Removal of batteries from solid waste using trommel separation.

This paper describes the design and testing of a trommel for separation of batteries from solid waste. A trommel is a cylindrical separation device that rotates and performs size separation. It has also been used in areas such as municipal solid waste (MSW) processing, classifying construction and demolition debris, screening mass-burn incinerator ash and compost processing. A trommel has been designed based on size separation to separate household batteries from solid waste, which can then be used as feedstock for alternative applications of solid waste combustion, particularly where the metal content of the product is also a critical parameter, such as the Co-Co process for integrated cement and power production. This trommel has been tested with batches of university office and restaurant wastes against various factors. The recovery efficiency of batteries increases with decreasing inclination angle of the trommel and decreasing rotational speed. A physical characterization of the university solid waste has been performed with a 20-kg sample of the tested waste. It was found that there is a trend of decreasing recovery of batteries with increasing paper composition, and a trend of increasing recovery of batteries with increasing organic materials composition.

Quality of travel health advice in higher-education establishments in the United Kingdom and its relationship to the demographic background of the provider.

BACKGROUND: The number of international trips undertaken by residents of the United Kingdom has risen dramatically over the past 50 years. Likewise, the numbers studying in higher education have also shown a huge increase. This study aimed to assess the appropriateness of advice given to traveling students by higher education-based health services and to relate this to the demography and experience of the professionals involved. METHODS: A postal questionnaire describing three hypothetical groups of students traveling to different parts of the world was sent to 335 doctors and nurses. These clinicians belonged to the British Association of Health Services in Higher Education. They worked in 105 practices that serve higher-educational establishments in the United Kingdom. Main outcome measures included whether appropriate immunizations were advised and given correctly through the National Health Service (NHS) or privately, and whether appropriate advice was given regarding malaria, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and miscellaneous risks. The sources of information used to advise travelers were also asked, and the effect of demographic characteristics of the respondents on the quality of advice was investigated. RESULTS: Two hundred fifteen (64%) questionnaires were returned. The mean score for whether the correct immunizations were advised was 77%, and for whether these were given correctly through the NHS or privately was 79.6%. For malaria, HIV, and miscellaneous risks, the scores were lower at 65%, 38%, and 32%, respectively. The score for correct immunizations was significantly affected by sex, with females respondents scoring higher (p = .036). Previous training in travel medicine improved scores for immunizations (p = .034) and for the correct choice being given through the NHS or privately (p = .006). Age, hours worked, role, and size of practice had no influence on scores. Charts in the general practice free newspapers were the most popular source of information. CONCLUSIONS: Practices serving higher-education establishments usually give appropriate advice to travelers in terms of the immunizations required, whether these are available through the NHS or privately, and about reducing risks of malaria. This is not the case regarding advice pertaining to HIV and miscellaneous risks. Previous training in travel medicine seems to correlate with the giving of more appropriate advice.

Adsorption isotherm models for basic dye adsorption by peat in single and binary component systems.

Colored effluents from textile industries are a problem in many rivers and waterways. Prediction of dye adsorption capacities is important in design considerations. The sorption of three basic dyes, namely Basic blue 3, Basic yellow 21, and Basic red 22, onto peat is reported. Equilibrium sorption isotherms have been measured for the three single-component systems. Equilibrium was achieved after 21 days. The experimental isotherm data were analyzed using Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich-Peterson, Tempkin, and Toth isotherm equations. A detailed error analysis has been undertaken to investigate the effect of using different error criteria for the determination of the single-component isotherm parameters and hence obtain the best isotherm and isotherm parameters which describe the adsorption process. The linear transform model provided the highest R(2) regression coefficient with the Redlich-Peterson model. The Redlich-Peterson model also yielded the best fit to experimental data for all three dyes using the nonlinear error functions. An extended Langmuir model has been used to predict the isotherm data for the binary systems using the single component data. The correlation between theoretical and experimental data had only limited success due to competitive and interactive effects between the dyes and the dye-surface interactions.

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 stimulates proliferation of human cancer cells by inhibiting a metalloproteinase.

TIMP-1, an approximately 30 kDa glycosylated protein found predominantly in extracellular compartments, is involved in the regulation of a variety of developmental, remodelling, and pathological processes. One function of TIMP-1 is to inhibit certain members of a group of extracellular and cell surface enzymes known collectively as metalloproteinases (MP). These include the matrix metalloproteinases and the adamalysin-like disintegrin and metalloproteinases (ADAMs). Additional activities of TIMP-1 include potentiating the activity of erythroid precursors and stimulating proliferation of certain cancer cell lines. Published evidence suggests that the apparent proliferative action of TIMP-1 is independent of its MP-inhibitory activity; however, reports of a cell surface receptor for TIMP-1 have not been confirmed. We have utilised a baculovirus-based system to produce TIMP-1. Data presented here show that TIMP-1 and synthetic hydroxamate (GM6001) MP inhibitors stimulate proliferation and metabolic activity of MDA-MB-435 cancer cells with similar kinetics. An inactive hydroxamate derivative was ineffective. The TIMP-1-induced increase in proliferation and metabolic activity was not the consequence of the inhibition of apoptosis by TIMP-1 in the serum-free medium. These data taken together imply that the mechanism by which TIMP-1 enhances cell growth depends on its ability to inhibit a metalloproteinase, rather than to stimulate a cell surface receptor by a process independent of its MP-inhibitory activity. Inhibitors of extracellular regulated kinase (U0126) and p38 (SB203580), and to a lesser extent the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase inhibitor LY294002, suppressed the action of TIMP-1. Assays for ERK1/2 and p38 showed that both were activated by TIMP-1 and GM6001. Mechanisms by which TIMP-1 might act to stimulate cell proliferation are described.

Photocatalytic thin film cascade reactor for treatment of organic compounds in wastewater.

The photocatalytic oxidation of benzoic acid was investigated in a pilot scale-cascade photoreactor. The photoreactor consists of an array of UV lamps (40 W, 365 nm) illuminating a cascade of three inclined 316 stainless steel plates, on which titanium dioxide (TiO2) was immobilized by electrophoretic deposition. The percentage removal of total organic carbon (TOC) of liquid samples was determined. The photocatalytic process was affected by several operating parameters. Increasing the solution temperature was found to reduce the dissolved oxygen (DO) level and to decrease the rate of the degradation process. The Langmuir-Hinshelwood equation was found to be accurate for modeling the degradation of benzoic acid with initial concentrations of 50 ppm, 75 ppm and 100 ppm. The rate of removal of TOC was positively affected by UV light intensity, but appeared to be independent of solution flowrate in the range examined. Control experiments confirmed that the effects of adsorption of the solute onto the TiO2 catalysts and photolytic degradation were negligible.

Determination of solid-phase loading for the removal of metal ion from effluents using fixed-bed adsorbers.

The sorption of cadmium and copper ions from aqueous solutions onto bone char using fixed-bed adsorbers has been studied. A film-pore diffusion model has been utilized to predict theoretical breakthrough curves, which are compared with experimental breakthrough curves by means of error analysis. The key parameters for correlating the theoretical model are the external film mass-transfer coefficient (kf), the effective diffusion coefficient (Deff), and the solid-phase loading (q). The kf is determined from fixed-bed empirical correlations, and Deff is determined by a best-fit optimization routine. The q value has traditionally been determined using the equilibrium isotherm, which is applicable when the column adsorbent reaches equilibrium, or using the breakthrough curve mass balance when the column does not reach equilibrium. The breakthrough curve mass balance method needs experimental curves for each system and is not a practical solution for general design models. This paper presents two novel predictive equations for q in terms of process variables. The accuracy of the equations is sufficient for application in design models for nonequilibrium and equilibrium systems.

Combined diffusion model for the sorption of cadmium, copper, and zinc ions onto bone char.

The ability of bone char to remove three single-component metals (namely, cadmium, copper and zinc) from aqueous solutions has been studied. Equilibrium isotherms have been measured and analyzed using a Langmuir isotherm model. A series of batch contact time experiments were performed to study the effect of sorbent mass and initial metal ion concentration for the three systems. A new film-pore diffusion model has been applied to the batch contact time results, and good correlation is obtained between theoretical predictions and experimental data. A further extension to the new model was made to include a surface diffusion term. The agreement between theoretical results and experimental data improved as the sum of the squares of the errors (SSE) improved by around 20% for cadmium and zinc but by 50% for copper. Therefore, the sorptions of cadmium and zinc ions onto bone char are primarily film-pore diffusion controlled, but for the copper system film-pore-surface diffusion must be considered.

Sorption kinetic analysis for the removal of cadmium ions from effluents using bone char.

The adsorption of cadmium ions onto bone char has been studied using a batch adsorber. The experimental data was analyzed using four sorption kinetic models--the pseudo-first order, the Ritchie second order, the modified second order and the Elovich equations--to determine the best-fit equation for the sorption of metal ions onto bone char. The best-fit equation was identified using the sum of the errors squared (SSE). Finally, equilibrium studies were used to evaluate the sorption capacity of bone char for cadmium ions and experimental results showed this to be 0.57 mmol g-1 at an equilibrium solution concentration of 3.0 mmol dm-3. Since the sorption capacity is relatively high, bone char can be considered as a suitable sorbent for the adsorption of cadmium in wastewater treatment systems.

Film-Pore Diffusion Control for the Batch Sorption of Cadmium Ions from Effluent onto Bone Char.

The sorption equilibrium and kinetics of cadmium ions from aqueous solution onto bone char have been studied. Equilibrium isotherms for the sorption system were correlated by Langmuir and bi-Langmuir equations. The application of the bi-Langmuir equation was developed because the mechanistic analysis in this research indicated that cadmium removal occurs ion exchange and physical adsorption onto different surface sites. The bi-Langmuir equation provides a better fit to the experimental data. In addition, the removal rates of cadmium ions based on the Langmuir models have been investigated. The effective diffusivity was calculated using the effects of initial metal ion concentration and bone char mass. Two mass-transport models based on film-pore diffusion control have been applied to analyze the concentration decay curves. The film and pore diffusion coefficients using an analytical equation are equal to 1.26x10(-3) cm/s and 5.06x10(-7) cm(2)/s, respectively. The pore diffusion coefficient obtained from the numerical method is 4.89x10(-7) cm(2)/s. A sensitivity analysis showed that the film-pore diffusion model and constant effective diffusivity could be used to describe the mass-transport mechanism of the sorption system with a high degree of correlation. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Film-pore diffusion model for the fixed-bed sorption of copper and cadmium ions onto bone char.

The sorption of copper and cadmium ions onto bone char in single component systems has been studied using fixed-bed column adsorbers. The effects of solution flowrate, initial metal ion concentration and bone char particle size have been studied. A film-pore diffusion model has been developed to predict the fixed-bed breakthrough curves for the two metal ions. A sensitivity analysis has been carried out to investigate the influence of the external mass transfer coefficient (film resistance), the effective diffusion coefficient (pore diffusion) and the solid phase loading capacity. It is found that under the experimental conditions employed in the study, film diffusional resistance was low and the Biot numbers were relatively high. Furthermore, a constant effective pore diffusivity was not sufficient to correlate the breakthrough curves accurately and a variable dependent effective diffusivity was required; suggesting a possible contribution from surface diffusion. Since the metal ion-bone char systems take a long time to reach equilibrium, the solid phase loading capacity, as predicted by the "best-fit" equilibrium isotherm, was not suitable for use in the diffusional mass transport model and the mass balance solid phase loading was utilised instead.

Effects of interactions between Pasteurella haemolytica and Bordetella parapertussis on in vitro phagocytosis by lung macrophages.

The aim of the work was to determine the effect of exposing ovine bronchoalveolar macrophages (BAM) in vivo to Pasteurella haemolytica and/or Bordetella parapertussis on the subsequent uptake and killing of P. haemolytica by these cells in vitro. Exposure in vivo to P. haemolytica did not affect the uptake of P. haemolytica by BAM in vitro but reduced (P < 0.05) the intracellular killing of bacteria. Exposure in vivo to B. parapertussis had no significant effect on either the uptake or killing of P. haemolytica in vitro. However, sequential exposure in vivo to B. parapertussis and P. haemolytica reduced both the ingestion (P < 0.05) and killing (P < 0.001) of P. haemolytica in vitro. These results indicate that exposure to P. haemolytica compromised the bacterial killing mechanisms of BAM and that synergy between B. parapertussis and P. haemolytica reduced the ability of BAM to ingest bacteria.

Moredun Bordetella Medium, an improved selective medium for isolation of Bordetella parapertussis.

Bordetella parapertussis, previously thought to be an obligate human respiratory tract pathogen, has been isolated from sheep. Attempts to assess the prevalence of B. parapertussis in conventionally reared sheep by nasal swabbing proved futile with existing selective media because of extensive overgrowth with Mucor spp. and other nasal commensals. Moredun Bordetella Medium (MBM), which contains cycloheximide and spectinomycin at final concentrations of 0.5 mg/ml and 100 mu g/ml, respectively, was developed as an improved selective medium to isolate B. parapertussis from the nasal cavities of conventionally reared sheep. The selective ability of MBM was evaluated with 200 nasal swabs from conventionally reared sheep, and B. parapertussis was recovered from 31.5% of the samples. MBM facilitated the simple and effective isolation of B. parapertussis from ovine nasal swabs and, in successfully excluding overgrowth with other contaminants, proved superior to other test formulations evaluated and to existing conventional media.

Differentiation between human and ovine isolates of Bordetella parapertussis using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

The genetic relatedness of 18 human and 29 ovine isolates of Bordetella parapertussis was examined by macrorestriction digestion of DNA with the rarely cutting enzyme XbaI and resolution by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. There was clear separation of human and ovine isolates and variation within host types. The human isolates were separated into three types as were the 24 Scottish ovine isolates. Species-specific bands were observed with the human isolates at 114, 134, 166, 213, 346 and 372 kb. No species-specific bands were found in the B. parapertussis ovine isolates. Isolates of B. parapertussis recovered from sheep in New Zealand gave a further two DNA banding patterns which were clearly different from the Scottish ovine and the human isolates. These results indicate that human and ovine isolates of B. parapertussis are genetically distinct and that variation exists within isolates from the same host species. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis therefore appears to be a powerful discriminatory tool for the classification of B. parapertussis.

Characterisation of ovine Bordetella parapertussis isolates by analysis of specific endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) epitopes, filamentous haemagglutinin production, cellular fatty acid composition and antibiotic sensitivity.

Isolates of Bordetella parapertussis, recovered from sheep or man, were characterised by reaction with specific anti-Bordetella lipopolysaccharide monoclonal antibodies, production of filamentous haemagglutinin, fatty acid patterns, and antibiotic sensitivity. Generally, the isolates lay within one of four groups, with separation of the ovine isolates into two groups. Reactions with specific monoclonal antibodies against lipopolysaccharide separated the ovine isolates into these two groupings. Analysis of the cellular fatty acid compositions by cluster analysis differentiated between the human and the ovine strains and also showed variation within the ovine isolates. When the production of filamentous haemagglutinin was analysed in an ELISA system, a similar pattern emerged. Varying concentrations of filamentous haemagglutinin (11-429 ng (mg total protein)-1) were extracted from the human isolates and the one group of ovine isolates with no significant protein detected in the other ovine group. These studies demonstrate variation between and within B. parapertussis isolates recovered from two mammalian sources.

Bronchopneumonia in mice caused by Pasteurella haemolytica A2 after predisposition by ovine Bordetella parapertussis.

Initial intranasal inoculation of four to eight-week-old Swiss White mice with 7.5 x 10(6) colony forming units (cfu) of ovine B. parapertussis followed 30 min, three or five days, by intranasal inoculation with 1.4 x 10(5) cfu of Pasteurella haemolytica A2 resulted in a more severe infection pattern than when either agent was administered alone. Histopathological examination showed that inoculation with B. parapertussis alone caused a bronchopneumonia the severity of which was dependant upon the infecting dose. Bacteria were recovered up to 10 days after inoculation. P. haemolytica alone had no apparant pathogenic effect and was cleared from the lungs within 24 h. When both agents were given in combination the lesions were most severe when P. haemolytica was administered three days after B. parapertussis infection. These findings suggest that B. parapertussis predisposes mice to subsequent infection with P. haemolytica and that the timing of the P. haemolytica administration influences the severity of the lung lesions.

Predisposition of specific pathogen-free lambs to Pasteurella haemolytica pneumonia by Bordetella parapertussis infection.

Three groups of specific pathogen-free (SPF) lambs were inoculated intratracheally with an ovine isolate of Bordetella parapertussis (5.5 x 10(9) colony-forming units) or with B. parapertussis followed 2 or 5 days later with Pasteurella haemolytica serotype A2 (120-180 million colony-forming units). When P. haemolytica A2 was administered 2 days after infection with B. parapertussis all lambs became febrile for at least 72 h. At necropsy their lungs were discoloured, congested and showed large areas of collapse and consolidation which, in one case, covered the entire lung. Histopathological examination confirmed that the combined infection produced a severe acute bronchopneumonia in four of seven lambs. B. parapertussis and P. haemolytica were recovered from all of the lambs in this group. Seven lambs challenged with P. haemolytica 5 days after B. parapertussis and six lambs infected with B. parapertussis alone showed no clinical signs of disease other than mild pyrexia and only mild histopathological changes. B. parapertussis, but not P. haemolytica, was recovered from these lambs. The findings indicated that B. parapertussis predisposed the SPF lambs to P. haemolytica pneumonia. This effect appeared to be dependent upon the time interval between the administration of the two agents.

Sexual aggression and victimization in dating relationships among Chinese college students.

Sexual victimization in dating relationships among female Chinese college students in Hong Kong was studied. Findings were compared to Chinese males' self-reports of sexual aggression. Nonstranger sexual victimization was common among Chinese female college students, especially for less intimate forms of sexual contact. Prevalence of sexual victimization was similar to that in North America for less intimate forms of contact but less prevalent for more intimate contact, including rape. A greater proportion of women than men reported the experience of several behaviors engaged in against a woman's will. These included kissing, and touching a woman's hand, knee, leg, or crotch.

Tracheobronchial washings from seven vertebrate species as growth media for the four species of Bordetella.

The four species of Bordetella differed in their ability to grow at 37 degrees C in membrane-filtered tracheobronchial washings (TBW) from seven vertebrate species, including their natural hosts. From washed inocula of approximately 2 x 10(3) colony-forming units per ml (cfu ml-1), Bordetella bronchiseptica and B. avium grew much better than the other two bordetellae and yielded stationary-phase cultures containing 10(8)-10(9) cfu ml-1 in most of the TBW samples. These counts were only moderately lower than those attained in CL medium which contains about a 450-times higher concentration of amino acids. B. bronchiseptica and B. avium also grew to a limited extent in phosphate-buffered saline without nutrient supplements. B. parapertussis grew in TBW from man, sheep, rabbit, mouse and chicken, but not in TBW from a dog and a horse or in PBS. B. pertussis grew well in CL medium, but not in PBS or in any of 13 samples of TBW from the seven vertebrate species, which included three samples of lung lavage fluid from human patients. Analysis of the TBW samples for known Bordetella nutrients revealed concentrations of amino acids and nicotinic acid averaging 0.35 mM and 0.56 microgram ml-1 respectively.

Isolation and characterization of Bordetella parapertussis-like bacteria from ovine lungs.

Bacteria resembling two Bordetella species were isolated from both normal and pneumonic ovine lungs using a selective charcoal agar. Twenty-eight of the 33 isolates showed similarities to stock NCTC B. parapertussis strains in their SDS-PAGE gel protein profiles, in their biochemical reactions and in causing browning on tyrosine agar. Five isolates behaved similarly to stock B. bronchiseptica strains, in being actively motile, in giving identical positive reactions in three out of four biochemical tests and in causing no colour change in tyrosine agar. Multilocus enzyme electrophoresis separated the isolates into two electrophoretic types distinguishable from those of stock B. parapertussis and stock B. bronchiseptica strains.

Long-term survival of Bordetella bronchiseptica in lakewater and in buffered saline without added nutrients.

Bordetella bronchiseptica grew from small inocula, and retained viability for at least 24 weeks, in unsupplemented lakewater or phosphate-buffered saline. From washed inocula of around 10(3) colony-forming units/ml, there was growth at both 10 degrees C and 37 degrees C to give 10(6)-10(7) colony-forming units/ml. At 10 degrees C, these counts were maintained with little diminution up to week 24 when observations ceased. In the tests at 37 degrees C, two of three strains tested showed similar retention of viability. These results suggest that B. bronchiseptica may exist as hitherto unsuspected reservoirs of infection in freshwater habitats.