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Sustainability and circular economy are the dominant themes of the moment and are totally transversal to every sector, especially in the waste treatment sector where these issues intersect with the service offered to society. Good management of municipal waste is a service to society and an opportunity for the recovery of raw materials and energy. Modern engineering produces solutions and technologies which, when integrated, achieve the goal of almost zeroing waste to be disposed in landfills and total energy recovery of the same. Technologies, good engineering practices and the process procedures make plants safe for the environment and the operators, increase recovery efficiency, allow the operator a total control of the processes, and make the plant reliable and profitable. The purpose of this paper is to describe the full-scale waste plant of Territorio e Risorse Srl (T&R) of Santhià VC and explain the operational results in this revamped plant with modern design and technology. Start-up of the new anaerobic line showed: (i) plastic over screen production less than 15 wt. % of treated OFMSW; (ii) high specific biogas and biomethane production values (190 Nm3 dry biogas/ton of fed ingestate). These values, better than in the literature, show an efficient OFMSW valorization process and a reduction in waste produced. It is possible to make our mind on a series of important and decisive issues for the success of an AD project as well as to get some important data about plant performance which set a new benchmark or biogas and RNG production from food waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web Application Firewalls (WAF) have evolved to protect web applications from attack. A signature-based WAF responds to threats through the implementation of application-specific rules which block malicious traffic. However, these rules must be continually adapted to address evolving threats. The resultant rules can become complex and difficult to maintain, requiring that the administrator possesses a high-level of skills and detailed knowledge of the application. Not to mention the challenges of zero-day attacks! A WAF can deliver high rates of false positives and false negatives that can adversely impact the performance and can provide poor protection against zero-day attacks. This paper aims to provide a short review showing the development of WAFs based on machine-learning-based methods. It discusses their merits and limitations as well as identifying open issues. It assesses which of them can provide countermeasures to zero-day attacks and are easy to configure and maintain to keep them up to date. It was found that machine-learning-based methods have advantages over signature/rule-based methods as the former can address the vulnerability to zero-day attacks and can be easier to configure and keep up to date. The survey also determined that the effectiveness of machine-learning-based WAFs in protecting current attack patterns targeting web application frameworks is still an open area for further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel fuel-substitution strategy was used to investigate the relationship between octane number and cetane number under representative low temperature combustion (LTC) thermodynamic conditions. The cetane number of the test fuels was known by using mixtures of the cetane number secondary reference fuels (SRFs) T-26 and U-19, which are full-blend certification fuels used in the place of 2,2,4,4,6,8,8-heptamethylnonane and n -hexadecane for engine cetane number testing. The octane number was derived from the fuel-substitution methodology in terms of the octane primary reference fuel (PRF, consisting of n -heptane and isooctane) mixture needed to maintain combustion phasing during homogeneous-charge compression-ignition (HCCI) engine operation as increasing amounts of the SRF mixture was substituted for the PRF mixture. A linear blending relationship was found to exist between the cetane and octane numbers. Results agree with other similar relationships from the literature acquired under substantially different operating conditions. The current study significantly expands the range of the cetane–octane correlation to a range of cetane numbers from 20 to 75 and validates the correlation at low equivalence ratios of interest to LTC operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dewatering of large amount of industry sludge is one of the significant environmental problems in the pulp and paper industry. Calcium carbonate fillers are an important component in primary sludge from paper mills. In this paper, the role of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) on the dewaterability of simulated mixed paper mill sludge (the mixture of PCC and secondary sludge) without and with FeCl 3 conditioning was studied. The results showed that when the PCC content increased from 0 to 600 mg/g dry sludge (DS) without FeCl 3 conditioning, the moisture content (MC) and the specific resistance to filtration (SRF) decreased from 89.4% and 3.1 × 1013 m/kg to 66.7% and 2.4 × 1012 m/kg, respectively. However, when the PCC content was high enough (> 444 mg/g DS), the effective moisture content (MC*) changed little and the net sludge solid yield (Y N) decreased, indicating that the non-conditioning effect of PCC dominated at high PCC content. Furthermore, increasing PCC content reduced the compressibility coefficient, although the change was insignificant from 1.06 to 0.91. When FeCl 3 was used as the chemical conditioner, FeCl 3 and PCC had additive effects on improving the sludge dewaterability (such as MC, SRF and compressibility). The improving mechanism of PCC on the sludge dewaterability can be explained by the release of Ca2+ from PCC caused by lower pH, the bridging effect of multivalent cation and the formation of more rigid sludge flocs. [Display omitted] ● PCC existed in sludge improve its filterability and compressibility. ● PCC component hardly affected the effective moisture content at high PCC content. ● PCC can improve the sludge dewaterability with the synergistic assistance of FeCl 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Waste to energy could be one of the greatest sources of renewable energy in Korea, especially municipal solid waste as it has high heat recovery rate and high energy density. Various types of waste to energy technology exist, including refining of waste oil, plastic pyrolysis, recovery of waste heat and SRF (Solid Refuse Fuel). Main advantages of waste to energy are commercialization in a short period and treatment of waste alongside energy recovery.SRF could be made from various source including MSW (Municipal Solid Waste), plastic, wood etc.SRF is also used as an auxiliary fuel of fossil fuel for cement kiln plants. Depending on theshape SRF could be fluff type and pellet type. Manufacturing processes of fluff type SRF are composed to screening and drying stages. In this study, an assessment on fluff type SRF made of MSW was conducted by thermal characteristics analyses. Thermal characteristics analyses include elementary analysis, TG (Thermogravimetry) analysis, HHV (Higher Heating Value) measurement and proximate analysis. For comparison, SRF with other fuel samples such as biomass, and coal were selected and we evaluated to determine whether SRF is good as fuel or not. In this experiment, representative of fossil fuel was bituminous coal and representative of biomass was EFB (Empty Fruit Bunch). Results of different characteristics analyses of fluff type SRF compared to other fuels, the feasibility of fluff type SRF to use as alternative fuels by waste to energy technology was good enough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiculated margins indicate a high risk of malignancy for breast cancer. Detection accuracy of current computerized diagnostic systems Computer Aided Detections (CADs) for spiculated margins is not high due to the existence of intensity heterogeneities, often subtle and varied in appearance. This paper presents an automatic system for Accurately Detection of Spiculated Margins (ADSM) by measuring its physical properties. In proposed system, a pre-processing step is performed to suppress background noise and enhance contrast. Spiculated margins are then segmented by a Maximum Fuzzy Entropy Partitioning (MFEP) algorithm whose parameters are optimized using the Quantum Genetic Algorithm (QGA). Afterwards, the characterization of spicule regions is completed using morphological operators, Steerable-Ridge-Filtering (SRF) and quantification of physical properties. A data set of 220 mammogram masses was used to evaluate the proposed system. Experimental results indicate that the ADSM system achieves a high accuracy level of Area Under the receiver operating characteristics Curve (AUC): 0.875 compared to state-of-art systems. By integrating the ADSM system, the performance of CADs could potentially be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the performances of three reference currents and DC bus voltage control techniques for Three-Phase Four-Wire Four-Leg SAPF are compared for balanced and unbalanced load conditions. The main goals are to minimize the harmonics, reduce the magnitude of neutral current, eliminate the zero-sequence current components caused by single-phase nonlinear loads and compensate the reactive power, and on the other hand improve performances such as robustness, stabilization, trajectory pursuit, and reduce time response. The three techniques are analyzed mathematically and simulation results are compared. The techniques considered for comparative study are the PI Control, Sliding Mode Control and the Backstepping Control. Synchronous reference frame theory (SRF) in the dqo-axes is used to generate the reference currents, of the inverter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The updated definition and explanation of Oldenburg's SRF are proposed and elucidated. [•] The methodology is firstly applied on China's Shenhua CCS project. [•] The evaluated site with six reservoir-seal combinations is in low risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Fine particles formed from combustion of a bituminous coal and co-combustion of coal with 7th% (thermal percentage) solid recovered fuel (SRF) in a pulverized coal-fired power plant were sampled and characterized in this study. The particles from dedicated coal combustion and co-combustion both showed an ultrafine mode centered at approximately 0.1μm. Compared with coal combustion, co-combustion of coal and SRF increased the formation of submicron particles, especially ultrafine particles below 0.2μm. The morphology of the particles indicated that supermicron particles were primarily formed by the melting of minerals. The ultrafine particles were generated through nucleation and coagulation of vaporized inorganic species, while for the particles in between supermicron and ultrafine particles, condensation of vaporized species or aggregation of nucleates on the existing spherical submicron particles appear to be an important formation mechanism. The elemental composition of the particles from coal combustion showed that S and Ca were significantly enriched in ultrafine particles and P was also enriched considerably. However, compared with supermicron particles, the contents of Al, Si and K were depleted in ultrafine particles. The observed high volatility of Ca was likely related with the high combustion temperature and relative low oxygen condition in the boiler which may promote vaporization of Ca during char oxidation. The discrepancies on the observed volatilities of Ca and alkalis between some laboratory experiments and full-scale measurements were discussed. The composition of the fine particles from co-combustion was generally similar to those from coal combustion. The ultrafine particles from co-combustion were of slightly higher Ca, P, and K contents, and lower S content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of agroforestry crops is a promising tool for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration through fossil fuel substitution. In particular, plantations characterised by high yields such as short rotation forestry (SRF) are becoming popular worldwide for biomass production and their role acknowledged in the Kyoto Protocol. While their contribution to climate change mitigation is being investigated, the impact of climate change itself on growth and productivity of these plantations needs particular attention, since their management might need to be modified accordingly. Besides the benefits deriving from the establishment of millions of hectares of these plantations, there is a risk of increased release into the atmosphere of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted in large amounts by most of the species commonly used. These hydrocarbons are known to play a crucial role in tropospheric ozone formation. This might represent a negative feedback, especially in regions already characterized by elevated ozone level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Serum response factor (SRF) is a single copy, highly conserved transcription factor that governs the expression of hundreds of genes involved with actin cytoskeletal organization, cellular growth and signaling, neuronal circuitry and muscle differentiation. Zebrafish have emerged as a facile and inexpensive vertebrate model to delineate gene expression, regulation, and function, and yet the study of SRF in this animal has been virtually unexplored. Here, we report the existence of two srf genes in zebrafish, with partially overlapping patterns of expression in 3 and 7 day old developing animals. The mammalian ortholog (srf1) encodes for a 520 amino acid protein expressed in adult vascular and visceral smooth muscle cells, cardiac and skeletal muscle, as well as neuronal cells. The second zebrafish srf gene (srf2), encoding for a presumptive protein of only 314 amino acids, is transcribed at lower levels and appears to be less widely expressed across adult tissues, Both srf genes are induced by the SRF coactivator myocardin and attenuated with a short hairpin RNA to mammalian SRF. Promoter studies with srf1 reveal conserved CArG boxes that are the targets of SRF-myocardin in embryonic zebrafish cells. These results reveal that SRF was duplicated in the zebrafish genome and that its protein expression in all three muscle cell types is highly conserved across vertebrate animals suggesting an ancient code for transcriptional regulation of genes unique to muscle cell lineages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We and others have previously shown that the myocardin transcription factors play critical roles in the regulation of smooth muscle cell (SMC) differentiation marker gene expression. In a yeast 2-hybrid screen for proteins that interact with myocardin-related transcription factor-A (MRTF-A), we identified the histone 3 lysine 9 (H3K9)-specific demethylase, Jmjd1a. GST pull-down assays demonstrated that Jmjd1a bound all 3 myocardin family members, and further mapping studies showed that the jumonjiC domain of Jmjd1a was sufficient to mediate this interaction. Overexpression of Jmjd1a in multipotential 10T1/2 cells decreased global levels of di-methyl H3K9, stimulated the SM α-actin and SM22 promoters, and synergistically enhanced MRTF-A- and myocardin-dependent transactivation. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, we also demonstrated that TGF-β-mediated upregulation of SMC differentiation marker gene expression in 10T1/2 cells was associated with decreased H3K9 dimethylation at the CArG-containing regions of the SMC differentiation marker gene promoters. Importantly, knockdown of Jmjd1a in 10T1/2 cells and primary rat aortic SMCs by retroviral delivery of siRNA attenuated TGF-β-induced upregulation of endogenous SM myosin heavy chain expression. These effects were concomitant with increased H3K9 dimethylation at the SMC differentiation marker gene promoters and with inhibition of MRTF-A-dependent transactivation of the SMC-specific transcription. These results suggest, for the first time, that SMC differentiation marker gene expression is regulated by H3K9 methylation and that the effects of the myocardin factors on SMC-specific transcription may involve the recruitment of Jmjd1a to the SMC-specific promoters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Pancreatic β cell mass for appropriate blood glucose control is established during early postnatal life. β cell proliferative capacity declines postnatally, but the extrinsic cues and intracellular signals that cause this decline remain unknown. To obtain a high-resolution map of β cell transcriptome dynamics after birth, we generated single-cell RNA-seq data of β cells from multiple postnatal time points and ordered cells based on transcriptional similarity using a new analytical tool. This analysis captured signatures of immature, proliferative β cells and established high expression of amino acid metabolic, mitochondrial, and Srf/Jun/Fos transcription factor genes as their hallmark feature. Experimental validation revealed high metabolic activity in immature β cells and a role for reactive oxygen species and Srf/Jun/Fos transcription factors in driving postnatal β cell proliferation and mass expansion. Our work provides the first high-resolution molecular characterization of state changes in postnatal β cells and paves the way for the identification of novel therapeutic targets to stimulate β cell regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]