Trends and drivers in alternative thermal conversion of waste

IEA bioenergy Task 36 “Material and energy valorisation of waste in a circular economy” prepared this report about trends in waste management for the example of municipal solid waste (MSW). Within the waste hierarchy, recycling is given preference over recovery, and waste-to-energy (WtE) conversion is given preference over landfilling. MSW is non-hazardous household and commercial waste, of which more than one third typically is biogenic in origin. Incineration represents the state-of-the-art WtE technology; alternative thermal treatment technologies such as gasification and pyrolysis have had far fewer applications to MSW due to economic factors and relatively low technology readiness. This is a situation that is currently changing. Specifically in the European Union (EU) technologies develop and new pathways are sought. Major trends in the EU are driven by legislation and implementation goals, some of which are country specific: • banning of landfilling in combination with limited social acceptance and, in some countries, legal restrictions for additional incineration capacity • increasing waste generated or imported in combination with limited incineration capacities have led to increased waste treatment cost (gate fees) and waste exports • recycling rates that are lower than EU and national Circular Economy objectives • global demand for sustainable routes for waste processing, particularly with regards to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and • heightened social awareness and concerns about environmental impacts including climate change and marine littering. Key opportunities driven by these trends are related to the adoption of non-incineration thermal technologies • for energy recovery as a response to decreasing public acceptance for direct waste incineration, and • as a pathway to chemical recycling of waste, which accelerates the transition to a Circular Economy. This involves co-processing of biomass and waste to improve the economies of scale associated with biomass conversion plants. The upcoming report discusses both trends impacting solid waste management systems within EU countries as well as selected alternative thermal treatment technologies. Aspects concerning technology readiness and affordability are highlighted in this report as well as the need to combine mechanical waste pretreatment and sorting with thermochemical treatment in order to increase recycling rates and to improve economics

APPROCCI MOLECOLARI E BIOINFORMATICI INNOVATIVI PER STUDI DI EPIDEMIOLOGIA MOLECOLARE DEL MORBILLO NELL'AMBITO DEL WHO EUROPEAN REGION MEASLES STRATEGIC PLAN 2010-2020

INTRODUZIONE. Il morbillo \ue8 una malattia esantematica estremamente contagiosa trasmissibile per via aerea causata da un virus della famiglia Paramyxoviridae, genere Morbillivirus. L\u2019infezione spesso \ue8 causa di complicanze severe e decessi, \ue8 prevenibile con la vaccinazione e presenta i requisiti per l\u2019eliminazione. L\u2019Italia fa parte dei 12 paesi europei dove la trasmissione del morbillo \ue8 ancora endemica. Il Global Measles and Rubella Strategic Plan 2012 \u2013 2020 ha fissato il goal di eliminazione del morbillo endemico nella Regione Europea dell\u2019OMS. Per raggiungere tale obiettivo \ue8 necessario ottenere e mantenere coperture vaccinali elevate (>95%) e disporre di un sistema di sorveglianza sensibile e di qualit\ue0. La sorveglianza molecolare del morbillo \ue8 una componente chiave della verifica dell'eliminazione del morbillo endemico ed \ue8 uno strumento cruciale sia per stabilire eventuali link epidemiologici tra casi che si verificano nello stesso periodo in una determinata area geografica sia per identificare le possibili fonti di importazione. Con il progredire del programma di eliminazione, la diversit\ue0 genetica dei ceppi di morbillo circolanti diminuisce. I continui viaggi aerei e la facilit\ue0 di scambi tra i paesi favoriscono le importazioni in una determinata area geografica di varianti virali appartenenti allo stesso genotipo. In questo contesto, i tradizionali metodi di laboratorio non consentono di distinguere la trasmissione endemica da eventi di importazione delle stesse varianti virali. Con il progredire del programma di vaccinazione, inoltre, una quota sempre pi\uf9 alta di casi di morbillo si verifica in soggetti vaccinati. Le nuove e avanzate tecnologie devono quindi permette di ampliare le conoscenze su questi aspetti e consentire di identificare ceppi potenzialmente in grado di eludere la risposta immunitaria. SCOPO. Scopo del presente progetto di dottorato \ue8 quello di studiare e sorvegliare nel tempo l\u2019epidemiologia molecolare del morbillo in vista dell\u2019obiettivo di eliminazione, attraverso lo sviluppo e l\u2019utilizzo di metodologie innovative molecolari e bioinformatiche. La ricerca pertanto si propone di combinare il metodo epidemiologico tradizionale con le tecniche molecolari e bioinformatiche che la nuova era offre. Un ulteriore obiettivo \ue8 stato quello di studiare casi confermati di morbillo in soggetti precedentemente vaccinati, al fine di valutare il fallimento vaccinale e identificare eventuali mutanti escape a livello del gene H. MATERIALI E METODI. Sono stati analizzati i campioni biologici provenienti da pazienti con diagnosi sospetta di morbillo raccolti nell\u2019ambito della Sistema di Sorveglianza Integrata Morbillo e Rosolia della Regione Lombardia (rete MoRoNET), da marzo 2017 a luglio 2019. I campioni sono stati sottoposti a estrazione dell'RNA e a test di Real Time RT-PCR per l\u2019identificazione del genoma del virus del morbillo. Tutti i campioni risultati positivi sono stati sottoposti a retrotrascrizione e a successiva amplificazione genica della regione N-450 del virus del morbillo mediante nested RT-PCR per la caratterizzazione genotipica. Campioni di interesse (N=50) sono stati sottoposti ad amplificazione del gene virale H mediante due emi-nested PCR e ad amplificazione dell\u2019intero genoma attraverso l\u2019utilizzo di specifiche coppie di primer per l\u2019amplificazione di 10 frammenti parzialmente sovrapposti. Gli amplificati sono stati sequenziati e sono state analizzate filogeneticamente le sequenze N-450, N-450/H e l\u2019intero genoma attraverso diversi programmi bioinformatici (ClustalX2, BioEdit, MEGA7) per le valutazioni filogenetiche. Lo studio dei casi vaccinati \ue8 stato condotto attraverso l\u2019analisi dei dati sierologici ottenuti dal database del laboratorio di riferimento regionale; in aggiunta, \ue8 stata analizzata la sequenza amminoacidica (ottenuta tramite la conversione delle sequenze nucleotidiche grazie al programma BioEdit) della proteina H di 7 casi vaccinati e di 80 casi non vaccinati come gruppo controllo. I dati anagrafici, clinici ed epidemiologici relativi ai casi di morbillo analizzati nel presente lavoro sono stati ottenuti dal database della Regione Lombardia per le malattie infettive MAINF. RISULTATI. Complessivamente, tra marzo 2017 e luglio 2019 sono stati indagati 885 casi sospetti di morbillo segnalati a Milano e nelle aree limitrofe. Il 74.2% dei casi indagati \ue8 stato confermato in laboratorio. Il maggior numero di casi \ue8 stato confermato nel 2017 (50.4%). Le fasce d\u2019et\ue0 pi\uf9 colpite sono state quelle dei giovani tra i 15 e i 39 anni (63.0%) e degli adulti over-39 anni (21.5%), dato che si \ue8 confermato per tutti e tre gli anni esaminati. Il 92.1% dei casi confermati di morbillo non era vaccinato. La consultazione del database regionale MAINF ha permesso di classificare i casi confermati come sporadici (57.4%) o appartenenti a focolai (42.7%). Il 9.7% dei casi confermati dal nostro laboratorio si trovava fuori dal territorio in esame durante il periodo di incubazione della malattia. In questo modo \ue8 stato possibile definire l\u2019importazione dell\u2019infezione, sia dall\u2019estero (44.3% dei casi importati) che da altre regioni italiane (55.7% dei casi importati). La caratterizzazione genotipica mediante sequenziamento della regione N-450 di Morbillivirus \ue8 stata completata con successo per il 95.3% dei casi. \uc8 stato possibile evidenziare la costante co-circolazione di due genotipi, il D8 (72.9%) e il B3 (26.1%). L\u2019analisi intra-genotipica ha permesso di identificare complessivamente 16 varianti virali, di cui 8 gi\ue0 classificate dall\u2019OMS e definite WHO named strain. In particolare, sono state identificate 5 WHO named strain D8 (Mv/Osaka.JPN/29.15, Mvs/London.GBR/21.16/2, MVi/Hulu-Langat.MYS/26.11, MVs/Gir-Somnath.IND/42.16, Mvs/Victoria.AUS/6.18) e 3 WHO named strain B3 (MV/Dublin.IRL/8.16, MVs/Saint-Denis.FRA/36.17, Mvs/Ljubljana.SVN.27.17). La D8-Osaka \ue8 stata la variante predominante nel 2017, la B3-Dublino nel 2018 e la D8-Gir Somnath nel 2019. Sono state inoltre identificate 69 sequenze non ancora classificate dall\u2019OMS e momentaneamente denominate \u201cno named strain\u201d. Venti erano di genotipo D8 e 49 di genotipo B3. Alcune di queste sequenze hanno dato origine a eventi di trasmissione continua, altre a casi sporadici o a piccoli focolai familiari non propagandosi ulteriormente nella popolazione. \uc8 stata approfondita l\u2019analisi molecolare di ceppi correlati a importanti eventi epidemici (focolai nosocomiali e familiari) e a casi notificati come sporadici avvenuti a breve distanza geografica e temporale dai focolai. \uc8 stato quindi sviluppato il sequenziamento e l\u2019analisi filogenetica di una regione di pi\uf9 di 2000 nucleotidi, comprendente l\u2019N-450 e tutto il gene H (N-450/H). Ci\uf2 ha reso possibile valutare la variabilit\ue0 genetica (intra-variante) di ceppi 100% identici in N-450. L\u2019analisi filogenetica di questa regione ha permesso di osservare che sequenze tra loro identiche nella sola regione N-450 formavano dei cluster e altre invece risultavano non strettamente correlate. In un secondo momento, gli stessi ceppi sono stati sottoposti a sequenziamento dell\u2019intero genoma, la cui analisi filogenetica ha confermato i dati ottenuti in N-450/H, ma raggiungendo un maggior match con l\u2019indagine epidemiologica e risultando pi\uf9 sensibile nel delineare le singole catene di trasmissione. \uc8 stato studiato il profilo sierologico di 33 casi confermati di morbillo con storia di vaccinazione documentata nel database regionale MAINF. Nel 18.2% dei casi, il riscontro di negativit\ue0 in IgG in fase acuta (7-10 giorni dall\u2019esordio del rash) ha suggerito una mancata risposta al vaccino (non-responder) e quindi un fallimento primario della vaccinazione. La gran parte dei casi vaccinati (81.8%) ha mostrato una risposta in IgG in fase acuta e pertanto inquadrabile come fallimento verosimilmente secondario. La capacit\ue0 di trasmettere l\u2019infezione da parte di soggetti con fallimento vaccinale \ue8 stata dimostrata nel 12% dei casi. Infine, i soggetti con fallimento primario avevano un\u2019et\ue0 mediana all\u2019epoca dell\u2019ultima dose pi\uf9 elevata rispetto a quelli con fallimento secondario (12 anni e 6 anni rispettivamente). Un ulteriore obiettivo del presente progetto \ue8 stato quello di analizzare 87 sequenze amminoacidiche della proteina H (target principale degli anticorpi neutralizzanti) identificate in soggetti vaccinati e non vaccinati. Di queste, 30, di cui 7 appartenenti a ceppi di casi vaccinati, presentavano sostituzioni in siti immunoepitopici. Le sostituzioni riscontrate sono state L247S, P247S, A400V, A192T e Q575K. Non sono invece state riscontrate mutazioni in siti funzionali della proteina, come per esempio residui di cisteina importanti per il mantenimento della struttura terziaria, o in siti di legame col recettore, responsabili del riconoscimento e dell\u2019ingresso nella cellula ospite. CONCLUSIONI. L\u2019andamento epidemiologico e genotipico dei casi di morbillo identificato nei 3 anni di studio a Milano e nelle aree limitrofe rispecchia quello riscontrato sul territorio nazionale. L\u2019analisi intra-genotipica condotta ha permesso di identificare complessivamente 16 varianti virali, di cui 4 predominanti e un\u2019elevata variabilit\ue0 per entrambi i genotipi individuati (D8 e B3). Ci\uf2 conferma il pattern tipico nelle aree caratterizzate da un abbassamento delle coperture vaccinali e un aumento dei soggetti suscettibili alla malattia. Per dimostrare l\u2019interruzione della circolazione all\u2019interno del proprio territorio, i paesi devono essere in grado di distinguere le trasmissioni endemiche dai casi importati, in quanto la malattia pu\uf2 essere considerata eliminata solo in assenza di focolai endemici. La circolazione a livello mondiale di un ristretto numero di varianti virali limita l\u2019informazione data dall\u2019analisi filogenetica della regione N-450 e rende pi\uf9 complessa la ricostruzione delle rotte di trasmissione e la caratterizzazione dei focolai epidemici. Inoltre, non consente di ricostruire le catene di trasmissione e identificare i casi di importazione da fonti diverse. \uc8 pertanto importante mettere in atto nuove strategie metodologiche per ampliare la \u201cfinestra di sequenziamento\u201d. L\u2019analisi dell\u2019intero genoma \ue8 risultata sensibile e in grado di ricostruire le catene di trasmissione e identificare i casi di importazione. Questa tecnica risulta tuttavia estremamente laboriosa e costosa e, nell\u2019attuale contesto epidemiologico, non applicabile come metodica di routine. Potrebbe risultare invece la strategia ottimale per i paesi measles-free o che si stanno avvicinando all'eliminazione del morbillo, dove \ue8 necessario verificare l\u2019introduzione solo di pochi ceppi virali. I risultati ottenuti nel corso dei 3 anni di dottorato sui ceppi coinvolti in importanti eventi epidemici a Milano e nelle aree limitrofe suggeriscono che l\u2019analisi della regione N-450/H possa essere considerata una valida strategia di implementazione della sorveglianza molecolare in questa fase del programma di eliminazione. Per quanto riguarda lo studio dei casi confermati di morbillo in soggetti vaccinati, i risultati hanno dimostrato che la maggior parte dei fallimenti vaccinali non sono dovuti a una mancata risposta immunitaria (non-responder), ma piuttosto ad una perdita nel tempo della risposta immunologica vaccino-indotta. Tuttavia, la valutazione del titolo anticorpale \ue8 stata fatta durante la fase acuta della malattia e non si \ue8 potuto valutare quanti soggetti presentavano titoli anticorpali protettivi prima dell\u2019infezione. Questa valutazione avrebbe contribuito a identificare i booster delle IgG in fase acuta causati dall\u2019incontro col virus selvaggio. Il riscontro di una percentuale non trascurabile di casi di morbillo tra soggetti vaccinati che ha dato origine a focolai evidenzia la necessit\ue0 di mantenere alta l\u2019attenzione nel mettere in atto le misure di contenimento e diffusione della malattia anche in presenza di casi vaccinati. Ulteriori studi multidisciplinari devono essere condotti per confermare i risultati ottenuti e delineare opportuni piani risolutivi. L\u2019analisi amminoacidica della proteina H ha permesso di identificare mutazioni in siti critici della proteina non osservate da studi precedenti. I dati ottenuti sono da un lato rassicuranti in quanto non mostrano la circolazione di mutanti escape, dall\u2019altro documentano una variabilit\ue0 della proteina H che impone la necessit\ue0 di un monitoraggio costante. In conclusione, nel presente progetto di dottorato, sono state sviluppate e applicate metodologie innovative risultate utili per la corretta valutazione dello scenario epidemiologico attuale, caratterizzato dalla circolazione di ceppi endemici, dalla continua introduzione di varianti virali e da una quota non trascurabile di fallimenti vaccinali.INTRODUCTION. Measles virus belongs to the morbillivirus genus of the family Paramyxoviridae. Infection with measles virus results in an extremely contagious exanthematic disease transmitted by air. It often causes severe complications and deaths, is preventable with vaccination and presents requirements for elimination. Italy is one of the 12 European countries where measles transmission is still endemic. The Global Measles and Rubella Strategic Plan 2012\u20132020 has set the goal of the elimination of endemic measles in the WHO European Region. To achieve this goal, high vaccination coverage must be obtained and maintained (>95%), and a sensitive and quality surveillance system must be ensured. Measles molecular surveillance is a key component to verify the endemic measles elimination, and a crucial tool both to establish any epidemiological link between cases occur in the same period and area, and to identify the importation sources. With the progress of the elimination program, the genetic diversity of circulating measles strains decreases. Continuous air travels and the ease world trade between countries facilitate imports into a given geographical area of viral variants belonging to the same genotype. In this context, traditional laboratory methods can not distinguish endemic transmission from import events of the same viral variant. In addition, as the vaccination program moves forward, an increasing proportion of measles cases occur in vaccinated individuals. New and advanced technologies must therefore allow us to broaden knowledge on measles in vaccinated people, and allow us to identify strains potentially capable of evading the immune response. AIM. The aim of the PhD project is to study and monitor in time the molecular epidemiology of measles in view of the elimination goal, through the develop and the use of innovative molecular and bioinformatic methodologies. Therefore, the research aims to combine the traditional epidemiological methods with the molecular and bioinformatic techniques of the new era. A further objective is to study measles confirmed cases in vaccinated people, in order to assess vaccination failure and to identify any escape mutant in the measles H gene. MATERIALS AND METHODS. From March 2017 to July 2019, biological specimens from patients with suspected measles were collected and analysed as part of the Measles and Rubella Integrated Surveillance System of the Lombardy Region (MoRoNET network). Viral RNA was extracted, and a Real Time RT-PCR was carried out for the measles genome identification. Retro-transcription was performed to all the measles positive samples, and a nested RT-PCR was conducted for the amplification of the N-450 region, in order to perform the genotyping. Samples of interest (N=50) have undergone two emi-nested PCR for the amplification of the H gene. Moreover, the amplification of the complete genome through specific couples of primers (which allow to obtain 10 overlapped fragments) has been conducted on the same samples. Amplicons were sequenced and a phylogenetic analysis was conducted on N-450 region, N-450/H region and on the whole genome, using the bioinformatic programs ClustalX2, BioEdit and MEGA7. Vaccinated measles cases were studied through analysis on serological data obtained from the regional referent laboratory database. In addition, the amino acid sequence of measles H protein (obtained from the conversion of the nucleotide sequences with BioEdit) was analysed in 7 vaccinated measles cases and 80 non-vaccinated measles cases, as control group. Personal, clinical and epidemiological data of measles cases analysed in this study were obtained from the Lombardy Region database of infectious diseases, MAINF. RESULTS. Overall, from March 2017 to July 2019, 885 suspected measles cases reported in Milan and surrounding areas were investigated. The 74.2% of measles cases was confirmed by laboratory investigations. The largest number of measles cases was confirmed in 2017 (50.4%). The age groups 15-39 years and over-39 years were the most affected over the all three years (63.0% and 42.7% of measles cases, respectively). The 92.1% of measles cases was unvaccinated. Regional database MAINF allowed to classify measles cases as sporadic (57.4%) or belonging to outbreaks (42.7%). The 9.7% of measles cases confirmed by our laboratory was outside the examined area during the incubation period of the disease. Genetic characterization was performed by the N-450 morbillivirus region sequencing and was completed with success in 95.3% of measles cases. The genotyping made possible to highlight the continuous co-circulation of two genotypes, D8 (72.9%) and B3 (26.1%). The intra-genotype analysis identified overall 16 viral variants, 8 of them already classified as WHO named strain. In particular, 5 WHO named strains D8 (Mv/Osaka.JPN/29.15, Mvs/London.GBR/21.16/2, MVi/Hulu-Langat.MYS/26.11, MVs/Gir-Somnath.IND/42.16, Mvs/Victoria.AUS/6.18) and 3 WHO named strains B3 (MV/Dublin.IRL/8.16, MVs/Saint-Denis.FRA/36.17, Mvs/Ljubljana.SVN.27.17) have been identified. The named strain D8-Osaka was the predominant genotype variant during the 2017. The named strain B3-Dublin was the predominant genotype variant during the 2018, and the named strain D8-Gir Somnath was the most frequently detected during the 2019. Moreover, 69 sequences not yet classified by the WHO have been identified and called \u201cno-named strain\u201d. Twenty no-named strains belonged to genotype D8 and 49 belonged to genotype B3. Some of them were responsible of continued transmission events, sporadic cases or small familiar outbreaks that did not further spread into the population. Molecular analysis has been deepened on strains correlated to nosocomial and familiar outbreaks and on strains correlated to sporadic cases occurred within short geographical and temporal distances from the outbreaks. It was therefore developed the sequencing and the phylogenetic analysis of a more than 2000 nucleotides region, which includes the N-450 region and the whole H gene (N-450/H). This made possible to evaluate the genetic variability of strains 100% identical in the N-450 region. Phylogenetic analysis of the N-450/H construct allowed to observe clusters within strains with the same N-450 region, whereas others 100% identical in N-450 were not strictly correlated. Subsequently, the whole genome sequencing was carried out on the same strains, and the phylogenetic analysis confirmed data obtained with N-450/H analysis. However, the whole genome sequencing analysis reached a greater match with the epidemiological investigation, and it resulted more sensitive outlining the single chains of transmission. The serological profile of 33 measles cases with a vaccination history was investigated. Negativity in IgG test during the acute phase of the disease (7-10 days from rash) was found in 18.2% of measles cases, suggesting a failure in vaccination response (non-responder) and therefore a primary vaccine failure. The majority of vaccinated measles cases (81.8%) showed an IgG response during the acute phase. Therefore, these cases could be placed in a secondary vaccine failure. Ability to transmit the infection to secondary cases was found in the 12% of vaccinated measles cases. In addition, the median age at the time of the last vaccine dose of measles cases with primary vaccine failure was higher than the one of measles cases with secondary vaccine failure (12 and 6 years old, respectively). Another goal of the present project was to analyse 87 aminoacidic sequences of measles H protein (first target of human neutralizing antibodies) identified in vaccinated and not vaccinated subjects. Of them, 30, of which 7 belonged to vaccinated measles cases, showed amino acid substitutions in antigenic epitopes. The substitutions were L247S, P247S, A400V, A192T, and Q575K. No mutations were found at functional sites of the protein, such as cysteine residues important for the maintenance of the tertiary protein structure, or on binding receptor sites, responsible for the recognition and the entry into the host cell. CONCLUSIONS. The epidemiological trend and genotypes of measles cases identified in Milan and the surrounding areas in the 3 years of study reflect what found on the national territory. The intra-genotyping analysis identified overall 16 viral variants, 4 of them predominant, and a high variability for both the D8 and B3 genotypes. This result confirms the typical pattern of areas characterized from a reduction of vaccination coverage and with an increment of susceptible subjects. To demonstrate t

E 9 exceptional field theory. Part II. The complete dynamics

We construct the first complete exceptional field theory that is based on an infinite-dimensional symmetry group. E$_9$ exceptional field theory provides a unified description of eleven-dimensional and type IIB supergravity covariant under the affine Kac-Moody symmetry of two-dimensional maximal supergravity. We present two equivalent formulations of the dynamics, which both rely on a pseudo-Lagrangian supplemented by a twisted self-duality equation. One formulation involves a minimal set of fields and gauge symmetries, which uniquely determine the entire dynamics. The other formulation extends $\mathfrak{e}_9$ by half of the Virasoro algebra and makes direct contact with the integrable structure of two-dimensional supergravity. Our results apply directly to other affine Kac-Moody groups, such as the Geroch group of general relativity

Consistent Kaluza-Klein truncations and two-dimensional gauged supergravity

We consider generalized Scherk-Schwarz reductions of E$_9$ exceptional field theory to D=2 space-time dimensions and in particular construct the resulting scalar potential of all gauged supergravities that can be obtained in this way. This provides the first general expression for a multitude of theories with an interesting structure of vacua, covering potentially many new AdS$_2$ cases. As an application, we prove the consistency of the truncation of eleven-dimensional supergravity on $S^8\times S^1$ to SO(9) gauged maximal supergravity. Fluctuations around its supersymmetric SO(9)-invariant vacuum describe holographically the dynamics of interacting D0-branes

Simultaneous follow-up of planetary transits: revised physical properties for the planetary systems HAT-P-16 and WASP-21

Context. By now more than 300 planets transiting their host star have been found, and much effort is being put into measuring the properties of each system. Light curves of planetary transits often contain deviations from a simple transit shape, and it is generally difficult to differentiate between anomalies of astrophysical nature (e.g. starspots) and correlated noise due to instrumental or atmospheric effects. Our solution is to observe transit events simultaneously with two telescopes located at different observatories. Aims. Using this observational strategy, we look for anomalies in the light curves of two transiting planetary systems and accurately estimate their physical parameters. Methods. We present the first photometric follow-up of the transiting planet HAT-P-16 b, and new photometric observations of WASP-21 b, obtained simultaneously with two medium-class telescopes located in different countries, using the telescope defocussing technique. We modeled these and other published data in order to estimate the physical parameters of the two planetary systems. Results. The simultaneous observations did not highlight particular features in the light curves, which is consistent with the low activity levels of the two stars. For HAT-P-16, we calculated a new ephemeris and found that the planet is 1.3 \sigma colder and smaller (Rb = 1.190 \pm 0.037 RJup) than the initial estimates, suggesting the presence of a massive core. Our physical parameters for this system point towards a younger age than previously thought. The results obtained for WASP-21 reveal lower values for the mass and the density of the planet (by 1.0 \sigma and 1.4 \sigma respectively) with respect to those found in the discovery paper, in agreement with a subsequent study. We found no evidence of any transit timing variations in either system.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Physical properties of the WASP-44 planetary system from simultaneous multi-colour photometry

We present ground-based broad-band photometry of two transits in the WASP-44 planetary system obtained simultaneously through four optical (Sloan g', r', i', z') and three near-infrared (NIR; J, H, K) filters. We achieved low scatters of 1-2 mmag per observation in the optical bands with a cadence of 48 s, but the NIR-band light curves present much greater scatter. We also observed another transit of WASP-44 b by using a Gunn-r filter and telescope defocussing, with a scatter of 0.37 mmag per point and an observing cadence around 135 s. We used these data to improve measurements of the time of mid-transit and the physical properties of the system. In particular, we improved the radius measurements of the star and planet by factors of 3 and 4, respectively. We find that the radius of WASP-44 b is 1.002 R_Jup, which is slightly smaller than previously thought and differs from that expected for a core-free planet. In addition, with the help of a synthetic spectrum, we investigated the theoretically-predicted variation of the planetary radius as a function of wavelength, covering the range 370-2440 nm. We can rule out extreme variations at optical wavelengths, but unfortunately our data are not precise enough (especially in the NIR bands) to differentiate between the theoretical spectrum and a radius which does not change with wavelength.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, to appear in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societ

A Cross-Flow Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Curcuminoids from Curcuma longa L.: Process Design to Avoid Degradation

Rhizomes of Curcuma longa L. are well known for their content of curcuminoids, which are compounds with interesting biological activity against various inflammatory states and diseases. Curcuminoids can degrade during processing. This piece of work investigates fast, efficient and cost-effective metabolite recovery from turmeric under ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). An analytical evaluation of curcuminoid stability under sonication in different solvents is reported for the first time. HPLC and quantitative 1H-NMR were used. Under the applied conditions, EtOAc was found to be the optimal extraction medium, rather than EtOH, due to its lower radical generation, which facilitates better curcuminoid stability. Kinetic characterization, by means of the Peleg equation, was applied for single-step UAE on two different rhizome granulometries. Over a time of 90 min, maximum extraction yields were 25.63% and 47.56% for 6 and 2 mm matrix powders, respectively. However, it was observed that the largest portion of curcuminoid recovery was achieved in the first 30 min. Model outcomes were used as the basis for the design of a suitable multi-step cross-flow approach that supports and emphasizes the disruptive role of cavitation. The maximum curcuminoid yield was achieved over three steps (92.10%) and four steps (80.04%), for lower and higher granulometries, respectively. Finally, the central role of the solvent was further confirmed by turmeric oleoresin purification. The EtOAc extract was purified via crystallization, and a 95% pure curcuminoid product was isolated without any chromatographic procedure. No suitable crystallization was observed for the EtOH extract

New transit observations for HAT-P-30 b, HAT-P-37 b, TrES-5 b, WASP-28 b, WASP-36 b, and WASP-39 b

We present new transit light curves for planets in six extrasolar planetary systems. They were acquired with 0.4-2.2 m telescopes located in west Asia, Europe, and South America. When combined with literature data, they allowed us to redetermine system parameters in a homogeneous way. Our results for individual systems are in agreement with values reported in previous studies. We refined transit ephemerides and reduced uncertainties of orbital periods by a factor between 2 and 7. No sign of any variations in transit times was detected for the planets studied.Comment: Submitted to Acta Astronomic

BAT2 and BAT3 polymorphisms as novel genetic risk factors for rejection after HLA-related SCT.

The genetic background of donor and recipient is an important factor determining the outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic SCT (allo-HSCT). We applied whole-genome analysis to investigate genetic variants - other than HLA class I and II - associated with negative outcome after HLA-identical sibling allo-HSCT in a cohort of 110 β-Thalassemic patients. We identified two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in BAT2 (A/G) and BAT3 (T/C) genes, SNP rs11538264 and SNP rs10484558, both located in the HLA class III region, in strong linkage disequilibrium between each other (R2 =0.92). When considered as single SNP, none of them reached a significant association with graft rejection (nominal P<0.00001 for BAT2 SNP rs11538264, and P<0.0001 for BAT3 SNP rs10484558), whereas the BAT2/BAT3 A/C haplotype was present at significantly higher frequency in patients who rejected as compared to those with functional graft (30.0% vs 2.6%, nominal P=1.15 × 10-8; and adjusted P=0.0071). The BAT2/BAT3 polymorphisms and specifically the A/C haplotype may represent a novel immunogenetic factor associated with graft rejection in patients undergoing allo-HSCT

The Mass-Radius Relationship for Very Low Mass Stars: Four New Discoveries from the HATSouth Survey

We report the discovery of four transiting F-M binary systems with companions between 0.1-0.2 Msun in mass by the HATSouth survey. These systems have been characterised via a global analysis of the HATSouth discovery data, combined with high-resolution radial velocities and accurate transit photometry observations. We determined the masses and radii of the component stars using a combination of two methods: isochrone fitting of spectroscopic primary star parameters, and equating spectroscopic primary star rotation velocity with spin-orbit synchronisation. These new very low mass companions are HATS550-016B (0.110 -0.006/+0.005 Msun, 0.147 -0.004/+0.003 Rsun), HATS551-019B (0.17 -0.01/+0.01 Msun, 0.18 -0.01/+0.01 Rsun), HATS551-021B (0.132 -0.005/+0.014 Msun, 0.154 -0.008/+0.006 Rsun), HATS553-001B (0.20 -0.02/+0.01 Msun, 0.22 -0.01/+0.01 Rsun). We examine our sample in the context of the radius anomaly for fully-convective low mass stars. Combining our sample with the 13 other well-studied very low mass stars, we find a tentative 5% systematic deviation between the measured radii and theoretical isochrone models.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA