Bulk and surface sensitivity of a resonant waveguide grating imager

We report the assessment of the sensitivity of a microplate-compatible resonant waveguide grating imager. The sensitivity to bulk refractive index changes was determined using a serial dilution of glycerol solution with the help of a refractometer. The surface sensitivity was examined using layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte films in conjunction with optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy and characterized by the binding of acetazolamide to immobilized carbonic anhydrase under microfluidics. The results suggest that the imager has a limit of detection down to 2.2 × 10−6 for refractive index change and 0.078 ng/cm2 for the adsorbed mass. © 2014 AIP Publishing LL

Hydrometallurgical Recovery of Gold from Mining Wastes

Gold is a highly required material for a wide range of personal and industrial applications. The high demand for gold, together with the shortage of natural resources and high pollution potential of wastes generated during mining and ore processing activities led to search for alternative sources of gold. A possible source is represented by mine wastes resulting from the processing of polymetallic or sulfidic ores. The reprocessing of wastes and old tailings with moderate to low content of gold offers not only a business opportunity, but also enhances the quality of the surrounding environment, changes the land use and offers a wide range of socio-economic benefits. Cyanidation, the most widespread Au leaching option, is progressively abandoned due to the high risk associated with its use and to the low public acceptance. Therefore, alternative methods such as thiocyanate, thiourea, thiosulphate and halide leaching gained more and more interest. This chapter presents the most important features of some Au leaching methods, emphasizing their advantages, limitations and potential applications

Characterization of biobriquettes produced from vineyard wastes as a solid biofuel resource

The large amount of biomass waste generated by vineyard pruning causes many environmental concerns. The production of briquettes represents an alternative to obtaining a value-added product. The transformation of vineyard wastes into briquettes could produce a densified product having high energy potential. The study investigates the production and chemical, structural, and thermal characterization of briquettes. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) shows that the briquettes have different stages of decomposition depending on temperature, such as drying, heating, devolatilization, and char aggregation. All the briquettes are decomposed around 600 C. The analysis by X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows the crystallinity of briquettes. The pollutant emissions resulted from briquettes burning were measured as 444.7 mg N1m1 nitrogen oxide (NOX), 157.0 mg N1m1 sulphur dioxide (SO2) and 2165.0 mg N1m1 carbon monoxide (CO). The flue gases are below the admitted limits, with the exception of carbon monoxide content due to the incomplete combustion and high lignin content. Therefore, it can be concluded that briquettes produced from vineyard wastes have similar properties to briquettes produced from wood. This study demonstrates the potential of the obtained briquettes to replace the wood or charcoal through a desulphurization method

Local characteristics of the standing genetic diversity of European beech with high within-region differentiation at the eastern part of the range

Developing "climate smart forestry" (CSF) indicators in mountain forest regions requires collection and evaluation of local data and their attributes. Genetic resources are listed among the core indicators for forest biological diversity. This study is a report on the evaluation of the standing genetic diversity within and across 12 pure beech stands (Fagus sylvatica L.) established within the CLIMO (CLImate Smart Forestry in MOuntain Regions) project, using nuclear microsatellite markers. The sampling sites were set along the species' distribution range, including the Balkan region and extending towards the Iberian Peninsula. Cores or leaves from 20 to 23 old, mature trees per plot were sampled for DNA analysis. Genetic diversity indices were high across the range (H-E = 0.74-0.81) with the highest in the Bosnian Mountains. Genetic divergence increased significantly with the geographical distance (Mantel test: r = 0.81, p < 0.001). Most of the stands exhibited an excess of heterozygotes, with the highest value at the Hungarian site (H-O/H-E = 1.177), where beech persists close to the eastern xeric limit of the species' distribution. STRUCTURE revealed within-region differentiation in the Balkan Peninsula, where the Bulgarian stand was the most outstanding. The genetic parameters of each stand could be assessed as a resource for CSF indicators interpreted especially at the local level.The authors acknowledge the networking support by the COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action CLIMO (Climate-Smart Forestry in Mountain Regions -CA15226) financially supported by the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation HORIZON 2020. Michal Bosela was additionally supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency (project Nos. APVV-15-0265 and APVV-19-0183)

Bioethanol Production from Vineyard Waste by Autohydrolysis Pretreatment and Chlorite Delignification via Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation

In this paper, the production of a second-generation bioethanol from lignocellulosic vineyard cutting wastes was investigated in order to define the optimal operating conditions of the autohydrolysis pretreatment, chlorite delignification and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). The autohydrolysis of vine-shoot wastes resulted in liquors containing mainly a mixture of monosaccharides, degradation products and spent solids (rich in cellulose and lignin), with potential utility in obtaining valuable chemicals and bioethanol. The autohydrolysis of the vine-shoot wastes was carried out at 165 and 180 °C for 10 min residence time, and the resulted solid and liquid phases composition were analysed. The resulted liquid fraction contained hemicellulosic sugars as a mixture of alpha (α) and beta (β) sugar anomers, and secondary by-products. The solid fraction was delignified using the sodium chlorite method for the separation of lignin and easier access of enzymes to the cellulosic sugars, and then, converted to ethanol by the SSF process. The maximum bioethanol production (6%) was obtained by autohydrolysis (165 °C), chlorite delignification and SSF process at 37 °C, 10% solid loading, 72 h. The principal component analysis was used to identify the main parameters that influence the chemical compositions of vine-shoot waste for different varieties

T cell immune response predicts survival in severely ill COVID-19 patients requiring venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support

IntroductionThere is a critical gap in understanding which SARS-CoV-2 patients would benefit most from venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) support. The potential role of a dysregulated immune response is still unclear in this patient population.ObjectivesTo assess the potential predictive value of SARS-CoV-2 specific cellular and humoral immune responses for survival in critically ill COVID-19 patients requiring VV-ECMO.MethodsWe conducted a prospective single-center observational study of unvaccinated patients requiring VV-ECMO support treated at the intensive care unit of Semmelweis University Heart and Vascular Center between March and December 2021. Peripheral blood samples were collected to measure the humoral and cellular immune statuses of the patients at the VV-ECMO cannulation. Patients were followed until hospital discharge.ResultsOverall, 35 COVID-19 patients (63% men, median age 37 years) on VV-ECMO support were included in our study. The time from COVID-19 verification to ECMO support was a median (IQR) of 10 (7-14) days. Of the patients, 9 (26%) were discharged alive and 26 (74%) died during their hospital stay. Immune tests confirmed ongoing SARS-CoV-2 infection in all the patients, showing an increased humoral immune response. SARS-CoV-2-specific cellular immune response was significantly higher among survivors compared to the deceased patients. A higher probability of survival was observed in patients with markers indicating a higher T cell response detected by both QuantiFeron (QF) and flow cytometry (Flow) assays. (Flow S1 CD8+ ≥ 0.15%, Flow S1 CD4+ ≥ 0.02%, QF CD4 ≥ 0.07, QF whole genome ≥ 0.59). In univariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis BMI, right ventricular (RV) failure, QF whole genome T cell level, and Flow S1 CD8+ T cell level were associated with mortality, and we found that an increased T cell response showed a significant negative association with mortality, independent of BMI and RV failure.ConclusionEvaluation of SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell response before the cannulation can aid the risk stratification and evaluation of seriously ill COVID-19 patients undergoing VV-ECMO support by predicting survival, potentially changing our clinical practice in the future

Sustainable biomass pellets production using vineyard wastes

Vineyards waste has a great importance as biomass, a renewable source of energy. In this paper eight vine shoot varieties were used for the production of pellets by densification of feedstock materials with four ranges of moisture contents (6–8%, 8–10%, 10–12% and 12–15%). A moisture content of 10% gave durability higher than 97.5% and a calorific value greater than 17 MJ kg−1 and the small durability was obtained for 6–8% moisture. The study shows the significant influence of water during densification. The physicochemical and energetic properties of pellets were evaluated in accordance with ISO 17225-6 (2014). The obtained pellets were also structurally characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). SEM analysis showed the formation of carbon microsphere after pelletization, due to the increase of bulk density and durability of pellets. Also, XRD analysis revealed the crystallinity of cellulose, while TGA analysis showed a total decomposition of pellets. The obtained pellets were burned in a domestic boiler and the flue gases were measured. The preliminary results showed that the vineyard residues had higher emissions, but below the admitted limits, with the exception of carbon monoxide content. The obtained results suggested that the biomass wastes can be used for the production of pellets, aiming to enhance the research for the manufacturing of these sustainable biofuels with some remarks regarding risk of corrosion and slag formation during prolonged use