Rationalization and optimization of waste management and treatment in modern cruise ships

Here we report over possible optimizations onboard cruise ships in the management of glass, paper and cellulosic waste, ranging from simple rationalization of the materials' use (for glass and paper) to the recovery of some of the energy embedded in paper and other cellulosic waste. This latter option is investigated considering two possibilities: i) the recovery of thermal energy from incinerator's flue gas by means of an absorption plant, ii) the production of syngas to be directly fed to the ship engines. For each option, we calculated the achievable benefits in terms of reduced fuel consumption, avoided CO2 emissions and cost savings (evaluated on the basis of the avoided fuel consumption). Finally, on the basis of the previously calculated benefits, we defined three different scenarios, each including the rationalization of glass and paper waste management, topped by different combinations of thermal energy recovery/syngas production. We then evaluated these scenarios in terms of environmental and economic benefits. This analysis showed that even trivial approaches, as a simple rationalization of paper consumption, can allow consistent advantages over existing waste management policies; moreover, syngas generators for treating cellulosic waste emerged as very effective tools for lowering the environmental impact of modern cruise ships. Joining these two strategies allows notable savings in terms of fuel, CO2 emissions and ship operational costs, and could represent a path for sizably reducing the environmental footprint of cruise ships

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TECHNICAL, ECONOMICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FEASIBILITY OF COGENERATION PLANT USING WOOD BIOMASS

After having identified, in a previous work [6], the possible sites for the location of a new cogeneration plant using wood biomass in the Mountain Community of Carnia, Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (Italy), the technical and economic feasibility and environmental sustainability of such a system has been carried out in order to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed solution

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TECHNICAL, ECONOMICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL FEASIBILITY OF COGENERATION PLANT USING WOOD BIOMASS

After having identified, in a previous work [6], the possible sites for the location of a new cogeneration plant using wood biomass in the Mountain Community of Carnia, Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (Italy), the technical and economic feasibility and environmental sustainability of such a system has been carried out in order to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed solution

Screening a Peptide Library by DSC and SAXD: Comparison with the Biological Function of the Parent Proteins

We have recently identified the membranotropic regions of the hepatitis C virus proteins E1, E2, core and p7 proteins by observing the effect of protein-derived peptide libraries on model membrane integrity. We have studied in this work the ability of selected sequences of these proteins to modulate the Lβ-Lα and Lα-HII phospholipid phase transitions as well as check the viability of using both DSC and SAXD to screen a protein-derived peptide library. We demonstrate that it is feasible to screen a library of peptides corresponding to one or several proteins by both SAXD and DSC. This methodological combination should allow the identification of essential regions of membrane-interacting proteins which might be implicated in the molecular mechanism of membrane fusion and/or budding

Risk of Kaposi's sarcoma and of other cancers in Italian renal transplant patients

A follow-up study of 1844 renal transplant patients in Italy showed a 113-fold increased risk for Kaposi's sarcoma. Kaposi's sarcoma risk was higher in persons born in southern than in northern Italy. Significant increases were also observed for cancers of the lip, liver, kidney and for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Switching to dual/monotherapy determines an increase in CD8+ in HIV-infected individuals: An observational cohort study

Background: The CD4/CD8 ratio has been associated with the risk of AIDS and non-AIDS events. We describe trends in immunological parameters in people who underwent a switch to monotherapy or dual therapy, compared to a control group remaining on triple antiretroviral therapy (ART). Methods: We included patients in Icona who started a three-drug combination ART regimen from an ART-naïve status and achieved a viral load ≤ 50 copies/mL; they were subsequently switched to another triple or to a mono or double regimen. Standard linear regression at fixed points in time (12-24 months after the switch) and linear mixed model analysis with random intercepts and slopes were used to compare CD4 and CD8 counts and their ratio over time according to regimen types (triple vs. dual and vs. mono). Results: A total of 1241 patients were included; 1073 switched to triple regimens, 104 to dual (72 with 1 nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), 32 NRTI-sparing), and 64 to monotherapy. At 12 months after the switch, for the multivariable linear regression the mean change in the log10 CD4/CD8 ratio for patients on dual therapy was -0.03 (95% confidence interval (CI) -0.05, -0.0002), and the mean change in CD8 count was +99 (95% CI +12.1, +186.3), taking those on triple therapy as reference. In contrast, there was no evidence for a difference in CD4 count change. When using all counts, there was evidence for a significant difference in the slope of the ratio and CD8 count between people who were switched to triple (points/year change ratio = +0.056, CD8 = -25.7) and those to dual regimen (ratio = -0.029, CD8 = +110.4). Conclusions: We found an increase in CD8 lymphocytes in people who were switched to dual regimens compared to those who were switched to triple. Patients on monotherapy did not show significant differences. The long-term implications of this difference should be ascertained

Revisiting the B-cell compartment in mouse and humans: more than one B-cell subset exists in the marginal zone and beyond.

International audienceABSTRACT: The immunological roles of B-cells are being revealed as increasingly complex by functions that are largely beyond their commitment to differentiate into plasma cells and produce antibodies, the key molecular protagonists of innate immunity, and also by their compartmentalisation, a more recently acknowledged property of this immune cell category. For decades, B-cells have been recognised by their expression of an immunoglobulin that serves the function of an antigen receptor, which mediates intracellular signalling assisted by companion molecules. As such, B-cells were considered simple in their functioning compared to the other major type of immune cell, the T-lymphocytes, which comprise conventional T-lymphocyte subsets with seminal roles in homeostasis and pathology, and non-conventional T-lymphocyte subsets for which increasing knowledge is accumulating. Since the discovery that the B-cell family included two distinct categories - the non-conventional, or extrafollicular, B1 cells, that have mainly been characterised in the mouse; and the conventional, or lymph node type, B2 cells - plus the detailed description of the main B-cell regulator, FcγRIIb, and the function of CD40+ antigen presenting cells as committed/memory B-cells, progress in B-cell physiology has been slower than in other areas of immunology. Cellular and molecular tools have enabled the revival of innate immunity by allowing almost all aspects of cellular immunology to be re-visited. As such, B-cells were found to express "Pathogen Recognition Receptors" such as TLRs, and use them in concert with B-cell signalling during innate and adaptive immunity. An era of B-cell phenotypic and functional analysis thus began that encompassed the study of B-cell microanatomy principally in the lymph nodes, spleen and mucosae. The novel discovery of the differential localisation of B-cells with distinct phenotypes and functions revealed the compartmentalisation of B-cells. This review thus aims to describe novel findings regarding the B-cell compartments found in the mouse as a model organism, and in human physiology and pathology. It must be emphasised that some differences are noticeable between the mouse and human systems, thus increasing the complexity of B-cell compartmentalisation. Special attention will be given to the (lymph node and spleen) marginal zones, which represent major crossroads for B-cell types and functions and a challenge for understanding better the role of B-cell specificities in innate and adaptive immunology