Phosphorus adsorption and organic release from dried and thermally treated water treatment sludge.

The study investigated water treatment sludge (WTS) as a phosphorus (P) adsorbent and examined the release of organic matter during the P adsorption process. Previous studies indicated that WTS is an effective adsorbent for P but also releases organic matter, which may affect the organoleptic properties of treated water, but no study has characterised organic release and conducted an in-depth study on its behaviours. This study characterised the organic release during the P adsorption process from four different WTS samples.

Engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the de novo Production of Halogenated Tryptophan and Tryptamine Derivatives.

The indole scaffold is a recurring structure in multiple bioactive heterocycles and natural products. Substituted indoles like the amino acid tryptophan serve as a precursor for a wide range of natural products with pharmaceutical or agrochemical applications. Inspired by the versatility of these compounds, medicinal chemists have for decades exploited indole as a core structure in the drug discovery process.

Improvement of ,-Muconic Acid Production in through Biosensor-Aided Genome Engineering.

Muconic acid is a potential platform chemical for the production of nylon, polyurethanes, and terephthalic acid. It is also an attractive functional copolymer in plastics due to its two double bonds. At this time, no economically viable process for the production of muconic acid exists.

Neurosurgical Anatomy of the Internal Carotid Artery: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of the Sellar Region.

Background: Transsphenoidal surgical approaches involve dissection of the posterior wall of the sphenoid sinus in close proximity to the internal carotid arteries. To reduce the risk of vascular injury, a detailed study of embalmed cadavers' sellae was conducted and found the internal carotid artery approached within 4 mm of the midline in 10% of cases, and the closest intercarotid distance (ICD) occurred in the cavernous sinus, sphenoid sinus, and supraclinoid segments in 82%, 14%, and 4% of cases, respectively. These measurements have not previously been compared with living patients with modern imaging techniques.

Membrane Distillation Trial on Textile Wastewater Containing Surfactants Using Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic-Coated Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) Membranes.

Treating wastewater from textile plants using membrane distillation (MD) has great potential due to the high-salinity wastes and availability of waste heat. However, textile wastewaters also contain surfactants, which compromise the essential hydrophobic feature of the membrane, causing membrane wetting. To address this wetting issue, a custom-made membrane consisting of a hydrophilic layer coated on hydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was tested on textile wastewater in a pilot MD setup, and compared with a conventional hydrophobic PTFE membrane.

Membrane Distillation of Meat Industry Effluent with Hydrophilic Polyurethane Coated Polytetrafluoroethylene Membranes.

Meat rendering operations produce stick water waste which is rich in proteins, fats, and minerals. Membrane distillation (MD) may further recover water and valuable solids, but hydrophobic membranes are contaminated by the fats. Here, commercial hydrophobic polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) membranes with a hydrophilic polyurethane surface layer (PU-PTFE) are used for the first time for direct contact MD (DCMD) on real poultry, fish, and bovine stick waters.

Membrane potential independent transport of NH in the absence of ammonium permeases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Background: Microbial production of nitrogen containing compounds requires a high uptake flux and assimilation of the N-source (commonly ammonium), which is generally coupled with ATP consumption and negatively influences the product yield. In the industrial workhorse Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ammonium (NH) uptake is facilitated by ammonium permeases (Mep1, Mep2 and Mep3), which transport the NH ion, resulting in ATP expenditure to maintain the intracellular charge balance and pH by proton export using the plasma membrane-bound H-ATPase.

Results: To decrease the ATP costs for nitrogen assimilation, the Mep genes were removed, resulting in a strain unable to uptake the NH ion.

Chemistry of silica scale mitigation for RO desalination with particular reference to remote operations.

Silica scaling in reverse osmosis of groundwater is a significant issue in water stressed areas due to the limitations that scaling imposes on water recovery. While calcium and magnesium scaling potential can be significantly reduced by the use of ion exchange or other softening processes, the silica scaling potential typically remains. Improving the recovery of reverse osmosis by limiting the potential for silica scale is important in ensuring maximum water recovery.

Recovery of water and acid from leach solutions using direct contact membrane distillation.

This paper describes for the first time the use of direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) for acid and water recovery from a real leach solution generated by a hydrometallurgical plant. The leach solutions considered contained H2SO4 or HCl. In all tests the temperature of the feed solution was kept at 60 °C.

Convergence and remarkably consistent constraint in the evolution of carnivore skull shape.

Phenotypic similarities between distantly related marsupials and placentals are commonly presented as examples of convergence and support for the role of adaptive evolution in shaping morphological and ecological diversity. Here we compare skull shape in a wide range of carnivoran placentals (Carnivora) and nonherbivorous marsupials using a three-dimensional (3-D) geometric morphometric approach. Morphological and ecological diversity among extant carnivorans is considerably greater than is evident in the marsupial order Dasyuromorphia with which they have most commonly been compared.

Posterior ponticles and rotational stenosis of vertebral arteries. A pilot study using Doppler ultrasound velocimetry and magnetic resonance angiography.

Objective: To determine whether the presence of posterior ponticles markedly increases by 30% or more, the incidence of major rotational stenosis of vertebral arteries.

Methods: Doppler ultrasound studies were performed in 3 private chiropractic clinics and in the radiology department of a public hospital, and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) studies were made in the latter location. Thirty-two chiropractic patients had Doppler velocimetery, and 16 of these patients had MRA scanning.

Vertebral arteries and cervical rotation: modeling and magnetic resonance angiography studies.

Objective: To determine whether lumen narrowing in vertebral arteries during atlanto-axial rotation is due to stretch or localized compression.

Design And Setting: Experiments with models were made in a private chiropractic clinic, whereas studies of cadaveric specimens were performed in an anatomy laboratory. Doppler ultrasound and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) studies were carried out in the radiology department of a public hospital.

Influence of age on cervicothoracic spinal curvature: an ex vivo radiographic survey.

Objective: To define the post-mortem cervicothoracic spinal curvature relative to age.

Design: Spinal curvature assessment of lateral cervicothoracic radiographs.

Background: A late consequence of age is the progressive accentuation of spinal curvatures, particularly the thoracic kyphosis.