Ex Situ Surfactant-Enhanced Bioremediation of NAPL-Impacted Vadose Zone

This work presents a review of surfactant-enhanced bioremediation of hydrophobic organic contaminants in the soil with a focus on ex situ method. Conventional strategies of disposal methods in secure landfill and incineration have become cost prohibitive and environmentally risky and do not restore the contaminated soil, whereas chemical and physical methods have shown very limited success and can also be expensive.Traditional bioremediation pertaining to remedial technology of hydrophobic organic contaminants in soil has empirically demonstrated limited success due to their low aqueous solubility. Addition of single synthetic surfactant or biosurfactant, or in combination, has the potential to increase their mass transfer phase, hence their bioavailability. Surfactant-enhanced biodegradation represents a promising cost-effective alternative to complete mineralization of hydrophobic organic contaminants in soil. In this work, the potential of surfactants on the remediation of contaminated soil in an ex situ approach is reviewed with considerations given to the practical aspects of field components. Surfactant-enhanced biodegradation represents a promising cost-effective alternative to complete mineralization of hydrophobic organic contaminants in soil. In this work, the potential of surfactants on the remediation of contaminated soil in an ex situ approach is reviewed with considerations given to the practical aspects of field components

Understanding Sorption Behavior and Properties of Radionuclides in the Environment

Prediction of fate and behavior of radionuclides in the environment is largely governed by sorption processes. Radionuclides physico-chemical species interacting with prevailing abiotic properties of the environment vary widely among varying constituting environmental components. Herein, this work discussed the most significant aspects of sorption processes and properties at the solid-water interface. Main sorption mechanisms were investigated using kinetic, thermodynamic analyses, and various mathematical models in current use for description of sorption–desorption processes in the environment. Knowledge of environmental transport, environmental pathways, and exposure pathways to radionuclides is also an important aspect of any strategy to protect the public and the natural ecosystems. In the final analysis, the choice of a functional sorption equation model will be dictated by the risk-based under consideration, the level of information available, and the intrinsic accuracy of the predictive model

Surfactants and Their Applications for Remediation of Hydrophobic Organic Contaminants in Soils

Soil contaminated with ubiquitous hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) is a worldwide recurring concern arising from their indiscriminate disposal, improper management, and accidental spills. A wide range of traditional remedial strategies have been the common practice. However, these treatment methods have become cost prohibitive, not environmental friendly, and less accepted by society. Surfactant-enhanced remediation technology represents a cost-effective and green technology alternative to remediate such contaminated sites. Surfactant remediation technologies are conducted in-situ or ex-situ as two broad categories, or in combination. Among these technologies are soil flushing, washing, phytoremediation, and bioremediation. More applied research continues to quantify the efficiency of surfactant-enhanced mass transfer phase using a single surfactant solution while their binary blends to remove mixed HOCs in soils are also a focus of interest for research. There is a great potential to develop novel synthetic and biosurfactants that will exhibit higher biodegradability, less toxicity, higher removal efficiency, more economical and more recyclable. This work thus provides a review of the applications and importance of surfactant-enhanced remediation of soil contaminated with HOCs. Relevant environmental factors, soil properties, surfactant chemistry, mechanisms, mass transfer phase, and field designs are summarized and discussed with purposes of providing greater context and understanding of surfactant-enhanced remediation systems

Utilizing Bloodless Medicine to Decrease Infection Rates in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Literature Review

Aim: To determine if a significant relationship exists between bloodless medicine practices and decreased infection rates in oncology patients following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation by performing a literature review. Background: It is not uncommon for healthcare professionals to encounter Jehovah\u27s Witnesses (JW) seeking medical treatment in the acute care hospital setting and outpatient clinics alike. However, JW\u27s pose a unique challenge to healthcare providers. Their refusal of blood transfusions makes them a population of interest within the medical community. The refusal of blood transfusions also poses a serious challenge to successful treatment in oncology JW patients, and many hospitals will refuse to perform a procedure as complex yet beneficial as a hematopoietic stem cell transplant in this population. Methods: An extensive electronic literature search in the CINAHL Plus database was completed and included the keywords infection, blood transfusion, stem cell transplant, bloodless medicine, Jehovah\u27s Witnesses, and transfusion reactions. The available literature was carefully examined for interventions performed and compared for ultimate results to be finalized as a written report. Significance: The results of this research can not only optimize healthcare for the population of Jehovah\u27s Witnesses, but also assist in reduced blood transfusions and improved cost management in all patients with a cancer diagnosis. Conclusions: All studies concluded that autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can be performed safely without the use of blood products. Their conclusion was based off of the data they collected following patients post-stem cell transplant. More research is needed to explore outcomes in this population as a result of blood transfusion refusal following stem cell transplantation in comparison with those who receive blood transfusion support

Bose-Einstein Condensate in Weak 3d Isotropic Speckle Disorder

The effect of a weak three-dimensional (3d) isotropic laser speckle disorder on various thermodynamic properties of a dilute Bose gas is considered at zero temperature. First, we summarize the derivation of the autocorrelation function of laser speckles in 1d and 2d following the seminal work of Goodman. The goal of this discussion is to show that a Gaussian approximation of this function, proposed in some recent papers, is inconsistent with the general background of laser speckle theory. Then we propose a possible experimental realization for an isotropic 3d laser speckle potential and derive its corresponding autocorrelation function. Using a Fourier transform of that function, we calculate both condensate depletion and sound velocity of a Bose-Einstein condensate as disorder ensemble averages of such a weak laser speckle potential within a perturbative solution of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. By doing so, we reproduce the expression of the normalfluid density obtained earlier within the treatment of Landau. This physically transparent derivation shows that condensate particles, which are scattered by disorder, form a gas of quasiparticles which is responsible for the normalfluid component

A transition from unimodal to multimodal activations in four sensory modalities in humans: an electrophysiological study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To investigate the long-latency activities common to all sensory modalities, electroencephalographic responses to auditory (1000 Hz pure tone), tactile (electrical stimulation to the index finger), visual (simple figure of a star), and noxious (intra-epidermal electrical stimulation to the dorsum of the hand) stimuli were recorded from 27 scalp electrodes in 14 healthy volunteers.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Results of source modeling showed multimodal activations in the anterior part of the cingulate cortex (ACC) and hippocampal region (Hip). The activity in the ACC was biphasic. In all sensory modalities, the first component of ACC activity peaked 30–56 ms later than the peak of the major modality-specific activity, the second component of ACC activity peaked 117–145 ms later than the peak of the first component, and the activity in Hip peaked 43–77 ms later than the second component of ACC activity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The temporal sequence of activations through modality-specific and multimodal pathways was similar among all sensory modalities.</p

Amyloid and tau pathology associations with personality traits, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and cognitive lifestyle in the preclinical phases of sporadic and autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease

Background Major prevention trials for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are now focusing on multidomain lifestyle interventions. However, the exact combination of behavioral factors related to AD pathology remains unclear. In 2 cohorts of cognitively unimpaired individuals at risk of AD, we examined which combinations of personality traits, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and cognitive lifestyle (years of education or lifetime cognitive activity) related to the pathological hallmarks of AD, amyloid-β, and tau deposits. Methods A total of 115 older adults with a parental or multiple-sibling family history of sporadic AD (PREVENT-AD [PRe-symptomatic EValuation of Experimental or Novel Treatments for AD] cohort) underwent amyloid and tau positron emission tomography and answered several questionnaires related to behavioral attributes. Separately, we studied 117 mutation carriers from the DIAN (Dominant Inherited Alzheimer Network) study group cohort with amyloid positron emission tomography and behavioral data. Using partial least squares analysis, we identified latent variables relating amyloid or tau pathology with combinations of personality traits, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and cognitive lifestyle. Results In PREVENT-AD, lower neuroticism, neuropsychiatric burden, and higher education were associated with less amyloid deposition (p = .014). Lower neuroticism and neuropsychiatric features, along with higher measures of openness and extraversion, were related to less tau deposition (p = .006). In DIAN, lower neuropsychiatric burden and higher education were also associated with less amyloid (p = .005). The combination of these factors accounted for up to 14% of AD pathology. Conclusions In the preclinical phase of both sporadic and autosomal dominant AD, multiple behavioral features were associated with AD pathology. These results may suggest potential pathways by which multidomain interventions might help delay AD onset or progression

Evaluation of laboratory procedures for prediction of available soil nitrogen in Nebraska

Soil organic matter decomposition and the resulting mineralization of N is a source of plant-available N seldom considered in the US when making fertilizer recommendation, and may contribute to a significant portion of the soil NO\sb3-pool. Large mineral N pools created by excessive fertilization and soil organic N mineralization may lead to less efficient use of N and potential for N pollution of the nation\u27s surface and ground water. Although several soil N availability indexes have been set forth, none of those tests have gained cohesive acceptance in terms of commercial application. Electro-ultrafiltration (EUF) is one such procedure that has been recently proposed to effectively quantify soil potentially mineralizable N. The technique is based on vacuum extraction of a soil-water suspension at different voltages and temperatures across anode and cathode. This procedure provides for extraction of NO\sb3\sp- and NH\sb4\sp+ and of readly soluble N compounds from soils using the principles of ultrafiltration and electrodialysis. The investigation encompassed both laboratory and field study. Nitrogen availability indexes differed in the amount of N extracted for a group of Nebraska surface soils. The data showed a correlation coefficient of 0.71 between the results obtained with the waterlogged method and those achieved using the EUF technique. However, the autoclave, KCl, pH 11.2 phosphate-borate buffer, and NaHCO\sb3-UV methods were more highly correlated (r $\geq$ 0.87) with the EUF technique than was the waterlogged method. The results obtained with the alkaline KMnO\sb4 method yielded the lowest correlation coefficient (r = 0.25) with the EUF technique. The slopes of the regression equations between EUF and the chemical indexes tested indicated that the EUF procedure was a relatively stronger extractant than the KCl method. Soil organic N mineralized determined by plant N uptake varied between geographical locations and ranged from 16 to 174 kg ha\sp{-1}. $\Sigma$EUF-N\sb{\rm organic} correlated poorly (r = 0.03) with total N uptake for four different locations. Multiple regression including $\Sigma$EUF-N\sb{\rm NO3}, $\Sigma$EUF-N\sb{\rm organic} and growing degree days as independent variables resulted in a high correlation (r = 0.95) with total N uptake. Within each field location, $\Sigma$EUF-N\sb{\rm extractable} correlated well with total N uptake (r $\geq$ 0.75). Autoclave Labile-N + residual NH\sb4- + NO\sb3-N exponentially correlated (r = 0.90) with total N uptake for all sites. Potentially mineralizable N differed widely in the amounts of N extracted from soils under various land treatments. Total NO\sb3-N loading to a depth of 9.50 m in the soil profiles associated with various kinds of land use was feedlot $\u3e$ irrigated corn fields $\u3e$ lawn $\u3e$ grassland. The data showed that the amount of NO\sb3-N moving through the vadose zone was very small under native grassland and urban lawns. In contrast, the potential for ground water pollution appeared relatively high under the feedlot and irrigated corn fields receiving manure and fertilizer N

Hand Solder Process Improvement

Plan BThe goal of this paper was to use quality and lean tools to identifyconstraints within the hand solder process and implement sustainable improvements aiming at improving customer satisfaction. It is also the goal of this paper to make recommendation for using the quality and lean tool to improve similar processes within the organization. The study participants utilized the fishbone diagram to determine cause and effect. The value stream mapping was also used to identify value-added and nonvalue-added functions within the hand solder process. The Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) methodology was used to understand the problem, evaluate the current state, set goals and deliverables, design a future state, determine gap between current and desired state, generate solutions to the problem and design a monitoring system to guarantee sustainability.The proposed solutions were tested in a controlled environment for two weeks prior to implementation