11 research outputs found
The Use of Modified Composite Zeolite as A Novel Approach to Dental Hygiene Formulation
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Chemical Engineering by Sumaita Rahman entitled, “The Use of Modified Composite Zeolite as A Novel Approach to Dental Hygiene Formulation”, submitted in May 2024. Thesis advisor is Dr. Taleb Ibrahim and thesis co-advisor is Dr. Sarah Dalibalta. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).The modern era and its advanced technologies have led to a significant change in the way we live and what we eat. This has increased global expenditure in dental procedures and the 4th most expensive disease to treat. Bacillus cereus, Serratia marcescens, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus pneumoniae have been strongly associated with the causes of oral diseases. Research even shows the adverse effects of the discussed strains outside the oral cavity. Hence, it is urgent to find a solution that is both economically viable and medicinally valuable. The complexation of cationic surfactants and smectite clays has been explored and one example of such a combination is that of Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) with montmorillonite. This study focuses on formulating a novel composite of CPC and zeolite, assessing its surface morphology, chemical composition, stability, and investigating the anti-bacterial properties of the composite along with viability with HBEC-5i cells. CPC-Zt-Alg beads have shown 100% bactericidal activity against all the strains tested and 5.9% toxic to HBEC-5i cells making it a promising material to be used in the medical industry with its high anti-bacterial activity and low cytotoxicity.College of EngineeringDepartment of Chemical and Biological EngineeringMaster of Science in Chemical Engineering (MSChE
Progress in membranes for pressure retarded osmosis application
No full textThe ever-growing global energy crisis has been pushing industries to lean towards renewable resources as an alternative for power generation. Recent research is focusing mainly towards achieving water sustainability and producing green energy without creating any liquid discharge. In this review paper, a complete analysis of the latest developments in membrane modification for pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) processes has been discussed. Moreover, the use of different nanomaterials like zeolite, graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, halloysite nanotubes, TiO2, SiO2, silica, carbon quantum dots, covalent organic frameworks, and metal-based nanoparticles for membrane modification to maximize PRO performance have been presented. Besides, the hybrids of PRO in combination with reverse osmosis (PRO-RO), forward osmosis (PRO-FO) and PRO thermal have also been reviewed. Additionally, the recent test results on the incorporation of novel nanofibers like polyetherimide and polyacrylonitrile into different thin film composite and hollow fiber membranes have been presented here. Also, this review presents the future direction of PRO research, economic analysis on cost reduction and its commercialization potentials. Due to its immense benefits offered, the Middle East is beginning to consider PRO process to enhance the shrinking fresh water source in the region, while producing salinity gradient energy
A Novel Global Warming Solution: Use of Flue Gas to Produce Urea
No full textUrea is a nitrogenous organic compound which is widely used as a fertilizer and in the agricultural industry. On an industrial scale, urea can be manufactured from the reaction of carbon dioxide and ammonia. The goal of this research is to design a plant that produces 46.84 tons/hr of urea from the raw materials carbon dioxide and ammonia. The quantities of carbon dioxide and ammonia consumed in the process were 37.32 tons/hr and 28. 84 tons/hr, respectively. The carbon dioxide is obtained using a sustainable approach from the waste products, the flue gas, of a nearby power plant. In the first step of the process, carbon dioxide is extracted in an absorption column that uses ammonia and stripping columns from the flue gases emitted from a power plant. This ensures that the whole production process is environmentally sustainable and contributes to the reduction of carbon dioxide that cause global warming
A Novel Global Warming Solution: Use of Flue Gas to Produce Urea
No full textUrea is a nitrogenous organic compound which is widely used as a fertilizer and in the agricultural industry. On an industrial scale, urea can be manufactured from the reaction of carbon dioxide and ammonia. The goal of this research is to design a plant that produces 46.84 tons/hr of urea from the raw materials carbon dioxide and ammonia. The quantities of carbon dioxide and ammonia consumed in the process were 37.32 tons/hr and 28. 84 tons/hr, respectively. The carbon dioxide is obtained using a sustainable approach from the waste products, the flue gas, of a nearby power plant. In the first step of the process, carbon dioxide is extracted in an absorption column that uses ammonia and stripping columns from the flue gases emitted from a power plant. This ensures that the whole production process is environmentally sustainable and contributes to the reduction of carbon dioxide that cause global warming
Microfinance and Sustainable Women Empowerment: A Nexus of Policy and Narratives of Marginalized Women in Bangladesh
No full textMobilizing Narratives: Comparing Afghan Hazaras in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Bangladeshis in Islamist Groups
No full textabstract: While recruitment of middle and upper-class Bangladeshis by Islamic jihadist terror groups and Iranian mobilization of Afghan Hazaras to fight in the Syrian civil war present two extremely different regional challenges, this study shows how these movements are linked in the ways in which state and non-state actors deploy similar narrative strategies to mobilize support. I argue that narratives that capitalize upon the failure of upward social mobility and governance failures are highly useful for recruiting individuals to join either state or non-state organizations when appropriately and specifically linked to the particular historical, cultural, and political environment. I will demonstrate this by comparing and contrasting the use of recruitment narratives playing off of grievances for Iran's IRGC recruitment of poor Afghan Hazaras with low-levels of formal educational achievement and Islamist terrorist groups’ recruitment of middle- and upper-class Bangladeshis. The study argues that while the contexts and life experiences between IRGC Hazara and Bangladeshi terror group recruits are quite distinct, they are similarly motivated by narratives that emphasize the creation of a strong ideological and religious community based on alienation defined by a lack of desired and expected upward social mobility and profound failures of basic governance
Impact of eHealth education to reduce anemia among school-going adolescent girls in rural Bangladesh: Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial
No full textAdolescent girls are highly vulnerable to developing anemia due to reproductive immaturity, poor personal hygiene, and lack of nutritional intake and health education in rural Bangladesh. Digital health technology is a promising tool to overcome barriers and provide appropriate health guidelines. We aim to evaluate eHealth education's impact and changes in adolescent girls' knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding anemia. A 1:1 parallel randomized control trial was conducted among school-going adolescent girls in rural Bangladesh. A total of 138 anemic (mild and moderate) participants were enrolled. We randomized schools to reduce the health education bias through a simple coin toss technique, then allocated participants to the intervention group (n = 69) and control group (n = 69) by stratified random sampling technique. The intervention group received two online counseling sessions and 8-month eHealth education through mobile phone calls and short message service regarding anemia. The control group received the usual care. The primary endpoint changes the anemic level through changing knowledge, healthy lifestyle behavior, and an iron-rich food dietary plan. Per-protocol analysis will utilize to compare the control and intervention groups using SPSS software. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, mean, SD) will be employed, and continuous variables will be compared using the t-test/Mann–Whitney test. Two-way analysis of variance will assess outcome variables at baseline, 4 months, and 8 months. The 8-month intervention is designed from May 2022 to February 2023. Participants' age range of 10-14 years was 60.9% in the intervention group and 56.5% in the control group. Among the participants, 89.9% and 88.4% were mild anemic; 11.11 (SD ± 0.80) and 11.06 (SD ± 0.96) were mean hemoglobin in the intervention and control groups, respectively. eHealth education is expected to be an effective way to increase knowledge and healthy behavioral change, which can reduce the anemia burden among adolescent girls
