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A commercial thin‐film membrane (unmodified) of polyamide improved by poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)‐coated membranes (modified) was investigated for separating phenol in sour water by reverse osmosis. Dependences of pressure and pore surface area on flux and phenol rejection were tested. A graphical correlation was found between the relative flux decline and phenol concentration decrease in the feed. The modified membrane provided rejection of 86 % at 2 bar with the highest permeate flux of 8.46 L m−2h−1. The average contact angle for the former membrane was 58.4°, while that for the modified membrane was 49.1°. The reduction in contact angle enhances the surface hydrophilicity of the membrane leading to the antifouling effect. The modified membrane provides 95.4 % flux recovery compared to the unmodified membrane that provides only 66.2 %.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is the most common hereditary male related disease caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene. It is characterized by muscle weakness in early childhood, causing death before the age of 20 years. Neurobehavioral changes are common in Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) had been reported in DMD patients. Tobacco smoking use is related later on to offspring behaviour. This study aims to assess the association of exposure to tobacco smoking and behavioural disorders in DMD patients. The present study was conducted on 15 patients who were confirmed to have DMD based on clinical features. SWAN scale (Strengths and Weakness of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder-Symptoms and Normal-Behaviours) was used for ADHD. Smoking questionnaire was done for all patients. Karyotyping was done for the patients to detect any chromosomal abnormalities. We found no statistical significance for negative smoking as a contributing factor for ADHD in DMD patients.