Sustainable Treatment of Acidic and Alkaline Leachates from Mining and Industrial Activities: Current Practice and Future Perspectives

Water resources are under continued pressure from anthropogenic sources, including acidic waste from abandoned mine sites and alkaline waste from a variety of industrial activities. Large quantities of mine and industrial wastes are typically stored in tailings facilities which can generate significant quantities of leachates due to weathering. If released untreated to the aquatic environment these have the potential to contaminate surface and ground waters. In addition, generation of leachates from abandoned or closed sites presents a major long-term environmental challenge where the generation of leachates is expected to continue for decades if not centuries post closure. An overview of leachate production and associated treatment technologies are described, with an emphasis on passive and potentially sustainable technologies. Measures to prevent the formation of acidic leachates and the potential for resource recovery from acidic and alkaline wastes and leachates are also discussed. Finally, technologies that require further development for long term and sustainable treatment are highlighted

Chatpal Chatbot dialogue data set

The scripts used in the ChatPal chatbot are freely available as an output from the ChatPal project. The datasets contain the chatbot utterances in English, Swedish, Finnish and Scottish Gaelic. Any replies collected from users through the ChatPal chatbot are not included in these data. Datasets are available in csv format and contain Unicode character encodings (UTF-8). Disclaimer: The datasets are open access, should be used appropriately and can be repurposed. However, the ChatPal project team are not responsible for how you chose to use the data or repurpose the content

TESS Hunt for Young and Maturing Exoplanets (THYME) VII : Membership, rotation, and lithium in the young cluster Group-X and a new young exoplanet

The public, all-sky surveys Gaia and TESS provide the ability to identify new young associations and determine their ages. These associations enable study of planetary evolution by providing new opportunities to discover young exoplanets. A young association was recently identified by Tang et al. and F{\"u}rnkranz et al. using astrometry from Gaia (called "Group-X" by the former). In this work, we investigate the age and membership of this association; and we validate the exoplanet TOI 2048 b, which was identified to transit a young, late G dwarf in Group-X using photometry from TESS. We first identified new candidate members of Group-X using Gaia EDR3 data. To infer the age of the association, we measured rotation periods for candidate members using TESS data. The clear color--period sequence indicates that the association is the same age as the $300\pm50$ Myr-old NGC 3532. We obtained optical spectra for candidate members that show lithium absorption consistent with this young age. Further, we serendipitously identify a new, small association nearby Group-X, which we call MELANGE-2. Lastly, we statistically validate TOI 2048 b, which is $2.6\pm0.2$ \rearth\ radius planet on a 13.8-day orbit around its 300 Myr-old host star.Comment: Revised to correct error in reported planet radius (original: 2.1 Earth radii, corrected: 2.6 Earth radii) and units for planetary radius ratio entries in Table 8. All data tables available open-access with the AJ articl

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery

Circulating microRNAs in sera correlate with soluble biomarkers of immune activation but do not predict mortality in ART treated individuals with HIV-1 infection: A case control study

Introduction: The use of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has dramatically reduced HIV-1 associated morbidity and mortality. However, HIV-1 infected individuals have increased rates of morbidity and mortality compared to the non-HIV-1 infected population and this appears to be related to end-organ diseases collectively referred to as Serious Non-AIDS Events (SNAEs). Circulating miRNAs are reported as promising biomarkers for a number of human disease conditions including those that constitute SNAEs. Our study sought to investigate the potential of selected miRNAs in predicting mortality in HIV-1 infected ART treated individuals. Materials and Methods: A set of miRNAs was chosen based on published associations with human disease conditions that constitute SNAEs. This case: control study compared 126 cases (individuals who died whilst on therapy), and 247 matched controls (individuals who remained alive). Cases and controls were ART treated participants of two pivotal HIV-1 trials. The relative abundance of each miRNA in serum was measured, by RTqPCR. Associations with mortality (all-cause, cardiovascular and malignancy) were assessed by logistic regression analysis. Correlations between miRNAs and CD4+ T cell count, hs-CRP, IL-6 and D-dimer were also assessed. Results: None of the selected miRNAs was associated with all-cause, cardiovascular or malignancy mortality. The levels of three miRNAs (miRs -21, -122 and -200a) correlated with IL-6 while miR-21 also correlated with D-dimer. Additionally, the abundance of miRs -31, -150 and -223, correlated with baseline CD4+ T cell count while the same three miRNAs plus miR- 145 correlated with nadir CD4+ T cell count. Discussion: No associations with mortality were found with any circulating miRNA studied. These results cast doubt onto the effectiveness of circulating miRNA as early predictors of mortality or the major underlying diseases that contribute to mortality in participants treated for HIV-1 infection

Development and Validation of a Risk Score for Chronic Kidney Disease in HIV Infection Using Prospective Cohort Data from the D:A:D Study

Ristola M. on työryhmien DAD Study Grp ; Royal Free Hosp Clin Cohort ; INSIGHT Study Grp ; SMART Study Grp ; ESPRIT Study Grp jäsen.Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health issue for HIV-positive individuals, associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Development and implementation of a risk score model for CKD would allow comparison of the risks and benefits of adding potentially nephrotoxic antiretrovirals to a treatment regimen and would identify those at greatest risk of CKD. The aims of this study were to develop a simple, externally validated, and widely applicable long-term risk score model for CKD in HIV-positive individuals that can guide decision making in clinical practice. Methods and Findings A total of 17,954 HIV-positive individuals from the Data Collection on Adverse Events of Anti-HIV Drugs (D:A:D) study with >= 3 estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) values after 1 January 2004 were included. Baseline was defined as the first eGFR > 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 after 1 January 2004; individuals with exposure to tenofovir, atazanavir, atazanavir/ritonavir, lopinavir/ritonavir, other boosted protease inhibitors before baseline were excluded. CKD was defined as confirmed (>3 mo apart) eGFR In the D:A:D study, 641 individuals developed CKD during 103,185 person-years of follow-up (PYFU; incidence 6.2/1,000 PYFU, 95% CI 5.7-6.7; median follow-up 6.1 y, range 0.3-9.1 y). Older age, intravenous drug use, hepatitis C coinfection, lower baseline eGFR, female gender, lower CD4 count nadir, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) predicted CKD. The adjusted incidence rate ratios of these nine categorical variables were scaled and summed to create the risk score. The median risk score at baseline was -2 (interquartile range -4 to 2). There was a 1: 393 chance of developing CKD in the next 5 y in the low risk group (risk score = 5, 505 events), respectively. Number needed to harm (NNTH) at 5 y when starting unboosted atazanavir or lopinavir/ritonavir among those with a low risk score was 1,702 (95% CI 1,166-3,367); NNTH was 202 (95% CI 159-278) and 21 (95% CI 19-23), respectively, for those with a medium and high risk score. NNTH was 739 (95% CI 506-1462), 88 (95% CI 69-121), and 9 (95% CI 8-10) for those with a low, medium, and high risk score, respectively, starting tenofovir, atazanavir/ritonavir, or another boosted protease inhibitor. The Royal Free Hospital Clinic Cohort included 2,548 individuals, of whom 94 individuals developed CKD (3.7%) during 18,376 PYFU (median follow-up 7.4 y, range 0.3-12.7 y). Of 2,013 individuals included from the SMART/ESPRIT control arms, 32 individuals developed CKD (1.6%) during 8,452 PYFU (median follow-up 4.1 y, range 0.6-8.1 y). External validation showed that the risk score predicted well in these cohorts. Limitations of this study included limited data on race and no information on proteinuria. Conclusions Both traditional and HIV-related risk factors were predictive of CKD. These factors were used to develop a risk score for CKD in HIV infection, externally validated, that has direct clinical relevance for patients and clinicians to weigh the benefits of certain antiretrovirals against the risk of CKD and to identify those at greatest risk of CKD.Peer reviewe

Ecologically engineered solutions to rehabilitate mining wastelands

More than 30 million jobs in the EU and many key economic sectors are dependent on a sustainable supply of Raw Materials, such as aluminium and zinc. However, the extractive operations to process and refine such raw materials generate approximately 300 million tonnes of waste per annum, representing one of the largest waste streams in the EU. This waste can be hazardous to the environment if it is not managed effectively

Constructed wetlands for the treatment of bauxite residue leachate: Long term field evidence and implications for management

Alkaline leachate from bauxite residue disposal areas is likely to require treatment for post-closure. Traditional treatment methods are not attractive in the long-term due to management requirement, energy input and operational logistics and passive approaches offer an alternative approach. Constructed wetlands are widely cited as a potential treatment option but there is limited data on long term field-scale applications. Treatment of alkaline residue leachate was assessed over a 52 month period and showed effective pH reductions from ca. pH 11.2 (inflow) to 7.2 (outflow). Trace element content measured during the 4th year of operation demonstrated effective reduction in trace element (Al 17,256 μg/l to 330 μg/l; V 140 μg/l to 13 μg/l) with no evidence of toxicity in test species Vibrio fischeri, Skeletonema costatum, Tisbe battagliai and Oncorhynchus mykiss in the wetland outflow. Sediment analysis found some increases in trace element content but no evidence of accumulation in Phragmites was found in vegetation sampling. Longevity and management requirements for constructed wetland treating alkaline bauxite residue leachate are more likely to be impacted from increases in soil Na and pH. Increases are more evident in front sections of wetland but it is proposed that loading to wetlands can be decreased by incorporation of other passive technologies within the overall treatment approach and by feeding different sections of the wetlands on a cyclical basi

Long term field trials demonstrate sustainable nutrient supply and uptake in rehabilitated bauxite residue

Establishing a sustainable vegetation cover is one of the most important steps in progressive rehabilitation and final closure of ore-processing residues and tailings facilities. Sustainable rehabilitation partly depends on establishing and maintaining a supply of plant-available nutrients, but few long term field studies demonstrating the success or failure of rehabilitation of degraded land such as mineral processing tailings have been reported. Bauxite-processing residues are a highly sodic, highly alkaline, nutrient-poor by-product generated from alumina extraction, and pose many challenges for successful rehabilitation. This study investigated long term performance of rehabilitation established on bauxite-processing residue storage areas (RSAs) by comparing the nutrient content of the vegetation cover with nutrient concentrations in the underlying residue sand. Five plant species having diverse physiology were selected from rehabilitation varying in age from 1 to 10 years old; these being: Hardenbergia comptoniana – a vigorous growing legume ground cover/creeper), Acacia cochlearis and A. rostellifera - legume shrubs tolerant of sandy, alkaline conditions, Grevillea crithmifolia - a drought-tolerant proteaceous shrub tolerant of alkaline soil, and Spyridium globulosum - a robust, fast-growing shrub, commonly found on alkaline coastal soils. Gypsum incorporation reduced the pH and soluble aluminium levels in residue sand, but also acted as a long-term source of nutrients for the vegetation cover. Legume species contained more nitrogen than non-legumes (2.5% N and 1.5% N, respectively), and decomposition of surface litter increased organic carbon and total and mineral nitrogen contents of the residue sand over time. Nutrient cycling maintained a supply of macro- and micro- nutrients for the vegetation cover, and 10-year old rehabilitation exhibited characteristics similar to an analogue site. This study highlighted the important accumulation, developing a functional microbial community, and a diverse plant species mix on transforming the residue sand characteristics and encouraging nutrient cycling as key mechanisms for establishing a sustainable vegetation cover and functional ecosystem on residue sand embankments