A convenient cost-effective method for recyclization of the aqueous waste effluent of car-painting industry

Non-sedimentation nanoparticles containing alkaline wastewater as effluent from the cleaning process of car-painting lines can be purified by sedimentation after adding of mineral acids to adjust the pH below 5. Using 10 % aq. sulfuric acid to coagulate and filtrate the colloid particles, and adjusting the effluent pH with 10 wt. % aq. NaOH to the original value (~9), the wastewater can be recycled with ca. 0.3 % salt content into the cleaning process of the painting line (rinsing) technology

Kétszer 1D kapilláris elektroforézis chip technológia = Microchip-based double 1D capillary electrophoresis

A projekt ütemezése során izoelektromos fókuszálás és zónaelektroforézis kisérleteket folytattunk különböző analitikai célokkal. Ebben szerepelt bakteriális fehérjék vizsgálata, optikai izomerek elválasztása, speciális detektálási technikák (pl. fluoreszcens) alkalmazásának megvizsgálása. A már rendelkezésre álló PrinCE moduláris "1D" kapilláris elektroforézis készüléken a kapilláris izoelektromos fókuszálás mobilizálási lépésének pulzáló módú elvégzésére a készülék alkalmas. Uncoated (kezeletlen) és coated (fedett) kapillárisok alkalmazásának összehasonlítása történt. Standard fehérjekeverékek és bakteriális sejtlizátumok analízise izoelektromos fókuszálással, tipikus izoelektroferogramok gyűjtése történt. A második dimenzió, vagyis elsősorban a zóna-elektroforetikus elválasztások esetében is több lépést végeztünk. Az injektált zónákat alkotó pufferhatású amfolit-komponensek és a második dimenzióban használt SDS együttes jelenléte elektroforézisre gyakorolt hatását vizsgáltuk. A témában közreműködő hazai és külföldi kutatók az elmúlt két évtizedben a projektben felvázolt kutatási területeken dolgoztak és dolgoznak. Szakmai eredményeik felölelik a kapilláris elektroforézis metodikai-technikai fejlesztésében és különböző alkalmazásokban való munkáik eredményeit. | The project prvided a possibility to make isoelectric focusing and zone-electrophoretic runs for a possible coupling this two techniques. First of all bacterial proteins, optical isomers were analysed, and the possibility of using fluorescens techniques were studied. The modular PRINCE electrophoresis equipment should the possibility to use a pulsed mode modification of isoelectric focusing. We compared the usability of coated and uncoated capillaries in IEF. Both, standard protein mixtures and also bacterial proteins were investigated. The second dimension, i.e. zone electrophoresis has been used. We tried the application of this method for the analysis of the ampholytes, which would be the most important question when the two technique is coupled sequentially. The researchers in this topic has been participating for long time in the developmenet and application of IEF and CE techniques. Their results provided a very good basis for the further developing steps

A case study of a derecho storm in dry, high-shear environment

The present study examines the origin and environmental conditions of the severe convective windstorm on September 17, 2017, which affected several countries in the central and southeastern Europe, above all Serbia and Romania. The large area of the damage swath (at least 500 km long) and high wind gusts (up to 40 m/s) would classify this event as a derecho or at least as a storm very similar to derechos (with respect to newer definition proposals). Small-scale bow echoes were found in areas with highest reported wind gusts, and some thunderstorms within the storm-producing convective system were probably supercells. The existence of high wind shear and storm rotation could be also related to the significant rightward deflection of the system with respect to the mean wind and propagation of other thunderstorms and systems observed on that day. In contrary to many other known derecho events, this storm propagated toward a very dry airmass exhibiting only low or moderate convective available potential energy (CAPE) values. This is shown by soundings, ECMWF model outputs, and vertical profiles from the IASI L2 satellite sounder. Several convective parameters (e.g. CAPE, downdraft CAPE, derecho composite parameter, 0-3-km relative humidity, 0-6-km shear) were evaluated and compared with proximity soundings of other described European derechos or with the available climatology. The possibility of a balance between the cold pool-generated horizontal vorticity and the environmental shear is also discussed. It is concluded that identification of low-level humidity sources (with aid of storm-relative wind vectors or streamlines) can be important in forecasting of thunderstorm systems moving toward an airmass, which is seemingly too dry for development and maintenance of deep convection. It is also shown that due to low CAPE values, some composite parameters would not indicate favourable conditions for a long-lived convective system. The lack of radiosonde observations can be partially supplemented by data from the IASI L2 sounder, which profiles can be largely different from model forecasts, showing much drier air in the mid- and upper troposphere in this case. It is concluded that due to the absence of strong synoptic forcing and larger pressure gradient at surface, convective processes played major role in the windstorm development. The presence of high temperature lapse rates at low- and mid-levels, high wind shear and unusually dry pre-storm airmass could be considered as the most important signatures related to the storm severity

Ethnobotanical, historical and histological evaluation of Helleborus L. genetic resources used in veterinary and human ethnomedicine

The use of hellebore (Helleborus) species for medical purposes has a long-standing tradition. Our work aimed at providing a historical survey of their medicinal application in Europe, and data on current ethnobotanical use of H. purpurascens Waldst. et Kit. in Transylvania (Romania), compared with earlier records of this region and other European countries. While the chemistry and pharmacology of hellebores have been researched extensively, little is known about their anatomical traits. Thus, we intended to provide a detailed histological analysis of Helleborus odorus Waldst. et Kit., H. purpurascens, and H. niger L., based on transverse sections of aerial parts and root. Our survey revealed that H. purpuras- cens is known for immunotherapy, wounds, and as antiemetic drug in ethnoveterinary medicine, but not in human therapy in the study area. Distinctive histological characters included diverse stele structure in the root; sclerenchymatous bundle caps around compound vascular bundles in the stem and the main leaf veins of H. odorus; and amphistomatic leaves in H. purpurascens. Quantitative vegetative traits also revealed significant differences among species, but they may reflect environmental influences, too. In all three species the sepal was hypostomatic with meso- morphic stomata, while the modified petal comprised a proximal nectar-producing and a distal non-secretory part. Distinctive floral traits included shape of mod- ified petal, presence of papillae and thickness of non- secretory part; as well as ornamentation of tricolpate pollen grains. Our findings suggest that the anatomy of various plant parts varies slightly with each species, including ethnomedicinally known H. purpurascens, even though the basic structure is the same within the genus

Preventing the development of antibiotic resistance in wastewater matrices by high energy irradiation

Our project aimed at investigating the applicability of high energy irradiation methods to eradicate any impact that antibiotics have on microbial population in wastewater matrices. Over the course of our study, the effect of solutions containing synthetic wastewater matrix along with antibiotics on a resistant -sensitive mixed bacterial population is taken under scrutiny after electron beam irradiation. As a result, we show that by appropriately optimizing the dose requirement, electron beam treatment appears to be a promising method to eliminate the biological activity of antibiotics and thereby achieve similar microbial population dynamics as it is found without the presence of antibiotics. Our results take us closer to our ultimate goal, developing technologies to tackle the evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria in water reservoirs contaminated with antibiotics

Enzimreakciók vizsgálata a moduláris szerveződés, az atomi kölcsönhatás és a kvantummechanika szintjein. A fehérje biofizika tudományos iskolája = Insight into the Enzyme Action at Levels of modular Organization, Atomic Interactions and Quantum-Mechanics. School of Protein Biophysics

Az elmúlt 3 év koherens kutató munkája során születtek speciális tudományos eredmények és levontunk ezekből általános következtetéseket is. Munkánk mérlege a nemzetközi folyóiratokban megjelent 30 közlemény összesen 130 IF-al. Molekuláris immunológiai kutatásaink keretében meghatároztuk 4 komplement proteáz és a C1-inhibitor szerkezetét, különösen az utóbbi hozott számunkra nagy nemzetközi elismerést. A szerkezetek és funkcionális eredményeink alapján általánosan elfogadott aktiválási modellt dolgoztunk ki a komplement rendszer lektin útjának szabályozási mechanizmusára. Jelentősnek tartjuk a C1-inhibitor heparin által történő potencirozásának mechanizmusára javasolt, szerkezeti alapú modell kidolgozását, a flagellin fehérje egyik rendezetlen szakaszának export szignálként történő azonosítását (szabadalom is született belőle), a foszfoglicerátkináz enzim domén záródásban résztvevő allosztérikus jeltovábbító hálózat azonosítását, az enzimaktivitás rendhagyó hőmérsékletfüggésének a konformációs flexibilitás alapján történő értelmezését a izopropilmalát dehidrogenáz esetében, átmeneti zóna felfedezését a rendezett és rendezetlen szerkezetet kódoló aminósav szekvencák között. A komplement fehérjék és funkcionális komplexeik, a flagelláris rendszerek, multidomén enzimek együttes vizsgálata lehetővé tette a fehérjék önszerveződésével, a molekuláris szintű felismeréssel és az allosztérikus jeltovábbítás mechanizmusával kapcsolatos általános következtetések levonását. | We have determined the structure of C1-Inhibitor and four complement proteinases: C1r, MASP1, MASP2 in zymogen form and MASP2 in activated form. Based on our structural and functional studies we concluded a mechanistic model for the activation of the lectin pathway of the complement system. We also devised a structure based model for the heparin potentiation of C1-Inhibitor. An intrinsically disordered sequence of the bacterial flagellin protein was identified as an export signal (patented). Other significant achievements: the mapping of an allosteric network involved in the ligand induced hinge closure of phosphoglycerate kinase, the interpretation of the odd temperature dependence in the catalytic activity of isopropylmalate dehydrogenase in terms of concerted conformational fluctuations, discovery of the twilight zone between amino acid sequences encoding ordered and disordered conformations. Our coherent studies on the functional protein complexes of the complement system, on flagellar systems, multidomain enzymes enabled us to make some general conclusions regarding the self assembly, recognition and allosteric behaviour of proteins and protein complexes

Evidence of quasi-intramolecular redox reactions during thermal decomposition of ammonium hydroxodisulfitoferriate(III), (NH4)(2)[Fe(OH)(SO3)(2)]center dot H2O

Synthesis of ammonium hydroxodisulfitoferriate(III), (diammonium catena-{bis(mu (2)-sulfito-kappa O,kappa O)-mu (2)-hydroxo-kappa O-2}ferrate(III) monohydrate) (NH4)(2)[Fe(OH)(SO3)(2)]center dot H2O (compound 1) and its thermal behavior is reported. The compound is stable in air. Its thermal decomposition proceeds without the expected quasi-intramolecular oxidation of sulfite ion with ferric ions. The disproportionation reaction of the ammonium sulfite, formed from the evolved NH3, SO2 and H2O in the main decomposition stage of 1, results in the formation of ammonium sulfate and ammonium sulfide. The ammonium sulfide is unstable at the decomposition temperature of 1 (150 A degrees C) and transforms into NH3 and H2S which immediately forms elementary sulfur by reaction with SO2. The formation and decomposition of other intermediate compounds like (NH4)(2)SnOx (n = 2, x = 3 and n = 3, x = 6) results in the same decomposition products (S, SO2 and NH3). Two basic iron sulfates, formed in different ratios during synthesizing experiments performed under N-2 or in the presence of air, have been detected as solid intermediates which contain ammonium ions. The final decomposition product was proved to be alpha-Fe2O3 (mineral name hematite)