Does Fundus Fluorescein Angiography Procedure Affect Ocular Pulse Amplitude?

Purpose. This study examines the effects of fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) procedure on ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) and intraocular pressure (IOP). Materials and Methods. Sixty eyes of 30 nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy patients (15 males, 15 females) were included in this cross-sectional case series. IOP and OPA were measured with the Pascal dynamic contour tonometer before and after 5 minutes of intravenous fluorescein dye injection. Results. Pre-FFA mean OPA value was  mmHg and post-FFA mean OPA value was  mmHg (). Pre-FFA mean IOP value was  mmHg and post-FFA mean IOP value was  mmHg (). Conclusion. Although both mean OPA and IOP values were decreased after FFA procedure, the difference was not statistically significant. This clinical trial is registered with Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number ACTRN12613000433707

Microbial community shifts in the oxic-settling-anoxic process in response to changes to sludge interchange ratio

This particular study set out to demonstrate alterations on the microbial community of the oxic-settling-anaerobic/anoxic (OSA) process treating real domestic wastewater by changing interchange ratios (IRs). The sludge yield of systems operated at different IRs (1/13, 1/17 and 1/20) to assess sludge reduction was used to analyze microbial community composition variations. The highest IR (1/13) resulted in the highest sludge reduction (52.1%), while the OSA systems with IR of 1/17 and 1/20 reduced sludge production by 37.4% and 35.5%, respectively, in comparison to conventional systems. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing analysis showed that the bacterial communities were composed of similar phylogenetic groups, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Bacteroidetes being dominant. The relative abundances differed due to the applied IRs. The highest abundance of Actinobacteria was determined at the highest IR (1/13) and increasing of the HRT to 1/20 caused a significant reduction in Actinobacteria species and the lowest abundance (6%) was determined in the OSA systems. The abundant of Thiothrix species that are boosted in the OSA trials may have a vital role in OSA systems, where its abundance was below the detection limits in the seed sludge sample. Therefore, they could be used as bioindicators in the OSA system

Effect of chronic smoking on lens nucleus as assessed by Pentacam HR lens densitometry in young adults

Objective: To evaluate the effects of chronic tobacco smoking on lens nucleus by Pentacam HR lens densitometry (LD) in young adults. Design: Prospective cross-sectional case series. Methods: Thirty subjects (23 M, 7 F) who were chronic cigarette smokers (≥10 cigarettes/day for at least 2 years) (group 1) and another 30 subjects (23 M, 7 F) who did not smoke (group 2), were included in this study. The patients were matched for age and sex between the groups. The exclusion criteria were any history of ocular surgery, any systemic disorders and any ocular diseases except for mild refractive disorders. Lens densitometry measurements were done with the Pentacam HR (Oculus, Wetzlar, Germany). The Schirmer test and pachymetry measurements were also performed. Results: Mean age of the patients for both groups was 28.90±8.20 years (range: 18-40 years). Mean lens densitometry (LD) measurements of Group 1 (chronic cigarette smoking group) were higher than those of Group 2 (control group) in all LD techniques; however only mean ''peak'' LD measurements showed a statistically significant difference between these two groups (Group 1: 8.67±0.61, Group 2: 8.44±0.70, p=0.04). The mean Schirmer test value was 12.43±5.60mm in Group 1 and 13.00±4.26mm in Group 2 (p=0.55). The mean central corneal thickness (CCT) value was 564.23±34.61 mm in Group 1 and 550.47±32.94 mm in Group 2 (p=0.03). Discussion: The Pentacam HR LD seems to be an important option for the evaluation of lens nucleus in young adults, because it gives objective and quantitative data. Conclusion: Although chronic smoking increases lens nucleus density in young adults, the effect is not statistically significant when compared with the control group. © 2014 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc

Comparison of Energy Efficiencies for Advanced Anaerobic Digestion, Incineration, and Gasification Processes in Municipal Sludge Management

Municipal sludge has energy content in the range of (9,000-23,000 kJ/kg) depending upon the organic content. This entrapped energy can be transformed into heat and electrical energies by different technologies combining biological and thermal processes. Recently, the combination of advanced digestion and incineration or gasification was found to be advantageous for energy recovery. The energy balance was based upon a full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) using conventional and advanced treatment configurations. In this respect, the unit electricity production from sludge was calculated to be in the range of 675-1,240 kWhE per tones of dry solids