15234 research outputs found
Sort by
Europäisch Fliegen – Im Flugzeug mit Nicolas Schmit und über RyanAir
No full textSonntagmorgen. 7. April. Nicolas Schmit, EU-Kommissar für Beschäftigung und soziale Rechte und Spitzenkandidat der Europäischen Sozialdemokraten (SPE) für die gerade beendete EU-Wahl, und ich treffen an Bord eines Morgenfluges nach Charleroi zufällig aufeinander. Schmit kommt gerade von einer Wahlkampfveranstaltung in Rumänien zurück. Ich bin auf dem Weg zu einer europäischen Demonstration in Brüssel gegen die drohenden Kürzungen im Gesundheitswesen (vgl. EPSU 2024), da die Staats- und Regierungschefs der EU planen, die Haushaltsregeln der EU, die sie während der Covid 19-Notlage ausgesetzt hatten, wieder einzuführen (Erne et al. 2024).University College Dubli
Guth sainiúil suaithinseach na hindibhide
No full textIS É seo an dara leabhar dá shórt ó pheann cumasach Fheargail Uí Bhéarra. Tá trí bliana anois ann ó d’fhoilsigh Leabhar Breac An Tromdhámh agus bronnadh gradam Uí Shúilleabháin ‘Leabhar na Bliana’ 2019 ar an saothar slachtmhar úd dá chuid. In Mé Suibhne, éiríonn leis os cionn ‘600 bliain de litríocht na Gaeilge’1 a chuir ar fáil go máistriúil arís do phobal comhaimseartha na Gaeilge
Investigating Mass Transfer and Reaction Engineering Characteristics in a Membrane Biofilm Using Cupriavidus necator H16
No full textMembrane biofilm reactors are a growing trend in wastewater treatment whereby gas-transfer membranes provide efficient bubbleless aeration. Recently, there has been a growing interest in using these bioreactors for industrial biotechnology using microorganisms that can metabolise gaseous substrates. Since gas fermentation is limited by the low solubilities of gaseous substrates in liquid media, it is critical to characterise mass transfer rates of gaseous substrates to enable the design of membrane biofilm reactors. The objective of this study is to measure and analyse mass transfer rates and reaction engineering characteristics for a single tube membrane biofilm reactor using Cupriavidus necator H16. At elevated Reynolds numbers, the dominant resistance for gas diffusion shifts from the liquid boundary layer to the membrane. The biofilm growth rate was observed to decrease after 260 μm at 96 h. After 144 h, some sloughing of the biofilm occurred. Oxygen uptake rate and substrate utilisation rate for the biofilm developed showed that the biofilm changes from a single-substrate limited regime to a dual-substrate-limited regime after 72 h which alters the localisation of the microbial activity within the biofilm. This study shows that this platform technology has potential applications for industrial biotechnology.Science Foundation IrelandEuropean Commission - European Regional Development Fun
Roumanie: catastrophe d'extrême droite évitée
No full textÀ la mi-mai, l'extrême droite a failli remporter les élections présidentielles roumaines. Au premier tour, George Simion avait obtenu 41% des voix, un résultat record. Lors des élections annulées de décembre 2024, les ultranationalistes Călin Georgescu (23%) et Simion (14%) ont obtenu moins de voix. La Cour constitutionnelle ayant également exclu Georgescu du second tour, le camp d'extrême droite s'est présenté uni dès le départ.Unia Trade Unio
Self-assembly and regeneration strategy for mitigation of membrane biofouling by the exploitation of enzymatic nanoparticles
No full textBiofouling of membranes is an unresolved problem in the water industry. Numerous anti-biofouling membrane technologies have been proposed but the duration of their anti-fouling properties is short relative to the required lifetime of the membrane. The present work investigated a facile renewable anti-biofouling layer strategy whereby smart enzymatic nanomaterials are self-assembled onto a commercial membrane surface, creating a pH-triggered releasable and regenerable anti-biofouling system. The Proteinase-K-functionalized-PEGylated-silica (SPK) nanoparticles were characterized both chemically and biologically. These smart enzymatic particles demonstrated an excellent capability of against Pseudomonas fluorescens biofilms, and their activity persisted for at least 45 days in synthetic wastewater. Surface morphology and analysis of chemical compositions showed that these smart nanoparticles generated an anti-biofouling layer on the cellulose-based membrane surface through a submersion method, attributed to the strong noncovalent affinity-interactions between the particles and membrane. The SPK anti-biofouling layer stably attached to the membrane surfaces in synthetic wastewater (pH 7.4), whilst having the capacity to be released for regeneration in a pH 10 solution. Regeneration was accomplished by simple reloading of fresh particles on the membrane. Filtration tests revealed that the SPK anti-biofouling layer negligibly affected on membrane permeance while effectively mitigated membrane biofouling. Besides significant improvement in filtration fluxes, the SPK assembled membrane efficiently reduced the irreversible fouling and bacterial coverages on the membrane surface.Science Foundation IrelandIrish Research Counci
EU-Wahlen: Im Flieger mit Kandidat Schmit
No full textSonntagmorgen, 7. April. Ich fliege von Bukarest nach Charleroi, Belgien. Im gleichen Flieger: Nicolas Schmit, EU-Beschäftigungskommissar und sozialdemokratischer Spitzenkandidat für die kommenden EU-Wahlen. Schmit ist auf dem Rückweg von einer Wahlkampfveranstaltung in Rumänien. Ich bin auf dem Weg zu einer Demonstration der europäischen Gewerkschaften in Brüssel gegen die drohenden Kürzungen im Gesundheitswesen. Um uns herum sind viele müde rumänische Arbeiter wie Dariu neben mir. Er ist mit einem Minibus durch die Nacht zum Bukarester Flughafen gefahren, nachdem er seine Eltern in einem Dorf an der moldawischen Grenze besucht hat.Unia Trade Unio
Mitigating Nitrous Oxide Emission from a Lab-Scale Membrane-Aerated Biofilm Reactor
No full textThe membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) is an emerging technology for the biological treatment of wastewaters. It can achieve simultaneous nitrification and denitrification due to anoxic liquid conditions. The counter diffusion of oxygen and nutrients in the biofilm allows for aerobic and anoxic layers, providing conditions where the formation, accumulation and consumption of nitrous oxide can all occur. The microbial processes involved in the production and consumption of N2O are complex, and, due to the innovative nature of the MABR, understanding the influence of operational factors helps to minimise N2O emission. Using a lab-scale 20L MABR system, an investigation was carried out to determine the influence of operational factors on the emission of nitrous oxide from the reactor. A direct link between the nitrous oxide emissions and bulk liquid conditions could not be established with only limited statistical correlation between them. It was found that under both steady loading rates and transient conditions, the emission of nitrous oxide was most influenced by the air flow rate through the membranes. The majority of N2O emissions occurred via the membrane off-gas and not through the liquid. N2O flux through the membrane was influenced not only by the accumulation of N2O in the biofilm side but also by the gas residence time on the lumen side. Therefore, minimising the air flow rate is an effective strategy to mitigate nitrous oxide emissions from theG MABR.Irish Research Counci
Motivations for Methamphetamine (Mkpurummiri) Use and Consequences Among Nigerian Users
No full textMedia reports show that methamphetamine use is growing in Nigeria, but there is a paucity of empirical research that examines the motivations for, and consequences of, using the drug. In this study, we explored motivations or reasons for methamphetamine use and implications among 18 users and service providers. We analysed the data thematically to generate themes. The findings show that while most users initiated methamphetamine use in friendship networks, drug dealing also facilitated the initiation. Some participants were motivated to use methamphetamine to stay awake at night and engage in online businesses, while others used the drug to enhance their energy for manual work to improve productivity and enhance sexual drive, performance and pleasure. Although participants believed that methamphetamine use performed some functions, they reported its adverse effects on them and their friends, including irritation, hostility, extreme violent behaviour, delusion, psychiatric disorders, and inability to urinate or defecate for seven days. Additional findings showed that stigma is a prominent barrier to accessing treatment. Therefore, individuals do not use treatment facilities until their condition deteriorates. The findings suggest the need for the urgent provision of information to deter people from methamphetamine uptake and to provide interventions and pathways to treatment that will protect people who use methamphetamine from stigmatisation and other forms of discrimination.University College DublinCheck vol/issue/date on check dat
Stärkung von GAV: Rumänien macht es vor
No full textRumänien zeigt, wie die Länder in Europa die Gesamtarbeitsverträge (GAV) stärken können. Das jüngste rumänische GAV-Gesetz ist ein Wegweiser für ganz Europa. Das ist die Einschätzung von UNI-Europa, der europäischen Gewerkschaft für den privaten Dienstleistungssektor, der auch die Unia angehört.Unia Trade Unio
Forecasting wastewater flows and pollutant loads: A comparison of data-driven models within the urban water system framework
No full textThe ability to forecast key features of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) influent, is emerging as an important tool to enable advanced WWTP operational strategies. Various data driven models have been reported in the scientific literature for WWTP influent forecast however, there has been no quantitative comparison of them against each other. The present study is the first to undertake this comparison utilising a high-frequency reference dataset generated from the Urban Water System model. Specifically, the performance of autoregressive models was compared against time-delay networks, nonlinear autoregressive networks and long short-term memory networks. Time-delay networks were generally found to outperform the other tested methods, although the reliability of the generated forecasts decreases as the prediction horizon exceeds one hour. While longer prediction horizons would be desirable, there is a trade-off between model accuracy and overall optimisation of plant operation. This study also highlights the challenge of dealing with both concentration and flow variations suggesting the need for future research to analyse the separate impacts of flow and concentration variations on model performance.Science Foundation Irelan