The commercialization of CO2 utilization technology to produce formic acid is imminent

Development of a CCU process for formic acid production with both economic and environmental viability. Expected to expedite the commercialization of CCU through the world's largest-scale demonstration.

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

 

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FLOWCHART OF THE PROCESS (ABOVE) FOR PRODUCING FORMIC ACID THROUGH THE CONVERSION OF NEWLY DEVELOPED CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) USING CARBON CAPTURE & UTILIZATION (CCU), AND PILOT-SCALE PROCESS VERIFICATION DATA (BELOW).

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CREDIT: KOREA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

CCU (Carbon Capture & Utilization), which captures CO2 and converts it into useful compounds, is crucial for rapidly transitioning to a carbon-neutral society. While CCS (Carbon Capture & Storage), which only involves CO2 storage, has entered the initial commercialization stage due to its relatively simple process and low operational costs, CCU has only been explored at the research level due to the complexity of conversion processes and high production costs of compounds.

Dr. Lee Ung's team at the Clean Energy Research Center of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, Director Oh Sang Rok) announced the development of a novel CCU process that converts CO2 into formic acid. Formic acid, an organic acid, is a high-value compound used in various industries such as leather, food, and pharmaceuticals. Currently formic acid retains a large market consuming around one million tons annually, which is expected to grow in the future owing to its potential use as a hydrogen carrier. Moreover, it has a higher production efficiency compared to other CCU-based chemicals, as it can be produced from a single CO2 molecule.

The research team selected 1-methylpyrrolidine, which exhibited the highest CO2 conversion rate among various amines mediating formic acid production reactions, and optimized the operating temperature and pressure of the reactor containing a ruthenium (Ru)-based catalyst, thereby increasing the CO2 conversion rate to over twice the current level of 38%. Furthermore, to address the excessive energy consumption and formic acid decomposition issues during CO2 separation from air or exhaust gases and formic acid purification, the team developed a simultaneous capture-conversion process that directly converts CO2 captured within the amine without separating it. As a result, they significantly reduced the formic acid production cost from around $790 per ton to $490 per ton while mitigating CO2 emissions, compared to conventional formic acid production.

To evaluate the commercialization potential of the developed formic acid production process, the research team constructed the world's largest pilot plant capable of producing 10 kg of formic acid per day. Previous CCU studies were conducted on a small scale in laboratories and did not consider the product purification process required for large-scale production. However, the research team developed processes and materials to minimize corrosion and formic acid decomposition, and optimized operating conditions that led to successful production of formic acid with a purity exceeding 92%.

The team plans to complete a 100 kg per day pilot plant by 2025 and conduct process verification, aiming for commercialization by 2030. Success in process verification with the 100 kg pilot plant is expected to enable transportation and sales to demand companies.

Dr. Lee Ung stated, "Through this research, we have confirmed the commercialization potential of our process that converts CO2 to formic acid, which is a huge breakthrough considering that most CCU technologies are being conducted at lab-scale." He further expressed his intention to contribute to achieving the country's carbon neutrality goal by accelerating the commercialization of CCU. .

A depiction of the pilot-scale demonstration process in operation. It consists of a reaction section, separation section, recycling, and vacuum systems, enabling stable continuous operation and enhancing commercialization potential.

CREDIT

Korea Institute of Science and Technology

KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research. For more information, please visit KIST’s website at https://eng.kist.re.kr/

This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Lee Jong-Ho) as part of KIST's major projects and the Carbon-to-X project(2020M3H7A1098271). The research results were published in the latest issue of the international journal "Joule" (IF 39.8, JCR top 0.9%).

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JOURNAL

Joule

DOI

10.1016/j.joule.2024.01.003 

ARTICLE TITLE

Accelerating the net-zero economy with CO2-hydrogenated formic acid production: Process development and pilot plant demonstration

Nanoparticle catalysts convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide to make useful compounds

NEWS RELEASE 6-MAY-2024

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY PRESS

 

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THE IMAGE TO THE LEFT DEPICTS Β-MO2C NANOPARTICLES SUPPORTED ON SIO2 (Β-MO2C/SIO2). THE GRAPH ON THE RIGHT REPRESENTS THE INCREASED CATALYTIC ACTIVITY OF Β-MO2C/SIO2 IN CO PRODUCTION RATE IN THE RWGS REACTION COMPARED TO BULK Β-MO2C, REPRESENTED BY THE BLACK BAR. EACH BAR REPRESENTS A DIFFERENT PERCENTAGE OF MO2C LOADING WEIGHT BASED ON THE MASS OF THE SIO2 SUPPORT. CATALYTIC ACTIVITY FOR THIS DATA WAS MEASURED AT 400°C.

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CREDIT: CARBON FUTURE, TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY PRESS

As a greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide (CO2) contributes to climate change as it accumulates in the atmosphere. One way to reduce the amount of unwanted CO2 in the atmosphere is to convert the gas into a useful carbon product that can be used to generate valuable compounds. A recent study attached nanoparticle of beta phase molybdenum carbide (β-Mo2C) catalysts on a silicon dioxide (SiO2) support to speed the conversion of CO2 into more useful carbon monoxide (CO) gas.

 

CO2 is a very stable molecule, which makes conversion of the greenhouse gas into other molecules challenging. Catalysts can be used in chemical reactions to lower the amount of energy required to form or break chemical bonds and are used in the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction to convert CO2 and hydrogen gas (H2) into CO and water (H2O). Importantly, the CO gas produced by the reaction is called syngas, or synthesis gas, when combined with H2 and can be used as a carbon source to create other important compounds.

 

Traditional catalysts in the RWGS reaction are made from precious metals, including platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd) and gold (Au), limiting the cost efficiency of the reaction. Because of this, new catalyst materials and formation methods are developed to increase the practicality of the RWGS reaction as a means of lowering atmospheric CO2 and generating syngas.

 

In order to address the cost issues of traditional RWGS catalysts, a team of researchers from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign studied the formation and catalytic activity of cheaper nanoparticle β-Mo2C catalysts on a SiO2 support to determine if the lower-cost catalyst could enhance activity levels of β-Mo2C with a silica oxide support in the RWGS reaction.

 

The team published their study in Carbon Future on April 30.

 

“Society is moving towards a carbon-neutral economy. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, thus any technology that can break down the carbon-oxide bond in this molecule and turn carbon into a value-added chemical could be of great interest. One important C1 chemical is carbon monoxide, which is an essential feedstock to produce a range of products, such as synthetic fuels and vitamin A,” said Hong Yang, Alkire chair professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and senior author of the paper.

 

Specifically, the researchers synthesized β-Mo2C nanoparticle catalysts absorbed onto a SiO2 support (β-Mo2C/SiO2). The amorphous structure of the SiO2 support was critical for nanoparticle formation, activity and stability of the β-Mo2C/SiO2 catalyst. The team additionally tested cesium (Ce), magnesium (Mg), titanium (Ti) and aluminum (Al) oxides as potential supports, but catalyst on SiO2 produced the best catalyst formation at the temperature of 650°C.

 

“It appears the disordered nature of amorphous silica, which behaves like glue to catalyst nanoparticles, is a key factor of our success in achieving high metal loading and the corresponding high activity,” said Siying Yu, graduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and co-author of the paper.

 

Importantly, the SiO2 catalyst support structure improves the catalytic activity of β-Mo2C 8-fold compared to bulk β-Mo2C. Even with improved catalytic activity, the β-Mo2C/SiO2 catalyst demonstrated high CO conversion and increased stability compared to bulk β-Mo2C in RWGS reactions.

 

“A major discovery of our work is a new process for producing high metal-loading catalysts made of molybdenum carbide nanoparticles. Such metal carbide catalysts are developed for converting carbon dioxide into carbon oxide at high production rate and selectivity,” said Andrew Kuhn, former graduate student in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and first author of the paper.

 

The researchers performed their study under reaction conditions that favored conversion to CO gas, with a H2:CO2 ratio equal to 1:1. This ratio differs from the more commonly tested ratio of less than 3:1. Reactions were also performed at temperatures between 300 to 600°C. Under these conditions, the team produced more concentrated CO, which is more efficient for downstream compound synthesis.

 

The team sees this research as a launching point for other catalysts that leverage support structures to increase activity. “Our ability to synthesize phase-pure metal carbide nanomaterials at high loading opens the door for the development of new catalysts for the process of CO2 utilization,” said Yang. “I hope through in-depth study of the synthesis-structure-property relationship of this catalyst we will soon be able to uncover new important applications for value-added conversion of CO2 and the sustainable development of our economy.”

 

Other contributors include Rachel Park, Di Gao and Cheng Zhang from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Urbana, Illinois; and Yuanhui Zhang from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

 

This research was supported by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign start-up fund.

 

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About Carbon Future

Carbon Future is an open access, peer-reviewed and international interdisciplinary journal, published by Tsinghua University Press and exclusively available via SciOpen. Carbon Future reports carbon-related materials and processes, including catalysis, energy conversion and storage, as well as low carbon emission process and engineering. Carbon Future will publish Research Articles, Reviews, Minireviews, Highlights, Perspectives, and News and Views from all aspects concerned with carbon. Carbon Future will publish articles that focus on, but not limited to, the following areas: carbon-related or -derived materials, carbon-related catalysis and fundamentals, low carbon-related energy conversion and storage, low carbon emission chemical processes.

About SciOpen 

SciOpen is a professional open access resource for discovery of scientific and technical content published by the Tsinghua University Press and its publishing partners, providing the scholarly publishing community with innovative technology and market-leading capabilities. SciOpen provides end-to-end services across manuscript submission, peer review, content hosting, analytics, and identity management and expert advice to ensure each journal’s development by offering a range of options across all functions as Journal Layout, Production Services, Editorial Services, Marketing and Promotions, Online Functionality, etc. By digitalizing the publishing process, SciOpen widens the reach, deepens the impact, and accelerates the exchange of ideas.

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JOURNAL

Carbon Future

DOI

10.26599/CF.2024.9200011 

ARTICLE TITLE

Valorization of carbon dioxide into C1 product via reverse water gas shift reaction using oxide-supported molybdenum carbides

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

30-Apr-2024

 

Scientists cooked pancakes, Brussels sprouts, and stir fry to detect an oxidant indoors for the first time

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

A feast cooked up by UBC researchers has revealed singlet oxygen indoors for the first time.

Oxi-don’t

Singlet oxygen is an oxidant. These chemical compounds can be beneficial—ozone in the stratosphere is one example—but can also cause stress to our lungs, contributing to the development of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease in the long term.

Cooking foods can release brown carbon, molecules with the potential to create oxidants when they absorb light. In addition, exposure to cooking emissions has been linked to chronic diseases in chefs.

Historically, it was thought there wasn’t enough light indoors to have much reactive chemistry, but there are many light sources in modern kitchens.

Sprouts + sunlight = oxidant

UBC researchers thought if all the right ingredients were in place—namely, cooking in a lit area—they might find singlet oxygen indoors where it had never been detected.

They investigated by cooking three meals representing breakfast, lunch and dinner: pancakes, Brussels sprouts, and vegetable stir fry, sampling the air and exposing it to three different types of light: UV, sunlight, and fluorescent.

They detected singlet oxygen at around the same concentration for all three dishes. However, its highest concentration occurred in sunlit experiments, meaning naturally lit kitchens likely see more of this oxidant.

Venting is healthy

The COVID-19 pandemic has helped raise public awareness of indoor air quality.

The researchers recommend ventilation and air filtration in kitchens to reduce exposure to aerosols while cooking.

“Our next steps include determining just how this oxidant might affect humans and how much we’re breathing in when we cook. Could it play a role in some cooking-related diseases?” said senior author Dr. Nadine Borduas-Dedekind, UBC chemistry assistant professor.

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DOI

10.1039/D3EA00167A 

 

Understanding disaster response: NSF Career Award supports University of Oklahoma engineer’s research on information sharing

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

 

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ARIF SADRI, PH.D., AN ASSISTANT ENGINEERING PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA, RECENTLY RECEIVED A FACULTY EARLY CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARD, KNOWN AS A CAREER AWARD, FROM THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW WE COMMUNICATE DURING THESE DISASTERS.

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CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

NORMAN, OKLA. – Understanding how communities share information during disasters is more crucial than ever because of the recurring and unpredictable nature of storms, floods, tornadoes and earthquakes. Arif Sadri, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, recently received a Faculty Early Career Development Award, known as a CAREER award, from the National Science Foundation to better understand how we communicate during these disasters.

Sadri’s project, jointly funded by NSF’s Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences program, Human Networks and Data Science program, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, aims to enhance community disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts.

“Communities share information about disaster risks differently, likely leading to uneven distributions of survival resources and communication that fails to foster trust. Understanding how people are connected in a community can reveal key insights into who lacks access to resources, who plays a key role, and how information about risks and resources can spread during disasters,” Sadri said.

The research project, titled “Risk-Sharing Communication Networks for Compound Disasters,” spans from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2029, with an award amount of $506,797. Sadri hopes to introduce the concept of the risk-sharing commons primarily to the disaster research community and aims to address the risk-sharing communication challenges to foster resilience in at-risk communities.

With firsthand exposure to Oklahoma’s tornadoes and Florida’s hurricanes, Sadri recognizes the importance of his research.

“This research is from the core of my heart,” said Sadri, who is trained as a civil engineer with a background in transportation engineering and network science. “Understanding the dynamics of communal resource usage, or “commons,” is essential to my work, particularly in the context of disaster preparedness.”

Sadri highlights the importance of geographical sciences in determining community parameters, ranging from local to regional and rural to urban settings. “Social networks are not confined by physical proximity; trust can extend across distances, such as my mom’s influence from Bangladesh in South Asia,” he said.

His research draws on Elinor Ostrom’s Nobel Prize-winning work on the economic governance of the commons.

“We see the risks associated with the overuse of shared resources, such as a village pond overfished by some, impacting the livelihoods of others. This concept extends to modern-day risk-sharing commons, where communities depend on each other for information and resources during crises.

“Whether it is assessing the severity of a threat or coordinating protective actions like evacuation or resource sharing, this interconnectedness stresses the need for coordinated responses. With the increasing frequency and severity of disasters due to climate change, it is imperative to rely on credible and trustworthy information channels,” Sadri said.

The interdisciplinary approach combines qualitative and quantitative research methods to gain a fundamental understanding of risk communication dynamics in disaster scenarios. For the project, Sadri and his research team have started investigating how people and communities navigate complex communication networks before, during and after disasters. He says he will enhance the understanding of risk-sharing decisions and information cascades by analyzing these local social and social media networks, conducting observational research, and using advanced network science methods.

“I am excited about exploring how social media and face-to-face networks intersect in risk communication,” Sadri said. “In times of crisis, timely and accurate information can mean the difference between life and death. By studying how communities share risks and resources, we can develop more systematic approaches to disaster response.”

The interdisciplinary project integrates geographical sciences, social networks, and data science to address these complex problems. CAREER awards also require integrating research with education. Sadri says he plans to empower community volunteers and stakeholders in disaster response efforts.

The project includes a learning aspect for residents, community volunteers and organizations like the Red Cross. “I hope to translate my research in a way that the community volunteers can learn something out of it. I hope they will get to better know and build their networks based on this research,” Sadri said.

Learn more at Sadri’s research.

About the project:

The project, titled “Risk-Sharing Communication Networks for Compound Disasters,” spans from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2029, with an award amount of $506,797. The project is jointly funded by the National Science Foundation’s Human-Environmental and Geographic Sciences Program, Human Networks and Data Science Program and Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research co-funding as part of award #2339100.

About the University of Oklahoma

Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. OU was named the state’s highest-ranking university in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent Best Colleges list. For more information, visit ou.edu.

SwRI’s Herron named 2024 ASSP Safety Professional of the Year

Safety engineer recognized for achievement in occupational safety and health

SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

 

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THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY PROFESSIONALS (ASSP) HAS NAMED SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE’S MATTHEW HERRON, M.S., P.E., CSP, CPE, ITS 2024 SAFETY PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR. THE AWARD IS PRESENTED ANNUALLY TO AN ASSP MEMBER WHO DEMONSTRATES OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH (OSH) FIELD WHILE ALSO ADVANCING THE OSH PROFESSION OVERALL.

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CREDIT: SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

SAN ANTONIO — May 6, 2024 —The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has named Southwest Research Institute’s Matthew Herron, M.S., P.E., CSP, CPE, its 2024 Safety Professional of the Year. The award is presented annually to an ASSP member who demonstrates outstanding achievement in the occupational safety and health (OSH) field while also advancing the OSH profession overall.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized by the ASSP as Safety Professional of the Year,” said Herron, a lead safety engineer in SwRI’s Mechanical Engineering Division. “I firmly believe it’s our duty as safety professionals to protect and empower those around us and continuously strive for excellence in fostering a culture of safety. It’s tremendously rewarding to be able to implement programs and practices that protect others.”

Herron has been an ASSP member since 2011 and is an advisory board member for the ASSP’s Engineering Practice Specialty and the Ergonomics Practice Specialty. He serves as the ASSP Regional Vice President for Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. In this role, he oversees 13 ASSP chapters and 12 student sections. Herron is also involved in organizing the region’s annual Student Leadership Conference.

“I’m very proud to see Matt receive this well-deserved honor,” said Shane Siebenaler, director of SwRI’s Fluids Engineering Department and manager of the Mechanical Engineering Division’s Safety Team. “He has had a vital role in reinforcing and improving the safety culture of our division. Our work environment includes hazards that range from explosives to high-pressure hydrogen to radioactive sources, and Matt has developed many of our daily safety procedures. His dedication to safety has had a tremendous impact on all of us.”

Herron earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of West Georgia in 2006. He was a product test and calibration technician before discovering his calling as a safety engineer. He earned a master’s degree in industrial and operations engineering, with a concentration in occupational safety engineering and ergonomics, from the University of Michigan in 2011. He joined SwRI in 2016.

At SwRI, Herron developed the Safety 360 Program, which empowers employees to proactively identify and report unsafe conditions and at-risk behaviors in the workplace and provides suggestions to correct these issues. He implemented the 6S Methodology, based on Toyota’s 5S program, emphasizing organization to maximize efficiency and minimize risk.

In 2023, Herron was named the ASSP Council on Practices and Standards’ 2023 Safety Professional of the Year in recognition of his outstanding achievements and contributions to ASSP’s practice specialty and common interest group communities. He received the ASSP Emerging Professional Award in 2020, recognizing his leadership, volunteerism and desire to impact workplace safety. In 2019, he received the National Safety Council Rising Stars of Safety award, which honors individuals under the age of 40 who play a significant role to positively influence and promote their company’s safety culture and leadership.

Herron will receive a commemorative engraved award and a $2,000 honorarium at the ASSP Safety 2024 Conference and Expo in August.

For more information, visit https://www.swri.org/technical-divisions/mechanical-engineering.

Assessing knowledge and first-aid practice scores of caregivers of epilepsy patients before and after an educational program in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This article by Dr. Mathumalar Loganathan and colleagues is published in the journal, The Open Public Health Journal

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS

Epilepsy is a neurological condition characterized by recurrent seizures, which can lead to various psychological problems. While most cases are idiopathic, some may result from brain injury, stroke, or genetic mutations. In children, seizures can have different origins and sensitivity to drugs, requiring careful consideration by doctors. Symptoms range from mild to severe, including confusion, staring spells, uncontrollable movements, and loss of consciousness. The prevalence of epilepsy in Saudi Arabia is significant, with studies indicating insufficient knowledge among the public and schoolteachers.

A recent study conducted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has assessed the effectiveness of an educational program aimed at improving the knowledge and first-aid skills of caregivers of epilepsy patients. The study, titled "Assessing Knowledge and First-aid Practice Scores of Caregivers of Epilepsy Patients Before and After an Educational Programme," provides valuable insights into the impact of education on epilepsy care in Saudi Arabia.

A multidisciplinary team of researcher’s form Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and The Netherlands conducted a survey before and after an intervention, in neurology clinics throughout Saudi Arabia, focusing on the local community. Information was gathered through a pretested, semi-structured questionnaire administered by interviewers.

Before the intervention, a survey involving 586 caregivers revealed that nearly 60% lacked sufficient knowledge about epilepsy. However, after the educational program, this percentage decreased significantly to 23.2%. Similarly, prior to the intervention, 84% of caregivers lacked adequate knowledge of first-aid practices, which decreased to 32.4% post-education. Residence in Western regions of Saudi Arabia was associated with lower scores in first-aid practice knowledge, both before and after the intervention. Conversely, having a university degree or higher education was positively correlated with higher knowledge scores, both pre-intervention (T=-4.564; p<0.001) and post-intervention (T=-2.775; p=0.025). Additionally, caregivers over 50 years old exhibited significantly lower mean first-aid practice knowledge scores (F=7.771; p=0.001).

Prior to educational interventions, caregivers demonstrated poor general and first-aid practice knowledge, which significantly improved following the interventions. Targeted educational health promotion initiatives could effectively raise awareness among individuals with lower education levels and older caregivers, especially those residing in the Western regions of Saudi Arabia.

 

Read the full text articles in The Open Pubic Health Journal here: http://bit.ly/3xT6iet

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JOURNAL

The Open Public Health Journal

DOI

10.2174/0118749445252851231228055621 

ARTICLE TITLE

Assessing Knowledge and First-aid Practice Scores of Caregivers of Epilepsy Patients Before and After an Educational Programme in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

 

A better way to ride a motorcycle

Study predicts motorcycle riding postures to support ergonomic trade-offs

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

 

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JUSTIN DAVIDSON, BIOMECHANICS PHD CANDIDATE IN THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO'S DEPARTMENT OF KINESIOLOGY AND HEALTH SCIENCES, USING A DIGITAL HUMAN MODEL TO ANALYZE THE POSTURE OF A MOTORCYCLE RIDER.

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CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

Motorcycles are designed to accommodate the average-sized rider, leaving taller and shorter riders vulnerable to discomfort.

A new study from the University of Waterloo used software that predicted realistic motorcycle riding behaviours, considering human factors and ergonomic trade-offs. It found that shorter and taller statures require joint adjustments to achieve their preferred riding posture.

Taller riders are required to flex their ankles, knees, hips and elbows more to interact with the motorcycle properly, and shorter riders have fewer options in possible joint angle configurations, allowing them to reach the seat, handlebars and foot pegs simultaneously.

The study was conducted using a digital human model (DHM) — a human representation in the form of an avatar of any weight, size or sex — in a virtual environment. The tool allows researchers to observe human interactions with components or products such as motorcycles.

"The use of DHMs in early two-wheeled motor vehicle design could help manufacturers improve safety, posture and comfort, in addition to saving costs," said Justin Davidson, Biomechanics PhD candidate in Waterloo's Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences and co-author of the study.

"If a vehicle manufacturer were to consider using DHMs earlier in their design, it could remove some of the earlier trial and error steps. We can change the design and improve it within the computer software before building anything, making it much cheaper in the long run."

Davidson added that the hope for the future is that companies will improve their designs to accommodate groups that fall outside the average size range, which could be done by studying avatars with various weights, heights and sexes within the DHM.

The ergonomics of motorcycle riding is a fairly understudied area despite motorcycle riding being an increasingly popular activity around the globe. Davidson suggested that as motorcycle sales increase, motorcycle design companies are trying to find technologies like DHMs to help them gain an edge.

"DHMs aren't as commonly used as they could be, and their potential for early design intervention could be useful not only when applied to motorcycles but for sitting in a car or even sitting in your office," Davidson said.

"Part of our goal in this research is to try to move the field forward in a way that people can use DHM tools more confidently so that we can start intervening and making things better for people earlier on, hopefully making people safer and more comfortable."

The study, authored by Davidson and Waterloo's Dr. Steven Fischer, was recently published in Taylor & Francis online. 

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JOURNAL

Ergonomics

 

Rethinking “socially admitted” patients

CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL

Labelling vulnerable patients in hospital as “socially admitted” may prevent treatment of medical issues, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.231430.

Emergency departments are the last resort for some socially vulnerable people who may not have an acute or new medical issue. They may be seeking care because of a breakdown of supports or the inability of the patient, or their family, to cope with living at home. These people are known colloquially as “social admissions,” and other labels such as “orphan patient,” “failure to cope,” and others have been applied.

“The ‘social admission’ phenomenon is an under-researched area in health care,” writes Dr. Jasmine Mah, an internal medicine resident with an interest in geriatrics at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, with coauthors. “These patients, often categorized by health care providers as not being acutely ill, experience in-hospital death rates as high as 22.2%–34.9%. Explanations may include under-triaging in the emergency department owing to poor recognition of atypical clinical presentations and delays in timely assessments.”

 Furthermore, patients may be misdiagnosed or develop acute illness in hospital.

To better understand this category of patients, researchers undertook a qualitative study to explore the views of health care providers on patients admitted as “social admissions” in Nova Scotia. They identified 9 themes, including stigma, prejudices such as ageism, wait-lists, and other factors that contributed to views about caring for these patients.

“Our findings highlight the potential adverse effects on care when patients are labelled as ‘socially admitted’ (or as ‘orphan patients’ in the study hospital), such as incorrect assumptions about medical needs and cognitive abilities, which impedes opportunities to look for treatable medical issues,” write the authors.

Labelling patients negatively affects their health and can have a negative impact on health care providers. Many providers were conflicted in how to deliver care and felt that these patients deserved care, but almost always from someone else.

“This pattern of downgrading care can lead to situations in which ‘socially admitted’ patients are looked after by team members who possess minimal experience recognizing evolving medical presentations or lack the authority to advocate strongly for clinical reassessments when needed. The implication that the care of ‘social admissions’ should be delegated to others reflects an implicit attitude of hierarchy and detachment from the needs associated with this patient population,” they write.

The authors urge a reform of current structures and hierarchies to improve care for these vulnerable people. 

In a related editorialhttps://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.240577, CMAJ deputy editor and emergency medicine physician Dr. Catherine Varner, with coauthors Dr. Andrew Boozary, a primary care physician and executive director of the UHN Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine, Toronto, and CMAJ editor Dr. Andreas Laupacis, suggests we need to reframe this issue as a policy failure to help solve the problem. In Ontario, for example, alternate level of care policies that punish hospitals and patients for occupying beds despite no longer needing acute care do not solve the problem.

“Punitive policies like these cause distress to patients, families, and providers and have not restored hospital occupancy to manageable levels,” write Dr. Varner and coauthors. “These policies are also at odds with most health care workers’ deep commitment in wanting to do better for patients who are otherwise let down by the broader health and social care systems.”

Embedding collaborative, supportive programs such as multidisciplinary geriatric teams in emergency departments to manage frail older patients and health teams to support vulnerable people are examples of solutions.

“To restore human dignity in health care — to properly address the barriers experienced by patients and the moral distress of health providers — structural factors causing health disparities must be confronted as policy failures, not personal ones,” they conclude.

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JOURNAL

Canadian Medical Association Journal

DOI

10.1503/cmaj.231430 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Managing ‘socially admitted’ patients in hospital: a qualitative study of health care providers’ perceptions

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

6-May-2024

 

Study sheds light on 11th century Arab-Muslim optical scientist whose work laid ground for modern-day physics

UNIVERSITY OF SHARJAH

 

IMAGE: 

IBN AL-HAYTHAM (“ALHASEN”) ON THE LEFT PEDESTAL OF REASON [WHILE GALILEO IS ON THE RIGHT PEDESTAL OF THE SENSES] AS SHOWN ON THE FRONTISPIECE OF THE SELENOGRAPHIA (SCIENCE OF THE MOON; 1647) OF JOHANNES HEVELIUSIBN AL-HAYTHAM (“ALHASEN”) ON THE LEFT PEDESTAL OF REASON [WHILE GALILEO IS ON THE RIGHT PEDESTAL OF THE SENSES] AS SHOWN ON THE FRONTISPIECE OF THE SELENOGRAPHIA (SCIENCE OF THE MOON; 1647) OF JOHANNES HEVELIUS

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CREDIT: PUBLIC DOMAIN PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR

Scientists from the University of Sharjah and the Warburg Institute are poring over the writings of an 11th century Arab-Muslim polymath to demonstrate their impact on the development of optical sciences and how they have fundamentally transformed the history of physics from the Middle Ages up to modern times in Europe.

Their research focuses on the legacy of al-Ḥasan Ibn al-Haytham known in Latin as “Alhazen” and particularly his most influential work titled Book of Optics, reputed in Arabic as Kitab al-Manazir and first circulated in Europe via its Latin translation dubbed ‘Perspectiva’. Ibn al-Haytham was born in the southern Iraqi city of Basra in 965 during the Abbasid Caliphate.

The divisions IV-V of this authoritative book have been recently translated into English from Arabic and published by the Warburg Institute under the title “The Optics of Ibn al-Haytham, Books IV–V: On Reflection and Images Seen by Reflection”. Having already rendered divisions I-III into English, the Warburg Institute is bringing together a wide-ranging network of scientists “for a collaborative humanities-science investigation of [Ibn] al-Haytham and the questions his work provokes.

“The role of Alhazen [Ibn al-Haytham] in these processes is simultaneously well-known, but limited; only half of his scientific works have English translation and a quarter are not yet edited.”

Introducing the new translation, the Warburg Institute describes Ibn al-Haytham as “perhaps the greatest mathematician and physicist of the medieval Arabic/Islamic world. His reputation is based not only on the vast amount of material he was able to process, but also on his rigorous scientific methodology.

“He (Ibn al-Haytham) deals with both the mathematics of rays of light and the physical aspects of the eye in seven comprehensive books. His reinstatement of the entire science of optics sets the scene for the whole of the subsequent development of the subject … influencing figures such as William of Ockham, Kepler, Descartes, and Christaan Huygens.”

Professor Nader El-Bizri of Sharjah University’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences has just published an academic review of the Warburg Institute’s translation of Ibn al-Haytham. The article, printed in the International Journal of the Classical Tradition, highlights the strong influence the Arab-Muslim optical scientist has exerted over the ages up to the present day.

Ibn al-Haytham’s Book of Optics, Prof. El-Bizri writes, “constituted a monumental foundational opus in the history of science and the visual arts from the Middle Ages to the early modern period in the European milieu and the Islamicate context ... The reception of Ibn al-Haytham’s Optics in the European milieu took place from the High Middle Ages via Gerard of Cremona’s Toledo circle in terms of its Latinate translations, and subsequent influence on Franciscan, Dominican, and Jesuit opticians across Europe.

“It influenced François d’Aguilon’s Opticorum libri sex within the Antwerp Jesuit mathematical school and had a direct impact on Johannes Hevelius’s Selenographia. The Optics was also consulted by Girard Desargues, René Descartes, Johannes Kepler and Christaan Huygens.”

Prof. El-Bizri works closely with the Warburg Institute assisting its attempts to reintroduce Ibn al-Haytham to the west.  “A remarkable thinker, not only did Ibn al-Haytham revolutionize optical thought by mathematising its study, [but] his thinking also went on to have similar revolutionary effects in medieval Europe.”

The Warburg Institute is investing in rendering the writings of Ibn al-Haytham on optics into English, which Prof. El-Bizri describes as “voluminous”. “Ibn al-Haytham’s Book of Optics indicates with evidence the impact of Arabic sciences and philosophy on the history of science and the architectural and visual arts in Europe, as well as demonstrating how science and the arts influence each other in the manner the studies of optics in their mathematized physics inspired the invention of projective geometric constructions of perspective as a novel Renaissance method of painting and architectural design.”

Prof. El-Bizri adds “The impact of this book is fundamental not only in the history of science from the High Middle Ages till the early-modern period in Europe, but it was also foundational for architecture and the visual arts in the Italian Renaissance and up till the late Baroque era.  Moreover, it has further significance in modern conceptions of the mathematization of physics, the reliance on experimentation in science, and the philosophical analysis of perception.”

Asked about the importance of translating Ibn al-Haytham into English despite the lapse of nearly 1000 years, Prof. El-Bizri says the Arab-Muslim scientist’s theories and methodologies, specifically those dealing with optics are still considered “seminal” in the literature. Ibn al-Haytham has had a “foundational impact on the history of science and the arts in Europe.”

The influence of Ibn al-Haytham’s writings in the European milieu, according to Prof. El-Bizri, cannot be overlooked. The Arab-Muslim scientist had “a notable effect on Biagio Pelacani da Parma’s Questiones super perspectiva communi, Leon Battista Alberti’s De pictura, Lorenzo Ghiberti’s Commentarii, culminating in the first printed Latin version in the publication of Friedrich Risner’s Opticae thesaurus in the sixteenth century.

“Then, in the seventeenth century, it influenced François d’Aguilon’s Opticorum libri sex within the Antwerp Jesuit mathematical school and had a direct impact on Johannes Hevelius’s Selenographia.”.

In the Book of Optics, notes Prof. El-Bizri, Ibn al-Haytham establishes an “inventive and precise scientific experimental method (al-iʿtibār al-muḥarrar) with its controlled verificative repeated testing, as framed by isomorphic compositions between physics and mathematics.”

He adds that Ibn al-Haytham in his Optics “aims at elucidating the nature of visual perception through studies on the anatomy and physiology of the eyes, the optic nerves and the frontal part of the brain, along with cognitive psychology and the analysis of psychosomatic ocular motor kinaesthetic acts”. 

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JOURNAL

International Journal of the Classical Tradition

DOI

10.1007/s12138-024-00654-4 

ARTICLE TITLE

The Optics of Ibn al-Haytham, Books IV–V: On Reflection and Images Seen by Reflection, translated from the Arabic by Abdelhamid I. Sabra and prepared for publication by Jan P. Hogendijk (Warburg Institute Studies and Texts, 8), London: University of London Press in association with the Warburg Institute, 2023, pp. xiv+343, ISBN 978-1908590589, £90