Effect of interwall interaction on the electronic structure of double-walled carbon nanotubes

Through this study, the results of density functional theory calculations within the local density approximation of the electronic structure of zigzag-zigzag double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs), with chiral indices (n, 0)@(m, 0) for n = 7-15, and m = 15-26, has been presented and the effects of interwall interaction and orbital hybridization on the electronic structure of these systems has been discussed. It was observed that the electronic band gap of the aforementioned DWCNTs depends on the interwall distance only for metallic-semiconductor configurations and on the intrinsic properties of the constituent tubes in all other combinations. It was also observed that the calculated band gap for most of the metallic-metallic DWCNTs was smaller than semiconductor-metallic, metallic-semiconductor, and semiconductor-semiconductor configurations. Metallic-semiconductor DWCNTs were found to be desirable for band gap tuning applications because of their dependence on interwall distance, opening up the possibility of using such systems in electronic device applications, such as transistors. Other applications include the use of DWCNTs in macroscopic carbon nanotube conducting wires, for which metallic-metallic and semiconducting-metallic zigzag-zigzag DWCNTs were found to be the most desirable configurations due to their small band gaps.

Methane potential and anaerobic treatment feasibility of Sargassum muticum

The aim of this research was to study the feasibility of anaerobic digestion of the alga Sargassum muticum with special attention to its biodegradability, potential toxicity caused by its salt content, alga components and intermediate process compounds, and potential limitations to continuous treatment. Specific methane potential (SMP) for three samples of S. muticum collected from the Galician coast (Northwest Spain) at different seasons ranged from 166 to 208 mLCH4/gVS while accumulation of toxic compounds was not observed at alga concentrations of up to 100 gTS/L, except for one of the samples in which inhibition started at 80-100 gTS/L. Continuous digestion is feasible at alga concentration up to 100 gTS/L with methane production rates ranging from 0.14 to 0.26 LCH4/Ld at organic loading rates of 3.2 gTS/Ld, but SMP dropped to 113-159 mLCH4/gVS.

Effects of soil organic matter content on cadmium toxicity in Eisenia fetida: implications for the use of biomarkers and standard toxicity tests

Bioavailability is affected by soil physicochemical characteristics such as pH and organic matter (OM) content. In addition, OM constitutes the energy source of Eisenia fetida, a well established model species for soil toxicity assessment. The present work aimed at assessing the effects of changes in OM content on the toxicity of Cd in E. fetida through the measurement of neutral red uptake (NRU) and mortality, growth, and reproduction (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] Nos. 207 and 222). Complementarily, metallothionein (MT) and catalase transcription levels were measured. To decrease variability inherent to natural soils, artificial soils (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 1984) with different OM content (6, 10, and 14%) and spiked with Cd solutions at increasing concentrations were used. Low OM in soil decreased soil ingestion and Cd bioaccumulation but also increased Cd toxicity causing lower NRU of coelomocytes, 100 % mortality, and stronger reproduction impairment, probably due to the lack of energy to maintain protection mechanisms (production of MT).Cd bioaccumulation did not reflect toxicity, and OM played a pivotal role in Cd toxicity. Thus, OM content should be taken into account when using E. fetida in in vivo exposures for soil health assessment.

STEM-in-SEM high resolution imaging of gold nanoparticles and bivalve tissues in bioaccumulation experiments

Optimized STEM-in-SEM imaging of gill explants is applied to assess the subcellular location of nanoparticles and their possible toxic effects.

Wineries wastewater treatment by constructed wetlands: a review

The application of wetland systems for the treatment of wineries wastewater started in the early 1990s in the USA followed a few years later by France, Italy, Germany and Spain. Various studies demonstrated the efficiency of constructed wetlands (CWs) as a low cost, low maintenance and energy-saving technology for the treatment of wineries wastewater. Several of these experiences have also shown lessons to be learnt, such as some limits in the tolerance of the horizontal subsurface flow and vertical subsurface flow classic CWs to the strength of the wineries wastewater, especially in the first stage for the multistage systems. This paper is presenting an overview of all the reported experiences at worldwide level during the last 15 years, giving particular attention and provision of details to those systems that have proven to get reliable and constant performances in the long-term period and that have been designed and realized as optimized solutions for the application of CW technology to this particular kind of wastewater. The organic loading rates (OLRs) applied to the examined 13 CW systems ranged from about 30 up to about 5,000 gCOD/m² d (COD: chemical oxygen demand), with the 80th percentile of the reported values being below 297 gCOD/m² d and the median at 164 gCOD/m² d; the highest OLR values have in all cases been measured during the peak season (vintage) and often have been linked to lower surface removal rates (SRRs) in comparison to the other periods of the year. With such OLRs the SRRs have ranged from a minimum of 15 up to 4,700 gCOD/m² d, with the 80th percentile of the reported values being below 308 gCOD/m² d and the median at 112 gCOD/m² d.

Health status assessment through an integrative biomarker approach in mussels of different ages with a different history of exposure to the Prestige oil spill

A battery of cell and tissue-level biomarkers was applied in mussels of 6 size-classes collected from Galicia and the Basque coast in summer 2007 in an attempt to examine the health status of individuals affected as adults (mature before 2003), affected during their developmental or juvenile stages (2003-2004 offspring), or not directly affected by the Prestige oil spill (POS) exposure (presumably 2005-2006 offspring). This battery of biomarkers was akin to those formerly applied on mussels of 3.5-4.5 cm shell length for which there exist biomarker reference values in the studied geographical areas. The cause-effect relationship between biological responses and the different history of exposure to POS fuel oil was intricate for different reasons: (a) growth rate was dissimilar in mussels of the two studied localities and much lower than expected, (b) a chronological basis could not be directly associated to POS events (all mussels except the smallest from Galicia had been subjected to the direct POS impact at one or another stage of their life-cycle); and (c) some biomarkers and histopathology seemingly depended on size/age irrespectively of the locality and the POS chronology. As a whole, the present study gives a very useful set of reference values of biomarkers obtained for Mytilus galloprovincialis of different size-classes. Finally, it is recommended that Mussel Watch programmes should be designed by standardising the age of the sentinel mussels rather than their size, especially if the programme covers large or diverse geographical areas, if long-term trends are relevant or if significant pollution effects on growth are expected.

Toxicity assessment through multiple endpoint bioassays in soils posing environmental risk according to regulatory screening values

Toxicity profiles of two soils (a brownfield in Legazpi and an abandoned iron mine in Zugaztieta; Basque Country) contaminated with several metals (As, Zn, Pb and Cu in Legazpi; Zn, Pb, Cd and Cu in Zugaztieta) and petroleum hydrocarbons (in Legazpi) were determined using a multi-endpoint bioassay approach. Investigated soils exceeded screening values (SVs) of regulatory policies in force (Basque Country; Europe). Acute and chronic toxicity bioassays were conducted with a selected set of test species (Vibrio fischeri, Dictyostelium discoideum, Lactuca sativa, Raphanus sativus and Eisenia fetida) in combination with chemical analysis of soils and elutriates, as well as with bioaccumulation studies in earthworms. The sensitivity of the test species and the toxicity endpoints varied depending on the soil. It was concluded that whilst Zugaztieta soil showed very little or no toxicity, Legazpi soil was toxic according to almost all the toxicity tests (solid phase Microtox, D. discoideum inhibition of fruiting body formation and developmental cycle solid phase assays, lettuce seed germination and root elongation test, earthworm acute toxicity and reproduction tests, D. discoideum cell viability and replication elutriate assays). Thus, albeit both soils had similar SVs, their ecotoxicological risk, and therefore the need for intervening, was different for each soil as unveiled after toxicity profiling based on multiple endpoint bioassays. Such a toxicity profiling approach is suitable to be applied for scenario-targeted soil risk assessment in those cases where applicable national/regional soil legislation based on SVs demands further toxicity assessment.

Molecular cloning and measurement of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) transcription patterns in tissues of European hake (Merluccius merluccius) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) during aging

Telomerase is a reverse transcriptase ribonucleoprotein that maintains the ends of linear chromosomes. This enzyme plays a major role in cell processes like proliferation, differentiation and tumorigenesis, being associated with aging and survival of species. In this study, the gene coding for TERT (Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase) of two commercial fish species, European hake (Merluccius merluccius) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), has been partially cloned. A fragment of 1581bp (hake) and 633bp (cod) showed high homology (identity 74%, query cover 99%, E-value=0) with known Perciformes TERT sequences. TERT transcription patterns were assessed by qRT-PCR in different tissues of hake (brain, ovary, testis, muscle, skin, gills, liver and kidney) and cod (brain, muscle and skin) of different sizes/ages in order to understand its role in the physiological aging of teleosts. TERT was found to be ubiquitously transcribed in all tissues and size/age groups studied in both species. Significantly higher relative transcription levels (p<0.05) were found with increasing size/age of M. merluccius in the kidney, muscle, skin and gonad, the latter exhibiting particularly high relative transcription levels. Male hakes showed higher TERT relative transcription levels in the brain, gonad and liver than females, although these differences were not statistically significant (p<0.05). In G. morhua, higher TERT relative transcription levels were recorded in the muscle and brain of fry and juvenile individuals. Therefore, TERT relative transcription pattern exhibited a higher telomerase demand in early developmental stages and also in mature stages, suggesting tissue renewal or regeneration processes as a conserved mechanism for maintaining long-term cell proliferation capacity and preventing senescence. Thus, it can be concluded that TERT relative transcription level was species and tissue specific and changed with the age of fishes.

Zonation in the digestive tract of Eisenia fetida: implications in biomarker measurements for toxicity assessment

Eisenia fetida is a model species for soil health assessment and different biomarkers that detect either the presence of bioavailable contaminants or their biological effect have been developed. These parameters are performed in a target tissue or whole earthworm, without considering the marked zonation in histological organisation, enzyme activities and gene expression pattern existing along the body. Thus, the present work was aimed at (a) characterising the morphofunctional heterogeneity along the digestive tract of E. fetida in tissue morphology and turnover, lysosomal enzyme markers (β-glucuronidase, β-GUS; hexosaminidase, HEX), lipofuscin contents (LPF) and metallothionein (MT) and catalase (CAT) gene expression; and (b) determining whether the responsiveness to Cd exposure varies among tissues and along the digestive tract. HEX and β-GUS exhibited a heterogeneous distribution pattern along and across the digestive tract and Cd exposure caused a marked decrease of HEX and an increase of β-GUS activity. Likewise, the significant decrease of cell turnover and the induction of MT transcription were was zone-dependent. Therefore, in was concluded that the consideration of the zonation when applying biomarker for toxicity assessment would reduce the intrinsic variability that results from overlooking the marked morphofunctional heterogeneity that exists in annelids along their body axis.

Heavy metal removal in an UASB-CW system treating municipal wastewater

The objective of the present study was to investigate for the first time the long-term removal of heavy metals (HMs) in a combined UASB-CW system treating municipal wastewater. The research was carried out in a field pilot plant constituted for an up-flow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) digester as a pretreatment, followed by a surface flow constructed wetland (CW) and finally by a subsurface flow CW. While the UASB showed (pseudo) steady state operational conditions and generated a periodical purge of sludge, CWs were characterised by the progressive accumulation and mineralisation of retained solids. This paper analyses the evolution of HM removal from the water stream over time (over a period of 4.7 year of operation) and the accumulation of HMs in UASB sludge and CW sediments at two horizons of 2.7 and 4.0 year of operation. High removal efficiencies were found for some metals in the following order: Sn > Cr > Cu > Pb > Zn > Fe (63-94%). Medium removal efficiencies were registered for Ni (49%), Hg (42%), and Ag (40%), and finally Mn and As showed negative percentage removals. Removal efficiencies of total HMs were higher in UASB and SF units and lower in the last SSF unit.

[Statistical evaluation of potential mistakes and malpractice in a Chest Pain Unit]

AIMS

The Chest Pain Unit (CPU) of Policlinico Umberto I, established in 2008, is charged with the management of patients with non-traumatic chest pain transferred from the Emergency Department and aims at: a) an early recognition of patients at high risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), in order to perform a primary PCI within 90 minutes; b) an early diagnosis of patients at low risk of ACS in order to discharge them in a short time, and c) the diagnostic performance of clinical tests in patients at intermediate risk of ACS in order to identify those who require either a new PCI or a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). The purpose is to avoid malpractice which could even imply the risk of legal conflicts.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We evaluated the total number of admissions to the Emergency Department of Policlinico Umberto I in the period 2010-2011 and selected the patients with non-traumatic chest pain and acute coronary syndrome. In the Chest Pain Unit, patients with non-traumatic chest pain or ACS were recruited through a) the use of the Chest Pain Score to define the typicality or atypicality of chest pain; b) the stratification of the risk of ACS using the modified Braunwald Score; and c) the stratification of patients at intermediate or high risk of ACS using the GRACE ACS Model in order to perform a PCI.

RESULTS

In the period 2010-2011, 603 patients were admitted to the CPU with non-traumatic chest pain. Of them, 15.75% (95) were diagnosed with atypical chest pain; 27.03% (163) with chronic stable angina pectoris; 9.3% (56) received a diagnosis of chronic heart failure and 47.92% (289) suffered from non ischemic cardiovascular disease. Other 124 subjects were admitted to the CPU with a diagnosis of ACS, but only in 91.93% of the cases such diagnosis was confirmed, whereas for the remaining 8.06% was discarded. On the whole, 54.2% (394) of the 727 patients admitted to the CPU with non-traumatic chest pain and acute coronary syndrome showed a low cardiovascular risk; 30.12% (219) were at intermediate risk and 15.68% (144) at high risk.

DISCUSSION

The aim of the CPU is to accomplish a selection of the subjects at high risk of ACS, to drastically reduce the time of diagnosis and treatment to 24-36 hours and to avoid possible mistakes or adverse events by using both unsophisticated diagnostic tests and a personalized management of diagnosis and treatment.

Behaviour of Au-citrate nanoparticles in seawater and accumulation in bivalves at environmentally relevant concentrations

The degree of aggregation and/or coalescence of Au-citrate nanoparticles (AuNPs, mean size 21.5 ± 2.9 nm), after delivery in simulated seawater, are shown to be concentration-dependent. At low concentrations no coalescence and only limited aggregation of primary particles were found. Experiments were performed in which the marine bivalve (Ruditapes philippinarum) was exposed to AuNPs or dissolved Au and subsequently, bivalve tissues were studied by Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy and chemical analyses. We show that the bivalve accumulates gold in both cases within either the digestive gland or gill tissues, in different concentrations (including values of predicted environmental relevance). After 28 days of exposure, electron-dense deposits (corresponding to AuNPs, as proven by X-ray microanalysis) were observed in the heterolysosomes of the digestive gland cells. Although non-measurable solubility of AuNPs in seawater was found, evidence is presented of the toxicity produced by Au(3+) dissolved species (chloroauric acid solutions) and its relevance is discussed.

Evaluation of PPCPs removal in a combined anaerobic digester-constructed wetland pilot plant treating urban wastewater

The removal efficiency of 16 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) from urban wastewater (dissolved and particulate phases) was evaluated for the first time in a hybrid pilot plant consisting of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor followed by two sequentially connected horizontal flow constructed wetlands: a surface flow wetland (SF CW) and a subsurface flow wetland (SSF CW). Whereas the PPCP removal associated with the dissolved phase exhibited a seasonal pattern, the fraction associated with the suspended solids showed less seasonality. In the dissolved phase, the overall removal efficiency in summer ranged from 70% to 85% for salicylic acid (SAL), methyl dihydrojasmonate, caffeine (CAF), ketoprofen and triclosan, whereas in winter it declined for most of the PPCPs to between 30% and 50%, except for CAF and SAL (>80%) and carbamazepine and butylated hydroxyl toluene (11-18%). In the suspended solids, the removal exceeded 80% for most of the target PPCPs. The efficiency of the different treatment steps was also compound-dependent, but the SF CW generally exhibited the highest removal efficiency for most of the contaminants analyzed. The characterization of the organic matter retained in the wetland gravel beds revealed the occurrence of hydrophobic contaminants such as phthalate esters and fragrances at moderate concentrations (i.e., up to 3.5 μg kg(-1)), which declined strongly over the course of the different treatment steps. In the SF CW, the net mass accumulation rates of tonalide and galaxolide were 4 and 23 gy(-1) respectively, whereas in the SSF CW they were 0.3 and 1.8 gy(-1) respectively.