Removal of emerging micropollutants from nanofiltration retentate of municipal wastewater within biological fixed-bed reactors under nitrifying and denitrifying conditions.

Municipal water resource recovery facilities are not designed to eliminate micropollutants, leading to many pollutants entering the aquatic environment. Within this study, as part of the project MicroStop, the biological treatment of nanofiltration effluent (retentate) under pure aerobic (without nitrification) as well as nitrifying and denitrifying conditions has been investigated for micropollutant elimination. A potential of further biotransformation under increased hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 14 days was shown.

Identification of risk factors in pre-term infants with abnormal general movements.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal risk factors for neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) with the outcomes of General Movement (GM) Assessment (GMA) in pre-term infants at 3-5 months of age. We sought to identify the risk factors associated with the predictors of psychomotor development in pre-term newborns, such as normal fidgety movements (FMs), absent FMs, or abnormal FMs, assessed during the fidgety period of motor development.

Methods: The SYNAGIS program (prophylactic of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection) was used to identify risk factors for the development of neuromotor deficits in 164 pre-term infants who were at high risk of developing these deficits.

The influence of cord blood renalase and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) on perinatal and anthropometric parameters of newborns of mothers with gestational hypertension.

Background: Renalase is an enzyme secreted by the kidneys, which takes part in the regulation of arterial pressure, myocardial contractility and modulation of vascular resistance, but its effect on renalase levels in newborns has not been studied yet. The levels of advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) were also evaluated as a marker of oxidative stress.

Objectives: This study examined whether renalase and AOPP levels are different in the cord blood of newborns exposed to gestational hypertension (HT).

The influence of gestational hypertension on cord blood adiponectin levels: a case-controlled study.

Introduction: Gestational hypertension is one of the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth worldwide and may be associated with metabolic disorders. Adiponectin is an adipocyte-specific plasma protein with insulin-sensitizing, vascular-protective, anti-inflammatory properties, and its role in metabolic disorders in prenatal and postnatal development in neonates remains unclear. The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether gestational hypertension is a condition lowering cord blood adiponectin level.

Antimicrobial resistance of Helicobacter pylori in an eastern German region.

Background: Antimicrobial therapy is recommended to eradicate Helicobacter (H.) pylori in infected individuals. As first-line treatments are empiric, knowledge of antimicrobial resistance is key to successful eradication.

High-rate nitrification of saline wastewaters using fixed-bed reactors.

Fixed-bed reactor (FBR) is a promising technology for realising robust high-rate nitrification. Only a few studies have investigated the effect of salinity on these systems. In this research work, the effect of gradual stepwise increase in chloride concentration (NaCl content) on the performance of high-rate nitrifying FBRs was studied at loading rates of about 1 kg NH-N∙m∙d at 25 °C.

Comparison of NF-RO and RO-NF for the Treatment of Mature Landfill Leachates: A Guide for Landfill Operators.

Reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) are among the state-of-the-art technologies for treating landfill leachates. Due to the complexity and variance in the composition of leachates, numerous combinations of multiple technologies are used for their treatment. One process chain for the treatment of raw leachate is RO followed by further concentration of RO-retentate using NF (RO-NF scheme).

Pretreatment of Wastewater from Licorice Processing-A Preliminary Evaluation.

  This study was performed as a preliminary investigation of anaerobic digestion and the activated sludge process as pretreatment options for highly loaded wastewater from licorice processing (approximately 8000 mg COD/L). Only 15% reduction of initial chemical oxygen demand (COD) was achieved by anaerobic digestion, whereas up to 80% reduction was attained with activated sludge process. Adsorption using powdered activated carbon (PAC) was studied for the removal of color and residual organics from the effluent of aerobic treatment.

Comparison of Perineal Sonographically Measured and Functional Urodynamic Urethral Length in Female Urinary Incontinence.

. To detect the anatomical insufficiency of the urethra and to propose perineal ultrasound as a useful, noninvasive tool for the evaluation of incontinence, we compared the anatomical length of the urethra with the urodynamic functional urethral length. We also compared the urethral length between continent and incontinent females.

Measured and predicted environmental concentrations of carbamazepine, diclofenac, and metoprolol in small and medium rivers in northern Germany.

This study evaluated the impact of secondary municipal effluent discharge on carbamazepine, diclofenac, and metoprolol concentrations in small and medium rivers in northern Germany and compared the measured environmental concentrations (MECs) to the predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) calculated with four well-established models. During a 1-year sampling period, secondary effluent grab samples were collected at four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) together with grab samples from the receiving waters upstream and downstream from the wastewater discharge points. The carbamazepine, diclofenac, and metoprolol concentrations were analyzed with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS-MS) after solid phase extraction.

The first de novo non-mosaic 14q11.2q13.1 tetrasomy of paternal origin.

Tetrasomy 14q11q13 is a very rare chromosome aberration. So far, only five patients with such an imbalance were described. All these patients had a de novo marker chromosome idic(14)(q13) leading to a partial tetrasomy of chromosome 14.

Cellular uptake of ribonuclease A-functionalised core-shell silica microspheres.

Analysis of protein function in a cellular context ideally requires physiologically representative levels of that protein. Thus conventional nucleic acid-based transfection methods are far from ideal owing to the over expression that generally results. Likewise, fusions with protein transduction domains can be problematic whilst delivery via liposomes/nanoparticles typically results in endosomal localisation.

Poly(vinylamine) microgel-dextran composite hydrogels: characterisation; properties and pH-triggered degradation.

The present study involves an investigation of the formation, characterisation and triggered-degradation of mixed dispersions involving cationic poly(vinylamine-co-bis(ethyl vinylamine) ether) (PVAM-BEVAME) microgel (MG) particles and partially oxidised dextran (Dexox). In this approach to colloidal hydrogel composite formation, imine bonds were formed by reaction between aldehyde groups of Dexox and the primary amine groups on the MG particles. The composite hydrogels contained MG particles that were externally cross-linked by Dexox to form an elastically effective network with high storage modulus (G') values and low tanδ (=G″/G', where G″ is the loss modulus) values.

Monotelechelic poly(p-phenylenevinylene)s by ring opening metathesis polymerisation.

Poly(p-phenylenevinylene)s (PPVs) with single reactive end groups have been prepared with high molecular weights, narrow polydispersities (ĐM) and excellent end functionality (f). PPVs functionalised with α-bromoester end groups are effective macroinitiators in the atom transfer radical polymerisation (ATRP) of methyl methacrylate (MMA).

Response-retrieval in identity negative priming is modulated by temporal discriminability.

Reaction times to previously ignored information are often delayed, a phenomenon referred to as negative priming (NP). Rothermund et al. (2005) proposed that NP is caused by the retrieval of incidental stimulus-response associations when consecutive displays share visual features but require different responses.

Polymeric microspheres as protein transduction reagents.

Discovering the function of an unknown protein, particularly one with neither structural nor functional correlates, is a daunting task. Interaction analyses determine binding partners, whereas DNA transfection, either transient or stable, leads to intracellular expression, though not necessarily at physiologically relevant levels. In theory, direct intracellular protein delivery (protein transduction) provides a conceptually simpler alternative, but in practice the approach is problematic.

The TatBC complex of the Tat protein translocase in Escherichia coli and its transition to the substrate-bound TatABC complex.

The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system serves to transport folded proteins across membranes of prokaryotes and plant plastids. In Escherichia coli, a complex consisting of multiple copies of TatB and TatC initiates the transport by binding the signal peptides of the Tat substrates. Using blue-native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, bands of TatBC-containing complexes can be detected at molecular masses of 440 and 580 kDa.

Photopatterning of self assembled monolayers on oxide surfaces for the selective attachment of biomolecules.

The immobilization of functional biomolecules to surfaces is a critical process for the development of biosensors for disease diagnostics. In this work we report the patterned attachment of single chain fragment variable (scFv) antibodies to the surface of metal oxides by the photodeprotection of self-assembled monolayers, using near-UV light. The photodeprotection step alters the functionality at the surface; revealing amino groups that are utilized to bind biomolecules in the exposed regions of the substrate only.

[Physical activity and cancer survival].

Physical activity has been shown in large cohort studies to positively impact survival in cancer survivors. Existing randomized controlled trials showed a beneficial effect of physical activity on physical fitness, quality of life, anxiety and self-esteem; however, the small sample size, the short follow-up and the lack of standardization of physical activity intervention across studies impaired definite conclusion in terms of survival. Physical activity reduces adiposity and circulating estrogen levels and increases insulin sensitivity among other effects.

Synthesis and characterization of dual-functionalized core-shell fluorescent microspheres for bioconjugation and cellular delivery.

The efficient transport of micron-sized beads into cells, via a non-endocytosis mediated mechanism, has only recently been described. As such there is considerable scope for optimization and exploitation of this procedure to enable imaging and sensing applications to be realized. Herein, we report the design, synthesis and characterization of fluorescent microsphere-based cellular delivery agents that can also carry biological cargoes.

Inhibition in the dynamics of selective attention: an integrative model for negative priming.

We introduce a computational model of the negative priming (NP) effect that includes perception, memory, attention, decision making, and action. The model is designed to provide a coherent picture across competing theories of NP. The model is formulated in terms of abstract dynamics for the activations of features, their binding into object entities, their semantic categorization as well as related memories and appropriate reactions.

Negative priming persists in the absence of response-retrieval.

The hypothesis that retrieval of the prime response is responsible for the negative priming (NP) effect has gained popularity in recent studies of visual identity NP. In the current study we report an experiment in which we aimed to remove the response from the prime memory trace by means of spatio-temporal separation. Compared to an identical experiment without this separation (Ihrke et al.

Identity negative priming: a phenomenon of perception, recognition or selection?

The present study addresses the problem whether negative priming (NP) is due to information processing in perception, recognition or selection. We argue that most NP studies confound priming and perceptual similarity of prime-probe episodes and implement a color-switch paradigm in order to resolve the issue. In a series of three identity negative priming experiments with verbal naming response, we determined when NP and positive priming (PP) occur during a trial.

[Congenital sternal cleft: a case report].

Sternal cleft is a very rare congenital defect of sternum, reported only in limited number of publications. Surgical treatment in neonatal period is preferred. The case of child with congenital sternal cleft operated in 17 month of life with successful outcome of repair was reported.

Automatic generation of randomized trial sequences for priming experiments.

In most psychological experiments, a randomized presentation of successive displays is crucial for the validity of the results. For some paradigms, this is not a trivial issue because trials are interdependent, e.g.