Occurrence and fate of heavy metals in large wastewater treatment plants treating municipal and industrial wastewaters.

This paper deals with a detailed study on the occurrence and fate of heavy metals (plus As, Fe and Al) in five Italian large wastewater treatment plants treating municipal and industrial wastewaters. The study showed that some of the compounds (As, Hg and Cd) were present at trace levels, while others were dispersed in a broad range of concentrations and were sometimes under the detection limit. The occurrence followed the order Hg = As < Hg < Pb < Ni < Cu < Cr < Fe < Zn < Al. Metals were mainly present bound to particulate organic matter in municipal wastewaters while they were often present in soluble phase in industrial wastewaters. Some heavy metals, like Hg and Pb, showed clear correlations with Al and Fe, therefore the last could be used as control parameters. Metals were removed with good efficiency in the treatment works, with the order As < Cd = Cr = Zn < Pb < Hg < Ni = Al < Cu < Fe. Metals then concentrated in waste activated sludge and accumulated after sludge stabilisation because of volatile solids degradation, therefore some problems may arise with limit for agricultural application, in particular for Hg, Cd and Ni

Integrating the selection of PHA storing biomass and nitrogen removal via nitrite for the treatment of the sludge reject water

Integrating the selection of PHA storing biomass and nitrogen removal via-nitrite for the treatment of the sludge reject wate

Canine Seventh Lumbar Vertebra Fracture: A Systematic Review

(1) Background: Lumbosacral traumatic injuries are reported as 39% of canine vertebral lesions. This area is prone to fracture and luxation. Several surgical techniques were described from 1975 to 2021 to stabilize the traumatic injuries of the lumbosacral junction. This report aims to critically review the available literature focused on clinical presentation, surgical techniques, and follow-up of the lumbar vertebra fracture. (2) Methods: Three bibliographic databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus were used with a board search of Lumbosacral junction fracture AND, of L7 fracture AND (canine OR dog). The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist for case reports and case series was applied for the studies included. (3) Results: A total of 432 reports yielded only nine that met the inclusion criteria. Non-ambulatory paraparesis/plegia, sciatic nerve involvement, faecal/urinary incontinence, and severe back lumbar pain were the most reported signs. Survey radiographs were the most reported technique to confirm the diagnoses. The surgical treatment was reported in all reports examined with a good long-term prognosis. (4) Conclusions: The seventh lumbar vertebra fracture, despite the different surgical techniques performed, had a favourable prognosis for long-term outcome and neurological recovery

Congenital deformity of the distal extremities in three dogs

Congenital limb deformities are very rare conditions and the knowledge about etiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation and treatment is still poor. Moreover, many defects are still not reported in veterinary literature. This report documents clinical and radiographic findings in three dogs with congenital deformity involving the distal extremities. Case 1 was affected with bilateral aphalangia of the pedes, case 2 presented a combination of brachydactyly and syndactyly, whereas in case 3 a unilateral ectrodactyly was observed. To the authors’ knowledge, brachydactyly, as well as aphalangia, are very uncommon anomalies and have been rarely documented. Moreover, association between syndactyly and brachydactyly has still not been reported

Bite force evaluation in children following dental treatment

A number of research studies have highlighted the fact that poor dental health impacts on quality of life as a whole due to a number of different elements. Dental caries is usually associated with negative consequences, such as discomfort and pain, which are known to affect growth and weight gain through effects on function, in addition to wellbeing and quality of life (George et al., 1999; Wendy and Sharleen, 1999). It has been suggested that a significant number of children may not be able to verbally complain of pain. This inability may be caused by their immaturity, level of cognition and language development. Children usually show difficulty in eating and loss of function which should be considered an indicator of oral problems (Anderson et al, 2004). Therefore functional impairment is a negative sequel of caries in children. This can be measured by different means and one of those is the evaluation of bite force which is known to be influential on mastication and chewing processes. Bite force can be defined as ―the capacity of the mandibular elevation muscles to perform a maximum force of lower teeth against the upper teeth, under favourable conditions (Calderon et al, 2006). The evaluations of bite force have been proven to be constructive and thus widely utilised in dentistry (Koc et al., 2010), with the measurement of such conducted with the aim of determining muscular activity and jaw movements during the chewing process (Bakke,1992), with measurements also valuable in terms of masticatory efficiency (Toro et al., 2006; Julien et al., 1996). When reviewing the literature on bite force and correlated factors, it becomes apparent that there is a lack in studies concerned with the effects of dental decay on bite force in child population specifically. This is a clinical exploratory study that comprised 32 children (26 with completed measurements) with a mean age of 6.45 years. 43.75 % were boys and 56.25 % were girls. The study sample was taken from children attending the Leeds Dental Hospital/Paediatric Dentistry Department for treatment. The Maximum Voluntary Comfortable bite force was determined for each participant immediately before treatment and 3-5 weeks following completion of the required dental treatment. A single tooth bite force device was used that has been previously verified for intra-oral use in children (Mountain, 2008). The difference in bite force magnitude before and after dental treatment was analysed statistically. In addition, the correlations of key variables including, age, height, weight, BMI, gender and caries severity or dental status with maximum bite force were statistically analysed. The mean maximum bite force for the total sample (n= 32) prior to treatment was found to be 169.32 N (SD= 66.20). The mean bite force in the male subgroup was 174.49 N (SD= 64.69) while for the females the mean bite force was equal to 165.29 N (SD= 68.93). Following comprehensive dental treatment the recorded mean maximum bite force for the children (n= 26) who attended the post treatment review appointment was 180.60 N (SD= 65.85). Paired sample t test revealed a statistically significant increase in mean maximum bite force (p < 0.01) following comprehensive dental treatment that included both restorations and extractions. Correlation coefficients were determined for a number of key variables and maximum voluntary bite force in the pre-treatment stage. Child‘s gender failed to show significant correlation with the bite force. In contrast, child‘s age, body build expressed by height and weight showed a significant positive correlation with bite force (p < 0.01). In addition, poor dental status prior to treatment, expressed by the number of decayed, missing and filled teeth and surfaces, exhibited a statistically significant negative correlation with the bite force (p < 0.05). Presence of an abscess and dental pain showed similar negative impact on bite force. The present study‘s findings can be important in the field of paediatric dentistry. In addition to the previously proved positive effects of treating dental caries in children, this study adds that bite force and subsequently chewing function can be improved by comprehensive dental treatment of decayed teeth. Additionally, this study showed that bite force in children is negatively impacted by a number of essential factors including, severity of dental caries as well as presence of clinical symptoms (i.e. pain and dental abscess). Therefore, the findings can serve as an additional supportive evidence of importance of dental treatment for children as it helps improving the maximum bite force a child can exert.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Implementing and optimizing the operation of membrane bioreactors for petroleum wastewater treatment

In the recent Kazakhstan Upstream Oil and Gas Technology and R&D Roadmap, water management has been recognized one of the fifteen main challenges that must be dealt with. This roadmap mentions that chemical processes are increasingly used for wastewater treatment; however it is recognized that "the preferred, longer term solution is likely to be membrane technology, which present a local R&D opportunity since further development is needed. This could lead to local opportunities for design, installation and maintenance of membrane separation equipment"[1]. In line with the above requirements the proposed project develops and optimizes a membrane based treatment scheme for the treating & recycling of the water within the industry. Another objective is to investigate several biological processes within the membrane bioreactor (MBR) including nitrification/denitrification and biological removal of cyanides

Lateral patellar luxation in nine small breed dogs

The objective of this paper was to describe the clinical features, the management and the outcome of nine small breed dogs affected with lateral patella luxation referred during the period between January 2010 and December 2014. Patellar luxations were classified according to: breed, age, sex, weight, and grade of patellar luxation, as well as if unilateral or bilateral, and concurrent cranial cruciate ligament lesion. In affected dogs, surgical correction consisted in the combination of tibial tuberosity transposition and soft tissue procedure. Adjunctive condroplasty or trochleoplasty was performed as needing. The outcome was found positive after surgical management with low complication rate and complications have been easily managed with high success rate

CT findings of thoracolumbar spine lesions in dogs

In veterinary medicine, computed tomography (CT) is one of the most commonly used methods for imaging the spine because it provides a detailed examination of the spinal cord and surrounding tissues. The aim of this study was to assess thoracolumbar lesions in a number of dogs studied during the year 2011. There were retrospectively evaluated CT studies from 30 dogs of different breeds (mean age= 6.23 years) presented at the Interdepartmental Center of Radiology in the period January - December 2011, with suspected thoracolumbar vertebral or spinal cord lesions. The CT studies were performed without contrast medium in 27 patients, with contrast medium in subarachnoid space (CT- myelography) in two dogs, and in two patients before and after i.v. administration of contrast medium (Iopamidol 370mgl/ml). In one dog both intravenous and subarachnoid administration of contrast medium were used. There were found 46 disc herniations, 10 degenerative spondylopathies, 5 vertebral malformations, 4 vertebral neoplasia, 4 disc degenerations (mineralization and/or vacuum phenomenon), 4 subdural and epidural hemorrhages, 2 spinal cord degenerations (degenerative myelopathy), 2 radicular neoplasia and 2 discospondylitis. In our sample, there was a prevalence of intervertebral disc herniation and in many cases the same dog showed multiple localizations. Usually, disc herniations were clearly visible without contrast medium, causing different degrees of spinal cord compression. In conclusion, CT demonstrated to be a valuable diagnostic tool for detection and characterization of thoracolumbar spinal lesions in dogs

Implementing and optimizing the operation of membrane bioreactors for petroleum wastewater treatment

In the recent Kazakhstan Upstream Oil and Gas Technology and R&D Roadmap, water management has been recognized one of the fifteen main challenges that must be dealt with. This roadmap mentions that chemical processes are increasingly used for wastewater treatment; however it is recognized that "the preferred, longer term solution is likely to be membrane technology, which present a local R&D opportunity since further development is needed. This could lead to local opportunities for design, installation and maintenance of membrane separation equipment"[1]. In line with the above requirements the proposed project develops and optimizes a membrane based treatment scheme for the treating & recycling of the water within the industry. Another objective is to investigate several biological processes within the membrane bioreactor (MBR) including nitrification/denitrification and biological removal of cyanides