bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive management of chemical substances in a water environment using PRTR data
Authors: Yamagata H. , Saino H. , Minamiyama M. , Takahashi M.
Published: July 2006

The annual quantity of discharge of 354 chemical substances from each business has been released based on PRTR law in Japan since 2003. MLIT and municipalities should be responsible for managing chemical risk in public water bodies through communication with stakeholders, such as the public and businesses. However, it is economically difficult to measure the discharge loads and behaviour of all chemical substances and reveal which substances should be particularly managed in each basin. NILIM has begun studies on survey methods to understand the discharge and behaviour of chemical substances in each basin based on PRTR information, and to conduct risk management of chemical substances in cooperation with stakeholders such as the public and businesses. We selected 30 chemical substances, such as those listed or nominated in environmental criteria and endocrine disrupters, collected the volume of discharge of chemical substances from public and industrial wastewater treatment plants using PRTR information, and surveyed their behaviour in the river in the model area. As a result, the discharge of 12 chemical substances were reported in PRTR, and 17 substances were detected in the river. Some inorganic compounds were detected intensively near discharge sites reported in the PRTR. But some organic compounds and endocrine disrupters, such as oestrone, were detected although their discharge was not reported in the model area in the PRTR. It suggested that PRTR information is useful to identify hot spots, but further study is needed to understand the discharge of chemical substances from small businesses, farmland and houses.
Improvement of wastewater treatment performance of the Fukashiba treatment plant
Authors: Hirose K. , Igarashi T. , Ochiai E. , Seya H. , Matsui S.
Published: July 2006

The Fukashiba Treatment Plant Kashima Rinkai Specified Sewage Works has received wastewater from the petrochemical complex (90%) and public sewage of Kamisu and Hasaki town (10%). For this reason, the plant is facing many difficulties in producing good quality effluent.

In order to solve these difficulties, we are reviewing the treatment performance and making efforts for its improvement with nitrification inhibition, control of bio-persistent substances and the PRTR approach.
A larval medaka (Oryzias latipes) acute toxicity assay combined with solid-phase extraction to efficiently determine the toxicity of organic contaminants in river water
Authors: Liu R. , Kameya T. , Sugimura Y. , Sawai A. , Shigeoka T. , Urano K.
Published: July 2006

Using a larval medaka (Oryzias latipes) acute toxicity assay combined with solid-phase extraction, we proposed a method for efficiently determining the fish toxicity of organic contaminants in river water. Organic toxicants were 10, 20, 50 and 100-fold concentrated from 4 L of the sample with adsorption cartridges. The lethal effect was observed by exposing every ten individuals of 48–72 h old larval medaka to 20 mL of each solution for 48 h. The median lethal concentration rate (LCR50) was used as an indicator for the toxicity. With the developed toxicity test method, more than seven times difference was found in the LCR50 of the river water samples. LCR50 distribution profiles were compared with 125 samples in two typical rivers. The result revealed a lower toxicity level in the mainstream than in the confluences, and a lower toxicity level in Sagami River than in Ayase River. LCR50 proved unique as a toxicity indicator, which was impossible to speculate from the conventional water quality indicator of the dissolved organic carbon concentration. As an effective screening test for priority settings, the method can help us with an efficient planning for the environmental investigation and management.
Fate of nonylphenol polyethoxylates and nonylphenoxy acetic acids in an anaerobic digestion process for sewage sludge treatment
Authors: Minamiyama M. , Ochi S. , Suzuki Y.
Published: July 2006

Many environmental problems caused by endocrine disruptors (EDs) have been reported. It is reported that EDs flow into sewage treatment plants, and it has been pointed out that these may be shifted from the wastewater treatment process to the sludge treatment process. Little is known about the fate of EDs accumulated in sewage sludge, so we carried out a study to clarify the fate of EDs in sewage sludge treatment processes, especially in an anaerobic digestion process. In this study, nonylphenol (NP) was selected as a target ED. Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPnEO) or nonylphenoxy acetic acids (NPnEC), which were the precursor of NP, were added to an anaerobic digestion process, and mass balance was investigated. The following results were obtained from the anaerobic digestion experiments. (1) NP1EO was injected to an anaerobic digestion testing apparatus that was operated at a retention time of approximately 28 d and a temperature of 35 °C with thickened sludge sampled from an actual wastewater treatment plant. Approximately 40% of the injected NP1EO was converted to NP. (2) NP1EC was injected to an anaerobic digestion testing apparatus with thickened sludge. As a result, almost all injected NP1EC was converted to NP. When NP2EC was injected, NP2EC was not converted to NP until the 20th day.
Occurrence of levofloxacin, clarithromycin and azithromycin in wastewater treatment plant in Japan
Authors: Yasojima M. , Nakada N. , Komori K. , Suzuki Y. , Tanaka H.
Published: July 2006

Residual pharmaceutical products in sewage and other water environments have recently become a serious social problem in advanced countries. Among these pharmaceutical products, antibiotics have attracted special attention due to their serious impact on the ecosystem and connections to the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria. Our research intended to develop a new method to analyse the three antibiotics estimated to be released out of the body in large amounts in Japan; levofloxacin (LVFX), clarithromycin (CAM) and azithromycin (AZM), and survey the state of pollution in the sewerage. The concentrations of the water-phase antibiotics LVFX, CAM and AZM were measured in each process of activated sludge process in six wastewater treatment plants. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was used to analyse solutions of the antibiotics after pretreatment with a solid phase extraction. The limits of quantification and the average recoveries for these antibiotics in the influent were 1.2 to 29 ng/L and 46 to 93%, respectively. In the influent, LVFX, CAM and AZM were detected at concentrations of 552, 647 and 260 ng/L, respectively, while their removal efficiencies were 42, 43 and 49%, respectively. Although the CAM and AZM concentrations decreased as the treatment progressed, it was shown that the LVFX concentration increased in activated sludge reactors in some cases. Despite differences in octanol-water partition coefficients among LVFX, CAM and AZM, their removal efficiency showed no major difference. This indicates that this removal phenomenon cannot be explained by simple adsorption by the activated sludge.
Effect of 200 days' sludge retention time on performance of a pilot scale submerged membrane bioreactor for high strength industrial wastewater treatment
Authors: Hay C.T. , Sun D.D. , Khor S.L. , Leckie J.O.
Published: July 2006

A high strength industrial wastewater was treated using a pilot scale submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) at a sludge retention time (SRT) of 200 d. The MBR was operated at a high sludge concentration of 20 g/L and a low F/M ratio of 0.11 during 300 d of operation. It was found that the MBR could achieve COD and TOC overall removal efficiencies at more than 99 and 98% TN removal. The turbidity of the permeate was consistently in the range of 0.123 to 0.136 NTU and colour254 absorbance readings varied from 0.0912 to 0.0962 a.u. cm−1. The sludge concentration was inversely proportional to the hydraulic retention time (HRT), yielded excellent organic removal and extremely low sludge production (0.0016 kgVSS/day).
Examining substrate uptake patterns of Rhodocyclus-related PAO in full-scale EBPR plants by using the MAR-FISH technique
Authors: Chua A.S.M. , Onuki M. , Satoh H. , Mino T.
Published: July 2006

While recognised as the important population responsible for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR), detailed knowledge on the physiology of Rhodocyclus-related polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAO) has yet to be grasped. The objective of this study was to examine the in situ substrate uptake patterns of Rhodocyclus-related PAO present in full-scale EBPR plants by the combined technique of microautoradiography–fluorescent in situ hybridization (MAR-FISH). The presence of these PAO in the four investigated plants was confirmed by FISH and they constituted 17%, 9%, 8%, and 7% of the sludge community. By using MAR-FISH technique, Rhodocyclus-related PAO in all the plants demonstrated similar anaerobic substrate uptake patterns. They were capable of assimilating acetate, aspartate and glutamate under anaerobic condition but they showed negative uptake with palmitate. A significant fraction of the MAR-positive cells assimilated acetate, aspartate or glutamate was found to be Rhodocyclus-related PAO. Dual staining with DAPI and FISH showed that these PAO also accumulated polyphosphate aerobically with aspartate and glutamate as carbon source. The ability of assimilating amino acids besides acetate strongly indicates the versatile physiology of Rhodocyclus-related PAO, which could benefit them to achieve predominance in EBPR activated sludge.
Quantification of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria populations in full-scale sewage activated sludge systems and assessment of system variables affecting their performance
Authors: Limpiyakorn T. , Kurisu F. , Yagi O.
Published: July 2006

This study carried out quantification of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) populations in 12 full-scale sewage activated sludge systems that were different in ammonia removals and treatment processes during three different seasons. Experiment was divided into 3 parts: 1) analysis of AOB communities by PCR-DGGE-cloning-sequencing of 16S rRNA genes; 2) development of four real-time PCR primer sets for quantification of the particular AOB of interest; and 3) quantification of AOB populations by using the newly developed real-time PCR primer sets. The results suggested that all the primer sets gave good reproducibility and specificity for PCR amplification with the detection limits of 102 copies/PCR reaction. Although the 12 systems were different in several aspects, one of the identified sequence types of Nitrosomonas oligotropha cluster was the dominant AOB in every system and every season studied. However, the other sequence type of this cluster was not significantly involved in ammonia removals in the systems. The occurrence of N. communis cluster in the systems seemed to depend on the remaining oxygen concentrations in the sludge floc and thus the activity of aerobic heterotrophs in the aeration tanks. N. europaea–Nitrosococcus. mobilis solely existed in one A2O system of which the influent contained twice the chloride concentrations than those of other systems.
Fine-scale differences between Accumulibacter-like bacteria in enhanced biological phosphorus removal activated sludge
Authors: He S. , Gu A.Z. , McMahon K.D.
Published: July 2006

A lab-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and six full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) performing enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) were surveyed. The abundance of Accumulibacter-related organisms in the full-scale plants was investigated using fluorescent in situ hybridization. Accumulibacter-related organisms were present in all of the full-scale EBPR plants, at levels ranging from 9% to 24% of total cells. The high percentage of Accumulibacter-related organisms seemed to be associated with configurations which minimize the nitrate recycling to the anaerobic zone and low influent BOD:TP ratios. PCR-based clone libraries were constructed from the community 16S rRNA gene plus the internally transcribed spacer region amplified from the SBR and five of the full-scale WWTPs. Comparative sequence analysis was carried out using Accumulibacter-related clones, providing higher phylogenetic resolution and revealing finer-scale clustering of the sequences retrieved from the SBR and full-scale EBPR plants.
Influence of flocculation and settling properties of activated sludge in relation to secondary settler performance
Authors: Wilén B.-M. , Onuki M. , Hermansson M. , Lumley D. , Mino T.
Published: July 2006

Floc characteristics were studied at a full scale activated sludge treatment plant with a unique process solution incorporating pre-denitrification with post-nitrification in nitrifying trickling filters. Since greater nitrogen removal is achieved when more secondary settled wastewater is recirculated to the trickling filters, the secondary settlers are always operated close to their maximal capacity. The flocculation and settling properties are therefore crucial and have an effect on the overall plant performance. Since the plant is operated at a short sludge age, these properties change quickly, resulting in variable maximal secondary settler capacity. The dynamics in floc structure and microbial community composition were studied and correlated to the secondary settler performance. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation was used to investigate the microbial community structure and their spatial distribution. The floc structure could to some extent be related to the flocculation and settling properties of the sludge. Even small differences had an influence suggesting that colloidal properties also play a significant role in determining the floc properties. No correlation between microbial community composition and settling properties could be established with the group-specific probes investigated.
Protein extraction from activated sludge
Authors: Denecke M.
Published: July 2006

Two methods for the separation of protein originating from activated sludge were compared. In one method, the total protein was isolated out of the activated sludge (crude extract). These samples included all dissolved proteins originating from the bacterial cells and biofilm made up of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Every time polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) was done, the protein bands from samples of crude extract were covered by polymeric substances including carbohydrates, uronic acids or humic compounds. Using the immunoblot technique it was possible to demonstrate the presence of the heat shock protein HSP70 in crude extracts of activated sludge. The comparison of protein fingerprints required that clear and distinct bands appear on the PAGE analysis. To this end, a procedure to separates bacterial cells from the EPS was developed. Bacterial cells were separated by incubation with EDTA and subsequent filtration. The isolated cells were directly incubated in a sample buffer.
Microbial community analysis with a high PHA storage capacity
Authors: Serafim L.S. , Lemos P.C. , Rossetti S. , Levantesi C. , Tandoi V. , Reis M.A.M.
Published: July 2006

Activated sludge was submitted to aerobic dynamic substrate feeding for the production of biodegradable plastics. Two sequencing batch reactors were operated with acetate or propionate as sole carbon substrates. With acetate a homopolymer of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) was obtained and with propionate a copolymer of hydroxybutyrate and hydroxyvalerate P(HB/HV) was produced. Three main morphotypes were identified in both sludges: two belong to the Alphaproteobacteria class and the third to the Betaproteobacteria class. Bacilli belonging to Betaproteobacteria were shown by FISH analysis, applied in combination with Nile Blue post-staining, to be the main responsible for PHAs storage. The latter were affiliated to Azoarcus genus within Betaproteobacteria.
Modelling seasonal dynamics of Microthrix parvicella
Authors: Hug T. , Gujer W. , Siegrist H.
Published: July 2006

The filamentous bacteria “Microthrix parvicella” can cause serious bulking and scumming in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) all over the world. Decades of research have identified Microthrixas a specialized lipid consumer but could not clarify the processes that allow this organism to successfully compete in activated sludge systems. In this study we developed a model, based on ASM3, that describes the pronounced seasonal variations of Microthrix abundance observed in a full-scale WWTP. We hypothesize that low temperatures reduce the solubility of lipids and inhibit their uptake by non-specialized bacteria. The presented model structure and parameters successfully fit the measured data; however they do not necessarily reflect the only and true selection mechanism for Microthrix. This model is not yet to be used for prediction; it is rather a valuable research tool to coordinate the discussion and plan future research activities in order to identify the relevant selection mechanisms favoring Microthrix in activated sludge systems.
Distributed microbial state effects on competitionin enhanced biological phosphorus removal systems
Authors: Schuler A.J.
Published: July 2006

Computer simulation of activated sludge population dynamics is a useful tool in process design, operation, and troubleshooting, but currently available programs rely on the assumption of “lumped,” or average, system characteristics in each reactor, such as microbial storage product contents. In reality, the states of individual bacteria are likely to vary due to variable residence times in reactors with completely mixed hydraulics. Earlier work by the present author introduced the MATLAB-based distributed state simulation program, Dissimulator 1.0, and demonstrated that distributed states may be particularly important in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) systems, which rely on the cycling of bacteria through anaerobic and aerobic reactors to select for a population accumulating multiple microbial storage products. This paper explores the relationships between distributed state profiles, variable anaerobic and aerobic SRTs, and the process rates predicted by lumped and distributed approaches. Consistent with previous results, the lumped approach consistently predicted better EBPR performance than did the distributed approach. The primary reason for this was the presence of large fractions of polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) with depleted microbial storage product contents, which led to overestimation of process rates by the lumped approach. Distributed and lumped predictions were therefore most similar when microbial storage product depletion was minimal. The effects of variable anaerobic and aerobic SRTs on distributed profile characteristics and process rates are presented. This work demonstrated that lumped assumptions may overestimate EBPR performance, and the degree of this error is a function of the distributed state profile characteristics such as the degree to which fractions of the biomass contain depleted microbial storage product contents.
Towards the design of diversity: stochastic models for community assembly in wastewater treatment plants
Authors: Curtis T.P. , Sloan W.T.
Published: July 2006

We believe that the engineering of wastewater treatment systems would be improved if we could predict and manipulate the composition, that is, the diversity of such systems. This ability would complement our established ability to predict the size of treatment communities. The theoretically based design of diversity in wastewater treatment systems is held by some to be unnecessary and by others to be impossible. In this paper we point to important phenomena in wastewater treatment, such as acclimation, adaptation and functional redundancy that would benefit from the ability to confidently design diversity. We set out a rationale and a mathematical framework for a stochastic approach to the design of diversity and show that, in principle, this approach works with two important functional groups in wastewater treatment. The implications for design and theory are briefly discussed.
Key features of successful BNR operation
Authors: Barnard J.L. , Abraham K.
Published: July 2006

Biological phosphorus removal has come of age after having been introduced with the treatment plants for the city of Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1974. There is a large number of plants in the world today and a great variety of basin configurations is used. Generally, we see excellent performance with the right wastewater characteristics and the correct design and operation, but there are still some issues not fully understood that have led to the perception that biological phosphorus removal is unreliable and unpredictable. These issues include nitrates in the feed, excessive return activated sludge recycle rates, secondary release of phosphorus and toxicity. This paper focuses on some of the issues that still frustrate designers and plant operators. There are also many claims for excellent removal by plants that appear not to conform to the established requirements for biological phosphorus removal. There is normally an explanation if the full picture is considered. The conclusion is that biological phosphorus removal is predictable and reliable if the process is properly understood.
Integrated chemical–physical processes kinetic modelling of multiple mineral precipitation problems
Authors: Ekama G.A. , Wentzel M.C. , Loewenthal R.E.
Published: July 2006

A three-phase (aqueous/gas/solid) mixed weak acid/base chemistry kinetic model is applied to evaluate the processes operative in the aeration treatment of swine wastewater (SWW) and sewage sludge anaerobic digester liquor (ADL). In both applications, with a single set of constants (except for the aeration rates which are situation specific), close correlation could be obtained between predicted and measured data, except for the Ca concentration–time profile in the SWW. For this wastewater, the model application highlighted an inconsistency in the measured Ca data which could not be resolved; this illustrates the value of a mass balance-based model in evaluating experimental data. From the model applications, in both wastewaters the dominant minerals precipitating are struvite and amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), which precipitate simultaneously competing for the same species, P. The absolute and relative masses of the two precipitants are governed by the initial solution state (e.g. total inorganic C (CT), Mg, Ca and P concentrations), their relative precipitation rates (struvite > ACP) and the system conditions imposed (aeration rates and time applied). It is concluded that the kinetic model is able to predict correctly the time-dependent weak acid/base chemistry reactions and final equilibrium state for situations where multiple minerals competing for the same species precipitate simultaneously or sequentially, a deficiency in traditional equilibrium chemistry-based algebraic models.
Autotrophic nitrogen removal from anaerobic supernatant of Florence's WWTP digesters
Authors: Caffaz S. , Lubello C. , Canziani R. , Santianni D.
Published: July 2006

In municipal WWTP with anaerobic sludge digestion, 10–20% of total nitrogen load comes from the return supernatant produced by the final sludge dewatering. In recent years a completely autotrophic nitrogen removal process based on Anammox biomass has been tested in a few European countries, in order to treat anaerobic supernatant and to increase the COD/N ratio in municipal wastewater. This work reports the experimental results of the SHARON-ANAMMOX process application to anaerobic supernatant taken from the urban Florentine area wastewater treatment plant (S. Colombano WWTP). A nitritation lab-scale chemostat (7.4 L) has been started-up seeded with the S. Colombano WWTP nitrifying activated sludge. During the experimental period, nitrite oxidising bacteria wash-out was steadily achieved with a retention time ranging from 1 to 1.5 d at 35 °C. The Anammox inoculum sludge was taken from a pilot plant at EAWAG (Zurich). Anammox biomass has been enriched at 33°C with anaerobic supernatant diluted with sodium nitrite solution until reaching a maximum specific nitrogen removal rate of 0.065 kgN kg−1 VSS d−1, which was 11 times higher than the one found in inoculum sludge (0.005 kgN kg−1VSS d−1). In a lab-scale SBR reactor (4 L), coupled with nitritation bioreactor, specific nitrogen removal rate (doubling time equal to 26 d at 35 °C and at nitrite-limiting condition) reached the value of 0.22 kgN kg−1 VSS d−1, which was approximately 44 times larger than the rate measured in the inoculum Anammox sludge.
Uncertainties of spectral in situ measurements in wastewater using different calibration approaches
Authors: Rieger L. , Langergraber G. , Siegrist H.
Published: July 2006

Three calibration methods were applied to UV/VIS spectra recorded in the influent of six wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to measure total COD (CODtot), filtered COD (CODfil), nitrate and nitrite nitrogen (NOx-N) and total suspended solids (TSS). It could be shown that a calibration of the sensor using data sets from four Swiss WWTPs leads to an improvement of the precision in comparison to the global calibration provided by the manufacturer. A calibration to the specific wastewater matrix always improves the results and gives the highest accuracy. For CODtot a mean coefficient of variation CVx of 12.5% could be reached, whereas for NOx-N only weak results were achieved (average CVx=36%).
Calibration and simulation of ASM2d at different temperatures in a phosphorus removal pilot plant
Authors: García-Usach F. , Ferrer J. , Bouzas A. , Seco A.
Published: July 2006

In this work, an organic and nutrient removal pilot plant was used to study the temperature influence on phosphorus accumulating organisms. Three experiments were carried out at 13, 20 and 24.5 °C, achieving a high phosphorus removal percentage in all cases. The ASM2d model was calibrated at 13 and 20 °C and the Arrhenius equation constant was obtained for phosphorus removal processes showing that the temperature influences on the biological phosphorus removal subprocesses in a different degree. The 24.5 °C experiment was simulated using the model parameters obtained by means of the Arrhenius equation. The simulation results for the three experiments showed good correspondence with the experimental data, demonstrating that the model and the calibrated parameters were able to predict the pilot plant behaviour.
Disintegration of excess activated sludge – evaluation and experience of full-scale applications
Authors: Zábranská J. , Dohányos M. , Jeníček P. , Kutil J.
Published: July 2006

Anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge can be improved by introducing a disintegration of excess activated sludge as a pretreatment process. The disintegration brings a deeper degradation of organic matter and less amount of output sludge for disposal, a higher production of biogas and consequently energy yield, in some cases suppression of digesters foaming and better dewaterability. The full-scale application of disintegration by a lysate-thickening centrifuge was monitored long term in three different WWTPs. The evaluation of contribution of disintegration to biogas production and digested sludge quality was assessed and operational experience is discussed. Increment of specific biogas production was evaluated in the range of 15–26%, organic matter in digested sludge significantly decreased to 48–49%. Results proved that the installation of a disintegrating centrifuge in WWTPs of different sizes and conditions would be useful and beneficial.
Evolution of an ASM2d-like model structure due to operational changes of an SBR process
Authors: Sin G. , Vanrolleghem P.A.
Published: July 2006

To model biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal systems with an affordable complexity, the ASM2d model structure is based on many assumptions. In this study, some of these assumptions, however, were observed to become invalid when the biological behaviour in the system altered in response to changes in the operation of the system, a pilot-scale N and P removing SBR. Particularly, the three applied operational scenarios resulted in three distinctive responses in the SBR, namely pronounced limitation of the hydrolysis of the organic nitrogen, nitrite build-up during aerobic conditions and also nitrite build-up during anoxic conditions. This shows that even for the same system with the same influent wastewater composition, the model structure of the ASM2d does not remain constant but adapts parallel to dynamic changes in the activated sludge community. On the other hand, the three calibrated ASM2d models still lacked the ability to entirely describe the observed dynamics particularly those dealing with the phosphorus dynamics and hydrolysis. Understanding the underlying reasons of this discrepancy is a challenging task, which is expected to improve the modelling of bio-P removing activated sludge systems.
Computational fluid dynamics modelling of hydraulics and sedimentation in process reactors during aeration tank settling
Authors: Jensen M.D. , Ingildsen P. , Rasmussen M.R. , Laursen J.
Published: July 2006

Aeration tank settling is a control method allowing settling in the process tank during high hydraulic load. The control method is patented. Aeration tank settling has been applied in several waste water treatment plants using the present design of the process tanks. Some process tank designs have shown to be more effective than others. To improve the design of less effective plants, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling of hydraulics and sedimentation has been applied. This paper discusses the results at one particular plant experiencing problems with partly short-circuiting of the inlet and outlet causing a disruption of the sludge blanket at the outlet and thereby reducing the retention of sludge in the process tank. The model has allowed us to establish a clear picture of the problems arising at the plant during aeration tank settling. Secondly, several process tank design changes have been suggested and tested by means of computational fluid dynamics modelling. The most promising design changes have been found and reported.
Performance evaluation of SBR treatment for nitrogen removal from tannery wastewater
Authors: Murat S. , Insel G. , Artan N. , Orhon D.
Published: July 2006

Performance of SBR treatment for nitrogen removal from tannery is evaluated for a wide range of wastewater temperature between 7 and 30 °C. A pilot-scale SBR unit fed with plain-settled wastewater is operated on site for this purpose. Effective nitrogen removal is sustained by adjustment of the sludge age from 28 to 5 days. Concentration profiles of nitrogen compounds within a selected complete SBR cycle during the steady state operation at different wastewater temperatures and sludge ages are evaluated by model simulation. System performance is also interpreted in terms of modeling and stoichiometric calculation. Additional nitrate loss was observed during aerobic period when the aeration intensity was reduced by the factor of 50%.
Enhancing Engineering Computer-Aided Design Education Using Lectures Recorded on the PC
Authors: McGrann Roy T. R.
Published: July 2006

Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) is a course that is required during the third year in the mechanical engineering curriculum at Binghamton University. The primary objective of the course is to educate students in the procedures of computer-aided engineering design. The solid modeling and analysis program Pro/Engineer™ (PTC®) is used as the basis of this course. As a means to this objective, students must be trained to use the Pro/Engineer™ software. We created a series of video lectures using Camtasia Studio (TechSmith®) to accomplish the Pro/Engineer™ training. As the literature for the software says: “Camtasia Studio is a complete solution for quickly creating professional-looking videos of your PC desktop activity.” Thirteen videos were created for this course, which incorporated audio combined with PowerPoint™ slides. The video files (avi's) are distributed to students on five CD's. This article describes the structure of the course and how the videos are integrated into it. Also included is a brief overview of the creation of the videos. Results of a survey of student satisfaction with the video format that was used in the course are presented.
Relationship of Psychiatric History to Pain Reports in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Authors: Frantom Catherine G. , Parker Jerry C. , Smarr Karen L. , Slaughter James R. , Hewett James E. , Hewett John E. , Ge Bin , Hanson Kathleen Donovan , Walker Sara E.
Published: July 2006

Objective:

The purpose was to examine the relationship of pre-existing psychiatric history to pain reports in a cohort of persons with RA and concomitant major depression who were receiving a trial of antidepressant medication.

Method:

RA patients ( n = 41) with a current episode of major depression were divided into two subgroups comprised of those with a previous psychiatric history (PSY+) ( n = 20) and those without a previous psychiatric history (PSY-) ( n = 21). The groups were compared with regard to their responsiveness to a regimen of antidepressive medication on measures of depression, pain, coping, and life stress over a period of 15 months.

Results:

Although depression scores for both the PSY+ and the PSY- groups decreased significantly from baseline to 15-month follow-up, the composite pain score was found to be significantly decreased only for the PSY- group.

Conclusion:

Psychiatric history appears to predispose persons with concomitant RA and major depression to report less pain reduction following antidepressive treatment than those persons without a psychiatric history.
Influencing Alcohol Control Policies and Practices at Community Festivals
Authors: Toomey Traci L. , Fabian Lindsey A. , Erickson Darin J. , Wagenaar Alexander C. , Fletcher Linda , Lenk Kathleen M.
Published: July 2006

The goal of this study was to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of two interventions aimed at reducing alcohol-related risks at community festivals—a training program for festival planners and a community organizing campaign. We randomly selected four festivals for each intervention and had 24 comparison festivals. Our assessment included process evaluation to track and evaluate types of alcohol policies resulting from each of the interventions, pre and post telephone surveys of key festival planners and law enforcement agencies, and pre and post pseudo-underage and pseudo-intoxicated purchase attempts. Analyses showed that both interventions were feasible and were successful in influencing adoption of written policies and improving alcohol-related practices. However, neither intervention appeared to decrease propensity for illegal alcohol sales at these events, likely due, in part, to the short time frame of the interventions. Future research should assess effects of the interventions on alcohol-related problems and effects of enforcement interventions.
Creating and Sustaining Problem-Based Partnerships among Graduate, Undergraduate, and K-12 Learners: Opportunities and Challenges
Authors: Stefl-Mabry Joette , Powers Jennifer Goodall , Doll Carol
Published: July 2006

This article outlines a K-12 college learning partnership that has evolved over the past two years at the University at Albany, SUNY. Two faculty members with the School of Information Science & Policy (SISP) Joette Stefl-Mabry and Jennifer Goodall Powers, with administrative support of their Associate Dean, Carol Doll, have integrated problem-based learning (PBL) into graduate and undergraduate curricula to establish partnerships with local K-12 school districts. Dynamic PBL environments link K-12 schools, School Library Media (SLM) graduate students, and undergraduate students majoring in information science to develop content, delivery, and assessment methods for K-12 curricula while at the same time strengthening graduate and undergraduate curricula by incorporating real-world challenges into coursework. Through this partnership, K-12 schools benefit from research-based best practices in educational technology and information science graduate and undergraduate students experience real career situations within educational environments. Over the course of a semester, SLM graduate students wrestle with theory and practice in K-12 curriculum, as undergraduate students develop Web pages based on research theory summarized by their graduate student partners. Stefl-Mabry and Powers collaboratively create and/or adapt instructional methods to meet the educational requirements of graduate and undergraduate curriculum as it relates to the specific needs and abilities of their students and the learning needs of K-12 environments. PBL enhances learning and provides new instructional models for SLM graduate students to emulate as educators when they are employed in K-12 communities.
The Comfort Level of Internists with the Prescription of Psychotropic Medication
Authors: Sansone Randy A. , McDonald Stephen , Prutzman Cherish , Henkaline Ty C.
Published: July 2006

Introduction:

Empirical data indicate that patients seen in internal medicine outpatient settings have substantial rates of depression and other psychiatric disorders. Surprisingly, the training requirements established by the Residency Review Committee in Internal Medicine do not include a specific psychiatry training curriculum, but rather vaguely refer to “sufficient instruction and clinical experience” in psychiatry.

Method:

In this study, internists on staff at a community hospital were surveyed to ascertain their general level of comfort with prescribing psychotropic medication. The study hypotheses were: (1) compared with other psychotropic medications, internists would generally be most comfortable with the prescription of antidepressants; (2) younger, rather than older, internists would be more comfortable with prescribing psychotropic medications; and (3) internists with greater outpatient, versus inpatient, responsibilities would be more comfortable with psychotropic medication prescription.

Results:

This sample of internists demonstrated differences in prescribing comfort by medication group ( F(3) = 48.99, p < .001) and was most comfortable in prescribing antidepressants and benzodiazepines, in contrast to antipsychotics and other types of psychotropic medications; comparing older with younger internists, there was a significant between-group difference in the mean number of medications positively endorsed, t(66) = 2.16, p < .05, with younger internists indicating broader comfort levels; and inpatient internists were significantly more comfortable prescribing antipsychotics than outpatient internists, t(117) = −3.38, p = .001.

Conclusions:

There are some distinct psychotropic prescription trends among internists, which have implications for future training and quality improvement programs.
Current Issues in Providing Primary Medical Care to People with Serious Mental Illness
Authors: Lester Helen
Published: July 2006

This article explores some of the current issues in providing primary care for people with serious mental illness. In contrast to many patients in the United States, up to half of patients with serious mental illness in the United Kingdom are seen only by the primary care team. However many General Practitioners feel that the care of this patient group is beyond their remit. In the United Kingdom during the last decade, there have been a variety of policy initiatives, influenced by the generic principle of “partnership working” and the increasing recognition of the importance of patient choice, that have aimed to increase the role of primary care in the delivery of health care to people with serious mental illness. On the ground, these policy imperatives have been realised through different models of shared care and schemes to encourage better communication across the primary/secondary interface. Most recently, and perhaps most effectively, the introduction of a type of performance related pay into primary care may lead to changes to the way in which General Practitioners think and act in terms of their roles and responsibilities with this patient group. Theoretically, therefore the United Kingdom may be entering a new “golden age” of primary care based mental health services for people with serious mental illness, where holistic care, preventive care and health promotion are increasingly seen not as the gold standard, but the norm.
Religious Influences on Trust in Physicians and the Health Care System
Authors: Benjamins Maureen R.
Published: July 2006

Objective:

Aspects of the patient-physician relationship, such as trust, influence a variety of health behaviors, including adherence to treatment regimens and the use of preventive health services. While several demographic and socioeconomic factors have been found to predict levels of trust in physicians, little is known about the influence of religious beliefs and behaviors.

Methods:

The relationship between religion and medical trust was investigated within a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States ( n = 1,274). More specifically, multivariate models were used to analyze the associations between religious affiliation, attendance, and strength of affiliation and three types of trust: personal trust in one's physician, general confidence in physicians, and trust in the health care system.

Results:

Findings reveal that religiously active individuals have higher levels of trust in physicians. For example, individuals who attend religious services frequently (42% of the sample) are significantly more likely to trust their own physician ( p < .05) and have higher levels of confidence in physicians in general ( p < .01), compared to individuals who never attend. In addition, levels of trust vary by religious denomination with Mainline Protestants, Catholics, and Jews reporting more trust than Evangelical Protestants. For example, Mainline Protestants have more personal trust in their physicians ( p < .01), general confidence in physicians ( p < .05), and trust in the health care system ( p < .05), compared to Evangelical Protestants.

Conclusions:

This study is the first to examine religious differences in medical trust. The findings add to the current knowledge on factors associated with trust in health care providers and may help to explain religious differences in the use of preventive services and other health behaviors.
The Effects of Fatal Vision Goggles on Drinking and Driving Intentions in College Students
Authors: Hennessy Dwight A. , Lanni-Manley Elizabeth , Maiorana Nicole
Published: July 2006

The present study was designed to examine the effectiveness of Fatal Vision Goggles in reducing intentions to drink and drive. Participants performed a field sobriety task and drove in a traffic simulator while wearing the goggles. A regression analysis was performed in order to predict changes in intentions to drink and drive, using typical drinking patterns, perceived likelihood of getting into a collision when drinking and driving, self efficacy, and driving independence as predictor variables. Results showed that drinking and driving intentions were reduced following the use of Fatal Vision Goggles among those that typically drink more during outings, among those that believe the likelihood of collisions when drinking and driving are greater, and among those less likely to drive to achieve independence and autonomy. These results indicate that Fatal Vision Goggles can be an effective tool in altering drinking and driving attitudes among drivers with specific attitudinal and personal characteristics.
Assessing the association between the geographic distribution of deer ticks and seropositivity rates to various tick-transmitted disease organisms in dogs
Authors: Hinrichsen Virginia L. , Whitworth Ulysses G. , Breitschwerdt Edward B. , Hegarty Barbara C. , Mather Thomas N.
Published: July 2006

Objective—To determine whether the geographic distribution of deer ticks (Ixodes scapularis) was associated with the distribution of dogs seropositive for various tick-transmitted disease organisms (ie,Borrelia burgdorferi, Rickettsia rickettsii, the human granulocytic ehrlichiosis [HGE] agent,Ehrlichia canis, andBartonella vinsoniisubspberkhoffii).

Design—Serologic survey.

Sample Population—Serum samples from 277 dogs in animal shelters and veterinary hospitals in Rhode Island.

Results—Overall, 143 (52%) dogs were seropositive forB burgdorferi, 59 (21.3%) were seropositive forR rickettsii, 40 (14.4%) were seropositive for the HGE agent, 8 (2.9%) were seropositive forE canis, and 6 (2.2%) were seropositive forB vinsonii. Regression analysis indicated that the natural logarithm of nymphal deer tick abundance was correlated with rate of seropositivity to the HGE agent and toB burgdorferibut not to rate of seropositivity toR rickettsii,E canis, orB vinsonii. Percentages of samples seropositive forB burgdorferi,R rickettsii, the HGE agent, andE caniswere significantly higher for samples from the southwestern part of the state where ticks in general and deer ticks in particular are abundant than for samples from the northern and eastern portions of the state, where ticks are relatively rare.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggested that all 5 disease agents are in Rhode Island and pose a risk to dogs and humans. Knowledge concerning tick distributions may be useful in predicting the pattern of disease associated with particular tick species and may aid diagnostic, prevention, and control efforts. (J Am Vet Med Assoc2001;218:1092–1097)
Effects of hydromorphone or oxymorphone, with or without acepromazine, on preanesthetic sedation, physiologic values, and histamine release in dogs
Authors: Smith Lesley J. , Yu Jeff K-A , Bjorling Dale E. , Waller Kenneth
Published: July 2006

Objective—To compare hydromorphone with oxymorphone, with or without acepromazine, for preanesthetic sedation in dogs and assess changes in plasma concentration of histamine after drug administration.

Design—Randomized clinical study.

Animals—10 healthy mixed-breed dogs.

Procedure—Dogs were treated IM with hydromorphone (group H), oxymorphone (group O), hydromorphone with acepromazine (group H/A), or oxymorphone with acepromazine (group O/A). Sedation score, heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, and oxygen saturation were recorded at baseline immediately after drug administration (T0) and every 5 minutes for 25 minutes (T25). Plasma histamine concentration was measured at baseline and T25.

Results—Sedation was similar between groups H and O at all times. Sedation was significantly greater for groups H/A and O/A from T10 to T25, compared with other groups. Systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced at T25 in group H/A, compared with group H, and in group O/A, compared with group O. Prevalence of panting at T25 was 50% for groups H and O, compared with 20% for group H/A and 30% for group O/A. By T25, heart rate was significantly lower in all groups. Oxygen saturation was unaffected by treatment. Mean ± SD plasma histamine concentration was 1.72 ± 2.69 ng/ml at baseline and 1.13 ± 1.18 ng/ml at T25. There was no significant change in plasma histamine concentration in any group.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Hydromorphone is comparable to oxymorphone for preanesthetic sedation in dogs. Sedation is enhanced by acepromazine. Neither hydromorphone nor oxymorphone caused an increase in plasma histamine concentration. (J Am Vet Med Assoc2001;218:1101–1105)