Saturated phase densities of (CO2 + H2O) at temperatures from (293 to 450) K and pressures up to 64 MPa

An apparatus consisting of an equilibrium cell connected to two vibrating tube densimeters and two syringe pumps was used to measure the saturated phase densities of (CO2 + H2O) at temperatures from (293 to 450) K and pressures up to 64 MPa, with estimated average standard uncertainties of 1.5 kg · m−3 for the CO2-rich phase and 1.0 kg · m−3 for the aqueous phase. The densimeters were housed in the same thermostat as the equilibrium cell and were calibrated in situ using pure water, CO2 and helium. Following mixing, samples of each saturated phase were displaced sequentially at constant pressure from the equilibrium cell into the vibrating tube densimeters connected to the top (CO2-rich phase) and bottom (aqueous phase) of the cell. The aqueous phase densities are predicted to within 3 kg · m−3 using empirical models for the phase compositions and partial molar volumes of each component. However, a recently developed multi-parameter equation of state (EOS) for this binary mixture, Gernert and Span [32], was found to under predict the measured aqueous phase density by up to 13 kg · m−3. The density of the CO2-rich phase was always within about 8 kg · m−3 of the density for pure CO2 at the same pressure and temperature; the differences were most positive near the critical density, and became negative at temperatures above about 373 K and pressures below about 10 MPa. For this phase, the multi-parameter EOS of Gernert and Span describes the measured densities to within 5 kg · m−3, whereas the computationally-efficient cubic EOS model of Spycher and Pruess (2010), commonly used in simulations of subsurface CO2 sequestration, deviates from the experimental data by a maximum of about 8 kg · m−3

In situ correlation between microplastic and suspended particulate matter concentrations in river-estuary systems support proxies for satellite-derived estimates of microplastic flux

Rivers are key pathways for transporting microplastics from land to the oceans, yet microplastic flux estimates remain uncertain. Remote sensing allows repeated broad-scale measurements and can be used to extrapolate limited in situ observations. This study investigated the relationship between suspended particulate matter (SPM), a satellite-observable water quality parameter, and microplastic concentration in a partially mixed estuary (Tamar, UK). Microplastic concentrations ranged from 0.04 to 0.99 microplastics/m3, decreasing downstream. A significant correlation was found between SPM and microplastic concentration over two seasons. This relationship was used to compute a multiyear timeseries of proxy microplastic concentration from satellite imagery and produce estimates of annual proxy microplastic flux. This approach could be applied to investigate microplastic flux in other major rivers worldwide where such a relationship between microplastics and SPM exists. To apply this workflow elsewhere, the establishment of local SPM-to-microplastic relationships from in situ observations and local validation of remote sensing SPM algorithms are essential

Influence of Two Vaccination Campaigns on Genetic Diversity of Invasive Neisseria meningitidis Isolates in Northern Spain (1997–2008)

BACKGROUND: Neisseria meningitidis diversifies rapidly, due to its high recombination rates. The aim of this study was to analyze the possible impact of two vaccination campaigns (a once-off A/C polysaccharide vaccination campaign in people aged 18 months to 20 years old in 1997, and a meningococcal C conjugate vaccination campaign in children aged < or = 6 years old from 2000 to 2008) on diversification of the population of invasive isolates obtained between 1997 and 2008. All of the 461 available isolates were included (2, 319, 123, 11 and 6 belonging to serogroups A, B, C, Y and W-135, respectively). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The isolates were analyzed for diversity using multilocus sequence typing, eBURST and the S.T.A.R.T.2 program. One hundred and seven sequence types (ST) and 20 clonal complexes were obtained. Five different STs (ST11, ST8, ST33, ST1163 and ST3496) included 56.4% of the isolates. With the exception of ST11, all other STs were associated with a specific serogroup. Epidemic circulation of serogroup C ST8 isolates was detected in 1997-1998, as well as epidemic circulation of ST11 isolates (serogroups B and C) in 2002-2004. The epidemic behavior of serogroup B ST11 (ST11_B:2a:P1.5) was similar, although with lesser intensity, to that of ST11 of serogroup C. Although clonality increased during epidemic years, the overall diversity of the meningococcal population did not increase throughout the 12 years of the study. CONCLUSION: The overall diversity of the meningococcal population, measured by the frequency of STs and clonal complexes, numbers of alleles, polymorphic sites, and index of association, remained relatively constant throughout the study period, contradicting previous findings by other researchers

A proposed methodology for the assessment of arsenic, nickel, cadmium and lead levels in ambient air

Air quality assessment, required by the European Union (EU) Air Quality Directive, Directive 2008/50/EC, is part of the functions attributed to Environmental Management authorities. Based on the cost and time consumption associated with the experimental works required for the air quality assessment in relation to the EU-regulated metal and metalloids, other methods such as modelling or objective estimation arise as competitive alternatives when, in accordance with the Air Quality Directive, the levels of pollutants permit their use at a specific location. This work investigates the possibility of using statistical models based on Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to estimate the levels of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb) in ambient air and their application for policy purposes. A methodology comprising the main steps that should be taken into consideration to prepare the input database, develop the model and evaluate their performance is proposed and applied to a case of study in Santander (Spain). It was observed that even though these approaches present some difficulties in estimating the individual sample concentrations, having an equivalent performance they can be considered valid for the estimation of the mean values - those to be compared with the limit/target values - fulfilling the uncertainty requirements in the context of the Air Quality Directive. Additionally, the influence of the consideration of input variables related to atmospheric stability on the performance of the studied statistical models has been determined. Although the consideration of these variables as additional inputs had no effect on As and Cd models, they did yield an improvement for Pb and Ni, especially with regard to ANN models.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the Projects CTM2010-16068 and CTM2013-43904R. Germán Santos thanks MINECO for his FPI research fellowship (BES-2011-047908)

Stability of DON and OTA during the breadmaking process and determination of process and performance criteria

The fate of deoxynivalenol (DON) and ochratoxin A (OTA) during the breadmaking process was studied. In particular, toxin content was analysed in mixed baking ingredients before kneading, after fermentation and proofing, and finally after baking. Fermentation and proofing were carried out at 30 C for 1 h, while baking was performed at different temperature levels (from 170 to 210 C) and baking times from 45 to 135 min, in a full factorial design. DON increased from unkneaded mix to fermented dough, and decreased due to baking; this trend depended on the initial concentration of DON in the flour. The level in the bread was significantly lower than in the initial mix of ingredients. In contrast, deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside (DON-3-G) content increased both during kneading and fermentation, and also during baking. Moreover, the results confirmed the high stability of OTA as no significant change in its content could be observed as a result of the breadmaking process. As conclusion, the design of bakery product processes may help to control DON in final products, because although quite stable, its levels can be reduced to some extent. However, high levels of DON-3-G were released during baking, and this point should be further investigated. Mycotoxins have been always considered as stable compounds; however, in depth knowledge of the processing steps that may lead to some reduction (although limited) and those which can stimulate their release from conjugated forms, will definitely help in their control in finished foodstuffs.The authors are grateful to the Spanish government (projects AGL2010-22182-C04-04 and AGL2011-24862) for the financial support. A. Vidal thanks the Spanish Government (Ministry of Education) for the pre-doctoral grant. H. Morales is grateful to the Portuguese Government. (Ministerio da Ciecia, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior; FCT Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia) Grant ref. SFRH/BPD/38011/2007

Improvement of the drought indicators system in the Jucar River Basin, Spain

[EN] Droughts are one of the gravest natural threats currently existing in the world and their occurrence and intensity might be exacerbated in the coming years due to climate change. The severe impacts that droughts cause to inland water resources and to the associated socio-economic activities justify the continuous monitoring of the drought. The case study presented shows a practical application of a distributed drought monitoring system implemented in a real river basin district, the Jucar River Basin District (43,000 km(2)), where drought periods of marked intensity have occurred historically and the climate ranges from humid in the north to semiarid in the south. Five drought indices have been applied: Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) for meteorological drought; Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and a newsoilmoisture index (HI), for edaphic drought; Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for the vegetation activity; and Spanish Status Index (SI), for the operational drought. All indices are standardised to compare them. The relationship between the standardised operational drought index SI and the long-term meteorological indices, SPI-12 or SPI-24, show that in a medium size basin the concept of "prolonged drought" required by the European Commission under the Water Framework Directive could be defined by the use of accumulated precipitation indices. The number of months to be accumulated depends on the size of the basin and the water management system properties. In large basins, such as the Jcar river basin (22,000 km(2)), there are significant deviations due to the spatial distribution of the drought. The use of a unique aggregated indicator could hide a significant drought in a specific area, or on the other hand showa non-real drought. Evolution of drought indices for eachwater management systemmust be accompanied by spatially distributed drought maps to better understand the drought status and its evolution.Tatiana Ortega; Pérez-Martín, MÁ.; Estrela Monreal, T. (2018). Improvement of the drought indicators system in the Jucar River Basin, Spain. The Science of The Total Environment. 610:276-290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.250S27629061

A Mycobacterial Enzyme Essential for Cell Division Synergizes with Resuscitation-Promoting Factor

The final stage of bacterial cell division requires the activity of one or more enzymes capable of degrading the layers of peptidoglycan connecting two recently developed daughter cells. Although this is a key step in cell division and is required by all peptidoglycan-containing bacteria, little is known about how these potentially lethal enzymes are regulated. It is likely that regulation is mediated, at least partly, through protein–protein interactions. Two lytic transglycosylases of mycobacteria, known as resuscitation-promoting factor B and E (RpfB and RpfE), have previously been shown to interact with the peptidoglycan-hydrolyzing endopeptidase, Rpf-interacting protein A (RipA). These proteins may form a complex at the septum of dividing bacteria. To investigate the function of this potential complex, we generated depletion strains in M. smegmatis. Here we show that, while depletion of rpfB has no effect on viability or morphology, ripA depletion results in a marked decrease in growth and formation of long, branched chains. These growth and morphological defects could be functionally complemented by the M. tuberculosis ripA orthologue (rv1477), but not by another ripA-like orthologue (rv1478). Depletion of ripA also resulted in increased susceptibility to the cell wall–targeting β-lactams. Furthermore, we demonstrate that RipA has hydrolytic activity towards several cell wall substrates and synergizes with RpfB. These data reveal the unusual essentiality of a peptidoglycan hydrolase and suggest a novel protein–protein interaction as one way of regulating its activity

Environmental noise control during its transmission phase to protect buildings. Design model for acoustic barriers based on arrays of isolated scatterers

A new generation of acoustic barriers is being introduced into the noise control market. These barriers, based on arrays of isolated scatterers, present interesting properties to be used in cities to reduce the transmitted transport noise affecting buildings. Among them, both aesthetic and continuity factors of the urban landscape may be mentioned. This new kind of barrier is technologically advanced and acoustically competitive with respect to the current ones formed by continuous rigid materials. To design these barriers whilst taking into account their inherent acoustic complexity, we present an overlapping numerical model here that enables us to split the real three-dimensional problem into two twodimensional ones, allowing both the reduction of the computational cost and the separate analysis of each one of the noise control mechanisms involved. We analyse different cases, checking the numerical simulations with accurate experimental results.This work is supported by MEC (Spanish Government) under grant No. MTM2012-36740-C02-02.Castiñeira Ibáñez, S.; Rubio Michavila, C.; Sánchez Pérez, JV. (2015). Environmental noise control during its transmission phase to protect buildings. Design model for acoustic barriers based on arrays of isolated scatterers. Building and Environment. 93:179-185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.07.002S1791859

Clinical inertia in poorly controlled elderly hypertensive patients: a cross-sectional study in Spanish physicians to ascertain reasons for not intensifying treatment

Background Clinical inertia, the failure of physicians to initiate or intensify therapy when indicated, is a major problem in the management of hypertension and may be more prevalent in elderly patients. Overcoming clinical inertia requires understanding its causes and evaluating certain factors, particularly those related to physicians. Objective The objective of our study was to determine the rate of clinical inertia and the physician-reported rea- sons for it. Conclusion Physicians provided reasons for not intensi- fying treatment in poorly controlled patients in only 30 % of instances. Main reasons for not intensifying treatment were borderline BP values, co-morbidity, suspected white coat effect, or perceived difficulty achieving target. nJCI was associated with high borderline BP values and car- diovascular diseas