Industry of table olives is widely distributed over the Mediterranean countries and generates large volumes of processing wastewaters (TOPWs). TOPWs contain high levels of organic matter, salt, and ...phenolic compounds that are recalcitrant to microbial degradation. This work aims to evaluate the potential of bioelectrochemical systems to simultaneously treat real TOPWs and recover energy. The experiments were performed in potentiostatically-controlled single-chamber systems fed with real TOPW and using a moderate halophilic consortium as biocatalyst. In conventional anaerobic digestion (AD) treatment, ie. where no potential was applied, no CH4 was produced. In comparison, Bio-Electrochemical Systems (BES) showed a maximum CH4 yield of 701 ± 13 NmL CH4·LTOPW−1 under a current density of 7.1 ± 0.4 A m−2 and with a coulombic efficiency of 30%. Interestingly, up to 80% of the phenolic compounds found in the raw TOPW (i.e. hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol) were removed. A new theoretical degradation pathway was proposed after identification of the metabolic by-products. Consistently, microbial community analysis at the anode revealed a clear and specific enrichment in anode-respiring bacteria (ARB) from the genera Desulfuromonas and Geoalkalibacter, supporting the key role of these electroactive microorganisms. As a conclusion, bioelectrochemical systems represent a promising bioprocess alternative for the treatment and energy recovery of recalcitrant TOPWs.
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•Efficient Table Olive Processing Wastewater (TOPW) treatment in bioelectrochemical systems was shown.•701 ± 13 NmLCH4/LTOPW and a maximum current density of 7.1 ± 0.4 A m−2 were achieved from raw TOPW.•Successful enrichment of anode-respiring bacteria on the electrodes was observed.•Up to 80% of the major phenolic compounds were removed.•A new theoretical pathway for phenolic compounds conversion is proposed.
► We evaluated the safety of DHA-rich Algal Oil from Schizochytrium sp. ► The oil contains 40–45wt% DHA and up to 10wt% EPA. ► The results of three genotoxicity tests were negative. ► The 90-day rat ...dietary study included an in utero exposure and a 4-week recovery phase. ► The NOAEL was 5wt% in the diet, equivalent to an average Algal Oil intake of 4260mg/kgbw/day.
The safety of DHA-rich Algal Oil from Schizochytrium sp. containing 40–45wt% DHA and up to 10wt% EPA was evaluated by testing for gene mutations, clastogenicity and aneugenicity, and in a subchronic 90-day Sprague–Dawley rat dietary study with in utero exposure, followed by a 4-week recovery phase. The results of all genotoxicity tests were negative. In the 90-day study, DHA-rich Algal Oil was administered at dietary levels of 0.5, 1.5, and 5wt% along with two control diets: a standard low-fat basal diet and a basal diet supplemented with 5wt% of concentrated Fish Oil. There were no treatment-related effects of DHA-rich Algal Oil on clinical observations, body weight, food consumption, behavior, hematology, clinical chemistry, coagulation, or urinalysis. Increases in absolute and relative weights of the liver, kidney, spleen and adrenals (adrenals and spleen with histological correlates) were observed in both the Fish Oil- and the high-dose of DHA-rich Algal Oil-treated females and were not considered to be adverse. The no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) for DHA-rich Algal Oil under the conditions of this study was 5wt% in the diet, equivalent to an overall average DHA-rich Algal Oil intake of 4260mg/kgbw/day for male and female rats.
The Electron-Ion Collider (EIC), planned for construction at Brookhaven National Laboratory, will consist of two intersecting beams of intense electrons and high-energy protons or heavier atomic ...nuclei. The collider will need many demanding components, including high field superconducting magnets for the Interaction Region (IR). It has been decided that a prototype of one such magnet, the B1pF dipole, shall be built, to validate design choices common to all Rutherford cable dipole and quadrupole IR magnets. B1pF is one of several high field magnets in the interaction region whose design is based on the 15.1 mm wide NbTi cable, a cable like the one used in the main dipole coil of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. The current design is based on a single layer coil with an inner diameter of 300 mm and magnetic length of ∼3 m which generates a magnetic field at the center of the magnet of about 3.7 T at a current of ∼11 kA at design. This paper presents the mechanical design of the B1pF dipole magnet, and the R&D effort associated with the development of the prototype, including tests for successfully winding and curing coils of the needed configuration into proper structural and magnetic elements, and including a multilayer magnetic return yoke which meets field requirements while providing an initial reduced structure suitable for operational testing in an existing test facility.
Safety evaluation of Algal Oil from Schizochytrium sp Fedorova-Dahms, I.; Marone, P.A.; Bailey-Hall, E. ...
Food and chemical toxicology,
January 2011, 2011, 2011-Jan, 2011-01-00, 20110101, Volume:
49, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The safety of Algal Oil from Schizochytrium sp. was evaluated by testing for gene mutations, clastogenicity and aneugenicity, and in a subchronic 90-day Sprague–Dawley rat dietary study. The results ...of all genotoxicity tests were negative. The 90-day study involved dietary exposure to 0.5, 1.5, and 5wt.% of Algal Oil and two control diets: a standard low-fat basal diet and a basal diet supplemented with 5wt.% menhaden oil (the fish oil control). There were no treatment-related effects of Algal Oil on clinical observations, body weight, food consumption, behavior, hematology, clinical chemistry, coagulation, or urinalysis parameters. Increased mean liver weights and alveolar histiocytosis were observed in both the fish oil control and the high-dose Algal Oil-treated animals and were not considered to be adverse. Algal Oil was bioavailable as demonstrated by the dose-related increase of DHA and EPA levels in tissues and plasma. The no observable adverse effect level (NOAEL) for Algal Oil under the conditions of this study was 5wt.% in the diet, equivalent to an overall average Algal Oil intake of 3250mg/kg bw/day for male and female rats. Based on the body surface area, the human equivalent dose is about 30g Algal Oil/day for a 60kg adult.
An important step toward the advent of nuclear fusion as a future power source is the development of plasma-facing materials that can function as designed for a long period of time. While ITER and ...other devices including Wendelstein 7-X and the Joint European Torus will provide insight into divertor and first wall performance, a dedicated device to advance the understanding of material performance in the representative plasma environments is needed. The Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment has been proposed as a linear plasma device to generate and to direct fusion reactor-like plasma energy and particle flux at the target materials with electron temperatures of 1-15 eV and electron densities of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">10^{20} </tex-math></inline-formula>-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">10^{21}\,\,\text{m}^{-3} </tex-math></inline-formula>. Given that the requirements for radio frequency (RF) heating on-axis field are no greater than 2.5 T and the warm bore diameters must be between 60 cm and 1.5 m, the conceptual design was developed for the experiments on a set of superconducting magnets carried out using commercially available NbTi superconductors. This conceptual design evaluated the cryogenic heat loads, mechanical loads, and quench protection to ensure that the current design is compatible with current technologies. In addition, an alternative evaluation of this design relative to ReBCO high-temperature superconducting magnets determined the conditions under which these technologies could be advantageous.
Due to significant technological advances and industry requirements, many universities have introduced programmable logic and hardware description languages into undergraduate engineering curricula. ...This has led to a number of logistical and didactical challenges, in particular for computer science students. In this paper, the integration of some programmable logic concepts into an introductory digital electronics course is presented. The proposed optional lab develops a printed circuit board that implements a programmable logic block. Another contribution is the collaborative problem-solving methodology used to achieve this goal. Surveys completed by the students, and their final grades, show that the lab has improved the quality of their education and has contributed to a successful integration of programmable logic concepts in an introductory digital electronics course. Because of its demands on students' time and effort, the lab favors the most motivated students. This suggests future research on a proposal for a lab that would be feasible within the time constraints for even the least motivated students.
Abstract
High Field Vertical Magnet Test Facility (HFVMTF) is a joint project between the Office of High Energy Physics (HEP) and the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES). Its construction is ...currently under way at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab). As a part of the project a new double bath superfluid helium cryostat has been designed. The cryostat can accommodate magnets with up to 20 tonne weight and 1.3 m diameter. This paper discusses challenges and solutions for cryostat, lambda plate and heat exchanger design, and presents results of performance analysis.
To simulate the hemodynamic effects in the feet in response to a thigh cuff occlusion, we have developed a multi-compartmental model in which the circulatory system for the leg is represented by its ...electrical equivalents. Dynamic vascular optical tomographic imaging data previously obtained from 20 patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and 20 healthy subjects is used to test the model. Analyzing the clinical data with the support of the model yields diagnostic specificity and sensitivity in the 90-95% range, significantly higher than previously reported.
Although more common than in the general population, seizures are an atypical manifestation of multiple sclerosis (MS) and their pathophysiology is not well understood. This study aims to examine the ...prevalence, clinical characteristics, brain imaging findings and course of epilepsy, presenting in patients with MS.
Observational retrospective study of MS patients evaluated at a single MS reference center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, between 2011 and 2022, focusing on those who developed epilepsy (EMS). Clinical, demographic, and prognostic factors were evaluated and compared to a control group of non-epileptic MS patients (NEMS). To analyze specific epilepsy characteristics, a second control group of patients with non-lesional focal epilepsy (FNLE) was also included.
Twenty-five patients (18 women), were diagnosed with epilepsy, corresponding to a prevalence of 1.95%. Comparison of brain imaging characteristics between EMS and NEMS patients showed brain atrophy (32% vs 6.1%, p<0.01), as well as cortical (26% vs 4%, p=0.03) and juxtacortical lesions (84% vs 55%, p=0.05), were more frequent in EMS patients. However, after multivariate analysis, cortical atrophy was the only variable linked to a significant increase in risk of epilepsy (OR 24, 95%CI=2.3-200, p<0.01). No significant differences in clinical characteristics, disease activity, disability levels, response to disease modified treatment (DMT) or lack of DMT efficacy were observed between MS patients with or without epilepsy. Most patients received anti-seizure medication (ASM), and seizure control was better in EMS than in FNLE patients (92% vs 58%, p=0.022) with no differences found in drug resistance. We did not find predictors of seizure recurrence in the population studied.
We observed a lower prevalence of epilepsy in this group of MS patients, compared to other reported cohorts. Although epilepsy seems to have a benign course in MS patients, cortical atrophy appears to be an important contributor to the development of secondary epilepsy in MS patients. Further investigations will be necessary to identify risk factors or biomarkers predicting increased epilepsy risk in MS.
The fruit of the coffee plant,
Coffea arabica, has high phenolic antioxidant and phytonutrient content and could be a beneficial food ingredient. However, the fruit has historically been discarded ...for the favored harvesting of the coffee bean alone. CoffeeBerry® products are derived from the whole fruit and include a ground whole powder, a water extract, and a more recently developed water–ethanol extract. The safety of CoffeeBerry® products was evaluated in three genotoxicity studies, three short-term oral toxicity studies, and a 90-day dietary toxicity study. Bacterial mutagenicity studies and a micronucleus test using murine peripheral cells demonstrated that none of the three products showed mutagenic or genotoxic potential. In the short-term studies, despite palatability issues, female rats showed a tolerance for whole powder and ethanol extract at doses up to 8800
mg/kg
bw/day. Male rats also exhibited palatability issues and tolerated lower doses of approximately 4000
mg/kg
bw/day ethanol extract via gavage and approximately 2100
mg/kg
bw/day whole powder or water extract in the diet. When fed in the diet to Sprague–Dawley rats for 90
days, ethanol extract showed no adverse effects at dietary concentrations of up to 5% (approximately 3446 and 4087
mg/kg
bw/day for male and female rats, respectively).
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