In the activated sludge process, the share of filamentous bacteria is crucial for proper settlement and high sewage treatment efficiency. Disequilibrium of the microbial community may be a reason for the appearance of bulking episodes. During 19 months (August 2007-February 2009) activated sludge samples were collected and analyzed by physicochemical, microscopic, and molecular methods. Amplifi...

Polymeric beads with diameter in the micrometer range find use in vanous medical applications, such as bone cements', in local delivery of drugs' and in treatment of female stress urinary incontinence.r" Medical microspheres usually consists of poly (methyl methacrylate), poly (lactic acid-eo-glycolic acid), poly (tetra fluoroethylene) or silicone rubbers. A particularly important application o...

Filamentous bulking and foaming are the most common settling problems experienced in activated sludge (AS) wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The quality of final effluent is poor during episodes foaming, which an environmental, human health economic burden. Remedial measures often ineffective, traditional non-specific methods such as chlorination may also negatively impact important function...

The prevalence of stress urinary incontinence rises and affects up to 30% of women after 50 years of age. Midurethral slings are currently the mainstay of surgical anti-incontinence therapy. Some patients experience recurrent SUI (RSUI) which is defined as a failure of anti-incontinence surgery after a period of time or persistence of SUI after the procedure aimed at correcting it. The urethral...

The safety of 6 modified terephthalate polymers as cosmetic ingredients was assessed. These ingredients mostly function as exfoliants, bulking agents, hair fixatives, and viscosity-increasing agents-nonaqueous. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is used in leave-on products up to 100% and in rinse-off products up to 2%. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel (Panel) considered that the PET u...

1. The breakdown and faecal bulking capacity of dietary fibre preparations from wheat bran, apple, cabbage, carrot, and guar gum were compared in man and rat. 2. The degradation of the fibre showed good correlation between man and rat (r 0.99, regression coefficient 0.86). Wheat bran was the least well-digested, 66 and 59% of the neutral sugars being excreted in faeces of man and rat respective...

Though potentially useful, agricultural byproducts are often discarded because of the lack of specific applications in many industries. However, they have suitable properties for use in the paper industry, according to recent literature. In this study, the suitability of rice husk, peanut husk, and garlic stem as raw materials for the manufacture of a new lignocellulosic bulking agent was inves...

A prototype in-vessel composting unit, which includes air circulation and misting systems, was designed and built as a senior capstone project at the Bio-Resource Engineering Department at the University of Maine. The university Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery initiated a recycling program for postconsumer food waste generated by the residence hall commons areas in 1991. This food ...

BACKGROUND Urinary incontinence in women is a common problem that adversely affects quality of life. PURPOSE To synthesize evidence of management of urinary incontinence in women. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library. STUDY SELECTION 96 randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) and 3 systematic reviews published in English from 1990 through May 2007. DATA EXTRACTION Using s...