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Here, an innovative three-chamber bioelectrochemical system configuration is proposed to combine COD, CO2 and NH4+ removal into a single device. In the proposed process, while COD oxidation and CO2 reduction occurred, respectively, in the anodic and cathodic chamber, the consequent current generation promoted the migration of target ionic species towards an intermediate accumulation chamber, across cation and anion exchange membranes, respectively. Under this configuration, COD removal proceeded in the anode chamber with an average removal rate of 841 mgCOD L−1 d−1 while the cathode was able to remove 2.1 gCO2 L−1 d−1 and produce 60 meq L−1 d−1 of CH4. Around 90% of the removed CO2 was contained in the concentrated spill (at around 20 g L−1 of bicarbonate), which was recovered from the intermediate accumulation chamber and also contained the removed nitrogen as ammonium ion (around 32% removal and around 4-fold concentration with respect to the anode influent). Methane generation allowed a partial recovery of energy of overall energy consumption costs of both COD and CO2 removal. This study confirms the possibility to combine three processes into a single bioelectrochemical device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, friction stir welded lap joints of innovative dissimilar aluminum alloys have been produced and tested to investigate the feasibility of using this joining technique in this configuration. The introduction of both this new welding technique alloys, such as AA 2198, could allow making lighter and stronger structures. Some experiments, carried out previously, have shown that the fixturing device, the tool geometry, and the tilt angle play a significant role in the joint soundness. A wide experimental characterization has been carried out on friction stir welded lap joints of AA 7075 T6 extrudes to AA 2198 T351 rolled plates. The results attained are allowed to put in evidence some critical issues on the investigated configuration and can be considered as a further acquired knowledge in the understanding and the design of friction stir processes. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No abstract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented which discusses the case of a young haemophilic patient who undergone a successful surgical treatment of quadratus femoris muscle's complete symptomatic ossification.

Background: Screening programmes for the detection of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and positive viral load have been developed in many countries to achieve the World Health Organization's goal of HCV elimination by 2030. In Italy, a phased screening programme starting with individuals born between 1969 and 1989 has been implemented., Aim: To assess the prevalence of patients with positive viraemia identified through a universal screening campaign conducted among hospitalised patients at our centre during the calendar year 2022., Methods: All adult (aged ≥ 18 years) hospitalised patients, who participated in HCV screening from January to December 2022 were included, without any age restriction. Screening initially involved testing for anti-HCV antibodies and then patients who tested positive underwent further HCV-RNA testing., Results: A total of 10,846 samples were collected. Five hundred and thirty cases (4.8%) tested positive for HCV antibodies, and 109 (1%) tested positive for both HCV antibodies and HCV-RNA. Among patients with a positive viral load, the median [IQR] age was 62 [53-77] years, with a significant age difference between males and females (59 [48-67] vs. 78 [62-88]; Mann-Whitney U-test, p = 0.001). Eighty-four (77%) patients with a positive viral load were outside the target age range specified in the current National Recommendations for free-of-charge screening., Conclusions: The non-negligible prevalence of patients with a positive viral load among an unselected group of hospitalised patients suggests that such settings could effectively enhance screening programmes aimed at HCV elimination. Additionally, this approach may help identify patients who are not currently included in the National Recommendations., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)