Ultrasound as pretreatment in biogas production from crude glycerol

Air pollution, acid precipitation, ozone depletion and the gaseous emissions to the atmosphere are associated to the petroleum derivate use, currently considered the main energy source used in the world. Renewable energy sources are expected to replace them in order to solve these environmental concerns. Biofuels as biodiesel and biogas are renewable energy produced from natural matter. Studies made suggest that using the principal by-product of biodiesel’s production process, crude glycerol, is possible to obtain biogas. Biogas can be produced from an anaerobic digestion process and enhanced by using pretreatment in substrate. This work tested ultrasound pretreatment on crude glycerol as a substrate in the biogas production. Different times of pretreatment (15 and 30 minutes) were examined, to determinate the best performance and compare it to the untreated substrate. The biogas production was daily measured directly from the reactors. The results showed that ultrasound pretreatment improved methane production. The best result was obtained by using 30 minutes of pretreatment on crude glycerol.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Physicochemical characterization of moringa oleífera’s shells as biosorbent for pharmaceuticals biosorption

Pharmaceuticals as emerging contaminants have become one of the most controversial environmental issues at global scale. Over the years, the presence of antibiotics and antiinflammatory drugs in rivers, lakes, and even in drinking water streams has increased. The waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) lack the necessary technology to remove concentrations within the range ng/l-mg/l and therefore, the need to develop new methods able to remove contaminants in an effective, low cost and environmental friendly way arises. “Biosorption” appears as a possible solution. The present work is focused on studying the potential adsorption capacity of Moringa oleífera (MO) to remove Diclofenac (DCF) and Oxytetracycline (OTC) from wastewater. Through different experiences, it was possible to characterizes the main functional groups of MO and determine the principal responsible of the adsorption process.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Characterization of the monocyte-specific esterase (MSE) gene

Carboxylic esterases are widely distributed in hematopoietic cells. Monocytes express the esterase isoenzyme (termed 'monocyte-specific esterase', MSE) that can be inhibited by NaF in the alpha-naphthyl acetate cytochemical staining. We examined the expression of MSE in normal cells and primary and cultured leukemia-lymphoma cells. The MSE protein was demonstrated by isoelectric focusing (IEF); MSE mRNA expression was investigated by Northern blotting and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The following samples were positive for MSE protein and Northern mRNA expression: 20/24 monocytic, 4/32 myeloid, and 1/20 erythroid-megakaryocytic leukemia cell lines, but none of the 112 lymphoid leukemia or lymphoma cell lines; of the normal purified cell populations only the monocytes were positive whereas, T, B cells, and granulocytes were negative; of primary acute (myelo) monocytic leukemia cells (CD14-positive, FAB M4/M5 morphology) 14/20 were Northern mRNA and 11/14 IEF protein positive. RT-PCR revealed MSE expression in 29/49 Northern-negative lymphoid leukemia-lymphoma cell lines. The RT-PCR signals in monocytic cell lines were on average 50-fold stronger than the mostly weak trace expression in lymphoid specimens. On treatment with various biomodulators, only all-trans retinoic acid significantly upregulated MSE message and protein levels but could not induce new MSE expression in several leukemia cell lines; lipopolysaccharide and interferon-gamma increased MSE expression in normal monocytes. Analysis of DNA methylation with sensitive restriction enzymes showed no apparent regulation of gene expression by differential methylation; the MSE gene is evolutionarily conserved among mammalian species; the half-life of the human MSE transcripts was about 5-6 h. The extent of MSE expression varied greatly among different monocytic leukemia samples. However, the MSE overexpression in a significant number of specimens was not associated with gene amplification, gross structural rearrangements or point mutations within the cDNA region. Taken together, the results suggest that MSE expression is not absolutely specific for, but strongly associated with cells of the monocytic lineage; MSE is either not expressed at all or expressed at much lower levels in cells from other lineages. The biological significance, if any, of rare MSE messages in lymphoid cells detectable only by the hypersensitive RT-PCR remains unclear. Further studies on the regulation of this gene and on the physiological function of the enzyme will no doubt be informative with respect to its striking overexpression in some malignant cells and to a possible role in the pathobiology of monocytic leukemias

Seasonal variations of glaciochemical, isotopic and stratigraphic properties in Siple Dome (Antarctica) surface snow

Six snow-pit records recovered from Siple Dome, West Antarctica, during 1994 are used to study seasonal variations in chemical (major ion and H202), isotopic (deuterium) and physical stratigraphic properties during the 1988-94 period. Comparison of δD measurements and satellite-derived brightness temperature for the Siple Dome area suggests that most seasonal SD maxima occur within ±4 weeks of each 1 January. Several other chemical species (H2O2, non-sea-salt (nss) SO4 2-, methanesulfonic acid and NO3-) show coeval peaks with SD, together providing an accurate method for identifying summer accumulation. Sea-salt-derived species generally peak during winter/spring, but episodic input is noted throughout some years. No reliable seasonal signal is identified in species with continental sources (nssCa2+ nss Mg2+), NH4 + or nssCl-. Visible strata such as large depth-hoar layers (\u3e5 cm) are associated with summer accumulation and its metamorphosis, but smaller hoar layers and crusts are more difficult to interpret. A multi-parameter approach is found to provide the most accurate dating of these snow-pit records, and is used to determine annual layer thicknesses at each site Significant spatial accumulation variability exists on an annual basis, but mean accumulation in the sampled 10 km2 grid for the 1988-94 period is fairly uniform

Biogas production by anaerobic codigestion using kiwi waste and wine sludge

Considering a large generation of wastes, the anaerobic codigestion (AcoD) is an alternative to transform two or more types of organic waste in energy and biofertilizer. To test the biogas production potential using kiwi waste and wine sludge, two AD assays with each substrate isolated and AcoD with four different substrate proportion was realized, using as inoculum sludge from a septic tank. The experimental was realized during 19 days in batch reactor (250 mL). Among digestion results, kiwi waste had de best result, being 27.0 mLN gVS-1 of biogas. The most satisfactory value in AcoD was 40.5 mLN g VS-1 of biogas, from treatment with 0.5 g kiwi and 3.3 g wine sludge. The AcoD test produced 16 mLN gVS-1 of biogas more than ADinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Влияние акустических колебаний, генерируемых при трении, на изнашивание титановых сплавов

Представлены исследования изнашивания титановых сплавов в условиях гашения акустических колебаний возникающих при трении. Показано, что акустические колебания по своему действию аналогичны дополнительной эффективной нагрузке. Гашением акустических колебаний в трибосистеме можно влиять на механизм изнашивания и снижать износ титановых сплавов

Roadside verges and cemeteries: Comparative analysis of anthropogenic orchid habitats in the Eastern Mediterranean

Several important habitats have become threatened in the last few centuries in the Mediterranean Basin due to major changes adopted in land-use practices. The consequent loss of natural and seminatural orchid habitats leads to the appreciation of small anthropogenic habitats, such as cemeteries and roadside verges. Colonization of cemeteries and roadside verges by orchids has long been known, but no study to date compared the suitability of these two anthropogenic habitats for orchids. Therefore, in this paper our aim was to survey cemeteries and roadside verges and to compare these two habitats regarding their role in conserving Mediterranean terrestrial orchids. We conducted field surveys in three Mediterranean islands, Cyprus, Crete, and Lesbos, where both cemeteries and roadside verges were sampled on a geographically representative scale. We found a total of almost 7,000 orchid individuals, belonging to 77 species in the two anthropogenic habitat types. Roadside verges hosted significantly more individuals than cemeteries in Crete and Lesbos, and significantly more species across all three islands. Our results suggest that although cemeteries have a great potential conservation value in other parts of the world, intensive maintenance practices that characterized cemeteries in these three islands renders them unable to sustain valuable plant communities. On the other hand, roadside verges play a prominent role in the conservation of Mediterranean orchids in Cyprus and Greece. The pioneer status of roadside verges facilitates their fast colonization, while roads serve as ecological corridors in fragmented landscapes

Common genetic polymorphisms of adenosine A2A receptor do not influence response to regadenoson

Aim: Hemodynamic response to regadenoson varies greatly, and underlying mechanisms for variability are poorly understood. We hypothesized that five common variants of adenosine A2A receptor (ADORA2A) are associated with altered response to regadenoson. Methods: Consecutive subjects (n = 357) undergoing resting regadenoson nuclear stress imaging were enrolled. Genotyping was performed using Taqman-based assays for rs5751862, rs2298383, rs3761422, rs2267076 and rs5751876. Results: There was no significant difference in heart rate or blood pressure between different genotypes following regadenoson administration. There was also no significant difference in myocardial ischemia detected by nuclear perfusion imaging as defined by summed difference score, or in self-reported side effects among the genotypes tested. Conclusion: The common A2A variants studied are not associated with variability in hemodynamic response to regadenoson or variability in detection of ischemia with nuclear perfusion stress imaging

(Z)-Ethyl 2-hydroxy­imino-2-(4-nitro­benz­yl)ethanoate

The title mol­ecule, C11H10N2O6, has a Z conformation about the C=N bond of the oxime unit. There are significant twists from planarity throughout the mol­ecule, the most significant being between the hydroxy­imino and ester groups which are effectively orthogonal with an N—C—C—Ocarbon­yl torsion angle of 91.4 (2)°. The crystal packing features oxime–benzoyl O—H⋯O contacts that lead to chains along [010] and C—H⋯O interactions also occur