Biogenic palladium enhances diatrizoate removal from hospital wastewater in a microbial electrolysis cell

decrease the load of pharmaceuticals to the environment, decentralized wastewater treatment has been proposed for important point-sources such as hospitals. In this study, a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) was used for the dehalogenation of the iodinated X-ray contrast medium diatrizoate. The presence of biogenic palladium nanoparticles (bio-Pd) in the cathode significantly enhanced diatrizoate removal by direct electrochemical reduction and by reductive catalysis using the H(2) gas produced at the cathode of the MEC. Complete deiodination of 3.3 mu M (2 mg L(-1)) diatrizoate from a synthetic medium was achieved after 24 h of recirculation at an applied voltage of -0.4 V. An equimolar amount of the deiodinated metabolite 3,5-diacetamidobenzoate (DAB) was detected. Higher cell voltages increased the dehalogenation rates, resulting in a complete removal after 2 h at -0.8 V. At this cell Voltage, the MEC was also able to remove 85% of diatrizoate from hospital effluent containing 0.5 mu M (292 mu g L(-1)), after 24 h of recirculation. Complete removal was obtained when the effluent was continuously fed at a volumetric loading rate of 204 mg diatrizoate m(-3) total cathodic compartment (TCC) day(-1) to the MEC with a hydraulic retention time of 8 h. At -0.8 V, the MEC system could also eliminate 54% of diatrizoate from spiked urine during a 24 h recirculation experiment. The final product DAB was demonstrated to be removable by nitrifying biomass, which suggests that the combination of a MEC and bio-Pd in its cathode offers potential to dehalogenate pharmaceuticals, and to significantly lower the environmental burden of hospital waste streams

Bordertexturen als transdisziplinärer Ansatz zur Untersuchung von Grenzen. Ein Werkstattbericht

Der Beitrag versteht sich als Werkstattbericht und gibt erste Einblicke in die Entwicklung eines kulturwissenschaftlich orientierten Ansatz‘ zur Untersuchung von Grenz(raum)phänomenen. Dieser versucht weitgreifender zu sein als etablierte sozialwissenschaftliche Perspektiven und fasst Grenz(raum)phänomene als auf Grenzen und Differenzen bezogene Gefüge aus unterschiedlichen Praktiken und Diskursen. Die als Bordertexturen verstandenen Gefüge werden anhand von Fallbeispielen an der U.S.-Mexikanischen Grenze, der deutsch-französischen Grenze und in Nordirland illustriert und in verschiedene Analysedimensionen aufgeschlüsselt. Dazu zählen Korporealität, Räumlichkeit und Materialität als in diesem Beitrag exemplarisch aufgezeigte heuristische Zugänge zu Bordertexturen. Der Ansatz relativiert die verbreitete territoriale Perspektive auf Grenze und erweitert das Spektrum der Analyseperspektiven und Gegenstandsbereiche in den Border Studies

Altered energy partitioning across terrestrial ecosystems in the European drought year 2018

Drought and heat events, such as the 2018 European drought, interact with the exchange of energy between the land surface and the atmosphere, potentially affecting albedo, sensible and latent heat fluxes, as well as CO(2)exchange. Each of these quantities may aggravate or mitigate the drought, heat, their side effects on productivity, water scarcity and global warming. We used measurements of 56 eddy covariance sites across Europe to examine the response of fluxes to extreme drought prevailing most of the year 2018 and how the response differed across various ecosystem types (forests, grasslands, croplands and peatlands). Each component of the surface radiation and energy balance observed in 2018 was compared to available data per site during a reference period 2004-2017. Based on anomalies in precipitation and reference evapotranspiration, we classified 46 sites as drought affected. These received on average 9% more solar radiation and released 32% more sensible heat to the atmosphere compared to the mean of the reference period. In general, drought decreased net CO(2)uptake by 17.8%, but did not significantly change net evapotranspiration. The response of these fluxes differed characteristically between ecosystems; in particular, the general increase in the evaporative index was strongest in peatlands and weakest in croplands. This article is part of the theme issue 'Impacts of the 2018 severe drought and heatwave in Europe: from site to continental scale'

Genome-wide association identifies nine common variants associated with fasting proinsulin levels and provides new insights into the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Proinsulin is a precursor of mature insulin and C-peptide. Higher circulating proinsulin levels are associated with impaired β-cell function, raised glucose levels, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Studies of the insulin processing pathway could provide new insights about T2D pathophysiology. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We have conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association tests of ∼2.5 million genotyped or imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and fasting proinsulin levels in 10,701 nondiabetic adults of European ancestry, with follow-up of 23 loci in up to 16,378 individuals, using additive genetic models adjusted for age, sex, fasting insulin, and study-specific covariates. RESULTS: Nine SNPs at eight loci were associated with proinsulin levels (P < 5 × 10(-8)). Two loci (LARP6 and SGSM2) have not been previously related to metabolic traits, one (MADD) has been associated with fasting glucose, one (PCSK1) has been implicated in obesity, and four (TCF7L2, SLC30A8, VPS13C/C2CD4A/B, and ARAP1, formerly CENTD2) increase T2D risk. The proinsulin-raising allele of ARAP1 was associated with a lower fasting glucose (P = 1.7 × 10(-4)), improved β-cell function (P = 1.1 × 10(-5)), and lower risk of T2D (odds ratio 0.88; P = 7.8 × 10(-6)). Notably, PCSK1 encodes the protein prohormone convertase 1/3, the first enzyme in the insulin processing pathway. A genotype score composed of the nine proinsulin-raising alleles was not associated with coronary disease in two large case-control datasets. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified nine genetic variants associated with fasting proinsulin. Our findings illuminate the biology underlying glucose homeostasis and T2D development in humans and argue against a direct role of proinsulin in coronary artery disease pathogenesis

Performance of a Multichannel Audio Correction System Outside the Sweetspot. : Further Investigations of the Trinnov Optimizer.

This report is a continuation of the student project "Evaluation of TrinnovOptimizer audio reproduction system". It will further investigate theproperties and function of the Trinnov Optimizer, a correction system foraudio reproduction systems. During the student project measurements wereperformed in an anechoic lab to provide information on the functionality andabilities of the Trinnov Optimizer. Massive amounts of data were recorded,and that has also been the foundation of this report. The new work that hasbeen done is by interpreting these results through the use of Matlab. The Optimizer by Trinnov [9 ] is a standalone system for reproductionof audio over a single or multiple loudspeaker setup. It is designed tocorrect frequency and phase response in addition to correcting loudspeakerplacements and cancel simple early re?ections in a multiple loudspeakersetup. The purpose of further investigating this issue was to understandmore about the sound?eld produced around the listening position, and togive more detailed results on the changes in the sound?eld after correction.Importance of correcting the system not only in the listening position, butalso in the surrounding area, is obvious because there is often more than onelistener. This report gives further insight in physical measurements ratherthan subjective statements, on the performance of a room and loudspeakercorrection device. WinMLS has been used to measure the system with single, and multiplemicrophone setups. Some results from the earlier student project are alsoin this report to verify measurement methods, and to show correspondancebetween the di?erent measuring systems. Therefore some of the data havebeen compared to the Trinnov Optimizer's own measurements and appear similar in this report. Some errors found in the initial report, the results from the phase response measurements, have also been corrected. Multiple loudspeakers in a 5.0 setup have been measured with 5 microphones on a rotating boom to measure the soundpressure over an area around the listening position. This allowed the e?ect of simple re?ections cancellation, and the ability to generate virtual sources to be investigated. For the speci?c cases that were investigated in this report, the Optimizer showed the following: ? Frequency and phase response will in every situation be optimized to the extent of the Optimizers algorithms. ? Every case shows improvement in the frequency and phase response over the whole measured area. ? Direct frontal re?ections was deconvolved up to 300Hz over the whole measured area with a radius of 56cm. ? A re?ection from the side was deconvolved roughly up to 200Hz for microphones 1 through 3, up to a radius of 31.25cm, and up to 100Hz for microphones 4 and 5. ? The ability to create virtual sources corresponds fairly to the theoretical expectations. The video sequences that were developed give an interesting new angle on the problems that were investigated. Other than looking at plots of di?erent angles which is di?cult and time consuming, the videos showed an intuitive perspective that enlightened the same issues as the common presented data of frequency and phase response measurements

Palaeobiological reconstructions of selected Spinctozoan Sponges from the Cassian Beds (Lower Carnian) of the Dolomites (Northern Italy)

PalaeobiologicaJ models of four selecled species of sphinctozoan coraIIine sponges from the Cassian Ileds (Lower Camian, Dolomites) have been established using, among othels, luminescence tecbniques. The latter has beeil Sllccesfully to wimate the organie content and diagenetic history ofthe skeletons. Recent in"estigations yield the differentiation ofthree steps in the secretion ofthe skeleton in coralline sponges, according to which skelelal elements can be classified. The identification of these elements rendels infoiiuation on the way ofsecretion ofthe skeleton, the relative position ofthe soft tissue, and the function ofthe skeleton. Two basic type.s of sphinctozoan organisation can be distinguished: a matrix type, where a rigid framework, secreted in an organo-spicular matrix peneti"ates the soft t.issue (as in suomatoporoid coralline sponges) and a cortex type, where the skeleton is secreted by a speziali'WI layer (cortex) surrolmding the sponge body. These organizational types bear no phylogenetic implication.Es wurden paläobiologische Modelle von vier ausgewählten Arten sphinctozoider Schwälluue alls den Cassianer Schichten (Unteres Kam, Dolomiten) unter Zuhilfenalime von I ~lmineszenZll\ethoden eisIeIlt. Diese konnten mit Erfolg zur Abschätzung des Gehalts an organischen Stoffen und der diagenetischen Geschichte der Basalskelette eingesetzt werden. Neuere Untersuchungen erlauben die von drei Schritten in der Genese des Basalskeletts der corallinen Schwämme, die zu einer Klassifikation der Skelettelemente herangezogen werden können. Eine Identifikation der jeweiligen Elemente entsprechend dieser Klassifikation liefert Infoiinationen über die Art der Sekretion des Basalskeletts, die relative Position des Lebendgewebes und die Funktion des Skeletts. Zwei gnmdlegende Organisalionstypen können innelhalb der Sphinctozoen unterschieden werden: ein Matrix-Typ, bei dem das in einer organo-spikulären Matrix sekretiert wird, die den Weichkölper durchzieht (ähnlich den stromatoporoiden "CoraIline Spongien") lind ein Cortex-Typ, bei dem die Sekretion des Basalskeletts in einer spezialisierten, subdeiioalen Schicht (Cortex), die den Weichkölper umgibt, stattfindet Diese Organisationstypen haben keine Implikationen