Influence of Reclaimed Water on the Visual Quality of Automotive Coating.

In the present study, the possibility of recovering water in a car wash station was presented. The resistance of automotive coatings to washing water recovered at 50% and 70% from wastewater generated at car wash was tested. Wastewater treatment was carried out by ultrafiltration (UF) using tubular polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes (100 and 200 kDa) manufactured by the PCI company.

Application of Polymeric Tubular Ultrafiltration Membranes for Separation of Car Wash Wastewater.

The commercial ultrafiltration tubular polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) (100 and 200 kDa) and polyethersulfone (PES) (4 kDa) membranes were applied for filtration of car wash wastewater. Intensive fouling was noticed, which caused an over 50% flux reduction during 3-5 h of the filtration process. This phenomenon was reduced by washing the membranes with an alkaline cleaning agent (pH = 11.

Cleaning of Ultrafiltration Membranes: Long-Term Treatment of Car Wash Wastewater as a Case Study.

Car wash wastewaters (CWWs) contain various pollutants with different contents. Hence, selecting an appropriate process for their treatment is a great challenge. Undoubtedly, the ultrafiltration (UF) process is one of the most interesting and reliable choices.

Effects of Alkaline Cleaning Agents on the Long-Term Performance and Aging of Polyethersulfone Ultrafiltration Membranes Applied for Treatment of Car Wash Wastewater.

The commercial ultrafiltration polyethersulfone (PES) membranes (10 and 100 kDa) blended with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were applied for the filtration of car wash wastewater. Periodical membrane rinsing with water did not prevent fouling and a decrease in permeate flux was observed. Fouling was reduced by washing the membranes with cleaning agents, which are used in car washes to clean wheels and remove insects.

The Resistance of Polyethersulfone Membranes on the Alkaline Cleaning Solutions.

Polyethersulfone (PES) is a polymer popularly used to produce ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. PES is relatively hydrophobic; thus, hydrophilic ingredients are added to the membrane matrix to reduce the fouling intensity. Ingredients such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) reduce the resistance of PES to NaOH solutions.

Cross-Domain Indoor Visual Place Recognition for Mobile Robot via Generalization Using Style Augmentation.

The article presents an algorithm for the multi-domain visual recognition of an indoor place. It is based on a convolutional neural network and style randomization. The authors proposed a scene classification mechanism and improved the performance of the models based on synthetic and real data from various domains.

Analysis of the threshold image contrast obtained with the CDMAM 3.4 and CDMAM 4.0 phantoms.

Quality control in mammography is a very important element. One of the parameters indicating the appropriate image quality is the threshold image contrast. The CDMAM phantom is used to measure this parameter.

Wettability Studies of Capillary PTFE Membranes Applied for Membrane Distillation.

In the present study, the membrane distillation (MD) process was studied with the use of commercial polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) capillary membranes. For this purpose, both solutions with NaCl concentrations up to 300 g/L and brines contaminated with oil (70-120 mg/L) were used as feeds. The membrane's wetting resistance was tested by conducting long-term experiments for over 3500 h.

High Signal Resolution Pulse Oximetry as a Prognostic Indicator of Radiotherapy Toxicity: A Pilot Study.

Introduction: Radiotherapy plays a prominent role in the multidisciplinary treatment of cancers. Despite new irradiation techniques, radiation-induced cardiotoxicity remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, prognostic indicators of radiotherapy toxicity are essential.

Evaluation of the rectal V30 parameter in patients diagnosed with postoperative endometrial cancer.

Background: The present paper reports on analysis of 184 patients who were diagnosed with endometrial cancer. The main objective of this study was to address parameter V which determines a volume of the rectum irradiated with a dose of 30 Gy during radiotherapy.

Materials And Methods: All patients were irradiated with an IMRT technique on linear accelerators.

Deep inspiration breath hold reduces the mean heart dose in left breast cancer radiotherapy.

Background: Patients with left breast cancer who undergo radiotherapy have a non-negligible risk of developing radiation-induced cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cardioprotection can be achieved through better treatment planning protocols and through respiratory gating techniques, including deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH). Several dosimetric studies have shown that DIBH reduces the cardiac dose, but clinical data confirming this effect is limited.

Cowpox: How dangerous could it be for humans? Case report.

Cowpox is a rare zoonosis transmitted to humans mainly from cats. The disease usually causes skin lesions; however, the ocular form may lead to other serious complications. We describe a case of cowpox in a rare location of the upper eyelid of an immunocompetent male, which lead to necrosis of the upper eyelid, keratitis and leucomatous opacity, and the neovascularization of the cornea.

A case of fulminant sepsis caused by after a dog bite.

Many species of microorganisms of various human pathogenicity have been identified in the oral cavities of dogs and cats. One of them is , a Gram-negative bacterium of the family, with unique abilities to forage sugars from host tissues and avoid the host immune response. Although may be isolated from the oral cavities of most dogs and cats, severe human infection is very rare according to studies (0.

Effect of Hyaluronic Acid/Trehalose in Two Different Formulations on Signs and Symptoms in Patients with Moderate to Severe Dry Eye Disease.

Purpose: This randomized, observer-masked, crossover study investigated the effect of two hyaluronic acid/trehalose-based containing formulations, with different physical properties, on the signs and symptoms in patients with moderate to severe dry eye disease (DED).

Methods: In one group, patients received a mixture of sodium hyaluronate and trehalose (HT, Thealoz Duo®) for use during the day. In the other group, patients received a more viscous formulation consisting of hyaluronic acid, trehalose, and carbomer (HTC-gel, Thealoz Duo Gel) to use pro re nata.

Assessment of choroidal blood flow using laser speckle flowgraphy.

Background/aims: There is considerable interest in novel techniques to quantify choroidal blood flow (CBF) in humans. In the present study, we investigated a novel technique to measure CBF based on laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) in healthy subjects.

Methods: This study included 31 eyes of 31 healthy, non-smoking subjects aged between 19 and 74 years.

Treatment of the Fluoroquinolone-Associated Disability: The Pathobiochemical Implications.

Long-term fluoroquinolone-associated disability (FQAD) after fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotic therapy appears in recent years as a significant medical and social problem, because patients suffer for many years after prescribed antimicrobial FQ treatment from tiredness, concentration problems, neuropathies, tendinopathies, and other symptoms. The knowledge about the molecular activity of FQs in the cells remains unclear in many details. The effective treatment of this chronic state remains difficult and not effective.

Effects of Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implants on Retinal Oxygen Saturation, Vessel Diameter, and Retrobulbar Blood Flow Velocity in ME Secondary to RVO.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of intravitreal 0.7 mg dexamethasone implants (Ozurdex) on arterial and venous oxygen saturation, retinal vessel diameter, and retrobulbar blood flow velocity in patients with macular edema (ME) due to retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

Methods: This prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial included 40 eyes of 40 patients with ME due to RVO.

Optic nerve head and retinal blood flow regulation during isometric exercise as assessed with laser speckle flowgraphy.

Unlabelled: The aim of the present study was to investigate regulation of blood flow (BF) in the optic nerve head (ONH) and a peripapillary region (PPR) during an isometric exercise-induced increase in ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) using laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) in healthy subjects. For this purpose, a total of 27 subjects was included in this study. Mean blur rate in tissue (MT) was measured in the ONH and in a PPR as well as relative flow volume (RFV) in retinal arteries (ART) and veins (VEIN) using LSFG.

Retinal oxygen extraction in individuals with type 1 diabetes with no or mild diabetic retinopathy.

Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to compare retinal oxygen extraction in individuals with diabetes with no or mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and healthy age- and sex-matched volunteers.

Methods: A total of 24 participants with type 1 diabetes and 24 healthy age- and sex-matched volunteers were included in this cross-sectional study. Retinal oxygen extraction was measured by combining total retinal blood flow measurements using a custom-built bi-directional Doppler optical coherence tomography system with measurements of oxygen saturation using spectroscopic reflectometry.

Effect of different lubricant eye gels on tear film thickness as measured with ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography.

Purpose: To compare the effect of a single drop of different lubricant eye gels on tear film thickness (TFT) as measured with ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR-OCT) in patients with mild-to-moderate dry eye disease (DED).

Methods: The study followed a randomized, single-masked, observer-blinded parallel group design. Patients received a single dose of either unpreserved trehalose 3% + hyaluronic acid 0.

Ocular Blood Flow Measurements in Healthy White Subjects Using Laser Speckle Flowgraphy.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility and reliability of Laser Speckle Flowgraphy (LSFG) to measure ocular perfusion in a sample of healthy white subjects and to elucidate the age-dependence of the parameters obtained.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 80 eyes of 80 healthy, non-smoking white subjects of Western European descent between 19 and 79 years of age. A commercial LSFG instrument was applied to measure ocular blood flow at the optic nerve head (ONH) three successive times before and after pharmacological pupil dilation.

Measurements of Retinal Perfusion Using Laser Speckle Flowgraphy and Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography.

Purpose: This study evaluated the validity of retinal perfusion measurements using laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) by means of in vitro experiments and direct comparison with dual-beam Doppler optical coherence tomography (D-OCT) in a healthy Caucasian population.

Methods: The flow velocity of scattering solution pumped through a glass capillary was measured at 17 different flow velocities (range, 0.5-47 mm/s) using LSFG.

Effect of a Matrix Therapy Agent on Corneal Epithelial Healing After Standard Collagen Cross-linking in Patients With Keratoconus: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Corneal abrasions are frequent after standard (epithelium-off [epi-off]) corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) in patients with progressive keratoconus. A new matrix therapy agent (ReGeneraTing Agent [RGTA]) has been developed to promote corneal wound healing.

Objective: To assess the effect of the new type of matrix therapy agent on corneal wound healing after epi-off CXL in patients with keratoconus.

Measurement of Retinal Vascular Caliber From Optical Coherence Tomography Phase Images.

Purpose: To compare retinal vessel calibers extracted from phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography (OCT) images with vessel calibers as obtained from the Retinal Vessel Analyzer (RVA).

Methods: Data from previously published studies in 13 healthy subjects breathing room air (n = 214 vessels) and 7 subjects breathing 100% oxygen (n = 101 vessels) were used. Vessel calibers from OCT phase images were measured vertically along the optical axis by three independent graders.

Key Roles of Glutamine Pathways in Reprogramming the Cancer Metabolism.

Glutamine (GLN) is commonly known as an important metabolite used for the growth of cancer cells but the effects of its intake in cancer patients are still not clear. However, GLN is the main substrate for DNA and fatty acid synthesis. On the other hand, it reduces the oxidative stress by glutathione synthesis stimulation, stops the process of cancer cachexia, and nourishes the immunological system and the intestine epithelium, as well.