A new hazardous waste treatment technology utilizing low power density microwave energy

Two major applications of a new hazardous waste treatment technology using low power density microwave energy have been characterized: 1) Desorption of organic materials such as: trichloro-ethylene, para-xylene, naphthalene and gasoline hydrocarbons from substrates such as: sand and granulated activated carbon was achieved by microwave induced steam distillation and the application of a new phenomenon: arcing between GAC particles when they are exposed to microwave radiation. All contaminants could be removed to 100% (non-detectable with GC and GC-MS). 2) Decomposition of organic contaminants such as: trichloro-ethylene and trichloro-ethane in arcing/heating GAC beds. A new fluidized bed reactor ( RDW-reactor , after Ray, Dauerman, Windgasse) is described, where microwaves cause heating and arcing in a GAC bed, fluidized with argon or compressed air containing volatilized organic compounds. Up to 100% decomposition of trichloro-ethylene was achieved. Only hydrogen chloride and carbon dioxide could be detected as products; specifically no other organics could be found in the gas stream analysed by a GC-MS data system

Implementación de un prototipo funcional para integrar bases de datos bibliográficas heterogéneas

Biblored (Sistema de bibliotecas públicas de Bogotá) en conjunto con Fundalectura (Fundación para el Fomento de la Lectura), han planteado la necesidad de implementar una herramienta que permita a los usuarios externos consultar la oferta de material bibliográfico disponible para préstamo y la realización de reservas desde una única aplicación, aunque se cuente con varias bases de datos independientes y autónomas. La información consultada corresponde a las 4 bibliotecas mayores de Biblored, 4 bibliotecas locales y 9 de barrio, así como a las Bibloestaciones. Estos catálogos corresponden a los principales actores del sistema distrital de bibliotecas públicas, conformado por Biblored y sus bibliotecas, Fundalectura con las Bibloestaciones, y la Secretaría de Cultura, Recreación y Deporte (Biblored) quien administra las bibliotecas Comunitarias. De igual manera el sistema debe estar diseñado para que a corto, mediano o largo plazo se adhieran más actores al sistema, tales como las bibliotecas comunitarias o colecciones especializadas. El problema a resolver consiste en realizar una integración de estas bases de datos bibliográficas heterogéneas, para lo cual se realizan las siguientes actividades: En la primera parte se presentan las tendencias en las cuales está trabajando la comunidad académica y la industria en cuanto al de sus catálogos e integraciones, todo esto bajo el marco definido por los requerimientos del sistema acordados con Biblored y Fundalectura. Se revisan las principales técnicas aplicadas para la integración de aplicaciones empresariales (EAI), los procesos de extracción, transformación y lectura de los datos (ETL), así como los dos principales mecanismos de integración consistentes en unificación centralizada, indexación y metabúsqueda Se presentan las ventajas de cada uno de los métodos, como se pueden combinar, generando un prototipo funcional y sostenible.Abstract. Biblored (public library system of Bogota) in conjunction with Fundalectura (Foundation for the Promotion of Reading), have raised the need to implement a tool that allows users to search for books and reserve them for loaning, using a single application, even if there are several independent databases and autonomous data. These catalogs belong to the main actors of the district public library system, which are Biblored and his libraries, Fundalectura with "Bibloestaciones” , and community libraries. The system must be capable to receive more libraries belonging to other private or public entities in the near future. The problem to solve is to perform an integration of these heterogeneous bibliographic databases. In the first part of this article the industry tendencies in heterogeneous bibliographic database integration will be explained, as well as the specific requirements determined by Biblored and Fundalectura. In the second part, the main techniques used for enterprise application integration (EAI) are reviewed, the extraction process, processing and reading of data (ETL), as well as federated or distributed integration techniques will be revised, in order to determine their individual advantages and how they can be combined. Finally this strategy is described and the implementation approach will be shown.Maestrí

Metavinculin modulates force transduction in cell adhesion sites

Vinculin is a ubiquitously expressed protein, crucial for the regulation of force transduction in cells. Muscle cells express a vinculin splice-isoform called metavinculin, which has been associated with cardiomyopathies. However, the molecular function of metavinculin has remained unclear and its role for heart muscle disorders undefined. Here, we have employed a set of piconewton-sensitive tension sensors to probe metavinculin mechanics in cells. Our experiments reveal that metavinculin bears higher molecular forces but is less frequently engaged as compared to vinculin, leading to altered force propagation in cell adhesions. In addition, we have generated knockout mice to investigate the consequences of metavinculin loss in vivo. Unexpectedly, these animals display an unaltered tissue response in a cardiac hypertrophy model. Together, the data reveal that the transduction of cell adhesion forces is modulated by expression of metavinculin, yet its role for heart muscle function seems more subtle than previously thought. Muscle cells express an adhesion molecule called metavinculin, which has been associated with cardiomyopathies. Here, the authors employed molecular tension sensors to reveal that metavinculin expression modulates cell adhesion mechanics and they develop a mouse model to demonstrate that the presence of metavinculin is not as critical for heart muscle function as previously thought

Development and evaluation of a continuous microwave processing system for hydrocarbon removal from solids

A continuous conveyor-belt processing concept using microwave heating was developed and evaluated. Four hydrocarbon-contaminated soils were used as model feedstocks, and the degree of organic removal was assessed against the power and energy input to the process. The findings of this study at scale (150kg/h) are in direct agreement with data obtained in batch laboratory scale experiments, and show that microwave heating processes are fundamentally scalable. It is shown that there is a trade-off between the efficiency of organic removal and the power distribution, and applying the power in a single stage was found to be 20-30% more energy efficient but the overall degree of organic removal is limited to 60%. 75% removal was possible using two processing steps in series, but the organic removal is ultimately limited by the amount of power that can be safely and reliably delivered to the process material. The concept presented in this work is feasible when 75% organic removal is sufficient, and could form a viable industrial-scale process based on the findings of this study

A survey on the state of nanosafety research in the European Union and the United States

Researchers in the field of environmental safety and health of nanomaterials (nanosafety) were surveyed between September 2017 and January 2018 to obtain a snapshot on the state of investigations in this field. The data received from 84 respondents give information on exposure pathways, methods, biologic and toxic effects, dose metrics and range, criteria for selecting benchmark materials, and on problems that are considered urgent in the field. The results can help guide research strategies and funding schemes related to nanosafety of nanoparticles. It is intended to repeat this survey every few years, to follow developments of the field.723623671881731032(VLID)338745

Entwicklung eines elektrisch angeregten CO2-Lasers mit transversaler Gasstroemung und eines laengsgestroemten CO2-Lasers fuer die Materialbearbeitung, insbesondere fuer das Schneiden

Copy held by FIZ Karlsruhe; available from UB/TIB Hannover / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman