Valorisation of food waste to produce new raw materials for animal feed.

This study assesses the suitability of vegetable waste produced by food industry for use as a raw material for animal feed. It includes safety and nutritional viability, technical feasibility and environmental evaluation. Vegetable by-products were found to be nutritionally and sanitarily appropriate for use in animal feed. The drying technologies tested for making vegetable waste suitable for use in the animal feed market were pulse combustion drying, oven and microwave. The different meal prototypes obtained were found to comply with all the requirements of the animal feed market. An action plan that takes into account all the stages of the valorisation process was subsequently defined in agreement with local stakeholders. This plan was validated in a pilot-scale demonstration trial. Finally, the technical feasibility was studied and environmental improvement was performed. This project was funded by the European LIFE+ program (LIFE09 ENV/ES/000473).

A Unified Framework for Reservoir Computing and Extreme Learning Machines based on a Single Time-delayed Neuron.

In this paper we present a unified framework for extreme learning machines and reservoir computing (echo state networks), which can be physically implemented using a single nonlinear neuron subject to delayed feedback. The reservoir is built within the delay-line, employing a number of "virtual" neurons. These virtual neurons receive random projections from the input layer containing the information to be processed. One key advantage of this approach is that it can be implemented efficiently in hardware. We show that the reservoir computing implementation, in this case optoelectronic, is also capable to realize extreme learning machines, demonstrating the unified framework for both schemes in software as well as in hardware.

Evolución del uso de opioides como indicador centinela en cuidados paliativos adulto y pediátrico en el Hospital Clínico Guillermo Grant Benavente / Opoid use evolution as a sentinel indicator in adult and pediatric palliative care at Hospital Guillermo Gran Benavente

La investigación tuvo por objetivo cuantificar el uso de opioides para responder a las preguntas: ¿hay alguna evidencia que permita afirmar un incremento en el uso de opioides? y ¿el incremento observado se debe a un mayor uso de morfina? Tener claridad en este tema permitirá realizar intervenciones que fortalezcan el PAD y CP a nivel terciario en el HGGB. Para responder la primera pregunta se convirtió a gramos de morfina todos los opioides utilizados en el programa, los débiles y los fuertes, más los opioides utilizados para tratar los pacientes portadores de dolor crónico no oncológico. Los datos fueron analizados a nivel descriptivo con prograna EXCEl. Se confirmó la sospecha que se ha perdido paulatinamente el miedo a utilizar una herramienta tan eficaz como los opioides para control de dolor crónico. El hallazgo más importante fue la utilización cada vez más frecuente de otros opioides, en desmedro de la morfina.

The research aimed to quantify the use of opioids to answer the questions: is there any evidence to say an increase in the use of opioids? and the observer increase is due to increased use of morphine? Clarity on this issue will allow level in HGGB. To answer the first question was converted to grams of morphine all opioids used in the program, the weak and strong, most opioids used to treat patients with chronic non cancer pain. Data were analized with descriptive at EXCEL program. We confirmed the suspicion that has gradually lost fear of using a tool as effective as opioids for chronic pain control. The most important finding was the increasingly frequent use of other opiods, to the detriment of morphine.

A novel approach to the anaerobic treatment of municipal wastewater in temperate climates through primary sludge fortification.

It is proposed that anaerobic treatment of municipal wastewater in temperate climates is attainable through the fortification of wastewater with primary sewage sludge to enhance the chemical oxygen demand (COD). Three bench-scale up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) bioreactors (0.5 L) were operated to provide a preliminary verification of this approach. Mass and energy balances were modelled using the GPS-X (COST model, population equivalent of 118,500) to determine the energy balance of the primary sludge wastewater fortification process flowsheet in comparison with conventional aerobic secondary treatment with activated sludge. The addition of 5% primary sludge by volume to crude wastewater pretreated with ultrasound resulted in an increase in total COD from 536 mg L(-1) to 2300 mg L(-1). A COD removal of 86% +/- 8% and methane production of 400 mL L(-1) d(-1) were achieved in the reactor that was supplied with this primary sludge fortified wastewater. In comparison a COD reduction of 77% +/- 8% and 40 mL L(-1) d(-1) of methane were observed in the reactor which was supplied with crude wastewater only, and a 79% +/- 8% COD removal and 156 mL L(-1) d(-1) of methane were observed in UASB2, which was supplied with crude wastewater pretreated with ultrasound. The modelled energy balance for the fortified wastewater treatment process flowsheet was -305 kWh d(-1) compared with -937 kWh d(-1) in the aerobic flowsheet, corresponding to an energy saving of 67%.

Cell-autonomous requirement for DNaseII in nonapoptotic cell death.

DNA fragmentation is a critical component of apoptosis but it has not been characterized in nonapoptotic forms of cell death, such as necrosis and autophagic cell death. In mammalian apoptosis, caspase-activated DNase cleaves DNA into nucleosomal fragments in dying cells, and subsequently DNase II, an acid nuclease, completes the DNA degradation but acts non-cell autonomously within lysosomes of engulfing cells. Here we examine the requirement for DNases during two examples of programmed cell death (PCD) that occurs in the Drosophila melanogaster ovary, starvation-induced death of mid-stage egg chambers and developmental nurse cell death in late oogenesis. Surprisingly, we found that DNaseII was required cell autonomously in nurse cells during developmental PCD, indicating that it acts within dying cells. Dying nurse cells contain autophagosomes, indicating that autophagy may contribute to these forms of PCD. Furthermore, we provide evidence that developmental nurse cell PCD in late oogenesis shows hallmarks of necrosis. These findings indicate that DNaseII can act cell autonomously to degrade DNA during nonapoptotic cell death.

Dynamic simulation of the water quality in rivers based on the IWA RWQM1. Application of the new simulator CalHidra 2.0 to the Tajo River.

This paper presents a new model for the dynamic prediction of water quality in rivers using in-series continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTR) and process transformations based on the IWA RWQM1. The transport model introduces a new parameter f (fraction of solids that are not retained in the in-series reactors) that splits hydraulic and solids retention times, regulating the transport of particulate substances along the river stretch. The characterization of the model components is based on elemental mass fractions, and closed mass balance is guaranteed for each process transformation. The resulting model has been implemented in the new simulator CalHidra 2.0 and applied to a branch of the Tajo River in the Madrid area. The spatial profiles of ammonium, nitrates, and dissolved oxygen in different seasonal periods have been used to calibrate the model. The proposed model also has shown its usefulness for exploring the evolution of the water quality in the Tajo River under different scenarios.