bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CONSEQUENCES
Authors: Cameron J. M.
Published: June 2013

Consequences as they are anticipated are certainly among the criteria we use in deciding what we ought to do. But they can't be decisive in crucial cases. First, in many situations, predicting consequences is an idle occupation just because we can't know; to claim that we can is to play at being God. The decisions to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki are melancholy evidence of this....Secondly, whether or not a man has a given virtue (veracity, for example, or justice) is settled by noting how he behaves in some of those cases where calculation about consequences doesn't seem to matter and might even appear, in an affair of such moment, ludicrous.... (those doctors who in the death camps refused to perform medical experiments, even though they knew these experiments would be performed by others).
THE REVEREND JOHN WESLEYAS A PEDIATRICIAN
Authors: C. T. E.
Published: June 2013

John Wesley (1703-1791), the English theologian, evangelist, and founder of Methodism, did not confine his attention entirely to preaching; he also practiced medicine on his own authority. He did so because of the inadequate number of regular practitioners and the inability of the poor to afford medical treatment even if they could obtain it. To meet this real need Wesley published in 1747 an immensely popular and practical book entitled Primitive Physic on the practice of domestic medicine. No less than seven editions were published in America between 1764 and 1840. Wesley's therapeutic regimens for a few common pediatric conditions that many American parents of that period would have followed are given below.

Convulsions in Children. Scrape piony [sic] roots fresh digged. Apply what you have scraped off to the soles of the feet. It helps immediately.

Jaundice in Children. Take half an ounce of fine rhubarb, powdered, mix with it thoroughly, by long beating, two handsful of good well cleansed currants. Of this give a tea-spoonful every morning.

A Rupture in Children. Boil a spoonful of egg-shells dried in an oven, and powdered, in three quarts of a pint of milk. Feed the child constantly with bread boiled in this milk.

Thrush. Mix juice of calendine with honey to the thickness of cream. Infuse a little powdered saffon, let this simmer a while and scum it; apply it where needed with a feather.

Or, take an ounce of clarified honey, having scummed off all the dross from it, put in a drachm of roche-alum finely powedered, and stir them well together.
Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita as Part of an Inherited Symptom Complex: Two Case Reports and a Review of the Literature
Authors: Beckerman Robert C. , Buchino John J.
Published: June 2013

Two first cousins appear to have an autosomal recessive disorder consisting of arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC), pterygium colli, congenital cervical spine fusions, and some features of the Eagle-Barrett syndrome. A review of the literature is summarized including the broad concepts of AMC as well as some syndromes in which AMC is but one manifestation.
WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS DESCRIBES HIS LIFE AT AN ENGLISH SCHOOL OF THE 1870s
Authors: C. T. E.
Published: June 2013

At the age of 9, in 1874, Yeats went with the family to England, where for two years his father took over his son's education, keeping him often in a state of terror for pedagogical purposes. His experiences with schooling were particularly distasteful; after suffering his father's insistent pedagogy for two years he went in his 11th year to the Godolphin School, Hammersmith, for his first formal instruction.1

Yeats wrote later of these years:

The only lessons I had ever learned were those my father taught me, for he terrified me by descriptions of my moral degradation and he humiliated me by my likeness to disagreeable people; but presently I was sent to school by Hammersmith. It was a Gothic building of yellow brick: a large hail full of desks, some small class-rooms and a separate house for boarders, all built perhaps in 1860 or 1870. I thought it an ancient building and that it had belonged to the founder of the school, Lord Godolphin, who was romantic to me because there was a novel about him. I never read the novel, but I thought only romantic people were put in books. On one side, there was a piano factory of yellow brick, upon two sides half-finished rows of little shops and villas all yellow brick, and on the fourth side, outside the wall of our playing field, a brick-field of cinders and piles of half-burned yellow bricks. All the names and faces of my schoolfellows have faded from me except one name without a face and the face and name of one friend, mainly no doubt because it was all so long ago, but partly because I only seem to remember things dramatic in themselves or that are somehow associated with unforgettable places.
The Gianotti-Crosti Syndrome
Authors: Rubenstein Denise , Esterly Nancy B. , Fretzin David
Published: June 2013

The Gianotti-Crosti syndrome is an infrequently recognized disorder with distinctive characteristics. The eruption, which lasts for two to eight weeks, consists of large, flat-topped, nonpruritic papules on the face, buttocks, and limbs. Its onset may be preceded by fever and upper respiratory tract symptoms. Associated findings include generalized lymphadenopathy, anicteric hepatitis, and HBs antigenemia. Two children with the syndrome are described to bring this entity to the attention of pediatricians.
NILS ROSÉN VON ROSENSTEIN ON THE WHOOPING COUGH OR CHINCOUGH (1776)
Authors: C. T. E.
Published: June 2013

Nils Rosén von Rosenstein (1706-1773) of Sweden is usually called the founder of modern pediatrics. His textbook, which was published in 1764, was, according to Still, the most progressive which had yet been written.1

The description of the clinical course of whooping cough in Rosén von Rosenstein's book gives a lucid account of the clinical course of the disease, including the typical paroxysms.2

It comes on only by degrees, and is at first dry, but when it has continued ten or twelve days, it turns humid and the matter which is then coughed up looks ripe; nevertheless it increases more and more, leaving long intervals; the fits return at certain hours, but continue at each time with such violence and for so long a time, that the child grows blue in the face, its eyes look as if they were forced out, and they run besides, and a bleeding of the nose is sometimes brought on; it coughs till it is quite out of breath, that one is in apprehension of its being choaked [sic]; for if the patient now and then is capable of drawing some breath, it is with a sounding which very much indicates with what difficulty the lungs can admit the air. The coughing continues, and does not leave off for that time, till the child vomits up a quantity of slime. If at any time the coughing should intermit without the paroxysm being ended with a vomiting, it will immediately return again, and will not cease but after a vomiting.
ABO Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn: Evaluation of Management and Identification of Racial and Antigenic Factors
Authors: Peevy Keith J. , Wiseman Hollis J.
Published: June 2013

Data from 16,320 deliveries from two time periods were examined to compare the incidence of positive direct Coombs' tests and the number of exchange transfusions performed, using different methods of screening and treatment in each time period. Early routine screening revealed an eightfold increase in the number of Coombs-positive infants, while the combined effect of instituting early screening and the change from white light to special blue light phototherapy greatly diminished the number of exchange transfusions.

In addition, data concerning racial and blood antigen factors in ABO hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) are compared, showing an increase in incidence but no increase in severity for black infants and infants with blood type B.

Also, use of cord blood parameters in management of ABO HDN is discussed.
Deep Hypothermia in Infant Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Wagner Henry R. , Subramanian S.
Published: June 2013

The value of infant cardiac surgery using deep hypothermia remains a debate. A steady number of cardiac centers have consented to this approach in spite of some filibuster. Physiologists are frightened, anesthetists may find it cumbersome, but surgeons using it enjoy the ease of correction in a bloodless and relaxed heart. The cardiologists may document acceptable results, but we also need the alert feedback from the provider of long-term health care-the pediatrician-to document possible flaws of this pristine modality.

This article is intended to familiarize the pediatrician with the method of deep hypothermia: its origin, application, and appeal for consumer protection.
Fetal Uptake and Neonatal Disposition of Procainamide and Its Acetylated Metabolite: A Case Report
Authors: Lima John J. , Kuritzky Paul M. , Schentag Jerome J. , Jusko William J.
Published: June 2013

Few drugs are administered to pregnant women without fear of hazard to the fetus. Because there are few available data on the kinetics and effects of drugs given in pharmacological doses during pregnancy, many are either withheld or given with hesitation. The problem has many origins, not the least important of which are the ethical considerations in studying drug effects and disposition in the fetus and neonate. Measuring urinary drug excretion after birth is one relatively noninvasive method of examining fetal drug uptake and neonatal elimination. We have utilized this approach to examine the disposition of transplacentally acquired procainamide and its active metabolite, N-acetylated procainamide, in the neonate.
Are we what we eat?
Authors: Berwick Donald M.
Published: June 2013

This issue of Pediatrics has two articles on the effects of dietary constituents in childhood. Weidman et al. (p. 354) from the Mayo Clinic report no difference in the diets of children with widely different cholesterol levels. Pisacano et al. (p. 360) from the Long Beach Pediatric Group have instituted a "prudent diet" in a subgroup of their pediatric patients, finding a striking decrease in obesity in that subgroup compared with controls.

Among pediatricians, infant diet has ranked with religion and politics as an unsuitable subject for nondyspeptic dinner conversation. Feelings run high between the two poles of "leave well enough alone" and "it's high time we did something about it."
Unconvinced by CDP Evidence
Authors: Belenky David A. , Orr Rosemary J. , Woodrum David E. , Hodson W. Alan
Published: June 2013

The commentary by Wung et al. (Pediatrics 58: 793, December 1976) on our controlled trial of continuous distending pressure (CDP) for hyaline membrane disease (Pediatrics 58:800, December 1976) raises some questions which merit further discussion.

The first question is the meaning of a negative result (no significant difference) in a controlled trial. Wung et al. suggest that any conclusion with regard to mortality is unjustified in our study because of an apparent trend toward lower mortality with CDP.
Some Risk in Varicella Vaccine Use
Authors: Takahashi Michiaki
Published: June 2013

Dr. Izawa's group (Pediatrics 60:805, December 1977) used our live varicella vaccine in children with acute leukemia with suspension of anticancer therapy for two weeks, and they reported that rash appeared in two of 11 patients. They have vaccinated 30 leukemic children and rash has appeared in four of them.

Subsequently, a group of researchers at the Osaka University School of Medicine used the same vaccine without suspension of anticancer therapy (methotrexate, cyclophosphamide [Endoxan], 6-mercaptopurine) in eight acute leukemic children and one lymphosarcoma patient developed severe varicella symptoms (but completely recovered).
Inclusion ideals associated to uniformly increasing hypergraphs
Authors: Anwar I. , Ahmad S. , Inam A. , Haider A.
Published: June 2013

In this paper, we introduce inclusion ideals I(H) associated to a special class of non uniform hypergraphs H(gC; ɛ; d), namely, the uniformly increasing hypergraphs. We discuss some algebraic properties of the inclusion ideals. In particular, we give an upper bound of the Castelnouvo-Mumford regularity of the special dual ideal I[*](H).
“Ali Even Motivates the Dead”: The Pursuit of Sovereignty in Norman Mailer'sThe Fight
Authors: Collins Michael
Published: June 2013

Norman Mailer was haunted by the specter of social death—a specter created for him by living as a Jew between the parentheses created by the Holocaust and the prospect of nuclear Armageddon. As an antidote to social death, Mailer sought its opposite—sovereignty within and beyond his writer's sphere. In the boxer Muhammad Ali, Mailer found an exemplar of the seizure of sovereignty within and beyond a sphere.The Fightchronicles the heavyweight championship battle between Ali and George Foreman in Zaire, a country treated like a private bank account by its dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko. I argue that Mailer regrettably failed to emphasize fully the fact that Zaire was exhibit B (the Vietnam War being the writer's inevitable exhibit A) in the case Mailer passionately made that the Cold War brutalized the American psyche.
Awkward Moments: Melodrama, Modernism, and the Politics of Affect
Authors: Kohlmann Benjamin
Published: June 2013

The modernist privileging of irony and detached contemplation frequently combined with a recognition of the social and artistic significance of affect. The relation between melodramatic structures of feeling and modernist innovation is evident in two plays of the interwar years: Bertolt Brecht and Elisabeth Hauptmann'sHappy Endand W. H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood'sOn the Frontier.Scholars need to develop a vocabulary that complements the customary critical emphasis on modernist “irony,” “estrangement,” and “difficulty” and that can be used to reconstruct the full force of the modernist uses of affect. Instead of estranging melodrama to make it palatable to an audience trained in high modernism, the negotiations between sentimentality and avant-garde aesthetics inHappy EndandOn the Frontiertrigger a backward dialectical movement in which the modernist rallying call to “make it new” blurs into the established patterns of melodrama.
Come Be My Love: The Song of Songs,Paradise Lost, and the Tradition of the Invitation Poem
Authors: Gray Erik
Published: June 2013

The invitation poem, in which the beloved is urged to come away to an idealized place, is among the most enduring genres of European love poetry. The tradition begins with the biblical Song of Songs, which sets several important precedents: a dialogic framework, a close association of lover and landscape, and a sense of love as exile. Medieval and Renaissance invitation poems follow the Song of Songs but shift its emphases toward monologue, materialism, and importunity. Milton thus inherits a dual tradition of invitational poetry, both aspects of which figure prominently inParadise Lost.Recognizing the traditional features of the genre therefore illuminates significant moments in the epic, including, notably, Eve's final speech. The invitational tropes in this passage reveal how Eve reconceives of exile as homecoming and how she reestablishes a sense of radical mutuality with Adam by completing a dialogue that began before the Fall.
Middlebrow Culture in the Cold War: Books USA Advertisements, 1967
Authors: Travis Trysh
Published: June 2013

IN THE DECADES FOLLOWING WORLD WAR II, AMERICANS WHO BELIEVED IN THE BOOK'S TRANSFORMATIVE POWER ENJOYED SHARING THEIR literary wealth with readers in the developing world. Through the Darien Book Aid Project (founded in 1949), The Freedom House Bookshelf (founded in 1958), Books USA (BUSA; founded in 1962), and other programs, they sent bundles of American paperbacks to would-be readers in countries where books were scarce and expensive. Such experiments in what international-relations scholars call people-to-people diplomacy aimed to harness the energies of America's growing middlebrow reading public to the nation's Cold War aims.

Book-donation programs shared the realist aesthetic and humanist sensibility that hallmarked the Book-of-the-Month Club (BOMC). Disdaining avant-garde “difficulty,” their selections foregrounded transparent language, traditional mimesis, and strong themes. Fiction, biography, and popular history were the backbone of such programs, and even selections from sociology and political thought centered on unambiguous, three-dimensional characters—individuals who embodied the Enlightenment virtues of rational thought, hard work, and tolerance.
Fiddler crabs facilitate Spartina alterniflora growth, mitigating periwinkle overgrazing of marsh habitat
Authors: Gittman Rachel K. , Keller Danielle A.
Published: June 2013

Ecologists have long been interested in identifying and testing factors that drive top‐down or bottom‐up regulation of communities. Most studies have focused on factors that directly exert top‐down (e.g., grazing) or bottom‐up (e.g., nutrient availability) control on primary production. For example, recent studies in salt marshes have demonstrated that fronts of Littoraria irrorata periwinkles can overgraze Spartina alterniflora and convert marsh to mudflat. The importance of indirect, bottom‐up effects, particularly facilitation, in enhancing primary production has also recently been explored. Previous field studies separately revealed that fiddler crabs, which burrow to depths of more than 30 cm, can oxygenate marsh sediments and redistribute nutrients, thereby relieving the stress of anoxia and enhancing S. alterniflora growth. However, to our knowledge, no studies to date have explored how non‐trophic facilitators can mediate top‐down effects (i.e., grazing) on primary‐producer biomass. We conducted a field study testing whether fiddler crabs can facilitate S. alterniflora growth sufficiently to mitigate overgrazing by periwinkles and thus sustain S. alterniflora marsh. As inferred from contrasts to experimental plots lacking periwinkles and fiddler crabs, periwinkles alone exerted top‐down control of total aboveground biomass and net growth of S. alterniflora. When fiddler crabs were included, they counteracted the effects of periwinkles on net S. alterniflora growth. Sediment oxygen levels were greater and S. alterniflora belowground biomass was lower where fiddler crabs were present, implying that fiddler crab burrowing enhanced S. alterniflora growth. Consequently, in the stressful interior S. alterniflora marsh, where subsurface soil anoxia is widespread, fiddler crab facilitation can mitigate top‐down control by periwinkles and can limit and possibly prevent loss of biogenically structured marsh habitat and its ecosystem services.
Stover Management and Nitrogen Fertilization Effects on Corn Production
Authors: Biau Anna , Santiveri Francisca , Lloveras Jaume
Published: June 2013

The incorporation of crop stover into the soil improves soil fertility and crop productivity by increasing C sequestration and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases among other parameters. Interactions between crop stover management and N fertilization could help to improve C sequestration while increasing productivity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of incorporating or removing corn (Zea mays L.) stover, in combination with different N fertilization rates (0, 100, 200, and 300 kg N ha–1), on corn production, soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil mineral nitrogen (SMN) in high production areas. We performed two field experiments (Exp. 1 and 2) for 3 yr under sprinkler irrigation. Over the duration of the experiment (short‐term period), stover management did not affect corn production or SMN levels, while high average grain yields were achieved (16–20 Mg ha–1) when N was applied. After 3 yr, removing the stover reduced SOC levels by approximately 0.82 and 1.06 g C m–2 (0–30‐cm depth) in 2012 in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively. The amounts of corn stover incorporated were higher than 16 Mg ha–1 yr–1 of dry matter. Our data suggest that returning stover to the soil has a positive short‐term impact on soil quality without grain yield penalties. Although selling the stover provides a short‐term economic advantage, continuous stover removal may cause significant soil degradation in the future.
Severe Phosphorus Stress Affects Sunflower and Maize but Not Soybean Root to Shoot Allometry
Authors: Gerardo Rubio , Gutierrez Boem Flavio H. , Fernández Mariana C.
Published: June 2013

The predictions of two models on biomass allocation were compared on P‐stressed and non‐stressed crop plants. Allometric coefficients were calculated from paired measurements of root and shoot biomass obtained from field and greenhouse experiments with soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), and maize (Zea mays L.) plants. Soybean consistently followed the allometric model, with the allocation pattern governed by the plant size (common slope K of 0.96 and 0.82 in the field and greenhouse, respectively). Sunflower and maize showed allometric trajectories in the field but optimal partitioning trajectories in the greenhouse. Field data for sunflower and maize adjusted to a unique line (K = 0.92 and 1.05, respectively) indicating that the biomass allocation is explained by allometric trajectories irrespective of the P level. In contrast, greenhouse data adjusted to two parallel lines (i.e., different elevation coefficient but similar slope: 0.91 for sunflower, 0.96 for maize). Only under severe P stress sunflower and maize plants modified their allocation pattern. Since the severity of the P stress needed to induce a shift in the allocation pattern would be large, we conclude that the three species follow unique root to shoot allometric trajectories under P levels usually found in the field. Most studies analyze the slope of the allometric relationships irrespective of the intercept. Here, we show that only the joint analysis of the slope and the elevation helps understand the effect of P availability on the biomass allocation pattern of relevant crop species.
Assessment of Solar Irradiation Models in A Coruña by Multifractal Analysis
Authors: Rodríguez-Gómez Benigno Antonio , Meizoso-López María del Carmen , Mirás-Avalos José Manuel , García-Tomillo Aitor , Paz-González Antonio
Published: June 2013

The physical processes taking place in the ground are influenced by solar radiation. This climatic variable presents a strong local behavior; therefore local models to estimate irradiation are usually more adequate than others which are more global. The aim of this study was to develop models for global, diffuse and direct radiation in A Coruña (Northwest of Spain), and to apply Multifractal Detrending Fluctuation Analysis (MFDFA) as tool for the assessment of model quality, complementing traditional validation parameters. Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) methodology was used to obtain daily radiation models. The global irradiation series model explained over 55% of the variance. The model for diffuse radiation showed the lowest prediction errors, and the direct radiation model offered the worst outcomes with the highest errors and the lowestR2. MFDFA allowed us to check that the model for global irradiation reproduced the main statistical characteristics of the data series: scale exponent values and points of slope change, and, in general, the multifractal behavior. The diffuse model presented a similar behavior of the series for short‐term large fluctuations, whereas the model for direct irradiation was not capable to reflect the multifractality of the data series. MFDFA can be used as a complement for model assessment, since it offers an analysis of model behavior at different timescales.
Technical and economic analysis of real anaerobic digester centrate by means of partial nitrification and sustainable heterotrophic denitrification
Authors: Bartrolí A. , Garcia-Belinchón C. , Hidalgo J. M. , Rougé P. , Fàbregas C. , Fortuny M. , Lafuente J. , Prado Ó. J.
Published: June 2013

The reliability of partial nitrification coupled with heterotrophic denitrification for the treatment of real anaerobic digester centrate produced in a wastewater treatment plant was technically and economically assessed in two sequencing batch reactors. Removal efficiencies above 90% were consistently achieved at N-ammonium loads above 1.2 g N L−1 d−1. Ethanol, affluent from a waste water treatment plant (biological treatment inlet) and a zero-cost liquid residue from a chemical industry containing polyethylene glycol and sorbitol were employed as carbon source for denitrification. In this last case, a total organic carbon (TOC) requirement of 4.5 g TOC g−1 NO2−-N was calculated. The denitrification rate was 0.26 g NO2−-N g VSS−1 d−1 (VSS: volatile suspended solids). These results show that a carbon-rich waste can serve as a no-cost feed for denitrifying bioreactors. An in-depth economic analysis considering the main investment and operating costs of the process was developed, showing that it can suppose yearly savings above 50% with respect to the most widely used alternative of returning anaerobic digester centrate untreated to the head of the facility.
Experimental study on calcium carbonate precipitation using electromagnetic field treatment
Authors: Xuefei Miao , Lan Xiong , Jiapeng Chen , Zikang Yang , Wei He
Published: June 2013

The present study investigated the effectiveness of electromagnetic fields in preventing calcium carbonate (CaCO3) fouling in cooling water. Four different frequencies and two different voltages were adopted to induce electromagnetic fields directly in water with constant water temperature and constant flow velocity. Artificial hard water was used. The solution conductivities decreased by 17–25% from their initial values in the electromagnetic anti-fouling treatment (EAT) cases, depending on different frequencies of electric pulses, whereas the untreated case dropped by 31%. The particle size became small and the crystal structure changed into loose style after EAT. The EAT device independently developed by the State Key Laboratory had been validated as an effective apparatus in preventing CaCO3 fouling in cooling water.
Industrial flue gas desulfurization waste may offer an opportunity to facilitate SANI® application for significant sludge minimization in freshwater wastewater treatment
Authors: Qian J. , Jiang F. , Chui H. K. , van Loosdrecht Mark C. M. , Chen G. H.
Published: June 2013

This paper reports an exploratory study on the use of a sulfite-rich industrial effluent to enable the integration of a sulfite–sulfide–sulfate cycle to the conventional carbon and nitrogen cycles in wastewater treatment to achieve sludge minimization through the non-sludge-producing Sulfate reduction, Autotrophic denitriﬁcation and Nitriﬁcation Integrated (SANI) process. A laboratory-scale sulfite reduction reactor was set up for treating sulfite-rich synthetic wastewater simulating the wastewater from industrial flue gas desulfurization (FGD) units. The results indicated that the sulfite reduction reactor can be started up within 11 d, which was much faster than that using sulfate. Thiosulfate was found to be the major sulfite reduction intermediate, accounting for about 30% of the total reduced sulfur in the reactor effluent, which may enable additional footprint reduction of the autotrophic denitrification reactor in the SANI process. This study indicated that it was possible to make use of the FGD effluent for applying the FGD–SANI process in treating freshwater-based sewage.
The variation of volatile fatty acid compositions in sewer length, and its effect on the process design of biological nutrient removal
Authors: Yun Z. , Yun G. H. , Lee H. S. , Yoo T. U.
Published: June 2013

The potential of enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) in biological nutrient removal (BNR) systems critically depends on the availability and types of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in sewage. Although the characteristics of VFAs in sewage are strongly related with the biochemical transformations in the sewer system, they have not been studied thoroughly in terms of BNR process design. We have investigated the characteristics of VFAs in influent of nine sewage treatment plants which represent typical small to very large sewer systems in Korea. We found that influent total VFACOD (VFA as chemical oxygen demand) concentrations ranged from 20.4 to 65.2 mg/L. Acetic acid was a predominant VFA in sewage, and the propionic acid (HPr) portion averaged 38.7% of total VFACOD. However the sewage from longer sewer systems showed more HPr content, indicating that type of VFA varied with the total sewer length. The finding is a particularly important consideration for BNR process design since availability of HPr positively behaved to suppress the unfavorable growth of glycogen-accumulating organisms. The implication of these findings for BNR process design is discussed in this paper.
Performance evaluation of a novel open trickling filter for the post-treatment of anaerobic effluents from small communities
Authors: Vieira P. C. , von Sperling M. , Nogueira L. C. M. , Assis B. F. S.
Published: June 2013

The objective of the work is to evaluate the performance of an innovative design of a trickling filter for small population sizes, which has been implemented for the post-treatment of sanitary effluent from a UASB (upflow anaerobic sludge blanket) reactor. The unit, named open trickling filter (OTF), operates with no side walls, no perforated bottom slab and no secondary settler. The OTF packing was 3.5 m high, composed of crushed stone, with a fixed distribution system made of channels with V-notch weirs. The OTF was operated with mean surface hydraulic loading rates of 4.1 and 9.3 m3 m−2 d−1, corresponding to population equivalents of approximately 250 and 550 inhabitants, respectively. For the surface hydraulic loading rate of 4.1 m3 m−2 d−1, the median removal efficiencies obtained by the OTF and overall system (UASB + OTF) were, respectively, 24 and 83% for total suspended solids (TSS), 44 and 79% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), 42 and 82% for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), 40 and 40% for N-ammonia. For the surface hydraulic loading rate of 9.3 m3 m−2 d−1, the median removal efficiencies obtained by the OTF and global system (UASB + OTF) were 14 and 76% for TSS, 28 and 76% for COD, 25 and 86% for BOD, 15 and 15% for N-ammonia. Considering the great simplicity, no mechanization and small footprint of the system, these results can be considered satisfactory, suggesting that the OTF is suitable for small communities, especially in developing countries.
Simultaneous removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater by means of FeS-based autotrophic denitrification
Authors: Li Ruihua , Niu Jianmin , Zhan Xinmin , Liu Bo
Published: June 2013

The efficacy of iron(II) sulfide (FeS)-based autotrophic denitrification in simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal from wastewater was studied with batch experiments. It was efficient at a wide pH range of 5–9, and temperature range of 10–40 °C. The concentrations of NH4+-N, Mg2+ and HCO3− in the wastewater should be kept over 7.8, 0.24 and 30 mg L−1 for efficient nitrate (NO3−-N) reduction, respectively. The NO3−-N removal rate increased from 0 to 82 mg L−1 d−1 and then leveled off when the NO3−-N concentration increased from 0 to 415 mg L−1 and then to 700 mg L−1, respectively. The NO3−-N removal rate quickly increased, leveled off, and then sharply decreased when the PO43−-P concentration increased from 0 to 0.1 mg L−1, then to 114.0 mg L−1, and further to 683.8 mg L−1, respectively. The PO43−-P removal was over 98% when the PO43−-P concentration ranged 0–683.3 mg L−1. During treatment of the secondary effluent of a local municipal wastewater treatment plant containing NO3−-N of 14.9 mg L−1 and total phosphorus (TP) of 3.9 mg L−1, NO3−-N was reduced to 1.1 mg L−1 and TP was completely removed.
First detection of human sapoviruses in river water in South Africa
Authors: Murray T. Y. , Mans J. , Taylor M. B.
Published: June 2013

Over a 2-year period, from January 2009 to December 2010, water samples were collected from three rivers (Klip, Rietspruit and Suikerbosrand) in the Vaal River System, South Africa. Enteric viruses were recovered by a glass wool adsorption–elution method and concentrated using polyethylene glycol/sodium chloride precipitation. Sapoviruses (SaVs) were detected using published sapovirus (SaV)-specific primers and Taqman probes in a two-step real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay. Based on sequence analysis of the 5′-end of the capsid gene, SaVs were genotyped. In 2009, SaVs were detected in 39% (15/38) of samples from the Klip river, 83% (5/6) from the Rietspruit and 14% (1/7) of samples from the Suikerbosrand river. In 2010, SaVs were detected in 54% (14/26) of Klip river samples, 92% (11/12) from the Rietspruit and 20% (2/10) of samples from the Suikerbosrand river. SaV strains identified in the water samples were characterised into several GI and GII genotypes. The presence of SaVs in these rivers indicates human faecal contamination which may pose a potential health risk to persons exposed to these water sources during domestic or recreational activities.
Evaluation of WAS reduction efficiency using kinetic parameters in pilot-scale SBR operated with anaerobic sludge holding tank
Authors: Nam Duck-Hyun , Kang Ki-Hoon
Published: June 2013

By evaluating microbial kinetic parameters of a pilot sludge blanket reactor (SBR) plant operated with an anaerobic sludge holding tank (SHT), it was found that the sludge production was reduced by 63.5%. According to the theory of uncoupling metabolism, the microorganisms were induced to the initial stage of the endogenous phase in SHT, which resulted in the reduction of yield coefficient. For the determination of optimal retention time in SHT without causing a significant decay of microorganisms, ammonia concentration was monitored with time at specific temperature and mixed liquor suspended solids concentrations. In a long-term (>1 yr) operation of the pilot plant, no deterioration of the effluent water quality was observed. Considering phosphorus removal, an extended sludge retention time of 60–70 days (due to the reduced yield coefficient) did not significantly affect the efficiency relative to typical biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes. According to the findings of this study, anaerobic SHT can be applied for BNR processes with reduced production of sludge, and this will help to minimize environmental and economic problems pertaining to the final disposal of sludge.
Kidney Research National Dialogue Overview and Commentary
Authors: Rys-Sikora Krystyna E. , Ketchum Christian J. , Star Robert A.
Published: June 2013

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) asked the scientific community to formulate and prioritize research objectives to improve understanding of kidney function and disease. The Kidney Research National Dialogue welcomed all interested parties to submit, discuss, and prioritize ideas via an interactive website. More than 1600 participants posted approximately 300 ideas and assigned them to 12 topic areas (AKI, CKD, diabetic nephropathy, National Kidney Disease Education Program/translation, ESRD/dialysis, GN/inflammation, hypertension, normal biology/development/physiology, polycystic kidney disease, training, transplantation, other). This commentary provides an overview of the NIDDK’s first experience with web-based strategic planning and addresses the broader issues of open access and cloud-sourcing technologies to capture input from a large, heterogeneous group of contributors. Discussions and findings for each topic will be published as separate, forthcoming commentaries. A final commentary will present cross-cutting themes and concluding remarks. The hope is that this series of commentaries constitutes a cohesive, integrated vision of future research opportunities to be pursued by the kidney research community and supported by the NIDDK.
Diabetic Nephropathy
Authors: Breyer Matthew D. , Coffman Thomas M. , Flessner Michael F. , Fried Linda F. , Harris Raymond C. , Ketchum Christian J. , Kretzler Matthias , Nelson Robert G. , Sedor John R. , Susztak Katalin
Published: June 2013

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases-supported Kidney Research National Dialogue (KRND) asked the scientific community to formulate and prioritize research objectives that would improve our understanding of kidney function and disease. Several high-priority objectives for diabetic nephropathy were identified in data and sample collection, hypothesis generation, hypothesis testing, and translation promotion. The lack of readily available human samples linked to comprehensive phenotypic, clinical, and demographic data remains a significant obstacle. With data and biological samples in place, several possibilities exist for using new technologies to develop hypotheses. Testing novel disease mechanisms with state-of-the-art tools should continue to be the foundation of the investigative community. Research must be translated to improve diagnosis and treatment of people. The objectives identified by the KRND provide the research community with future opportunities for improving the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diabetic nephropathy.
Lightning discharges and discharges from overhead power lines with human burn injuries as consequences
Authors: Javor Sanja , Parodi Aurora , Javor Vesna
Published: June 2013

Discharges from overhead power lines and lightning discharges may severely
endanger human life and health. If non-lethal, burn injuries may also last
for a lifetime, so as Lichtenberg figures caused by lightning discharges.
Some accidents with burns are discussed in this paper and recommendations
given for safety reasons. Specific energy transferred by typical lightning
strokes currents given in the standard IEC 62305 is calculated. The aim of
the paper is to suggest a simple expression for the estimation of safe
approach distances to overhead lines, especially if high temperatures and
changes in terrain reduced the secure height above ground, or if carrying
elevated objects. Results of these calculations are compared to safe approach
distances given in regulations of different countries. Safe distances from
railway power lines are also considered.
Modelling and experimental validation of enantioseparation of racemic phenylalanine via a hollow fibre-supported liquid membrane
Authors: Prapasawat Tatchanok , Lothongkum Anchaleeporn , Pancharoen Ura
Published: June 2013

This paper reports on the enantioseparation of racemic phenylalanine or D-phenylalanine and Lphenylalanine via a hollow fibre-supported liquid membrane (HFSLM) and the results are compared with the mathematical model. The enantioseparation results, of 80 % and 73 %, showed the highest extraction and stripping of l-phenylalanine from the feed phase and the enantiomeric excess (% ee) of 60 % from 6 mmol L−1 of initial rac-phenylalanine in the feed solution. The optimum parameters were feed solution at pH 5, 6 mmol LL−1 of O,O′-dibenzoyl-(2S,3S)-tartaric acid ((+)-DBTA) as the extractant in octanol as the liquid membrane, and deionised water as the stripping solution. Equal flow-rates of feed and stripping solutions of 100 mL minL−1 were adjusted in a batch operation mode for 50 min at ambient temperature. From the calculation, the equilibrium constants of extraction (K ex) and mass transfer coefficients in the feed phase (k f) and in the liquid membrane phase (k m) were found to be 1.81 L mmol−2, 3.50 × 10−2 cm s−1, and 1.40 × 10−2 cm s−1, respectively. Finally, the change in concentrations of d,l-phenylalanine over time in the feed and stripping solutions by mathematical model were estimated and compared with the experimental results. The values thus calculated were in agreement with the experimental data with the average deviation of approximately 3 %.
Ticks of the Genus Rhipicephalus (Acari, Ixodidae) and Their Distribution in Ukraine
Authors: Akimov I. A. , Nebogatkin I. V.
Published: June 2013

Expansion of Rhipicephalus rossicus (Jakimov et Kohl-Jakimova, 1911) to the North, due to all its developmental stages have wide range of feeders (from amphibians to mammals) in the new man-made environmental conditions in the steppe and wood-and-steppe of Ukraine and the warming of climate (especially warm winters), is observed. The northern boundary of R. rossicus distribution lies in Vinnytsya, Kyiv, Poltava and Sumy Regions. R. bursa (Canestrini et Fanzago, 1878) and R. sanguineus (Latreille, 1806) occur only on the shores of the Black Sea and Sea of Azov (including the Crimea). Outbreak localities of R. sanguineus are in Kerch Peninsula (Crimea) and in the Dnieper floodplain. Both R. bursa and R. sanguineus are invasive species.
Avian Diversity on the Sandstone Cliff Outskirts of the Maloti/Drakensberg ‘Hot-Spot’ Area in Southern Africa
Authors: Kopij G.
Published: June 2013

During the year 1999-2001, avian assemblages associated with cliffs and bushy vegetation of the Clarens Formation have been quantified by means of the line transect method (total length of transects - 107 km) in Lesotho lowlands. In total, 80 species resident in these habitats were recorded. Overall, six species were classified as dominants: Serinus canicollis, Prinia maculosa, Streptopelia senegalensis, Emberiza tahapisi, Emberiza capensis and Cisticola fulvicapilla. Together they comprised 41.4 % of all breeding pairs. Ten other species were classified as subdominants (33.9 %). Granivores were the most numerous feeding guild (31 species; 48.0 % of all pairs), followed by insectivores (27 species; 32.3 %) and frugivores (11 species; 17.4 %). The most numerous nesting guild were shrub/tree nesting birds (47.2 %). Proportions for some congereric species were calculated. The bushy vegetation is characterized by high species diversity and relatively high population densities of some species.
Intraoperative optical imaging of intrinsic signals: a reliable method for visualizing stimulated functional brain areas during surgery
Authors: Sobottka Stephan B. , Meyer Tobias , Kirsch Matthias , Koch Edmund , Steinmeier Ralf , Morgenstern Ute , Schackert Gabriele
Published: June 2013

Object

Intraoperative optical imaging (IOI) is an experimental technique used for visualizing functional brain areas after surgical exposure of the cerebral cortex. This technique identifies areas of local changes in blood volume and oxygenation caused by stimulation of specific brain functions. The authors describe a new IOI method, including innovative data analysis, that can facilitate intraoperative functional imaging on a routine basis. To evaluate the reliability and validity of this approach, they used the new IOI method to demonstrate visualization of the median nerve area of the somatosensory cortex.

Methods

In 41 patients with tumor lesions adjacent to the postcentral gyrus, lesions were surgically removed by using IOI during stimulation of the contralateral median nerve. Optical properties of the cortical tissue were measured with a sensitive camera system connected to a surgical microscope. Imaging was performed by using 9 cycles of alternating prolonged stimulation and rest periods of 30 seconds. Intraoperative optical imaging was based on blood volume changes detected by using a filter at an isosbestic wavelength (λ = 568 nm). A spectral analysis algorithm was used to improve computation of the activity maps. Movement artifacts were compensated for by an elastic registration algorithm. For validation, intraoperative conduction of the phase reversal over the central sulcus and postoperative evaluation of the craniotomy site were used.

Results

The new method and analysis enabled significant differentiation (p < 0.005) between functional and nonfunctional tissue. The identification and visualization of functionally intact somatosensory cortex was highly reliable; sensitivity was 94.4% and specificity was almost 100%. The surgeon was provided with a 2D high-resolution activity map within 12 minutes. No method-related side effects occurred in any of the 41 patients.

Conclusions

The authors' new approach makes IOI a contact-free and label-free optical technique that can be used safely in a routine clinical setup. Intraoperative optical imaging can be used as an alternative to other methods for the identification of sensory cortex areas and offers the added benefit of a high-resolution map of functional activity. It has great potential for visualizing and monitoring additional specific functional brain areas such as the visual, motor, and speech cortex. A prospective national multicenter clinical trial is currently being planned.
Acoustic neuroma observation associated with an increase in symptomatic tinnitus: results of the 2007–2008 Acoustic Neuroma Association survey
Authors: Van Gompel Jamie J. , Patel Jaymin , Danner Chris , Zhang A. Nanhua , Samy Youssef A. A. , van Loveren Harry R. , Agazzi Siviero
Published: June 2013

Object

Tinnitus is a known presenting symptom of acoustic neuromas, but little is known about the impact of observation or treatment on tinnitus. Most patients experience improvement with treatment, while others may worsen. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the overall impact of observation and treatment on tinnitus outcome in patients with acoustic tumors.

Methods

Data from the 2007–2008 Acoustic Neuroma Association survey were used. Tinnitus severity was graded both at presentation and at last follow-up for all patients questioned. This data set was analyzed using the Student t-test and a linear regression model adjusted for possible confounders.

Results

Overall there were more patients receiving intervention (n = 1138) for their acoustic neuromas than observation (n = 289). Presenting tumor size positively correlated with tinnitus severity score. Regardless of treatment (microsurgery or stereotactic radiosurgery), tinnitus improved at last follow-up and worsened in those who were observed (p = 0.02). When comparing microsurgical options, retrosigmoid and translabyrinthine resection improved tinnitus symptoms (both p < 0.01). Stereotactic radiosurgery had a treatment effect similar to microsurgery.

Conclusions

Presenting tinnitus severity correlates strongly with tumor size. Furthermore, regardless of treatment, there appears to be an overall reduction in tinnitus severity for all forms of microsurgery and stereotactic radiosurgery. Importantly, observation leads to a worsening in symptomatic tinnitus and therefore should be weighed in the treatment recommendation.