Sex Pheromone of the Alfalfa Plant Bug,Adelphocoris lineolatus: Pheromone Composition and Antagonistic Effect of 1-Hexanol (Hemiptera: Miridae)

Journal of Chemical Ecology - The sex pheromone composition of alfalfa plant bugs, Adelphocoris lineolatus (Goeze), from Central Europe was investigated to test the hypothesis that insect species...     

Effect of husbandry methods on seropositivity to African swine fever virus in Sardinian swine herds

Early release after cardiac surgery can be facilitated by the implementation of a standard protocol for pre- and postoperative care. This protocol involves aggressive pharmacological therapy, in combination with education and support. Accelerated recovery and release is inherently attractive because the duration of intensive care unit stay and of total hospital stay are the most important determinants of costs. However, in addition to the desire for reduced costs, the patients must be clearly seen to benefit from earlier rehabilitation and release. Retrospective studies have shown no significant differences in mortality or morbidity between patients who have received conventional care and those given 'fast-tracked' care after cardiac surgery, and follow-up surveys have shown a high level of patient satisfaction with the care. Some centres report that all cardiac surgery patients are now fast-tracked.     

Esterification of ethenyl benzene and its derivatives with acetic acid in the presence of perchloric acid as a catalyst

The esterification process of ethenyl benzene and its derivative compounds (p-methyl, p-methoxy, p-chloro, m-methyl, m-nitro and m-chloro, respectively) was carried out with acetic acid and using perchloric acid as a catalyst. From the effects of the variables studied it could be concluded that: the temperature and the catalyst concentration influence positively over the olefin conversion, whereas the initial olefin concentration exert no effect over the same; and that the presence of perchloric salts exerts a different influence, depending on the temperature and on the catalyst concentration. It has been proven that the substituted radicals in the m- or p- positions exert an important influence over the conversion of the studied olefins, presenting growing reactivity in the following order: m-nitro ethenyl benzene, m-chloro ethenyl benzene, p-chloro ethenyl benzene, m-methyl ethenyl benzene, ethenyl benzene, p-methyl ethenyl benzene and p-methoxy ethenyl benzene. Finally, a kinetic and thermodynamic study has been done and the corresponding parameters have been calculated, with an adequate fitting.     

Recent developments in the coupling of photoassisted and aerobic biological processes for the treatment of biorecalcitrant compounds

A general strategy to develop combined photochemical and biological system for biorecalcitrant wastewater treatment is proposed. For the development of this strategy, the following points were taken into account: the biodegradability of initial solutions, the operation mode of the coupled reactor, the chemical and biological characteristics of the phototreated solutions, the evaluation of different photoassisted advanced oxidation processes, the optimal conditions of both photochemical and biological processes, and the efficiency of the coupled reactor.

The strategy to couple photochemical and biological processes is illustrated by case studies of four different biorecalcitrant pollutants. Three kinds of combined systems were developed using either photo-Fenton, Fe³⁺/UV, or TiO₂ supported on glass rings for the photocatalytic pretreatment and in all cases immobilized biomass for the biological step. The advantages of the each coupled system are discussed and beneficial effects of such two-step treatments were found. However this strategy is not a universal solution. Chemical, biological, and kinetic studies must be always carried out to ensure that the photochemical pretreatment increase the biocompatibility of the treated wastewater. Some field experiments using solar reactor indicated that a coupled photochemical–biological treatment system at pilot scale is a possible way to achieve the complete mineralization of the biorecalcitrant pollutants.     

Electrochemical treatment of industrial wastewater containing 5-amino-6-methyl-2-benzimidazolone: toward an electrochemical-biological coupling

We studied the electrochemical oxidation, on Pt anodes, of industrial wastewaters containing 5-amino-6-methyl-2-benzimidazolone (AMBI). Electrolysis of this non-biodegradable effluent produces simultaneous oxidation of AMBI and chloride ions. Highly oxidative chlorine intermediate species further boost the degradation of AMBI. Solution temperature, pH and current density affect little the degradation of AMBI. At our best conditions, AMBI was 100% degraded in 45 min. However, because the reaction intermediates exhibited high toxicity and non-biodegradability, the electrolysis had to continue for 3 more hours in order to obtain a biocompatible solution. Then, complete mineralization of the outputs from the electrolytic cells was readily achieved in a fixed bed biological reactor.     

A Case for Mechanisms

A case study in the (re)discovery of a non-diazo, catalytic, electrophilic cyclopropanation reaction is presented to illustrate the role of mechanistic concepts in chemical innovation. The specific instance also highlights how specific personalities interacted in the report, retraction, and reconsideration of a novel methylene transfer reaction. The case study ends with a series of lessons learned, which generalize the findings from the specific case.     

New helio-photocatalytic-photovoltaic hybrid system for simultaneous water decontamination and solar energy conversion

Test results for a designed and installed hybrid photocatalytic-photovoltaic system (HPPS) are presented in this paper. The HPPS consists of one device with dual functions: The photocatalytic system uses UV radiation to promote degradation of organic pollutants, and beside it absorbs the IR radiation. The photovoltaic (PV) system converts the visible radiation into electricity, which can either be used directly by the recirculation pump or stored in a battery for other purposes. The suggested design aims to achieve an autonomous, environmentally friendly method for the treatment of biorecalcitrant pollutants. Two prototypes were erected: HPPS_P, using Plexiglas and HPPS_G using commercial glass. Both were tested outdoors to determine their impact on photovoltaic power production. Test results showed that PV power diminished to 14% and 22% for HPPS_G and HPPS_P respectively, compared to a PV panel alone.     

Magnetic resonance in Hallevorden-Spatz disease

The Hallevorden-Spatz disease should be suspected in children or young people with motor, pyramidal or extrapyramidal symptomatology and deterioration of superior functions specially upon the existence of family history. Pathognomonic diagnosis may only be obtained by necropsy but magnetic resonance images, although not pathognomic, are sufficiently characteristics to strongly support the diagnosis. Four cases of Hallevorden-Spatz disease are presented with special emphasis on the MR images characteristic of this disease.     

High-Resolution Indirect Feet–Ground Interaction Measurement for Hydraulic-Legged Robots

Feet-ground interactions influence the legged robot's stability. In this paper, a high-resolution indirect force measurement for hydraulic-legged robots is presented. The use of pressure transducers placed at one or both chambers of the robot's double-effect hydraulic actuators is investigated, and conclusions are drawn regarding their capability for indirectly measuring the contact forces between the feet and the ground. Because of the nonlinear dynamic properties of hydraulic cylinders, friction modeling is essential to determine at all times the true forces of each foot against the soil. The test case is called ROBOCLIMBER, which is a bulky quadruped climbing and walking machine able to carry heavy-duty drilling equipment for landslide consolidation and monitoring works. Sensor calibration and signal filtering requirements are also taken into consideration. To end, the overall proposed approach to measure feet-ground interactions is experimentally evaluated.