Office paper recyclability: fibrous characteristics

Recyclability is the ability of a material to reacquire the same properties it had originally. The aim of this work was to verify the recyclability of three printing and writing papers, from the characteristics of their fibers after two recycles. Three ECF bleached kraft eucalyptus commercial bond papers from Argentina and Brazil were studied (A, B, C). The papers were repulped and refined using different levels and intensities of energy (1st recycle). Laboratory sheets were produced, and they were repulped and refined again (2nd recycle). The microscopic characteristics of repulped papers were obtained by automatic equipment based on image analysis. Differences found in the behavior of the different samples can be explained by fiber parameters. The fiber length was significantly different in the three papers (A > B > C) and globally decreased in the second recycle (about 6%). Sample A had the highest initial fiber length and length/width, but it largely decreased with refining conditions in the 1st recycle (length fall 12%, generating fines by cutting), whereas it fall 9% between the 1st and 2nd recycles, and nothing with refining conditions in the 2nd recycle. Sample B fall by 5% with refining conditions in the 1st recycle, and 9% between the 1st and the 2nd recycle, but suffered few alteration in the second recycle. Fiber length of sample C was unaffected by refining conditions and only decreased 9% between the 1st and 2nd recycles. In all cases, the generated fines increased lightly with refining in the first recycle, but were two-fold higher in the second recycle than in the first one. The fiber coarseness of the 3 samples was similar in the first recycle, but decreases significantly in the 2nd recycleFil: Benitez, Julieta Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Cs.exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Koga, Mariza E. T.. Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnologicas de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Otero D'Almeida, Maria L.. Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnologicas de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Felissia, Fernando Esteban. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Cs.exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Park, Song W.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Area, Maria Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Cs.exactas Químicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; Argentin

Office paper recyclability: first recycling

Paper recyclability implies in the paper capacity to be recycled maintaining its properties to the maximum. Four commercial papers from Argentina and Brazil were studied, including three eucalyptus kraft (A, B, C) and one sugar cane bagasse soda-AQ (D), all with different bleaching processes. Their physical and chemical properties and a first laboratory recycling were evaluated. A refining of the pulp with a PFI mill, applying two energy levels at two different intensities - measured by number of revolutions and load - was accomplished to reach the same °SR (between 30 and 40, approximately). The refining energy and the yield were registered in each case. The properties of laboratory handsheets, and the aging to 24, 48, 72 and 144 hours were evaluated. The statistical analysis of the results indicates that the properties of the initial eucalyptus papers were similar, whereas they were generally inferior in the case of the bagasse paper. The bagasse and eucalyptus papers presented similar initial whiteness, but the first one had a higher reversion than the others. Once repulped, the eucalyptus papers A, B and C required, respectively, 4, 7 and 10 times greater energy than D, to obtain the same °SR. In all cases, the required energy to achieve the same °SR is slightly greater with the smaller refining intensity. The physical properties of the handsheets from the first recycle of paper D were, in general, lower. Among eucalyptus papers, B showed a slightly higher resistance and C, a slightly lower one. The mechanical properties of pulp sheets A, and D to a lesser extension, were more affected by the refining intensity than the rest, indicating a higher sensitivity of the fibers. The whiteness of the sheets of pulp B is lower than the rest. Opacity and light scattering coefficient of the sheets of pulp C were much higher than those of the other pulps.Fil: Benitez, Julieta Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Koga, Mariza E. T.. Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas de São Paulo (ipt); BrasilFil: Otero D'Almeida, Maria L.. Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas de São Paulo (ipt); BrasilFil: Felissia, Fernando Esteban. Universidad Nacional de Misiones; ArgentinaFil: Park, Song W.. Escola Politecnica, Universidad de Sao Paulo (usp); BrasilFil: Area, Maria Cristina. Universidad Nacional de Misiones; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Genome sequences of 14 Firmicutes strains isolated from the human vagina

Research on vaginal infections is currently limited by a lack of available fully sequenced bacterial reference strains. Here, we present strains (now available through BEI Resources) and genome sequences for a set of 14 vaginal isolates from the phylum Firmicutes. These genome sequences provide a valuable resource for future research in understanding the role of Gram-positive bacteria in vaginal health and disease

Genome sequences of 11 human vaginal Actinobacteria strains

The composition of the vaginal microbiota is an important health determinant. Several members of the phylum Actinobacteria have been implicated in bacterial vaginosis, a condition associated with many negative health outcomes. Here, we present 11 strains of vaginal Actinobacteria (now available through BEI Resources) along with draft genome sequences

Genome sequences of nine gram-negative vaginal bacterial isolates

The vagina is home to a wide variety of bacteria that have great potential to impact human health. Here, we announce reference strains (now available through BEI Resources) and draft genome sequences for 9 Gram-negative vaginal isolates from the taxa Citrobacter, Klebsiella, Fusobacterium, Proteus, and Prevotella

Functional equivalence of stem cell and stem cell-derived extracellular vesicle transplantation to repair the irradiated brain.

Cranial radiotherapy, although beneficial for the treatment of brain tumors, inevitably leads to normal tissue damage that can induce unintended neurocognitive complications that are progressive and debilitating. Ionizing radiation exposure has also been shown to compromise the structural integrity of mature neurons throughout the brain, an effect believed to be at least in part responsible for the deterioration of cognitive health. Past work has shown that cranially transplanted human neural stem cells (hNSCs) or their extracellular vesicles (EVs) afforded long-term beneficial effects on many of these cognitive decrements. To provide additional insight into the potential neuroprotective mechanisms of cell-based regenerative strategies, we have analyzed hippocampal neurons for changes in structural integrity and synaptic remodeling after unilateral and bilateral transplantation of hNSCs or EVs derived from those same cells. Interestingly, hNSCs and EVs similarly afforded protection to host neurons, ameliorating the impact of irradiation on dendritic complexity and spine density for neurons present in both the ipsilateral and contralateral hippocampi 1 month following irradiation and transplantation. These morphometric improvements were accompanied by increased levels of glial cell-derived growth factor and significant attenuation of radiation-induced increases in postsynaptic density protein 95 and activated microglia were found ipsi- and contra-lateral to the transplantation sites of the irradiated hippocampus treated with hNSCs or hNSC-derived EVs. These findings document potent far-reaching neuroprotective effects mediated by grafted stem cells or EVs adjacent and distal to the site of transplantation and support their potential as therapeutic agents to counteract the adverse effects of cranial irradiation

Leaf Carbon Export and Nonstructural Carbohydrates in Relation to Diurnal Water Dynamics in Mature Oak Trees

Trees typically experience large diurnal depressions in water potential, which may impede carbon export from leaves during the day because the xylem is the source of water for the phloem. As water potential becomes more negative, higher phloem osmotic concentrations are needed to draw water in from the xylem. Generating this high concentration of sugar in the phloem is particularly an issue for the ∼50% of trees that exhibit passive loading. These ideas motivate the hypothesis that carbon export in woody plants occurs predominantly at night, with sugars that accumulate during the day assisting in mesophyll turgor maintenance or being converted to starch. To test this, diurnal and seasonal patterns of leaf nonstructural carbohydrates, photosynthesis, solute, and water potential were measured, and carbon export was estimated in leaves of five mature (\u3e20 m tall) red oak (Quercus rubra) trees, a species characterized as a passive loader. Export occurred throughout the day at equal or higher rates than at night despite a decrease in water potential to −1.8 MPa at midday. Suc and starch accumulated over the course of the day, with Suc contributing ∼50% of the 0.4 MPa diurnal osmotic adjustment. As a result of this diurnal osmotic adjustment, estimates of midday turgor were always \u3e0.7 MPa. These findings illustrate the robustness of phloem functioning despite diurnal fluctuations in leaf water potential and the role of nonstructural carbohydrates in leaf turgor maintenance

Precession of Mercury’s Perihelion from Ranging to the MESSENGER Spacecraft

The perihelion of Mercury's orbit precesses due to perturbations from other solar system bodies, solar quadrupole moment (J [subscript 2]), and relativistic gravitational effects that are proportional to linear combinations of the parametrized post-Newtonian parameters β and γ. The orbits and masses of the solar system bodies are quite well known, and thus the uncertainty in recovering the precession rate of Mercury's perihelion is dominated by the uncertainties in the parameters J [subscript 2], β, and γ. Separating the effects due to these parameters is challenging since the secular precession rate has a linear dependence on each parameter. Here we use an analysis of radiometric range measurements to the MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) spacecraft in orbit about Mercury to estimate the precession of Mercury's perihelion. We show that the MESSENGER ranging data allow us to measure not only the secular precession rate of Mercury's perihelion with substantially improved accuracy, but also the periodic perturbation in the argument of perihelion sensitive to β and γ. When combined with the γ estimate from a Shapiro delay experiment from the Cassini mission, we can decouple the effects due to β and J [subscript 2] and estimate both parameters, yielding (β -1)=(-2.7 ± 3.9) x 10[superscript -5] and J [subscript 2] = (2.25 ± 0.09) × 10[superscript −7]. We also estimate the total precession rate of Mercury's perihelion as 575.3100 ± 0.0015''/century and provide estimated contributions and uncertainties due to various perturbing effects

Pertussis-Associated Pneumonia in Infants and Children From Low- and Middle-Income Countries Participating in the PERCH Study.

BACKGROUND:  Few data exist describing pertussis epidemiology among infants and children in low- and middle-income countries to guide preventive strategies. METHODS:  Children 1-59 months of age hospitalized with World Health Organization-defined severe or very severe pneumonia in 7 African and Asian countries and similarly aged community controls were enrolled in the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health study. They underwent a standardized clinical evaluation and provided nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs and induced sputum (cases only) for Bordetella pertussis polymerase chain reaction. Risk factors and pertussis-associated clinical findings were identified. RESULTS:  Bordetella pertussis was detected in 53 of 4200 (1.3%) cases and 11 of 5196 (0.2%) controls. In the age stratum 1-5 months, 40 (2.3% of 1721) cases were positive, all from African sites, as were 8 (0.5% of 1617) controls. Pertussis-positive African cases 1-5 months old, compared to controls, were more often human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) uninfected-exposed (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.2), unvaccinated (aOR, 3.7), underweight (aOR, 6.3), and too young to be immunized (aOR, 16.1) (all P ≤ .05). Compared with pertussis-negative African cases in this age group, pertussis-positive cases were younger, more likely to vomit (aOR, 2.6), to cough ≥14 days (aOR, 6.3), to have leukocyte counts \u3e20 000 cells/µL (aOR, 4.6), and to have lymphocyte counts \u3e10 000 cells/µL (aOR, 7.2) (all P ≤ .05). The case fatality ratio of pertussis-infected pneumonia cases 1-5 months of age was 12.5% (95% confidence interval, 4.2%-26.8%; 5/40); pertussis was identified in 3.7% of 137 in-hospital deaths among African cases in this age group. CONCLUSIONS:  In the postneonatal period, pertussis causes a small fraction of hospitalized pneumonia cases and deaths; however, case fatality is substantial. The propensity to infect unvaccinated infants and those at risk for insufficient immunity (too young to be vaccinated, premature, HIV-infected/exposed) suggests that the role for maternal vaccination should be considered along with efforts to reduce exposure to risk factors and to optimize childhood pertussis vaccination coverage

Doping Dependence of Spin-Lattice Coupling and Two-Dimensional Ordering in Multiferroic Hexagonal Y₁₋ₓLuₓMnO₃ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1)

We have examined a complete phase diagram of Y1-x Lu xMnO3 with 0≤x≤1 by using bulk measurements and neutron-diffraction studies. With increasing Lu concentration, Curie-Weiss temperature and Neel temperature are found to increase continuously while the two-dimensional nature of short-range magnetic correlation persists even in the paramagnetic phase throughout the entire doping range. At the same time, the lattice constants and the unit-cell volume get contracted with Lu doping, i.e., chemical pressure effect. This decrease in the lattice constants and the unit-cell volume then leads naturally to an increased magnetic exchange interaction as found in our local spin-density approximation band calculations. We also discover that there is strong correlation in the temperature dependence of a volume anomaly at TN and the magnetic moments