Effect of the Caregivers-to-Caregivers Training Programme on informed caregivers of persons with mental disorders: A pilot study.

Objective: Many people with mental disorders are cared for by informed caregivers, but they usually have limited care-related training and lack caregiving capacity and support networks. In order to provide professional training and social support for informed caregivers, we designed the Caregivers-to-Caregivers Training Programme (C2C) and performed a pilot study to assess its effect.

Methods: Caregivers of persons with mental disorders who participated in the C2C were asked to participate in a quasi-experimental study to assess their knowledge and skills development, self-care ability, trainer engagement, and training content.

[Influence of substrate COD on methane production in single-chambered microbial electrolysis cell].

The chemical oxygen demand (COD) of substrate can affect the microbial activity of both anode and cathode biofilm in the single-chamber methanogenic microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). In order to investigate the effect of COD on the performance of MEC, a single chamber MEC was constructed with biocathode. With the change of initial concentration of COD (700, 1 000 and 1 350 mg x L(-1)), the methane production rate, COD removal and energy efficiency in the MEC were examined under different applied voltages.

[A rapid method for the determination of hydrogen peroxide concentration].

The present paper reported a spectrophotometry for the determination of hydrogen peroxide concentration. It is based on the reaction between ceric sulfate and hydrogen peroxide in an acidic medium, in which orange tetravalent cerium is converted to colorless trivalent cerium that causeds the change in absorbance. According to the quantitative relationship between ceric sulfate and hydrogen peroxide, the hydrogen peroxide concentration can be calculated.

[Characterization of biocatalysed sulfate reduction in a cathode of microbial electrolysis system].

In order to improve H2 utilization efficiency and to reduce energy consumption during the hydrogenotrophic sulfate reduction process, a two-chambered microbial electrolysis system (MES) with a biocathode was constructed. The performance of MES in terms of sulfate removal and the electron utilization was studied. With an applied voltage of 0.

[Rapid determination of silicon content in black liquor of straw fibrous material].

The present paper reports a novel method for the determination of silicon content in straw fibrous material black liquor based on alpha-Si--Mo heteropoly acid spectrophotometry. The selected conditions were as follows: detection wavelength 360 nm, pH 4.0, and reaction time 10 min.

Determination of degree of substitution in succinic anhydride modified cellulose by headspace gas chromatography.

This paper reports on a headspace gas chromatographic method (HS-GC) for rapid determination of degree of substitution in succinic anhydride (SA) modified celluloses. The method is based on the reaction between the carboxyl groups in SA modified cellulose and bicarbonate solution in a closed headspace sample vial. The CO(2) released from the reaction was measured by HS-GC.

[Rapid method for determination of furfural and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural in pre-extraction stream of biomass using UV spectroscopy].

The present paper reports a rapid method for the determination of furfural (F) and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) in pre-extraction liquors of lignocellulosic biomass based on UV spectroscopy. In a concentrated acetic acid medium, F and HMF have an isosbestic point at 276 nm. It was found that the acidic soluble lignin in the pre-extraction sample is the major interference species in the F and HMF spectroscopic quantification However, only acidic soluble lignins have the absorption at the wavelengths above 325 nm.

[Analysis of stress on craniofacial skeleton sutures under protraction with three-dimensional finite element method].

Purpose: To investigate the biomechanical changes of craniofacial skeleton sutures protraction on the craniofacial complex at different angles.

Methods: A three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) was developed from CT scan images by the technologies of three-dimensional reconstruction, image processing and meshing. The protraction force was applied to labial surface of the maxillary canine respectively from the angle of -40 degrees, 0 degrees or 40 degrees with occlusal plane.

Novel preparation and characterization of cellulose microparticles functionalized in ionic liquids.

Ionic liquid (IL)-reconstituted acrylic acid (AA)-functionalized cellulose microparticles were successfully prepared by a water-in-oil suspension technique preliminary modification with AA in homogeneous condition. Cellulose was fully dissolved in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim]Cl) IL, and subsequently was grafted homogeneously with AA and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (N,N'-MBA) initiated with ammonium persulfate. The grafted cellulose was spheroidized using white silicone oil as the dispersion medium and Span 80 as a dispersant and then reconstituted from [Bmim]Cl.

Simultaneous anaerobic-aerobic biodegradation of halogenated phenolic compound under oxygen-limited conditions.

The successful application of co-immobilized aerobic-anaerobic biomass under limited aeration in wastewater treatment systems would eliminate the problems associated with the intermediates mono-chlorophenol (MCP) and di-chlorophenol(DCP) accumulations. With low initial pentachlorophenol (PCP) concentration, all PCP could be completely removed under oxygen-limited strict anaerobic conditions, and the removal efficiencies with different initial headspace oxygen percentage (IHOP) were not obviously different from each other. While at high initial PCP concentration, under strictly anaerobic conditions PCP and their intermediates were clearly higher than that under other conditions, and produced obvious accumulation, the highest PCP reduction was achieved by the system receiving 30 IHOP, oxygen-limited system also exhibited lower residual TOC concentration and lower concentration of metabolic intermediates MCP and DCP.

Coupled anaerobic/aerobic biodegradation of 2,4,6 trichlorophenol.

Degradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) with co-immobilizing anaerobic granular sludge and isolated aerobic bacterial species was studied in coupled anaerobic/aerobic integrated reactors. The synergism of aerobes and anaerobes within co-immobilized granule might facilitate degrading the TCP and exchange of anaerobic metabolites 4-CP, which promoted system organic removal efficiency and recovered from organic shock-loads more quickly. The biomass specific activities experiment further confirmed that strict anaerobes be not affected over the course of this experiment by the presence of an oxic environment, aerobic activity predominated in the outer co-immobilized granule layers, while the interior was characterized by anaerobic activity.