Treatment of municipal wastewater using a contact oxidation filtration separation integrated bioreactor

A new contact oxidation filtration separation integrated bioreactor (CFBR) was used to treat municipal wastewater. The CFBR was made up of a biofilm reactor (the upper part of the CFBR) and a gravitational filtration bed (the lower part of the CFBR). Polyacrylonitrile balls (50mm diameter, 237 m(2)/m(3) specific surface, 90% porosity, and 50.2% packing rate) were filled into the biofilm reactor as biofilm attaching materials and anthracite coal (particle size 1-2mm, packing density 0.947 g/cm(3), non-uniform coefficient (K(80)=d(80)/d(10))<2.0) was placed into the gravitational filtration bed as filter media. At an organic volumetric loading rate of 2.4 kg COD/(m(3)d) and an initial filtration velocity of 5m/h in the CFBR, the average removal efficiencies of COD, ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen and turbidity were 90.6%, 81.4%, 64.6% and 96.7% respectively, but the treatment process seemed not to be effective in phosphorus removal. The average removal efficiency of total phosphorus was 60.1%. Additionally, the power consumption of the CFBR was less than 0.15 kWh/m(3) of wastewater treated, and less than 1.5 kWh/kg BOD(5) removal.

Hip strengthening reduces symptoms but not knee load in people with medial knee osteoarthritis and varus malalignment: a randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether hip abductor and adductor muscle strengthening reduces medial compartment knee load and improves symptoms in people with medial tibiofemoral OA and varus malalignment.

METHODS

In a randomised controlled trial, 89 participants were randomly allocated to a hip strengthening group or to a control group with no intervention. The strengthening group performed a physiotherapist-supervised home exercise program targeting the hip abductor and adductor muscles for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the peak external knee adduction moment measured using three-dimensional gait analysis by a blinded assessor. Secondary outcomes included a pain numeric rating scale, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, step test, stair climb test, maximum isometric strength of hip and quadriceps muscles and participant-perceived rating of overall change. Intention-to-treat analyses were performed using linear regression modelling adjusting for baseline outcomes and other characteristics.

RESULTS

The trial was completed by 76/89 participants (85%). There was no significant between-group difference in change in the knee adduction moment [mean difference (95% confidence interval (CI)) 0.134 (-0.069 to 0.337) Nm/BW x HT%]. All pain, physical function and muscle strength measures showed significantly greater improvement in the strengthening group (all P<0.05). The relative risk (95% CI) of participant-perceived overall improvement in the strengthening group compared to the control group was 20.02 (6.21-64.47).

CONCLUSIONS

Although strengthening the hip muscles improved symptoms and function in this patient group, it did not affect medial knee load as measured by the knee adduction moment. Thus it is unlikely that hip muscle strengthening influences structural disease progression.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ACTR12607000001493.

Thermal Contraction of Electrodeposited Bi/BiSb Superlattice Nanowires

The lattice parameter of Bi/BiSb superlattice nanowire (SLNW) has been measured using in situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction method. The single crystalline Bi/BiSb SLNW arrays with different bilayer thicknesses have been fabricated within the porous anodic alumina membranes (AAMs) by a charge-controlled pulse electrodeposition. Different temperature dependences of the lattice parameter and thermal expansion coefficient were found for the SLNWs. It was found that the thermal expansion coefficient of the SLNWs with a large bilayer thickness has weak temperature dependence, and the interface stress and defect are the main factors responsible for the thermal contraction of the SLNWs.

MicroRNA-146a and human disease

MicroRNAs (MiRNAs) belong to a class of small non-coding regulatory RNAs that act through repression of protein expression at post-transcriptional level and emerge to play important roles in many physiological and pathophysiological processes. MiR-146a is a miRNA supposed to regulate innate immune, inflammatory response and antiviral pathway negatively. In this review, we focus on the recent progress in functional role of miR-146a in innate immune, inflammatory response, virus infection and human diseases. Together, these findings indicate that manipulation of miR-146a expression may represent a potential new therapy for several human diseases. Potential use of miR-146a as a biomarker for disease diagnosis, prevention and treatment is also discussed.

Initial Growth of Single-Crystalline Nanowires: From 3D Nucleation to 2D Growth

The initial growth stage of the single-crystalline Sb and Co nanowires with preferential orientation was studied, which were synthesized in porous anodic alumina membranes by the pulsed electrodeposition technique. It was revealed that the initial growth of the nanowires is a three-dimensional nucleation process, and then gradually transforms to two-dimensional growth via progressive nucleation mechanism, which resulting in a structure transition from polycrystalline to single crystalline. The competition among the nuclei inside the nanoscaled-confined channel and the growth kinetics is responsible for the structure transition of the initial grown nanowires.

Search for the associated production of a b quark and a neutral supersymmetric Higgs boson that decays into tau pairs

We report results from a search for production of a neutral Higgs boson in association with a b quark. We search for Higgs decays to tau pairs with one tau subsequently decaying to a muon and the other to hadrons. The data correspond to 2.7 fb(-1) of pp collisions recorded by the D0 detector at square root(s)=1.96 TeV. The data are found to be consistent with background predictions. The result allows us to exclude a significant region of parameter space of the minimal supersymmetric model.

Fabrication of micro DOE using micro tools shaped with focused ion beam

A novel method is proposed to fabricate micro Diffractive Optical Elements (DOE) using micro cutting tools shaped with focused ion beam (FIB) milling. Micro tools with nanometric cutting edges and complicated shapes are fabricated by controlling the tool facet's orientation relative to the FIB. The tool edge radius of less than 30 nm is achieved for the nano removal of the work materials. Semi-circular micro tools and DOE-shaped micro tools are developed to fabricate micro-DOE and sinusoidal modulation templates. Experiments show that the proposed method can be a high efficient way in fabricating micro-DOE with nanoscale surface finishes.

Decreased level of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate: a potential biomarker for pre-symptomatic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

BACKGROUND

Several studies have reported that homocysteine (Hcy) is associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease without special biomarkers for early diagnosis. Here, we examined the levels of Hcy, folic acid and its metabolic molecule 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) in SOD1(G93A) transgenic mouse model of ALS in an attempt to determine whether the change in those molecules can be used as potential biomarkers for the disease.

METHODS

According to the disease progression, SOD1(G93A) transgenic mice were divided into early stage group (30d); pre-symptom group (60d); symptom group (90d) and terminal stage group (120d). LC-MS/MS was used to measure the level of Hcy, folic acid and 5-MTHF in the plasma, spinal cord and cortex of the ALS transgenic SOD1(G93A) mice at different disease stages. Nissl staining was used to detect the motor neurons survival in the anterior horn of the spinal cord of the SOD1(G93A) mice.

RESULTS

In this study, we demonstrated that the level of 5-MTHF is significantly decreased in the plasma, spinal cord and cortex at the early stages of pre-symptomatic ALS transgenic SOD1(G93A) mice while folic acid is decreased at the middle to late stages of the disease. Furthermore, we found that the level of Hcy is markedly elevated after the motor symptoms appeared in the ALS mice.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that decreased 5-MTHF level may be a potential biomarker for the early stage of the disease in the ALS mice, which may warrant further validating study of 5-MTHF level in ALS patients.

Higher Bone Density is Associated with a Decreased Risk of Colon Adenomas in Women

Purpose: Bone mass has been proposed as a biomarker of the cumulative exposure to calcium, vitamin D and endogenous and exogenous estrogens. Postmenopausal women with higher levels of bone mass have a decreased risk of colon cancer. No prior studies, however, have examined the role between bone mass and the risk of colon adenomas, which are precursor lesions that, if not removed, may lead to colon cancer.

Methods: We evaluated the potential association between bone mass, as measured by bone mineral density (BMD) using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and colon adenomas in 167 patients who underwent colonoscopy screening at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio.

Results: We found that women with a total body BMD exceeding 1.294 g/cm2 (third tertile) compared to those with a total body BMD less than 1.167 g/cm2 (first tertile) had a much lower risk of colon adenomas (OR = 0.10; 95% C.I.: 0.02-0.74; P = 0.02). Similarly, women with a total body BMD between 1.167 and 1.294 g/cm2 (second tertile) compared to those with a BMD less than 1.167 g/cm2 had a decreased risk for colon adenomas (OR = 0.15; 95% C.I.: 0.03-0.80; P = 0.03; p-trend = 0.01). Postmenopausal women with a total body BMD in the second and third highest tertiles combined compared to those in the first tertile also had a decreased risk of colon adenomas.

Conclusions: Our results show, for the first time, that bone mass, as measured by total body BMD, is inversely associated with colon adenomas in women, which suggests the mechanisms underlying the synergistic actions of calcium, vitamin D, estrogen exposure and other factors affecting BMD including exercise are key to preventing the development of colonic lesions, particularly among women.

Search for the standard model higgs Boson in the ZH-->nunubb channel in 5.2 fb{-1} of pp collisions at sqrt[s]=1.96 TeV

A search is performed for the standard model Higgs boson in 5.2 fb{-1} of pp collisions at sqrt[s]=1.96 TeV, collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The final state considered is a pair of b jets and large missing transverse energy, as expected from pp-->ZH-->nunubb production. The search is also sensitive to the WH-->lnubb channel when the charged lepton is not identified. For a Higgs boson mass of 115 GeV, a limit is set at the 95% C.L. on the cross section multiplied by branching fraction for [pp-->(Z/W)H](H-->bb) that is a factor of 3.7 larger than the standard model value, consistent with the factor of 4.6 expected.

A polysaccharopeptide complex and a condensed tannin with antioxidant activity from dried rose (Rosa rugosa) flowers

In this study, the fraction (P) from an aqueous extract of dried rose (Rosa rugosa) flowers was obtained by ethanol precipitation. P was chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose. The components retained on DEAE-cellulose were eluted with a linear gradient of 0–2 m NaCl solution. Two fractions, eluted at concentrations of 0.5 m NaCl and 1 m NaCl, respectively, were obtained. These two components were designated as P1 and P2, respectively. P1 was further purified using gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. P1 yielded two peaks, and the two components were designated as P1-a and P1-b, respectively. P1-a was a polysaccharide-peptide complex, and P1-b exhibited chemical properties of a condensed tannin as revealed by FTIR and NMR assay of carbohydrate and protein contents and HPLC-ESI-MS. The molecular masses of P1-a and P1-b were 150kDa and 8kDa, respectively. Both P1-a and P1-b possessed antioxidant activity, with the activity of P1-b higher than that of P1-a. This study demonstrated that different components from rose flowers exhibited antioxidant activity.

Search for a resonance decaying into WZ boson pairs in pp collisions

We present the first search for an electrically charged resonance W' decaying to a WZ boson pair using 4.1 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron pp collider. The WZ pairs are reconstructed through their decays into three charged leptons (l=e, mu). A total of 9 data events is observed in good agreement with the background prediction. We set 95% C.L. limits on the W'WZ coupling and on the W' production cross section multiplied by the branching fractions. We also exclude W' masses between 188 and 520 GeV within a simple extension of the standard model and set the most restrictive limits to date on low-scale technicolor models.