Turning wine (waste) into water: Toward technological advances in the use of constructed wetlands for winery effluent treatment

The research presented in this article describes an investigation into the use of vegetated submerged reedbeds (VSR) as a practicable alternative for effluent treatment for small‐scale wine producers. In this study, we found that the hydraulic processes occurring within the VSR display significantly nonideal behavior. If the feed to the VSR was located on the surface the dead volume accounted for approximately 25% of the nonideal behavior of the system and bypass accounted for a further 6%. A preferential flow pattern was found within the VSR with the greatest flow occurring closest the surface and in the center, and the least at the sidewalls. We propose that the flow profile can be conceptualized as being hull shaped and found that this profile was the same for irregularly shaped gravel and for spherically shaped gelatinous beads. We, therefore, hypothesize that it is not dependent on the geometry of the VSR or the packing medium. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J 60: 420–431, 2014     

Estimation of Activation Energies for Sintering 8 mol % Yttria‐Zirconia Using Conventional and Microwave Heating

The activation energies were estimated for conventional and microwave sintering of Zirconia‐8 mol% Yttria (8YZ). The results were analyzed to explain the mechanisms responsible for enhancing flux/mass transport during microwave sintering. The activation energies were evaluated using isothermal and nonisothermal methods. The nonisothermal sintering resulted in higher values of activation energies, as compared to isothermal methods. This behavior may be due to the presence of more than one type of diffusion mechanism dominating throughout the process. The nonisothermal method represented activation energy values close to a single densification mechanism (either volume or grain boundary diffusion). A value of 500 ± 25 kJ/mol was observed for nonisothermal sintering of 8YZ with conventional heating. This value was close to the volume diffusion of Zr ion (500 kJ/mol). The microwave sintering (using nonisothermal method) resulted in activation energy values of 200 ± 27 kJ/mol, a value close to the grain boundary diffusion of the Zr ion.     

Atmospheric deposition of carbon and nutrients across an arid metropolitan area

Urbanization is increasing rapidly in semi-arid environments and is predicted to alter atmospheric deposition of nutrients and pollutants to cities as well as to ecosystems downwind. We examined patterns of wet and coarse dry deposition chemistry over a five-year period at 7 sites across the Central Arizona-Phoenix (CAP) study area, one of two urban sites within the National Science Foundation's Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program. Wet and dry deposition of organic carbon (oC) were significantly elevated in the urban core; in contrast, mean annual wet and dry fluxes of nitrogen (N) were low (<6 kg ha(-1) yr(-1)) compared to previous estimates and did not differ significantly among sites. Wet deposition of sulfate (SO(4)2-) was high across CAP (mean 1.39 kg ha(-1) yr(-1) as S) and represented the dominant anion in rainfall. Dry deposition rates did not show strong seasonal trends with the exception of oC, which was 3-fold higher in winter than in summer; ammonium (NH4+) deposition was high but more variable. Dry deposition of NO3- and oC was strongly correlated with particulate base cations and dust-derived soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), suggesting that urban-derived dust is scrubbing the atmosphere of acidic gases and entrained particles and increasing local deposition. Differences between measured and predicted rates of dry N deposition to the urban core may be explained by incomplete collection of gas phase N on surrogate deposition surfaces in this hot and arid environment. The extent of urban enhancement of cations and oC inputs to desert ecosystems appears to be restricted to the urbanized metropolitan area rather than extending far downwind, although a low number of sites make it difficult to resolve this spatial pattern. Nevertheless, wet and dry inputs may be important for biogeochemical cycles in nutrient and carbon-poor desert ecosystems within and near arid cities.     

Quantitative Analysis of Tau-Microtubule Interaction Using FRET

The interaction between the microtubule associated protein, tau and the microtubules is investigated. A fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay was used to determine the distance separating tau to the microtubule wall, as well as the binding parameters of the interaction. By using microtubules stabilized with Flutax-2 as donor and tau labeled with rhodamine as acceptor, a donor-to-acceptor distance of 54 ± 1 Å was found. A molecular model is proposed in which Flutax-2 is directly accessible to tau-rhodamine molecules for energy transfer. By titration, we calculated the stoichiometric dissociation constant to be equal to 1.0 ± 0.5 µM. The influence of the C-terminal tails of αβ-tubulin on the tau-microtubule interaction is presented once a procedure to form homogeneous solution of cleaved tubulin has been determined. The results indicate that the C-terminal tails of α- and β-tubulin by electrostatic effects and of recruitment seem to be involved in the binding mechanism of tau.     

Pre-Analytical Considerations for Successful Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS): Challenges and Opportunities for Formalin-Fixed and Paraffin-Embedded Tumor Tissue (FFPE) Samples

In cancer drug discovery, it is important to investigate the genetic determinants of response or resistance to cancer therapy as well as factors that contribute to adverse events in the course of clinical trials. Despite the emergence of new technologies and the ability to measure more diverse analytes (e.g., circulating tumor cell (CTC), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), etc.), tumor tissue is still the most common and reliable source for biomarker investigation. Because of its worldwide use and ability to preserve samples for many decades at ambient temperature, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue (FFPE) is likely to be the preferred choice for tissue preservation in clinical practice for the foreseeable future. Multiple analyses are routinely performed on the same FFPE samples (such as Immunohistochemistry (IHC), in situ hybridization, RNAseq, DNAseq, TILseq, Methyl-Seq, etc.). Thus, specimen prioritization and optimization of the isolation of analytes is critical to ensure successful completion of each assay. FFPE is notorious for producing suboptimal DNA quality and low DNA yield. However, commercial vendors tend to request higher DNA sample mass than what is actually required for downstream assays, which restricts the breadth of biomarker work that can be performed. We evaluated multiple genomics service laboratories to assess the current state of NGS pre-analytical processing of FFPE. Significant differences in pre-analytical capabilities were observed. Key aspects are highlighted and recommendations are made to improve the current practice in translational research.     

Turbulent times: tourists’ attitudes towards wind turbines in the Southern Highlands in Iceland

As a response to the threat of climate change, many nations are increasing their use of renewable energy, including wind energy. Large wind farms often conflict with other land uses, particularly tourism, which is a growing industry worldwide. In Iceland, tourism has recently become the largest export sector, with majority of tourists travelling to the country to experience its nature. This paper examines tourists’ opinions and perceptions of wind power development in the Southern Highlands of Iceland and compares how number, size and proximity of wind turbines, and the landscape in which they are situated, influence tourists’ perceptions. The study is based on an on-site questionnaire survey conducted in 2015. The results indicate that one-third of the travellers would be less likely to visit the Southern Highlands if a proposed wind farm were built, and two-thirds think that wind turbines would decrease the area’s attractiveness.