Helminth eggs inactivation efficiency by faecal sludge dewatering and co-composting in tropical climates

This study investigates helminth eggs removal and inactivation efficiency in a treatment process combining faecal sludge (FS) dewatering and subsequent co-composting with organic solid waste as a function of windrow turning frequency. Fresh public toilet sludge and septage mixed at a 1:2 ratio were dewatered on a drying bed. Biosolids with initial loads of 25-83 helminth eggs/g total solids (TS) were mixed with solid waste as bulking material for co-composting at a 1:2 volume ratio. Two replicate sets of compost heaps were mounted in parallel and turned at different frequencies during the active composting period: (i) once every 3 days and (ii) once every 10 days. Turning frequency had no effect on helminth eggs removal efficiency. In both setups, helminth eggs were reduced to <1 viable egg/g TS, thereby complying with the WHO guidelines 2006 for the safe reuse of FS.     

Active fault tolerant control using state-space self-tuning control approach

This paper presents a new fault tolerant control scheme for unknown multivariable stochastic systems by modifying the conventional state-space self-tuning control approach. For the detection of faults, a quantitative criterion is developed by comparing the innovation process errors occurring in the Kalman filter estimation algorithm, which, for faulty system recovery, a weighting matrix resetting technique is developed by adjusting and resetting the covariance matrices of the parameter estimate obtained in the Kalman filter estimation algorithm to improve the parameter estimation of the faulty systems. The proposed method can effectively cope with partially abrupt and/or gradual system faults and/or input failures with fault detection. The modified state-space self-tuning control scheme can be applied to the multivariable stochastic faulty system without requiring prior knowledge of system parameters and noise properties.     

Incidence of hiatus hernia and gastro-oesophageal reflux in 1030 prospective barium meal examinations in adult Nigerians

A prospective study to determine the incidence of hiatus hernia and gastro-oesophageal reflux in 1030 consecutive symptomatic adult Nigerian patients undergoing barium meal examination is reported. The results show a very low incidence of hiatus hernia (0-39%) and an equally low incidence of gastro-oesophageal reflux (2-2%) when compared with similar studies in Europe and America. There was a high incidence of duodenal ulcer (23-3%) and a low incidence of gastric ulcer (1-8%), the duodenal/gastric ulcer ratio of 12-1:1 being much higher than in Europe.     

Photoinitiated radical polymerization of some substituted tetrahydrophthalimido and maleimidophenyl methacrylates

The photopolymerization of some substituted tetrahydrophthalimido and 4‐(maleimido)phenyl methacrylates in N,N‐dimethylformamide solutions was investigated by photo‐differential scanning calorimetry at ambient temperature. Auto‐acceleration of photopolymerization and the formation of cross‐linked products were observed as a result of temperature increases up to 60–80 °C. Substituted 4‐(maleimido)phenyl methacrylates demonstrated higher cross‐linking abilities at elevated temperatures than tetrahydrophthalimidophenyl methacrylates. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Cholecysto-choledochal fistula--Mirizzi syndrome (type II) in a Nigerian

Mirizzi syndrome is an uncommon cause of obstructive jaundice in which the common hepatic duct is obstructed by stones trapped within the neck of the cystic duct of the gall-bladder. In long standing cases the calculi may erode through into the common duct and may in fact, impact in the resulting fistula. This syndrome with its later progression is a rare complication of calculous disease of the gall-bladder worldwide. While it is perhaps encountered in the developing countries where cholelithiasis is not as prevalent as in the affluent countries, there has not been much documentation. This article reports on a Nigerian patient with a fistulous complication of Mirizzi syndrome (Type II) managed by cholecystectomy and choledochoduodenostomy and also presents a discussion of the condition.     

beta-endorphin1-31 in the rat pituitary

The behavioral and neural correlates of processing of motor directional information are described for two visuomotor tasks: mental rotation and context-recall. Psychological studies with human subjects suggested that these two tasks involve different time-consuming processes of directional information. Analyses of the activity of single cells and neuronal populations in the motor cortex of behaving monkeys performing in the same tasks provided direct insight into the neural mechanisms involved and confirmed their different nature. In the mental rotation task the patterns of neuronal activity revealed a rotation of the intended direction of movement. In contrast, in the context-recall task the patterns of neural activity identified a switching process of the intended direction of movement.     

Conceptual design of a hybrid thermal and photovoltaic receiver of an FMDF collector

The optical characteristic of a Fixed Mirror Distributed Focus (FMDF) solar collector is used as a basis for the design of an hybrid thermal and photovoltaic (PV) receiver. The result provides another variation in energy conversion that an FMDF solar collector can conveniently perform.     

The treatment of patients with chronic cerebral circulatory failure by using laser puncture and the microclimate of the biotron

A mode is proposed of treatment of chronic cerebrovascular disorders, such as initial manifestations of cerebral blood supply insufficiency (IMBSI) and dyscirculatory encephalopathy (DE) stage I-II in hypertensive disease, involving the use of laser puncture and microclimate of biotron. All patients (n = 162) were exposed to laser puncture (10-12 procedures). Laser puncture treatments were devised according to classical approaches of reflexotherapy, using determinants of electropuncture diagnostic method by Riodoraku. The treatments were carried out with the aid of infrared portable laser "Biomed-001". IMBSI patients presenting with vegetovascular dystonia and about 70% of IMBSI patients presenting with hypertensive disease derived benefit from a course of laser puncture, as evidenced by REG, EEG, acupuncture diagnosis, iridodiagnosis according. In DE stage I-II patients and about 30% IMBSI patients presenting with hypertensive disease good therapeutic effect occurred after treatment in a ward with a stable microclimate of biotron. The proposed method can be used for treating chronic cerebrovascular disorders and administering stroke prophylaxis.