Effect of dissolved oxygen and chemical oxygen demand to nitrogen ratios on the partial nitrification/denitrification process in moving bed biofilm reactors

Partial nitrification was reported to be technically feasible and economically favorable, especially for wastewater with high ammonium concentration or low C/N ratio. In this study, the effect of dissolved oxygen (DO) and influent ratio of chemical oxygen demand to nitrogen (COD/N) ratio on biological nitrogen removal from synthetic wastewater was investigated. Experiments were conducted in moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) on partial nitrification process in pilot-plant configuration for 300 days. DO levels were changed from 0.04 to 0.12 and 0.42 to 3.4 mg/l in the anoxic (R1) and aerobic (R2) reactors, respectively. The optimum DO for partial nitrification was between 1-1.5 mg/l in the aerobic reactor (R2). Influent COD/N ratios between 20 and 2 g COD/g-N were tested by changing the nitrogen loading rate (NLR) supplied to the pilot plant. During operational conditions when the DO concentration in aerobic reactor was above 1 mg/l, near complete organic carbon removal occurred in the total MBBRs system. The effluent total nitrogen concentration in the operational conditions (1.7-2.1 mg O2/l and NH+ 4-N=35.7 mg N/l) was obtained in the range of 0.85-2 mg/l. The highest nitrite accumulation (50%- 52%) took place at the DO concentration of 1-1.5 mg/l and increased with decreasing COD/N ratio in aerobic reactor (R2). This study showed that the average nitrification rate at various COD/N ratios is about 0.96 gN/m2 per day while the maximum nitrification rate is about 2 gN/m2 per day at COD/N ratios lower than 6. The experimental COD/N ratio for denitrification was close to complete sum of NO2 - and NO3 - (NOx) removal efficiency (about 99%) at COD/N ratio equal 14 in the operational conditions in the anoxic reactor (R1)

Must International Legal Pedagogy Remain Eurocentric?

Mainstream international law is Eurocentric. Throughout the past half millennia, no territory beyond Europe was safe from jus gentium's striking capability to legitimize the intrusion of European civilizational precepts. Beginning with the Americas but quickly shifting to Africa and Asia, each continent was a battleground for the penetration of a provincial knowledge system. In this paper, I explore the implications of Eurocentrism for international legal pedagogy. While textbook authors now pay homage to other civilizations, their effusions are ornamental only. Instead of supporting epistemological equivalency, they centre European international law throughout their works, exorcising the brutalities of European history that generated the law in question. After setting out the dilemma, I outline three approaches towards transforming international legal pedagogy that capitalize on the decolonization movement. Each method builds on the premise that, without epistemic diversity, legal pedagogy will continue to rationalize European international law's predatory impulse

Effects of date palm fruit extracts on skin mucosal immunity, immune related genes expression and growth performance of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) fry

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of date palm fruit extracts (DPFE) on skin mucosal immunity, immune related genes expression and growth performance of fry common carp (Cyprinus carpio). One hundred and twenty specimens (4.06 ± 0.13 g) were supplied and allocated into six aquaria; specimens in three aquaria were fed non-supplemented diet (control) while the fish in the other 3 aquaria were fed with DPFE at 200 ml kg-1. At the end of feeding trial (8 weeks) skin mucus immune parameters (total immunoglobulins, lysozyme, protease and alkaline phosphatase activity) and immune related gene expression (tumor necrosis factor α [tnfa], lysozyme [ly] and interleukin-1-beta, [il1b]) in the head-kidney were studied. The results revealed that feeding carp fry with 200 ml kg-1 DPFE remarkably elevated the three skin mucus immune parameters tested (P 0.05) compared to control fish (fed control diet). Furthermore, growth performance parameters were significantly improved in fry fed DPFE (P < 0.05). More studies are needed to understand different aspects of DPFE administration in fry mucosal immunity. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd

Physiological and Histopathological Investigations on the Effects of α-Lipoic Acid in Rats Exposed to Malathion

The present study was designed to evaluate the influence of α-lipoic acid treatment in rats exposed to malathion. Forty adult male rats were used in this study and distributed into four groups. Animals of group 1 were untreated and served as control. Rats of group 2 were orally given malathion at a dose level of 100 mg/kg body weight (BW) for a period of one month. Experimental animals of group 3 were orally given α-lipoic acid at a dose level of 20 mg/kg BW and after 3 hours exposed to malathion at the same dose given to group 2. Rats of group 4 were supplemented with α-lipoic acid at the same dose given to group 3. The activities of serum glutamic oxaloacetic acid transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic acid transaminase (GPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and acid phosphatase (ACP), and the values of creatinine, urea, and uric acid were statistically increased, while the values of total protein and total albumin were significantly decreased in rats exposed to malathion. Moreover, administration of malathion for one month resulted in damage of liver and kidney structures. Administration of α-lipoic acid before malathion exposure to rat can prevent severe alterations of hematobiochemical parameters and disruptions of liver and kidney structures. In conclusion, this study obviously demonstrated that pretreatment with α-lipoic acid significantly attenuated the physiological and histopathological alterations induced by malathion. Also, the present study identifies new areas of research for development of better therapeutic agents for liver, kidney, and other organs' dysfunctions and diseases

The effect of organisational culture and knowledge environment on organisational success: Directions for future research

© 2018 ACIS2018.org. All rights reserved. Increasingly, organisations strive to shape their knowledge environment and organisational culture for improved performance and organisational success. Despite that, existing evidence recounts the individual role of organisational culture, knowledge management and intellectual capital towards organisational performance and success, a comprehensive explanation of the effect of multiple dimensions of these factors on organisational success remains unexplored. This paper adds to existing literature by proposing that an organisation’s knowledge environment combines its knowledge sharing practices (i.e. knowledge types, knowledge sharing approaches and knowledge sharing processes) and its intellectual capital. This paper presents a conceptual model on the relationship between organisational culture, knowledge environment and organisational success. The model proposes the role of organisational culture in shaping knowledge sharing practices, intellectual capital and organisational success. This research-in-progress concludes with directions for future research on the effect of organisational culture, knowledge sharing practices and intellectual capital on organisational success

Organisational culture and the use of knowledge-based engineering systems in saudi industrial firms

Copyright © 2016 International Business Information Management Association The main aim of this study to investigate what is required to achieve in the effective use of knowledge management system, such as: knowledge assets, knowledge sharing, learning, leadership, and the use of technologies. In order to benefit from these main pillars of knowledge management we need to identify each one and understand its main use in the evaluation of the knowledge based engineering system in Saudi context. In order to succeed it, the organisation and its key compensations are the most distinguished drivers of knowledge management. The main determination is to cultivate a conceptual model, which comprehends the influence of organisational culture on the main pillars of knowledge management towards the effective use of knowledge based engineering system in Saudi industrial firms

Interleukin-6-174 promoter polymorphism and susceptibility to hepatitis B virus infection as a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma in Iran

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Cytokines play an important role in the regulation of immune responses and defense against viral infections. Human interleukin 6 (IL6) is a multifunctional cytokine that participates in these processes. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the IL6-174 gene polymorphism in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection as compared with healthy controls in an Iranian population. Materials and Methods: Totals of 297 HBV patients and 368 control individuals were evaluated. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and the SSPPCR (sequence specific primer-polymerase chain reaction) method was applied for genotyping. Results: The frequencies of genotypes C/C, G/G and C/G in HBV cases were 4.7, 34.3, 60.9 and in controls were 12.8, 39.7 and 47.6, respectively. The frequencies of G and C allele in patients and controls were 78.1, 21.9 and 67.4, 32.6 respectively. There was a significant difference in the frequencies of G/G genotype (CI=1.8-7.1, OR=3.47, P=0.00001) and G allele (CI=1.34-2.23, OR=1.72, P=0.0001) between HBV patients and the control group. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the IL6-174 C/G genotype and the G allele are strongly associated with susceptibility to HBV infection. Demographic information showed that most of the subjects were male (74.4). According to high frequency of G/G genotype in male participants (63.1) men probably are more susceptible to hepatitis than women

Investigating Social Influence on Acceptance of Executive Information Systems: A UTAUT Framework Approach

The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) is constructed to address all factors derived from various behavioral models significant to user’s acceptance of information technology. This theory, however, deals with individual aspects of general technology acceptance. In reality, information technology is deployed based on different needs of different intended users. Executive information systems, for instance, is intentionally deployed for the use of organizational participants in the highest position of a centralized organizational hierarchy. Several proposed UTAUT’s constructs may not apply to executives’ characteristics in general or several additional constructs are added to address the acceptance of certain users of certain information technology.This paper investigates one of such constructs, the social influence, to posit such a difference

New chromosome number and unreduced pollen formation in Achillea species (Asteraceae)

Cytological studies were performed in 14 populations of 8 Achillea species growing in Iran. A. eriophora, A. tenuifolia, A. oxyodonta, A. talagonica and A. biebersteinii showed 2n = 2x = 18 chromosome number, A. wilhelmsii and A. vermicularis showed 2n = 4x = 36 and A. millefolium showed 2n = 6x = 54 chromosome number. The chromosome numbers of A. eriophora and A. talagonica are new to science and new polyploidy levels are reported for A. tenuifoli and A. wilhelmsii. Tetraploid and hexaploid species, they formed only bivalents in metaphase of meiosis-I showing diplontic behavior possibly due to allopolyploid nature of the species studied and the presence of control over pairing among homologous chromosomes. Multipolar cells were observed almost in all populations and species studied leading to the formation of abnormal tetrads and pollen grains as well as unreduced (2n) pollen formation