Direct Release Research Articles

Overlooked organic vapor emissions from thawing Arctic permafrost

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play an essential role in climate change and air pollution by modulating tropospheric oxidation capacity and providing precursors for ozone and aerosol formation. Arctic permafrost buries large quantities of frozen soil carbon, which could be released as VOCs with permafrost thawing or collapsing as a consequence of global warming. However, due to the lack of reported studies in this field and the limited capability of the conventional measurement techniques, it is poorly understood how much VOCs could be emitted from thawing permafrost and the chemical speciation of the released VOCs. Here we apply a Vocus proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-TOF) in laboratory incubations for the first time to examine the release of VOCs from thawing permafrost peatland soils sampled from Finnish Lapland. The warming-induced rapid VOC emissions from the thawing soils were mainly attributed to the direct release of old, trapped gases from the permafrost. The average VOC fluxes from thawing permafrost were four times as high as those from the active layer (the top layer of soil in permafrost terrain). The emissions of less volatile compounds, i.e. sesquiterpenes and diterpenes, increased substantially with rising temperatures. Results in this study demonstrate the potential for substantive VOC releases from thawing permafrost. We anticipate that future global warming could stimulate VOC emissions from the Arctic permafrost, which may significantly influence the Arctic atmospheric chemistry and climate change.

Pressure relief location—A hidden hazard

AbstractPressure relief devices are considered the last line of defense against overpressure scenarios; they help protect the facility and personnel from a catastrophic event. However, incorrect routing of the relief location may potentially expose not only on‐site personnel but also the surrounding residents to a toxic release event. Some facilities may route the relief path to a safe location; this location sometimes is a direct release to the atmosphere off‐site. The Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) study sometimes does not have the information to fully evaluate the consequence of the relief event. Without conducting a consequence model of a release event from the relief devices that vent to the atmosphere, it is difficult to evaluate the extent of the consequence to the facility, its personnel, and the community. Raising awareness of the potential hazard from the pressure relief devices can promote the safety and reliability of a facility.

Closure modeling for the conditional Reynolds stresses in turbulent premixed combustion

Turbulence is significantly affected by combustion-induced dilatation in low Karlovitz number premixed flames. Conventional turbulence modeling approaches based on traditional unconditional averaging are limited in accurately capturing combustion heat release effects since they must capture both the direct influence of combustion heat release on turbulence and the flame dynamics. Solving momentum transport equations conditionally averaged with respect to a flame structure variable (progress variable for premixed combustion) could provide a superior framework for modeling combustion-affected turbulence since the flame dynamics are embedded into the flame structure variable conditioning. However, the conditional momentum equations contain numerous unclosed terms that evolve in both physical and phase spaces. Of the many unclosed terms, the conditional Reynolds stresses (conditional analog of the Reynolds stresses) represent the influence of turbulent transport on the conditional velocities. In this work, a new model consisting of two components for the conditional Reynolds stresses in turbulent premixed flames is developed to capture heat release effects on turbulence. The first component is the conditional analog of the Boussinesq model that characterizes turbulent shear effects in physical space. The second component depends on the conditional velocity gradient not in physical space but in phase space and captures the anisotropy in the conditional Reynolds stresses driven by thermal expansion effects that vary within the flame structure. The model is validated a priori using DNS databases of turbulent premixed jet flames at low and high Karlovitz numbers. At low Karlovitz number, the phase space term enables the model to capture direct heat release effects on all conditional Reynolds stress components, specifically the correct anisotropy of the normal components and the sign of the shear component. At high Karlovitz number where heat release effects on turbulence are insignificant, turbulent shear effects are dominant, and the phase space term has a nearly negligible effect.

Viral Protein‐Pseudotyped and siRNA‐Electroporated Extracellular Vesicles for Cancer Immunotherapy

AbstractExtracellular vesicles (EVs) have shown great potential in drug delivery, disease diagnosis, and treatment owing to their versatile native features and functions. RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics that block the programmed death‐1 (PD‐1) and programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) pathway have attracted increasing interest for the treatment of various cancers. Here, immunoregulatory EVs are developed by decorating M1‐macrophage‐derived EVs (M1 EV) with vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSV‐G), a pH‐responsive viral fusion protein, and electroporating anti‐PD‐L1 siRNA (siPD‐L1) into the EVs. After administration to CT26 tumor‐bearing mice, this virus‐mimic nucleic acid engineered EVs (siRNA@V‐M1 EV) can target tumor tissues, which is attributed to the natural tumor‐homing property of M1 EV. Then, the fusion of VSV‐G with cells facilitates the direct release of siPD‐L1 into the cytoplasm and triggers robust gene silencing, leading to the efficient block of PD‐L1/PD‐1 interaction and then the elevation of CD8+ T cell population. Meanwhile, the M1 EVs and IFN‐γ secreted by the CD8+ T cells promote the repolarization of M2 tumor‐associated macrophages to M1 macrophages. The combination of PD‐L1/PD‐1 pathway blocking, T cell recognition reconstructing, and M1 macrophage repolarization via multifunctional EVs can achieve satisfactory antitumor efficacy in this tumor model, showing potential as a new modality to fight cancers.

Intravenous iron preparations transiently generate non-transferrin-bound iron from two proposed pathways

Intravenous iron-carbohydrate complex preparations (IVIP) are noninterchangeable pro-drugs: their pharmacokinetics (PK) varies determined by semi-crystalline iron core and carbohydrate shell structures, influences pharmacodynamics (PD) and thus efficacy and safety. Examining PK/PD relationships of three IVIP we identify a two-pathway model of transient non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) generation following single dose administration. Twenty-eight hypoferremic non-anemic patients randomized to 200 mg iron as ferric carboxymaltose (Fe-carboxymaltose), iron sucrose (Fe-sucrose), iron isomaltoside 1000 (Fe-isomaltoside- 1000), n=8/arm, or placebo, n=4, on a 2-week PK/PD study, had samples analysed for total serum iron, IVIP-iron, transferrin-bound iron (TBI) by high-performance liquid chromatography in combination with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS), transferrin saturation (TSAT), serum ferritin (s-Ferritin) by standard methods, NTBI and hepcidin as published before. IVIP-dependent increases in these parameters returned to baseline in 48-150 hours (h), except for s-Ferritin and TSAT. NTBI was low with Fe-isomaltoside-1000 (0.13 μM at 8 h), rapidly increased with Fe-sucrose (0.8 μM at 2 h, 1.25 μM at 4 h), and delayed for Fe-carboxymaltose (0.57 μM at 24 h). NTBI area-under-curve (AUC) were 7-fold greater for Fe-carboxymaltose and Fe-sucrose than for Fe-isomaltoside-1000. Hepcidin peak time varied, but not AUC or mean levels. s-Ferritin levels and AUC were highest for Fe-carboxymaltose and greater than placebo for all IVIP. We propose two mechanisms for the observed NTBI kinetics: rapid and delayed NTBI appearance consistent with direct (circulating IVIP-to-plasma) and indirect (IVIP-to-macrophage-to-plasma) iron release based on IVIP plasma half-life and s-Ferritin dynamics. IVIP generate different, broadly stability- and PK-dependent, NTBI and s-Ferritin signatures, which may influence iron bioavailability, efficacy and safety. Longer-term studies should link NTBI exposure to subsequent safety and efficacy parameters and potential clinical consequences.

Immediate decontamination

The article is devoted to a vital issue for the Polish Armed Forces, namely to the containment and elimination of contaminations. The main factors which are likely to cause the direct or indirect release of hazardous substances and the emergence of contaminations in the territory of the Republic of Poland (RP) include military operations, disasters and technical failures in industrial facilities, as well as terror-ism. The containment and elimination of contamination is an element of the WMD defense system, in which the combat capability of the army’s troops, equipment and military technology is restored after a contamination. The most important element of the system is the immediate elimination of contamination, as it can affect the health, and often also the life, of the contaminated. The doctrinal document DD/3.8(A) contains the main principles for immediate containment, the main one being “as soon as possible”. It is important to be aware that the so-called insulating protective clothing does not provide adequate protection for the skin and uniforms. At the same time, it can be a source of secondary contamination. Technical equipment comprising individual packages will suffice, but the Polish Armed Forces should acquire one IPLS-type decontamination package with pharmacological agents and a new skin disinfectant. Such solutions are preferred in NATO armies.

Human Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Mediated Sciatic Nerve Recovery Is Associated with the Upregulation of Regulatory T Cells.

The acceleration of peripheral nerve regeneration is crucial for functional nerve recovery. Our previous study demonstrated that human Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hWJ-MSC) promote sciatic nerve recovery and regeneration via the direct upregulation and release of neurotrophic factors. However, the immunomodulatory role of hWJ-MSC in sciatic nerve recovery remains unclear. The effects of hWJ-MSC on innate immunity, represented by macrophages, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells, as well as on adaptive immunity, represented by CD4+ T, CD8+ T, B, and regulatory T cells (Tregs), were examined using flow cytometry. Interestingly, a significantly increased level of Tregs was detected in blood, lymph nodes (LNs), and nerve-infiltrating cells on POD7, 15, 21, and 35. Anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-4 and IL-10, were significantly upregulated in the LNs and nerves of hWJ-MSC-treated mice. Treg depletion neutralized the improved effects of hWJ-MSC on sciatic nerve recovery. In contrast, Treg administration promoted the functional recovery of five-toe spread and gait stance. hWJ-MSC also expressed high levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokines TGF-β and IL-35. This study indicated that hWJ-MSC induce Treg development to modulate the balance between pro- and anti-inflammation at the injured sciatic nerve by secreting higher levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines.

Inhibitory effect of released phosphate on the ability of nano zero valent iron to boost anaerobic digestion of waste-activated sludge and the remediation method

The addition of nano zero valent iron (NZVI) to anaerobic systems is an attractive strategy to enhance the anaerobic digestion (AD) of waste-activated sludge (WAS). However, high minerals contents within the WAS may release inorganic salts and regenerate precipitates in AD, leading to changes in the morphology of the sludge and affecting mass transfer between syntrophic bacteria and methanogens. In this study, the addition of NZVI was found to significantly accelerate CH4 production early in the AD process of WAS. With continuous AD, the internal channels of the anaerobic granular sludge (AGS), which are crucial for mass transfer, were clogged by phosphate precipitates that were formed due to the reaction between Fe2+ and PO43− released from phosphorus-containing minerals in WAS. This caused a decrease in CH4 production. The combination of NZVI and granular activated carbon (GAC) reduced the production of phosphate precipitates due to the adsorption on Fe2+ by GAC; this mitigated the inhibitory effect of phosphate precipitates on CH4 production. Additionally, there was a sharp increase in genes involved in hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis in the NZVI and GAC + NZVI groups, while there was no significant change in the genes involved in acetoclastic methanogenesis in the NZVI group compared to the control group. The formation of H2 and the direct release of electrons from NZVI corrosion, which boost CH4 production, occurred simultaneously. This study is the first detailed investigation into the mechanisms underlying the inhibition and bioaugmentation effects of NZVI on AD of WAS in a complex system.

At scale, renewable natural gas systems could be climate intensive: the influence of methane feedstock and leakage rates

Renewable natural gas (RNG) is a fuel comprised of essentially pure methane, usually derived from climate-neutral (e.g. biogenic or captured) carbon dioxide (CO2). RNG is proposed as a climate friendly direct substitute for fossil natural gas (FNG), with the goal of enabling diverse natural gas users to continue operating without substantial infrastructure overhauls. The assumption that such substitution is climate friendly relies on a major condition that is unlikely to be met: namely, that RNG is manufactured from waste methane that would otherwise have been emitted to the atmosphere. In practice, capturable waste methane is extremely limited and is more likely to be diverted from a flare than from direct atmospheric release in a climate-conscious policy context, which means that RNG systems need to be more destructively efficient than a flare to provide climate benefits versus the likely alternative management strategy. Assuming demand levels consistent with the goal of using existing FNG infrastructure, RNG is likely to be derived from methane that is either intentionally produced or diverted from a flare, so essentially any methane leakage is climate additional. Further, in a decarbonizing system, RNG will likely compete with lower-emissions resources than FNG and thus provides fewer net emissions benefits over time. Anticipated leakage is climatically significant: literature estimates for methane leakage from biogas production and upgrading facilities suggest that leakage is in the 2%–4% range (mass basis), up to as much as 15%. Policy makers should consider that under reasonable leakage and demand assumptions, RNG could be climate intensive.

Ecological causal assessment of benthic condition in the oil sands region, Athabasca River, Canada

Contaminant loads to rivers of the Canadian oil sands region are linked to industrial and natural sources. To date, biomonitoring studies have been unable to unequivocally assess potential environmental impacts associated with this development. As part of the Joint Alberta-Canada Oil Sands Monitoring initiative, we aimed to assess cumulative effects of anthropogenic activities and exposure to natural bitumen geology on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in the lower Athabasca River. We examined associations among macroinvertebrates and environmental correlates, such as nutrients, ions, metals, polycyclic aromatic compounds, and total suspended solids. The study design included sites within and outside the mineable bitumen deposits, within and outside of the active mining and extraction area, and above and below municipal sewage effluents. We predicted observing a negative association between ecological condition of the river and exposure to natural bitumen and oil sands activity. However, contaminant concentrations in water and sediment were far below known toxicity thresholds, and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in sites exposed to oil sands mining activities appeared more affected by nutrient enrichment from the MSE than contaminants from mining or natural bitumen. Although sites within the area of intense oil sands activity showed signs of mild environmental stress, assemblage pattern was more strongly associated with MSE nutrient enrichment than to diffuse contamination from either natural bitumen or oil sands mining. Enrichment likely increases food resources available to consumers, thereby potentially masking toxic responses of consumers to contaminants. Current regulations prohibit the direct release of oil sands contaminants to waterways, with diffuse atmospheric deposition of aerial emissions and fugitive dust the main contaminant pathways to freshwaters. As the storage capacity of tailings ponds is reached, this nutrient-contaminant pattern could change if the river receives the proposed direct release of treated oil sands process water. Focused investigation-of-cause studies are required to better assess the consequences of cumulative interactions and ecological effects of nutrients and contaminant exposure in this system.

Utilizing Wild Cajanus platycarpus, a Tertiary Genepool Species for Enriching Variability in the Primary Genepool for Pigeonpea Improvement.

The use of crop wild relatives in the breeding program has been well recognized to diversify the genetic base along with introgression of useful traits. Cajanus platycarpus (Benth.) Maesen, an annual wild relative belonging to the tertiary genepool of pigeonpea, possesses many useful traits such as early maturity, high protein content, photoperiod insensitivity, and pod borer tolerance for the genetic improvement of cultivated pigeonpea. Using this cross incompatible wild Cajanus species, an advanced backcross population was developed following the embryo rescue technique. In the present study, a pre-breeding population consisting of 136 introgression lines (ILs) along with five popular varieties (used as checks) was evaluated for important agronomic traits during 2016 and 2017 rainy seasons and for grain nutrient content during 2016, 2017, and 2018 rainy seasons. Large genetic variation was observed for agronomic traits such as days to 50% flowering, number of pods per plant, pod weight per plant, grain yield per plant, and grain nutrients [protein content, grain iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg)] in the pre-breeding population. Significant genotype × environment interaction was also observed for agronomic traits as well as grain nutrients indicating the sensitivity of these traits to the environments. No significant correlations were observed between grain yield and grain nutrients except grain Zn content which was negatively correlated with grain yield. Overall, 28 promising high-yielding ILs with high grain nutrient content were identified. These ILs, in particular, ICPP # 171012, 171004, 171102, 171087, 171006, and 171050 flowered significantly earlier than the popular mega variety, ICPL 87119 (Asha) and thus hold potential in developing new short-duration cultivars. The comprehensive multi-site assessment of these high-yielding, nutrient-rich accessions would be useful in identifying region-specific promising lines for direct release as cultivars. Moreover, these ILs are expected to replace the popular existing cultivars or for use as new and diverse sources of variations in hybridization programs for pigeonpea improvement.

Sources of solutes and carbon cycling in perennially ice-covered Lake Untersee, Antarctica

Perennially ice-covered lakes that host benthic microbial ecosystems are present in many regions of Antarctica. Lake Untersee is an ultra-oligotrophic lake that is substantially different from any other lakes on the continent as it does not develop a seasonal moat and therefore shares similarities to sub-glacial lakes where they are sealed to the atmosphere. Here, we determine the source of major solutes and carbon to Lake Untersee, evaluate the carbon cycling and assess the metabolic functioning of microbial mats using an isotope geochemistry approach. The findings suggest that the glacial meltwater recharging the closed-basin and well-sealed Lake Untersee largely determines the major solute chemistry of the oxic water column with plagioclase and alumino-silicate weathering contributing < 5% of the Ca2+–Na+ solutes to the lake. The TIC concentration in the lake is very low and is sourced from melting of glacial ice and direct release of occluded CO2 gases into the water column. The comparison of δ13CTIC of the oxic lake waters with the δ13C in the top microbial mat layer show no fractionation due to non-discriminating photosynthetic fixation of HCO3– in the high pH and carbon-starved water. The 14C results indicate that phototrophs are also fixing respired CO2 from heterotrophic metabolism of the underlying microbial mats layers. The findings provide insights into the development of collaboration in carbon partitioning within the microbial mats to support their growth in a carbon-starved ecosystem.

A novel displacement cascade driven irradiation creep mechanism in α-zirconium: A molecular dynamics study

Zirconium alloys used in nuclear reactors undergo irradiation creep, which consists of a visco-plastic deformation activated by irradiation occurring under constant load. However, the fundamental underlying mechanisms have not been unraveled yet. A new high-stress irradiation creep mechanism for recrystallized Zircaloy-4 has recently been proposed based on in situ ion irradiation deformation experiments. A displacement cascade is assumed to induce a direct unpinning of a dislocation from an irradiation defect if the cascade occurs within an effective volume around the pinning point. In the present work, a systematic molecular dynamics study was performed to investigate the effect of a 20 keV cascade occurring near <a>-screw dislocation pinned on an interstitial <a>-loop. The direct release of dislocations by displacement cascades is predicted by the simulations. This release is more likely around the pinning points and with increasing stress, in agreement with experimental observations. The effective volume is roughly estimated for three stress levels equal to 0.89τc, 0.93τc and 0.97τc, with τc being the critical stress for unpinning (without irradiation). A mechanism is proposed suggesting that unpinning occurs when the displacement cascade encompasses, at its peak of damage, the two pinning points of the dislocation. A methodology requiring acceptable computation time has been implemented to estimate the effective volume for various cascade energies and loop characteristics, faithfully reproducing the MD results. The mean pinning lifetime calculated using the model provides values of the same order of magnitudes as in the in situ deformation experiments under ion irradiation at high stress levels.

Intratumoral Nanofluidic System for Enhancing Tumor Biodistribution of Agonist CD40 Antibody

AbstractTumor uptake and biodistribution of immunotherapy is associated with clinical response as well as toxicity. To augment immunotherapy bioavailability in the tumor, an intratumoral administration route via direct injection or local release technologies has emerged as an appealing approach. Here the biodistribution of an agonistic anti‐CD40 monocolonal antibody (CD40 mAb) when sustainably delivered via an intratumoral nanofluidic drug‐eluting seed (NDES) is evaluated in comparison to systemic or direct intratumoral administration. The NDES achieves sustained drug release through diffusion by leveraging electrostatic nanoconfinement within nanochannels, without requiring internal or external actuation. Using the 4T1 murine mammary carcinoma model, the biodistribution of Alexa Fluor‐700 conjugated CD40 mAb is tracked via fluorescence imaging analysis, comparing three routes of administration over 7 and 14 days. NDES‐treated cohort shows sustained high levels of intratumoral CD40 mAb without off‐target organ exposure, compared to the intraperitoneal and direct intratumoral administration. Moreover, radiation pre‐treatment of the 4T1 tumors augments tumor retention of CD40 mAb in the NDES group. Overall, sustained intratumoral release of CD40 mAb via the NDES improves local drug bioavailability without systemic dissemination, suggesting an enhanced approach for immunotherapy administration.

Kidney Involvement in COVID-19: Need for Better Definitions

Since the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus outbreak in China at the end of 2019, increasing interest emerged regarding renal involvement during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). AKI with or without proteinuria is described in a variable percentage of patients with COVID-19, and several reports outlined an increased mortality risk in those with AKI. The mechanisms of renal injury during COVID-19 are difficult to study due to the interference of several coexisting factors, such as polypharmacy, hypoxia, and cytokine storm. Just like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 virus entry into target cells is facilitated by the presence of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) expressed in respiratory cells as well as renal tubular cells and podocytes, making the hypothesis of a direct renal infection particularly intriguing. Farkash et al.1 observed renal tubular vacuolization and virus-like inclusions in tubular cells by electron microscopy (EM) in the autopsy of a patient with COVID-19. Similar EM findings together with suggestive immunohistochemical stain for SARS-CoV-2 proteins in tubules were shown in a few patients from two independent Chinese COVID-19 autopsy cohorts (Diao B, Wang C, Wang R, Feng Z, Tan Y, Wang H, et al. [2020] Human kidney is a target for novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2] infection. 10.1101/2020.03.04.20031120).2 However, the same immunohistochemical was not considered specific when used by others.3 Of note, when specific and highly sensitive molecular methods for tissue viral identification were used (i.e., RNAscope3 or real-time PCR,4 the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA could not be demonstrated within renal tissue, and none of the aforementioned autopsy studies included viral RNA isolation in the kidney. Interestingly, viral nephropathies with direct tubular infection and viral replication within epithelial cells (i.e., BK virus nephropathy) are usually associated with substantial viruria due to the direct release of viral particles in the tubular lumen following cytopathic cell injury. So far, there is no solid evidence of a correlation between urinary levels of SARS-CoV-2 viral copies and the degree of kidney injury in patients with COVID-19.5 Moreover, the presence of viral particles by pure morphologic evaluation (EM) does not demonstrate by itself a direct cytopathic effect nor a replicative potential because it only supports viral entry. More specific morphologic correlates of viral cytopathy (nuclear atypia/dysmorphology and syncytia) have not been shown yet. Three cases of collapsing glomerulopathy during SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported,6 presenting with severe kidney injury and variable proteinuria: in genetically predisposed subjects, increased levels of cytokines (i.e., IFNs) in patients with COVID-19 are thought to drive podocyte injury, resulting in collapsing glomerulopathy as can be observed in other viral-associated nephropathies. Although in one case, the presence of virus-like particles in podocytes was observed by EM, the hypothesized mechanism of injury does not require direct kidney infection. Taken together, these observations suggest that caution should be used when addressing the etiology of kidney dysfunction in patients with COVID-19 because unequivocal evidence of direct viral infection of the kidney is still lacking in these severe and acutely ill patients. Disclosures All authors have nothing to disclose. Funding None.

Estimation of Nutrient Load from Aquaculture Farms in Manila Bay, Philippines

Waste from aquaculture is considered as one of the possible causes of water quality deterioration in Manila Bay. Aquaculture in the area accounts for almost 30% of the total production in the Philippines. This high production entails intensified application of inputs that could possibly contribute to the nutrient (nitrogen, N and phosphorus, P) load in the bay. Thus, estimation of the N, P and SO4 loaded from aquaculture farms is necessary to develop more responsive intervention to reduce nutrient load in Manila Bay. Water samples were collected throughout the rearing period from different aquaculture systems in Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, and Bataan. The annual estimated N and P loaded from aquaculture farms were 12, 696.66 MT and 2, 363.01 MT, respectively. Fish pens/cages recorded the highest contribution accounting for 88% N and 86% P of the total load. It can be attributed to the direct release of uneaten feeds into the bodies of water. Roughly, 12% N and 14% P were obtained from the fishponds. Furthermore, the annual SO4 loaded from fishponds was estimated at 36,917.54 MT. Results of the study suggested that there should be an extensive monitoring of the environmental impacts and annual load of aquaculture farms for the sustainable regulations and management of aquaculture activities to reduce nutrient load and improve the aquaculture production as well. Finally, strict compliance to the regulatory guidelines and ordinances must be imposed to achieve the effluent quality standards.

Surfactant-Triggered Molecular Gate Tested on Different Mesoporous Silica Supports for Gastrointestinal Controlled Delivery.

In recent decades, the versatility of mesoporous silica particles and their relevance to develop controlled release systems have been demonstrated. Within them, gated materials able to modulate payload delivery represent great advantages. However, the role played by the porous matrix in this kind of systems is scarce. In this work, different mesoporous silica materials (MCM-41, MCM-48, SBA-15 and UVM-7) are functionalized with oleic acid as a molecular gate. All systems are fully characterized and their ability to confine the entrapped cargo and release it in the presence of bile salts is validated with release assays and in vitro digestion experiments. The cargo release profile of each synthesized support is studied, paying attention to the inorganic scaffold. Obtained release profiles fit to Korsmeyer–Peppas model, which explains the differences among the studied supports. Based on the results, UVM-7 material was the most appropriate system for duodenal delivery and was tested in an in vivo model of the Wistar rat. Payload confinement and its complete release after gastric emptying is achieved, establishing the possible use of mesoporous silica particles as protection and direct release agents into the duodenum and, hence, demonstrating that these systems could serve as an alternative to the administration methods employed until now.

Insight into the mechanism of low molecular weight organic acids-mediated release of phosphorus and potassium from biochars

A crucial mechanism for the application of biochar in soil improvement is the direct release of nutrients from biochar. Low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs) ubiquitously exist in soil. However, the mechanism of LMWOAs-mediated release of nutrients from biochars remains little known. Ten biochars with different mineral element stoichiometric ratio were produced, and four LMWOAs [acetic (HAc), glycolic (GA), tartaric (TA), and citric acids (CA)] were employed, to enunciate the influence mechanism of LMWOAs on the release of phosphorus and potassium from biochar. The results showed that HAc suppressed the release of P from biochars, while TA and CA facilitated the release of P from biochars with high ratios of polyvalent metals to P. A new mechanism was proposed that the deprotonated HAc combined with the dissolved HPO42− or H2PO4− to form a complex through hydrogen bond and cation bridging. The hydrophobic methyl group of HAc was exposed outside of the complex, which decreased the water-solubility of phosphate. Meanwhile, a high ratio of polyvalent metals to P benefited more P to combine with polyvalent metals, which decreased the water-solubility of P, but the deprotonated TA and CA are polyvalent anions that could substitute this part of P by anion exchange. Also, LMWOAs promoted the release of K from biochars with low K/(P + S) ratios, possibly due to unionized carboxyl of LMWOAs served as a hydrogen bond donor to displace K out of biochars. This study gives a deep understanding of the fate of biochar originated nutrients response to LMWOAs.

Evaluation of new yellow maize (Zea mays) inbred lines using line × tester analysis

This study evaluated 20 elite yellow maize (Zea mays L.) inbred lines which were crossed as female parents with three different testers as male parents, i.e. Gem. Pop. (Broad genetic base), Single cross 101 and Inbred line 100 represent (Narrow genetic base) at the Experiment Research Station of Moshtohor, Benha University, Egypt during 2014 summer. The resulting 60 top crosses with three commercial check hybrids i.e. SC.155, SC. Pioneer 3080 and TWC.352 were evaluated in a yield trail in two sowing dates during 2015 growing summer season. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications was used. The data were recorded on days to anthesis (AD), maturity date (MD), leaf area of upper ear (LA), ear length (EL) and grain yield per feddan (GYPF). The results showed that, sowing dates, crosses, lines, testers except for (MD) and line × testers mean squares were significant for all traits. The parental inbred lines (L-4, L-5, L-10, L-12, L-13, L-14 and L-19) possessed high GCA effects for grain yield and (L-6, L-7, L-10 and L-11) possessed high GCA effects for earliness. These lines could be utilized as promising inbred lines in a hybridization programme to develop high yielding and early maturity maize hybrids. The seven crosses (T-1×L-7, T-1×L-13, T-1×L-17, T-2×L-4, T-2×L-5, T-2×L-10 and T-2× L-12) which had out-yielded significantly the best check SC.3080 could be utilized for future breeding work as well as for direct release after confirming the stability of their performances observed in the current study.

A modified total equivalent warming impact analysis: Addressing direct and indirect emissions due to corrosion

A global rise in HVAC-R utilization requires a deeper understanding of the industry's effect on electricity consumptions and greenhouse gas emissions. The Total Equivalent Warming Impact (TEWI) methodology was designed to analyze emissions from direct release of refrigerant and indirect emissions through electricity consumption of HVAC-R systems to increase the understanding of system design on emissions, and to guide refrigerant replacement. However, the original TEWI calculation neglects the system degradation due to corrosion. This paper studies on the impact of corrosion and highlights how the original TEWI method underrepresents the lifetime emissions due to energy efficiency decrease and refrigerant release. Corrosion impacts direct emissions by increasing refrigerant leakage rates over time and indirect emissions through heat exchanger efficiency degradation and suboptimal refrigerant level. A modified TEWI equation is proposed to capture the dynamic corrosion impacts over the lifetime of HVAC operations. Three scenarios (low corrosivity, conservative and moderate corrosivity) are examined to analyze different corrosion environments. This analysis indicates 6%–27% increase in TEWI emissions based on a typical residential air conditioner (AC), when the impacts of corrosion are included, with the greatest emissions increase from reduced electrical efficiency. The impact of several current and future corrosion protection scenarios on TEWI are also included. Appropriate corrosion mitigation can reduce total lifecycle emissions of systems by 6% ~ 10%. The proposed modified TEWI method is expected to provide a more accurate emission estimation for AC sustainability and policy making.