bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women on Under-Five Child Mortality in Bangladesh
Authors: Hossain Md. Akhtar , Sumi Nahid Sultana , Haque M. Ershadul , Bari Wasimul
Published: November 2013

It is well established that intimate partner violence (IPV) against women adversely affects maternal morbidity and mortality. But a limited number of studies were found in the literature regarding the association between IPV and under-five child mortality. In this article, using Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2007 data, we examined the effect of IPV on under-five child mortality. A product-limit approach was used for bivariate survival analysis, and Cox proportional hazard multiple regression models were used to investigate the effect of IPV controlling potential confounders. In bivariate analysis, the variables exposure to IPV, mother’s age at birth, mother’s education, residence type, division, number of children, wealth index, occupation, access to media, and decision autonomy were found to be potential risk factors for child mortality. Results indicated that women exposed to IPV were more likely to experience under-five child mortality compared with women not exposed. The unadjusted hazard ratio for IPV was 1.21 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.09, 1.35]) with p value < .01, whereas it was 1.16 (95% CI = [1.04, 1.29]) with p value < .01 and 1.13 (95% CI = [1.01, 1.26]) with p value < .05 in two adjusted models. These results implied that IPV against women is a problem not only for women but also for their children’s survival.
Correlates of shared methamphetamine injection among methamphetamine-injecting treatment seekers: the first report from Iran
Authors: Alam Mehrjerdi Zahra , Abarashi Zohreh , Noroozi Alireza , Arshad Leila , Zarghami Mehran
Published: November 2013

Shared methamphetamine injection is an emerging route of drug use among Iranian methamphetamine injectors. It is a primary vector for blood-borne infections. The aim of the current study is to determine the prevalence and correlates of shared methamphetamine injection in a sample of Iranian methamphetamine injecting treatment seekers in the south of Tehran. We surveyed male and female methamphetamine injectors at three drop-in centres and 18 drug-use community treatment programmes. Participants reported socio-demographic characteristics, drug use, high-risk behaviours, current status of viral infections and service use for drug treatment. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to test associations between participants’ characteristics and shared methamphetamine injection. Overall, 209 clients were recruited; 90.9% were male; 52.6% reported current methamphetamine injection without any shared injection behaviour and 47.4% reported current shared methamphetamine injection. Shared methamphetamine injection was found to be primarily associated with living with sex partners (AOR 1.25, 95% CI 1.13–1.98), reporting ≥3 years of dependence on methamphetamine injection (AOR 1.61, 95% CI 1.27–2.12), injection with pre-filled syringes in the past 12 months (AOR 1.96, 95% CI 1.47–2.42), homosexual sex without condom use in the past 12 months (AOR 1.85, 95% CI 1.21–2.25), the paucity of NA group participation in the past 12 months (AOR 0.67, 95% CI 0.41–0.99), the paucity of attending psychotherapeutic sessions in the past 12 months (AOR 0.44, 95% CI 0.28–0.96) and positive hepatitis C status (AOR 1.98, 95% CI 1.67–2.83). Deeper exploration of the relationship between shared methamphetamine injection and sexual risk among Iranian methamphetamine injectors would benefit HIV/sexually transmitted infection prevention efforts. In addition, existing psychosocial interventions for methamphetamine-injecting population may need to be adapted to better meet the risks of shared methamphetamine injectors.
Underserved Patients’ Perspectives on Patient-Centered Primary Care
Authors: Mead Holly , Andres Ellie , Regenstein Marsha
Published: November 2013

The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) has gained significant interest as a delivery system model that can improve health care quality while reducing costs. This study uses focus groups to investigate underserved, chronically ill patients’ preferences for care and develops a patient-centered framework of priorities. Seven major priorities were identified: (a) communication and partnership, (b) affordable care, (c) coordinated care, (d) personal responsibility, (e) accessible care, (f) education and support resources, and (g) the essential role of nonphysician providers in supporting their care. Using the framework, we analyzed the PCMH joint principals as developed by U.S. medical societies to identify where the PCMH model could be improved to better meet the needs of these patients. Four of the seven patient priorities were identified as not present in or supported by current PCMH joint principles. The study discusses how the PCMH model can better address the needs of low-income, disadvantaged patients.
Generation and selection of anti-flagellin monoclonal antibodies useful for serotyping Salmonella enterica
Authors: Hiriart Yanina , Serradell Maria , Martínez Araci , Sampaolesi Sofia , Maciel Dolores Gonzalez , Chabalgoity Jose Alejandro , Yim Lucía , Algorta Gabriela , Rumbo Martin
Published: November 2013

In developing countries, bacterial acute gastroenteritis continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality among young children. Salmonellosis constitutes a major cause of infectious enteritis worldwide, most of them associated to the consumption of contaminated food products. Traditionally, Salmonella has been classified in serovars based on varieties of O and H surface antigens. In the present work we generated and characterized a panel of anti-flagellin monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) in order to select antibodies useful for detecting the H surface antigen. Four different MAbs were obtained by somatic hybridization of splenocytes. We found two MAbs that recognised regions of flagellin conserved among different Salmonella serovars. Other two MAbs recognised structures restricted to Salmonella enterica sv. Typhimurium, being one of them suitable for agglutination tests. Using a diverse panel of S. enterica serovars with different H antigen varieties we confirmed that this MAb agglutinates specifically S. Typhimurium (antigenic formula: 4,12:i:1,2) or other serovars expressing flagellar factor i. In conclusion, we generated a valuable immunochemical tool to be used in simple assays for serotyping of epidemiologically relevant strains. The capacity to characterize specific strains and determine the primary sources of Salmonella contamination generate valuable information of the epidemiology of this microorganism, contributing to the improvement of public health.
Misregulation of autophagy and protein degradation systems in myopathies and muscular dystrophies
Authors: Sandri Marco , Coletto Luisa , Grumati Paolo , Bonaldo Paolo
Published: November 2013

A number of recent studies have highlighted the importance of autophagy and the ubiquitin-proteasome in the pathogenesis of muscle wasting in different types of inherited muscle disorders. Autophagy is crucial for the removal of dysfunctional organelles and protein aggregates, whereas the ubiquitin-proteasome is important for the quality control of proteins. Post-mitotic tissues, such as skeletal muscle, are particularly susceptible to aged or dysfunctional organelles and aggregation-prone proteins. Therefore, these degradation systems need to be carefully regulated in muscles. Indeed, excessive or defective activity of the autophagy lysosome or ubiquitin-proteasome leads to detrimental effects on muscle homeostasis. A growing number of studies link abnormalities in the regulation of these two pathways to myofiber degeneration and muscle weakness. Understanding the pathogenic role of these degradative systems in each inherited muscle disorder might provide novel therapeutic targets to counteract muscle wasting. In this Commentary, we will discuss the current view on the role of autophagy lysosome and ubiquitin-proteasome in the pathogenesis of myopathies and muscular dystrophies, and how alteration of these degradative systems contribute to muscle wasting in inherited muscle disorders. We will also discuss how modulating autophagy and proteasome might represent a promising strategy for counteracting muscle loss in different diseases.
Effects of Formic Acid on the Adsorption of Escherichia Coli K88 on Modified Clinoptilolite
Authors: Wu Qiujue , Zhou Yanmin , Wang Tian
Published: November 2013

Adsorption of Escherichia coli K88 on natural and acid-modified clinoptilolite was studied under ambient conditions. The materials under study were characterized in terms of surface area and cation-exchange capacity (CEC). Our study results indicate that treatment with formic acid can increase the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, CEC and adsorption capacity of clinoptilolite. The maximum adsorption on these non-metallic minerals was 25 mg/ml, beyond which the adsorption decreased as the amount of adsorptive increased. Time-dependent studies showed that the adsorption process reached equilibrium after 2 hours. The adsorption on E. coli K88 increased with increasing concentration of the adsorption agent as well as with increasing concentration of the bacteria in suspension. The desorption of H+ was studied by washing with a sterile physiological saline solution for 2 hours. The adsorption–desorption hysteresis suggests that the desorption rate of acid-modified clinoptilolite was much lower than that of natural clinoptilolite (P < 0.05). Acid modification of clinoptilolite increased the amount of bacterial adsorption due to the attractive interactions between the clinoptilolite and the bacteria. This increase may also involve the BET surface area and the surface characteristics of clinoptilolite.
Preparation of a Low-Cost K2CO3/Al2O3 Sorbent for CO2 Capture at Flue-Gas Operating Conditions
Authors: Esmaili Javad , Ehsani Mohammad Reza
Published: November 2013

In this study, the efficiency of a low-cost K2CO3/Al2O3 sorbent as a CO2 capture support was investigated. The sorbent was prepared by impregnating K2CO3 on industrial-grade Al2O3. The CO2 capture capacity of the sorbent was calculated from the breakthrough curve of the CO2 adsorption inside a fixed-bed reactor, in the presence of H2O and at an adsorption temperature of 60 °C. An adsorption capacity of 75.4 mg CO2/g of sorbent was obtained. The stability of capture capacity of the sorbent was higher than that of the reference sorbent. The changes in the pore volume and surface area were 0.020 cm3/g and 5.5 m2/g, respectively, after five cycles of adsorption and regeneration. However, there were minor changes in the pore-size distribution and surface area of the sorbent after five cycles. This sorbent can be considered to be used in large-scale applications.
Opto‐Physiological Modeling Applied to Photoplethysmographic Cardiovascular Assessment
Authors: Hu Sijung , Azorin-Peris Vicente , Zheng Jia
Published: November 2013

This paper presents opto‐physiological (OP) modeling and its application in cardiovascular assessment techniques based on photoplethysmography (PPG). Existing contact point measurement techniques, i.e., pulse oximetry probes, are compared with the next generation non‐contact and imaging implementations, i.e., non‐contact reflection and camera‐based PPG. The further development of effective physiological monitoring techniques relies on novel approaches to OP modeling that can better inform the design and development of sensing hardware and applicable signal processing procedures. With the help of finite‐element optical simulation, fundamental research into OP modeling of photoplethysmography is being exploited towards the development of engineering solutions for practical biomedical systems. This paper reviews a body of research comprising two OP models that have led to significant progress in the design of transmission mode pulse oximetry probes, and approaches to 3D blood perfusion mapping for the interpretation of cardiovascular performance.
Clinical results, radiological findings and survival of a proximally hydroxyapatite-coated hip ABG II stem at a minimum of ten years’ follow-up
Authors: Epinette J-A. , Asencio G. , Essig J. , Llagonne B. , Nourissat C.
Published: November 2013

We report a multicentre prospective consecutive study assessing the long-term outcome of the proximally hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated ABG II monobloc femoral component in a series of 1148 hips in 1053 patients with a mean age at surgery of 64.77 years (22 to 80) at a mean follow-up of 10.84 years (10 to 15.25). At latest follow-up, the mean total Harris hip score was 94.7 points (sd; 6.87; 49 to 100), and the mean Merle d’Aubigné–Postel score was 17.6 points (sd 1.12; 7 to 18). The mean total Engh radiological score score was 21.54 (sd 5.77; 3.5 to 27), with 95.81% of ‘confirmed ingrowth’, according to Engh’s classification. With aseptic loosening or pain as endpoints, three AGB II stems (0.26%) failed, giving a 99.7% survival rate (se 0.002; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.994 to 1) at 14 years’ follow-up. The survival of patients ≤ 50 years of age (99.0% (se 0.011; 95% CI 0.969 to 1)) did not differ significantly from those of patients aged > 50 years (99.8% (se 0.002; 95% CI 0.994 to 1)). This study confirmed the excellent long-term results currently achieved with the ABG II proximally HA-coated monobloc stem.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:1610–16.
Evidence and obesity prevention: developing evidence summaries to support decision making
Authors: Clark Rachel , Waters Elizabeth , Armstrong Rebecca , Conning Rebecca , Allender Steven , Swinburn Boyd
Published: November 2013

Public health practitioners make decisions based on research evidence in combination with a variety of other influences. Evidence summaries are one of a range of knowledge translation options used to support evidence-informed decision making. The literature relevant to obesity prevention requires synthesis for it to be accessible and relevant to end-users. As part of a national collaboration on obesity prevention, we used a stakeholder-focused approach combined with transparent review methods to develop evidence summaries covering a selection of topics relevant to policy and practice in the context of childhood obesity prevention.
Pain Management Barriers in Critical Care Units: A Qualitative study
Authors: Batiha Abdul-Monim Mohammad
Published: November 2013

Background: Uncontrolled pain in intensive care units triggers physical and emotional stress responses, inhibits healing, increases the risk of other complications, and increases the length of ICU stay. Aim: To explore pain management barriers as identified by Jordanian critical care units. Method: This study employed qualitative content analysis with 37 participant nurses from Jordanian critical care units. Data were obtained through semi-structured serial interviews. Purpose nonprobability sampling was used for the initial interviews. Results: Several themes emerged to describe barriers to managing pain identified by the critical care nurses. These were grouped into three main themes: (1) Barriers related to patients  with subgroups such as patient did not want to bother nurses, patients’ difficulty with completing pain scales, patients’ reluctance to take pain medications because of side-effects, patients reporting their pain to the doctor, but not to the nurse, and fatalistic beliefs. (2) Barriers related to nurses that included patient sedation, frequent complaints from patients, inconsistent practices around administering if necessary medications, time limitations, limited communication, the fear of side effects of pain drugs, physicians' lack of trust in the nursing assessment of pain in critically ill patients, inadequate staff knowledge of pain management, and fear of causing delirium or confusion. and  (3) Barriers related to hospital policies includes: policies and rules of hospital, lack proper pain assessment tool, nursing shortages, powerlessness ,interruptions of activities relating to pain, lack of psychosocial support services, lack of alternatives nonpharmacologic therapy , and lack of pain management drugs. Conclusion: The results identify potential pain management barriers which can be considered when developing and disseminating policies and procedures in managing the pain in Jordanian critical care settings.
Using a Fractional Experimental Design for the Study of the Tensile Strength of a Film of Polyethylene Plastic Degradable
Authors: Nohair Mohamed , Souaf Nabil , Zakarya Driss
Published: November 2013

In this work, we developed a model, using a fractional factorial design to study the tensile strength of a film of polyethylene HDPE plastic degradable. The model includes four factors that could potentially affect the resistance of the film: linear polyethylene or low-density polyethylene LDPE, calcium carbonate added as a mineral filler to reduce the cost of the film and the film thickness; an oxo-degradable additive (prooxidant) consisting of a transition metal salt is included in small quantities (typically 2–3%) to the conventional plastic during the manufacturing process in order to get a degradable material, when disposed of in an appropriate environment. Statistical studies corresponding to the analysis of variance show that the prooxidant has no effect on the resistance of the film. The thickness is by far the most important parameter, and it is possible to reach a strength corresponding to 500% of the elongation at break of the film for an appropriate mixture by taking some precautions related to the proportion of the mineral filler. The proposed linear model is valid in the experimental field of the various factors; it leads to a good correlation between the observed and calculated values with a relative bias that does not exceed 3%.
Mechanisms involved in developmental programming of hypertension and renal diseases. Gender differences
Authors: Tomat Analia Lorena , Salazar Francisco Javier
Published: November 2013

Background: A substantial body of epidemiological and experimental evidence suggests that a poor fetal and neonatal environment may “program” susceptibility in the offspring to later development of cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases.

Materials and methods: This review focuses on current knowledge from the available literature regarding the mechanisms linking an adverse developmental environment with an increased risk for cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases in adult life. Moreover, this review highlights important sex-dependent differences in the adaptation to developmental insults.

Results: Developmental programming of several diseases is secondary to changes in different mechanisms inducing important alterations in the normal development of several organs that lead to significant changes in birth weight. The different diseases occurring as a consequence of an adverse environment during development are secondary to morphological and functional cardiovascular and renal changes, to epigenetic changes and to an activation of several hormonal and regulatory systems, such as angiotensin II, sympathetic activity, nitric oxide, COX2-derived metabolites, oxidative stress and inflammation. The important sex-dependent differences in the developmental programming of diseases seem to be partly secondary to the effects of sex hormones. Recent studies have shown that the progression of these diseases is accelerated during aging in both sexes.

Conclusions: The cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases during adult life that occur as a consequence of several insults during fetal and postnatal periods are secondary to multiple structural and functional changes. Future studies are needed in order to prevent the origin and reduce the incidence and consequences of developmental programmed diseases.
Mining Calendar-based Periodic Patterns from Nonbinary Transactions
Authors: Adhikari Jhimli
Published: November 2013

A large class of problems deals with temporal data. Identifying temporal patterns in these datasets is a natural as well as an important task. In recent times, researchers have reported an algorithm for finding calendar-based periodic pattern in time-stamped data without considering the purchased quantities of the items. However, most of the real-life databases are nonbinary, and therefore, exploring various calendar-based patterns (yearly, monthly, weekly, daily) with their purchased quantities may discover information useful to improve the quality of business decisions. In this article, a technique is proposed to extract calendar-based periodic patterns from nonbinary transactions. In this connection, the concept of certainty factor has been introduced by incorporating transaction frequency for overlapped intervals. Algorithms have been designed to mine frequent itemsets along with intervals and quantity. In addition to that, we have designed an algorithm to find the periodicity of the pattern. The algorithm is tested with real-life data, and the results are given.
Hepatitis C virus-associated thrombocytopenia in pregnancy: impact upon multidisciplinary care provision
Authors: Monteith Cathy , Áinle Fionnuala Ní , Cooley Sharon , Lambert John S. , Kelleher Barry , Jackson Valerie , Eogan Maeve
Published: November 2013

Objective: Recent studies have implicated hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the pathogenesis of immune thrombocytopenia. In pregnancy-associated immune thrombocytopenia, multidisciplinary management is required due to a potential for bleeding complications. We performed a retrospective review of HCV-infected pregnant women and age-matched controls who were not infected with HCV.

Methods: One hundred and six women with a HCV viral load were identified from 2009 to 2011.

Results: Thrombocytopenia was identified in 10.3% of HCV-infected pregnant women and 1.6% of age-matched controls (P<0.001). Mean platelet count during pregnancy was 120±23×109/L in HCV-infected women and at delivery was significantly lower in HCV-infected women than in controls (P=0.01). Despite the significant difference in platelet counts, there was no significant difference in estimated blood loss (EBL) at delivery. Regional anaesthesia was performed in 73% of thrombocytopenic HCV-infected women and no complications were recorded. There were no fetal bleeding complications.

Conclusion: In the first study to date to investigate the impact of HCV on maternal platelet count we demonstrated a significantly higher frequency of thrombocytopenia and a significantly lower platelet count in HCV-infected pregnant women compared with controls. Interestingly, thrombocytopenia had no detectable impact on EBL at delivery.
The peripheral whole-blood transcriptome of acute pyelonephritis in human pregnancya
Authors: Madan Ichchha , Than Nandor Gabor , Romero Roberto , Chaemsaithong Piya , Miranda Jezid , Tarca Adi L. , Bhatti Gaurav , Draghici Sorin , Yeo Lami , Mazor Moshe , Hassan Sonia S. , Chaiworapongsa Tinnakorn
Published: November 2013

Objective: Human pregnancy is characterized by activation of the innate immune response and suppression of adaptive immunity. The former is thought to provide protection against infection for the mother, and the latter, tolerance against paternal antigens expressed in fetal cells. Acute pyelonephritis is associated with an increased risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome and sepsis in pregnant (vs. nonpregnant) women. The objective of this study was to describe the gene expression profile (transcriptome) of maternal whole blood in acute pyelonephritis.

Method: A case-control study was conducted to include pregnant women with acute pyelonephritis (n=15) and women with a normal pregnancy (n=34). Affymetrix HG-U133 Plus 2.0 arrays (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA, USA) were used for gene expression profiling. A linear model was used to test the association between the presence of pyelonephritis and gene expression levels while controlling for white blood cell count and gestational age. A fold change of 1.5 was considered significant at a false discovery rate of 0.1. A subset of differentially expressed genes (n=56) was tested with real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) (cases, n=19; controls, n=59). Gene ontology and pathway analyses were applied.

Results: A total of 983 genes were differentially expressed in acute pyelonephritis: 457 were upregulated and 526 were downregulated. Significant enrichment of 300 biological processes and 63 molecular functions was found in pyelonephritis. Significantly impacted pathways in pyelonephritis included (a) cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, (b) T-cell receptor signaling, (c) Jak-STAT signaling, and (d) complement and coagulation cascades. Of 56 genes tested by qRT-PCR, 48 (85.7%) had confirmation of differential expression.

Conclusion: This is the first study of the transcriptomic signature of whole blood in pregnant women with acute pyelonephritis. Acute infection during pregnancy is associated with the increased expression of genes involved in innate immunity and the decreased expression of genes involved in lymphocyte function.
Nanophotonics of optical fibers
Authors: Sumetsky M.
Published: November 2013

This review is concerned with nanoscale effects in highly transparent dielectric photonic structures fabricated from optical fibers. In contrast to those in plasmonics, these structures do not contain metal particles, wires, or films with nanoscale dimensions. Nevertheless, a nanoscale perturbation of the fiber radius can significantly alter their performance. This paper consists of three parts. The first part considers propagation of light in thin optical fibers (microfibers) having the radius of the order of 100 nanometers to 1 micron. The fundamental mode propagating along a microfiber has an evanescent field which may be strongly expanded into the external area. Then, the cross-sectional dimensions of the mode and transmission losses are very sensitive to small variations of the microfiber radius. Under certain conditions, a change of just a few nanometers in the microfiber radius can significantly affect its transmission characteristics and, in particular, lead to the transition from the waveguiding to non-waveguiding regime. The second part of the review considers slow propagation of whispering gallery modes in fibers having the radius of the order of 10–100 microns. The propagation of these modes along the fiber axis is so slow that they can be governed by extremely small nanoscale changes of the optical fiber radius. This phenomenon is exploited in SNAP (surface nanoscale axial photonics), a new platform for fabrication of miniature super-low-loss photonic integrated circuits with unprecedented sub-angstrom precision. The SNAP theory and applications are overviewed. The third part of this review describes methods of characterization of the radius variation of microfibers and regular optical fibers with sub-nanometer precision.
Influence of two novel compatibilizers on the properties of LDPE/organoclay nanocomposites
Authors: Zaman Haydar U. , Beg Dalour Hossen
Published: November 2013

In the present investigation, low density polyethylene (LDPE)/organoclay nanocomposites with various clay contents (1–7 wt%) were prepared via a melt mixing technique, using two different compatibilizers with various contents; low molecular weight trimethoxysilyl-modified polybutadiene (Organosilane) and low molecular weight oxidized polyethylene (OxPE). The effects of incorporation of compatibilizers and clay contents on the mechanical and thermal properties of the nanocomposites were investigated. The dispersibility of silicate clay in the nanocomposites was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that organosilane yielded better clay dispersion and a more exfoliated structure compared with the OxPE. Rheological behavior of the samples was examined by a dynamic oscillatory rheometer in the linear viscoelastic region. The organosilane compatibilized system conferred higher tensile strength, yield strength and tensile modulus than those of an uncompatibilized system, and even higher than those of the OxPE compatibilized case. The crystallization behaviors of uncompatibilized and compatibilized nanocomposites were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DSC results indicated that the addition of compatibilizers increased the crystallization temperature (Tc) as a result of heterogeneous nucleation effect of clay on LDPE.
Catchment-scale evaluation of pollution potential of urban snow at two residential catchments in southern Finland
Authors: Sillanpää Nora , Koivusalo Harri
Published: November 2013

Despite the crucial role of snow in the hydrological cycle in cold climate conditions, monitoring studies of urban snow quality often lack discussions about the relevance of snow in the catchment-scale runoff management. In this study, measurements of snow quality were conducted at two residential catchments in Espoo, Finland, simultaneously with continuous runoff measurements. The results of the snow quality were used to produce catchment-scale estimates of areal snow mass loads (SML). Based on the results, urbanization reduced areal snow water equivalent but increased pollutant accumulation in snow: SMLs in a medium-density residential catchment were two- to four-fold higher in comparison with a low-density residential catchment. The main sources of pollutants were related to vehicular traffic and road maintenance, but also pet excrement increased concentrations to a high level. Ploughed snow can contain 50% of the areal pollutant mass stored in snow despite its small surface area within a catchment.
Start-up of a granular sludge sequencing batch reactor for the treatment of 2,4-dichlorophenol-contaminated wastewater
Authors: Milia S. , Porcu R. , Rossetti S. , Carucci A.
Published: November 2013

In this study, a granular sludge sequencing batch reactor (GSBR) was started-up for the biological aerobic treatment of wastewater containing highly toxic 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), in presence of readily biodegradable sodium acetate (NaAc) as the growth substrate. Different influent concentrations of NaAc (420–800 mg/L) and 2,4-DCP (0–20 mg/L), as well as different operating conditions (i.e. cycle length), were tested in order to determine the optimal strategy for successful GSBR start-up: stable granulation and complete 2,4-DCP removal were achieved only when high NaAc influent concentration and volumetric organic loading rates (800 mg/L and 1.9 kgCOD/(m3·d), respectively), prolonged reaction phase (cycle time of 4 hours) and gradual increase of 2,4-DCP concentration in the influent were applied, thus providing useful information for process optimization in view of future scale-up. Granules were initially colonized by fungi which progressively disappeared during the start-up process, and complete 2,4-DCP removal was mostly due to bacterial activity, in particular Betaproteobacteria, as shown by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).
Trialling urine diversion in Australia: technical and social learnings
Authors: Abeysuriya Kumi , Fam Dena , Mitchell Cynthia
Published: November 2013

This paper discusses a urine diversion (UD) trial implemented within the institutional setting of the University of Technology Sydney that sought to identify key issues for public UD and reuse systems at scale in the Australian urban context. The trial was novel in its transdisciplinary action research approach, that included consideration of urine diverting toilets (UDTs) as socio-technical systems where interactions between users' practices and perceptions and the performance of the technology were explored. While the study explored a broad range of issues that included urine transport, reuse, and regulations, amongst others, the boundary of the work presented in this paper is the practicalities of UD practice within public urban buildings. Urine volume per urinal use, an important metric for sizing tanks for collecting urine from waterless urinal systems in commercial buildings, was also estimated. The project concluded that current UDTs are unsuitable to public/commercial spaces, but waterless urinals have a key role.
Removal of ecotoxicity and COD from tank truck cleaning wastewater
Authors: Dries Jan , De Schepper Wim , Geuens Luc , Blust Ronny
Published: November 2013

Tank truck cleaning (TTC) activities generate highly complex wastewater. In a previous study, we found that a significant ecotoxic effect was still present in biologically treated TTC wastewater. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate the removal of acute toxicity from TTC wastewater by a sequence of technologies routinely applied for industrial wastewater. Acute toxicity was assayed with the widely applied and standardized Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition test. During a 5-month period, raw wastewater was grab-sampled from a full-scale TTC company and treated by the different unit operations on a laboratory scale. Chemical pretreatment of the wastewater by coagulation with FeCl3 removed approx. 38% of the influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) and reduced the bioluminescence inhibition by 8%. Biological treatment with activated sludge subsequently removed another 77% of the remaining COD. This treatment step also reduced the bioluminescence inhibition but the removal efficiency varied strongly from 5 to 92% for the different samples. Powdered activated carbon almost completely removed the remaining COD and inhibition in all samples. The results suggest that conventional technologies did not suffice for complete removal of toxicity from TTC wastewater, and that advanced wastewater treatment technologies such as activated carbon are required for a satisfactory detoxification.
Physical–chemical characterization of sludge and granular materials from a vertical flow constructed wetland for municipal wastewater treatment
Authors: Kim B. , Gautier M. , Michel P. , Gourdon R.
Published: November 2013

The use of vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) is well developed in France and other countries for the treatment of wastewaters from small communities. The patented Azoé® process has been developed by a French company, SCIRPE, in order to improve denitrification and phosphorus removal as compared to classical VFCWs. It includes a biological trickling filter pretreatment followed by two stages of partially flooded VFCW. The performances of partially flooded VFCW are well demonstrated for the removal of organic matter and nitrogen. The system is now being considered for phosphorus removal as well. In this article, sludge and granular materials sampled from the filters of a municipal plant where the Azoé® system has been operated for 8 years were analyzed in order to provide data that may contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of phosphorus retention. Elemental analyses showed that phosphorus was predominantly captured in the sludge layer accumulated at the surface of the first stage. The progressive mineralization of the sludge over time was also clearly highlighted. The phosphate phases were mainly associated with iron and calcium. The transport of phosphorus via the migration of fine particles through the porous medium in the first stage was also observed.
Separation of hydrophobic organic compound from surfactant solutions with activated carbon in a fixed bed
Authors: Liu Jianfei , Chen Jiajun , Jiang Lin , Chen Cheng
Published: November 2013

The adsorption behavior of phenanthrene (PHE) in Triton X-100 (TX100) solutions with fixed activated carbon (AC) bed was studied to recover the surfactant. The effect of various parameters like bed depths, flow rates, influent TX100 concentration, and influent PHE concentration were investigated. The breakthrough time of both TX100 and PHE increased with the increase of bed height and decrease of flow rate and influent concentration. In the case of fixed length, a lower flow rate, higher concentration of TX100, and lower concentration of PHE will benefit the longer effective surfactant recovery time. The adsorption data were integrated into bed depth service time models. The height of exchange zone of TX100 should be much shorter than that of PHE, which provides conditions to separate the hydrophobic organic compound from surfactant solutions with AC in a fixed bed. It is likely that the adsorption process is controlled by hydrophobic interaction.
Photodegradation of chlorpyrifos in water by UV/H2O2 treatment: toxicity evaluation
Authors: Femia J. , Mariani M. , Zalazar C. , Tiscornia I.
Published: November 2013

Chlorpyrifos (CP) is an organophosphorus pesticide widely used in agriculture. Due to its toxicity, it has been necessary to develop a treatment to eliminate the environmental wastes generated by this substance. The combination of UV radiation and hydrogen peroxide seemed an interesting option to reduce the concentration of CP in water, as it has proved to be a simple and effective method to degrade other similar pesticides. The purpose of this work is to study the effect of different initial concentrations of H2O2 on the degradation of commercial CP in water using UV/H2O2. Conversions of 93% were achieved in 20 min with 450 mg L−1 of H2O2 initial concentration (0.16 mg of CP degraded per mg of H2O2 consumed). The total organic carbon analysis showed interesting mineralization values, reaching a 70% conversion after 4 h of reaction. In addition, this degradation procedure leads to a clear reduction of the toxicity of the reaction mixture over Vibrio fischeri.
A Complete Axiom System for Propositional Interval Temporal Logic with Infinite Time
Authors: Moszkowski Ben
Published: November 2013

Interval Temporal Logic (ITL) is an established temporal formalism for
reasoning about time periods. For over 25 years, it has been applied in a
number of ways and several ITL variants, axiom systems and tools have been
investigated. We solve the longstanding open problem of finding a complete
axiom system for basic quantifier-free propositional ITL (PITL) with infinite
time for analysing nonterminating computational systems. Our completeness proof
uses a reduction to completeness for PITL with finite time and conventional
propositional linear-time temporal logic. Unlike completeness proofs of equally
expressive logics with nonelementary computational complexity, our semantic
approach does not use tableaux, subformula closures or explicit deductions
involving encodings of omega automata and nontrivial techniques for
complementing them. We believe that our result also provides evidence of the
naturalness of interval-based reasoning.
Piecewise testable tree languages
Authors: Bojańczyk Mikołaj , Segoufin Luc , Straubing Howard
Published: November 2013

This paper presents a decidable characterization of tree languages that can
be defined by a boolean combination of Sigma_1 sentences. This is a tree
extension of the Simon theorem, which says that a string language can be
defined by a boolean combination of Sigma_1 sentences if and only if its
syntactic monoid is J-trivial.
Formalizing Randomized Matching Algorithms
Authors: Le Dai Tri Man , Cook Stephen A.
Published: November 2013

Using Je\v{r}\'abek 's framework for probabilistic reasoning, we formalize
the correctness of two fundamental RNC^2 algorithms for bipartite perfect
matching within the theory VPV for polytime reasoning. The first algorithm is
for testing if a bipartite graph has a perfect matching, and is based on the
Schwartz-Zippel Lemma for polynomial identity testing applied to the Edmonds
polynomial of the graph. The second algorithm, due to Mulmuley, Vazirani and
Vazirani, is for finding a perfect matching, where the key ingredient of this
algorithm is the Isolating Lemma.
Bounded Arithmetic in Free Logic
Authors: Yamagata Yoriyuki
Published: November 2013

One of the central open questions in bounded arithmetic is whether Buss'
hierarchy of theories of bounded arithmetic collapses or not. In this paper, we
reformulate Buss' theories using free logic and conjecture that such theories
are easier to handle. To show this, we first prove that Buss' theories prove
consistencies of induction-free fragments of our theories whose formulae have
bounded complexity. Next, we prove that although our theories are based on an
apparently weaker logic, we can interpret theories in Buss' hierarchy by our
theories using a simple translation. Finally, we investigate finitistic G\"odel
sentences in our systems in the hope of proving that a theory in a lower level
of Buss' hierarchy cannot prove consistency of induction-free fragments of our
theories whose formulae have higher complexity.
First steps in synthetic guarded domain theory: step-indexing in the topos of trees
Authors: Birkedal Lars , Møgelberg Rasmus Ejlers , Schwinghammer Jan , Støvring Kristian
Published: November 2013

We present the topos S of trees as a model of guarded recursion. We study the
internal dependently-typed higher-order logic of S and show that S models two
modal operators, on predicates and types, which serve as guards in recursive
definitions of terms, predicates, and types. In particular, we show how to
solve recursive type equations involving dependent types. We propose that the
internal logic of S provides the right setting for the synthetic construction
of abstract versions of step-indexed models of programming languages and
program logics. As an example, we show how to construct a model of a
programming language with higher-order store and recursive types entirely
inside the internal logic of S. Moreover, we give an axiomatic categorical
treatment of models of synthetic guarded domain theory and prove that, for any
complete Heyting algebra A with a well-founded basis, the topos of sheaves over
A forms a model of synthetic guarded domain theory, generalizing the results
for S.
Environment and classical channels in categorical quantum mechanics
Authors: Coecke Bob , Perdrix Simon
Published: November 2013

We present a both simple and comprehensive graphical calculus for quantum
computing. In particular, we axiomatize the notion of an environment, which
together with the earlier introduced axiomatic notion of classical structure
enables us to define classical channels, quantum measurements and classical
control. If we moreover adjoin the earlier introduced axiomatic notion of
complementarity, we obtain sufficient structural power for constructive
representation and correctness derivation of typical quantum informatic
protocols.
Counting CTL
Authors: Laroussinie François , Meyer Antoine , Petonnet Eudes
Published: November 2013

This paper presents a range of quantitative extensions for the temporal logic
CTL. We enhance temporal modalities with the ability to constrain the number of
states satisfying certain sub-formulas along paths. By selecting the
combinations of Boolean and arithmetic operations allowed in constraints, one
obtains several distinct logics generalizing CTL. We provide a thorough
analysis of their expressiveness and succinctness, and of the complexity of
their model-checking and satisfiability problems (ranging from P-complete to
undecidable). Finally, we present two alternative logics with similar features
and provide a comparative study of the properties of both variants.
A Rewriting View of Simple Typing
Authors: Stump Aaron , Kimmell Garrin , Zantema Hans , Omar Ruba El Haj
Published: November 2013

This paper shows how a recently developed view of typing as small-step
abstract reduction, due to Kuan, MacQueen, and Findler, can be used to recast
the development of simple type theory from a rewriting perspective. We show how
standard meta-theoretic results can be proved in a completely new way, using
the rewriting view of simple typing. These meta-theoretic results include
standard type preservation and progress properties for simply typed lambda
calculus, as well as generalized versions where typing is taken to include both
abstract and concrete reduction. We show how automated analysis tools developed
in the term-rewriting community can be used to help automate the proofs for
this meta-theory. Finally, we show how to adapt a standard proof of
normalization of simply typed lambda calculus, for the rewriting approach to
typing.
Coarse abstractions make Zeno behaviours difficult to detect
Authors: Herbreteau Frédéric , Srivathsan B
Published: November 2013

An infinite run of a timed automaton is Zeno if it spans only a finite amount
of time. Such runs are considered unfeasible and hence it is important to
detect them, or dually, find runs that are non-Zeno. Over the years important
improvements have been obtained in checking reachability properties for timed
automata. We show that some of these very efficient optimizations make testing
for Zeno runs costly. In particular we show NP-completeness for the
LU-extrapolation of Behrmann et al. We analyze the source of this complexity in
detail and give general conditions on extrapolation operators that guarantee a
(low) polynomial complexity of Zenoness checking. We propose a slight weakening
of the LU-extrapolation that satisfies these conditions.
On the Complexity of Equivalence and Minimisation for Q-weighted Automata
Authors: Kiefer Stefan , Murawski Andrzej , Ouaknine Joel , Wachter Bjoern , Worrell James
Published: November 2013

This paper is concerned with the computational complexity of equivalence and
minimisation for automata with transition weights in the field Q of rational
numbers. We use polynomial identity testing and the Isolation Lemma to obtain
complexity bounds, focussing on the class NC of problems within P solvable in
polylogarithmic parallel time. For finite Q-weighted automata, we give a
randomised NC procedure that either outputs that two automata are equivalent or
returns a word on which they differ. We also give an NC procedure for deciding
whether a given automaton is minimal, as well as a randomised NC procedure that
minimises an automaton. We consider probabilistic automata with rewards,
similar to Markov Decision Processes. For these automata we consider two
notions of equivalence: expectation equivalence and distribution equivalence.
The former requires that two automata have the same expected reward on each
input word, while the latter requires that each input word induce the same
distribution on rewards in each automaton. For both notions we give algorithms
for deciding equivalence by reduction to equivalence of Q-weighted automata.
Finally we show that the equivalence problem for Q-weighted visibly pushdown
automata is logspace equivalent to the polynomial identity testing problem.
Induction in Algebra: a First Case Study
Authors: Schuster Peter M
Published: November 2013

Many a concrete theorem of abstract algebra admits a short and elegant proof
by contradiction but with Zorn's Lemma (ZL). A few of these theorems have
recently turned out to follow in a direct and elementary way from the Principle
of Open Induction distinguished by Raoult. The ideal objects characteristic of
any invocation of ZL are eliminated, and it is made possible to pass from
classical to intuitionistic logic. If the theorem has finite input data, then a
finite partial order carries the required instance of induction, which thus is
constructively provable. A typical example is the well-known theorem "every
nonconstant coefficient of an invertible polynomial is nilpotent".