MLL4 Is Required to Maintain Broad H3K4me3 Peaks and Super-Enhancers at Tumor Suppressor Genes.

Super-enhancers are large clusters of enhancers that activate gene expression. Broad trimethyl histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3) often defines active tumor suppressor genes. However, how these epigenomic signatures are regulated for tumor suppression is little understood. Here we show that brain-specific knockout of the H3K4 methyltransferase MLL4 (a COMPASS-like enzyme, also known as KMT2D) in mice spontaneously induces medulloblastoma. Mll4 loss upregulates oncogenic Ras and Notch pathways while downregulating neuronal gene expression programs. MLL4 enhances DNMT3A-catalyzed DNA methylation and SIRT1/BCL6-mediated H4K16 deacetylation, which antagonize expression of Ras activators and Notch pathway components, respectively. Notably, Mll4 loss downregulates tumor suppressor genes (e.g., Dnmt3a and Bcl6) by diminishing broad H3K4me3 and super-enhancers and also causes widespread impairment of these epigenomic signatures during medulloblastoma genesis. These findings suggest an anti-tumor role for super-enhancers and provide a unique tumor-suppressive mechanism in which MLL4 is necessary to maintain broad H3K4me3 and super-enhancers at tumor suppressor genes.

Bioadhesive Technology Platforms.

Bioadhesives have emerged as transformative and versatile tools in healthcare, offering the ability to attach tissues with ease and minimal damage. These materials present numerous opportunities for tissue repair and biomedical device integration, creating a broad landscape of applications that have captivated clinical and scientific interest alike. However, fully unlocking their potential requires multifaceted design strategies involving optimal adhesion, suitable biological interactions, and efficient signal communication. In this Review, we delve into these pivotal aspects of bioadhesive design, highlight the latest advances in their biomedical applications, and identify potential opportunities that lie ahead for bioadhesives as multifunctional technology platforms.

Characterization of Gene Regulatory Elements in Human Fetal Cortical Development: Enhancing Our Understanding of Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Evolution.

The neocortex is the region that most distinguishes human brain from other mammals and primates [Annu Rev Genet. 2021 Nov;55(1):555-81]. Studying the development of human cortex is important in understanding the evolutionary changes occurring in humans relative to other primates, as well as in elucidating mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders. Cortical development is a highly regulated process, spatially and temporally coordinated by expression of essential transcriptional factors in response to signaling pathways [Neuron. 2019 Sep;103(6):980-1004]. Enhancers are the most well-understood cis-acting, non-protein-coding regulatory elements that regulate gene expression [Nat Rev Genet. 2014 Apr;15(4):272-86]. Importantly, given the conservation of both DNA sequence and molecular function of the majority of proteins across mammals [Genome Res. 2003 Dec;13(12):2507-18], enhancers [Science. 2015 Mar;347(6226):1155-9], which are far more divergent at the sequence level, likely account for the phenotypes that distinguish the human brain by changing the regulation of gene expression. In this review, we will revisit the conceptual framework of gene regulation during human brain development, as well as the evolution of technologies to study transcriptional regulation, with recent advances in genome biology that open a window allowing us to systematically characterize cis-regulatory elements in developing human brain [Hum Mol Genet. 2022 Oct;31(R1):R84-96]. We provide an update on work to characterize the suite of all enhancers in the developing human brain and the implications for understanding neuropsychiatric disorders. Finally, we discuss emerging therapeutic ideas that utilize our emerging knowledge of enhancer function.

Lipopolysaccharide Core Truncation in Invasive Escherichia coli O157:H7 ATCC 43895 Impairs Flagella and Curli Biosynthesis and Reduces Cell Invasion Ability.

Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157) is known for causing severe foodborne illnesses such as hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Although E. coli O157 is typically regarded as an extracellular pathogen and a weak biofilm producer, some E. coli O157 strains, including a clinical strain ATCC 43895, exhibit a notable ability to invade bovine crypt cells and other epithelial cells, as well as to form robust biofilm. This invasive strain persists in the bovine host significantly longer than non-invasive strains. Various surface-associated factors, including lipopolysaccharides (LPS), flagella, and other adhesins, likely contribute to this enhanced invasiveness and biofilm formation. In this study, we constructed a series of LPS-core deletion mutations (waaI, waaG, waaF, and waaC) in E. coli O157 ATCC 43895, resulting in stepwise truncations of the LPS. This approach enabled us to investigate the effects on the biosynthesis of key surface factors, such as flagella and curli, and the ability of this invasive strain to invade host cells. We confirmed the LPS structure and found that all LPS-core mutants failed to form biofilms, highlighting the crucial role of core oligosaccharides in biofilm formation. Additionally, the LPS inner-core mutants ΔwaaF and ΔwaaC lost the ability to produce flagella and curli. Furthermore, these inner-core mutants exhibited a dramatic reduction in adherence to and invasion of epithelial cells (MAC-T), showing an approximately 100-fold decrease in cell invasion compared with the outer-core mutants (waaI and waaG) and the wild type. These findings underscore the critical role of LPS-core truncation in impairing flagella and curli biosynthesis, thereby reducing the invasion capability of E. coli O157 ATCC 43895.

Characteristics Associated with Relationship-Centred and Task-Focused Mealtime Practices in Older Adult Care Settings.

Purpose: To assess care home and staff characteristics associated with task-focused (TF) and relationship-centred care (RCC) mealtime practices prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: Staff working in Canadian and American care homes were invited to complete a 23-item online survey assessing their perceptions of mealtime care, with one item assessing 26 potential care practices from the Mealtime Relational Care Checklist (relationship-centred = 15; task-focused = 11) reported to occur in the home prior to the pandemic. Multivariate linear regression evaluated staff and care home characteristics associated with mealtime practices.Results: Six hundred and eighty-six respondents completed all questions used in this analysis. Mean TF and RCC mealtime practices were 4.89 ± 1.99 and 9.69 ± 2.96, respectively. Staff age was associated with TF and RCC practices with those 40-55 years reporting fewer TF and those 18-39 years reporting fewer RCC practices. Those providing direct care were more likely to report TF practices. Dissatisfaction with mealtimes was associated with more TF and fewer RCC practices. Homes that were not making changes to promote RCC pre-pandemic had more TF and fewer RCC practices. Newer care homes were associated with more RCC, while small homes (≤49 beds) had more TF practices.Conclusions: Mealtime practices are associated with staff and home factors. These factors should be considered in efforts to improve RCC practices in Canadian homes.

Disruptions in Relational Continuity: The Impact of Pandemic Public Health Measures on Families in Long-Term Care.

Although the value of family caregivers' involvement with relatives in long-term care (LTC) is well recognized, tensions remain regarding their role. Such tensions were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic as strict public health measures restricted family access to LTC homes. Using interpretive description, we examined the impact of visitation restrictions on family caregivers' experiences caring for a relative in LTC between March 2020 and June 2021. In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 family caregivers (five spouses and nine adult daughters) and two key themes were identified. The first theme, "seeking to maintain relational continuity," illustrates how caregivers sought to sustain connections with residents prior to and during the pandemic. The second theme, "disrupted relational continuity," highlights the impact of severed relational connections on caregivers' sense of self and ongoing feelings of loss and anger. Findings call for a trauma-informed approach that recognizes the pervasiveness of trauma for family caregivers and the avoidance of re-traumatization.

Salvage versus primary holmium laser enucleation of the prostate: trends, outcomes and safety analysis.

PURPOSE: To study the safety, efficacy and trends in index procedures leading to salvage holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (S-HoLEP). METHODS: This was a single-institution retrospective review of HoLEPs performed between 2006 and 2020. Patients who underwent S-HoLEP were compared to those undergoing primary holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (P-HoLEP). The endpoint of primary interest were functional outcomes. Changes in index procedures over the study period were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 633 HoLEPs were performed during the study, with 217 being S-HoLEP. The S-HoLEP cohort was older than P-HoLEP cohort, 71.2 years vs 68.8 years (p = 0.03). All other factors were well matched. The most common index procedures prior to S-HoLEP included transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) (87, 40.1%), transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT) (44, 20.3%), photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) (24, 11.1%) and prostatic urethral lift (PUL) (24, 11.1%). Preoperative prostate volume, IPSS and Qmax were similar between groups. Intra-operatively, S-HoLEP had longer procedure and morcellation times (p = 0.01 and 0.007). Postoperatively, the S-HoLEP cohort had longer catheter duration and hospitalization (both p < 0.001). Postoperative Qmax, IPSS and 90-day complication rates were similar. On temporal analysis, minimally invasive surgical therapies (MIST) have become more prevalent as index procedures. CONCLUSION: S-HoLEP is safe and efficacious for patients requiring additional BPH surgical intervention. S-HoLEP patients had longer operative times and hospital stays but equivalent postoperative functional outcomes compared to P-HoLEP. As MIST mature and gain traction, it is expected that rates of S-HoLEP will continue to rise.

Evaluating Al-based coagulants for drinking water facilities using Jar test and CCD/RSM analysis.

This study evaluated Al-based coagulants for turbidity removal optimization in drinking water facility using Jar test and CCD/RSM analysis. The wide use of aluminum salts requires researching improved Al-based coagulants to reduce the treatment dosage. Eight polyaluminum chloride coagulants (PACl), i.e., Hyperlon 4064-PACl 2, Hyperlon 4393, 1757 X1, 1757 XL8- PACl 1, Ultrafloc 1406, Ultrafloc 3759, AlcoPAC 6, and AlcoPAC 1010 were first compared using a series of jar tests to determine the best candidate in removing the settled and filtered turbidity in water. The results showed that all PACls performed better than alum in removing water turbidity, but Hyperlon 4064 was the best. Then, the central composite design/response surface methodology (CCD/RSM) analysis was applied to Hyperlon 4064 to optimize dosage and pH to achieve the lowest final settled and filtered turbidity in the treated water, which were 21.7 mg/L, 7.53 and 27.95 mg/L, 7.91, respectively. Two quadratic models were generated by the CCD/RSM analysis with high correlations between the actual and predicted responses (R2 = 0.9881 and 0.9809 for final settled turbidity and final filtered turbidity). The results from this study can provide useful information to the operating water treatment plants that use Al-based coagulants to remove turbidity in water.

Hungry for more: Low resident social engagement is indirectly associated with poor energy intake and mealtime experience in long-term care homes.

Mealtimes in long-term care (LTC) homes provide social engagement and nutritional intake to residents. Psychosocial challenges may detract from the mealtime experience, resulting in low food intake and increased risk of malnutrition. This study explores the independent effects of psychosocial factors on energy intake among LTC residents. Secondary data (Making the Most of Mealtimes [M3]) from residents in 32 Canadian LTC homes were analyzed. Data included 3-day weighed food intake, mealtime care actions taken by staff, loss of appetite, eating challenges, and other resident characteristics. Psychosocial factors (i.e., social engagement, depression, and aggressive behaviours) were measured using standardized scales. The independent effects of psychosocial factors on energy intake were tested using bivariate and linear regression analyses adjusted for loss of appetite, eating challenges, and demographic characteristics. The final sample included 604 residents (mean age = 86.8 ± 7.8 years; 31.8% male). Of the three psychosocial factors, only social engagement was associated with energy intake. Low social engagement was associated with cognitive and functional challenges, malnutrition risk, more task-focused mealtime actions by staff, and lower energy intake. Simple regression analysis revealed that individuals with low social engagement ate 59.6 kcal less per day (95% CI = -111.2, -8.0). This significant association remained when adjusting for loss of appetite, but was no longer significant when adjusting for eating challenges. Low social engagement occurs concurrently with physical and functional challenges among LTC residents, affecting both the nutritional and social aspects of mealtimes. Emphasis on socializing during mealtimes, especially for those with eating challenges (e.g., requiring assistance), may contribute to improved resident appetite and quality of life.

Family member eating assistance and food intake in long-term care: A secondary data analysis of the M3 Study.

AIM: To determine if protein and energy intake is significantly associated with a family member providing eating assistance to residents in long-term care homes as compared with staff providing this assistance, when adjusting for other covariates. BACKGROUND: Who provides eating support has the potential to improve resident food intake. Little is known about family eating assistance and if this is associated with resident food intake in long-term care. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, secondary data analysis. METHODS: Between October and January 2016, multilevel data were collected from 32 long-term care homes across four Canadian provinces. Data included 3-day weighed/observed food intake, mealtime observations, physical dining room assessments, health record review, and staff report of care needs. Residents where family provided eating assistance were compared with residents who received staff-only assistance. Regression analysis determined the association of energy and protein intake with family eating assistance versus staff assistance while adjusting for covariates. RESULTS: Of those residents who required any physical eating assistance (N = 147), 38% (N = 56) had family assistance during at least one of nine meals observed. Residents who received family assistance (N = 56) and those who did not (N = 91) were statistically different in several of their physiological eating abilities. When adjusting for covariates, family assistance was associated with significantly higher consumption of protein and energy intake. CONCLUSION: Energy and protein intake is significantly higher when family provides eating assistance. Family are encouraged to provide this direct care if it is required. IMPACT: Residents who struggle with independent eating can benefit from dedicated support during mealtimes. Findings from this study provide empirical evidence that family eating assistance is associated with improved resident food intake and provides strong justification to encourage families to be active partners in the care and well-being of their relatives. Home administrators and nursing staff should support the specialized care that families can provide at mealtimes.

Are Therapeutic Diets in Long-Term Care Affecting Resident Food Intake and Meeting their Nutritional Goals?

Purpose: To examine health characteristics of long-term care (LTC) residents prescribed therapeutic diets (promoting or restricting intake of key food components), to determine how these diets influenced intake and whether there were differences in food intake and malnutrition risk between residents with and without restrictive diets.Methods: Secondary analysis of the Making the Most of Mealtimes Study includes 435 residents with no/mild cognitive impairment in 32 LTC homes across 4 provinces. Health records were reviewed for diet prescriptions and other characteristics. Weighed and observed food and fluid consumption over 3 nonconsecutive days determined intake. Bivariate and multivariable linear regressions identified associations between therapeutic diets and intake and key nutrients.Results: Almost half (42%) of participants were prescribed a therapeutic diet. Residents receiving restrictive diets (28%) consumed absolute calories consistent with those receiving a regular diet, but kcal/kg was significantly lower (22.1 ± 5.5 vs 23.6 ± 5.3). Low sodium and weight-promoting diets were the only therapeutic diets associated with their corresponding key nutrient profiles. Restrictive therapeutic diets were not associated with energy or protein intake when adjusting for covariates.Conclusions: Restrictive therapeutic diets among those with mild to no cognitive deficits do not appear to impair food intake.

Removing methylene blue contained in dye wastewater using a novel liquid-phase plasma discharge process.

In this study, a newly developed liquid-phase plasma discharge (LPPD) process was evaluated for removing methylene blue (MB) in water. Three independent variables, i.e., liquid flow rate (LF), air flow rate (AF), and MB concentration in water, were all tested at five levels (37, 68, 81, 94, and 103 mL/min for LF; 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 L/min for AF; and 10, 30, 50, 70, and 90 mg/L for MB) using Central Composite Design (CCD) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to optimize the operation for the plasma reactor. The results showed that the regression model produced by the CCD/RSM analysis could adequately predict the MB removal rate of the LPPD process with a model p value of less than 0.0001. The uncertainty analysis further confirmed the error range for the regression model was from -3.93% to 0.63% in predicting the MB removal rate within the ranges of the three independent variables tested. The removal rates were all above *Address correspondence to Dr. Sarah Wu, Department of Biological Engineering, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 0904, Moscow, ID 83844-0904. 99% for the MB concentrations experimented at LF 68 mL/min and AF 4 L/min. The results concluded that the novel LPPD process was effective in removing MB from dye wastewater.

Effects of dietary isomaltooligosaccharide and Bacillus spp. supplementation during perinatal period on lactational performance, blood metabolites, and milk composition of sows.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we evaluated the effects of isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO) and Bacillus spp. in perinatal diets on lactational performance, blood metabolites, and milk composition of sows. Multiparous gestating sows (N = 130) with similar body conditions were fed diets without containing IMO (control, CON group), IMO (IMO group), IMO and Bacillus subtilis (IMO + S group), IMO and Bacillus licheniformis (IMO + L group), and IMO and both B. subtilis and B. licheniformis (IMO + S + L group). RESULTS: The average daily feed intake of lactating sows in the IMO + S group (P < 0.05) and the average litter gain and total milk yield in the IMO + S + L group (P < 0.01) were significantly higher than those of the sows in the other treatment groups. In addition, the serum alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase concentrations in all treatment groups were lower than those in the CON group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the highest proportion of fat in colostrum (0.05 < P < 0.1) and lowest proportion of lactose in milk were observed in the IMO + L group (P < 0.05). The concentrations of growth hormone and immunoglobulins A and G in milk were higher in sows supplemented with IMO, IMO + S, IMO + L, or IMO + S + L (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: IMO and Bacillus spp. supplementation during the perinatal period improved the sows' lactational performance by affecting their metabolism and milk quality. Sows in the IMO + S and IMO + S + L treatment groups exhibited the best performance. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Anaerobic co-digestion of poultry litter and wheat straw affected by solids composition, free ammonia and carbon/nitrogen ratio.

In this study, the effects of three total solids levels (2%, 5% and 10% TS) of the mixtures of poultry litter and wheat straw at different percent volatile solids from wheat straw (0%, 25% and 50% VSWS), free ammonia nitrogen (FAN) and C/N ratio on co-digesting poultry litter with wheat straw were studied in batch experiments operated at 37 °C. The results showed that adjusting the substrate C/N ratio alone could not always result in high methane yields and biogas volumes. The maximum CH4 yield of 201 mL g-1 initial VS was observed in the 5% TS category with VSWS being 50%. The highest specific biogas volume produced (318 mL g-1 initial VS) was also obtained in the same solid category. A polynomial regression between FAN and the methanogenic activity was obtained with the correlation coefficient being 0.9472. A FAN inhibitory threshold concentration of 253.9 mg L-1 was found, and a total loss of methane production occurred when the FAN concentration reached 1000 mg L-1. An optimal TS content for anaerobic digestion of poultry litter with wheat straw was around 4.15% to achieve the best biogas yield. Similarly, for digesting poultry litter without addition of wheat straw, the TS content should be kept at around 6.8%.

Mixed methods developmental evaluation of the CHOICE program: a relationship-centred mealtime intervention for long-term care.

BACKGROUND: Mealtimes are important to quality of life for residents in long-term care (LTC). CHOICE (which stands for Connecting, Honouring dignity, Offering support, supporting Identity, Creating opportunities, and Enjoyment) is a multi-component intervention to improve relationship-centred care (RCC) and overall mealtime experience for residents. The objective of this developmental evaluation was to determine: a) if the dining experience (e.g. physical, social and RCC practices) could be modified with the CHOICE Program, and b) how program components needed to be adapted and/or if new components were required. METHODS: A mixed methods study conducted between April-November 2016 included two home areas (64 residents; 25 care staff/home management) within a single LTC home in Ontario. Mealtime Scan (MTS), which measures mealtime experience at the level of the dining room, was used to evaluate the effectiveness of CHOICE implementation at four time points. Change in physical, social, RCC dining environment ratings and overall quality of the mealtime experience over time was determined with linear mixed-effects analyses (i.e., repeated measures). Semi-structured interviews (n = 9) were conducted with home staff to identify what components of the intervention worked well and what improvements could be made. RESULTS: Physical and overall mealtime environment ratings showed improvement over time in both areas; one home area also improved social ratings (p < 0.05). Interviews revealed in-depth insights into the program and implementation process: i) Knowing the context and culture to meet staff and resident needs; ii) Getting everyone on board, including management; iii) Keeping communication lines open throughout the process; iv) Sharing responsibility and accountability for mealtime goals and challenges; v) Empowering and supporting staff's creative mealtime initiatives. CONCLUSIONS: This developmental evaluation demonstrated the potential value of CHOICE. Findings suggest a need to: extend the time to tailor program components; empower home staff in change management; and provide increased coaching.

Exploring the synergies between focused ethnography and integrated knowledge translation.

BACKGROUND: Issues with the uptake of research findings in applied health services research remain problematic. Part of this disconnect is attributed to the exclusion of knowledge users at the outset of a study, which often results in the generation of knowledge that is not usable at the point of care. Integrated knowledge translation blended with qualitative methodologies has the potential to address this issue by working alongside knowledge users throughout the research process. Nevertheless, there is currently a paucity of literature about how integrated knowledge translation can be integrated into qualitative methodology; herein, we begin to address this gap in methodology discourse. The purpose of this paper is to describe our experience of conducting a focused ethnography with a collaborative integrated knowledge translation approach, including the synergies and potential sources of discord between integrated knowledge translation and focused ethnography. METHODS: We describe the specific characteristics and synergies that exist when using an integrated knowledge translation approach with focused ethnography, using a research exemplar about the experiences of frail, older adults undergoing a transcatheter aortic valve implantation. RESULTS: Embedding integrated knowledge translation within focused ethnography resulted in (1) an increased focus on the culture and values of the context under study, (2) a higher level of engagement among researchers, study participants and knowledge users, and (3) a commitment to partnership between researchers and knowledge users as part of a larger programme of research, resulting in a (4) greater emphasis on the importance of reciprocity and trustworthiness in the research process. CONCLUSIONS: Engaging in integrated knowledge translation from the outset of a study ensures that research findings are relevant for application at the point of care. The integration of integrated knowledge translation within focused ethnography allows for real-time uptake of meaningful and emerging findings, the strengthening of collaborative research teams, and opportunities for sustained programmes of research and relationships in the field of health services research. Further exploration of the integration of knowledge translation approaches with qualitative methodologies is recommended.

Study on the effect of total dissolved solids (TDS) on the performance of an SBR for COD and nutrients removal.

In this study, the effect of total dissolved solids (TDS) on the performance of a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system to treat synthetic wastewater with microbial inoculum was evaluated. The SBR was operated continuously for eight days on a 6-h cycle with anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic phases in each cycle after entering the steady state, and the influent TDS was tested at five levels, i.e., 750, 1500, 3000, 4500, and 6000 mg L-1. The results showed that only two TDS levels (750 and 1500 mg L-1) could achieve good COD removal efficiencies (94.8 and 92.2%, respectively). For TDS levels equal to, or greater than, 3000 mg L-1, a 20% reduction in COD removal efficiency resulted. Different from COD, removal of NH4+-N appeared not to be affected by the TDS content, and a removal efficiency of higher than 97% was obtained, regardless of the TDS content. However, only the lowest two TDS levels achieved high phosphate removals (>99%), and the removal efficiency dropped to 57.8 and 45.9%, respectively, for TDS levels of 3000 and 4500 mg L-1. More interestingly, a phosphate release, instead of uptake, was observed at the TDS level of 6000 mg L-1. It may be concluded that for effective phosphate removal, the TDS level in the liquid should be controlled under 1500 mg L-1, and higher liquid TDS levels were detrimental to the aerobes and could disrupt the aerobic metabolism, leading to the failure of the SBR treatment system. A tendency that raising TDS content would adversely affect the aerobic oxygen uptake rate was observed, which could also result in SBR upset. A power regression with an R of 0.9844 was established between the influent TDS concentration and the TDS removal efficiency, which may be used to estimate the SBR performance in TDS removal based on the influent TDS content.

Pre-digestion to enhance volatile fatty acids (VFAs) concentration as a carbon source for denitrification in treatment of liquid swine manure.

Insufficient denitrification in biological treatment is often a result of the lack of a carbon source. In this study, use of the volatile fatty acids (VFAs) generated via pre-digestion as a carbon source to improve denitrification in sequencing batch reactor (SBR) treatment of liquid swine manure was investigated. The pre-digestion of swine manure was realized by storing the manure in a sealed container in room temperature and samples were taken periodically from the container to determine the VFA levels. The results showed that after 14 days of pre-digestion, the VFA level in the digested liquid was increased by 200%. A polynomial relationship for the VFA level in the digested manure with the digestion time was observed with a correlation coefficient being 0.9748. Two identical SBRs were built and operated on 8-h cycles in parallel, with one fed with pre-digested and the other raw swine manure. There were five phases included in each cycle, i.e., anaerobic (90 min), anoxic (150 min), anoxic/anaerobic (90 min), anoxic/aerobic (120 min), and settle/decant (30 min), and the feeding was split to 600 mL/200 mL and performed at the beginning of and 240 min into the cycle. The SBR fed on pre-digested swine manure achieved successful denitrification with only 0.35 mg/L nitrate left in the effluent, compared to 15.9 mg/L found in the effluent of the other SBR. Nitrite was not detected in the effluent from both SBRs. The results also indicated that there was no negative impact of feeding SBRs with the pre-digested liquid swine manure for treatment on the removal of other constituents such as total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), suspended solids (SS), volatile suspended solids (VSS), and soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD). Therefore, anaerobic digestion as a pretreatment can be an effective way to condition liquid swine manure for SBR treatment to achieve sufficient nitrate removal.

Feeding schemes and C/N ratio of a laboratory-scale step-fed sequencing batch reactor for liquid swine manure treatment.

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of two split feeding schemes (600 mL/200 mL and 400 mL/400 mL, designated as FS1 and FS2, respectively) on the performance of a step-fed sequencing batch reactor (SBR) in treating liquid swine manure for nutrient removal. The SBR was run on an 8-h cycle with a repeated pattern of anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic phases in each cycle and the two feedings always occurred at the beginning of each anaerobic phase. A low-level aeration was used (1.0 L/m3.sec) for the anoxic/aerobic phase to facilitate nitrification and phosphorus uptake while reducing the energy consumption. The results showed that FS1 reduced NH4+-N by 98.7% and FS2 by 98.3%. FS1 had 12.3 mg/L NO3-N left in the effluent, while FS2 had 4.51 mg/L. For soluble phosphorus removal, FS1 achieved 95.2%, while FS2 reached only 68.5%. Both feeding schemes achieved ≥ 95% removal of COD. A good power regression was observed between total nitrogen (sum of all three nitrogen species) and the carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio, with the correlation coefficients of 0.9729 and 0.9542 for FS1 and FS2, respectively, based on which it was concluded that higher C/N ratios were required to achieve higher nitrogen removal efficiencies.

Brain Structural Integrity and Intrinsic Functional Connectivity Forecast 6 Year Longitudinal Growth in Children's Numerical Abilities.

Early numerical proficiency lays the foundation for acquiring quantitative skills essential in today's technological society. Identification of cognitive and brain markers associated with long-term growth of children's basic numerical computation abilities is therefore of utmost importance. Previous attempts to relate brain structure and function to numerical competency have focused on behavioral measures from a single time point. Thus, little is known about the brain predictors of individual differences in growth trajectories of numerical abilities. Using a longitudinal design, with multimodal imaging and machine-learning algorithms, we investigated whether brain structure and intrinsic connectivity in early childhood are predictive of 6 year outcomes in numerical abilities spanning childhood and adolescence. Gray matter volume at age 8 in distributed brain regions, including the ventrotemporal occipital cortex (VTOC), the posterior parietal cortex, and the prefrontal cortex, predicted longitudinal gains in numerical, but not reading, abilities. Remarkably, intrinsic connectivity analysis revealed that the strength of functional coupling among these regions also predicted gains in numerical abilities, providing novel evidence for a network of brain regions that works in concert to promote numerical skill acquisition. VTOC connectivity with posterior parietal, anterior temporal, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices emerged as the most extensive network predicting individual gains in numerical abilities. Crucially, behavioral measures of mathematics, IQ, working memory, and reading did not predict children's gains in numerical abilities. Our study identifies, for the first time, functional circuits in the human brain that scaffold the development of numerical skills, and highlights potential biomarkers for identifying children at risk for learning difficulties. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Children show substantial individual differences in math abilities and ease of math learning. Early numerical abilities provide the foundation for future academic and professional success in an increasingly technological society. Understanding the early identification of poor math skills has therefore taken on great significance. This work provides important new insights into brain structure and connectivity measures that can predict longitudinal growth of children's math skills over a 6 year period, and may eventually aid in the early identification of children who might benefit from targeted interventions.