Objective: To assess the influence of participation in spiritual activities on the recovery process of individuals with dual pathology. Methods: A descriptive observational study with a sample of 20 ...users treated internally in the Therapeutic Community: Ayuda a la Recuperación de Politoxicómanos de Málaga, in Málaga, Spain. Spirituality was assessed using the Parsian and Dunning Spirituality Questionnaire, which has been validated in Spanish, and the recovery process was examined through focus groups. Results: The mean spirituality score was 2.9 on a scale of 0-4, where 4 corresponds to "totally agree," based on statements about spirituality. The focus groups showed that users mostly associate spirituality with religion, not with ethics and morality, and that users in the recovery process desire to implement spiritual activities in their treatment. Conclusions: Performing spiritual activities positively impacts the recovery process of users with dual pathology.
Objetivos: medir el impacto de la participación en actividades espirituales en el proceso de recuperación de patología dual. Métodos: estudio observacional descriptivo con metodología mixta realizado con una muestra de 20 usuarios hombre, tratados en régimen interno en la Comunidad Terapéutica (CT): Ayuda a la Recuperación de Politoxicómanos de Málaga (ARPOM), en Málaga, España. La espiritualidad se ha medido según el Cuestionario de Espiritualidad de Parsian y Dunning validado al español; y el proceso de recuperación, a través de grupo focal. Resultados: la puntuación media de la espiritualidad ha sido de 2,9 en un rango de 0-4, donde 4 se corresponde a “totalmente de acuerdo” en base a afirmaciones realizadas sobre la espiritualidad. Los grupos focales mostraron que los usuarios en su mayoría asocian la espiritualidad a la religión, y no a la ética y moral; y que su deseo en el proceso de recuperación es implementar la realización de actividades espirituales en su tratamiento. Conclusiones: la realización de actividades espirituales influencia positivamente el proceso de recuperación de los usuarios con patología dual.
Ethane recovery from natural gas is crucial for improving the economic efficiency of enterprises, saving energy and reducing emissions. This study analyses the characteristics of process parameters ...based on three lean gas ethane recovery processes. A prediction and multiobjective optimization model for ethane recovery and system energy consumption is established. Based on this framework, a new method for ethane recovery process comparison for lean gas is proposed. In the process analysis, two additional coolers are added to the cold residue recycling process to improve ethane recovery. Seven main process parameters are determined based on the three processes. According to the prediction results, support vector regression is the most effective model among the individual models. The prediction accuracy of the support vector regression model based on grey wolf optimization is the highest. Compared with traditional support vector regression, this approach yields average reductions in the mean absolute error, mean absolute percentage error and root mean square error of 63.95%, 64.21% and 47.98%, respectively, reflecting significantly improved prediction accuracy and stability. The multiobjective multiverse optimization algorithm displays the best optimization performance and the highest solution diversity among the optimization results. Additionally, it yields high-quality solutions at the shortest run time. Based on the optimization results, the supplemental rectification with compression process yields the lowest system energy consumption of any method considered and meets the ethane recovery requirements real projects.
•Three ethane recovery processes for lean gas are analysed.•A prediction model for ethane recovery based on GWO-SVR is proposed.•Three algorithms for solving the multiobjective optimization problem are developed.•The advantages and disadvantages of the models are compared.•A new method for comparison of ethane recovery processes for lean gas is proposed.
Water-responsive shape-memory polymers (SMPs) are desirable for biomedical applications, but their limited shape recovery process is problematic. Herein, we demonstrate a shape-memory poly(vinyl ...alcohol) (SM-PVA) with programmable multistep shape recovery processes in water via a wettability contrast strategy. A hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS)-treated SiO2 nanoparticle layer with varying loading weights was rationally deposited onto the surface of SM-PVA, aiming to create surface-wettability contrast. The varying wettability led to different water adsorption behaviors of SM-PVA that could be well-described by the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The results calculated from the kinetic model showed that both the pseudo-first order-adsorption rate constant and the saturated water absorption of SM-PVA demonstrated a declining trend as the loading weight of SiO2 increased, which laid the foundation for the local regulation of the water-responsive rate of SM-PVA. Finally, two proof-of-concept drug-delivery devices with diverse three-dimensional structures and actuations are presented based on the water-responsive SM-PVA with preprogrammed multistep shape recovery processes. We believe the programmable shape-memory behavior of water-responsive SM-PVA could highly extend its use in drug delivery, tissue engineering scaffolds, and smart implantable devices, etc.
Substrate inhibition is one of the key factors that threatens the stability of anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) reactors. Most of the current studies have focused on the inhibition of anammox by ...substrates; however, little attention has been given to the recovery process and microbial community changes in anammox reactors after inhibition. To remediate the damage substrate inhibition can do to anammox systems, the study investigated the recovery process of an anammox reactor that was inhibited by high substrate concentrations. The results showed that a reduction in the ratio of influent NO2−-N to NH4+-N from the theoretical stoichiometric ratio of 1.32 to 0.5 was conducive to the rapid recovery of anammox system performance. The analysis of the microbial community structure indicated that the relative abundance of the primary anammox bacteria on the biofilm carriers and mixed sludge was 19.51 % and 9.92 %, respectively, after reactor recovery. Biofilms played an important role in resisting reactor destabilization.
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Wastewater management has emerged as an uprising concern that demands immediate attention from environmentalists worldwide. Indiscriminate and irrational release of industrial and poultry wastes, ...sewage, pharmaceuticals, mining, pesticides, fertilizers, dyes and radioactive wastes, contribute immensely to water pollution. This has led to the aggravation of critical health concerns as evident from the uprising trends of antimicrobial resistance, and the presence of xenobiotics and pollutant traces in humans and animals due to the process of biomagnification. Therefore, the development of reliable, affordable and sustainable technologies for the supply of fresh water is the need of the hour. Conventional wastewater treatment often involves physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove solids from the effluent, including colloids, organic matter, nutrients, and soluble pollutants (metals, organics). Synthetic biology has been explored in recent years, incorporating both biological and engineering concepts to refine existing wastewater treatment technologies. In addition to outlining the benefits and drawbacks of the current technologies, this review addresses novel wastewater treatment techniques, especially those using dedicated rational design and engineering of organisms and their constituent parts. Furthermore, the review hypothesizes designing a multi-bedded wastewater treatment plant that is highly cost-efficient, sustainable and requires easy installation and handling. The novel setup envisages removing all the major wastewater pollutants, providing water fit for household, irrigation and storage purposes.
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•Wastewater management with affordable and sustainable techniques is of urgent need.•Pollutants ranges from organics to inorganics with high bioaccumulative potency.•Modes and mechanisms of remediation using synbio technologies are illustrated.•The study hypothesized a novel wastewater treatment plant augmented with MFC.•Remediation strategies aimed for economically feasible and easy handling attributes.
This longitudinal study aimed to evaluate olfactory perception in patients with first time mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) 2-4 weeks (baseline) and 6 months (follow-up) following their trauma.
At ...baseline, we enrolled 107 participants (54 healthy controls; 53 patients with mTBI). Thirty-nine healthy controls and 32 patients with mTBI returned for follow-up. We assessed odor detection (yes/no paradigm) and odor perception with a self-reported evaluation of intensity and pleasantness of four common odorants, by using an olfactometer, i.e., a computer controlled automated odor presentation device.
At baseline, patients with mTBI showed significantly more difficulty detecting odors; however, they perceived them as more intense and less pleasant. These effects vanished at follow-up.
These results suggest that patients with mTBI suffer from altered olfactory detection and perception in the first weeks following their trauma. This may have an impact on eating behavior and quality of life. Further, our data suggest recovery of olfactory function within the first six months following a head trauma.
The purpose of this study was to analyze NASVA scores using Rasch analysis, and to create a difficulty map of NASVA score to predict the recovery process for persistent vegetative state, and to ...improve the fitness of the sub-items of NASVA score.
Participants were 114 inpatients (mean age, 37.4±20.4 years) who had been diagnosed with persistent vegetative state after a traffic accident. Rasch analysis was performed by an application named “winsteps”. This application produces a score table, an item measure of the sub-items containing an information-weighted mean square fit statistics (infit) and an outlier-sensitive mean square fit statistics (outfit) of the sub-items. First, I replaced NASVA score with the binary score. Rasch analysis provided a scaled score corresponding to the binary score. The raw score was the sum of the binary score of the sub-item. Then, I made the difficulty map using the scaled score that was calculated in winsteps as the item measure. Furthermore, I analyzed the fitness of the sub-items for the recovery process for persistent vegetative state using their infit and outfit. Here, I set 1.5 or more as misfits for infit or outfit of sub-items.
In the results of the fitness analysis, nine sub-items were identified as misfits: one motor function, three feeding functions, one excretory function, one cognitive function, and three articulatory and utterance functions.
Nine misfit sub-items had room for interpretation depending on the insufficient of the items description. Therefore, it was suggested that we improve the scale by removing sub-items from the NASVA score, or creating an interpretation manual. On the other hands, by making use of the difficulty map of NASVA score, the medical staff might be able to decide on the proper goals of rehabilitation and care according to the recovery process of the patient.
The present study aims to develop and assess a novel integrated system for combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) generation utilizing the combustion of biogas and hot oil (Therminol-VP1) for ...heat recovery. The primary objective is to minimize thermodynamic irreversibility and production costs by implementing an innovative heat recovery process. The proposed system comprises a biogas combustion unit, organic Rankine cycles, heat recovery exchangers for heat generation, and an ammonia-water absorption chiller. The Aspen Hysys software is employed to simulate the system and conduct energy, exergy, economic, and environmental evaluations of the overall structure. Additionally, a parametric examination is conducted in response to changes in crucial parameters, including combustion air flow rate, oil temperature, and hot water production temperature. According to thermodynamic analysis, the overall energy and exergy efficiencies are determined to be 61 % and 30.44 %, respectively. Also, the biogas burner subsystem exhibits the highest level of irreversibility within the system, contributing to 87.4 % of the total exergy destruction ratio. The CO2 emission intensity is measured at a value of 0. 293 kg/kWh from an environmental standpoint. Finally, the economic analysis demonstrates a specific unit cost of products of 0.017 $/kWh and a payback period of 6.11 years.
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•A novel CCHP system based on biogas combustion and hot oil for heat supply.•Use of Aspen HYSYS software for simulation and comprehensive 4E analysis.•Overall energy and exergy efficiencies are found at 61 % and 30.44 %.•The CO2 emission intensity is measured at a value of 0. 293 kWh/kg.•The specific unit cost of products and payback period equal 0.017 $/kWh and 6.11 years.
Lactic acid (LA) is an important platform chemical due to its significant applications in various fields and its use as a monomer for the production of biodegradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA). Free LA ...production is required to get rid of CaSO
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, a waste material produced during fermentation at neutral pH which will lead to easy purification of LA required for the production of biodegradable PLA. Additionally, there is no need to use corrosive acids to release free LA from the calcium lactate produced during neutral fermentation. To date, several attempts have been made to improve the acid tolerance of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) by using both genome-shuffling approaches and rational design based on known mechanisms of LA tolerance and gene deletion in yeast strains. However, the lack of knowledge and the complexity of acid-tolerance mechanisms have made it challenging to generate LA-tolerant strains by simply modifying few target genes. Currently, adaptive evolution has proven an efficient strategy to improve the LA tolerance of individual/engineered strains. The main objectives of this article are to summarize the conventional biotechnological LA fermentation processes to date, assess their overall economic and environmental cost, and to introduce modern LA fermentation strategies for free LA production. In this review, we provide a broad overview of free LA fermentation processes using robust LAB that can ferment in acidic environments, the obstacles to these processes and their possible solutions, and the impact on future development of free LA fermentation processes commercially.
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