Search results for "Pilot Projects"
showing 10 items of 488 documents
Fermentation and elutriation of primary sludge: Effect of SRT on process performance
2007
Abstract A primary sludge fermentation–elutriation pilot plant was operated using in-line and side-stream schemes. The influence of solids retention time, recirculation sludge flow-rate and solids concentration on the fermentation–elutriation process performance has been assessed in this paper. The use of high elutriation flows (12% of influent flow) improved the volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration in the effluent stream. Suspended solids removal efficiency decreased in the primary settler when the solids retention time (SRT) was increased from 4 to 8 days. Disintegration step during hydrolysis process was pointed out as the main reason for that decrease. Maximum VFA productions were a…
Comparison between hybrid moving bed biofilm reactor and activated sludge system: a pilot plant experiment
2010
The paper presents the comparison between the traditional activated sludge system (AS) and a hybrid moving bed biofilm reactor (HMBBR). In particular, an experimental campaign has been carried out at the WWTP in Palermo (Italy), on a pilot plant consisting of two pre-anoxic schemes. The aerated tank of the HMBBR line was filled with suspended carriers (AnoxKaldnes™ K1), with a 30% filling ratio. The hydraulic load of the HMBBR line was increased up to two times the AS one. Further, in order to distinguish the additional contribution of the attached biomass for the HMBBR system, in the two lines the Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids (MLSS) was maintained as equal as possible. The monitoring peri…
Influence of respiratory rate and end-expiratory pressure variation on cyclic alveolar recruitment in an experimental lung injury model
2012
Introduction Cyclic alveolar recruitment/derecruitment (R/D) is an important mechanism of ventilator-associated lung injury. In experimental models this process can be measured with high temporal resolution by detection of respiratory-dependent oscillations of the paO2 (ΔpaO2). A previous study showed that end-expiratory collapse can be prevented by an increased respiratory rate in saline-lavaged rabbits. The current study compares the effects of increased positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) versus an individually titrated respiratory rate (RRind) on intra-tidal amplitude of Δ paO2 and on average paO2 in saline-lavaged pigs. Methods Acute lung injury was induced by bronchoalveolar lavag…
Er:YAG laser in defocused mode for scaling of periodontally involved root surfaces: An in vitro pilot study
2005
Item does not contain fulltext BACKGROUND: The Er:YAG laser may be used on periodontally involved teeth in combination with conventional periodontal therapy in order to improve the efficacy of root instrumentation. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of hand instrumentation on root surfaces of periodontally involved teeth with Er:YAG laser application. METHODS: Thirty freshly extracted, non-carious, single-rooted, periodontally diseased human teeth from adult humans with advanced periodontal disease were used in this study. The teeth were divided into three groups of 10 specimens each. Group A was treated with scaling and root planing (SRP) with curets only (control). In group B…
Preliminary Estimation of Deoxynivalenol Excretion through a 24 h Pilot Study
2015
A duplicate diet study was designed to explore the occurrence of 15 Fusarium mycotoxins in the 24 h-diet consumed by one volunteer as well as the levels of mycotoxins in his 24 h-collected urine. The employed methodology involved solvent extraction at high ionic strength followed by dispersive solid phase extraction and gas chromatography determination coupled to mass spectrometry in tandem. Satisfactory results in method performance were achieved. The method"s accuracy was in a range of 68%108%, with intra-day relative standard deviation and inter-day relative standard deviation lower than 12% and 15%, respectively. The limits of quantitation ranged from 0.1 to 8 μg/Kg. The matrix effect w…
Factors Differentiating Rural and Urban Population in Determining Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Chronic Cardiovascular Disease: A Pilot Stu…
2021
The aim of this cross-sectional study was to analyze selected variables differentiating rural from urban populations, as well as identify potentially increased levels of depression and anxiety in patients with chronic cardiovascular disease. The study was carried out in 193 patients. The study used the Camberwell Assessment of Need Short Appraisal Schedule (CANSAS), the Health Behavior Inventory Questionnaire (HBI), the WHOQOL-BREF Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale–Modified Version (HADS-M). Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient test and logistic regression were used for analyses. In rural patients, we observed a relationship between anxiety and …
Nursing students' perceptions of a video-based serious game's educational value: A pilot study.
2018
Abstract Background Despite an increasing number of serious games (SGs) in nursing education, few evaluation studies specifically address their educational value in terms of face, content, and construct validity. Objectives To assess nursing students' perceptions of a video-based SG in terms of face, content, and construct validity. In addition, the study assessed perceptions of usability, individual factors, and preferences regarding future use. Design A pilot study was conducted. Setting and Participants An SG prototype was implemented as part of two simulation courses in nursing education: one for home health care and one for hospital medical-surgical wards. The SG aimed to teach clinica…
Wastewater-based epidemiology for early warning of SARS-COV-2 circulation: A pilot study conducted in Sicily, Italy
2022
There is increasing evidence of the use of wastewater-based epidemiology to integrate conventional monitoring assessing disease symptoms and signs of viruses in a specific territory. We present the results of SARS-CoV-2 environmental surveillance activity in wastewater samples collected between September 2020 and July 2021 in 9 wastewater treatment plants (WTPs) located in central and western Sicily, serving over 570,000 residents. The presence of SARS-CoV-2, determined in 206 wastewater samples using RT-qPCR assays, was correlated with the notified and geo-referenced cases on the areas served by the WTPs in the same study period. Overall, 51% of wastewater samples were positive. Samples we…
Calibration and simulation of ASM2d at different temperatures in a phosphorous removal pilot plant
2006
In this work, an organic and nutrient removal pilot plant was used to study the temperature influence on phosphorus accumulating organisms. Three experiments were carried out at 13, 20 and 24.5 degrees C, achieving a high phosphorus removal percentage in all cases. The ASM2d model was calibrated at 13 and 20 degrees C and the Arrhenius equation constant was obtained for phosphorus removal processes showing that the temperature influences on the biological phosphorus removal subprocesses in a different degree. The 24.5 degrees C experiment was simulated using the model parameters obtained by means of the Arrhenius equation. The simulation results for the three experiments showed good corresp…
Ventilatory conditioning by self-stimulation in rats: A pilot study
1994
International audience; This article describes an experimental attempt to condition breathing pattern in rats. In this experiment, a freely moving rat was first rewarded by an electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle whenever inspiratory duration (TI) exceeded 300 ms. A bidirectional control was then used: TIs longer than 400 ms were rewarded, and then TIs shorter than 300 ms were rewarded. The frequency of TIs longer than 300 ms increased when this event was rewarded, further increased when TIs above 400 ms were rewarded, and decreased during reversal conditioning (TI < 300 ms). At the beginning of the experiment, stimulation caused increased arousal and motor activity, but af…