Recycling phosphorus from waste activated sludge has attracted a lot of interest to tackle the problem of phosphorus stocks depletion and the increase in food demand. In this study, the use of ...fermentation processes was investigated to enhance phosphorus dissolution from waste activated sludge to improve its recycling. Two fermentation processes, bioacidification and dark fermentation, were used on two different sludges fermented with wheat starch syrup in continuous operating conditions. Hydrogen yield from the co-substrate fermentation with waste activated sludge reached 3.9 mmolH
2
.gCOD
cosubstrate
−1
yield during dark fermentation process and was negligible during bioacidification. Dissolved phosphorus in the waste activated sludge increased by 68% during bioacidification and by 43% during dark fermentation. In both processes, phosphorus dissolution was accompanied by iron, calcium and magnesium dissolution. Results show that fermentation enhances phosphorus dissolution in waste activated sludge to improve its recovery along with hydrogen and organic acids.
Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provides information about fiber local directions in brain white matter. This paper addresses inference of the connectivity induced by fascicles made ...up of numerous fibers from such diffusion data. The usual fascicle tracking idea, which consists of following locally the direction of highest diffusion, is prone to erroneous forks because of problems induced by fiber crossing. In this paper, this difficulty is partly overcomed by the use of a priori knowledge of the low curvature of most of the fascicles. This knowledge is embedded in a model of the bending energy of a spaghetti plate representation of the white matter used to compute a regularized fascicle direction map. A new tracking algorithm is then proposed to highlight putative fascicle trajectories from this direction map. This algorithm takes into account potential fan shaped junctions between fascicles. A study of the tracking behavior according to the influence given to the a priori knowledge is proposed and concrete tracking results obtained with in vivo human brain data are illustrated. These results include putative trajectories of some pyramidal, commissural, and various association fibers.
Stenting for CoA has become an acceptable treatment modality in the last 20 years. However little is known about arterial changes after this procedure. To assess arterial structure and function ...including peripheral reactivity and stiffness and intima-media thickness (IMT) pre and post stenting for coarctation of the aorta (CoA). Twenty-one patients median age: 15 years (8–39) were studied at baseline, 1 day, 6 months and 1 year after stenting. Twenty-one healthy subjects (1:1 matched) were used as controls. Left ventricular (LV) mass, ejection fraction, flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and nitrate-mediated dilation (NMD) of left brachial artery, common carotid (CC) and right subclavian artery (RSCA) IMT and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were assessed by echocardiography and vascular ultrasound. CoA patients had higher LV indexed mass (
p
< 0.0001), impaired FMD (
p
< 0.0001) and NMD (
p
< 0.0001), increased PWV (
p
< 0.0001), carotid and RSCA IMT (both
p
< 0.0001). All procedures were successful and resulted in significant gradient reduction (
p
< 0.001). One year after stenting there was improvement in LV function (
p
= 0.034) and although there was significant reduction of LV mass (103.29 ± 24.77 vs. 74.39 ± 22.07 g/m
2
,
p
< 0.0001) values did not normalize. There was no significant change in FMD, NMD, PWV and CC or RSCA IMT. In patients with CoA, arterial reactivity is impaired and LV mass, arterial stiffness and thickness are increased. Although stenting is successful to relieve the obstruction resulting in better LV function and mass reduction, arterial structure and function remains abnormal after 1 year of follow-up.
Objectives
The aim of the study was to evaluate mid‐ to late clinical and echocardiographic outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with Acurate neo™ (Boston Scientific, Boston, ...MA).
Background
TAVR is an established treatment for aortic stenosis (AS). Few data exist on mid‐ to long‐term outcomes and durability after new‐generation valves.
Methods
All consecutive patients (n = 104) who underwent Acurate neo™ implantation from 2012 to 2018 were included. Follow‐up was systematically performed at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months and yearly thereafter. Outcomes were reported according to VARC‐2, and structural valve deterioration (SVD) or bioprosthetic valve failure defined accordingly to new definitions.
Results
Mean age was 82 ± 5.4 years, 56.7% were female and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons score for mortality was 5.9 ± 4%. Patients were followed for a median of 3 years (1,092 days; IQR 1.5–4 years), and the maximum follow‐up was 7 years. All‐cause mortality values at 1 and 5 years were 8.5% and 40.5%, respectively. No relevant changes in mean gradient and orifice area occurred (7.9 ± 3.8 mmHg and 1.9 ± 0.3 cm2 at 1 year; 6.6 ± 2.1 mmHg and 1.8 ± 0.3 cm2 at 5 years), and there was a significant rate of paravalvular leaks resolution at 1, 2, and 3 years (p = .004; p < .001; p < .001, respectively). None of the patients had leaflet thrombosis or endocarditis. One patient developed SVD at 84 months.
Conclusions
Acurate neo™ was associated with sustained echocardiographic results. Reassuring mid‐ to long‐term outcomes was observed in this cohort of elderly patients with severe AS.
Patients undergoing surgical resection of medial frontal lesions may present a transient postoperative deficit that remains largely unpredictable. The authors studied the role of the supplementary ...motor area (SMA) in the occurrence of this deficit using fMRI.
Twenty-three patients underwent a preoperative fMRI before resection of medial frontal lesions. Tasks included self-paced flexion/extension of the left and right hand, successively. Preoperative fMRI data were compared with postoperative MRI data and with neurologic outcome.
Following surgery, 11 patients had a motor deficit from which all patients recovered within a few weeks or months. The deficit was similar across patients, consisting of a global reduction in spontaneous movements contralateral to the operated side with variable severity. SMA activation was observed in all patients. The deficit was observed when the area activated in the posterior part of the SMA (SMA proper) was resected.
fMRI is able to identify the area at risk in the SMA proper whose resection is highly related to the occurrence of the motor deficit. The clinical characteristics of this deficit support the role of the SMA proper in the initiation and execution of the movement.
History plotting tool for Data Quality Monitoring Giordano, D.; Le Bihan, A.-C.; Pierro, A. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
05/2010, Letnik:
617, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The size and complexity of the CMS detector makes the Data Quality Monitoring (DQM) system very challenging. Given the high granularity of the CMS sub-detectors, several approaches and tools have ...been developed to monitor the detector performance closely. We describe here the History DQM, a tool allowing the detector performance monitoring over time.
High sensitivity to chemical species of sub-micron gap Suspended-Gate FETs (more than 200
mV/pH for example) is explained from the charge distribution induced by the high field in the sub-micronic ...gap under the gate-bridge. Modeling of Metal–Electrolyte–Insulator–Silicon (MEIS) capacitor, which is the basic vertical structure of the transistor, is performed to highlight this effect through the response to the pH change of the solution filling the gap. The analytical model is based on the 2D-numerical resolution of Poisson's equation. The response of quasi-static
C(
V) plots versus pH is simulated using both electrolyte charge distribution and site-binding theory considering the influence of sites densities on silicon nitride. Device modeling and simulated/experimental electrical characteristics are presented. Effect of the gap thickness on the pH sensitivity is also discussed in this study.
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