Biomethanation potential of biological and other wastes

Anaerobic technology has been traditionally applied for the treatment of carbon rich wastewater and organic residues. Anaerobic processes can be fully integrated in the biobased economy concept for resource recovery. After a brief introduction about applications of anaerobic processes to industrial wastewater treatment, agriculture feedstock and organic fraction of municipal solid waste, the position of anaerobic processes in biorefinery concepts is presented. Integration of anaerobic digestion with these processes can help in the maximisation of the economic value of the biomass used, while reducing the waste streams produced and mitigating greenhouse gases emissions. Besides the integration of biogas in the existing full-scale bioethanol and biodiesel production processes, the potential applications of biogas in the second generation lignocellulosic, algae and syngas-based biorefinery platforms are discussed.(undefined

Incidence of orthostatic hypotension and cardiovascular response to postoperative early mobilization in patients undergoing cardiothoracic and abdominal surgery

Background: In cardiothoracic and abdominal surgery, postoperative complications remain major clinical problems. Early mobilization has been widely practiced and is an important component in preventing complications, including orthostatic hypotension (OH) during postoperative management. We investigated cardiovascular response during early mobilization and the incidence of OH after cardiothoracic and abdominal surgery. Methods: In this prospective observational study, we consecutively analyzed data from 495 patients who underwent elective cardiothoracic and abdominal surgery. We examined the incidence of OH, and the independent risk factors associated with OH during early mobilization after major surgery. Multivariate logistic regression was performed using various characteristics of patients to identify OH-related independent factors. Results: OH was observed in 191 (39%) of 495 patients. The incidence of OH in cardiac, thoracic, and abdominal groups was 39 (33%) of 119, 95 (46%) of 208, and 57 (34%) of 168 patients, respectively. Male sex (OR 1.538; p = 0.03) and epidural anesthesia (OR 2.906; p < 0.001) were independently associated with OH on multivariate analysis. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that approximately 40% patients experience OH during early mobilization aftercardiothoracic and abdominal surgery. Sex was identified as an independent factor for OH during early mobilization after all three types of surgeries, while epidural anesthesia was only identified after thoracic surgery. Therefore, the frequent occurrence of OH during postoperative early mobilization should be recognized

The SMART project: Exploiting the Heterogeneous Mobile World

The wide proliferation of wireless systems and the use of software radio technologies enables the employment of a heterogeneous network. In this concept services are delivered via the network that is most efficient for that service. Our solution is based on a common core network that interconnects access points of various wireless access points. A mobile host can apply multiple different access networks simultaneously to increase capacity or efficiency. Furthermore, a basic access network, separated from other wireless access networks, is used as a means for wireless system discovery, signaling and paging. Quality of Service is of prominent importance due to the heterogeneous environment and the characteristics of the wireless channel. This paper describes the concepts of our architecture, and presents an overview of the architecture

Cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity in metabolically healthy overweight and obese youth

OBJECTIVE: Controversy exists surrounding the contribution of fitness and adiposity as determinants of the Metabolically Healthy Overweight (MHO) phenotype in youth. This study investigated the independent contribution of cardiorespiratory fitness and adiposity to the MHO phenotype among overweight and obese youth. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 108 overweight and obese youth classified as MHO (no cardiometabolic risk factors) or non-MHO ($1 cardiometabolic risk factor), based on age- and genderspecific cut-points for fasting glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and hepatic steatosis. RESULTS: Twenty-five percent of overweight and obese youth were classified as MHO. This phenotype was associated with lower BMI z-score (BMI z-score: 1.8 \ub1 0.3 vs 2.1 \ub1 0.4, P = .02) and waist circumference (99.7 \ub1 13.2 vs 106.1 \ub1 13.7 cm, P = .04) compared with non-MHO youth. When matched for fitness level and stratified by BMI z-score (1.6 \ub1 0.3 vs 2.4 \ub1 0.2), the prevalence of MHO was fourfold higher in the low BMI z-score group (27% vs 7%; P = .03). Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that the best predictor of MHO was the absence of hepatic steatosis even after adjusting for waist circumference (odds ratio 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.40- 0.80) or BMI z-score (odds ratio 0.59, 95% confidence interval 0.43- 0.80). CONCLUSIONS: The MHO phenotype was present in 25% of overweight and obese youth and is strongly associated with lower levels of adiposity, and the absence of hepatic steatosis, but not with cardiorespiratory fitness. Pediatrics 2013;132:e85-e92. Copyright \ua9 2013 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye