1,931 research outputs found

    Inactivation of simulated aquaculture stream bacteria at low temperature using advanced UVA- and solar-based oxidation methods

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    In this work the effect of water temperature (6 +/- 1 degrees C and 22 +/- 1 degrees C) on inactivation of bacteria (104 -106 CFU mL-1; Pseudomonas spp., Aeromonas spp. and Enterobacter spp.) in simulated aquaculture streams (SAS) using UVA based advanced oxidation processes (AOP) (H2O2-assisted UVA; photocatalysis; H2O2-assisted photocatalysis) and solar driven AOPs (H2O2-assisted solar disinfection, SODIS) was studied. Efficiency at 22 degrees C in terms of inactivation rate was higher using H2O2-assisted photocatalysis (H2O2/UVA-TiO2/polysiloxane) > H2O2-assisted UVA disinfection (UVA/H2O2 - 10 mg L-1) > photocatalysis (UVA-TiO2/polysiloxane) > UVA disinfection. At low temperature (6 degrees C) the inactivation rate increased with SODIS/H2O2 > SODIS > H2O2assisted UVA disinfection (UVA/H2O2 - 10 mg L-1) > H2O2-assisted photocatalysis (H2O2/UVA-TiO2/polysiloxane) > photocatalysis (UVA-TiO2/polysiloxane). The main results indicate that the inactivation rates increased when hydrogen peroxide (10 mg L-1) was used during H2O2-assisted UVA disinfection and photocatalysis. In addition, exposure of SAS to hydrogen peroxide for 24 h (in absence of light) at room temperature decreased the subsequent exposure UVA irradiation dose by almost four times. Drastic increase of inactivation rate was observed at low water temperature (6 +/- 1 degrees C) when UVA- and solarbased AOPs were employed compared to 22 +/- 1 degrees C. The treatment with SODIS proved to be more effective in Finland than in Spain. The effect of the low temperature (6 +/- 1 degrees C) was proposed as a critical factor during UVA disinfection (UVA/H2O2 and photocatalysis) that can increase the disinfection rate constant (kmax) by 1.3-5.2 times, leading to a reduction of the treatment costs ( euro m-3) by 1.3-3.3 times. The mechanism of observed enhanced disinfection at low water temperature (6 +/- 1 degrees C) when natural solar light and UVA are employed as irradiation sources for UVA/H2O2 and photocatalytic bacteria inactivation was proposed. No regrowth was observed in case of H2O2-assisted AOPs.This work was supported by a national research project (SUNRAS PROJECT, Project AGL2016-80507-R) funded by Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (Plan Nacional de I + D + i (2013-2016). The research was also supported by a PIF contract (UCA/REC01VI/2017) funded by Vicerrectorado de Investigacion of Universidad de Cadiz. D. Sc. Juan Jose Rueda-Marquez is grateful for financial support from Academy of Finland within the project '' Combination of Advanced Oxidation Processes and Photobiotreatment for Sustainable Resource Recovery and Wastewater Reuse'' (application number 322339). T. Homola acknowledges financial support by Czech Science Foundation project 19-14770Y and project LM2018097 funded by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic. Documen

    Технологія спеціалізованих жирів на основі пальмового стеарину

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    New technology of modification of fats was developed, which allows, by fermentative ethanolysis, obtaining a new type of specialty fats for use in the food industry (culinary, bakery and dairy products). We proposed, for the modification of fatty raw materials, restructuring of the fats, namely, their active parts (acyl groups) with obtaining of derivatives of fatty acids that have functional properties.  Obtained fats meet the requirements of normative documentation by the indicators of quality, and are additionally enriched with physiologically–active ingredients – ethyl esters of fatty acids, which are better digested and reduce the resynthesis of fat in a human body. The influence of conditions of fermentative alcoholysis of palm stearin by ethyl alcohol on the degree of its conversion to ethyl esters of fatty acids was defined.It was established that when using ethyl alcohol as a reagent in the presence of lipolytic enzyme, ethyl  esters and incomplete acylglycerols accumulate that causes the change of physical and chemical indicators (including the melting temperature decrease), the composition of the reaction mixture, and allows obtaining fats with given composition and properties. Thus, using this method, selecting necessary raw materials and varying the conditions of the reaction, one can obtain a whole range of specialty fats.Разработана новая технология модифицирования жиров, которая позволяет путем ферментативного этанолиза получить жиры специального назначения (кулинарные, хлебопекарные и для молочной промышленности). Такие жиры по показателям качества соответствуют требованиям нормативных документов и, кроме того, обогащены физиологически-активными ингредиентами – этиловыми эфирами жирных кислот, которые лучше усваиваются организмом человека и уменьшают ресинтез жира.Розроблена нова технологія модифікування жирів, яка дозволяє шляхом ферментативного етанолізу одержати жири спеціального призначення (кулінарні, хлібопекарські та для молочної промисловості). Такі жири за показниками якості відповідають вимогам нормативних документів і, крім того, збагачені фізіологічно-активними інгредієнтами – етиловим ефірами жирних кислот, які краще засвоюються організмом людини і зменшують ресинтез жиру

    Beta-Endorphin and Oxytocin in Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder and Comorbid Depression

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    Background: The neuropeptides β-endorphin and oxytocin are released into the bloodstream as hormones from the pituitary gland but also have an important function as neuroregulators in the forebrain. The blood levels of both polypeptides have been shown to reflect depressive symptoms. β-Endorphin, in particular, is also involved in abstinence from alcohol. Methods: The serum levels of β-endorphin and oxytocin were measured during the early withdrawal phase in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) with (N = 35) or without (N = 45) depressive comorbidity and compared with those in healthy volunteers (N = 23). In addition to comparing the groups, the study examined whether serum levels correlated with various psychometric measures of dependence, depression and aggression, as well as with clinical characteristics of dependence. Results: Both serum levels of beta-endorphin and oxytocin were significantly lower in patients than those in healthy controls (p = 0.011 for β-endorphin and p = 0.005 for oxytocin, Kruskal–Wallis test). In patients with depressive comorbidity, the significance was greatest (p = 0.005 for β-endorphin and p = 0.004 for oxytocin, U-test). There was no correlation with clinical or psychometric parameters (p > 0.05, Spearman test), but beta-endorphin levels did correlate significantly with physical aggression (p = 0.026, Spearman test). Conclusions: Serum levels of β-endorphin and oxytocin are lower in patients with AUD, particularly in those with depressive comorbidity. β-Endorphin levels correlated with physical aggression according to the Buss–Durkee (BDHI) estimates

    Exploring Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Cell Adhesion Molecules as Biomarkers for the Transdiagnostic Symptom Anhedonia in Alcohol Use Disorder and Comorbid Depression

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    Background: Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and depressive disorder often co-exist and have a shared heritability. This study aimed to investigate Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and three Cell Adhesion Molecules (CAMs) as transdiagnostic biomarkers in AUD and depression co-morbidity. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, patients with AUD (n=22), AUD and depression (n=19), and healthy controls (n=20) were examined. Depression and anxiety severity were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. Anhedonia, alcohol use and dependence, craving, and social adaptation were assessed through self-report questionnaires. BDNF and CAM concentrations in peripheral serum were measured after overnight fasting using a Luminex assay. After controlling for age and gender, biomarker levels were compared across groups. The association between biomarker concentrations and symptom severity scales were explored using correlation and multiple regression analyses. Results: BDNF and Neuronal CAM were lower in patients with AUD with and without depression compared to healthy controls. No differences were observed for Vascular CAM-1 and Interstitial CAM-1. BDNF correlated negatively with anhedonia levels. BDNF, age and gender together explained 21% of variability in anhedonia levels. Conclusion: This pilot study suggests that peripheral levels of BDNF and NCAM might be reduced in AUD with and without comorbid mood disorder. Since low BDNF levels were associated with self- reported anhedonia across these conditions, BDNF and anhedonia might reflect transdiagnostic aspects involved in AUD and depression

    Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

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    Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

    Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

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    Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

    Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

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    One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI

    Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

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    This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

    Search for stop and higgsino production using diphoton Higgs boson decays

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    Results are presented of a search for a "natural" supersymmetry scenario with gauge mediated symmetry breaking. It is assumed that only the supersymmetric partners of the top-quark (stop) and the Higgs boson (higgsino) are accessible. Events are examined in which there are two photons forming a Higgs boson candidate, and at least two b-quark jets. In 19.7 inverse femtobarns of proton-proton collision data at sqrt(s) = 8 TeV, recorded in the CMS experiment, no evidence of a signal is found and lower limits at the 95% confidence level are set, excluding the stop mass below 360 to 410 GeV, depending on the higgsino mass
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