Life cycle assessment of refuse-derived fuel production from mixed municipal waste

The aim of this study is to identify and assess the potential environmental impacts caused by refuse-derived fuel (RDF) production from mixed municipal waste, in a mechanical–biological waste treatment plant in Krakow, Poland. The study is based on life cycle assessment methodology, employing EASETECH model. The system boundaries include only those operations which lead to the production of RDF. The adopted functional unit is 1 Mg of mixed municipal waste generated in Krakow, which enters the mechanical–biological waste treatment plant.     

Fast eyes detection in thermal images

Multimedia Tools and Applications - In recent years many methods have been proposed for eye detection. In some cases however, such as driver drowsiness detection, lighting conditions are so...     

Influence of Yb3+ ion incorporation in the structure of Yttrium Divanadate(V) on the properties of a new ceramic solid solution Y8-yYbyV2O17

New substitutional, limited solid solution of the formula Y_8-yYb_yV₂O₁₇ where 0 < y ≤ 2.0 was synthesized by the high-temperature reaction in the air from mixtures of α-Y₈V₂O₁₇ with Yb₈V₂O₁₇. The new Y_8-yYb_yV₂O₁₇ were characterized by powder XRD, DTA–TGA, IR, UV–vis-DRS and SEM methods. The structure, thermal stability, unit cell volume, band gap energies as well as the position of the IR absorption bands in the spectrum of Y_8-yYb_yV₂O₁₇ were determined. The solid solution was established to have the same structure as β-Y₈V₂O₁₇ and it was found that with increasing concentration of Yb³⁺ ions in its crystal lattice the volume of its unit cell decreases along with its energy gap decreasing to 2.4 eV (for y = 2.0), while the IR absorption bands are shifted towards higher wavenumbers. The morphologies of the high temperature polymorph of Y₈V₂O₁₇ and solid solution were analyzed.     

Thermo-mechanical and mechanical behavior of hybrid isotactic polypropylene glass fiber reinforced composites (GFRC) modified with calcium carbonate (CaCO3)

The study investigates the thermo-mechanical properties of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) hybrid composites in reference to various amounts of particle- and fiber-shaped inorganic fillers. Three grades of hybrid composites were prepared as a function of filler amount: 5, 10, and 20 wt% and different ratios of glass fiber (GF) and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). The main objective is to describe the relationship between the hybridization efficiency and mechanical performance of polypropylene-based composites. The analysis of the thermo-mechanical properties of the composites shows that both the total amount of the filler and the ratio of GF and CaCO₃ clearly influence the properties of the composites. Hybrid composites with the highest amount of the GF display improved thermo-mechanical stability. The presence of well-dispersed CaCO₃ in the composites was found to improve elongation at break and Vicat softening temperature values. Even though it is glass fiber, which shows higher filler effectiveness and visibly reinforces the composite samples, causing an increase in tensile strength or reinforcing efficiency, replacing up to 50% of this filler with calcium carbonate does not result in a considerable deterioration of the properties of the material.     

Probing Sodium Storage Mechanism in Hollow Carbon Nanospheres Using Liquid Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy

Carbonaceous materials are promising sodium-ion battery anodes. Improving their performance requires a detailed understanding of the ion transport in these materials, some important aspects of which are still under debate. In this work, nitrogen-doped porous hollow carbon spheres (N-PHCSs) are employed as a model system for operando analysis of sodium storage behavior in a commercial liquid electrolyte at the nanoscale. By combining the ex situ characterization at different states of charge with operando transmission electron microscopy experiments, it is found that a solvated ionic layer forms on the surface of N-PHCSs at the beginning of sodiation, followed by the irreversible shell expansion due to the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation and subsequent storage of Na(0) within the porous carbon shell. This shows that binding between Na(0) and C creates a Schottky junction making Na deposition inside the spheres more energetically favorable at low current densities. During sodiation, the SEI fills the gap between N-PHCSs, binding spheres together and facilitating the sodium ions' transport toward the current collector and subsequent plating underneath the electrode. The N-PHCSs layer acts as a protective layer between the electrolyte and the current collector, suppressing the possible growth of dendrites at the anode.     

NMR-Based Metabolomics in Investigation of the Radiation Induced Changes in Blood Serum of Head and Neck Cancer Patients and Its Correlation with the Tissue Volumes Exposed to the Particulate Doses

In the present study, we analyze the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) blood serum metabolic profiles of 106 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients during radio (RT) and concurrent radio-chemotherapy (CHRT). Four different fractionation schemes were compared. The blood samples were collected weekly, from the day before the treatment until the last week of CHRT/RT. The NMR spectra were acquired on A Bruker 400 MHz spectrometer at 310 K and analyzed using multivariate methods. Seven metabolites were found significantly to be altered solely by radiotherapy: N-acetyl-glycoprotein (NAG), N-acetylcysteine, glycerol, glycolate and the lipids at 0.9, 1.3 and 3.2 ppm. The NMR results were correlated with the tissue volumes receiving a particular dose of radiation. The influence of the irradiated volume on the metabolic profile is weak and mainly limited to sparse correlations with the inflammatory markers, creatinine and the lymphocyte count in RT and the branched-chain amino-acids in CHRT. This is probably due to the optimal planning and delivery of radiotherapy improving sparing of the surrounding normal tissues and minimizing the differences between the patients (caused by the tumor location and size).     

Thermodynamic Studies of Interactions between Sertraline Hydrochloride and Randomly Methylated β-Cyclodextrin Molecules Supported by Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy and Molecular Docking Results

The interaction between sertraline hydrochloride (SRT) and randomly methylated β-cyclodextrin (RMβCD) molecules have been investigated at 298.15 K under atmospheric pressure. The method used—Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) enabled to determine values of the thermodynamic functions like the enthalpy (ΔH), the entropy (ΔS) and the Gibbs free energy (ΔG) of binding for the examined system. Moreover, the stoichiometry coefficient of binding (n) and binding/association constant (K) value have been calculated from the experimental results. The obtained outcome was compared with the data from the literature for other non-ionic βCD derivatives interacting with SRT and the enthalpy-entropy compensation were observed and interpreted. Furthermore, the connection of RMβCD with SRT was characterized by circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD) and complexes of βCD derivatives with SRT were characterized through the computational studies with the use of molecular docking (MD).     

Altered Elemental Distribution in Male Rat Brain Tissue as a Predictor of Glioblastoma Multiforme Growth—Studies Using SR-XRF Microscopy

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a particularly malignant primary brain tumor. Despite enormous advances in the surgical treatment of cancer, radio- and chemotherapy, the average survival of patients suffering from this cancer does not usually exceed several months. For obvious ethical reasons, the search and testing of the new drugs and therapies of GBM cannot be carried out on humans, and for this purpose, animal models of the disease are most often used. However, to assess the efficacy and safety of the therapy basing on these models, a deep knowledge of the pathological changes associated with tumor development in the animal brain is necessary. Therefore, as part of our study, the synchrotron radiation-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy was applied for multi-elemental micro-imaging of the rat brain in which glioblastoma develops. Elemental changes occurring in animals after the implantation of two human glioma cell lines as well as the cells taken directly from a patient suffering from GBM were compared. Both the extent and intensity of elemental changes strongly correlated with the regions of glioma growth. The obtained results showed that the observation of elemental anomalies accompanying tumor development within an animal’s brain might facilitate our understanding of the pathogenesis and progress of GBM and also determine potential biomarkers of its extension. The tumors appearing in a rat’s brain were characterized by an increased accumulation of Fe and Se, whilst the tissue directly surrounding the tumor presented a higher accumulation of Cu. Furthermore, the results of the study allow us to consider Se as a potential elemental marker of GBM progression.     

Straight to the Point—The Novel Strategies to Cure Pediatric AML

Although the outcome has improved over the past decades, due to improved supportive care, a better understanding of risk factors, and intensified chemotherapy, pediatric acute myeloid leukemia remains a life-threatening disease, and overall survival (OS) remains near 70%. According to French-American-British (FAB) classification, AML is divided into eight subtypes (M0–M7), and each is characterized by a different pathogenesis and response to treatment. However, the curability of AML is due to the intensification of standard chemotherapy, more precise risk classification, improvements in supportive care, and the use of minimal residual disease to monitor response to therapy. The treatment of childhood AML continues to be based primarily on intensive, conventional chemotherapy. Therefore, it is essential to identify new, more precise molecules that are targeted to the specific abnormalities of each leukemia subtype. Here, we review abnormalities that are potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of AML in the pediatric population.