Optimized design of wastewater stream treatment processes by membrane technologies

Wastewater treatment by membrane technologies is gaining more and more importance and the relevant market is increasing. This trend is mainly justified by novel and high-performance membrane materials, a wider number of successful applications by membrane technologies and the progressive reduction of the investment and operating costs. The main drawback of membrane technology is membrane fouling, that reduces the membrane performances along the time and leads to a premature substitution of the membrane modules. In the last years, a better understanding of the fouling phenomena has sensibly increased the confidence in this technology. This is especially true for wastewater treatment processes based on membranes. In this case low operating costs are mandatory, thus the membrane modules should not be frequently replaced. This work briefly covers the theory and measurement procedures of the critical, threshold and boundary flux, with the aim of process optimization and control design. The goal is to operate membranes modules by avoiding irreversible fouling for a long period of time (several years). The importance of specific pretreatment processes, such as flocculation and photocatalysis, adopted to reduce fouling phenomena will be also discussed. Moreover, the design of advanced control systems for batch membrane and some examples of wastewater treatment (olive mill wastewater and the effluents from the tannery industry) will be reported

Report on the Verification of the Performance of Bt11, MIR162, 1507 and GA21 Event-specific Methods on the Bt11 x MIR162 x 1507 x GA21 Maize Using Real-time PCR

An application was submitted by Syngenta Crop Protection AG to request the authorisation of genetically modified Bt11 x MIR162 x 1507 x GA21 maize (tolerant to herbicides containing glufosinate ammonium and glyphosate and resistant to important lepidoptera maize pests) and all sub-combinations of the individual events as present in the segregating progeny, for food and feed uses, and import and processing, in accordance with articles 5 and 17 of Regulation (EC) N° 1829/2003 GM Food and GM Feed (1). The unique identifier assigned to Bt11 x MIR162 x 1507 x GA21 maize is SYN-BTØ11-1 x SYN-IR162-4 x DAS-Ø15Ø7-1 x MON-ØØØ21-9. Bt11 x MIR162 x 1507 x GA21 maize has been obtained by conventional crossing between four genetically modified maize events: Bt11, MIR162, 1507 and GA21. No new genetic modification was used for the development of Bt11 x MIR162 x 1507 x GA21 maize. The EU-RL GMFF has previously validated individually, and declared fit for purpose, the detection methods for the single events Bt11, MIR162, 1507, GA21 and has published the corresponding reports http://gmo-crl.jrc.ec.europa.eu/StatusOfDossiers.aspx; therefore, in line with the approach defined by the ENGL (Annex 1, http://gmo-crl.jrc.ec.europa.eu/doc/Min_Perf_Requirements_Analytical_methods.pdf) the EU-RL GMFF has carried out only an in-house verification of the performance of each validated method when applied to DNA extracted from Bt11 x MIR162 x 1507 x GA21. The results of the in-house verification study were evaluated with reference to ENGL requirements and to the validation results on the individual events; as a result, the EU-RL GMFF concludes that the individual methods meet the ENGL criteria and can also be applied to Bt11 x MIR162 x 1507 x GA21 maize. This report is published at http://gmo-crl.jrc.ec.europa.eu/StatusOfDossiers.aspx.JRC.I.3-Molecular Biology and Genomic

Event-specific Method for the Quantification of Soybean DAS-68416-4 Using Real-time PCR: Validation report

In line with its mandate the European Union Reference Laboratory for GM Food and Feed (EU RL GMFF), in collaboration with the European Network of GMO Laboratories (ENGL), has validated an event-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for detecting and quantifying soybean event DAS-68416-4 (unique identifier DAS-68416-4). The validation study was conducted according to the EU-RL GMFF validation procedure (http://gmo-crl.jrc.ec.europa.eu/guidancedocs.htm) and internationally accepted guidelines. In accordance with current EU legislation , Dow AgroSciences LLC provided the detection method and the positive and negative control samples (genomic DNA extracted from soybean kernels harbouring the DAS-68416-4 event as positive control DNA, genomic DNA extracted from conventional soybean kernels as negative control DNA). The EU-RL GMFF prepared the validation samples (calibration samples and blind samples at different GM percentage [DNA/DNA]), organised an international collaborative study and analysed the results. The study confirms that the method meets the method performance requirements as established by the EU-RL GMFF and the ENGL and according to Annex I-2.C.2 to Regulation (EC) No 641/2004 and it fulfils the analytical requirements of Regulation (EU) No 619/2011JRC.I.3-Molecular Biology and Genomic

First record of the North American cryptic invader Ferrissia fragilis (Tryon, 1863) (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Planorbidae) in the Middle East

Some gastropod specimens belonging to the planorbid genus Ferrissia were recently collected in Lebanon and in Iraq, where the autochthonous species Ferrissia clessiniana (Jickeli, 1882) is supposed to occur. The molecular identification of collected specimens proved that they belong to the allochthonous species Ferrissia fragilis (Tryon, 1863), the protagonist of a dramatic cryptic invasion which is of interest to the whole of Eurasia. These findings cast further doubts on the actual existence of autochthonous Ferrissia species in the Palaearctic. The need for a molecular characterisation of the topotypical population of F. clessiniana, and for a revision of the Palaearctic Ferrissia species, is stressed

Report on the Verification of the Performance of 1507, 59122, MON 810 and NK603 Event-specific PCR-based Methods applied to DNA extracted from Stack Maize 1507 x 59122 x MON 810 x NK603

An application was submitted by Pioneer Overseas Corporation to request the authorization of the genetically modified maize stack 1507 x 59122 x MON 810 x NK603, resistant against certain lepidopteran pests, protected against corn rootworm larvae, and glufosinate-ammonium and glyphosate tolerant, and all sub-combinations of the individual events as present in the segregating progeny, for food and feed uses, and import and processing, in accordance with articles 5 and 17 of Regulation (EC) N° 1829/2003 GM Food and GM Feed. The unique identifier assigned to 1507 x 59122 x MON 810 x NK603 maize is DAS-Ø15Ø7-1xDAS-59122-7xMON-ØØ81Ø-6xMON-ØØ6Ø3-6. The genetically modified maize line 1507 x 59122 x MON 810 x NK603 has been obtained by conventional crossing of four genetically modified single maize events: 1507, 59122, MON 810 and NK603 without any new genetic modification. The EU-RL GMFF has previously validated, and declared fit for purpose, the detection methods for the single events 1507, 59122, MON 810 and NK603 (see: http://gmo-crl.jrc.ec.europa.eu/statusofdoss.htm). In line with the approach defined by the ENGL (http://gmo-crl.jrc.ec.europa.eu/doc/Min_Perf_Requirements_Analytical_methods.pdf) the EU-RL GMFF therefore has carried out only an in-house verification of the performance of each validated method when applied to DNA extracted from 1507 x 59122 x MON 810 x NK603. The herewith reported in-house verification study lead to the conclusion that the individual methods meet the ENGL performance criteria also when applied to DNA extracted from the GM maize stack 1507 x 59122 x MON 810 x NK603.JRC.I.3-Molecular Biology and Genomic

Report on the Verification of the Performance of MON 87705 and MON 89788 Event-specific PCR-based Methods applied to DNA Extracted from GM Stack Soybean MON 87705 x MON 89788

The EU-RL GMFF has previously validated individually, and declared fit for purpose, the detection methods for the single line soybean events MON 87705 and MON 89788 and has published the corresponding reports (see http://gmo-crl.jrc.ec.europa.eu/StatusOfDossiers.aspx). In line with the approach defined by the ENGL (http://gmo-crl.jrc.ec.europa.eu/doc/Min_Perf_Requirements_Analytical_methods.pdf) the EU-RL GMFF therefore has carried out only an in-house verification of the performance of each validated method when applied to DNA extracted from the GM stack MON 87705 x MON 89788 soybean. The hereby reported in-house verification study led to the conclusion that the individual methods meet the ENGL requirements also when applied to DNA extracted from the GM stack MON 87705 x MON 89788 soybean.JRC.I.3-Molecular Biology and Genomic

Post vaccinal temporary sensorineural hearing loss

In our systematic research we identified four studies concerning the onset of neurological adverse events following vaccination and two excluding this association. A 33-year-old Italian man, belonging to the Italian Army was hospitalized because he suffered from vertigo, nausea and sudden right hearing loss not classified (NDD), that set in 24 h after the administration of tetanus-diphtheria and meningococcal vaccines. Some neurological events arising after vaccination are very difficult to treat. In our case, the functional recovery on low and medium frequencies was possible about 6 months after the morbid event

Semantic Virtual Factory supporting interoperable modelling and evaluation of production systems

Modelling, simulation and evaluation of manufacturing systems are relevant activities that may strongly impact on the competitiveness of production enterprises both during the design and the operational phases. This paper addresses the application of a semantic data model for virtual factories to support the design and the performance evaluation of manufacturing systems, while exploiting the interoperability between various Digital Enterprise Technology tools. The paper shows how a shared ontology-based framework can be used to generate consistent 3D virtual environments and discrete event simulation models, demonstrating this way how the proposed solution can provide an interoperable backbone for heterogeneous software tools

The good, the bad and the ugly: Emys trinacris, Placobdella costata and Haemogregarina stepanowi in Sicily (Testudines, Annelida and Apicomplexa)

Endemic Sicilian pond turtles Emys trinacris Fritz, Fattizzo, Guicking, Tripepi, Pennisi, Lenk, Joger et Wink were examined for the presence of haemogregarine parasites. The presence of haemogregarines, occurring mainly in the microgametocyte stage (13.2 ± 0.12 μm in length and 6.4 ± 0.52 μm in width), was observed in approximately 9% of the sampled E. trinacris. Based on the observed morphology and on the sequencing of nuclear 18S rDNA, we identified the parasite as Haemogregarina stepanowi Danilewsky, 1885. Morphometric study of uninfected and infected red blood cells has shown that H. stepanowi induces different changes in erythrocyte shape depending on the infective stage. The differential count of leukocytes in specimens infected with H. stepanowi showed no significant difference compared with healthy specimens. However, considering the health problems which might be induced by H. stepanowi in the closely related European pond turtle Emys orbicularis (Linneaus), monitoring of the health status of the infected Sicilian populations of E. trinacris is desirable. The restricted distribution of populations of Emys infected with haemogregarines in Sicily is quite puzzling and the possible human-mediated introduction of the parasite in Sicily is briefly discussed