Geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 clades in the WHO European Region, January to June 2020

We show the distribution of SARS-CoV-2 genetic clades over time and between countries and outline potential genomic surveillance objectives. We applied three available genomic nomenclature systems for SARS-CoV-2 to all sequence data from the WHO European Region available during the COVID-19 pandemic until 10 July 2020. We highlight the importance of real-time sequencing and data dissemination in a pandemic situation. We provide a comparison of the nomenclatures and lay a foundation for future European genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.Peer reviewe

An investigation into the possible use of hydrocyclones for the removal of yeast from beer

This investigation has focused on the importance of hydrocyclone design and running conditions for the removal of yeast from suspensions. Experiments have been carried out using both a model system of yeast grown in suspension cultures and rough beer. It appeared that the most important factor was the design of the hydrocyclone with a positive correlation between higher residence times and acceleration with the efficiency of separation. The other factor that affected the separation efficiency was the concentration of the yeast suspension and a new phenomenon of a lower efficiency of hydrocyclones at very low feed concentrations has been observed. The separation efficiency was also affected by temperature with lower temperatures giving poorer separations

Detection of liver injury in IBD using transient elastography

Background Up to 5% of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients are thought to have clinically significant liver disease due to multifactorial causes, however, this figure may be an underestimate due to reliance on abnormal liver tests (LTs) and/or liver biopsies. Aims Our aim was to evaluate the prevalence of clinically significant liver disease in IBD patients as defined by an increased liver stiffness measurement (LS) ≥ 8 kPa using transient elastography (TE). Methods 110 IBD patients, and 55 non-IBD control subjects, had their LS recorded using FibroScan® (EchoSense, Paris, France) by a single blinded operator trained in TE. Results 71 Crohn's disease and 39 ulcerative colitis subjects were included. All demographic variables were similar between the IBD and control groups apart from a significantly higher proportion of IBD patients who smoked (17.3% vs 3.6%, P = 0.013). Seven IBD patients (6.4%) had an LS over 8 kPa and 3 had persistently elevated LS 6 months later. One patient had compensated cirrhosis. No significant differences in overall LS were observed between the IBD and control groups. Increased BMI and age, however, were independently associated with a higher LS in the IBD but not in the control group (P < 0.001 and 0.010 respectively). Conclusion Using TE, the prevalence of clinically significant liver disease in IBD patients is low. The association of increased BMI and age with increased LS in IBD suggests fatty liver disease being the prevailing aetiology in these patients

Evaluation of hydrocyclone as pre-filter in irrigation system

The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of a hydrocyclone to separate sand in irrigation water. To do this, it an experiment was conducted where the hydrocyclone was operated with pressures and discharge that varied from 10 to 60 kPa and from 1,159.90 L h-1 to 2,603.60 L h-1, respectively. During the tests, the sand concentration in suspension varied from 2.81 g L-1 to 7.01 g L-1. The results showed that the best efficiency was obtained with pressure differentials of 10 and 30 kPa, with cut size (d70) of 50 µm.<br>Neste trabalho, o principal objetivo foi avaliar a capacidade de um hidrociclone em reter areia suspensa na água de irrigação. O hidrociclone operou com diferenciais de pressão que variaram de 10 a 60 kPa e vazões entre 1.159,90 a 2.603,60 L h-1. A concentração de areia na suspensão variou de 2,81 a 7,01 g L-1. Os resultados mostraram que as melhores eficiências de remoção foram obtidas para os diferenciais de pressão de 10 e 30 kPa, e diâmetros de corte (d70) de 50 µm