Identifikacija i karakterizacija izolata kvasca iz otpadne vode farmaceutske industrije

In order to develop an efficient an system for waste water pretreatment, the isolation of indigenous population of microorganisms from pharmaceutical waste water was done. We obtained pure cultures of 16 yeast isolates that differed slightly in colony morphology. Ten out of 16 isolates efficiently reduced COD in pharmaceutical waste water. Initial physiological characterization failed to match the 10 yeast isolates to either Pichia anomala or Pichia ciferrii. Restriction analysis of rDNA (rDNA-RFLP) using three different restriction enzymes: HaeIII, MspI and CfoI, showed identical patterns of the isolates and Pichia anomala type strain. Separation of chromosomal DNAs of yeast isolates by the pulsed field gel electrophoresis revealed that the 10 isolates could be grouped into 6 karyotypes. Growth characteristics of the 6 isolates with distinct karyotypes were then studied in batch cultivation in pharmaceutical waste water for 80 hours.Da bi se unaprijedio djelotvoran sustav za prethodnu obradbu otpadnih voda, izolirana je nativna populacija mikroorganizama iz otpadne vode farmaceutske industrije . Dobivene su čiste kulture 16 izolata kvasca koje su se neznatno razlikovale po morfologiji kolonija. Deset od 16 izolata učinkovito je smanjilo KPK-vrijednost u otpadnoj vodi. Početnom fiziološkom karakterizacijom nije se uspjelo utvrditi jesu li 10 izolata kvasca Pichia anomala ili Pichia ciferrii. Restrikcijska analiza rDNA (rDNA-RFLP), koristeći tri različita restrikcijska enzima HaeIII, MspI i CfoI, pokazala je identičnu strukturu izolata i soja tipa P. anomala. Separacija kromosomskih DNA u izolatima kvasca gel-elektroforezom u pulsirajućem polju otkrila je da se 10 izolata može svrstati u 6 kariotipova. Proučavane su značajke rasta 6 izolata određenoga kariotipa tijekom 80 sati šaržnog uzgoja u otpadnim vodama farmaceutske industrije

The quality of indoor environment in association with socio-economic indicators

Uvod: Ljudje v razvitem svetu večino svojega časa preživimo v notranjih prostorih. Kakovost notranjega okolja lahko vpliva na zdravje in delovno sposobnost ljudi, zato je pomembno, kakšna je kakovost notranjega okolja, v katerem se zadržujemo. Na samo kakovost notranjega okolja lahko vpliva tudi socio-ekonomski status uporabnikov. Vpliv socio-ekonomskega statusa na kakovost notranjega okolja so dokazali raziskovalci v več državah. Namen: Namen magistrskega dela je s pilotno študijo ugotoviti, kako socio-ekonomski kazalci vplivajo na kakovost notranjega okolja, saj takšne raziskave v Sloveniji še ni bilo izvedene, ter podati priporočila za izboljšanje kakovosti notranjega okolja. Metoda dela: Izdelava magistrskega dela je temeljila na deskriptivni metodi dela. Pregledali smo relevantno znanstveno in strokovno literaturo s področja kakovosti notranjega okolja in energetske učinkovitosti stavb v povezavi s socio-ekonomskimi kazalci. Izvedli smo spletno anketo, pridobljene podatke statistično analizirali s testom hi-kvadrat in jih primerjali z izsledki že znanih raziskav. Na koncu smo podali priporočila za boljšo kakovost notranjega okolja. Rezultati: Spletno anketo je v celoti rešilo 714 respondentov iz vseh slovenskih regij. Vključena so bila gospodinjstva iz vaške, primestne in mestne krajevne skupnosti, z različnim povprečnim skupnim neto gospodinjskim prihodkom, z različno dokončano stopnjo izobrazbe ter različnim statusom zaposlitve. Rezultati spletne ankete kažejo, da gospodinjstva z boljšim socio-ekonomskim statusom namenijo več gospodinjskih prihodkov za zagotavljanje boljšega bivalnega udobja in tako bivajo v objektih z boljšo kakovostjo notranjega okolja. Prav tako je zaznana boljša kakovost notranjega okolja v objektih z višjo energetsko učinkovitostjo stavbe. Socio-ekonomski status gospodinjstva, na podlagi rezultatov spletne ankete, nima vpliva na energetsko učinkovitost stavbe. Najpomembnejši razlog za investicijo v povečanje energetske učinkovitosti stavbe je manjša poraba energije za ogrevanja, ki ji respondenti dajejo prednost pred kakovostjo notranjega okolja. Razprava in zaključek: Rezultati izvedene spletne ankete so pokazali, da ima socio-ekonomski status gospodinjstev vpliv na kakovost notranjega okolja. Med posameznimi rezultati ankete in rezultati že izvedenih raziskav je prišlo do največjega odstopanja pri dolžini časa odprtosti oken naenkrat in frekvence odpiranja oken za vsaj 5 minut naenkrat. Za kakovostno notranje okolje so potrebni celoviti ukrepi, podprti z aktivnostmi uporabnikov, ki smo jih navedli v priporočilih. Gospodinjstva je treba ozavestiti, da lahko že z majhnimi in enostavnimi ukrepi bistveno izboljšajo kakovost notranjega okolja, v katerem preživimo večino svojega časa. Ta vidik je pomembnejši od rabe energije, kar pa glede na rezultate, dobljene v spletni anketi, ni ravno trenutno mnenje Slovencev.Introduction: People in the modern developed world spend most of their time indoors. The quality of the indoor environment has a potential impact on people\u27s health and capacity to work, which is why the quality of the space in which we spend most of our time is of significant importance. The quality of the indoor environment is also influenced by the socio-economic status of those who occupy the space within it. The impact of socio-economic status on the indoor environmental quality has been proven by researchers from several countries. Purpose: The purpose of the master\u27s thesis is to determine how socio-economic indicators influence the indoor environmental quality, by means of a pilot study, since a research of this kind has not yet been carried out in Slovenia, and make recommendations for the improvement of the indoor environmental quality. Method of analysis: The master\u27s thesis was based on a descriptive method of analysis. Relevant scientific and professional literature on the indoor environmental quality and the energy efficiency of buildings in relation to socio-economic indicators was reviewed as well as an online survey carried out. The obtained data were statistically analysed with the Chi-square test and compared with the results of an already existing research. In conclusion, recommendations for a better indoor environmental quality were suggested. Results: The online survey was fully completed by 714 respondents from all Slovenian regions. Included were households from rural, suburban and urban communities with different average total net household income, different degrees of education and different status of employment. The results of the online survey show that households with a better socio-economic status spend more household income for a better living comfort and consequently stay in facilities with better indoor environmental quality. A better indoor environmental quality is also detected in buildings with higher energy efficiency. Based on the results of the online survey, the socio-economic status of a household does not influence the energy efficiency of a building. The main reason for the investment in increased energy efficiency of buildings is a lower energy consumption for heating, to which respondents give priority over the indoor environmental quality. Discussion and conclusion: The results of the online survey showed that the socio-economic status of a household influences the indoor environmental quality. The most significant deviation between the results of our survey and the results of already performed researches occurred in the length of time the windows were opened and the frequency of how many times the windows were opened for at least 5 minutes. For a quality indoor environment, comprehensive measures are necessary and should be supported by the user\u27s activities listed in the recommendations. Households need to be made aware that with small and simple measures the quality of indoor environment in which most of our time is spent can be significantly improved. This aspect is more important than the use of energy, which is, judging by the results of the survey, not the current opinion of Slovenians

Smart Home Solutions Using Wi-Fi-based Hardware

Home automation technology has been increasingly important in our lives, since it offers numerous advantages, e.g., greater comfort, safety, security and energy efficiency. A smart home automation system usually includes a central computer with deployed home automation software and several distributed sensors and actuators. Wired connections between a central computer and sensor/actuator nodes are already well established, however, wireless solutions are an emerging trend. This work addresses smart home automation solutions that are based on wireless Wi-Fi network. Such solutions enable an upgrade of an existing house into a smart house without modifications of hardware installations. The article includes an overview of related works in this research field, and a case study of cost effective home automation solution that is based on open source home automation software and wireless, custom developed, Wi-Fi based hardware

Which chord progressions satisfy us the most? The effect of expectancy, music education, and pitch height

Music is an integral part of our everyday lives. Through continuous exposure to a particular music style, an individual implicitly learns the laws of music, including the typical progression of chords that accompany the leading melody. Previous research has shown that the typical chord order in compositions is perceived as expected and satisfying, whereas the violations of the typical chord progressions are perceived as unexpected and unsatisfying. In this paper, we investigated how implicit musical knowledge influences satisfaction during listening to expected and unexpected chord progressions by taking into account the participant’s music education and the overall pitch height of the chordal sequences. Ninety-seven participants (43 musicians and 54 non-musicians) took part in the experiment. They were asked to rate the degree of their satisfaction during listening to expected and unexpected chord progressions, either during the high-pitch or low-pitch height conditions. The results showed that the participants were more satisfied with expected than unexpected chord progressions, confirming previous findings on the role of implicit learning of rules of harmony. Although results did not reveal an effect of music education during listening to expected chord progressions, musicians evaluated unexpected progressions as less satisfying than non-musicians, suggesting that musicians’ are more susceptible to violations of typical chord order. Finally, the results have shown that the difference in satisfaction between expected and unexpected progressions was larger in high-pitch vs. low-pitch condition, suggesting that under low-pitch condition, chord progressions were more difficult to discriminate, confirming the theory of low-interval limit

Protein adsorption on various plasma-treated polyethylene terephthalate substrates

Protein adhesion and cell response to plasma-treated polymer surfaces were studied. The polymer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was treated in either an oxygen plasma to make the surface hydrophilic, or a tetrafluoromethane CF4 plasma to make the surface hydrophobic. The plasma source was radiofrequency (RF) discharge. The adsorption of albumin and other proteins from a cell-culture medium onto these surfaces was studied using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The cellular response to plasma-treated surfaces was studied as well using an MTT assay and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The fastest adsorption rate was found on the hydrophilic oxygen plasma-treated sample, and the lowest was found on the pristine untreated sample. Additionally, the amount of adsorbed proteins was higher for the oxygen-plasma-treated surface, and the adsorbed layer was more viscoelastic. In addition, cell adhesion studies support this finding because the best cell adhesion was observed on oxygen-plasma-treated substrates

Wettability studies of topologically distinct titanium surfaces

Biomedical implants made of titanium-based materials are expected to have certain essential features including high bone-to-implant contact and optimum osteointegration, which are often influenced by the surface topography and physicochemical properties of titanium surfaces. The surface structure in the nanoscale regime is presumed to alter/facilitate the protein binding, cell adhesion and proliferation, thereby reducing post-operative complications with increased lifespan of biomedical implants. The novelty of our TiO2 nanostructures lies mainly in the high level control over their morphology and roughness by mere compositional change and optimisation of the experimental parameters. The present work focuses on the wetting behaviour of various nanostructured titanium surfaces towards water. Kinetics of contact area of water droplet on macroscopically flat, nanoporous and nanotubular titanium surface topologies was monitored under similar evaporation conditions. The contact area of the water droplet on hydrophobic titanium planar surface (foil) was found to decrease during evaporation, whereas the contact area of the droplet on hydrophobic nanorough titanium surfaces practically remained unaffected until the complete evaporation. This demonstrates that the surface morphology and roughness at the nanoscale level substantially affect the titanium dioxide surface–water droplet interaction, opposing to previous observations for microscale structured surfaces. The difference in surface topographic nanofeatures of nanostructured titanium surfaces could be correlated not only with the time-dependency of the contact area, but also with time-dependency of the contact angle and electrochemical properties of these surfaces