Effects of feeding mode on the performance, life span and greenhouse gas emissions of a vertical flow macrophyte assisted vermifilter

This study was conducted to investigate the impact of intermittent feeding on performance, clogging, and gaseous emission on macrophyte assisted vermifiltration (MAVF) based treatment system. Synthetic slaughterhouse wastewater was applied to two different integrated vertical flow based MAVFs. Triplicates were used throughout the study. Eisenia fetida earthworms were added to MAVFs, and Carex muskingmenis plants were planted. Wastewater was applied to the reactors on 1) intermittent (8 h/day) (IMAVF) and 2) continuous (24 h/day) (CMAVF) basis. The average chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and total phosphorous removals achieved by the IMAVF were 80.2 ± 1.6%, 53.9 ± 1.3% and 66.5 ± 1% respectively, and 68.3 ± 1.3%, 61.2 ± 1.4%, and 60.5 ± 1.4% by the CMAVF, respectively. The diffusion of air to the bedding of IMAVFs during no-flow conditions facilitated higher organics oxidation, adsorption of phosphorous, nitrification, and ammonification. At the end of the study, hydraulic conductivity of IMAVF and CMAVF were found to be 0.036 cm/s and 0.037 cm/s, respectively. CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions from IMAVF were 245.5 ± 38.0 mg C/m2, 5.0 ± 4.6 mg C/m2 and 2513.5 ± 2629.9 μg N/m2 respectively, while CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions from CMAVF were 123.3 ± 14.5 mg C/m2, 74.8±45.2 mg C/m2 and 328.4 ± 93.4 μg N/m2, respectively. Intermittent application of influent could be considered for improving the performance and lifespan of MAVFs, causing lower environmental footprints

The absence of abdominal pigmentation in livestock associated culicoides following artificial blood feeding and the epidemiological implication for arbovirus surveillance

Culicoides midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), the vectors of economically important arboviruses such as bluetongue virus and African horse sickness virus, are of global importance. In the absence of transovarial transmission, the parity rate of a Culicoides population provides imperative information regarding the risk of virus dispersal. Abdominal pigmentation, which develops after blood feeding and ovipositioning, is used as an indicator of parity in Culicoides. During oral susceptibility trials over the last three decades, a persistent proportion of blood engorged females did not develop pigment after incubation. The present study, combining a number of feeding trials and different artificial feeding methods, reports on this phenomenon, as observed in various South African and Italian Culicoides species and populations. The absence of pigmentation in artificial blood-fed females was found in at least 23 Culicoides species, including important vectors such as C. imicola, C. bolitinos, C. obsoletus, and C. scoticus. Viruses were repeatedly detected in these unpigmented females after incubation. Blood meal size seems to play a role and this phenomenon could be present in the field and requires consideration, especially regarding the detection of virus in apparent “nulliparous” females and the identification of overwintering mechanisms and seasonally free vector zones.This publication is part of the project “ArtOmic” (Grant number RF-2016-02362851) which has received funding from the Italian Ministry of Health’s Ricerca Finalizzata programme (2016).https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pathogensam2022Veterinary Tropical Disease

Flow Analysis through Collector Well Laterals: A Case Study from Sonoma County Water Agency, California

The Sonoma County Water Agency (SWCA) uses six radial collector wells along the Russian River west of Santa Rosa, to provide water for several municipalities and water districts in north-western California. Three collector wells (1, 2, and 6) are located in the Wohler area, and three collector wells (3, 4, and 5) are located in the Mirabel area. The objective of this paper is to highlight the performance of the three collector wells located in the Mirabel area since their construction. The 2015 investigation showed a lower performance of Collectors 3 and 4 compared to their original performances after construction in 1975, while the performance of Collector 5 was relatively stable since 1982. The potential change in capacity could be due to the increase in encrustation observed during the visual inspection of laterals in all three collector wells. Overall, the three collectors are still within the optimal design parameters (screen entrance velocity < 0.305 m min−1 and axial flow velocity of lateral screens < 1.524 m s−1)

Microwave-driven carbonation of brucite

The water-mediated mineral carbonation represents a promising solution for the capture and the storage of atmospheric CO2. Even though this reaction might be spontaneous for a number of Mg- and Ca-rich mineral phases, it is characterized by considerable activation barriers. In order to make it effective, associated energy costs related to the achievement of adequate reaction conditions must be minimized. Microwave chemistry is known to provide for substantial increments of the reaction rate for several systems. We applied here microwave chemistry to the process of carbonation of aqueous slurries of brucite, a model system of Mg-rich mineral, subjected to partial pressures of CO2 as low as 6 bar and to no other additive. The temperature of the reactor was finely varied while the radiation power and the reactor pressure were monitored in real-time. The radiation power was used to estimate the radiation energy budget needed to complete the carbonation process, whereas the reactor pressure was used as a proxy of reaction progression. We show a detailed evolution of the carbonate products obtained in terms of mineral phases, morphological properties, and degree of crystallinity, both as precipitate and as solid residue in the exsiccated supernatant reaction liquid

Evaluating Youth-Led Citizen Science for Improved Monitoring of Domestic Well Water Quality in Nebraska

Domestic well water quality is unregulated, infrequently monitored, and increasingly impacted by contamination, which seriously affects safe use for drinking, especially in intensively agricultural states such as Nebraska. In this study, rural Nebraska high school students and teachers who participated in a youth-led educational citizen science project received hands-on training in domestic well water construction, sampling, and vulnerability as well as basic knowledge about groundwater flow and availability. Students independently collected groundwater samples and measured atrazine, nitrate, chloride, calcium hardness, pH, and electrical conductivity using commercial test kits and a multiparameter probe. To evaluate the comparability of student test measurements, replicate samples were collected and tested for the same parameters in a university laboratory. Similarities and differences between student tests and laboratory measurements were expressed in terms of the coefficient of determination (R2) and the absolute difference in averages (|Δave|). A comparison of the results between the youth citizen scientists and laboratory results proved good comparability for many tests while revealing the need for improvement in instruction, calibration, and use of the test probe and kits. Additional parameters measured in the split samples underscore the value of using citizen science sampling for evaluating the vulnerability of domestic well water quality to contamination. In the first three years of student sampling, laboratory results show that nitrate concentrations in over one-quarter of Nebraska domestic wells sampled more than safe levels for drinking water, and many wells sampled have concentrations of geogenic arsenic, manganese, and uranium above drinking water standards. This study shows how youth-led citizen science can improve monitoring coverage, provide data, and integrate local communities to better evaluate and respond to growing concerns over domestic well water quality

Training in Vascular Microsurgery: The Ex Vivo Biological Model on Domestic Turkey Leg (Meleagris gallopavo)

: There are various models for practicing microsurgical anastomoses, from synthetic to ex vivo and in vivo biological ones. In this study, we present the domestic turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) as an ex vivo biological model in the practice of surgical anastomoses. In our opinion, it represents a model that is very similar to a human one, low cost, and easy to find. In fact, our study shows that the diameters of the arteries and veins used for anastomoses (tibial artery diameter: 2.5 ± 0.6 mm; tibial vein diameter: 3.5 ± 1.2 mm) are similar to those of human arteries and veins most frequently used in microsurgical free flaps. So, we believe that this animal model is a great model for microsurgical training for doctors who approach this difficult and long to learn discipline

Design and Characterization of a Minimally Invasive Bipolar Electrode for Electroporation

Objective: To test a new bipolar electrode for electroporation consisting of a single minimally invasive needle. Methods: A theoretical study was performed by using Comsol Multiphysics® software. The prototypes of electrode have been tested on potatoes and pigs, adopting an irreversible electroporation protocol. Different applied voltages and different geometries of bipolar electrode prototype have been evaluated. Results: Simulations and pre-clinical tests have shown that the volume of ablated area is mainly influenced by applied voltage, while the diameter of the electrode had a lesser impact, making the goal of minimal-invasiveness possible. The conductive pole’s length determined an increase of electroporated volume, while the insulated pole length inversely affects the electroporated volume size and shape; when the insulated pole length decreases, a more regular shape of the electric field is obtained. Moreover, the geometry of the electrode determined a different shape of the electroporated volume. A parenchymal damage in the liver of pigs due to irreversible electroporation protocol was observed. Conclusion: The minimally invasive bipolar electrode is able to treat an electroporated volume of about 10 mm in diameter by using a single-needle electrode. Moreover, the geometry and the electric characteristics can be selected to produce ellipsoidal ablation volumes

Wick(ed) Children. Strane storie per giovani lettori

Questa piccola, preziosa raccolta di saggi sceglie di mettere a fuoco una qualit\ue0 insolita, che la letteratura per bambini italiana tende a rimuovere e che invece \ue8 molto presente nel panorama narrativo internazionale, recente e non: il lato oscuro e \u201ccattivo\u201d dell\u2019infanzia, rappresentato nella sua accezione pi\uf9 ampia, ovvero come crudelt\ue0 inattesa, ma anche come ironia, trasgressione, divertimento, sarcasmo e ilarit\ue0. La campionatura di testi narrativi e poetici, per lo pi\uf9 tratti dal Fondo Wick depositato presso la collezione Apice (Universit\ue0 degli Studi di Milano), racconta un profilo di bambino molto articolato, insolito ed esigente, sia come protagonista delle storie narrate che come suo fruitore. La scelta tematica richiama anche una riflessione sulle tipologie di lettore che la letteratura per l'infanzia costruisce e richiama, come pure una revisione delle strategie educative da sempre implicate nella produzione di questo genere letterario. Arricchito dalla presenza di studiosi di livello internazionale, il volume \ue8 impreziosito da un pregevole apparato iconografico, la cui rilevanza in questa tipologia di narrazione \ue8 ineludibile