Innovative methods for the recycling and reuse of contaminated water: the Nanowat project

Proposals for the reuse of alternative waters are of growing interest for regions stressed by scarce water availability. Collection, treatment and redistribution are some of the phases that require different purification actions, actions related to the water origin (eg. gray, rain, and/or industrial waters). It is known that wastewater contains both chemical and microbiological contaminants and for this reason, it is essential to have reliable control tools for assessing both risks (chemical and microbiological) for which, often, there is a lack of clear and comprehensive reference standards. NANOWAT project ( Diffusion of nanotechnology based devices for water treatment and recycling) has focused attention on the development and diffusion in the Mediterranean area of new technologies for efficient water treatment based on natural and modified nano-materials, using either filtration and sedimentation, photo-degradation, photocatalysis and their combination. Pilot-scale mobile equipment for the treatment of different types of wastewater like pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and organic contaminants coming from industrial enterprises was developed and realized. In detail was carried out the filtration using both nano-structured clay-micelles and clay vesicles to facilitate the immobilization of organic pollutants, microfibers and micro-plastics and successively on the recalcitrants compounds, still contained in the liquid phase after filtration treatment, were performed new photo-catalytic processes based on TiO2 in suspension and/or on immobilized on glass. Results obtained were interesting and effective, however confirming the need to customize the wastewater purification procedure in relation to the type of contamination present

Classification of stillbirths is an ongoing dilemma

Aim: To compare different classification systems in a cohort of stillbirths undergoing a comprehensive workup; to establish whether a particular classification system is most suitable and useful in determining cause of death, purporting the lowest percentage of unexplained death. Methods: Cases of stillbirth at gestational age 22–41 weeks occurring at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Foggia University during a 4 year period were collected. The World Health Organization (WHO) diagnosis of stillbirth was used. All the data collection was based on the recommendations of an Italian diagnostic workup for stillbirth. Two expert obstetricians reviewed all cases and classified causes according to five classification systems. Results: Relevant Condition at Death (ReCoDe) and Causes Of Death and Associated Conditions (CODAC) classification systems performed best in retaining information. The ReCoDe system provided the lowest rate of unexplained stillbirth (14%) compared to de Galan-Roosen (16%), CODAC (16%), Tulip (18%), Wigglesworth (62%). Conclusion: Classification of stillbirth is influenced by the multiplicity of possible causes and factors related to fetal death. Fetal autopsy, placental histology and cytogenetic analysis are strongly recommended to have a complete diagnostic evaluation. Commonly employed classification systems performed differently in our experience, the most satisfactory being the ReCoDe. Given the rate of “unexplained” cases, none can be considered optimal and further efforts are necessary to work out a clinically useful system

Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma of the Kidney Treated with Nephrectomy and Adjuvant Radiotherapy: A Case Report

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) usually presents in the extremities or retroperitoneum. Cases involving the kidney are rare and portend a poor prognosis. Although radical nephrectomy is the most beneficial curative choice for this neoplasm, patients are often treated with adjuvant chemotherapy due to high risk of local recurrence and distant metastases. We describe a case of a 68-year-old woman affected by MFH, treated with both nephrectomy and radiotherapy without systemic therapy showing an unexpected twenty-four-month postsurgery survival outcome

Eficiencia energética en reconversiones Led del alumbrado público

El LAL CIC, Laboratorio de Acústica y Luminotecnia de la Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas, es el Centro Oficial de la provincia de Buenos Aires (Argentina) en lo referido a iluminación. Entre sus funciones se encuentra la asistencia técnica a municipios, actividad que tiene actualmente su eje en las reconversiones de instalaciones de alumbrado público a tecnología led. Las asistencias que se realizan abarcan múltiples aspectos: elaboración de especificaciones técnicas, estudios de la instalación, clasificación de calzadas, capacitación de personal, estudios de ofertas, pruebas de campo, etc. El objetivo central de estas reconversiones es el aumento de la eficiencia del alumbrado y con ello el ahorro de energía. En este sentido, el trabajo presenta un estudio sobre la cuantificación de la eficiencia energética, a partir de relacionar el coeficiente de utilización de la luminaria, su eficacia y los resultados luminotécnicos obtenidos con su instalación en una determinada geometría. El índice utilizado, Densidad de Potencia Normalizada en iluminancia, PNE, permite la rápida comparación entre distintas alternativas, combinando la eficiencia propia de la luminaria, con el rendimiento real de su fotometría en la geometría particular de la calle a iluminar. El trabajo se completa con simulaciones mediante software y el cálculo de PNE en instalaciones reales reconvertidas, lo que permite realizar una primera clasificación energética del alumbrado público para el estado actual de la tecnología

PHOTOCHEMICAL BEHAVIOUR OF OXYFLUORFEN: A DIPHENYL-ETHER HERBICIDE

The photochemical behaviour in different solvents of the herbicide oxyfluorfen [2-chloro-1-(3-ethoxy-4-nitrophenoxy)-4-(trifluoromethyl) benzene (CAS RN 42874–03–3)] was studied. Photochemical reactions were carried out by using a high pressure mercury arc and a solar simulator. Kinetic parameters and quantum yields were determined. Identification of the photoproducts was performed by GC-MS and the main compounds were confirmed by [1H] NMR. The photochemical reactions were also carried out in the presence of either a singlet or a triplet quencher, and in the presence of either a radical initiator or a radical inhibitor. Results indicate that the first excited singlet state can undergo both homolytic and heterolytic cleavage of the ethyl-oxygen bond in the side chain of oxyfluorfen. Moreover, the presence of reduction products in the reaction mixture is supposed to occur via a monoelectron transfer process with the formation of a transient exciplex during the reaction

Progress on the removal of contaminants on surface and wastewater: report of case-studies

Contamination of the water sector represents a global issue known since the 1960s. However, the consequences are still not adequately known as a whole. There is insufficient information on the thousands of molecules released into the environment and, above all, their properties and the quantities produced, capable of determining the global effects of potential toxic actions on living organisms and the environment. For some time, scholars and researchers from the planet have been directing their activities to identify new integrated technologies and low energy consumption tools aimed at treating and reusing wastewater. For some time, our research group has been experimenting with removing traditional contaminants and emerging contaminants using hybrid techniques (filtration and Advanced Oxidation Processes). In this communication, we report some of our case studies, which have validated the effectiveness of the treatments

Analysis of tomato glycoalkaloids by liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

Steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) extracted from tomato leaves and berries (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were separated and identified using optimized reversed-phase liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization (ESI) and ion trap mass spectrometry (ITMS). The ESI source polarity and chromatographic conditions were evaluated. The ESI spectra contain valuable information, which includes the mass of SGAs, the mass of the aglycones, and several characteristic fragment ions. Cleavage at the interglycosidic bonds proximal to the aglycones is the most prominent process in the ESI process. A protonated molecule, [M+H]+, accompanied by a mixed adduct ion, [M+H+Na]2+, was observed for a-tomatine (i.e., m/z 1034.7 and 528.9) and dehydrotomatine (i.e., m/z 1032.6 and 527.9) in positive ion mode spectra. The structures of these tomato glycoalkaloids were confirmed using tandem mass spectrometry. The identification of a new a-tomatine isomer glycoalkaloid, named filotomatine (MW 1033), which shares a common tetrasaccharide structure (i.e., lycotretraose) with a-tomatine and dehydrotomatine, and soladulcidine as an aglycone, is described for the first time. It occurs in significant amounts in the extracts of wild tomato foliage. Multistage mass spectrometry both of the protonated molecules and of the doubly charged ions was used for detailed structural elucidation of SGAs. Key fragmentations and regularities in fragmentation pathways are described and the fragmentation mechanisms involved are propose

The mechanism of the amine-catalysed isomerizationof dialkyl maleate: A computational study

DFT at B3LYP/6-31G (d,p) level calculation results for the amine-catalysed isomerization of dimethyl maleate revealed that the mechanism proceeds via foursteps: (1) a concerted proton transfer from one amine molecule to another which subsequently enhances the addition of the adduct thus formed to the C-C double bond to yield INT1. (2) Abstraction of a proton from the -carbon of INT1 by a second amine molecule to give intermediate INT2. (3) Rotation about the C-C single bond followed by proton abstraction by an amine molecule to yield unstable INT3, and (4) an elimination of an amine molecule to yield the trans isomer, dimethyl fumarate. Furthermore, it was found that step 1 is the rate limiting step. However, the activation energy difference between steps 1 and 2 was significantly low and its value depends on the amine catalyst used. The activation energy was found to be lower in water when compared to that calculated in the gas phase. In addition, linear correlation was found between the amine-catalysed isomerization experimental rate and the pKa of the amine catalyst on one hand and the enthalpic and free activation energies on the other hand. The calculations also confirmed that the reaction is first order in dimethyl maleate, second order in the amine catalyst and overall third order. This study disproves three of the four different intermediates that were previously suggested to explain the amine catalysed isomerization of dialkyl maleates. The study verifies the intermediate suggested by Rappopor

Biological activities of alkaloids: From toxicology to pharmacology

Plants produce many secondary metabolites, which reveal biological activity [...]