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In order to evaluate the solid-state fermentation of post-harvested wastes of S. tuberosum (potato), inoculated with a microbial preparation, analysis of variance was carried out according to a completely randomized design with factorial arrangement (3 x 3) for the fermentative indicators crude protein, true protein, dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, pH, organic acids, lactic acid, NH3 and microbiological analysis. The factors were 15 and 25 % of inclusion of three fibrous plant material (wheat bran, alfalfa meal and rice meal) and three times of fermentation (0, 24 and 48 h) with three repetitions. The inclusion of 15 and 25 % of the different fibrous materials in the fermentations was performed under the same conditions, and showed interaction between the evaluated indicators and the fermentation time (P < 0.0001). The pH, dry matter, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber notably decreased in the three fibrous materials. There were lower values of lactic acid and ammonia (P < 0.0001) with dilution effect by the fiber. There were not pathogenic microorganisms, but there were significant values of acid lactic bacteria, at 48 h, in the mixture of alfalfa meal of 3.03 x 107 and 7.67 x 107 UFC/mL for 15 and 25 % of inclusion, respectively. The crude protein and true protein increased in 25 % with alfalfa and the dry matter reached at the end of the process 75.80 % for this treatment. It is concluded that the inclusion of fibrous materials in the solid-state fermentation of post harvested wastes of S. tuberosum, inoculated with a microbial preparation with acid lactic activity, have positive effect on their chemical and microbiological composition. It is recommended by the quality indicators of the final product, the use of 25 % of alfalfa meal, fermented at 20 °C during 48 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Carbon monoxide intoxication (COI) can result in severe neuropsychiatric lesions that are however granted little attention in literature. Following the description of affective and neurological symptoms in a 37-year-old female patient five years following COI, we will review, across the literature (Medline1974–2006), the long-term neuropsychiatric consequences, etiopathogenic hypotheses, prognoses and treatments to apply. Subjective symptoms are reported by the quasi-totality of patients for over more than 30 years following COI. More than half of patients are diagnosed as suffering from cognitive impairments and other neurological symptoms after years following COI. Affective disorders are observed in almost three-fourths of patients and personality disorders in more than half. Numerous cerebral lesions and perfusion disorders can be observed through IRM, PET scan and SPECT and related to the clinical symptomatology of the patient. COI may constitute a risk factor in the waking of long-term neuropsychiatric disorders in a context of environmental and neurobiological complex factor interaction. A close follow-up must be envisaged with neuropsychiatric assessments and regular neuroimagery in order to adapt at best therapeutic interventions to the patient''s clinical status. First and foremost prevention and education remain the key solution to the reduction of morbidity and mortality of COI. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this paper is to study the precipitation process in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) operated for EBPR (enhanced biological phosphorus removal) and the possible effects of this phosphorus precipitation in the biological process. Four experiments were carried out under different influent calcium concentration. The experimental results and the equilibrium study, based on the Saturation Index calculation, confirm that the process controlling the calcium behaviour in a SBR operated for EBPR is the calcium phosphate precipitation. This precipitation takes place at two stages initially precipitation of the ACP and later crystallization of HAP. Also the accumulation of phosphorus precipitated was observed when the influent Ca concentration was increased. In all the experiments the influent wastewater ratio P/COD was kept constant. It has been observed that at high Ca concentration the amount of poly-P granules decrease, decreasing the ratio between phosphate release and acetate uptake (Prel/Acuptake). Changes on PAO and GAO populations during the experimental period were ruled out by means of methilene blue stains for poly-P detection. These results confirmed the phosphate precipitation as a process that can affect to the PAO metabolism and the EBPR performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sequencing batch reactor was operated in the conventional anaerobic-aerobic mode for enhanced biological phosphorus removal using acetate as the sole substrate. Despite the nutrients concentrations in the influent being high enough to satisfy the biological requirements, Zoogloea ramigera managed to grow in the system until it had negative effects on the process performance. The excess of exocellular polymeric material produced by this microorganism contributed to a viscous bulking phenomenon and caused important settling problems. The examination of the sludge under the microscope was a valuable tool to diagnose the cause of the imbalance in the process. The strategy adopted to avoid the deterioration of the process (changing key operational factors affecting the Z. ramigera development) allowed the successful recovery the enhanced biological phosphorus removal system. The effectiveness of this approach was confirmed by analyzing several parameters along the operational period (SVI, YPO4, TSS, %VSS ...) together with microbiological examinations of the sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty percent of all schizophrenic patients experience sexual delusions at some point during the evolution of their illness. Among them, some patients develop the conviction of belonging to the other sex. Although true coexistence of schizophrenia and gender identity disorder is rare, it can be difficult to disentangle the two conditions. We report the case of a 40-year-old male patient with chronic schizophrenia who developed intrusive gender identity preoccupations over the years. Using this clinical case as a starting point, relevant literature is then reviewed and discussed. Long-lasting florid delusions of sex change are unusual but have been noted among patients with schizophrenia. Considering the irreversible consequences of surgery and its medico-legal implications, these patients should be properly detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Spirituality and religiousness have been shown to be highly prevalent among patients with schizophrenia. However, clinicians are rarely aware of the importance of religion and understand little of the value or difficulties it presents to treatment. This study aimed to assess the role of religion as a mediating variable in the process of coping with psychotic illness. METHOD: Semistructured interviews about religious coping were conducted with a sample of 115 outpatients with psychotic illness. RESULTS: For some patients, religion instilled hope, purpose, and meaning in their lives (71%), whereas for others, it induced spiritual despair (14%). Patients also reported that religion lessened (54%) or increased (10%) psychotic and general symptoms. Religion was also reported to increase social integration (28%) or social isolation (3%). It may reduce (33%) or increase (10%) the risk of suicide attempts, reduce (14%) or increase (3%) substance use, and foster adherence to (16%) or be in opposition to (15%) psychiatric treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight the clinical significance of religion in the care of patients with schizophrenia. Religion is neither a strictly personal matter nor a strictly cultural one. Spirituality should be integrated into the psychosocial dimension of care. Our results suggest that the complexity of the relationship between religion and illness requires a highly sensitive approach to each unique story. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of calcium (Ca) in enhanced biological phosphorus removal and its possible implications on the metabolic pathway have been studied. The experience has been carried out in an SBR under anaerobic-aerobic conditions for biological phosphorus removal during 8 months. The variations of influent Ca concentration showed a clear influence on the EBPR process, detecting significant changes in YPO4 These YPO4 variations were not due to influent P/COD ratio, pH, denitrification and calcium phosphate formation. The YPO4, has been found to be highly dependent on the Ca concentration, increasing as Ca concentration decreases. The results suggest that high Ca concentrations produce "inert" granules of polyphosphate with Ca as a counterion that are not involved in P release and uptake. Furthermore, microbiological observations confirmed that appreciable changes in PAO and GAO populations were not observed. This behaviour could suggest a change in the bacterial metabolic pathway, with prevailing polyphosphate-accumulating metabolism (PAM) at low influent Ca concentration and glycogen-accumulating metabolism (GAM) at high concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chilling can decrease stomatal sensitivity to abscisic acid (ABA) in some legumes, although hormonal mechanisms involved are unclear. After evaluating leaf gas exchange of 16 European soybean genotypes at 14°C, 6 genotypes representing the range of response were selected. Further experiments combined low (L, 14°C) and high (H, 24°C) temperature exposure from sowing until the unifoliate leaf was visible and L or H temperature until full leaf expansion, to impose four temperature treatments: LL, LH, HL, and HH. Prolonged chilling (LL) substantially decreased leaf water content but increased leaf ethylene evolution and foliar concentrations of the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, indole-3-acetic acid, ABA and jasmonic acid. Across genotypes, photosynthesis linearly increased with stomatal conductance (Gs), with photosynthesis of HH plants threefold higher than LL plants at the same Gs. In all treatments except LL, Gs declined with foliar ABA accumulation. Foliar ABA sprays substantially decreased Gs of HH plants, but did not significantly affect LL plants. Thus low temperature compromised stomatal sensitivity to endogenous and exogenous ABA. Applying the ethylene antagonist 1 methyl-cyclopropene partially reverted excessive stomatal opening of LL plants. Thus, chilling-induced ethylene accumulation may mediate stomatal insensitivity to ABA, offering chemical opportunities for improving seedling survival in cold environments., (© 2023 The Authors. Plant, Cell & Environment published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

In the absence of stress, crop growth depends on the amount of light intercepted by the canopy and the conversion efficiency [radiation use efficiency (RUE)]. This study tested the hypothesis that long-term genetic gain for grain yield was partly due to improved RUE. The hypothesis was tested using 30 elite maize hybrids commercialized in the US corn belt between 1930 and 2017. Crops grown under irrigation showed that pre-flowering crop growth increased at a rate of 0.11 g m-2 year-1, while light interception remained constant. Therefore, RUE increased at a rate of 0.0049 g MJ-1 year-1, translating into an average of 3 g m-2 year-1 of grain yield over 100 years of maize breeding. Considering that the harvest index has not changed for crops grown at optimal density for the hybrid, the cumulative RUE increase over the history of commercial maize breeding in the USA can account for ~32% of the documented yield trend for maize grown in the central US corn belt. The remaining RUE gap between this study and theoretical maximum values suggests that a yield improvement of a similar magnitude could be achieved by further increasing RUE., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Scientific studies reveal significant consequences of climate change for nature, from ecosystems to individual species. Such studies are important factors in policy decisions on forest conservation and management in Europe. However, while research has shown that climate change research start to impact on European conservation policies like Natura 2000, climate change information has yet to translate into management practices. This article contributes to the on-going debates about science-society relations and knowledge utilization by exploring and analysing the interface between scientific knowledge and forest management practice. We focus specifically on climate change debates in conservation policy and on how managers of forest areas in Europe perceive and use climate change ecology. Our findings show that forest managers do not necessarily deny the potential importance of climate change for their management practices, at least in the future, but have reservations about the current usefulness of available knowledge for their own areas and circumstances. This suggests that the science-management interface is not as politicized as current policy debates about climate change and that the use of climate change ecology is situated in practice. We conclude the article by discussing what forms of knowledge may enable responsible and future oriented management in practice focusing specifically on the role of reflexive experimentation and monitoring.

The aim of the present study was to elicit how patients with delusions with religious contents conceptualized or experienced their spirituality and religiousness. Sixty-two patients with present or past religious delusions went through semistructured interviews, which were analyzed using the three coding steps described in the grounded theory. Three major themes were found in religious delusions: "spiritual identity," "meaning of illness," and "spiritual figures." One higher-order concept was found: "structure of beliefs." We identified dynamics that put these personal beliefs into a constant reconstruction through interaction with the world and others (i.e., open dynamics) and conversely structural dynamics that created a complete rupture with the surrounding world and others (i.e., closed structural dynamics); those dynamics may coexist. These analyses may help to identify psychological functions of delusions with religious content and, therefore, to better conceptualize interventions when dealing with it in psychotherapy.

Aims: Assertive community treatment (ACT) is known to have a positive impact on the number and length of inpatient stays. However, recent studies have shown little or no effect of such programs in European settings. This paper aims to describe the impact of a newly implemented ACT program on patients and their families' burden. Predictive factors have also been examined., Method: Fifty-five patients characterized by heavy use of psychiatric care, numerous hospitalizations, or failure to link with outpatient psychiatric care and their relatives were followed. Data were gathered on patients before and after follow up as well as on relatives' burden and costs. The number and domains of clinician interventions have been detailed., Results: The ACT program had a positive effect on symptoms, psychosocial adaptation and quality of life. Age was the most significant predictor of changes. Older patients, most of them suffering from delusional disorders, showed no improvement or even some impairment. Finally, the program appeared to have a marked effect on easing families' burden in domains such as assistance in daily life activities and costs., Conclusions: ACT appears to be recommended for patients with poor outcome when treated in other settings. Early intervention seems to be justified as highlighted by younger age being the best predictor of positive changes. Families can be helped considerably, particularly those confronted with patients with persistent disturbing symptoms which do not, however, warrant hospitalization. Finally, the fact that patients with delusional disorder do not seem to improve warrants further research., (© 2012 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2012 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.)

Objective: To assess the importance of spirituality and religious coping among outpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder living in three countries., Method: A total of 276 outpatients (92 from Geneva, Switzerland, 121 from Trois-Rivières, Canada, and 63 from Durham, North Carolina), aged 18-65, were administered a semi-structured interview on the role of spirituality and religiousness in their lives and to cope with their illness., Results: Religion is important for outpatients in each of the three country sites, and religious involvement is higher than in the general population. Religion was helpful (i.e., provided a positive sense of self and positive coping with the illness) among 87% of the participants and harmful (a source of despair and suffering) among 13%. Helpful religion was associated with better social, clinical and psychological status. The opposite was observed for the harmful aspects of religion. In addition, religion sometimes conflicted with psychiatric treatment., Conclusions: These results indicate that outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder often use spirituality and religion to cope with their illness, basically positively, yet sometimes negatively. These results underscore the importance of clinicians taking into account the spiritual and religious lives of patients with schizophrenia.

Spirituality and religiousness have been shown to be highly prevalent in patients with schizophrenia. This study assesses the predictive value of helpful vs. harmful use of religion to cope with schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorder at 3 years. From an initial cohort of 115 outpatients, 80% were reassessed for positive, negative and general symptoms, clinical global impression, social adaptation and quality of life. For patients with helpful religion at baseline, the importance of spirituality was predictive of fewer negative symptoms, better clinical global impression, social functioning and quality of life. The frequencies of religious practices in community and support from religious community had no effect on outcome. For patients with harmful religion at baseline, no relationships were elicited. This result may be due to sample size. Indeed, helpful spiritual/religious coping concerns 83% of patients, whereas harmful spiritual/religious coping concerns only 14% of patients. Our study shows that helpful use of spirituality is predictive of a better outcome. Spirituality may facilitate recovery by providing resources for coping with symptoms. In some cases, however, spirituality and religiousness are a source of suffering. Helpful vs. harmful spiritual/religious coping appears to be of clinical significance., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Recovery-oriented care for patients with schizophrenia involves consideration of cultural issues, such as religion and spirituality. However, there is evidence that psychiatrists rarely address such topics. This study examined acceptance of a spiritual assessment by patients and clinicians, suggestions for treatment that arose from the assessment, and patient outcomes--in terms of treatment compliance and satisfaction with care (as measured by treatment alliance)., Methods: Outpatients with psychosis were randomly assigned to two groups: an intervention group that received traditional treatment and a religious and spiritual assessment (N=40) and a control group that received only traditional treatment (N=38). Eight psychiatrists were trained to administer the assessment to their established and stable patients. After each administration, the psychiatrist attended a supervision session with a psychiatrist and a psychologist of religion. Baseline and three-month data were collected., Results: The spiritual assessment was well accepted by patients. During supervision, psychiatrists reported potential clinical uses for the assessment information for 67% of patients. No between-group differences in medication adherence and satisfaction with care were found at three months, although patients in the intervention group had significantly better appointment attendance during the follow-up period. Their interest in discussing religion and spirituality with their psychiatrists remained high. The process was not as well accepted by psychiatrists., Conclusions: Spiritual assessment can raise important clinical issues in the treatment of patients with chronic schizophrenia. Cultural factors, such as religion and spirituality, should be considered early in clinical training, because many clinicians are not at ease addressing such topics with patients.