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Abstract Osmosis membrane bioreactors (OMBRs), which integrate forward osmosis (FO) and a biological process, followed by reverse osmosis or membrane distillation (MD) have been receiving increasing attention for wastewater treatment and reuse. However, OMBR application in wastewater treatment is still hindered by the accumulation of inorganic and organic salts, which affects microbial activity in the OMBR. Therefore, in this study, a novel hybrid OMBR–MD system integrated with periodic microfiltration (MF) extraction was developed for simultaneous salinity reduction and phosphorus recovery using a magnesium-based draw solute by taking advantage of magnesium salt reversal. In the OMBR system, MgCl2 was used as the draw solution to withdraw clean water passing through the FO membrane, whereby all contaminants and mineral salts, including phosphate, ammonia and magnesium reversed from the draw solution, were retained in the bioreactor. The MF membrane was used to bleed the water out of the bioreactor for salinity reduction and subsequent phosphorus recovery. The pH of the effluent from the MF containing high phosphorus was adjusted to 10 to precipitate struvite, and the amount of the produced struvite was quantitatively determined to be 41 mg per liter of the MF permeate. The MD process was used to recover the diluted MgCl2 draw solution with an initial flux of 8.2 L/m2 h under a temperature difference of 30 °C (55 °C in the feed and 20 °C in the distillate). Subsequently, the flux slightly decreased to 6.3 L/m2 h after 6 h because of the decreasing vapor pressure in the salt solution based on Raoult's law.

AbstractReclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has been widely implemented in asphalt pavement construction due to its cost benefits along with its reasonable engineering performance. With the trend of h...

It has been submitted that, for the very large number of different traditional type formulae to determine price indices associated with a pair of periods, which are joined with the longstanding question of which one to choose, they should all be abandoned. For the method proposed instead, price levels associated with periods are first all computed together, subject to a consistency of the data, and then price indices that are true taken together are determined from their ratios. An approximation method can apply in the case of inconsistency. Here are illustrations of the method.

lafond c.m. & van hulle vincent c. (2012) A critique of the National League for Nursing/Jeffries simulation framework. Journal of Advanced Nursing00(0), 000–000. doi: 10.1111/j.1365‐2648.2012.06048.xAbstractAims.  To present a critique of the National League for Nursing/Jeffries simulation framework.Design.  Fawcett’s criteria for theory analysis and evaluation are used.Background.  Use of simulated learning experiences in nursing education is widespread; a sound framework to guide educators across the globe in implementing these experiences effectively is essential. The basic assertion of the National League for Nursing/Jeffries simulation framework is that student‐learning outcomes are influenced by the concepts of teacher, student, educational practices, and simulation design characteristics.Data sources.  A literature search was performed using Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PubMed and Google Scholar to identify studies published in the English language, between 2005–June 2011, where the National League for Nursing/Jeffries simulation framework was tested or used as a theoretical framework for research.Discussion.  Sixteen publications (two articles in press) from the USA and UK were identified using the framework to guide research; outcomes included increased student satisfaction, confidence, and improved skill performance.Implications for nursing.  As a newer theoretical framework, the National League for Nursing/Jeffries simulation framework offers promise to guide the construction and implementation of simulation experiences resulting in positive student outcomes.Conclusion.  Empirically supported definitions of concepts would strengthen the framework and help educators to consistently produce and identify positive outcomes. Additional rigorous research is necessary to further test relationships among concepts and the associated concept variables in the framework. More studies outside of the United States are needed to confirm the framework is relevant to nursing programs in other countries.

Multi-aperture coherent LADAR techniques can be applied to generate high resolution images. When setting up a system with multiple sub-apertures, misalignment of the sub-apertures causes the beams entering the sub-apertures to have mismatched optical path lengths, which will degrade the image resolution. Post-processing using image sharpening techniques to correct for piston phase, as well as other aberration corrections, require computing power and time. We study whether the processing time can be shortened by providing measured piston phase information to the image sharpening algorithms. Simulations are used to demonstrate the usefulness of piston phase measurements. Simulations are presented showing the benefits of piston phase measurements for two or more sub-apertures. The speed of convergence for the sharpening algorithm both with and without the piston phase measurements are compared for multiple sub-aperture imaging.

Obstructive sleep apnea is increasing worldwide, leading to disordered sleep patterns and inflammatory responses in brain and peripheral tissues that predispose individuals to chronic disease. Pro-inflammatory cytokines activate the inflammatory response and are normally regulated by glucocorticoids secreted from adrenal glands. However, the temporal dynamics of inflammatory responses and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation in relation to acute sleep fragmentation (ASF) are undescribed. Male C57BL/6J mice were exposed to ASF or control conditions (no ASF) over specified intervals (1, 2, 6, or 24 h) and cytokine gene expression (IL-1β, TNF-α) in brain and peripheral tissues as well as serum glucocorticoid and interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration were assessed. The HPA axis was rapidly activated, leading to elevated serum corticosterone from 1–24 h of ASF compared with controls. This activation was followed by elevated serum IL-6 concentration from 6–24 h of ASF. The tissue to first exhibit increased pro-inflammatory gene expression from ASF was heart (1 h of ASF). In contrast, pro-inflammatory gene expression was suppressed in hypothalamus from 1 h of ASF, but elevated at 6 h. Because the HPA axis was activated throughout ASF, this suggests that brain, but not peripheral, pro-inflammatory responses were rapidly inhibited by glucocorticoid immunosuppression.

In this paper, we propose a phase-locked loop (PLL) with dual PFDs and a modified loop filter in which advantages of both PFDs can be combined and the trade-off between acquisition behavior and locked behavior can be achieved. By operating the appropriate PFD connected to the well-adjusted charge pump and regulating the loop bandwidth to input frequency ratio with an input divider and a modified loop filter, an unlimited error detection range, a high frequency operation, a reduced dead zone and a higher speed lock-up time can be achieved. The proposed PLL structure is designed using 1.5 μm CMOS technology with 5 V supply voltage.