Nutrient removal capacity of wood residues for the Agro-environmental safety of ground and surface waters

Abstract   The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of wood residues in the removal of nutrients (ammonium-N; NH4-N) from nutrient-rich (NH4-N) waters. The water holding capacity of the wood materials was also determined. Carried out at Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, UK, this controlled laboratory experiment tested two wood residues; in length, one being 1-2cm and the other from 150 µm (microns) to 9.5mm. Although a wide range of studies have shown the effectiveness and performance of various absorbent materials as animal beddings, such as straw (cereal straw), woodchip (sawdust, bark or wood shavings), bracken and rushes, only few have focused on the NH4-N sorption/desorption capacity. The depuration capacity of wood residues from nutrient-rich effluents such as those from cattle bedded on woodchip or straw will be controlled by processes such as sorption (adsorption-absorption) and desorption of nutrients. Studies have reported the nitrogen removal capacity of woodchip materials and biochar from woodchip as well as removal of NH4+-N from domestic and municipal wastewater, farm dirty water, landfill and industry effluents. These studies have observed that the mechanism of removal of nitrogen is by either increasing NO3--N removal form leachate by enhancing N2O losses via denitrification (biochar as carbon source for denitrifiers) or by decreasing NH4+-N in leachate through adsorption to negatively charged sites. Results showed that although the cation exchange capacity (CEC) and surface area (SA) are both fundamental properties of adsorbent materials, no correlation was found with CEC and adsorption or desorption. Nor did changes in pH appear to be sufficiently important to cause changes in CEC. For this reason, osmotic pressure appeared to be a more predominant parameter controlling processes of adsorption and desorption of NH4+-N in both wood residues. Thus, wood residues high in NH4+-N should be avoided, as they could have an opposite effect in the adsorption of nutrients from nutrient-rich effluents. The results also showed that some wood residues (G30) had great capacity to adsorb NH4+-N to levels up to nearly 90% whilst demonstrating low desorption capacity of NH4+-N (less than 1%). These are ideal relevant features for an adsorbent material for the removal of nutrients (or heavy metals) from contaminated waters such us farm o industrial effluents, or for the depuration of eutrophic watercourses. This could help reduce the concentration of farm effluents making them more manageable, subsequently contributing towards the compliance of new environmental regulations. Keywords: nutrients, nitrogen, ground and surface wate

The R337H mutation in TP53 and breast cancer in Brazil

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Germline mutations in p53 are associated with the Li-Fraumeni Syndrome which is characterized by childhood cancers, including pediatric adrenal cortical carcinomas and early onset breast cancer. The high incidence of adrenal cortical carcinomas in southern Brazil is mostly attributed to the <it>R337H </it>mutation in <it>TP53</it>. The relatively high population frequency of this mutation in southern Brazil, along with the clustering of early onset breast cancer in Li-Frameni families, suggests this mutation may also be a low-penetrance breast cancer susceptibility polymorphism.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We undertook this study to evaluate the frequency of the <it>R337H </it>mutation in breast cancer patients from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. <it>R337H </it>mutation status was determined in 390 unselected breast cases and 324 controls identified from clinics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil using a PCR-based assay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two of the breast cancer cases (0.5%) and none of the controls carried the mutation. Both cases had an early age at diagnosis (< 40 years old) and a family history of breast and other cancers.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data suggest genetic screening of young onset breast cancer patients should include testing for the <it>R337H </it>mutation.</p

EUROfusion Integrated Modelling (EU-IM) capabilities and selected physics applications

International audienceRecent developments and achievements of the EUROfusion Code Development for Integrated Modelling project (WPCD), which aim is to provide a validated integrated modelling suite for the simulation and prediction of complete plasma discharges in any tokamak, are presented. WPCD develops generic complex integrated simulations, workflows, for physics applications, using the standardized European Integrated Modelling (EU-IM) framework. Selected physics applications of EU-IM workflows are illustrated in this paper