Structure, hardness and thermal stability of Ti(Al,N) coatings

In the past two decades, coatings of the Ti-Al-N ternary system have attracted considerable research and industrial interest. Nevertheless, the Ti-Al-N system still offers new interesting possibilities for coating developments such as the addition of low N contents to Ti-Al films in order to reach a good compromise between high hardness and a low friction coefficient.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TVV-4PNJ1JX-1S/1/164683ed052a9291c12494dc9255afd

Monitoring of antibiotic resistance and contaminants of emerging concern in small-scale wetland-based municipal treatment systems

Human sewage is one of the major sources of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB), antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and chemical contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Wastewater treatment is a crucial barrier to prevent environmental contamination. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of three constructed wetlands (CWs) (<200 p.e.) located in small villages, in Northern Portugal dedicated to the treatment of domestic effluents. Twenty-four hour composite samples of influent and effluent were collected over four campaigns in the winter (March), spring (May), summer (July) and autumn (October) during the year of 2023. Triplicate total DNA extracts from 50-250 ml of sample were used to measure the abundance of biomarkers associated with anthropogenic contamination (intI1; uidA; sul1; crAssphage; ermB, ermF, qacEΔ1, tetX, mefC and aph(3´´)-ib)1 and the bacterial load through 16S rRNA gene quantification by qPCR. Cultivable Escherichia coli and total coliforms were quantified on Chromogenic Coliform Agar (CCA). CECs extracted by solid-phase extraction (SPE) were quantified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Total coliforms ranged from 4.5 – 6.1 log UFC/mL in influent samples and 1.7 – 3.8 log UFC/mL in effluent samples. Total bacterial abundance, assessed based on the 16S rRNA gene, ranged between 8.0 – 8.9 log-units gene copy/mL in influent and 6.3 – 7.6 log-units in effluent. The biomarkers tested showed removal values of up to 3 log-units gene copy/mL. The chemical analysis of 119 compounds showed that pain killers as acetaminophen, illicit drugs as cocaine, antihyperlipidemic as fenofibric-acid, antihypertensives as irbesartan or psychoactive drugs as oxazepam were present in all samples (1st and 2nd campaigns), persisting after treatment. The results obtained so far suggest that the three CWs have good treatment capacity, with an important role of macrophytes, although dependent on the growth stage along the year, and with limited capacity to remove CECs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Hypertrophic reversed palmaris longus muscle: a cadaveric finding

Variations of the forearm musculature are vastly described in the literature. The palmaris longus muscle is one of the most variable structures of the human body. It usually arises from the medial epicondyle of the humerus and inserts itself into the palmar aponeurosis. Anatomy textbooks and recent papers state that this muscle may act as a weak wrist flexor. The present work aims to report an anatomical variation where the palmaris longus muscle was abnormally hypertrophied and was completely fleshy throughout the whole forearm. Anatomical variations of the palmaris longus may induce symptoms of neurovascular bundle compression, especially of the median nerve. The palmaris longus muscle may be used in tendon graft or muscle graft, due to its lack of apparent function. Furthermore, it is one of the anatomical landmarks for local anaesthesia procedures. (Folia Morphol 2018; 77, 2: 403–405

Isolation and characterization of polymeric galloyl-ester- degrading bacteria from a tannery discharge place

The culturable bacteria colonizing the rhizosphere of plants growing in the area of discharge of a tannery effluent were characterized. Relative proportions of aerobic, denitrifying, and sulfate-reducing bacteria were determined in the rhizosphere of Typha latifolia, Canna indica, and Phragmites australis. Aerobic bacteria were observed to be the most abundant group in the rhizosphere, and plant type did not seem to influence the abundance of the bacterial types analyzed. To isolate bacteria able to degrade polyphenols used in the tannery industry, enrichments were conducted under different conditions. Bacterial cultures were enriched with individual polyphenols (tannins Tara, Quebracho, or Mimosa) or with an undefined mixture of tannins present in the tannery effluent as carbon source. Cultures enriched with the effluent or Tara tannin were able to degrade tannic acid. Six bacterial isolates purified from these mixed cultures were able to use tannic acid as a sole carbon source in axenic culture. On the basis of 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis, these isolates were closely related to organisms belonging to the taxa Serratia, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Klebsiella oxytoca, Herbaspirillum chlorophenolicum, and Pseudomonas putida

The potential implications of reclaimed wastewater reuse for irrigation on the agricultural environment: the knowns and unknowns of the fate of antibiotics and antibiotic resistant bacteria and resistance genes – a review

The use of reclaimed wastewater (RWW) for the irrigation of crops may result in the continuous exposure of the agricultural environment to antibiotics, antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In recent years, certain evidence indicate that antibiotics and resistance genes may become disseminated in agricultural soils as a result of the amendment with manure and biosolids and irrigation with RWW. Antibiotic residues and other contaminants may undergo sorption/desorption and transformation processes (both biotic and abiotic), and have the potential to affect the soil microbiota. Antibiotics found in the soil pore water (bioavailable fraction) as a result of RWW irrigation may be taken up by crop plants, bioaccumulate within plant tissues and subsequently enter the food webs; potentially resulting in detrimental public health implications. It can be also hypothesized that ARGs can spread among soil and plant-associated bacteria, a fact that may have serious human health implications. The majority of studies dealing with these environmental and social challenges related with the use of RWW for irrigation were conducted under laboratory or using, somehow, controlled conditions. This critical review discusses the state of the art on the fate of antibiotics, ARB and ARGs in agricultural environment where RWW is applied for irrigation. The implications associated with the uptake of antibiotics by plants (uptake mechanisms) and the potential risks to public health are highlighted. Additionally, knowledge gaps as well as challenges and opportunities are addressed, with the aim of boosting future research towards an enhanced understanding of the fate and implications of these contaminants of emerging concern in the agricultural environment. These are key issues in a world where the increasing water scarcity and the continuous appeal of circular economy demand answers for a long-term safe use of RWW for irrigation

Ultrafiltration after ozonation of urban wastewater: tackling bacterial regrowth

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio