Release of Uranium by an Ore Treatment Unit at Caldas,MG,Brazil

This study aims to assess the behavior of the release of Unat (i.e. uranium isotopes in natural relative abundance) from the release of water treated by the Ore Treatment Unit (UTM) in Caldas, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, during the years 1999 to 2009. During this period, the unit showed no industrial activity, except between 2004 and 2005, when UTM operated 400 tons of monazite in a process to obtain rare earths. Unat was analyzed by spectrophotometry once per week in the effluent waters at sampling point 014. Two fractions were considered for analysis: the soluble one (that passes through a 0.45 μm filter) and the particulate one (retained on a 0.45 μm filter). Statistical analyses were performed: the “Z” test and Pearson’s r2 correlation index. The values for the soluble fraction were consistently lower than those of the particulate fraction and no statistically significant correlation was observed between the soluble and particulate fractions. However, the particulate and the total fractions (the sum of soluble and particulate) strongly correlated.

Distribution characteristics and removal rate of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in different treatment processes of two drinking water plants

Emerging pollutants,such as antibiotics and antibiotic-resistance genes,are becoming increasingly important sources of safety and health concerns.Drinking water safety,which is closely related to human health,should receive more attention than natural water body safety.However,minimal research has been performed on the efficacy of existing treatment processes in water treatment plants for the removal of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes.To address this research gap,this study detected and analyzed six main antibiotics and nine antibiotic resistance genes in the treatment processes of two drinking water plants in Wuhan.Samples were collected over three months and then detected and analyzed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and fluorescence quantitation.The total concentrations of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in the influent water of the two water plants were characterized as December>March>June.The precipitation and filtration processes of the Zou Maling Water Plant and Yu Shidun Water Plant successfully removed the antibiotics.The ozone-activated carbon process increased the removal rate of most antibiotics to 100%.However,a large amount of antibiotic resistance gene residues remained in the effluents of the two water plants.The experiments demonstrated that the existing ozone-activated carbon processes could not effectively remove antibiotic resistance genes.This study provides a reference for the optimization of drinking water treatment processes for antibiotics and antibiotic resistance gene removal.

Energy efficiencies and CO_(2)emissions associated with lowtemperature separation technologies for the processing of formation fluid from the Achimov deposits

Three different technologies for the low-temperature separation(LTS)of gas condensate from the Achimov deposits in the Russian Urengoyskoe gas and condensate field were assessed using exergy analyses.The options examined included turbo-expansion and ejection.Thermomechanical exergy values were calculated for material streams and exergy losses and efficiencies were estimated for dedicated equipment used in the LTS.The lowest exergy loss of 4221.2 kW was obtained using turboexpansion and electricity cogeneration.The carbon release associated with each scenario was calculated while considering different production rates,technological parameters and natural decreases in wellhead pressure.The integral carbon footprint after 40 years of LTS operation was estimated for all cases.A classical ejector-based LTS scheme was shown to produce 1200 t of CO_(2)emissions over 40 years of operation.This same scheme combined with a turboexpander and electricity generator produced 59%less CO_(2)in the same period.An expansion-cogeneration LTS scheme was found to be the most effective and ecologically friendly among the various options based on this analysis.

Efficacy and significance of various scores for pneumonia severity in the management of patients with community-acquired pneumonia in China

Background Community-acquired pneumonia （CAP） remains one of the leading causes ot death from infectious diseases around the world.Most severe CAP patients are admitted to the intensive care unit （ICU）,and receive intense treatment.The present study aimed to evaluate the role of the pneumonia severity index （PSI）,CURB-65,and sepsis score in the management of hospitalized CAP patients and explore the effect of ICU treatment on prognosis of severe cases.Methods A total of 675 CAP patients hospitalized in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine were retrospectively investigated.The ability of different pneumonia severity scores to predict mortality was compared for effectiveness,while the risk factors associated with 30-day mortality rates and hospital length of stay （LOS） were evaluated.The effect of ICU treatment on the outcomes of severe CAP patients was also investigated.Results All three scoring systems revealed that the mortality associated with the low-risk or intermediate-risk group was significantly lower than with the high-risk group.As the risk level increased,the frequency of ICU admission rose in tandem and LOS in the hospital was prolonged.The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve in the prediction of mortality were 0.94,0.91 and 0.89 for the PSI,CURB-65 and sepsis score,respectively.Compared with the corresponding control groups,the mortality was markedly increased in patients with a history of smoking,prior admission to ICU,respiratory failure,or co-morbidity of heart disease.The differences were also identified in LOS between control groups and patients with ICU treatment,heart,or cerebrovascular disease.Logistic regression analysis showed that age over 65 years,a history of smoking,and respiratory failure were closely related to mortality in the overall CAP cohort,whereas age,ICU admission,respiratory failure,and LOS at home between disease attack and hospital admission were identified as independent risk factors for mortality in the high-risk CAP sub-group.The 30-day mortality of patients who underwent ICU treatment on admission was also higher than for non-ICU treatment,but much lower than for those patients who took ICU treatment subsequent to the failure of non-ICU treatment.Conclusions Each severity score system,CURB-65,sepsis severity score and especially PSI,was capable of effectively predicting CAP mortality.Delayed ICU admission was related to higher mortality rates in severe CAP patients.

Assessment of the early effectiveness of a stroke unit in comparison to the general ward

Background Stroke unit is the most effective treatment method to benefit stroke patients. Our study is to evaluate the early effectiveness of a hospital stroke unit (SU). Methods Three hundred and ninety-two patients who had suffered from acute strokes and who were admitted to our hospital between December 2001 and January 2003 were recruited for this controlled study. All patients were sent at random to either the SU or the general ward (GW) for treatment. The following indices were measured by: Barthel Index (BI),National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS),Oxford Handicap Scale (OHS). Results The mean change in BI score between the day of admission and the day of discharge was 20.00±24.36 for the SU group and 10.63±23.59 for the GW group. A difference that is statistically significant ( P =0.000). The mean change in NIHSS score was -2.01±6.61 for the SU group and 0.55±7.44 for the GW group. A difference that is also statistically significant ( P =0.000). Finally,the mean change in OHS score was -0.74±1.04 for the SU group and -0.28±0.98 for the GW group,also a statistically significant difference ( P =0.000). Among SU patients,patient satisfaction was higher ( P =0.000),the rehabilitation success rate was higher ( P =0.000),and there were fewer complications ( P =0.000).Conclusion Compared to GW patients,stroke patients treated in a special SU were able to return to normal daily activities earlier,with better social abilities,and have reduced neurological defects,without increasing the overall economic burden.