Extended use of Sphagnum peat as a biosorbent for Zn(II): repetiti ous sorption-desorption process

ArticleIn this study, continuous biosorption - desorption cycles in a fixed - bed column were performed to evaluate the extended use of sphagnum peat as biosorbent material to remove Zn(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Biosorption - desorption studies revealed that the sphagnum peat as biosorbent could be regenerated using 0.1M HCl as eluting agent with more than 70% recovery in four successive biosorption - desorption cycles. The results showed that the sphagnum peat should be used as an alternative, effective and low - cost biosorbent for Zn(II) ions removal from polluted aqueous solution

Effect of biostimulation on biodegradation of dissolved organic carbon in biological filters

The addition of labile organic carbon (LOC) to enhance the biodegradation rate of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in biological columns was studied. Acetate standard solution (NaAc) and Luria Bertrani (LB) medium were used as LOC as biostimulants in glass column system used for measurements of biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC). The addition of LOC related with the increase of total DOC in sample. The concentration of BDOC increased up to 7 and 5 times and was utilized after 24 min. contact time. The biodegradation rate constant was increased at least 26 times during adaptation-biostimulation period. There was a strong positive correlation between the biodegradation rate constant and the concentration of BDOC. Biostimulation period ranged from 24 to 53 h for NaAc biostimulant and from 20 to 168 h for LB. The study has shown that LOC could be used as stimulator to enhance the biodegradation rate of DOC during biofiltration

Comparison of phosphorus removal efficiency of conventional activated sludge system and sequencing batch reactors in a wastewater treatment plant

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness application of sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) for phosphorus removal compared to the conventional activated sludge (CAS) treatment system. The results showed that the removal efficiency of phosphorus reached about 99% at wastewater treatment plant with CAS system. At the same time, the maximum phosphorus removal efficiency can be achieved to 88% if the SBRs system operating parameters are optimized. Finally, this study demonstrated that even if granules are not fully developed, the SBR system is working with a good efficiency

Management of wastewater from landfill of inorganic fiberglass

ArticleSustainability is one of the key factors in smart environment management and include the reduction of environment footprint. The waste and wastewater management plans are aimed on actions to reduce the amount of waste and environmental pollution. This includes collection of waste, logistics, storage, processing or valorisation and also treatment. The aim of this research was to evaluate environmental pollution risk and to demonstrate one of the wastewater management schemes to reduce the pollution level. Evaluation of the better management scheme was performed in one of the landfills in Latvia, where fiberglass waste and other inorganic waste is stored. Onsite evaluation results demonstrated the need to develop a better wastewater management scheme of inorganic fiberglass landfill. After that, laboratory–scale experiments for conventional coagulation and biodegradation tests have been performed for efficient management

Removal of paraquat pesticide with Fenton reaction in a pilot scale water system

Advanced oxidation processes, such as the Fenton's reagent, are powerful methods for decontamination of different environments from recalcitrant organics. In this work, the degradation of paraquat (PQ)pesticide was assessed (employing the commercial product gramoxone) directly inside the pipes of a pilotscale loop system; the effect of corroded cast iron pipe and loose deposits for catalysing the process wasalso evaluated. Results showed that complete degradation of paraquat ([PQ]0 = 3.9 × 10−4 M, T = 20-30 ◦C,pH0 = 3, [H2O2]0 = 1.5 × 10−2 M and [Fe (II)] = 5.0 × 10−4 M,) was achieved within 8 h, either in lab scale orin the pilot loop. Complete PQ degradation was obtained at pH 3 whereas only 30 % of PQ was degraded atpH 5 during 24 h. The installation of old cast iron segments with length from 0.5 to 14 m into PVC pipe loopsystem had a significant positive effect on degradation rate of PQ, even without addition of iron salt; the longerthe iron pipes section, the faster was the pesticide degradation. Addition of loose deposits (mostly corrosionproducts composed of goethite, magnetite and a hydrated phase of FeO) also catalysed the Fenton reactiondue to presence of iron in the deposits. Moreover, gradual addition of hydrogen peroxide improved gramoxone degradation and mineralization. This study showed for the first time that is possible to achieve completedegradation of pesticides in situ pipe water system and that deposits and corroded pipes catalyse oxidation ofpesticides

Компьютерное моделирование светодиодного осветителя с фоконной оптикой для видеопроектора

Computer modeling and research of various variants of construction of light-diode illuminators for single-matrix LCD-video projector using inconsistent optical components are performed. The use of such components enables to form a light beam with the necessary parameters to align with the subsequent optical system. Computer modeling has allowed presents the analysis and evaluate the performance of the system developed in the design phase, and in some cases, and optimize it.Выполнено компьютерное моделирование и исследование различных вариантов построения светодиодных осветителей для одноматричного LCD-видеопроектора с использованием непоследовательных оптических компонентов. Применение таких компонентов позволяет сформировать световой пучок с необходимыми параметрами для согласования с последующей оптической системой. Компьютерное моделирование позволило проанализировать и оценить характеристики разрабатываемой системы на этапе проектирования, а в некоторых случаях и оптимизировать ее

Associations of common breast cancer susceptibility alleles with risk of breast cancer subtypes in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers

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BRCA2 polymorphic stop codon K3326X and the risk of breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers

Background: The K3326X variant in BRCA2 (BRCA2*c.9976A>T; p.Lys3326*; rs11571833) has been found to be associated with small increased risks of breast cancer. However, it is not clear to what extent linkage disequilibrium with fully pathogenic mutations might account for this association. There is scant information about the effect of K3326X in other hormone-related cancers. Methods: Using weighted logistic regression, we analyzed data from the large iCOGS study including 76 637 cancer case patients and 83 796 control patients to estimate odds ratios (ORw) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for K3326X variant carriers in relation to breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer risks, with weights defined as probability of not having a pathogenic BRCA2 variant. Using Cox proportional hazards modeling, we also examined the associations of K3326X with breast and ovarian cancer risks among 7183 BRCA1 variant carriers. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: The K3326X variant was associated with breast (ORw = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.17 to 1.40, P = 5.9x10- 6) and invasive ovarian cancer (ORw = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.10 to 1.43, P = 3.8x10-3). These associations were stronger for serous ovarian cancer and for estrogen receptor–negative breast cancer (ORw = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.2 to 1.70, P = 3.4x10-5 and ORw = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.28 to 1.76, P = 4.1x10-5, respectively). For BRCA1 mutation carriers, there was a statistically significant inverse association of the K3326X variant with risk of ovarian cancer (HR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.22 to 0.84, P = .013) but no association with breast cancer. No association with prostate cancer was observed. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence that the K3326X variant is associated with risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers independent of other pathogenic variants in BRCA2. Further studies are needed to determine the biological mechanism of action responsible for these associations

High frequency of pathogenic non-founder germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 in families with breast and ovarian cancer in a founder population

Funding Information: This work was supported by State Research Program “Biomedicine for the public health (BIOMEDICINE)” project 5 “Personalised cancer diagnostics and treatment effectiveness evaluation”. Publisher Copyright: © 2018 The Author(s).Background: Pathogenic BRCA1 founder mutations (c.4035delA, c.5266dupC) contribute to 3.77% of all consecutive primary breast cancers and 9.9% of all consecutive primary ovarian cancers. Identifying germline pathogenic gene variants in patients with primary breast and ovarian cancer could significantly impact the medical management of patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the rate of pathogenic mutations in the 26 breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility genes in patients who meet the criteria for BRCA1/2 testing and to compare the accuracy of different selection criteria for second-line testing in a founder population. Methods: Fifteen female probands and 1 male proband that met National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) criteria for BRCA1/2 testing were included in the study and underwent 26-gene panel testing. Fourteen probands had breast cancer, one proband had ovarian cancer, and one proband had both breast and ovarian cancer. In a 26-gene panel, the following breast and/or ovarian cancer susceptibility genes were included: ATM, BARD1, BLM, BRCA1, BRCA2, BRIP1, CDH1, CHEK2, EPCAM, FAM175A, MEN1, MLH1, MRE11A, MSH2, MSH6, MUTYH, NBN, PALB2, PMS2, PTEN, RAD50, RAD51C, RAD51D, STK11, TP53, and XRCC2. All patients previously tested negative for BRCA1 founder mutations. Results: In 44% (7 out of 16) of tested probands, pathogenic mutations were identified. Six probands carried pathogenic mutations in BRCA1, and one proband carried pathogenic mutations in BRCA2. In patients, a variant of uncertain significance was found in BRCA2, RAD50, MRE11A and CDH1. The Manchester scoring system showed a high accuracy (87.5%), high sensitivity (85.7%) and high specificity (88.9%) for the prediction of pathogenic non-founder BRCA1/2 mutations. Conclusion: A relatively high incidence of pathogenic non-founder BRCA1/2 mutations was observed in a founder population. The Manchester scoring system predicted the probability of non-founder pathogenic mutations with high accuracy.publishersversionPeer reviewe