Experimental study on micro-electrolysis technology for pharmaceutical wastewater treatment

Experiments were conducted to study the role of micro-electrolysis in removng chromaticity and COD and improving the biodegradability of pharmaceutical wastewater.The results showed that the use of micro-electrolysis technology could remove more than 90% of chromaticity and more than 50% of COD and greatly improved the biodegradability of phamaceutical wastewater.Lower initial pH could be advantageous to the removal of chromaticity .A retention time of 30 minutes was recommended for the process design of micro-electrolysis.     

Integration of geoscience and engineering in the oil industry - just a dream?

The past two decades of the twentieth century have been very 'rocky' for the oil industry, as shown by the overall negative perception of the oil companies by the general public. Fluctuating oil prices, many rounds of staff redundancies, environmental disasters and budget cuts supported the overall image of the oil industry as being 'the technology impaired and environmentally insensible giant'. But advances and positive changes have been quietly happening in most of the oil companies. In the twenty-first century, we will witness the metamorphosis of the oil and gas companies into energy businesses - the era of cleaner and safer oil and gas production, and alternative energy resources such as wind, solar and hydrogen is already underway.     

Are topological relations dependent on the shape of spatial objects?

Topology is normally considered as independent of shape of spatial objects. This may not necessarily be true in describing relations between spatial objects in GIS. In this paper, we present proof that the topological relations between spatial objects are dependent on the shape of spatial objects. That is, that the topological relations of non-convex sets cannot be deformed to the topological relations of convex sets. The significant theoretical value of this paper is on its findings that topology of spatial objects is shape dependent. This indicates that when we want to describe topological relations between spatial objects in GIS, both topology and the shape of objects need to be considered. As a result, spatial data modeling, query and analysis based on the existing understanding of topology of spatial objects may need re-assessed.     

Hydroxyapatites enriched in silicon – Bioceramic materials for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications

Hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, abbreviated as HA) plays a crucial role in implantology, dentistry and bone surgery. Due to its considerable similarity to the inorganic fraction of the mineralized tissues (bones, enamel and dentin), it is used as component in many bone substitutes, coatings of metallic implants and dental materials. Biomaterial engineering often takes advantage of HA capacity for partial ion substitution because the incorporation of different ions in the HA structure leads to materials with improved biological or physicochemical properties. The objective of the work is to provide an overview of current knowledge about apatite materials substituted with silicon ions. Although the exact mechanism of action of silicon in the bone formation process has not been fully elucidated, research has shown beneficial effects of this element on bone matrix mineralization as well as on collagen type I synthesis and stabilization. The paper gives an account of the functions of silicon in bone tissue and outlines the present state of research on synthetic HA containing silicate ions (Si-HA). Finally, methods of HA production as well as potential and actual applications of HA materials modified with silicon ions are discussed.