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bstract
RADES (Relic Axion Detector Exploratory Setup) is a project with the goal of directly searching for axion dark matter above the 30
μ
eV scale employing custom-made microwave filters in ...magnetic dipole fields. Currently RADES is taking data at the LHC dipole of the CAST experiment. In the long term, the RADES cavities are envisioned to take data in the BabyIAXO magnet. In this article we report on the modelling, building and characterisation of an optimised microwave-filter design with alternating irises that exploits maximal coupling to axions while being scalable in length without suffering from mode-mixing. We develop the mathematical formalism and theoretical study which justifies the performance of the chosen design. We also point towards the applicability of this formalism to optimise the MADMAX dielectric haloscopes.
A
bstract
Haloscopes, microwave resonant cavities utilized in detecting dark matter axions within powerful static magnetic fields, are pivotal in modern astrophysical research. This paper delves into ...the realm of cylindrical geometries, investigating techniques to augment volume and enhance compatibility with dipole or solenoid magnets. The study explores volume constraints in two categories of haloscope designs: those reliant on single cavities and those employing multicavities. In both categories, strategies to increase the expanse of elongated structures are elucidated. For multicavities, the optimization of space within magnets is explored through 1D configurations. Three subcavity stacking approaches are investigated, while the foray into 2D and 3D geometries lays the groundwork for future topological developments. The results underscore the efficacy of these methods, revealing substantial room for progress in cylindrical haloscope design. Notably, an elongated single cavity design attains a three-order magnitude increase in volume compared to a WC-109 standard waveguide-based single cavity. Diverse prototypes featuring single cavities, 1D, 2D, and 3D multicavities highlight the feasibility of leveraging these geometries to magnify the volume of tangible haloscope implementations.
A
bstract
Haloscopes are resonant cavities that serve as detectors of dark matter axions when they are immersed in a strong static magnetic field. In order to increase the volume and improve space ...compatibility with dipole or solenoid magnets for axion searches, various haloscope design techniques for rectangular geometries are discussed in this study. The volume limits of two types of haloscopes are explored: those based on single cavities and those based on multicavities. In both cases, possibilities for increasing the volume of long and/or tall structures are presented. For multicavities, 1D geometries are explored to optimise the space in the magnets. Also, 2D and 3D geometries are introduced as a first step in laying the foundations for the development of these kinds of topologies. The results prove the usefulness of the developed methods, evidencing the ample room for improvement in rectangular haloscope designs nowadays. A factor of three orders of magnitude improvement in volume compared with a single cavity based on the WR-90 standard waveguide is obtained with the design of a long and tall single cavity. Similar procedures have been applied for long and tall multicavities. Experimental measurements are shown for prototypes based on tall multicavities and 2D structures, demonstrating the feasibility of using these types of geometries to increase the volume of real haloscopes.
Pharmaceuticals are designed to improve human and animal health, but may also be a threat to freshwater ecosystems, particularly after receiving urban or wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents. ...Knowledge on the fate and attenuation of pharmaceuticals in engineered and natural ecosystems is rather fragmented, and comparable methods are needed to facilitate the comprehension of those processes amongst systems. In this study the dynamics of 8 pharmaceuticals (acetaminophen, sulfapyridine, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine, venlafaxine, ibuprofen, diclofenac, diazepam) and 11 of their transformation products were investigated in a WWTP and the associated receiving river ecosystem. During 3 days, concentrations of these compounds were quantified at the influents, effluents, and wastage of the WWTP, and at different distances downstream the effluent at the river. Attenuation (net balance between removal and release from and to the water column) was estimated in both engineered and natural systems using a comparable model-based approach by considering different uncertainty sources (e.g. chemical analysis, sampling, and flow measurements). Results showed that pharmaceuticals load reduction was higher in the WWTP, but attenuation efficiencies (as half-life times) were higher in the river. In particular, the load of only 5 out of the 19 pharmaceuticals was reduced by more than 90% at the WWTP, while the rest were only partially or non-attenuated (or released) and discharged into the receiving river. At the river, only the load of ibuprofen was reduced by more than 50% (out of the 6 parent compounds present in the river), while partial and non-attenuation (or release) was observed for some of their transformation products. Linkages in the routing of some pharmaceuticals (venlafaxine, carbamazepine, ibuprofen and diclofenac) and their corresponding transformation products were also identified at both WWTP and river. Finally, the followed procedure showed that dynamic attenuation in the coupled WWTP-river system could be successfully predicted with simple first order attenuation kinetics for most modeled compounds.
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•Attenuation of pharmaceuticals in a WWTP-and its receiving river is investigated.•5 out of the 19 pharmaceuticals were reduced by more than 90% at the WWTP.•At the river, only the load of ibuprofen was reduced by more than 50%.•Attenuation in terms of load reduction was higher in the WWTP.•Attenuation in terms of half-life time was higher in the river.
•MBR-NF and MBR-RO wastewater treatments result in very high PhACs elimination rates.•Elimination of PhACs, metabolites and TPs by MBR-NF and MBR-RO were compared.•MBR alone completely eliminated ACM ...and AcSMX during both sampling campaigns.•NF membranes working at low fluxes require half the energy of RO systems.•NF membranes working at low fluxes are as efficient as RO systems in PhACs removal.
The removal of pharmaceuticals (PhACs) present in urban wastewater by membrane bioreactors (MBRs) followed by reverse osmosis (RO) or nanofiltration (NF) membranes has been frequently addressed in the literature. However, data regarding the removal of their main human metabolites and transformation products (TPs) is still scarce. In this study, the presence of 13 PhACs and 20 of their metabolites and TPs was monitored during 2 consecutive years in the different treatment steps of urban raw wastewater (sewer, primary treatment, MBR and RO/NF). Rejection of the selected contaminants when using low pressure NF membranes (NF-90) or RO membranes (ESPA 2) after the MBR step was also investigated. The analgesic acetaminophen, which was found at the highest concentrations in the sewer and influent samples (18–74µgL−1) over the two experimental periods, was fully eliminated during MBR treatment. Those PhACs that were only partially removed after the MBR, were almost completely removed (>99%) by the RO membrane working under different process conditions. At a similar average permeate fluxes (18Lm−2h−1), the NF membrane showed high removal efficiencies (>90%) for all of the PhACs and their metabolites, though lower than those achieved by the RO membrane. When the flux of the NF90 membrane was increased to 30Lm−2h−1 (while still operating at a feed pressure lower than the RO membrane at 18Lm−2h−1) the performance of the membrane increased, achieving 98% rejection of PhACs.
Pharmaceuticals and microplastics constitute potential hazards in aquatic systems, but their combined effects and underlying toxicity mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, a simultaneous ...characterization of bioaccumulation, associated metabolomic alterations and potential recovery mechanisms was performed. Specifically, a bioassay on Mediterranean mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) was carried out with polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPLs, 1 mg/L) and citalopram or bezafibrate (500 ng/L). Single and co-exposure scenarios lasted 21 days, followed by a 7-day depuration period to assess their potential recovery. PE-MPLs delayed the bioaccumulation of citalopram (lower mean at 10 d: 447 compared to 770 ng/g dw under single exposure), although reaching similar tissue concentrations after 21 d. A more limited accumulation of bezafibrate was observed overall, regardless of PE-MPLs co-exposure (<MQL–3.2 ng/g dw). Metabolic profiles showed a strong effect of pharmaceuticals, generally independent of PE-MPLs co-exposure. Alterations of the citrate cycle (bezafibrate exposure) and steroid and prostaglandin metabolism (citalopram and bezafibrate exposures) were highlighted. PE-MPLs alone also impacted metabolic pathways, such as neurotransmitters or purine metabolism. After depuration, relevant latent or long-lasting effects were demonstrated as, for instance, the effect of citalopram on neurotransmitters metabolism. Altogether, the observed molecular-level responses to pharmaceuticals and/or PE-MPLs may lead to a dysregulation of mussels’ reproduction, energy metabolism, and/or immunity.
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•Citalopram bioaccumulates ∼500 times more than bezafibrate in mussels.•Magnitude of pharmaceutical effects not directly correlated with bioaccumulation.•Possible alteration of reproduction, energy metabolism and immunity by the two pharmaceuticals.•Bioaccumulation and metabolic effects generally independent of PE-MPLs co-exposure.•PE-MPLs alone also dysregulated biological pathways (e.g., purine metabolism).
Using reclaimed water to irrigate crops can be an important route for organic contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) to be introduced into agricultural production and thus find their way into the ...food chain. This work aims to establish accumulation models for the different parts of a crop (fruit/leaves/roots) and the soil of some of the most commonly detected CECs in reclaimed water, through field trials in greenhouses. For this, tomato plants were permanently irrigated under realistic agricultural conditions with a mixture of the selected compounds at approx. 1 μg/L. A total of 30 contaminants were analyzed belonging to different compound categories. A modified QuEChERS extraction method followed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry was the procedure used. The study revealed the presence of 21 target contaminants in the tomatoes, and 18 CECs in the leaves, roots, and soil. The average total concentration of pesticides detected in the tomatoes was 3 μg/kg f.w., whereas the average total load of pharmaceuticals was 5.8 μg/kg f.w. after three months, at the time of crop harvesting. The levels of pharmaceutical products and pesticides in the non-edible tissues were up to 3.5 and 2.1 μg/kg f.w., respectively, in the leaves and up to 89.3 and 31.3 μg/kg f.w., respectively, in the roots. In the case of the soil samples, the pesticide concentration found after crop harvesting was below 11.4 μg/kg d.w., and less than 3.0 μg/kg d.w. for pharmaceuticals. Overall, the concentration levels of CECs detected in the tomatoes, which were permanently irrigated with contaminated reclaimed water, do not pose a risk to human health via dietary intake.
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•Soil samples exhibited the highest content of CECs followed by fruit ≥ leaf ≥ roots.•We identify CECs with the highest potential for plant uptake and soil accumulation.•We propose mathematical models to estimate the CECs uptake in soil and plants.•A correlation was found between CECs uptake and logKow.•Daily human intake was estimated considering the worst-case scenario.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the main ubiquitous compounds released from plastics in the environment. This compound, considered an endocrine disruptor, poses a risk to aquatic wildlife and human ...population, being included in multiple environmental monitoring programmes. Following the regulations restricting BPA use in the last years, BPA-like chemicals have been produced and used as BPA substitutes. However, they are not commonly included in monitoring programs yet and their presence is thus misrepresented, despite showing similar endocrine disrupting potential. In this work, an analytical method for analysing bisphenol A and five of its analogues (Bisphenol S, B, F, AF and Tetrabromobisphenol A) is described, validated for water (riverine, sea and wastewater), sediment, and biota (fish and biofilm) and applied to monitor their presence in the Ebro River Delta (NE Spain). In addition, plastic litter was also collected to evaluate their role as potential source of bisphenols. All compounds except BPF were detected in the analysed samples. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were discarded as major sources of BPs into the natural aquatic environment, as no BPs were detected in treated effluents. Indeed, the high levels of BPs in the natural environment could be related with direct discharge of raw wastewater from small rural population nucleus. The analysis of riverine plastic leachates yielded 4 out of the 6 BPs analysed, strengthening the hypothesis that plastic debris are also a source of BPs in the natural environment. Whereas Bisphenol S and BPA were detected in water and, to a limited extent, in biota, less polar analogues (mainly BPAF and TBBPA) were not found in any of the water samples. Instead, these hydrophobic BPs were found in fish tissues and biofilm, pointing out plastics and microplastics as their possible vectors. Finally, biofilm demonstrated its potential as sentinel of chemical contamination in freshwater environment.
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•Bisphenols were studied in biotic and non-biotic fluvial compartments.•Polar bisphenols detected in all environmental compartments.•Less polar bisphenol analogues only found in fish tissues and fluvial biofilm.•Plastic litter pointed out as a source of bisphenol contamination in river.•Fluvial biofilm as a sentinel for bisphenols monitoring in the aquatic environment.
Coastal ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to terrestrial inputs from human-impacted areas. The prevalence of wastewater treatment plants, unable to remove contaminants such as pharmaceuticals ...(PhACs), leads to their continuous input into the marine environment. In this paper, the seasonal occurrence of PhACs in a semi-confined coastal lagoon (the Mar Menor, south-eastern Spain) was studied during 2018 and 2019 by evaluating their presence in seawater and sediments, and their bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms. Temporal variation in the contamination levels was evaluated by comparison to a previous study carried out between 2010 and 2011 before the cessation of permanent discharges of treated wastewater into the lagoon. The impact of a flash flood event (September 2019) on PhACs pollution was also assessed. A total of seven compounds (out of 69 PhACs analysed) were found in seawater during 2018–2019, with a limited detection frequency (<33%) and concentrations (up to 11 ng/L of clarithromycin). Only carbamazepine was found in sediments (ND–1.2 ng/g dw), suggesting an improved environmental quality in comparison to 2010–2011 (when 24 and 13 compounds were detected in seawater and sediments, respectively). However, the biomonitoring of fish and molluscs showed a still remarkable accumulation of analgesic/anti-inflammatory drugs, lipid regulators, psychiatric drugs and β-blocking agents, albeit not higher than in 2010. The flash flood event from 2019 increased the prevalence of PhACs in the lagoon, compared to the 2018–2019 sampling campaigns, especially in the upper water layer. After the flash flood the antibiotics clarithromycin and sulfapyridine yielded the highest concentrations ever reported in the lagoon (297 and 145 ng/L, respectively), alongside azithromycin in 2011 (155 ng/L). Flash flood events associated with sewer overflows and soil mobilisation, which are expected to increase under climate change scenarios, should be considered when assessing the risks posed by pharmaceuticals to vulnerable aquatic ecosystems in the coastal areas.
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•Lower pharmaceutical concentrations were found in Mar Menor lagoon (SE Spain) in 2018–2019 than in 2010–2011.•Reuse of WWTP effluents (since 2015) has likely contributed to the observed decrease in pharmaceutical levels.•A flash flood episode in 2019 increased the presence of pharmaceuticals in the upper seawater layer.•Biomonitoring more informative than grab water regarding pharmaceutical presence in the lagoon.
Adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is thought to reduce liver steatosis.
To explore the associations with liver steatosis of 3 different diets: a MedDiet + extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), ...MedDiet + nuts, or a control diet.
This was a subgroup analysis nested within a multicenter, randomized, parallel-group clinical trial, PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED trial: ISRCTN35739639), aimed at assessing the effect of a MedDiet on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. One hundred men and women (mean age: 64 ± 6 y), at high cardiovascular risk (62% with type 2 diabetes) from the Bellvitge-PREDIMED center were randomly assigned to a MedDiet supplemented with EVOO, a MedDiet supplemented with mixed nuts, or a control diet (advice to reduce all dietary fat). No recommendations to lose weight or increase physical activity were given. Main measurements were the percentage of liver fat and the diagnosis of steatosis, which were determined by NMR imaging. The association of diet with liver fat content was analyzed by bivariate analysis after a median follow-up of 3 y.
Baseline adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors were similar among the 3 treatment arms. At 3 y after the intervention hepatic steatosis was present in 3 (8.8%), 12 (33.3%), and 10 (33.3%) of the participants in the MedDiet + EVOO, MedDiet + nuts, and control diet groups, respectively (P = 0.027). Respective mean values of liver fat content were 1.2%, 2.7%, and 4.1% (P = 0.07). A tendency toward significance was observed for the MedDiet + EVOO group compared with the control group. Median values of urinary 12(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid/creatinine concentrations were significantly (P = 0.001) lower in the MedDiet + EVOO (2.3 ng/mg) than in the MedDiet + nuts (5.0 ng/mg) and control (3.9 ng/mg) groups. No differences in adiposity or glycemic control changes were seen between groups.
An energy-unrestricted MedDiet supplemented with EVOO, a food with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, is associated with a reduced prevalence of hepatic steatosis in older individuals at high cardiovascular risk.
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