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In soil survey work the method now generally used to evaluate the carbonate content of the soil in the field is to observe the amount of effervescence that takes place when the soil reacts with dilute acid. The four degrees of effervescence usually recognized are designated by the symbols eo, e, es, ev and correspond roughly to a lime content of 0-0.5, 0.5-3, 3-15, and above 15 per cent, respectively. This, or course, is a very rough estimate and therefore a method is needed for the quantitative determination of carbonates in the field with a fair degree of accuracy. If such a method were available it would be possible for the soil surveyor to follow accurately in the field the distribution of lime down the profile. It would also make possible the detection of lime "bulges," a consideration of primary importance in soil classification. The method would also be useful to agricultural advisers, especially in connection with the problem of lime induced chlorosis. There is a large variety of methods for the determination of soil carbonate in the laboratory with varying degrees of accuracy but none of them is very suitable for field use as they either employ complicated apparatus, or in other ways require laboratory facilities. The present study is concerned with the development and evaluation of a rapid method for the determination of soil carbonate in the field. The apparatus used is very simple and easy to carry and to handle under field conditions. The results obtained are sufficiently accurate for the purpose intended; Their accuracy being above that of the semiquantitative effervescence test. The proposed method is now rendered particularly useful by the availability on the market of small portable kits for the determination of soil moisture in the field which permit the expression of results on a dry basis.

Chronic anal fissures are benign, painful, found deep ulcers in the anal canal. Affecting young adults and occur especially by the trauma of hard stools, the sphincter hypertonia and poor vascularization in the anterior and posterior regions of the anus. Its main symptom is pain evacuation. Surgical treatment is most effective with high cure rates, but with significant adverse effects such as later anal incontinence. The option of conservative treatment is growing, has managed to decrease temporary the pressure at rest (PREP) and increased blood flow to the anal canal, healing large number of lesions without muscle damage. In order to evaluate the treatment of chronic anal fissure with isosorbide (ISO) 1% topical has conducted a clinical trial, double-blind study in patients enrolled in the service of coloproctology Federal University of Sergipe, in the period of one year. We studied 24 patients, distributed as follows: 14 in group 1 cream isosorbide, and 10 in group 2 placebo. We evaluated the behavior of the PREP, pain relief and degree of wound healing with and without ISO. The results showed that the patients ages ranged from 21 to 69 years, the cleft affects more women and the predominant symptom was pain. Constipation was observed in 58.3%. As for pain, lower intensity was obtained in group 2, but without significance. The healing after 60 days was similar in both groups (50%). The profile of the average PREP 30 and 60 days, there was a decrease in the standard in both groups, but without statistical significance. It was observed that patients cured were those with the greatest reduction in PREP. It was concluded that the ISO did not alter the response pattern gauge, however there was significant clinical improvement in both groups. The healing rate was similar in both groups. / As fissuras anais crônicas são úlceras benignas, dolorosas, profundas encontradas no canal anal. Acometem adultos jovens e ocorrem especialmente pelo trauma das fezes endurecidas, pela hipertonia esfincteriana e pela pobre vascularização nas regiões anterior e posterior do ânus. Seu principal sintoma é a dor evacuatória. O tratamento cirúrgico é o mais efetivo, com altos índices de cura, porém com efeitos adversos importantes como incontinência anal tardia. A adoção da terapêutica conservadora vem crescendo, tem conseguido o decréscimo transitório da pressão de repouso (PREP) e o aumento do fluxo sanguíneo do canal anal, cicatrizando grande número de lesões, sem dano muscular. Com o objetivo de avaliar o tratamento de fissuras anais crônicas com isossorbida (ISO) a 1% tópica, foi realizado um ensaio clínico, duplo-cego em pacientes atendidos no serviço de coloproctologia da Universidade Federal de Sergipe, no período de um ano. Foram estudados 24 pacientes, assim distribuídos: 14 no grupo 1 - creme com isossorbida, e 10 no grupo 2 - placebo. Avaliaram-se comportamento da PREP, melhora da dor e grau de cicatrização das feridas com e sem ISO. Os resultados mostraram que a idade dos pacientes variou de 21 a 69 anos, a fissura acometeu mais as mulheres e o sintoma predominante foi a dor. Constipação foi observada em 58,3%. Quanto à dor, obteve-se menor intensidade no grupo 2, mas sem significância. A cicatrização ao fim de 60 dias foi igual nos dois grupos (50%). Quanto ao perfil das médias de PREP com 30 e 60 dias, houve uma queda no padrão em ambos os grupos, porém sem significância estatística. Observou-se que os pacientes curados foram aqueles com maior redução de PREP. Concluiu-se que a ISO 7 não modificou o padrão de resposta manométrica, no entanto houve melhora clínica importante nos dois grupos. A taxa de cicatrização foi igual em ambos os grupos.

Abstract Biodegradation is an aerobic or anaerobic degradation reaction where bacteria use organic materials as an energy source. In the aerobic biodegradation reaction, bacteria need oxygen as an electron acceptor, whereas an anaerobic reaction takes place in the absence of oxygen. Compounds degrade totally or partially, and produce simple inorganic species, such as CO2, CH4, NH3, NO3−, and H2O, as well as by-products that may be non-biodegradable and/or toxic. In this thesis, the biodegradability of recycled vegetable oils, surface-active agents, and condensing waters from the process of wood drying were studied using the manometric respirometric BOD OxiTop method. The biodegradation of organic compounds was measured under the standard conditions (OECD 301F), and also in other matrices, such as different waters and soils. These are very different environments with respect to the biodegradation reaction in nature. The main differences in waters and soils are their organic and inorganic nutrient contents, bacteria strains, and temperatures. The BOD OxiTop method is based on automatic pressure detection in a closed reactor vessel. Oxygen is consumed and carbon dioxide is formed in the aerobic reaction. The pressure decrease is detected after the carbon dioxide is adsorbed into a NaOH pellet or solution. The pressure change is dependent on oxygen consumption. The degree of biodegradation is calculated from the BOD value of the sample. The studied recycled vegetable oils were found to be 60–83% biodegradable, and the added surface-active agent did not affect their biodegradation. Biodegradation of tall oil soaps was also examined in sand, topsoil, groundwater, and surface water, as well as under OECD 301F standard conditions. Tall oil soaps were proven to be 50–85% biodegradable. Concrete solvent agent (CSA) was also proven to be 78–83% biodegradable under standard conditions. Another detergent, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), was found to be toxic, whereas Triton X-100 biodegraded by only 6% in solution. Biodegradation of the soil matrix was found to be enhanced with added surface-active agents. This can be explained by better wetting of small pores with surface-active agents, as compared to the behavior of pure water. The biodegradation of the matrix occurred even with toxic surface-active agents. Organic pollutants of wastewaters from the process of wood drying were 25–61% biodegradable during a 28-day period, and were proven to be quite pure when considering the carbon content of the samples. Based on these results, the disposal into drainage of condensing waters from wood drying may be regarded as safe, which from an economical viewpoint is a very important conclusion. / Tiivistelmä Biohajoavuus on luonnollinen aerobinen tai anaerobinen hajoamisprosessi, jossa bakteerit käyttävät orgaanista materiaalia energian lähteenä. Aerobisessa reaktiossa bakteerit tarvitsevat happea elektronien vastaanottajaksi, kun taas anaerobinen reaktio tapahtuu hapettomissa olosuhteissa. Yhdisteet hajoavat joko täysin tai osittain sekä tuottavat yksinkertaisia epäorgaanisia yhdisteitä, kuten CO2, CH4, NH3, NO3− tai H2O. Reaktiossa voi myös muodostua sivutuotteita, jotka voivat olla biohajoamattomia ja/tai toksisia. Tässä työssä on tutkittu kierrätettyjen kasviöljyjen, pinta-aktiivisten aineiden sekä jätevesien sisältämien orgaanisen aineksien biohajoavuuksia käyttäen manometristä respirometristä BOD OxiTop-menetelmää. Biohajoavuutta mitattiin standardiolosuhteiden (OECD 301F) lisäksi muissakin olosuhteissa, kuten erilaisissa maissa ja vesissä. Nämä ovat kaikki hyvin erilaisia ympäristöjä luonnossa tapahtuville biohajoavuusreaktioille. Pääasialliset erot ovat sekä orgaanisten että epäorgaanisten ravinteiden määrässä, bakteerikannoissa ja lämpötilassa. BOD OxiTop-menetelmä perustuu automaattiseen paineen muutoksen havainnointiin suljetussa astiassa. Aerobisessa reaktiossa kuluu happea ja muodostuu hiilidioksidia, joka imeytetään NaOH-pelletteihin tai -liuokseen ja tästä muodostuu alipaine. Paineen muutokset muunnetaan hapenkulutuksen arvoiksi, joista lasketaan biohajoavuusaste. Tutkittujen kierrätettyjen kasviöljyjen biohajoavuusasteet vaihtelivat välillä 60–83 %, eikä lisätty pinta-aktiivinen aine vaikuttanut kyseisten ekoöljyjen biohajoavuuteen. Mäntysaippuoiden biohajoavuus tutkittiin standardiolosuhteiden lisäksi hiekassa, mullassa, pohjavedessä sekä pintavedessä. Niiden biohajoavuusasteet vaihtelivat välillä 50–85 %. Betoninpesuaineen biohajoavuusaste standardiolosuhteissa oli 78–83 %. Kahdesta tutkituista pinta-aktiivisista aineista setrimoniumbromidi (CTAB) oli myrkyllinen liuosolosuhteissa eikä täten biohajonnut ja Triton X-100 biohajosi vain 6 %. Pinta-aktiivisen aineen lisääminen maahan aiheutti matriisina käytetyn maan biohajoamisen. Tämä voitiin selittää siten, että pintajännityksen laskemisen jälkeen neste voi paremmin tunkeutua maan pieniin huokosiin ja näin tuoda hajoamatonta orgaanista ainesta ja uusia bakteereita biohajoavuuskäyttöön. Tämä ilmiö havaittiin myös myrkyllisen pinta-aktiivisen aineen lisäyksen jälkeen. Jätevesien sisältämät orgaaniset ainekset hajosivat 25–61 % 28 päivän aikana ja niiden havaittiin olevan hiilen määrän huomioon ottaen hyvin puhtaita. Tässä tutkimuksessa saatujen tulosten perusteella tutkitut puunkuivauksen kondenssivedet voidaan laskea viemäriin, mikä on erittäin tärkeä tulos ekologiselta ja taloudelliselta kannalta katsottuna.

The gap between resource demand for the industrialized world and non-renewable feedstock like fossil fuels, essential agricultural fertilizer is getting increasingly severe, which has resulted in alarming-increasingly impacts on worldwide environmental problems. Meanwhile, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), as an essential facility for urbanization, is also confronting new rising challenges such as energy consumption and operation costs rather than only improving effluent wastewater quality. It is thereby important to develop new approaches for next-generation WWTPs with less energy consumption and costs in a sustainable way. The objective was to study the application of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) from waste as an external carbon source on denitrification by manometric tracking method in the lab-scale. Food waste and primary sludge were used for anaerobic fermentation to produce VFAs, which was then used as a sole external carbon source with various C/N ratio in denitrification batch test. The results were compared with traditional external carbon sources, acetate and methanol. It was found that the maximum denitrification rate with VFAs as an external carbon source was 15.73 ± 0.95 mg NOx-N/g VSS h, faster than those with acetate and methanol as external carbon sources. When C/N ratio ≥ 4.5 nitrate removal efficiency and the highest maximum denitrification rate were reached, the optimum C/N ratio for dosing VFAs as an external carbon source was thus determined as 4.5. In addition, denitrification capacity experiments with addition of VFAs produced from three different pH-controlled digestion reactors as an external carbon source were then conducted under an optimum C/N ratio of 4.5. As a result of the composition difference between VFAs produced from different pH environment, it was observed that, with VFAs from pH-10 digestion reactor denitrification rate was slightly higher than those with VFAs from pH-5 and none-pH-controlled digestion reactors. Furthermore, denitrification batch test using chemical tracking method was conducted to compare with manometric tracking method, and it was proven that the results obtained from manometric denitrification tests were reliable and valid. The overall results show that VFAs produced from anaerobic fermentation are an excellent external carbon source for denitrification, and it realizes the utilization of carbon resource recovery from WWTPs, which is crucial for next-generation wastewater treatment. / Klyftan mellan resursefterfrågan i den industrialiserade världen och icke-förnybar råvara som fossila bränslen, essentiell jordbruksgödsel, blir allt svårare, vilket har resulterat i oroväckande effekter på globala miljöproblem. Samtidigt står avloppsreningsverk (ARV), som är en viktig anläggning för urbanisering, inför nya ökande utmaningar som energiförbrukning och driftkostnader snarare än att förbättra kvaliteten på renat avloppsvatten. Det är därmed viktigt att utveckla nya strategier för nästa generations ARV med mindre energiförbrukning och kostnader på ett hållbart sätt. Målet var att studera tillämpningen av flyktiga fettsyror (VFA) från avfall som en extern kolkälla i denitrifikation med manometrisk metod i laboratorieskala. Matavfall och primärslam användes för anaerob rötning för att producera VFA, som sedan användes som en extern kolkälla med olika C/N-förhållanden i denitrifikationstest. Resultaten jämfördes med traditionella externa kolkällor, acetat och metanol. Det visade sig att maximal denitrifikationskapacitet med VFA som extern kolkälla var 15,73 ± 0,95 mg NOx-N/g VSS h, snabbare än de med acetat och metanol som extern kolkälla. När C/N-förhållandet ≥4,5 uppnåddes högsta nitratborttagningseffektivitet och maximala denitrifikationskapacitet, varför det optimala C/N-förhållandet för dosering av VFA som extern kolkälla bestäms som 4,5. Dessutom genomfördes experiment med denitrifikationskapacitets med tillsats av VFA producerat från tre olika pH-kontrollerade rötningsreaktorer som externa kolkällor under ett optimalt C/N-förhållande av 4,5. Som ett resultat av kompositionsskillnaden mellan VFA producerade från olika pH-miljöer, det observerades att med VFA från pH-10 kontrollerad reaktor denitrifikationskapacitet var något högre än med VFA från pH-5 och en icke-pH-kontrollerad reaktor. Vidare utfördes denitrifikationstest med användning av kemisk metod för jämförelse med manometrisk metod, och det visades att resultat erhållna från manometrisk denitrifikationstest var tillförlitliga och giltiga. De övergripande resultaten visar att VFA som produceras från anaerob rötning är en utmärkt extern kolkälla för denitrifikationsprocessen, vilket betyder att utnyttjandet av kolresursåtervinning från AVR är avgörande för nästa generations avloppsrening.

Background: Compare Goldmann applanation tonometer (GAT) prism and correcting applanation tonometry surface (CATS) prism to intracameral intraocular pressure (IOP), in vivo and in vitro. Methods: Pressure transducer intracameral IOP was measured on fifty-eight (58) eyes undergoing cataract surgery and the IOP was modulated manometrically to 10, 20, and 40 mmHg. Simultaneously, IOP was measured using a Perkins tonometer with a standard GAT prism and a CATS prism at each of the intracameral pressures. Statistical comparison was made between true intracameral pressures and the two prism measurements. Differences between the two prism measurements were correlated to central corneal thickness (CCT) and corneal resistance factor (CRF). Human cadaver eyes were used to assess measurement repeatability. Results: The CATS tonometer prism measured closer to true intracameral IOP than the GAT prism by 1.7+/-2.7 mmHg across all pressures and corneal properties. The difference in CATS and GAT measurements was greater in thin CCT corneas (2.7+/-1.9 mmHg) and low resistance (CRF) corneas (2.8+/-2.1 mmHg). The difference in prisms was negligible at high CCT and CRF values. No difference was seen in measurement repeatability between the two prisms. Conclusion: A CATS prism in Goldmann tonometer armatures significantly improve the accuracy of IOP measurement compared to true intracameral pressure across a physiologic range of IOP values. The CATS prism is significantly more accurate compared to the GAT prism in thin and less rigid corneas. The in vivo intracameral study validates mathematical models and clinical findings in IOP measurement between the GAT and CATS prisms.

Background: Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) error relative to intracameral intraocular pressure (IOP) has not been examined comparatively in both human cadaver eyes and in live human eyes. Futhermore, correlations to biomechanical corneal properties and positional changes have not been examined directly to intracameral IOP and GAT IOP. Methods: Intracameral IOP was measured via pressure transducer on fifty-eight (58) eyes undergoing cataract surgery and the IOP was modulated manometrically on each patient alternately to 10, 20, and 40 mmHg. IOP was measured using a Perkins tonometer in the supine position on 58 eyes and upright on a subset of 8 eyes. Twenty one (21) fresh human cadaver globes were Intracamerally IOP adjusted and measured via pressure transducer. Intracameral IOP ranged between 5 and 60 mmHg. IOP was measured in the upright position with a Goldmann Applanation Tonometer (GAT) and supine position with a Perkins tonometer. Central corneal thickness (CCT) was also measured. Results: The Goldmann-type tonometer error measured on live human eyes was 5.2 +/- 1.6 mmHg lower than intracameral IOP in the upright position and 7.9 +/- 2.3 mmHg lower in the supine position (p <.05). CCT also indicated a sloped correlation to error (correlation coeff. = 0.18). Cadaver eye IOP measurements were 3.1+/-2. 5 mmHg lower than intracameral IOP in the upright position and 5.4+/- 3.1 mmHg in the supine position (p <.05). Conclusion: Goldmann IOP measures significantly lower than true intracameral IOP by approximately 3 mmHg in vitro and 5 mmHg in vivo. The Goldmann IOP error is increased an additional 2.8 mmHg lower in the supine position. CCT appears to significantly affect the error by up to 4 mmHg over the sample size.