| 11. |
- Bebelis, S., et al.
(författare)
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Highlights during the development of electrochemical engineering
- 2013
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Ingår i: Chemical engineering research & design. - : Elsevier BV. - 0263-8762 .- 1744-3563. ; 91:10, s. 1998-2020
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Over the last century, electrochemical engineering has contributed significantly to societal progress by enabling development of industrial processes for manufacturing chemicals, such as chlorine and the Nylon precursor adiponitrile, as well as a wide range of metals including aluminium and zinc. In 2011, ca. 17 M tonne Cu p.a. was electro-refined to 99.99%+ purity required by electrical and electronic engineering applications, such as for electrodepositing with exquisite resolution multi-layer inter-connections in microprocessors. Surface engineering is widely practised industrially e.g. to protect steels against corrosion e.g. by electroplating nickel or using more recent novel self-healing coatings. Complex shapes of hard alloys that are difficult to machine can be fabricated by selective dissolution in electrochemical machining processes. Electric fields can be used to drive desalination of brackish water for urban supplies and irrigation by electrodialysis with ion-permeable membranes; such fields can also be used in electrokinetic soil remediation processes. Rising concerns about the consequences of CO2 emissions has led to the rapidly increasing development and deployment of renewable energy systems, the intermittency of which can be mitigated by energy storage in e.g. redox flow batteries for stationary storage and novel lithium batteries with increased specific energies for powering electric vehicles, or when economically viable, in electrolyser-fuel cells. The interface between electrochemical technology and biotechnology is also developing rapidly, with applications such as microbial fuel cells.Some of these applications are reviewed, the challenges assessed and current trends elucidated in the very active area of Chemical Engineering bordering with material science and electrochemistry.
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| 12. |
- Richards, Stephen, et al.
(författare)
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Genome Sequence of the Pea Aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum
- 2010
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Ingår i: PLoS biology. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1544-9173 .- 1545-7885. ; 8:2, s. e1000313-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aphids are important agricultural pests and also biological models for studies of insect-plant interactions, symbiosis, virus vectoring, and the developmental causes of extreme phenotypic plasticity. Here we present the 464 Mb draft genome assembly of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. This first published whole genome sequence of a basal hemimetabolous insect provides an outgroup to the multiple published genomes of holometabolous insects. Pea aphids are host-plant specialists, they can reproduce both sexually and asexually, and they have coevolved with an obligate bacterial symbiont. Here we highlight findings from whole genome analysis that may be related to these unusual biological features. These findings include discovery of extensive gene duplication in more than 2000 gene families as well as loss of evolutionarily conserved genes. Gene family expansions relative to other published genomes include genes involved in chromatin modification, miRNA synthesis, and sugar transport. Gene losses include genes central to the IMD immune pathway, selenoprotein utilization, purine salvage, and the entire urea cycle. The pea aphid genome reveals that only a limited number of genes have been acquired from bacteria; thus the reduced gene count of Buchnera does not reflect gene transfer to the host genome. The inventory of metabolic genes in the pea aphid genome suggests that there is extensive metabolite exchange between the aphid and Buchnera, including sharing of amino acid biosynthesis between the aphid and Buchnera. The pea aphid genome provides a foundation for post-genomic studies of fundamental biological questions and applied agricultural problems.
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| 13. |
- Acuna, Lillian G., et al.
(författare)
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Architecture and Gene Repertoire of the Flexible Genome of the Extreme Acidophile Acidithiobacillus caldus
- 2013
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 8:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Acidithiobacillus caldus is a sulfur oxidizing extreme acidophile and the only known mesothermophile within the Acidithiobacillales. As such, it is one of the preferred microbes for mineral bioprocessing at moderately high temperatures. In this study, we explore the genomic diversity of A. caldus strains using a combination of bioinformatic and experimental techniques, thus contributing first insights into the elucidation of the species pangenome. Principal Findings: Comparative sequence analysis of A. caldus ATCC 51756 and SM-1 indicate that, despite sharing a conserved and highly syntenic genomic core, both strains have unique gene complements encompassing nearly 20% of their respective genomes. The differential gene complement of each strain is distributed between the chromosomal compartment, one megaplasmid and a variable number of smaller plasmids, and is directly associated to a diverse pool of mobile genetic elements (MGE). These include integrative conjugative and mobilizable elements, genomic islands and insertion sequences. Some of the accessory functions associated to these MGEs have been linked previously to the flexible gene pool in microorganisms inhabiting completely different econiches. Yet, others had not been unambiguously mapped to the flexible gene pool prior to this report and clearly reflect strain-specific adaption to local environmental conditions. Significance: For many years, and because of DNA instability at low pH and recurrent failure to genetically transform acidophilic bacteria, gene transfer in acidic environments was considered negligible. Findings presented herein imply that a more or less conserved pool of actively excising MGEs occurs in the A. caldus population and point to a greater frequency of gene exchange in this econiche than previously recognized. Also, the data suggest that these elements endow the species with capacities to withstand the diverse abiotic and biotic stresses of natural environments, in particular those associated with its extreme econiche.
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| 14. |
- Calbet, Albert, et al.
(författare)
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Future Climate Scenarios for a Coastal Productive Planktonic Food Web Resulting in Microplankton Phenology Changes and Decreased Trophic Transfer Efficiency
- 2014
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:4, s. e94388-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We studied the effects of future climate change scenarios on plankton communities of a Norwegian fjord using a mesocosm approach. After the spring bloom, natural plankton were enclosed and treated in duplicates with inorganic nutrients elevated to pre-bloom conditions (N, P, Si; eutrophication), lowering of 0.4 pH units (acidification), and rising 3 degrees C temperature (warming). All nutrient-amended treatments resulted in phytoplankton blooms dominated by chain-forming diatoms, and reached 13-16 mu g chlorophyll (chl) a l(-1). In the control mesocosms, chl a remained below 1 mu g l(-1). Acidification and warming had contrasting effects on the phenology and bloom-dynamics of autotrophic and heterotrophic microplankton. Bacillariophyceae, prymnesiophyceae, cryptophyta, and Protoperidinium spp. peaked earlier at higher temperature and lower pH. Chlorophyta showed lower peak abundances with acidification, but higher peak abundances with increased temperature. The peak magnitude of autotrophic dinophyceae and ciliates was, on the other hand, lowered with combined warming and acidification. Over time, the plankton communities shifted from autotrophic phytoplankton blooms to a more heterotrophic system in all mesocosms, especially in the control unaltered mesocosms. The development of mass balance and proportion of heterotrophic/autotrophic biomass predict a shift towards a more autotrophic community and less-efficient food web transfer when temperature, nutrients and acidification are combined in a future climate-change scenario. We suggest that this result may be related to a lower food quality for microzooplankton under acidification and warming scenarios and to an increase of catabolic processes compared to anabolic ones at higher temperatures.
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| 15. |
- Carvalho, Rogerio Atem de, et al.
(författare)
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Agile Software Development for Customizing ERPs
- 2010
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Ingår i: Enterprise Information Systems and Implementing IT Infrastructures: Challenges and Issues. - 9781615206254 ; , s. 20-39
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 16. |
- de Freitas, Edison Pignaton, et al.
(författare)
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Coordination Mechanism and Customizable Hardware Platform to Provide Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks Support
- 2010
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents an effort to support emerging Wireless Sensor Networks applications composed by different types of sensor nodes. The work is composed by two parts, in which the first is dedicated to provide cooperation abilities to sensor nodes, while the second is a customizable hardware platform intended to provide different types of sensor nodes, from those more resource constrained up to the resource-rich ones. A description of a testbed demonstra- tor of the proposed system is provided and comparisons with previous published simulation results denote the feasibility of the proposal.
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| 17. |
- Edgar, Graham J., et al.
(författare)
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Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features
- 2014
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 506:7487, s. 216-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In line with global targets agreed under the Convention on Biological Diversity, the number of marine protected areas (MPAs) is increasing rapidly, yet socio-economic benefits generated by MPAs remain difficult to predict and under debate(1,2). MPAs often fail to reach their full potential as a consequence of factors such as illegal harvesting, regulations that legally allow detrimental harvesting, or emigration of animals outside boundaries because of continuous habitat or inadequate size of reserve(3-5). Here we show that the conservation benefits of 87 MPAs investigated worldwide increase exponentially with the accumulation of five key features: no take, well enforced, old (>10 years), large (>100 km(2)), and isolated by deep water or sand. Using effective MPAs with four or five key features as an unfished standard, comparisons of underwater survey data from effective MPAs with predictions based on survey data from fished coasts indicate that total fish biomass has declined about two-thirds from historical baselines as a result of fishing. Effective MPAs also had twice as many large (>250 mm total length) fish species per transect, five times more large fish biomass, and fourteen times more shark biomass than fished areas. Most (59%) of the MPAs studied had only one or two key features and were not ecologically distinguishable from fished sites. Our results show that global conservation targets based on area alone will not optimize protection of marine biodiversity. More emphasis is needed on better MPA design, durable management and compliance to ensure that MPAs achieve their desired conservation value.
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| 18. |
- Gerosa, Rodrigo M., et al.
(författare)
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All-fiber high-flow microfluidic dye laser
- 2013
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Ingår i: Optics InfoBase Conference Papers. - Washington, D.C. : Optical Society of America (OSA). - 9781557529848
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- An all-fiber dye laser is demonstrated. The dye solution is kept under flow, allowing for high repetition rate pumping. Threshold average pump power of 2.15 mW and conversion slope efficiency of ~8.5% are achieved.
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| 19. |
- Jimbo, Ryo, et al.
(författare)
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Histomorphometry and bone mechanical property evolution around different implant systems at early healing stages : an experimental study in dogs
- 2013
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Ingår i: Implant Dentistry. - : Lamy, Wolters Kluwer. - 1056-6163 .- 1538-2982. ; 22:6, s. 596-603
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: Commercial implants differ at macro-, micro-, and nanolevels, which makes it difficult to distinguish their effect on osseointegration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the early integration of 5 commercially available implants (Astra OsseoSpeed, Straumann SLA, Intra-Lock Blossom Ossean, Nobel Active, and OsseoFix) by histomorphometry and nanoindentation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Implants were installed in the tibiae of 18 beagle dogs. Samples were retrieved at 1, 3, and 6 weeks (n = 6 for each time point) and were histologically and nanomechanically evaluated. RESULTS: The results presented that both time (P < 0.01) and implant system and time interaction (P < 0.02) significantly affected the bone-to-implant contact (BIC). At 1 week, the different groups presented statistically different outcomes. No significant changes in BIC were noted thereafter. There were no significant differences in rank elastic modulus (E) or in rank hardness (H) for time (E: P > 0.80; H: P > 0.75) or implant system (E: P > 0.90; H: P > 0.85). CONCLUSIONS: The effect of different implant designs on osseointegration was evident especially at early stages of bone healing.
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| 20. |
- Kuhn, Brian F., et al.
(författare)
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Carnivoran remains from the Malapa hominin site, South Africa
- 2011
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 6:11, s. e26940-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent discoveries at the new hominin-bearing deposits of Malapa, South Africa, have yielded a rich faunal assemblage associated with the newly described hominin taxon Australopithecus sediba. Dating of this deposit using U-Pb and palaeomagnetic methods has provided an age of 1.977 Ma, being one of the most accurately dated, time constrained deposits in the Plio-Pleistocene of southern Africa. To date, 81 carnivoran specimens have been identified at this site including members of the families Canidae, Viverridae, Herpestidae, Hyaenidae and Felidae. Of note is the presence of the extinct taxon Dinofelis cf. D. barlowi that may represent the last appearance date for this species. Extant large carnivores are represented by specimens of leopard (Panthera pardus) and brown hyaena (Parahyaena brunnea). Smaller carnivores are also represented, and include the genera Atilax and Genetta, as well as Vulpes cf. V. chama. Malapa may also represent the first appearance date for Felis nigripes (Black-footed cat). The geochronological age of Malapa and the associated hominin taxa and carnivoran remains provide a window of research into mammalian evolution during a relatively unknown period in South Africa and elsewhere. In particular, the fauna represented at Malapa has the potential to elucidate aspects of the evolution of Dinofelis and may help resolve competing hypotheses about faunal exchange between East and Southern Africa during the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene.
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