Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Continuation of Treatment among the OPD Geriatric Patients

The aim of the study was to identify the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on continuation of treatment among the OPD geriatric patients.Quantita­tive research study has been conducted.A descriptive research design and convenience sampling technique were used to pick a total of 100 samples,(n=100).Self-structured socio demographic questionnaire and self struc­tured interview method were used to collect the data in November 2020 at tertiary care hospitals,Bhubaneswar,Odisha,India.The collected data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics.Comparison of three categories of COVID-19 pandemic factors affecting in availing OPD ser­vices reveals that the psychological factor has more effect(73%)followed by hospital related factors(68%)and the availability of public transporta­tion and resources(62%)has less effect in availing OPD services among patients during COVID-19 pandemic.Application of chi square test reveals that there is no significant relationship of intensity of COVID-19 pandemic factors affecting in availing OPD services among patients with selected socio demographic variables.These findings suggest that facility for san­itization of hospital premises,facility for social distancing in registration counter,waiting area and other areas of hospital are not quite satisfactory.Factors like availability of public transport,availability of healthcare per­sonnel’s in OPD,adequacy of treatment facility,cost of medical services,availability of diagnostic services,are highly affecting geriatric patients in availing OPD services during COVID-19 pandemic and need to be taken care.

Electrochemical Corrosion Behavior of the Laser Continuous Heat Treatment Welded Joints of 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel

The electrochemical corrosion behaviors of the welded joints of 2205 duplex stainless steel with the laser continuous heat treatment were investigated. The secondary austenite formation is the outcome of thermodynamic equilibrium breach of the alloy during heat treatment and the result of the continuous heat treatment which has the most important effect on the weld material. The partitioning behaviors of chromium and molybdenum as well as the volume fraction of ferrite and austenite have a remarkable influence on the composition of the individual phase. Mechanical examination of the laser trated weld demonstrates that the tensile strength and yield strength increase with increasing the amount of the secondary austenite. It is shown that the ultimate tensile strength of the 6 kW laser-treated weld is higher about 20 MPa than no heat treatment weld and the ductility can be further improved without compromising strength. The results indicate that the welding alters the corrosion behavior because of different post heat treatment power and the broad active peak is not identified which is attributed to the dissolution of the secondary austenitic in the ferrite phase. It is indicated that pitting resistance equivalent （PRE） values of base metal and 6 kW weld are higher than that of other welds; base metal is 33.7, 6 kW weld 33.3, no treatment 32.4, 4 kW weld 32.8, 8 kW weld 32.5. The extent of corrosion resistance improvement after reheating treatment is mainly caused by the removal of nitrogen from ferritic regions, which occurred as a consequence of secondary austenite growth.

Study on Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatment to Improve Sizing Performance of Pure Polyester and Polyester/Cotton Yarns

Since polyvinyl alcohol （PVA） as a sizing agent is not environmental friendly, it＇ s imperative to use less or even without PVA in the warp sizing. A set of sizing formulas with the same solid containing rate and different proportion were designed. After sizing practice of pure polyester and polyester/cottan yarns with atmospheric pressure plasma treatment by the set of sizing formulas, sizing quality was compared. The results indicate that strength enhancement rate, elongation reduction rate, and abrasion resistance of pure polyester and polyester/cotton sized yarn are significantly improved by atmospheric pressure plasma treatment. Meanwhile, PVA can be used less, or replaced by acrylic acid size.

Continuous treatment of azo acid dyes by photo-dependent denitrifying sludge

Simultaneous removals of dye and nitrate by photo dependent denitrifying sludge(PDDS) have been demonstrated in a continuous flow bench scale reactor. The best C/N for the degradation of azo dyes by PDDS was 1.5. The specific removal rate of azo dye AB92 decreased with a decrease in hydraulic retention time and increased with a decrease in solids retention time. The degradation rate of TOC decreased with a decrease in hydraulic retention time. AB92, which has nitro and hydroxyl substitutions in non para positions, was uniquely degraded. During continuous flow treatment experiments using PDDS, complete degradation of azo dyes AB92 and AO20 at influent concentrations of 40 mg/L and 30 mg/L, respectively, was achieved with an HRT of 16.

Continuous Biological Treatment of Ozone Pre-treated Membrane Concentrates of Deinking Wastewater Streams from Pulp and Paper Industry

The implementation of the European WFD （water framework directive） requires IWRM （integrated water resource management）, an important tool in managing available water resources in the presence of emerging constraints. Pressures caused by variability in water supply cycles, droughts, pollution, industrialization, increasing domestic and commercial demand, inadequate infrastructure, intense urbanization and population growth, and decrepit distribution networks have led to the increasing exploitation of industrial wastewater. Most industrial process has some negative impacts on the environment especially on a catchment scale i.e. water, air and soil quality. In the context of water resources and environmental protection measures, the term ＂sustainable development＂, a development that is compatible with the future gains and environmental protection, is regulated more and more by law. To comply with these emission-based limit values, so-called ＂end-of-pipe-techniques＂ are used. Experimental results show CBT （continuous biological treatment） processes present secondary measures to purify highly contaminated industrial wastewater.

Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life of Tuberculosis Patients in Fako Division, South-West Region of Cameroon

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide. Despite the global impact of TB and treatment received, a gap persists between treatment and quality of life of the patients especially in resource limited countries. This study therefore evaluated the health related quality of life of TB patients and the different factors influencing their quality of life at the post intensive phase of their treatment in the Fako division of the South-West Region of Cameroon. Methods: A hospital based cross sectional study was carried out in 4 tuberculosis treatment centers, namely two regional (Buea and Limbe) and two district (Tiko and Muyuka) hospitals in Fako Division between June and July 2017. One hundred and sixty-seven TB patients were enrolled in the study and relevant information from them was gathered using the SF-36 questionnaire. Various aspects such as their perception of the disease, their socio-demographics and socio-economics conditions were evaluated. Results: Of the 167 participants enrolled in the study, 95 (56.9%) were male and 72 (43.1%) were female. One hundred and thirty-three (79.6%) of the 167 participants were affected by pulmonary tuberculosis and 34 (20.4%) by extra-pulmonary tuberculosis. Fifty-five (32.9%) were HIV positive and 90 (53.9%) had been receiving treatment for 4 - 6 months, 73 (43.7%) for 1 - 3 months and 4 (2.4%) for 7 - 9 months. The lowest and highest scores were recorded on the role limitation due to emotional problems scale (30.54 ± 35.36), and on the social functioning scale (47.68 ± 16.33) respectively. There was a significant difference (p = 0.021), between pulmonary and extra pulmonary tuberculosis (49.15 ± 16.08 vs. 41.91 ± 16.25) on the social functioning. Financial difficulty restraining drug collection affected the general health perception (p = 0.003), vitality (p = 0.007), emotional well-being (p < 0.001) and social functioning (p = 0.05) of the patients. Low income affected the vitality (p = 0.039), emotional well-being (p = 0.015), role limitations due to physical (p = 0.046) and emotional (p = 0.003) problems of the patients. Equally, the HIV status affected their vitality (p < 0.001) and emotional well-being (p = 0.011). Conclusion: The quality of life of the TB patients in the study area was generally poor. Counselling of diagnosed TB patients and provision of financial assistance through a social package can improve the acceptance of the disease during their treatment period to avoid default and relapse.

Activated carbon supported TiO_2 -photocatalysis doped with Fe ions for continuous treatment of dye wastewater in a dynamic reactor

Fe-doped TiO 2 coated on activated carbon （Fe-TiO 2 /AC, FTA） composites were prepared by an improved sol-gel method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and BET surface area analysis. Obtained FTA composites were applied to the continuous treatment of dye wastewater in a dynamic reactor. The effects of Fe ion content, catalyst content, UV-lamp power and flowrate of the continuous treatment of dye wastewater on degradation efficiency were analyzed to determine the optimum operating conditions of dye wastewater degradation. Continuous photocatalytic experiments provided interesting results that FTA had a high chemical oxygen demand （COD） removal rate compared with TiO 2 , Fe doped TiO 2 （FT） and TiO 2 coated on activated carbon （TA）. In particular, when using the FTA catalyst with a Fe ion content of 0.33%, the kinetic content （k = 0.0376） of COD removal was more than the sum of both TA （0.0205） and 0.33% FT （0.0166）. FTA showed a high photoactivity because of a synergistic effect between Fe ions and AC on TiO 2 , which is higher than the individual effects of AC or Fe ions on TiO 2 . Additionally, for the photocatalytic degradation of dye wastewater, the optimum Fe ion content, catalyst content, UV-lamp power and flowrate were 0.33%, 6 g/L, 60 W （two lamps） and 300 mL/hr, respectively. An investigation of catalyst reuse revealed that the 0.33% FTA showed almost no deactivation in photocatalytic degradation of naturally treated wastewater.

Microstructural Characterization of Welded Joint in Duplex Stainless Steel by Laser Continuous Heat Treatment

Microstructural characterization in fusion zone of the laser continuous heat treatment welded joint was in vestigated. The results showed that the martensite-like microstructure is the face centered cubic （FCC） crystal structure so that it can be identified as the secondary austenite. The dislocation is observed inside and outside the seconda ry austenite, whereas inclusion is not found in the vicinity of the secondary austenite. In the fusion zone, there is a kind of carbide precipitate which is identified as M23 C6 by the means of transmission electron microscope （TEM）. The carbide precipitate is a representative mode of transformation, which can be generated by the eutectoid reaction. Furthermore, the formation mechanisms of the secondary austenite and chromium carbide are analyzed.

Secondary Austenite Morphologies in Fusion Zone of Welded Joint after Postweld Heat Treatment with a Continuous Wave Laser

In order to improve the weldability of duplex stainless steels,obtaining more secondary austenite in the weld metal is an effective way.Therefore,optimizing the secondary austenite by changing its morphology,volume fraction and stability may be expected to enhance the ductility of the weld.The secondary austenite morphologies in the fusion zone of the laser continuously heat treated welds of 2205 duplex stainless steel were investigated.The secondary austenite morphologies were found to be influenced by different laser power level.The secondary austenite with penniform,freely grown and dendritic shape appeared in the course of 4,6 and 8 kW continuous heat treatment,respectively.It was found that there were three kinds of morphologies of secondary austenite in the fusion zone treated by different power,i.e.,widmannst¨atten austenite,grain boundary austenite and intragranular austenite.The results demonstrated that the mechanism of the secondary austenite formation was a displacement mechanism during the initial austenite lath formation and a diffusion mechanism during cooling.The nitrides provided the nitrogen for the transformation and at the same time acted as nucleation sites for the secondary austenite.

Effects of hydrogenation temperature on room-temperature compressive properties of CMHT-treated Ti6Al4V alloy

Compression tests were performed at room temperature to investigate the effects of hydrogenation temperature on compressive properties of Ti6 Al4 V alloy treated by continuous multistep hydrogenation treatment(CMHT).Pressure-composition isotherms and micro structures were also studied.Results showed that the equilibrium hydrogen pressure increased,and the hydrogen absorption rate decreased with the increase of hydrogenation temperature.The amounts ofβphase andα"martensite increased first and then decreased when Ti6 Al4 V alloy was treated by four times CMHT with the increase of hydrogenation temperature.Hydrogenation temperature played a different role on the compressive properties of CMHT-treated Ti6 Al4 V alloy.The ultimate compression of Ti6 Al4 V alloy treated by 11 times CMHT at850℃increased by 83.3%as compared to the as-received Ti6 Al4 V alloy.The compressive properties of Ti6 Al4 V alloy were dependent on the amounts of different phases and microstructures when Ti6 Al4 V alloy was treated by CMHT at different temperatures.