BIOELECTROCHEMICAL SYSTEM FOR REMOVING HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM FROM WATERS

BES include a set of technologies that exploit the ability of certain microorganisms to use electrodes as the electrons acceptors/donors and to catalyze redox reactions in order to promote a flow of electrons. In the present study, we have assessed the possibility to remove Cr(VI) in a biocathodic chamber of a dual-chamber (2C) Microbial Electrolysis Cell (MEC) with cathode as the sole electron donor. The cathode was first put into the anodic compartment of a 2CMicrobial Fuel Cell (MFC) inoculated with sludge from an anaerobic digester. After the acclimation period, the electrode was transferred into the cathodic chamber to work at -300 mV (vs. Standard Hydrogen Electrode - SHE) as the biocathode in a Cr(VI)-reducing MEC with 2000 μg Cr(VI)/L. The acclimation phase in the 2C-MFC allowed to shorten the time for the electroactive-biofilm growth, and to increase the efficiency of the Cr(VI)-reducing MEC. The bioelectrochemical system ensured higher removal efficiency than the pure chemical process

Mineral Acquisition and Utilization Strategy of Three Tropical Forages at Different Phosphorus and Nitrogen Supply

A glasshouse experiment was conducted to examine mineral acquisition and utilization strategies of Brachiaria decumbens (BD), Brachiaria brizantha (BB) and Panicum maximum (PM). The plants were grown under nine treatments resulted from the combination of three levels of phosphorus (0, 25 and 50 kgP/ha) and three levels of nitrogen (25, 150 and 300 kgN/ha). BD showed the lowest value of root weight and root length per pot, but the highest efficiency of P and N uptake (P and N uptake mg / unit root weight g). On the other hand, PM showed lower mineral uptake efficiency, but the highest mineral use efficiency (dry matter production g / absorbed P and N mg). Moreover, total P and N uptake in BB was the highest, and this seems to be achieved by the multiplicative effect of moderate mineral uptake efficiency and the moderate size of the root system

Gemcitabine plus vinorelbine in elderly or unfit patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Cisplatin-based combinations are efficacious in increasing the overall survival of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but their toxicity makes them unsuitable for elderly and unfit patients. The primary objective of this non-randomized phase II study was to evaluate the feasibility and activity of the gemcitabine plus vinorelbine combination in previously untreated elderly and/or unfit patients with measurable stage III or IV NSCLC. Forty-three patients aged ≥ 65 years or with contraindications against cisplatin treatment (36 males and seven females: median age 66 years; range 48–75: PS 0 = 11, PS 1 = 19, PS 2 = 13) received intravenous (i.v.) gemcitabine 1000 mg m–2, followed by vinorelbine 25 mg m–2i.v. on day 1 and 8 every 21 days. Fifteen patients (34.9%) achieved partial remission (confidence interval: 27.6–42.2%) for a median duration of 6 months; the median survival of these patients has not yet been reached. A further 15 had stable disease for a median of 4 months and a median survival of 7 months. The 10 patients (23.2%) who experienced disease progression had a median survival of 4 months. Three patients are not evaluable. The 1-year actuarial survival rate is 31.1%. The treatment was well tolerated: only 35% of the patients had grade 3 or 4 granulocytopenia on day 14, none experienced episodes of neutropenic fever, and there was no evidence of severe haematological toxicity upon recycling. Only 9% of the patients suffered from gastrointestinal toxicity (grade 3); increased but reversible transaminase levels were observed in 11.6%. In conclusion, the results of this phase II study show that the combination of gemcitabine and vinorelbine is active and well tolerated in NSCLC, and thus encourage its use in elderly or unfit patients. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

Effects of Fertilization and Legume Introduction on the Forage Production of \u3ci\u3eBrachiaria decumbens\u3c/i\u3e Pastures

A grazing experiment was conducted to examine the effects of P and K fertilization and legume introduction on the forage production of Brachiaria decumbens (BD) pastures. Amount of biomass, dry matter production and forage quality were evaluated on BD pastures where three treatments were applied: without maintenance fertilizer (BD-N), with maintenance fertilizer (BD-F), and BD and Stylosanthes guianensis cv. Mineirao (SG) mixture with maintenance fertilizer (BD-FL). The fertilizer application increased an annual average of biomass and the contents of P and K in the leaves. On the other hand, the legume introduction had a positive influence on crude protein and digestibility, and the effect was obvious in the rainy season. The introduction of legume also increased litter decomposition constants, although the difference in the constants among the treatments was not significant

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A new limit on the light speed isotropy from the GRAAL experiment at the ESRF

When the electrons stored in the ring of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF, Grenoble) scatter on a laser beam (Compton scattering in flight) the lower energy of the scattered electron spectra, the Compton Edge (CE), is given by the two body photon-electron relativistic kinematics and depends on the velocity of light. A precision measurement of the position of this CE as a function of the daily variations of the direction of the electron beam in an absolute reference frame provides a one-way test of Relativistic Kinematics and the isotropy of the velocity of light. The results of GRAAL-ESRF measurements improve the previously existing one-way limits, thus showing the efficiency of this method and the interest of further studies in this direction.Comment: Proceed. MG12 meeting, Paris, July, 200

Forage Productivity of \u3ci\u3ePanicum maximum\u3c/i\u3e Pastures in Two Different Agropastoral Systems

Forage productivity was evaluated for Panicum maximum pastures established after 4 years of soybean cultivation in the summer (PM-SO), and 4 years of rotation of soybeans in the summer and millet for winter grazing (PM-MI). In the PM-MI pasture, biomass and dry matter production were much lower than in the PM-SO, and the amount of copper and nitrogen in the top part of the plants in PM-MI were significantly lower than that in PM-SO. Thus, it was considered that the shortage of copper and nitrogen restricted photosynthesis and forage production in PM-MI

Experiences of newly hired nurses during the Covid-19 emergency: descriptive qualitative research

Background and aim of the work: The Covid-19 pandemic led to an increased demand for healthcare professionals, particularly nurses. The Piacenza Local Health Service, Northern Italy, issued several calls for tenders in order to recruit nurses and the University anticipated graduation sessions, so several new graduates nurses found themselves facing their first work experience in the middle of the pandemic emergency. It is well known that being a first-time employee causes stress, but there are few studies yet investigating the perception of newly employed nurses during the pandemic. The aim of this research is therefore to describe the experience of these nurses. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted through interviews. The research was approved by the ‘Area Vasta Emilia Nord Ethics Committee. Results: 14 nurses were interviewed and nine themes were found. Emotions, awareness, job opportunities, professional liability, organisational aspects and relationship with the other. Conclusions: Our study shows how stress, anxiety and feelings of inadequacy characterise new nurses’ entry into the workplace. Emotional support strategies, such as counselling and emergency preparedness training, could help early career professionals to cope with complex and emotion-ally charged clinical care situations with greater resilience. Study registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05110859. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Structural requirements of benzofuran derivatives dehydro-δ-and dehydro-ε-viniferin for antimicrobial activity against the foodborne pathogen listeria monocytogenes

In a recent study, we investigated the antimicrobial activity of a collection of resveratrol-derived monomers and dimers against a series of foodborne pathogens. Out of the tested molecules, dehydro-\u3b4-viniferin and dehydro-\u3b5-viniferin emerged as the most promising derivatives. To define the structural elements essential to the antimicrobial activity against the foodborne pathogen L. monocytogenes Scott A as a model Gram-positive microorganism, the synthesis of a series of simplified benzofuran-containing derivatives was carried out. The systematic removal of the aromatic moieties of the parent molecules allowed a deeper insight into the most relevant structural features affecting the activity. While the overall structure of compound 1 could not be altered without a substantial loss of antimicrobial activity, the structural simplification of compound 2 (minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) 16 \u3bc\ub5g/mL, minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) >512 \u3bc\ub5g/mL) led to the analogue 7 with increased activity (MIC 8 \u3bc\ub5g/mL, MBC 64 \u3bc\ub5g/mL)