Exploring the potential of sewage sludge ash for CO2 sequestration and resource recovery

The incineration of sewage sludge generates ash (SSA), which shows an increasing interest due to its potential for phosphorus recovery. The most promising application of SSA is as a fertilizer. However, direct use in agriculture faces significant challenges due to low nutrient bioavailability. Moreover, SSA has the potential for CO2 capture through carbonation owing to their calcium content, which eventually increases the potential for P extraction due to the pH lowering. This study explores an experimental carbonation process applied to SSA, marking the first application of this technique to such waste. The carbonation was conducted in a high-pressure reactor in a fluid phase (slurry) to promote mineralization and the formation of carbonates. The better results were obtained for the SSA sample containing the higher calcite amount (about 28 %) with the capability to sequestrate about 20 kg of CO2 for 1 ton of dry matter. Moreover, the results indicated that carbonation did not significantly improve the phosphorus leaching potential of the SSA compared to the untreated samples when acid extraction was performed. However, a strict correlation between the amorphous content and the P leachability was found for the first time, with a 0.7 % extraction efficiency for the sample with 15.2 % amorphous and 52.1 % extraction efficiency for the sample with 42 % amorphous. The results are promising for further research on optimizing the carbonation processes and exploring additional treatments to improve SSA's agricultural viability and CO2 capture

The acetabulum as an adult age marker and the new IDADE2 (the IDADE2 web page)

Objective: In 2006, an age estimation method was proposed utilizing Bayesian inference to interpret age-progressive changes in the acetabulum. This was accompanied by the IDADE2 software to facilitate calculations. However, the MS-DOS operating system on which the software was based became obsolete. The main goal of this article is to present the new IDADE2, which incorporates web-based facilities. Materials and methods: The original IDADE2 has been re-written in R and presented as a web page. As in the original, this web page uses Bayesian inference to estimate age of unidentified individuals. The materials used to create the reference datasets of this web page include acetabular scores from documented skeletal samples from Spain (n = 24♀ and 52♂), Portugal (n = 317♀ and 294♂), and the US (n = 370♀ and 456♂). Results: The IDADE2 website has eight sections. Six of these are informative to guide the user. The other two (Option 1 and Option 2) are dedicated to estimating age at death. Option 1 allows users to estimate the age of individual(s) in their test sample based on our reference data of acetabular scores. Option 2 allows users to estimate age from the acetabulum with their own reference and test collections or— if the users prefer—another age marker and method of choice. Discussion: The IDADE2 website is applicable both to forensic anthropological casework on single individuals and to bioarchaeological analyses of large skeletal samples. This website is easy to use and freely accessible, responding to previous critiques and incorporating method advancements.Journal ArticlePublishe

Age estimation from the acetabulum in South African black males

Anthropologists are constantly seeking to improve methods for age estimation in the human skeleton. A new method was introduced about a decade ago that assesses the morphological changes that take place in the acetabulum as an individual ages. The pelvis is usually well preserved in forensic cases, which makes this method potentially valuable as an adult age indicator. This method employs seven variables, each with its own set of phases. To test the accuracy and reliability of this method, 100 black South African male acetabula from the Pretoria Bone Collection were assessed based on the criteria described in the original study. Box plots and transition curves were constructed to establish whether progression with age was visible and how it could possibly be modelled. Inter-observer reliability was also assessed by making use of Fleiss’s Kappa statistic. Five specimens were used as out-of-sample examples for which maximum likelihood (point) estimates were calculated. The results demonstrated that middle and older individuals’ age estimates were vastly underestimated. Inter-observer repeatability was poor, which suggested that the classification system most likely needs to be modified. A discussion and recommendation is given for improvement of reliability and repeatability of this method.The National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africahttp://link.springer.com/journal/4142017-05-30hb201

Sacubitril/Valsartan Improves Autonomic Function and Cardiopulmonary Parameters in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction

Background: Heart rate recovery (HRR) is a marker of vagal tone, which is a powerful predictor of mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease. Sacubitril/valsartan (S/V) is a treatment for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), which impressively impacts cardiovascular outcome. This study aims at evaluating the effects of S/V on HRR and its correlation with cardiopulmonary indexes in HFrEF patients. Methods: Patients with HFrEF admitted to outpatients’ services were screened out for study inclusion. S/V was administered according to guidelines. Up-titration was performed every 4 weeks when tolerated. All patients underwent laboratory measurements, Doppler-echocardiography, and cardiopulmonary exercise stress testing (CPET) at baseline and at 12-month follow-up. Results: Study population consisted of 134 HFrEF patients (87% male, mean age 57.9 ± 9.6 years). At 12-month follow-up, significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (from 28% ± 5.8% to 31.8% ± 7.3%, p < 0.0001), peak exercise oxygen consumption (VO2peak) (from 15.3 ± 3.7 to 17.8 ± 4.2 mL/kg/min, p < 0.0001), the slope of increase in ventilation over carbon dioxide output (VE/VCO2 slope )(from 33.4 ± 6.2 to 30.3 ± 6.5, p < 0.0001), and HRR (from 11.4 ± 9.5 to 17.4 ± 15.1 bpm, p = 0.004) was observed. Changes in HRR were significantly correlated to changes in VE/VCO2slope (r = −0.330; p = 0.003). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, multivariate analysis showed that changes in HRR were significantly associated to changes in VE/VCO2slope (Beta (B) = −0.975, standard error (SE) = 0.364, standardized Beta coefficient (Bstd) = −0.304, p = 0.009). S/V showed significant reduction in exercise oscillatory ventilation (EOV) detection at CPET (28 EOV detected at baseline CPET vs. 9 EOV detected at 12-month follow-up, p < 0.001). HRR at baseline CPET was a significant predictor of EOV at 12-month follow-up (B = −2.065, SE = 0.354, p < 0.001). Conclusions: In HFrEF patients, S/V therapy improves autonomic function, functional capacity, and ventilation. Whether these findings might translate into beneficial effects on prognosis and outcome remains to be elucidated

PKC theta mediates pre-TCR signaling and contributes to Notch3-induced T-cell leukemia

Protein kinase (PK)Ctheta is a critical regulator of mature T-cell activation and proliferation, being implicated in TCR-triggered nuclear factor (NF)-kB activation and providing important survival signals to leukemic T cells. We previously showed that overexpression of pTalpha/pre- TCR and constitutive activation of NF-kB characterize the T-cell leukemia/lymphoma developing in Notch3-IC transgenic mice. We report here that PKCtheta is a downstream target of Notch3 signaling and that its activation and membrane translocation require a functional pre-TCR in order to trigger NF-kB activation in thymocytes and lymphoma cells of transgenic mice. Furthermore, deletion of PKCtheta in Notch3-IC transgenic mice reduces the incidence of leukemia, correlating with decreased NF-kB activation. This paper therefore suggests that PKCtheta mediates the activation of NF-kB by pre-TCR in immature thymocytes and contributes to the development of Notch3-dependent T-cell lymphoma

Notch3 and pre-TCR interaction unveils distinct NF-κB pathways in T-cell development and leukemia

Notch signaling plays a critical role in T-cell differentiation and leukemogenesis. We previously demonstrated that, while pre-TCR is required for thymocytes proliferation and leukemogenesis, it is dispensable for thymocyte differentiation in Notch3-transgenic mice. Notch3-transgenic premalignant thymocytes and T lymphoma cells overexpress pTα/pre-TCR and display constitutive activation of NF-κB, providing survival signals for immature thymocytes. We provide genetic and biochemical evidence that Notch3 triggers multiple NF-κB activation pathways. A pre-TCR-dependent pathway preferentially activates NF-κB via IKKβ/IKKα/NIK complex, resulting in p50/p65 heterodimer nuclear entry and recruitment onto promoters of Cyclin D1, Bcl2-A1 and IL7-receptor-α genes. In contrast, upon pTα deletion, Notch3 binds IKKα and maintains NF-κB activation through an alternative pathway, depending on an NIK-independent IKKα homodimer activity. The consequent NF-κB2/p100 processing allows nuclear translocation of p52/RelB heterodimers, which only trigger transcription from Bcl2-A1 and IL7-receptor-α genes. Our data suggest that a finely tuned interplay between Notch3 and pre-TCR pathways converges on regulation of NF-κB activity, leading to differential NF-κB subunit dimerization that regulates distinct gene clusters involved in either cell differentiation or proliferation/leukemogenesis