Bacterial iron-oxide nanowires from biofilm waste as a new adsorbent for the removal of arsenic from water

Biofilm, generated by the bacteria in the groundwater pumping system pipelines of the Salt Interception Scheme on the River Murray in South Australia is discarded as a waste material accumulated after periodic cleaning of the pipes. Structural and chemical composition characterizations confirm that this waste material is composed of amorphous twisted iron-oxide nanowires (ION), generated by bacteria, and they have a unique structure and properties. The adsorption performance of these iron-oxide nanowires for arsenic removal from water was evaluated to define their adsorption capacity for As(III) and As(V) and kinetics. Obtained results demonstrate considerable adsorption properties of this waste biological material and suggest its promising application as a new and low-cost adsorbent for water treatment.Ivan Andjelkovic, Sara Azari, Mason Erkelens, Peter Forward, Martin F. Lambert and Dusan Losi

Effects of exogenous progesterone on the ovine serum progesterone profile during the non-breeding season

Exogenous progesterone (PRG) sources are used to induce ovine estrus during the non-breeding season. Intramuscular injection (IM) of PRG is an uncommon route for this purpose. This study investigated serum progesterone (P4) levels after IM administration of 50 mg of two different PRG products. Ten ewes were selected and received two consecutive PGF2α injections at 24-h intervals. Serum samples were collected (Time 0), followed by the injection of single doses of Fertigest® or Vetagesterone®. Serum P4 levels were assayed at times (T) 0, 30 min, 3,6,12,24,48,72,96, and 120 h after injection. A large variation in the serum P4 levels at T0 was detected. The serum P4 level at T0 was 4.3 ng/mL, which is considerable for anestrus ewes, following PGF2α administration. The mean time to reach maximum serum P4 concentration was 5.8 h, with a mean concentration of 22.5 ng/mL. Serum P4 levels returned to basal values (T0) after 48 h. An increased P4 production rate (PR) was detected following PRG administration, which continued for 24 h. A single injection of PRG reduced the variety of serum P4 levels from 24 h onward. The two different PRG generated different serum P4 concentrations. This study indicates an unusual change in serum P4 levels in anestrus ewes following PGF2α administration. 48 h after 50 mg PRG injection, the plasma levels of P4 reached basal levels in anestrus ewes

Quantum Switches for Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill Qubit-based All-Photonic Quantum Networks

The Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) code, being information theoretically near optimal for quantum communication over Gaussian thermal-loss optical channels, is likely to be the encoding of choice for advanced quantum networks of the future. Quantum repeaters based on GKP-encoded light have been shown to support high end-to-end entanglement rates across large distances despite realistic finite squeezing in GKP code preparation and homodyne detection inefficiencies. Here, we introduce a quantum switch for GKP-qubit-based quantum networks, whose architecture involves multiplexed GKP-qubit-based entanglement link generation with clients, and their all-photonic storage, together enabled by GKP-qubit graph state resources. For bipartite entanglement distribution between clients via entanglement swapping, the switch uses a multi-client generalization of a recently introduced $\textit{entanglement-ranking-based link matching}$ protocol heuristic. Since generating the GKP-qubit graph state resource is hardware intensive, given a total resource budget and an arbitrary layout of clients, we address the question of their optimal allocation towards the different client-pair connections served by the switch such that the sum throughput of the switch is maximized while also being fair in terms of the individual entanglement rates. We illustrate our results for an exemplary data center network, where the data center is a client of a switch and all of its other clients aim to connect to the data center alone -- a scenario that also captures the general case of a gateway router connecting a local area network to a global network. Together with compatible quantum repeaters, our quantum switch provides a way to realize quantum networks of arbitrary topology.Comment: 13 pages, 8 Figure

A Survey of Air-to-Ground Propagation Channel Modeling for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), particularly for small UAVs, due to their affordable prices, ease of availability, and ease of operability. Existing and future applications of UAVs include remote surveillance and monitoring, relief operations, package delivery, and communication backhaul infrastructure. Additionally, UAVs are envisioned as an important component of 5G wireless technology and beyond. The unique application scenarios for UAVs necessitate accurate air-to-ground (AG) propagation channel models for designing and evaluating UAV communication links for control/non-payload as well as payload data transmissions. These AG propagation models have not been investigated in detail when compared to terrestrial propagation models. In this paper, a comprehensive survey is provided on available AG channel measurement campaigns, large and small scale fading channel models, their limitations, and future research directions for UAV communication scenarios

Populist communication in the new media environment: a cross-regional comparative perspective

The changing terms of mediation place new demands, opportunities and risks on the performance of the political persona. Visibility has become a double-edged sword, leaving representatives vulnerable to exposure while new tools provide opportunities for emerging entrepreneurial actors. This double risk to elites’ mediated personas—exposure and challenge from entrepreneurs—renders their armour of authenticity dangerously fragile, which nourishes a public sense of being inefficaciously represented. It is this climate in which populism currently flourishes around the globe. Three primary criteria of mediated self-representation by politicians—visibility, authenticity and efficacy—form the focus of this paper: how do populists negotiate such demands in different democratic contexts, and wherein lies the symbiosis between populism and the new media environment suggested by the literature? To answer this, the paper compares two populist cases responding to different democratic contexts: UKIP, a right-wing party from an established democracy (UK), and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a left-wing party from a transitional democracy (South Africa). The objects of study are disruptive performances by these parties, which are considered emblematic manifestations of populist ideology as they establish a Manichaean relationship between the elite and populist actors who embody the people. The paper introduces disruption as a multi-faceted and significant analytical concept to explain the populist behaviour and strategies that underlie populist parties’ responses to the demands for visibility, authenticity and efficacy that the new media environment places upon political representatives. Using mixed methods with an interpretive focus, the paper paints a rich picture of the contexts, meanings and means of construction of populist performances

Performance, kinetic, and biodegradation pathway evaluation of anaerobic fixed film fixed bed reactor in removing phthalic acid esters from wastewater

Emerging and hazardous environmental pollutants like phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are one of the recent concerns worldwide. PAEs are considered to have diverse endocrine disrupting effects on human health. Industrial wastewater has been reported as an important environment with high concentrations of PAEs. In the present study, four short-chain PAEs including diallyl phthalate (DAP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), and phthalic acid (PA) were selected as a substrate for anaerobic fixed film fixed bed reactor (AnFFFBR). The process performances of AnFFFBR, and also its kinetic behavior, were evaluated to find the best eco-friendly phthalate from the biodegradability point of view. According to the results and kinetic coefficients, removing and mineralizing of DMP occurred at a higher rate than other phthalates. In optimum conditions 92.5, 84.41, and 80.39% of DMP, COD, and TOC were removed. DAP was found as the most bio-refractory phthalate. The second-order (Grau) model was selected as the best model for describing phthalates removal

Trauma-related emotions and radical acceptance in dialectical behavior therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder after childhood sexual abuse

Background: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related to childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is often associated with a wide range of trauma-related aversive emotions such as fear, disgust, sadness, shame, guilt, and anger. Intense experience of aversive emotions in particular has been linked to higher psychopathology in trauma survivors. Most established psychosocial treatments aim to reduce avoidance of trauma-related memories and associated emotions. Interventions based on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) also foster radical acceptance of the traumatic event. Methods: This study compares individual ratings of trauma-related emotions and radical acceptance between the start and the end of DBT for PTSD (DBT-PTSD) related to CSA. We expected a decrease in trauma-related emotions and an increase in acceptance. In addition, we tested whether therapy response according to the Clinician Administered PTSD-Scale (CAPS) for the DSM-IV was associated with changes in trauma-related emotions and acceptance. The data was collected within a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of DBT-PTSD, and a subsample of 23 women was included in this secondary data analysis. Results: In a multilevel model, shame, guilt, disgust, distress, and fear decreased significantly from the start to the end of the therapy whereas radical acceptance increased. Therapy response measured with the CAPS was associated with change in trauma-related emotions. Conclusions: Trauma-related emotions and radical acceptance showed significant changes from the start to the end of DBT-PTSD. Future studies with larger sample sizes and control group designs are needed to test whether these changes are due to the treatment. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT0048100

Stem cell-mediated angiogenesis in skin tissue engineering and wound healing

The timely management of skin wounds has been an unmet clinical need for centuries. While there have been several attempts to accelerate wound healing and reduce the cost of hospitalisation and the healthcare burden, there remains a lack of efficient and effective wound healing approaches. In this regard, stem cell-based therapies have garnered an outstanding position for the treatment of both acute and chronic skin wounds. Stem cells of different origins (e.g., embryo-derived stem cells) have been utilised for managing cutaneous lesions; specifically, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from foetal (umbilical cord) and adult (bone marrow) tissues paved the way to more satisfactory outcomes. Since angiogenesis plays a critical role in all four stages of normal wound healing, recent therapeutic approaches have focused on utilising stem cells for inducing neovascularisation. In fact, stem cells can promote angiogenesis via either differentiation into endothelial lineages or secreting pro-angiogenic exosomes. Furthermore, particular conditions (e.g., hypoxic environments) can be applied in order to boost the pro-angiogenic capability of stem cells before transplantation. For tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications, stem cells can be combined with specific types of pro-angiogenic biocompatible materials (e.g., bioactive glasses) to enhance the neovascularisation process and subsequently accelerate wound healing. As such, this review article summarises such efforts emphasising the bright future that is conceivable when using pro-angiogenic stem cells for treating acute and chronic skin wounds

Accuracy of photon-counting computed tomography for the measurement of bone quality in the knee

Visualization and quantification of bone microarchitecture in the human knee allows gaining insight into normal bone structure, and into the structural changes occurring in the onset and progression of bone diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. However, current imaging modalities have limitations in capturing the intricacies of bone microarchitecture. Photon counting computed tomography (PCCT) is a promising imaging modality that presents high-resolution three-dimensional visualization of bone with a large field of view. However, the potential of PCCT in assessing trabecular microstructure has not been investigated yet. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of PCCT in quantifying bone microstructure and bone mechanics in the knee. Five human cadaveric knees were scanned ex vivo using a PCCT scanner (Naetom alpha, Siemens, Germany) with an in-plane resolution of 146.5 µm and slice thickness of 100 µm. To assess accuracy, the specimens were also scanned with a high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT; XtremeCT II, Scanco Medical, Switzerland) with a nominal isotropic voxel size of 60.7 µm as well as with micro-computed tomography (micro-CT; TESCAN UniTOM XL, Czech Republic) with a nominal isotropic voxel size of 25 µm which can be considered gold standards for in vivo and ex vivo scanning, respectively. The thickness and porosity of the subchondral bone and the microstructure of the underlying trabecular bone were assessed in the load bearing regions of the proximal tibia and distal femur. The apparent Young's modulus was determined by micro-finite element (µFE) analysis of subchondral trabecular bone (STB) in the load bearing regions of the proximal tibia using PCCT, HR-pQCT and micro-CT images. The correlation between PCCT measurements and micro-CT and HR-pQCT, respectively, was calculated. The coefficients of determination (R2) between PCCT and micro-CT based parameters, ranged from 0.69 to 0.87. The coefficients of determination between PCCT and HR-pQCT were slightly higher and ranged from 0.71 to 0.91. Apparent Young's modulus, assessed by µFE analysis of PCCT images, correlated well with that of micro-CT (R2 = 0.80, mean relative difference = 19 %). However, PCCT overestimated the apparent Young's modulus by 47 %, but the correlation (R2 = 0.84) remained strong when compared to HR-pQCT. The results of this study suggest that PCCT can be used to quantify bone microstructure in the knee

On the neural networks of empathy: A principal component analysis of an fMRI study

© 2008 Nomi et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens