Impact of an Engineered Copper-Titanium Dioxide Nanocomposite and Parent Substrates on the Bacteria Viability,Antioxidant Enzymes and Fatty Acid Profiling

Due to the systematic increase in the production of nanomaterials (NMs) and their applications in many areas of life, issues associated with their toxicity are inevitable. In particular, the performance of heterogeneous NMs, such as nanocomposites (NCs), is unpredictable as they may inherit the properties of their individual components. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to assess the biological activity of newly synthesized Cu/TiO₂-NC and the parent nanoparticle substrates Cu-NPs and TiO₂-NPs on the bacterial viability, antioxidant potential and fatty acid composition of the reference Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis strains. Based on the toxicological parameters, it was found that B. subtilis was more sensitive to NMs than E. coli. Furthermore, Cu/TiO₂-NC and Cu-NPs had an opposite effect on both strains, while TiO₂-NPs had a comparable mode of action. Simultaneously, the tested strains exhibited varied responses of the antioxidant enzymes after exposure to the NMs, with Cu-NPs having the strongest impact on their activity. The most considerable alternations in the fatty acid profiles were found after the bacteria were exposed to Cu/TiO₂-NC and Cu-NPs. Microscopic images indicated distinct interactions of the NMs with the bacterial outer layers, especially in regard to B. subtilis. Cu/TiO₂-NC generally proved to have less distinctive antimicrobial properties on B. subtilis than E. coli compared to its parent components. Presumably, the biocidal effects of the tested NMs can be attributed to the induction of oxidative stress, the release of metal ions and specific electrochemical interactions with the bacterial cells.     

Rather the Rule than the Exception: Non-Convex Pareto Sets and their Navigation in Distillation Processes

Novel algorithms for adaptive approximation and interactive navigation of Pareto sets are applied to various homogeneous distillation processes with recycle streams within an industrial flowsheet simulator. The adaptive approximation scheme shows that the Pareto set consists of both convex and non-convex regions when the product purities are maximised while minimising the total heat duties. It is illustrated how such Pareto sets can be navigated interactively using a ray tracing technique. Our results suggest that the occurrence of non-convex regions in the Pareto sets is due to recycle streams in the flowsheets and is therefore the rule rather than the exception in multi-objective optimisation of flowsheet simulations in chemical engineering.     

Salmonella contamination in pigs at slaughter and on the farm: a field study using an antibody ELISA test and a PCR technique

An antibody ELISA test and a PCR method for identifying the risk of Salmonella contamination were compared in a field study on the same lots of animals in a slaughterhouse. The results were compared to investigations carried out on two farms with different prevalences of Salmonella antibody-positive animals. Salmonella antibody ELISA testing was carried out on all 383 meat juice samples derived from the diaphragm pillar muscle of each pig. Salmonella DNA analysis was performed by PCR technique on small intestine samples with lymph nodes from all 383 pigs, and on tonsils from the last 129 pigs. The 383 animals tested came from 32 different pig farms. Furthermore, the herd antibody blood serum status against Salmonella spp. of weaners was determined on two selected pig fattening farms, one with low and one with high seroprevalence in meat juice. A total of 7.0% (ELISA cut-off OD% > or =40) of the slaughtered pigs from 6 of 32 fattening farms were seropositive. Salmonella DNA was found in 16.4% of the jejunum/lymph nodes (383 animals) and in 15.5% of the tonsils (129 animals). Salmonella DNA was found in the jejunum/lymph nodes of 41% of the seropositive pigs. However, serotitres were also positive in only 17.5% of all pigs positive in the jejunum DNA test. Two farms were selected for further investigation: farm 13 (F13), with a high prevalence of seropositive pigs, 29.0%, Category II; and F11, with 9.4%, Category I. However, categorization according to the blood serum tests of the fattening pigs after on-farm testing was very different: F13 had 5% positive animals (Category I); and F11, 23.3% (Category II). The study led to the following results and recommendations: First, ELISA tests are useful for the detection of farms that are regularly contaminated with Salmonella, but such tests cannot give information on the infectious status of a single animal (or a group) at the point of slaughter. Second, it is crucial that management measures are taken to prevent the spread of infections by trade and transport: piglets should be supplied exclusively by a single, well-known producer, and finishers should be tested serologically on farm before going to slaughter. Third, ELISA tests and the PCR method are suitable for the detection of Salmonella and are recommended as analytical tools for all pork quality control programmes. Fourth, animals from suspicious farms should always be slaughtered at the end of the slaughter day, followed by thorough cleaning and disinfection.     

Bandwidth allocation in Diffserv-enabled ethernet passive optical networks

Ethernet passive optical networks (EPONs) have attracted considerable attention from the industry, as they offer a simple, highly flexible and cost-effective solution to the problem of providing broadband access to a customer. The authors present a new approach to bandwidth allocation in EPONs where the optical line terminator (OLT) has full control over the access mechanism. This results in much simpler optical network unit (ONU) architecture. It is shown that such an OLT-centric architecture offers full support for differentiated services and makes enforcement of service level agreements possible. Extensive simulation experiments show that bandwidth allocation algorithms deployed in such a centralised environment can deliver good performance in terms of average and maximum packet delay. The authors introduce two new algorithms that target SLA-aware EPONs and provide a good protection of offered quality of service against interference from other sources.     

A hybrid continuous-discrete approach to large discrete structural optimization problems

Many optimum structural designs are based on searching for the best of all combinations, arising from the number of structural members, and parameters of listed rolled profiles. Even, in a relatively simple design, the number of such combinations is of an order higher than ten. All known methods of finding discrete minimum of structural weight require very large number of analyses often of an order of four. In this study, a relatively simple method of solving such problems is presented. It is based on a tree graph, representing discrete values of the structural volume. The structure can be subjected to multi static loadings with constraints imposed on displacements and stresses. The number of analyses, in the proposed algorithm, is limited to the order of two. The knowledge needed to apply the method is limited to FEM and graph representation. The paper is illustrated with two examples with numbers of combinations up to 42³⁸.     

Influence of various concentrations of selenic acid (IV) on the activity of soil enzymes

The aim of this experiment was the assessment of the influence of various concentrations of H2SeO3 (0.05, 0.5 and 5 mM) on the activity of soil enzymes over 112 days. The lab experiment was performed using soil samples (dust-silt black soil of 1.92% organic C content, pH 7.7), 60% maximal water capacity. The soil samples were treated with a selenic acid water solution at the concentrations mentioned above. As a reference, natural soil was used (without the selenic acid). The activity of the following enzymes was tested: beta-glucosidase, nitrate reductase, urease, dehydrogenase, acid and alkaline phosphatases. The soil was sampled at days 0, 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, 56 and 112. The results of the study have shown that the selenic acid had no effect on the activity of the beta-glucosidase in soil. In the course of the whole experiment, the applied selenic acid inhibited activity of the nitrate reductase up to 70% at 5 mM, and the activity of dehydrogenase was also decreased--by up to 85% at 5 mM, similarly to urease (with the exception of days 14 and 28), and acid phosphatase (until day 56). The activity of alkaline phosphatase was increased by the lowest concentration of selenic acid and decreased by the highest, which was found in the course of the whole experiment. The 5-mM concentration of selenic acid inhibited the activity of all the enzymes tested in this experiment.     

Technical foundations for noninvasive assessment of changes in the width of the subarachnoid space with near-infrared transillumination-backscattering sounding (NIR-TBSS)

This paper presents technical foundations for a new technique of near-infrared transillumination-backscattering sounding, which is designed to enable noninvasive detection and monitoring of changes in the width of the subarachnoid space (SAS) and magnitude of cerebrovascular pulsation in humans. The key novelty of the technique is elimination of influence of blood flow in the scalp on the signals received from two infrared sensors-proximal and distal. A dedicated digital algorithm is used to estimate on line the ratio of the powers of received signals, referred to as two-sensor distal-to-proximal received power quotient, TQ (t). The propagation duct for NIR radiation reaching the distal sensor is the SAS filled with translucent cerebrospinal fluid. Information on slow fluctuations of the average width of the SAS is contained in the slow-variable part of the TQ (t), called the subcardiac component, and in TQ itself. Variations in frequency and magnitude of faster oscillations of the width of that space around the baseline value, dependent on cerebrovascular pulsation, are reflected in instantaneous frequency and envelope of the fast-variable component. Frequency and magnitude of the cerebrovascular pulsation depend on the action of the heart, so this fast-variable component is referred to as the cardiac component.