Application of Sludge-Based Activated Carbons for the Effective Adsorption of Neonicotinoid Pesticides

The amount of sludge produced in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has increased over the years, and the methods used to reduce this waste, such as incineration, agricultural use, or disposal in landfills, cause problems of secondary pollution. For this reason, it is necessary to find sustainable and low-cost solutions to manage this waste. Additionally, emerging and priority pollutants are attracting attention from the scientific community as they can generate health problems due to inadequate removal in conventional WWTPs. In this work, a pharmaceutical industry sludge was used as a precursor in the synthesis of four activated carbons (ACs) using different activating agents (ZnCl2, FeCl3∙6H2O, Fe(NO3)3∙9H2O, and Fe(SO4)3∙H2O), to be used for the removal by adsorption of three neonicotinoid pesticides included in latest EU Watch List (Decision 2018/840): acetamiprid (ACT), thiamethoxam (THM), and imidacloprid (IMD). The prepared ACs showed micro–mesoporous properties, obtaining relatively slow adsorption kinetics to reach equilibrium, but despite this, high values of adsorption capacity (qe) were obtained. For example, for AC-ZnCl2 (SBET = 558 m2/g), high adsorption capacities of qe = 128.9, 126.8, and 166.1 mg/g for ACT, THM, and IMD, respectively, were found. In most cases, the adsorption isotherms showed a multilayer profile, indicating an important contribution of the mesoporosity of the activated carbons in the adsorption process.Depto. de Ingeniería Química y de MaterialesFac. de Ciencias QuímicasTRUEComunidad de Madridpu

Fractal dimension analysis of malignant and benign endobronchial ultrasound nodes

Background: Endobronchial ultrasonography (EBUS) has been applied as a routine procedure for the diagnostic of hiliar and mediastinal nodes. The authors assessed the relationship between the echographic appearance of mediastinal nodes, based on endobronchial ultrasound images, and the likelihood of malignancy.; Methods: The images of twelve malignant and eleven benign nodes were evaluated. A previous processing method was applied to improve the quality of the images and to enhance the details. Texture and morphology parameters analyzed were: the image texture of the echographies and a fractal dimension that expressed the relationship between area and perimeter of the structures that appear in the image, and characterizes the convoluted inner structure of the hiliar and mediastinal nodes.; Results: Processed images showed that relationship between log perimeter and log area of hilar nodes was lineal (i.e. perimeter vs. area follow a power law). Fractal dimension was lower in the malignant nodes compared with non-malignant nodes (1.47(0.09), 1.53(0.10) mean(SD), Mann-Whitney U test p < 0.05)).; Conclusion: Fractal dimension of ultrasonographic images of mediastinal nodes obtained through endobronchial ultrasound differ in malignant nodes from non-malignant. This parameter could differentiate malignat and non-malignat mediastinic and hiliar nodes.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Carbon-encapsulated iron nanoparticles as reusable adsorbents for micropollutants removal from water

Adsorption represents the most plausible technology for micropollutants removal from water nowadays. Nevertheless, the regeneration of the saturated carbon materials is still an important challenge, being these solids in practice commonly disposed. This work aims at overcoming this issue by using innovative carbonencapsulated iron nanoparticles (CE-nFe). This material was synthesized by a low-cost and green method viz. hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), using olive mill wastewater as carbonaceous source. The solid was fully characterized by different techniques (magnetic properties, elemental analyses, N2-sorption isotherms, pHPZC, ICP, XRD and TEM). It showed a clear core-shell structure of around 40 nm in diameter. The core was mainly formed by zero-valent iron and the shell by graphitized carbon. Accordingly, it showed an essentially mesoporous structure, with a specific surface area of 169 m2 g−1 , and a clear hydrophobic character (pHPZC = 10). Its adsorption performance was investigated using three relevant micropollutants (diclofenac (DCF), sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and metronidazole (MNZ)). A very fast removal of the micropollutants was achieved (30 min at the most, with rate constants in the range of 0.11–0.41 g mg−1 min−1 ). The adsorption isotherms revealed the vertical packing of the adsorbate molecules onto the adsorbent active centers, being the data successfully described by the GAB model. The saturated adsorbents were effectively regenerated by heterogeneous Fenton oxidation, taking advantage of the iron core of CE-nFe and the opened mesoporous carbon shell. The regeneration efficiency increased with increasing the operating temperature (25–75 ◦C) and contact time (1–4 h), as well as the H2O2 dose up to 6 g L-1. The micropollutant nature affected the adsorbent regeneration yield in the order: SMX > DCF > MNZ, consistent with their reactivity towards Fenton oxidationThis research has been supported by the Spanish MINECO through the project CTM-2016-76454-R and by the CM through the project P2018/EMT-4341. M. Munoz and J. Nieto-Sandoval thank the Spanish MINECO for the Ramón y Cajal postdoctoral contract (RYC-2016-20648) and the FPI predoctoral grant (BES-2017-081346), respectivel

Treatment and reuse of textile wastewaters by mild solar photo-Fenton in the presence of humic-like substances

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7889-1In this paper, the possibility of reusing textile effluents for new dyeing baths has been investigated. For this purpose, different trichromies using Direct Red 80, Direct Blue 106, and Direct Yellow 98 on cotton have been used. Effluents have been treated by means of a photo-Fenton process at pH 5. Addition of humic-like substances isolated form urban wastes is necessary in order to prevent iron deactivation because of the formation of non-active iron hydroxides. Laboratory-scale experiments carried out with synthetic effluents show that comparable results were obtained when using as solvent water treated by photo-Fenton with SBO and fresh deionized water. Experiments were scaled up to pilot plant illuminated under sunlight, using in this case a real textile effluent. Decoloration of the effluent could be achieved after moderate irradiation and cotton dyed with this water presented similar characteristics as when deionized water was used.This work was realized with the financial support of a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange project funded by the European Commission H2020-MSCA-RISE-2014 within the framework of the research project Mat4treaT (project number 645551). Financial support from Spanish Government (CTQ2015-69832-C4-4-R) is gratefully acknowledged. The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Generalitat Valenciana, Conselleria d’Educació, Cultura i Esport (GV/AICO/2015/124) and CTQ2015-69832-C4-4-R.García-Negueroles, P.; Bou-Belda, E.; Santos-Juanes Jordá, L.; Amat Payá, AM.; Arques Sanz, A.; Vercher Pérez, RF.; Monllor Pérez, P.... (2017). Treatment and reuse of textile wastewaters by mild solar photo-Fenton in the presence of humic-like substances. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 24(14):12664-12672. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7889-1S12664126722414Ali N, Hameed A et al (2009) Physicochemical characterization and bioremediation perspective of textile effluent, dyes and metals by indigenous bacteria. J Hazard Mater 164(1):322–328Amat AM, Arques A, Miranda MA, Seguí S (2004) Photo-Fenton reaction for the abatement of commercial surfactants in a solar pilot plant. Sol Energy 77:559–566Amorim CC, Leão MMD, Moreira RFPM, Fabris JD, Henriques AB (2013) Performance of blast furnace waste for azo dye degradation through photo-Fenton-like processes. Chem Eng J 224:59–66Anjaneyulu Y, Sreedhara Chary N et al (2005) Decolorization of industrial effluents: available methods and emerging technologies. Environmental Science and Biotechnology 4(4):245–273Arslan-Alaton I, Tureli G, Olmez-Hanci T (2009) Treatment of azo dye production wastewaters using photo-Fenton-like advanced oxidation processes: optimization by response surface methodology. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 202:142–153Azbar N, Yonar T, Kestioglu K (2004) Comparison of various advanced oxidation processes and chemical treatment methods for COD and color removal from a polyester and acetate fiber dyeing effluent. Chemosphere 55:35–43Baba Y, Yatagai T, Harada T, Kawase Y (2015) Hydroxyl radical generation in the photo-Fenton process: effects of carboxylic acids on iron redox cycling. Chemical Engineering Journal, Volume 277(1):229–241Bakshi DK, Sharma P (2003) Genotoxicity of textile dyes evaluated with Ames test and rec-assay. J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol 22:10Blanco J, Torrades F, Morón M, Brouta-Agnesá M, García-Montaño J (2014) Photo-Fenton and sequencing batch reactor coupled to photo-Fenton processes for textile wastewater reclamation: feasibility of reuse in dyeing processes. Chem Eng J 240:469–475Chen Q, Yang Y, Zhou M, Liu M, Yu S, Gao C (2015) Comparative study on the treatment of raw and biologically treated textile effluents through submerged nanofiltration. Original research article. J Hazard Mater 284(2):121–129dos Santos AB, Cervantes FJ, van Lier J (2007) Review paper on current technologies for decolorisation of textile wastewater: perspectives for anaerobic biotechnology. Bioresour Technol 37:315–377Durán A, Monteagudo JM, Amores E (2008) Solar photo-Fenton degradation of reactive blue 4 in a CPC reactor. Appl Catal B Environ 80(1–2):42–50Ergas S, Therriault B, Reckhow D (2006) Evaluation of water reuse technologies for the textile industry. J Environ Eng 132:315–323García Ballesteros S, Costante R, Vicente R, Mora M, Amat AM, Arques A, Carlos L, García Einschlag FS (2016) Humic-like substances from urban waste as auxiliaries for photo-Fenton treatment: a fluorescence EEM-PARAFAC study. Ptotochem Photobiol Sci in press. doi: 10.1039/c6pp00236fGhaly AE, Ananthashankar R, Alhattab M, Ramakrishnan VV (2014) Production, characterization and treatment of textile effluents: a critical review. J Chem Eng Process Technol 05:1–18Ghoreishian SM, Maleknia L, Mirzapour H, Norouzi M (2013) Antibacterial properties and color fastness of silk fabric dyed with turmeric extract. Fiber Polym 14(2):201–207. doi: 10.1007/s12221-013-0201-9Gomis J, Vercher RF, Amat AM, Mártire DO, González MC, Bianco Prevot A, Montoneri E, Arques A, Carlos L (2013) Application of soluble bio-organic substances (SBO) as photocatalysts for wastewater treatment: sensitizing effect and photo-Fenton-like process. Catal Today 209:176–180Gomis J, Carlos L, Bianco Prevot A, Teixeira ACSC, Mora M, Amat AM, Vicente R, Arques A (2015) Bio-based substances from urban waste as auxiliaries for solar photo-Fenton treatment under mild conditions: optimization of operational variables. Catal Today 240:39–45Gupta D, Khare SK, Laha A (2004) Antimicrobial properties of natural dyes against gram negative bacteria. Color Technol 120(4):167–171. doi: 10.1111/j.1478-4408.2004.tb00224.xHan S, Yang Y (2005) Antimicrobial activity of wool fabric treated with curcumin. Dyes Pigments 64(2):157–161. doi: 10.1016/j.dyepig.2004.05.008Huang W, Brigante M, Wu F, Mousty C, Hanna K, Mailhot G (2013) Assessment of the Fe (III)–EDDS complex in Fenton-like processes: from the radical formation to the degradation of bisphenol A. Environ Sci Technol 47(4):1952–1959Ince NH, Tezcanh G (1999) Treatability of textile dye-bath effluents by advanced oxidation: preparation for reuse. Water Sci Technol 40(1):183–190ISO 6332:1988. 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Chemosphere 82(10):1422–1430Malato S, Blanco J, Cáceres J, Fernández-Alba AR, Agüera A, Rodríguez A (2002) Photocatalytic treatment of water-soluble pesticides by photo-Fenton and TiO2 using solar energy. Catalysis Today 76 2002(2–4):209–220Malato S, Fernández-Ibáñez P, Maldonado MI, Blanco J, Gernjak W (2009) Decontamination and disinfection of water by solar photocatalysis: recent overview and trends. Catal Today 147(1):1–59Malpass GRP, Miwa DW, Mortari DA, Machado SAS, Motheo AJ (2007) Decolorisation of real textile waste using electrochemical techniques: effect of the chloride concentration. Water Res 41:2969–2977Manenti D, Soares P, Silva TCV, Módenes A, Espinoza-Quiñones F, Bergamasco R, Boaventura RR, Vilar VP (2015) Performance evaluation of different solar advanced oxidation processes applied to the treatment of a real textile dyeing wastewater. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22:833–845Mondal M, De S (2016) Treatment of textile plant effluent by hollow fiber nanofiltration membrane and multi-component steady state modeling. Chem Eng J 285:304–318Montoneri, E., Boffa, V., Quagliotto, P., Mendichi, R., Chierotti, M. R., Gobetto, R., and Medana, C. (2008a) "Humic acid-like matter isolated from green urban wastes. Part 1: Structure and surfactant properties". Bio Res 3(1), 123–141.Montoneri, E., Savarino, P., Bottigliengo, S., Musso, G., Boffa, V., Prevot, A. B., Fabri, D. and Pramauro, E. (2008b) "Humic acid-like matter isolated from green urban wastes Part II: Performance in chemical and environmental technologies". Bio Res 3(1), 217–233.Montoneri E, Boffa V, Savarino P, Tambone F, Adani F, Micheletti L, Gianotti C, Chiono R (2009) Use of biosurfactants from urban wastes compost in textile dyeing and soil remediation. Waste Manag 29:383–389Neamtu M, Yediler A, Siminiceanu I, Kettrup A (2003) Oxidation of commercial reactive azo dye aqueous solutions by the photo-Fenton and Fenton-like processes. J Photochem Photobiol A 161:87–93Oller I, Malato S, Sánchez-Pérez JA (2011) Combination of advanced oxidation processes and biological treatments for wastewater decontamination—a review. Sci Total Environ 409(20):4141–4166Pignatello J, Oliveros E, MacKay A (2006) Advanced oxidation processes for organic contaminant destruction based on the Fenton reaction and related chemistry. Environ Sci Technol 36:1–84Prato-Garcia D, Buitrón G (2011) Degradation of azo dye mixtures through sequential hybrid systems: evaluation of three advanced oxidation processes for the pre-treatment stage. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 223:103–110Rodriguez M, Sarria V, Esplugas S, Pulgarin CP-F (2002) Treatment of a biorecalcitrant wastewater generated in textile activities: biodegradability of the photo-treated solution. 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Historia y pensamiento en torno al género

Presentación. Montserrat Huguet y Carmen González Marín(Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.).- I. HISTORIA. La polifacética imagen de las mujeres en la Unión Soviética en los años veinte y treinta, Laura Branciforte (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid).- Ellas y el mundo. Documentando el tiempo, Montserrat Huguet (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid).- Emilia sale de su jardín: la silenciosa conquista del espacio público por las artistas de la casa, Laura Sanz (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid).- María Victoria del Pozzo, una italiana en el trono español, Carmen Bolaños Mejías (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia).- Representaciones de la madre: la madre de Woody Allen, la de Philip Roth, incluso la de Otto Weinenger (la madre judía), Maya Siminovich (Grupo Kóre de Estudios de Género).- II. PENSAMIENTO. Violencia de género y la hipótesis de la violencia anómica, Carlos Thiebaut(Universidad Carlos III de Madrid).- La construcción política de las identidades: un alerta de género, María Luisa Femenías (Universidad Nacional de La Plata).- Los accidentes del espacio público, Carmen González Marín (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid).- More equal than others. Igualdad y diferencia en la teoría de género, Rocío Orsi Portalo (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid).- Nombrar lo innombrable. La autorrepresentación lingüística de grupos gays no convencionales, Alberto Bustos Plaza (Universidad de Extremadura).- Sobre el género gramatical y sus implicaciones sociológicas, M.ª Elena Azofra Sierra (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Hair cortisol concentrations in a Spanish sample of healthy adults

Hair cortisol concentration (HCC), as a novel promising method to retrospectively measure hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation, is being increasingly studied. We tested the relationships between HCC and a range of possible confounding variables in a Spanish sample of healthy adults and pregnant women. In this sample of healthy Spaniards, results suggested an association between HCC and physical exercise and educational level. In pregnant women, the prevalence of HCC was higher than in non-pregnant woman, and was related to educational level. This study emphasises the need to determine the relationship between HCC and confounders such as sociodemographic and lifestyle variables in the general population and specific groups formed by individuals such as pregnant women.This research is part of a doctoral thesis. It has been economically supported by the "PSI2015-63494-P" I+D Project of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and FEDE

RANK links senescence to stemness in the mammary epithelia, delaying tumor onset but increasing tumor aggressiveness

Rank signaling enhances stemness in mouse and human mammary epithelial cells (MECs) and mediates mammary tumor initiation. Mammary tumors initiated by oncogenes or carcinogen exposure display high levels of Rank and Rank pathway inhibitors have emerged as a new strategy for breast cancer prevention and treatment. Here, we show that ectopic Rank expression in the mammary epithelia unexpectedly delays tumor onset and reduces tumor incidence in the oncogene-driven Neu and PyMT models. Mechanistically, we have found that ectopic expression of Rank or exposure to Rankl induces senescence, even in the absence of other oncogenic mutations. Rank leads to DNA damage and senescence through p16/p19. Moreover, RANK-induced senescence is essential for Rank-driven stemness, and although initially translates into delayed tumor growth, eventually promotes tumor progression and metastasis. We uncover a dual role for Rank in the mammary epithelia: Rank induces senescence and stemness, delaying tumor initiation but increasing tumor aggressiveness

Contribution of cell blocks obtained through endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration to the diagnosis of lung cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Conventional smears of samples obtained by endobronchial ultrasound with real-time transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) have proven useful in lung cancer staging, but the value of additional information from cell-block processing of EBUS-TBNA samples has only been marginally investigated. This study focussed on the contribution of cell block analysis to the diagnostic yield in lung cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Patients referred for lung cancer diagnosis and/or staging by means of EBUS-TBNA were enrolled, the adequacy of the obtained samples for preparing cell blocks was assessed, and the additional pathologic or genetic information provided from cell block analysis was examined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In 270 lung cancer patients referred for EBUS-TBNA (mean age, 63.3 SD 10.4 years) 697 aspirations were performed. Cell blocks could be obtained from 334 aspirates (47.9%) and contained diagnostic material in 262 (37.6%) aspirates, providing information that was additional to conventional smears in 50 of the 189 samples with smears that were non-diagnostic, corresponding 21 of these blocks to malignant nodes, and allowing lung cancer subtyping of 4 samples. Overall, cell blocks improved the pathologic diagnosis attained with conventional smears in 54 of the 697 samples obtained with EBUS-TBNA (7.7%). Cell blocks obtained during EBUS-TBNA also made epithelial growth factor receptor mutation analysis possible in 39 of the 64 patients with TBNA samples showing metastatic adenocarcinoma (60.1%). Overall, cell blocks provided clinically significant information for 83 of the 270 patients participating in the study (30.7%).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Cell-block preparation from EBUS-TBNA samples is a simple way to provide additional information in lung cancer diagnosis. Analysis of cell blocks increases the diagnostic yield of the procedure by nearly seven per cent and allows for genetic analysis in a sixty per cent of the patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma.</p

Conclusiones y propuestas de manejo de las poblaciones y especies de anfibios y reptiles alóctonos en España

El criterio fundamental para considerar que una especie es alóctona en el territorio español se basa en la constatación de que la colonización no ha sido natural, sino de origen antrópico.Peer Reviewe