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This study evaluated and compared the performance of three highly praised high rate anaerobic bioreactors (HRABs), including the expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) bioreactor, the static granular bed reactor (SGBR), and the down-flow expanded granular bed reactor (DEGBR), for the treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) which is characterized by a high concentration in oil and grease, suspended solids, and nutrients. These three bioreactors were operated under mesophilic conditions and followed a similar operational methodology, which consisted of increasing the organic loading rate (OLR) as the bioreactor responded positively to fluctuating organic loads. The response to the fluctuations of the bioreactors was evaluated with respect to the removal of the organic matter contained in PSW at high throughput rate. This study revealed that the three bioreactors performed differently. This dissimilarity in performance was associated with the difference in the configuration of each reactor and the capacity of maintaining a high performance at increased levels of OLR. These configurations are specifically described in this study. Of the three bioreactors that were investigated, the DEGBR performed the best with total chemical oxygen demand (tCOD), biological oxygen demand (BOD5) and fats, oil, and grease (FOG) maximum removal percentages of 99.6%, 99.9% and 99.4%, respectively, for a maximum OLR of 38.9 gCOD/L.day. While the EGSB also provided appreciable results with 99.1%, 99.5% and 97%, for the maximum removal efficiency of tCOD, BOD5 and FOG, respectively. At last, the SGBR achieved tCOD, BOD5 and FOG maximum percentage removal of 97.6%, 99.2% and 97.7%, respectively.

Rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization status facilitates isolation and decolonization and reduces MRSA infections. Liquid but not dry swabs allow fully automated detection methods. However, the accuracy of culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using liquid and dry swabs has not been analyzed. We compared different swab collection systems for routine nasal–throat MRSA screening in patients admitted to a tertiary care trauma center in Germany. Over 3 consecutive months, dry swabs (month 1), ESwabs (month 2), or MSwabs (month 3) were processed using Cepheid GeneXpert, Roche cobas and BD-MAX™ MRSA tests compared to chromogenic culture. Among 1680 subjects, the MRSA detection rate using PCR methods did not differ significantly between dry swabs, ESwab, and MSwab (6.0%, 6.2%, and 5.3%, respectively). Detection rates using chromogenic culture were 2.9%, 3.9%, and 1.9%, using dry, ESwab, and MSwab, respectively. Using chromogenic culture as the “gold standard”, negative predictive values for the PCR tests ranged from 99.2–100%, and positive predictive values from 33.3–54.8%. Thus, efficient and accurate MRSA screening can be achieved using dry, as well as liquid E- or MSwab, collection systems. Specimen collection using ESwab or MSwab facilitates efficient processing for chromogenic culture in full laboratory automation while also allowing molecular testing in automated PCR systems.

The first step towards selecting a suitable treatment option for poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) treatment is to characterize it. Various parameters such as the pH, tCOD, BOD5, TSS, FOG, turbidity, salinity or conductivity were analyzed in this study and provided values significantly higher than discharge limits imposed by various countries. Furthermore, the biodegradability index (BOD5/COD) of PSW was determined and averaged a value of 0.61 for the samples collected during normal processing operations in the slaughterhouse and 0.72 for samples collected during the cleaning of equipment after broiler processing operations. This good biodegradability translated to a good biological decomposition potential, which can be a risk for the environment as a result of untreated effluent, and also highlights the suitability of biological treatment processes for the treatment of such wastewater. Moreover, to reduce the production of chemical waste from the toxic reagents used for some analyses, and to alleviate the cost and the time required for these analyses, linear regressions were used to correlate three water quality parameters (tCOD, BOD5, and FOG), interchangeably. These linear regressions provided a good relationship between these parameters, with R2 > 0.9 for the samples collected during normal operation periods; and weaker correlation for the FOG/BOD5 and FOG/tCOD of samples collected during the cleaning of processing equipment. This was attributed to the high concentration of FOG (5,216 ± 2,534) in the samples collected during this period, from the collection of carcass debris and fats left on the equipment during the slaughtering.

This study evaluated the performance of a novel high rate anaerobic bioreactor system for the treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW). The new system consisted of a granule-based technology operated in a down-flow configuration, with the assistance of medium-sized pumice stones used as packing materials for the retention of the anaerobic granules, to avoid challenges associated with the use of the three-phase separator of up-flow systems and the washout of the anaerobic biomass. Furthermore, a recycling stream was applied to the system to improve the mixing inside the Down-flow Expanded Granular Bed Reactor (DEGBR), i.e. the influent distribution to the granular biomass, and the implementation of intermittent fluidization when required to alleviate the effects of pressure drop in such systems. The DEGBR was operated under mesophilic conditions (30–35 °C) and achieved total chemical oxygen demand (tCOD), five-day biological oxygen demand and total suspended solids average removal percentages >95%, and a fats, oils and grease average removal percentage of 93.67% ± 4.51, for an organic loading rate varying between 1.1 to 38.9 gCOD/L.day.

The poultry slaughterhouse industry consumes a large volume of potable water for bird processing and equipment cleaning, which culminates in the generation of high strength poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW). The wastewater contains high concentrations of organic matter, suspended solids, nitrogen and nutrients. Most poultry slaughterhouses in South Africa (SA) discharge their wastewater into the municipal sewer system after primary treatment. Due to its high strength, PSW does not meet SA's industrial discharge standards. Discharge of untreated PSW to the environment raises environmental health concerns due to pollution of local rivers and fresh water sources, leading to odour generation and the spread of diseases. Thus, the development of a suitable wastewater treatment process for safe PSW discharge to the environment is a necessity. In this study, a biological PSW treatment process using an Expanded Granular Sludge Bed (EGSB) was evaluated. Response surface methodology coupled with central composite design was used to optimize the performance of the EGSB reactor. The dependant variable used for optimization was chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal as a function of two independent variables, hydraulic retention time (HRT) and organic loading rate (OLR). The interactions between HRT, OLR and COD removal were analysed, and a two factorial (2FI) regression was determined as suitable for COD removal modelling. The optimum COD removal of 93% was achieved at an OLR of 2 g-COD/L/d and HRT of 4.8 days. The model correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.980 indicates that it is a good fit and is suitable for predicting the EGSB's COD removal efficiency.

Poultry slaughterhouses consume a substantial quantity of potable water during processing of live birds. Subsequently, high strength poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) is generated at different stages during poultry product processing. In this study, a Static Granular Bed Reactor (SGBR) was used to treat the PSW from a poultry processing facility in the Western Cape, South Africa. The performance of the SGBR was primarily evaluated for chemical oxygen demand (tCOD) removal with the kinetics of the treatment process for PSW being evaluated using both the Grau second-order and the modified Stover-Kincannon models to predict the effluent COD. The overall treatment efficiency averaged >80% when the SGBR was operated at steady state for 110 days' experimental trial. On the basis of the experimental results, the predicted values of the tCOD concentration using the Grau second-order and modified Stover Kincannon model were inconsistent with the experimental data indicating an insignificant correlation with predicted tCOD concentration being higher than the experimental data. The high variation between the modelled and experimental data based on both the Grau second order and modified Stover-Kincannon model was observed at higher organic loading rates when the reactor was fed with undiluted influent, phenomena attributed to tCOD entrapped inside the SGBR, especially during periods of clogging caused by the accumulation of suspended solids in the underdrain.

In this study, the treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) was evaluated using two new down-flow high-rate anaerobic bioreactor systems (HRABS), including the down-flow expanded granular bed reactor (DEGBR) and the static granular bed reactor (SGBR). These two bioreactors have demonstrated a good performance for the treatment of PSW with removal percentages of the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), the chemical oxygen demand (COD), and fats, oil, and grease (FOG) exceeding 95% during peak performance days. This performance of down-flow HRABS appears as a breakthrough in the field of anaerobic treatment of medium to high-strength wastewater because down-flow anaerobic bioreactors have been neglected for the high-rate anaerobic treatment of such wastewater due to the success of up-flow anaerobic reactors such as the UASB and the EGSB as a result of the granulation of a consortium of anaerobic bacteria required for efficient anaerobic digestion and biogas production. Hence, to promote the recourse to such technologies and provide further explanation to their performance, this study approached the kinetic analysis of these two down-flow HRABS using the modified Stover-Kincannon and the Grau second-order multi-component substrate models. From a comparison between the two models investigated, the modified Stover-Kincannon model provided the best prediction for the concentration of the substrate in the effluent from the two HRABS. This analysis led to the determination of the kinetic parameters of the two models that can be used for the design of the two HRABS and the prediction of the performance of the SGBR and DEGBR. The kinetic parameters determined using the Modified Stover-Kincannon were Umax = 40.5 gCOD/L.day and KB = 47.3 gCOD/L.day for the DEGBR and Umax = 33.6 gCOD/L.day and KB = 44.9 gCOD/L.day for the SGBR; while, using the Grau second-order model, the kinetic models determined were a = 0.058 and b = 1.112 for the DEGBR and a = 0.135 and b = 1.33 for the SGBR.

Poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) with a high fats, oil, and grease (FOG) content in South Africa (SA) is generally discharged into municipal wastewater systems. This is detrimental for municipal treatment plants since there is a limited number of these wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) that are operating optimally. Furthermore, increasingly stringent standards for effluent discharge have placed an urgency on the development of advanced wastewater treatment technologies. This study evaluated the performance of a lab-scale integrated multi-stage PSW treatment system consisting of an aerobic pre-treatment tank, an expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) bioreactor coupled with a submerged ultrafiltration (UF) membrane. The possibility of treating PSW to a water quality standard compliant with discharge by-laws or the standards of effluent discharge was investigated. The EGSB was operated for 120 days at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 5.71 h and an organic loading rate (OLR) ranging from 200 to 700 mg COD/L·h, while the submerged membrane unit had OLR fluctuating between 50 and 450 mg COD/L·h. The integrated system achieved overall average removal efficiencies (REs) of 98% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), 97% for FOG, and 99% for total suspended solids (TSS); and reducing the pollutant content of the treated PSW to 101 mg/L COD, 8 mg/L FOG and 7 mg/L TSS, i.e. qualities which are comparable to inland surface water, rendering it safe for discharge into the City of Cape Town (CCT) WWTWs.

Biological wastewater treatment processes such as activated sludge and anaerobic digestion remain the most favorable when compared to processes such as chemical precipitation and ion exchange due to their cost-effectiveness, eco-friendliness, ease of operation, and low maintenance. Since Abattoir Wastewater (AWW) is characterized as having high organic content, anaerobic digestion is slow and inadequate for complete removal of all nutrients and organic matter when required to produce a high-quality effluent that satisfies discharge standards. Multi-integrated systems can be designed in which additional stages are added before the anaerobic digester (pre-treatment), as well as after the digester (post-treatment) for nutrient recovery and pathogen removal. This can aid the water treatment plant effluent to meet the discharge regulations imposed by the legislator and allow the possibility for reuse on-site. This review aims to provide information on the principles of anaerobic digestion, aeration pre-treatment technology using enzymes and a hybrid membrane bioreactor, describing their various roles in AWW treatment. Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification are essential to add after anaerobic digestion for nutrient recovery utilizing a single step process. Nutrient recovery has become more favorable than nutrient removal in wastewater treatment because it consumes less energy, making the process cost-effective. In addition, recovered nutrients can be used to make nutrient-based fertilizers, reducing the effects of eutrophication and land degradation. The downflow expanded granular bed reactor is also compared to other high-rate anaerobic reactors, such as the up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) and the expanded granular sludge bed reactor (EGSB).

The South African poultry industry has grown exponentially in recent years due to an increased demand for their products. As a result, poultry plants consume large volumes of high quality water to ensure that hygienically safe poultry products are produced. Furthermore, poultry industries generate high strength wastewater, which can be treated successfully at low cost using anaerobic digesters. In this study, the performance of a bench-scale mesophilic static granular bed reactor (SGBR) containing fully anaerobic granules coupled with an ultrafiltration (UF) membrane system, as a post-treatment system, was investigated. The poultry slaughterhouse wastewater was characterized by a chemical oxygen demand (COD) range between 1,223 and 9,695mg/L, average biological oxygen demand of 2,375mg/L and average fats, oil and grease (FOG) of 554mg/L. The SGBR anaerobic reactor was operated for 9 weeks at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs), i.e. 55 and 40 h, with an average organic loading rate (OLR) of 1.01 and 3.14g COD/L.day. The SGBR results showed an average COD, total suspended solids (TSS) and FOG removal of 93%, 95% and 90% respectively, for both OLR. The UF post-treatment results showed an average of COD, TSS and FOG removal of 64%, 88% and 48%, respectively. The overall COD, TSS and FOG removal of the system (SGBR and UF membrane) was 98%, 99.8%, and 92.4%, respectively. The results of the combined SGBR reactor coupled with the UF membrane showed a potential to ensure environmentally friendly treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater.

In this study, the efficiency of an anaerobic treatment system for wastewater from a South African poultry slaughterhouse was evaluated using a lab-scale static granular bed reactor (SGBR). The down-flow SGBR (2 L) was operated continuously for 138 days under mesophilic conditions (35-37 ˚C), at hydraulic retention times (HRTs) ranging from 24 to 96 h and average organic loading rates (OLRs) of 0.78 to 5.74 g COD/L.day. The SGBR achieved an average chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 80% and the maximum COD removal achieved was 95%, at an HRT of 24 h and average OLR of 5.74 g COD/L.day. The optimization of the SGBR, with regard to a suitable HRT and OLR, was determined using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal SGBR performance with regard to the maximum COD removal efficiency was predicted for an OLR of 12.49 g COD/L.day and a HRT of 24 h, resulting in a 95.5% COD removal efficiency. The model R2 of 0.9638 indicated that the model is a good fit and is suitable to predict the COD removal efficiency for the SGBR.

This study was aimed at investigating the field capacity of three sacred forest soils of the West Region of Cameroon and their effect on the germination potential and early plant growth characteristics of fresh and dried seeds of Aframomum melegueta. Sample soils were collected from Bamendjo (BO), Bamendjinda (BA), and Mbing Mekoup (MB) sacred forest areas. Each area was divided into three location sites 1, 2 and 3 and each of the sites was made up of 3 collection points (P1, P2, and P3). The field capacity (FC) of each site was determined before the planting of the seeds. For each collection site, the soil of a collection point was randomly chosen to form two groups with five replicates each. In each pot, 10 fresh seeds and 10 dried seeds were planted respectively and monitored for germination. Measurements for seedling growth were spread over 14 weeks. Results showed that the field capacity (FC) of BO (71.18%) and of BA (68.64%) were significantly different from those of MB (51.66%). The germinating percentages of the seeds were very high in the soils of BO (76. 67%) and BA (61. 33%) as compared to those of MB (48%). The latent period of the seeds was longer in the soils of MB (12 days) and shorter in the soil of BO (7 days). The average height of the plants in the soils of BO (6. 75 cm) and BA (6. 05 cm) were greater than those of the plants in the soils of MB (4.61 cm). The number of leaves of the plants of BO (4), BA (4) and MB (4) were not significantly different. The leaf surface area was higher in BO (10.43 cm²) and BA (8, 30 cm²) as compared to that of MB (5. 37 cm²). This study has shown that the FC of the soils of the sacred forests of BO and BA positively affected the germination percentage and the latent period of the fresh seeds; the leaf surface area and the heights of young plants. Meanwhile, the germination rates of the fresh seeds and A. melegueta dried seeds were not affected by the FC of the soils. Key words: Field capacity, Bamendjo, Bamendjinda, Mbing Mekoup, sacred forests, germination, growth, Aframomum melegueta.

Poultry slaughterhouses consume a substantial quantity of clean water during processing of live birds. Subsequently, high strength poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) is generated at different stages during poultry product processing. In this study, Static Granular Bed Reactor (SGBR) was used to treat the PSW from a poultry product processing facility in the Western Cape, South Africa. The performance of the SGBR was primarily evaluated for chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal with the kinetics of the treatment process of the PSW being evaluated using the modified Stover-Kincannon and the Grau second order models. Overall, the treatment efficiency averaged >90% when the SGBR were operated at steady state for a 68 days experimental trial. Furthermore, both the Grau second-order and the modified Stover-Kincannon models were used to develop a kinetic model which sufficiently described the COD removal. The Grau second-order model produced a better fit (R2 > 0.99) when compared to the Stover-Kincannon model (R2 > 0.80). The kinetic relationship derived from the lab-scale SGBRs can thus be used to predict the performance of the pilot scale SGBRs treating the PSW under mesophilic conditions.

This study evaluated the performance of a lab-scale poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) treatment system consisting of a static granular bed reactor (SGBR) coupled with single stage nitrification-denitrification (SND) bioreactor and ultrafiltration membrane module (ufMM) systems. The feasibility of treating PSW to a water quality standard compliant with industrial wastewater discharge standards was investigated. The SGBR was operated at hydraulic retention times (HRTs) ranging from 24 to 96 h and organic loading rates (OLRs) ranging from 0.73 to 12.49 g COD/L.day, for 138 days. The chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), biological oxygen demand (BOD5) and fats, oils and grease (FOG) removal efficiencies achieved by the SGBR averaged 80%, 95%, 89% and 80%, respectively. The SND bioreactor achieved total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiencies of 33% and 79% for the SGBR effluent, when operated in down-flow mode without aeration and up-flow mode with aeration, respectively. The ufMMs, operated in dead-end filtration mode, were able to further reduce the COD and TSS by an average of 65% and 54%, respectively. The results for the PSW treatment system demonstrated the combined benefits of biological and physical treatment processes, with averaged COD, ortho-phosphate (PO43−-P), TSS and total dissolved solids (TDS) removal efficiencies of 91%, 51%, 97% and 52%, respectively, being achieved over 52 days. The final effluent was deemed suitable for discharge; although, the PO43- and NH4+-N requires further monitoring and the PSW treatment system design requires refinement.

Background Anxiety during pregnancy is a common problem. Anxiety and stress could have consequences on the course of the pregnancy and the later development of the child. Anxiety responds well to treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy and/or medication. Non-pharmacological interventions such as mind-body interventions, known to decrease anxiety in several clinical situations, might be offered for treating and preventing anxiety during pregnancy. Objectives To assess the benefits of mind-body interventions during pregnancy in preventing or treating women's anxiety and in influencing perinatal outcomes. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group’s Trials Register (30 November 2010), MEDLINE (1950 to 30 November 2010), EMBASE (1974 to 30 November 2010), the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) (1 December 2010), ClinicalTrials.gov (December 2010) and Current Controlled Trials (1 December 2010), searched the reference lists of selected studies and contacted professionals and authors in the field. Selection criteria Randomized controlled trials, involving pregnant women of any age at any time from conception to one month after birth, comparing mind-body interventions with a control group. Mind-body interventions include: autogenic training, biofeedback, hypnotherapy, imagery, meditation, prayer, auto-suggestion, tai-chi and yoga. Control group includes: standard care, other pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions, other types of mind-body interventions or no treatment at all. Data collection and analysis Three review authors independently assessed trials for inclusion all assessed risk of bias for each included study. We extracted data independently using an agreed form and checked it for accuracy. Main results We included eight trials (556 participants), evaluating hypnotherapy (one trial), imagery (five trials), autogenic training (one trial) and yoga (one trial). Due to the small number of studies per intervention and to the diversity of outcome measurements, we performed no meta-analysis, and have reported results individually for each study. Compared with usual care, in one study (133 women), imagery may have a positive effect on anxiety during labor decreasing anxiety at the early and middle stages of labor (MD -1.46; 95% CI -2.43 to -0.49; one study, 133 women) and (MD -1.24; 95% CI -2.18 to -0.30). Another study showed that imagery had a positive effect on anxiety and depression in the immediate postpartum period. Autogenic training might be effective for decreasing women's anxiety before delivering. Authors' conclusions Mind-body interventions might benefit women’s anxiety during pregnancy. Based on individual studies, there is some but no strong evidence for the effectiveness of mind-body interventions for the management of anxiety during pregnancy. The main limitations of the studies were the lack of blinding and insufficient details on the methods used for randomization.

Objectif Determiner la place de la scintigraphie osseuse (SO) en comparaison avec les radiographies de squelette complet (RSC) dans la suspicion de maltraitance physique de l’enfant. Population et Methodes Etude prospective realisee au CHU de Rennes du 30/10/2001 au 21/06/2005 portant sur les dossiers d’enfants de moins de 8 ans suspects de maltraitance physique vus en consultation ou hospitalises. Chaque enfant a beneficie de RSC et d’une SO relues par 2 equipes distinctes, selon un protocole standardise. Resultats Quarante-six enfants entre 1 mois et 8 ans (âge moyen = 12,7 mois, âge median = 6 mois) ont ete inclus. Associees, les RSC et la SO detectaient 22 anomalies osseuses dans 12 dossiers, dont 19 (86 %) etaient confirmees a l’issue de la prise en charge. Un test de concordance utilisant le coefficient Kappa mettait en evidence de maniere significative (K = 0.58 ; p 0.05), montrant le manque de preuve pour affirmer que l’une des methodes est plus souvent mise en defaut que l’autre. Conclusion Cette etude, preliminaire a un PHRC national a l’initiative du CHU de Montpellier, montre que les RSC et la SO sont complementaires dans la suspicion de maltraitance physique de l’enfant. La plus grande sensibilite de la SO par rapport aux RSC n’a pas pu etre demontree du fait de la petite taille de l’echantillon. L’inclusion d’un nombre d’enfant plus important permettra d’affiner les donnees statistiques pressenties. Au vu de ces resultats preliminaires, il nous parait pour le moment approprie de realiser les deux examens dans le cadre d’une suspicion de maltraitance physique de l’enfant.