Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition in type 2, diabetic patients – interaction with ACE insertion/deletion polymorphism

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion(I)/deletion (D) polymorphism may modify the effect of inhibition of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) on survival and cardiorenal outcomes in type 2, diabetes. A consecutive cohort of 2089 Chinese type 2 diabetic patients with mean (±standard deviation) age of 59.7±13.1 years were genotyped for this polymorphism by polymerase chain reaction method and were followed prospectively for a median period of 44.6 (interquartile range: 23.7, 57.5) months. Clinical outcomes, including all-cause mortality, cardiovascular and renal end points, were examined. The frequency for I allele was 67.1 and 32.9% for D allele, with observed genotype frequencies of 45.8, 42.6, and 11.6% for 3, DI and DD, respectively. ACE DD polymorphism was an independent predictor for renal end point with hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval) of 1.72 (1.16, 2.56), but not for cardiovascular end point or mortality. After controlling for confounding factors, including ACE I/D genotype, the usage of RAAS inhibitors was associated with reduced risk of mortality (HR 0.34 (0.23, 0.50)) and renal end point (HR 0.55 (0.40, 0.75)). On subgroup analysis, the beneficial effects on survival (II vs DI vs DD: HR 0.29 (0.16, 0.51) vs 0.25 (0.14, 0.46) vs 1.33 (0.41, 4.31)) and renoprotection (II vs DI vs DD: 0.52 (0.30, 0.90) vs 0.43 (0.25, 0.72) vs 0.95 (0.43, 2.12)) were most evident in II and DI carriers. In conclusion, inhibition of RAAS was associated with reduced risk of mortality and occurrence of renal end point in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients. These benefits were most evident among II and DI carriers

Removal of Cyanobacteria and Cyanotoxins by Membrane Processes

Incorporation of membranes in water and wastewater treatment plants is becoming increasingly popular, especially when high quality end-product is needed. This chapter provides an overview of the efficiencies of low- and high-pressure membranes used for the removal of intracellular (microfiltration and ultrafiltration) and extracellular (nanofiltration and reverse osmosis) cyanotoxins, respectively. The removal of taste and odor compounds with high pressure membranes is also discussed. Details on the application of commercially available membranes are provided in terms of removal of cyanobacterial metabolites and membrane performance (including fouling). Based on the cited literature, it becomes apparent that the rejection percentage of a solute by high-pressure membranes is affected by various properties of the membrane, including its molecular weight cut-off, desalting degree, porosity, morphology, and hydrophobicity as well as the charge and hydrophobicity of the solute and matrix. Finally, the results from an integrated study combining coagulation, activated carbon adsorption, and membrane filtration for the removal of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins are discussed

Prognostic modelling for industrial asset health management

Published online: 25 Mar 2022.Failure prognostics and health management are central to the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) estimation of critical engineering assets, particularly to improve safety, reduce downtimes and maintenance expenditures. Over recent years, several prognostic approaches have been developed to predict remaining asset lifetime, optimise maintenance schedules, and enhance equipment availability and reliability. While academic research in this area has grown rapidly, implementations of these methods by industry’s asset managers and reliability experts have only had limited success. Yet asset lifetime and reliability analysis are only restricted to the conventional reliability-centred maintenance and total productive maintenance approaches in industries. The purpose of this paper is to emphasise a need for a paradigm shift in industrial asset health management from the conventional to modern approaches that would benefit industries. At first, this paper classifies existing prognostic techniques into the traditional reliability, model-based, and datadriven approaches. Each prognostic approach is then analytically discussed with emphasis on models and algorithms. Consequently, this paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of main models in these groups to assist industry practitioners to select an appropriate prognostic model for RUL prediction within their specific business environment. Finally, the paper concludes with a brief discussion on possible future trends and further research directions in this field.Neda Gorjian Jolfaei, Raufdeen Rameezdeen, Nima Gorjian, Bo Jin and Christopher W. K. Cho

Hybrid treatment process of using MIEX and high performance composite coagulant for DOM and bromide removal

Abstract not availableZhizhen Xu, Ruyuan Jiao, Hailong Liu, Dongsheng Wang, Christopher W. K. Chow, and Mary Drika

Chemometric approaches to data assessment for a long-term case study of MIEX pretreatment performance

A specifically designed pilot plant facility located at the Mount Pleasant Water Treatment Plant in South Australia was used to investigate the efficiencies of several drinking water treatment processes, including (1) magnetic ion exchange (MIEX) as a pretreatment followed by conventional coagulation treatment, (2) conventional coagulation at pilot the plant alone, (3) MIEX followed by microfiltration (MF), and (4) MF alone. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) removal efficiency of the treatment processes and more importantly the treated water quality was assessed using dissolved organic carbon (DOC) measurement and together with the changes in the chromophoric organics character based on their molecular weight profiles determined by high-performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) were also reported. Cluster analyses (CAs) were performed using the HPSEC peak area (after separated by peak fitting), and supported by DOC, UV absorbance at 254 nm, and SUVA in order to compare treatment efficiencies of these technologies. It was a novel way of applying CA as a data mining tool to interpret and assess DOM removal results. From the results of these CA, it was found that the MIEX process provided consistent treatment performance and highest removal of DOM, as well as removal of a broad range of molecular weight organics. In comparison coagulation with alum tended to remove the high molecular weight (>1000 Da) compounds. This statistical approach provided improved understanding of the performances of the treatment processes, investigated at a molecular level, for the removal of DOM.Zeeshan Aslam, Mike Dixon, Christopher W.K. Chow, Jim Morran, Mary Drikas, John A. van Leeuwe

Characterization of organic matter in alum treated drinking water using high performance liquid chromatography and resin fractionation

Abstract not availableLinan Xing, Mohamad Fared Murshed, Theodore Lo, Rolando Fabris, Christopher W.K. Chow, John van Leeuwen, Mary Drikas, Dongsheng Wan

The impact of optimised coagulation on membrane fouling for coagulation/ultrafiltration process

This work aimed to demonstrate the effect of optimised coagulation on minimise fouling for coagulation–ultrafiltration process. Coagulation as pretreatment has the potential to mitigate fouling and enhance flux. Operating parameters were tested by a matrix of experiments for various mixing conditions and coagulant doses. In coagulation experiments, varied shear forces were applied to generate different floc characteristics in order to assess the effect on membrane fouling. Floc properties were investigated with an optical monitoring technique to identify structure, size and growth of flocs. It was shown that stronger flocs are of advantage for fouling mitigation and that the coagulant dosage is crucial for the performance of filtration. The impact of water quality was assessed using general water quality parameters and organic characterisation techniques to investigate the performance of each treatment step. The treatment efficiency was further assessed based on comparing the molecular size fractions of the organic matter before and after coagulation using a size exclusion chromatography technique. The result confirmed the significance of organic character on treatment performance.Mike Dixon, Christian Staaks, Rolando Fabris, Vipasiri Vimonses, Christopher W.K. Chow, Stefan Panglisch, John A. van Leeuwen, Mary Drika