18,604 research outputs found
Solids-liquid separation and solar drying of palm oil mill wastewater sludge: Potential for sludge reuse
No full textIn this study, empty palm fruit bunchfibre was used for solids-liquid separation of palm oil mill wastewater andthe sludge was sun-dried for potential uses as soil conditioner or solid fuel. Thefibre was manually compressedinto a wooden mould to obtain afibre bulk density of 70 kg/m3. A composite wastewater sample was pouredevenly over the surface of thefibre. The wet solids were sun-dried for 14 days to achieve a moisture content of<10%. The mass of each mould was determined daily after sunset throughout the drying period. The nutrientscontent and calorific value of the dried sludge were determined using standard methods. The solids-liquid sep-aration process was able to achieve>99% solids and up to 65% COD removal. Analysis of the dried sludgeshowed nutrients content (% of dry weight) of 0.84 for total nitrogen, 0.15 for phosphorus and 0.49 for potassium.The mean calorific value of the dried sludge was 17.1 MJ/kg. The results show the potential of sun-dried palm oilmill wastewater sludge for use as sustainable soil conditioner or solid fuel. The effluent from the solids-liquidseparation must be given additional treatment as it may still contain harmful constituents
CLDF Numeralbank Analysed
No full text<p>Cite the source of the dataset as:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Bibiko, H.-H.; Koile, E.; Barlow, R.; Mamta, K.; Appiah Tieku, E.; Rzymski, C.; List, J.-M.; Gray, R. D. (2023): Numeralbank. A Collection of Numeral Systems of the World's Languages. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.</p>
</blockquote>
CLDF Numeralbank Analysed
No full text<p>Cite the source of the dataset as:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Bibiko, H.-H.; Koile, E.; Barlow, R.; Mamta, K.; Appiah Tieku, E.; Rzymski, C.; List, J.-M.; Gray, R. D. (2023): Numeralbank. A Collection of Numeral Systems of the World's Languages. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.</p>
</blockquote>
Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) RNA screening and sequencing using dry plasma spots
No full textBackground HCV RNA screening of large sample repositories provides data on HCV epidemic patterns that may help guide control policies. In resource-limited settings, shipment of frozen samples to molecular laboratory facilities and testing of individual samples may be prohibitively expensive. Objective Our aim was to detect and sequence HCV RNA in a large HIV-positive cohort from Kumasi, Ghana, using pooled and individual dried plasma spots (DPS) produced from samples stored at −80 °C. Study design In the validation phase, replicate DPS were prepared with six dilutions (500–10,000 IU/ml) of the 4th International Standard for HCV and tested in three independent experiments. In the testing phase, DPS prepared with plasma samples from 875 HIV-positive subjects were pooled for screening, followed by testing of individual DPS of positive pools. Input from individual DPS was two 6 mm punches; pools comprised two punches from each of five DPS. Genotypes were determined by Sanger sequencing of HCV core and NS5B. Results With the dilution series, sensitivity of HCV RNA detection was ≥2500 IU/ml. Replicate DPS gave intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation ≤1.4%. With the stored samples, HCV RNA was detected in 5/175 DPS pools and in one DPS from each positive pool, yielding a HCV RNA prevalence of 5/875 (0.57%; 95% confidence interval 0.07-1.07%). The five samples were sequenced as HCV genotypes 2l and 2r. Discussion DPS allowed reproducible HCV RNA detection, and pooling effectively contained the cost and labour of screening a previously untested, low-prevalence cohort. DPS were also suitable for HCV sequencing
Liver fibrosis by transient elastography and virologic outcomes after introduction of tenofovir in lamivudine-experienced adults with HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) co-infection in Ghana
No full textBackground
Antiretroviral treatment (ART) programs in sub-Saharan Africa have for many years included lamivudine as the sole HBV inhibitor. Long-term outcomes, and the effects of introducing tenofovir as part of ART in these populations, have not been characterized.
Methods
The study comprised a cross-sectional analysis of 106 HIV-HBV co-infected subjects maintained on lamivudine, and a prospective analysis of 76 lamivudine-experienced subjects who introduced tenofovir. Patients underwent assessment of liver fibrosis by transient elastography (TE) and testing to characterize HIV-1 and HBV replication.
Results
After median 45 months of lamivudine, HIV-1 RNA and HBV DNA were detectable in 35/106 (33.0%) and 54/106 (50.9%) subjects respectively, with corresponding drug-resistance rates of 17/106 (16.0%) and 31/106 (29.2%). TE values were median 5.7 kPa (IQR 4.7, 7.2) and independently associated with HBV DNA load, AST levels, and platelet counts; 13/106 (12.3%) subjects had TE measurements >9.4 kPa. Twelve months after the first assessment, and median 7.8 months after introducing tenofovir, HBV DNA levels declined by mean 1.5 log10 IU/ml (p2000 IU/ml (mean -0.8 kPa; p=0.048) or TE values >7.6 kPa (mean -1.2 kPa; p=0.021). HIV-1 RNA detection rates remained unchanged.
Conclusions
A proportion of HIV/HBV co-infected patients on long-term lamivudine-containing ART had poor HIV and HBV suppression, drug-resistance, and TE values indicative of advanced liver fibrosis. Tenofovir improved HBV control and reduced liver stiffness in subjects with high HBV DNA load and TE values
Is sea-basing a viable method of providing logistic support to the UK amphibious force?
No full textMaritime power has traditionally been a central part of the UK’s defence planning and is well
suited to supporting a wide range of military operations. The littoral area has always created
problems for naval planners as most landings historically have had to endure a tactical
separation of the naval and land components, and hence an artificial seam between the Navy
and the Marines. With the end of the Cold War, amphibious operations are going to be more
difficult to conduct than in the past, and amphibious forces are going to have to adopt
manoeuvre warfare capabilities in order to successfully complete their missions. It is very
likely that amphibious forces will have to conduct operations against a numerically superior
enemy, who is on his own terrain, and be surrounded by a neutral, if not hostile populace. As
such, the concept of Operational Manoeuvre From The Sea (OMFTS) whereby the sea is used
as a manoeuvre space, and command and control is fast enough to cope with large amounts of
information, but at the same time allow subordinates maximum flexibility to use their
initiative, is increasingly attractive. It will be important not only for the combat elements to be
able to use this new concept, but the Combat Service Support (CSS) elements as well
<book>
No full textXML wordt in veel situaties gebruikt, en voor dat gebruik worden talloze tools gebouwd. Er zijn verschillende manieren om XML-tools te ontwikkelen, en dit artikel behandelt de voor- en nadelen van de verschillende alternatieven. XML en XML-tools De uitgever Kluwer biedt verschillende soorten informatie aan, zoals wetteksten en belastinggidsen. Deze informatie heeft vaak een vaste structuur: een wet heeft bijvoorbeeld altijd een nummer, en een belastinggids beschrijft componenten die voorkomen op het inkomstenbelastingformulier. De structuur verschilt echter van informatiesoort tot informatiesoort. Voor de beschrijving van een document van dit soort structuren gebruikt Kluwer de Extensible Markup Language (XML) [6], en voor de beschrijving van een structuur zelf een Document Type Definitions (DTD) of een Schema. Een manier om de populariteit van een onderwerp te bepalen is Google te vragen hoe vaak een term voorkomt op het Web, of eigenlijk, in de databases van Google. Zo komen de Beatles bijna 3 miljoen keer voor, en ABBA honderdduizend keer. XML komt ongeveer 20 miljoen keer voor, en verslaat daarmee alle programmeertalen behalve Java. Een andere populariteitsmaat is het aantal vierkante meters boekenplank dat in beslag wordt genomen door boeken over het onderwerp in een academische boekhandel. In mijn lokale boekhandel verslaat XML menig andere nieuwe technologie. Maar wat is XML? XML is een eenvoudig, flexibel tekstformaat, dat veel gebruikt wordt voor het uitwisselen van data op het internet, maar ook tussen bedrijven onderling, en tussen bedrijven en hun klanten. Hier is een voorbeeld van een XML document
Characterization of Faecal Sludge from Pit Latrines to Guide Management Solutions in Cape Coast, Ghana
No full textThis study characterised faecal sludge from public ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines in Cape Coast to assess their potential impact on the environment and to guide the selection of appropriate management solutions. The paper also estimates the amount of beneficial resources wasted due to the lack of a faecal sludge (FS) treatment facility. The study employed a quantitative design involving laboratory analysis of FS sampled from 13 purposively sampled VIP latrines in Cape Coast, Ghana. Sampling activities were carried out in January and February (dry season) and September and October (wet season) of 2015. Samples of unhardened pit latrine sludge were collected from all 13 pit latrines for quality assessment. Physicochemical parameters (moisture content, COD, BOD5, total solids and total volatile solids) of homogenous samples from the surface, middle and bottom of pit contents were analysed following standard procedures. Apart from total solids, all other parameters decreased with the depth of sampling and the differences were statistically significant (p<.01). Seasonal variation in faecal sludge characteristics was not significant except for BOD5. A high COD: BOD5 (3.8-4.5:1) shows faecal sludge that is characterised by slowly degradable organic matter. Even though the FS at the bottom of the pits was found to be the most stabilized, its characteristic parameters indicate that discharging it into the environment without any further treatment would pose a significant threat to public health. The
characteristics suggest that co-composting would be the most appropriate option for treating the FS and also underscore the fact that the VIP latrine technology is not suitable for use as a public toilet
ClueS Collusive Stealing Framework
No full text<p>Please check the code here for now (anonymous git repository): </p><p>https://anonymous.4open.science/r/federated-stealing-D782/README.md</p>
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