Health and safety incidents at a power utility in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa

Background: Many high-risk and construction-related activities are performed in the course of distributing electricity throughout South Africa, including working at heights, driving, operating electrical networks, excavation work, and maintenance of electrical structures. South Africa has one power utility that provides electricity to the entire country. Different sectors of the utility are distributed throughout the nine provinces, with eight sectors in the Eastern Cape province. Objective: We sought to compare health and safety incidents, and their causes, between the sectors in the Eastern Cape province. Methods: Incident data from 2015 to 2019 were extracted from the power utility's Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing of Environmental Health and Safety (SAP EH&S) database. The most common health and safety incidents and their reported causes are compared across sectors and described as counts and frequencies. Results: There were 614 health and safety incidents recorded in the study period with motor vehicle accidents being the most common overall (n = 482, 78.5%). Incidents related to damage to equipment (n = 48, 7.8%), operating errors (n = 16, 2.8%), falls (n = 15, 2.4%), hand injuries (n = 13, 2.1%), and insect/animal bites (n = 13, 2.1%) were also recorded. Workers ignoring safety rules was the most common reported cause of these health and safety incidents (n = 449, 73.1%). Conclusion: Motor vehicle accidents, damage to property, operating errors, falls, and hand injuries were frequently reported in the energy utility sectors in the Eastern Cape province. The most common recorded cause was workers ignoring health and safety rules. Training workers on the importance of reporting incidents, including near misses, can potentially reduce the frequency of health and safety incidents.

Analyzing the influencing factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in neck, shoulder and lower back of live-electric line workers / 中国职业医学

{L-End}Objective To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) of live-electric line workers in the power supply enterprises. {L-End}Methods A total of 1 479 live-electric frontline workers in the power supply bureaus under China Southern Power Grid Co., LTD in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangdong Province and Yunnan Province were selected as the research subjects using the cluster sampling method. The revised Chinese version of the Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire was used to investigate the prevalence of WMSDs and their influencing factors in the past year. {L-End}Results The prevalence of WMSDs was 61.4%. The prevalence of WMSDs in nine body sites ranged from 11.3% to 45.1%, with the highest prevalence being on three sites of neck, shoulder and lower back with a prevalence of 45.1%, 36.0% and 30.8%, respectively. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the influencing factors of WMSDs in the neck, shoulder, and lower back were different, but all related to individual factors, poor ergonomics factors, and unreasonable work organization factors. The influencing factors simultaneously affecting these three sites included length of service, educational level, working in a sitting posture for a long time, working in uncomfortable postures, adequate rest time, starting to work after rest, deciding when to start and finish by oneself, and shortage of staff in the department or group. The factors affecting both neck and shoulder WMSDs were gender and back bending slightly for a long time. The factors affecting both neck and lower back were age and back bending significantly for a long time. {L-End}Conclusion The prevalence of WMSDs in the live-electric line workers in power supply enterprises is high, mainly occurring in the neck, shoulders, and lower back. The influencing factors are individual factors, poor ergonomics factors, and unreasonable work organization.

Clinical analysis of 32 cases of temporal lobe epilepsy treated by microsurgery under intraoperative cortical EEG monitoring / 中国综合临床

Objective:To investigate the effect of microsurgery by modified pterional approach in the treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy under intraoperative cortical encephalon electricity graph (EEG) monitoring.Methods:The clinical data of 32 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy who were admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery of Shangqiu First People's Hospital from January 2012 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, all patients underwent microsurgical resection of epileptogenic foci by modified pterional approach under cortical EEG monitoring.Results:The postoperative follow-up was from half a year to 6 years. According to the Tan's classification, 25 cases (78.1%(25/32)) of seizures disappeared completely, 3 cases (9.4%(3/32)) of seizures decreased by more than 75%, and 4 cases (12.5%(4/32)) of seizures decreased by more than 50%. Isotropic hemianopia occurred in 1 case (3.1%) after operation, and there was no operative death.Conclusion:Microsurgical resection of epileptogenic foci through modified pterional approach under intraoperative cortical EEG monitoring was a safe and effective method for the treatment of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Evaluation of bioelectricity productivity using alkaliphilic Bacillus alkalogaya BW2(1) as a possible exoelectrogens for improvement of microbial fuel cell performance

The present study put forth with the fundamental objective to the exploration of exoelectrogens from theextremophilic environment and to investigate the electricity generation from them. A total of 20 bacterialcultures were isolated, from which BW2(1) was selected for the further investigation of the microbial fuelcell (MFC). The experimental results performed that the strain Bacillus alkalogaya BW2(1) was capable ofutilizing organic acids and sugars as electron donors to generate electricity. The MFC was constructed and theelectricity generation was measured after various intervals using various parameters and substrates, 937 mVelectricity was generated after 1 hour, but after 48 hours the electricity generation dramatically decreases to570 mV. The effect of pH on MFC was also studied, pH enhanced electricity, indicating the requirement ofpH for bacterium BW2(1). This is a valuable information for bioelectricity production and optimization fromB. alkalogaya BW2(1) has bright future toward the improvement and production of bioelectricity for entirelynew areas of industrial and biotechnological applications.

Safety and results of bioelectrical impedance analysis in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices

Abstract Objective: To analyze the dual interference between cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Methods: Forty-three individuals admitted for CIEDs implantation were submitted to a tetrapolar BIA with an alternating current at 800 microA and 50 kHz frequency before and after the devices' implantation. During BIA assessment, continuous telemetry was maintained between the device programmer and the CIEDs in order to look for evidence of possible electric interference in the intracavitary signal of the device. Results: BIA in patients with CIEDs was safe and not associated with any device malfunction or electrical interference in the intracardiac electrogram of any electrode. After the implantation of the devices, there were significant reductions in BIA measurements of resistance, reactance, and measurements adjusted for height resistance and reactance, reflecting an increase (+ 1 kg; P<0.05) in results of total body water and extracellular water in liter and, consequently, increases in fat-free mass (FFM) and extracellular mass in kg. Because of changes in the hydration status and FFM values, without changes in weight, fat mass was significantly lower (-1.2 kg; P<0.05). Conclusion: BIA assessment in patients with CIEDs was safe and not associated with any device malfunction. The differences in BIA parameters might have occurred because of modifications on the patients' body composition, associated to their hydration status, and not to the CIEDs.

Use of Glycerol as Substrate for Electricity Generation Using Citrobacter sp. in a Double Chambered Microbial Fuel Cell

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have the potential to convert organic substratesinto electricity thus facilitating the strategies of renewable energy production. In recentyears the exploration for newer energy resources for MFC has widened and in thiscontext, the use of glycerol in bioenergy production was investigated to check itsefficacy in electricity generation. Thus, the power generation of a double-chamberedMFC was observed with glycerol as the substrate and Citrobacter sp. as the bacteriumof interest. Here, the MFC system yielded a power density of 79.42 mW/m² with carboncloth as the electrodes and Nafion as the proton exchange membrane. Further, the MFCsystem was optimized for the ambient temperature, in which the maximum voltage andcurrent were obtained at 35⁰C. In the study, the Citrobacter sp. showed its bestperformance at the optimum temperature of 350C. Likewise, the optimal pH for the MFCsystem in which the electrical output was high was observed in the pH value of 7.4.Moreover, the anodic bacterial biofilm analysis under confocal microscope providedevidence of the presence of live bacteria which were responsible for the efficientcurrent generation of the MFC system.

Fisiopatología de las quemaduras eléctricas: artículo de revisión / Physiopathology of electrical burns

Electric burns are consider one of the most drastic traumas that an individual can be expose to, it compromise almost all systems of the human body. It is important to acknowledge all the general characteristics of electricity, the mechanism and the types of injuries, these are not well known by health providers. Our article is based on a bibliographic research to obtain an extend review that allows the reader comprehend the physiopathology of electric burns and apply it to the daily working basis.

Las quemaduras eléctricas son consideradas uno de los traumas más drásticos al cual puede exponerse un individuo; comprometiendo directa o indirectamente a casi todos los sistemas del cuerpo humano. Es importante conocer los aspectos generales de la electricidad, los mecanismos y tipos de lesiones generadas por las mismas, que son poco comprendidos por la mayoría del personal de salud. Nuestro artículo se basa en una revisión bibliográfica para ofrecer una explicación completa, que permita al lector entender mejor la fisiopatología de este tipo de trauma y, por lo tanto, se manifieste en el actuar diario del personal de salud.

Forecasting the Electricity Consumption in a Higher Education Institution

Abstract The objective of this paper is to present a mathematical representation by Regression Analysis that enables the projection of electricity consumption according to the built area and population in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and to define an Indicator that contemplates the most significant variable in consumption. of electric power. The Null Hypothesis -H0 is that in a HEI the most appropriate indicator is the Kilo Watt Hour per square meter (kWh / m2) as proposed by the Ministry of Planning and Management - MP. The research universe is 2,368 HEI, identified in a report from the Ministry of Education (2015). As Sample and case study, data from the thirteen Campi of the Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR) are used. As a computational tool we use the IBM SPSS Statistics Base Software for Windows version 23 from SPSS Inc .. For the considered Sample and research design, the conclusion is that the null hypothesis is rejected accepting that the most significant indicator is the kilo. Watt Time per user (kWh / user). This conclusion does not exclude the relationship between constructed area and Energy Consumption, but reveals that it is not as significant as the number of individuals in HEI for this sample.

Biogas and Biomass Implementation in Rural Areas

Abstract Advances in energy demand in rural areas cannot be dissociated from agricultural modernization, large estates, mechanization of labor and reduced investment in small production. The use of biogas together with biomass are the most cost-effective ways for the small producer, as it has a high calorific value. In the case of biogas the procedure is performed by combining a compressor and a chiller, allowing the gas enter the reactor and burn together with the air stream. The use of these techniques is an auxiliary way to reduce the cost of the producer to produce a certain crop, besides allowing a participation in the final energy supply, so that the utilities have an alternative to distribute the surplus energy to another region, serving thus a wider range in the rural area.

Integrated project of a smart microgrid allied with energy management: An initiative to reduce electrical energy costs

Abstract Electricity is undoubtedly one of the most important resources in the modern world. As the demand for electric energy increases, conventional resources that are transformed into electric energy are being exhausted, generating a need to search for alternative sources, resulting in a significant increase in energy costs. This study presents an integrated project of an intelligent microgrid and energy management aimed at reducing energy costs. At the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), electricity represents an annual cost of over BRL 13 million, which is the third largest operating expense of the university. In addition, the public education budget in Brazil has been decreased in recent years. Therefore, this study was conducted within the scope of UFPR and aimed to analyze three alternatives to reduce electric energy costs: i) demand management through an analysis of energy bills, ii) migration to the free energy market, and iii) the development of an in-house photovoltaic generation facility. A computational tool to optimize the contracted demand and simulate the annual savings with the free market and distributed generation projects was developed using Microsoft Excel. Payback, the net present value, and the internal rate of return were calculated. Finally, the economic viability of all alternatives was proven, with demand management demonstrating an economic potential of greater than BRL 500,000 per year, use of the free market saving more than BRL 300,000, and the developed in-house photovoltaic generation system achieving an economic impact of more than BRL 600,000 per year.

Review of Suicidal Electrocution in South Korea from 2008 Year to 2018 Year / 대한법의학회지

The authors investigated the cases of electrocution suicides in South Korea from 2008 to 2018. Out of 151,419 suicides during this 11-year period, suicide by electrocution was extremely rare. Only nine victims were recorded in eight cases, with one case involving a married couple. The majority of the victims were men (89%), and only one case involved a woman (11%). The mean age of the victims was 55 years, and ranged from 38 to 74 years. In all cases, the suicides occurred in the home, and low-voltage electricity was used. Two of the nine victims (22%) had an occupation related with electrical knowledge. Mental illness, such as depression and schizophrenia, was found in two cases (22%). An autopsy was not performed in all cases.

Effects of digastric muscle low frequency modulated medium frequency electroacupuncture therapy and voice training for dysphagia in patients with aortic arch surgery: A randomized controlled trial / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective     To investigate the combined effects of digastric muscle low frequency modulated medium frequency electro-acupuncture therapy and voice training for dysphagia in patients who underwent aortic arch surgery. Methods     Forty-two consecutive patients with dysphagia after aortic arch surgery between October 2014 and November 2017 were divided into two groups including an observation group and a control group. There were 21 patients in each group. There were 17 males and 4 females at age of 51.0±6.5 years in the observation group, while 18 males and 3 females at age of 49.8±7.3 years in the control group. The patients in the observation group underwent electroacupuncture therapy and voice training (20 min per day for each therapy, 2 weeks), while the patients in the control group only received safe swallowing education and rehabilitation guidance (2 weeks). The test results, such as fibrolaryngoscope and functional oral intake scale (FOIS) score, and the data of computer phonatory detection, before and after the intervention were  compared. Results     The fibrolaryngoscope of vocal cords significantly decreased and the FOIS score significantly increased after digastric muscle low frequency modulated medium frequency electro-acupuncture therapy and voice training in the observation group(6.30 vs. 4.60, P<0.05). Bucking was obviously reduced. The indicators of hoarse degree, such as median pitch, fundamental frequency, jitter (0.60%±0.96% vs. 1.99%±1.86%, P=0.033), shimmer (2.47%±4.26% vs. 5.89%±3.66%, P=0.043), maximum phonation time (15.31±9.10 s vs. 3.72±8.83 s, P=0.006), maximum and loud phonation time (9.30±5.73 s vs. 2.32±2.99 s, P=0.039), mean noise-to-harmonics ratio (23.99±10.17 vs .9.98±9.37, P=0.006) and mean harmonics-to-noise ratio (0.03±0.02 vs. 0.17±0.23, P=0.019) improved after the treatment in both groups. But the improvement in the observation group was significantly better than that in the control group. Conclusion     The combination of digastric muscle low frequency modulated medium frequency electro-acupuncture therapy and voice training on dysphagia in patients who underwent aortic arch surgery can significantly improve the swallowing function of patients. Meanwhile, it also helps the recovery of phonic function and improves the ability of feeding and communication in these patients.

Energy potential of residual maize biomass at different spacings and nitrogen doses / Potencial energético da biomassa residual do milho em diferentes espaçamentos e doses de nitrogênio

ABSTRACT Agricultural residual biomass is an important source of energy, and its production and quality vary according to the crop management. This study aimed to assess the effects of plant distribution and nitrogen fertilization on the energy production potential of the biomass of maize cultivated under no tillage. The field experiment was installed in southeast Brazil using five nitrogen rates (0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 kg ha-1) and two inter-row spacings (0.4 and 0.8 m). Grain yield, residual biomass productivity, and bioenergy potential in different parts of the plant (grain, stalk+leaf, husk, and cob) were assessed. No change in grain yield was observed using narrow row spacing. Stalk+leaf and husk productivity was higher using 0.8 m than using 0.4 m of inter-row spacing. Nitrogen application resulted in increased grain yield and biomass productivity. Nitrogen influences the bioenergy potential by increasing the biomass and calorific value. Application of the maximum nitrogen fertilization rate is recommended for grain yield considering the use of only the husk and cob can generate 2712 kWh ha-1 of bioenergy.

RESUMO A biomassa residual agrícola é uma importante fonte de energia e sua produção e qualidade varia com o manejo das lavouras. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito da distribuição de plantas e da adubação nitrogenada sobre o potencial de produção de energia da biomassa do milho cultivado sob sistema de plantio direto. O experimento de campo foi instalado no sudeste do Brasil, com cinco doses de nitrogênio (0, 60, 120, 180 e 240 kg ha-1) e dois espaçamentos entrelinhas (0,4 e 0,8 m). Foram realizadas avaliações de produtividade de grãos, produtividade de biomassa residual e potencial de bioenergia em diferentes partes da planta (grão, colmo + folha, palha da espiga e sabugo). A variação no espaçamento não alterou o rendimento de grãos. A produtividade de folhas + palha de espiga foi maior em 0,8 m do que 0,4 m de espaçamento. A aplicação de nitrogênio resultou no aumento do rendimento de grãos e da produtividade de biomassa. O nitrogênio influência o potencial da bioenergia ao aumentar a biomassa e o poder calorífico. Com a dose de 226 kg ha-1 de nitrogênio, taxa máxima para o rendimento de grãos, e considerando apenas o uso de palha da espiga e sabugo, é possível gerar 2712 kWh ha-1 de bioenergia.

Prospectiva de las energías eólica y solar fotovoltaica en la producción de energía eléctrica / Prospective of wind and solar photovoltaic energy for electricity production

RESUMEN El incremento en el precio de los combustibles fósiles y los problemas de contaminación derivados de su quema, han provocado la intensificación del aprovechamiento de las energías renovables para producir energía eléctrica. El objetivo de este estudio fue estimar el desarrollo de las energías renovables solar-fotovoltaica y eólica en la generación de energía eléctrica, comparándola con la producida con combustibles fósiles. Se consultaron varios reportes, emitidos por organismos gubernamentales y no gubernamentales, sobre el consumo energético mundial, para producir energía eléctrica a base de combustibles fósiles y de energías renovables, sobre la problemática del cambio climático y las políticas establecidas para incorporar energías renovables en el portafolio energético mundial. Los resultados indicaron que las plantas de generación de energía eléctrica, a partir de energía eólica y solar-fotovoltaica, son competitivas respecto a las plantas que utilizan recursos fósiles. A corto plazo, se esperan leyes regulatorias, con sanciones por contaminación, para limitar los efectos en el cambio climático, lo que elevará el costo de producción de las plantas convencionales, favoreciendo el desarrollo de las plantas de energías renovables, principalmente la solar-fotovoltaica, la cual tiene el mayor crecimiento de las energías renovables.

ABSTRACT The increase in the price of fossil fuels and the pollution problems arising from their burning has resulted in the intensification of the use of renewable energy sources to produce electricity. The purpose of this study was to estimate the development of solar photovoltaic and wind energy in electricity generation, compared to the generation produced with fossil fuels. Several reports issued by governmental and non-governmental bodies on global energy consumption to produce electricity from fossil fuels and from renewable energy sources, on climate change and on poli cies to incorporate renewable energy sources in the global energy portfolio were consulted. The results indicated that electric power from wind and solar photovoltaic energy generation plants are competitive with respect to the plants that use fossil resources. In the short run, regulatory laws that include pollution-related sanctions to limit the effects on climate change are expected to emerge. Such laws are likely to raise the cost of production of conventional plants, while favoring the development of renewable energy plants, mainly solar photovoltaic, which has the fastest growing renewable energy.

Bacterial Diversity Associated with Anodic Biofilms in Microbial Fuel Cells Fed with Wastewater / Diversidad bacteriana asociada a biopelículas anódicas en celdas de combustible microbianas alimentadas con aguas residuales

RESUMEN. El presente trabajo evaluó la diversidad bacteriana asociada a las biopelículas formadas sobre los ánodos de celdas de combustible microbianas, por medio del análisis del gen del ARNr 16S y observaciones por microscopía electrónica de barrido. Se construyeron celdas de combustible microbianas de una cámara que permanecieron en operación durante 30 días utilizando muestras ambientales como inóculo y único sustrato energético; las celdas fueron monitoreadas en función de la producción de energía durante el desarrollo del experimento; al finalizar los ensayos, se realizó la caracterización molecular y observaciones mediante microscopía electrónica de barrido a las biopelículas formadas. Se reportan valores de densidad de potencia máxima de 4,85 mW/m² para el agua residual doméstica y de 1,85 mW/m² para el caso del agua residual industrial, con disminuciones de 71 % de la DBO para el agua residual doméstica y de 59 % de la DBO para el caso del agua residual industrial. Se logró la recuperación de 15 secuencias únicas provenientes de la amplificación del gen del ARNr 16S obtenidas a partir de las biopelículas formadas sobre los ánodos. El análisis filogenético ubicó estas secuencias en la clase Deltaproteobacteria. Los dos sustratos ambientales contienen una importante e interesante diversidad microbiana, mostrándolos promisorios para la construcción y operación de MFC y la implementación de procesos de biodegradación de materia orgánica.

ABSTRACT. This study evaluated the bacterial diversity associated with biofilms formed on the anode of microbial fuel cells (MFC), by analyzing the 16S rRNA gene and observations by scanning electron microscopy. Single chambered MFC were constructed and kept in operation for 30 days using environmental samples as inoculum and sole energy substrate; the MFC were monitored as a function of energy production in the course of the experiment; at endpoint, molecular characterization and observations using scanning electron microscopy was performed to the formed biofilms. Values of maximum power density of 4.85 mW/m2 for domestic wastewater and 1.85 mW/m2 in the case of industrial wastewater are reported, with declines of 71 % of the BOD for domestic wastewater and 59 % of the BOD in the case of industrial wastewater. Recovery of 15 unique sequences from the amplification of 16S rRNA gene obtained from the biofilms formed on the anodes was accomplished. Phylogenetic analysis placed these sequences in the Deltaproteobacteria class. The two environmental substrates contain an important and interesting microbial diversity, showing them very promising for the construction and operation of MFC and implementing biodegradation of organic material.

Risco invisível: trabalho e subjetividade no setor elétrico / Riesgo invisible: trabajo y subjetividad en el sector eléctrico / Invisible risk: work and subjectivity in the electricity sector

Resumo Este estudo se origina de uma pesquisa que abordou a noção de risco no trabalho no setor elétrico. O termo “risco invisível” surgiu do discurso dos trabalhadores do setor, referindo-se à eletricidade que não pode ser vista, mas oferece riscos específicos. Dá-se ênfase a uma análise da noção de risco, enquanto fenômeno da modernidade, mas passando também pela discussão da confiança básica e da segurança ontológica. Ao relacionar esse marco teórico com a realidade do trabalho no setor elétrico, entra em cena o articulador teórico dos mecanismos de defesa, através da psicodinâmica do trabalho. Do ponto de vista político, é importante refletir sobre a realidade da segurança no âmbito das relações de trabalho, já que os trabalhadores são expostos a riscos específicos em cada atividade. A reflexão teórica e observação empírica constante são um caminho para pensar intervenções no âmbito da dimensão sociopsicológica do risco no trabalho.

Resumen Este estudio se deriva de la investigación que se dirigió a la noción de riesgo en el trabajo en el sector eléctrico. El término "riesgo invisible" surgió de la voz de los trabajadores del sector, haciendo referencia a la electricidad, que no puede ser vista, pero, plantea riesgos específicos. Se hace necesario el análisis del concepto de riesgo como un fenómeno de la modernidad, pero también a través de la discusión de la confianza básica y la seguridad ontológica. Para relacionar este marco teórico con la realidad del trabajo en el sector eléctrico, entra en escena la articulación teórica de los mecanismos de defensa a través de la psicodinámica del trabajo. Desde el punto de vista político, es importante reflexionar a respecto de la realidad de la seguridad en el contexto de las relaciones laborales , ya que los trabajadores están expuestos a riesgos específicos de cada actividad. La reflexión teórica y la observación empírica consistente es una manera de pensar acerca de las intervenciones para la dimensión socio - psicológico de riesgo en el trabajo.

Abstract This study is part of a research work that approach aspects related to the work risk in the electricity sector. The term "invisible risk" came from the speech of the workers, referring to electricity, which can not be seen, but offers specific risks. We emphasize an analysis of the concept of risk as a phenomenon of modernity, but also through the discussion of basic trust and ontological security. By relating this theoretical framework with the reality of working in the electricity sector, enters the scene the theoretical articulation of defense mechanisms, through psychodynamics of work. From a political standpoint, it is important to reflect on the reality of security in the context of labor relations, as workers are exposed to specific risks in each activity. The theoretical reflection and empirical constant observation are one way to think about interventions within the socio-psychological dimension of risk at work.

Survival elongation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa improves power output of microbial fuel cells / 生物工程学报

The secondary metabolites, phenazine products, produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa can mediate the electrons transfer in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). How increase the total electricity production in MFCs by improving the characteristics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of research hot spots and problems. In this study, P. aeruginosa strain SJTD-1 and its knockout mutant strain SJTD-1 (ΔmvaT) were used to construct MFCs, and the discharge processes of the two MFCs were analyzed to determine the key factors to electricity yields. Results indicated that not only phenazine but also the viable cells in the fermentation broth were essential for the discharge of MFCs. The mutant strain SJTD-1 (ΔmvaT) could produce more phenazine products and continue discharging over 160 hours in MFCs, more than that of the wild-type SJTD-1 strain (90 hours discharging time). The total electricity generated by SJTD-1 (ΔmvaT) strain could achieve 2.32 J in the fermentation process, much higher than the total 1.30 J electricity of the wild-type SJTD-1 strain. Further cell growth analysis showed that the mutant strain SJTD-1 (ΔmvaT) could keep a longer stationary period, survive much longer in MFCs and therefore, discharge more electron than those of the wild-type SJTD-1 strain. Therefore, the cell survival elongation of P. aeruginosa in MFCs could enhance its discharging time and improve the overall energy yield. This work could give a clue to improve the characteristics of MFCs using genetic engineering strain, and could promote related application studies on MFCs.

Study on the development of an evaluation index system for electricity saving at general hospitals / 中华医院管理杂志

Objective To establish an evaluation index system of electricity saving at general hospitals.Methods Based on civil building energy saving studies and in accordance with national regulations on hospital energy saving, the authors build an electricity saving index system for general hospitals.The indexes were reduced by the rough set theory, and their weight was determined by analytical hierarchy process and expert analysis.Results An electricity saving evaluation index system for general hospitals is so developed, consisting of six level-2 indexes and 27 level-3 indexes.Conclusions Such an evaluation index system can guide hospital electricity consumption and saving.

An improved method for isolation of human atrial cardiomyocytes / 重庆医学

Objective To study an improved isolated method of single human atrial myocytes.Methods Enzyme digestion method was used to isolate single myocytes from human atrial and whole-cell patch clamp technique was used to record small conductance calcium activated potassium current.Results This method obtained a large number of atrial myocytes.The total amount of atrial myocytes in SR group was 320±30 while AF group was 230±20 and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.01).In this study,a large number of simple and striated single atrial myocytes were obtained,and a typical small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel current was recorded on the isolated atrial myocytes.Conclusion The established isolated method is simple,stable and effective.We can acquire a large amount of single atrial myocytes with good quality.

Reversible Atrioventricular Block after Electrical Injury / 대한내과학회지

Here, we report a case of electrical injury-induced reversible advanced second-degree atrioventricular (AV) block. A 28-year-old male visited the emergency department for palpitations 3 days after receiving an electrical injury from 220 volt alternating current. The initial electrocardiogram (ECG) showed sinus rhythm and first-degree AV block with a prolonged PR interval of 400 ms. There was no structural heart disease or electrolyte imbalance. Follow up ECGs acquired 4-6 days after the electrical injury showed intermittent AV block with a prolonged PR interval of 400-460 ms. Exercise treadmill and atropine provocation tests performed 6 days after electrical injury induced advanced second-degree AV block. His bundle electrogram showed intermittent AH block in a Wenckebach pattern with a prolonged AH interval of 220-360 ms and a normal HV interval. Episodes of AV block decreased remarkably 4 weeks after the electrical injury, and the prolonged PR interval returned to 220 ms after 5 months.