University of Ljubljana

About: University of Ljubljana is a education organization based out in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Liquid crystal. The organization has 17210 authors who have published 47013 publications receiving 1082684 citations. The organization is also known as: Univerza v Ljubljani.

Kinetics of the catalytic liquid-phase hydrogenation of aqueous nitrate solutions

Abstract: Liquid-phase reduction using a solid Pd/Cu bimetallic catalyst provides a potential technique for the removal of nitrates from waters. Kinetic measurements were performed for a wide range of reactant concentrations and reaction conditions in an isothermal semi-batch slurry reactor operating at atmospheric pressure. The effects of catalyst loading and initial nitrate concentration on the reaction rate were also investigated. The proposed intrinsic rate expression for nitrate disappearance is based on the conventional Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic approach, considering both equilibrium nitrate as well as dissociative hydrogen adsorption processes to different types of active sites, and assuming an irreversible bimolecular surface reaction between adsorbed reactant species to be the rate-controlling step. The apparent activation energy for catalytic liquid-phase nitrate reduction and the heat of nitrate adsorption, in the temperature range 280.5–293 K, were found to be 47 and 22 kJ/mol, respectively. It is confirmed that the process of catalytic liquid-phase hydrogenation of aqueous nitrate solutions undergoes a redox mechanism.

Attenuation of replication by a 29 nucleotide deletion in SARS-coronavirus acquired during the early stages of human-to-human transmission.

Abstract: A 29 nucleotide deletion in open reading frame 8 (ORF8) is the most obvious genetic change in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) during its emergence in humans. In spite of intense study, it remains unclear whether the deletion actually reflects adaptation to humans. Here we engineered full, partially deleted (−29 nt), and fully deleted ORF8 into a SARS-CoV infectious cDNA clone, strain Frankfurt-1. Replication of the resulting viruses was compared in primate cell cultures as well as Rhinolophus bat cells made permissive for SARS-CoV replication by lentiviral transduction of the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor. Cells from cotton rat, goat, and sheep provided control scenarios that represent host systems in which SARS-CoV is neither endemic nor epidemic. Independent of the cell system, the truncation of ORF8 (29 nt deletion) decreased replication up to 23-fold. The effect was independent of the type I interferon response. The 29 nt deletion in SARS-CoV is a deleterious mutation acquired along the initial human-to-human transmission chain. The resulting loss of fitness may be due to a founder effect, which has rarely been documented in processes of viral emergence. These results have important implications for the retrospective assessment of the threat posed by SARS.

Process approach to supply chain integration

Abstract: Purpose – Business renovation, the effective utilisation of information technology and the role of business process modelling and simulation, are all vital in supply chain integration projects. This paper aims to show through a combination of these methods how the performance of the supply chain can be improved with the renovation and integration of processes at various tiers in the chain and by the sharing of information between companies.Design/methodology/approach – Simulation‐based methodology for measuring the benefits of the creation and renovation of business process models combines the methodology of developing process models and its simulation with the simulation of supply and demand. A procurement process in the oil/retail petrol industry is examined in a case study.Findings – Using the proposed methodology, different business process models can be investigated and simulated. The benefits for each company involved in the presented case are substantial and can be estimated through a simulation. S...