Optimization of flocculation process and continuous filtration for sea water primary treatment filtration to reduce SDI for entree to reverse osmosis system

Today , Providing drinking water and process water is one of the major problems in most countries ; the surface water often need to be treated to achieve necessary quality, and in this way, technological and also financial difficulties cause great restrictions in operating the treatment units. Although water supply by simple and cheap systems has been one of the important objectives in most scientific and research centers in the world, still a great percent of population in developing countries, especially in rural areas, don't benefit well quality water. One of the big and available sources for providing acceptable water is sea water. There are two ways to treat sea water first evaporation and second reverse osmosis system. Nowadays R.O system has been used for desalination because of low budget price and easily to operate and maintenance. The sea water should be pretreated before R.O plants, because there is some difficulties in raw sea water that can decrease yield point of membranes in R.O system. The subject of this research may be useful in this way, and we hope to be able to achieve complete success in design and construction of useful pretreatment systems for R.O plant. One of the most important units in the sea water pretreatment plant is filtration, the conventional method for filtration is pressurized sand filters, and the subject of this research is about new filtration which is called continuous back wash sand filtration (CBWSF). The CBWSF designed and tested in this research may be used more economically with less difficulty. It consists two main parts first shell body and second central part comprising of airlift pump, raw water feeding pipe, air supply hose, backwash chamber and sand washer as well as inlet and outlet connections. The CBWSF is a continuously operating filter, i.e. the filter does not have to be taken out of operation for backwashing or cleaning. Inlet water is fed through the sand bed while the sand bed is moving downwards. The water gets filtered while the sand becomes dirty. Simultaneously, the dirty sand is cleaned in the sand washer and the suspended solids are discharged in backwash water. We analyze the behavior of CBWSF in pretreatment of sea water instead of pressurized sand filter. There is one important factor which is not suitable for R.O membranes, it is bio-fouling. This factor is defined by Silt Density Index (SDI).measured by SDI. In this research has been focused on decreasing of SDI and NTU. Based on this goal, the prototype of pretreatment had been designed and manufactured to test. The system design was done mainly by using the design fundamentals of CBWSF. The automatic backwash sand filter can be used in small and also big water supply schemes. In big water treatment plants, the units of filters perform the filtration and backwash stages separately, and in small treatment plants, the unit is usually compacted to achieve less energy consumption. The analysis of the system showed that it may be used feasibly for water treating, especially for limited population. The construction is rapid, simple and economic, and its performance is high enough because no mobile mechanical part is used in it, so it may be proposed as an effective method to improve the water quality and consequently the hygiene level in the remote places of the country.

The Effects of Non-Nutritive Sucking and Pre-Feeding Oral Stimulation on Time to Achieve Independent Oral Feeding for Preterm Infants

Background: The survival rates of preterm infants has increased over the last years, but oral feeding difficulties are the most common problems encountered by them Objectives: This study aimed at comparing the effects of non-nutritive sucking (NNS) and pre-feeding oral stimulation on feeding skills, length of hospital stay and weight gain of 26-32 weeks gestational age preterm infants in NICU, to determine the more effective intervention. Patients and Methods: Thirty-two preterm infants were assigned randomly into three groups. One intervention group received pre-feeding oral stimulation program and the other received non-nutritive sucking stimulation, while the control group received a sham intervention. Gestational age of infants was calculated during 1, 4 and 8 oral feeding and discharge time from NICU. The infants’ weights were measured weekly from birth and at discharge time. Results: Mean gestational age on 8 time oral feeding per day, in 3 groups was not significant (P = 0.282). Although NNS and pre-feeding oral stimulation groups has fulfilled this criterion 7.55 and 6.07 days sooner than the control group, respectively (a result which is of great clinical and economic importance), but the difference did not reach statistical significance. Weight gaining at discharge time in NNS group was significantly higher than control and pre-feeding oral stimulation groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions: This study revealed that pre-feeding oral stimulation and NNS programs both were effective on oral feeding skills and weight gaining of the immature newborns. Yet, it seems that NNS program was more effective than pre-feeding oral stimulation on weight gaining.

Tectonics of Central and Eastern California, Late Cretaceous to Modern

The Late Cretaceous to Modern tectonic evolution of central and eastern California has been studied for many decades, with published work generally focusing on specific geographic areas and time periods. The resulting literature leaves the reader, whether graduate student, faculty member, or layperson, wondering what a coherently integrated tectonic evolution might look like, or if it would be at all possible to undertake such a task. This question is the common thread weaving together the four studies presented in this work. Each of the individual chapters is targeted at a specific location and time period which I have identified as a critical yet missing link in piecing together a coherent regional tectonic story. In the first chapter, we re-discover a set of major west down normal faults running along the western slope of the southern Sierra, the western Sierra fault system (WSFS). We show that one of these faults was offset by roughly a kilometer in Eocene time, and that this activity directly resulted in the incision of much of the relief present in modern Kings Canyon. The second chapter is a basement landscape and thermochronometric study of the hanging wall of the WSFS. New data from this study area provide a significant westward expansion of basement thermochronometric data from the southern Sierra Nevada batholith. Thermal modeling results of these data provide critical new constraints on the early exhumation of the Sierra Nevada batholith, and in the context of the results from Chapter I, allow us to piece together a coherent chronology of tectonic forcings and landscape evolution for the southern Sierra Nevada. In the third chapter, I present a study of the surface rupture of the 1999 Hector Mine earthquake, a dextral strike slip event on a fault in the Eastern California Shear Zone (ECSZ). New constraints on the active tectonics in ECSZ will help future studies better resolve the enigmatic mismatch between geologic slip rates and geodetically determined regional rates. Chapter IV is a magnetostratigraphic pilot study of the Paleocene Goler Formation. This study provides strong evidence that continued investigation will yield new constraints on the depositional age of the only fossil-bearing Paleocene terrestrial deposit on the west coast of North America. Each of these studies aims to provide important new data at critical missing links in the tectonic evolution of central and eastern California.

Profile of cortisol, glycaemia, and blood parameters of American Bullfrog tadpoles Lithobates catesbeianus exposed to density and hypoxia stressors

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a resposta fisiológica (cortisol, glicemia e parâmetros sanguineos) de girinos de rã-touro (Lithobates catesbeianus) em diferentes densidades e após exposição aérea. Os animais utilizados no experimento estavam entre os estágios 31 a 39, na fase de pró-metamorfose sendo testados 1 girino/L (Tratamento 1), 5 girinos/L (Tratamento 2) e 10 girinos/L (Tratamento 3), conduzidos em 3 réplicas simultâneas durante 12 dias. O sangue foi retirado por rompimento do vaso caudal na condição de Normóxia - N (tempo zero) e Hipóxia - H (tempo de 15 minutos de exposição ao ar). Foi observado um aumento nos valores de cortisol, aos 4 e 8 dias de exposição aérea retornando aos valores basais ao final do experimento, apesar de não haver diferenças significativas. A glicemia não apresentou diferenças significativas quanto aos estressores aplicados. Os parâmetros hematológicos da série branca, principalmente, o número de linfócitos, neutrófilos e eosinófilos mostraram diferença significativa aos 12 dias de experimentação quando comparados com o momento zero; concluindo-se que, em condições controladas, o adensamento de até 10 girinos/litro e a exposição aérea por 15 minutos não apresentou danos aos girinos de rã-touro durante o período experimental. O padrão de resposta a estes estímulos talvez seja expresso em outro nível hormonal (corticosterona).

SIMULATING LARGE DEFORMATION OF INTRANEURAL GANGLION CYST USING FINITE ELEMENT METHOD

Intraneural Ganglion Cyst is disorder observed in the nerve injury, it is still unknown and very difficult to predict its propagation in the human body so many times it is referred as an unsolved history. The treatments for this disorder are to remove the cystic substance from the nerve by a surgery. However these treatments may result in neuropathic pain and recurrence of the cyst. The articular theory proposed by Spinner et al., (Spinner et al. 2003) considers the neurological deficit in Common Peroneal Nerve (CPN) branch of the sciatic nerve and adds that in addition to the treatment, ligation of articular branch results into foolproof eradication of the deficit. Mechanical modeling of the affected nerve cross section will reinforce the articular theory (Spinner et al. 2003). As the cyst propagates, it compresses the neighboring fascicles and the nerve cross section appears like a signet ring. Hence, in order to mechanically model the affected nerve cross section; computational methods capable of modeling excessively large deformations are required. Traditional FEM produces distorted elements while modeling such deformations, resulting into inaccuracies and premature termination of the analysis. The methods described in research report have the capability to simulate large deformation. The results obtained from this research shows significant deformation as compared to the deformation observed in the conventional finite element models. The report elaborates the neurological deficit followed by detail explanation of the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic approach. Finally, the results show the large deformation in stages and also the successful implementation of the SPH method for the large deformation of the biological organ like the Intra-neural ganglion cyst.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN PERSPECTIVE OF WOMEN WHO LIVED IT

Introduction: Knowing the experience of abuse, contextual determinants that led to the rupture of the situation and attempts to build a more harmonious future, it is essential to work sensitivities and better understand victims of domestic violence. Objectives: To understand the suffering of women victims of violence. Methods: This is an intentional sample of 21 women who were at shelter home or in the community. The data were collected by in- Documento descargado de http://www.elsevier.es el 13-10-2016 3rd World Congress of Health Research 21 terviews, guided by a script organized into four themes. The interviews were conducted with audio record, the permission of the participants were fully passed the text and analyzed as two different corpuses, depending on the context in which they occurred. The analysis was conducted using the ALCESTE computer program. The study obtained a favorable opinion of the Committee on Health and Welfare of the University of Évora. Results: From the irst sample analysis emerged ive classes. The association of the words gave the meaning of each class that we have appointed as Class 1 - Precipitating Events; Class 2 - Experience of abuse; Class 3 - Two feet in the present and looking into the future; Class 4 - The present and learning from the experience of abuse; and Class 5 - Violence in general. From the analysis of the sample in the community four classes emerged that we have appointed as Class 1 - Violence in general; Class 2 - Precipitating Events; Class 3 - abuse of experience; and class 4 - Support in the process. Conclusions: Women who are at shelter home have this experience of violence and its entire context a lot are very focused on their experiences and the future is distant and unclear. Women in the community have a more comprehensive view of the phenomenon of violence as a whole, they can decentralize to their personal experiences and recognize the importance of support in the future construction process.

Climate change adaptation for public buildings management : stakeholder roles and responsibilities

Climate change is expected to increase earth’s temperatures and consequently result in more frequent extreme weather events such as cyclones, storms, droughts and floods and rising global sea levels. This phenomenon will affect all assets. This paper discusses the impact of climate change and its consequences on public buildings. Public building management encompasses the building life cycle from planning, procurement, operation, repair and maintenance and building disposal. This paper recommends climate change adaptation strategies to be integrated into public building management. The roles and responsibilities of asset managers and users are discussed within the framework of planning and implementation of public building management and the integration of climate change adaptation strategies. A key point is that climate change can induce premature obsolescence of public buildings and services, which will increase the maintenance and refurbishment costs. This in turn will affect the life cycle cost of the building. Furthermore, a business continuity plan is essential for public building management in the context of disasters. The paper also highlights the significant role that the occupants of public buildings can play in the development and implementation of climate change adaptation strategies.

Differences in membrane acyl phospholipid composition between an endothermic mammal and an ectothermic reptile are not limited to any phospholipid class

This study examined questions concerning differences in the acyl composition of membrane phospholipids that have been linked to the faster rates of metabolic processes in endotherms versus ectotherms. In liver, kidney, heart and brain of the ectothermic reptile, Trachydosaurus rugosus, and the endothermic mammal, Rattus norvegicus, previous findings of fewer unsaturates but a greater unsaturation index (UI) in membranes of the mammal versus those of the reptile were confirmed. Moreover, the study showed that the distribution of phospholipid head-group classes was similar in the same tissues of the reptile and mammal and that the differences in acyl composition were present in all phospholipid classes analysed, suggesting a role for the physical over the chemical properties of membranes in determining the faster rates of metabolic processes in endotherms. The most common phosphatidylcholine (PC) molecules present in all tissues (except brain) of the reptile were 16:0/18:1, 16:0/18:2, 18:0/18:2, 18:1/18:1 and 18:1/18:2, whereas arachidonic acid (20:4), containing PCs 16:0/ 20: 4, 18: 0/ 20: 4, were the common molecules in the mammal. The most abundant phosphatidylethanolamines ( PE) used in the tissue of the reptile were 18:0/18:2, 18:0/20:4, 18:1/18:1, 18:1/18:2 and 18:1/20:4, compared to 16: 0/ 18: 2, 16: 0/ 20: 4, 16: 0/ 22: 6, 18: 0/ 20: 4, 18: 0/ 22: 6 and 18:1/20: 4 in the mammal. UI differences were primarily due to arachidonic acid found in both PC and PEs, whereas docosahexaenoic acid (22:6) was a lesser contributor mainly within PEs and essentially absent in the kidney. The phospholipid composition of brain was more similar in the reptile and mammal compared to those of other tissues.

Delving deeper into maintenance behaviour

Andreasen (2003) argues that there is a ‘starting change’ bias in the social marketing field as much research is centred on inducing initial behavioural change. However, repeat or maintenance behaviour is often critical to achieving social goals across many domains. For instance, the repeat use of professional therapeutic services is vital for improved mental health, although premature discontinuance of service use is common (Wang, 2007). This study contributes to addressing this gap in the social marketing literature by exploring key drivers of maintenance behaviour, in the form of repeat service use, in mental health. This is in line with Andreasen’s (1994) argument that social marketing is an appropriate approach to addressing mental health challenges.

Disrupting Ethnography through Rhizoanalysis

This article interrogates principles of ethnography in education proposed by Mills and Morton: raw tellings, analytic pattern, vignette and empathy. This article adopts a position that is uncomfortable, unconventional and interesting. It involves a deterritorialization/ rupture of ethnography in education in order to reterritorialize a different concept: rhizoanalysis, a way to position theory and data that is multi-layered, complex and messy. Rhizoanalysis, the main focus of this article is not a method. It is an approach to research conditioned by a reality in which Deleuze and Guattari disrupt representation, interpretation and subjectivity. In this article, Multiple Literacies Theory, a theoretical and practical framework, becomes a lens to examine a rhizomatic study of a Korean family recently arrived to Australia and attending English as a second language classes. Observations and interviews recorded the daily lives of the family. The vignettes were selected by reading data intensively and immanently through a process of palpation, an innovative approach to educational research. Rhizoanalysis proposes to abandon the given and invent different ways of thinking about and doing research and what might happen when reading data differently, intensively and immanently, through Multiple Literacies Theory. Rhizoanalysis, a game-changer in the way research can be conducted, affords a different lens to tackle issues in education through research.

MRI-based fatigue analysis predicts plaque vulnerability: A study comparing symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals

BACKGROUND: Rupture of atheromatous plaque in the carotid artery often leads to thrombosis and subsequent stroke. The mechanism of plaque rupture is not entirely clear but is thought to be a multi-factorial process involving thinning and weakening of the fibrous cap and biomechanical stress as the trigger leading to plaque rupture. As the cardiovascular system is a classic fatigue environment, the weakening of plaque leading to rupture may be a fatigue process, which is a symptomatically quiescent but potentially progressive failure process. In this study, we used a fatigue analysis based on in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the rupture initiation location, crack propagation path and fatigue life within plaques of asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals. METHODS: Forty non-consecutive subjects (20 symptomatic and 20 asymptomatic) underwent high-resolution multi-sequence in vivo MRI of the carotid bifurcation. Fatigue analysis was performed based on the plaque geometry derived from in vivo MRI of the carotid artery at the point of maximum stenosis. Paris’ Law in fracture mechanics is adopted to determine the fatigue crack growth rate. Incremental crack propagation was dynamically simulated based on stress distributions. Plaque initiation location, crack propagation path and fatigue cycle of symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals were compared. RESULTS: Cracks were often found to begin at the lumen wall at areas of stress concentration. The preferred rupture direction was radial from the lumen center. The crack initially advanced slowly but accelerated as it developed, depending on plaque morphology. The fatigue cycles of symptomatic plaques were significantly less than those in the asymptomatic group (2.3 ± 0.9 vs 3.1 ± 0.7 (x106); p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The number of cycles to rupture in symptomatic patients was higher than those predicted in asymptomatic patients by fatigue analysis, suggesting the possibility that plaques with a less fatigue life may be more prone to be symptomatic and rupture. If further validated by large-scale longitudinal studies, fatigue analysis based on high resolution in vivo MRI could potentially act as a useful tool for risk assessment of carotid atheroma.

Fluid-structure interaction study on human arterial plaque with patient specific geometry and boundary conditions

Atherosclerotic plaque rupture has been extensively considered as the leading cause of death in western countries. It is believed that high stresses within plaque can be an important factor on triggering the rupture of the plaque. Stress analysis in the coronary and carotid arteries with plaque have been developed by many researchers from 2D to 3-D models, from structure analysis only to the Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) models[1].

Stress analysis on human arterial plaques by fluid structure interactions - Multi-case study

Atherosclerotic plaque rupture has been extensively considered as the leading cause of death in the world. It is believed that high stress within plaque can be an important factor which can trigger the rupture of the plaque. High resolution multi-spectral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has allowed the plaque components (arterial wall, lipids, and fibrous cap) to be visualized in vivo [1]. The patient specific finite element model can be generated from the image data to perform stress analysis and provide critical information on understanding plaque rupture mechanisms [2]. The present work is to apply the procedure to a total of 14 patients (S1 ∼ S14), to study the stress distributions on carotid artery plaque reconstructed from multi-spectral magnetic resonance images, and the possible relationships between stress and plaque burdens.

Identifying vulnerable carotid plaques in vivo using high resolution magnetic resonance imaging-based finite element analysis

Object. Individuals with carotid atherosclerosis develop symptoms following rupture of vulnerable plaques. Biomechanical stresses within this plaque may increase vulnerability to rupture. In this report the authors describe the use of in vivo carotid plaque imaging and computational mechanics to document the magnitude and distribution of intrinsic plaque stresses. Methods. Ten (five symptomatic and five asymptomatic) individuals underwent plaque characterization magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Plaque geometry and composition were determined by multisequence review. Intrinsic plaque stress profiles were generated from 3D meshes by using finite element computational analysis. Differences in principal (shear) stress between normal and diseased sections of the carotid artery and between symptomatic and asymptomatic plaques were noted. Results. There was a significant difference in peak principal stress between diseased and nondiseased segments of the artery (mean difference 537.65 kPa, p < 0.05). Symptomatic plaques had higher mean stresses than asymptomatic plaques (627.6 kPa compared with 370.2 kPa, p = 0.05), which were independent of luminal stenosis and plaque composition. Conclusions. Significant differences in plaque stress exist between plaques from symptomatic individuals and those from asymptomatic individuals. The MR imaging-based computational analysis may therefore be a useful aid to identification of vulnerable plaques in vivo.

Structural analysis and magnetic resonance imaging predict plaque vulnerability: A study comparing symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals

Background: More than half of all cerebral ischemic events are the result of rupture of extracranial plaques. The clinical determination of carotid plaque vulnerability is currently based solely on luminal stenosis; however, it has been increasingly suggested that plaque morphology and biomechanical stress should also be considered. We used finite element analysis based on in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to simulate the stress distributions within plaques of asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals. Methods: Thirty nonconsecutive subjects (15 symptomatic and 15 asymptomatic) underwent high-resolution multisequence in vivo MRI of the carotid bifurcation. Stress analysis was performed based on the geometry derived from in vivo MRI of the carotid artery at the point of maximal stenosis. The finite element analysis model considered plaque components to be hyperelastic. The peak stresses within the plaques of symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals were compared. Results: High stress concentrations were found at the shoulder regions of symptomatic plaques, and the maximal stresses predicted in this group were significantly higher than those in the asymptomatic group (508.2 ± 193.1 vs 269.6 ± 107.9 kPa; P = .004). Conclusions: Maximal predicted plaque stresses in symptomatic patients were higher than those predicted in asymptomatic patients by finite element analysis, suggesting the possibility that plaques with higher stresses may be more prone to be symptomatic and rupture. If further validated by large-scale longitudinal studies, biomechanical stress analysis based on high resolution in vivo MRI could potentially act as a useful tool for risk assessment of carotid atheroma. It may help in the identification of patients with asymptomatic carotid atheroma at greatest risk of developing symptoms or mild-to-moderate symptomatic stenoses, which currently fall outside current clinical guidelines for intervention.