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•Incineration bottom ash usually contains 1.0–5.0 % of non-ferrous metals.•Pre-treatment is crucial for achieving effective NFe metals recovery.•NFe metals recovery is usually ...achieved by using eddy current separators.•The majority of NFe metal recovery plants use dry treatment for wet IBA.
Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) is one of the leading technologies for municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment in Europe. Incineration bottom ash (IBA) is the main solid residue from MSWI, and its annual European production is about 20 million tons. The composition of IBA depends on the composition of the incinerated waste; therefore, it may contain significant amounts of ferrous and non-ferrous (NFe) metals as well as glass that can be recovered. Technologies for NFe metals recovery have emerged in IBA treatment since the 1990s and became common practice in many developed countries. Although the principles and used apparatus are nearly the same in all treatment trains, the differences in technological approaches to recovery of valuable components from IBA – with a special focus on NFe metals recovery – are summarized in this paper.
Amphetamine-related drugs, such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and methamphetamine (METH), are popular recreational psychostimulants. Several preclinical studies have demonstrated that, ...besides having the potential for abuse, amphetamine-related drugs may also elicit neurotoxic and neuroinflammatory effects. The neurotoxic potentials of MDMA and METH to dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons have been clearly demonstrated in both rodents and non-human primates. This review summarizes the species-specific cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in MDMA and METH-mediated neurotoxic and neuroinflammatory effects, along with the most important behavioral changes elicited by these substances in experimental animals and humans. Emphasis is placed on the neuropsychological and neurological consequences associated with the neuronal damage. Moreover, we point out the gap in our knowledge and the need for developing appropriate therapeutic strategies to manage the neurological problems associated with amphetamine-related drug abuse.
The circumsporozoite protein of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum (PfCSP) is the main target of antibodies that prevent the infection and disease, as shown in animal models. However, ...the limited efficacy of the PfCSP-based vaccine RTS,S calls for a better understanding of the mechanisms driving the development of the most potent human PfCSP antibodies and identification of their target epitopes. By characterizing 200 human monoclonal PfCSP antibodies induced by sporozoite immunization, we establish that the most potent antibodies bind around a conserved (N/D)PNANPN(V/A) core. High antibody affinity to the core correlates with protection from parasitemia in mice and evolves around the recognition of NANP motifs. The data suggest that the rational design of a next-generation PfCSP vaccine that elicits high-affinity antibody responses against the core epitope will promote the induction of protective humoral immune responses.
Within-host survival and between-host transmission are key life-history traits of single-celled malaria parasites. Understanding the evolutionary forces that shape these traits is crucial to predict ...malaria epidemiology, drug resistance, and virulence. However, very little is known about how Plasmodium parasites adapt to their mosquito vectors. Here, we examine the evolution of the time Plasmodium parasites require to develop within the vector (extrinsic incubation period) with an individual-based model of malaria transmission that includes mosquito metabolism. Specifically, we model the metabolic cascade of resource allocation induced by blood-feeding, as well as the influence of multiple blood meals on parasite development. Our model predicts that successful vector-to-human transmission events are rare, and are caused by long-lived mosquitoes. Importantly, our results show that the life-history strategies of malaria parasites depend on the mosquito's metabolic status. In our model, additional resources provided by multiple blood meals lead to selection for parasites with slow or intermediate developmental time. These results challenge the current assumption that evolution favors fast developing parasites to maximize their chances to complete their within-mosquito life cycle. We propose that the long sporogonic cycle observed for Plasmodium is not a constraint but rather an adaptation to increase transmission potential.
Accelerated carbonation is a carbon utilization option which allows the manufacturing of useful products, employing CO
2
-concentrated or -diluted emission sources and waste streams such as ...industrial or other processing solid residues, in a circular economy perspective. If properly implemented, it may reduce the exploitation of virgin raw materials and their associated environmental footprint and permanently store CO
2
in the form of Ca and/or Mg carbonates, thus effectively contributing to climate change mitigation. In this perspective article, we first report an overview of the main mineral carbonation pathways that have been developed up to now, focusing on those which were specifically designed to obtain useful products, starting from different alkaline feedstocks. Based on the current state of the art, we then discuss the main critical issues that still need to be addressed in order to improve the overall feasibility of mineral carbonation as a CCUS option, as well as research needs and opportunities.
Anxiety disorders are often associated with an inability to extinguish learned fear responses. The hypocretin/orexin system is involved in the regulation of emotional states and could also ...participate in the consolidation and extinction of aversive memories. Using hypocretin receptor-1 and hypocretin receptor-2 antagonists, hypocretin-1 and hypocretin-2 peptides, and hypocretin receptor-1 knockout mice, we investigated the role of the hypocretin system in cue- and context-dependent fear conditioning and extinction. Hypocretins were crucial for the consolidation of fear conditioning, and this effect was mainly observed in memories with a high emotional component. Notably, after the acquisition of fear memory, hypocretin receptor-1 blockade facilitated fear extinction, whereas hypocretin-1 administration impaired this extinction process. The extinction-facilitating effects of the hypocretin receptor-1 antagonist SB334867 were associated with increased expression of cFos in the basolateral amygdala and the infralimbic cortex. Intra-amygdala, but neither intra-infralimbic prefrontal cortex nor intra-dorsohippocampal infusion of SB334867 enhanced fear extinction. These results reveal a key role for hypocretins in the extinction of aversive memories and suggest that hypocretin receptor-1 blockade could represent a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of diseases associated with inappropriate retention of fear, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and phobias.
Clinical studies indicate significant use of prescription, nonprescription and social/recreational drugs by women during pregnancy; however, limited knowledge exists about the detrimental effects ...that this practice may have on the developing central nervous system of the fetus. Importantly, few experimental and clinical data are available on how gestational exposure could exacerbate the effects of the same or a different drug consumed by the offspring later in life. The present review summarizes recent findings on the central toxicity elicited by several classes of drugs, administered prenatally and postnatally in experimental animals and humans, focusing on prescription and nonprescription analgesics, anti-inflammatory agents, alcohol and nicotine.
•Combined granulation–carbonation as a valorization technique for BOF slag.•Granules with a tenfold larger particle size compared to the untreated slag.•Significant modifications in the leaching ...behavior after granulation–carbonation.•Differential carbonation of the outer granule layer with respect to the inner core.
This work reports the results of a combined accelerated carbonation and wet granulation treatment applied to Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) steel slag with the aim of producing secondary aggregates for civil engineering applications and of storing CO2 in a solid and thermodynamically stable form. The tests were carried out in a laboratory scale granulation device equipped with a lid and CO2 feeding system. In each test, humidified slag (liquid/solid ratio of 0.12l/kg) was treated for reaction times varying between 30 and 120min under either atmospheric air or 100% CO2. Under both conditions, the particle size of the treatment product was observed to increase progressively with reaction time; specifically, the d50 values obtained for the products of the combined granulation and carbonation treatment increased from 0.4mm to 4mm after 30min and to 10mm after 120min. Significant CO2 uptake values (between 120 and 144g CO2/kg) were measured even after short reaction times for granules with diameters below 10mm and for the coarser particle size fractions after reaction times of 90min. The density, mineralogical composition and leaching behavior of the obtained granules were also investigated, showing that the combined granulation–carbonation process may be a promising option for BOF slag valorization, particularly in terms of decreasing the Ca hydroxide content of the slag. Another interesting finding was that the leaching behavior of the product of the combined treatment appeared to be significantly modified with respect to that of the untreated slag only for coarse uncrushed granules, an indication that the carbonation reaction occurs mainly on the outer layer of the formed granules.
The damages of Mariana’s mining mud in the physiology of the brown algae
Sargassum cymosum
and its main epiphytic, the red algae
Hypnea pseudomusciformis
, were evaluated by controlled essays. ...Seaweeds were exposed to presence or absence of mud, isolated or in biological association, for 5 and 15 days. Measured parameters were growth rates, biochemical descriptors, and the chemical investigation of concentration and metal profile of the mud dissolved in seawater. Results showed that the highest values for metals were Al > Fe > Mn > Zn in both exposure periods. The mud also affected the growth rate with lethality in both isolated and associative treatments with
H. pseudomusciformis
after 15 days. According to our redundancy analysis (RDA), the profile and concentration of all metallic elements can induce different physiological responses of the organisms. We were able to observe a higher physiological adaptive ability of
S. cymosum
against the long-term presence of metals by the synthesis of phenolic compounds, while the deviation of metabolic routes in
H. pseudomusciformis
can be addressed as the main responsible for its lethality. Moreover, the presence of
Hypnea
in associative treatments reduces
Sargassum
’s detoxification ability. The present results reinforce the importance of biological interaction studies in a context of physiological resilience against mining mud pollution and mutual influences of species over the individual ability to avoid oxidative stress.
The egress and fertilization of
gametes and development of a motile ookinete are the first crucial steps that mediate the successful transmission of the malaria parasites from humans to the
vector. ...However, limited information exists about the cell biology and regulation of this process. Technical impediments in the establishment of
conditions for ookinete maturation in
and other human malaria parasites further constrain a detailed characterization of ookinete maturation. Here, using fluorescence microscopy and immunolabeling, we compared
ookinete maturation in
mosquitoes
and in cell culture
. Our results identified two critical steps in ookinete maturation that are regulated by distinct mosquito factors, thereby highlighting the role of the mosquito environment in the transmission efficiency of malaria parasites.
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