Activated sludge process has been widely adopted to remove pollutants in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, stable operation of activated sludge process is often compromised by the occurrence of filamentous bulking. The aim of this study is to build a proper model for timely diagnosis and prediction of filamentous sludge bulking in an activated sludge process. This study developed a ...

PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy of pharmacologic agents for the irritable bowel syndrome. DATA SOURCES Electronic literature search of MEDLINE (1966 to 1999), EMBASE (1980 to 1999), PsycINFO (1967 to 1999), and the Cochrane controlled trials registry and a manual search of references from bibliographies of identified articles. STUDY SELECTION Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, p...

Purpose. We reviewed our 20 years of experience and the current literature regarding the long-term outcome of endoscopic treatment of vesicoureteric reflux (VUR) using the different tissue bulking substances with a special emphasis on the long-term efficacy. Material and Methods. Our own experience and the current literature on the long-term results after endoscopic treatment using various bulk...

Filamentous bulking is caused by the excessive growth of filaments over floc formers, and their competition was previously described using kinetic selection. However, recent studies reported that instead of kinetic selection, diffusion limitation inside the flocs may be the crucial factor in microbial selection. To clarify the roles of these factors in explaining filamentous bulking, a new conc...

Synthetic polymeric microspheres find application in a wide range of medical applications. Among other applications, microspheres are being used as bulking agents, embolicor drug-delivery particles. The exact composition of the spheres varies with the application and therefore a large array of materials has been used to produce microspheres. In this review, the relation between microsphere synt...

BACKGROUND Injectable bulking treatment for fecal incontinence (FI) is intended to expand tissue in the anal canal and prevent fecal leakage. Use of injectable bulking agents is increasing because it can be performed in an outpatient setting and with low risk for morbidity. This study evaluated the long-term (36-month) clinical effectiveness and safety of injection of non-animal stabilized hyal...