Ultrasonic assisted milling of reinforced plastics

The milling of glass and carbon fibre reinforced plastics provides manufacturers from the automotive and aerospace industry with major challenges. The high carbon and glass fibre content increases the risk of insufficient production qualities. The abrasive fibres cause cutting edge rounding which results in the issue that the comparatively thick glass fibre cannot be reliably cut, while the carbon fiber is being less of a challenge. One approach to improve the production quality is the use of ultrasonic assisted milling. At the IWF tests have been undertaken to study the influence of ultrasonic assistance on workpiece quality, cutting forces and dust generation

Antibacterial activity and mode of action of selected glucosinolate hydrolysis products against bacterial pathogens

Plants contain numerous components that are important sources of new bioactive molecules with antimicrobial properties. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are plant secondary metabolites found in cruciferous vegetables that are arising as promising antimicrobial agents in food industry. The aim of this study was to assess the antibacterial activity of two isothiocyanates (ITCs), allylisothiocyanate (AITC) and 2-phenylethylisothiocyanate (PEITC) against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. The antibacterial mode of action was also characterized by the assessment of different physiological indices: membrane integrity, intracellular potassium release, physicochemical surface properties and surface charge. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of AITC and PEITC was 100 g/mL for all bacteria. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the ITCs was at least 10 times higher than the MIC. Both AITC and PEITC changed the membrane properties of the bacteria decreasing their surface charge and compromising the integrity of the cytoplasmatic membrane with consequent potassium leakage and propidium iodide uptake. The surface hydrophobicity was also non-specifically altered (E. coli and L. monocytogenes become less hydrophilic; P. aeruginosa and S. aureus become more hydrophilic). This study shows that AITC and PEITC have strong antimicrobial potential against the bacteria tested, through the disruption of the bacterial cell membranes. Moreover, phytochemicals are highlighted as a valuable sustainable source of new bioactive products.This work was supported by the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors - COMPETE and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology through Project Phytodisinfectants - PTDC/DTP-SAP/1078/2012 (COMPETE: FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-028765), the PhD grant awarded to Ana Abreu (SFRH/BD/84393/2012), and the post-doctoral grants awarded to Anabela Borges (SFRH/BPD/98684/2013) and Lucia C. Simoes (SFRH/BPD/81982/2011). Also, this work was undertaken as part of the European Research Project SUSCLEAN (Contract no FP7-KBBE-2011-5, project number: 287514) and the COST Action FA1202. The authors are solely responsible for this work. It does not represent the opinion of the European Community, and the Community is not responsible for any use that might be made of data appearing herein

Uptake, Translocation, and Accumulation of Pharmaceutical and Hormone Contaminants in Vegetables

A team led by Wei Zheng, senior research scientist at ISTC, investigated whether our food is at risk of accumulating PPCPs when irrigated with wastewater from concentrated animal feedlot operations (CAFOs) and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The results appeared in Zheng, Wei et al (2014). "Uptake, Translocation, and Accumulation of Pharmaceutical and Hormone Contaminants in Vegetables." in Kyung Myung, Norbert M. Satchivi, and Colleen K. Kingston, eds. Retention, Uptake, and Translocation of Agrochemicals in Plants. Washington, DC : American Chemical Society, 167-181. DOI: 10.1021/bk-2014-1171.ch009.Ope

Meta-Analysis of Mass Balances Examining Chemical Fate during Wastewater Treatment

Mass balances are an instructive means for investigating the fate of chemicals during wastewater treatment. In addition to the aqueous-phase removal efficiency (Φ), they can inform on chemical partitioning, transformation, and persistence, as well as on the chemical loading to streams and soils receiving, respectively, treated effluent and digested sewage sludge (biosolids). Release rates computed on a per-capita basis can serve to extrapolate findings to a larger scale. This review examines over a dozen mass balances conducted for various organic wastewater contaminants, including prescription drugs, estrogens, fragrances, antimicrobials, and surfactants of differing sorption potential (hydrophobicity), here expressed as the 1-octanol−water partition coefficient (KOW) and the organic carbon normalized sorption coefficient (KOC). Major challenges to mass balances are the collection of representative samples and accurate quantification of chemicals in sludge. A meta-analysis of peer-reviewed data identified sorption potential as the principal determinant governing chemical persistence in biosolids. Occurrence data for organic wastewater compounds detected in digested sludge followed a simple nonlinear model that required only KOW or KOC as the input and yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.9 in both instances. The model predicted persistence in biosolids for the majority (>50%) of the input load of organic wastewater compounds featuring a log10KOW value of greater than 5.2 (log10KOC > 4.4). In contrast, hydrophobicity had no or only limited value for estimating, respectively, Φ and the overall persistence of a chemical during conventional wastewater treatment

Impaired complex I repair causes recessive Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy

Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is the most frequent mitochondrial disease and was the first to be genetically defined by a point mutation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). A molecular diagnosis is achieved in up to 95% of cases, the vast majority of which are accounted for by 3 mutations within mitochondrial complex I subunit-encoding genes in the mtDNA (mtLHON). Here, we resolve the enigma of LHON in the absence of pathogenic mtDNA mutations. We describe biallelic mutations in a nuclear encoded gene, DNAJC30, in 33 unsolved patients from 29 families and establish an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance for LHON (arLHON), which to date has been a prime example of a maternally inherited disorder. Remarkably, all hallmarks of mtLHON were recapitulated, including incomplete penetrance, male predominance, and significant idebenone responsivity. Moreover, by tracking protein turnover in patient-derived cell lines and a DNAJC30-knockout cellular model, we measured reduced turnover of specific complex I N-module subunits and a resultant impairment of complex I function. These results demonstrate that DNAJC30 is a chaperone protein needed for the efficient exchange of complex I subunits exposed to reactive oxygen species and integral to a mitochondrial complex I repair mechanism, thereby providing the first example to our knowledge of a disease resulting from impaired exchange of assembled respiratory chain subunits

Indoor measurement of photovoltaic device characteristics at varying irradiance, temperature and spectrum for energy rating

This was accepted for publication in the journal Measurement Science and Technology. The definitive published version can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0957-0233/21/11/115701The first three-dimensional performance matrix for use in photovoltaic (PV) energy rating is reported utilizing a novel energy rating solar simulator based on LEDs. Device characteristics are measured indoors at varying irradiance (G), temperature (T) and spectrum (E). This opens the possibility for a more accurate measurement system for energy yield prediction of PV devices, especially for devices with high spectral dependence such as wide bandgap solar cells as they take into account spectral changes in the light. The main aspects of the LED-based solar simulator used are briefly described. A measurement method is developed and detailed in the paper, which takes into account the current imperfections in the achievable spectrum. Measurement results for a crystalline silicon solar cell are used to demonstrate the measurement approach. An uncertainty analysis of the measurement system is given, resulting in an overall absolute uncertainty of 4.3% (coverage factor k = 2) in maximum power measurements at 765 W m−2 irradiance with scope for further improvements