A circular economy approach for phosphorus removal using algae biochar

In this study, a potential circular economy approach for macroalgae (Ulva ohnoi) was investigated considering the crucial stages of biorefinery. Important stages, such as drying of biomass, production of biochar (pyrolysis), and application of biochar for phosphorus removal were studied and reported. It is important to note that drying macroalgae biomass from an average wet basis moisture content of ca. 70–85% to a moisture content suitable for thermal conversion, ca. 10%, is a challenging task. The physicochemical properties of biomass as well as biochar were characterized and were correlated with their capacity to adsorb phosphorus (P). The initial thermal analysis of macroalgae biomass revealed that the major weight loss occurred between 150 and 550 °C. The kinetics of the pyrolysis process indicate the requirement of higher apparent activation energy in between 232 and 836 kJ mol−1. An increase in the pore diameter, surface area, and pore volume in the biochar was noticed when the temperature of the pyrolysis process was increased. The highest P adsorption (78 mg-P/ g biochar) during the batch experiments was noticed with biochar obtained at 700 °C and can be due to the availability of alkali and alkaline earth metals. The kinetic study for P adsorption was described well by a pseudo second-order model. Biochar produced from macroalgae biomass can be considered as environmentally beneficial and low-cost adsorbent for phosphorus recovery. The biochar after adsorption may be used in agriculture as a slow release fertiliser due to significant amount of brushite

Spillover events of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 (recombinant GI.4P-GI.2) from Lagomorpha to Eurasian badger

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) is a major threat to domestic and wild European rabbits. Presently, in Europe, the disease is caused mainly by Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2/b or Lagovirus europaeus GI.2), the origin of which is still unclear, as no RHDV2 reservoir hosts were identified. After the RHDV2 emergence in 2010, viral RNA was detected in a few rodent species. Furthermore, RHDV2 was found to cause disease in some hare species resembling the disease in rabbits, evidencing the ability of the virus to cross the species barrier. In this study, through molecular, histopathologic, antigenic and morphological evidences, we demonstrate the presence and replication of RHDV2 in Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) found dead in the district of Santarém, Portugal, between March 2017 and January 2020. In two of these seven animals, we further classify the RHDV2 as a Lagovirus europaeus recombinant GI.4P‐GI.2. Our results indicate that Meles meles is susceptible to RHDV2, developing systemic infection, and excreting the virus in the faeces. Given the high viral loads seen in several organs and matrices, we believe that transmission to the wild rabbit is likely. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy data shows the presence of Calicivirus compatible virions in the nucleus of hepatocytes, which has not been demonstrated before and constitutes a paradigm shift for caliciviruses’s replication cycle

Dietary calcium and vitamin D intakes in childhood and throughout adulthood and mammographic density in a British birth cohort

We examined the role of dietary calcium and vitamin D intakes in childhood and throughout adulthood in relation to mammographic density using data from a nationally representative cohort of 1161 women followed up since their birth in 1946. Dietary intakes at the age of 4 years were determined by 24-h recalls and at the ages of 36, 43 and 53 years by 5-day food records. After adjusting for known risk factors and confounders, no evidence of a relationship between dietary calcium or vitamin D intakes and mammographic density approximately at the age of 50 years was found, except for a cross-sectional relationship between dietary calcium intake at the age of 53 years and breast density in women who were post-menopausal at the time of mammography, with those in the top fifth of the distribution of calcium intake having a 0.53 s.d. lower percent breast density than those in the lowest fifth (P-value <0.01 for linear trend)

Tracking Holocene palaeostratification and productivity changes in the Western Irish Sea: A multi-proxy record

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.The Western Irish Sea preserves an exceptionally thick (ca. 40 m) Holocene succession that is ideally suited to understanding the pattern of palaeostratification and water mass productivity changes in the region, and their relationship with sea level, sedimentation, and biota. Additionally, the presence of shallow-buried methane provides an opportunity to explore its potential impact on the local pattern of Holocene marine environmental change. Multi-proxy investigation of a cored borehole succession through the Holocene interval tracks changes from mixed to seasonally stratified conditions. In the earliest Holocene (11.2–10 ka), high productivity, mixed water conditions prevailed, with abundant and diverse foraminifera and dominant heterotrophic dinoflagellate cysts. Productivity was probably driven by high nutrient fluxes related to high rates of sedimentation (>1600 cm/kyr), in turn influenced by relatively low sea level and restricted sediment accommodation space across shelf areas to the east of the borehole site (eastern Irish Sea Basin). With rising sea level in the later part of the Early Holocene, the region evolved into a relatively lower productivity mixed water mass system, with significant changes in ecology revealed by dinoflagellate cysts and foraminifera. In the latest Early Holocene and earliest Mid Holocene (ca. 8.4–8.2 ka) a return to higher productivity is signalled by dinoflagellate cyst data; a result of seasonal stratification becoming established, evidenced by sharply increased summer sea surface temperature estimates (typically 16–17 °C) that contrast with an opposite (more positive) trend in δ18O values for benthic foraminifera. Reductions in turbulent mixing associated with stratification might have exacerbated the palaeoecological impact of shallow-buried methane associated with the borehole site, potentially evidenced by a significant change in dominant benthic foraminifera and strong, localised excursions in the benthic δ13C/δ18O record

Effects of different PEEP levels on respiratory mechanics and oxygenation after coronary artery bypass grafting Efeitos de diferentes níveis de PEEP na mecânica respiratória e oxigenação após revascularização do miocárdio

Effects of different PEEP levels on respiratory mechanics and oxygenation after coronary artery bypass grafting Revista Brasileira de Cirurgia Cardiovascular/Brazilian Journal of Cardiovascular Surgery, vol. 28, núm. 3, julio-septiembre, 2013, pp. 380-385 Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia Cardiovascular São José do Rio Preto, Brasil Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc 2013;28(3):380-

Mitochondrial echoes of first settlement and genetic continuity in El Salvador

Background: From Paleo-Indian times to recent historical episodes, the Mesoamerican isthmus played an important role in the distribution and patterns of variability all around the double American continent. However, the amount of genetic information currently available on Central American continental populations is very scarce. In order to shed light on the role of Mesoamerica in the peopling of the New World, the present study focuses on the analysis of the mtDNA variation in a population sample from El Salvador. Methodology/Principal Findings: We have carried out DNA sequencing of the entire control region of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome in 90 individuals from El Salvador. We have also compiled more than 3,985 control region profiles from the public domain and the literature in order to carry out inter-population comparisons. The results reveal a predominant Native American component in this region: by far, the most prevalent mtDNA haplogroup in this country (at ~90%) is A2, in contrast with other North, Meso- and South American populations. Haplogroup A2 shows a star-like phylogeny and is very diverse with a substantial proportion of mtDNAs (45%; sequence range 16090–16365) still unobserved in other American populations. Two different Bayesian approaches used to estimate admixture proportions in El Salvador shows that the majority of the mtDNAs observed come from North America. A preliminary founder analysis indicates that the settlement of El Salvador occurred about 13,400±5,200 Y.B.P.. The founder age of A2 in El Salvador is close to the overall age of A2 in America, which suggests that the colonization of this region occurred within a few thousand years of the initial expansion into the Americas. Conclusions/Significance: As a whole, the results are compatible with the hypothesis that today's A2 variability in El Salvador represents to a large extent the indigenous component of the region. Concordant with this hypothesis is also the observation of a very limited contribution from European and African women (~5%). This implies that the Atlantic slave trade had a very small demographic impact in El Salvador in contrast to its transformation of the gene pool in neighbouring populations from the Caribbean facade

One-Factor-at-a-Time (OFAT) Optimization of Victoria Blue R Dye Biodegradation by Pineapple Waste Garbage Enzymes

Victoria blue R is a cationic triphenylmethane dye usually released from textile industries and reported to exhibit mutagenic and carcinogenic effects on aquatic organisms and humans. Hence, the objective of this study is to investigate the capability of pineapple waste garbage enzymes to biodegrade the Victoria blue R dye using One-Factor-At-a-Time (OFAT) optimization under the effect of Victoria blue R dye concentration (0.02 to 0.10 mg/mL), pH (1 to 7), and temperature (25°C to 49°C) via Design Expert 7.0 software. The results show that pineapple waste garbage enzymes gave the highest decolorization efficiency at a concentration of 0.07 mg/mL of Victoria blue R dye, pH 4.74, and 40.4°C. The ANOVA analysis suggests all models are quadratic, and the R-Squared values for the factors are 0.92, 0.95 and 0.92 for the concentration of Victoria blue R dye, pH and temperature, respectively. This work proposed that pineapple waste garbage enzymes can effectively remove Victoria blue R dye in wastewater applications