Search results for "circular"
showing 10 items of 856 documents
Magnetic moment investigations of epitaxial magnetite thin films
2008
In this report, we provide an x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) study for 100nm thick epitaxial magnetite (Fe3O4) films on MgO (001) and Al2O3 (0001) substrates. For XMCD, we recorded the surface sensitive total electron yield and the bulk sensitive transmission spectra. From the analysis of the XMCD data, we find an increased Fe spin moment (10% larger) at the surface of the film on MgO (100) with respect to the corresponding bulk value of the film. Surface and bulk spin moments of the film on Al2O3(0001) are almost equal. For both films, the bulk orbital to spin moments ratio increases from zero at 70K to 0.03–0.04 at 300K. For Fe3O4∕MgO (001), the surface orbital to spin moment ra…
Circular RNAs in Sepsis: Biogenesis, Function, and Clinical Significance
2020
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body responds to an infection that damages it is own tissues. The major problem in sepsis is rapid, vital status deterioration in patients, which can progress to septic shock with multiple organ failure if not properly treated. As there are no specific treatments, early diagnosis is mandatory to reduce high mortality. Despite more than 170 different biomarkers being postulated, early sepsis diagnosis and prognosis remain a challenge for clinicians. Recent findings propose that circular RNAs (circRNAs) may play a prominent role in regulating the patients’ immune system against different pathogens, including bacteria and viruses. Mou…
Sustainable recycling technologies for thermoplastic polymers and their composites: A review of the state of the art
2022
This review article discusses the environmental and economic effects of recycling, as well as sustainable thermoplastic polymer recycling technologies. Several researchers have utilized recycled thermoplastics as matrices in the production of a variety of natural and synthetic-based composites, which is also the focus of this study. All of the industries (food and packaging, construction and building, transportation, and indoor usage) where recycled thermoplastics have a large market share (food and packaging, construction and building, transportation, and indoor usage) are covered in this review. The desirable properties of thermoplastic polymers, such as corrosion resistance, low density,…
New processes of the circular economy in water and wastewater treatment : Waterpro project publication
2021
This report presents results of research done in the WaterPro project New processes of the circular economy in water and wastewater treatment. In this project, water treatment solutions based on material streams produced as sidestreams or wastestreams of industrial processes or mining were researched and developed. These materials were modified for use as adsorbents or precipitation chemicals for water treatment solutions aiming to remove nutrients or metals. Materials such as paper mill sludge, slag, fly ash, jarosite, analcime, and brucite were used. Adsorption, chemical precipitation, and electrochemical precipitation were applied as water purification methods. Experiments were performed…
A Different Role of Taxation. From a One-Sided Taxation To a Circular Taxation
2020
The essay explores a possible different use of tax revenue, that is a perspective in which taxation is linked to a public choice in a circular way, thus determining a shift from the traditional “one-side taxation” process to a “circular taxation” process. Starting from the widely studied juridical phenomenon, known in Italy as regeneration of common spaces and goods or simply “regeneration”, and addressing the case of the regeneration of a brownfield, the Author argues that this phenomenon shows some common points with the so-called “circular economy”, since they are both inspired by the same principle of making resources usable in a circular context, exploiting already existing goods and r…
Chiroptical Phenomena in Reverse Micelles: The Case of (1R,2S)- Dodecyl (2-hydroxy-1-methyl-2-phenylethyl)dimethylammonium Bromide (DMEB)
2014
(1R,2S)-Dodecyl(2-hydroxy-1-methyl-2-phenylethyl)dimethylammonium bromide (DMEB) aggregates dispersed in carbon tetrachloride have been investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy at various surfactant concentration and water-to-surfactant molar ratio. Experimental data indicate that, even at the lowest investigated concentration and in absence of added water, DMEBmolecules associate in supramolecular assemblies. At higherDMEBconcentration the aggregates can confine watermolecules,making it plausible to think thatDMEB form reverse micelles and that watermolecules are quite uniformly distributed…
Methionine in a protein hydrophobic core drives tight interactions required for assembly of spider silk
2019
Web spiders connect silk proteins, so-called spidroins, into fibers of extraordinary toughness. The spidroin N-terminal domain (NTD) plays a pivotal role in this process: it polymerizes spidroins through a complex mechanism of dimerization. Here we analyze sequences of spidroin NTDs and find an unusually high content of the amino acid methionine. We simultaneously mutate all methionines present in the hydrophobic core of a spidroin NTD from a nursery web spider’s dragline silk to leucine. The mutated NTD is strongly stabilized and folds at the theoretical speed limit. The structure of the mutant is preserved, yet its ability to dimerize is substantially impaired. We find that side chains of…
Recycling mussel shells as secondary sources in green construction materials: a preliminary assessment
2023
This paper reports the development of novel green bio-composite mortars obtained by reusing mussel shells, a waste from the fish canning industry, as recycled aggregate, used for the first time in total substitution to the traditional sand. It suggests that this is a valid alternative to their usual disposal in landfills because the organic matter is potentially dangerous to humans and the environment. Different waste-based cementitious mixes were tested and compared to a traditional OPC mortar. The manufacturing process was performed at ambient conditions (20 °C, 65% RH) with highly sustainable results and consisted of simple operative steps reproducible in a real building site. The engine…
Obsolescenza precoce e garanzia di durabilità nella vendita di beni di consumo: note comparatistiche
2023
The essay analyses the legal guarantee of contracts for the sale of consumer goods under Directive (EU) 2019/771, which has expressly introduced durability as an objective requirement for conformity to achieve more sustainable consumption patterns and a circular economy in an increasingly digital-driven market. Such regulatory innovation, however, does not lengthen products' lifespans nor raise consumer protection against premature obsolescence. In anticipation of the revision of the directive by the first half of 2024, the Author underlines the main weaknesses of the legal guarantee of durability and, assisted by the use of a comparative method, suggests that only a pre-contractual informa…
Design, agro-food and cultural heritage for sustainable local economy development
2016
The aim of this paper is to describe, using the sustainable design process, the relationships between tourism, agro-food traditional products and cultural heritage to regenerate local development. For this purpose the study investigate the territory of Modica, a specific area in the south-east side of Sicily (province of Ragusa). The project is based on the approach of circular economy to enhance and use derivatives and waste of the selection process from the supply chain of Modica cottoia broad bean. The paper is divided in two sections one about the research step and the other about design step. The research step begins with the exploration and collection of information in order to examin…