Green liquor dregs effect on Kraft mill secondary sludge composting.

Increased Kraft pulp mill production generates increased solid wastes. In response, composting has emerged as an interesting alternative for disposal of these solid wastes. A central composite factor design was used to investigate the influence of incubation conditions (dregs addition and operation time) on chemical and biological parameters, determining the best in-vessel conditions in order to develop a correct composting design.

Effectiveness of sympathetic block by clipping in the treatment of hyperhidrosis and facial blushing.

Main cause of dissatisfaction after videothoracoscopic (VATS) sympathectomy in the treatment of hyperhidrosis (HH) and facial blushing (FB) is compensatory sweating (CS). Sympathetic nerve (SN) clipping permits to revert the block effect by removing the clips in case of an intolerable CS. We present our experience with this technique.

A prospective study of analgesic quality after a thoracotomy: paravertebral block with ropivacaine before and after rib spreading.

Objective: Paravertebral block (PVB) is an effective alternative to epidural analgesia in the management of post-thoracotomy pain. Rib spreading (RS) is an important noxious stimulus considered a major cause of post-thoracotomy pain. Our hypothesis was that a bolus of ropivacaine 0.

Effects of low concentrations of the phenylurea herbicide diuron on biofilm algae and bacteria.

A system of recirculating channels was used in this study to examine the long-term effects (29d) of environmentally realistic concentrations of the herbicide diuron (from 0.07 to 7 microg L(-1)) on biofilm communities. The autotrophic activity of biofilms was affected by this herbicide, as reflected by a marked decrease in the photosynthetic efficiency.

Entanglement renormalization in two spatial dimensions.

We propose and test a scheme for entanglement renormalization capable of addressing large two-dimensional quantum lattice systems. In a translationally invariant system, the cost of simulations grows only as the logarithm of the lattice size; at a quantum critical point, the simulation cost becomes independent of the lattice size and infinite systems can be analyzed. We demonstrate the performance of the scheme by investigating the low energy properties of the 2D quantum Ising model on a square lattice of linear size L={6, 9, 18, 54, infinity} with periodic boundary conditions.

Genetic associations of LYN with systemic lupus erythematosus.

We targeted LYN, a src-tyosine kinase involved in B-cell activation, in case-control association studies using populations of European-American, African-American and Korean subjects. Our combined European-derived population, consisting of 2463 independent cases and 3131 unrelated controls, shows significant association with rs6983130 in a female-only analysis with 2254 cases and 2228 controls (P=1.1 x 10(-4), odds ratio (OR)=0.

Replication of the BANK1 genetic association with systemic lupus erythematosus in a European-derived population.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with highly variable clinical presentation. Patients suffer from immunological abnormalities that target T-cell, B-cell and accessory cell functions. B cells are hyperactive in SLE patients.

First order phase transition in the anisotropic quantum orbital compass model.

We investigate the anisotropic quantum orbital compass model on an infinite square lattice by means of the infinite projected entangled-pair state algorithm. For varying values of the Jx and Jz coupling constants of the model, we approximate the ground state and evaluate quantities such as its expected energy and local order parameters. We also compute adiabatic continuations of the ground state, and show that several ground states with different local properties coexist at Jx=Jz.

Aerobic moving bed bioreactor performance: a comparative study of removal efficiencies of kraft mill effluents from Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus globulus as raw material.

A Moving Bed Bioreactor (MBBR) was operated during 333 days. Two different effluents were fed in six different phases. Phases I and II were fed with effluent where Pinus radiata was used as raw material, while phases III to VI were fed with effluent where Eucalyptus globulus was used as raw material.

Activated sludge versus aerated lagoon treatment of kraft mill effluents containing beta-sitosterol and stigmasterol.

In the present study the performance of an activated sludge system (AS) and an aerated lagoon (AL) are compared for the treatment of kraft cellulose effluents. Both reactors were operated at organic loading rates (OLR) up to 9 g COD/L. d.

Classical simulation of infinite-size quantum lattice systems in two spatial dimensions.

We present an algorithm to simulate two-dimensional quantum lattice systems in the thermodynamic limit. Our approach builds on the projected entangled-pair state algorithm for finite lattice systems [F. Verstraete and J.

Class of quantum many-body states that can be efficiently simulated.

We introduce the multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz, a class of quantum many-body states on a D-dimensional lattice that can be efficiently simulated with a classical computer, in that the expectation value of local observables can be computed exactly and efficiently. The multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz is equivalent to a quantum circuit of logarithmic depth that has a very characteristic causal structure. It is also the ansatz underlying entanglement renormalization, a novel coarse-graining scheme for many-body quantum systems on a lattice.

Anion channel activation and proton pumping inhibition involved in the plasma membrane depolarization induced by ABA in Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cells are both ROS dependent.

In Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cells, ABA was previously shown to promote the activation of anion channels and the reduction of proton pumping that both contribute to the plasma membrane depolarization. These two ABA responses were shown to induce two successive [Ca(2+)](cyt) spikes. As reactive oxygen species (ROS) have emerged as components of ABA signaling pathways especially by promoting [Ca(2+)](cyt) variations, we studied whether ROS were involved in the regulation of anion channels and proton pumps activities.

Anion channel activity is necessary to induce ethylene synthesis and programmed cell death in response to oxalic acid.

Oxalic acid is thought to be a key factor of the early pathogenicity stage in a wide range of necrotrophic fungi. Studies were conducted to determine whether oxalate could induce programmed cell death (PCD) in Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cells and to detail the transduction of the signalling pathway induced by oxalate. Arabidopsis thaliana cells were treated with millimolar concentrations of oxalate.

[Rosuvastatin for the treatment of dyslipidemia in HIV-infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy. Preliminary experience].

Introduction: Highly active antiviral therapy (HAART) results in a sharp decrease in HIV-related morbidity and mortality, but also induces adverse effects such as dyslipidemia, which is difficult treat because of drug interactions. Guidelines recommend lipid-lowering therapy with pravastatin or atorvastatin to reduce LDL cholesterol in these patients, and gemfibrozil or fenofibrate for treating hypertriglyceridemia. The use of statins in the management of dyslipidemia is complicated by drug interactions with some of the components of HAART.

The use of Magallanic peat as non-conventional sorbent for EDTA removal from wastewater.

Kraft mills are responsible for large volumes discharges of highly polluted effluents. Application of new bleaching processes (i.e.

[Results of videothorascopic sympathectomy in the treatment of facial redness and hyperhidrosis in 41 patients].

Objective: To evaluate the results and complications of thoracic sympathectomy in the treatment of patients with uncontrollable blushing and facial hyperhidrosis.

Patients And Method: Between May 2000 and August 2006 we performed 82 VATS sympathectomies on 41 patients with the diagnosis of uncontrollable blushing and/or facial hyperhidrosis. Two of them had been previously operated on without good results.

Ground state fidelity from tensor network representations.

For any D-dimensional quantum lattice system, the fidelity between two ground state many-body wave functions is mapped onto the partition function of a D-dimensional classical statistical vertex lattice model with the same lattice geometry. The fidelity per lattice site, analogous to the free energy per site, is well defined in the thermodynamic limit and can be used to characterize the phase diagram of the model. We explain how to compute the fidelity per site in the context of tensor network algorithms, and demonstrate the approach by analyzing the two-dimensional quantum Ising model with transverse and parallel magnetic fields.

Entanglement renormalization and topological order.

The multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz (MERA) is argued to provide a natural description for topological states of matter. The case of Kitaev's toric code is analyzed in detail and shown to possess a remarkably simple MERA description leading to distillation of the topological degrees of freedom at the top of the tensor network. Kitaev states on an infinite lattice are also shown to be a fixed point of the renormalization group flow associated with entanglement renormalization.

[Pericardial window by videothoracoscope in the treatment of pericardial effusion and tamponade].

Introduction: Malignancies are the most common causes of pericardial effusion (PE) or tamponade (PT). Lung and breast carcinoma are the most frequent. The treatment of PE consists in the performance of drainage and/or pericardial window (PW) usually subxiphoid.

Variational quantum Monte Carlo simulations with tensor-network states.

We show that the formalism of tensor-network states, such as the matrix-product states (MPS), can be used as a basis for variational quantum Monte Carlo simulations. Using a stochastic optimization method, we demonstrate the potential of this approach by explicit MPS calculations for the transverse Ising chain with up to N=256 spins at criticality, using periodic boundary conditions and D x D matrices with D up to 48. The computational cost of our scheme formally scales as ND3, whereas standard MPS approaches and the related density matrix renormalization group method scale as ND5 and ND6, respectively, for periodic systems.

Entanglement renormalization.

We propose a real-space renormalization group (RG) transformation for quantum systems on a D-dimensional lattice. The transformation partially disentangles a block of sites before coarse-graining it into an effective site. Numerical simulations with the ground state of a 1D lattice at criticality show that the resulting coarse-grained sites require a Hilbert space dimension that does not grow with successive RG transformations.

Anaerobic biodegradation of sterols contained in kraft mill effluents.

Bleached kraft mill requires large quantities of water and chemicals reactives and generates effluents containing active organic compounds. Specifically, hormonal changes in fish and their communities have been demonstrated, which could be attributed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) contained in kraft mill effluents. This chronic toxicity is attributable to extractive compounds, such as resin acids, sterols, and fatty acids.

Comparative analysis of analgesic quality in the postoperative of thoracotomy: paravertebral block with bupivacaine 0.5% vs ropivacaine 0.2%.

Objectives: Paravertebral block is an effective alternative to epidural analgesia in the management of post-thoracotomy pain, however, there are no established guidelines regarding what is the most suitable strategy when varying drugs and dosages between different groups. Our objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of paravertebral block comparing the most frequently employed drugs in this procedure (bupivacaine vs ropivacaine).

Methods: Prospective randomized study of 70 patients submitted to thoracotomy.

Anaerobic treatment of low-strength synthetic TCF effluents and biomass adhesion in fixed-bed systems.

Toxicity effects produced by kraft mill effluents are due to the productive process. New bleaching processes have been proposed (e.g.