The pyrolysis and gasification pathways of automotive shredder residue targeting the production of fuels and chemicals

Automotive shredder residue (ASR), also referred to as car fluff, is the 15-25% of end-of-life vehicle’s mass remaining after de-pollution, dismantling, shredding of the hulk and removal of metals from the shredded fraction. ASR typically consists of metals, plastics, rubber, textile, wood and glass, and is commonly landfilled. The use of ASR as a fuel in incineration processes is controversial since toxic pollutants can be generated as by-products if operational conditions and gas cleaning systems are not carefully controlled. Thermochemical treatment of ASR consists of advanced technology processes that convert ASR components liable to decomposition under the application of heat into liquids and/or gases and a solid residue containing metals. Within the thermochemical treatment options for ASR, pyrolysis and gasification are generally considered as the emerging technologies. The pyrolysis process uses medium temperatures (400-600°C) and an oxygen-free environment to decompose ASR chemically, thus producing minimum emissions and allowing metals to be recovered. Gasification is operated at higher temperatures (>700-800°C) and typically uses air as a gasification agent, which raises some issues in terms of emissions. Lab and pilot-scale plants fed with ASR have been built using both technologies, also considering a combination of them. The aim of this paper is the identification of the best conversion pathway for the production of transportation fuels, aviation fuels or chemicals (hydrogen, methanol, etc.) from ASR. The intermediate products from gasification and pyrolysis are used as feedstock in secondary processes for the production of the final products. The heterogeneous and complex composition of ASR raises several challenges upon its thermochemical treatment, so that the second step of the conversion process is typically not even addressed. Instead, this further step is fundamental to obtain some valuable products that can directly replace fossil derived fuels or chemicals. The updated picture presented in this work should help identify the main advantages and drawbacks of the pyrolysis and gasification processes when considered part of an overall ASR to fuels or chemicals plant

Magnetic nozzle performance in a cluster of helicon plasma thrusters

A numerical study of the plasma dynamics in a Helicon Plasma Thrusters' (HPT) cluster is presented. For the first time in the literature, the three-dimensional (3D) plasma dynamics occurring in the plume of a HPTs' cluster is analyzed. The physical investigation relies on ProPic, a 3D particle-in-cell (PIC) code specifically designed to simulate the plasma dynamics in magnetic nozzles and in a non-axi-symmetric domain. The code has been validated against experiments reported in the literature and cross-validated with Starfish, an open-source two-dimensional PIC software. The physical investigation has revealed an interesting mutual influence between the thrusters that constitute the cluster. Three significant phenomena that affect the cluster's performance have been identified. The first phenomenon is related to the effect that clustering has on the shape of the magnetic field lines and, in turn, on the divergence angle of the plume. The second phenomenon is related to electron currents flowing among different thrusters, which affect the potential drop across the plume. The third phenomenon is related to the effect that neighboring thrusters have on the plasma potential map and, in turn, on the expansion of the ions

A new procedure for the monitoring of Cationic Detergents in solution

The paper describes a new procedure for the selective monitoring of cationic surfactants in solution. The procedure is based on the fact that cationic surfactants are accumulated inside mitochondria by a potential-driven mechanism. Once inside, the surfactant induces the release of the dye Safranine, previously accumulated inside mitochondria. Therefore the monitoring consists of a direct spectrophotometric measure of the rate of release of safranine in the resuspending medium containing the cationic surfactant

Identification of protein-protein interactions of human HtrA1.

The human heat shock protein HtrA1, a member of the HtrA family of serine proteases, is a evolutionarily highly conserved factor which displays a widespread pattern of expression. The yeast two-hybrid technique was employed to identify new cellular proteins physically interacting with HtrA1, and thus potential targets of this serine protease. An enzymatically inactive HtrA1 point mutant, HtrA1-S328A, was generated and used as bait in a yeast two-hybrid system. Fifty-two plasmids were isolated from primary positive yeast clones. Subsequent sequencing and BLAST analysis revealed cDNAs encoding for 13 different proteins. These putative binding partners of HtrA1 appeared to be a) components of extracellular matrix; b) factors related to signal pathways, and c) unknown proteins. Among the 13 positive clones identified and reported here, it is worth of note that the interaction of HtrA1 with tubulin and collagen (extracellular matrix proteins) and with tuberin (cytoplasmic protein) is confirmed by other studies, and this further supports previous findings in which HtrA1 can be found active as an intracytoplasmic protein or as secreted protein as well

Perifosine as a Potential Novel Anti-Cancer Agent Inhibits EGFR/MET-AKT Axis in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

PI3K/AKT signalling pathway is aberrantly active and plays a critical role for cell cycle progression of human malignant pleural mesothelioma (MMe) cells. AKT is one of the important cellular targets of perifosine, a novel bio-available alkylphospholipid that has displayed significant anti-proliferative activity in vitro and in vivo in several human tumour model systems and is currently being tested in clinical trials.We tested Perifosine activity on human mesothelial cells and different mesothelioma cell lines, in order to provide evidence of its efficacy as single agent and combined therapy.We demonstrate here that perifosine, currently being evaluated as an anti-cancer agent in phase 1 and 2 clinical trials, caused a dose-dependent reduction of AKT activation, at concentrations causing MMe cell growth arrest. In this study we firstly describe that MMe cells express aside from AKT1 also AKT3 and that either the myristoylated, constitutively active, forms of the two proteins, abrogated perifosine-mediated cell growth inhibition. Moreover, we describe here a novel mechanism of perifosine that interferes, upstream of AKT, affecting EGFR and MET phosphorylation. Finally, we demonstrate a significant increase in cell toxicity when MMe cells were treated with perifosine in combination with cisplatin.This study provides a novel mechanism of action of perifosine, directly inhibiting EGFR/MET-AKT1/3 axis, providing a rationale for a novel translational approach to the treatment of MMe

Applied live art : co-authorship in socially engaged and site-responsive performance practice

This thesis looks at the ways in which performance can integrate participants and local context into the development of new devised work. This practice-led research is based on a methodology that grew out of three performance case studies completed in diverse international settings with a varied range of participants. The case studies are: Napoli Scorticata completed in 2007 in Naples, Italy; Youth Visions, completed in 2008 in Northeastern Ghana, West Africa; Triangulated City, completed in 2009 in Beirut, Lebanon. Within these diverse contexts the research questions the role of authorship when working in socially engaged practice, focusing on how practitioners can shift the focus from the artist to the body politic. Merging social engagement with a site-responsive approach, the research proposes that the artistic medium is the social system and as such argues that the modes of employment require a focus of appreciation on the generative process, context and product combined. The research is presented in two parts. Part I is an interactive DVD with images of the development process and final presentations as well as a video of each performance work. Part II is a written thesis that explores the modes of engagement, outlines the methods of development and structures a general working methodology that can be referenced by other performance practitioners. The thesis proposes Applied Live Art as a term to describe practices that include a hybrid of time-based media options, which include a social component as their primary focus. The research outcomes conclude with an analysis of place making and its importance when working with both site and society.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceBritish Council Middle EastBritish Council ItalyRoyal Holloway Drama DepartmentUniversity of London Central Research FundPresident's Emergency Fund for AIDS ReliefTheatre Communications GroupGBUnited Kingdo

Pemetrexed single agent chemotherapy in previously treated patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The main objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of second-line pemetrexed in Stage IIIB or IV NSCLC.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Overall, 95 patients received pemetrexed 500 mg/m²i.v. over Day 1 of a 21-day cycle. Patients also received oral dexamethasone, oral folic acid and i.m. vitamin B12 supplementation to reduce toxicity. NCI CTC 2.0 was used to rate toxicity. All the adverse events were graded in terms of severity and relation to study treatment. Dose was reduced in case of toxicity and treatment was delayed for up to 42 days from Day 1 of any cycle to allow recovering from study drug-related toxicities. Tumor response was measured using the RECIST criteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Patients received a median number of 4 cycles and 97.8% of the planned dose. Overall, 75 patients (78.9% of treated) reported at least one adverse event: 34 (35.8%) had grade 3 as worst grade and only 5 (5.2%) had grade 4. Drug-related events occurred in 57.9% of patients. Neutropenia (8.4%) and leukopenia (6.3 %) were the most common grade 3/4 hematological toxicities. Grade 3 anemia and thrombocytopenia were reported in 3.2% and 2.1% of patients, respectively. Diarrhea (6.3%), fatigue (3.2%) and dyspnea (3.2%) were the most common grade 3/4 non-hematological toxicities. The most common drug-related toxicities (any grade) were pyrexia (11.6%), vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and asthenia (9.5%) and fatigue (8.4%). Tumor Response Rate (CR/PR) in treated patients was 9.2%. The survival at 4.5 months (median follow-up) was 79% and the median PFS was 3.1 months. Twenty patients (21.1%) died mainly because of disease progression.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC could benefit from second-line pemetrexed, with a low incidence of hematological and non-hematological toxicities.</p

Tissue transglutaminase (TG2) enables survival of human malignant pleural mesothelioma cells in hypoxia

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive tumor linked to environmental/occupational exposure to asbestos, characterized by the presence of significant areas of hypoxia. In this study, we firstly explored the expression and the role of transglutaminase 2 (TG2) in MPM cell adaptation to hypoxia. We demonstrated that cells derived from biphasic MPM express the full-length TG2 variant at higher levels than cells derived from epithelioid MPM and normal mesothelium. We observed a significant induction of TG2 expression and activity when cells from biphasic MPM were grown as a monolayer in chronic hypoxia or packed in spheroids, where the presence of a hypoxic core was demonstrated. We described that the hypoxic induction of TG2 was HIF-2 dependent. Importantly, TGM2-v1 silencing caused a marked and significant reduction of MPM cell viability in hypoxic conditions when compared with normoxia. Notably, a TG2-selective irreversible inhibitor that reacts with the intracellular active form of TG2, but not a non-cell-permeable inhibitor, significantly compromised cell viability in MPM spheroids. Understanding the expression and function of TG2 in the adaptation to the hypoxic environment may provide useful information for novel promising therapeutic options for MPM treatment