The patient was born in 1967. In 2004 the patient started renal replacement therapy with peritoneal dialysis. In 2010, after the first episode of peritonitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus, due to ...poor response to antibiotic therapy, the peritoneal catheter was removed. A month after this episode, pain accompanied by fever and an increase in inflammatory parameters occurred. Initial computed tomography scans did not show any specific abnormalities and the second CT two months later diagnosed sclerosing peritonitis. Corticosteroid and tamoxifen therapy with enteral nutrition was initiated. Five months after the symptoms started, the patient developed intestinal obstruction, so a nasogastric tube was placed and total parenteral nutrition was introduced. After four months, the patient was surgically treated at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, resection of the terminal ileum and caecum was performed, and an ileocecal anastomosis with enterolysis was performed. Then, in 2012, a successful kidney transplant was performed. The patient has since remained without clinical signs of obstruction. Tamoxifen and corticosteroid therapy with adequate nutritional support, surgical treatment, and transplantation with long-term immunosuppressive therapy may be reasons for long-term remission and survival ten years after EPS diagnosis. Key words: Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS); peritoneal dialysis (PD); EPS surgical treatment, kidney transplantation EPS
The study presented herein contributes to the continual evolution of seismic design of geofoam roadway embankments by providing a comparison of the 1 % and 2 % strain criteria for seismic ...load-bearing analysis and providing a preliminary methodology to estimate the compressive resistance at 2 % strain because ASTM D6817 does not currently provide compressive resistance values at 2 % strain. Additionally, this study presents a methodology for evaluating static and dynamic stresses from numerical analysis results for use in selecting the appropriate geofoam types to include within the embankment and one approach of evaluating numerical horizontal sliding results as part of the overall seismic internal stability design process. These new seismic analysis methodologies are demonstrated by analysis of one of the geofoam embankments that the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is proposing as partial replacement of an existing 478 m length bridge along Poplar Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee located in the mid-southern part of the United States. The 2 % criterion for seismic load-bearing analysis provides an economical advantage compared to the 1 % criterion because the 1 % criterion will typically require the use of higher density geofoam blocks and the cost of geofoam blocks increase with density. Although the 2 % axial strain criterion is currently based on limited test data, if static and temporary dynamic stresses do exceed the cyclic elastic limit of the EPS, the potential consequence can be that long-term creep strains after the earthquake event may be greater than anticipated resulting in overall settlement of the embankment that can be greater than anticipated. However, the additional deformation and settlement of the embankment would typically not result in catastrophic collapse, which is in general agreement with the ‘no-collapse’ philosophy for seismic design that has been adopted by many state and federal agencies.
Soil contamination by toxic heavy metals such as copper is a serious problem. In this study, the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) extracted from Rahnella sp. LRP3 was found with the potential ...of immobilizing Cu-polluted in soil. The EPS could bond to Cu (II) through functional groups (polysaccharides, amide, proteins, and carboxyl groups), which further developed into the porous sphere with a diameter of 20 μm. Besides, EPS could induce the formation of Cu5(PO4)2(OH)4 crystal by the biomineralization process. Finally, the EPS in the culture solution reduced 89.4 mg/kg of DTPA-Cu content by 78.99% in soil for 10 d under the condition of 25 °C via biomineralization. The results demonstrated that EPS produced by Rahnella sp. LRP3 will be a promising factor in the remediation of Cu contaminated soil.
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•The EPS extracted from Rahnella sp. LRP3 could remove Cu (II) in the solution through biosorption process.•The EPS further induced the formation of Cu-containing biomineral, identified as Cu5(PO4)2(OH)4.•The EPS decreased the content of available Cu in polluted soil via biomineralization process.
A review concerning the definition, extraction, characterization, production and functions of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of microbial aggregates in biological wastewater treatment ...reactors is given in this paper. EPS are a complex high-molecular-weight mixture of polymers excreted by microorganisms, produced from cell lysis and adsorbed organic matter from wastewater. They are a major component in microbial aggregates for keeping them together in a three-dimensional matrix. Their characteristics (e.g., adsorption abilities, biodegradability and hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity) and the contents of the main components (e.g., carbohydrates, proteins, humic substances and nucleic acids) in EPS are found to crucially affect the properties of microbial aggregates, such as mass transfer, surface characteristics, adsorption ability, stability, the formation of microbial aggregates etc. However, as EPS are very complex, the knowledge regarding EPS is far from complete and much work is still required to fully understand their precise roles in the biological treatment process.
► FTIR and 3D-EEM are used to analyse the main components of EPS in aerobic granule. ► Results indicate the importance of aromatic protein-like substances in the stable granular sludge. ► The isomers ...of carbohydrates (1110–1047cm−1) can be attributed to the aerobic sludge granulation.
In recent years, lots of the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) related researches have focused on its role in the granulation and structural stability of aerobic sludge. Three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum (3D-EEM) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) technologies were used to analyse the main components of sludge EPS during aerobic sludge granulation in this study. Results showed that the components of sludge EPS tended to be stable during aerobic sludge granulation. The peak F (Ex/Em=230/308.5) from 3D-EEM and the predominant spectral band at approximately 1517cm−1 from the FTIR spectra of the matured granular sludge indicated the importance of aromatic protein-like substances together, especially tyrosine in maintaining the stable structure of the granular sludge. Furthermore, the differences in the occurrence position and frequency of C–O bonds (1110–1047cm−1) observed during aerobic sludge granulation showed that the transformations between the isomers and other forms of carbohydrates may be attributed to the formation of aerobic granule.
Tannic acid (TA), a phenolic compound, may be considered as a sludge conditioning agent on account of its ability to precipitate protein. In this study, the effectiveness of TA conditioning on ...enhancing waste activated sludge (WAS) dewatering was investigated at various pH values. The results indicated that with the conditioning of 0.15 mmol TA per gram of total solid (TS), the WAS dewaterability was affected distinctly by the pH regulation. The reductions of 86.8% capillary suction time (CST), 96.3% specific resistance of filtration (SRF), and 23.6% water content (Wc) of dewatered sludge cake were achieved at an optimal pH value of 4.0. Meanwhile, obvious alterations were observed in some aspects like supernatant viscosity, zeta potential, particle size and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) polymers. Correlation analysis indicated that the proteins in slime EPS and loosely bound EPS dominantly governed sludge dewaterability. Fluorescence quenching analysis indicated that in the range of acidity, the increase of pH value afforded more binding sites of sludge EPS for TA. However, the removal of EPS protein depended on the combined effect of TA conditioning and pH regulation. The findings provided a novel approach and explanation of WAS dewaterability enhancement using organic additive conditioning and pH regulation.
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•Tannic acid conditioning altered sludge properties obviously.•High correlation between extracellular protein and sludge dewaterability.•The pH value affected binding sites of sludge EPS available for tannic acid.•Combined effect of tannic acid and pH conditioning contributed to protein removal.
Microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) widely exist in natural environments and affect the migration and transformation of pollutants in aquatic environments. Previous works report that ...EPS have some reducing functional groups and can reduce heavy metals. However, because of the weak reducing capability of EPS, the reduction of heavy metals by EPS without cells is extremely slow, and its effect on heavy metals species is insignificant. In this work, the accelerated reduction of silver ions (Ag+) by EPS from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 under illumination was investigated. UV–visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) coupled with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to confirm the formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) via the reduction of Ag+ by EPS under light illumination. The Ag+ reduction by EPS follows pseudo-first-order kinetics under both visible and UV light, and the light irradiation can significantly accelerate AgNPs formation. On the one hand, visible light can excite AgNPs for their surface plasma resonance (SPR) and accelerate the electrons from the EPS to adjacent Ag+. On the other hand, EPS molecules may be excited by UV light to produce strong reducing species, which enhance Ag+ reduction. Moreover, pH, dissolved oxygen were found to affect the formation of AgNPs by EPS. This work proves the reducing capability of EPS on the reduction of Ag+, and this process can be accelerated under light illumination, which may affect the speciation and transformation of heavy metals in natural waters.
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•AgNPs formation via reduction of Ag+ by EPS under illumination was confirmed.•Light illumination can significantly enhance the reduction of Ag+ by EPS.•The Ag+ reduction by EPS follows pseudo-first-order kinetics.•The mechanism of effect of light on the reduction of Ag+ by EPS was proposed.•pH and dissolved oxygen will influence the reduction of Ag+ by EPS.
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•The Na+ + Lysozyme pretreatment increased the yield of SCFAs in WAS by 7.6 times.•A synergistic effect was occurred between Na+ and lysozyme in promoting cell lysis.•Na+ + Lysozyme ...pretreatment significantly shortened the hydrolysis and acidification reaction times.•87% of the carbon source recovery in the liquid phase can be achieved after PAC conditioning.
Augmentation of the anaerobic treatment efficiency of waste activated sludge (WAS) to achieve better resource utilization is an effective approach for reducing carbon emissions and minimizing solid waste generation. However, resource recovery from WAS is often limited by the insufficient release and hydrolysis of organic matters within microbial cells. To overcome these issues, a novel Na+ and lysozyme co-pretreatment method has been used in this study to accelerate the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) by promoting cell lysis. Experimental results have revealed that the maximal SCFAs production of 302.8 ± 47.8 mg COD/g VSS is achieved with 10 % w/w lysozyme and 0.34 mol/L Na+ co-pretreatment on day 2, which is 7.6-fold higher than that of the control. Mechanism exploration has also exposed that Na+ and lysozyme exhibit a pronounced synergistic effect in cell lysis, where 1 + 1 > 2. The maximum sludge disintegration degree (DDM) and SCFAs conversion efficiency have been achieved by combined pretreatment, reaching 68.5 % and 74 %, respectively. The structure of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) including protein content and looseness are also modified by Na+ or Na+ + Lysozyme pretreatment, which further confirm the impact of Na+ on the permeability of EPS. The carbon sources generated through Na+ and lysozyme pretreated WAS can be efficiently recovered through PAC conditioning, with a high recovery rate of 87 %. The Na+ and lysozyme reagents implemented in the present study are all non-toxic and cost-effective, thereby promising a green and efficient solution for the carbon recovery and separation from the WAS.
Summary
Members of the Arabidopsis thaliana TCP transcription factor (TF) family affect plant growth and development. We systematically quantified the effect of mutagenizing single or multiple TCP ...TFs and how altered vegetative growth or branching influences final seed yield. We monitored rosette growth over time and branching patterns and seed yield characteristics at the end of the lifecycle. Subsequently, an approach was developed to disentangle vegetative growth and to determine possible effects on seed yield. Analysis of growth parameters showed all investigated tcp mutants to be affected in certain growth aspects compared with wild‐type plants, highlighting the importance of TCP TFs in plant development. Furthermore, we found evidence that all class II TCPs are involved in axillary branch outgrowth, either as inhibitors (BRANCHED‐like genes) or enhancers (JAW‐ and TCP5‐like genes). Comprehensive phenotyping of plants mutant for single or multiple TCP TFs reveals that the proposed opposite functions of class I and class II TCPs in plant growth needs revision and shows complex interactions between closely related TCP genes instead of full genetic redundancy. In various instances, the alterations in vegetative growth or in branching patterns result into negative trade‐off effects on seed yield that were missed in previous studies, showing the importance of comprehensive and quantitative phenotyping.
Significance Statement
This study shows the importance of the TCP transcription factor family during Arabidopsis growth and development, coupled to yield and plant architecture. It was found that all class II TCPs are involved in axillary bud outgrowth and that the proposed opposite functioning of class I and class II TCPs requires revision.
Sludge is an inevitable waste product of sewage treatment with a high water content and large volume, it poses a significant threat of secondary pollution to both water and the atmosphere without ...proper disposal. In this regard, dewatering has emerged as an attractive method in sludge treatment, as it can reduce the sludge volume, enhance its transportability and calorific value, and even decrease the production of landfill leachate. In recent years, physical conditioning methods including non-chemical conditioners or energy input alone, have been extensively researched for their potential to enhance sludge dewatering efficiency, such as thermal treatment, freeze-thaw, microwave, ultrasonic, skeleton builders addition, and electro-dewatering, as well as combined methods. The main objective of this paper is to comprehensively evaluate the dewatering capacity of various physical conditioning methods, and identify key factors affecting sludge dewatering efficiency. In addition, future research anticipated directions and outlooks are proposed. This work is expected to provide valuable insights for developing efficient, eco-friendly, and low-energy consumption techniques for deep sludge dewatering.
•Physical conditioning and synergistic conditioning towards sludge are comprehensively reviewed.•The essential parameters manipulating the conditioning performance is summarized.•The interaction of sludge flocs is quantitatively concluded through DLVO theory.•The further knowledge of dewatering conditioning supported by AI, LCA, and LCC is prospected.
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