Microbiological evaluation of sewage sludge in terms of possibilities of application in soil as a fertilizer

Research was conducted of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plant for the existence of microorganisms of several major groups, containing pathogenic representatives with epizootological significance (Gram-negative aerobic bacteria, E. coli, Clostridium perfringens, the genera Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, fungi, and the total number of microorganisms), in order to assess the environmental safety of the final product. In parallel similar studies were made of fresh and composted cattle manures. A comparison of the results was made with the ready for manuring compost in order to assess the possibilities for the use of sludge for fertilizing. The quantities of microorganisms were given in CFU per 1 g of the investigated material, as well as per 1 g of dry substance for each of them. In our opinion this new approach to the reporting of the results per unit of dry matter of the investigated materials, allows for a more accurate comparison. It was found that the examined sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plant were rich in microorganisms from studied groups and their direct application in soils without prior treatment by aerobic or anaerobic digestion may represent epidemiological danger

Sexually Transmitted Infections Management Legal Regulation in Bulgaria: Present Situation and Challenges

Introduction: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to be a significant public health problem with numerous health social, ethical and economic dimensions. The goal of this study is to present and discuss the Bulgarian legal framework dimensions related to the management of the spectrum of STIs, and associated public health challenges. An analysis of Bulgarian legislation normative documents connected with the presented problematic was applied. Results: For the effective STIs-spectrum management, the presented normative acts envisage a number of rules and requirements for conducting preventive, diagnostic and treatment activities. These rules are not sufficient and cannot cover all cases in the practical work of medical professionals most of them serve as general guides. The main problem that is emerging is the lack of financial resources and sources of funding. Conclusion: Despite the large legal framework, most documents are only a framework, without specifics in the organization and lack of funding for regulated activities

Microbiological and epizootological characterization of materials from wastewater treatment plant

Studies were carried out for the presence of microorganisms of major groups, containing pathogenic agents with epizootological importance, in order characteristic of their dynamics at different levels in the treatment plant and assessing the environmental safety of the final materials. For this purpose were traced the changes in the quantities of microorganisms contained in the materials from successive levels of processing. It was found that the purified water inlet and outlet does not contain Salmonella enterica. Presence of Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens beyond the requirements of the regulation (Decree N339, 2004) was not established, as well as Enterococcus spp. The tested sludge contained microorganisms from these groups and could not be deposited in the soil without prior aerobic or anaerobic processing. The draining in the nature of treated water at the outlet of plant does not hide environmental risk. In addition to monitoring of the sanitary indicative bacteria, the following of the main groups of Gram-negative and Gram-positive microorganisms in the water and sewage sludge allows more reliable assessment of their decontamination. Furthermore, the new approach for reporting the results in a unit of dry matter of the studied materials, proposed here, allows their more exact comparison

Reduction of sanitary indicator microorganisms in anaerobic digestion of poultry litter in combination with silages

ABSTRACT: In connection with experiments aimed at optimizing anaerobic digestion of organic fertilizers, microbiological tests were performed to assess the epizootiological safety of resulting finished product to fertilize the soil by quantities of sanitary indicator microorganisms. Mixtures of substrates were composed and tested in technological parameters established for other experiments: mesophilic temperature regime 33oC, dry matter content of 7%, residence time in the digester 15 days. The substrates tested were beetroot, sugar and salad beets, corn silage and leaves of Paulownia elongata, and silage combinations of these feeds in ratio 60:40 with mulch litter from broiler chickens. It was found that significant reduction of microorganisms was realized in the final products, which were assessed as safe for soil application. The ensiling of poultry litter in combinations of these feeds had the effect of reducing the amount of microorganisms in almost all examined groups therein. The most significant was the reduction in the quantity of sanitary revealing bacteria in the manure after its ensilage with autumn leaves of P. elongata and beetroot, and the least - with the participation of sugar beet. Microbial reduction was to the greatest extent in bioslime produced by anaerobic digestion of poultry litter ensiled with corn. Of the silages from different types of beets with poultry manure, during anaerobic digestion highest decontamination was achieved in this with sugar beets. After anaerobic degradation of the studied feed without poultry litter, at least microorganisms were found in bioslimes from the three types of beet, as well from the silage from P. elongata. РЕЗЮМЕ: Във връзка с експерименти, насочени към оптимизиране на анаеробното разграждане на органични торове, са извършени микробиологични изследвания за преценка на епизоотологичната безопасност на получените крайни продукти за наторяване на почви според количествата на санитарно индикаторните микроорганизми. Съставени са смеси от субстрати при установени при други експерименти технологични параметри: мезофилен температурен режим 33оС, съдържание на сухо вещество 7%, време на престой в биореактора 15 денонощия. Изпитани са захарно, кръмно и салатно цвекло, царевичен силаж и листа от Paulownia elongata, както и силажи от комбинации на тези фуражи в съотношение 60:40 с торова постеля от пилета-бройлери. Установено е, че се осъществява значително редуциране на микроорганизмите в крайните продукти, които се преценяват като безопасни за внасяне в почвите. В най-голяма степен микробната редукция е при биошлама, получен при анаеробното разграждане на комбинацията от торова постеля с царевичен силаж. От трите вида цвекло, силажирани с птичи тор, при анаеробно разграждане се постига най-висока деконтаминация с участие на захарното цвекло. При анаеробно разграждане на изследваните фуражи без птичи тор най-малко микроорганизми се установяват в биошламовете от трите вида цвекло, както и в силажа от P. elongata

Barred Galaxies in the Coma Cluster

We use ACS data from the HST Treasury survey of the Coma cluster (z~0.02) to study the properties of barred galaxies in the Coma core, the densest environment in the nearby Universe. This study provides a complementary data point for studies of barred galaxies as a function of redshift and environment. From ~470 cluster members brighter than M_I = -11 mag, we select a sample of 46 disk galaxies (S0--Im) based on visual classification. The sample is dominated by S0s for which we find an optical bar fraction of 47+/-11% through ellipse fitting and visual inspection. Among the bars in the core of the Coma cluster, we do not find any very large (a_bar > 2 kpc) bars. Comparison to other studies reveals that while the optical bar fraction for S0s shows only a modest variation across low-to-intermediate density environments (field to intermediate-density clusters), it can be higher by up to a factor of ~2 in the very high-density environment of the rich Coma cluster core.Comment: Proceedings of the Bash symposium, to appear in the Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series, eds. L. Stanford, L. Hao, Y. Mao, J. Gree

Microbiological evaluation of sewage sludge in terms of possibility of applications in soil as a fertilizer

The studies were carried out of sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plant for the presence of microorganisms of several main groups, containing pathogenic representatives with epizootological significance (Gram-negative aerobic bacteria, E. coli, Clostridium perfringens, the genera Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, fungi, and the total number of microorganisms), in order to assess the environmental safety of the final product. In parallel similar studies were made of fresh and composted cattle manures. A comparison of the results was made with the ready for manuring compost in order to assess the possibilities for the use of sludge for fertilizing. The quantities of microorganisms were given in CFU per 1 g of the investigated material, as well as per 1 g of dry substance for each of them. In our opinion this new approach to the reporting of the results per unit of dry matter of the investigated materials, allows for a more accurate comparison. It was found that the examined sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plant were rich in microorganisms from studied groups and their direct application in soils without prior treatment by aerobic or anaerobic digestion may represent epidemiological danger

A large-scale study of a poultry trading network in Bangladesh: implications for control and surveillance of avian influenza viruses

Since its first report in 2007, avian influenza (AI) has been endemic in Bangladesh. While live poultry marketing is widespread throughout the country and known to influence AI dissemination and persistence, trading patterns have not been described. The aim of this study is to assess poultry trading practices and features of the poultry trading networks which could promote AI spread, and their potential implications for disease control and surveillance. Data on poultry trading practices was collected from 849 poultry traders during a cross-sectional survey in 138 live bird markets (LBMs) across 17 different districts of Bangladesh. The quantity and origins of traded poultry were assessed for each poultry type in surveyed LBMs. The network of contacts between farms and LBMs resulting from commercial movements of live poultry was constructed to assess its connectivity and to identify the key premises influencing it

Staggering effects in nuclear and molecular spectra

It is shown that the recently observed Delta J = 2 staggering effect (i.e. the relative displacement of the levels with angular momenta J, J+4, J+8, ..., relatively to the levels with angular momenta J+2, J+6, J+10, ...) seen in superdeformed nuclear bands is also occurring in certain electronically excited rotational bands of diatomic molecules (YD, CrD, CrH, CoH), in which it is attributed to interband interactions (bandcrossings). In addition, the Delta J = 1 staggering effect (i.e. the relative displacement of the levels with even angular momentum J with respect to the levels of the same band with odd J) is studied in molecular bands free from Delta J = 2 staggering (i.e. free from interband interactions/bandcrossings). Bands of YD offer evidence for the absence of any Delta J = 1 staggering effect due to the disparity of nuclear masses, while bands of sextet electronic states of CrD demonstrate that Delta J = 1 staggering is a sensitive probe of deviations from rotational behaviour, due in this particular case to the spin-rotation and spin-spin interactions.Comment: LaTeX, 16 pages plus 30 figures given in separate .ps files. To appear in the proceedings of the 4th European Workshop on Quantum Systems in Chemistry and Physics (Marly-le-Roi, France, 1999), ed. J. Maruani et al. (Kluwer, Dordrecht

THE HST/ACS COMA CLUSTER SURVEY. VIII. BARRED DISK GALAXIES IN THE CORE OF THE COMA CLUSTER

We use high-resolution (~0. ��1) F814W Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) images from the Hubble Space Telescope ACS Treasury survey of the Coma cluster at z ~ 0.02 to study bars in massive disk galaxies (S0s), as well as low-mass dwarf galaxies in the core of the Coma cluster, the densest environment in the nearby universe. Our study helps to constrain the evolution of bars and disks in dense environments and provides a comparison point for studies in lower density environments and at higher redshifts. Our results are: (1) we characterize the fraction and properties of bars in a sample of 32 bright (MV � -18, M* > 109.5M�) S0 galaxies, which dominate the population of massive disk galaxies in the Coma core. We find that the measurement of a bar fraction among S0 galaxies must be handled with special care due to the difficulty in separating unbarred S0s from ellipticals, and the potential dilution of the bar signature by light from a relatively large, bright bulge. The results depend sensitively on the method used: the bar fraction for bright S0s in the Coma core is 50% ± 11%, 65% ± 11%, and 60% ± 11% based on three methods of bar detection, namely, strict ellipse fit criteria, relaxed ellipse fit criteria, and visual classification. (2)We compare the S0 bar fraction across different environments (the Coma core, A901/902, and Virgo) adopting the critical step of using matched samples and matched methods in order to ensure robust comparisons. We find that the bar fraction among bright S0 galaxies does not show a statistically significant variation (within the error bars of ±11%) across environments which span two orders of magnitude in galaxy number density (n ~ 300–10,000 galaxies Mpc-3) and include rich and poor clusters, such as the core of Coma, the A901/902 cluster, and Virgo. We speculate that the bar fraction among S0s is not significantly enhanced in rich clusters compared to low-density environments for two reasons. First, S0s in rich clusters are less prone to bar instabilities as they are dynamically heated by harassment and are gas poor as a result of ram pressure stripping and accelerated star formation. Second, high-speed encounters in rich clusters may be less effective than slow, strong encounters in inducing bars. (3) We also take advantage of the high resolution of the ACS (~50 pc) to analyze a sample of 333 faint (MV > -18) dwarf galaxies in the Coma core. Using visual inspection of unsharp-masked images, we find only 13 galaxies with bar and/or spiral structure. An additional eight galaxies show evidence for an inclined disk. The paucity of disk structures in Coma dwarfs suggests that either disks are not common in these galaxies or that any disks present are too hot to develop instabilities