Sample records for engineering research digest

  1. Digest of Key Science and Engineering Indicators, 2008. NSB-08-2

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Science Foundation, 2008

    2008-01-01

    This digest of key science and engineering indicators draws primarily from the National Science Board's two-volume "Science and Engineering Indicators, 2008" report. The digest serves two purposes: (1) to draw attention to important trends and data points from across the chapters and volumes of "Science and Engineering Indicators, 2008," and (2)…

  2. DETERMINATION OF THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING TECHNICIANS IN OHIO, A DIGEST OF A PH.D. DISSERTATION. RESEARCH SERIES IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    BENDER, RALPH E.; HALTERMAN, JERRY J.

    THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO DEVELOP CURRICULUMS NEEDED IN TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING TECHNICIANS IN OHIO. A QUESTIONNAIRE TO INVENTORY THE LABOR FORCE WAS ADMINISTERED TO INDIVIDUALS, FIRMS, BUSINESSES, AND AGENCIES EMPLOYING PERSONS IN AREAS REQUIRING AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING AND FARM MECHANICS. ANOTHER TO COLLECT INFORMATION…

  3. Photonics and web engineering in Poland, WILGA 2009

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2009-06-01

    The paper is a digest of work presented during a cyclic Ph.D. student symposium on Photonics and Web Engineering WILGA 2009. Symposium is organized by ISE PW in cooperation with professional organizations IEEE, SPIE, PSP and KEiT PAN. There are presented mainly Ph.D. and M.Sc. theses as well as achievements of young researchers. These papers, presented in such a big number, more than 250 in some years, are in certain sense a good digest of the condition of academic research capabilities in this branch of science and technology. The undertaken research subjects for Ph.D. theses in electronics is determined by the interest and research capacity (financial, laboratory and intellectual) of the young researchers and their tutors. Basically, the condition of academic electronics research depends on financing coming from applications areas. During Wilga 2009 there were organized, and thus the paper debates, the following topical sessions concerning applications of advanced electronics and photonics systems: merging of electronic systems and photonics, Internet engineering, distributed measurement systems, security in information technology, astronomy and cosmic technology, HEP experiments, environment protection, image processing and biometry. The paper contains also more general remarks concerning the workshops organized by and for the Ph.D. students in advanced photonics and electronics systems.

  4. Science and Engineering Indicators: Digest 2012. NSB 12-02

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Science Foundation, 2012

    2012-01-01

    The United States holds a preeminent position in science and engineering (S&E) in the world, derived in large part from its long history of public and private investment in S&E research and development (R&D) and education. Investment in R&D, science, technology, and education correlate strongly with economic growth, as well the development of a…

  5. Inferring microbial interactions in thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic digestion of hog waste

    PubMed Central

    Shaw, Grace Tzun-Wen; Liu, An-Chi; Weng, Chieh-Yin; Chou, Chu-Yang

    2017-01-01

    Anaerobic digestion (AnD) is a microbiological process that converts organic waste materials into biogas. Because of its high methane content, biogas is a combustible energy source and serves as an important environmental technology commonly used in the management of animal waste generated on large animal farms. Much work has been done on hardware design and process engineering for the generation of biogas. However, little is known about the complexity of the microbiology in this process. In particular, how microbes interact in the digester and eventually breakdown and convert organic matter into biogas is still regarded as a “black box.” We used 16S rRNA sequencing as a tool to study the microbial community in laboratory hog waste digesters under tightly controlled conditions, and systematically unraveled the distinct interaction networks of two microbial communities from mesophilic (MAnD) and thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAnD). Under thermophilic conditions, the well-known association between hydrogen-producing bacteria, e.g., Ruminococcaceae and Prevotellaceae, and hydrotrophic methanogens, Methanomicrobiaceae, was reverse engineered by their interactive topological niches. The inferred interaction network provides a sketch enabling the determination of microbial interactive relationships that conventional strategy of finding differential taxa was hard to achieve. This research is still in its infancy, but it can help to depict the dynamics of microbial ecosystems and to lay the groundwork for understanding how microorganisms cohabit in the anaerobic digester. PMID:28732056

  6. Inferring microbial interactions in thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic digestion of hog waste.

    PubMed

    Shaw, Grace Tzun-Wen; Liu, An-Chi; Weng, Chieh-Yin; Chou, Chu-Yang; Wang, Daryi

    2017-01-01

    Anaerobic digestion (AnD) is a microbiological process that converts organic waste materials into biogas. Because of its high methane content, biogas is a combustible energy source and serves as an important environmental technology commonly used in the management of animal waste generated on large animal farms. Much work has been done on hardware design and process engineering for the generation of biogas. However, little is known about the complexity of the microbiology in this process. In particular, how microbes interact in the digester and eventually breakdown and convert organic matter into biogas is still regarded as a "black box." We used 16S rRNA sequencing as a tool to study the microbial community in laboratory hog waste digesters under tightly controlled conditions, and systematically unraveled the distinct interaction networks of two microbial communities from mesophilic (MAnD) and thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAnD). Under thermophilic conditions, the well-known association between hydrogen-producing bacteria, e.g., Ruminococcaceae and Prevotellaceae, and hydrotrophic methanogens, Methanomicrobiaceae, was reverse engineered by their interactive topological niches. The inferred interaction network provides a sketch enabling the determination of microbial interactive relationships that conventional strategy of finding differential taxa was hard to achieve. This research is still in its infancy, but it can help to depict the dynamics of microbial ecosystems and to lay the groundwork for understanding how microorganisms cohabit in the anaerobic digester.

  7. Photon Physics and Plasma Research, Photonics Applications and Web Engineering, Wilga, May 2012

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2012-05-01

    This paper is the third part (out of five) of the research survey of WILGA Symposium work, May 2012 Edition, concerned with Photon Physics and Plasma Research. It presents a digest of chosen technical work results shown by young researchers from different technical universities from this country during the Jubilee XXXth SPIE-IEEE Wilga 2012, May Edition, symposium on Photonics and Web Engineering. Topical tracks of the symposium embraced, among others, nanomaterials and nanotechnologies for photonics, sensory and nonlinear optical fibers, object oriented design of hardware, photonic metrology, optoelectronics and photonics applications, photonics-electronics co-design, optoelectronic and electronic systems for astronomy and high energy physics experiments, JET tokamak and pi-of-the sky experiments development. The symposium is an annual summary in the development of numerable Ph.D. theses carried out in this country in the area of advanced electronic and photonic systems. It is also a great occasion for SPIE, IEEE, OSA and PSP students to meet together in a large group spanning the whole country with guests from this part of Europe. A digest of Wilga references is presented [1-270].

  8. Emerging roles of engineered nanomaterials in the food industry.

    PubMed

    Morris, V J

    2011-10-01

    Nanoscience is the study of phenomena and the manipulation of materials at the atomic or molecular level. Nanotechnology involves the design, production and use of structures through control of the size and shape of the materials at the nanometre scale. Nanotechnology in the food sector is an emerging area with considerable research and potential products. There is particular interest in the definition and regulation of engineered nanomaterials. This term covers three classes of nanomaterials: natural and processed nanostructures in foods; particulate nanomaterials metabolized or excreted on digestion; and particulate nanomaterials not broken down on digestion, which accumulate in the body. This review describes examples of these classes and their likely status in the food industry. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Relating Anaerobic Digestion Microbial Community and Process Function.

    PubMed

    Venkiteshwaran, Kaushik; Bocher, Benjamin; Maki, James; Zitomer, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    Anaerobic digestion (AD) involves a consortium of microorganisms that convert substrates into biogas containing methane for renewable energy. The technology has suffered from the perception of being periodically unstable due to limited understanding of the relationship between microbial community structure and function. The emphasis of this review is to describe microbial communities in digesters and quantitative and qualitative relationships between community structure and digester function. Progress has been made in the past few decades to identify key microorganisms influencing AD. Yet, more work is required to realize robust, quantitative relationships between microbial community structure and functions such as methane production rate and resilience after perturbations. Other promising areas of research for improved AD may include methods to increase/control (1) hydrolysis rate, (2) direct interspecies electron transfer to methanogens, (3) community structure-function relationships of methanogens, (4) methanogenesis via acetate oxidation, and (5) bioaugmentation to study community-activity relationships or improve engineered bioprocesses.

  10. The NIDDK Information Network: A Community Portal for Finding Data, Materials, and Tools for Researchers Studying Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases

    PubMed Central

    Whetzel, Patricia L.; Grethe, Jeffrey S.; Banks, Davis E.; Martone, Maryann E.

    2015-01-01

    The NIDDK Information Network (dkNET; http://dknet.org) was launched to serve the needs of basic and clinical investigators in metabolic, digestive and kidney disease by facilitating access to research resources that advance the mission of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). By research resources, we mean the multitude of data, software tools, materials, services, projects and organizations available to researchers in the public domain. Most of these are accessed via web-accessible databases or web portals, each developed, designed and maintained by numerous different projects, organizations and individuals. While many of the large government funded databases, maintained by agencies such as European Bioinformatics Institute and the National Center for Biotechnology Information, are well known to researchers, many more that have been developed by and for the biomedical research community are unknown or underutilized. At least part of the problem is the nature of dynamic databases, which are considered part of the “hidden” web, that is, content that is not easily accessed by search engines. dkNET was created specifically to address the challenge of connecting researchers to research resources via these types of community databases and web portals. dkNET functions as a “search engine for data”, searching across millions of database records contained in hundreds of biomedical databases developed and maintained by independent projects around the world. A primary focus of dkNET are centers and projects specifically created to provide high quality data and resources to NIDDK researchers. Through the novel data ingest process used in dkNET, additional data sources can easily be incorporated, allowing it to scale with the growth of digital data and the needs of the dkNET community. Here, we provide an overview of the dkNET portal and its functions. We show how dkNET can be used to address a variety of use cases that involve searching for research resources. PMID:26393351

  11. Activated Biochars with Iron for In-Situ Sequestration of Organics, Metals and Carbon

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-04-30

    Research Center. Total mercury analysis (EPA Method 1631) was performed following digestion , reduction, and gold-trapping. Methylmercury analysis...effective carbon at removing high Hg concentrations from solution in the pH edge study. Apart from having relatively high levels of sulfur, broiler ...Pyrolysis of Broiler Manure: Char and Product Gas Characterization. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 48, 1292-1297. 48 Lohmann, R

  12. Accelerator Technology and High Energy Physics Experiments, Photonics Applications and Web Engineering, Wilga, May 2012

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2012-05-01

    The paper is the second part (out of five) of the research survey of WILGA Symposium work, May 2012 Edition, concerned with accelerator technology and high energy physics experiments. It presents a digest of chosen technical work results shown by young researchers from different technical universities from this country during the XXXth Jubilee SPIE-IEEE Wilga 2012, May Edition, symposium on Photonics and Web Engineering. Topical tracks of the symposium embraced, among others, nanomaterials and nanotechnologies for photonics, sensory and nonlinear optical fibers, object oriented design of hardware, photonic metrology, optoelectronics and photonics applications, photonicselectronics co-design, optoelectronic and electronic systems for astronomy and high energy physics experiments, JET and pi-of-the sky experiments development. The symposium is an annual summary in the development of numerable Ph.D. theses carried out in this country in the area of advanced electronic and photonic systems. It is also a great occasion for SPIE, IEEE, OSA and PSP students to meet together in a large group spanning the whole country with guests from this part of Europe. A digest of Wilga references is presented [1-275].

  13. Wilga Photonics and Web Engineering 2011

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2011-10-01

    The paper presents a digest of chosen technical work results shown by young researchers from different technical universities from this country during the SPIE-IEEE Wilga 2011 symposium on Photonics and Web Engineering. Topical tracks of the symposium embraced, among others, nanomaterials and nanotechnologies for photonics, sensory and nonlinear optical fibers, object oriented design of hardware, photonic metrology, optoelectronics and photonics applications, photonics-electronics co-design, optoelectronic and electronic systems for astronomy and high energy physics experiments, JET and pi-of-the sky experiments development. The symposium is an annual summary in the development of numerable Ph.D. theses carried out in this country in the area of advanced electronic and photonic systems. It is also a great occasion for SPIE, IEEE, OSA and PSP students to meet together in a large group spanning the whole country with guests from this part of Europe. A digest of Wilga references is presented [1-225].

  14. WILGA Photonics and Web Engineering, January 2012

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2012-05-01

    The paper presents a digest of chosen technical work results shown by young researchers from technical universities during the SPIE-IEEE Wilga January 2012 Symposium on Photonics and Web Engineering. Topical tracks of the symposium embraced, among others, new technologies for photonics, sensory and nonlinear optical fibers, object oriented design of hardware, photonic metrology, optoelectronics and photonics applications, photonics-electronics codesign, optoelectronic and electronic systems for astronomy and high energy physics experiments, JET and pi-of-the sky experiments development. The symposium held two times a year is a summary in the development of numerable Ph.D. theses carried out in this country in the area of advanced electronic and photonic systems. It is also a great occasion for SPIE, IEEE, OSA and PSP students to meet together in a large group spanning the whole country with guests from this part of Europe. A digest of chosen Wilga references is presented [1-268].

  15. Engineering Digestion: Multiscale Processes of Food Digestion.

    PubMed

    Bornhorst, Gail M; Gouseti, Ourania; Wickham, Martin S J; Bakalis, Serafim

    2016-03-01

    Food digestion is a complex, multiscale process that has recently become of interest to the food industry due to the developing links between food and health or disease. Food digestion can be studied by using either in vitro or in vivo models, each having certain advantages or disadvantages. The recent interest in food digestion has resulted in a large number of studies in this area, yet few have provided an in-depth, quantitative description of digestion processes. To provide a framework to develop these quantitative comparisons, a summary is given here between digestion processes and parallel unit operations in the food and chemical industry. Characterization parameters and phenomena are suggested for each step of digestion. In addition to the quantitative characterization of digestion processes, the multiscale aspect of digestion must also be considered. In both food systems and the gastrointestinal tract, multiple length scales are involved in food breakdown, mixing, absorption. These different length scales influence digestion processes independently as well as through interrelated mechanisms. To facilitate optimized development of functional food products, a multiscale, engineering approach may be taken to describe food digestion processes. A framework for this approach is described in this review, as well as examples that demonstrate the importance of process characterization as well as the multiple, interrelated length scales in the digestion process. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

  16. Methane Recovery from Animal Manures The Current Opportunities Casebook

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lusk, P.

    1998-09-01

    Growth and concentration of the livestock industry create opportunities for the proper disposal of the large quantities of manures generated at dairy, swine, and poultry farms. Pollutants from unmanaged livestock wastes can degrade the environment, and methane emitted from decomposing manure may contribute to global climate change. One management system not only provides pollution prevention but also can convert a manure problem into a new profit center. Economic evaluations and case studies of operating systems indicate that the anaerobic digestion (AD) of livestock manures is a commercially available bioconversion technology with considerable potential for providing profitable coproducts, including a cost-effectivemore » renewable fuel for livestock production operations. This Casebook examines some of the current opportunities for the recovery of methane from the AD animal manures. U.S. livestock operations currently employ four types of anaerobic digester technology: slurry, plug-flow, complete-mix, and covered lagoon. An introduction to the engineering economies of these technologies is provided, and possible end-use applications for the methane gas generated by the digestion process are discussed. The economic evaluations are based on engineering studies of digesters that generate electricity from the recovered methane. Case studies of operating digesters, with project and maintenance histories and the operators ''lessons learned,'' are included as reality checks. Factors necessary for successful projects, as well as a list of reasons explaining why some AD projects fail, are provided. The role of farm management is key; not only must digesters be well engineered and built with high-quality components, they must also be sited at farms willing to incorporate the uncertainties of a new technology. More than two decades of research has provided much information about how manure can be converted to an energy source; however, the American farmer has not been motivated to adopt new practices. More cost-effective and easily managed manure management techniques are still needed to encourage farmers to use animal manure for conversion into energy and nutrients, especially for smaller farms. AD benefits farmers monetarily and mitigates possible manure pollution problems, thereby sustaining development while maintaining environmental quality. Moreover, rural economic development will benefit from the implicit multiplier effect resulting from jobs created by implementing digester systems. Promising future waste-to-profit activities may add to the economic performance of AD. New end-use applications, which provide added value to coproducts, are discussed.« less

  17. Photonics Applications and Web Engineering: WILGA 2017

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2017-08-01

    XLth Wilga Summer 2017 Symposium on Photonics Applications and Web Engineering was held on 28 May-4 June 2017. The Symposium gathered over 350 participants, mainly young researchers active in optics, optoelectronics, photonics, modern optics, mechatronics, applied physics, electronics technologies and applications. There were presented around 300 oral and poster papers in a few main topical tracks, which are traditional for Wilga, including: bio-photonics, optical sensory networks, photonics-electronics-mechatronics co-design and integration, large functional system design and maintenance, Internet of Things, measurement systems for astronomy, high energy physics experiments, and other. The paper is a traditional introduction to the 2017 WILGA Summer Symposium Proceedings, and digests some of the Symposium chosen key presentations. This year Symposium was divided to the following topical sessions/conferences: Optics, Optoelectronics and Photonics, Computational and Artificial Intelligence, Biomedical Applications, Astronomical and High Energy Physics Experiments Applications, Material Research and Engineering, and Advanced Photonics and Electronics Applications in Research and Industry.

  18. Rapid simulated gastric fluid digestion of in-seed/grain proteins expressed in genetically engineered crops.

    PubMed

    Schafer, Barry W; Embrey, Shawna K; Herman, Rod A

    2016-11-01

    The speed of simulated gastric digestion of proteins expressed in genetically engineered (GE) crops is commonly used to inform the allergenicity risk assessment. However, persistence of purified proteins in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) is poorly correlated with the allergenic status of proteins. It has been proposed that the plant or food matrix may affect the digestion of proteins and should be considered in interpreting digestion results. Here the SGF digestion of several GE proteins both as purified preparations and in soybean, corn, and cotton seed/grain extracts (in-matrix) are compared. Cry1F, Cry1Ac, phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT), aryloxyalkanoate dioxygenase-1 (AAD-1), aryloxyalkanoate dioxygenase-12 (AAD-12), and double mutant 5-enol pyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (2mEPSPS) were all found to rapidly digest both as purified protein preparations and in seed/grain extracts from GE crops expressing these proteins. Based on these results, purified protein from microbial sources is a suitable surrogate for proteins in-matrix when conducting SGF digestion studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Photonics applications and web engineering: WILGA Summer 2016

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2016-09-01

    Wilga Summer 2016 Symposium on Photonics Applications and Web Engineering was held on 29 May - 06 June. The Symposium gathered over 350 participants, mainly young researchers active in optics, optoelectronics, photonics, electronics technologies and applications. There were presented around 300 presentations in a few main topical tracks including: bio-photonics, optical sensory networks, photonics-electronics-mechatronics co-design and integration, large functional system design and maintenance, Internet of Thins, and other. The paper is an introduction the 2016 WILGA Summer Symposium Proceedings, and digests some of the Symposium chosen key presentations.

  20. Photonics applications and web engineering: WILGA Summer 2015

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2015-09-01

    Wilga Summer 2015 Symposium on Photonics Applications and Web Engineering was held on 23-31 May. The Symposium gathered over 350 participants, mainly young researchers active in optics, optoelectronics, photonics, electronics technologies and applications. There were presented around 300 presentations in a few main topical tracks including: bio-photonics, optical sensory networks, photonics-electronics-mechatronics co-design and integration, large functional system design and maintenance, Internet of Thins, and other. The paper is an introduction the 2015 WILGA Summer Symposium Proceedings, and digests some of the Symposium chosen key presentations.

  1. Research on fabrication of aspheres at the Center of Optics Technology (University of Applied Science in Aalen); Techical Digest

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boerret, Rainer; Burger, Jochen; Bich, Andreas; Gall, Christoph; Hellmuth, Thomas

    2005-05-01

    The Center of Optics Technology at the University of Applied Science, founded in 2003, is part of the School of Optics and Mechatronics. It completes the existing optical engineering department with a full optical fabrication and metrology chain and serves in parallel as a technology transfer center, to provide area industries with the most up-to-date technology in optical fabrication and engineering. Two examples of research work will be presented. The first example is the optimizing of the grinding process for high precision aspheres, the other is generating and polishing of a freeform optical element which is used as a phase plate.

  2. Research on fabrication of aspheres at the Center of Optics Technology (University of Applied Science in Aalen); Techical Digest

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boerret, Rainer; Burger, Jochen; Bich, Andreas; Gall, Christoph; Hellmuth, Thomas

    2005-05-01

    The Center of Optics Technology at the University of Applied Science, founded in 2003, is part of the School of Optics & Mechatronics. It completes the existing optical engineering department with a full optical fabrication and metrology chain and serves in parallel as a technology transfer center, to provide area industries with the most up-to-date technology in optical fabrication and engineering. Two examples of research work will be presented. The first example is the optimizing of the grinding process for high precision aspheres, the other is generating and polishing of a freeform optical element which is used as a phase plate.

  3. Biological strategies for enhanced hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass during anaerobic digestion: Current status and future perspectives.

    PubMed

    Shrestha, Shilva; Fonoll, Xavier; Khanal, Samir Kumar; Raskin, Lutgarde

    2017-12-01

    Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant renewable bioresource on earth. In lignocellulosic biomass, the cellulose and hemicellulose are bound with lignin and other molecules to form a complex structure not easily accessible to microbial degradation. Anaerobic digestion (AD) of lignocellulosic biomass with a focus on improving hydrolysis, the rate limiting step in AD of lignocellulosic feedstocks, has received considerable attention. This review highlights challenges with AD of lignocellulosic biomass, factors contributing to its recalcitrance, and natural microbial ecosystems, such as the gastrointestinal tracts of herbivorous animals, capable of performing hydrolysis efficiently. Biological strategies that have been evaluated to enhance hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass include biological pretreatment, co-digestion, and inoculum selection. Strategies to further improve these approaches along with future research directions are outlined with a focus on linking studies of microbial communities involved in hydrolysis of lignocellulosics to process engineering. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center Testing Facilities And Equipment. Second Edition

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-04-01

    30 Freeze Dryer ................................................. 30 High-Pressure Processing ............................... 30 Microwave Digestive...PP1 Power Platform Energy Analyzer ..... 41 Quintox Gas Combustion Analyzer .................... 41 FLIR Systems SC2000 Thermacam Handheld IR ...electronically directly to the contractor or printed on plotter paper , oak tag, or on CD. alloy steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper and copper alloys

  5. Astronomy and Space Technologies, Photonics Applications and Web Engineering, Wilga, May 2012

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2012-05-01

    This paper is the first part (out of five) of the research survey of WILGA Symposium work, May 2012 Edition, concerned with photonics and electronics applications in astronomy and space technologies. It presents a digest of chosen technical work results shown by young researchers from different technical universities from this country during the Jubilee XXXth SPIE-IEEE Wilga 2012, May Edition, symposium on Photonics and Web Engineering. Topical tracks of the symposium embraced, among others, nanomaterials and nanotechnologies for photonics, sensory and nonlinear optical fibers, object oriented design of hardware, photonic metrology, optoelectronics and photonics applications, photonics-electronics co-design, optoelectronic and electronic systems for astronomy and high energy physics experiments, JET tokamak and pi-of-the sky experiments development. The symposium is an annual summary in the development of numerable Ph.D. theses carried out in this country in the area of advanced electronic and photonic systems. It is also a great occasion for SPIE, IEEE, OSA and PSP students to meet together in a large group spanning the whole country with guests from this part of Europe. A digest of Wilga references is presented [1-275].

  6. Optoelectronic Devices, Sensors, Communication and Multimedia, Photonics Applications and Web Engineering, Wilga, May 2012

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2012-05-01

    This paper is the fourth part (out of five) of the research survey of WILGA Symposium work, May 2012 Edition, concerned with Optoelectronic Devices, Sensors, Communication and Multimedia (Video and Audio) technologies. It presents a digest of chosen technical work results shown by young researchers from different technical universities from this country during the Jubilee XXXth SPIE-IEEE Wilga 2012, May Edition, symposium on Photonics and Web Engineering. Topical tracks of the symposium embraced, among others, nanomaterials and nanotechnologies for photonics, sensory and nonlinear optical fibers, object oriented design of hardware, photonic metrology, optoelectronics and photonics applications, photonics-electronics co-design, optoelectronic and electronic systems for astronomy and high energy physics experiments, JET tokamak and pi-of-the sky experiments development. The symposium is an annual summary in the development of numerable Ph.D. theses carried out in this country in the area of advanced electronic and photonic systems. It is also a great occasion for SPIE, IEEE, OSA and PSP students to meet together in a large group spanning the whole country with guests from this part of Europe. A digest of Wilga references is presented [1-270].

  7. Biomedical, Artificial Intelligence, and DNA Computing Photonics Applications and Web Engineering, Wilga, May 2012

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2012-05-01

    This paper is the fifth part (out of five) of the research survey of WILGA Symposium work, May 2012 Edition, concerned with Biomedical, Artificial Intelligence and DNA Computing technologies. It presents a digest of chosen technical work results shown by young researchers from different technical universities from this country during the Jubilee XXXth SPIE-IEEE Wilga 2012, May Edition, symposium on Photonics and Web Engineering. Topical tracks of the symposium embraced, among others, nanomaterials and nanotechnologies for photonics, sensory and nonlinear optical fibers, object oriented design of hardware, photonic metrology, optoelectronics and photonics applications, photonics-electronics co-design, optoelectronic and electronic systems for astronomy and high energy physics experiments, JET tokamak and pi-of-the sky experiments development. The symposium is an annual summary in the development of numerable Ph.D. theses carried out in this country in the area of advanced electronic and photonic systems. It is also a great occasion for SPIE, IEEE, OSA and PSP students to meet together in a large group spanning the whole country with guests from this part of Europe. A digest of Wilga references is presented [1-270].

  8. Aged-engineered nanoparticles effect on sludge anaerobic digestion performance and associated microbial communities.

    PubMed

    Eduok, Samuel; Ferguson, Robert; Jefferson, Bruce; Villa, Raffaella; Coulon, Frédéric

    2017-12-31

    To investigate the potential effect of aged engineered nanoparticles (a-ENPs) on sludge digestion performance, 150L pilot anaerobic digesters (AD) were fed with a blend of primary and waste activated sludge spiked either with a mixture of silver oxide, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide or a mixture of their equivalent bulk metal salts to achieve a target concentration of 250, 2000, and 2800mgkg -1 dry weight, respectively. Volatile fatty acids (VFA) were 1.2 times higher in the spiked digesters and significantly different (p=0.05) from the control conditions. Specifically, isovaleric acid concentration was 2 times lower in the control digester compared to the spiked digesters, whereas hydrogen sulfide was 2 times lower in the ENPs spiked digester indicating inhibitory effect on sulfate reducing microorganisms. Based on the ether-linked isoprenoids concentration, the total abundance of methanogens was 1.4 times lower in the ENPs spiked digester than in the control and metal salt spiked digesters. Pyrosequencing indicated 80% decrease in abundance and diversity of methanogens in ENPs spiked digester compared to the control digester. Methanosarcina acetivorans and Methanosarcina barkeri were identified as nano-tolerant as their relative abundance increased by a factor of 6 and 11, respectively, compared to the other digesters. The results further provide compelling evidence on the resilience of Fusobacteria, Actinobacteria and the Trojan horse-like effect of ENPs which offered a competitive advantage to some organisms while reducing microbial abundance and diversity. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Renewable Energy Production from DoD Installation Solid Wastes by Anaerobic Digestion

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-06-01

    ENGINEERING GUIDANCE REPORT Renewable Energy Production from DoD Installation Solid Wastes by Anaerobic Digestion ESTCP Project ER-200933 JUNE...Defense. Page Intentionally Left Blank Renewable Energy Production From DoD Installation Solid Wastes by Anaerobic Digestion ii June 2016 REPORT...3. DATES COVERED (2009 – 2016) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Renewable Energy Production from DoD Installation Solid Wastes by Anaerobic Digestion 5a

  10. Examining the efficiency of muffle furnance-induced alkaline hydrolysis in determining the titanium content of environmental samples containing engineered titanium dioxide particles

    EPA Science Inventory

    A novel muffle furnace (MF)-based potassium hydroxide (KOH) fusion digestion technique was developed and its comparative digestion and dissolution efficacy for different titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs)/environmental matrices was evaluated. Digestion of different enviro...

  11. Digestion of starch in a dynamic small intestinal model.

    PubMed

    Jaime-Fonseca, M R; Gouseti, O; Fryer, P J; Wickham, M S J; Bakalis, S

    2016-12-01

    The rate and extent of starch digestion have been linked with important health aspects, such as control of obesity and type-2 diabetes. In vitro techniques are often used to study digestion and simulated nutrient absorption; however, the effect of gut motility is often disregarded. The present work aims at studying fundamentals of starch digestion, e.g. the effect of viscosity on digestibility, taking into account both biochemical and engineering (gut motility) parameters. New small intestinal model (SIM) that realistically mimics gut motility (segmentation) was used to study digestibility and simulated oligosaccharide bio accessibility of (a) model starch solutions; (b) bread formulations. First, the model was compared with the rigorously mixed stirred tank reactor (STR). Then the effects of enzyme concentration/flow rate, starch concentration, and digesta viscosity (addition of guar gum) were evaluated. Compared to the STR, the SIM showed presence of lag phase when no digestive processes could be detected. The effects of enzyme concentration and flow rate appeared to be marginal in the region of mass transfer limited reactions. Addition of guar gum reduced simulated glucose absorption by up to 45 % in model starch solutions and by 35 % in bread formulations, indicating the importance of chyme rheology on nutrient bioaccessibility. Overall, the work highlights the significance of gut motility in digestive processes and offers a powerful tool in nutritional studies that, additionally to biochemical, considers engineering aspects of digestion. The potential to modulate food digestibility and nutrient bioaccessibility by altering food formulation is indicated.

  12. The Shock and Vibration Digest. Volume 13, Number 6

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-06-01

    Analyns by Telephone K.W. Templin Dynamics Research Advanced Engineering Facility, Byron Jackson Pump Div., Borg Warner Corp., Los Angeles, CA...strain were overly conservative. Sensitivity of lateral flexural wall motion to vertical excitation has been reported [7]. This has also been...are not current and do not include any important recent papers on this subject. New developments regarding this problem have been reported [19

  13. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Klabunde, Kenneth J.

    Overall Research Goals and Specific Objectives: Nanoscale materials are becoming ubiquitous in science and engineering, and are found widely in nature. However, their formation processes and uniquely high chemical reactivities are not understood well, indeed are often mysterious. Over recent years, a number of research teams have described nanoparticle synthesis, and aging, thermal treatment, or etching times have been mentioned. We have used the terms “digestive ripening” and “nanomachining” and have suggested that thermodynamics plays an important part in the size adjustment to monodisperse arrays being formed. Since there is scant theoretical understanding of digestive ripening, the overall goal inmore » our research is to learn what experimental parameters (ligand used, temperature, solvent, time) are most important, how to control nanoparticle size and shape after initial crude nanoparticles have been synthesized, and gain better understanding of the chemical mechanism details. Specific objectives for the past twentynine months since the grant began have been to (1) Secure and train personnel;as of 2011, a postdoc Deepa Jose, female from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India; Yijun Sun, a second year graduate student, female from China; and Jessica Changstrom, female from the USA, GK12 fellow (program for enhancing teaching ability) are actively carrying out research. (2) Find out what happens to sulfur bound hydrogen of thiol when it interacts with gold nanoparticles. Our findings are discussed in detail later. (3) Determine the effect of particle size, shape, and temperature on dodecyl thiol assited digestive ripening of gold nanoparticles. See our discussions later. (4) To understand in detail the ligand interaction in molecular clusters and nanoparticles (5) Determine the effect of chain length of amines on Au nanoparticle size under digestive ripening conditions (carbon chain length varied from 4-18). (6) Determine the catalytic activity of gold superlattices obtained by digestive ripening for oxidation of CO to CO2 at room temperature. (7) Determine the photocatalytic activity of metal nanoparticles like Au, Ag,Cu, and Pd supported on TiO2 toward photocatalytic hydrogen production.« less

  14. Final Technical Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Shayya, Walid

    2007-03-20

    The state of New York through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has developed a suite of digester projects throughout the state to assess the potential for anaerobic digestion systems to improve manure management and concurrently produce energy through the production of heat and electrical power using the biogas produced from the digesters. Dairies comprise a significant part of the agribusiness and economy of the state of New York. Improving the energy efficiency and environmental footprint of dairies is a goal of NYSERDA. SUNY Morrisville State College (MSC) is part of a collection of state universities,more » dairy farms, cooperatives, and municipalities examining anaerobic digestion systems to achieve the goals of NYSERDA, the improvement of manure management, and reducing emissions to local dairy animal sites. The process for siting a digester system at the MSC’s free-stall Dairy Complex was initiated in 2002. The project involved the construction of an anaerobic digester that can accommodate the organic waste generated at Dairy complex located about a mile southeast of the main campus. Support for the project was provided through funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The DOE contribution to the project provided additional resources to construct an expanded facility to handle waste generated from the existing free-stall dairy and the newly-constructed barns. Construction on the project was completed in 2006 and the production of biogas started soon after the tanks were filled with the effluent generated at the Dairy Complex. The system has been in operation since December 17, 2006. The generated biogas was consistently flared starting from December 20, 2006, and until the operation of the internal combustion engine/generator set were first tested on the 9th of January, 2007. Flaring the biogas continued until the interconnect with the power grid was approved by NYSEG (the electrical power provider) and the combined heat and power generation (CHP) system was authorized to start on February 27, 2007. The system has been in operation since February 28, 2007, and is generating 45 to 50 kW of electrical power on continuous basis. The completed project will ultimately allow for investigating the facility of utilizing organic waste from a dairy operation in a hard-top plug-flow methane digester with the ultimate goal of reducing environmental risk, increasing economic benefits, and demonstrating the viability of an anaerobic methane digestion system. Many benefits are expected as a result of the completed project including our better understanding of the anaerobic digestion process and its management as well as the facility to utilize the methane digester as a demonstration site for dairy producers, farmers, and organic waste producers in New York State and the Northeast. Additional benefits include helping current and future students in dairy science and technology, agricultural business, environmental sciences, agricultural engineering, and other disciplines develop better understanding of underutilized biomass alternative energy technologies, environmental conservation, environmental stewardship, and sustainable agriculture.« less

  15. Electron Technology - ELTE 2013

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Szczepański, Paweł; Kisiel, Ryszard; Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2013-07-01

    The paper presents a digest of chosen research and technical work results shown by researchers from technical universities, governmental institutes and research firms during the XIth Scientific Conference on Electron Technology ELTE 2013. ELTE Conference has been held every three years since more than three decades. The ELTE 2013 conference was held in Ryn Castle (Poland) on 16-20 April 2013 and gathered around 270 scientists, theoreticians, technologists and engineers from such areas as material engineering, chemistry, sensors, integrated circuits, electronics engineering, laser industry, photonics, etc. The conference featured the following major four topical sessions - Micro and Nano, Photonics, Materials and Technologies, and Microsystems; two dedicated sessions - a keynote plenary session on hot topics in electron technology, as well as a session on large research projects and grants realized by the relevant community. Oral topical sessions were accompanied by poster sessions. The paper is a succinct topical introduction to the volume of ELTE 2013 proceedings. Over 100 papers, gathered in the volume, present a very relevant cross section and state-of-the-art of this branch of science and technology in Poland with involved international co-operation.

  16. Correlating methane production to microbiota in anaerobic digesters fed synthetic wastewater.

    PubMed

    Venkiteshwaran, K; Milferstedt, K; Hamelin, J; Fujimoto, M; Johnson, M; Zitomer, D H

    2017-03-01

    A quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) between relative abundance values and digester methane production rate was developed. For this, 50 triplicate anaerobic digester sets (150 total digesters) were each seeded with different methanogenic biomass samples obtained from full-scale, engineered methanogenic systems. Although all digesters were operated identically for at least 5 solids retention times (SRTs), their quasi steady-state function varied significantly, with average daily methane production rates ranging from 0.09 ± 0.004 to 1 ± 0.05 L-CH 4 /L R -day (L R  = Liter of reactor volume) (average ± standard deviation). Digester microbial community structure was analyzed using more than 4.1 million partial 16S rRNA gene sequences of Archaea and Bacteria. At the genus level, 1300 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were observed across all digesters, whereas each digester contained 158 ± 27 OTUs. Digester function did not correlate with typical biomass descriptors such as volatile suspended solids (VSS) concentration, microbial richness, diversity or evenness indices. However, methane production rate did correlate notably with relative abundances of one Archaeal and nine Bacterial OTUs. These relative abundances were used as descriptors to develop a multiple linear regression (MLR) QSAR equation to predict methane production rates solely based on microbial community data. The model explained over 66% of the variance in the experimental data set based on 149 anaerobic digesters with a standard error of 0.12 L-CH 4 /L R -day. This study provides a framework to relate engineered process function and microbial community composition which can be further expanded to include different feed stocks and digester operating conditions in order to develop a more robust QSAR model. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Implementation of the anaerobic digestion model (ADM1) in the PHREEQC chemistry engine.

    PubMed

    Huber, Patrick; Neyret, Christophe; Fourest, Eric

    2017-09-01

    Anaerobic digestion is state-of-the-art technology to treat sludge and effluents from various industries. Modelling and optimisation of digestion operations can be advantageously performed using the anaerobic digestion model (ADM1) from the International Water Association. The ADM1, however, lacks a proper physico-chemical framework, which makes it difficult to consider wastewater of complex ionic composition and supersaturation phenomena. In this work, we present a direct implementation of the ADM1 within the PHREEQC chemistry engine. This makes it possible to handle ionic strength effects and ion-pairing. Thus, multiple mineral precipitation phenomena can be handled while resolving the ADM1. All these features can be accessed with very little programming effort, while retaining the full power and flexibility of PHREEQC. The distributed PHREEQC code can be easily interfaced with process simulation software for future plant-wide simulation of both wastewater and sludge treatment.

  18. The Shock and Vibration Digest. Volume 15, Number 12

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-12-01

    dletuning pendulums were claimed to be successful in limited tests [1-4, 12, 13,20, 22-24]. Pohlman and Landers [19] discussed the uniform and nonuniform ...figs. 24 refs 56 Key Words: Impact tests, Columns, Crash research lair - 83-2507 craft) Tramaoni Time-Reqapome Anady.. of 34Depeeiof- Freedom...series with the stiffness of the 83-2517 engine pedestal. The effects of cavitation on performance are Experience with Nonuniform Damping in the Seinic

  19. Impact of gastrointestinal lipolysis on oral lipid-based formulations and bioavailability of lipophilic drugs.

    PubMed

    Carrière, Frédéric

    2016-06-01

    Oil-in-water emulsions are common vehicles for lipids as nutrients and for the delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs. Enhancing oral bioavailability of these drugs using lipid-based formulations (LBF) or self-emulsifying drug delivery systems is one of the current challenges in pharmaceutical industry. Many of the compounds found in LBF (acylglycerols, surfactants with esterified fatty acids, …) are however potential substrates for digestive enzymes. Their digestion (or lipolysis) in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is critical for drug dissolution and absorption: it can be beneficial (drug solubilization/dispersion) or deleterous (drug precipitation) depending on the drug-LBF association. A better understanding of the fate of LBF in the GI tract is therefore required to engineer efficient lipid-based drug delivery systems. In vitro models for testing simultaneously LBF digestion and drug dispersion are in development to predict drug solubilization and bioavailability, select the best drug-LBF association and obtain better in vitro-in vivo correlations. So far, research in this area has focused on LBF lipolysis under intestinal conditions because the small intestine is the main target for drug delivery and absorption, as well as the main site of digestion by pancreatic enzymes. Lipolysis however starts within the stomach through the action of gastric lipase, the first enzyme involved in fat digestion in humans. In vitro digestion experiments show that most LBFs are submitted to gastric lipolysis, and therefore, both intragastric and intestinal digestions are critical for the fate of LBF and drug solubility. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. and Société Française de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.

  20. Biogas production from anaerobic digestion of food waste and relevant air quality implications.

    PubMed

    Kuo, Jeff; Dow, Jason

    2017-09-01

    Biopower can diversify energy supply and improve energy resiliency. Increases in biopower production from sustainable biomass can provide many economic and environmental benefits. For example, increasing biogas production through anaerobic digestion of food waste would increase the use of renewable fuels throughout California and add to its renewables portfolio. Although a biopower project will produce renewable energy, the process of producing bioenergy should harmonize with the goal of protecting public health. Meeting air emission requirements is paramount to the successful implementation of any biopower project. A case study was conducted by collecting field data from a wastewater treatment plant that employs anaerobic codigestion of fats, oils, and grease (FOG), food waste, and wastewater sludge, and also uses an internal combustion (IC) engine to generate biopower using the biogas. This research project generated scientific information on (a) quality and quantity of biogas from anaerobic codigestion of food waste and municipal wastewater sludge, (b) levels of contaminants in raw biogas that may affect beneficial uses of the biogas, (c) removal of the contaminants by the biogas conditioning systems, (d) emissions of NO x , SO 2 , CO, CO 2 , and methane, and (e) types and levels of air toxics present in the exhausts of the IC engine fueled by the biogas. The information is valuable to those who consider similar operations (i.e., co-digestion of food waste with municipal wastewater sludge and power generation using the produced biogas) and to support rulemaking decisions with regards to air quality issues for such applications. Full-scale operation of anaerobic codigestion of food waste with municipal sludge is viable, but it is still new. There is a lack of readily available scientific information on the quality of raw biogas, as well as on potential emissions from power generation using this biogas. This research developed scientific information with regard to quality and quantity of biogas from anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and municipal wastewater sludge, as well as impacts on air quality from biopower generation using this biogas. The need and performance of conditioning/pretreatment systems for biopower generation were also assessed.

  1. Development and Translation of a Tissue-Engineered Disc in a Preclinical Rodent Model

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-10-01

    lyophilized, papain digested and assayed for collagen, GAG, and DNA content. Likewise, media in both shaken and static cultures were periodically reserved...equilibrium properties. Total dsDNA, sulfated glycosaminoglycan (s-GAG), and collagen content was determined after papain digestion. Paraffin embedded

  2. Biotechnology Education and the Internet. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Thomas

    The world of modern biotechnology is based on recent developments in molecular biology, especially those in genetic engineering. Since this is a relatively new and rapidly advancing field of study, there are few traditional sources of information and activities. This digest highlights biotechnology resources including those that can be found on…

  3. 40 CFR Table 1 to Subpart Jjjj of... - NOX, CO, and VOC Emission Standards for Stationary Non-Emergency SI Engines ≥100 HP (Except...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false NOX, CO, and VOC Emission Standards for Stationary Non-Emergency SI Engines â¥100 HP (Except Gasoline and Rich Burn LPG), Stationary SI Landfill... Landfill/Digester Gas Engines, and Stationary Emergency Engines >25 HP Engine type and fuel Maximum engine...

  4. 78 FR 73551 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-06

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Digestive Diseases Ancillary Study. Date..., Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research...

  5. The Shock and Vibration Digest. Volume 9, Number 2. February 1977

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1977-02-01

    15.00. Orders may be forwarded at Y1 -any time , in any form, to SVIC, Code 8404, Naval Research Laborotory, , Washington, D.C., 20375. Issuance of...new technology allows engi,;oers to determine shut-down times for reasons of safety and to avoid loss of productivity. No longer does a machine have to...likely become practical. Machine prognosis will allow the engineer to determine the most advantageous time for shut down. It will thus be possible to

  6. Anaerobic Digestion. Selected Instructional Activities and References. Instructional Resources Monograph Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Townsend, Robert D., Comp.

    Focusing specifically on the wastewater treatment process of anaerobic digestion, this document identifies instructional and reference materials for use by professionals in the field in the development and implementation of new programs or in the updating of existing programs. It is designed to help trainers, plant operators, educators, engineers,…

  7. Methods of ammonia removal in anaerobic digestion: a review.

    PubMed

    Krakat, Niclas; Demirel, Burak; Anjum, Reshma; Dietz, Donna

    2017-10-01

    The anaerobic digestion of substrates with high ammonia content has always been a bottleneck in the methanisation process of biomasses. Since microbial communities in anaerobic digesters are sensitive to free ammonia at certain conditions, the digestion of nitrogen-rich substrates such as livestock wastes may result in inhibition/toxicity eventually leading to process failures, unless appropriate engineering precautions are taken. There are many different options reported in literature to remove ammonia from anaerobic digesters to achieve a safe and stable process so that along with high methane yields, a good quality of effluents can also be obtained. Conventional techniques to remove ammonia include physical/chemical methods, immobilization and adaptation of microorganisms, while novel methods include ultrasonication, microwave, hollow fiber membranes and microbial fuel cell applications. This paper discusses conventional and novel methods of ammonia removal from anaerobic digesters using nitrogen-rich substrates, with particular focus on recent literature available about this topic.

  8. A Research-Oriented Approach to Digestive Physiology To Replace Traditional Enzymatic Laboratories.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grabowski, Gregory M.; Holt, Jelena

    2002-01-01

    Describes a physiology laboratory designed to localize digestive enzymes within the digestive tract of cockroaches and develop a general conclusion about the similarities to mammalian digestion. This approach not only demonstrates the practicality of lecture material, but also provides a springboard for independent research opportunities.…

  9. 76 FR 20692 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-13

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal... Digestive and Kidney Diseases Initial Review Group; Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases B... and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases...

  10. 76 FR 30733 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-26

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal... Digestive and Kidney Diseases Initial Review Group, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition C Subcommittee. Date... Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National...

  11. 77 FR 33750 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-07

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel Interdisciplinary Training and Education..., Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research...

  12. Research-oriented teaching in optical design course and its function in education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cen, Zhaofeng; Li, Xiaotong; Liu, Xiangdong; Deng, Shitao

    2008-03-01

    The principles and operation plans of research-oriented teaching in the course of computer aided optical design are presented, especially the mode of research in practice course. This program includes contract definition phase, project organization and execution, post project evaluation and discussion. Modes of academic organization are used in the practice course of computer aided optical design. In this course the students complete their design projects in research teams by autonomous group approach and cooperative exploration. In this research process they experience the interpersonal relationship in modern society, the importance of cooperation in team, the functions of each individual, the relationships between team members, the competition and cooperation in one academic group and with other groups, and know themselves objectively. In the design practice the knowledge of many academic fields is applied including applied optics, computer programming, engineering software and etc. The characteristic of interdisciplinary is very useful for academic research and makes the students be ready for innovation by integrating the knowledge of interdisciplinary field. As shown by the practice that this teaching mode has taken very important part in bringing up the abilities of engineering, cooperation, digesting the knowledge at a high level and problem analyzing and solving.

  13. 78 FR 10623 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-14

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Ancillary Studies Review. Date: April 4..., Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849...

  14. 77 FR 66855 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-07

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special; Emphasis Panel; NIDDK Life-Moms Phoenix Contract Review..., Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849...

  15. 76 FR 63313 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-12

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, Liver Cell Membrane Proteins. Date... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the..., Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849...

  16. 78 FR 5467 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-25

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; LURN Telephone Review Panel. Date... and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases...

  17. 78 FR 72684 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-03

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; PAR11-306: NIDDK Central Repositories..., Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases...

  18. 77 FR 33751 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-07

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special; Emphasis Panel, Islet Transplant. Date: July 24, 2012..., Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases...

  19. 76 FR 24897 - National Institute of Diabetes And Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-03

    ... Diabetes And Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal... Digestive and Kidney Diseases Initial Review Group, Kidney, Urologic and Hematologic Diseases D Subcommittee..., Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases...

  20. 76 FR 32978 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-07

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, Ancillary Study on Genetics of Obesity..., Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases...

  1. 78 FR 13360 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-27

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Chronic Kidney Disease in Children. Date... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the..., Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849...

  2. 78 FR 18358 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-26

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Review of U34 Clinical Trial Planning... of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Review of U34 Clinical Trial... Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and...

  3. Value Engineering for Bus Maintenance Facilities : Program Digest.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1987-04-01

    Value Engineering (VE) is a procedure used to reduce the total cost of performing a required function, without sacrificing quality or safety. The concept of VE, which is over 40 years old, was primarily used in manufacturing industries and began to b...

  4. 76 FR 77545 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-13

    ... Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, Ancillary Studies to Major Ongoing Clinical Studies CKD. Date: January 9... Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, Nutrition Obesity Research... and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases...

  5. Digestive Diseases

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  6. 75 FR 13557 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-22

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, LRP Reviews. Date: May 7, 2010. Time: 2..., Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases...

  7. 76 FR 1444 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-10

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; U34 Clinical Study Planning Grants. Date..., Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases...

  8. 78 FR 14312 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-05

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; George M. O'Brien Kidney..., Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases...

  9. Fiscalini Farms Biomass Energy Project

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    William Stringfellow; Mary Kay Camarillo; Jeremy Hanlon

    2011-09-30

    In this final report describes and documents research that was conducted by the Ecological Engineering Research Program (EERP) at the University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA) under subcontract to Fiscalini Farms LP for work under the Assistance Agreement DE-EE0001895 'Measurement and Evaluation of a Dairy Anaerobic Digestion/Power Generation System' from the United States Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory. Fiscalini Farms is operating a 710 kW biomass-energy power plant that uses bio-methane, generated from plant biomass, cheese whey, and cattle manure via mesophilic anaerobic digestion, to produce electricity using an internal combustion engine. The primary objectives of the projectmore » were to document baseline conditions for the anaerobic digester and the combined heat and power (CHP) system used for the dairy-based biomass-energy production. The baseline condition of the plant was evaluated in the context of regulatory and economic constraints. In this final report, the operation of the plant between start-up in 2009 and operation in 2010 are documented and an interpretation of the technical data is provided. An economic analysis of the biomass energy system was previously completed (Appendix A) and the results from that study are discussed briefly in this report. Results from the start-up and first year of operation indicate that mesophilic anaerobic digestion of agricultural biomass, combined with an internal combustion engine, is a reliable source of alternative electrical production. A major advantage of biomass energy facilities located on dairy farms appears to be their inherent stability and ability to produce a consistent, 24 hour supply of electricity. However, technical analysis indicated that the Fiscalini Farms system was operating below capacity and that economic sustainability would be improved by increasing loading of feedstocks to the digester. Additional operational modifications, such as increased utilization of waste heat and better documentation of potential of carbon credits, would also improve the economic outlook. Analysis of baseline operational conditions indicated that a reduction in methane emissions and other greenhouse gas savings resulted from implementation of the project. The project results indicate that using anaerobic digestion to produce bio-methane from agricultural biomass is a promising source of electricity, but that significant challenges need to be addressed before dairy-based biomass energy production can be fully integrated into an alternative energy economy. The biomass energy facility was found to be operating undercapacity. Economic analysis indicated a positive economic sustainability, even at the reduced power production levels demonstrated during the baseline period. However, increasing methane generation capacity (via the importation of biomass codigestate) will be critical for increasing electricity output and improving the long-term economic sustainability of the operation. Dairy-based biomass energy plants are operating under strict environmental regulations applicable to both power-production and confined animal facilities and novel approached are being applied to maintain minimal environmental impacts. The use of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) for nitrous oxide control and a biological hydrogen sulfide control system were tested at this facility. Results from this study suggest that biomass energy systems can be compliant with reasonable scientifically based air and water pollution control regulations. The most significant challenge for the development of biomass energy as a viable component of power production on a regional scale is likely to be the availability of energy-rich organic feedstocks. Additionally, there needs to be further development of regional expertise in digester and power plant operations. At the Fiscalini facility, power production was limited by the availability of biomass for methane generation, not the designed system capacity. During the baseline study period, feedstocks included manure, sudan grass silage, and refused-feed. The ability of the dairy to produce silage in excess of on-site feed requirements limited power production. The availability of biomass energy crops and alternative feedstocks, such as agricultural and food wastes, will be a major determinant to the economic and environmental sustainability of biomass based electricity production.« less

  10. 75 FR 45133 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-02

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special, Emphasis Panel. Clinical Trial Planning Grant Review... Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and...

  11. 77 FR 47082 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-07

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Clinical Trial Cooperative Agreement... Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and...

  12. 78 FR 77475 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-23

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Time-Sensitive Obesity Research. Date... Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes of Health, HHS...

  13. Video Games: Research, Ratings, Recommendations. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cesarone, Bernard

    This Digest reviews research on the demographics and effects of video game playing, discusses game rating systems, and offers recommendations for parents. The Digest begins by discussing research on the time children spend playing electronic games, which shows that younger children's game playing at home (90% of fourth-graders played at least one…

  14. Gas in the Digestive Tract

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  15. Smoking and Your Digestive System

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  16. Research on Anaerobic Digestion: Optimization and Scalability of Mixed High-strength Food Processing Wastes for Renewable Biogas Energy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yu, Zhongtang; Hitzhusen, Fredrick

    2012-12-27

    This research project developed and improved anaerobic digestion technologies, created a comprehensive Inventory of Ohio Biomass and a database of microorganisms of anaerobic digesters, and advanced knowledge and understanding of the underpinning microbiology of the anaerobic digestion process. The results and finding of this research project may be useful for future development and implementation of anaerobic digesters, especially at livestock farms. Policy makers and investors may also find the information on the biomass availability in Ohio and valuation of energy projects useful in policy making and making of investment decisions. The public may benefit from the information on biogas asmore » an energy source and the potential impact of anaerobic digester projects on their neighborhoods.« less

  17. Crosslinkable hydrogels derived from cartilage, meniscus, and tendon tissue.

    PubMed

    Visser, Jetze; Levett, Peter A; te Moller, Nikae C R; Besems, Jeremy; Boere, Kristel W M; van Rijen, Mattie H P; de Grauw, Janny C; Dhert, Wouter J A; van Weeren, P René; Malda, Jos

    2015-04-01

    Decellularized tissues have proven to be versatile matrices for the engineering of tissues and organs. These matrices usually consist of collagens, matrix-specific proteins, and a set of largely undefined growth factors and signaling molecules. Although several decellularized tissues have found their way to clinical applications, their use in the engineering of cartilage tissue has only been explored to a limited extent. We set out to generate hydrogels from several tissue-derived matrices, as hydrogels are the current preferred cell carriers for cartilage repair. Equine cartilage, meniscus, and tendon tissue was harvested, decellularized, enzymatically digested, and functionalized with methacrylamide groups. After photo-cross-linking, these tissue digests were mechanically characterized. Next, gelatin methacrylamide (GelMA) hydrogel was functionalized with these methacrylated tissue digests. Equine chondrocytes and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) (both from three donors) were encapsulated and cultured in vitro up to 6 weeks. Gene expression (COL1A1, COL2A1, ACAN, MMP-3, MMP-13, and MMP-14), cartilage-specific matrix formation, and hydrogel stiffness were analyzed after culture. The cartilage, meniscus, and tendon digests were successfully photo-cross-linked into hydrogels. The addition of the tissue-derived matrices to GelMA affected chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs, although no consequent improvement was demonstrated. For chondrocytes, the tissue-derived matrix gels performed worse compared to GelMA alone. This work demonstrates for the first time that native tissues can be processed into crosslinkable hydrogels for the engineering of tissues. Moreover, the differentiation of encapsulated cells can be influenced in these stable, decellularized matrix hydrogels.

  18. Juegos de videos: Investigacion, puntajes y recomendaciones (Video Games: Research, Ratings and Recommendations). ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cesarone, Bernard

    This Spanish-language digest reviews research on the demographics and effects of video game playing, discusses game rating systems, and offers recommendations for parents. The digest begins by discussing research on the time children spend playing electronic games, which shows that younger children's game playing at home (90% of fourth-graders…

  19. Kinetic Stability of Proteins in Beans and Peas: Implications for Protein Digestibility, Seed Germination, and Plant Adaptation.

    PubMed

    Xia, Ke; Pittelli, Sandy; Church, Jennifer; Colón, Wilfredo

    2016-10-12

    Kinetically stable proteins (KSPs) are resistant to the denaturing detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Such resilience makes KSPs resistant to proteolytic degradation and may have arisen in nature as a mechanism for organismal adaptation and survival against harsh conditions. Legumes are well-known for possessing degradation-resistant proteins that often diminish their nutritional value. Here we applied diagonal two-dimensional (D2D) SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE), a method that allows for the proteomics-level identification of KSPs, to a group of 12 legumes (mostly beans and peas) of agricultural and nutritional importance. Our proteomics results show beans that are more difficult to digest, such as soybean, lima beans, and various common beans, have high contents of KSPs. In contrast, mung bean, red lentil, and various peas that are highly digestible contain low amounts of KSPs. Identified proteins with high kinetic stability are associated with warm-season beans, which germinate at higher temperatures. In contrast, peas and red lentil, which are cool-season legumes, contain low levels of KSPs. Thus, our results show protein kinetic stability is an important factor in the digestibility of legume proteins and may relate to nutrition efficiency, timing of seed germination, and legume resistance to biotic stressors. Furthermore, we show D2D SDS-PAGE is a powerful method that could be applied for determining the abundance and identity of KSPs in engineered and wild legumes and for advancing basic research and associated applications.

  20. Nueva investigacion sobre kindergarten de dia completo (Recent Research on All-Day Kindergarten). ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, Patricia

    Noting that much of the early research on the effects of all-day kindergarten had serious problems with internal and external validity due to inadequate methodological standards, this Spanish-language digest reviews research conducted in the 1990s. The digest discusses the academic, social, and behavioral effects of all-day kindergarten, as well…

  1. Laboratory Spectrometer for Wear Metal Analysis of Engine Lubricants.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-04-01

    analysis, the acid digestion technique for sample pretreatment is the best approach available to date because of its relatively large sample size (1000...microliters or more). However, this technique has two major shortcomings limiting its application: (1) it requires the use of hydrofluoric acid (a...accuracy. Sample preparation including filtration or acid digestion may increase analysis times by 20 minutes or more. b. Repeatability In the analysis

  2. Steam atmosphere dryer project: System development and field test. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1999-02-01

    The objective of this project was to develop and demonstrate the use of a superheated steam atmosphere dryer as a highly improved alternative to conventional hot air-drying systems, the present industrial standard method for drying various wet feedstocks. The development program plan consisted of three major activities. The first was engineering analysis and testing of a small-scale laboratory superheated steam dryer. This dryer provided the basic engineering heat transfer data necessary to design a large-scale system. The second major activity consisted of the design, fabrication, and laboratory checkout testing of the field-site prototype superheated steam dryer system. The third majormore » activity consisted of the installation and testing of the complete 250-lb/hr evaporation rate dryer and a 30-kW cogeneration system in conjunction with an anaerobic digester facility at the Village of Bergen, NY. Feedstock for the digester facility at the Village of Bergen, NY. Feedstock for the digester was waste residue from a nearby commercial food processing plant. The superheated steam dryer system was placed into operation in August 1996 and operated successfully through March 1997. During this period, the dryer processed all the material from the digester to a powdered consistency usable as a high-nitrogen-based fertilizer.« less

  3. Bermuda grass as feedstock for biofuel production: a review.

    PubMed

    Xu, Jiele; Wang, Ziyu; Cheng, Jay J

    2011-09-01

    Bermuda grass is a promising feedstock for the production of fuel ethanol in the Southern United States. This paper presents a review of the significant amount of research on the conversion of Bermuda grass to ethanol and a brief discussion on the factors affecting the biomass production in the field. The biggest challenge of biomass conversion comes from the recalcitrance of lignocellulose. A variety of chemical, physico-chemical, and biological pretreatment methods have been investigated to improve the digestibility of Bermuda grass with encouraging results reported. The subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation steps have also been extensively studied and effectively optimized. It is expected that the development of genetic engineering technologies for the grass and fermenting organisms has the potential to greatly improve the economic viability of Bermuda grass-based fuel ethanol production systems. Other energy applications of Bermuda grass include anaerobic digestion for biogas generation and pyrolysis for syngas production. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. A review on the bioenergetics of anaerobic microbial metabolism close to the thermodynamic limits and its implications for digestion applications.

    PubMed

    Leng, Ling; Yang, Peixian; Singh, Shubham; Zhuang, Huichuan; Xu, Linji; Chen, Wen-Hsing; Dolfing, Jan; Li, Dong; Zhang, Yan; Zeng, Huiping; Chu, Wei; Lee, Po-Heng

    2018-01-01

    The exploration of the energetics of anaerobic digestion systems can reveal how microorganisms cooperate efficiently for cell growth and methane production, especially under low-substrate conditions. The establishment of a thermodynamically interdependent partnership, called anaerobic syntrophy, allows unfavorable reactions to proceed. Interspecies electron transfer and the concentrations of electron carriers are crucial for maintaining this mutualistic activity. This critical review summarizes the functional microorganisms and syntroph partners, particularly in the metabolic pathways and energy conservation of syntrophs. The kinetics and thermodynamics of propionate degradation to methane, reversibility of the acetate oxidation process, and estimation of microbial growth are summarized. The various routes of interspecies electron transfer, reverse electron transfer, and Poly-β-hydroxyalkanoate formation in the syntrophic community are also reviewed. Finally, promising and critical directions of future research are proposed. Fundamental insight in the activities and interactions involved in AD systems could serve as a guidance for engineered systems optimization and upgrade. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Noncanonical substrate preference of lambda exonuclease for 5'-nonphosphate-ended dsDNA and a mismatch-induced acceleration effect on the enzymatic reaction.

    PubMed

    Wu, Tongbo; Yang, Yufei; Chen, Wei; Wang, Jiayu; Yang, Ziyu; Wang, Shenlin; Xiao, Xianjin; Li, Mengyuan; Zhao, Meiping

    2018-04-06

    Lambda exonuclease (λ exo) plays an important role in the resection of DNA ends for DNA repair. Currently, it is also a widely used enzymatic tool in genetic engineering, DNA-binding protein mapping, nanopore sequencing and biosensing. Herein, we disclose two noncanonical properties of this enzyme and suggest a previously undescribed hydrophobic interaction model between λ exo and DNA substrates. We demonstrate that the length of the free portion of the substrate strand in the dsDNA plays an essential role in the initiation of digestion reactions by λ exo. A dsDNA with a 5' non-phosphorylated, two-nucleotide-protruding end can be digested by λ exo with very high efficiency. Moreover, we show that when a conjugated structure is covalently attached to an internal base of the dsDNA, the presence of a single mismatched base pair at the 5' side of the modified base may significantly accelerate the process of digestion by λ exo. A detailed comparison study revealed additional π-π stacking interactions between the attached label and the amino acid residues of the enzyme. These new findings not only broaden our knowledge of the enzyme but will also be very useful for research on DNA repair and in vitro processing of nucleic acids.

  6. 78 FR 77475 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-23

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Cardiovascular Dysfunction in CKD... Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National...

  7. 75 FR 39548 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-09

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Autoimmune Microbiome in Diabetes... Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National...

  8. Start-up and operation strategies on the liquefied food waste anaerobic digestion and a full-scale case application.

    PubMed

    Meng, Ying; Shen, Fei; Yuan, Hairong; Zou, Dexun; Liu, Yanping; Zhu, Baoning; Chufo, Akiber; Jaffar, Muhammad; Li, Xiujin

    2014-11-01

    Batch anaerobic digestion was employed to investigate the efficient start-up strategies for the liquefied food waste, and sequencing batch digestion was also performed to determine maximum influent organic loading rate (OLR) for efficient and stable operation. The results indicated that the start-up could be well improved using appropriate wastewater organic load and food-to-microorganism ratios (F/M). When digestion was initialized at low chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration of 20.0 gCOD L(-1), the start-up would go well using lower F/M ratio of 0.5-0.7. The OLR 7.0 gCOD L(-1) day(-1) was recommended for operating the ASBR digestion, in which the COD conversion of 96.7 ± 0.53% and biomethane yield of 3.5 ± 0.2 L gCOD(-1) were achieved, respectively. The instability would occur when OLR was higher than 7.0 gCOD L(-1) day(-1), and this instability was not recoverable. Lipid was suggested to be removed before anaerobic digestion. The anaerobic digestion process in engineering project ran well, and good performance was achieved when the start-up and operational strategies from laboratory study were applied. For case application, stable digestion performance was achieved in a digester (850 m(3) volume) with biogas production of 1.0-3.8 m(3) m(-3) day(-1).

  9. 78 FR 58322 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-23

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal... Digestive and Kidney Diseases Initial Review Group, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition C Subcommittee. Date...; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology...

  10. 76 FR 45585 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-29

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, Teddy Coordinating Center. Date: August... Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes of Health...

  11. 76 FR 63933 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-14

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; NIDDK Multi-Center Clinical Study... and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes...

  12. 75 FR 67378 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-02

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, Ancillary Study in Necrotizing... Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes of Health...

  13. 76 FR 17658 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-30

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; NIDDK Central Repositories Non-Renewable... and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes...

  14. 76 FR 17929 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-31

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; NIDDK Seeding R24 Applications on... and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes...

  15. 75 FR 38817 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-07-06

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, Acute Liver Failure Study. Date: July 22... Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National...

  16. 78 FR 77476 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-23

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Renal Supportive Care Studies. Date... Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National...

  17. 77 FR 40368 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-09

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, Ancillary Studies to the Intestinal Stem... and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes...

  18. 78 FR 50427 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-19

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel--Translational Research. Date: September..., Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes of Health, HHS) Dated: August 13...

  19. 77 FR 9670 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-17

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; NIDDK UDA Contract Proposal Review. Date... Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes of Health...

  20. 77 FR 9671 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-17

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Liver Tissue and Cell Distribution... and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes...

  1. 77 FR 6130 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-07

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Cellular Biology of Kidney Function and... Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes of Health, HHS...

  2. 77 FR 35415 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-13

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Special Emphasis Panel; Long Term Follow-up of Preserve Trial... Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes of Health, HHS...

  3. 75 FR 9231 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-01

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Noninvasive Imaging of Beta Cells. Date... Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes of Health, HHS...

  4. 78 FR 21381 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-10

    ... Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Fellowships in Digestive Diseases and Nutrition. Date: June 13, 2013. Time... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Glucose Regulation. Date: June 5, 2013... Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes of Health...

  5. A comprehensive review on food waste anaerobic digestion: Research updates and tendencies.

    PubMed

    Ren, Yuanyuan; Yu, Miao; Wu, Chuanfu; Wang, Qunhui; Gao, Ming; Huang, Qiqi; Liu, Yu

    2018-01-01

    Anaerobic digestion has been practically applied in agricultural and industrial waste treatment and recognized as an economical-effective way for food waste disposal. This paper presented an overview on the researches about anaerobic digestion of food waste. Technologies (e.g., pretreatment, co-digestion, inhibition and mitigation, anaerobic digestion systems, etc.) were introduced and evaluated on the basis of bibliometric analysis. Results indicated that ethanol and aerobic prefermentation were novel approaches to enhance substrates hydrolysis and methane yield. With the promotion of resource recovery, more attention should be paid to biorefinery technologies which can produce more useful products toward zero emissions. Furthermore, a technological route for food waste conversion based on anaerobic digestion was proposed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Automatic and integrated micro-enzyme assay (AIμEA) platform for highly sensitive thrombin analysis via an engineered fluorescence protein-functionalized monolithic capillary column.

    PubMed

    Lin, Lihua; Liu, Shengquan; Nie, Zhou; Chen, Yingzhuang; Lei, Chunyang; Wang, Zhen; Yin, Chao; Hu, Huiping; Huang, Yan; Yao, Shouzhuo

    2015-04-21

    Nowadays, large-scale screening for enzyme discovery, engineering, and drug discovery processes require simple, fast, and sensitive enzyme activity assay platforms with high integration and potential for high-throughput detection. Herein, a novel automatic and integrated micro-enzyme assay (AIμEA) platform was proposed based on a unique microreaction system fabricated by a engineered green fluorescence protein (GFP)-functionalized monolithic capillary column, with thrombin as an example. The recombinant GFP probe was rationally engineered to possess a His-tag and a substrate sequence of thrombin, which enable it to be immobilized on the monolith via metal affinity binding, and to be released after thrombin digestion. Combined with capillary electrophoresis-laser-induced fluorescence (CE-LIF), all the procedures, including thrombin injection, online enzymatic digestion in the microreaction system, and label-free detection of the released GFP, were integrated in a single electrophoretic process. By taking advantage of the ultrahigh loading capacity of the AIμEA platform and the CE automatic programming setup, one microreaction column was sufficient for many times digestion without replacement. The novel microreaction system showed significantly enhanced catalytic efficiency, about 30 fold higher than that of the equivalent bulk reaction. Accordingly, the AIμEA platform was highly sensitive with a limit of detection down to 1 pM of thrombin. Moreover, the AIμEA platform was robust and reliable to detect thrombin in human serum samples and its inhibition by hirudin. Hence, this AIμEA platform exhibits great potential for high-throughput analysis in future biological application, disease diagnostics, and drug screening.

  7. Reprint of "pFind-Alioth: A novel unrestricted database search algorithm to improve the interpretation of high-resolution MS/MS data".

    PubMed

    Chi, Hao; He, Kun; Yang, Bing; Chen, Zhen; Sun, Rui-Xiang; Fan, Sheng-Bo; Zhang, Kun; Liu, Chao; Yuan, Zuo-Fei; Wang, Quan-Hui; Liu, Si-Qi; Dong, Meng-Qiu; He, Si-Min

    2015-11-03

    Database search is the dominant approach in high-throughput proteomic analysis. However, the interpretation rate of MS/MS spectra is very low in such a restricted mode, which is mainly due to unexpected modifications and irregular digestion types. In this study, we developed a new algorithm called Alioth, to be integrated into the search engine of pFind, for fast and accurate unrestricted database search on high-resolution MS/MS data. An ion index is constructed for both peptide precursors and fragment ions, by which arbitrary digestions and a single site of any modifications and mutations can be searched efficiently. A new re-ranking algorithm is used to distinguish the correct peptide-spectrum matches from random ones. The algorithm is tested on several HCD datasets and the interpretation rate of MS/MS spectra using Alioth is as high as 60%-80%. Peptides from semi- and non-specific digestions, as well as those with unexpected modifications or mutations, can be effectively identified using Alioth and confidently validated using other search engines. The average processing speed of Alioth is 5-10 times faster than some other unrestricted search engines and is comparable to or even faster than the restricted search algorithms tested.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Computational Proteomics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. 77 FR 62520 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-15

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Ancillary Studies to Major Ongoing Clinical Research Studies. Date: November 14, 2012. Time: 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Agenda: To review and... Assistance Program Nos. 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases...

  9. 76 FR 78286 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-16

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, PAR09-247: Ancillary Studies to the ongoing Clincal Research Studies on IBSOS. Date: January 26, 2012. Time: 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Agenda: To... Assistance Program Nos. 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases...

  10. Testing low cost anaerobic digestion (AD) systems

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    To evaluate the potential for low technology and low cost digesters for small dairies, BARC and researchers from the University of Maryland installed six modified Taiwanese-model field-scale (FS) digesters near the original dairy manure digester. The FS units receive the same post-separated liquid ...

  11. Key Science and Engineering Indicators: 2010 Digest. NSB 10-02

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roesel, Cheryl, Ed.

    2010-01-01

    The National Science Board (Board) is required under the National Science Foundation (NSF) Act, 42 U.S.C. (United States Code) Section 1863 (j) (1) to prepare and transmit the biennial "Science and Engineering Indicators" ("SEI") report to the President and to the Congress by January 15 of every even-numbered year. The report…

  12. Programmed iron oxide nanoparticles disintegration in anaerobic digesters boosts biogas production.

    PubMed

    Casals, Eudald; Barrena, Raquel; García, Ana; González, Edgar; Delgado, Lucía; Busquets-Fité, Martí; Font, Xavier; Arbiol, Jordi; Glatzel, Pieter; Kvashnina, Kristina; Sánchez, Antoni; Puntes, Víctor

    2014-07-23

    A novel concept of dosing iron ions using Fe3O4 engineered nanoparticles is used to improve biogas production in anaerobic digestion processes. Since small nanoparticles are unstable, they can be designed to provide ions in a controlled manner, and the highest ever reported improvement of biogas production is obtained. The nanoparticles evolution during operation is followed by an array of spectroscopic techniques. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. 76 FR 10042 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-23

    ... Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, PAR09-247 Ancillary Clinical Studies of Interest to... Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, Nutrition and Metabolism.... 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition...

  14. Air Force Academy Aeronautics Digest - Fall/Winter 1981.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-06-01

    After all, some guy just peddled across the English Channel?!" In reply wo cite Professor E.S. Taylor , who, in a wonderfully readable article (Ref...to the cadet wing, Spring, 1976. 2. Taylor , Edward S., "Evolution of the Jet Engine," Astronautics and Aeronautics, November 1970, pps. 64-72. 3...heat pump, air conditioner, or refrigerator. The Brayton cycle is the cycle that is used by a turbojet or turbofan engine. We have some fine engine test

  15. What makes protein indigestible from tissue-related, cellular, and molecular aspects?

    PubMed

    Becker, Petra M; Yu, Peiqiang

    2013-10-01

    This paper gives an insight into key factors, which impair enzymatic protein digestion. By nature, some proteins in raw products are already poorly digestible because of structural peculiarities, or due to their occurrence in plant cytoplasmic organelles or in cell membranes. In plant-based protein, molecular and structural changes can be induced by genetic engineering, even if protein is not a target compound class of the genetic modification. Other proteins only become difficult to digest due to changes that occur during the processing of proteinaceous products, such as extruding, boiling, or acidic or alkaline treatment. The utilization of proteinaceous raw materials in industrial fermentations can also have negative impacts on protein digestibility, when reused as fermentation by-products for animal nutrition, such as brewers' grains. After consumption, protein digestion can be impeded in the intestine by the presence of antinutritional factors, which are ingested together with the food or feedstuff. It is concluded that the encircling matrix, but also molecular, chemical, and structural peculiarities or modifications to amino acids and proteins obstruct protein digestion by common proteolytic enzymes in humans and animals. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. Synthesis of three advanced biofuels from ionic liquid-pretreated switchgrass using engineered Escherichia coli

    PubMed Central

    Bokinsky, Gregory; Peralta-Yahya, Pamela P.; George, Anthe; Holmes, Bradley M.; Steen, Eric J.; Dietrich, Jeffrey; Soon Lee, Taek; Tullman-Ercek, Danielle; Voigt, Christopher A.; Simmons, Blake A.; Keasling, Jay D.

    2011-01-01

    One approach to reducing the costs of advanced biofuel production from cellulosic biomass is to engineer a single microorganism to both digest plant biomass and produce hydrocarbons that have the properties of petrochemical fuels. Such an organism would require pathways for hydrocarbon production and the capacity to secrete sufficient enzymes to efficiently hydrolyze cellulose and hemicellulose. To demonstrate how one might engineer and coordinate all of the necessary components for a biomass-degrading, hydrocarbon-producing microorganism, we engineered a microorganism naïve to both processes, Escherichia coli, to grow using both the cellulose and hemicellulose fractions of several types of plant biomass pretreated with ionic liquids. Our engineered strains express cellulase, xylanase, beta-glucosidase, and xylobiosidase enzymes under control of native E. coli promoters selected to optimize growth on model cellulosic and hemicellulosic substrates. Furthermore, our strains grow using either the cellulose or hemicellulose components of ionic liquid-pretreated biomass or on both components when combined as a coculture. Both cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic strains were further engineered with three biofuel synthesis pathways to demonstrate the production of fuel substitutes or precursors suitable for gasoline, diesel, and jet engines directly from ionic liquid-treated switchgrass without externally supplied hydrolase enzymes. This demonstration represents a major advance toward realizing a consolidated bioprocess. With improvements in both biofuel synthesis pathways and biomass digestion capabilities, our approach could provide an economical route to production of advanced biofuels. PMID:22123987

  17. Noncanonical substrate preference of lambda exonuclease for 5′-nonphosphate-ended dsDNA and a mismatch-induced acceleration effect on the enzymatic reaction

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Yufei; Chen, Wei; Wang, Jiayu; Yang, Ziyu; Wang, Shenlin; Xiao, Xianjin; Li, Mengyuan

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Lambda exonuclease (λ exo) plays an important role in the resection of DNA ends for DNA repair. Currently, it is also a widely used enzymatic tool in genetic engineering, DNA-binding protein mapping, nanopore sequencing and biosensing. Herein, we disclose two noncanonical properties of this enzyme and suggest a previously undescribed hydrophobic interaction model between λ exo and DNA substrates. We demonstrate that the length of the free portion of the substrate strand in the dsDNA plays an essential role in the initiation of digestion reactions by λ exo. A dsDNA with a 5′ non-phosphorylated, two-nucleotide-protruding end can be digested by λ exo with very high efficiency. Moreover, we show that when a conjugated structure is covalently attached to an internal base of the dsDNA, the presence of a single mismatched base pair at the 5′ side of the modified base may significantly accelerate the process of digestion by λ exo. A detailed comparison study revealed additional π–π stacking interactions between the attached label and the amino acid residues of the enzyme. These new findings not only broaden our knowledge of the enzyme but will also be very useful for research on DNA repair and in vitro processing of nucleic acids. PMID:29490081

  18. Technical Digest. Detection Systems and Technology, September 1992

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1992-09-01

    by Van Bladel 7,8 and Mo.9 One method is to c transform the fields in such a way that the (6) boundary "appears" to be at rest relative to the fields...Digest, September 1992 equation of motion from the spectrograph is an 8. Van Bladel, Jean, Relativity and Engineering, Springer- interesting application...many Sci., 2, 1980, pp. 131-148. valuable discussions and advice. 14. Van Bladel, Jean and De Zutter, Daniel, "Reflections from Linearly Vibrating

  19. EuCARD2: enhanced accelerator research and development in Europe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2013-10-01

    Accelerator science and technology is one of a key enablers of the developments in the particle physic, photon physics and also applications in medicine and industry. EuCARD2 is an European research project which will be realized during 2013-2017 inside the EC FP7 framework. The project concerns the development and coordination of European Accelerator Research and Development. The project is particularly important, to a number of domestic laboratories, due to some plans to build large accelerator infrastructure in Poland. Large accelerator infrastructure of fundamental and applied research character stimulates around it the development and industrial applications as well as biomedical of advanced accelerators, material research and engineering, cryo-technology, mechatronics, robotics, and in particular electronics - like networked measurement and control systems, sensors, computer systems, automation and control systems. The paper presents a digest of the European project EuCARD2 which is Enhanced European Coordination for Accelerator Research and Development. The paper presents a digest of the research results and assumptions in the domain of accelerator science and technology in Europe, shown during the final fourth annual meeting of the EuCARD - European Coordination of Accelerator R&D, and the kick-off meeting of the EuCARD2. There are debated a few basic groups of accelerator systems components like: measurement - control networks of large geometrical extent, multichannel systems for large amounts of metrological data acquisition, precision photonic networks of reference time, frequency and phase distribution, high field magnets, superconducting cavities, novel beam collimators, etc. The paper bases on the following materials: Internet and Intranet documents combined with EuCARD2, Description of Work FP7 EuCARD-2 DoW-312453, 2013-02-13, and discussions and preparatory materials worked on by Eucard-2 initiators.

  20. Class and Home Problems: Modeling of an Industrial Anaerobic Digester: A Case Study for Undergraduate Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Durruty, Ignacio; Ayude, María A.

    2014-01-01

    The case study discussed in this work is used at the chemical reaction engineering course, offered in fifth-year of the chemical engineering undergraduate program at National University of Mar del Plata (UNMdP). A serial-parallel reaction system based on the anaerobic degradation of particulate-containing potato processing wastewater is presented.…

  1. Uncovering the Hidden Web, Part I: Finding What the Search Engines Don't. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mardis, Marcia

    Currently, the World Wide Web contains an estimated 7.4 million sites (OCLC, 2001). Yet even the most experienced searcher, using the most robust search engines, can access only about 16% of these pages (Dahn, 2001). The other 84% of the publicly available information on the Web is referred to as the "hidden,""invisible," or…

  2. Women and Minorities in the Science, Mathematics and Engineering Pipeline. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chang, June C.

    Over the next ten years, the United States will need to train an additional 1.9 million workers in the sciences. Increased participation of women and minorities is essential in meeting the projected need for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering (SME) workers. Women, who received 56% of B.A.'s overall, comprised 37% of the SME bachelor degrees…

  3. 78 FR 26641 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-07

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, DEM Fellowship Review. Date...; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology...

  4. 77 FR 12855 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-02

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, PKA and PKC Targeting Mechanisms. Date...; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology...

  5. 77 FR 12857 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-02

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, PAR11-349 Research Using Subjects from... cycle. Name of Committee: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special...

  6. 78 FR 5819 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-28

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Time-Sensitive Obesity Applications... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Assistance Program Nos. 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases...

  7. 78 FR 3012 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-15

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Translational Research. Date: January 17... Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; NIDDK-KUH Fellowship...

  8. 77 FR 10540 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-22

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel: Genetic and Lifestyle Factors and Risk... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Domestic Assistance Program Nos. 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive...

  9. 78 FR 38997 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-28

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Time-Sensitive Obesity Research. Date... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Kidney Disease Ancillary...

  10. Cooking Chicken Breast Reduces Dialyzable Iron Resulting from Digestion of Muscle Proteins

    PubMed Central

    Gokhale, Aditya S.; Mahoney, Raymond R.

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to study the effect of cooking chicken breast on the production of dialyzable iron (an in vitro indicator of bioavailable iron) from added ferric iron. Chicken breast muscle was cooked by boiling, baking, sautéing, or deep-frying. Cooked samples were mixed with ferric iron and either extracted with acid or digested with pepsin and pancreatin. Total and ferrous dialyzable iron was measured after extraction or digestion and compared to raw chicken samples. For uncooked samples, dialyzable iron was significantly enhanced after both extraction and digestion. All cooking methods led to markedly reduced levels of dialyzable iron both by extraction and digestion. In most cooked, digested samples dialyzable iron was no greater than the iron-only (no sample) control. Cooked samples showed lower levels of histidine and sulfhydryls but protein digestibility was not reduced, except for the sautéed sample. The results showed that, after cooking, little if any dialyzable iron results from digestion of muscle proteins. Our research indicates that, in cooked chicken, residual acid-extractable components are the most important source of dialyzable iron. PMID:26904627

  11. Cooking Chicken Breast Reduces Dialyzable Iron Resulting from Digestion of Muscle Proteins.

    PubMed

    Gokhale, Aditya S; Mahoney, Raymond R

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to study the effect of cooking chicken breast on the production of dialyzable iron (an in vitro indicator of bioavailable iron) from added ferric iron. Chicken breast muscle was cooked by boiling, baking, sautéing, or deep-frying. Cooked samples were mixed with ferric iron and either extracted with acid or digested with pepsin and pancreatin. Total and ferrous dialyzable iron was measured after extraction or digestion and compared to raw chicken samples. For uncooked samples, dialyzable iron was significantly enhanced after both extraction and digestion. All cooking methods led to markedly reduced levels of dialyzable iron both by extraction and digestion. In most cooked, digested samples dialyzable iron was no greater than the iron-only (no sample) control. Cooked samples showed lower levels of histidine and sulfhydryls but protein digestibility was not reduced, except for the sautéed sample. The results showed that, after cooking, little if any dialyzable iron results from digestion of muscle proteins. Our research indicates that, in cooked chicken, residual acid-extractable components are the most important source of dialyzable iron.

  12. 77 FR 3479 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Notice of Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-24

    ... Digestive and Kidney Diseases Initial Review Group; Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases B... Program Nos. 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and...

  13. Biogas production and microbial community shift through neutral pH control during the anaerobic digestion of pig manure.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Jun; Zhang, Rui; Liu, Fenwu; Yong, Xiaoyu; Wu, Xiayuan; Zheng, Tao; Jiang, Min; Jia, Honghua

    2016-10-01

    Laboratory-scale reactors, in which the pH could be auto-adjusted, were employed to investigate the mesophilic methane fermentation with pig manure (7.8% total solids) at pH 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0. Results showed that the performance of anaerobic digestion was strongly dependent on pH value. Biogas production and methane content at neutral pH 7.0 were significantly higher (16,607mL, 51.81%) than those at pH 6.0 (6916mL, 42.9%) and 8.0 (9739mL, 35.6%). Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis fingerprinting and Shannon's index indicated that the samples contained highly diverse microbial communities. The major genus at pH 7.0 was Methanocorpusculum, compared with that was Methanosarcina at both pH 6.0 and 8.0. Our research revealed that cultures maintained at pH 7.0 could support increased biogas production, which has significant implications for the scale-up biogas engineering. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Highly Efficient Proteolysis Accelerated by Electromagnetic Waves for Peptide Mapping

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Qiwen; Liu, Ting; Chen, Gang

    2011-01-01

    Proteomics will contribute greatly to the understanding of gene functions in the post-genomic era. In proteome research, protein digestion is a key procedure prior to mass spectrometry identification. During the past decade, a variety of electromagnetic waves have been employed to accelerate proteolysis. This review focuses on the recent advances and the key strategies of these novel proteolysis approaches for digesting and identifying proteins. The subjects covered include microwave-accelerated protein digestion, infrared-assisted proteolysis, ultraviolet-enhanced protein digestion, laser-assisted proteolysis, and future prospects. It is expected that these novel proteolysis strategies accelerated by various electromagnetic waves will become powerful tools in proteome research and will find wide applications in high throughput protein digestion and identification. PMID:22379392

  15. The National Research and Education Network (NREN): Promise of New Information Environments. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bishop, Ann P.

    This digest describes proposed legislation for the implementation of the National Research and Education Network (NREN). Issues and implications for teachers, students, researchers, and librarians are suggested and the emergence of the electronic network as a general communication and research tool is described. Developments in electronic…

  16. Study of bioleaching under different hydraulic retention time for enhancing the dewaterability of digestate.

    PubMed

    Li, Linshuai; Gao, Jingqing; Zhu, Songfeng; Li, Yonghong; Zhang, Ruiqin

    2015-12-01

    Dewatering of kitchen waste digestate is a key problem to solve so as to increase the application of kitchen waste after anaerobic digestion. In this study, the effects of bioleaching under different hydraulic retention time (HRT = 2, 2.5, and 3 days) on dewaterability of kitchen waste digestate were evaluated. A 12-stage plug flow bioreactor with 180 L working volume was used for digestate bioleaching. The bioleached digestate under different HRTs were collected and dewatered by plate-and-frame filter press. The results showed that the moisture contents of digestate cakes were 67.87 % at 2 days of HRT, 58.06 % at 2.5 days of HRT, and 54.45 % at 3 days of HRT, respectively, indicating the longer the HRT, the lower the moisture content of filter cake. Balanced between the cost and practical need, 2.5 days can be used as the HRT in engineering application. Under the condition of HRT of 2.5 days, the pH, specific resistance to filtration (SRF), capillary suction time (CST), and sedimentation rate of digestate changed from the initial values of 8.08, 210.6 s, 23.4 × 10(12) m kg(-1) and 10 % to 3.21, 32.7 s, 2.44 × 10(12) m kg(-1) and 76.8 %, respectively. Based on the observations above, the authors conclude that bioleaching technology is an effective method to enhance digestate dewaterability and reduce the cost of subsequent reutilization.

  17. Analysis of digester design concepts

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ashare, E.; Wilson, E. H.

    1979-01-29

    Engineering economic analyses were performed on various digester design concepts to determine the relative performance for various biomass feedstocks. A comprehensive literature survey describing the state-of-the-art of the various digestion designs is included. The digester designs included in the analyses are CSTR, plug flow, batch, CSTR in series, multi-stage digestion and biomethanation. Other process options investigated included pretreatment processes such as shredding, degritting, and chemical pretreatment, and post-digestion processes, such as dewatering and gas purification. The biomass sources considered include feedlot manure, rice straw, and bagasse. The results of the analysis indicate that the most economical (on a unit gasmore » cost basis) digester design concept is the plug flow reactor. This conclusion results from this system providing a high gas production rate combined with a low capital hole-in-the-ground digester design concept. The costs determined in this analysis do not include any credits or penalties for feedstock or by-products, but present the costs only for conversion of biomass to methane. The batch land-fill type digester design was shown to have a unit gas cost comparable to that for a conventional stirred tank digester, with the potential of reducing the cost if a land-fill site were available for a lower cost per unit volume. The use of chemical pretreatment resulted in a higher unit gas cost, primarily due to the cost of pretreatment chemical. A sensitivity analysis indicated that the use of chemical pretreatment could improve the economics provided a process could be developed which utilized either less pretreatment chemical or a less costly chemical. The use of other process options resulted in higher unit gas costs. These options should only be used when necessary for proper process performance, or to result in production of a valuable by-product.« less

  18. Linking pyrolysis and anaerobic digestion (Py-AD) for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass.

    PubMed

    Fabbri, Daniele; Torri, Cristian

    2016-04-01

    Biogas is a mixture of CO2 and CH4 produced by a consortia of Bacteria and Archeae operating in anaerobic digestion (AD) plants. Biogas can be burnt as such in engines to produce electricity and heat or upgraded into biomethane. Biomethane is a drop-in fuel that can be injected in the natural gas grid or utilised as a transport fuel. While a wide array of biomass feedstock can be degraded into biogas, unconverted lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose end up in the co-product digestate leaving a large portion of chemical energy unutilised. Pyrolysis (Py) transforms in a single step and without chemical reagents the lignocellulose matrix into gaseous (syngas), liquid (bio-oil, pyrolysis oil) and solid (biochar) fractions for the development of renewable fuels and materials. The Py route applied downstream to AD is actively investigated in order to valorise the solid digestate presently destined only for soil applications. Coupling Py upstream to AD is an emerging field of research aimed at expanding the feedstock towards biologically recalcitrant substrates (wood, paper, sludge). The biomethanation potential was demonstrated for gaseous (H2/CO) and water soluble pyrolysis products, while the influence of insoluble pyrolytic lignin remains fairly unexplored. Biochar can promote the production of biomethane by acting as a support for microorganism colonisation, conductor for direct interspecies electron transfer, sorbent for hydrophobic inhibitors, and reactant for in situ biogas upgrading. Enhancing the advantages (carbon source) over the side effects (toxicity) of Py fractions represents the main challenge of Py-AD. This can be addressed by increasing the selectivity of the thermochemical process or improving the ecological flexibility of mixed bacterial consortia towards chemically complex environments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Effect of beta-carotene-rich tomato lycopene beta-cyclase ( tlcy-b) on cell growth inhibition in HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells.

    PubMed

    Palozza, Paola; Bellovino, Diana; Simone, Rossella; Boninsegna, Alma; Cellini, Francesco; Monastra, Giovanni; Gaetani, Sancia

    2009-07-01

    Lycopene beta-cyclase (tlcy-b) tomatoes, obtained by modulating carotenogenesis via genetic engineering, contain a large amount of beta-carotene, as clearly visible by their intense orange colour. In the present study we have subjected tlcy-b tomatoes to an in vitro simulated digestion and analysed the effects of digestate on cell proliferation. To this aim we used HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells, grown in monolayers, as a model. Digested tomatoes were diluted (20 ml, 50 ml and 100 ml/l) in culture medium and added to the cells for different incubation times (24 h, 48 h and 72 h). Inhibition of cell growth by tomato digestate was dose-dependent and resulted from an arrest of cell cycle progression at the G0/G1 and G2/M phase and by apoptosis induction. A down-regulation of cyclin D1, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl expression was observed. We also found that heat treatment of samples before digestion enhanced beta-carotene release and therefore cell growth inhibition. To induce with purified beta-carotene solubilised in tetrahydrofuran the same cell growth inhibition obtained with the tomato digestate, a higher amount of the carotenoid was necessary, suggesting that beta-carotene micellarised during digestion is utilised more efficiently by the cells, but also that other tomato molecules, reasonably made available during digestion, may be present and cooperate with beta-carotene in promoting cell growth arrest.

  20. 78 FR 76849 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney and Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-19

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney and Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; RFA-DK-13-008 USRDS Special Study... Program Nos. 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and...

  1. 77 FR 6131 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-07

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Notice of Closed Meetings Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; PAR09-247 Ancillary Studies in... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; George M. O'Brien Kidney Research Core...

  2. 76 FR 23325 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-26

    ... Panel; Fellowships in Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Date: June 22, 2011. Time: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; DEM Fellowships. Date: June 15-16, 2011..., Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition [[Page 23326...

  3. 75 FR 47309 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-05

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, Ancillary Clinical Studies Review... and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes...

  4. A bibliometric analysis of digestive health research in Canada.

    PubMed

    Tuitt, Desiree; Knight, Frank; Lipman, Tara

    2011-11-01

    Measurement of the impact and influence of medical⁄scientific journals, and of individual researchers has become more widely practiced in recent decades. This is driven, in part, by the increased availability of data regarding citations of research articles, and by increased competition for research funding. Digestive disease research has been identified as a particularly strong discipline in Canada. The authors collected quantitative data on the impact and influence of Canadian digestive health research. The present study involved an analysis of the research impact (Hirsch factor) and research influence (Influence factor) of 106 digestive health researchers in Canada. Rankings of the top 25 researchers on the basis of the two metrics were dominated by the larger research groups at the University of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario), McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario), and the Universities of Calgary (Calgary, Alberta) and Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta), but with representation by other research groups at the Universities of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Western Ontario (London, Ontario) and McGill University (Montreal, Quebec). Female and male researchers had similar scores for the two metrics, as did basic scientists versus clinical investigators. Strategic recruitment, particularly of established investigators, can have a major impact on the ranking of research groups. Comparing these metrics over different time frames can provide insights into the vulnerabilities and strengths of research groups.

  5. 77 FR 39716 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-05

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; PAR-09-247 Ancillary Clinical Studies in... Nos. 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition...

  6. Visual communication of engineering and scientific data in the courtroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jackson, Gerald W.; Henry, Andrew C.

    1993-01-01

    Presenting engineering and scientific information in the courtroom is challenging. Quite often the data is voluminous and, therefore, difficult to digest by engineering experts, let alone a lay judge, lawyer, or jury. This paper discusses computer visualization techniques designed to provide the court methods of communicating data in visual formats thus allowing a more accurate understanding of complicated concepts and results. Examples are presented that include accident reconstructions, technical concept illustration, and engineering data visualization. Also presented is the design of an electronic courtroom which facilitates the display and communication of information to the courtroom.

  7. 77 FR 54582 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-05

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, Multi-Center Clinical Trial Review. Date... and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes...

  8. 75 FR 17417 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-06

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Clinical Trial Review Meeting. Date: May... Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes of Health...

  9. La calidad del cuidado infantil: Un resumen para padres (Child Care Quality: An Overview for Parents). ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patten, Peggy; Ricks, Omar Benton

    Many parents want to know how important the quality of care is to children's social, emotional, and academic development. This Digest synthesizes some major recent research on child care quality. First, the Digest explains what features contribute to quality of care. The Digest also explains the differences between studies of how quality is…

  10. 76 FR 34717 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-14

    ... Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, Teen-LABS. Date: July 15, 2011. Time: 2 p.m. to 2 p.m... Nos. 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition...

  11. On-target digestion of collected bacteria for MALDI mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Dugas, Alton J; Murray, Kermit K

    2008-10-03

    An on-target protein digestion system was developed for the identification of microorganisms in collected bioaerosols using off-line matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Bacteria analysis techniques based on MALDI-MS were adapted for use with an orthogonal MALDI quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Bioaerosols were generated using a pneumatic nebulizer and infused into a chamber for sampling. An Andersen N6 single-stage impactor was used to collect the bioaerosols on a MALDI target. On-target digestion was carried out inside temporary mini-wells placed over the impacted samples. The wells served as miniature reactors for proteolysis. Collected test aerosol particles containing the protein cytochrome c and E. coli bacteria were proteolyzed in situ using trypsin or cyanogen bromide. A total of 19 unique proteins were identified for E. coli. Using the TOF-MS spectra of the digested samples, peptide mass mapping was performed using the MASCOT search engine and an iterative search technique.

  12. FEU Technology Digest No. 2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Further Education Unit, London (England).

    This publication contains a glossary of acronyms; an editorial (Ingram); "Integrative Assignments and Design" (Biles, Palmer); "Computer-Based Education: A Student's Response" (Landau); "Taking the RISC [Reduced Instruction Set Computer] in FHE [Further and Higher Education]" (Meeke); "Engineering Education in…

  13. Nutritional Translation Blended With Food Science: 21st Century Applications1234

    PubMed Central

    Ferruzzi, Mario G.; Peterson, Devin G.; Singh, R. Paul; Schwartz, Steven J.; Freedman, Marjorie R.

    2012-01-01

    This paper, based on the symposium “Real-World Nutritional Translation Blended With Food Science,” describes how an integrated “farm-to-cell” approach would create the framework necessary to address pressing public health issues. The paper describes current research that examines chemical reactions that may influence food flavor (and ultimately food consumption) and posits how these reactions can be used in health promotion; it explains how mechanical engineering and computer modeling can study digestive processes and provide better understanding of how physical properties of food influence nutrient bioavailability and posits how this research can also be used in the fight against obesity and diabetes; and it illustrates how an interdisciplinary scientific collaboration led to the development of a novel functional food that may be used clinically in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer. PMID:23153735

  14. In vitro β-Carotene Bioaccessibility and Lipid Digestion in Emulsions: Influence of Pectin Type and Degree of Methyl-Esterification.

    PubMed

    Verrijssen, Tina A J; Christiaens, Stefanie; Verkempinck, Sarah H E; Boeve, Jeroen; Grauwet, Tara; Van Loey, Ann M; Salvia-Trujillo, Laura; Hendrickx, Marc E

    2016-10-01

    Citrus pectin (CP) and sugar beet pectin (SBP) were demethoxylated and fully characterized in terms of pectin properties in order to investigate the influence of the pectin degree of methyl-esterification (DM) and the pectin type on the in vitro β-carotene bioaccessibility and lipid digestion in emulsions. For the CP based emulsions containing β-carotene enriched oil, water and pectin, the β-carotene bioaccessibility, and lipid digestion were higher in the emulsions with pectin with a higher DM (57%; "CP57 emulsion") compared to the emulsions with pectin with a lower DM (30%; "CP30 emulsion") showing that the DM plays an important role. In contrast, in SBP-based emulsions, nor β-carotene bioaccessibility nor lipid digestion were dependent on pectin DM. Probably here, other pectin properties are more important factors. It was observed that β-carotene bioaccessibility and lipid digestion were lower in the CP30 emulsion in comparison with the CP57, SBP32, and SBP58 emulsions. However, the β-carotene bioaccessibility of CP57 emulsion was similar to that of the SBP emulsions, whereas the lipid digestion was not. It seems that pectin type and pectin DM (in case of CP) are determining which components can be incorporated into micelles. Because carotenoids and lipids have different structures and polarities, their incorporation may be different. This knowledge can be used to engineer targeted (digestive) functionalities in food products. If both high β-carotene bioaccessibility and high lipid digestion are targeted, SBP emulsions are the best options. The CP57 emulsion can be chosen if high β-carotene bioaccessibility but lower lipid digestion is desired. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®.

  15. Anaerobic co-digestion of kitchen waste and pig manure with different mixing ratios.

    PubMed

    Tian, Hailin; Duan, Na; Lin, Cong; Li, Xue; Zhong, Mingzhu

    2015-07-01

    Anaerobic co-digestion of kitchen waste (KW) and pig manure (PM) with seven different PM to KW total solids (TS) ratios of 1:0, 5:1, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, 1:5 and 0:1 was conducted at mesophilic temperature (35 ± 1 °C) to investigate the feasibility and process performance. The co-digestion of PM and KW was found to be an available way to enhance methane production compared with solo-digestion of PM or KW. The ratio of PM to KW of 1:1 got the highest biodegradability (BDA) of 85.03% and a methane yield of 409.5 mL/gVS. For the co-digestion of KW and PM, there was no obvious inhibition of ammonia nitrogen because it was in an acceptable range from 1380 mg/L to 2020 mg/L in the whole process. However, severe methane inhibition and long lag phase due to the accumulation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) was observed while the KW content was over 50%, and in the lag phase, propionic acid and butyric acid made up the major constituents of the total VFAs. The technical digestion time (T80: the time it takes to produce 80% of the digester's maximum gas production) of the above 7 ratios was 15, 21, 22, 27, 49, 62 and 61 days, respectively. In this study, a mixing ratio of 1:1 for PM and KW was found to maximize BDA and methane yield, provided a short digestion time and stable digestion performance and was therefore recommended for further study and engineering application. Copyright © 2014 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Presence of nano-sized silica during in vitro digestion of foods containing silica as a food additive.

    PubMed

    Peters, Ruud; Kramer, Evelien; Oomen, Agnes G; Rivera, Zahira E Herrera; Oegema, Gerlof; Tromp, Peter C; Fokkink, Remco; Rietveld, Anton; Marvin, Hans J P; Weigel, Stefan; Peijnenburg, Ad A C M; Bouwmeester, Hans

    2012-03-27

    The presence, dissolution, agglomeration state, and release of materials in the nano-size range from food containing engineered nanoparticles during human digestion is a key question for the safety assessment of these materials. We used an in vitro model to mimic the human digestion. Food products subjected to in vitro digestion included (i) hot water, (ii) coffee with powdered creamer, (iii) instant soup, and (iv) pancake which either contained silica as the food additive E551, or to which a form of synthetic amorphous silica or 32 nm SiO(2) particles were added. The results showed that, in the mouth stage of the digestion, nano-sized silica particles with a size range of 5-50 and 50-500 nm were present in food products containing E551 or added synthetic amorphous silica. However, during the successive gastric digestion stage, this nano-sized silica was no longer present for the food matrices coffee and instant soup, while low amounts were found for pancakes. Additional experiments showed that the absence of nano-sized silica in the gastric stage can be contributed to an effect of low pH combined with high electrolyte concentrations in the gastric digestion stage. Large silica agglomerates are formed under these conditions as determined by DLS and SEM experiments and explained theoretically by the extended DLVO theory. Importantly, in the subsequent intestinal digestion stage, the nano-sized silica particles reappeared again, even in amounts higher than in the saliva (mouth) digestion stage. These findings suggest that, upon consumption of foods containing E551, the gut epithelium is most likely exposed to nano-sized silica. © 2012 American Chemical Society

  17. 78 FR 78373 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-26

    ... Ongoing Clinical Studies in NIDDK (RO1): CKD and Diabetic Nephropathy. Date: February 20, 2014. Time: 4:00... and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases...

  18. Antibiotics with anaerobic ammonium oxidation in urban wastewater treatment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Ruipeng; Yang, Yuanming

    2017-05-01

    Biofilter process is based on biological oxidation process on the introduction of fast water filter design ideas generated by an integrated filtration, adsorption and biological role of aerobic wastewater treatment process various purification processes. By engineering example, we show that the process is an ideal sewage and industrial wastewater treatment process of low concentration. Anaerobic ammonia oxidation process because of its advantage of the high efficiency and low consumption, wastewater biological denitrification field has broad application prospects. The process in practical wastewater treatment at home and abroad has become a hot spot. In this paper, anammox bacteria habitats and species diversity, and anaerobic ammonium oxidation process in the form of diversity, and one and split the process operating conditions are compared, focusing on a review of the anammox process technology various types of wastewater laboratory research and engineering applications, including general water quality and pressure filtrate sludge digestion, landfill leachate, aquaculture wastewater, monosodium glutamate wastewater, wastewater, sewage, fecal sewage, waste water salinity wastewater characteristics, research progress and application of the obstacles. Finally, we summarize the anaerobic ammonium oxidation process potential problems during the processing of the actual waste water, and proposed future research focus on in-depth study of water quality anammox obstacle factor and its regulatory policy, and vigorously develop on this basis, and combined process optimization.

  19. Demand charge reduction with digester gas

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1985-02-01

    This paper examines a rather sophisticated treatment system in the city of Whitewater, Wisconsin. The power generated is used to trim utility peak power loads and demand charges. Power is derived from four Waukesha VHP 3600G engine generator sets with provisions for a fifth as growth requires. The engine is a Waukesha F3521GU spark ignited, six-cylinder gas engine with 9.375 in. x 8.50 bore and stroke driving a Kato 350 kW generator rated at 480/277 volts and 1200 rpm. Normal operation is to reduce the peak demand.

  20. Experimental digester facility modifications and digester gas upgrading research

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Srivastava, V.J.; Biljetina, R.; Akin, C.

    1989-01-01

    The Institute of Gas Technology (IGT) has been participating in an experimental program at the Community Waste Research Facility (CWRF) located at the Walt Disney World Resort Complex, Orlando, Florida. Four institutions have formed a team to provide solutions to community waste treatment and disposal programs. Of primary importance to this research effort is the implementation of low-cost, energy-efficient waste treatment and recovery technologies and the net production of energy (methane) from biomass and waste resources. The production of methane is being studied in a novel, high-rate digester. During 1988, we were responsible for modifying the Experimental Test Unit (ETU)more » to permit dry solids feeding of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and for conducting bench-scale experiments to evaluate techniques for efficient removal of carbon dioxide produced during anaerobic digestion.« less

  1. Regeneration and Maintenance of Intestinal Smooth Muscle Phenotypes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walthers, Christopher M.

    Tissue engineering is an emerging field of biomedical engineering that involves growing artificial organs to replace those lost to disease or injury. Within tissue engineering, there is a demand for artificial smooth muscle to repair tissues of the digestive tract, bladder, and vascular systems. Attempts to develop engineered smooth muscle tissues capable of contracting with sufficient strength to be clinically relevant have so far proven unsatisfactory. The goal of this research was to develop and sustain mature, contractile smooth muscle. Survival of implanted SMCs is critical to sustain the benefits of engineered smooth muscle. Survival of implanted smooth muscle cells was studied with layered, electrospun polycaprolactone implants with lasercut holes ranging from 0--25% porosity. It was found that greater angiogenesis was associated with increased survival of implanted cells, with a large increase at a threshold between 20% and 25% porosity. Heparan sulfate coatings improved the speed of blood vessel infiltration after 14 days of implantation. With these considerations, thicker engineered tissues may be possible. An improved smooth muscle tissue culture technique was utilized. Contracting smooth muscle was produced in culture by maintaining the native smooth muscle tissue organization, specifically by sustaining intact smooth muscle strips rather than dissociating tissue in to isolated smooth muscle cells. Isolated cells showed a decrease in maturity and contained fewer enteric neural and glial cells. Muscle strips also exhibited periodic contraction and regular fluctuation of intracellular calclium. The muscle strip maturity persisted after implantation in omentum for 14 days on polycaprolactone scaffolds. A low-cost, disposable bioreactor was developed to further improve maturity of cultured smooth muscle cells in an environment of controlled cyclical stress.The bioreactor consistently applied repeated mechanical strain with controllable inputs for strain, frequency, and duty cycle. Cells grown on protein-conjugated silicone membranes showed a morphological change while undergoing bioreactor stress. Analyzing change in muscle strips undergoing bioreactor stress is an area for future research. The overall goal of this research was to move engineered smooth muscle towards tissues capable of contracting with physiologically relevant strength and frequency. This approach first increased survival of smooth muscle constructs, and then sought to improve contractile ability of smooth muscle cells.

  2. Digestibility of gluten proteins is reduced by baking and enhanced by starch digestion.

    PubMed

    Smith, Frances; Pan, Xiaoyan; Bellido, Vincent; Toole, Geraldine A; Gates, Fred K; Wickham, Martin S J; Shewry, Peter R; Bakalis, Serafim; Padfield, Philip; Mills, E N Clare

    2015-10-01

    Resistance of proteins to gastrointestinal digestion may play a role in determining immune-mediated adverse reactions to foods. However, digestion studies have largely been restricted to purified proteins and the impact of food processing and food matrices on protein digestibility is poorly understood. Digestibility of a total gliadin fraction (TGF), flour (cv Hereward), and bread was assessed using in vitro batch digestion with simulated oral, gastric, and duodenal phases. Protein digestion was monitored by SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting using monoclonal antibodies specific for celiac-toxic sequences (QQSF, QPFP) and starch digestion by measuring undigested starch. Whereas the TGF was rapidly digested during the gastric phase the gluten proteins in bread were virtually undigested and digested rapidly during the duodenal phase only if amylase was included. Duodenal starch digestion was also slower in the absence of duodenal proteases. The baking process reduces the digestibility of wheat gluten proteins, including those containing sequences active in celiac disease. Starch digestion affects the extent of protein digestion, probably because of gluten-starch complex formation during baking. Digestion studies using purified protein fractions alone are therefore not predictive of digestion in complex food matrices. © 2015 The Authors. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Unexpected High Digestion Rate of Cooked Starch by the Ct-Maltase-Glucoamylase Small Intestine Mucosal α-Glucosidase Subunit

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Amy Hui-Mei; Nichols, Buford L.; Quezada-Calvillo, Roberto; Avery, Stephen E.; Sim, Lyann; Rose, David R.; Naim, Hassan Y.; Hamaker, Bruce R.

    2012-01-01

    For starch digestion to glucose, two luminal α-amylases and four gut mucosal α-glucosidase subunits are employed. The aim of this research was to investigate, for the first time, direct digestion capability of individual mucosal α-glucosidases on cooked (gelatinized) starch. Gelatinized normal maize starch was digested with N- and C-terminal subunits of recombinant mammalian maltase-glucoamylase (MGAM) and sucrase-isomaltase (SI) of varying amounts and digestion periods. Without the aid of α-amylase, Ct-MGAM demonstrated an unexpected rapid and high digestion degree near 80%, while other subunits showed 20 to 30% digestion. These findings suggest that Ct-MGAM assists α-amylase in digesting starch molecules and potentially may compensate for developmental or pathological amylase deficiencies. PMID:22563462

  4. Unexpected high digestion rate of cooked starch by the Ct-maltase-glucoamylase small intestine mucosal α-glucosidase subunit.

    PubMed

    Lin, Amy Hui-Mei; Nichols, Buford L; Quezada-Calvillo, Roberto; Avery, Stephen E; Sim, Lyann; Rose, David R; Naim, Hassan Y; Hamaker, Bruce R

    2012-01-01

    For starch digestion to glucose, two luminal α-amylases and four gut mucosal α-glucosidase subunits are employed. The aim of this research was to investigate, for the first time, direct digestion capability of individual mucosal α-glucosidases on cooked (gelatinized) starch. Gelatinized normal maize starch was digested with N- and C-terminal subunits of recombinant mammalian maltase-glucoamylase (MGAM) and sucrase-isomaltase (SI) of varying amounts and digestion periods. Without the aid of α-amylase, Ct-MGAM demonstrated an unexpected rapid and high digestion degree near 80%, while other subunits showed 20 to 30% digestion. These findings suggest that Ct-MGAM assists α-amylase in digesting starch molecules and potentially may compensate for developmental or pathological amylase deficiencies.

  5. Continuous thermal hydrolysis and anaerobic digestion of sludge. Energy integration study.

    PubMed

    Pérez-Elvira, S I; Fdz-Polanco, F

    2012-01-01

    Experimental data obtained from the operation in a pilot plant are used to perform mass and energy balances to a global process combining units of thermal hydrolysis (TH) of secondary sludge, anaerobic digestion (AD) of hydrolysed secondary sludge together with fresh primary sludge, and cogeneration from biogas by using a gas engine in which the biogas produces electricity and heat from the exhaust gases. Three scenarios were compared, corresponding to the three digesters operated: C (conventional AD, 17 days residence time), B (combined TH + AD, same time), and A (TH + AD at half residence time). The biogas production of digesters B and A was 33 and 24% better, respectively when compared with C. In the case of the combined TH + AD process (scenarios A and B), the key factors in the energy balance were the recovery of heat from hot streams, and the concentration of sludge. The results of the balances showed that for 8% DS concentration of the secondary sludge tested in the pilot plant, the process can be energetically self-sufficient, but a fraction of the biogas must by-pass the gas engine to be directly burned. From an economic point of view, scenario B is more profitable in terms of green energy and higher waste removal, while scenario A reduces the digester volume required by a half. Considering a population of 100,000 inhabitants, the economic benefit is 87,600 €/yr for scenario A and 132,373 €/yr for B. This value can be increased to 223,867 €/yr by increasing the sludge concentration of the feeding to the TH unit to a minimum value that allows use of all the biogas to produce green energy. This concentration is 13% DS, which is still possible from a practical point of view. Additional benefits gained with the combined TH + AD process are the enhancement of the digesters rheology and the possibility of getting Class A biosolids. The integration study presented here set the basis for the scale-up to a demonstration plant.

  6. [Establishment and Management of Multicentral Collection Bio-sample Banks of Malignant Tumors from Digestive System].

    PubMed

    Shen, Si; Shen, Junwei; Zhu, Liang; Wu, Chaoqun; Li, Dongliang; Yu, Hongyu; Qiu, Yuanyuan; Zhou, Yi

    2015-11-01

    To establish and manage of multicentral collection bio-sample banks of malignant tumors from digestive system, the paper designed a multicentral management system, established the standard operation procedures (SOPs) and leaded ten hospitals nationwide to collect tumor samples. The biobank has been established for half a year, and has collected 695 samples from patients with digestive system malignant tumor. The clinical data is full and complete, labeled in a unified way and classified to be managed. The clinical and molecular biology researches were based on the biobank, and obtained achievements. The biobank provides a research platform for malignant tumor of digestive system from different regions and of different types.

  7. 76 FR 67749 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-02

    ... Intestinal Stem Cell Consortium (ISCC). Date: December 1, 2011. Time: 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Agenda: To review... Assistance Program Nos. 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes...

  8. 75 FR 29773 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-27

    ..., Metabolic Disease and Pregnancy. Date: June 10, 2010. Time: 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Agenda: To review and..., Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases...

  9. Resistant starch: promise for improving human health.

    PubMed

    Birt, Diane F; Boylston, Terri; Hendrich, Suzanne; Jane, Jay-Lin; Hollis, James; Li, Li; McClelland, John; Moore, Samuel; Phillips, Gregory J; Rowling, Matthew; Schalinske, Kevin; Scott, M Paul; Whitley, Elizabeth M

    2013-11-01

    Ongoing research to develop digestion-resistant starch for human health promotion integrates the disciplines of starch chemistry, agronomy, analytical chemistry, food science, nutrition, pathology, and microbiology. The objectives of this research include identifying components of starch structure that confer digestion resistance, developing novel plants and starches, and modifying foods to incorporate these starches. Furthermore, recent and ongoing studies address the impact of digestion-resistant starches on the prevention and control of chronic human diseases, including diabetes, colon cancer, and obesity. This review provides a transdisciplinary overview of this field, including a description of types of resistant starches; factors in plants that affect digestion resistance; methods for starch analysis; challenges in developing food products with resistant starches; mammalian intestinal and gut bacterial metabolism; potential effects on gut microbiota; and impacts and mechanisms for the prevention and control of colon cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Although this has been an active area of research and considerable progress has been made, many questions regarding how to best use digestion-resistant starches in human diets for disease prevention must be answered before the full potential of resistant starches can be realized.

  10. Resistant Starch: Promise for Improving Human Health12

    PubMed Central

    Birt, Diane F.; Boylston, Terri; Hendrich, Suzanne; Jane, Jay-Lin; Hollis, James; Li, Li; McClelland, John; Moore, Samuel; Phillips, Gregory J.; Rowling, Matthew; Schalinske, Kevin; Scott, M. Paul; Whitley, Elizabeth M.

    2013-01-01

    Ongoing research to develop digestion-resistant starch for human health promotion integrates the disciplines of starch chemistry, agronomy, analytical chemistry, food science, nutrition, pathology, and microbiology. The objectives of this research include identifying components of starch structure that confer digestion resistance, developing novel plants and starches, and modifying foods to incorporate these starches. Furthermore, recent and ongoing studies address the impact of digestion-resistant starches on the prevention and control of chronic human diseases, including diabetes, colon cancer, and obesity. This review provides a transdisciplinary overview of this field, including a description of types of resistant starches; factors in plants that affect digestion resistance; methods for starch analysis; challenges in developing food products with resistant starches; mammalian intestinal and gut bacterial metabolism; potential effects on gut microbiota; and impacts and mechanisms for the prevention and control of colon cancer, diabetes, and obesity. Although this has been an active area of research and considerable progress has been made, many questions regarding how to best use digestion-resistant starches in human diets for disease prevention must be answered before the full potential of resistant starches can be realized. PMID:24228189

  11. Starch digestibility: past, present, and future.

    PubMed

    Bello-Perez, Luis A; Flores-Silva, Pamela C; Agama-Acevedo, Edith; Tovar, Juscelino

    2018-02-10

    In the last century, starch present in foods was considered to be completely digested. However, during the 1980s, studies on starch digestion started to show that besides digestible starch, which could be rapidly or slowly hydrolysed, there was a variable fraction that resisted hydrolysis by digestive enzymes. That fraction was named resistant starch (RS) and it encompasses those forms of starch that are not accessible to human digestive enzymes but can be fermented by the colonic microbiota, producing short-chain fatty acids. RS has been classified into five types, depending on the mechanism governing its resistance to enzymatic hydrolysis. Early research on RS was focused on the methods to determine its content in foods and its physiological effects, including fermentability in the large intestine. Later on, due to the interest of the food industry, methods to increase the RS content of isolated starches were developed. Nowadays, the influence of RS on the gut microbiota is a relevant research topic owing to its potential health-related benefits. This review summarizes over 30 years of investigation on starch digestibility, its relationship with human health, the methods to produce RS and its impact on the microbiome. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

  12. Investigations into Improving Dewaterability at a Bio-P/Anaerobic Digestion Plant.

    PubMed

    Alm, Rebecca; Sealock, Adam W; Nollet, Yabing; Sprouse, George

    2016-11-01

      Metropolitan Council Environmental Services has observed poorer than expected dewatering performance at its Empire Plant. This plant has both anaerobic digestion and enhanced biological phosphorus removal in its treatment train. A research program using pilot-scale anaerobic digesters investigated potential solutions to the plant's poor dewaterability. The dewaterability goal was to increase the cake solids from 12% total solids (TS) to 16% TS or higher. This research investigated 20 different reactor conditions including chemical, feed sludge, and digested sludge treatments. At the pilot scale, unaerated storage of waste activated sludge prior to thickening and addition of ferric chloride to digestion was found to achieve dewatered cake solids of nearly 17% TS with the added benefit of reducing polymer demand. Issues including the amount of chemical required and the resulting volatile solids destruction influence the viability of the process change, so a full-scale pilot and financial analysis is recommended before making permanent process changes.

  13. Tracking Middle Grades Climate Data to Inform School Change. REL West Research Digest

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Regional Educational Laboratory West, 2015

    2015-01-01

    A growing body of research shows that positive school climate is a key lever for students' academic and social development and success. This research digest shows how an alliance of California schools and districts, school climate experts, and state education agency personnel have teamed up to use school climate data to drive a continuous cycle of…

  14. Transgenic Plant-Produced Hydrolytic Enzymes and the Potential of Insect Gut-Derived Hydrolases for Biofuels

    PubMed Central

    Willis, Jonathan D.; Mazarei, Mitra; Stewart, C. Neal

    2016-01-01

    Various perennial C4 grass species have tremendous potential for use as lignocellulosic biofuel feedstocks. Currently available grasses require costly pre-treatment and exogenous hydrolytic enzyme application to break down complex cell wall polymers into sugars that can then be fermented into ethanol. It has long been hypothesized that engineered feedstock production of cell wall degrading (CWD) enzymes would be an efficient production platform for of exogenous hydrolytic enzymes. Most research has focused on plant overexpression of CWD enzyme-coding genes from free-living bacteria and fungi that naturally break down plant cell walls. Recently, it has been found that insect digestive tracts harbor novel sources of lignocellulolytic biocatalysts that might be exploited for biofuel production. These CWD enzyme genes can be located in the insect genomes or in symbiotic microbes. When CWD genes are transformed into plants, negative pleiotropic effects are possible such as unintended cell wall digestion. The use of codon optimization along with organelle and tissue specific targeting improves CWD enzyme yields. The literature teaches several important lessons on strategic deployment of CWD genes in transgenic plants, which is the focus of this review. PMID:27303411

  15. Animal and industrial waste anaerobic digestion: USA status report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lusk, P.D.

    1996-01-01

    Pollutants from unmanaged animal and bio-based industrial wastes can degrade the environment, and methane emitted from decomposing wastes may contribute to global climate change. One waste management system prevents pollution and converts a disposal problem into a new profit center. Case studies of operating systems indicate that the anaerobic digestion of animal and industrial wastes is a commercially available bioconversion technology with considerable potential for providing profitable coproducts, including a cost-effective renewable fuel. Growth and concentration of the livestock industry create opportunities to properly dispose of the large quantities of manures generated at dairy, swine, and poultry farms. Beyond themore » farm, extension of the anaerobic digestion process to recover methane has considerable potential for certain classified industries - with a waste stream characterization similar to livestock manures. More than 35 example industries have been identified, and include processors of chemicals, fiber, food, meat, milk, and pharmaceuticals. Some of these industries already recover methane for energy. This status report examines some current opportunities for recovering methane from the anaerobic digestion of animal and industrial wastes in the US. Case studies of operating digesters, including project and maintenance histories, and the operator`s {open_quotes}lessons learned,{close_quotes} are included as a reality check. Factors necessary for successful projects, as well as a list of reasons explaining why some anaerobic digestion projects fail, are provided. The role of management is key; not only must digesters be well engineered and built with high-quality components, they must also be sited at facilities willing to incorporate the uncertainties of a new technology. Anaerobic digestion can provide monetary benefits and mitigate possible pollution problems, thereby sustaining development while maintaining environmental quality.« less

  16. African-American Students and Foreign Language Learning. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, James J.

    The performance and attitudes of African-American students of foreign languages are discussed in this digest. Three major areas are reported: (1) Black English and foreign language learning, including theories of language deficiency, sociolinguistic research, phonology and syntax; (2) research on the performance of African-American students of…

  17. Hispanic-American Students and Learning Style. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Griggs, Shirley; Dunn, Rita

    This digest identifies cultural values that may affect the learning processes of Hispanic-American students, reviews research on the learning styles of Hispanic-American students, and discusses the implications of this research for counseling and teaching Hispanic youth. One cultural value that is of paramount importance in most Hispanic cultures…

  18. Solid State Technology Branch of NASA Lewis Research Center: Fifth Annual Digest

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1993-01-01

    The digest is a collection of papers written by the members of the Solid State Technology Branch of NASA Lewis Research Center from June 1992-June 1993. The papers cover a range of topics relating to superconductivity, monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC's), coplanar waveguide, and material characterization.

  19. Cognitive Science and Assessment. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boston, Carol

    This Digest provides educators with an overview of some important facets of cognitive science research and suggests implications for classroom assessment. Education researchers study the thinking of experts in various subject areas to understand the concepts and procedures that are the most important to teach and to help determine how to move…

  20. The Economic Outcomes of Community College Attendance. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bryant, Alyssa N.

    This digest discusses research on economic gains for community college students and explores whether a community college education serves to minimize the wage gap between women and men and between advantaged and disadvantaged groups. It summarizes research that supports the assertion that a community college education offers economic advancement…

  1. 78 FR 26641 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Diabetes Mellitus Interagency...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-07

    ..., 2013, DMICC workshop will discuss new and emerging opportunities for type 1 diabetes research supported by the Special Statutory Funding Program for Type 1 Diabetes Research. An agenda for the DMICC... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee Notice of...

  2. 76 FR 20358 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Diabetes Mellitus Interagency...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-12

    ... discuss new and emerging opportunities for type 1 diabetes research supported by the Special Statutory Funding Program for Type 1 Diabetes Research. Any interested person may file written comments with the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Diabetes Mellitus Interagency Coordinating Committee; Notice of...

  3. Children's Nutrition and Learning. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Urbana, IL.

    This digest reviews research on the link between children's nutrition and their ability to learn from the prenatal through school years. It also discusses the importance of nutrition education for children. The need for adequate nutrition during pregnancy and the preschool years is highlighted by research that indicates that low birthweight…

  4. Television Violence and Behavior: A Research Summary. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Marilyn E.

    This digest describes the overall pattern of the results of research on television violence and behavior. Several variables in the relationship between television violence and aggression related to characteristics of the viewers and to the portrayal of violence are identified. Viewer characteristics included: age, amount of television watched,…

  5. Whole-organ re-engineering: a regenerative medicine approach to digestive organ replacement.

    PubMed

    Yagi, Hiroshi; Soto-Gutierrez, Alejandro; Kitagawa, Yuko

    2013-06-01

    Recovery from end-stage organ failure presents a challenge for the medical community, considering the limitations of extracorporeal assist devices and the shortage of donors when organ replacement is needed. There is a need for new methods to promote recovery from organ failure and regenerative medicine is an option that should be considered. Recent progress in the field of tissue engineering has opened avenues for potential clinical applications, including the use of microfluidic devices for diagnostic purposes, and bioreactors or cell/tissue-based therapies for transplantation. Early attempts to engineer tissues produced thin, planar constructs; however, recent approaches using synthetic scaffolds and decellularized tissue have achieved a more complex level of tissue organization in organs such as the urinary bladder and trachea, with some success in clinical trials. In this context, the concept of decellularization technology has been applied to produce whole organ-derived scaffolds by removing cellular content while retaining all the necessary vascular and structural cues of the native organ. In this review, we focus on organ decellularization as a new regenerative medicine approach for whole organs, which may be applied in the field of digestive surgery.

  6. Genetically Engineered Yeast Expressing a Lytic Peptide from Bee Venom (Melittin) Kills Symbiotic Protozoa in the Gut of Formosan Subterranean Termites.

    PubMed

    Husseneder, Claudia; Donaldson, Jennifer R; Foil, Lane D

    2016-01-01

    The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, is a costly invasive urban pest in warm and humid regions around the world. Feeding workers of the Formosan subterranean termite genetically engineered yeast strains that express synthetic protozoacidal lytic peptides has been shown to kill the cellulose digesting termite gut protozoa, which results in death of the termite colony. In this study, we tested if Melittin, a natural lytic peptide from bee venom, could be delivered into the termite gut via genetically engineered yeast and if the expressed Melittin killed termites via lysis of symbiotic protozoa in the gut of termite workers and/or destruction of the gut tissue itself. Melittin expressing yeast did kill protozoa in the termite gut within 56 days of exposure. The expressed Melittin weakened the gut but did not add a synergistic effect to the protozoacidal action by gut necrosis. While Melittin could be applied for termite control via killing the cellulose-digesting protozoa in the termite gut, it is unlikely to be useful as a standalone product to control insects that do not rely on symbiotic protozoa for survival.

  7. 78 FR 52937 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-27

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Time-Sensitive Obesity Research. Date...-2542, (301) 594-8898, [email protected] . Name of Committee: National Institute of Diabetes...

  8. 75 FR 80062 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-21

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, Novel Therapies for NIDDM P01... Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel, Ancillary Studies to major ongoing Clinical Research Studies in...

  9. 76 FR 8752 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-15

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Patient Safety Ancillary..., Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes of Health, HHS) Dated: February 9...

  10. 78 FR 22273 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-15

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Acute Kidney Injury. Date: June 6, 2013..., Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology Research, National Institutes of Health, HHS) Dated: April 9...

  11. Children and Grief. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McEntire, Nancy

    Noting that the death of a loved one brings grief to children as well as adults, this Digest draws on research to examine how children respond to death and the role of parents and teachers in helping children cope with loss. The Digest delineates children's "tasks" during mourning that are essential to their adjustment to loss, such as…

  12. Unexpected high digestion rate of cooked starch by the Ct-Maltase-Glucoamylase small intestine mucosal alpha-glucosidase subunit

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    For starch digestion to glucose, two luminal alpha-amylases and four gut mucosal alpha-glucosidase subunits are employed. The aim of this research was to investigate, for the first time, direct digestion capability of individual mucosal alpha-glucosidases on cooked (gelatinized) starch. Gelatinized ...

  13. Production of biogas from solid organic wastes through anaerobic digestion: a review.

    PubMed

    Muhammad Nasir, Ismail; Mohd Ghazi, Tinia I; Omar, Rozita

    2012-07-01

    Anaerobic digestion treatments have often been used for biological stabilization of solid wastes. These treatment processes generate biogas which can be used as a renewable energy sources. Recently, anaerobic digestion of solid wastes has attracted more interest because of current environmental problems, most especially those concerned with global warming. Thus, laboratory-scale research on this area has increased significantly. In this review paper, the summary of the most recent research activities covering production of biogas from solid wastes according to its origin via various anaerobic technologies was presented.

  14. Continuously-stirred anaerobic digester to convert organic wastes into biogas: system setup and basic operation.

    PubMed

    Usack, Joseph G; Spirito, Catherine M; Angenent, Largus T

    2012-07-13

    Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a bioprocess that is commonly used to convert complex organic wastes into a useful biogas with methane as the energy carrier. Increasingly, AD is being used in industrial, agricultural, and municipal waste(water) treatment applications. The use of AD technology allows plant operators to reduce waste disposal costs and offset energy utility expenses. In addition to treating organic wastes, energy crops are being converted into the energy carrier methane. As the application of AD technology broadens for the treatment of new substrates and co-substrate mixtures, so does the demand for a reliable testing methodology at the pilot- and laboratory-scale. Anaerobic digestion systems have a variety of configurations, including the continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR), plug flow (PF), and anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) configurations. The CSTR is frequently used in research due to its simplicity in design and operation, but also for its advantages in experimentation. Compared to other configurations, the CSTR provides greater uniformity of system parameters, such as temperature, mixing, chemical concentration, and substrate concentration. Ultimately, when designing a full-scale reactor, the optimum reactor configuration will depend on the character of a given substrate among many other nontechnical considerations. However, all configurations share fundamental design features and operating parameters that render the CSTR appropriate for most preliminary assessments. If researchers and engineers use an influent stream with relatively high concentrations of solids, then lab-scale bioreactor configurations cannot be fed continuously due to plugging problems of lab-scale pumps with solids or settling of solids in tubing. For that scenario with continuous mixing requirements, lab-scale bioreactors are fed periodically and we refer to such configurations as continuously stirred anaerobic digesters (CSADs). This article presents a general methodology for constructing, inoculating, operating, and monitoring a CSAD system for the purpose of testing the suitability of a given organic substrate for long-term anaerobic digestion. The construction section of this article will cover building the lab-scale reactor system. The inoculation section will explain how to create an anaerobic environment suitable for seeding with an active methanogenic inoculum. The operating section will cover operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting. The monitoring section will introduce testing protocols using standard analyses. The use of these measures is necessary for reliable experimental assessments of substrate suitability for AD. This protocol should provide greater protection against a common mistake made in AD studies, which is to conclude that reactor failure was caused by the substrate in use, when really it was improper user operation.

  15. 76 FR 3149 - Notice of Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-19

    ... of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Initial Review Group. Diabetes, Endocrinology and... Assistance Program Nos. 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases...

  16. Biogas from mesophilic anaerobic digestion of cow dung using gelatin as additive

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salam, Bodius; Rahman, Md Mizanur; Sikder, Md Asif R.; Islam, Majedul

    2017-06-01

    A research work was conducted to investigate the enhanced production ability of biogas from mesophilic anaerobic digestions of cow dung (CD) using gelatin as additive. Five laboratory scale digesters were constructed to digest cow dung, where one set up was used for digestion of cow dung without additive and the other set up were used for digestion with additive. Gelatin additive was added in the slurry of amount 0.29, 0,57, 0.85 and 1.14% (wt.). The digesters were made of glass conical flask of 1-liter capacity each. Cow dung was used 335 gm and water was used 365 gm in each experiment. In the slurry, total solid content was maintained 8% (wt.) for all the observations. The digesters were fed on batch basis. The digesters were operated at ambient temperatures of 26 - 35°C. The total gas yield was obtained about 14.4 L/kg CD for digestion without additive and about 65% more biogas for digestion with 0.29% gelatin additive. The retention time for digestion without additive was 38 days and with additive retention time varied between 24 and 52 days.

  17. Integrated bioenergy conversion concepts for small scale gasification power systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aldas, Rizaldo Elauria

    Thermal and biological gasification are promising technologies for addressing the emerging concerns in biomass-based renewable energy, environmental protection and waste management. However, technical barriers such as feedstock quality limitations, tars, and high NOx emissions from biogas fueled engines impact their full utilization and make them suffer at the small scale from the need to purify the raw gas for most downstream processes, including power generation other than direct boiler use. The two separate gasification technologies may be integrated to better address the issues of power generation and waste management and to complement some of each technologies' limitations. This research project investigated the technical feasibility of an integrated thermal and biological gasification concept for parameters critical to appropriately matching an anaerobic digester with a biomass gasifier. Specific studies investigated the thermal gasification characteristics of selected feedstocks in four fixed-bed gasification experiments: (1) updraft gasification of rice hull, (2) indirect-heated gasification of rice hull, (3) updraft gasification of Athel wood, and (4) downdraft gasification of Athel and Eucalyptus woods. The effects of tars and other components of producer gas on anaerobic digestion at mesophilic temperature of 36°C and the biodegradation potentials and soil carbon mineralization of gasification tars during short-term aerobic incubation at 27.5°C were also examined. Experiments brought out the ranges in performance and quality and quantity of gasification products under different operating conditions and showed that within the conditions considered in the study, these gasification products did not adversely impact the overall digester performance. Short-term aerobic incubation demonstrated variable impacts on carbon mineralization depending on tar and soil conditions. Although tars exhibited low biodegradation indices, degradation may be improved if the microorganisms used to deal with tars are selected and pre-conditioned to the tar environment. Overall, the results provided a basis for operational and design strategy for a combined gasification system but further study is recommended such as determination of the impacts in terms of emissions, power, efficiency and costs associated with the use of producer gas-enriched biogas taking advantage of hydrogen enrichment to reduce NOx and other pollutants in reciprocating engines and other energy conversion systems.

  18. Real-time measurements to characterize dynamics of emulsion interface during simulated intestinal digestion.

    PubMed

    Pan, Yuanjie; Nitin, N

    2016-05-01

    Efficient delivery of bioactives remains a critical challenge due to their limited bioavailability and solubility. While many encapsulation systems are designed to modulate the digestion and release of bioactives within the human gastrointestinal tract, there is limited understanding of how engineered structures influence the delivery of bioactives. The objective of this study was to develop a real-time quantitative method to measure structural changes in emulsion interface during simulated intestinal digestion and to correlate these changes with the release of free fatty acids (FFAs). Fluorescence resonant energy transfer (FRET) was used for rapid in-situ measurement of the structural changes in emulsion interface during simulated intestinal digestion. By using FRET, changes in the intermolecular spacing between the two different fluorescent probes labeled emulsifier were characterized. Changes in FRET measurements were compared with the release of FFAs. The results showed that bile salts and pancreatic lipase interacted immediately with the emulsion droplets and disrupted the emulsion interface as evidenced by reduction in FRET efficacy compared to the control. Similarly, a significant amount of FFAs was released during digestion. Moreover, addition of a second layer of polymers at emulsion interface decreased the extent of interface disruption by bile salts and pancreatic lipase and impacted the amount or rate of FFA release during digestion. These results were consistent with the lower donor/acceptor ratio of the labeled probes from the FRET result. Overall, this study provides a novel approach to analyze the dynamics of emulsion interface during digestion and their relationship with the release of FFAs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. - Invited Review - Calcium Digestibility and Metabolism in Pigs*

    PubMed Central

    González-Vega, J. C.; Stein, H. H.

    2014-01-01

    Calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) are minerals that have important physiological functions in the body. For formulation of diets for pigs, it is necessary to consider an appropriate Ca:P ratio for an adequate absorption and utilization of both minerals. Although both minerals are important, much more research has been conducted on P digestibility than on Ca digestibility. Therefore, this review focuses on aspects that are important for the digestibility of Ca. Only values for apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of Ca have been reported in pigs, whereas values for both ATTD and standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) of P in feed ingredients have been reported. To be able to determine STTD values for Ca it is necessary to determine basal endogenous losses of Ca. Although most Ca is absorbed in the small intestine, there are indications that Ca may also be absorbed in the colon under some circumstances, but more research to verify the extent of Ca absorption in different parts of the intestinal tract is needed. Most P in plant ingredients is usually bound to phytate. Therefore, plant ingredients have low digestibility of P due to a lack of phytase secretion by pigs. During the last 2 decades, inclusion of microbial phytase in swine diets has improved P digestibility. However, it has been reported that a high inclusion of Ca reduces the efficacy of microbial phytase. It is possible that formation of insoluble calcium-phytate complexes, or Ca-P complexes, not only may affect the efficacy of phytase, but also the digestibility of P and Ca. Therefore, Ca, P, phytate, and phytase interactions are aspects that need to be considered in Ca digestibility studies. PMID:25049919

  20. 77 FR 20646 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-05

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Translational Research in Diabetes and Obesity. Date: May 17, 2012. Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Agenda: To review and evaluate grant applications...

  1. Designing Structured Interviews for Educational Research. ERIC/AE Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation, Washington, DC.

    This digest reviews the basic building blocks of a structured interview, points out some of the pitfalls in interviewing, and suggests ways for researchers to avoid these difficulties to produce questions that have the best possibility of generating reliable and accurate data on the topics of interest. The data collection instrument is a document…

  2. Anaerobic digestion foaming causes--a review.

    PubMed

    Ganidi, Nafsika; Tyrrel, Sean; Cartmell, Elise

    2009-12-01

    Anaerobic digestion foaming has been encountered in several sewage treatment plants in the UK. Foaming has raised major concerns for the water companies due to significant impacts on process efficiency and operational costs. Several foaming causes have been identified over the past few years by researchers. However, the supporting experimental information is limited and in some cases absent. The present report aims to provide a detailed review of the current anaerobic digestion foaming problem and to identify gaps in knowledge regarding the theory of foam formation in anaerobic digesters.

  3. Psychrophilic anaerobic digestion of guinea pig manure in low-cost tubular digesters at high altitude.

    PubMed

    Garfí, Marianna; Ferrer-Martí, Laia; Villegas, Vidal; Ferrer, Ivet

    2011-05-01

    Guinea pig is one of the most common livestock in rural communities of the Andes. The aim of this research was to study the anaerobic digestion of guinea pig manure in low-cost unheated tubular digesters at high altitude. To this end, the performance of two pilot digesters was monitored during 7 months; and two greenhouse designs were compared. In the dome roof digester the temperature and biogas production were significantly higher than in the shed roof digester. However, the biogas production rate was low (0.04 m(biogas)(3)m(digester)(-3) d(-1)), which is attributed to the low organic loading rate (0.6 kg(VS)m(digester)(-3)d(-1)) and temperature (23°C) of the system, among other factors. In a preliminary fertilization study, the potato yield per hectare was increased by 100% using the effluent as biofertilizer. Improving manure management techniques, increasing the organic loading rate and co digesting other substrates may be considered to enhance the process. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Cancer stem cells of the digestive system.

    PubMed

    Colvin, Hugh S; Nishida, Naohiro; Koseki, Jun; Konno, Masamitsu; Kawamoto, Koichi; Tsunekuni, Kenta; Doki, Yuichiro; Mori, Masaki; Ishii, Hideshi

    2014-12-01

    Stem cells of the digestive system are ideal in many ways for research, given they are abundant, highly proliferative and have a uniform structural arrangement. This in turn has enormously aided the research of cancer stem cells of the digestive system, which is now shaping our understanding of cancer stem cells. In this review, the recent advances in the understanding of cancer stem cells of the digestive system have been summarized, including aspects such as their identification, origin, cell-cycle dormancy, relationship with epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cellular metabolism and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Newly acquired knowledge concerning cancer stem cells have led to the development of novel cancer therapeutics with provisional yet encouraging results. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. Anaerobic digestion of food waste: A review focusing on process stability.

    PubMed

    Li, Lei; Peng, Xuya; Wang, Xiaoming; Wu, Di

    2018-01-01

    Food waste (FW) is rich in biomass energy, and increasing numbers of national programs are being established to recover energy from FW using anaerobic digestion (AD). However process instability is a common operational issue for AD of FW. Process monitoring and control as well as microbial management can be used to control instability and increase the energy conversion efficiency of anaerobic digesters. Here, we review research progress related to these methods and identify existing limitations to efficient AD; recommendations for future research are also discussed. Process monitoring and control are suitable for evaluating the current operational status of digesters, whereas microbial management can facilitate early diagnosis and process optimization. Optimizing and combining these two methods are necessary to improve AD efficiency. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Analysis on carbon dioxide emission reduction during the anaerobic synergetic digestion technology of sludge and kitchen waste: Taking kitchen waste synergetic digestion project in Zhenjiang as an example.

    PubMed

    Guo, Qia; Dai, Xiaohu

    2017-11-01

    With the popularization of municipal sewage treatment facilities, the improvement of sewage treatment efficiency and the deepening degree of sewage treatment, the sludge production of sewage plant has been sharply increased. Carbon emission during the process of municipal sewage treatment and disposal has become one of the important sources of greenhouse gases that cause greenhouse effect. How to reduce carbon dioxide emissions during sewage treatment and disposal process is of great significance for reducing air pollution. Kitchen waste and excess sludge, as two important organic wastes, once uses anaerobic synergetic digestion technology in the treatment process can on the one hand, avoid instability of sludge individual anaerobic digestion, improve sludge degradation rate and marsh gas production rate, and on the other hand, help increase the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions to a great extent. The paper uses material balance method, analyzes and calculates the carbon dioxide emissions from kitchen waste and sludge disposed by the anaerobic synergetic digestion technology, compares the anaerobic synergetic digestion technology with traditional sludge sanitary landfill technology and works out the carbon dioxide emission reductions after synergetic digestion. It takes the kitchen waste and sludge synergetic digestion engineering project of Zhenjiang city in Jiangsu province as an example, makes material balance analysis using concrete data and works out the carbon dioxide daily emission reductions. The paper analyzes the actual situation of emission reduction by comparing the data, and found that the synergetic digestion of kitchen waste and sludge can effectively reduce the carbon dioxide emission, and the reduction is obvious especially compared with that of sludge sanitary landfill, which has a certain effect on whether to promote the use of the technology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Digested disorder: Quarterly intrinsic disorder digest (April-May-June, 2013).

    PubMed

    DeForte, Shelly; Reddy, Krishna D; Uversky, Vladimir N

    2013-01-01

    The current literature on intrinsically disordered proteins is overwhelming. To keep interested readers up to speed with this literature, we continue a "Digested Disorder" project and represent a series of reader's digest type articles objectively representing the research papers and reviews on intrinsically disordered proteins. The only 2 criteria for inclusion in this digest are the publication date (a paper should be published within the covered time frame) and topic (a paper should be dedicated to any aspect of protein intrinsic disorder). The current digest issue covers papers published during the period of April, May, and June of 2013. The papers are grouped hierarchically by topics they cover, and for each of the included paper a short description is given on its major findings.

  8. Enhancing digestibility and ethanol yield of Populus wood via expression of an engineered monolignol 4-O-methyltransferase

    PubMed Central

    Cai, Yuanheng; Zhang, Kewei; Kim, Hoon; Hou, Guichuan; Zhang, Xuebin; Yang, Huijun; Feng, Huan; Miller, Lisa; Ralph, John; Liu, Chang-Jun

    2016-01-01

    Producing cellulosic biofuels and bio-based chemicals from woody biomass is impeded by the presence of lignin polymer in the plant cell wall. Manipulating the monolignol biosynthetic pathway offers a promising approach to improved processability, but often impairs plant growth and development. Here, we show that expressing an engineered 4-O-methyltransferase that chemically modifies the phenolic moiety of lignin monomeric precursors, thus preventing their incorporation into the lignin polymer, substantially alters hybrid aspens' lignin content and structure. Woody biomass derived from the transgenic aspens shows a 62% increase in the release of simple sugars and up to a 49% increase in the yield of ethanol when the woody biomass is subjected to enzymatic digestion and yeast-mediated fermentation. Moreover, the cell wall structural changes do not affect growth and biomass production of the trees. Our study provides a useful strategy for tailoring woody biomass for bio-based applications. PMID:27349324

  9. Enhancing digestibility and ethanol yield of Populus wood via expression of an engineered monolignol 4-O-methyltransferase

    DOE PAGES

    Cai, Yuanheng; Zhang, Kewei; Kim, Hoon; ...

    2016-06-28

    Producing cellulosic biofuels and bio-based chemicals from woody biomass is impeded by the presence of lignin polymer in the plant cell wall. Manipulating the monolignol biosynthetic pathway offers a promising approach to improved processability, but often impairs plant growth and development. Here, we show that expressing an engineered 4-O-methyltransferase that chemically modifies the phenolic moiety of lignin monomeric precursors, thus preventing their incorporation into the lignin polymer, substantially alters hybrid aspens’ lignin content and structure. Woody biomass derived from the transgenic aspens shows a 62% increase in the release of simple sugars and up to a 49% increase in themore » yield of ethanol when the woody biomass is subjected to enzymatic digestion and yeast-mediated fermentation. Furthermore, the cell wall structural changes do not affect growth and biomass production of the trees. Our study provides a useful strategy for tailoring woody biomass for bio-based applications.« less

  10. High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) applied to hepato-bilio-pancreatic and the digestive system-current state of the art and future perspectives.

    PubMed

    Diana, Michele; Schiraldi, Luigi; Liu, Yu-Yin; Memeo, Riccardo; Mutter, Didier; Pessaux, Patrick; Marescaux, Jacques

    2016-08-01

    High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is emerging as a valid minimally-invasive image-guided treatment of malignancies. We aimed to review to current state of the art of HIFU therapy applied to the digestive system and discuss some promising avenues of the technology. Pertinent studies were identified through PubMed and Embase search engines using the following keywords, combined in different ways: HIFU, esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, colon, rectum, and cancer. Experimental proof of the concept of endoluminal HIFU mucosa/submucosa ablation using a custom-made transducer has been obtained in vivo in the porcine model. Forty-four studies reported on the clinical use of HIFU to treat liver lesions, while 19 series were found on HIFU treatment of pancreatic cancers and four studies included patients suffering from both liver and pancreatic cancers, reporting on a total of 1,682 and 823 cases for liver and pancreas, respectively. Only very limited comparative prospective studies have been reported. Digestive system clinical applications of HIFU are limited to pancreatic and liver cancer. It is safe and well tolerated. The exact place in the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) management algorithm remains to be defined. HIFU seems to add clear survival advantages over trans arterial chemo embolization (TACE) alone and similar results when compared to radio frequency (RF). For pancreatic cancer, HIFU achieves consistent cancer-related pain relief. Further research is warranted to improve targeting accuracy and efficacy monitoring. Furthermore, additional work is required to transfer this technology on appealing treatments such as endoscopic HIFU-based therapies.

  11. Hardwiring microbes via direct interspecies electron transfer: mechanisms and applications.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Qiwen; Call, Douglas F

    2016-08-10

    Multicellular microbial communities are important catalysts in engineered systems designed to treat wastewater, remediate contaminated sediments, and produce energy from biomass. Understanding the interspecies interactions within them is therefore essential to design effective processes. The flow of electrons within these communities is especially important in the determination of reaction possibilities (thermodynamics) and rates (kinetics). Conventional models of electron transfer incorporate the diffusion of metabolites generated by one organism and consumed by a second, frequently referred to as mediated interspecies electron transfer (MIET). Evidence has emerged in the last decade that another method, called direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET), may occur between organisms or in conjunction with electrically conductive materials. Recent research has suggested that DIET can be stimulated in engineered systems to improve desired treatment goals and energy recovery in systems such as anaerobic digesters and microbial electrochemical technologies. In this review, we summarize the latest understanding of DIET mechanisms, the associated microorganisms, and the underlying thermodynamics. We also critically examine approaches to stimulate DIET in engineered systems and assess their effectiveness. We find that in most cases attempts to promote DIET in mixed culture systems do not yield the improvements expected based on defined culture studies. Uncertainties of other processes that may be co-occurring in real systems, such as contaminant sorption and biofilm promotion, need to be further investigated. We conclude by identifying areas of future research related to DIET and its application in biological treatment processes.

  12. The Role of the Pituitary-Adrenocortical Axis System in the Regulation of Secretion of Digestive Glands of Wrestlers during Sports and Postsports Ontogenesis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Panov, Sergei F.; Panova, Irina P.; Volunskaya, Elena V.; Chebotarev, Andrei V.

    2016-01-01

    According to many researchers its necessary to research a hormonal profile in order to determine mechanisms of regulation of functions of the digestive conveyor during sports activities. In the paper the results of the carried out research on studying of a role of pituitary-adrenocortical axis system of adaptive reactions in activities of the…

  13. Fate and degradation kinetics of nonylphenol compounds in aerobic batch digesters.

    PubMed

    Ömeroğlu, Seçil; Sanin, F Dilek

    2014-11-01

    Nonylphenol (NP) compounds are toxic and persistent chemicals that are not fully degraded either in natural or engineered systems. Current knowledge indicates that these compounds concentrate in sewage sludge. Therefore, investigating the degradation patterns and types of metabolites formed during sludge treatment are important for land application of sewage sludge. Unfortunately, the information on the fate of nonylphenol compounds in sludge treatment is very limited. This study aims to investigate the biodegradation patterns of nonylphenol diethoxylate (NP2EO) in aerobic batch digesters. For this purpose, two NP2EO spiked and two control laboratory aerobic batch digesters were operated. The spiked digester contained 3 mg/L NP2EO in the whole reactor content. The compounds of interest (parent compound and expected metabolites) were extracted with sonication and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as a function of time. Results showed that, following the day of spike, NP2EO degraded rapidly. The metabolites observed were nonylphenol monoethoxylate (NP1EO), NP and dominantly, nonylphenoxy acetic acid (NP1EC). The mass balance over the reactors indicated that the total mass spiked was highly accounted for by the products analyzed. The time dependent analysis indicated that the parent compound degradation and daughter product formation followed first order kinetics. The digester performance parameters analyzed (VS and COD reduction) indicated that the spike of NP2EO did not affect the digester performance. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  14. The digestive system of the stony coral Stylophora pistillata.

    PubMed

    Raz-Bahat, M; Douek, J; Moiseeva, E; Peters, E C; Rinkevich, B

    2017-05-01

    Because hermatypic species use symbiotic algal photosynthesis, most of the literature in this field focuses on this autotrophic mode and very little research has studied the morphology of the coral's digestive system or the digestion process of particulate food. Using histology and histochemestry, our research reveals that Stylophora pistillata's digestive system is concentrated at the corals' peristome, actinopharynx and mesenterial filaments (MF). We used in-situ hybridization (ISH) of the RNA transcript of the gene that codes for the S. pistillata digestive enzyme, chymotrypsinogen, to shed light on the functionality of the digestive system. Both the histochemistry and the ISH pointed to the MF being specialized digestive organs, equipped with large numbers of acidophilic and basophilic granular gland cells, as well as acidophilic non-granular gland cells, some of which produce chymotrypsinogen. We identified two types of MF: short, trilobed MF and unilobed, long and convoluted MF. Each S. pistillata polyp harbors two long convoluted MF and 10 short MF. While the short MF have neither secreting nor stinging cells, each of the convoluted MF display gradual cytological changes along their longitudinal axis, alternating between stinging and secreting cells and three distinctive types of secretory cells. These observations indicate the important digestive role of the long convoluted MF. They also indicate the existence of novel feeding compartments in the gastric cavity of the polyp, primarily in the nutritionally active peristome, in the actinopharynx and in three regions of the MF that differ from each other in their cellular components, general morphology and chymotrypsinogen excretion.

  15. 78 FR 60293 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-10-01

    ... Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; Time-Sensitive Obesity Research. Date: October 28, 2013. Time: 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Agenda: To review and evaluate grant... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the...

  16. 77 FR 66076 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-01

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; PAR-11-350 Research Using Biosamples from Selected Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Studies (DP3). Date: December 4, 2012. Time: 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the...

  17. High-throughput microplate technique for enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass.

    PubMed

    Chundawat, Shishir P S; Balan, Venkatesh; Dale, Bruce E

    2008-04-15

    Several factors will influence the viability of a biochemical platform for manufacturing lignocellulosic based fuels and chemicals, for example, genetically engineering energy crops, reducing pre-treatment severity, and minimizing enzyme loading. Past research on biomass conversion has focused largely on acid based pre-treatment technologies that fractionate lignin and hemicellulose from cellulose. However, for alkaline based (e.g., AFEX) and other lower severity pre-treatments it becomes critical to co-hydrolyze cellulose and hemicellulose using an optimized enzyme cocktail. Lignocellulosics are appropriate substrates to assess hydrolytic activity of enzyme mixtures compared to conventional unrealistic substrates (e.g., filter paper, chromogenic, and fluorigenic compounds) for studying synergistic hydrolysis. However, there are few, if any, high-throughput lignocellulosic digestibility analytical platforms for optimizing biomass conversion. The 96-well Biomass Conversion Research Lab (BCRL) microplate method is a high-throughput assay to study digestibility of lignocellulosic biomass as a function of biomass composition, pre-treatment severity, and enzyme composition. The most suitable method for delivering milled biomass to the microplate was through multi-pipetting slurry suspensions. A rapid bio-enzymatic, spectrophotometric assay was used to determine fermentable sugars. The entire procedure was automated using a robotic pipetting workstation. Several parameters that affect hydrolysis in the microplate were studied and optimized (i.e., particle size reduction, slurry solids concentration, glucan loading, mass transfer issues, and time period for hydrolysis). The microplate method was optimized for crystalline cellulose (Avicel) and ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) pre-treated corn stover. Copyright 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Student Science Teachers' Ideas of the Digestive System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cardak, Osman

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this research is to reveal the levels of understanding of student science teachers regarding the digestive system. In this research, 116 student science teachers were tested by applying the drawing method. Upon the analysis of the drawings they made, it was found that some of them had misconceptions such as "the organs of the…

  19. Social and Emotional Distress among American Indian and Alaska Native Students: Research Findings. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clarke, Ardy SixKiller

    Many American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth are repeatedly exposed to opportunities to participate in self-destructive and illegal behaviors. This digest examines risk factors associated with four contexts: peers, family, school, and community. Recent research has shown that, relative to national averages, AI/AN youth have higher rates of…

  20. Participacion de los padres en las escuelas (Father Involvement in Schools). ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nord, Christine Winquist

    Until recently, fathers were the hidden parents in research on children's well-being. Research stimulated by the new interest in fathers suggests that fathers' involvement in their children's schools does make a difference in their children's education. Using data from the 1996 National Household Education Survey (NHES:96), this Digest looks at…

  1. Motivacion y estudiantes de secundaria (Motivation and Middle School Students). ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderman, Lynley Hicks; Midgley, Carol

    Research has shown a decline in motivation and performance for many children as they move from elementary school into middle school; however, research has also shown that the nature of motivational change on entry to middle school depends on characteristics of the learning environment in which students find themselves. This Digest outlines some…

  2. Development and Translation of a Tissue- Engineered Disc in a Preclinical Rodent Model

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-10-01

    samples were stored frozen, lyophilized, papain digested and assayed for collagen, GAG, and DNA content. Likewise, media in both shaken and static...construct dynamic and equilibrium properties. Total dsDNA, sulfated glycosaminoglycan (s-GAG), and collagen content was determined after papain

  3. Engineering yeast for the expression and secretion of cellulase cocktails

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Enzyme systems that digest the cellulose in plant cell walls have potential value in the biorefining of renewable feedstocks such as crop residues, straws, and grasses to biofuels and other bioproducts. The bacterium Clostridium cellulovorans is a useful source of biomass-degrading enzymes because ...

  4. Development of an advanced anaerobic digester design and a kinetic model for biogasification of water hyacinth/sludge blends

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Srivastava, V.; Fannin, K.F.; Biljetina, R.

    1986-07-01

    The Institute of Gas Technology (IGT) conducted a comprehensive laboratory-scale research program to develop and optimize the anaerobic digestion process for producing methane from water hyacinth and sludge blends. This study focused on digester design and operating techniques, which gave improved methane yields and production rates over those observed using conventional digesters. The final digester concept and the operating experience was utilized to design and operate a large-scale experimentla test unit (ETU) at Walt Disney World, Florida. This paper describes the novel digester design, operating techniques, and the results obtained in the laboratory. The paper also discusses a kinetic modelmore » which predicts methane yield, methane production rate, and digester effluent solids as a function of retention time. This model was successfully utilized to predict the performance of the ETU. 15 refs., 6 figs., 6 tabs.« less

  5. Foaming phenomenon in bench-scale anaerobic digesters.

    PubMed

    Siebels, Amanda M; Long, Sharon C

    2013-04-01

    The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District (The District) in Madison, Wisconsin has been experiencing seasonal foaming in their anaerobic biosolids digesters, which has occurred from mid-November to late June for the past few years. The exact cause(s) of foaming is unknown. Previous research findings are unclear as to whether applications of advanced anaerobic digestion processes reduce the foaming potential of digesters. The object of this study was to investigate how configurations of thermophilic and acid phase-thermophilic anaerobic digestion would affect foaming at the bench-scale level compared to single stage mesophilic digestion for The District. Bench-scale anaerobic digesters were fed with a 4 to 4.5% by dry weight of solids content blend of waste activated sludge (WAS) and primary sludge from The District. Foaming potential was monitored using Alka-Seltzer and aeration foaming tests. The bench-scale acid phase-thermophilic digester had a higher foaming potential than the bench-scale mesophilic digester. These results indicate that higher temperatures increase the foaming potential of the bench-scale anaerobic digesters. The bench-scale acid phase-thermophilic digesters had a greater percent (approximately 5 to 10%) volatile solids destruction and a greater percent (approximately 5 to 10%) total solids destruction when compared to the bench-scale mesophilic digester. Overall, for the full-scale foaming experienced by The District, it appears that adding an acid phase or switching to thermophilic digestion would not alleviate The District's foaming issues.

  6. The movement of proteins across the insect and tick digestive system.

    PubMed

    Jeffers, Laura A; Michael Roe, R

    2008-02-01

    The movement of intact proteins across the digestive system was shown in a number of different blood-feeding and non-blood-feeding insects in the orders Blattaria, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Neuroptera and Siphonaptera, as well as in two tick families Ixodidae and Argasidae. Protein movement was observed for both normal dietary and xenobiotic proteins, which suggest that the mechanism for transfer is not substrate specific. The number of studies on the mechanism of movement is limited. The research so far suggests that movement can occur by either a transcellular or an intercellular pathway in the ventriculus with most of the research describing the former. Transfer is by continuous diffusion with no evidence of pinocytosis or vesicular transport common in mammalian systems. Proteins can move across the digestive system without modification of their primary or multimeric structure and with retention of their functional characteristics. Accumulation in the hemolymph is the result of the protein degradation rate in the gut and hemolymph and transfer rate across the digestive system and can be highly variable depending on species. Research on the development of delivery systems to enhance protein movement across the insect digestive system is in its infancy. The approaches so far considered with some success include the use of lipophilic-polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymers, the development of fusion proteins with lectins, reduced gut protease activity and the development of amphiphilic peptidic analogs. Additional research on understanding the basic mechanisms of protein delivery across the insect digestive system, the importance of structure activity in this transfer and the development of technology to improve movement across the gut could be highly significant to the future of protein and nucleic acid-based insecticide development as well as traditional chemical insecticidal technologies.

  7. El recreo en la escuela primaria: Que indica la investigacion? (Recess in Elementary School: What Does the Research Say?) ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jarrett, Olga S.

    Compared to the rest of the school day, recess is a time when children have more freedom to choose what they want to do and with whom. In light of the current climate of school accountability, this Spanish-language Digest discusses research on recess and its relationship to learning, social development, and child health, as well as research on…

  8. Fate of Trace Metals in Anaerobic Digestion.

    PubMed

    Fermoso, F G; van Hullebusch, E D; Guibaud, G; Collins, G; Svensson, B H; Carliell-Marquet, C; Vink, J P M; Esposito, G; Frunzo, L

    2015-01-01

    A challenging, and largely uncharted, area of research in the field of anaerobic digestion science and technology is in understanding the roles of trace metals in enabling biogas production. This is a major knowledge gap and a multifaceted problem involving metal chemistry; physical interactions of metal and solids; microbiology; and technology optimization. Moreover, the fate of trace metals, and the chemical speciation and transport of trace metals in environments--often agricultural lands receiving discharge waters from anaerobic digestion processes--simultaneously represents challenges for environmental protection and opportunities to close process loops in anaerobic digestion.

  9. Dietary fiber and digestive health in children.

    PubMed

    Korczak, Renee; Kamil, Alison; Fleige, Lisa; Donovan, Sharon M; Slavin, Joanne L

    2017-04-01

    Digestive health is an expanding area in nutrition research due to the interest in how food components such as fiber affect gastrointestinal tolerance, stool form, defecation frequency, transit time, and gut microbial composition and metabolic activity. In children, however, digestive health studies that intervene with dietary fiber are limited due to legal and ethical concerns. To better understand if fiber improves digestive health in children, a literature review was conducted to answer the following research question: What are the effect(s) of fiber-containing foods and/or supplements on digestive health outcomes in children? A search of the PubMed database identified a total of 12 studies that fit the inclusion criteria established for this review. Most of the evidence in children shows beneficial effects of partially hydrolyzed guar gum, glucomannan, and bran on digestive health outcomes; however, the existing evidence is not conclusive. Furthermore, limited data exists on the effect of whole-grain sources of dietary fiber, such as oats. Additional well-designed intervention trials are needed to determine whether outcomes of digestive health such as stool form, gastrointestinal tolerance, and stool frequency are improved by increasing the fiber content of children's diets with whole-grain sources. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  10. LESSONS IN DE NOVO PEPTIDE SEQUENCING BY TANDEM MASS SPECTROMETRY

    PubMed Central

    Medzihradszky, Katalin F.; Chalkley, Robert J.

    2015-01-01

    Mass spectrometry has become the method of choice for the qualitative and quantitative characterization of protein mixtures isolated from all kinds of living organisms. The raw data in these studies are MS/MS spectra, usually of peptides produced by proteolytic digestion of a protein. These spectra are “translated” into peptide sequences, normally with the help of various search engines. Data acquisition and interpretation have both been automated, and most researchers look only at the summary of the identifications without ever viewing the underlying raw data used for assignments. Automated analysis of data is essential due to the volume produced. However, being familiar with the finer intricacies of peptide fragmentation processes, and experiencing the difficulties of manual data interpretation allow a researcher to be able to more critically evaluate key results, particularly because there are many known rules of peptide fragmentation that are not incorporated into search engine scoring. Since the most commonly used MS/MS activation method is collision-induced dissociation (CID), in this article we present a brief review of the history of peptide CID analysis. Next, we provide a detailed tutorial on how to determine peptide sequences from CID data. Although the focus of the tutorial is de novo sequencing, the lessons learned and resources supplied are useful for data interpretation in general. PMID:25667941

  11. Cow, sheep and llama manure at psychrophilic anaerobic co-digestion with low cost tubular digesters in cold climate and high altitude.

    PubMed

    Martí-Herrero, J; Alvarez, R; Cespedes, R; Rojas, M R; Conde, V; Aliaga, L; Balboa, M; Danov, S

    2015-04-01

    The aim of this research is to evaluate the co-digestion of cow and llama manure combined with sheep manure, in psychrophilic conditions and real field low cost tubular digesters adapted to cold climate. Four digesters were monitored in cold climate conditions; one fed with cow manure, a second one with llama manure, the third one with co-digestion of cow-sheep manure and the fourth one was fed with llama-sheep manure. The slurry had a mean temperature of 16.6 °C, the organic load rate was 0.44 kgvs m(-3) d(-1) and the hydraulic retention time was 80 days. After one hundred days biogas production was stable, as was the methane content and the pH of the effluent. The co-digestion of cow-sheep manure results in a biogas production increase of 100% compared to the mono-digestion of cow manure, while co-digestion of llama-sheep manure results in a decrease of 50% in biogas production with respect to mono-digestion of llama manure. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Roadmap for Biomass Technologies in the United States

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2002-12-01

    landfill gases, anaerobic digestion of animal manure and food/feed/grain products and by-products, use of wastewater treatment digestion gas, sludge...include ethanol, biodiesel, and methanol. Biogas : A methane-bearing gas from the digestion of biomass. Biomass: Any organic matter that is available...Research pathways and milestones to improving the understanding of plant biochemis- try and enzyme production are provided in Exhibit 4. Objective Two

  13. Portuguese Primary School Children's Conceptions about Digestion: Identification of Learning Obstacles. Research Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carvalho, Graca; Silva, Rui; Lima, Nelson; Coquet, Eduarda; Clement, Pierre

    2004-01-01

    A cross-sectional study of Portuguese primary school pupils' conceptions on digestion and the digestive tract was carried out before and after teaching this topic. Pupils of the prior four school years (5/6 to 9/10 year old) drew what happens to a cookie inside their body. In some cases they also wrote a short text or were interviewed. To identify…

  14. 40 CFR 63.6090 - What parts of my plant does this subpart cover?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... stationary combustion turbine which burns landfill gas or digester gas equivalent to 10 percent or more of... turbine in the same category would require an initial notification. (5) Combustion turbine engine test... CATEGORIES National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Stationary Combustion Turbines What...

  15. Parent Choice: A Digest of the Research. [Parent Choice and the Public Schools: Volume 1].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zerchykov, Ross

    This guide, first in a series of four volumes, is designed to give information to parents and other decision makers on costs and benefits of different kinds of choices of schools that children might attend. Four sections present digests of information based on research and evaluation studies. Section 1 introduces the format and purpose of the…

  16. 76 FR 20359 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-12

    ... Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; PA10-067: Stem Cells and Diabetic Skin... Major Ongoing Clinical Research Studies in CKD (R01). Date: May 17, 2011. Time: 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m... . (Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Nos. 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research...

  17. 76 FR 76168 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-06

    ... Nutrition. Date: February 21, 2012. Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Agenda: To review and evaluate grant applications... Emphasis Panel, Translational Research. Date: January 26, 2012. Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. [[Page 76169... Nos. 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition...

  18. Solid State Technology Branch of NASA Lewis Research Center: Fifth Annual Digest

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1993-08-01

    The digest is a collection of papers written by the members of the Solid State Technology Branch of NASA Lewis Research Center from June 1992-June 1993. The papers cover a range of topics relating to superconductivity, monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC`s), coplanar waveguide, and material characterization. Individual papers are abstracted separately on the data base.

  19. Anaerobic co-digestion of dairy manure and potato waste

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yadanaparthi, Sai Krishna Reddy

    Dairy and potato are two important agricultural commodities in Idaho. Both the dairy and potato processing industries produce a huge amount of waste which could cause environmental pollution. To minimize the impact of potential pollution associated with dairy manure (DM) and potato waste (PW), anaerobic co-digestion has been considered as one of the best treatment process. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the anaerobic co-digestion of dairy manure and potato waste in terms of process stability, biogas generation, construction and operating costs, and potential revenue. For this purpose, I conducted 1) a literature review, 2) a lab study on anaerobic co-digestion of dairy manure and potato waste at three different temperature ranges (ambient (20-25°C), mesophilic (35-37°C) and thermophilic (55-57°C) with five mixing ratios (DM:PW-100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 60:40, 40:60), and 3) a financial analysis for anaerobic digesters based on assumed different capital costs and the results from the lab co-digestion study. The literature review indicates that several types of organic waste were co-digested with DM. Dairy manure is a suitable base matter for the co-digestion process in terms of digestion process stability and methane (CH4) production (Chapter 2). The lab tests showed that co-digestion of DM with PW was better than digestion of DM alone in terms of biogas and CH4 productions (Chapter 3). The financial analysis reveals DM and PW can be used as substrate for full size anaerobic digesters to generate positive cash flow within a ten year time period. Based on this research, the following conclusions and recommendations were made: ▸ The ratio of DM:PW-80:20 is recommended at thermophilic temperatures and the ratio of DM:PW-90:10 was recommended at mesophilic temperatures for optimum biogas and CH4 productions. ▸ In cases of anaerobic digesters operated with electricity generation equipment (generators), low cost plug flow digesters (capital cost of 600/cow) operating at thermophilic temperatures are recommended. • The ratio of DM:PW-90:10 or 80:20 is recommended while operating low cost plug flow digesters at thermophilic temperatures. ▸ In cases of anaerobic digesters operated without electricity generation equipment (generators), completely mixed or high or low cost plug flow digesters can be used. • The ratio of DM:PW-80:20 is recommended for completely mixed digesters operated at thermophilic temperatures; • The ratio of DM:PW-90:10 or 80:20 is recommended for high cost plug flow digesters (capital cost of 1,000/cow) operated at thermophilic temperatures; • All of the four co-digested mixing ratios (i.e. DM:PW-90:10 or 80:20 or 60:40 or 40:60) are good for low cost plug flow digesters (capital cost of $600/cow) operated at thermophilic temperatures. The ratio of DM:PW-90:10 is recommended for positive cash flow within the ten year period if the low cost plug flow digesters are operated at mesophilic temperatures.

  20. Cayuga County Regional Digester: Vision Becomes Reality. Final Report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kamyar V. Zadeh; Jim Young

    2013-03-12

    With an average herd size of 113 mature cows, Cayuga County is home to 280 dairy farms and 31,500 dairy milking cows producing approximately 855 million gallons of milk per year. The Cayuga Dairy industry is a major contributor to the countys economy, employing nearly 1200 people, while generating $140,000,000 of revenue from sale of milk alone. At the same time, the Cayuga County dairy industry also produces 5.7 million gallons of manure daily: (a) Nearly 34% of this manure is produced on smaller farms. (b) Digesters are expensive pieces of equipment and require attention and care. ( c) Themore » on-farm digester systems have fairly long payback (>10 years) even for larger CAFO farms (>1000 milking cows). In 2005, Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District (The District), a Public Agency under Cayuga County, decided to undertake a centralized community digester project. The primary goal of the project was to develop an economically sustainable model, under the auspices of The District to address manure management issues facing the smaller dairies, improve the water quality and improve the quality of life for Cayuga County residents. It is believed that the District has accomplished this goal by completing construction of Cayuga County Regional Digester on a parcel of land behind the Cayuga County Natural Resource Center located at 7413 County House Road in the Town of Sennett in Cayuga County, New York. The digester facility consists of the following major components. 1. Transfer Station: This an indoor truck bay, where 35,000 gallons of manure from three local farms, 8,500 gallons of liquid organic food-processor waste, and 1,200 gallons of brown grease are unloaded from tanker trucks and the digested slurry is loaded onto the tanker trucks for delivery back to the participating farms. 2. Anaerobic Digester: The project utilizes a hydraulic mix anaerobic digester, a unique design that has no internal moving parts for mixing. The digester, which operates at mesophilic temperatures, is designed to process the daily feedstock and produce 220,000 SCF2 of biogas per day. The digester also produces 44,000 gallons of digested slurry per day. 3. Biogas Conditioning System: The plant employs a biological biogas conditioning system to remove the H2S and moisture contents of the biogas and prepare it to be used by the plant generation system. 4. Combined Heat and Power System (CHP): This is a 633kW high efficiency biogas-fired GE-Jenbacher model JMS-312 GS-NL reciprocating engine cogeneration system. The heat recovery system incorporated into the package is designed to capture the waste heat from the engine exhaust, the jacket cooling water and the engine oil circuit. 5. Electrical Substation and Power Distribution Systems: An electrical distribution system has been constructed on-site that aggregates the electrical service of the different county buildings on the District campus into a county owned electric distribution system that is interconnected with the CHP and the local electric grid. The electrical system is designed, in accordance with the utility guidelines, to allow grid-parallel operation of CHP and provide for import and export of electric power. 6. Thermal Energy Distribution System: The heat recovery system has been integrated into a high temperature water distribution system that distributes the heat to the thermal circuits for the anaerobic digester facility. Additional piping has also been installed to transfer the remaining thermal energy to other county buildings on the campus. On a daily basis, the plant will co-process 35,000 gallons of manure from local dairy farms, 8,500 gallons of food-processor waste and 1,200 gallons of brown grease to produce 200,000 ft3/d of biogas and 44,000 gallons of pathogen-free nutrient-rich digested slurry for agricultural use by farms and in the local area.The biogas fueled CHP produces 5,157,000 kWh of electricity and 19,506 dekatherms of thermal energy per year. Electrical power generated by the cogeneration system powers all the buildings on the Cayuga County campus and any surplus power is exported to the grid under a power purchase agreement. Heat recovered from the cogeneration system will be used to maintain the temperature of the process equipment and the excess will be transported to the Cayuga County Public Safety Building to offset purchase of fossil fuel to fuel the boilers. The majority of plant operations are unmanned and automated. However, the plant will have a small staff of well-trained personnel to coordinate the feedstock deliveries and shipments, supervise the day-to-day operation, monitor the systems and perform maintenance, maintain a safe and reliable operation and to respond to emergencies.« less

  1. The effect of natural zeolite as microbial immobilization media in anaerobic digestion at various concentrations of palm oil mill effluent (POME)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ayu, Erika Dyah; Halim, Lenny; Mellyanawaty, Melly; Sudibyo, Hanifrahmawan; Budhijanto, Wiratni

    2017-05-01

    Anaerobic digestion is one of the solutions in POME treatment because it generates energy in the form of biogas. Nevertheless, high concentration of POME fed into the digester will cause high acidification level and eventually cause process failure. The failure can also be affected by high inhibitor concentration contained in POME, one of which is long chain fatty acid. The addition of immobilization media is commonly used to increase the bacteria resistance to inhibitor. Natural zeolite is considered as appropriate immobilization media for waste treatment purpose since it is cheap, has high mechanical strength, high immobilization capacity, and its ability as cation exchanger. The digested biodiesel waste was used as starter inoculum for its good capability in digesting oil-containing feed such as POME. This research was conducted to evaluate critical concentration of POME fed to digester where the natural zeolite could not reduce the inhibitory effect. The concentrations of POME evaluated were 10,000 mg sCOD/L and 17,000 mg sCOD/L, which were higher than previous studies(5,000 to 8,000 mg sCOD/L). The research showed that at such high sCOD concentrations, the addition of zeolite did not significantly increase COD reduction nor biogas production rate, for both POME concentrations to be compared to control. The biogas produced by digester fed by 10,000 mg/L POME and 17,000 mg/L POME was 751 and 100 mL/g sCOD, respectively, indicating higher inhibitor effect in the digester with 17,000 mg SCOD/L initial concentration.

  2. Lab-scale co-digestion of kitchen waste and brown water for a preliminary performance evaluation of a decentralized waste and wastewater management.

    PubMed

    Lavagnolo, Maria Cristina; Girotto, Francesca; Hirata, Osamu; Cossu, Raffaello

    2017-08-01

    An overall interaction is manifested between wastewater and solid waste management schemes. At the Laboratory of Environmental Engineering (LISA) of the University of Padova, Italy, the scientific and technical implications of putting into practice a decentralized waste and wastewater treatment based on the separation of grey water, brown water (BW - faecal matter) and yellow water (YW - urine) are currently undergoing investigation in the Aquanova Project. An additional aim of this concept is the source segregation of kitchen waste (KW) for subsequent anaerobic co-digestion with BW. To determine an optimal mixing ratio and temperature for use in the treatment of KW, BW, and eventually YW, by means of anaerobic digestion, a series of lab-scale batch tests were performed. Organic mixtures of KW and BW performed much better (max. 520mlCH 4 /gVS) in terms of methane yields than the individual substrates alone (max. 220mlCH 4 /gVS). A small concentration of urine proved to have a positive effect on anaerobic digestion performance, possibly due to the presence of micronutrients in YW. When considering high YW concentrations in the anaerobically digested mixtures, no ammonia inhibition was observed until a 30% and 10% YW content was added under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Pretreatment of corn stover and hybrid poplar by sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide.

    PubMed

    Gupta, Rajesh; Lee, Y Y

    2010-01-01

    Sodium hydroxide and its derivatives are used as pulping reagents, wherein the spent NaOH is recovered in salt form and reused. In this study, use of low concentration NaOH (1-5%) in pretreatment of corn stover and hybrid poplar was investigated. It was done with the understanding that NaOH can be recovered. One of the main objectives in this study is to explore the potential of H(2)O(2) with NaOH for pretreatment of high lignin substrate such as hybrid poplar. Pretreatment time has not been optimized in this study but held constant at 24 h. Corn stover, after treatment with NaOH under moderate conditions, attains near quantitative glucan digestibility. On the other hand, hybrid poplar requires treatment at higher temperature and NaOH concentration to attain acceptable level of digestibility. Supplementation of hydrogen peroxide in the pretreatment significantly raises delignification and digestibility of hybrid poplar. It was also helpful in retaining the carbohydrates in the treated solids. Retention of hemicellulose after pretreatment provides a significant economic benefit as it eliminates the need for detoxifying hemicellulose sugars. As the residual xylan remaining after pretreatment is an impediment to enzymatic digestion of glucan, supplementation of xylanase has significantly increased the digestibility of glucan as well as xylan of the treated hybrid poplar. (c) 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers

  4. An integrated approach to energy recovery from biomass and waste: Anaerobic digestion-gasification-water treatment.

    PubMed

    Milani, M; Montorsi, L; Stefani, M

    2014-07-01

    The article investigates the performance of an integrated system for the energy recovery from biomass and waste based on anaerobic digestion, gasification and water treatment. In the proposed system, the organic fraction of waste of the digestible biomass is fed into an anaerobic digester, while a part of the combustible fraction of the municipal solid waste is gasified. Thus, the obtained biogas and syngas are used as a fuel for running a cogeneration system based on an internal combustion engine to produce electric and thermal power. The waste water produced by the integrated plant is recovered by means of both forward and inverse osmosis. The different processes, as well as the main components of the system, are modelled by means of a lumped and distributed parameter approach and the main outputs of the integrated plant such as the electric and thermal power and the amount of purified water are calculated. Finally, the implementation of the proposed system is evaluated for urban areas with a different number of inhabitants and the relating performance is estimated in terms of the main outputs of the system. © The Author(s) 2014.

  5. [Acidophilic methanogens and their applications in anaerobic digestion].

    PubMed

    Guo, Xiao-Hui; Wu, Wei-Xiang; Han, Zhi-Ying; Shi, De-Zhi

    2011-02-01

    Methanogens play an important role in global carbon cycle. There exists a range of unknown methanogenic archaea in acidic peat lands, among which, acidophilic methanogens have attracted increasing research interests because of their special metabolic characteristics. To introduce acidophilic methanogens in the anaerobic digestion process of high concentration organic wastes or waste water could essentially overcome the inhibition of acid accumulation on the methanogens and help reduce the operation cost, broadening the industrial application of anaerobic bio-treatment technology. In this paper, we reviewed the recent researches on acidophilic methanogens, with the focus on enrichment and isolation methods, physiological and biochemical characters, metabolic characteristics, and application of molecular biology. The potential applications of acidophilic methanogens in anaerobic digestion process were analyzed and proposed, and the directions for further researches were suggested.

  6. Digested disorder: Quarterly intrinsic disorder digest (July-August-September, 2013).

    PubMed

    Reddy, Krishna D; DeForte, Shelly; Uversky, Vladimir N

    2014-01-01

    The current literature on intrinsically disordered proteins grows fast. To keep interested readers up to speed with this literature, we continue a "Digested Disorder" project and represent a new issue of reader's digest of the research papers and reviews on intrinsically disordered proteins. The only 2 criteria for inclusion in this digest are the publication date (a paper should be published within the covered time frame) and topic (a paper should be dedicated to any aspect of protein intrinsic disorder). The current digest issue covers papers published during the third quarter of 2013; i.e., during the period of June, July, and September of 2013. Similar to previous issues, the papers are grouped hierarchically by topics they cover, and for each of the included paper a short description is given on its major findings.

  7. United States National Sewage Sludge Repository at Arizona State University--a new resource and research tool for environmental scientists, engineers, and epidemiologists.

    PubMed

    Venkatesan, Arjun K; Done, Hansa Y; Halden, Rolf U

    2015-02-01

    Processed municipal sewage sludges (MSS) are an abundant, unwanted by-product of wastewater treatment, increasingly applied to agriculture and forestry for inexpensive disposal and soil conditioning. Due to their high organic carbon and lipid contents, MSS not only is rich in carbon and nutrients but also represents a "sink" for recalcitrant, hydrophobic, and potentially bioaccumulative compounds. Indeed, many organics sequestered and concentrated in MSS meet the US Environmental Protection Agency's definition of being persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT). In a strategic effort, our research team at the Biodesign Institute has created the National Sewage Sludge Repository (NSSR), a large repository of digested MSSs from 164 wastewater treatment plants from across the USA, as part of the Human Health Observatory (H2O) at Arizona State University (ASU). The NSSR likely represents the largest archive of digested MSS specimens in the USA. The present study summarizes key findings gleaned thus far from analysis of NSSR samples. For example, we evaluated the content of toxicants in MSS and computed estimates of nationwide inventories of mass produced chemicals that become sequestrated in sludge and later are released into the environment during sludge disposal on land. Ongoing efforts document co-occurrence of a variety of PBT compounds in both MSS and human samples, while also identifying a large number of potentially harmful MSS constituents for which human exposure data are still lacking. Finally, we summarize future opportunities and invite collaborative use of the NSSR by the research community. The H2O at ASU represents a new resource and research tool for environmental scientists and the larger research community. As illustrated in this work, this repository can serve to (i) identify and prioritize emerging contaminants, (ii) provide spatial and temporal trends of contaminants, (iii) inform and evaluate the effectiveness of environmental policy-making and regulations, and (iv) approximate, ongoing exposures and body burdens of mass-produced chemicals in human society.

  8. United States National Sewage Sludge Repository at Arizona State University – A New Resource and Research Tool for Environmental Scientists, Engineers, and Epidemiologists

    PubMed Central

    Venkatesan, Arjun K.; Done, Hansa Y.; Halden, Rolf U.

    2014-01-01

    Processed municipal sewage sludges (MSS) are an abundant, unwanted by-product of wastewater treatment, increasingly applied to agriculture and forestry for inexpensive disposal and soil conditioning. Due to their high organic-carbon and lipid contents, MSS not only is rich in carbon and nutrients but also represents a ‘sink’ for recalcitrant, hydrophobic and potentially bioaccumulative compounds. Indeed, many organics sequestered and concentrated in MSS meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's definition of being persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT). In a strategic effort, our research team at the Biodesign Institute has created the National Sewage Sludge Repository (NSSR), a large repository of digested MSSs from 164 wastewater treatment plants from across the USA, as part of the Human Health Observatory (H2O) at Arizona State University (ASU). The NSSR likely represents the largest archive of digested MSS specimens in the USA. The present study summarizes key findings gleaned thus far from analysis of NSSR samples. For example, we evaluated the content of toxicants in MSS and computed estimates of nationwide inventories of mass produced chemicals that become sequestrated in sludge and later are released into the environment during sludge disposal on land. Ongoing efforts document co-occurrence of a variety of PBT compounds in both MSS and human samples, while also identifying a large number of potentially harmful MSS constituents for which human exposure data are still lacking. Finally, we summarize new future opportunities and invite collaborative use the NSSR by the research community. The H2O at ASU represents a resource and research tool for environmental scientists and the larger research community. As illustrated in this work, this repository can serve to (i) identify and prioritize emerging contaminants; (ii) provide spatial and temporal trends of contaminants; (iii) inform and evaluate the effectiveness of environmental policy-making and regulations; and (iv) approximate, ongoing exposures and body burdens of mass-produced chemicals in human society. PMID:24824503

  9. Lessons from Digestive-Tract Symbioses Between Bacteria and Invertebrates.

    PubMed

    Graf, Joerg

    2016-09-08

    In most animals, digestive tracts harbor the greatest number of bacteria in the animal that contribute to its health: by aiding in the digestion of nutrients, provisioning essential nutrients and protecting against colonization by pathogens. Invertebrates have been used to enhance our understanding of metabolic processes and microbe-host interactions owing to experimental advantages. This review describes how advances in DNA sequencing technologies have dramatically altered how researchers investigate microbe-host interactions, including 16S rRNA gene surveys, metagenome experiments, and metatranscriptome studies. Advantages and challenges of each of these approaches are described herein. Hypotheses generated through omics studies can be directly tested using site-directed mutagenesis, and findings from transposon studies and site-directed experiments are presented. Finally, unique structural aspects of invertebrate digestive tracts that contribute to symbiont specificity are presented. The combination of omics approaches with genetics and microscopy allows researchers to move beyond correlations to identify conserved mechanisms of microbe-host interactions.

  10. A demonstration test and evaluation of the Cannon Low-NO{sub x} Digester System. Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    1995-08-01

    Since 1985, Cannon Boiler Works, Inc. has been carrying out research and development efforts to perfect a system for removing nitrogen oxides, NO{sub x}, from the exhaust gases of furnaces, gas turbines, chemical reactors, incinerators and boilers.Computer simulations, bench-scale tests and pilot plant testing have proved that the system is capable of removing substantially all of the NO{sub x} from natural gas-fired equipment exhaust streams. Furthermore when retrofit to industrial boilers, both capital costs and operating costs are lower than for competing processes, while performance is much better. The Cannon system for removing NO{sub x}, originally designated as the Cannonmore » NO{sub x} Digester, has recently been renamed the Low Temperature Oxidation (LTO) System for NO{sub x} and SO{sub x} Reduction. It will be engineered and marketed by Cannon Technology, Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cannon Boiler Works, Inc. Cannon has US patents for the process and for the associated equipment and has patent applications pending in Europe. Cannon`s Low Temperature Oxidation, LTO, process has proved effective for reducing the levels of NO{sub x}, CO, CO{sub 2}, SO{sub 2} and particulates from boiler flue gases.« less

  11. Inhibition of Anaerobic Biological Treatment: A Review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hou, Li; Ji, Dandan; Zang, Lihua

    2018-01-01

    Anaerobic digestion is a method for treating living and industrial wastewater by anaerobic degradation of organic compounds, which can produce biogas (carbon dioxide and methane mixture) and microbial biomass. And biogas as a renewable resource, can replace the use of ore fuel. In the process of anaerobic digestion, the problems of low methane yield and unstable reaction process are often encountered, which limits the widespread use of this technology. Various inhibitors are the main limiting factors for anaerobic digestion. In this paper, the main factors limiting anaerobic digestion are reviewed, and the latest research progress is introduced.

  12. Invitro Study on the Fluid From Banana Stem Bioprocess as Direct Fed Microbial

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mutaqin, B. K.; Tanuwiria, U. H.; Hernawan, E.

    2018-02-01

    The purpose of this research was to study the liquid produced by the bioprocess of banana stem as a Direct Fed Microbial (DFM) in order to enhance local sheep productivity invitro. Studying was the use of DFM in two invitro feeds. The object observed in this research was fermentability and digestibility value. The method was experimental with the experimental design, i.e. factorial experimental design with two factors. The first factor was DFM, the levels of which were 0, 0,2, 0,4 and 0,6%, while the second factor was two feed types (complete feed and Pennisetum purpureum only) with the treatment of threefold repetition. This research showed that fermentability and digestibility value were influenced by the DFM in the invitro complete feed. The research result analyzed using MANOVA with further testing using Duncan Test. The conclusion of the research result were shows the interaction DFM in the complete feed improve fermentability and digestibility values and DFM 0,6% shows the highest value.

  13. Photonics applications and web engineering: WILGA Winter 2016

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2016-09-01

    Since twenty years, young researchers form the Institute of Electronic Systems, Warsaw University of Technology, organize two times a year, under only a marginal supervision of the senior faculty members, under the patronage of WEiTI PW, KEiT PAN, SPIE, IEEE, PKOpto SEP and PSF, the WILGA Symposium on advanced, integrated functional electronic, photonic and mechatronic systems [1-5]. All aspects are considered like: research and development, theory and design, technology - material and construction, software and hardware, commissioning and tests, as well as pilot and practical applications. The applications concern mostly, which turned after several years to be a proud specialization of the WILGA Symposium, Internet engineering, high energy physics experiments, new power industry including fusion, nuclear industry, space and satellite technologies, telecommunications, smart municipal environment, as well as biology and medicine [6-8]. XXXVIIth WILGA Symposium was held on 29-31 January 2016 and gathered a few tens of young researchers active in the mentioned research areas. There were presented a few tens of technical papers which will be published in Proc.SPIE together with the accepted articles from the Summer Edition of the WILGA Symposium scheduled for 29.05-06.06.2016. This article is a digest of chosen presentations from WILGA Symposium 2016 Winter Edition. The survey is narrowed to a few chosen and main topical tracks, like electronics and photonics design using industrial standards like ATCA/MTCA, also particular designs of functional systems using this series of industrial standards. The paper, summarizing traditionally since many years the accomplished WILGA Symposium organized by young researchers from Warsaw University of Technology, is also the following part of a cycle of papers concerning their participation in design of new generations of electronic systems used in discovery experiments in Poland and in leading research laboratories of the world.

  14. The challenges of anaerobic digestion and the role of biochar in optimizing anaerobic digestion.

    PubMed

    Fagbohungbe, Michael O; Herbert, Ben M J; Hurst, Lois; Ibeto, Cynthia N; Li, Hong; Usmani, Shams Q; Semple, Kirk T

    2017-03-01

    Biochar, like most other adsorbents, is a carbonaceous material, which is formed from the combustion of plant materials, in low-zero oxygen conditions and results in a material, which has the capacity to sorb chemicals onto its surfaces. Currently, research is being carried out to investigate the relevance of biochar in improving the soil ecosystem, digestate quality and most recently the anaerobic digestion process. Anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic substrates provides both a sustainable source of energy and a digestate with the potential to enhance plant growth and soil health. In order to ensure that these benefits are realised, the anaerobic digestion system must be optimized for process stability and high nutrient retention capacity in the digestate produced. Substrate-induced inhibition is a major issue, which can disrupt the stable functioning of the AD system reducing microbial breakdown of the organic waste and formation of methane, which in turn reduces energy output. Likewise, the spreading of digestate on land can often result in nutrient loss, surface runoff and leaching. This review will examine substrate inhibition and their impact on anaerobic digestion, nutrient leaching and their environmental implications, the properties and functionality of biochar material in counteracting these challenges. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Impact of different particle size distributions on anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Y; Banks, C J

    2013-02-01

    Particle size may significantly affect the speed and stability of anaerobic digestion, and matching the choice of particle size reduction equipment to digester type can thus determine the success or failure of the process. In the current research the organic fraction of municipal solid waste was processed using a combination of a shear shredder, rotary cutter and wet macerator to produce streams with different particle size distributions. The pre-processed waste was used in trials in semi-continuous 'wet' and 'dry' digesters at organic loading rate (OLR) up to 6kg volatile solids (VS) m(-3)day(-1). The results indicated that while difference in the particle size distribution did not change the specific biogas yield, the digester performance was affected. In the 'dry' digesters the finer particle size led to acidification and ultimately to process failure at the highest OLR. In 'wet' digestion a fine particle size led to severe foaming and the process could not be operated above 5kgVSm(-3)day(-1). Although the trial was not designed as a direct comparison between 'wet' and 'dry' digestion, the specific biogas yield of the 'dry' digesters was 90% of that produced by 'wet' digesters fed on the same waste at the same OLR. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Digested disorder

    PubMed Central

    DeForte, Shelly; Reddy, Krishna D; Uversky, Vladimir N

    2013-01-01

    The current literature on intrinsically disordered proteins is overwhelming. To keep interested readers up to speed with this literature, we continue a “Digested Disorder” project and represent a series of reader’s digest type articles objectively representing the research papers and reviews on intrinsically disordered proteins. The only 2 criteria for inclusion in this digest are the publication date (a paper should be published within the covered time frame) and topic (a paper should be dedicated to any aspect of protein intrinsic disorder). The current digest issue covers papers published during the period of April, May, and June of 2013. The papers are grouped hierarchically by topics they cover, and for each of the included paper a short description is given on its major findings. PMID:28516028

  17. Insights into the multi-scale structure and digestibility of heat-moisture treated rice starch.

    PubMed

    Wang, Hongwei; Liu, Yufan; Chen, Ling; Li, Xiaoxi; Wang, Jun; Xie, Fengwei

    2018-03-01

    The digestibility and structural changes of rice starch induced by heat-moisture treatment (HMT) were investigated, and the relationships among the moisture content-starch structure-starch digestibility were revealed. HMT could simultaneously disorder and reassemble the rice starch molecules across multi-scale lengths and convert some fractions of rapidly-digestible starch (RDS) into slowly-digestible starch (SDS) and resistant starch (RS). In particular, the HMT rice starch with less than 30% moisture content showed a higher SDS+RS content (25.0%). During HMT, SDS and RS were preferably formed by the degraded starch molecules with M w between 4×10 5 and 4×10 6 g/mol, single helices and amylose-lipids complexes that were formed by degraded starch chains with higher thermal stability and crystalline lamellae with greater thicknesses. Thus, our research suggests a potential approach using HMT to control the digestion of starch products with desired digestibility. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  18. Rocky Mountain Riparian Digest

    Treesearch

    Deborah M. Finch

    2008-01-01

    The Rocky Mountain Riparian Digest presents the many facets of riparian research at the station. Included are articles about protecting the riparian habitat, the social and economic values of riparian environments, watershed restoration, remote sensing tools, and getting kids interested in the science.

  19. High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) applied to hepato-bilio-pancreatic and the digestive system—current state of the art and future perspectives

    PubMed Central

    Diana, Michele; Schiraldi, Luigi; Liu, Yu-Yin; Memeo, Riccardo; Mutter, Didier; Pessaux, Patrick

    2016-01-01

    Background High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is emerging as a valid minimally-invasive image-guided treatment of malignancies. We aimed to review to current state of the art of HIFU therapy applied to the digestive system and discuss some promising avenues of the technology. Methods Pertinent studies were identified through PubMed and Embase search engines using the following keywords, combined in different ways: HIFU, esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, colon, rectum, and cancer. Experimental proof of the concept of endoluminal HIFU mucosa/submucosa ablation using a custom-made transducer has been obtained in vivo in the porcine model. Results Forty-four studies reported on the clinical use of HIFU to treat liver lesions, while 19 series were found on HIFU treatment of pancreatic cancers and four studies included patients suffering from both liver and pancreatic cancers, reporting on a total of 1,682 and 823 cases for liver and pancreas, respectively. Only very limited comparative prospective studies have been reported. Conclusions Digestive system clinical applications of HIFU are limited to pancreatic and liver cancer. It is safe and well tolerated. The exact place in the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) management algorithm remains to be defined. HIFU seems to add clear survival advantages over trans arterial chemo embolization (TACE) alone and similar results when compared to radio frequency (RF). For pancreatic cancer, HIFU achieves consistent cancer-related pain relief. Further research is warranted to improve targeting accuracy and efficacy monitoring. Furthermore, additional work is required to transfer this technology on appealing treatments such as endoscopic HIFU-based therapies. PMID:27500145

  20. Appendicitis

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  1. Diarrhea

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  2. Porphyria

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  3. Pancreatitis

    MedlinePlus

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  4. Hemorrhoids

    MedlinePlus

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  5. Hyperthyroidism

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  6. Digestive Physiology of Octopus maya and O. mimus: Temporality of Digestion and Assimilation Processes

    PubMed Central

    Gallardo, Pedro; Olivares, Alberto; Martínez-Yáñez, Rosario; Caamal-Monsreal, Claudia; Domingues, Pedro M.; Mascaró, Maite; Sánchez, Ariadna; Pascual, Cristina; Rosas, Carlos

    2017-01-01

    Digestive physiology is one of the bottlenecks of octopus aquaculture. Although, there are successful experimentally formulated feeds, knowledge of the digestive physiology of cephalopods is fragmented, and focused mainly on Octopus vulgaris. Considering that the digestive physiology could vary in tropical and sub-tropical species through temperature modulations of the digestive dynamics and nutritional requirements of different organisms, the present review was focused on the digestive physiology timing of Octopus maya and Octopus mimus, two promising aquaculture species living in tropical (22–30°C) and sub-tropical (15–24°C) ecosystems, respectively. We provide a detailed description of how soluble and complex nutrients are digested, absorbed, and assimilated in these species, describing the digestive process and providing insight into how the environment can modulate the digestion and final use of nutrients for these and presumably other octopus species. To date, research on these octopus species has demonstrated that soluble protein and other nutrients flow through the digestive tract to the digestive gland in a similar manner in both species. However, differences in the use of nutrients were noted: in O. mimus, lipids were mobilized faster than protein, while in O. maya, the inverse process was observed, suggesting that lipid mobilization in species that live in relatively colder environments occurs differently to those in tropical ecosystems. Those differences are related to the particular adaptations of animals to their habitat, and indicate that this knowledge is important when formulating feed for octopus species. PMID:28620313

  7. Modulating fat digestion through food structure design.

    PubMed

    Guo, Qing; Ye, Aiqian; Bellissimo, Nick; Singh, Harjinder; Rousseau, Dérick

    2017-10-01

    Dietary fats and oils are an important component of our diet and a significant contributor to total energy and intake of lipophilic nutrients and bioactives. We discuss their fate in a wide variety of engineered, processed and naturally-occurring foods as they pass through the gastrointestinal tract and the implicit role of the food matrix within which they reside. Important factors that control fat and oil digestion include: 1) Their physical state (liquid or solid); 2) Dispersion of oil as emulsion droplets and control of the interfacial structure of emulsified oils; 3) The structure and rheology of the food matrix surrounding dispersed oil droplets; and 4) Alteration of emulsified oil droplet size and concentration. Using examples based on model foods such as emulsion gels and everyday foods such as almonds and cheese, we demonstrate that food structure design may be used as a tool to modulate fat and oil digestion potentially resulting in a number of targeted physiological outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Ontogeny of the digestive system of the Octopus bimaculatus paralarvae (Verril, 1883).

    PubMed

    López-Peraza, Diana Judith; Hernández-Rodríguez, Mónica; Barón-Sevilla, Benjamín

    2014-01-01

    The high mortalities registered in the larval stage during octopus culturing are mainly due to nutritional deficiencies of the food provided. To understand the cause of this problem, we studied the ontogenetic development of the digestive system of Octopus bimaculatus paralarvae. An egg batch was obtained from a gravid female collected in the Bay of Los Angeles, Baja California, Mexico, and it was incubated in the laboratory during the summer of 2011. We observed that the formation of the digestive system began at 33 days post-laying (DPL). The newly hatched paralarvae had already formed the organs involved in food ingestion and digestion, although it was not possible to know accurately their degree of maturity. The present research constitutes the first description at the histological level of the ontogenic development of the digestive system of the O. bimaculatus paralarvae. This serves as a basis for future studies of the digestive physiology of this species.

  9. Engineering microorganisms to increase ethanol production by metabolic redirection

    DOEpatents

    Deng, Yu; Olson, Daniel G.; van Dijken, Johannes Pieter; Shaw, IV, Arthur J.; Argyros, Aaron; Barrett, Trisha; Caiazza, Nicky; Herring, Christopher D.; Rogers, Stephen R.; Agbogbo, Frank

    2017-10-31

    The present invention provides for the manipulation of carbon flux in a recombinant host cell to increase the formation of desirable products. The invention relates to cellulose-digesting organisms that have been genetically modified to allow the production of ethanol at a high yield by redirecting carbon flux at key steps of central metabolism.

  10. INCREASE OF INDICATOR ORGANISMS FOLLOWING ANAEROBIC DIGESTION AND CENTRIFUGE DEWATERING.

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) recently published a report titled “Examination of Reactivation and Regrowth of Fecal Coliforms in Anaerobically Digested Sludges”. Seven full-scale publicly owned treatment facilities were sampled several times to determine if bac...

  11. Facilitative Leadership. ERIC Digest, Number 96.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lashway, Larry

    Influenced by leadership developments in the private sector, educational researchers have increasingly focused their attention on "transformational" models of leadership that emphasize collaboration and empowerment. The facilitative leader's role is to foster the involvement of employees at all different levels. This digest summarizes…

  12. Menetrier's Disease

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  13. Hepatitis A

    MedlinePlus

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  14. Viral Gastroenteritis

    MedlinePlus

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  15. Diabetes Medicines

    MedlinePlus

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  16. Dermatitis Herpetiformis

    MedlinePlus

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  17. Urodynamic Testing

    MedlinePlus

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  18. Liver Transplant

    MedlinePlus

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  19. Wilson Disease

    MedlinePlus

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  20. Alagille Syndrome

    MedlinePlus

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  1. Endocrine Diseases

    MedlinePlus

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  2. Thyroid Tests

    MedlinePlus

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  3. Urinary Diversion

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  4. Kidney Stones

    MedlinePlus

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  5. Abdominal Adhesions

    MedlinePlus

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  6. Primary Hyperparathyroidism

    MedlinePlus

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  7. Bariatric Surgery

    MedlinePlus

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  8. Solutions to a combined problem of excessive hydrogen sulfide in biogas and struvite scaling.

    PubMed

    Charles, W; Cord-Ruwisch, R; Ho, G; Costa, M; Spencer, P

    2006-01-01

    The Woodman Point Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in Western Australia has experienced two separate problems causing avoidable maintenance costs: the build-up of massive struvite (MgNH4PO4. 6H2O) scaling downstream of the anaerobic digester and the formation of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) levels in the digester gas to levels that compromised gas engine operation and caused high operating costs on the gas scrubber. As both problems hang together with a chemical imbalance in the anaerobic digester, we decided to investigate whether both problems could be (feasibly and economically) addressed by a common solution (such as dosing of iron solutions to precipitate both sulfide and phosphate), or by using separate approaches. Laboratory results showed that, the hydrogen sulfide emission in digesters could be effectively and economically controlled by the addition of iron dosing. Slightly higher than the theoretical value of 1.5 mol of FeCl3 was required to precipitate 1 mol of dissolved sulfide inside the digester. Due to the high concentration of PO4(3-) in the digested sludge liquor, significantly higher iron is required for struvite precipitation. Iron dosing did not appear an economic solution for struvite control via iron phosphate formation. By taking advantage of the natural tendency of struvite formation in the digester liquid, it is possible to reduce the risk of struvite precipitation in and around the sludge-dewatering centrifuge by increasing the pH to precipitate struvite out before passing through the centrifuge. However, as the Mg2+/PO4(3-) molar ratio in digested sludge was low, by increasing the pH alone (using NaOH) the precipitation of PO4(3-) was limited by the amount of cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) available in the sludge. Although this would reduce struvite precipitation in the centrifuge, it could not significantly reduce PO4(3-) recycling back to the plant. For long-term operation, maximum PO4(3-) reduction should be the ultimate aim to minimise PO4(3-) accumulation in the plant. Magnesium hydroxide liquid (MHL) was found to be the most cost-effective chemical to achieve this goal. It enhanced struvite precipitation from both, digested sludge and centrate to the point where more than 95% PO4(3-) reduction in the digested sludge was achieved.

  9. Causes of Diabetes

    MedlinePlus

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  10. Upper GI Endoscopy

    MedlinePlus

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  11. Childhood Nephrotic Syndrome

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  12. Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome

    MedlinePlus

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  13. Medullary Sponge Kidney

    MedlinePlus

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  14. Constipation in Children

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  15. Kidney Infection (Pyelonephritis)

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  16. Diabetes and Pregnancy

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  17. Living With Diabetes

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  18. Multiplexed chemostat system for quantification of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in anaerobic digestion

    PubMed Central

    Plouchart, Diane; Guizard, Guillaume; Latrille, Eric

    2018-01-01

    Continuous cultures in chemostats have proven their value in microbiology, microbial ecology, systems biology and bioprocess engineering, among others. In these systems, microbial growth and ecosystem performance can be quantified under stable and defined environmental conditions. This is essential when linking microbial diversity to ecosystem function. Here, a new system to test this link in anaerobic, methanogenic microbial communities is introduced. Rigorously replicated experiments or a suitable experimental design typically require operating several chemostats in parallel. However, this is labor intensive, especially when measuring biogas production. Commercial solutions for multiplying reactors performing continuous anaerobic digestion exist but are expensive and use comparably large reactor volumes, requiring the preparation of substantial amounts of media. Here, a flexible system of Lab-scale Automated and Multiplexed Anaerobic Chemostat system (LAMACs) with a working volume of 200 mL is introduced. Sterile feeding, biomass wasting and pressure monitoring are automated. One module containing six reactors fits the typical dimensions of a lab bench. Thanks to automation, time required for reactor operation and maintenance are reduced compared to traditional lab-scale systems. Several modules can be used together, and so far the parallel operation of 30 reactors was demonstrated. The chemostats are autoclavable. Parameters like reactor volume, flow rates and operating temperature can be freely set. The robustness of the system was tested in a two-month long experiment in which three inocula in four replicates, i.e., twelve continuous digesters were monitored. Statistically significant differences in the biogas production between inocula were observed. In anaerobic digestion, biogas production and consequently pressure development in a closed environment is a proxy for ecosystem performance. The precision of the pressure measurement is thus crucial. The measured maximum and minimum rates of gas production could be determined at the same precision. The LAMACs is a tool that enables us to put in practice the often-demanded need for replication and rigorous testing in microbial ecology as well as bioprocess engineering. PMID:29518106

  19. [Construction of the lentiviral expression vector for anti-p185(erbB2) mouse/human chimeric antibody].

    PubMed

    Liu, Fang; Li, Li; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Qi

    2013-04-01

    This research was to construct the lentiviral expression vector for anti- p185(erbB2) mouse/human chimeric antibody and to determine the expression of the chimeric antibody gene in 293T cells transfected with this vector. The genes (vL and vH) coding light and heavy chain of variable regions of anti-p185(erbB2) mAb and the constant regions of human IgG1 (kappa and gamma1) were cloned with PCR method. The target genes were assembled by three-primers PCR method to obtain the chimeric light chain (L) and the chimeric heavy chain (H). Both chains inserted into the down stream and upper stream of IRES gene of the plasmid pVAX1/IRES respectively. We digested the plasmid pVAX1/ H-IRES-L with endoenzyme and subcloned H-IRES-L into the lentiviral vector pWPI. The enzyme digestion and sequence analysis showed that the lentiviral expression vector pWPI/H-IRES-L was constructed correctly. Then, it was transfected into 293T cells and after 48h, GFP protein expression in 293T cells were detected by fluorescent microscope and the chimeric antibody expression was detected by RT-PCR and direct ELISA. The results showed that after 293T cells were transfected with recombination plasmid, both light and heavy chains of the chimeric antibody genes could express together. The chimeric antibody expressed could bind to p185(erbB2) specifically. This research may lay a sound foundation for further study of anti-p185(erbB2) engineered antibody.

  20. University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Anaerobic Dry Digestion Facility

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Koker, John; Lizotte, Michael

    The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Anaerobic Dry Digestion Facility is a demonstration project that supported the first commercial-scale use in the United States of high solids, static pile technology for anaerobic digestion of organic waste to generate biogas for use in generating electricity and heat. The research adds to the understanding of startup, operation and supply chain issues for anaerobic digester technology. Issues and performance were documented for equipment installation and modifications, feedstock availability and quality, weekly loading and unloading of digestion chambers, chemical composition of biogas produced, and energy production. This facility also demonstrated an urban industrial ecology approachmore » to siting such facilities near sewage treatment plants (to capture and use excess biogas generated by the plants) and organic yard waste collection sites (a source of feedstock).« less

  1. Digested disorder

    PubMed Central

    Reddy, Krishna D; DeForte, Shelly; Uversky, Vladimir N

    2014-01-01

    The current literature on intrinsically disordered proteins grows fast. To keep interested readers up to speed with this literature, we continue a “Digested Disorder” project and represent a new issue of reader’s digest of the research papers and reviews on intrinsically disordered proteins. The only 2 criteria for inclusion in this digest are the publication date (a paper should be published within the covered time frame) and topic (a paper should be dedicated to any aspect of protein intrinsic disorder). The current digest issue covers papers published during the third quarter of 2013; i.e., during the period of June, July, and September of 2013. Similar to previous issues, the papers are grouped hierarchically by topics they cover, and for each of the included paper a short description is given on its major findings. PMID:28232877

  2. Infant Child Care. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howes, Carollee

    This ERIC Digest briefly reviews studies of maternal employment, child care settings, and links between children's development and family and child care influences. Studies of maternal employment suggest that infants' positive relationships with caregivers may compensate for insecure attachments with mothers. If future research supports this…

  3. National Diabetes Education Program

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Events Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  4. Diabetes and Kidney Disease

    MedlinePlus

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  5. Treatment for Celiac Disease

    MedlinePlus

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  6. ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography)

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  7. Treatment for Diverticular Disease

    MedlinePlus

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  8. Low Blood Glucose (Hypoglycemia)

    MedlinePlus

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  9. Weight-Control Information Network

    MedlinePlus

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  10. Insulin Resistance and Prediabetes

    MedlinePlus

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  11. Penile Curvature (Peyronie's Disease)

    MedlinePlus

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  12. Urine Blockage in Newborns

    MedlinePlus

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  13. Batch anaerobic co-digestion of waste activated sludge and microalgae (Chlorella sorokiniana) at mesophilic temperature.

    PubMed

    Beltrán, Carolina; Jeison, David; Fermoso, Fernando G; Borja, Rafael

    2016-08-23

    The microalgae Chlorella sorokiniana are used as co-substrate for waste activated sludge (WAS) anaerobic digestion. The specific objective of this research was to evaluate the feasibility of improving methane production from anaerobic digestion of WAS in co-digestion with this microalga, based on an optimized mixture percentage. Thus, the anaerobic co-digestion of both substrates aims to overcome the drawbacks of the anaerobic digestion of single WAS, simultaneously improving its management. Different co-digestion mixtures (0% WAS-100% microalgae; 25% WAS-75% microalgae; 50% WAS-50% microalgae; 75% WAS-25% microalgae; 100% WAS-0% microalgae) were studied. The highest methane yield (442 mL CH4/g VS) was obtained for the mixture with 75% WAS and 25% microalgae. This value was 22% and 39% higher than that obtained in the anaerobic digestion of the sole substrates WAS and microalgae, respectively, as well as 16% and 25% higher than those obtained for the co-digestion mixtures with 25% WAS and 75% microalgae and 50% WAS and 50% microalgae, respectively. The kinetic constant of the process increased 42%, 42% and 12%, respectively, for the mixtures with 25%, 50% and 75% of WAS compared to the substrate without WAS. Anaerobic digestion of WAS, together with C. sorokiniana, has been clearly improved by ensuring its viability, suitability and efficiency.

  14. Orientating lipase molecules through surface chemical control for enhanced activity: A QCM-D and ToF-SIMS investigation.

    PubMed

    Joyce, Paul; Kempson, Ivan; Prestidge, Clive A

    2016-06-01

    Bio-active materials consisting of lipase encapsulated within porous silica particles were engineered to control the adsorption kinetics and molecular orientation of lipase, which play critical roles in the digestion kinetics of triglycerides. The adsorption kinetics of Candida antartica lipase A (CalA) was monitored using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) and controlled by altering the hydrophobicity of a silica binding support. The extent of adsorption was 2-fold greater when CalA was adsorbed onto hydrophobic silica compared to hydrophilic silica. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) fragmentation patterns, in conjunction with multivariate statistics, demonstrated enhanced exposure of the lipase's catalytic domain, specifically the histidine group responsible for activity, when CalA was adsorbed on hydrophilic silica. Consequently, lipid digestion kinetics were enhanced when CalA was loaded in hydrophilic porous silica particles, i.e., a 2-fold increase in the pseudo-first-order rate constant for digestion when compared to free lipase. In contrast, digestion kinetics were inhibited when CalA was hosted in hydrophobic porous silica, i.e., a 5-fold decrease in pseudo-first-order rate constant for digestion when compared to free lipase. These findings provide valuable insights into the mechanism of lipase action which can be exploited to develop smarter food and drug delivery systems consisting of porous lipid-based materials. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Short communication: Intestinal digestibility of amino acids in fluid- and particle-associated rumen bacteria determined using a precision-fed cecectomized rooster bioassay.

    PubMed

    Fonseca, A C; Fredin, S M; Ferraretto, L F; Parsons, C M; Utterback, P L; Shaver, R D

    2014-01-01

    Microbial protein represents the majority of metabolizable protein absorbed by ruminant animals. Enhanced understanding of the AA digestibility of rumen microbes will improve estimates of metabolizable protein. The objective of this experiment was to determine the digestibility of AA in fluid- (FAB) and particle-associated bacteria (PAB) using the precision-fed cecectomized rooster bioassay. Bacteria were isolated from 4 ruminally cannulated lactating Holstein cows by differential centrifugation, including particle suspension in 0.1% Tween-80 for increased removal of PAB from ruminal digesta. Samples of FAB and PAB were fed to 9 cecectomized roosters to determine standardized digestibility of AA. Total AA digestibility was 76.8 and 75.5% for FAB and PAB, respectively, but did not differ. Differences existed in AA digestibilities within bacterial type when compared with the mean essential AA digestibility value. Compared with previous literature estimates of AA digestibility in microbes (mean = 76%; range = 57-87%) and relative to National Research Council estimates of total AA from rumen bacteria (80%), the precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay is an acceptable in vivo model to determine AA digestibility of rumen bacteria. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Altering the swelling pressures within in vitro engineered cartilage is predicted to modulate the configuration of the collagen network and hence improve tissue mechanical properties.

    PubMed

    Nagel, Thomas; Kelly, Daniel J

    2013-06-01

    Prestress in the collagen network has a significant impact on the material properties of cartilaginous tissues. It is closely related to the recruitment configuration of the collagen network which defines the transition from lax collagen fibres to uncrimped, load-bearing collagen fibres. This recruitment configuration can change in response to alterations in the external environmental conditions. In this study, the influence of changes in external salt concentration or sequential proteoglycan digestion on the configuration of the collagen network of tissue engineered cartilage is investigated using a previously developed computational model. Collagen synthesis and network assembly are assumed to occur in the tissue configuration present during in vitro culture. The model assumes that if this configuration is more compact due to changes in tissue swelling, the collagen network will adapt by lowering its recruitment stretch. When returned to normal physiological conditions, these tissues will then have a higher prestress in the collagen network. Based on these assumptions, the model demonstrates that proteoglycan digestion at discrete time points during culture as well as culture in a hypertonic medium can improve the functionality of tissue engineered cartilage, while culture in hypotonic solution is detrimental to the apparent mechanical properties of the graft. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Molecular insight into lignocellulose digestion by a marine isopod in the absence of gut microbes.

    PubMed

    King, Andrew J; Cragg, Simon M; Li, Yi; Dymond, Jo; Guille, Matthew J; Bowles, Dianna J; Bruce, Neil C; Graham, Ian A; McQueen-Mason, Simon J

    2010-03-23

    The digestion of lignocellulose is attracting attention both in terms of basic research into its metabolism by microorganisms and animals, and also as a means of converting plant biomass into biofuels. Limnoriid wood borers are unusual because, unlike other wood-feeding animals, they do not rely on symbiotic microbes to help digest lignocellulose. The absence of microbes in the digestive tract suggests that limnoriid wood borers produce all the enzymes necessary for lignocellulose digestion themselves. In this study we report that analysis of ESTs from the digestive system of Limnoria quadripunctata reveals a transcriptome dominated by glycosyl hydrolase genes. Indeed, > 20% of all ESTs represent genes encoding putative cellulases, including glycosyl hydrolase family 7 (GH7) cellobiohydrolases. These have not previously been reported in animal genomes, but are key digestive enzymes produced by wood-degrading fungi and symbiotic protists in termite guts. We propose that limnoriid GH7 genes are important for the efficient digestion of lignocellulose in the absence of gut microbes. Hemocyanin transcripts were highly abundant in the hepatopancreas transcriptome. Based on recent studies indicating that these proteins may function as phenoloxidases in isopods, we discuss a possible role for hemocyanins in lignin decomposition.

  18. The role of two isoenzymes of alpha-amylase of Araucaria araucana (Araucariaceae) on the digestion of starch granules during germination.

    PubMed

    Waghorn, Juana J; del Pozo, Talía; Acevedo, Elba A; Cardemil, Liliana A

    2003-03-01

    Starch is the principal reserve of Araucaria araucana seeds, and it is hydrolysed during germination mainly by alpha-amylase. There are several alpha-amylase isoenzymes whose patterns change in the embryo and in the megagametophyte from the one observed in quiescent seeds (T(0)) to a different one observed 90 h after imbibition (T(90)). The objective of this research was to study the roles of two purified alpha-amylase isoenzymes by in vitro digestion of starch granules extracted from the tissues at two times of imbibition: one is abundant in quiescent seeds and the other is abundant after 90 h of imbibition. The isoenzymes digested the starch granules of their own stage of germination better, since the isoenzyme T(0) digested starch granules mainly from quiescent seeds, while the isoenzyme T(90) digested starch mainly at 90 h of imbibition. The sizes of the starch granule and the tissue from which these granules originated make a difference to digestion by the isoenzymes. Embryonic isoenzyme T(0) digested large embryonic starch granules better than small and medium-sized granules, and better than those isolated from megagametophytes. Similarly isoenzyme T(90) digested small embryonic starch granules better than medium-sized and large granules, and better than those isolated from megagametophytes. However, a mixture of partially purified megagametophytic isoenzymes T(0) and T(90) digested the megagametophytic granules better than those isolated from embryos. Studies of in vitro sequential digestion of starch granules with these isoenzymes corroborated their specificity. The isoenzyme T(90) digested starch granules previously digested by the isoenzyme T(0). This suggests that in vivo these two isoenzymes may act sequentially in starch granule digestion.

  19. National Kidney Disease Education Program

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Events Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  20. Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type I

    MedlinePlus

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  1. Definition and Facts for Constipation

    MedlinePlus

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  2. Imaging of the Urinary Tract

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  3. Interstitial Cystitis / Painful Bladder Syndrome

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  4. Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease

    MedlinePlus

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  5. Henoch-Schönlein Purpura

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  6. Symptoms and Causes of Constipation

    MedlinePlus

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  7. Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease & NASH

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  8. Prostatitis: Inflammation of the Prostate

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  9. Treatment for Constipation in Children

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  10. What Is NAFLD and NASH?

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  11. Pain Medicines and Kidney Damage

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  12. Kidneys and How They Work

    MedlinePlus

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  13. Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  14. Celebrate the Beauty of Youth

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  15. La investigacion sobre la calidad de los programas para ninos de hasta dos anos de edad (Research on Quality in Infant-Toddler Programs). ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Honig, Alice Sterling

    Concern about the quality of infant-toddler care programs has grown recently in response to two factors. The first is the need of employed parents for such care, and the second is research emphasizing the importance of brain development in the early years. This Spanish-language Digest introduces some of the many issues related to the quality of…

  16. Biogas Production from Rice Husk Waste by using Solid State Anaerobic Digestion (SSAD) Method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matin, Hashfi Hawali Abdul; Hadiyanto

    2018-02-01

    An effort to obtain alternative energy is still interesting subject to be studied, especially production of biogas from agriculture waste. This paper was an overview of the latest development of biogas researches from rice husk waste by Solid State Anaerobic Digestion (SSAD). The main obstacle of biogas production from rice husk waste was the lignin content which is very difficult degraded by microbes. Various pretreatments have been conducted, either physically, chemically as well as biologically. The SSAD method was an attractive option because of the low water content of rice husk waste. The biogas yield by SSAD method gave more attractive result compared to Liquid Anaerobic Digestion (LAD) method. Various studies were still conducted in batch mode laboratory scale and also has not found optimum operating conditions. Research on a larger scale such as bench and pilot scale with continuous systems will be an increase trend in the future research.

  17. Outdoor Education and Troubled Youth. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berman, Dene S.; Davis-Berman, Jennifer

    This digest briefly summarizes the parallel development of outdoor education and outdoor therapeutic programs for troubled and adjudicated youth, describes the rationale supporting outdoor approaches, and reports related research and evaluation findings. First attempts to use the outdoors as a healing environment were "tent therapy"…

  18. 75 FR 27350 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-14

    ..., Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases. Date: June 7, 2010. Time: 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Agenda: To review and... Assistance Program Nos. 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases...

  19. 77 FR 14815 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-13

    ... Selected Type 1 Diabetes Clinical Studies (DP3). Date: April 2, 2012. Time: 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Agenda...; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Research; 93.849, Kidney Diseases, Urology and Hematology...

  20. Fate and toxicity of aircraft deicing fluid additives through anaerobic digestion.

    PubMed

    Gruden, C L; Dow, S M; Hernandez, M T

    2001-01-01

    Benzotriazole derivatives are widely used corrosion inhibitors and their fate during wastewater treatment processes is unknown. The purpose of this research was to study the toxic effects and fate of the two commercially significant benzotriazole isomers used in aircraft deicing fluids (4-, and 5-, methylbenzotriazole [MeBT]) during anaerobic digestion. Experiments were executed in microcosms using mesophilic anaerobic biomass co-digesting wastewater sludge and propylene glycol. Sorption of MeBT to digesting solids could be approximated with a Freundlich model, and no anaerobic breakdown of either MeBT isomer was detected. Digesters fed more than 300 mg/L MeBT responded with a significant decrease in methanogenic microbial activity and volatile solids production and a concomitant increase in accumulation of volatile fatty acids. Direct microscopic measurements using fluorescent phylogenetic probes applied to digesting biomass revealed that members of both Archaea and Bacteria domains were sensitive to MeBT. Granular activated carbon (GAC) (volatile solids: GAC = 10%) reduced the apparent toxic effects of MeBT; GAC addition nearly restored the baseline activity of digesters fed MeBT (500 to 1000 mg/L).

  1. Biogasification of sorghum

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Biljetina, R.; Srivastava, V.J.; Isaacson, H.R.

    1987-01-01

    The Institute of Gas Technology has been operating a 1200-gallon, anaerobic solids-concentrating digester at the Walt Disney World Resort Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. This digester development work is part of a larger effort sponsored by the Gas Research Institute to provide an effective community waste treatment and energy recovery concept for smaller communities. As a result, an economically attractive, water hyacinth-based wastewater treatment system was developed that includes the digestion of water hyacinth and sludge to methane. A further extension of the community waste treatment concept is to include agricultural wastes in the energy recovery scheme. Therefore, duringmore » 1986 a test program was initiated to obtain data on the digestion of sorghum in the solids concentrating digester. Performance data was collected at both mesophilic and thermophilic operating conditions at total organic loading rates of 0.25 and 0.5 pounds per cubic foot of digester volume per day, respectively. Excellent methane yields were obtained during twelve months of stable and uninterrupted operation. This paper summarizes the performance data obtained on sorghum in this digester. 7 refs., 6 figs., 6 tabs.« less

  2. In vivo digestion of bovine milk fat globules: effect of processing and interfacial structural changes. II. Upper digestive tract digestion.

    PubMed

    Gallier, Sophie; Zhu, Xiang Q; Rutherfurd, Shane M; Ye, Aiqian; Moughan, Paul J; Singh, Harjinder

    2013-12-01

    The aim of this research was to study the effect of milk processing on the in vivo upper digestive tract digestion of milk fat globules. Fasted rats were serially gavaged over a 5h period with cream from raw, pasteurised, or pasteurised and homogenised milk. Only a few intact dietary proteins and peptides were present in the small intestinal digesta. Significantly (P<0.05) more longer chain (C≥10) fatty acids were present in the digesta of rats gavaged with raw (448 mg g(-1) digesta dry matter (DDM)) and homogenised creams (528 mg g(-1) DDM), as compared to pasteurised and homogenised cream (249 mg g(-1) DDM). Microscopy techniques were used to investigate the structural changes during digestion. Liquid-crystalline lamellar phases surrounding the fat globules, fatty acid soap crystals and lipid-mucin interactions were evident in all small intestinal digesta. Overall, the pasteurised and homogenised cream appeared to be digested to a greater extent. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. 77 FR 51843 - Information Collection Requirements (ICRs) Forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-27

    ... adequate time to digest public comments before it renders a decision. 60 FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. Therefore... times the amount of details of information are supplied to support why the customer believes the car..., specific drawings, reflectorization, engineering information such as test or modeling of components. Also...

  4. Strain and bioprocess improvement of a thermophilic anaerobe for the production of ethanol from wood

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Herring, Christopher D.; Kenealy, William R.; Shaw, A. Joe

    Here, the thermophilic, anaerobic bacterium Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum digests hemicellulose and utilizes the major sugars present in biomass. It was previously engineered to produce ethanol at yields equivalent to yeast. While saccharolytic anaerobes have been long studied as potential biomass-fermenting organisms, development efforts for commercial ethanol production have not been reported.

  5. 40 CFR 63.6090 - What parts of my plant does this subpart cover?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... stationary combustion turbine which burns landfill gas or digester gas equivalent to 10 percent or more of... category would require an initial notification. (5) Combustion turbine engine test cells/stands do not have... Turbines What This Subpart Covers § 63.6090 What parts of my plant does this subpart cover? This subpart...

  6. 40 CFR 63.6090 - What parts of my plant does this subpart cover?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... stationary combustion turbine which burns landfill gas or digester gas equivalent to 10 percent or more of... category would require an initial notification. (5) Combustion turbine engine test cells/stands do not have... Turbines What This Subpart Covers § 63.6090 What parts of my plant does this subpart cover? This subpart...

  7. 40 CFR 63.6090 - What parts of my plant does this subpart cover?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... stationary combustion turbine which burns landfill gas or digester gas equivalent to 10 percent or more of... category would require an initial notification. (5) Combustion turbine engine test cells/stands do not have... Turbines What This Subpart Covers § 63.6090 What parts of my plant does this subpart cover? This subpart...

  8. Down-Regulation of PoGT47C Expression in Poplar Results in a Reduced Glucuronoxylan Content and an Increased Wood Digestibility by Cellulase

    EPA Science Inventory

    Xylan is the second most abundant polysaccharide in dicot wood. Unraveling the biosynthetic pathway of xylan is important not only for our understanding of the process of wood formation but also for our rational engineering of wood for biofuel production. Although several glycosy...

  9. Designing Reactor Microbiomes for Chemical Production from Organic Waste.

    PubMed

    Oleskowicz-Popiel, Piotr

    2018-01-27

    Microorganisms are responsible for biochemical cycles and therefore play essential roles in the environment. By using omics approaches and network analysis to understand the interaction and cooperation within mixed microbial communities, it would be possible to engineer microbiomes in fermentation and digestion reactors to convert organic waste into valuable products. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Strain and bioprocess improvement of a thermophilic anaerobe for the production of ethanol from wood

    DOE PAGES

    Herring, Christopher D.; Kenealy, William R.; Shaw, A. Joe; ...

    2016-06-16

    Here, the thermophilic, anaerobic bacterium Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum digests hemicellulose and utilizes the major sugars present in biomass. It was previously engineered to produce ethanol at yields equivalent to yeast. While saccharolytic anaerobes have been long studied as potential biomass-fermenting organisms, development efforts for commercial ethanol production have not been reported.

  11. The Biogas/Biofertilizer Business Handbook. Third Edition. Appropriate Technologies for Development. Reprint R-48.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arnott, Michael

    This book describes one approach to building and operating biogas systems. The biogas systems include raw material preparation, digesters, separate gas storage tanks, use of the gas to run engines, and the use of the sludge as fertilizer. Chapters included are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Biogas Systems are Small Factories"; (3)…

  12. Development of laser technology in Poland: 2016

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jankiewicz, Zdzisław; Jabczyński, Jan K.; Romaniuk, Ryszard S.

    2016-12-01

    The paper is an introduction to the volume of proceedings and a concise digest of works presented during the XIth National Symposium on Laser Technology (SLT2016) [1]. The Symposium is organized since 1984 every three years [2-8]. SLT2016 was organized by the Institute of Optoelectronics, Military University of Technology (IO, WAT) [9], Warsaw, with cooperation of Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) [10], in Jastarnia on 27-30 September 2016. Symposium Proceedings are traditionally published by SPIE [11-19]. The meeting has gathered around 150 participants who presented around 120 research and technical papers. The Symposium, organized every 3 years is a good portrait of laser technology and laser applications development in Poland at university laboratories, governmental institutes, company R&D laboratories, etc. The SLT also presents the current technical projects under realization by the national research, development and industrial teams. Topical tracks of the Symposium, traditionally divided to two large areas - sources and applications, were: laser sources in near and medium infrared, picosecond and femtosecond lasers, optical fiber lasers and amplifiers, semiconductor lasers, high power and high energy lasers and their applications, new materials and components for laser technology, applications of laser technology in measurements, metrology and science, military applications of laser technology, laser applications in environment protection and remote detection of trace substances, laser applications in medicine and biomedical engineering, laser applications in industry, technologies and material engineering.

  13. Primary Biliary Cholangitis (Primary Biliary Cirrhosis)

    MedlinePlus

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  14. Symptoms and Causes of Celiac Disease

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  15. Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) in Children

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  16. Dental Enamel Defects and Celiac Disease

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  17. Acid Reflux (GER & GERD) in Infants

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  18. Urinary Tract and How It Works

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  19. Human umbilical cord derived matrix: A scaffold suitable for tissue engineering application.

    PubMed

    Dan, Pan; Velot, Émilie; Mesure, Benjamin; Groshenry, Guillaume; Bacharouche, Jalal; Decot, Véronique; Menu, Patrick

    2017-01-01

    Human tissue derived natural extracellular matrix (ECM) has great potential in tissue engineering. We sought to isolate extracellular matrix derived from human umbilical cord and test its potential in tissue engineering. An enzymatic method was applied to isolate and solubilized complete human umbilical cord derived matrix (hUCM). The obtained solution was analyzed for growth factors, collagen and residual DNA contents, then used to coat 2D and 3D surfaces for cell culture application. The hUCM was successfully isolated with trypsin digestion to acquire a solution containing various growth factors and collagen but no residual DNA. This hUCM solution can form a coating on 2D and 3D substrates suitable cell culture. We developed a new matrix derived from human source that can be further used in tissue engineering.

  20. Contribution to the Study of Ammonia Removal from Digestate by Struvite Precipitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vidlarova, P.; Heviankova, S.; Kyncl, M.

    2017-10-01

    This study deals with an issue of ammonia removal from anaerobic digestion’s by-product - digestate. The aim of the research is ammonia removal by chemical precipitation using the combination of Mg2+, NH4+ and PO43-ions in struvite (MgNH4PO4 . 6 H2O). Laboratory tests were carried out using the sample of digestate liquor. The final product of the treatment may have the potential to be used as a fertilizer.

  1. Fast production of methane by anaerobic digestion. Annual progress report, May 24, 1976--May 23, 1977

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Finney, C.D.; Evans II, R.S.; Finney, K.A.

    1977-06-01

    Since the productional cost of methane generated by anaerobic digestion of cellulose is on the economic borderline and the cost could be reduced by increasing the rate of the digestion process, a research program was undertaken to delineate the most promising areas of development. The concept that the step involving transfer of products from solution is rate-limiting and inhibiting in anaerobic digestion was supported by all evidence available. The most significant design implication of this concept is that faster gas production can be achieved in a two-stage digestion system in which unreactive solids are eliminated after the hydrolysis step somore » that the effluent to the gas-producing stage possesses a low viscosity. The advantages and disadvantages of three hydrolysis methods (enzymatic, anaerobic, and acid) are reviewed.« less

  2. Nutrient digestibility of vegetables waste flour on male quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pramono, A.; Primadhani, M. S.; Swastike, W.; Sutrisno, J.

    2018-03-01

    The aim of this research is to determine the nutrient digestibility of vegetables waste flour on of male quail. Four hundred male quails were divided into four groups with five replications. The experiment is Completely Randomized Design and the data were analyzed by analyses of variants. The experimental diets were P0 = basal diet, P1 = 97% basal diet + 3% vegetables waste flour, P2 = 94% basal diet + 6% vegetables waste flour, and P3 = 91% basal diet + 9% vegetables waste flour. The observed variables were the digestibility of dry matter, crude protein and extract ether. Result showed that of the addition of vegetable waste flour in the diet had no effect on crude protein digestibility (P>0.05), however shown significant effect on dry matter (P <0.01) and extract ether (P <0.01) digestibility.

  3. Energize It! An Ecologically Integrated Approach to the Study of the Digestive System and Energy Acquisition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Derting, Terry L.

    1992-01-01

    Develops a research-oriented method of studying the digestive system that integrates species' ecology with the form and function of this system. Uses problem-posing, problem-probing, and peer persuasion. Presents information for mammalian systems. (27 references) (MKR)

  4. Economic analysis of small-scale agricultural digesters in the United States

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Anaerobic digestion is a manure treatment option that is gaining popularity throughout the world due to its multiple environmental and economic benefits. However, further research is needed for anaerobic technology to become more readily available, cost effective and manageable for small-scale to m...

  5. REACTIVATION AND REGROWTH OF INDICATOR ORGANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH ANAEROBICALLY DIGESTED AND DEWATERED BIOSOLIDS: EPA’S PERSPECTIVE

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) recently published a report titled Examination of Reactivation and Regrowth of Fecal Coliforms in Anaerobically Digested Sludges. Seven full-scale publicly owned treatment facilities were sampled several times to determine if bacte...

  6. The Shy Child. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hyson, Marion C.; Van Trieste, Karen

    This ERIC digest: (1) describes types and manifestations of shyness among children; (2) briefly reviews research on genetic, temperamental, and environmental influences on shyness; (3) distinguishes between normal and problematic shyness; and (4) suggests ways for parents and teachers to help the shy child by accepting the whole child, building…

  7. A STUDY OF LAND APPLICATION OF ANAEROBICALLY DIGESTED BIOSOLIDS

    EPA Science Inventory

    A field-scale research project was conducted in 2004-2005 to evaluate land application of anaerobically digested biosolids at agronomic levels. Biosolids had not been applied to this land previously. For this study, biosolids wee applied in a 100-m diameter circle by a side dis...

  8. Treatment Methods for Kidney Failure: Peritoneal Dialysis

    MedlinePlus

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  9. Definition and Facts for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

    MedlinePlus

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  10. Dermatitis Herpetiformis: Skin Manifestation of Celiac Disease

    MedlinePlus

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  11. How Do Doctors Treat NAFLD and NASH?

    MedlinePlus

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  12. Diabetes, Gum Disease, and Other Dental Problems

    MedlinePlus

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  13. Definition and Facts for Constipation in Children

    MedlinePlus

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  14. Bladder Control Problems and Bedwetting in Children

    MedlinePlus

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  15. Effect of Recycle Sludge on Anaerobic Digestion of Palm Oil Mill Effluent in A Thermophilic Continuous Digester

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Irvan; Trisakti, B.; Tomiuchi, Y.; Harahap, U.; Daimon, H.

    2017-06-01

    The objective of this research is to maintain short retention time and high degradation of palm oil mill effluent (POME) to biogas by applying recycle sludge. Fresh POME from Rambutan Mill without further treatment was used as feed. Two lab-scale digesters supported from Metawater Co. Ltd. have been applied to treat POME at thermophilic (55°C) condition. Both digesters were operated under intermittent operation mode. Experiments were performed in two methods: with and without recycle sludge. Hydraulic retention time (HRT) of both methods was maintained at 6 days, while sludge retention time (SRT) was maintained at various days. The result showed that by extending SRT in return sludge process where 25% of digested slurry recycled to the digester, improvement of volatile solid (VS) decomposition was obtained around 84% at HRT of 6 days and SRT of 21 days. Then, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency could be reached until 85% by using recycle sludge.

  16. Digested disorder: Quarterly intrinsic disorder digest (January/February/March, 2013).

    PubMed

    Uversky, Vladimir N

    2013-01-01

    The current literature on intrinsically disordered proteins is blooming. A simple PubMed search for "intrinsically disordered protein OR natively unfolded protein" returns about 1,800 hits (as of June 17, 2013), with many papers published quite recently. To keep interested readers up to speed with this literature, we are starting a "Digested Disorder" project, which will encompass a series of reader's digest type of publications aiming at the objective representation of the research papers and reviews on intrinsically disordered proteins. The only two criteria for inclusion in this digest are the publication date (a paper should be published within the covered time frame) and topic (a paper should be dedicated to any aspect of protein intrinsic disorder). The current digest covers papers published during the period of January, February and March of 2013. The papers are grouped hierarchically by topics they cover, and for each of the included paper a short description is given on its major findings.

  17. Transport of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in a Simulated Gastric Environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mayfield, Ryan T.

    Recent years have seen a growing interest in the use of many types of nano sized materials in the consumer sector. Potential uses include encapsulation of nutrients, providing antimicrobial activity, altering texture, or changing bioavailability of nutrients. Engineered nanoparticles (ENP) possess properties that are different than larger particles made of the same constituents. Properties such as solubility, aggregation state, and toxicity can all be changed as a function of size. The gastric environment is an important area for study of engineered nanoparticles because of the varied physical, chemical, and enzymatic processes that are prevalent there. These all have the potential to alter those properties of ENP that make them different from their bulk counterparts. The Human Gastric Simulator (HGS) is an advanced in vitro model that can be used to study many facets of digestion. The HGS consists of a plastic lining that acts as the stomach cavity with two sets of U-shaped arms on belts that provide the physical forces needed to replicate peristalsis. Altering the position of the arms or changing the speed of the motor which powers them allows one to tightly hone and replicate varied digestive conditions. Gastric juice, consisting of salts, enzymes, and acid levels which replicate physiological conditions, is introduced to the cavity at a controllable rate. The release of digested food from the lumen of simulated stomach is controlled by a peristaltic pump. The goal of the HGS is to accurately and repeatedly simulate human digestion. This study focused on introducing foods spiked with zinc oxide ENP and bulk zinc oxide into the HGS and then monitoring how the concentration of each changed at two locations in the HGS over a two hour period. The two locations chosen were the highest point in the lumen of the stomach, which represented the fundus, and a point just beyond the equivalent of the pylorus, which represented the antrum of the stomach. These points were chosen in order to elucidate if and how two different particle sizes of the same material are transported during digestion. Results showed that particles preferentially collected at Location A; time played a minor role in the separation to the two locations while particle size did not play any role.

  18. Survival of Alternaria alternata during anaerobic digestion of biomass in stirred tank reactors.

    PubMed

    Schleusner, Y; Bandte, M; Gossmann, M; Heiermann, M; Plöchl, M; Büttner, C

    2012-01-01

    The survival of Alternaria alternate during anaerobic digestion was investigated in context of a joint research project. The aim of this project was to estimate the phytosanitary risk of dissemination of pathogens by returning treated biomass as organic fertilizer to arable land. The studies were carried out in lab-scale stirred tank reactors under mesophilic conditions. After insertion of infected plant material into the reactors the influence on the viability of the fungal pathogen was studied concerning exposure time, pretreatment and storage of the digestates for four weeks or six months. The results clearly showed that anaerobic digestion leads to a complete inactivation of A. alternate already after an exposure time of six hours.

  19. The digestive tract of Drosophila melanogaster.

    PubMed

    Lemaitre, Bruno; Miguel-Aliaga, Irene

    2013-01-01

    The digestive tract plays a central role in the digestion and absorption of nutrients. Far from being a passive tube, it provides the first line of defense against pathogens and maintains energy homeostasis by exchanging neuronal and endocrine signals with other organs. Historically neglected, the gut of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has recently come to the forefront of Drosophila research. Areas as diverse as stem cell biology, neurobiology, metabolism, and immunity are benefitting from the ability to study the genetics of development, growth regulation, and physiology in the same organ. In this review, we summarize our knowledge of the Drosophila digestive tract, with an emphasis on the adult midgut and its functional underpinnings.

  20. A Fully Nonmetallic Gas Turbine Engine Enabled by Additive Manufacturing, Part II: Additive Manufacturing and Characterization of Polymer Composites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chuang, Kathy C.; Grady, Joseph E.; Arnold, Steven M.; Draper, Robert D.; Shin, Eugene; Patterson, Clark; Santelle, Tom; Lao, Chao; Rhein, Morgan; Mehl, Jeremy

    2015-01-01

    This publication is the second part of the three part report of the project entitled "A Fully Nonmetallic Gas Turbine Engine Enabled by Additive Manufacturing" funded by NASA Aeronautics Research Institute (NARI). The objective of this project was to conduct additive manufacturing to produce aircraft engine components by Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), using commercially available polyetherimides-Ultem 9085 and experimental Ultem 1000 mixed with 10% chopped carbon fiber. A property comparison between FDM-printed and injection molded coupons for Ultem 9085, Ultem 1000 resin and the fiber-filled composite Ultem 1000 was carried out. Furthermore, an acoustic liner was printed from Ultem 9085 simulating conventional honeycomb structured liners and tested in a wind tunnel. Composite compressor inlet guide vanes were also printed using fiber-filled Ultem 1000 filaments and tested in a cascade rig. The fiber-filled Ultem 1000 filaments and composite vanes were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and acid digestion to determine the porosity of FDM-printed articles which ranged from 25 to 31%. Coupons of Ultem 9085, experimental Ultem 1000 composites and XH6050 resin were tested at room temperature and 400F to evaluate their corresponding mechanical properties. A preliminary modeling was also initiated to predict the mechanical properties of FDM-printed Ultem 9085 coupons in relation to varied raster angles and void contents, using the GRC-developed MAC/GMC program.

  1. Definition and Facts for Peptic Ulcers (Stomach Ulcers)

    MedlinePlus

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  2. Nutrition for Early Chronic Kidney Disease in Adults

    MedlinePlus

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  3. What are the symptoms of NAFLD and NASH?

    MedlinePlus

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  4. Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

    MedlinePlus

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  5. Resampling: A Marriage of Computers and Statistics. ERIC/TM Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rudner, Lawrence M.; Shafer, Mary Morello

    Advances in computer technology are making it possible for educational researchers to use simpler statistical methods to address a wide range of questions with smaller data sets and fewer, and less restrictive, assumptions. This digest introduces computationally intensive statistics, collectively called resampling techniques. Resampling is a…

  6. Assessing Faculty Publication Productivity: Issues of Equity. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Creamer, Elizabeth G.

    This digest summarizes a report of a study of the research literature on faculty publication productivity, with special emphasis on gender as a factor in publishing productivity. Major issues addressed by the report include: (1) the existence of significant gender and race differences in publishing productivity, with women and minorities…

  7. Loneliness in Young Children. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bullock, Janis R.

    Loneliness is a significant problem than can predispose young children to immediate and long-term negative consequences. This Digest presents an overview of loneliness, with suggestions for practitioners on how they can apply the research in early childhood settings. Children who feel lonely often experience poor peer relationships and feelings of…

  8. Capitalizing on Small Class Size. ERIC Digest Number 136.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Connell, Jessica; Smith, Stuart C.

    This Digest examines school districts' efforts to reap the greatest benefit from smaller classes. Although the report discusses teaching strategies that are most effective in small classes, research has shown that teachers do not significantly change their teaching practices when they move from larger to smaller classes. Smaller classes mean…

  9. Personal Computers Help Gifted Students Work Smart. ERIC Digest #E483.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Geoffrey

    This digest considers the role of personal computers in the education of gifted students. There is evidence that students are working "smarter," whether they are learning and using more information, understanding key concepts and relationships better, or developing higher level thinking skills. Research findings concerning the specific…

  10. Diversity Digest. Volume 8, Number 1

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Giles, Mark, Ed.

    2004-01-01

    Sponsored by the Pathways to College Network, this issue of "Diversity Digest" highlights some of the research that informs Pathways. Several of the articles identify factors that affect underserved students' ability to attend and succeed at postsecondary institutions. In the first article, "The Right to Learn and the Pathways to College Network"…

  11. School Productivity. ERIC Digest, Number 119.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hadderman, Margaret

    Some of the issues surrounding school productivity are discussed in this ERIC digest. It presents the results of early research that explored whether there is a relationship between educational funding and student outcomes. Some of the reasons behind schools' productivity problems are presented, including problems with unstable governance and the…

  12. Striving for Excellence: The National Education Goals.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    ACCESS ERIC, Rockville, MD.

    This compilation of ERIC Digests describes issues, highlights exemplary programs and promising practices, and explains research results that can assist educators in achieving the far-reaching national education goals adopted by the President and the governors in 1990. The two lead digests are "An Overview of the Six National Education…

  13. Tropical Rainforest Education. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rillero, Peter

    This digest provides four guideposts for tropical rainforest education: (1) structure; (2) location and climate; (3) importance; and (4) conservation of resources. Research is cited and background information provided about the layers of life and the adaptations of life within the tropical rain forest. Aspects of life within and near rain forests…

  14. Library Latchkey Children. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dowd, Frances Smardo

    This digest discusses ways in which public libraries deal with latchkey children who spend their after-school hours at public libraries while their parents are at work. Research conducted in 1990 of 110 public libraries revealed that almost all libraries encountered unattended children after school hours, and that most libraries surveyed were not…

  15. Coaching for Tests. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wildemuth, Barbara

    The term "coaching" applies to a variety of types of test preparation programs which vary in length, instructional method, and content. Most research on the effectiveness of coaching has examined the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), a measure of academic abilities used to predict college performance. This ERIC Digest reviews studies of…

  16. Isolation and assessment of gut bacteria from the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), for paratransgenesis research and application.

    PubMed

    Tikhe, Chinmay V; Sethi, Amit; Delatte, Jennifer; Husseneder, Claudia

    2017-02-01

    Paratransgenesis targeting the gut protozoa is being developed as an alternative method for the control of the Formosan subterranean termite (FST). This method involves killing the cellulose-digesting gut protozoa using a previously developed antiprotozoal peptide consisting of a target specific ligand coupled to an antimicrobial peptide (Hecate). In the future, we intend to genetically engineer termite gut bacteria as "Trojan Horses" to express and spread ligand-Hecate in the termite colony. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of bacteria strains isolated from the gut of FST as "Trojan Horses." We isolated 135 bacteria from the guts of workers from 3 termite colonies. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene identified 20 species. We tested 5 bacteria species that were previously described as part of the termite gut community for their tolerance against Hecate and ligand-Hecate. Results showed that the minimum concentration required to inhibit bacteria growth was always higher than the concentration required to kill the gut protozoa. Out of the 5 bacteria tested, we engineered Trabulsiella odontotermitis, a termite specific bacterium, to express green fluorescent protein as a proof of concept that the bacteria can be engineered to express foreign proteins. Engineered T. odontotermitis was fed to FST to study if the bacteria are ingested. This feeding experiment confirmed that engineered T. odontotermitis is ingested by termites and can survive in the gut for at least 48 h. Here we report that T. odontotermitis is a suitable delivery and expression system for paratransgenesis in a termite species. © 2015 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

  17. Biomedical engineering in design and application of nitinol stents with shape memory effect

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ryklina, E. P.; Khmelevskaya, I. Y.; Morozova, Tamara V.; Prokoshkin, S. D.

    1996-04-01

    Our studies in the field of endosurgery in collaboration with the physicians of the National Research Center of Surgery of the Academy of Medical Sciences are carried out beginning in 1983. These studies laid the foundation for the new direction of X-ray surgery--X-ray Nitinol stenting of vessels and tubular structures. X-ray nitinol stents are unique self-fixing shells based on the shape memory effect and superelasticity of nickel-titanium alloys self- reconstructed under human body temperature. Applied for stenting of arteries in cases of stenosis etc., bile ducts in cases of benign and malignant stenoses, digestive tract in cases of oesophageal cancer and cervical canal uterus in cases of postsurgical atresiss and strictures of uterine. The purpose of stenting is restoration of the shape of artery or tubular structure by a cylinder frame formation. The especially elaborated original method of stenting allows to avoid the traditional surgical operation, i.e. the stenting is performed without blood, narcosis and surgical knife. The stent to be implanted is transported into the affected zone through the puncture under the X-ray control. Clinical applications of X-ray endovascular stenting has been started in March 1984. During this period nearly 400 operations on stenting have been performed on femoral, iliac, brachio-cephalic, subclavian arteries, bile ducts, tracheas, digestive tract and cervical canal uterus.

  18. PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT MEASURES TO UPDATING RESOURCES RECYCLING EQUIPMENTS IN COLLABORATION WITH SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS AND WASTE INCINERATION PLANTS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakakubo, Toyohiko; Tokai, Akihiro; Ohno, Koichi

    This study aims to assess two biomass utilization policies: the integration of food waste treatment in a sewerage treatment plant with an anaerobic digestion tank, and the pruned branch usage as heat source for drying sludge. We focused on two points in our analysis that the impact of the increase of dewatered sludge on sludge treatment processes after digestion and the improvement of the efficiency of waste power generation plants. A developed model was applied to the case study in Kobe city and evaluated the impact until 2030 by four indicators: energy consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, phosphorus-recovery, and cost. The results showed that case 3-C, which introducing the combined sludge and food waste digestion system, pyrolysis gasification with gas engine and wood-chip boiler, could supply additional 452 TJ/y of energy, recovery 93 t-P/y of phosphorus, and reduce 38 kt-CO2eq./y of GHG while shrinking the cost by 88 million yen/y compared to business as usual types-update case.

  19. Role of microRNA-7 in digestive system malignancy.

    PubMed

    Chen, Wan-Qun; Hu, Ling; Chen, Geng-Xin; Deng, Hai-Xia

    2016-01-15

    There are several malignancies of the digestive system (including gastric, pancreatic and colorectal cancers, and hepatocellular carcinoma), which are the most common types of cancer and a major cause of death worldwide. MicroRNA (miR)-7 is abundant in the pancreas, playing an important role in pancreatic development and endocrine function. Expression of miR-7 is downregulated in digestive system malignancies compared with normal tissue. Although there are contrasting results for miR-7 expression, almost all research reveals that miR-7 is a tumor suppressor, by targeting various genes in specific pathways. Moreover, miR-7 can target different genes simultaneously in different malignancies of the digestive system. By acting on many cytokines, miR-7 is also involved in many gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases as a significant carcinogenic factor. Consequently, miR-7 might be a biomarker or therapeutic target gene in digestive system malignancies.

  20. Effects of cadmium, naphthalene, and DDVP on gut carbohydrases activity in bream (Abramis brama L. ) and Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus Peters)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Golovanova, I.L.; Chuiko, G.M.; Pavlov, D.F.

    1994-03-01

    Previous research has shown that sublethal concentrations of cadmium, naphthalene and dichlorvos (DDVP) decreased growth rates in bream and Mozambique tilapia. One of the factors known to affect fish growth is the activity of gut digestive enzymes such as of lipases, proteases, carbohydrases. We assumed that toxicant-induced inhibition of the digestive enzyme activity and, consequently, the impaired digestion of food may contribute to the reduction of growth in fish exposed to toxicants. However, the influence of toxicants on digestive enzyme activities is poorly studied. The contribution of toxicant-induced changes of digestive enzymes activity to growth rate retardation in exposed fishmore » remains unknown. The goal of this study was to examine the influence of an organophosphorus insecticide DDVP, a polyaromatic hydrocarbon naphthalene, and a metal cadmium on fish gut carbohydrase (CH) activity. 14 refs., 2 tabs.« less

  1. Comparison of three inert markers in measuring apparent nutrient digestibility of juvenile abalone under different culture condition and temperature regimes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nur, K. U.; Adams, L.; Stone, D.; Savva, N.; Adams, M.

    2018-03-01

    A comparative research using three inert markers, chromic oxide, yttrium and ytterbium to measure the apparent nutrient digestibility of experimental feed in juvenile Hybrid abalone (Haliotis rubra X H. laevigata) and Greenlip abalone (H.laevigata) revealed that apparent digestibility of crude protein (ADCP) measured using yttrium and ytterbium in hybrid abalone were significantly different across the treatments. Protein digestibility measured in experimental tanks was higher than those measured in indoor and outdoor commercial tanks, regardless of inert marker used. Chromic oxide led to overestimated ADCP compared to when measured using yttrium and ytterbium. There were no significant interactions between temperature and inert markers when measuring ADCP and apparent digestibility of gross energy (ADGE). However, there was a significant difference of ADCP amongst inert markers when measured in greenlip abalone cultured at two temperatures. While measurements of ADge calculated using three inert markers shared the same value.

  2. Digested disorder

    PubMed Central

    Uversky, Vladimir N

    2013-01-01

    The current literature on intrinsically disordered proteins is blooming. A simple PubMed search for “intrinsically disordered protein OR natively unfolded protein” returns about 1,800 hits (as of June 17, 2013), with many papers published quite recently. To keep interested readers up to speed with this literature, we are starting a “Digested Disorder” project, which will encompass a series of reader’s digest type of publications aiming at the objective representation of the research papers and reviews on intrinsically disordered proteins. The only two criteria for inclusion in this digest are the publication date (a paper should be published within the covered time frame) and topic (a paper should be dedicated to any aspect of protein intrinsic disorder). The current digest covers papers published during the period of January, February and March of 2013. The papers are grouped hierarchically by topics they cover, and for each of the included paper a short description is given on its major findings. PMID:28516015

  3. Signal Analysis Techniques for Interpreting Electroencephalograms

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-12-01

    investigations by Lansing and Barlow (61). The relation between VER, adaptation attention fatigue, etc., has been studied quite extensively with invasive...in order to restore the highly abnormal EEG to near normal. Anatomical and Neurophysiological Considerations of VER Changes For studies of visual...Computer Analysis of Electroencephalograms, Digest of the 7th International Conf. on Medical and Biological Engineering, Stockholm, pp. 257-260, 1967. 4

  4. Efficient generation of knock-in transgenic zebrafish carrying reporter/driver genes by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome engineering.

    PubMed

    Kimura, Yukiko; Hisano, Yu; Kawahara, Atsuo; Higashijima, Shin-ichi

    2014-10-08

    The type II bacterial CRISPR/Cas9 system is rapidly becoming popular for genome-engineering due to its simplicity, flexibility, and high efficiency. Recently, targeted knock-in of a long DNA fragment via homology-independent DNA repair has been achieved in zebrafish using CRISPR/Cas9 system. This raised the possibility that knock-in transgenic zebrafish could be efficiently generated using CRISPR/Cas9. However, how widely this method can be applied for the targeting integration of foreign genes into endogenous genomic loci is unclear. Here, we report efficient generation of knock-in transgenic zebrafish that have cell-type specific Gal4 or reporter gene expression. A donor plasmid containing a heat-shock promoter was co-injected with a short guide RNA (sgRNA) targeted for genome digestion, a sgRNA targeted for donor plasmid digestion, and Cas9 mRNA. We have succeeded in establishing stable knock-in transgenic fish with several different constructs for 4 genetic loci at a frequency being exceeding 25%. Due to its simplicity, design flexibility, and high efficiency, we propose that CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock-in will become a standard method for the generation transgenic zebrafish.

  5. Hepatitis B: What Asian and Pacific Islander Americans Need to Know

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  6. How Can My Diet Help Prevent or Treat NAFLD and NASH?

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  7. Anaerobic digestion of pre-fermented potato peel wastes for methane production.

    PubMed

    Liang, Shaobo; McDonald, Armando G

    2015-12-01

    This study investigated the feasibility of anaerobic digestion (AD) of potato peel waste (PPW) and its lactic acid fermentation residue (PPW-FR) for methane (CH4) production. The experimental results showed that about 60-70% CH4 content was obtained. The digester using PPW-FR as feedstock exhibited better performance and produced a highest cumulative CH4 production of 273 L/kg VS fed, followed by 239 L/kg VS fed using PPW under the same conditions. However, with increasing solid loadings of PPW-FR feedstock from 6.4% to 9.1%, the CH4 production was inhibited. The generation, accumulation, and degradation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in digesters were also investigated in this research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. The Impact of Electronic Communication on Writing. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abdullah, Mardziah Hayati

    Noting that electronic communication places new demands on language that leads to interesting variations in written language use, this Digest summarizes insights gained from research on writing behavior and performance in the electronic age. It concludes that both the process and the content of writing are evolving in response to the increased use…

  9. New Approaches to Truancy Prevention in Urban Schools. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walls, Charles

    This digest explores truancy in the urban context, examines the different types and reasons for truancy, and reviews the new ways that researchers and intervention programs are addressing this problem. No national data on truancy rates exist, but many larger cities report staggeringly high rates. The relationship between race or income and truancy…

  10. Capitalizando en los cursos pequenos (Capitalizing on Small Class Size). ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Connell, Jessica; Smith, Stuart C.

    This digest in Spanish examines school districts' efforts to reap the greatest benefit from smaller classes. Although the report discusses teaching strategies that are most effective in small classes, research has shown that teachers do not significantly change their teaching practices when they move from larger to smaller classes. Although…

  11. Learning about the Human Genome. Part 1: Challenge to Science Educators. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haury, David L.

    This digest explains how to inform high school students and their parents about the human genome project (HGP) and how the information from this milestone finding will affect future biological and medical research and challenge science educators. The sections include: (1) "The Emerging Legacy of the HGP"; (2) "Transforming How…

  12. Attracting and Retaining Teachers in Rural Areas. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Collins, Timothy

    This digest examines the rural teacher shortage from a policy perspective and suggests strategies to address the problem. The rural teacher recruitment and retention problem varies across states. An adequate number of teachers are trained each year nationwide, but the problem is with distribution. Recent research on rural teacher recruitment and…

  13. National Standards for Athletic Coaches. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brylinsky, Jody

    This digest asserts that the question of coach preparation and training has become a priority issue for many schools and communities, though the research is limited. It examines reasons to have coach education; the scope of sport participation; the status of coach education and training in the United States; National standards for coach education;…

  14. City and State Takeover as a School Reform Strategy. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wong, Kenneth K.; Shen, Francis X.

    This digest addresses city and state takeover as a school reform strategy, outlining the emergence of takeover in the past decade, discussing promises and limitations that takeover offers, and synthesizing the research to date on takeover's effectiveness. A notable trend over the past decade is greater implementation of takeover reforms,…

  15. Anaerobic Digestion of Saline Creeping Wild Ryegrass for Biogas Production and Pretreatment of Particleboard Material

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The objective of this research was to develop an integrated process to produce biogas and high-quality particleboard using saline creeping wild ryegrass (CWR), Leymus triticoides through anaerobic digestion (AD). Besides producing biogas, AD also serves as a pretreatment method to remove the wax la...

  16. Assessment for American Indian and Alaska Native Learners. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bordeaux, Roger

    This digest examines the use of standardized, nationally normed testing in assessing the progress of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students and describes alternative forms of assessment. For years, researchers have criticized the overuse of standardized, nationally normed tests to assess learner and school success. Problems with such…

  17. Understanding and Facilitating Change in Higher Education in the 21st Century. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kezar, Adrianna

    This digest focuses on providing the reader several key insights into the change process in higher education by: (1) presenting a common language for organizational change; (2) describing the multidisciplinary research base on change; (3) highlighting the distinct characteristics of higher education institutions and how this might influence the…

  18. Guiding the Gifted Reader. ERIC Digest #E481.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halsted, Judith Wynn

    This digest offers guidelines in providing challenging reading opportunities for gifted students. Research findings concerning the characteristics of the gifted child as reader (e.g., they read earlier, better and more) are noted. Specific needs of gifted learners can be met by: using literature as a supplement to the readings in basal texts;…

  19. Violence in Audio-Visual Media: How Educators Can Respond. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hepburn, Mary A.

    Over the past 20 years there have been numerous studies and frequent warnings about violent television programs and movies arousing young people to act violently. Researchers have pointed to many hours of viewing excessive violence as a potential contributor to violent behavior by youngsters. This digest examines evidence of violence in television…

  20. Using Music in the Adult ESL Classroom. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lems, Kristen

    Music can be used in the adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classroom to create a learning environment; to build listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing skills; to increase vocabulary; and to expand cultural knowledge. This digest looks briefly at research and offers strategies for using music in the adult ESL classroom.…

  1. Prokaryotic expression and allergenicity assessment of hygromycin B phosphotransferase protein derived from genetically modified plants.

    PubMed

    Lu, Y; Xu, W; Kang, A; Luo, Y; Guo, F; Yang, R; Zhang, J; Huang, K

    2007-09-01

    The hygromycin B phosphotransferase gene (hpt) has been widely used in the process of plant genetic engineering to produce plants that can secrete the HPT protein. As part of a safety assessment, sufficient quantities of the protein were produced in Escherichia coli to conduct in vitro digestibility and animal studies. Western blotting analysis showed that the HPT protein was digested by simulated gastric fluid within 40 s. ELISA demonstrated that the protein did not induce detectable levels of specific IgE antibodies or histamine in test animals. Alignment of the amino acid sequence of HPT with those of known allergens did not produce evidence of sequence similarities between these allergens and the HPT protein. We conclude that HPT has a low probability to induce allergenicity.

  2. Fertilizer and sanitary quality of digestate biofertilizer from the co-digestion of food waste and human excreta.

    PubMed

    Owamah, H I; Dahunsi, S O; Oranusi, U S; Alfa, M I

    2014-04-01

    This research was aimed at assessing the fertilizer quality and public health implications of using digestate biofertilizer from the anaerobic digestion of food wastes and human excreta. Twelve (12) kg of food wastes and 3kg of human excreta were mixed with water in a 1:1 w/v to make 30-l slurry that was fed into the anaerobic digester to ferment for 60days at mesophilic temperature (22-31°C). Though BOD, COD, organic carbon and ash content in the feedstock were reduced after anaerobic digestion by 50.0%, 10.6%, 74.3% and 1.5% respectively, nitrogen, pH and total solids however increased by 12.1%, 42.5% and 12.4% respectively. The C/N ratios of the feedstock and compost are 135:1 and 15.8:1. The residual total coliforms of 2.10×10(8)CFU/100ml in the digestate was above tolerable limits for direct application on farmlands. Microbial analysis of the digestate biofertilizer revealed the presence of Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Clostridium, Bacillus, Bacteroides, Penicillum, Salmollena, and Aspergillus. Klebsiella, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Penicillum and Aspergillus can boost the efficiency of the biofertilizer through nitrogen fixation and nutrient solubility in soils but Klebsiella again and Salmollena are potential health risks to end users. Further treatment of the digestate for more efficient destruction of pathogens is advised. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Production of digestive enzymes along the gut of the giant keyhole limpet Megathura crenulata (Mollusca: Vetigastropoda).

    PubMed

    Martin, Gary G; Martin, Alanna; Tsai, Whitney; Hafner, John C

    2011-11-01

    The esophagus and intestine form the longest regions of the digestive tract in the giant keyhole limpet and are lined by epithelial cells sharing a common morphology and releasing materials into the gut lumen by apocrine secretion. The purpose of this study was to determine if these morphologically similar regions release similar digestive enzymes and compare their contributions to digestive enzymes released from other regions of the gut. Principal component analysis of enzymes detected by the API ZYM system for 19 enzymes plus EnzChek assays for protease, α-amylase, lipase, cellulase, and lysozyme identify four distinct regions of the gut: 1) crystalline style and style sac, 2) digestive gland, 3) salivary glands, and 4) esophagus and intestine. Heterogeneity in enzymatic activity was observed in regions of the gut with similar cell morphology (middle and posterior esophagus and intestine) as well as regions with different cell morphology (salivary glands, digestive gland and crystalline style). Enzyme activity in each of these regions is compared to other gastropods, in particular the abalone. Although much of the length of the digestive tract is lined by a morphologically similar epithelium, different regions of the alimentary tract produce a different suite of enzymes which may contribute to the digestive process. These data will help enhance our limited understanding of the digestive physiology of Megathura crenulata and lead to improvement of its culture for clinical research. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Development of Automatic Control of Bayer Plant Digestion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Riffaud, J. P.

    Supervisory computer control has been achieved in Alcan's Bayer Plants at Arvida, Quebec, Canada. The purpose of the automatic control system is to stabilize and consequently increase, the alumina/caustic ratio within the digester train and in the blow-off liquor. Measurements of the electrical conductivity of the liquor are obtained from electrodeless conductivity meters. These signals, along with several others are scanned by the computer and converted to engineering units, using specific relationships which are updated periodically for calibration purposes. On regular time intervals, values of ratio are compared to target values and adjustments are made to the bauxite flow entering the digesters. Dead time compensation included in the control algorithm enables a faster rate for corrections. Modification of production rate is achieved through careful timing of various flow changes. Calibration of the conductivity meters is achieved by sampling at intervals the liquor flowing through them, and analysing it with a thermometric titrator. Calibration of the thermometric titrator is done at intervals with a standard solution. Calculations for both calibrations are performed by computer from data entered by the analyst. The computer was used for on-line data collection, modelling of the digester system, calculation of disturbances and simulation of control strategies before implementing the most successful strategy in the Plant. Control of ratio has been improved by the integrated system, resulting in increased Plant productivity.

  5. Evaluation of the National Research Council (2001) dairy model and derivation of new prediction equations. 1. Digestibility of fiber, fat, protein, and nonfiber carbohydrate.

    PubMed

    White, R R; Roman-Garcia, Y; Firkins, J L; VandeHaar, M J; Armentano, L E; Weiss, W P; McGill, T; Garnett, R; Hanigan, M D

    2017-05-01

    Evaluation of ration balancing systems such as the National Research Council (NRC) Nutrient Requirements series is important for improving predictions of animal nutrient requirements and advancing feeding strategies. This work used a literature data set (n = 550) to evaluate predictions of total-tract digested neutral detergent fiber (NDF), fatty acid (FA), crude protein (CP), and nonfiber carbohydrate (NFC) estimated by the NRC (2001) dairy model. Mean biases suggested that the NRC (2001) lactating cow model overestimated true FA and CP digestibility by 26 and 7%, respectively, and under-predicted NDF digestibility by 16%. All NRC (2001) estimates had notable mean and slope biases and large root mean squared prediction error (RMSPE), and concordance (CCC) ranged from poor to good. Predicting NDF digestibility with independent equations for legumes, corn silage, other forages, and nonforage feeds improved CCC (0.85 vs. 0.76) compared with the re-derived NRC (2001) equation form (NRC equation with parameter estimates re-derived against this data set). Separate FA digestion coefficients were derived for different fat supplements (animal fats, oils, and other fat types) and for the basal diet. This equation returned improved (from 0.76 to 0.94) CCC compared with the re-derived NRC (2001) equation form. Unique CP digestibility equations were derived for forages, animal protein feeds, plant protein feeds, and other feeds, which improved CCC compared with the re-derived NRC (2001) equation form (0.74 to 0.85). New NFC digestibility coefficients were derived for grain-specific starch digestibilities, with residual organic matter assumed to be 98% digestible. A Monte Carlo cross-validation was performed to evaluate repeatability of model fit. In this procedure, data were randomly subsetted 500 times into derivation (60%) and evaluation (40%) data sets, and equations were derived using the derivation data and then evaluated against the independent evaluation data. Models derived with random study effects demonstrated poor repeatability of fit in independent evaluation. Similar equations derived without random study effects showed improved fit against independent data and little evidence of biased parameter estimates associated with failure to include study effects. The equations derived in this analysis provide interesting insight into how NDF, starch, FA, and CP digestibilities are affected by intake, feed type, and diet composition. The Authors. Published by the Federation of Animal Science Societies and Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).

  6. The elimination of siloxanes from the biogas of a wastewater treatment plant by means of an adsorption process.

    PubMed

    Trapote, Arturo; García, Mariano; Prats, Daniel

    2016-12-01

    Siloxanes present in the biogas produced during anaerobic digestion in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can damage the mechanism of cogeneration heat engines and obstruct the process of energy valorization. The objective of this research is to detect the presence of siloxanes in the biogas and evaluate a procedure for their elimination. A breakthrough curve of a synthetic decamethylcyclopentasiloxane on an experimental bed of activated carbon was modeled and the theoretical mathematical model of the adsorption process was adjusted. As a result, the constants of the model were obtained: the mass transfer constant, Henry's equilibrium constant, and the Eddy diffusion. The procedure developed allows the adsorption equilibrium of siloxanes on activated carbon to be predicted, and makes it possible to lay the basis for the design of an appropriate activated carbon module for the elimination of siloxanes in a WWTP.

  7. Monogenic Forms of Diabetes: Neonatal Diabetes Mellitus and Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  8. The Shock and Vibration Digest, Volume 12, Number 9,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-09-01

    include diesel engine noise, process plant noise, and environ- dynamic mechanical properties of viscoelastic mate- mental noise and planning. rials...new numerical methods are presented in- plant noise control, design of facilities for noise in the twelve articles of the mathematics section. control...International Symposium for Innovative the seminar: 31 16 = ,,-,==. ’d-m w .’ " Dynamic Testing of Nuclear Power Plant Struc- ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS

  9. The Shock and Vibration Digest, Volume 17, Number 12

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-12-01

    of the con- engineering guidelines is presented. Includ - tinuous analog signals represented digitally ed are details related to general test tailor...into current technology in more S. than 150 topic areas. Review articles include technical information from articles, reports, and unpublished...Turbulence was actually produce the noise. One is the once thought to be a random and chaotic traditional view that the turbulence is .. motion of

  10. The Shock and Vibration Digest. Volume 16, Number 12

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-12-01

    speed, spring constant of meshing gear teeth, and mass of the Dept. of Applied Mathematical Studies , Univ of rotating years. All of these factors are...interest that stress concentration factors in civil, mechanical, naval, and aeronautical Most graduate engineers have learned that conformal structural...branes. Conformal mapping has also been used Applcaton f th coforal appig tchnque recently to study the vibration characteristics of is straightforward

  11. Back to the Agora: Workable Solutions for Small Urban School Facilities. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lawrence, Barbara Kent

    The ancient Athenian "agora" functioned as a marketplace for ideas and commerce and offered an ideal place for teaching and learning. This digest suggests adapting such a model to modern needs and describes successful small schools that have done so while reducing costs. Research shows that small schools offer many advantages for…

  12. Ambientes de lenguaje y alfabetizacion en programas preescolares (Language and Literacy Environments in Preschools). ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snow, Catherine E.; Burns, M. Susan; Griffin, Peg

    Because of the variation in support for literacy development in different homes, many children need high-quality preschool and school environments and excellent primary instruction to be sure of reading success. This Spanish-language Digest discusses the research on preschool literacy environments and their contributions to reading skills…

  13. Technology Transfer as an Entrepreneurial Practice in Higher Education. CELCEE Digest No. 98-9.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Faris, Shannon K.

    This digest examines some of the literature on technology transfer in the context of higher education, noting that the practice of capitalizing on academic research for commercial purposes has the potential to generate financial resources for the participating institutions of higher education. Several examples of technology transfer are cited,…

  14. The Campus Green: Fund Raising in Higher Education. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brittingham, Barbara E.; Pezzullo, Thomas R.

    This digest summarizes issues raised in a research report on fund raising in higher education. The following questions are addressed: What are the changes and trends since the early days of educational fund raising? What are the implications? What is known about spending? What is known about donor behavior? What are the major ethical issues? What…

  15. What Can I Become: Educational Aspirations of Students in Rural America. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haas, Toni

    This ERIC Digest reports on the educational aspirations of rural youth compared with students living in urban and suburban areas. Research indicates that in comparison to urban youth, rural young people felt their parents were much more supportive of their taking full-time jobs, attending trade schools, or entering the military rather than…

  16. Good or Bad, What Teachers Expect from Students They Generally Get! ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tauber, Robert T.

    Research suggests that teacher expectations can predict changes in student achievement and behavior. This Digest discusses the Pygmalion effect, or the idea that one's expectations about a person can eventually lead that person to behave and achieve in ways that conform to those expectations. Many teachers believe that they can judge ahead of time…

  17. Reading with a Purpose: Communicative Reading Tasks for the Foreign Language Classroom. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knutson, Elizabeth M.

    In describing reading proficiency--the relative difficulty or ease that an individual reader experiences reading a particular text--researchers have recognized the importance of both text- and reader-based factors. This digest focuses on the factor of purpose, as determined by the reader or the instructional context. Having a purpose means having…

  18. Bullying in Early Adolescence: The Role of the Peer Group. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Espelage, Dorothy L.

    One notable gap in the evolving literature on bullying and victimization during early adolescence is the role that peers play in promoting such behavior by either reinforcing the aggressor, failing to intervene to stop the victimization, or affiliating with students who bully. This Digest looks at the limited research available on the role of the…

  19. Optimization of digestion parameters for analysing the total sulphur of mine tailings by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Alam, Raquibul; Shang, Julie Q; Cheng, Xiangrong

    2012-05-01

    The oxidation of sulphidic mine tailings and consequent acid generation poses challenges for the environment. Accurate and precise analysis of sulphur content is necessary for impact assessment and management of mine tailings. Here, the authors aim at developing a rapid and easy digestion procedure, which may analyse and measure the total amount of sulphur in mine tailings by using inductively coupled plasma. For evaluating effects of several variables, the researchers used a univariate (analysis of variance (ANOVA)) strategy and considered factors such as composition of the acid mixture, heating time, and refluxing device to optimize the performance. To do the experiment, the researchers have used two certified reference materials (KZK-1 and RTS-2) and samples of tailings from Musselwhite mine. ANOVA result shows that heating time is the most influencing factor on acid digestion of the reference materials whereas in case of a digestion of tailings sample, hydrochloric acid proved to be the most significant parameter. Satisfactory results between the measured and referenced values are found for all experiments. It is found that the aqua regia (1 ml HNO(3) + 3 ml HCl) digestion of 0.1 g of samples after only 40 min of heating at 95°C produced fast, safe, and accurate analytical results with a recovery of 97% for the selected reference materials.

  20. Dynamics of changes in coplanar and indicator PCB in sewage sludge during mesophilic methane digestion.

    PubMed

    Rosińska, A; Karwowska, B

    2017-02-05

    Research was conducted, which aim was to evaluate the influence of mesophilic methane digestion on degradation of coplanar and indicator PCB in sewage sludge, and on dynamics of changes of these congeners during the process. For the research, sewage sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant were used. Mesophilic digestion was conducted at the temperature of 36°C±1°C. The anaerobic stabilization processes of sewage sludge occurred correctly what was confirmed by appropriate values of pH, content of volatile fatty acids (VFA) and ratio of VFA to alkalinity. Biodegradation of organic compounds in sewage sludge was confirmed by the decrease in total solids (by 26%) and volatile solids (by 36%). Up to the 3rd day of the digestion process no statistically significant differences in concentration of both coplanar and indicator PCB was observed. During the following days of the process, an increase in lower chlorinated PCB concentration was demonstrated and a decrease in concentration of higher chlorinated congeners (penta-, hexa-, and heptachlorobiphenyls). After the digestion, a decrease in higher chlorinated congener concentration was found. Significant degradation was demonstrated for coplanar PCB 169 (from 77.8 to 80.5%), and indicator PCB 180 (from 57.1 to 90.3%) and PCB 153 (from 60.4 to 79.2%). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. For People of African, Mediterranean, or Southeast Asian Heritage: Important Information about Diabetes Blood Tests

    MedlinePlus

    ... Process Research Training & Career Development Funded Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  2. A HyperSpectral Imaging (HSI) approach for bio-digestate real time monitoring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bonifazi, Giuseppe; Fabbri, Andrea; Serranti, Silvia

    2014-05-01

    One of the key issues in developing Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) is represented by the optimal utilisation of fertilisers and herbicidal to reduce the impact of Nitrates in soils and the environment. In traditional agriculture practises, these substances were provided to the soils through the use of chemical products (inorganic/organic fertilizers, soil improvers/conditioners, etc.), usually associated to several major environmental problems, such as: water pollution and contamination, fertilizer dependency, soil acidification, trace mineral depletion, over-fertilization, high energy consumption, contribution to climate change, impacts on mycorrhizas, lack of long-term sustainability, etc. For this reason, the agricultural market is more and more interested in the utilisation of organic fertilisers and soil improvers. Among organic fertilizers, there is an emerging interest for the digestate, a sub-product resulting from anaerobic digestion (AD) processes. Several studies confirm the high properties of digestate if used as organic fertilizer and soil improver/conditioner. Digestate, in fact, is somehow similar to compost: AD converts a major part of organic nitrogen to ammonia, which is then directly available to plants as nitrogen. In this paper, new analytical tools, based on HyperSpectral Imaging (HSI) sensing devices, and related detection architectures, is presented and discussed in order to define and apply simple to use, reliable, robust and low cost strategies finalised to define and implement innovative smart detection engines for digestate characterization and monitoring. This approach is finalized to utilize this "waste product" as a valuable organic fertilizer and soil conditioner, in a reduced impact and an "ad hoc" soil fertilisation perspective. Furthermore, the possibility to contemporary utilize the HSI approach to realize a real time physicalchemical characterisation of agricultural soils (i.e. nitrogen, phosphorus, etc., detection) could allow to set up "real time" selective fertilization strategies in order to obtain a safer culture production.

  3. Methane production from grape skins. Final technical report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Yunghans, W.N.

    1981-10-09

    Methane production from grape pomace was measured for a 50-day digestion period. Gas production was calculated to be 2400 ft/sup 3//10 d/ton at 53% methane content. Microorganisms particularly a fungus which grows on grape pomace and lignin was isolated. Lignin content of pomace was measured at approximately 60%. Lignin is slowly digested and may represent a residue which requires long term digestion. Research is continuing on isolation of anaerobic methane bacteria and codigestion of pomace with enzymes as cellulase and pectinase. The sewage sludge functioned adequately as a mixed source of organisms capable of digesting grape pomace. A sediment frommore » stored grape juice produced significant amounts of methane and represents a nutrient substrate for additional studies on continuous flow methane production. 3 figs.« less

  4. [Disorders affecting the digestive system during sleep].

    PubMed

    Galdón Castillo, A; Galera Mendoza, L; Egea González, A; González Olsen, A; Sánchez González, Y; Paniagua Soto, J

    In this work we review the major publications dealing with disorders that affect the digestive system and how they are related to sleep. Development. Sleep disorders occur in 12-25% of the general population and a large percentage of these pathologies are related to disorders of the digestive system. We review the different pathologies and symptoms linked to the digestive tract that give rise to sleep disorders. The study first examined the upper digestive tract, that is, the teeth and teeth grinding, and we then went on to look at gastroesophageal reflux, esophageal motility disorders, peptic ulcer disease, cholelithiasis, gastric ulcer, irritable bowel, proctalgia, the extent to which the disorders are related to pregnancy, disorders at the paediatric age and eating disorders. Digestive pains during sleep form a heterogeneous clinical picture that disrupts patients' sleep and exerts an influence on their quality of daily living, which in turn may affect sleep and favour the appearance of pains. To date these symptoms have received relatively little attention, but in the few studies that have been carried out, it has not been possible to establish with any degree of accuracy whether sleep and the digestive system share common control mechanisms or not. Research into this type of disorders could help to prevent the appearance of the complications that appear in these clinical pictures.

  5. Stability of polyphenols and carotenoids in strawberry and peach yoghurt throughout in vitro gastrointestinal digestion.

    PubMed

    Oliveira, Ana; Pintado, Manuela

    2015-05-01

    The aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the stability and bio-accessibility of phenolic compounds and carotenoids, as well as on the antioxidant activity in strawberry and peach enriched yoghurt. The radical scavenging capacity of strawberry and peach yoghurt was 480 and 550% higher, respectively, at the level of the intestine than in fruit yoghurt not subjected to digestion. In strawberry the amount of bio-accessible anthocyanins increased during gastric digestion and the transition to the intestinal compartment produced a decrease in all the analyzed classes of polyphenols, being more pronounced in pelargonidin-3-glucoside (65%) and pelargonidin-3-rutinoside (58%). In peach the (+)-catechin content strongly decreased (80%), and neochlorogenic, chlorogenic acid, rutin and the carotenoid zeaxanthin decreased at lower levels, between 32-45%, while β-carotene was rather stable under gastric conditions (increased by 12%) during intestinal digestion. Despite the decrease in the concentration of these bioactive compounds after being subjected to in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, results suggest that fruit yoghurt is an important source of bio-accessible polyphenols and carotenoids and that despite some losses induced by digestion conditions, it still releases relevant amounts at the level of the intestine to be absorbed and to promote health benefits.

  6. Anaerobic sludge digestion with a biocatalytic additive

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ghosh, S.; Henry, M.P.; Fedde, P.A.

    1982-01-01

    The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of a lactobacillus additive an anaerobic sludge digestion under normal, variable, and overload operating conditions. The additive was a whey fermentation product of an acid-tolerant strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus fortified with CaCO/sub 3/, (NH/sub 4/)/sub 2/HPO/sub 4/, ferrous lactate, and lactic acid. The lactobacillus additive is multifunctional in nature and provides growth factors, metabolic intermediates, and enzymes needed for substrate degradation and cellular synthesis. The experimental work consisted of several pairs of parallel mesophilic (35/sup 0/C) digestion runs (control and test) conducted in five experimental phases. Baseline runs without themore » additive showed that the two experimental digesters had the same methane content, gas production rate (GPR), and ethane yield. The effect of the additive was to increase methane yield and GPR by about 5% (which was statistically significant) during digester operation at a loading rate (LR) of 3.2 kg VS/m/sup 3/-day and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 14 days. Data collected from the various experimental phases showed that the biochemical additive increased methane yield, gas production rate, and VS reduction, and decreased volatile acids accumulation. In addition, it enhanced digester buffer capacity and improved the fertilizer value and dewatering characteristics of the digested residue.« less

  7. Phylogenetic comparison of the methanogenic communities from an acidic, oligotrophic fen and an anaerobic digester treating municipal wastewater sludge.

    PubMed

    Steinberg, Lisa M; Regan, John M

    2008-11-01

    Methanogens play a critical role in the decomposition of organics under anaerobic conditions. The methanogenic consortia in saturated wetland soils are often subjected to large temperature fluctuations and acidic conditions, imposing a selective pressure for psychro- and acidotolerant community members; however, methanogenic communities in engineered digesters are frequently maintained within a narrow range of mesophilic and circumneutral conditions to retain system stability. To investigate the hypothesis that these two disparate environments have distinct methanogenic communities, the methanogens in an oligotrophic acidic fen and a mesophilic anaerobic digester treating municipal wastewater sludge were characterized by creating clone libraries for the 16S rRNA and methyl coenzyme M reductase alpha subunit (mcrA) genes. A quantitative framework was developed to assess the differences between these two communities by calculating the average sequence similarity for 16S rRNA genes and mcrA within a genus and family using sequences of isolated and characterized methanogens within the approved methanogen taxonomy. The average sequence similarities for 16S rRNA genes within a genus and family were 96.0 and 93.5%, respectively, and the average sequence similarities for mcrA within a genus and family were 88.9 and 79%, respectively. The clone libraries of the bog and digester environments showed no overlap at the species level and almost no overlap at the family level. Both libraries were dominated by clones related to uncultured methanogen groups within the Methanomicrobiales, although members of the Methanosarcinales and Methanobacteriales were also found in both libraries. Diversity indices for the 16S rRNA gene library of the bog and both mcrA libraries were similar, but these indices indicated much lower diversity in the 16S digester library than in the other three libraries.

  8. Quantitative investigation of hydraulic mixing energy input during batch mode anaerobic digestion and its impact on performance.

    PubMed

    McLeod, James; Othman, Maazuza Z; Parthasarathy, Rajarathinam

    2018-05-26

    The relationship between mixing energy input and biogas production was investigated by anaerobically digesting sewage sludge in lab scale, hydraulically mixed, batch mode digesters at six different specific energy inputs. The goal was to identify how mixing energy influenced digestion performance at quantitative levels to help explain the varying results in other published works. The results showed that digester homogeneity was largely uninfluenced by energy input, whereas cumulative biogas production and solids destruction were. With similar solids distributions between conditions, the observed differences were attributed to shear forces disrupting substrate-microbe flocs rather than the formation of temperature and/or concentration gradients. Disruption of the substrate-microbe flocs produced less favourable conditions for hydrolytic bacteria, resulting in less production of biomass and more biogas. Overall, this hypothesis explains the current body of research including the inhibitory conditions reported at extreme mixing power inputs. However, further work is required to definitively prove it. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Efficiency of autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion under two different oxygen flow rates.

    PubMed

    Aynur, Sebnem Koyunluoglu; Riffat, Rumana; Murthy, Sudhir

    2014-01-01

    The objective of this research was to understand the influence of oxygenation at two different oxygen flow rates (0.105 and 0.210 L/L/h) on autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion (ATAD), and on the overall performance of Dual Digestion (DD). Profile experiments on an ATAD reactor showed that a significant portion of volatile fatty acids and ammonia were produced in the first 12 h period, and both followed first order kinetics. Ammonia concentrations of ATAD effluent were 1015 mg/L and 1450 mg/L, respectively, at the two oxygenation rates. Ammonia production was not complete in the ATAD reactor at the lower oxygenation rate. However, it was sufficient to maximize volatile solids reduction in the DD process. The biological heat of oxidations were 14,300 J/g Volatile Solids (VS) removed and 15,900 J/g VS removed for the two oxygen flow rates, respectively. The ATAD step provided enhanced digestion for the DD process with higher volatile solids removal and methane yield when compared to conventional digestion.

  10. [Current concepts of digestion and absorption of carbohydrates].

    PubMed

    Luz, S dos S; de Campos, P L; Ribeiro, S M; Tirapegui, J

    1997-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to review recent aspects of digestion and absorption of carbohydrates that are the main source of energy in human diets. Recent researches have found that starch is not largely hydrolysed and absorbed in the small bowel but one part of it is resistant to digestion. Several food factors may be responsible for digestion and absorption velocity and totality of carbohydrates. Therefore, carbohydrate classification must be based not only on molecular size to express the real carbohydrates utilization as an energy source by humans. In agreement with molecular size of carbohydrate, its classification can be: a) monosaccharides; b) disaccharides; c) oligosaccharides; d) polysaccharides. In agreement with carbohydrate digestibility or availability, its classification can be: a) digestible carbohydrates; b) undigestable carbohydrates (NSP). Carbohydrate digestibility can be altered by several factors like: Intrinsic factors: a) physical structure; b) molecular physical distribution; c) physical state of food; d) food antinutrients. Extrinsics factors: a) chewing; b) transit time of food; c) amount of starch present; d) diet antinutrients. Under influence of this factors, process of digestion happen by enzymatic activity a long the gastrointestinal tract. Salivary and pancreatic amylase; glycosidases of the duodenal enterocyte brush border (lactase, sacarase and maltase), whose activity happen by close interaction of digestive breakdown with transport. The summarized pathways of the absorptive process: 1. movement from the bulk phase of the lumenal or mucosal fluid to enterocyte surface; 2. movement across the brush border membrane through specific transporters: a) SGLT1; b) GLUT 5; c) passive diffusion. 3. movement across the basolateral membrane by the GLUT 2.

  11. Biliary Atresia

    MedlinePlus

    ... Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive Diseases Kidney Disease Weight Management Liver Disease Urologic Diseases Endocrine Diseases Diet & Nutrition ...

  12. In vitro digestibility of oil palm frond treated by local microorganism (MOL)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tafsin, M.; Khairani, Y.; Hanafi, N. D.; Yunilas

    2018-02-01

    Oil palm frond is by product from oil palm plantation and were found in large quantity in Indonesia. This research aims to examine the ability of local microorganisms and buffalo rumen isolates in improving the digestibility of dry matter and organic matter in vitro of oil palm frond. The research used experimental method with four treatments and three replications. The treatments were given: Oil palms without treatment (P0); Starbio (P2); Aspergillus niger + Saccharomyces cerevisiae (P3); Aspergillus niger + Saccharomyces cerevisiae + Isolate of buffalo rumen bacteria (P4). The results showed that the fermented Oil Palm Frond had higher (P<0.05) DMD and OMD than control. The addition of Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiae plus buffalo rumen bacterial isolates had higher (P<0.05) DMD and OMD than other treatments. It can be concluded that the utilisation of MOL can improve the digestibility of oil palm frond in vitro.

  13. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lin, Meng-Lin; Peng, J. S.; Lee, Sanboh, E-mail: sblee@mx.nthu.edu.tw

    We studied the digestive ripening of thiol-capped gold nanoparticles under simultaneous action of electric field and reflux heating in a silicone oil bath at 130 °C, using transmission electron microscopy. Observation revealed that a polydispersed gold nanoparticle system reached the state of nearly monodispersity under the action of an electric field and the thiol-capped gold nanoparticles carried negative charges. The electric field caused the increase of the particle size for the nearly monodispersed gold nanoparticle system. The self-assembly of the nearly monodisperse gold nanoparticles under the action of an electric field of a high field intensity was observed. The gold nanoparticlesmore » tended to form self-assembled nanostructures of six-fold symmetry. This study provides a new route for system engineering to control the particle size of metallic nanoparticles by electric field and digestive ripening.« less

  14. Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

    MedlinePlus

    ... Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive Diseases Kidney Disease Weight Management Liver Disease Urologic Diseases Endocrine Diseases Diet & Nutrition ...

  15. Gastrointestinal (GI) Bleeding

    MedlinePlus

    ... Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive Diseases Kidney Disease Weight Management Liver Disease Urologic Diseases Endocrine Diseases Diet & Nutrition ...

  16. Diverticula, Diverticulosis, Diverticulitis: What's the Difference?

    MedlinePlus

    ... Publications Library En Español Digestive Health Matters Medical Definitions Links Books of Interest Video Corner Clinical Corner Survey Corner News Medical and Treatment News Events Press Releases Commentary For Media Research Research Awards Research Grants Funding Research Clinical Trials & ...

  17. Politicas de uniformes y codigos de vestuario (Uniforms and Dress-Code Policies). ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lumsden, Linda

    This digest in Spanish examines schools' dress-code policies and discusses the legal considerations and research findings about the effects of such changes. Most revisions to dress codes involve the use of uniforms, typically as a way to curb school violence and create a positive learning environment. A recent survey of secondary school principals…

  18. Education and Development in Poor Rural Communities: An Interdisciplinary Research Agenda. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, Carolyn S.

    More than 30 years after the Great Society initiatives, poverty continues to put large numbers of students at risk of school failure. The challenges to education and life success are most severe for children in the nation's poorest rural counties, the 535 rural persistent poverty (RPP) counties. This digest provides background on RPP counties and…

  19. Modelos de instruccion para la educacion en la ninez temprana (Instructional Models for Early Childhood Education). ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Golbeck, Susan L.

    As teachers, researchers, and policy makers strive to ensure that all children enter school "ready to learn," no question is more pressing than: "What is the best approach for teaching young children?" This digest discusses the existing knowledge base on the differential effects of various approaches to early education. The…

  20. 77 FR 12860 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-02

    ... accordance with the provisions set forth in section 552b(c)(6), Title 5 U.S.C., as amended for the review... asked to show one form of identification (for example, a government-issued photo ID, driver's license... Program Nos. 93.847, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Research; 93.848, Digestive Diseases and...

  1. Video Games and Children. ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cesarone, Bernard

    This digest examines data on video game use by children, explains ratings of video game violence, and reviews research on the effects of video games on children and adolescents. A recent study of seventh and eighth graders found that 65% of males and 57% of females played 1 to 6 hours of video games at home per week, and 38% of males and 16% of…

  2. Anaerobic digestion of blackwater from vacuum toilets and kitchen refuse in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR).

    PubMed

    Wendland, C; Deegener, S; Behrendt, J; Toshev, P; Otterpohl, R

    2007-01-01

    The objective of this research was mesophilic anaerobic digestion of blackwater from vacuum toilets (BW) and kitchen refuse (KR) in a CSTR within an ecological sanitation system. A detailed investigation of the BW characteristics was carried out. Research on anaerobic digestion was performed with CSTR of 101 volume at HRT of 10, 15 and 20 days. The digestion of BW at 20 days HRT showed stable performance without inhibition effects, in spite of relatively high ammonium concentrations. The removal of total and particulate COD was 61% and 53%, respectively, and the methane yield 10/CH4/cap/day. The addition of kitchen refuse (KR) improved the performance of the CSTR in terms of COD removal efficiency and methane yield. At 20 days HRT the removal of total and particulate COD increased up to 71% and 67%, respectively, and the methane yield to 27/CH4/cap/day. The results at 15 days HRT showed similar performance. At HRT of 10 days, the anaerobic treatment was limited but reached steady state conditions at higher VFA concentrations in the effluent, with a decrease of COD removal of 30 to 33% and of methane yields of 19 to 21%.

  3. Exposure to triaryl phosphates: metabolism and biomarkers of exposure.

    PubMed

    Furlong, Clement E

    2011-01-01

    The leakage of tricresyl phosphate-containing engine lubricants into aircraft cabin air, either from worn or defective engine seals or under normal operating conditions, is a serious concern for both the health and safety of the cabin occupants, since the oil contains one to five percent tricresyl phosphate (TCP) esters, known neurotoxins. The exposure of pilots is a particular concern since their impairment can affect their safe operation of the aircraft. Mass spectrometric (MS)-based protocols for documenting exposures of individuals are described that entail a rapid purification of the TCP-modified plasma enzyme butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). Following protease digestion of BChE, the modified active site peptide is characterized by MS analysis. Approaches for identifying safer engine oil additives are also described. Some general comments regarding the necessity of improving the quality and safety of the cabin air supply are presented.

  4. Nanoscale Engineering of Designer Cellulosomes.

    PubMed

    Gunnoo, Melissabye; Cazade, Pierre-André; Galera-Prat, Albert; Nash, Michael A; Czjzek, Mirjam; Cieplak, Marek; Alvarez, Beatriz; Aguilar, Marina; Karpol, Alon; Gaub, Hermann; Carrión-Vázquez, Mariano; Bayer, Edward A; Thompson, Damien

    2016-07-01

    Biocatalysts showcase the upper limit obtainable for high-speed molecular processing and transformation. Efforts to engineer functionality in synthetic nanostructured materials are guided by the increasing knowledge of evolving architectures, which enable controlled molecular motion and precise molecular recognition. The cellulosome is a biological nanomachine, which, as a fundamental component of the plant-digestion machinery from bacterial cells, has a key potential role in the successful development of environmentally-friendly processes to produce biofuels and fine chemicals from the breakdown of biomass waste. Here, the progress toward so-called "designer cellulosomes", which provide an elegant alternative to enzyme cocktails for lignocellulose breakdown, is reviewed. Particular attention is paid to rational design via computational modeling coupled with nanoscale characterization and engineering tools. Remaining challenges and potential routes to industrial application are put forward. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. THE INTERACTIVE AUTOMATIC SYNDROME DIAGNOSTIC PROGRAM OF DIGESTIVE SYSTEM DISEASES "ELECTRONIC POLICLINIC".

    PubMed

    Mishlanov, V Yu; Katkova, A V; Dugina, A A; Kuznetzova, V D; Tepanyan, A T; Zhygulev, A N

    The aim of the study was to estimate clinical efficiency of the interactive automatic program of digestive system diseases diagnostics "Electronic policlinic". Material was presented by 22 patients with different gastroenterological diseases (duodenal ulcer, chronical gastritis, chronical pancreatitis) and the comparative group consisted of 20 healthy people. The plan of the research included the interactive questionnaire using diagnostic module digestive system diseases of the digestive system of the automated program "Electronic policlinic" (Certificate No. 2012614202 from 12.05.12) posted on the Internet (http://klinikcity.ru). For the purpose of verification of diagnosis patients underwent fibrogastroduodenoscopy, ultrasound examination of abdominal cavity organs, CT scan, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, barium enema. As the result of the study there were showed that interactive automated system was able to reveal 85,7% of patients with chronical gastritis, duodenal ulcer and chronical pancreatitis and 75% of patients with colonopathy. The specify of diagnostic procedure was 80% in the first case and 100% in the second. Prevalence of digestive system diseases basic symptoms was studied too. The conclusion of the study demonstrated interactive questionnaire good ability in preliminary digestive problem patient examination procedure for individual diagnostic plan making.

  6. Kinetics and advanced digester design for anaerobic digestion of water hyacinth and primary sludge

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chynoweth, D.P.; Dolenc, D.A.; Ghosh, S.

    1982-01-01

    A research program centered around a facility located at Walt Disney World (WDW) is in progress to evaluate the use of water hyacinth (WH) for secondary and tertiary wastewater treatment, to optimize growth of WH under these conditions, and to convert the resultant primary sludge (PS) and WH to methane via anaerobic digestion. This article describes the status of the biogasification component of this program, which includes baseline and advanced digestion experiments with individual feeds and blends and the design of an experimental test unit (ETU) to be installed at WDW. Experiments with several blends demonstrated that methane yields canmore » be predicted from the fractional content and methane yield of each component. The process was found to adhere to the Monod kinetic model for microbial growth, and associated kinetic parameters were developed for various feed combinations. A novel upflow digester is achieving significantly higher conversion than a stirred-tank digester. Of several pretreatment techniques used, only alkaline treatment resulted in increased biodegradability. A larger scale (4.5 m/sup 3/) experimental test unit is being designed for installation at WDW in 1982. 13 figures, 4 tables.« less

  7. Biogasification of Walt Disney World biomass waste blend. Final report, January 1982-December 1985

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Biljetina, R.; Chynoweth, D.P.; Srivastava, V.J.

    1986-10-01

    The objective of the research is to develop efficient processes for conversion of biomass-waste blends to methane and other resources. To evaluate the technical and economic feasibility, an experimental test unit (ETU) was designed and operated at the Reedy Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The facility integrates a biomethanogenic-conversion process with a wastewater-treatment process employing water hyacinth ponds for secondary and tertiary treatment of sewage. Harvested water hyacinth is subsequently combined with sludge from the primary wastewater clarifier and fed at 1-wet-ton per day to the ETU digester. This results in themore » production of methane and other useful products. The digester was operated as a non-mixed, solids concentrating digester to encourage higher solids and microorganism retention times. Data collected during six steady-state operating periods confirmed earlier laboratory observations that this digester consistently produces 15 to 25% higher methane yields and conversions when compared to conventional stirred-tank digester. Digester operation was evaluated at different loading rates, solids blend ratios and feed configurations. Results from the program have provided a data base for the design of larger conversion systems.« less

  8. Effects of various LED light wavelengths and intensities on microalgae-based simultaneous biogas upgrading and digestate nutrient reduction process.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Yongjun; Wang, Juan; Zhang, Hui; Yan, Cheng; Zhang, Yuejin

    2013-05-01

    Biogas is a well-known, primary renewable energy source, but its utilizations are possible only after upgrading. The microalgae-based bag photo-bioreactor utilized in this research could effectively upgrade biogas and simultaneously reduce the nutrient content in digestate. Red light was determined as the optimal light wavelength for microalgae growth, biogas upgrading, and digestate nutrient reduction. In the range of moderate light intensities (i.e., 800, 1200, 1600, and 2000 μmol m(-2) s(-1)), higher light intensities achieved higher biogas upgrade and larger digestate nutrient reduction. Methane content attained the highest value of 92.74±3.56% (v/v). The highest chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus reduction efficiency of digestate were 85.35±1.04%, 77.98±1.84%, and 73.03±2.14%, respectively. Considering the reduction and economic efficiencies of the carbon dioxide content of biogas and digestate nutrient as well as the biogas upgrading standard, the optimal light intensity range was determined to be from 1200 to 1600 μmol m(-2) s(-1). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Digestive proteolysis in the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata: Activity-based profiling and imaging of a multipeptidase network.

    PubMed

    Srp, Jaroslav; Nussbaumerová, Martina; Horn, Martin; Mareš, Michael

    2016-11-01

    The Colorado potato beetle (CPB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata, is a major pest of potato plants, and its digestive system is a promising target for development of pest control strategies. This work focuses on functional proteomic analysis of the digestive proteolytic enzymes expressed in the CPB gut. We identified a set of peptidases using imaging with specific activity-based probes and activity profiling with selective substrates and inhibitors. The secreted luminal peptidases were classified as: (i) endopeptidases of cathepsin D, cathepsin L, and trypsin types and (ii) exopeptidases with aminopeptidase (cathepsin H), carboxypeptidase (serine carboxypeptidase, prolyl carboxypeptidase), and carboxydipeptidase (cathepsin B) activities. The proteolytic arsenal also includes non-luminal peptidases with prolyl oligopeptidase and metalloaminopeptidase activities. Our results indicate that the CPB gut employs a multienzyme network of peptidases with complementary specificities to efficiently degrade ingested proteins. This proteolytic system functions in both CPB larvae and adults and is controlled mainly by cysteine and aspartic peptidases and supported by serine and metallopeptidases. The component enzymes identified here are potential targets for inhibitors with tailored specificities that could be engineered into potato plants to confer resistance to CPB. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Economic and kinetic studies of the biological production of farm energy and chemicals from biomass. Annual progress report, March 1979-August 1980

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gaddy, J.L.

    1981-08-01

    A system has been designed and built to test the technical and economic feasibility of producing farm energy from cellulosic residues. The system has the capacity to produPropinibactriume 1300 CF of biogas and 180 kwh per day, using four parallel batch anaerobic digesters which are agitated mechanically and heated with waste heat from the engine-generator. This system has been satisfactorily operated for a one year period utilizing native grasses as the raw material. Laboratory reactors have been operated to determine the proper inoculation ratio for starting batch cultures with cellulosic raw materials. Procedures for startup and operation of batch digestionmore » systems have been developed and are presented. Energy and economic analyses of the operation of the test unit have been performed. Studies to determine the fertilizer potential of anaerobic digestor sludge (from agricultural residues) have been conducted. Additional studies reported include determinations of the feasibility of separating the stages of anaerobic digestion, the production of acetic and propionic acids by the micro-organism Propionibacterium acidi-propionici, the production of methane from acid hydrolyzates, and the kinetics of the continuos digestion of corn stover.« less

  11. Particle morphology characterization and manipulation in biomass slurries and the effect on rheological properties and enzymatic conversion.

    PubMed

    Dibble, Clare J; Shatova, Tatyana A; Jorgenson, Jennie L; Stickel, Jonathan J

    2011-01-01

    An improved understanding of how particle size distribution relates to enzymatic hydrolysis performance and rheological properties could enable enhanced biochemical conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks. Particle size distribution can change as a result of either physical or chemical manipulation of a biomass sample. In this study, we employed image processing techniques to measure slurry particle size distribution and validated the results by showing that they are comparable to those from laser diffraction and sieving. Particle size and chemical changes of biomass slurries were manipulated independently and the resulting yield stress and enzymatic digestibility of slurries with different size distributions were measured. Interestingly, reducing particle size by mechanical means from about 1 mm to 100 μm did not reduce the yield stress of the slurries over a broad range of concentrations or increase the digestibility of the biomass over the range of size reduction studied here. This is in stark contrast to the increase in digestibility and decrease in yield stress when particle size is reduced by dilute-acid pretreatment over similar size ranges. Copyright © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

  12. Nerve Damage (Diabetic Neuropathies)

    MedlinePlus

    ... Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive Diseases Kidney Disease Weight Management Liver Disease Urologic Diseases Endocrine Diseases Diet & Nutrition ...

  13. Origin, evolution, and divergence of plant class C GH9 endoglucanases.

    PubMed

    Kundu, Siddhartha; Sharma, Rita

    2018-05-30

    Glycoside hydrolases of the GH9 family encode cellulases that predominantly function as endoglucanases and have wide applications in the food, paper, pharmaceutical, and biofuel industries. The partitioning of plant GH9 endoglucanases, into classes A, B, and C, is based on the differential presence of transmembrane, signal peptide, and the carbohydrate binding module (CBM49). There is considerable debate on the distribution and the functions of these enzymes which may vary in different organisms. In light of these findings we examined the origin, emergence, and subsequent divergence of plant GH9 endoglucanases, with an emphasis on elucidating the role of CBM49 in the digestion of crystalline cellulose by class C members. Since, the digestion of crystalline cellulose mandates the presence of a well-defined set of aromatic and polar amino acids and/or an attributable domain that can mediate this conversion, we hypothesize a vertical mode of transfer of genes that could favour the emergence of class C like GH9 endoglucanase activity in land plants from potentially ancestral non plant taxa. We demonstrated the concomitant occurrence of a GH9 domain with CBM49 and other homologous carbohydrate binding modules, in putative endoglucanase sequences from several non-plant taxa. In the absence of comparable full length CBMs, we have characterized several low strength patterns that could approximate the CBM49, thereby, extending support for digestion of crystalline cellulose to other segments of the protein. We also provide data suggestive of the ancestral role of putative class C GH9 endoglucanases in land plants, which includes detailed phylogenetics and the presence and subsequent loss of CBM49, transmembrane, and signal peptide regions in certain populations of early land plants. These findings suggest that classes A and B of modern vascular land plants may have emerged by diverging directly from CBM49 encompassing putative class C enzymes. Our detailed phylogenetic and bioinformatics analysis of putative GH9 endoglucanase sequences across major taxa suggests that plant class C enzymes, despite their recent discovery, could function as the last common ancestor of classes A and B. Additionally, research into their ability to digest or inter-convert crystalline and amorphous forms of cellulose could make them lucrative candidates for engineering biofuel feedstock.

  14. The Shock and Vibration Digest, Volume 4, Number 5, May 1972.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1972-05-01

    capability to solve real-time on aircraft noise, its generation instrumentation problems found effects and control will be sur- In manufacturing plants...annoyance. Noise measurements indicate that the same manufacturing plantisto machine the the respondents, in general, properly identify modified... Manufacturing 1W San Diego, Calif. A. J. Favrata, SAE iiq. Meeting, SAE Internaional Conference on Noise Control Engineering, INCE 4-6 Wanington, D. C. Mi. .f

  15. The Shock and Vibration Digest. Volume 17, Number 4

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1985-04-01

    software packages for engineering signed to be easy to use from the outset, computations which were specifically writ- and this design philosophy is largely...re- ten for use on microcomputers. Software sponsible for their increasing popularity; packages related to shock and vibration are this same design...philosophy appears to have available for both experimental and for been carried over to the design of today’s analytical applications. Typical software

  16. The Shock and Vibration Digest. Volume 15. Number 1

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-01-01

    acoustics The books are arranged to engineer is statistical energy analysis (SEA). This show the wealth of information that exists and the concept is...is also used for vibrating systems in pie nonlinear elements. However, for systems with a which statistical energy analysis and power flow continuous... statistical energy analysis to analyze the random nonlinear algebraic equations can be difficult. response of two identical subsystems coupled at an end

  17. Use of virion DNA as a cloning vector for the construction of mutant and recombinant herpesviruses.

    PubMed

    Duboise, S M; Guo, J; Desrosiers, R C; Jung, J U

    1996-10-15

    We have developed improved procedures for the isolation of deletion mutant, point mutant, and recombinant herpesvirus saimiri. These procedures take advantage of the absence of NotI and AscI restriction enzyme sites within the viral genome and use reporter genes for the identification of recombinant viruses. Genes for secreted engineered alkaline phosphatase and green fluorescent protein were placed under simian virus 40 early promoter control and flanked by NotI and AscI restriction sites. When permissive cells were cotransfected with herpesvirus saimiri virion DNA and one of the engineered reporter genes cloned within herpesvirus saimiri sequences, recombinant viruses were readily identified and purified on the basis of expression of the reporter gene. Digestion of recombinant virion DNA with NotI or AscI was used to delete the reporter gene from the recombinant herpesvirus saimiri. Replacement of the reporter gene can be achieved by NotI or AscI digestion of virion DNA and ligation with a terminally matched fragment or, alternatively, by homologous recombination in cotransfected cells. Any gene can, in theory, be cloned directly into the virion DNA when flanked by the appropriate NotI or AscI sites. These procedures should be widely applicable in their general form to most or all herpesviruses that replicate permissively in cultured cells.

  18. Determination of wear metals in engine oil by mild acid digestion and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry using solid phase extraction disks.

    PubMed

    Yang, Zheng; Hou, Xiandeng; Jones, Bradley T

    2003-03-10

    A simple, particle size-independent spectrometric method has been developed for the multi-element determination of wear metals in used engine oil. A small aliquot (0.5 ml) of an acid-digested oil sample is spotted onto a C-18 solid phase extraction disk to form a uniform thin film. The dried disk is then analyzed directly by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. This technique provides a homogeneous and reproducible sample surface to the instrument, thus overcoming the typical problems associated with uneven particle size distribution and sedimentation. As a result, the method provides higher precision and accuracy than conventional methods. Furthermore, the disk sample may be stored and re-analyzed or extracted at a later date. The signals arising from the spotted disks, and the calibration curves constructed from them, are stable for at least 2 months. The limits of detection for Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cr are 5, 1, 4, 2, and 4 microg g(-1), respectively. Recoveries of these elements from spiked oil samples range from 92 to 110%. The analysis of two standard reference materials and a used oil sample produced results comparable to those found by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry.

  19. Development and validation of a new dynamic computer-controlled model of the human stomach and small intestine.

    PubMed

    Guerra, Aurélie; Denis, Sylvain; le Goff, Olivier; Sicardi, Vincent; François, Olivier; Yao, Anne-Françoise; Garrait, Ghislain; Manzi, Aimé Pacifique; Beyssac, Eric; Alric, Monique; Blanquet-Diot, Stéphanie

    2016-06-01

    For ethical, regulatory, and economic reasons, in vitro human digestion models are increasingly used as an alternative to in vivo assays. This study aims to present the new Engineered Stomach and small INtestine (ESIN) model and its validation for pharmaceutical applications. This dynamic computer-controlled system reproduces, according to in vivo data, the complex physiology of the human stomach and small intestine, including pH, transit times, chyme mixing, digestive secretions, and passive absorption of digestion products. Its innovative design allows a progressive meal intake and the differential gastric emptying of solids and liquids. The pharmaceutical behavior of two model drugs (paracetamol immediate release form and theophylline sustained release tablet) was studied in ESIN during liquid digestion. The results were compared to those found with a classical compendial method (paddle apparatus) and in human volunteers. Paracetamol and theophylline tablets showed similar absorption profiles in ESIN and in healthy subjects. For theophylline, a level A in vitro-in vivo correlation could be established between the results obtained in ESIN and in humans. Interestingly, using a pharmaceutical basket, the swelling and erosion of the theophylline sustained release form was followed during transit throughout ESIN. ESIN emerges as a relevant tool for pharmaceutical studies but once further validated may find many other applications in nutritional, toxicological, and microbiological fields. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 1325-1335. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Continuous anaerobic digestion of food waste and design of digester with lipid removal.

    PubMed

    Li, Dong; Sun, Yongming; Guo, Yanfeng; Yuan, Zhenhong; Wang, Yao; Zhen, Feng

    2013-01-01

    Separation of municipal solid waste has been implemented in many cities in China. As a major component of municipal solid waste, food waste can be treated by anaerobic digestion (AD) for energy production. To provide reference data for disposing of food waste through engineering applications, continuous AD was carried out under various organic loading rates (OLRs) at 27 +/- 2 degrees C in the laboratory. The anaerobic reactor was stable with pH 7.0-7.1, total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations of 206-746 mg/L, and NH4+ -N concentrations of 525-1293 mg/L when the OLR was 1.118-5.588 kg volatile solids (VS)/m(3) x d. The maximum volumetric biogas production rate was 4.41 L/L x d when the OLR was increased to 5.588 kg VS/m(3) x d with a hydraulic retention time of 30 d. When the OLR was increased to 6.706 and 8.382 kg VS/m(3) x d, biogas production was seriously inhibited by VFAs, with maximum total VFA and propionate concentrations of 8738 mg/L and 2864 mg/L, respectively. Due to the incomplete degradation of lipids, the specific methane production rate of 353-488 L/kg VS accounted for 55.2-76.3% of the theoretical methane potential calculated based on the component composition. A retrofitted anaerobic digester with lipid removal was designed to improve the efficiency.

  1. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Central Repositories: A Valuable Resource for Nephrology Research

    PubMed Central

    Akolkar, Beena; Spain, Lisa M.; Guill, Michael H.; Del Vecchio, Corey T.; Carroll, Leslie E.

    2015-01-01

    The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Central Repositories, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are an important resource available to researchers and the general public. The Central Repositories house samples, genetic data, phenotypic data, and study documentation from >100 NIDDK-funded clinical studies, in areas such as diabetes, digestive disease, and liver disease research. The Central Repositories also have an exceptionally rich collection of studies related to kidney disease, including the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease landmark study and recent data from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort and CKD in Children Cohort studies. The data are carefully curated and linked to the samples from the study. The NIDDK is working to make the materials and data accessible to researchers. The Data Repositories continue to improve flexible online searching tools that help researchers identify the samples or data of interest, and NIDDK has created several different paths to access the data and samples, including some funding initiatives. Over the past several years, the Central Repositories have seen steadily increasing interest and use of the stored materials. NIDDK plans to make more collections available and do more outreach and education about use of the datasets to the nephrology research community in the future to enhance the value of this resource. PMID:25376765

  2. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Central Repositories: a valuable resource for nephrology research.

    PubMed

    Rasooly, Rebekah S; Akolkar, Beena; Spain, Lisa M; Guill, Michael H; Del Vecchio, Corey T; Carroll, Leslie E

    2015-04-07

    The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Central Repositories, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are an important resource available to researchers and the general public. The Central Repositories house samples, genetic data, phenotypic data, and study documentation from >100 NIDDK-funded clinical studies, in areas such as diabetes, digestive disease, and liver disease research. The Central Repositories also have an exceptionally rich collection of studies related to kidney disease, including the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease landmark study and recent data from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort and CKD in Children Cohort studies. The data are carefully curated and linked to the samples from the study. The NIDDK is working to make the materials and data accessible to researchers. The Data Repositories continue to improve flexible online searching tools that help researchers identify the samples or data of interest, and NIDDK has created several different paths to access the data and samples, including some funding initiatives. Over the past several years, the Central Repositories have seen steadily increasing interest and use of the stored materials. NIDDK plans to make more collections available and do more outreach and education about use of the datasets to the nephrology research community in the future to enhance the value of this resource. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Nephrology.

  3. IMPROVED BIOMASS UTILIZATION THROUGH REMOTE FLOW SENSING

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Washington University- St. Louis: Muthanna Al-Dahhan

    The growth of the livestock industry provides a valuable source of affordable, sustainable, and renewable bioenergy, while also requiring the safe disposal of the large quantities of animal wastes (manure) generated at dairy, swine, and poultry farms. If these biomass resources are mishandled and underutilized, major environmental problems will be created, such as surface and ground water contamination, odors, dust, ammonia leaching, and methane emission. Anaerobic digestion of animal wastes, in which microorganisms break down organic materials in the absence of oxygen, is one of the most promising waste treatment technologies. This process produces biogas typically containing {approx}65% methane andmore » {approx}35% carbon dioxide. The production of biogas through anaerobic digestion from animal wastes, landfills, and municipal waste water treatment plants represents a large source of renewable and sustainable bio-fuel. Such bio-fuel can be combusted directly, used in internal combustion engines, converted into methanol, or partially oxidized to produce synthesis gas (a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide) that can be converted to clean liquid fuels and chemicals via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Different design and mixing configurations of anaerobic digesters for treating cow manure have been utilized commercially and/or tested on a laboratory scale. These digesters include mechanically mixed, gas recirculation mixed, and slurry recirculation mixed designs, as well as covered lagoon digesters. Mixing is an important parameter for successful performance of anaerobic digesters. It enhances substrate contact with the microbial community; improves pH, temperature and substrate/microorganism uniformity; prevents stratification and scum accumulation; facilitates the removal of biogas from the digester; reduces or eliminates the formation of inactive zones (dead zones); prevents settling of biomass and inert solids; and aids in particle size reduction. Unfortunately, information and findings in the literature on the effect of mixing on anaerobic digestion are contradictory. One reason is the lack of measurement techniques for opaque systems such as digesters. Better understanding of the mixing and hydrodynamics of digesters will result in appropriate design, configuration selection, scale-up, and performance, which will ultimately enable avoiding digester failures. Accordingly, this project sought to advance the fundamental knowledge and understanding of the design, scale up, operation, and performance of cow manure anaerobic digesters with high solids loading. The project systematically studied parameters affecting cow manure anaerobic digestion performance, in different configurations and sizes by implementing computer automated radioactive particle tracking (CARPT), computed tomography (CT), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and by developing novel multiple-particle CARPT (MP-CARPT) and dual source CT (DSCT) techniques. The accomplishments of the project were achieved in a collaborative effort among Washington University, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Iowa Energy Center teams. The following investigations and achievements were accomplished: Systematic studies of anaerobic digesters performance and kinetics using various configurations, modes of mixing, and scales (laboratory, pilot plant, and commercial sizes) were conducted and are discussed in Chapter 2. It was found that mixing significantly affected the performance of the pilot plant scale digester ({approx}97 liter). The detailed mixing and hydrodynamics were investigated using computer automated radioactive particle tracking (CARPT) techniques, and are discussed in Chapter 3. A novel multiple particle tracking technique (MP-CARPT) technique that can track simultaneously up to 8 particles was developed, tested, validated, and implemented. Phase distribution was investigated using gamma ray computer tomography (CT) techniques, which are discussed in Chapter 4. A novel dual source CT (DSCT) technique was developed to measure the phase distribution of dynamic three phase system such as digesters with high solids loading and other types of gas-liquid-solid fluidization systems. Evaluation and validation of the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models and closures were conducted to model and simulate the hydrodynamics and mixing intensity of the anaerobic digesters (Chapter 5). It is strongly recommended that additional studies be conducted, both on hydrodynamics and performance, in large scale digesters. The studies should use advanced non-invasive measurement techniques, including the developed novel measurement techniques, to further understand their design, scale-up, performance, and operation to avoid any digester failure. The final goal is a system ready to be used by farmers on site for bioenergy production and for animal/farm waste treatment.« less

  4. Amino acid digestibility of different rye genotypes in caecectomised laying hens.

    PubMed

    Zuber, Tobias; Miedaner, Thomas; Rosenfelder, Pia; Rodehutscord, Markus

    2016-12-01

    This study investigated the variability of amino acid (AA) digestibility of rye grains in laying hens. Relationships between AA digestibility and physical properties (thousand seed weight, test weight, falling number, and extract viscoelasticity), chemical composition (proximate nutrients, non-starch polysaccharides, AA, minerals, and inositol phosphates), gross energy concentration, and in vitro solubility of nitrogen (N) of the grains were also examined. Twenty rye genotypes were grown under standardised agronomic and environmental conditions as part of a collaborative research project known as "GrainUp". Each genotype was added to a basal diet at 500 g/kg at the expense of maize starch to produce 20 rye diets. The experimental design comprised four Latin Squares (6 × 6) distributed over two runs, resulting in 12 experimental periods. Caecectomised laying hens (LSL-Classic) were individually kept in metabolism cages. Excreta were collected quantitatively for 4 d, and AA digestibility of the rye genotypes was determined using a regression approach. The digestibility of AA was generally low but varied significantly among the 20 rye genotypes, especially for Lys (digestibility range 35-59%), Met (57-75%), Thr (34-54%), and Trp (36-71%). Nevertheless, physical and chemical characteristics as well as the in vitro solubility of N correlated in only a few cases with AA digestibility. Multiple linear regression was used to calculate equations to predict AA digestibility based on the analysed characteristics. However, their explanatory power, as judged by the adjusted R(2), was not sufficiently precise for practical application (below 0.6 for most AA). In conclusion, the AA digestibility of rye grain is generally low and varies significantly between crop genotypes. Equations based on its physical and chemical characteristics are not sufficiently precise to be useful for feed formulation.

  5. Biogas production from municipal solid wastes using an integrated rotary drum and anaerobic-phased solids digester system.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Baoning; Zhang, Ruihong; Gikas, Petros; Rapport, Joshua; Jenkins, Bryan; Li, Xiujin

    2010-08-01

    This research was conducted to develop an integrated rotary drum reactor (RDR)-anaerobic-phased solids (APS) digester system for the treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) to produce biogas energy and achieve waste reduction. A commercial RDR facility was used to provide a 3-d pretreatment and sufficient separation of the organics from MSW and then the organics were digested in a laboratory APS-digester system for biogas production. The organics generated from the RDR contained 50% total solids (TS) and 36% volatile solids (VS) on wet basis. The APS-digester was started at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 3.1 gVS L(-1) d(-1) and operated at three higher OLRs of 4.6, 7.7 and 9.2 gVS L(-1) d(-1). At the OLR of 9.2 gVS L(-1) d(-1) the system biogas production rate was 3.5 L L(-1) d(-1) and the biogas and methane yields were 0.38 and 0.19 L gVS(-1), respectively. Anaerobic digestion resulted in 38% TS reduction and 53% VS reduction in the organic solids. It was found that the total VFA concentration reached a peak value of 15,000 mg L(-1) as acetic acid in the first 3d of batch digestion and later decreased to about 500 mg L(-1). The APS-digester system remained stable at each OLRs for over 100d with the pH in the hydrolysis reactors in the range of 7.3-7.8 and the pH in the biogasification reactor in 7.9-8.1. The residual solids after the digestion had a high heating value of 14.7 kJ gTS(-1). Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. PepArML: A Meta-Search Peptide Identification Platform

    PubMed Central

    Edwards, Nathan J.

    2014-01-01

    The PepArML meta-search peptide identification platform provides a unified search interface to seven search engines; a robust cluster, grid, and cloud computing scheduler for large-scale searches; and an unsupervised, model-free, machine-learning-based result combiner, which selects the best peptide identification for each spectrum, estimates false-discovery rates, and outputs pepXML format identifications. The meta-search platform supports Mascot; Tandem with native, k-score, and s-score scoring; OMSSA; MyriMatch; and InsPecT with MS-GF spectral probability scores — reformatting spectral data and constructing search configurations for each search engine on the fly. The combiner selects the best peptide identification for each spectrum based on search engine results and features that model enzymatic digestion, retention time, precursor isotope clusters, mass accuracy, and proteotypic peptide properties, requiring no prior knowledge of feature utility or weighting. The PepArML meta-search peptide identification platform often identifies 2–3 times more spectra than individual search engines at 10% FDR. PMID:25663956

  7. Urinary Retention

    MedlinePlus

    ... Electromyography . Electromyography uses special sensors to measure the electrical activity of the muscles and nerves in and ... Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive ...

  8. Los estudiantes que se mudan de escuela y el logro academico (Student Mobility and Academic Achievement). ERIC Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rumberger, Russell W.

    Student mobility (students moving from one school to another for reasons other than being promoted to the next school level) is widespread in the United States. This Spanish-language Digest examines the research on the academic consequences of mobility for elementary school students and discusses what schools and parents can do to mitigate the…

  9. 78 FR 25753 - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-02

    ... from EDIC/GOKind Type I Diabetes Clinical Studies (DP3). Date: June 10, 2013. Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:30... Panel; PAR-13-013-Research Using Biosamples from TrialNet/DPT-1 Type Diabetes Clinical Studies (DP3... Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Special Emphasis Panel; DDK-C Conflicts. Date: June...

  10. Symptoms and Causes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

    MedlinePlus

    ... Grants & Grant History Research Resources Research at NIDDK Technology Advancement & Transfer Meetings & Workshops Health Information Diabetes Digestive Diseases Kidney Disease Weight Management Liver Disease Urologic Diseases Endocrine Diseases Diet & Nutrition ...

  11. Can anaerobic digestion of sugar beet pulp support the circular economy? a study of biogas and nutrient potential

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suhartini, S.; Heaven, S.; Banks, C. J.

    2018-03-01

    Anaerobic digestion (AD), known as a biological process without oxygen to convert complex organic materials into biogas, is capable of processing large tonnage quantities of biomass, such as sugar beet pulp (SBP). In addition to biogas production, its use allows nutrients and organic carbon recycle back to agriculture through the spreading of digestate. Digestate still contains high amount of nutrients (N, P, K) for use as biofertiliser. The aims of this research were to determine biogas/methane potential as a baseline for comparison with performance in semi-continuous digestion, and to determine nutrient and potentially toxic elements (PTE) of digestate fractions with respect to their potential for utilisation in agriculture. The Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) test was performed in triplicate against blank and positive controls over a period of 28 days with gas measured at regular intervals. Semi-continuous AD of SBP was operated under mesophilic and thermophilic condition for 206 and 165 days. The results indicated that SBP is a very promising feedstock for AD, with the average BMP of 0.321 l CH4 g-1 VS and biogas potential of 0.605 l g-1 VS. Under semi-continuous operation, SBP also demonstrated positive results. Digestates from mesophilic and thermophilic AD of SBP contained useful quantities of N, P and K, with an acceptable Ni concentration in accordance to limits for PTE. These results suggest that digestate has the potential to be utilised on agricultural and arable land. This study illustrated the positive effects of applying AD to the achievement of economic savings and environmental-friendly performance.

  12. Discovery of digestive enzymes in carnivorous plants with focus on proteases.

    PubMed

    Ravee, Rishiesvari; Mohd Salleh, Faris 'Imadi; Goh, Hoe-Han

    2018-01-01

    Carnivorous plants have been fascinating researchers with their unique characters and bioinspired applications. These include medicinal trait of some carnivorous plants with potentials for pharmaceutical industry. This review will cover recent progress based on current studies on digestive enzymes secreted by different genera of carnivorous plants: Drosera (sundews), Dionaea (Venus flytrap) , Nepenthes (tropical pitcher plants), Sarracenia (North American pitcher plants) , Cephalotus (Australian pitcher plants) , Genlisea (corkscrew plants) , and Utricularia (bladderworts). Since the discovery of secreted protease nepenthesin in Nepenthes pitcher, digestive enzymes from carnivorous plants have been the focus of many studies. Recent genomics approaches have accelerated digestive enzyme discovery. Furthermore, the advancement in recombinant technology and protein purification helped in the identification and characterisation of enzymes in carnivorous plants. These different aspects will be described and discussed in this review with focus on the role of secreted plant proteases and their potential industrial applications.

  13. Influence of pretreatment techniques on anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper mill sludge: A review.

    PubMed

    Veluchamy, C; Kalamdhad, Ajay S

    2017-12-01

    Pulp and paper industry is one of the most polluting, energy and water intensive industries in the world. Produced pulp and paper mill sludge (PPMS) faces a major problem for handling and its management. An anaerobic digestion has become an alternative source. This review provides a detailed summary of anaerobic digestion of PPMS - An overview of the developments and improvement opportunities. This paper explores the different pretreatment methods to enhance biogas production from the PPMS. First, the paper gives an overview of PPMS production, and then it reviews PPMS as a substrate for anaerobic digestion with or without pretreatment. Finally, it discuss the optimal condition and concentration of organic and inorganic compounds required for the anaerobic metabolic activity. Future research should focus on the combination of different pretreatment technologies, relationship between sludge composition, reactor design and its operation, and microbial community dynamics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Multiple approaches to characterize the microbial community in a thermophilic anaerobic digester running on swine manure: a case study.

    PubMed

    Tuan, Nguyen Ngoc; Chang, Yi-Chia; Yu, Chang-Ping; Huang, Shir-Ly

    2014-01-01

    In this study, the first survey of microbial community in thermophilic anaerobic digester using swine manure as sole feedstock was performed by multiple approaches including denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), clone library and pyrosequencing techniques. The integrated analysis of 21 DGGE bands, 126 clones and 8506 pyrosequencing read sequences revealed that Clostridia from the phylum Firmicutes account for the most dominant Bacteria. In addition, our analysis also identified additional taxa that were missed by the previous researches, including members of the bacterial phyla Synergistetes, Planctomycetes, Armatimonadetes, Chloroflexi and Nitrospira which might also play a role in thermophilic anaerobic digester. Most archaeal 16S rRNA sequences could be assigned to the order Methanobacteriales instead of Methanomicrobiales comparing to previous studies. In addition, this study reported that the member of Methanothermobacter genus was firstly found in thermophilic anaerobic digester. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  15. Application of next-generation sequencing methods for microbial monitoring of anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass.

    PubMed

    Bozan, Mahir; Akyol, Çağrı; Ince, Orhan; Aydin, Sevcan; Ince, Bahar

    2017-09-01

    The anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic wastes is considered an efficient method for managing the world's energy shortages and resolving contemporary environmental problems. However, the recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass represents a barrier to maximizing biogas production. The purpose of this review is to examine the extent to which sequencing methods can be employed to monitor such biofuel conversion processes. From a microbial perspective, we present a detailed insight into anaerobic digesters that utilize lignocellulosic biomass and discuss some benefits and disadvantages associated with the microbial sequencing techniques that are typically applied. We further evaluate the extent to which a hybrid approach incorporating a variation of existing methods can be utilized to develop a more in-depth understanding of microbial communities. It is hoped that this deeper knowledge will enhance the reliability and extent of research findings with the end objective of improving the stability of anaerobic digesters that manage lignocellulosic biomass.

  16. Effect of temperature on solids reductions and on degradation kinetics during thermophilic aerobic digestion of a simulated sludge.

    PubMed

    Toki, C J

    2008-07-01

    Laboratory-scale experiments were conducted to determine the influence of higher thermophilic temperatures on thermophilic aerobic digestion treatment of a simulated sludge. The efficiency of the process was evaluated in respect of solids removal and degradation rate constants at four thermophilic temperatures. Batch runs were operated at a retention time of one day and temperatures of 65, 70, 72 and 75 degrees C. The results indicated that temperature increase did not impart any significant benefits to the digestion operation in terms of suspended solids and biochemichal oxygen demand reduction. The findings from this research also suggested that the treatment would not appear to benefit from temperatures higher than 65 degrees C, as classically suggested by Van't Hoff-Arrhenius. Therefore, increase of thermophilic temperature in the tested 65-75 degrees C range does not enhance the efficiency of thermophilic, aerobic sludge digestion treatment.

  17. A high-throughput assay for quantifying appetite and digestive dynamics.

    PubMed

    Jordi, Josua; Guggiana-Nilo, Drago; Soucy, Edward; Song, Erin Yue; Lei Wee, Caroline; Engert, Florian

    2015-08-15

    Food intake and digestion are vital functions, and their dysregulation is fundamental for many human diseases. Current methods do not support their dynamic quantification on large scales in unrestrained vertebrates. Here, we combine an infrared macroscope with fluorescently labeled food to quantify feeding behavior and intestinal nutrient metabolism with high temporal resolution, sensitivity, and throughput in naturally behaving zebrafish larvae. Using this method and rate-based modeling, we demonstrate that zebrafish larvae match nutrient intake to their bodily demand and that larvae adjust their digestion rate, according to the ingested meal size. Such adaptive feedback mechanisms make this model system amenable to identify potential chemical modulators. As proof of concept, we demonstrate that nicotine, l-lysine, ghrelin, and insulin have analogous impact on food intake as in mammals. Consequently, the method presented here will promote large-scale translational research of food intake and digestive function in a naturally behaving vertebrate. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

  18. A high-throughput assay for quantifying appetite and digestive dynamics

    PubMed Central

    Guggiana-Nilo, Drago; Soucy, Edward; Song, Erin Yue; Lei Wee, Caroline; Engert, Florian

    2015-01-01

    Food intake and digestion are vital functions, and their dysregulation is fundamental for many human diseases. Current methods do not support their dynamic quantification on large scales in unrestrained vertebrates. Here, we combine an infrared macroscope with fluorescently labeled food to quantify feeding behavior and intestinal nutrient metabolism with high temporal resolution, sensitivity, and throughput in naturally behaving zebrafish larvae. Using this method and rate-based modeling, we demonstrate that zebrafish larvae match nutrient intake to their bodily demand and that larvae adjust their digestion rate, according to the ingested meal size. Such adaptive feedback mechanisms make this model system amenable to identify potential chemical modulators. As proof of concept, we demonstrate that nicotine, l-lysine, ghrelin, and insulin have analogous impact on food intake as in mammals. Consequently, the method presented here will promote large-scale translational research of food intake and digestive function in a naturally behaving vertebrate. PMID:26108871

  19. Renewable Biochemical Methane Potential through Anaerobic Co-digestion from Selective Feed Stocks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thara, K.; Navis Karthika, Ignatius; Dheenadayalan, M. S., Dr

    2017-08-01

    Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) analysis provides a measure of the anaerobic biodegradability of a given substrate. BMP test is also used to evaluate the potential biogas (methane) production between various Co-digestion substrates. This test is also used to determine the amount of organic carbon in a given material that can be an aerobically converted to methane-Biogas. Studies were carried out for the production of biogas from the leather solid waste. Co-digestion (simultaneous digestion of two or more substrates) studies were carried out in batch reactor using the fleshing (a solid waste generated during the processing of raw hides or skins into finished leather) along with the fruit and vegetable waste at mesophilic condition 35° C). The anaerobic methanogenic seed sludge prepared separately followed by standard BMP test, which was used as the seed inoculums. Recent research on this topic is reviewed in this current paper.

  20. Conversion of MSW (municipal solids waste) to methane in the SOLCON (solids-concentrating) digester

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Biljetina, R.; Srivastava, V.J.; Isaacson, H.R.

    1988-01-01

    The Institute of Gas Technology (IGT) has been operating a 1200- gallon, anaerobic solids-concentrating (SOLCON) digester at the Walt Disney World Resort Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida since January of 1984. This digester development work is part of a larger effort, sponsored by the Gas Research Institute (GRI) Southern California Edison, that provides effective community waste treatment and disposal options while recovering a valuable methane resource from these wastes. Excellent conversions to methane have been obtained in the SOLCON digester during 4 years of uninterrupted operation. Data were collected on: (1) Wastes from experimental municipal wastewater treatment applications. Watermore » hyacinths were harvested from secondary wastewater treatment channels and combined with sludge from primary clarifiers to maximize potential methane recoveries in the digester. (2) Wastes from agricultural operations. Sorghum was selected as a candidate because it represents both a potential energy crop, as well as, a waste resource if only portions of the plant are converted after grain production. (3) Wastes from municipal waste collection.« less

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