Effects of electric voltage and sodium chloride level on electrolysis of swine wastewater

The effects of electric voltage and NaCl concentration on the removal of pollutants in swine wastewater were investigated to determine the optimum operation conditions for a designed electrolysis process. An up-flow electrolytic reactor was fabricated from Plexiglas, and one titanium anode coated with iridium oxide (IrO(2)) and two stainless steel cathodes were installed in it. The anode surface area was 80 cm(2)/L and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) was 6h. The results indicated that the pollutant removal was highly proportional to the electric voltage and removal could be enhanced by adding NaCl. The removal efficiencies of NH(4)-N, soluble nitrogen (NH(4)-N plus NO(x)-N), soluble total organic carbon (STOC), and color were proportional to the NaCl level up to 0.05% NaCl level, beyond which no further enhancement in removal was observed. However, such a tendency was not observed in the case of PO(4)-P removal. The obtained results indicate that 7 V and 0.05% (8.56 mM) NaCl level would be the optimum conditions for the designed electrolysis process. Under these conditions, the average removal efficiencies of NH(4)-N, soluble nitrogen, PO(4)-P, STOC, and color were 99%, 94%, 59%, 64%, and 93%, respectively.

Submitral left ventricular aneurysm of ischemic origin: report of two surgical cases

Submitral left ventricular aneurysm has been exclusively recognized in the young African population and its occurrence in other than black Africans is rarely reported. Here we describe two surgical cases of submitral left ventricular aneurysm in Asian elderly persons. Although the aneurysms were typically located beneath the posterior mitral valve leaflet, we could identify diseased coronary arteries as well, unlike the reports in the literature asserting that this type of aneurysm occurs in the absence of coronary disease. The possible racial difference with regard to the etiology is addressed.

Kelvin probe force microscopy for conducting nanobits of NiO thin films

We demonstrated the writing and reading of conducting nanobits on a NiO thin film deposited on Pt/TiO(2)/SiO(2)/Si substrates for a resistive random access memory (RRAM) application using conducting atomic force microscopy (CAFM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KFM). A Pt/NiO/Pt RRAM capacitor showed a typical unipolar switching behavior with bistable resistances. Conducting nanobits with diameters of 22 nm written with a bias of 3.0 V on the NiO thin film were observed with CAFM. The conducting nanobits observed by KFM exhibited negative potentials relative to the insulating regions when there was no bias at the Pt bottom electrode because image charges were induced by charges formed at the end of the KFM tip by the reference AC bias. Enhancement of the KFM signals for conducting nanobits was achieved using specific biases at the Pt bottom electrode, which provided clear KFM images for conducting nanobits.

Atypical radiological features of a leiomyosarcoma that arose from the ovarian vein and mimicked a vascular tumour

Leiomyosarcomas of the ovarian vein are extremely rare tumours. Most tumours are hypervascular and typically have a large avascular centre of necrosis. We experienced a case of a retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma that arose from the ovarian vein with marked vascular proliferation and dilatation within the tumour. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of a retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma with an atypical vascular structure in the clinical literature.

Activin signaling functions upstream of Gbb to regulate synaptic growth at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction

Activins are members of the TGF-ss superfamily of secreted growth factors that control a diverse array of processes in vertebrates including endocrine function, cell proliferation, differentiation, immune response and wound repair. In Drosophila, the Activin ligand Dawdle (Daw) has been shown to regulate several aspects of neuronal development such as embryonic axonal pathfinding, neuroblast proliferation in the larval brain and growth cone motility in the visual system. Here we identify a novel role for Activin signaling in regulating synaptic growth at the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Mutants for Daw, the Activin type I receptor Baboon (Babo), and the signal transducer dSmad2, display reduced NMJ size suggesting that Daw utilizes a canonical Activin signal-transduction pathway in this context. Additionally, loss of Daw/Babo activity affects microtubule stability, axonal transport and distribution of Futsch, the Drosophila microtubule associated protein 1B (MAP1B) homolog. We find that Babo signaling is required postsynaptically in the muscle, in contrast to the well-characterized retrograde BMP/Gbb signal that is required for synaptic growth and function in presynaptic cells. Finally, we show that the Daw/Babo pathway acts upstream of gbb, and is involved in maintenance of muscle gbb expression, suggesting that Activins regulate NMJ growth by modulating BMP activity through transcriptional regulation of ligand expression.

Effects of bed height on the performance of chest compressions

OBJECTIVES

The correct chest compression technique was emphasised to enhance the result of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the 2005 guidelines. The present study compared the effects of different bed heights, including a bed at knee height, on the performance of chest compressions.

METHODS

Twenty-four healthcare providers participated in this study. Knee height was defined as the baseline bed height. Bed heights were adjusted to 10 and 20 cm above the baseline and 10 and 20 cm below the baseline. At the five bed heights, chest compressions were performed for 2 minutes, and the compression rate was maintained at 100 per minute, with audible feedback.

RESULTS

The mean compression depths (MCD) were 28.3 mm (SD 10.7; knee height +20 cm), 32.3 mm (SD 9.2; knee height +10 cm), 32.7 mm (SD 8.5; knee height), 32.3 mm (SD 9.0; knee height -10 cm) and 31.1 mm (SD 8.5; knee height -20 cm). The MCD was significantly lower at knee height plus 20 cm (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The performance of chest compressions decreased when the bed height was 20 cm higher than the knee height of the rescuer.

Evaluation of a thermal interface material fabricated using thermocompression bonding of carbon nanotube turf

In this work a thermal interface material fabricated by thermocompression bonding of vertically aligned carbon nanotube turf (VACNT) to metallized substrates was characterized. The VACNT structure was fabricated onto silicon substrates using chemical vapor deposition. The structures were then transferred to metallized substrates using thermocompression bonding. The resulting structure consisted of VACNT turf sandwiched between two layers of Au. Two configurations of VACNT, full coverage and patterned, were fabricated and tested. In addition, the thermal interface resistance of structures at intermediate steps in the thermocompression bonding process were measured. For the full coverage turf a thermal interface resistance of 1.082 cm(2) degrees C W(-1) at an applied load of 1 N was measured, while a thermal interface resistance of 0.044 cm(2) degrees C W(-1) at a load of 1 N was measured for the patterned turf configuration.

Characteristics of DOC concentration with storm density flows in a stratified dam reservoir

Among natural organic matter (NOM) defined as the complex matrix of organic materials abundant in natural waters, a gradual accumulation of recalcitrant organic matter (ROM) has been observed in impounded water bodies such as a lake or dam reservoir in spite of extensive efforts made to curtail organic pollutant loadings generated in their catchment areas. This paper aims to identify the effect of diffuse pollution resulting from allochthonous organic matters on the temporal and spatial characteristics of organic matters in a stratified dam reservoir, Daecheong Dam, using both intensive observation and CE-QUAL-W2 model simulation. With the limitation of observation data in terms of organic matters of inflow waters from boundary tributaries and impounded water in the reservoir, organic matter was represented by organic carbon including labile particular organic carbon (LPOC), refractory organic carbon (RPOC), labile dissolved organic carbon (LDOC), and refractory organic carbon (RDOC). Both autochthonous and allochthonous origins of organic carbon were considered in the modeling of eutrophication of the reservoir water using CE-QUAL-W2. The result of simulation during the period from 2001 to 2005 was observed to be a gradual accumulation of particular organic carbon (POC). It is clear that the model calculation results enable the explanation of the internal and external movement of constituents in the reservoir. In particular turbidity and NOM were well related in the upper region of the reservoir according to flow distance, gradually changing to dissolved form of organic matter, DOC affected organic matter concentration of reservoir water quality compared to turbidity.