Shallow groundwater of the huge deltaic systems of Asia like the Red River Delta in Vietnam is often enriched in inorganic arsenic (As), threatening the health of millions of residents. The massive abstraction of groundwater in these areas locally causes an irreversible mixing of arsenic-free groundwater resources with arsenic-rich groundwater. Increased concentrations of competitive anions, especially phosphate (PO43-), decrease the immobilization capacity of the sediments. During transport, the mobility of dissolved As in local aquifers is strongly influenced by adsorption to sedimentary and ubiquitously occurring iron(oxyhydr)oxides. Additionally, arsenic-rich groundwater is often enriched in reduced iron (Fe2+) as well, which is capable to react with iron(oxyhydr)oxides, thereby inducing mineral transformations. Such transformations permanently affect the arsenic adsorption and immobilization capacity of the sediments.Within the scope of this research project, the underlying mechanisms related to As transport and the resulting threat to arsenic-free groundwater resources will be characterized in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). The research concept aims at assessing the complex interactions within the arsenic-iron-phosphate-system under field conditions at a study site next to the Red River. First, filtration experiments using local groundwater enriched in As and PO43- will be used to determine the As adsorption capacity of different and previously geochemically characterized iron(oxyhydr)oxides. In a second step, sample carrier containing As loaded iron(oxyhydr)oxides will be introduced into surface near aquifer parts of the study site (via existing groundwater monitoring wells). These samples will be exposed to local groundwater characterized by increased As, Fe2+ and PO43- concentrations for the following nine months. Using the in situ exposition of predefined iron(oxyhydr)oxides, it will be possible to distinguish potential mineral transformations and their influences on the As immobilization capacity of the respective iron(oxyhydr)oxides. By combining the results and outcomes of the field experiments, new and important conclusions regarding the mobility of As can be drawn. The data can be used to create a hydrochemical transport model describing reactive As transport within the investigation area. In addition, the results of the in situ exposition experiments will allow to draw conclusions in respective to the long term As immobilization capacity of different iron(oxyhydr)oxides, which is an essential information regarding in situ decontamination techniques.
Agriculture is the major contributor of nitrogen to ecosystems, both by organic and inorganic fertilizers. Percolation of nitrate to groundwater and further transport to surface waters is assumed to be one of the major pathways in the fate of this nitrogen. The quantification of groundwater and associated nitrate flux to streams is still challenging. In particular because we lack understanding of the spatial distribution and temporal variability of groundwater and associated NO3- fluxes. In this preliminary study we will focus on the identification and quantification of groundwater and associated nitrate fluxes by combining high resolution distributed fiber-optic temperature sensing (DTS) with in situ UV photometry (ProPS). DTS is a new technique that is capable to measure temperature over distances of km with a spatial resolution of ca1 m and an accuracy of 0.01 K. It has been applied successfully to identify and quantify sources of groundwater discharge to streams. ProPS is a submersible UV process photometer, which uses high precision spectral analyses to provide single substance concentrations, in our case NO3-, at minute intervals and a detection limit of less than 0.05 mg l-1 (ca.0.01 mg NO3--Nl-1). We will conduct field experiments using artificial point sources of lateral inflow to test DTS and ProPS based quantification approaches and estimate their uncertainty. The selected study area is the Schwingbach catchment in Hessen, Germany, which has a good monitoring infrastructure. Preliminary research on hydrological fluxes and field observations indicate that the catchment favors the intended study.
The sorption of anions in geotechnical multibarrier systems of planned high level waste repositories (HLWR) and of non-ionic and organic pollutants in conventional waste disposals are in the center of recent research. In aquatic systems, persistent radionuclides such as 79Se, 99Tc, 129I exist in a form of anions. There is strongly increasing need to find materials with high sorption capacities for such pollutants. Specific requirements on barrier materials are long-term stability of adsorbent under various conditions such as T > 100 C, varying hydrostatic pressure, and the presence of competing ions. Organo-clays are capable to sorb high amounts of cations, anions and non-polar molecules simultaneously having selectivity for certain ions. This project is proposed to improve the understanding of sorption and desorption processes in organo-clays. Additionally, the modification of material properties under varying chemical and thermal conditions will be determined by performing diffusion and advection experiments. Changes by sorption and diffusion will be analyzed by determining surface charge and contact angles. Molecular simulations on models of organo-clays will be conducted in an accord with experiments with aim to understand and analyze experimental results. The computational part of the project will profit from the collaboration of German partner with the group in Vienna, which has a long standing experience in a modeling of clay minerals.
Limiting the input of toxic trace elements into soils is an important task in achieving sustainability of agricultural land use. Excessive accumulation of trace elements in soils is a major issue world-wide. In the EU agriculture is currently under particular pressure to meet stricter standards of sustainability including zero accumulation of contaminants in soils. Monitoring element accumulation in soils by means of element balancing is a very efficient method to gather the information needed to prevent or at least to limit and control soil pollution at an early stage before critical levels are reached, to prioritize decisions on abatement actions and to guide remedial actions. While methods have been developed and are continuously improved to assess element balances in European agro-ecosystems at the farm scale, there is a lack of similar models that are applicable to agricultural systems at regional scales, capable to deal with the problem of a complex data acquisition from very diverse information sources, account for dynamic feedbacks between system components and adequately address spatial redistribution of elements through processes such as erosion. The objective of this project is to develop a model for the assessment of regional element balances that has these capabilities and can deal with spatial data through combination with a GIS. For this purpose we propose to extend the existing regional mass balance model PROTERRA-S with respective dynamic features and to couple it with a GIS. Accounting for the different agricultural, socio-economic and bio-physical subsystems is a challenge that requires a modular approach with high flexibility. The generalized model will be calibrated and tested in a case study of the Swiss Canton Thurgau, for which comprehensive data bases have been already compiled and are available.
The development of new pharmaceutical compounds will be more efficient if human relevant toxicology information early in the selection process is available. While acute toxicity can be reasonably detected during the early preclinical stages of drug development, long-term toxicity is more difficult to predict, relying almost exclusively on animal experiments Animal experimentation of this kind is expensive and time consuming, raises ethical issues and do not necessarily represent a toxicological relevance to man. This project address the urgent need to develop in vitro based systems which are capable of predicting long term toxicity in humans. The major objectives of this project are:1)To develop advanced cell culture systems which as best possible represents the human liver and kidney in vivo. This will be achieved using combined strategies namely:co-cultures of resident cell types,targeted cell transformation,stem cell technology and new developments in organotypic cell culture (i.e. perfusion cultures and 3D cultures).2)To identify specific early mechanistic markers of toxin induced cell alterations by using integrated genomic,proteomic and cytomic analysis.3)To establish and prevalidate a screening platform (cell systems together with analysis tools) which is unambiguously predictive of toxin induced chronic renal and hepatic disease.This proposal is unique in it's mechanistic integration of the three levels of cellular dynamics (genome, proteome and cytome) together with advanced cell culture technology to detect early events of cellular injury. Only with such an integrated approach will in vitro techniques ever be applicable to predicting chronic toxicity in man. This project,if successful will(1) contribute to the replacement of animal testing in drug development, (2) increase ... Prime Contractor: Fundacion Hospital Universitario 'La Fe', Experimental Hepatology Unit, Research Center; Valencia; Espana.
NANOINSULATE will develop durable, robust, cost-effective opaque and transparent vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) incorporating new nanotechnology-based core materials (nanofoams, aerogels, aerogel composites) and high-barrier films that are up to four times more energy efficient than current solutions. These new systems will provide product lifetimes in excess of 50 years suitable for a variety of new-build and retrofit building applications. Initial building simulations based on the anticipated final properties of the VIPs indicate reductions in heating demand of up to 74Prozent and CO2 emissions of up to 46Prozent for Madrid, Spain and up to 61Prozent and 55Prozent respectively for Stuttgart, Germany for a building renovation which reduces the U-value of the walls and roof from 2.0 W m-2 K-1 to 0.2 W m-2 K-1. This reduction could be achieved with NANOINSULATE products that are only 25 mm thick, giving a cost-effective renovation without the need of changing all the reveals and ledges. Similarly, significant reductions in U-values of transparent VIPs (3 W m-2 K-1 to 0.5 W m-2 K-1) are shown by substituting double glazed units in existing building stock. Six industrial & four research based partners from seven EU countries will come together to engineer novel solutions capable of being mass produced. Target final manufacturing costs for insulation board (production rates above 5 million m2/year) are less than 7 m-2 for a U-value of 0.2 W m-2 K-1. NANOINSULATE will demonstrate its developments at construction sites across Europe. A Lifecycle Assessment, together with a safety and service-life costing analysis, will be undertaken to prove economic viability. NANOINSULATE demonstrates strong relevance to the objectives and expected impacts of both the specific call text of the Public-Private Partnership Energy-efficient Buildings topic New nanotechnology-based high performance insulation systems for energy efficiency within the 2010 NMP Work Programme and the wider NMP & Energy Thematic Priorities. Prime Contractor: Kingsplan Research and Developments Ltd.; Kingscourt; Irland.
Do genetically modified strawberries pose a threat to wild varieties? Do genetically modified strawberries pose a threat to wild varieties? Strawberries are an important niche product in Switzerland. Breeders are experimenting with genetic engineering methods to enhance the marketability of this product. There are risks inherent in this approach since the transfer of modified genes to wild strawberries could endanger the continued existence of the wild varieties. Background Transgenic varieties of strawberry with higher yields and enhanced root development already exist. The first release trials have already begun in Italy. However, if transgenic varieties of strawberry cross-breed with wild ones, there may be negative effects. The hybrids produced in this way are often sterile, yet by back-crossing with wild types or by producing prolific numbers of offshoots they can penetrate the native flora and displace it. Objectives This project has two basic goals. First, it seeks to assess the extent to which transgenic strawberries are capable of cross-breeding with their wild relatives. Second, it seeks to investigate the possible ecological impact of such crossbreeding under various environmental conditions in order to assess the risks associated with cultivating transgenic strawberries in the open. Methods Greenhouse experiments with honey bees, the most important pollinators of strawberries, will be carried out to show whether and how efficiently natural pollination occurs between transgenic and wild strawberries. Genetic methods will be used to determine how frequently foreign pollination between cultivated and wild strawberries has already occurred in the open in the past. The possible ecological implications of this will be quantified using life history data such as growth and competitive pressure. In these experiments, transgenic and artificially cross-bred strawberries from the laboratory will be planted in various soils. Significance The cultivation of transgenic plants is associated with potential risks for their wild relatives. Scientists have warned that the latter could become extinct as a result of undesirable cross-breeding. However, to date the true extent of these risks has barely been investigated. This project aims to close this gap by generating basic data with transgenic and wild strawberries as model organisms. These data could ultimately be relevant for other related crop plants such as apple trees or cherry trees.
Objective: The constitution of the common European market is accompanied by continuously increasing cross-border goods and passenger traffic. Road transportation is facing a rapidly increasing congestion whilein the contrary the available capacities in railway transportation as well as inland waterwaytransportation are being underutilised. A redistribution of the carriage of goods is urgently needed, but up to now the most important obstacles consists in the incompatible interfaces between the various carriers and the diversity of loading devices being used in the EU. Main objective of the project is the development of new intermodal loading units including devices (ISO-bulk container and Roll-off container), capable adaptors and mobile fixtures suitable for the trimodal transport of bulk and packaged goods at road, railway and inland waterways. Essential element of the project is the design and integration of innovative adaptors for lifting and shifting operations of the loading units. This will lead to an optimum on intermodal compatibility. The goals are in conformity with the aims of the Specific Programme 'Sustainable Surface Transport', research domain 3.16. 'Development of equipment for fast loading / unloading of intermodal transport units'. By application of the new loading units the logistic chain can be set up without changing the loading unit throughout the whole door-to-door transport process. The transhipping procedures do not require crane technology any more and the costs will be reduced substantially. The uniformity of the specialinternal features as well as the compliance with the ISO-container dimensions will contribute to the harmonisation of loading units. The projects includes the development of containers, adaptors and mobile units, test and demonstration of two prototypes and dissemination and exploitation of the results. The consortium consists of ten partner with six SMEs from five countries (G, HU, CH, A,CR)
Natural products remain an important source for drugs and a source of inspiration for medicinal chemists for the design of synthetic drugs and probes for the study of biological functions. The contribution of academic laboratories in natural products discovery has been substantial. The limiting factor of pharmaceutical natural product research has been with the tedious process of purification and identification of the lead molecules from the highly complex crude extract. Recent technological advances enable now a miniaturization of the screening and discovery process for natural product leads. The proposal here is for the purchase of a 500 MHz NMR spectrometer specifically equipped for the measurement of mass limited samples. It includes a recently commercialized 1 mm probe and autosampler and is capable of recording 1D and 2D NMR spectra with microgram (20-100 myg) amounts of natural products and synthetic drug-like molecules. The spectrometer is configured to fit into the technology platforms and the workflows of the Drug Screening Group of the Swiss Tropical Institute and the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology. The instrument shall be used for various interdisciplinary projects of the two principal applicants and for a consortium which is being established. The major use will be for HPLC-based lead discovery in the area of Alzheimer's disease, Malaria, and neglected tropical diseases. The instrument will also be employed for metabolic fingerprinting of selected plants and phytomedicines. A third application will be in the analysis of compound libraries from external sources which are screened by the applicants in the context of the principal projects. An NMR instrument with this configuration is currently not in operation at a Swiss university. It is the missing link in a technology platform established at the laboratories of the two applicants. This platform should enable a paradigm shift in the way how natural product leads are identified, namely by miniaturizing the entire process of screening, separation and lead identification to the microgram level. A significant gain in efficiency of the discovery process and, thus, in research productivity, both qualitative and quantitative, is anticipated. The equipment will also be of interest to all those scientists in the biomedical sciences who need structural information from mass limited samples such as, for example drug metabolites.
The objectives are to: (i) improve our understanding of human activities impacts (cumulative, synergistic, antagonistic) and variations due to climate change on marine biodiversity, using long-term series (pelagic and benthic). This objective will identify the barriers and bottlenecks (socio-economic and legislative) that prevent the GES being achieved (ii) test the indicators proposed by the EC, and develop new ones for assessment at species, habitats and ecosystems level, for the status classification of marine waters, integrating the indicators into a unified assessment of the biodiversity and the cost-effective implementation of the indicators (i.e. by defining monitoring and assessment strategies). This objective will allow for the adaptive management including (a) strategies & measures, (b) the role of industry and relevant stakeholders (including non-EU countries), and (c) provide an economic assessment of the consequences of the management practices proposed. It will build on the extensive work carried out by the Regional Seas Conventions (RSC) and Water Framework Directive, in which most of the partners have been involved (iii) develop/test/validate innovative integrative modelling tools to further strengthen our understanding of ecosystem and biodiversity changes (space & time); such tools can be used by statutory bodies, SMEs and marine research institutes to monitor biodiversity, applying both empirical and automatic data acquisition. This objective will demonstrate the utility of innovative monitoring systems capable of efficiently providing data on a range of parameters (including those from non-EU countries), used as indicators of GES, and for the integration of the information into a unique assessment The consortium has 23 partners, including 4 SMEs (close to 17Prozent of the requested budget) and 2 non-EU partners (Ukraine & Saudi Arabia). Moreover, an Advisory Board (RSC & scientific international scientists) has been designed,to ensure a good relationship with stakeholders.
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