Application of environmental bacteria as potential methods of azo dye degradation systems

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:The objective of this study isto present a description of the main characteristics of azo dyes and the different treatment methods used to remove them from water. There is a special emphasis given to the benefits associated with biological treatment, predominantly those related to the use of bacteria, which has to do with its competitive advantages over other microorganisms in the dye degradation processes. METHODS: The topic to be addressed was first defined through workshops with the research group. The literature review was carried out following several inclusion/exclusion criteria: the year of publication, as the selection was limited to studies published between 2010 and 2020, the focus of the investigation, which had to be related to the efficiency of different techniques for the remediation of ecosystems contaminated with azo dyes and, lastly, that the studies also discussed the use of environmental bacteria in dye degradation processes. FINDING: The efficiency of bacteria to degrade azo dyes ranges from 63-100%, the most efficient being: Marinobacter sp, Sphingobacterium sp, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus casseliflavus. The bacteria that, reportedly, have greater efficiency for simultaneously removing the dye-metal complex are Bacillus circulans and Acinetobacter junii. CONCLUSION: Traditional strategies for the treatment of effluents contaminated with azo dyes are limited to physical and chemical processes that have a high energy and economic cost. For these reasons, current challenges are focused on the use of environmental bacteria capable of transforming dyes into less toxic compounds

A Teacher Professional Development Program for Designing Inclusive Learning Experiences

Inclusiveness, namely the process of proving all learners equal educational opportunities, is a major challenge for many educational systems worldwide. In order to address this issue, frameworks have been proposed from (a) a pedagogical perspective such as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and (b) teachers' required competences perspective such as the Competence Framework for Inclusive Teachers (CFIT). To this end, the scope of this paper is to present the design and initial evaluation of a teacher professional development program for designing inclusive learning experiences aligned with UDL and CFIT

Degradation of Cyanide from Gold Mining Wastewater Using Photocatalysis

Abstract In recent years, water quality issues related with hazardous wastewater and toxic substances have attracted worldwide attention. Cyanide is a major toxin in wastewater resulting from a diversity of industries, including gold mining. Cyanide has adverse health effects on people as well as other living organisms. The toxic effects of cyanide are so important to cause nerve damage and thyroid glands malfunctioning. In this paper, the degradation of cyanide in waters resulting from gold mining activity was carried out in a batch system with two catalysts TiO2 Degussa P-25 and TiO2 doped with copper heteropolyimolybdate, that was synthesized in laboratory and characterized by FTIR and XRD. Assays showed a degradation of 98.55% with a concentration of 0.3 g/L of TiO2 and 97.17% with TiO2 doped with 1% of Cu heteropolyimolybdate (1 g/L) in 50 min of reaction. A real mining sample showed a cyanide degradation of 55.76% with TiO2 in 240 min of reaction. All the assays were made applying photodegradation using a 125-Watt mercury lamp as source. These results are encouraging to use this technology for the removal of cyanide coming from highly contaminated aqueous effluents.</jats:p

Contracaecum bioccai n. sp. from the brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis (L.) in Colombia (Nematoda: Anisakidae): morphology, molecular evidence, and its genetic relationship with congeners from fish-eating birds.

Contracaecum bioccai n. sp. is described from the brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis (L.) in northern Colombia (Totumo Marsh) based on 20 enzyme loci studied using multilocus allozyme electrophoresis. Moreover, genetic relationships between the new taxon and related congeners are presented based on allozyme data-sets and sequence analyses (519 bp) of the mtDNA-cox2 gene. Fixed allele differences were found at some of the allozyme loci analysed in comparison with other Contracaecum spp. from pelicans and cormorants [i.e. the sibling species of the C. rudolphii Hartwich, 1964 complex, C. septentrionale Kreis, 1955, C. micropapillatum (Stossich, 1890), C. microcephalum (Rudolphi, 1809) and C. pelagicum Johnston &amp; Mawson, 1942]. The genetic distance, at the allozyme level, between C. bioccai n. sp. and its congeners ranged from D (Nei) = 0.80 versus C. septentrionale to D (Nei) = 1.40 versus C. micropapillatum. The genetic distance at the mtDNA cox-2 level ranged, on average, from K-2P = 0.12 versus the C. rudolphii species complex to K-2P = 0.15 versus C. micropapillatum. An overall concordant tree topology, obtained from UPGMA and NJ tree analyses inferred from allozyme data, as well as from MP, UPGMA and NJ inferred from mtDNA-cox2 sequence analysis, showed C. bioccai n. sp. as a separated lineage to the other Contracaecum spp. A concordant result was also obtained by PCA analysis based on both the allozyme and mtDNA cox-2 data-sets. All of the tree topologies, derived from the phylogenetic analysis inferred from both allozymes and mtDNA data-sets, were in substantial agreement and depicted C. bioccai as closely related to the sibling species of the C. rudolphii complex (C. rudolphii A and C. rudolphii B) and C. septentrionale. Morphological analysis and a differential diagnosis based on male specimens of C. bioccai, which had been genetically characterised by both allozyme markers and mtDNA sequences analysis with respect to morphologically related congeners, enabled the detection of differences in a numbers of characters, including spicule length, the morphology of the distal end of the spicule and the distribution patterns of the distal caudal papilla

Supporting Open Access to Teaching and Learning of People with Disabilities

Over the past years, several frameworks have been developed aiming to support inclusive learning by the provision of flexible or individualized learning experiences. These frameworks recognize the broad diversity of learners and they provide specific learning design principles to ensure accessibility of all learner types to the learning environment or education delivery. In the field of technology-enhanced learning (TeL), accessibility has been recognized as a key design consideration for TeL systems, ensuring that learners with diverse needs and preferences (such as learners with disabilities) can access technology-supported resources, services, and experiences, in general. Within this context, several initiatives have emerged, such as the Inclusive Learning project, which aims to promote an inclusive learning culture and support teachers in designing, sharing and delivering accessible educational resources in the form of learning objects (LOs). To this end, the scope of this book chapter is to present an online educational portal, namely the Inclusive Learning Portal, which aims to support open access to teaching and learning of people with disabilities. More specifically, the Inclusive Learning Portal architecture is presented, which contains a repository of accessible LOs, complementary services that enable easy development and delivery of accessible LOs, as well as teacher training opportunities in the use of these services

Fungal Technology Applied to Distillery Effluent Treatment

The Northwest of Argentina has numerous sugar industries and about 99.5% of the total sugar production is concentrated in the provinces of Tucumán, Salta, and Jujuy. Integrated sugarcane factories (sugar mills coupled to a bioethanol distillery) are common in our country. The liquid fraction generated from rectification and distillation operations of bioethanol, known as vinasse, is not itself a hazardous waste, but because of its complex composition, it is considered potentially dangerous. The province of Tucumán has achieved a substantial improvement with regard to the vinasse spills onto watercourses near sugar-alcohol industries. However, millions of liters of effluent are annually accumulated in open-pit pools to the limit of their capacity, threatening the sustainability of the ecosystem. A variety of physicochemical and microbiological technologies is continually evaluated to mitigate the environmental impact of vinasse. However, microbiological conditioning of distillery effluents has been reported as effective and eco-friendly. Particularly, fungal technology has made great contributions to the treatment of vinasse since fungi possess an extraordinary ability to digest complex waste materials. Additionally, fungus-based processes offer the possibility to obtain value-added products from waste materials. The present chapter provides an overview of the current scope of fungal technology applied for treatment of vinasse. Additionally, are discussed the first advances on the potential of an autochthonous fungus strain to degrade a local sugarcane vinasse sample.Fil: del Gobbo, Luciana Melisa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; ArgentinaFil: Colin, Veronica Leticia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentin