Efficient adsorption of hexavalent chromium ions onto novel ferrochrome slag/polyaniline nanocomposite: ANN modeling, isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamic studies.

The current research is concerned with the adsorption behavior of chromium (IV) ions in an aqueous solution using a novel ferrochrome slag/polyaniline nanocomposite (FeCr-PANI) adsorbent. The effect of process parameters such as temperature, pH solution, initial Cr (VI) ions concentration, adsorbent dosage, and contact time on the adsorption process is experimentally investigated in this study. Furthermore, we have trained a multilayer artificial neural network (ANN) using the experimental data of various process parameters to successfully predict the adsorption behavior of chromium (IV) ions onto the FeCr-PANI adsorbent.

Conductive Polymers and Their Nanocomposites as Adsorbents in Environmental Applications.

Proper treatment and disposal of industrial pollutants of all kinds are a global issue that presents significant techno-economical challenges. The presence of pollutants such as heavy metal ions (HMIs) and organic dyes (ODs) in wastewater is considered a significant problem owing to their carcinogenic and toxic nature. Additionally, industrial gaseous pollutants (GPs) are considered to be harmful to human health and may cause various environmental issues such as global warming, acid rain, smog and air pollution, etc.

Biochemical Defense Response: Characterizing the Plasticity of Source and Sink in Spring Wheat under Terminal Heat Stress.

Wheat is highly prone to terminal heat stress (HS) under late-sown conditions. Delayed- sowing is one of the preferred methods to screen the genotypes for thermotolerance under open field conditions. We investigated the effect of terminal HS on the thermotolerance of four popular genotypes of wheat i.

Cbl-b regulates antigen-induced TCR down-regulation and IFN-gamma production by effector CD8 T cells without affecting functional avidity.

The E3 ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b is a negative regulator of TCR signaling that: 1) sets the activation threshold for T cells; 2) is induced in anergic T cells; and 3) protects against autoimmunity. However, the role of Cbl-b in regulating CD8 T cell activation and functions during physiological T cell responses has not been systematically examined. Using the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection model, we show that Cbl-b deficiency did not significantly affect the clonal expansion of virus-specific CD8 T cells.

Repair of extrahepatic biliary duct over T-tube.

Objective: To evaluate the result of surgical procedures adopted for repair of iatrogenic injuries of extrahepatic biliary tract over T-tube.

Methods: An interventional study conducted at Surgical Unit 1 of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi; and private hospitals in Karachi, from 1974 to 2004 (30 years). All the iatrogenic injuries of extrahepatic biliary tract during open cholecystectomies were recorded.

Repair of extrahepatic biliary duct.

A new technique is reported for repair of extrahepatic biliary tract injury at the confluence of right and left hepatic and common bile duct. This is an experience of 03 cases of such an injury. We used T-tube, angulated in such a way as to make a Y-tube with short limbs for right hepatic duct and left hepatic duct.

Progressive hair coil strangulation of penis.

Strangulation of penis by hair strands is a well-known, but uncommon clinical entity. We report two cases occurring in circumcised boys causing progressive painless disfigurement of penis with strands of hair coiled around the penile shafts, strangulating the penis. Primary repair was done in one case and delayed primary repair was done in the other, both with satisfactory results.

Molecular characterization of multidrug-resistant isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from patients in North India.

The World Health Organization has identified India as a major hot-spot region for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. We have characterized the sequences of the loci associated with multidrug resistance in 126 clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis from India to identify the respective mutations.