Effect of oxidants on microalgal flocculation

The effects of chlorine, ozone and chlorine dioxide on Scenedesmus sp. cultures were studied. Algal cell viability and chlorophyll concentration decreased, and the concentration of dissolved organic substances increased with increasing applied oxidant concentration. Pretreatment with chlorine dioxide (1, 3 or 5 mg l⁻¹) or ozone (2.6, 4.6 or 8.1 mg l⁻¹) on algal cultures enhanced algal flocculation with alum, while prechlorination with 10 or 20 mg l⁻¹ increased the required dosage of alum by 15%. Scanning electron micrographs of oxidized cells revealed drastically adverse effects upon the cell surface architecture: in addition to the oxidation of noncellular organic materials, the oxidants damaged both cell surface structures and intracellular components. A model explaining the effects of the different oxidants on microalgal flocculation is suggested.     

Water remediation by micelle-clay system: case study for tetracycline and sulfonamide antibiotics

Removal of tetracycline and sulfonamide antibiotics from water by micelles pre-adsorbed on montmorillonite was studied. Micelles of benzyldimethylhexadecylammonium (BDMHDA) were used. Batch experiments demonstrated that the micelle-clay complexes (1% w/w) removed 96-99.9% of antibiotics from their water solutions containing from 5 to 50 mg/L of pharmaceuticals. Column filters (25 cm) made of a mixture of quartz sand and BDMHDA micelle-clay complex at 100:1 w/w ratio removed 94-99.9% of above pharmaceuticals from initial solutions containing 10mg/L and 89% of sulfamethizole from an initial solution containing 10 microg/L of this antibiotic. These filters were also very efficient in the removal of antibiotics in the presence of dissolved soil organic matter removing 89-99% of tetracycline and sulfamethizol from initial solutions containing 10 mg/L of antibiotic in the presence of 8 mg/L of humic acid, or 9 mg/L of fulvic acid. These data indicate that micelle-clay complexes are very efficient for water purification from tetracycline and sulfonamide antibiotics.     

The Explanatory Role of Computation in Cognitive Science

Which notion of computation (if any) is essential for explaining cognition? Five answers to this question are discussed in the paper. (1) The classicist answer: symbolic (digital) computation is required for explaining cognition; (2) The broad digital computationalist answer: digital computation broadly construed is required for explaining cognition; (3) The connectionist answer: sub-symbolic computation is required for explaining cognition; (4) The computational neuroscientist answer: neural computation (that, strictly, is neither digital nor analogue) is required for explaining cognition; (5) The extreme dynamicist answer: computation is not required for explaining cognition. The first four answers are only accurate to a first approximation. But the ??devil?? is in the details. The last answer cashes in on the parenthetical ??if any?? in the question above. The classicist argues that cognition is symbolic computation. But digital computationalism need not be equated with classicism. Indeed, computationalism can, in principle, range from digital (and analogue) computationalism through (the weaker thesis of) generic computationalism to (the even weaker thesis of) digital (or analogue) pancomputationalism. Connectionism, which has traditionally been criticised by classicists for being non-computational, can be plausibly construed as being either analogue or digital computationalism (depending on the type of connectionist networks used). Computational neuroscience invokes the notion of neural computation that may (possibly) be interpreted as a sui generis type of computation. The extreme dynamicist argues that the time has come for a post-computational cognitive science. This paper is an attempt to shed some light on this debate by examining various conceptions and misconceptions of (particularly digital) computation.     

Multi-hazard loss analysis of tall buildings under wind and seismic loads

This paper presents a framework for life-cycle loss estimation for non-structural damage in tall buildings under wind and seismic loads. Life-cycle cost analysis is a useful design tool for decision- makers, aimed at predicting monetary losses over the lifetime of a structure, accounting for uncertainties involved in the problem definition. For tall buildings, sensitive to dynamic excitations like earthquake and wind, it can be particularly suitable to base design decisions not only on initial cost and performance but also on future repair expenses. The proposed approach harmonises the procedures for intervention costs evaluation of structures subjected to multiple-hazards, taking into account the peculiar differences of wind and earthquake, in terms of load characterisation, type and evolution of damage. Relative effect of the two hazards on damage to drift- and acceleration-sensitive non-structural elements are examined. The influence of uncertainty in structural damping is also taken into account. It is shown that, although it is commonly believed that the design of a given structure is usually dominated by either winds or earthquakes, when LCC-based design is performed, both winds and earthquakes may be important.