Study on Two Indonesian Learners’ Extensive Reading in English Experiences towards Developing Reading Competency”. This article aimed to answer two questions: (1) How is The Indonesian EFL learners’ reading performance before learning extensive reading? (2) How is The Indonesian EFL learners’ reading TOEFL score for reading section before learning extensive reading? An analysis was conducted for the data on the documents of reading performance and Reading Section of TOEFL score. The result of this study found: (1) The Indonesian EFL learners’ reading performance before learning extensive reading is in the range 66-80 (B) in Reading III for all learners (100%) (2) The Indonesian EFL learners’ TOEFL score for Reading section before learning extensive reading is in the range 51% - 80 %. These preliminary data were needed in order to indentify the learners’ reading performances, therefore, it is expected that the findings are meaningful for the study designed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sajad Afzali ◽  
Faezeh Taheri Sarmad ◽  
Mojtaba Heidari ◽  
Seyed Hossein Jalali

Urban geology is a preliminary study for the construction and development of cities, which has been more prominent in recent decades in some countries despite its long application history. It assesses the impact of geological and natural phenomena on urban space and available structures. The earthquake on Nov. 21, 2017, inflicted a lot of damage to the city of Sarpol-e Zahab, west of Iran, including financial losses and casualties. Reconstruction of this city and planning for its sustainable development entail conducting urban geological studies. In the present study, the effect of natural phenomena on Sarpol-e Zahab County was studied by investigating its geology and geomorphology. The results showed that, in addition to the earthquake that habitually affected the city of Sarpol-e Zahab, the hazards of other phenomena are also significant. Recorded horizontal acceleration in the recent earthquake confirmed the high seismicity of Sarpol-e Zahab has.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-43
Author(s):  
Kamilah Kinanti

As an effort to optimize the transparent and measurable zakat management, BAZNAS Center of Strategic Studies has been developing several instruments, including the Had Kifayah measure. The measurement is the standard limit of basic needs of a Muslim, which is helpful to consider the requirements of zakat recipients. By employing Had Kifayah, this paper performs a case study from Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) Province in 2018 and finds that NTT had the highest cost of living of IDR3,363,105.00 per family (monthly). This paper covers the preliminary study verifying the categorization pyramid as in Had Kifayah standard to investigate the changes of a mustahik income and expenditure before and after the productive zakat program of BAZNAS. The results show that the program conducted by BAZNAS-NTT from 2016 to 2017 is found to be in the fourth priority on the Had Kifayah pyramid. Keyword: Had Kifayah, priority pyramid of Had Kifayah, Mustahik of Productive Zakat Program, Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT)


Facilities ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 490-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nik Elyna Myeda ◽  
Michael Pitt

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the facilities management (FM) industry in Malaysia, looking at the development and focus in the industry in contrast with other countries where the FM industry is mature. The paper also focuses on the development hierarchy and initiatives taken by the Malaysian Government regarding public service in FM. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a mixed method approach. The first method used is an FM literature review; this is followed by a survey of Malaysian FM practitioners, which also acts as a preliminary study for this research. Findings – The paper proposes a set of elements in understanding FM development in Malaysia. These are categorised into seven key factors: level of growth, practice, service, profession, opportunities, demands and challenges. Research limitations/implications – The preliminary survey was carried out to ascertain the research gap and viability of the study. Although there was a participation constraint, it is believed that the responses have contributed significantly in indicating the way forward for this research. Practical implications – There is a lack of FM studies in the Malaysian context, which limits the knowledge and exploration of the research scope. This study gives more opportunities for future researchers to embark on research in this area. Originality/value – The paper gives comprehensive key factors defining development or progress of the FM industry in Malaysia. A further study exploring the element of FM service performance will be conducted based on a case study methodology.


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