33. Findings in this study favor the application of MBBR in the upgrading of existing CAS plants with the plant BOD5 removal efficiency recording an increase of about 5% compared with the plant before upgrade and effluent values well within the legal requirements.Concentration polarization is a phenomenon inherent to membrane separation operations and as a precursor of membrane fouling is frequently related to the decrease in the performance of these operations. In the present work, a case-specific mass transfer correlation was developed to assess the concentration polarization when nanofiltration, in different operating conditions, was applied to treat a pharmaceutical wastewater containing atenolol. NF runs with two membranes, two atenolol concentrations and three feed circulating velocities were conducted, and the corresponding experimental mass transfer coefficients were determined using film theory to describe the concentration polarization phenomenon. Higher velocities led to higher mass transfer coefficients and, consequently, lower concentration polarization. These mass transfer coefficients were correlated with the circulating velocity (Re), the solute diffusivity (Sc) and the membrane permeability (LP+) (the membrane is a permeable interface with effect on the concentration profiles developed from the interface towards the bulk feed), yielding the following correlation Sh = 1.98 × 104Re0.5Sc0.33LP+0.32. The good agreement between the calculated and the experimental results makes this correlation a valuable tool for water practitioners to predict and control the concentration polarization during atenolol-rich wastewater treatment by nanofiltration, thereby increasing its productivity and selectivity.Sterile phosphate (SP) was investigated for phosphorus removal from wastewater using batch adsorption experiments. The novel adsorbent is a mining by-product obtained from the phosphate mining plants having a strong affinity with phosphorus ions present in wastewater. The results of the batch adsorption experiments indicated that 30 min of contact time between the adsorbent and wastewater was sufficient for attaining equilibrium. The phosphorus removal from wastewater increased with increasing initial phosphorus concentration, adsorbent dose and temperature, while it decreased with increasing initial pH values. The maximum phosphorus removal efficiency was noted to be 94.4%. It was achieved in slightly acidic conditions (pH = 4), with an adsorbent dose and initial phosphorus concentration of 3 g L-1 and 20 mg L-1, respectively, and at room temperature. Kinetic analysis showed that phosphorus adsorption onto sterile phosphate was best fitted with the pseudo-second order kinetic model. The adsorption equilibrium data fitted well to the Langmuir model equation, indicating monolayer coverage of the adsorbent. The adsorption capacity calculated from the Langmuir model equation was found to be 7.962 mg g-1. Comparing with some industrial products and natural mineral adsorbents, sterile phosphate was found to be the most efficient adsorbent for phosphorus removal from wastewater.Interest in the discovery and development of plant essential oils for use as bioinsecticides has grown enormously in the past 20 years. However, successful commercialization and utilization of crop protection products based on essential oils has thus far lagged far behind their promise based on this large body of research, most notably because with the exceptions of the USA and Australia, such products receive no special status from regulatory agencies that approve new pesticides for use. Essential oil-based insecticides have now been used in the USA for well over a decade, and more recently have seen use in the European Union (EU), Korea, and about a dozen other countries, with demonstrated efficacy against a wide range of pests and in numerous crop systems. For the most part these products are based on commodity essential oils developed as flavor and fragrance agents for the food and cosmetic industries, as there are formidable logistic, economic, and regulatory challenges to the use of many other essential oils that otherwise possess potentially useful bioactivity against pests. In spite of these limitations, the overall prospects for biopesticides, including those based on essential oils, are encouraging as the demand for sustainably-produced and/or organic food continues to increase worldwide.Objectives Birth tears are a common complication of vaginal childbirth. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of birth tears first by comparing the mode of vaginal birth (VB) and then comparing different vacuum cups in instrumental VBs in order to better advise childbearing women and obstetrical professionals. Methods In a retrospective cohort study, we analyzed nulliparous and multiparous women with a singleton pregnancy in vertex presentation at ≥37 + 0 gestational weeks who gave birth vaginally at our tertiary care center between 06/2012 and 12/2016. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/zidesamtinib.html We compared the distribution of tear types in spontaneous births (SBs) vs. vacuum-assisted VBs. We then compared the tear distribution in the vacuum group when using the Kiwi Omnicup or Bird's anterior metal cup. Outcome parameters were the incidence and distribution of the different tear types dependent on the mode of delivery and type of vacuum cup. Results A total of 4549 SBs and 907 VBs were analyzed. Birth tear distribution differed significantly between the birth modes. In 15.2% of women with an SB an episiotomy was performed vs. 58.5% in women with a VB. Any kind of perineal tear was seen in 45.7% after SB and in 32.7% after VB. High-grade obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) appeared in 1.1% after SB and in 3.1% after VB. No significant changes in tear distribution were found between the two different VB modes. Conclusions There were more episiotomies, vaginal tears and OASIS after VB than after SB. In contrast, there were more low-grade perineal and labial tears after SB. No significant differences were found between different vacuum cup systems, just a slight trend toward different tear patterns.Background Testing for anti-Toxoplasma immunoglobulin (Ig)M is of main importance in the context of pregnancy to promptly alert to an acute maternal infection prior to the detection of IgG and to identify infected newborns. Their absence helps exclude a recent maternal infection in the presence of IgG. Methods The performance of a Toxo IgM immunocapture prototype assay (bioMérieux, France) was compared with that of the VIDAS® Toxo IgM and the ARCHITECT® Toxo IgM (Abbott, Germany) assays at Grenoble and Lyon (France). A total of 1446 sera were sampled from (i) 1054 pregnant women found by routine workup to have no infection (n = 843), an acute infection (4 months) with residual (n = 120) or no IgM (n = 62); (ii) 50 three-serum panels sampled immediately after a maternal seroconversion; (iii) 242 samples taken in 41 children with a congenital toxoplasmosis (n = 122) and in 40 uninfected children (n = 120). Results In pregnant women, the overall agreement with the VIDAS® assay was 99.23% (CI 99.16-99.27) and that with the ARCHITECT® assay was 99.