Wastewater management is included in one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 6 is dedicated to water and sanitation and sets out to “ensure availability and sustainable management of ...water and sanitation for all”. SDG 6 expands the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) focus on drinking water and basic sanitation to now cover the entire water cycle, including the management of water, wastewater and ecosystem resources. A UN report in 2017 states that likely over 80% of the wastewater worldwide is still discharged without adequate treatment. In several countries the wastewater management is nowadays a norm, but still there are open discussions about the kind of approach to be adopted, i.e. centralisation vs. decentralisation. The choice of the adopted technologies is strictly linked to environmental performances and economical aspects; one of the possible causes for the still enormous amount of untreated wastewater discharged into the environment can be the low “willingness to pay” for this kind of service and therefore a great focus should be given to all the technologies that are able to lower the treatment costs still maintaining reliable and robust performances in the long term. When considering wastewater as a carrier of valuable primary chemicals that can be easily converted to marketable products (fertilisers, bio-plastics, soil conditioners, biofuels, etc.), and as well as a relevant source of “new water” to be used for specific purposes, wastewater and runoff management can be highlighted as one of the most exciting challenges and occasions for a sustainable development in the near future.
The paper aims to clarify the future role of CWs in circular economy, resource-oriented, and ecosystem services approaches, which want to respond to sanitation worldwide and the future research needs. We give an overview on how the conventional wastewater treatment scheme (what we call “waste paradigm”) should move towards more sustainable water and biogeochemical cycles following the new resource-oriented, circular economy and ecosystem service views. On this basis, we review the potential application of CWs within this new, and needed, paradigm. Finally, a meta-analysis shows that the scientific community involved in CWs should put more effort in making CWs more suitable for these new tasks.
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•Conventional sanitation cannot meet the future challenges of our society.•Sustainable sanitation and circular economy are mandatory for the future.•Resource oriented and ecosystem services will also become a must in the future.•Constructed wetlands (CW) can play an important role in sustainable sanitation.•A shift of the research for future CW applications is needed.
Cyan fluorescent proteins (CFPs), such as Cerulean, are widely used as donor fluorophores in Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments. Nonetheless, the most widely used variants suffer ...from drawbacks that include low quantum yields and unstable flurorescence. To improve the fluorescence properties of Cerulean, we used the X-ray structure to rationally target specific amino acids for optimization by site-directed mutagenesis. Optimization of residues in strands 7 and 8 of the β-barrel improved the quantum yield of Cerulean from 0.48 to 0.60. Further optimization by incorporating the wild-type T65S mutation in the chromophore improved the quantum yield to 0.87. This variant, mCerulean3, is 20% brighter and shows greatly reduced fluorescence photoswitching behavior compared to the recently described mTurquoise fluorescent protein in vitro and in living cells. The fluorescence lifetime of mCerulean3 also fits to a single exponential time constant, making mCerulean3 a suitable choice for fluorescence lifetime microscopy experiments. Furthermore, inclusion of mCerulean3 in a fusion protein with mVenus produced FRET ratios with less variance than mTurquoise-containing fusions in living cells. Thus, mCerulean3 is a bright, photostable cyan fluorescent protein which possesses several characteristics that are highly desirable for FRET experiments.
Lipolysis is an important metabolic pathway controlling energy homeostasis through degradation of triglycerides stored in lipid droplets and release of fatty acids. Lipid droplets of mammalian cells ...are coated with one or more members of the PAT protein family, which serve important functions in regulating lipolysis. In this study, we investigate the mechanisms by which PAT family members, perilipin A, adipose differentiation-related protein (ADFP), and LSDP5, control lipolysis catalyzed by hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), a major lipase in adipocytes and several non-adipose cells. We applied fluorescence microscopic tools to analyze proteins in situ in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and anisotropy Forster resonance energy transfer. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching data show that ADFP and LSDP5 exchange between lipid droplet and cytoplasmic pools, whereas perilipin A does not. Differences in protein mobility do not correlate with PAT protein-mediated control of lipolysis catalyzed by HSL or endogenous lipases. Forster resonance energy transfer and co-immunoprecipitation experiments reveal that each of the three PAT proteins bind HSL through interaction of the lipase with amino acids within the highly conserved amino-terminal PAT-1 domain. ADFP and LSDP5 bind HSL under basal conditions, whereas phosphorylation of serine residues within three amino-terminal protein kinase A consensus sequences of perilipin A is required for HSL binding and maximal lipolysis. Finally, protein kinase A-mediated phosphorylation of HSL increases lipolysis in cells expressing ADFP or LSDP5; in contrast, phosphorylation of perilipin A exerts the major control over HSL-mediated lipolysis when perilipin is the main lipid droplet protein.
Lipolysis is a critical metabolic pathway contributing to energy homeostasis through degradation of triacylglycerides stored in lipid droplets (LDs), releasing fatty acids. Neutral lipid lipases act ...at the oil/water interface. In mammalian cells, LD surfaces are coated with one or more members of the perilipin protein family, which serve important functions in regulating lipolysis. We investigated mechanisms by which three perilipin proteins control lipolysis by adipocyte triglyceride lipase (ATGL), a key lipase in adipocytes and non-adipose cells. Using a cell culture model, we examined interactions of ATGL and its co-lipase CGI-58 with perilipin 1 (perilipin A), perilipin 2 (adipose differentiation-related protein), and perilipin 5 (LSDP5) using multiple techniques as follows: anisotropy Forster resonance energy transfer, co-immunoprecipitation, 32Porthophosphate radiolabeling, and measurement of lipolysis. The results show that ATGL interacts with CGI-58 and perilipin 5; the latter is selectively expressed in oxidative tissues. Both proteins independently recruited ATGL to the LD surface, but with opposite effects; interaction of ATGL with CGI-58 increased lipolysis, whereas interaction of ATGL with perilipin 5 decreased lipolysis. In contrast, neither perilipin 1 nor 2 interacted directly with ATGL. Activation of protein kinase A (PKA) increased 32Porthophosphate incorporation into perilipin 5 by 2-fold, whereas neither ATGL nor CGI-58 was labeled under the incubation conditions. Cells expressing both ectopic perilipin 5 and ATGL showed a 3-fold increase in lipolysis following activation of PKA. Our studies establish perilipin 5 as a novel ATGL partner and provide evidence that the protein composition of perilipins at the LD surface regulates lipolytic activity of ATGL.
Abstract Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) is an increasingly common treatment for anxiety and specific phobias. Lacking is a quantitative meta-analysis that enhances understanding of the ...variability and clinical significance of anxiety reduction outcomes after VRET. Searches of electronic databases yielded 52 studies, and of these, 21 studies (300 subjects) met inclusion criteria. Although meta-analysis revealed large declines in anxiety symptoms following VRET, moderator analyses were limited due to inconsistent reporting in the VRET literature. This highlights the need for future research studies that report uniform and detailed information regarding presence, immersion, anxiety and/or phobia duration, and demographics.
The capecitabine and temozolomide (CAPTEM) regimen is active in the treatment of metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs), with response rates ranging from 30 to 70%. Small retrospective ...studies suggest that O(6)-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) deficiency predicts response to temozolomide. High tumor proliferative activity is also commonly perceived as a significant predictor of response to cytotoxic chemotherapy. It is unclear whether chromosomal instability (CIN), which correlates with alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT), is a predictive factor. In this study, we evaluated 143 patients with advanced pNET who underwent treatment with CAPTEM for radiographic and biochemical response. MGMT expression (n=52), grade (n=128) and ALT activation (n=46) were investigated as potential predictive biomarkers. Treatment with CAPTEM was associated with an overall response rate (ORR) of 54% by RECIST 1.1. Response to CAPTEM was not influenced by MGMT expression, proliferative activity or ALT pathway activation. Based on these results, no biomarker-driven selection criteria for use of the CAPTEM regimen can be recommended at this time.
Helium (He) with its isotopes (
He,
He) is a key tracer enabling the Earth's mantle and dynamics to be characterized. Enrichment in primordial helium (
He) has been detected in volcanic gases of ...numerous magmatic systems in different geodynamic settings. Despite past use to monitor volcano-tectonic unrest, temporal
He/
He variability in volcanic emissions is still poorly constrained. Here, we investigate noble gas chemistry of Piton de la Fournaise hotspot volcano, where temporal fluctuations of
He/
He in response to the eruptive activity have never been studied. We compare the
He/
He signature of volcanic gases and fluid inclusions and we highlight analogous evolution of the
He/
He signature in both during the last decades of eruptive activity (1990-2017), even during the same eruption. We show that the maximum enrichment in
He is found in magmatic fluids that fed the most voluminous eruptions which culminated in caldera collapse events. We argue that this enrichment in
He mostly reflects a greater contribution of magmatic fluids from a primitive component of the mantle plume. These results emphasize that He isotopes may provide warnings of increases in deep magmatic contributions that potentially herald paroxysmal eruptions, as documented here at Piton de la Fournaise (2007) and also at Kilauea (2018).
We use exogenous variation in federal courts' composition, for instance due to a judge's death, as a quasi-natural experiment to study the equity value implications of court ideology. This design ...allows us to establish that firms experience an equity value loss when federal court ideology shifts in favor of plaintiffs and against corporations. The value loss stems from: (i) an increase in the expected costs of litigation; (ii) the deterioration of market-based governance mechanisms; (iii) and a perverse managerial incentive to decrease corporate disclosure in a heightened litigation environment.
In 2011–2012, Santorini was characterized by seismic‐geodetic‐geochemical unrest, which was unprecedented since the most‐recent eruption occurred in 1950 and led to fear an eruption was imminent. ...This unrest offered a chance for investigating the processes leading to volcanic reactivation and the compositional characteristics of involved magma. We have thus analyzed the He‐Ne‐Ar‐isotope composition of fluid inclusions in olivines and clinopyroxenes from cumulate mafic enclaves hosted in cogenetic dacitic lavas of the 1570–1573 and 1925–1928 eruptions of Nea Kameni. These unique data on Aegean volcanism were compared with those of gases collected in quiescent periods and during the unrest. The 3He/4He ratios (3.1–4.0 Ra) are significantly lower than the typical arc‐volcano values (R/Ra ∼ 7–8), suggesting the occurrence of magma contamination in Santorini plumbing system, which would further modify the 3He/4He ratio of parental magmas generated in the local metasomatized mantle. The 3He/4He values of enclaves (3.1–3.6 Ra) are comparable to those measured in gases during quiescent periods, confirming that enclaves reflect the He‐isotope signature of magma residing at shallow depths and feeding passive degassing. A significant increase in soil CO2 flux from Nea Kameni and anomalous compositional variations in the fumaroles were identified during the unrest, accordingly with previous studies. Simultaneously, 3He/4He ratios up to 4.0 Ra were also measured, demonstrating that the unrest was due to the intrusion into the shallow plumbing system of a more‐primitive 3He‐rich magma, which is even volatile richer and less contaminated than mafic magma erupted as enclaves. This new intrusion did not however trigger an eruption.
Key Points:
We studied the He‐Ne‐Ar isotopes in mafic enclaves and in gases from Santorini
The 3He/4He ratios of gases and enclaves is in the range 3.0–4.0 Ra
The 2011–2012 unrest at Santorini was due to the intrusion of a new mafic magma
Given the importance of developing appropriate measures for assessing social norm change, this article documents the process, results, and lessons learned from a baseline survey measuring social ...norms related to child marriage in Phalombe and Thyolo districts in Southern Malawi.
A quantitative questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of all adults (age ≥18 years) who self-identified as a decision-maker for at least one girl between the ages of 10 and 17 years, for a total sample size of 1,492 respondents. Measures of empirical expectations, normative expectations, and sanctions related to child marriage were modeled after previously developed measures and social norm theory.
Using an established social norm diagnostic process, this study found that, despite Southern Malawi having the lowest median age of first marriage in the country, child marriage may not be a strong social norm in the intervention communities. Specifically, although 89.3% of respondents expressed the empirical expectation that “Most girls in this community marry before the age of 18,” agreement with the normative expectation that “Most people in this community expect girls to marry before the age of 18” was just 53.2% overall and fear of sanctions was just 36.4%.
Taken together, the presence of prudential reasons for child marriage and the weak evidence of normative expectations and sanctions indicate that child marriage may not be a social norm in these communities although it may be indirectly perpetuated by other norms related to adolescent sexuality and access to contraception.
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