Aerobic Sludge Digestion

The scope of this study is to determine if sewage sludge can be digested aerobically. The length of time required for digestion is also studied, along with observations of the digested sludge's drainability and odor. The principal measure of digestion is the reduction of volatile solids from the raw to the digested sludge. The laboratory results show that sewage sludge can be digested aerobically. It was also observed that the digested sludge drained satisfactorily and had no objectionable odor. It was concluded that reduction of volatile solids is a function of detention time.Sanitary Engineerin

Whole grain, bran and cereal fibre consumption and CVD: A systematic review

Whole grain intake is associated with lower CVD risk in epidemiological studies. It is unclear to what extent cereal fibre, located primarily within the bran, is responsible. This review aimed to evaluate association between intake of whole grain, cereal fibre and bran and CVD risk. Academic databases were searched for human studies published before March 2018. Observational studies reporting whole grain and cereal fibre or bran intake in association with any CVD-related outcome were included. Studies were separated into those defining whole grain using a recognised definition (containing the bran, germ and endosperm in their natural proportions) (three studies, seven publications) and those using an alternative definition, such as including added bran as a whole grain source (eight additional studies, thirteen publications). Intake of whole grain, cereal fibre and bran were similarly associated with lower risk of CVD-related outcomes. Within the initial analysis, where studies used the recognised whole grain definition, results were less likely to show attenuation after adjustment for cereal fibre content. The fibre component of grain foods appears to play an important role in protective effects of whole grains. Adjusting for fibre content, associations remained, suggesting that additional components within the whole grain, and the bran component, may contribute to cardio-protective association. The limited studies and considerable discrepancy in defining and calculating whole grain intake limit conclusions. Future research should utilise a consistent definition and methodical approach of calculating whole grain intake to contribute to a greater body of consistent evidence surrounding whole grain

Whole grain intake compared with cereal fibre intake in association to CVD risk factors: a cross-sectional analysis of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (UK).

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how intakes of whole grains and cereal fibre were associated to risk factors for CVD in UK adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analyses examined associations between whole grain and cereal fibre intakes and adiposity measurements, serum lipid concentrations, C-reactive protein, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, HbA1c, homocysteine and a combined CVD relative risk score. SETTING: The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) Rolling Programme 2008-2014. PARTICIPANTS: A nationally representative sample of 2689 adults. RESULTS: Participants in the highest quartile (Q4) of whole grain intake had lower waist-hip ratio (Q1 0·872; Q4 0·857; P = 0·04), HbA1c (Q1 5·66 %; Q4 5·47 %; P = 0·01) and homocysteine (Q1 9·95 µmol/l; Q4 8·76 µmol/l; P = 0·01) compared with participants in the lowest quartile (Q1), after adjusting for dietary and lifestyle factors, including cereal fibre intake. Whole grain intake was inversely associated with C-reactive protein using multivariate analysis (P = 0·02), but this was not significant after final adjustment for cereal fibre. Cereal fibre intake was also inversely associated with waist-hip ratio (P = 0·03) and homocysteine (P = 0·002) in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Similar inverse associations between whole grain and cereal fibre intakes to CVD risk factors suggest the relevance of cereal fibre in the protective effects of whole grains. However, whole grain associations often remained significant after adjusting for cereal fibre intake, suggesting additional constituents may be relevant. Intervention studies are needed to compare cereal fibre intake from non-whole grain sources to whole grain intake

Bulk and edge excitations of a ν=1\nu =1 Hall ferromagnet

In this article, we shall focus on the collective dynamics of the fermions in a $\nu = 1$ quantum Hall droplet. Specifically, we propose to look at the quantum Hall ferromagnet. In this system, the electron spins are ordered in the ground state due to the exchange part of the Coulomb interaction and the Pauli exclusion principle. The low energy excitations are ferromagnetic magnons. In order to obtain an effective Lagrangian for these magnons, we shall introduce bosonic collective coordinates in the Hilbert space of many-fermion systems. These collective coordinates describe a part of the fermionic Hilbert space. Using this technique, we shall interpret the magnons as bosonic collective excitations in the Hilbert space of the many-electron Hall system. Furthermore, by considering a Hall droplet of finite extent, we shall also obtain the effective Lagrangian governing the spin collective excitations at the edge of the sample.Comment: 30 pages, plain TeX, no figure

Ion and X-ray micro-beam induced charge collection and their applications in CVD diamond detector characterisation

We have used a micrometer size X-ray beam generated from a synchrotron light source at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble and a 2 MeV proton micro-beam at the Italian National Laboratory (LNL) of Legnaro to image the electronic transport properties of a CVD diamond detector developed within the CERN RD42 collaboration. The focused X-rays or protons are scanned over the device surface, and the induced current or charge pulse is measured and plotted on two dimensional maps. Due to the polycrystalline nature of the material, the maps are not homogeneous and both the techniques show structures ascribable to diamond grains. It was found that the uniformity of the maps depends on the lateral scale (binning) and on the analytical depth of the micro-probes

Promoting Higher Quality Teacher–Child Relationships: The INSIGHTS Intervention in Rural Schools

Children’s relationships with teachers in kindergarten are crucial for academic and social success. Research shows that teacher–child relationships are predicated, in part, on children’s temperament. The “INSIGHTS into Children’s Temperament” intervention was intended to improve children’s and teachers’ understanding of their and others’ temperament, and has been shown to improve children’s social skills and self-regulation in urban, under-resourced schools. The current study is part of a replication of the effects of INSIGHTS with a sample in rural schools. The purpose was to test the effectiveness of INSIGHTS for promoting positive relationships between teachers and children in kindergarten. Two cohorts of kindergarten students (N = 127) and teachers (N = 30) were randomized into INSIGHTS or control conditions by school. Teachers reported on the quality of the teacher–child relationship before and after the INSIGHTS intervention (Time 1 and 2) using the Student–Teacher Relationship Scale: Short Form and provided a rating of children’s temperament with the Teacher School-Age Temperament Inventory at Time 1. Data were analyzed with hierarchical linear modeling. Two significant findings emerged. First, INSIGHTS promoted more closeness between teachers and children, regardless of temperament. Second, the INSIGHTS intervention was protective against the development of conflictual teacher–child relationships for children with negative reactivity

Promoting Higher Quality Teacher–Child Relationships: The INSIGHTS Intervention in Rural Schools

Children’s relationships with teachers in kindergarten are crucial for academic and social success. Research shows that teacher–child relationships are predicated, in part, on children’s temperament. The “INSIGHTS into Children’s Temperament” intervention was intended to improve children’s and teachers’ understanding of their and others’ temperament, and has been shown to improve children’s social skills and self-regulation in urban, under-resourced schools. The current study is part of a replication of the effects of INSIGHTS with a sample in rural schools. The purpose was to test the effectiveness of INSIGHTS for promoting positive relationships between teachers and children in kindergarten. Two cohorts of kindergarten students (N = 127) and teachers (N = 30) were randomized into INSIGHTS or control conditions by school. Teachers reported on the quality of the teacher–child relationship before and after the INSIGHTS intervention (Time 1 and 2) using the Student–Teacher Relationship Scale: Short Form and provided a rating of children’s temperament with the Teacher School-Age Temperament Inventory at Time 1. Data were analyzed with hierarchical linear modeling. Two significant findings emerged. First, INSIGHTS promoted more closeness between teachers and children, regardless of temperament. Second, the INSIGHTS intervention was protective against the development of conflictual teacher–child relationships for children with negative reactivity

Investigating the Applicability of Mobile IP and Cellular IP for Roaming in Smart Environments

Increased research and development in the field of ubiquitous computing, and in particular smart spaces, has heightened the need for a comprehensive mobility solution. Existing mobility protocols are often categorised as either macro or micro mobility but few, if any, bridge the divide between the two. Mobile IP is at present the IETF proposed standard for delivery of IP packets to mobile devices. However, as a macro mobility protocol, it does not adequately support data delivery to mobile devices that regularly roam within local networks. Cellular IP, a more recent development in mobility, falls under the banner of micro mobility and as such delivers a number of benefits that a macro mobility protocol alone could not. This paper describes a complete mobility architecture accomplished by integrating Mobile IP with Cellular IP and continues by addressing the suitability of this integration for supporting roaming in smart environments

BUDGET PERSPECTIVES 2009. RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 4 OCTOBER 2008

The context for this year’s Budget differs sharply from most of those in the past decade and a half. The global economy has been buffeted by crises in financial markets. Oil prices, even after recent falls, are at very high levels. Furthermore, the sharp decline in housing activity in Ireland carries negative implications both for employment and for tax revenues. A consequence of the changed situation is that the date of the 2009 Budget has been brought forward by eight weeks. This year’s Budget Perspectives Conference, co-hosted by The Economic and Social Research Institute and the Foundation for Fiscal Studies, provides several inputs to inform macroeconomic decision making in these challenging times. In addition, two longer-term issues are addressed. The first of these deals with the policy framework for climate change, an issue that has risen rapidly on the Irish policy horizon in recent years. The second issue is the effectiveness of public spending in achieving its objectives in the area of sport, which is now recognised as an important contributor to health and quality of life in modern society