Combined use of O3/H2O2 and O3/Mn2+ in flotation of dairy wastewater

This work investigated the degradation of organic matter present in synthetic dairy wastewater by the combination of ozonation (ozone (O 3 )/hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 )) and catalytic ozonation (ozone (O 3 )/manganese (Mn 2+ )) associated with dispersed air flotation process. The effect of independent factors such as O 3 concentration, pH and H 2 O 2 and Mn 2+ concentration was evaluated. For the flotation/O 3 /H 2 O 2 treatment, the significant variables (p ≤ 0.05) were: O 3 concentration (linear and quadratic effect), H 2 O 2 concentration linear and quadratic effect, pH values (linear and quadratic effect) and interaction O3 concentration versus pH. For catalytic ozonation, it was observed that the significant variable was the linear effect of O 3 concentration. According to the desirability function, it was concluded that the optimal condition for the treatment of flotation/O 3 /H 2 O 2 can be obtained in acidic solution using O3 concentrations greater than 42.9 mg L -1 combined with higher concentrations of H 2 O 2 to 1071.5 mg L -1 . On other hand, at pH values higher than 9.0, the addition of O3 may be neglected when using higher concentrations than 1071.5 mg L -1 of H 2 O 2 . For flotation/ozonation catalyzed by Mn 2+ , it was observed that metal addition did not affect treatment, resulting in an optimum condition: 53.8 mg L -1 of O 3 and pH 3.6

Degradation kinetics of organic matter in dairy industry wastewater by flotation/ozonation processes

This study evaluated the adjustment of four kinetic models and their respective parameters on data of dairy wastewater treatment by the physico-chemical process of flotation and ozonation. The experiment was implemented during the year 2014, with all the tests in triplicate. The treatments were carried out at different pH levels (3.6, 7.0 and 10.4), and flotation/ozonation was catalyzed by manganese (Mn2+) in neutral level (pH 7.0). Best removal efficiencies for chemical oxygen demand (COD) were obtained in acidic medium, with removals greater than 75% after 20 min of treatment. There was no significant difference with regards to addition of Mn2+on COD removal by the physico-chemical process. The kinetic models that best fit to the experimental data, for all treatments, were the asymptotic (residual) model and that of Chan and Chu. Treatment in acidic medium showed the highest values of the kinetic parameters for the adjusted model, obtaining a k coefficient equal to 0.2394 min-1for the asymptotic model and kinetic coefficient 1/ρ of 0.4816 min-1for the Chan and Chu model, both presenting a determination coefficient greater than 99%

Atomoxetine Enhances Connectivity of Prefrontal Networks in Parkinson's Disease.

Cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson's disease (PD), but often not improved by dopaminergic treatment. New treatment strategies targeting other neurotransmitter deficits are therefore of growing interest. Imaging the brain at rest ('task-free') provides the opportunity to examine the impact of a candidate drug on many of the brain networks that underpin cognition, while minimizing task-related performance confounds. We test this approach using atomoxetine, a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor that modulates the prefrontal cortical activity and can facilitate some executive functions and response inhibition. Thirty-three patients with idiopathic PD underwent task-free fMRI. Patients were scanned twice in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design, following either placebo or 40-mg oral atomoxetine. Seventy-six controls were scanned once without medication to provide normative data. Seed-based correlation analyses were used to measure changes in functional connectivity, with the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) a critical region for executive function. Patients on placebo had reduced connectivity relative to controls from right IFG to dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and to left IFG and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Atomoxetine increased connectivity from the right IFG to the dorsal anterior cingulate. In addition, the atomoxetine-induced change in connectivity from right IFG to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was proportional to the change in verbal fluency, a simple index of executive function. The results support the hypothesis that atomoxetine may restore prefrontal networks related to executive functions. We suggest that task-free imaging can support translational pharmacological studies of new drug therapies and provide evidence for engagement of the relevant neurocognitive systems.This work was funded by the Wellcome trust (103838), Parkinson’s UK, National Institute for Health Research’s Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre and the Medical Research Council (MC_US_A060_0016 and RG62761) and the James F McDonnell Foundation (21st century science initiative on Understanding Human Cognition). The BCNI is supported by a joint award from the Wellcome Trust and Medical Research Council.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Nature Publishing Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npp.2016.1

Stellar mass as a galaxy cluster mass proxy: application to the Dark Energy Survey redMaPPer clusters

We introduce a galaxy cluster mass observable, μ⋆, based on the stellar masses of cluster members, and we present results for the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Year 1 (Y1) observations. Stellar masses are computed using a Bayesian model averaging method, and are validated for DES data using simulations and COSMOS data. We show that μ⋆ works as a promising mass proxy by comparing our predictions to X-ray measurements. We measure the X-ray temperature–μ_{⋆} relation for a total of 129 clusters matched between the wide-field DES Y1 redMaPPer catalogue and Chandra and XMM archival observations, spanning the redshift range 0.1 < z < 0.7. For a scaling relation that is linear in logarithmic space, we find a slope of α = 0.488 ± 0.043 and a scatter in the X-ray temperature at fixed μ_{*} of σ1nT_{x}|μ_{*} = 0.266_{-0.020}^{+0.019} for the joint sample. By using the halo mass scaling relations of the X-ray temperature from the Weighing the Giants program, we further derive the μ⋆-conditioned scatter in mass, finding σ1nM|μ_{*} = 0.26_{-0.10}^{+0.15}. These results are competitive with well-established cluster mass proxies used for cosmological analyses, showing that μ_{⋆} can be used as a reliable and physically motivated mass proxy to derive cosmological constraints

A simple voltammetric procedure for speciation and evaluation of As removal from water

Here, we show a fast and sensitive method for the determination of inorganic arsenic in natural waters using differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry. All the arsenite determinations were done in 2.0 mol L-1 HCl + 3.15 x 10(-4) mol L-1 Cu(II) supporting electrolyte. 1 x 10(-3) mol L-1 sodium thiosulphate was used as As(V) reducing agent. The detection limit was 0.5 mu g L-1 for both species. The method has been applied to water samples collected in an arsenic-contaminated region of Brazil, in particular, to verify the efficiency of the solar oxidation and removal of arsenic process applied to these waters.5313714

Hemorrhagic shock influence on colonic anastomoses in rats. Evaluation of rupture by liquid distension resistance test

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of hemorrhagic shock in colonic anastomoses in rats, with a rupture by liquid distension resistance test. Methods: Wistar lineage rats, averaging 90 days old and weighing from 310 to 380 grams were divided into two groups. In the first group (G 1), 10 animals were submitted to colonic anastomoses in normovolemic terms and the second group (G2), of 10 animals, was submitted to colonic anastomoses in hypovolemic conditions. The shock was caused by half milliliter of blood withdrawn, every two minutes, until the value of average 50mmHg arterial pressure or a total volume corresponding 30% withdrawal of volemia was reached. Serum lactate dosages were carried out at the beginning and end of the procedure. The average serum lactate values at the end of the surgery were 1.91 mmol/l in G I group and 3.69 mmol/l in G2 group (p0.05). Conclusion: Hemorrhagic shock, under the established conditions of this study, had no influence on colonic anastomoses in rats evaluated with the rupture by liquid distention resistance test.23323724