Search results for "Science and technology"
showing 10 items of 1592 documents
Biomarker responses by crucian carp () living in a pond of secondary treated pulp mill effluent
1999
Biochemical and histological biomarkers by the adult crucian carp ( Carassius carassius (L.)) living in a biologically treated pulp mill effluent were studied. Enocell pulp mill in Uimaharju, Finland, discharges its effluents through a waste water pond to the River Pielisjoki. This pond harbours an introduced crucian carp population that apparently reproduces on site. The objective of the present study was to measure possible hormonal effects of treated pulp mill effluent on crucian carps living in a wastewater pond. Adult fish were collected for analysis by traps. A reference population was sampled from a small natural pond. Blood and bile samples were taken for analyses of hemoglobin, hem…
Population dynamics using temporal series analysis in a industrial two-stage activated sludge pilot plant
1998
A time series analysis using an autocorrelation function (ACF) was used to assess the relative importance of density (DD) and non density-dependent - (NDD) factors on microfauna abundance of a two-stage activated sludge pilot plant treating industrial effluents. Although some previous work has detected a carrying capacity for the total microfauna abundance in both reactors, ACF showed a general pattern of non-density dependent abundance regulation. Stationarity due to density-dependent factors was observed for the two major species in the first reactor, the sessile Opercularia asymmetrica and the crawling Chilodonatella minuta. There was no evidence of bacterial competition and only weak ev…
Assessment of domestic water consumption in Valencia city through fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis
2021
The influence of quantitative and qualitative population conditions needs to be jointly considered in the assessment of urban water demand. Through fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA...
Natural recruitment contributes to high densities of grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella (Valenciennes, 1844) in Western Europe
2015
Introductions of grass carp, well known for their potentially negative ecosystem effects, have been performed in several countries around the world. As the species was considered unable to reproduce naturally under non-native environmental conditions, little attention was initially given to its invasive potential. We studied an area in northern-Italy where, contrary to expectations, introductions that were performed in the early 80s still exert a considerable pressure on aquatic macrophytes. In order to reveal whether the observed population dynamics are the result of natural events or stocking we analysed the density, age- and size-structure of the grass carp population and the migration p…
Removal of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate at a sewage treatment plant
2003
Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) concentrations were measured at different stages in a full-scale sewage treatment plant (STP) and mass balances were calculated. The DEHP load to treatment process coming from the sewer system and the internal load comprising returned supernatants and filtrate from sludge treatment and excess secondary sludge were at the same level. The DEHP removal efficiency from the water phase at the STP was on average 94% of sewage DEHP, the main removal process being sorption to primary and secondary sludges. On average 29% of DEHP was calculated to be removed in the biological nitrifying-denitrifying activated sludge process, which was much less than expected from l…
A New Solution for Sea Wave Energy Harvesting, the Proposal of an Ironless Linear Generator
2020
The paper investigates an innovative ironless linear generator, installable inside a wave energy converter, in order to produce electricity from sea waves. This energy source is considered strategic for the future, especially in small islands
Coupled Electric and Hydraulic Control of a PRS Turbine in a Real Transport Water Network
2019
Although many devices have recently been proposed for pressure regulation and energy harvesting in water distribution and transport networks, very few applications are still documented in the scientific literature. A new in-line Banki turbine with positive outflow pressure and a mobile regulating flap, named Power Recovery System (PRS), was installed and tested in a real water transport network for the regulation of pressure and flow rate. The PRS turbine was directly connected to a 55 kW asynchronous generator with variable rotational velocity, and coupled to an inverter. The start-up tests showed how automatic adjustment of the flap position and the runner velocity variation are able to c…
Conjugation with carbon nanotubes improves the performance of mesoporous silicon as Li-ion battery anode
2020
Carbon nanotubes can be utilized in several ways to enhance the performance of silicon-based anodes. In the present work, thermally carbonized mesoporous silicon (TCPSi) microparticles and single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are conjugated to create a hybrid material that performs as the Li-ion battery anode better than the physical mixture of TCPSi and CNTs. It is found out that the way the conjugation is done has an essential role in the performance of the anode. The conjugation should be made between negatively charged TCPSi and positively charged CNTs. Based on the electrochemical experiments it is concluded that the positive charges, i.e., excess amine groups of the hybrid material i…
Improving nanoscale terahertz field localization by means of sharply tapered resonant nanoantennas
2020
Abstract Terahertz resonant nanoantennas have recently become a key tool to investigate otherwise inaccessible interactions of such long-wavelength radiation with nano-matter. Because of their high-aspect-ratio rod-shaped geometry, resonant nanoantennas suffer from severe loss, which ultimately limits their field localization performance. Here we show, via a quasi-analytical model, numerical simulations, and experimental evidence, that a proper tapering of such nanostructures relaxes their overall loss, leading to an augmented local field enhancement and a significantly reduced resonator mode volume. Our findings, which can also be extended to more complex geometries and higher frequencies,…
TAPERING RESONANT NANOANTENNAS FOR ENHANCED THz LIGHT – NANOMATTER INTERACTIONS
2020
Nel corso degli ultimi decenni la tecnologia terahertz (THz) è diventata un fruttuoso campo di ricerca grazie alla spinta ricevuta dal desiderio di sfruttarne le promettenti applicazioni in questa porzione dello spettro elettromagnetico. La biologia, la medicina e l’ingegneria sono soltanto alcuni dei settori che guardano con interesse alle ultime scoperte nella ricerca sulle onde THz. Questo enorme interesse nasce dalle peculiari proprietà di tali onde, come ad esempio: il carattere non ionizzante, l’opacità di svariati materiali solitamente trasparenti in altri intervalli di frequenze e per le potenziali ricadute positive nel campo della tecnologia dell’informazione. Una fra le applicazio…