Phosphorus removal using Ca-rich hydrated oil shale ash as filter material--the effect of different phosphorus loadings and wastewater compositions.

PubMed

Kõiv, Margit; Liira, Martin; Mander, Ulo; Mõtlep, Riho; Vohla, Christina; Kirsimäe, Kalle

2010-10-01

We studied the phosphorus (P) binding capacity of Ca-rich alkaline filter material - hydrated oil shale ash (i.e. hydrated ash) in two onsite pilot-scale experiments (with subsurface flow filters) in Estonia: one using pre-treated municipal wastewater with total phosphorus (TP) concentration of 0.13-17.0 mg L(-1) over a period of 6 months, another using pre-treated landfill leachate (median TP 3.4 mg L(-1)) for a total of 12 months. The results show efficient P removal (median removal of phosphates 99%) in horizontal flow (HF) filters at both sites regardless of variable concentrations of several inhibitors. The P removal efficiency of the hydrated ash increases with increasing P loading, suggesting direct precipitation of Ca-phosphate phases rather than an adsorption mechanism. Changes in the composition of the hydrated ash suggest a significant increase in P concentration in all filters (e.g. from 489.5 mg kg(-1) in initial ash to 664.9 mg kg(-1) in the HF filter after one year in operation), whereas almost all TP was removed from the inflow leachate (R(2) = 0.99). Efficiency was high throughout the experiments (median outflow from HF hydrated ash filters 0.05-0.50 mg L(-1)), and P accumulation did not show any signs of saturation. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nutrients removal from undiluted cattle farm wastewater by the two-stage process of microalgae-based wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Lv, Junping; Liu, Yang; Feng, Jia; Liu, Qi; Nan, Fangru; Xie, Shulian

2018-05-24

Chlorella vulgaris was selected from five freshwater microalgal strains of Chlorophyta, and showed a good potential in nutrients removal from undiluted cattle farm wastewater. By the end of treatment, 62.30%, 81.16% and 85.29% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium (NH 4 + -N) and total phosphorus (TP) were removed. Then two two-stage processes were established to enhance nutrients removal efficiency for meeting the discharge standards of China. The process A was the biological treatment via C. vulgaris followed by the biological treatment via C. vulgaris, and the process B was the biological treatment via C. vulgaris followed by the activated carbon adsorption. After 3-5 d of treatment of wastewater via the two processes, the nutrients removal efficiency of COD, NH 4 + -N and TP were 91.24%-92.17%, 83.16%-94.27% and 90.98%-94.41%, respectively. The integrated two-stage process could strengthen nutrients removal efficiency from undiluted cattle farm wastewater with high organic substance and nitrogen concentration. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Constructed wetland using corncob charcoal substrate: pollutants removal and intensification.

PubMed

Liu, Mao; Li, Boyuan; Xue, Yingwen; Wang, Hongyu; Yang, Kai

2017-09-01

To investigate the feasibility of using corncob charcoal substrate in constructed wetlands, four laboratory-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) were built. Effluent pollutant (chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH 4 + -N, total phosphorus (TP)) concentrations during the experiment were determined to reveal pollutant removal mechanisms and efficiencies at different stages. In the stable stage, a VFCW using clay ceramisite substrate under aeration attained higher COD (95.1%), and NH 4 + -N (95.1%) removal efficiencies than a VFCW using corncob charcoal substrate (91.5% COD, 91.3% NH 4 + -N) under aeration, but lower TP removal efficiency (clay ceramisite 32.0% and corncob charcoal 40.0%). The VFCW with raw corncob substrate showed stronger COD emissions (maximum concentration 3,108 mg/L) than the corncob charcoal substrate (COD was lower than influent). The VFCW using corncob charcoal substrate performed much better than the VFCW using clay ceramisite substrate under aeration when the C/N ratio was low (C/N = 1.5, TN removal efficiency 36.89%, 4.1% respectively). These results suggest that corncob charcoal is a potential substrate in VFCWs under aeration with a unique self -supplying carbon source property in the denitrification process.

A shallow lake remediation regime with Phragmites australis: Incorporating nutrient removal and water evapotranspiration.

PubMed

Zhao, Ying; Yang, Zhifeng; Xia, Xinghui; Wang, Fei

2012-11-01

Shallow lake eutrophication has been an important issue of global water environment. Based on the simulation and field sampling experiments in Baiyangdian Lake, the largest shallow lake in North China, this study proposed a shallow lake remediation regime with Phragmites australis (reed) incorporating its opposite effects of nutrient removal and water evapotranspiration on water quality. The results of simulation experiments showed that both total nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP) removal efficiencies increased with the increasing reed coverage. The TN removal efficiencies by reed aboveground uptake and rhizosphere denitrification were 11.2%, 13.8%, 22.6%, 28.4%, and 29.6% for the reed coverage of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%, respectively. Correspondingly, TP removal efficiencies by aboveground reed uptake were 1.4%, 2.5%, 4.4%, 7.4% and 7.9%, respectively. However, the water quality was best when the reed coverage was 60% (72 plants m(-2)). This was due to the fact that the concentration effect of reed evapotranspiration on nutrient increased with reed coverage. When the reed coverage was 100% (120 plants m(-2)), the evapotranspiration was approximately twice that without reeds. The field sampling results showed that the highest aboveground nutrient storages occurred in September. Thus, the proposed remediation regime for Baiyangdian Lake was that the reed coverage should be adjusted to 60%, and the aboveground biomass of reeds should be harvested in each September. With this remediation regime, TN and TP removal in Baiyangdian Lake were 117.8 and 4.0 g m(-2), respectively, and the corresponding removal efficiencies were estimated to be 49% and 8.5% after six years. This study suggests that reed is an effective plant for the remediation of shallow lake eutrophication, and its contrasting effects of nutrient removal and evapotranspiration on water quality should be considered for establishing the remediation regime in the future. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of iron and calcium carbonate on contaminant removal efficiencies and microbial communities in integrated wastewater treatment systems.

PubMed

Zhao, Zhimiao; Song, Xinshan; Zhang, Yinjiang; Zhao, Yufeng; Wang, Bodi; Wang, Yuhui

2017-12-01

In the paper, we explored the influences of different dosages of iron and calcium carbonate on contaminant removal efficiencies and microbial communities in algal ponds combined with constructed wetlands. After 1-year operation of treatment systems, based on the high-throughput pyrosequencing analysis of microbial communities, the optimal operating conditions were obtained as follows: the ACW10 system with Fe 3+ (5.6 mg L -1 ), iron powder (2.8 mg L -1 ), and CaCO 3 powder (0.2 mg L -1 ) in influent as the adjusting agents, initial phosphorus source (PO 4 3- ) in influent, the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus (N/P) of 30 in influent, and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 1 day. Total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency and total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiency were improved significantly. The hydrolysis of CaCO 3 promoted the physicochemical precipitation in contaminant removal. Meanwhile, Fe 3+ and iron powder produced Fe 2+ , which improved contaminant removal. Iron ion improved the diversity, distribution, and metabolic functions of microbial communities in integrated treatment systems. In the treatment ACW10, the dominant phylum in the microbial community was PLANCTOMYCETES, which positively promoted nitrogen removal. After 5 consecutive treatments in ACW10, contaminant removal efficiencies for TN and TP respectively reached 80.6% and 57.3% and total iron concentration in effluent was 0.042 mg L -1 . Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Total nitrogen and total phosphorus removal from brackish aquaculture wastewater using effective microorganism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamad, K. A.; Mohd, S. Y.; Sarah, R. S.; Mohd, H. Z.; Rasyidah, A.

2017-09-01

Aquaculture is one of dominant food based industry in the world with 8.3% annual growth rate and its development had led to adverse effect on the environment. High nutrient production in form of nitrogenous compound and phosphorus contributed to environmental deterioration such as eutrophication and toxicity to the industry. Usage of Effective Microorganism (EM), one of the biological approaches to remove Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP) in aquaculture pond was proposed. Samples were obtained from the Sea Bass intensive brackish aquaculture wastewater (AW) from fish farm at Juru, Penang and the parameters used to measure the removal of nitrogenous compounds include, pH, EM dosage, shaking, contact time and optimum variable conditions. From the study, for effective contact time, day 6 is the optimum contact time for both TN and TP with 99.74% and 62.78% removal respectively while in terms of optimum pH, the highest TN removal was at pH 7 with 66.89 %. The optimum dosage of EM is 1.5 ml with ratio 1:166 for 81.5 % TN removal was also found appropriate during the experiment. At varied optimum conditions of EM, the removal efficiency of TN and TP were 81.53% and 38.94% respectively while the removal mechanism of TN was highly dependent on the decomposition rate of specific bacteria such as Nitrobacter bacteria, Yeast and Bacillus Subtilis sp. The study has established the efficacy of EM's ability to treat excessive nutrient of TN and TP from AW.

Influence of detergent formulation on nutrient movement through sand columns simulating mound and conventional septic system drainfields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alhajjar, Bashar J.; Linn Gould, C.; Chesters, Gordon; Harkin, John M.

1990-12-01

The effects of phosphate (P) and zeolite (Z) -built detergents on leaching of N and P through sand columns simulating septic system drainfields were examined in laboratory columns. To simulate mound septic system drainfields, paired sets of columns were dosed intermittently with septic tank effluent from households using P- or Z-built detergent. Two other paired sets of columns were flooded with P- or Z-effluent to simulate new conventional septic system drainfields; after clogging mats or "crusts" developed at infiltration surface, the subsurfaces of the columns were aerated to simulate mature (crusted) conventional septic system drainfields. NO 3 loading in leachate was 1.1 times higher and ortho-P loading was 4.3 times lower when columns were dosed with Z- than with P-effluent. Dosed columns removed P poorly; total phosphorus (TP) loading in leachate was 81 and 19 g m -2 yr -1 with P- and Z-effluent, respectively. In flooded columns 1.3, 2.0 and 1.8 times more NH 4, organic nitrogen (ON) and total nitrogen (TN) respectively, were leached with Z- than with P-effluent; NO 3 leaching was similar. Flooded columns removed P efficiently; TP leached through flooded systems was 2.5 and 1.4 g m -2 yr -1 with P- and Z effluent, respectively. Crusted columns fed Z-effluent leached 1.2, 2.6, 1.4 and 2.1 times more NH 4, NO 3, ON and TN, respectively, than those with P-effluent but 1.8 times less TP. Crusted columns removed P satisfactorily: 8.2 and 4.6 g m -2 yr -1 TP with P- and Z-effluent, respectively. The P-built detergent substantially improves the efficiency of N removal with satisfactory P removal in columns simulating conventional septic system drainfield. Simultaneous removal of N and P under flooded conditions might be explained by precipitation of struvite-type minerals. Dosed system drainfields were less efficient in removing N and P compared to flooded and crusted system drainfelds.

Treatment performance and microorganism community structure of integrated vertical-flow constructed wetland plots for domestic wastewater.

PubMed

Wu, Su-qing; Chang, Jun-jun; Dai, Yanran; Wu, Zhen-bin; Liang, Wei

2013-06-01

In order to investigate the treatment performance and microorganism mechanism of IVCW for domestic wastewater in central of China, two parallel pilot-scale IVCW systems were built to evaluate purification efficiencies, microbial community structure and enzyme activities. The results showed that mean removal efficiencies were 81.03 % for COD, 51.66 % for total nitrogen (TN), 42.50 % for NH4 (+)-N, and 68.01 % for TP. Significant positive correlations between nitrate reductase activities and TN and NH4 (+)-N removal efficiencies, along with a significant correlation between substrate enzyme activity and operation time, were observed. Redundancy analysis demonstrated gram-negative bacteria were mainly responsible for urease and phosphatase activities, and also played a major role in dehydrogenase and nitrate reductase activities. Meanwhile, anaerobic bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, and saturated FA groups, gram-positive bacteria exhibited good correlations with the removal of COD (p=0.388), N (p=0.236), and TP (p=0.074), respectively. The IVCW system can be used to treat domestic wastewater effectively.

Efficiency of a multi-soil-layering system on wastewater treatment using environment-friendly filter materials.

PubMed

Ho, Chia-Chun; Wang, Pei-Hao

2015-03-23

The multi-soil-layering (MSL) system primarily comprises two parts, specifically, the soil mixture layer (SML) and the permeable layer (PL). In Japan, zeolite is typically used as the permeable layer material. In the present study, zeolite was substituted with comparatively cheaper and more environmentally friendly materials, such as expanded clay aggregates, oyster shells, and already-used granular activated carbon collected from water purification plants. A series of indoor tests indicated that the suspended solid (SS) removal efficiency of granular activated carbon was between 76.2% and 94.6%; zeolite and expanded clay aggregates achieved similar efficiencies that were between 53.7% and 87.4%, and oyster shells presented the lowest efficiency that was between 29.8% and 61.8%. Further results show that the oyster shell system required an increase of wastewater retention time by 2 to 4 times that of the zeolite system to maintain similar chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency. Among the four MSL samples, the zeolite system and granular activated carbon system demonstrated a stable NH3-N removal performance at 92.3%-99.8%. The expanded clay aggregate system present lower removal performance because of its low adsorption capacity and excessively large pores, causing NO3--N to be leached away under high hydraulic loading rate conditions. The total phosphorous (TP) removal efficiency of the MSL systems demonstrated no direct correlation with the permeable layer material. Therefore, all MSL samples achieved a TP efficiency of between 92.1% and 99.2%.

Efficiencies of multilayer infiltration systems for the removal of urban runoff pollutants.

PubMed

Hou, Lizhu; Liu, Fang; Feng, Chuanping; Wan, Li

2013-01-01

Current rates of urban development will result in water runoff becoming a major complication of urban water pollution. To address the worsening situation regarding water resource shortage and pollution, novel multilayer infiltration systems were designed and their effectiveness for removing pollutants in urban runoff tested experimentally. The multilayer infiltration systems effectively removed most pollutants, including organic matter (chemical oxygen demand (CODCr)), total nitrogen (TN), ammonia-nitrogen (NH4(+)-N) and total phosphorus (TP). CODCr, TN, NH4(+)-N, and TP were reduced by 68.67, 23.98, 82.66 and 92.11%, respectively. The main mechanism for nitrogen removal was biological nitrogen removal through nitrification and denitrification. Phosphorus in the urban runoff was removed mainly by fixation processes in the soil, such as adsorption and chemical precipitation. The results indicate that the proposed novel system has potential for removal of pollutants from urban runoff and subsequent reuse of the treated water.

Assessment of the nutrient removal effectiveness of floating treatment wetlands applied to urban retention ponds.

PubMed

Wang, Chih-Yu; Sample, David J

2014-05-01

The application of floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) in point and non-point source pollution control has received much attention recently. Although the potential of this emerging technology is supported by various studies, quantifying FTW performance in urban retention ponds remains elusive due to significant research gaps. Actual urban retention pond water was utilized in this mesocosm study to evaluate phosphorus and nitrogen removal efficiency of FTWs. Multiple treatments were used to investigate the contribution of each component in the FTW system with a seven-day retention time. The four treatments included a control, floating mat, pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata L.), and softstem bulrush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani). The water samples collected on Day 0 (initial) and 7 were analyzed for total phosphorus (TP), total particulate phosphorus, orthophosphate, total nitrogen (TN), organic nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, nitrate-nitrite nitrogen, and chlorophyll-a. Statistical tests were used to evaluate the differences between the four treatments. The effects of temperature on TP and TN removal rates of the FTWs were described by the modified Arrhenius equation. Our results indicated that all three FTW designs, planted and unplanted floating mats, could significantly improve phosphorus and nitrogen removal efficiency (%, E-TP and E-TN) compared to the control treatment during the growing season, i.e., May through August. The E-TP and E-TN was enhanced by 8.2% and 18.2% in the FTW treatments planted with the pickerelweed and softstem bulrush, respectively. Organic matter decomposition was likely to be the primary contributor of nutrient removal by FTWs in urban retention ponds. Such a mechanism is fostered by microbes within the attached biofilms on the floating mats and plant root surfaces. Among the results of the four treatments, the FTWs planted with pickerelweed had the highest E-TP, and behaved similarly with the other two FTW treatments for nitrogen removal during the growth period. The temperature effects described by the modified Arrhenius equation revealed that pickerelweed is sensitive to temperature and provides considerable phosphorus removal when water temperature is greater than 25 °C. However, the nutrient removal effectiveness of this plant species may be negligible for water temperatures below 15 °C. The study also assessed potential effects of shading from the FTW mats on water temperature, DO, pH, and attached-to-substrate periphyton/vegetation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Performance of hybrid constructed wetland systems for treating septic tank effluent.

PubMed

Cui, Li-hua; Liu, Wen; Zhu, Xi-zhen; Ma, Mei; Huang, Xi-hua; Xia, Yan-yang

2006-01-01

The integrated wetland systems were constructed by combining horizontal-flow and vertical-flow bed, and their purification efficiencies for septic tank effluent were detected when the hydraulic retention time (HRT) was 1 d, 3 d, 5 d under different seasons. The results showed that the removal efficiencies of the organics, phosphorus were steady in the hybrid systems, but the removal efficiency of total nitrogen was not steady due to high total nitrogen concentration in the septic tank effluent. The average removal rates of COD (chemical oxygen demand) were 89%, 87%, 83%, and 86% in summer, autumn, winter and spring, respectively, and it was up to 88%, 85%, 73%, and 74% for BOD5 (5 d biochemical oxygen demand) removal rate in four seasons. The average removal rates of TP (total phosphorous) could reach up to 97%, 98%, 95%, 98% in four seasons, but the removal rate of TN (total nitrogen) was very low. The results of this study also indicated that the capability of purification was the worst in winter. Cultivating with plants could improve the treated effluent quality from the hybrid systems. The results of the operation of the horizontal-flow and vertical-flow cells (hybrid systems) showed that the removal efficiencies of the organics, TP and TN in horizontal-flow and vertical-flow cells were improved significantly with the extension of HRT under the same season. The removal rate of 3 d HRT was obviously higher than that of 1 d HRT, and the removal rate of 5 d HRT was better than that of 3 d HRT, but the removal efficiency was not very obvious with the increment of HRT. Therefore, 3 d HRT might be recommended in the actual operation of the hybrid systems for economic and technical reasons.

Microbial community and removal of nitrogen via the addition of a carrier in a pilot-scale duckweed-based wastewater treatment system.

PubMed

Zhao, Yonggui; Fang, Yang; Jin, Yanling; Huang, Jun; Ma, Xinrong; He, Kaize; He, Zhiming; Wang, Feng; Zhao, Hai

2015-03-01

Carriers were added to a pilot-scale duckweed-based (Lemna japonica 0223) wastewater treatment system to immobilize and enhance microorganisms. This system and another parallel duckweed system without carriers were operated for 1.5 years. The results indicated the addition of the carrier did not significantly affect the growth and composition of duckweed, the recovery of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and CO2 or the removal of TP. However, it significantly improved the removal efficiency of TN and NH4(+)-N (by 19.97% and 15.02%, respectively). The use of 454 pyrosequencing revealed large differences of the microbial communities between the different components within a system and similarities within the same components between the two systems. The carrier biofilm had the highest bacterial diversity and relative abundance of nitrifying bacteria (3%) and denitrifying bacteria (24% of Rhodocyclaceae), which improved nitrogen removal of the system. An efficient N-removal duckweed system with enhanced microorganisms was established. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Phosphorus removal characteristics by aerobic granules in normal molasses wastewater after anaerobic treatment].

PubMed

Wang, Shuo; Yu, Shui-Li; Shi, Wen-Xin; Bao, Rui-Ling; Yi, Xue-Song; Li, Jian-Zheng

2012-04-01

COD decreased obviously in normal molasses wastewater after anaerobic treatment, however, concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus were still higher in the effluent which seriously damaged the ecological balance. In this study, aerobic granules cultivated in sequencing batch airlift reactor (SBAR) were carried out for treating the effluent; phosphorus removal processes and characteristics were discussed as well. The mean diameter of aerobic granules cultivated by multiple carbon sources (acetate, propionate and butyrate) was 1.7 mm. The average phosphorus removal efficiency was 90.9% and the level of phosphorus in effluent was only 1.3 mg x L(-1); TP released per COD consumed was 0.571 and the specific rate of TP released was 5.73 mg x (g x h)(-1). NO3(-) -N usage of phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs) improved during denitrifying process because the concentration of propionate and butyrate increased in multiple carbon sources which means the phosphorus uptake efficiency increased when per NO3(-) -N consumed. Phosphorus content represented a stronger correlation with magnesium, calcium and ferrum contents in aerobic granules and their extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), the phosphorus adsorption by EPS could enhance phosphorus removal. 61.9% of phosphorus accumulating organisms were denitrifying phosphorus accumulating organisms in aerobic granules and TP uptake per NO3(-) -N consumed was 1.14 which was higher than that of aerobic granules only cultivated by acetate.

[Treatment effect of biological filtration and vegetable floating-bed combined system on greenhouse turtle breeding wastewater].

PubMed

Chen, Chong-Jun; Zhang, Rui; Xiang, Kun; Wu, Wei-Xiang

2014-08-01

Unorganized discharge of greenhouse turtle breeding wastewater has brought several negative influences on the ecological environment in the rural area of Yangtze River Delta. Biological filtration and vegetable floating-bed combined system is a potential ecological method for greenhouse turtle breeding wastewater treatment. In order to explore the feasibility of this system and evaluate the contribution of vegetable uptake of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in treating greenhouse turtle breeding wastewater, three types of vegetables, including Ipomoea aquatica, lettuce and celery were selected in this study. Results showed the combined system had a high capacity in simultaneous removal of organic matter, N and P. The removal efficiencies of COD, NH4(+)-N, TN and TP from the wastewater reached up to 93.2%-95.6%, 97.2%-99.6%, 73.9%-93.1% and 74.9%-90.0%, respectively. System with I. aquatica had the highest efficiencies in N and P removal, followed by lettuce and celery. However, plant uptake was not the primary pathway for TN arid TP removal in the combined system. The vegetable uptake of N and P accounted for only 9.1%-25.0% of TN and TP removal from the wastewater while the effect of microorganisms would be dominant for N and P removal. In addition, the highest amounts of N and P uptake in I. aquatica were closely related with the biomass of plant. Results from the study indicated that the biological filtration and vegetable floating-bed combined system was an effective approach to treating greenhouse turtle breeding wastewater in China.

Removal of Nutrients from Septic Effluent with Re-circulated Hybrid Tidal Flow Constructed Wetland

Treesearch

Lihua Cui; Jigkun Feng; Ying Ouyang; Peiwen Deng

2012-01-01

Hybrid tidal flow constructed wetland (CW) with recirculation is an improved biological and engineering technique for removal of excess nutrients and certain pollutants from wastewater. This study investigated the removal efficiency of total phosphorus (TP), ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N), and total nitrogen (TN) from septic tank effluent with the hybrid tidal flow CW system...

Phosphorus removal from Everglades agricultural area runoff by submerged aquatic vegetation/limerock treatment technology: an overview of research.

PubMed

Gu, B; DeBusk, T A; Dierberg, F E; Chimney, M J; Pietro, K C; Aziz, T

2001-01-01

The 1994 Everglades Forever Act mandates the South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to evaluate a series of advanced treatment technologies to reduce total phosphorus (TP) in Everglades Agricultural Area runoff to a threshold target level. A submerged aquatic vegetation/limerock (SAV/LR) treatment system is one of the technologies selected for evaluation. The research program consists of two phases. Phase I examined the efficiency of SAV/LR treatment system for TP removal at the mesocosm scale. Preliminary results demonstrate that this technology is capable of reducing effluent TP to as low as 10 microg/L under constant flows. The SAV component removes the majority of the influent soluble reactive P, while the limerock component removes a portion of the particulate P. Phase II is a multi-scale project (i.e., microcosms, mesocosms, test cells and full-size wetlands). Experiments and field investigations using various environmental scenarios are designed to (1) identify key P removal processes; (2) provide management and operational criteria for basin-scale implementation; and (3) provide scientific data for a standardized comparison of performance among advanced treatment technologies.

Efficiency of a Multi-Soil-Layering System on Wastewater Treatment Using Environment-Friendly Filter Materials

PubMed Central

Ho, Chia-Chun; Wang, Pei-Hao

2015-01-01

The multi-soil-layering (MSL) system primarily comprises two parts, specifically, the soil mixture layer (SML) and the permeable layer (PL). In Japan, zeolite is typically used as the permeable layer material. In the present study, zeolite was substituted with comparatively cheaper and more environmentally friendly materials, such as expanded clay aggregates, oyster shells, and already-used granular activated carbon collected from water purification plants. A series of indoor tests indicated that the suspended solid (SS) removal efficiency of granular activated carbon was between 76.2% and 94.6%; zeolite and expanded clay aggregates achieved similar efficiencies that were between 53.7% and 87.4%, and oyster shells presented the lowest efficiency that was between 29.8% and 61.8%. Further results show that the oyster shell system required an increase of wastewater retention time by 2 to 4 times that of the zeolite system to maintain similar chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency. Among the four MSL samples, the zeolite system and granular activated carbon system demonstrated a stable NH3-N removal performance at 92.3%–99.8%. The expanded clay aggregate system present lower removal performance because of its low adsorption capacity and excessively large pores, causing NO3−-N to be leached away under high hydraulic loading rate conditions. The total phosphorous (TP) removal efficiency of the MSL systems demonstrated no direct correlation with the permeable layer material. Therefore, all MSL samples achieved a TP efficiency of between 92.1% and 99.2%. PMID:25809517

Effect of static magnetic field on electricity production and wastewater treatment in microbial fuel cells.

PubMed

Tao, Qinqin; Zhou, Shaoqi

2014-12-01

The effect of a magnetic field (MF) on electricity production and wastewater treatment in two-chamber microbial fuel cells (MFCs) has been investigated. Electricity production capacity could be improved by the application of a low-intensity static MF. When a MF of 50 mT was applied to MFCs, the maximum voltage, total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiency, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency increased from 523 ± 2 to 553 ± 2 mV, ∼93 to ∼96 %, and ∼80 to >90 %, respectively, while the start-up time and coulombic efficiency decreased from 16 to 10 days and ∼50 to ∼43 %, respectively. The MF effects were immediate, reversible, and not long lasting, and negative effects on electricity generation and COD removal seemed to occur after the MF was removed. The start-up and voltage output were less affected by the MF direction. Nitrogen compounds in magnetic MFCs were nitrified more thoroughly; furthermore, a higher proportion of electrochemically inactive microorganisms were found in magnetic systems. TP was effectively removed by the co-effects of microbe absorption and chemical precipitation. Chemical precipitates were analyzed by a scanning electron microscope capable of energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) to be a mixture of phosphate, carbonate, and hydroxyl compounds.

[Pilot-scale cultivation of Spirulina plantensis with digested piggery wastewater ].

PubMed

Guo, Qing-qing; Liu, Rui; Luo, Jin-fei; Wang, Gen-rong; Chen, Lii-jun; Liu, Xiao

2014-09-01

The swine waste pretreated with coagulation sedimentation was used for the outdoor pilot-scale cultivation of Spirulina platensis isolated from digested piggery wastewater (DPW) in a raceway pond. The growth of S. platensis and removal of nitrogen/ phosphorus were studied, moreover, the conversion efficiency of total nitrogen (TN) or total phosphorus (TP) from DPW to S. platensis was calculated. On this basis, the existing problems and countermeasures during outdoor pilot-scale culture were analyzed and summarized combined with the laboratory research. We conducted 6 batches culture experiments, only 3 of which could reach the S. platensis harvest requirements (D560 >0. 8). Meanwhile, the 3 successful batches achieved removal of COD, ammonia nitrogen, TN, TP with corresponding 28. 6% -48. 5% , 0.4% -48. 5% , 41. 8% -48. 6% , 14. 3% -94. 5% , and the conversion efficiency of TN or TP from DPW to S. platensis reached 12. 1% -98. 5% , 21.2% -83.7% , respectively. High concentration of ammonia nitrogen and insect attack of remaining egg hatching in the pretreated swine waste were the main factors to cause the slow-growing of the 3 batches of S. platensis. Therefore, it is highly necessary for the removal of ammonia nitrogen with biological treatment technology and insect eggs with membrane to achieve a stable high productivity.

Performance of hybrid subsurface constructed wetland system for piggery wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Zhang, X; Inoue, T; Kato, K; Harada, J; Izumoto, H; Wu, D; Sakuragi, H; Ietsugu, H; Sugawara, Y

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate performance of a hybrid constructed wetland (CW) built for high organic content piggery wastewater treatment in a cold region. The system consists of four vertical and one horizontal flow subsurface CWs. The wetland was built in 2009 and water quality was monitored from the outset. Average purification efficiency of this system was 95±5, 91±7, 89±8, 70±10, 84±15, 90±6, 99±2, and 93±16% for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium-N (NH4-N), total phosphorus (TP), total coliform (T. Coliform), and suspended solids (SS), respectively during August 2010-December 2013. Pollutant removal rate was 15±18 g m(-2) d(-1), 49±52 g m(-2) d(-1), 6±4 g m(-2) d(-1), 7±5 g m(-2) d(-1), and 1±1 g m(-2) d(-1) for BOD5, COD, TN, NH4-N, and TP, respectively. The removal efficiency of BOD5, COD, NH4-N, and SS improved yearly since the start of operation. With respect to removal of TN and TP, efficiency improved in the first three years but slightly declined in the fourth year. The system performed well during both warm and cold periods, but was more efficient in the warm period. The nitrate increase may be attributed to a low C/N ratio, due to limited availability of carbon required for denitrification.

Planted floating bed performance in treatment of eutrophic river water.

PubMed

Bu, Faping; Xu, Xiaoyi

2013-11-01

The objective of the study was to treat eutrophic river water using floating beds and to identify ideal plant species for design of floating beds. Four parallel pilot-scale units were established and vegetated with Canna indica (U1), Accords calamus (U2), Cyperus alternifolius (U3), and Vetiveria zizanioides (U4), respectively, to treat eutrophic river water. The floating bed was made of polyethylene foam, and plants were vegetated on it. Results suggest that the floating bed is a viable alternative for treating eutrophic river water, especially for inhibiting algae growth. When the influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) varied from 6.53 to 18.45 mg/L, total nitrogen (TN) from 6.82 to 12.25 mg/L, total phosphorus (TP) from 0.65 to 1.64 mg/L, and Chla from 6.22 to 66.46 g/m(3), the removal of COD, TN, TP, and Chla was 15.3%-38.4%, 25.4%-48.4%, 16.1%-42.1%, and 29.9 %-88.1%, respectively. Ranked by removal performance, U1 was best, followed by U2, U3, and U4. In the floating bed, more than 60% TN and TP were removed by sedimentation; plant uptake was quantitatively of low importance with an average removal of 20.2% of TN and 29.4% of TP removed. The loss of TN (TP) was of the least importance. Compared with the other three, U1 exhibited better dissolved oxygen (DO) gradient distributions, higher DO levels, higher hydraulic efficiency, and a higher percentage of nutrient removal attributable to plant uptake; in addition, plant development and the volume of nutrient storage in the C. indica tissues outperformed the other three species. C. indica thus could be selected when designing floating beds for the Three Gorges Reservoir region of P. R. China.

The use of a hybrid Sequential Biofiltration System for the improvement of nutrient removal and PCB control in municipal wastewater.

PubMed

Kiedrzyńska, Edyta; Urbaniak, Magdalena; Kiedrzyński, Marcin; Jóźwik, Adam; Bednarek, Agnieszka; Gągała, Ilona; Zalewski, Maciej

2017-07-14

This article aims to evaluate the efficiency of an innovative hybrid Sequential Biofiltration System (SBS) for removing phosphorus and nitrogen and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from original municipal wastewater produced by a Wastewater Treatment Plant under authentic operating conditions. The hybrid SBS was constructed with two barriers, a geochemical (filtration beds with limestone, coal and sawdust) and a biological barrier (wetlands with Glyceria, Acorus, Typha, Phragmites), operating in parallel. Significant differences were found between inflow and outflow from the SBS with regard to wastewater contaminant concentrations, the efficiency of removal being 16% (max. 93%) for Total Phosphorus (TP), 25% (max. 93%) for Soluble Reactive Phosphorus (SRP), 15% (max. 97%) for Total Nitrogen (TN), 17% (max. 98%) for NO 3 - N, and 21% for PCB equivalency (PCB EQ). In the case of PCB EQ concentration, the highest efficiency of 43% was obtained using beds with macrophytes. The SBS removed a significant load of TP (0.415 kg), TN (3.136 kg), and PCB EQ (0.223 g) per square meter per year. The use of low-cost hybrid SBSs as a post-treatment step for wastewater treatment was found to be an effective ecohydrological biotechnology that may be used for reducing point source pollution and improving water quality.

Study on nitrogen removal enhanced by shunt distributing wastewater in a constructed subsurface infiltration system under intermittent operation mode.

PubMed

Li, Yinghua; Li, Haibo; Sun, Tieheng; Wang, Xin

2011-05-15

Subsurface wastewater infiltration system is an efficient and economic technology in treating small scattered sewage. The removal rates are generally satisfactory in terms of COD, BOD(5), TP and SS removal; while nitrogen removal is deficient in most of the present operating SWIS due to the different requirements for the presence of oxygen for nitrification and denitrification processes. To study the enhanced nitrogen removal technologies, two pilot subsurface wastewater infiltration systems were constructed in a village in Shenyang, China. The filled matrix was a mixture of 5% activated sludge, 65% brown soil and 30% coal slag in volume ratio for both systems. Intermittent operation mode was applied in to supply sufficient oxygen to accomplish the nitrification; meanwhile sewage was supplemented as the carbon source to the lower part in to denitrify. The constructed subsurface wastewater infiltration systems worked successfully under wetting-drying ratio of 1:1 with hydraulic loading of 0.081 m(3)/(m(2)d) for over 4 months. Carbon source was supplemented with shunt ratio of 1:1 and shunt position at the depth of 0.5m. The experimental results showed that intermittent operation mode and carbon source supplementation could significantly enhance the nitrogen removal efficiency with little influence on COD and TP removal. The average removal efficiencies for NH(3)-N and TN were 87.7 ± 1.4 and 70.1 ± 1.0%, increased by 12.5 ± 1.0 and 8.6 ± 0.7%, respectively. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Removing Organic Matter and Nutrients from Pig Farm Wastewater with a Constructed Wetland System

PubMed Central

De La Mora-Orozco, Celia; González-Acuña, Irma Julieta; Saucedo-Terán, Ruben Alfonso; Flores-López, Hugo Ernesto; Rubio-Arias, Hector Osbaldo; Ochoa-Rivero, Jesús Manuel

2018-01-01

Pollutants from pig farms in Mexico have caused problems in many surface water reservoirs. Growing concern has driven the search for low-cost wastewater treatment solutions. The objective of this research was to evaluate the potential of an in-series constructed wetland to remove nutrients from wastewater from a pig farm. The wetland system had a horizontal flow that consisted of three cells, the first a surface water wetland, the second a sedimentation cell, and the third a subsurface flow wetland. The vegetation used was Thypa sp. and Scirpus sp. A mix of soil with red volcanic rock (10–30 mm diameter) and yellow sand (2–8 mm diameter) was used as a substrate for the vegetation. The experiments were carried out in duplicate. Water samples were collected at the inflow and outflow of the cells. Two hydraulic retention times (HRT) (5 and 10 days) and three treatments were evaluated: 400, 800, and 1200 mg·L−1 of chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration. Data was collected in situ for temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), electrical conductivity (EC), and total dissolved solids (TDS). COD, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), ammonia nitrogen (NH3–N), and total phosphorous (TP) were analyzed in the laboratory. The results showed that the in-series constructed wetland is a feasible system for nutrient pollutant removal, with COD removal efficiency of 76% and 80% mg·L−1 for a 5- and 10-day HRT, respectively. The removal efficiency for TKN, NH3–N, and TP reached about 70% with a 5-day HRT, while a removal of 85% was obtained with a 10-day HRT. The wetland reached the maximum removal efficiency with a 10-day HRT and an inflow load of 400 mg·L−1 of organic matter. The results indicate that HRT positively affects removal efficiency of COD and TDS. On the other hand, the HRT was not the determining factor for TP removal. Treatment one, with an initial COD concentration of 400 mg·L−1, had the highest removal of the assessed pollutants, allowing for the use of water for irrigation according to Mexican regulatory standards (NOM-001). The water quality resulting from treatments two and three (T2 = 800 mg·L−1 of COD and T3 = 1200 mg·L−1 of COD) did not comply with minimal requirements for irrigation water. PMID:29883370

The effect of different surface materials on runoff quality in permeable pavement systems.

PubMed

Li, Haiyan; Li, Zhifei; Zhang, Xiaoran; Li, Zhuorong; Liu, Dongqing; Li, Tanghu; Zhang, Ziyang

2017-09-01

To investigate the effect of different permeable pavement surface materials on the removal of pollutants from urban storm-runoff, six commonly surface materials (porous asphalt, porous concrete, cement brick, ceramic brick, sand base brick, and shale brick) were selected in this study and the research was carried out by column experiments. Except the concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH 4 -N), nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 -N), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) in the influent and effluent that were measured, the removal mechanism of pollutants was discussed further. The results indicate that the surface materials influence the removal efficiency of pollutants greatly and have different effects on certain pollutant. Furthermore, the physical interception and adsorption would be the main mechanism for the removal of pollutants from runoff. For example, for all surface materials, the average removal efficiency of TSS is nearly about 90.0% because of physical interception. Due to the amount of iron oxide, the removal efficiency of COD, NO 3 -N, and TN of shale brick was 88.2, 35.1, and 17.5%, respectively. NH 4 -N and TN can be easily removed by porous asphalt due to the high content of organic matter. By lacking of useful adsorption sites, all the surface materials had little effect on the removal of TP from runoff. This research could offer useful guidelines for the better design of permeable pavement system and promote the insight into the removal mechanism of pollutants in permeable pavement system. Graphical abstract Different types of materials for the different types of pollutants in the runoff purification capacity were significantly different, overall, shale brick and porous asphalt Shale bricks and porous asphalt have a better purification effect according to the six kinds of materials.

Application of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment in tropical and subtropical regions (2000-2013).

PubMed

Zhang, Dong-Qing; Jinadasa, K B S N; Gersberg, Richard M; Liu, Yu; Tan, Soon Keat; Ng, Wun Jern

2015-04-01

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been successfully used for treating various wastewaters for decades and have been identified as a sustainable wastewater management option for developing countries. With the goal of promoting sustainable engineered systems that support human well-being but are also compatible with sustaining natural (environmental) systems, the application of CWs has become more relevant. Such application is especially significant for developing countries with tropical climates, which are very conducive to higher biological activity and productivity, resulting in higher treatment efficiencies compared to those in temperate climates. This paper therefore highlights the practice, applications, and research of treatment wetlands under tropical and subtropical conditions since 2000. In the present review, removal of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solid (TSS) was shown to be very efficient and consistent across all types of treatment wetlands. Hybrid systems appeared more efficient in the removal of total suspended solid (TSS) (91.3%), chemical oxygen demand (COD) (84.3%), and nitrogen (i.e., 80.7% for ammonium (NH)4-N, 80.8% for nitrate (NO)3-N, and 75.4% for total nitrogen (TN)) as compared to other wetland systems. Vertical subsurface flow (VSSF) CWs removed TSS (84.9%), BOD (87.6%), and nitrogen (i.e., 66.2% for NH4-N, 73.3% for NO3-N, and 53.3% for TN) more efficiently than horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF) CWs, while HSSF CWs (69.8%) showed better total phosphorus (TP) removal compared to VSSF CWs (60.1%). Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) showed comparable removal efficiencies for BOD (70.7%), NH4-N (63.6%), and TP (44.8%) to free water surface (FWS) CW systems. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Functions of slags and gravels as substrates in large-scale demonstration constructed wetland systems for polluted river water treatment.

PubMed

Ge, Yuan; Wang, Xiaochang; Zheng, Yucong; Dzakpasu, Mawuli; Zhao, Yaqian; Xiong, Jiaqing

2015-09-01

The choice of substrates with high adsorption capacity, yet readily available and economical is vital for sustainable pollutants removal in constructed wetlands (CWs). Two identical large-scale demonstration horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF) CWs (surface area, 340 m(2); depth, 0.6 m; HLR, 0.2 m/day) with gravel or slag substrates were evaluated for their potential use in remediating polluted urban river water in the prevailing climate of northwest China. Batch experiments to elucidate phosphorus adsorption mechanisms indicated a higher adsorption capacity of slag (3.15 g/kg) than gravel (0.81 g/kg), whereby circa 20 % more total phosphorus (TP) removal was recorded in HSSF-slag than HSSF-gravel. TP removal occurred predominantly via CaO-slag dissolution followed by Ca phosphate precipitation. Moreover, average removals of chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand were approximately 10 % higher in HSSF-slag than HSSF-gravel. Nevertheless, TP adsorption by slag seemed to get quickly saturated over the monitoring period, and the removal efficiency of the HSSF-slag approached that of the HSSF-gravel after 1-year continuous operation. In contrast, the two CWs achieved similar nitrogen removal during the 2-year monitoring period. Findings also indicated that gravel provided better support for the development of other wetland components such as biomass, whereby the biomass production and the amount of total nitrogen (TN; 43.1-59.0 g/m(2)) and TP (4.15-5.75 g/m(2)) assimilated by local Phragmites australis in HSSF-gravel were higher than that in HSSF-slag (41.2-52.0 g/m(2) and 3.96-4.07 g/m(2), respectively). Overall, comparable pollutant removal rates could be achieved in large-scale HSSF CWs with either gravel or slag as substrate and provide a possible solution for polluted urban river remediation in northern China.

Agricultural runoff pollution control by a grassed swales coupled with wetland detention ponds system: a case study in Taihu Basin, China.

PubMed

Zhao, Jinhui; Zhao, Yaqian; Zhao, Xiaoli; Jiang, Cheng

2016-05-01

The performance of a field grassed swales (GSs) coupled with wetland detention ponds (WDPs) system was monitored under four typical rainfall events to assess its effectiveness on agricultural runoff pollution control in Taihu Basin, China. The results indicated that suspended solids (SS) derived from the flush process has significant influence on pollution loads in agricultural runoff. Determination of first flush effect (FFE) indicated that total suspended solids (TSS) and total phosphorus (TP) exhibited moderate FFE, while chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total nitrogen (TN) showed weak FFE. Average removal efficiencies of 83.5 ± 4.5, 65.3 ± 6.8, 91.6 ± 3.8, and 81.3 ± 5.8 % for TSS, COD, TN, and TP were achieved, respectively. The GSs played an important role in removing TSS and TP and acted as a pre-treatment process to prevent clogging of the subsequent WDPs. Particle size distributions (PSDs) analysis indicated that coarse particles larger than 75 μm accounted for 80 % by weight of the total particles in the runoff. GSs can effectively reduce coarse particles (≥75 μm) in runoff, while its removal efficiency for fine particles (<75 μm) was low, even minus results being recorded, especially for particles smaller than 25 μm. The length of GSs is a key factor in its performance. The WDPs can remove particles of all sizes by sedimentation. In addition, WDPs can improve water quality due to their buffering and dilution capacity during rainfall as well as their water purification ability during dry periods. Overall, the ecological system of GSs coupled with WDPs is an effective system for agricultural runoff pollution control.

Organic contaminant removal efficiency of sodium bentonite/clay (BC) mixtures in high permeability regions utilizing reclaimed wastewater: A meso-scale study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Yang; Li, Yunkai; Ning, Zigong; Li, Pengxiang; Yang, Peiling; Liu, Chengcheng; Liu, Zhongwei; Xu, Feipeng; Hynds, Paul Dylan

2018-03-01

Wastewater reclamation now represents an effective measure for sustainable water resource management in arid regions, however wastewater components (organic micropollutants) may potentially impact local ecological and/or human health. Previous studies have shown that sodium bentonite/natural clay (BC) mixes may be used to effectively reduce riverbed infiltration in regions characterized by excessively high hydraulic conductivity. Accordingly, the current study sought to investigate the contaminant removal efficiency (Re) of several BC mass ratios in simulated dry riverbeds. Results indicate that the measured Re of NH4+-N, CODcr and BOD5 increased in concurrence with an increasing sodium bentonite ratio, up to a maximum Re of 97.4% (NH4+-N), 55.2% (CODcr), and 51.5% (BOD5). The primary contaminant removal site was shown to be the infiltration-reducing (BC) layer, accounting for approximately 40%, 60%, and 70% of NH4+-N, CODcr and BOD5 removal, respectively. Conversely, the removal efficiency of NO3-N was found to be low (<15%), while total phosphorous (TP) was found to actively leach from the infiltration-reduction layer, resulting in measured TP discharges 2.4-4.8 times those of initial infiltration values. The current study provides a technical baseline for the efficacy of sodium bentonite as an effective bi-functional material in areas utilizing reclaimed water i.e. concurrent reduction of infiltration rates (Function 1) and decontamination of reclaimed wastewater infiltration/recharge (Function 2). Findings indicate that sodium bentonite-clay mixes may represent a feasible alternative for managing recharge of non-potable aquifers with reclaimed wastewater.

The start-up of denitrifying phosphorus removal system by using nitrite as electron acceptor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, W.; Liu, J.; Sun, H. Z.; Fu, J. X.; Gao, Y.; Sun, J.

2017-08-01

The inoculation of short-cut denitrifying polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (DPAOs) mainly included two-phase inoculation and three-phase inoculation. The short-cut denitrifying phosphorus removal bacteria were quickly inoculated by sequencing batch reactor (SBR) to treatment domestic wastewater. The results showed that the average effluent concentration of TP was 0.85 mg/L after 132 cycles by 44 days in two-phase inoculation. The removal rates of NO2 --N, TP and COD were 94.73%, 95.47% and 89.96% after 126 cycles by 42 days in three-phase inoculation, and the effluent concentrations were separately 1.31 mg/L, 0.45 mg/L and 17.07 mg/L, which reached the first A class requirement of Urban sewage treatment plant pollutant discharge standard. It was indicated that the efficiency of three-phase inoculation was higher. Anoxic phosphorus uptake was influenced seriously by anaerobic residual carbon, and it was the difference of the two inoculations.

Treatment and utilization of septic tank effluent using vertical-flow constructed wetlands and vegetable hydroponics.

PubMed

Cui, Li-Hua; Luo, Shi-Ming; Zhu, Xi-Zhen; Liu, Ying-Hu

2003-01-01

Vertical flow constructed wetlands is a typical ecological sanitation system for sewage treatment. The removal rates for COD, BOD5, SS, TN, and TP were 60%, 80%, 74%, 49% and 79%, respectively, when septic tank effluent was treated by vertical flow filter. So the concentration of COD and BOD5 in the treated effluent could meet the quality standard for irrigation water. After that the treated effluent was used for hydroponic cultivation of water spinach and romaine lettuce, the removal efficiencies of the whole system for COD, BOD5, SS, TN and TP were 71.4%, 97.5%, 96.9%, 86.3%, and 87.4%, respectively. And it could meet the integrated wastewater discharge standard for secondary biological treatment plant. It was found that using treated effluent for hydroponic cultivation of vegetables could reduce the nitrate content in vegetables. The removal rates for total bacteria and coliform index by using vertical flow bed system with cinder substrate were 80%-90% and 85%-96%, respectively.

Activated carbon fiber felt and polymer fiber as biofilm carrier in a modified University of Cape Town process for sewage treatment.

PubMed

Zhou, Dongkai

2013-01-01

Biofilms on fiber-based carriers have attracted much concern in wastewater treatment processes recently. In this study: (1) a novel sandwich structure fiber-based biofilm carrier was produced, which consisted of an inner core composed of polyacrylonitrile-based activated carbon fiber felt (PAN-ACFF) and an outer coat made of polyester reticular cloth with polypropylene fiber loops; (2) the novel carrier was filled in a step-feeding pilot-scale modified University of Cape Town process (MUCT) for sewage treatment; the MUCT contained a series of pre-anoxic/anaerobic/anoxic-1/anoxic-2/oxic tanks, wherein nitrification liquor was recycled to the anoxic-2 tank and an extra liquor return from the anoxic-1 to the pre-anoxic tank was set up; and (3) the removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were continuously tested for two periods as operational parameters alternated. The optimum values were collected in Period II, when the influent loads were 2,100.6 ± 120.3 gCOD/(d m(3)), 205.5 ± 20.4 gTN/(d m(3)), 39.9 ± 3.9 gTP/(d m(3)), the removal percentages were 93.1 ± 1.1% of COD, 39.4 ± 3.5% of TN, and 84.6 ± 3.4% of TP. For COD, NH4(+)-N, and TP, the specific removal loads of filler were 291.5 ± 18.2, 22.9 ± 3.1, 4.8 ± 0.5 (g d)/kg.

Comparison of constructed wetland and stabilization pond for the treatment of digested effluent of swine wastewater.

PubMed

Liu, Gang-Jin; Zheng, Dan; Deng, Liang-Wei; Wen, Quan; Liu, Yi

2014-01-01

A laboratory-scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSFCW) and a stabilization pond (SP) were constructed to compare their performances on the treatment of digested effluent of swine wastewater. After 457 days of operation, the removal efficiencies of the HSFCW were as follows: chemical oxygen demand (COD), 17-54%; total phosphorus (TP), 32-45% and ammonia nitrogen [Formula: see text], 27-88%, while they were 25-55%, 31-56% and 56-98%, respectively, for the SP, with a hydraulic retention time of 54 days and hydraulic loading of 0.01 m³ m⁻² d⁻¹. The average removed loads for the HSFCW were as follows: COD, 0.25-4.33; TP, 0.01-0.11 and [Formula: see text], 0.34-2.54 g m⁻² d⁻¹, while they were 0.25-4.45, 0.02-0.13 and 0.72-2.87 g m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively, for the SP. The SP performed better than the HSFCW because the SP showed a 20% of higher removal efficiency for [Formula: see text] than the HSFCW. Especially, the COD removal rate of SP was 10% higher than the HSFCW when the influent concentration was at the lowest and highest stages. Meanwhile, given the lower costs, the SP is more suitable for the treatment of digested effluent of swine wastewater than the HSFCW.

Performance of the subsurface flow constructed wetlands for pretreatment of slightly polluted source water.

PubMed

Yang, Xu; Zhang, Xueping; Wang, Jifu; Zhao, Guangying; Wang, Baojian

2014-05-01

The slightly polluted source water of Yellow River was pretreated in a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSFCW) and a lateral subsurface flow constructed wetland (LSFCW) in the Ji'nan city Reservoir, Shandong, China. During almost one years run, the results showed that at the hydraulic loading rate of 1 m/day, the removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium nitrogen (NH4 (+)-N) and total phosphorus (TP) in the HSFCW were 48.9, 51.4, 48.7 and 48.9 %, respectively, and the corresponding removal efficiencies in the LSFCW were 50.51, 53.12, 50.44 and 50.83 %, respectively. The HSFCW and LSFCW had a similar high potential for nutrients removal and LSFCW was slightly better. According to the China standard for surface water resources (GB3838-2002), mean effluent COD can reach the Class I (≤ 15 mg/L), and NH4 (+)-N and TP and TN can reach nearly the Class I (≤ 0.015 mg/L), the Class III (≤ 0.05 mg/L) and the Class IV (≤ 1.5 mg/L), respectively. It can be concluded that the slightly polluted source water from Reservoir was pretreated well by the constructed wetland.

A novel anoxic-aerobic biofilter process using new composite packing material for the treatment of rural domestic wastewater.

PubMed

Pan, L T; Han, Y

2016-01-01

A pilot scale experiment was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of contaminants removal in a continuously two-stage biological process composed of an anoxic biofilter (AF) and an biological aerated filter (BAF). This novel process was developed by introducing new composite packing material (MZF) into bioreactors to treat rural domestic wastewater. A comparative study conducted by the same process with ceramsite as packing material under the same conditions showed that a MZF system with a Fe proportion in the packing material performed better in chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (average 91.5%), ammonia (NH4(+)-N) removal (average 98.3%), total nitrogen (TN) removal (average 64.8%) and total phosphorus (TP) removal (average 90%). After treatment of the MZF system, the concentrations of COD, NH4(+)-N, TN and TP in effluent were 20.3 mg/L, 0.5 mg/L, 11.5 mg/L and 0.3 mg/L, respectively. The simultaneously high efficiencies of nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal were achieved by the coupling effects of biological and chemical processes in the MZF system. The results of this study showed that the application of MZF might be a favorable choice as packing material in biofilters for treatment of rural domestic wastewater.

Sequential Sedimentation-Biofiltration System for the purification of a small urban river (the Sokolowka, Lodz) supplied by stormwater.

PubMed

Szklarek, S; Wagner, I; Jurczak, T; Zalewski, M

2018-01-01

The study analyses the efficiency of a Sequentional Sedimentation-Biofiltration System (SSBS) built on the Sokolowka river in Lodz (Poland). It was constructed to purify a small urban river whose hydrological regime is dominated by stormwater and meltwater. The SSBS was constructed on a limited area as multi-zone constructed wetlands. The SSBS consists of three zones: sedimentation zone with structures added to improve sedimentation, a geochemical barrier made of limestone deposit and biofiltration zone. The purification processes of total suspended solids (TSS), total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TP) and other nutrients: phosphates (PO 4 3- ), ammonium (NH 4 + ) and nitrates (NO 3 - ) of the SSBS were analyzed. Chloride (Cl - ) reduction was investigated. Monitoring conducted in the first two hydrological years after construction indicated that the SSBS removed 61.4% of TSS, 37.3% of TP, 30.4% of PO 4 3- , 46.1% of TN, 2.8% of NH4+, 44.8% of NO 3 - and 64.0% of Cl - . The sedimentation zone played a key role in removing TSS and nutrients. The geochemical barrier and biofiltration zone each significantly improved overall efficiency by 4-10% for TSS, PO 4 3- , TN, NO 3 - and Cl - . Although the system reduced the concentration of chloride, further studies are needed to determine the circulation of Cl - in constructed wetlands (CWs), and to assess its impact on purification processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Potential Application of Shallow Bed Wetland Roof systems for green urban cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bui, X. T.

2016-12-01

This study aims to investigate the growth, nutrient uptake, domestic wastewater treatment, green (leaf) area and heat reduction of four shallow subsurface flow wetland roof (WR) systems with four different new local plants. Selected species included Cyperus Javanicus Hot (WR1), Eleusine Indica (L.) Gaertn (WR2), Struchium Sparganophorum (L.) Kuntze (WR3) and Kyllinga Brevifolia Rottb (WR4). These systems were operated during 61 days at hydraulic loading rates of 353 - 403 m3/ha.day. The biomass growth of 4.9-73.7g fresh weight/day, and 0.8-11.4 g dry weight/day were observed. The nutrient accumulation according to dry biomass achieved 0.25-2.14% of total nitrogen (TN) and 0.13-1.07% of total phosphorus (TP). The average COD, TN and TP removal was 61-79%; 54-81% and 62-83%, which corresponding to 27-33 kg COD/ha.day, 10-14 kg TN/ha.day and 0.4-0.5 kg TP/ha.day, respectively. The WR4 system achieved the highest COD and TN removal among the WRs. The TP removal efficiency showed an insignificant difference for the systems. Consequently, the treated water quality complied with the Vietnam standard limits (QCVN 14:2008, level B). The green area of the four plants varied between 63-92 m2 green leaf/m2 WR. The WR4 was the highest green area. Moreover, the results also showed the temperature under the flat roof was 1-3°C lower than that of the ambient air. In summary, wetland roof is a promising technology, which not only owns the effective domestic wastewater treatment capacity, but also contributes to green urban with several above benefits.

Biological nutrient removal with limited organic matter using a novel anaerobic–anoxic/oxic multi-phased activated sludge process

PubMed Central

Naseer, Rusul; Abualhail, Saad; Xiwu, Lu

2012-01-01

An anaerobic–anoxic/oxic (A2/O) multi-phased biological process called “phased isolation tank step feed technology (PITSF)” was developed to force the oscillation of organic and nutrient concentrations in process reactors. PITSF can be operated safely with a limited carbon source in terms of low carbon requirements and aeration costs whereas NAR was achieved over 95% in the last aerobic zone through a combination of short HRT and low DO levels. PCR assay was used for XAB quantification to correlate XAB numbers with nutrient removal. PCR assays showed, high NAR was achieved at XAB population 5.2 × 108 cells/g MLVSS in response to complete and partial nitrification process. It was exhibited that low DO with short HRT promoted XAB growth. Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) via nitrate were observed obviously, SND rate was between 69–72%, at a low DO level of 0.5 mg/l in the first aerobic tank during main phases and the removal efficiency of TN, NH4+-N, COD, TP was 84.7 .97, 88.3 and 96% respectively. The removal efficiencies of TN, NH4+-N, and TP at low C/N ratio and DO level were 84.2, 98.5 and 96.9% respectively which were approximately equal to the complete nitrification–denitrification with the addition of external carbon sources at a normal DO level of (1.5–2.5 mg/l). PMID:23961214

Highway-runoff quality, and treatment efficiencies of a hydrodynamic-settling device and a stormwater-filtration device in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Horwatich, Judy A.; Bannerman, Roger T.; Pearson, Robert

2011-01-01

The treatment efficiencies of two prefabricated stormwater-treatment devices were tested at a freeway site in a high-density urban part of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. One treatment device is categorized as a hydrodynamic-settling device (HSD), which removes pollutants by sedimentation and flotation. The other treatment device is categorized as a stormwater-filtration device (SFD), which removes pollutants by filtration and sedimentation. During runoff events, flow measurements were recorded and water-quality samples were collected at the inlet and outlet of each device. Efficiency-ratio and summation-of-load (SOL) calculations were used to estimate the treatment efficiency of each device. Event-mean concentrations and loads that were decreased by passing through the HSD include total suspended solids (TSS), suspended sediment (SS), total phosphorus (TP), total copper (TCu), and total zinc (TZn). The efficiency ratios for these constituents were 42, 57, 17, 33, and 23 percent, respectively. The SOL removal rates for these constituents were 25, 49, 10, 27, and 16 percent, respectively. Event-mean concentrations and loads that increased by passing through the HSD include chloride (Cl), total dissolved solids (TDS), and dissolved zinc (DZn). The efficiency ratios for these constituents were -347, -177, and 20 percent, respectively. Four constituents—dissolved phosphorus (DP), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), and dissolved copper (DCu)—are not included in the list of computed efficiency ratio and SOL because the variability between sampled inlet and outlet pairs were not significantly different. Event-mean concentrations and loads that decreased by passing through the SFD include TSS, SS, TP, DCu, TCu, DZn, TZn, and COD. The efficiency ratios for these constituents were 59, 90, 40, 21, 66, 23, 66, and 18, respectively. The SOLs for these constituents were 50, 89, 37, 19, 60, 20, 65, and 21, respectively. Two constituents—DP and PAH—are not included in the lists of computed efficiency ratio and SOL because the variability between sampled inlet and outlet pairs were not significantly different. Similar to the HSD, the average efficiency ratios and SOLs for TDS and Cl were negative. Flow rates, high concentrations of SS, and particle-size distributions (PSD) can affect the treatment efficacies of the two devices. Flow rates equal to or greater than the design flow rate of the HSD had minimal or negative removal efficiencies for TSS and SS loads. Similar TSS removal efficiencies were observed at the SFD, but SS was consistently removed throughout the flow regime. Removal efficiencies were high for both devices when concentrations of SS and TSS approached 200 mg/L. A small number of runoff events were analyzed for PSD; the average sand content at the HSD was 33 percent and at the SFD was 71 percent. The 71-percent sand content may reflect the 90-percent removal efficiency of SS at the SFD. Particles retained at the bottom of both devices were largely sand-size or greater.

Identification and characterization of a freshwater microalga Scenedesmus SDEC-8 for nutrient removal and biodiesel production.

PubMed

Song, Mingming; Pei, Haiyan; Hu, Wenrong; Zhang, Shuo; Ma, Guixia; Han, Lin; Ji, Yan

2014-06-01

The selection of the right strains is of fundamental important to the success of the algae-based oil industry. From the six newly isolated microalgae strains tested for growth, fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles and biodiesel properties, Scenedesmus SDEC-8, with favorable C16:0 fatty acids (73.43%), showed the best combined results. Then, morphological and molecular identification were examined. From the three wastewaters samples, Scenedesmus SDEC-8 showed good ability to yield oil and remove nutrients, which were comparable with other reports. In b artificial wastewater (TN 40 mg L(-1), TP 8 mg L(-1)), Scenedesmus SDEC-8 achieved the highest value of lipid productivity (53.84 mg L(-1) d(-1)), MUFA content (35.35%) and total FAME content (59.57±0.02 mg g(-1) DW), besides higher removal efficiencies of TN (99.18%) and TP (98.86%) helped effluent directly discharge and smaller dilution factor of N, P (3.3 and 9) which was good for lessening water utilization. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rapid formation and pollutant removal ability of aerobic granules in a sequencing batch airlift reactor at low temperature.

PubMed

Jiang, Yu; Shang, Yu; Wang, Hongyu; Yang, Kai

2016-12-01

The start-up of an aerobic granular sludge (AGS) reactor at low temperature was more difficult than at ambient temperature.The rapid formation and characteristics of AGS in a sequencing batch airlift reactor at low temperature were investigated. The nutrient removal ability of the system was also evaluated. It was found that compact granules with clear boundary were formed within 10 days and steady state was achieved within 25 days. The settling properties of sludge were improved with the increasing secretion of extracellular polymeric substances and removal performances of pollutants were enhanced along with granulation. The average removal efficiencies of COD, NH4(+)-N, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) after aerobic granules maturing were over 90.9%, 94.7%, 75.4%, 80.2%, respectively. The rise of temperature had little impact on pollutant biodegradation while the variation of dissolved oxygen caused obvious changes in TN and TP removal rates. COD concentrations of effluents were below 30 mg l(-1) in most cycles of operation with a wide range of organic loading rates (0.6-3.0 kg COD m(-3) d(-1)). The rapid granulation and good performance of pollutant reduction by the system might provide an alternate for wastewater treatment in cold regions.

Remediation of Urban River Water by Pontederia Cordata Combined with Artificial Aeration: Organic Matter and Nutrients Removal and Root-Adhered Bacterial Communities.

PubMed

Gu, Dungang; Xu, Huan; He, Yan; Zhao, Feng; Huang, Minsheng

2015-01-01

Macrophyte combined with artificial aeration is a promising in situ remediation approach for urban rivers polluted with nutrients and organic matter. However, seasonal variations and aeration effects on phytoremediation performance and root-adhered microbial communities are still unclear. In this study, Pontederia cordata was used to treat polluted urban river water under various aeration intensities. Results showed that the highest removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD(Cr)) and total nitrogen (TN) were attained under aeration of 30 L min(-1) in spring and summer and 15 L min(-1) in autumn, while total phosphorus (TP) removal reached maximum with aeration of 15 L min(-1) in all seasons. Moderate aeration was beneficial for increasing the diversity of root-adhered bacteria communities, and the shift of bacterial community structure was more pronounced in spring and autumn with varying aeration intensity. The dual effect, i.e. turbulence and dissolved oxygen (DO), of aeration on the removal of COD(Cr) and TN prevailed over the individual effect of DO, while DO was the most influential factor for TP removal and the root-adhered bacterial community diversity. P. cordata combined with 15 L min(-1) aeration was deemed to be the best condition tested in this study.

Intensified nitrogen and phosphorus removal by embedding electrolysis in an anaerobic-anoxic-oxic reactor treating low carbon/nitrogen wastewater.

PubMed

Gong, Benzhou; Wang, Yingmu; Wang, Jiale; Huang, Wei; Zhou, Jian; He, Qiang

2018-05-01

A modified anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (AAO) reactor embedding electrolysis was constructed for treatment of low carbon/nitrogen (C/N) wastewater. The effect of different current conditions on the performance of reactor was investigated in this study. When the current ranged from 0 mA to 200 mA, the removal efficiency of total nitrogen (TN) increased from 61.25% (0 mA) to 75.60% (200 mA), and that of total phosphorus (TP) increased from 72.24% (0 mA) to 93.93% (200 mA). In addition, the removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH 4 + -N were not affected. The results indicated that AAO reactor coupling electrolysis was an effective way to strengthen the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus for treatment of low C/N wastewater. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nutrients removal from artificial bathroom greywater using Botryococcus sp. strain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, RMSR; Al-Gheethi, AA; Wurochekke, AA; Maizatul, AY; Matias-Peralta, HM; Kassim, AH Mohd

2018-04-01

The discharge of untreated bathroom greywater directly into drain is a most common practice in the rural area. The uncontrolled discharge of greywater from the village houses escalates the pollution among Malaysian river and provide insanitary environment through mosquito and flies breeding grounds. Therefore, the current work aimed to investigate the potential of Botryococcus sp. for removing total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and total organic carbon (TOC) from artificial bathroom greywater and to determine the bio-kinetic removal rate for these parameters. The artificial bathroom greywater was prepared by using regular brands used in the community, the bathroom greywater quality was tested for BOD, COD, SS, pH, and Turbidity. The removal process was conducted in the lab scale with 108 cell mL-1 of Botryococcus sp. The removal of TN, TP and TOC was measured in interval of 3, 5 and 7 days. The results deduced that Botryococcus sp. removed 51.5% of TN, 49.5% of TP and 42.6% of TOC. Moreover, the bio-kinetic model studies, revealed that the specific removal rate of TN, TP and TOC have a significant relationship with initial concentration in the artificial greywater (R2 = 0.63, 0.95 and 0.95 respectively). The kinetic coefficient of greywater parameters removed by Botryococcus sp. was determined as k=0.357 mg TN 1 log10 cell mL-1 d-1 and km=31.33 mg L-1 (R2=0.73), k=4.58 mg TP 1 log10 cell mL-1 d-1 and km=283.86 mg L-1 (R2=0.95), k=7.9 mg TOC 1 log10 cell mL-1 d-1 and km=322.32 mg L-1 (R2=0.97). The bio-kinetic model indicated that more than 90% of TN, TP and TOC was taken place as a response for Botryococcus sp.

Performance of a pilot demonstration-scale hybrid constructed wetland system for on-site treatment of polluted urban river water in Northwestern China.

PubMed

Zheng, Yucong; Wang, Xiaochang C; Dzakpasu, Mawuli; Ge, Yuan; Zhao, Yaqian; Xiong, Jiaqing

2016-01-01

Hybrid constructed wetland (HCW) systems have been used to treat various wastewaters across the world. However, large-scale applications of HCWs are scarce, particularly for on-site improvement of the water quality of highly polluted urban rivers in semi-arid regions. In this study, a large pilot-scale HCW system was constructed to improve the water quality of the Zaohe River in Xi'an, China. With a total area of about 8000 m(2), the pilot HCW system, composed of different configurations of surface and subsurface flow wetlands, was operated for 2 years at an average inflow volume rate of 362 m(3)/day. Local Phragmites australis and Typha orientalis from the riverbank were planted in the HCW system. Findings indicate a higher treatment efficiency for organics and suspended solids than nutrients. The inflow concentrations of 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), suspended solids (SS), total nitrogen (TN), NH3-N, and total phosphorus (TP) were 125.6, 350.9, 334.2, 38.5, 27.2, and 3.9 mg/L, respectively. Average removal efficiencies of 94.4, 74.5, 92.0, 56.3, 57.5, and 69.2%, respectively, were recorded. However, the pollutant removal rates were highly seasonal especially for nitrogen. Higher removals were recorded for all pollutants in the autumn while significantly lower removals were recorded in the winter. Plant uptake and assimilation accounted for circa 19-29 and 16-23% of the TN and TP removal, respectively. Moreover, P. australis demonstrated a higher nutrient uptake ability and competitive potential. Overall, the high efficiency of the pilot HCW for improving the water quality of such a highly polluted urban river provided practical evidence of the applicability of the HCW technology for protecting urban water environments.

[Enhanced nitrogen and phosphorus removal of wastewater by using sludge anaerobic fermentation liquid as carbon source in a pilot-scale system].

PubMed

Luo, Zhe; Zhou, Guang-Jie; Liu, Hong-Bo; Nie, Xin-Yu; Chen, Yu; Zhai, Li-Qin; Liu, He

2015-03-01

In order to explore the possibility of enhanced nitrogen and phosphorus removal in wastewater using sludge anaerobic fermentation liquid as external carbon source, the present study proposed an A2/O reactor system with a total effective volume of 4 660 L and real municipal wastewater for treatment. The results showed that under the conditions of the influent COD at 243.7 mg x L(-1), NH4(+) -N at 30. 9 mg x L(-1), TN at 42.9 mg'L- , TP at 2.8 mg x L(-1), the backflow ratio of nitrification liquid at 200% and recycle ratio of sludge at 100%, the addition of acetic acid into anoxic tank could enhance the removal efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus, and the optimal influent quantity and SCOD incremental of carbon were 7 500 L x d(-1) and 50 mg L(-1), respectively. When the sludge fermentation liquid was used as external carbon source and the average effluent COD, NH4(+) -N, TN, TP removal efficiency were 81.60%, 88.91%, 64.86% and 87.61%, the effluent concentrations were 42.18, 2.77, 11.92 and 0.19 mg x L(-1), respectively, which met China's first Class (A) criteria specified in the Discharge Standard Urban Sewage Treatment Plant Pollutant (GB 18918-2002). The results of the present study demonstrated that the addition of sludge anaerobic fermented liquid as external carbon source was a feasible way to enhance the removal of nitrogen and phosphorous in municipal wastewater, providing a new feasible strategy for the reuse and recycle of sewage sludge in China.

Protein and siRNA delivery by transportan and transportan 10 into colorectal cancer cell lines.

PubMed

Wierzbicki, Piotr M; Kogut-Wierzbicka, Marzena; Ruczynski, Jaroslaw; Siedlecka-Kroplewska, Kamila; Kaszubowska, Lucyna; Rybarczyk, Agnieszka; Alenowicz, Magdalena; Rekowski, Piotr; Kmiec, Zbigniew

2014-01-01

Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) have the ability to translocate through cell membranes with high efficiency and therefore can introduce biological agents with pharmaceutical properties into the cell. Transportan (TP) and its shorter analog transportan 10 (TP10) are among the best studied CPPs, however, their effects on viability of and cargo introduction into colorectal cancer (CRC) cells have yet not been investigated. The aim of our study was to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of TP and TP10 on representative CRC lines and the efficiency of protein (streptavidin) and siRNA cargo delivery by TP-biotinylated derivatives (TP-biot). HT29 (early stage CRC model) and HCT116 (metastatic CRC model) cell lines were incubated with TP, TP10, TP-biot1, TP-biot13 and TP10-biot1. The effects of studied CPPs on cell viability and cell cycle were assessed by MTT and annexin V assays. The uptake of streptavidin-FITC complex into cells was determined by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy, with the inhibition of cellular vesicle trafficking by brefeldin A. The efficiency of siRNA for SASH1 gene delivery was measured by quantitative PCR (qPCR). Since up to 10 µM concentrations of each CPP showed no significant cytotoxic effect, the concentrations of 0.5-5 µM were used for further analyses. Within this concentration range none of the studied CPPs affected cell viability and cell cycle. The efficient and endocytosis-independent introduction of streptavidin-FITC complex into cells was observed for TP10-biot1 and TP-biot1 with the cytoplasmic location of the fluorescent cargo; decreased SASH1 mRNA level was noticed with the use of siRNA and analyzed CPPs. We conclude that TP, TP10 and their biotinylated derivatives can be used as efficient delivery vehicles of small and large cargoes into CRC cells.

[Effect of pilot UASB-SFSBR-MAP process for the large scale swine wastewater treatment].

PubMed

Wang, Liang; Chen, Chong-Jun; Chen, Ying-Xu; Wu, Wei-Xiang

2013-03-01

In this paper, a treatment process consisted of UASB, step-fed sequencing batch reactor (SFSBR) and magnesium ammonium phosphate precipitation reactor (MAP) was built to treat the large scale swine wastewater, which aimed at overcoming drawbacks of conventional anaerobic-aerobic treatment process and SBR treatment process, such as the low denitrification efficiency, high operating costs and high nutrient losses and so on. Based on the treatment process, a pilot engineering was constructed. It was concluded from the experiment results that the removal efficiency of COD, NH4(+) -N and TP reached 95.1%, 92.7% and 88.8%, the recovery rate of NH4(+) -N and TP by MAP process reached 23.9% and 83.8%, the effluent quality was superior to the discharge standard of pollutants for livestock and poultry breeding (GB 18596-2001), mass concentration of COD, TN, NH4(+) -N, TP and SS were not higher than 135, 116, 43, 7.3 and 50 mg x L(-1) respectively. The process developed was reliable, kept self-balance of carbon source and alkalinity, reached high nutrient recovery efficiency. And the operating cost was equal to that of the traditional anaerobic-aerobic treatment process. So the treatment process could provide a high value of application and dissemination and be fit for the treatment pf the large scale swine wastewater in China.

Effect of intermittent aeration strategies on treatment performance and microbial community of an IFAS reactor treating municipal waste water.

PubMed

Singh, Nitin Kumar; Bhatia, Akansha; Kazmi, Absar Ahmad

2017-11-01

This study investigated the effect of various intermittent aeration (IA) cycles on organics and nutrient removal, and microbial communities in an integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) reactor treating municipal waste water. Average effluent biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) values were noted as 20, 50, 30, 12 and 1.5 mgL -1 , respectively, in continuous aeration mode. A total of four operational conditions (run 1, continuous aeration; run 2, 150/30 min aeration on/off time; run 3, 120/60 min aeration on/off time and run 4, 90/60 min aeration on/off time) were investigated in IFAS reactor assessment. Among the all examined IA cycles, IA phase 2 gave the maximum COD and BOD removals with values recorded as 97% and 93.8%, respectively. With respect to nutrient removal (TN and TP), IA phase 1 was found to be optimum. Pathogen removal efficiency of present system was recorded as 90-95% during the three phases. With regard to settling characteristics, pilot showed poor settling during IA schedules, which was also evidenced by high sludge volume index values. Overall, IA could be used as a feasible way to improve the overall performance of IFAS system.

Performance of a pilot-scale constructed wetland for stormwater runoff and domestic sewage treatment on the banks of a polluted urban river.

PubMed

Guo, Weijie; Li, Zhu; Cheng, Shuiping; Liang, Wei; He, Feng; Wu, Zhenbin

2014-01-01

To examine the performance of a constructed wetland system on stormwater runoff and domestic sewage (SRS) treatment in central east China, two parallel pilot-scale integrated constructed wetland (ICW) systems were operated for one year. Each ICW consisted of a down-flow bed, an up-flow bed and a horizontal subsurface flow bed. The average removal rates of chemical oxygen demand (CODCr), total suspended solids (TSS), ammonia (NH4(+)-N), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were 63.6, 91.9, 38.7, 43.0 and 70.0%, respectively, and the corresponding amounts of pollutant retention were approximately 368.3, 284.9, 23.2, 44.6 and 5.9 g m(-2) yr(-1), respectively. High hydraulic loading rate (HLR) of 200 mm/d and low water temperatures (<15 °C) resulted in significant decrease in removals for TP and NH4(+)-N, but had no significant effects on removals of COD and TSS. These results indicated that the operation of this ICW at higher HLR (200 mm/d) might be effective and feasible for TSS and COD removal, but for acceptable removal efficiencies of nitrogen and phosphorus it should be operated at lower HLR (100 mm/d). This kind of ICW could be employed as an effective technique for SRS treatment.

A new hybrid treatment system of bioreactors and electrocoagulation for superior removal of organic and nutrient pollutants from municipal wastewater.

PubMed

Nguyen, Dinh Duc; Ngo, Huu Hao; Yoon, Yong Soo

2014-02-01

This paper evaluated a novel pilot scale hybrid treatment system which combines rotating hanging media bioreactor (RHMBR), submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) along with electrocoagulation (EC) as post treatment to treat organic and nutrient pollutants from municipal wastewater. The results indicated that the highest removal efficiency was achieved at the internal recycling ratio as 400% of the influent flow rate which produced a superior effluent quality with 0.26mgBOD5L(-1), 11.46mgCODCrL(-1), 0.00mgNH4(+)-NL(-1), and 3.81mgT-NL(-1), 0.03mgT-PL(-1). During 16months of operation, NH4(+)-N was completely eliminated and T-P removal efficiency was also up to 100%. It was found that increasing in internal recycling ratio could improve the nitrate and nitrogen removal efficiencies. Moreover, the TSS and coliform bacteria concentration after treatment was less than 5mgL(-1) and 30MPNmL(-1), respectively, regardless of internal recycling ratios and its influent concentration. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Performance optimization of coagulant/flocculant in the treatment of wastewater from a beverage industry.

PubMed

Amuda, O S; Amoo, I A; Ajayi, O O

2006-02-28

This study investigated the effect of coagulation/flocculation treatment process on wastewater of Fumman Beverage Industry, Ibadan, Nigeria. The study also compared different dosages of coagulant, polyelectrolyte (non-ionic polyacrylamide) and different pH values of the coagulation processes. The effect of different dosages of polyelectrolyte in combination with coagulant was also studied. The results reveal that low pH values (3-8), enhance removal efficiency of the contaminants. Percentage removal of 78, 74 and 75 of COD, TSS and TP, respectively, were achieved by the addition of 500 mg/L Fe2(SO4)3.3H2O and 93, 94 and 96% removal of COD, TSS and TP, respectively, were achieved with the addition of 25 mg/L polyelectrolyte to the coagulation process. The volume of sludge produced, when coagulant was used solely, was higher compared to the use of polyelectrolyte combined with Fe2(SO4)3.3H2O. This may be as a result of non-ionic nature of the polyelectrolyte; hence, it does not chemically react with solids of the wastewater. Coagulation/flocculation may be useful as a pre-treatment process for beverage industrial wastewater prior to biological treatment.

Polishing of POME by Chlorella sp. in suspended and immobilized system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lahin, F. A.; Sarbatly, R.; Suali, E.

2016-06-01

The effect of using suspended and immobilized growth of Chlorella sp. to treat POME was studied. Cotton and nylon ropes were used as the immobilization material in a rotating microalgae biofilm reactor. The result showed that POME treated in suspended growth system was able to remove 81.9% and 55.5% of the total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) respectively. Whereas the immobilized system showed lower removal of 77.22% and 53.02% for TN and TP. Lower performance of immobilized microalgae is due to the limited light penetration and supply of CO2 inside the immobilization materials. The rotating microalgae biofilm reactor was able to reduce the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) to 90 mg/L and chemical oxygen demand (COD) to 720 mg/L. Higher BOD and COD reading were obtained in suspended growth due to the presence of small number of microalgae cell in the samples. This study shows that suspended growth system is able to remove higher percentages of nitrogen and phosphorus. However, an efficient separation method such as membrane filtration is required to harvest the cultivated microalgae cell to avoid organic matter release into water bodies.

Optimization of operating parameters of hybrid vertical down-flow constructed wetland systems for domestic sewerage treatment.

PubMed

Huang, Zhujian; Zhang, Xianning; Cui, Lihua; Yu, Guangwei

2016-09-15

In this work, three hybrid vertical down-flow constructed wetland (HVDF-CW) systems with different compound substrates were fed with domestic sewage and their pollutants removal performance under different hydraulic loading and step-feeding ratio was investigated. The results showed that the hydraulic loading and step-feeding ratio were two crucial factors determining the removal efficiency of most pollutants, while substrate types only significantly affected the removal of COD and NH4(+)-N. Generally, the lower the hydraulic loading, the better removal efficiency of all contaminants, except for TN. By contrast, the increase of step-feeding ratio would slightly reduce the removal rate of ammonium and TP but obviously promoted the TN removal. Therefore, the optimal operation of this CWs could be achieved with low hydraulic loading combined with 50% of step-feeding ratio when TN removal is the priority, whereas medium or low hydraulic loading without step-feeding would be suitable when TN removal is not taken into consideration. The obtained results in this study can provide us with a guideline for design and optimization of hybrid vertical flow constructed wetland systems to improve the pollutants removal from domestic sewage. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nitrogen and phosphorus removal in pilot-scale anaerobic-anoxic oxidation ditch system.

PubMed

Peng, Yongzhen; Hou, Hongxun; Wang, Shuying; Cui, Youwei; Zhiguo, Yuan

2008-01-01

To achieve high efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus removal and to investigate the rule of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification phosphorus removal (SNDPR), a whole course of SNDPR damage and recovery was studied in a pilot-scale, anaerobic-anoxic oxidation ditch (OD), where the volumes of anaerobic zone, anoxic zone, and ditches zone of the OD system were 7, 21, and 280 L, respectively. The reactor was fed with municipal wastewater with a flow rate of 336 L/d. The concept of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) rate (r(SND)) was put forward to quantify SND. The results indicate that: (1) high nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies were achieved during the stable SND phase, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphate (TP) removal rates were 80% and 85%, respectively; (2) when the system was aerated excessively, the stability of SND was damaged, and r(SND) dropped from 80% to 20% or less; (3) the natural logarithm of the ratio of NO(x) to NH4+ in the effluent had a linear correlation to oxidation-reduction potential (ORP); (4) when NO3- was less than 6 mg/L, high phosphorus removal efficiency could be achieved; (5) denitrifying phosphorus removal (DNPR) could take place in the anaerobic-anoxic OD system. The major innovation was that the SND rate was devised and quantified.

Flocculent Settling of Food Wastes.

PubMed

Chowdhury, Mohammad Monirul Islam; Kim, Mingu; Haroun, Basem Mikhaeil; Nakhla, George; Keleman, Michael

2016-07-01

This study evaluated the flocculent settling in water and municipal wastewater (MWW) in a 10.6 ft deep column. A total of eight runs at three different testing conditions involving MWW alone, food waste (FW) alone, and FW in MWW (FW+MWW) were conducted. Total suspended solid (TSS), total BOD (TBOD), total COD (TCOD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorous (TP) removal efficiencies after 3 hours of settling were 62%, 46%, 49%, 46% and 62% for FW, and 50%, 43%, 39%, 37% and 24% for MWW. Removal efficiencies of particulate COD (PCOD) and particulate BOD (PBOD) at the lowest surface overflow rate (SOR) of 1.1 m3/m2/hr corresponding to the longest settling time of 3 hours were 59% and 64% for FW, and 65% and 70% for FW with MWW samples. On the other hand, no significant variation between FW and FW with MWW was observed for PN removal after 3 hours of settling.

Optimization of an integrated sponge--granular activated carbon fluidized bed bioreactor as pretreatment to microfiltration in wastewater reuse.

PubMed

Xing, W; Ngo, H H; Guo, W S; Listowski, A; Cullum, P

2012-06-01

A specific integrated fluidized bed bioreactor (iFBBR) was optimized in terms of organic loading rate (OLR), hydraulic retention time (HRT) and frequency of new sustainable flocculant (NSBF) addition for primary treated sewage effluent (PTSE) treatment. It was observed that iFBBR achieved the best performance with the operating conditions of 4 times/day NSBF addition, HRT of 90 min and OLR of 8.64 kg COD/day m(3). The removal efficiencies were found to be more than 93% of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), 61% of total nitrogen (T-N) and 60% of total phosphorus (T-P). iFBBR as pretreatment of submerged microfiltration (SMF) is successful in increasing the critical flux and reducing the membrane fouling. NSBF-iFBBR-SMF hybrid system led to very high organic removal efficiency with an average DOC removal of 97% from synthetic PTSE. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of simultaneous organic matters and nutrients removal from municipal wastewater using a novel bioreactor (D-A2O) system.

PubMed

Ye, Changbing; Zhou, Zhiming; Li, Ming; Liu, Qin; Xu, Tiantian; Li, Jia

2018-07-15

A novel bioreactor, the divisional influent dual-anaerobic-anoxic/oxic (D-A 2 O) system, was applied to treat municipal wastewater. This new system improved the removal efficiency of simultaneous organic matters and nutrients, and provided a reduction in the system's energy costs and sludge yield. Results from the reactor's 18 months of operation demonstrated the following optimal conditions for the 4 key parameters of the system: (1) a divisional ratio (DR) of 8:2 between the influent flow volumes fed into the anaerobic and anoxic tanks, (2) a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6 h, (3) a R:r ratio of 200%:100% between the mixed liquor return ratio (R) and the return activated sludge ratio (r), and (4) an alternative operating time (t A/B ) of 1 h for the A/B anaerobic-anoxia series. Under optimal conditions, the system showed a high removal efficiency for the chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 -N), and total phosphorus (TP) removals, with the average removal efficiencies (with a standard deviation of less than 3%) being 95.23%, 80.64%, 90.42%, and 90.03%, respectively. The final concentration ranges of COD, TN, NH 3 -N, and TP in the effluent were 26-48 mg L -1 , 6.11-11.03 mg L -1 , 2.93-4.04 mg L -1 , and 0.21-0.45 mg L -1 , respectively. The concentrations of the pollutants in the effluent from the D-A 2 O system were lower than those required for Level 1A (Chinese quality of wastewater discharge standard GB18918-2002). According to the results, we concluded that the divisional influent dual-anaerobic-anoxic system (which integrated the A 2 O and sequencing batch reactor (SBR) process) was successfully provided sufficient carbon sources for denitrification and phosphorus uptake without external carbon addition. Compared to the conventional anaerobic-anoxic/oxic (A 2 O) process, the D-A 2 O system offers a high removal efficiency, simple operation, and significant energy saving of about 0.276 kWh m -3 based on the volume of the treated water. Therefore, the new D-A 2 O system has a strong potential for use in treatment plants. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Removal efficiency and enzymatic mechanism of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) by constructed wetlands.

PubMed

Qi, Xin; Li, Tiancui; Wang, Feihua; Dai, Yanran; Liang, Wei

2018-06-01

Four vertical-flow constructed wetland systems were set up in the field in order to study the removal efficiency and possible enzymatic mechanism of the constructed wetlands in treating sewage containing different concentrations of dibutyl phthalate (DBP). Under DBP spiked concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/L, good DBP removal rates of 62.08, 82.17, and 84.17% were achieved, respectively. Meanwhile, certain removal effects of general water quality parameters were observed in all four constructed wetlands: with high average removal rates of nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 - -N) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 91.10~93.89 and 82.83~89.17%, respectively, with moderate removal efficiencies of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), ammonia nitrogen (NH 4 + -N) of 44.59~49.67, 30.58~37.18, and 28.52~37.45%, respectively. Compared to the control, an increase of enzyme activities of urease, phosphatase, dehydrogenase, and nitrate reductase was observed in the treatments with DBP addition. In the presence of 0.5 mg/L of DBP concentration, the urease, phosphatase, and dehydrogenase activities reached the highest levels, with an increase of 350.02, 36.57, and 417.88% compared with the control, respectively. It appeared that the low concentration of DBP might better stimulate the release of enzymes.

Estimates of diffuse phosphorus sources in surface waters of the United States using a spatially referenced watershed model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Alexander, R.B.; Smith, R.A.; Schwarz, G.E.

2004-01-01

The statistical watershed model SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes) was used to estimate the sources and transport of total phosphorus (TP) in surface waters of the United States. We calibrated the model using stream measurements of TP from 336 watersheds of mixed land use and spatial data on topography, soils, stream hydrography, and land use (agriculture, forest, shrub/grass, urban). The model explained 87% of the spatial variability in log transformed stream TP flux (kg yr-1). Predictions of stream yield (kg ha-1 yr-1) were typically within 45% of the observed values at the monitoring sites. The model identified appreciable effects of soils, streams, and reservoirs on TP transport, The estimated aquatic rates of phosphorus removal declined with increasing stream size and rates of water flushing in reservoirs (i.e. areal hydraulic loads). A phosphorus budget for the 2.9 million km2 Mississippi River Basin provides a detailed accounting of TP delivery to streams, the removal of TP in surface waters, and the stream export of TP from major interior watersheds for sources associated with each land-use type. ?? US Government 2004.

Determination of optimal biomass pretreatment strategies for biofuel production: investigation of relationships between surface-exposed polysaccharides and their enzymatic conversion using carbohydrate-binding modules.

PubMed

Khatri, Vinay; Meddeb-Mouelhi, Fatma; Adjallé, Kokou; Barnabé, Simon; Beauregard, Marc

2018-01-01

Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) is a key step for its efficient bioconversion into ethanol. Determining the best pretreatment and its parameters requires monitoring its impacts on the biomass material. Here, we used fluorescent protein-tagged carbohydrate-binding modules method (FTCM)-depletion assay to study the relationship between surface-exposed polysaccharides and enzymatic hydrolysis of LCB. Our results indicated that alkali extrusion pretreatment led to the highest hydrolysis rates for alfalfa stover, cattail stems and flax shives, despite its lower lignin removal efficiency compared to alkali pretreatment. Corn crop residues were more sensitive to alkali pretreatments, leading to higher hydrolysis rates. A clear relationship was consistently observed between total surface-exposed cellulose detected by the FTCM-depletion assay and biomass enzymatic hydrolysis. Comparison of bioconversion yield and total composition analysis (by NREL/TP-510-42618) of LCB prior to or after pretreatments did not show any close relationship. Lignin removal efficiency and total cellulose content (by NREL/TP-510-42618) led to an unreliable prediction of enzymatic polysaccharide hydrolysis. Fluorescent protein-tagged carbohydrate-binding modules method (FTCM)-depletion assay provided direct evidence that cellulose exposure is the key determinant of hydrolysis yield. The clear and robust relationships that were observed between the cellulose accessibility by FTCM probes and enzymatic hydrolysis rates change could be evolved into a powerful prediction tool that might help develop optimal biomass pretreatment strategies for biofuel production.

Insight into effects of antibiotics on reactor performance and evolutions of antibiotic resistance genes and microbial community in a membrane reactor.

PubMed

Wen, Qinxue; Yang, Lian; Zhao, Yaqi; Huang, Long; Chen, Zhiqiang

2018-04-01

A lab-scale anoxic/oxic-membrane bioreactor was designed to treat antibiotics containing wastewater at different antibiotics concentrations (0.5 mg/L, 1 mg/L and 3 mg/L of each antibiotic). Overall COD and NH 4 + N removal (more than 90%) were not affected during the exposure to antibiotics and good TN removal was also achieved, while TP removal was significantly affected. The maximum removal efficiency of penicillin and chlorotetracycline reached 97.15% and 96.10% respectively due to strong hydrolysis, and sulfamethoxazole reached 90.07% by biodegradation. However, 63.87% of norfloxacin maximum removal efficiency was achieved mainly by sorption. The system had good ability to reduce ARGs, peaking to more than 4 orders of magnitude, which mainly depended on the biomass retaining of the membrane module. Antibiotics concentration influenced the evolution of ARGs and bacterial communities in the reactor. This research provides great implication to reduce ARGs and antibiotics in antibiotics containing wastewater using A/O-MBR. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Quantification study on the runoff and seepage distribution and N, P pollutants removal of the vegetated buffer strips].

PubMed

Wang, Min; Huang, Yu-Chi; Wu, Jian-Qiang

2010-11-01

By using the constructed buffer strips test base and the runoff hydrometric devices, a research on stagnant runoff and nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) pollutants removal capacity of the vegetated buffer strips was conducted. The results show that the vegetated buffer strips might reduce the speed of runoff significantly and improve the hydraulic permeability of soil. The runoff water output time of 19 m buffer strips planted with Cynodon dactylon, Festuca arundinacea and Trifolium repens are 2.46, 1.72 and 2.03 times higher than the control (no vegetation) respectively; The seepage water quantity of three vegetation buffer strips are 3.01, 2.16 and 2.45 times higher than the control respectively as well. Total removal efficiency of the three buffer strips increase about 237%, 268% and 274% comparing with the control respectively. The N, P removal capacity of seepage is significantly higher than that of the runoff, the larger seepage water quantity will cause higher N, P total removal efficiency and removal loads of unit area. With different vegetated buffer strips, the TN, NH4(+) -N, TP removal ratio of seepage and runoff are 2.79, 2.02 and 2.83 respectively.

A novel integrated step-feed biofilm process for the treatment of decentralized domestic wastewater in rural areas of China.

PubMed

Liang, Hanwen; Gao, Min; Liu, Junxin; Wei, Yuansong; Guo, Xuesong

2010-01-01

For wastewater treatment in rural areas, a novel three-stage step-feed wastewater treatment system, combined with a drop-aeration biofilm process, was tested in the laboratory to investigate its performance in removing suspended solids (SS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH4(+)-N, total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP). The removal rates of SS, COD and NH4(+)-N were 90%, 80%, and 90% in effluent concentrations less than 10 mg/L, 50 mg/L and 8 mg/L, respectively. The TP removal rate was less satisfactory. The C/N ratio in the raw wastewater was often less than 3.5, and the removal efficiency of TN was therefore limited. A carbon-release batch experiment was carried out to measure the feasibility of enhancing denitrification at low influent C/N ratios. The result showed that the C/N could be over 9.0 in the supernatant. Polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis technology was used to reveal the changes in the bacterial community during different stages of the integrated step-feed biofilm process. The results showed that banding patterns and the distribution of dominant bands for the same experimental period in different aerobic zones were similar. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that lanes 10, 11 and 12, which presented three aerobic zones at the same operation period, had the closest phylogenetic relationship among the lanes.

Isolation of an indigenous Chlorella vulgaris from swine wastewater and characterization of its nutrient removal ability in undiluted sewage.

PubMed

Wen, Yangmin; He, Yongjin; Ji, Xiaowei; Li, Shaofeng; Chen, Ling; Zhou, Youcai; Wang, Mingzi; Chen, Bilian

2017-11-01

Bio-treatment of wastewater mediated by microalgae is considered as a promising solution. This work aimed to isolate an indigenous microalgal strain (named MBFJNU-1) from swine wastewater effluent and identify as Chlorella vulgaris. After 12days, the removal efficiencies of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) in undiluted swine slurry were 90.51% and 91.54%, respectively. Stress tolerance in response to wastewater was verified by cultivating in artificial wastewater containing different levels of chemical oxygen demand (COD), TN and TP. MBFJNU-1 could grow well in undiluted swine slurry and artificial wastewater containing 30,000mg/L COD or 2000mg/L TN. Furthermore, global nuclear DNA methylation (5-mC) of MBFJNU-1 was employed to explore the possible mechanism in response to wastewater stress. The results showed that the level of 5-mC was inversely proportional to the growth of MBFJNU-1 in different diluted swine slurry, helping to understand 5-mC variation in response to stress environment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of operation parameters on nutrient removal from wastewater and high-protein biomass production in a duckweed-based (Lemma aequinoctialis) pilot-scale system.

PubMed

Zhao, Yonggui; Fang, Yang; Jin, Yanling; Huang, Jun; Bao, Shu; He, Zhiming; Wang, Feng; Zhao, Hai

2014-01-01

The effects of water depth, coverage rate and harvest regime on nutrient removal from wastewater and high-protein biomass production were assessed in a duckweed-based (Lemna aequinoctialis) pilot-scale wastewater treatment system (10 basins × 12 m(2)) that is located near Dianchi Lake in China. The results indicated that a water depth of 50 cm, a coverage rate of 150% and a harvest regime of 4 days were preferable conditions, under which excellent records of high-protein duckweed (dry matter production of 6.65 g/m(2)/d with crude protein content of 36.16% and phosphorus content of 1.46%) were obtained at a temperature of 12-21 °C. At the same time, the system achieved a removal efficiency of 66.16, 23.1, 48.3 and 76.52% for NH4(+)-N, TN, TP and turbidity, respectively, with the considerable removal rate of 0.465 g/m(2)/d for TN and 0.134 g/m(2)/d for TP at a hydraulic retention time of 6 days. In additionally, it was found that a lower duckweed density could lead to higher dissolved oxygen in the water and then a higher removal percentage of NH4(+)-N by nitrobacteria. This study obtains the preferable operation conditions for wastewater treatment and high-protein biomass production in a duckweed-based pilot-scale system, supplying an important reference for further large-scale applications of duckweed.

Microfiltration: Effect of retentate protein concentration on limiting flux and serum protein removal with 4-mm-channel ceramic microfiltration membranes.

PubMed

Hurt, E E; Adams, M C; Barbano, D M

2015-04-01

The objective of our study was to determine if the limiting flux and serum protein (SP) removal were different at 8, 9, or 10% true protein (TP) in the microfiltration (MF) retentate recirculation loop using 0.1-µm ceramic graded permeability membranes with 4-mm-channel diameters operated at 50 °C using a diluted milk protein concentrate with 85% protein on a total solids basis (MPC85) as the MF feed. The limiting flux for the MF of diluted MPC85 was determined at 3 TP concentrations in the recirculation loop (8, 9, and 10%). The experiment was replicated 3 times for a total of 9 runs. On the morning of each run, MPC85 was diluted with reverse osmosis water to an MF feed TP concentration of 5.4%. In all runs, the starting flux was 55 kg/m(2) per hour, the flux was increased in steps until the limiting flux was reached. The minimum flux increase was 10 kg/m(2) per hour. The limiting flux decreased as TP concentration in the recirculation loop increased. The limiting flux was 154 ± 0.3, 133 ± 0.7, and 117 ± 3.3 kg/m(2) per hour at recirculation loop TP concentrations of 8.2 ± 0.07, 9.2 ± 0.04, and 10.2 ± 0.09%, respectively. No effect of recirculation loop TP concentration on the SP removal factor was detected. However, the SP removal factor decreased from 0.80 ± 0.02 to 0.75 ± 0.02 as flux was increased from the starting flux of 55 kg/m(2) per hour to the limiting flux, with a similar decrease seen at all recirculation loop TP concentrations. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Testosterone and muscle hypertrophy in female rats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuhn, F. E.; Max, S. R.

1985-01-01

The effects of chronic treatment with testosterone propionate (TP) on compensatory muscle hypertropy in female rats are examined. The 48 female rats were placed in one of four test groups: (1) no overload (synergist removal), no TP, (2) overload, no TP, (3) no overload + TP, and (4) overload + TP. The technique used to administer the TP is described. The preparation of the plantaris muscle, the analysis of pyruvate oxidation and the determination of malate and lactate dehydrogenases and the noncollogen protein are explained. The results which reveal the effect of overload and TP on body weight, noncollogen protein concentration, lactate and malate dehydrogenase activities, and pyruvate oxidation are presented and discussed. It is concluded that in terms of body weight, protein content, pyruvate, glycolysis, and oxidative metabolisms chronic TP treatments do not change compensatory muscle hypertropy.

Solute removal capacity of high cut-off membrane plasma separators.

PubMed

Ohkubo, Atsushi; Kurashima, Naoki; Nakamura, Ayako; Miyamoto, Satoko; Iimori, Soichiro; Rai, Tatemitsu

2013-10-01

In vitro blood filtration was performed by a closed circuit using high cut-off membrane plasma separators, EVACURE EC-2A10 (EC-2A) and EVACURE EC-4A10 (EC-4A). Samples were obtained from sampling sites before the plasma separator, after each plasma separator, and from the ultrafiltrate of each separator. The sieving coefficient (S.C.) of total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), IgG, interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), fibrinogen (Fib), antithrombin III (AT-III), and coagulation factor XIII (FXIII) were calculated. The S.C. of each solute using EC-2A and EC-A4 were as follows; TP: 0.25 and 0.56, Alb: 0.32 and 0.73, IgG: 0.16 and 0.50, IL-6:0.73 and 0.95, IL-8:0.85 and 0.82, TNF-α: 1.07 and 0.99, Fib: 0 and 0, FXIII: 0.07 and 0.17, respectively. When compared with the conventional type of membrane plasma separators, EVACURE could efficiently remove cytokines while retaining coagulation factors such as fibrinogen. Moreover, EC-2A prevented protein loss, whereas EC-4A could remove approximately 50% of IgG. © 2013 The Authors. Therapeutic Apheresis and Dialysis © 2013 International Society for Apheresis.

Simultaneous electricity production and antibiotics removal by microbial fuel cells.

PubMed

Zhou, Ying; Zhu, Nengwu; Guo, Wenying; Wang, Yun; Huang, Xixian; Wu, Pingxiao; Dang, Zhi; Zhang, Xiaoping; Xian, Jinchan

2018-07-01

The removal of antibiotics is crucial for improvement of water quality in animal wastewater treatment. In this paper, the performance of microbial fuel cell (MFC) in terms of degradation of typical antibiotics was investigated. Electricity was successfully produced by using sludge supernatant mixtures and synthesized animal wastewater as inoculation in MFC. Results demonstrated that the stable voltage, the maximum power density and internal resistance of anaerobic self-electrolysis (ASE) -112 and ASE-116 without antibiotics addition were 0.574 V, 5.78 W m -3 and 28.06 Ω, and 0.565 V, 5.82 W m -3 and 29.38 Ω, respectively. Moreover, when adding aureomycin, sulfadimidine, roxithromycin and norfloxacin into the reactors, the performance of MFC was inhibited (0.51 V-0.41 V), while the output voltage was improved with the decreased concentration of antibiotics. However, the removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 -N) and total phosphorus (TP) were both obviously enhanced. Simultaneously, LC-MS analysis showed that the removal efficiency of aureomycin, roxithromycin and norfloxacin were all 100% and the removal efficiency of sulfadimidine also reached 99.9%. These results indicated that antibiotics displayed significantly inhibitions for electricity performance but improved the quality of water simultaneously. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An innovative integrated system utilizing solar energy as power for the treatment of decentralized wastewater.

PubMed

Han, Changfu; Liu, Junxin; Liang, Hanwen; Guo, Xuesong; Li, Lin

2013-02-01

This article reports an innovative integrated system utilizing solar energy as power for decentralized wastewater treatment, which consists of an oxidation ditch with double channels and a photovoltaic (PV) system without a storage battery. Because the system operates without a storage battery, which can reduce the cost of the PV system, the solar radiation intensity affects the amount of power output from the PV system. To ensure that the power output is sufficient in all different weather conditions, the solar radiation intensity of 78 W/m2 with 95% confidence interval was defined as a threshold of power output for the PV system according to the monitoring results in this study, and a step power output mode was used to utilize the solar energy as well as possible. The oxidation ditch driven by the PV system without storage battery ran during the day and stopped at night. Therefore, anaerobic, anoxic and aerobic conditions could periodically appear in the oxidation ditch, which was favorable to nitrogen and phosphate removal from the wastewater. The experimental results showed that the system was efficient, achieving average removal efficiencies of 88% COD, 98% NH4+-N, 70% TN and 83% TP, under the loading rates of 140 mg COD/(g MLSS x day), 32 mg NH4+-N/(g MLSS x day), 44 mg TN/(g MLSS x day) and 5 mg TP/(g MLSS x day).

Performance of an under-loaded denitrifying bioreactor with biochar amendment.

PubMed

Bock, Emily M; Coleman, Brady S L; Easton, Zachary M

2018-07-01

Denitrifying bioreactors are recently-established agricultural best management practices with growing acceptance in the US Midwest but less studied in other agriculturally significant regions, such as the US Mid-Atlantic. A bioreactor was installed in the Virginia Coastal Plain to evaluate performance in this geographically novel region facing challenges managing nutrient pollution. The 25.3 m 3 woodchip bed amended with 10% biochar (v/v) intercepted subsurface drainage from 6.5 ha cultivated in soy. Influent and effluent nitrate-nitrogen (NO 3 -N) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations and flowrate were monitored intensively during the second year of operation. Bed surface fluxes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) nitrous oxide (N 2 O), methane (CH 4 ), and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) were measured periodically with the closed dynamic chamber technique. The bioreactor did not have a statistically or environmentally significant effect on TP export. Cumulative NO 3 -N removal efficiency (9.5%) and average removal rate (0.56 ± 0.25 g m -3  d -1 ) were low relative to Midwest tile bioreactors, but comparable to installations in the Maryland Coastal Plain. Underperformance was attributed mainly to low NO 3 -N loading (mean 9.4 ± 4.4 kg ha -1 yr -1 ), although intermittent flow, periods of low HRT, and low pH (mean 5.3) also likely contributed. N removal rates were correlated with influent NO 3 -N concentration and temperature, but decreased with hydraulic residence time, indicating that removal was often N-limited. GHG emissions were similar to other bioreactors and constructed wetlands and not considered environmentally concerning. This study suggests that expectations of NO 3 -N removal efficiency developed from bioreactors receiving moderate to high NO 3 -N loading with influent concentrations exceeding 10-20 mg L -1 are unlikely to be met by systems where N-limitation becomes significant. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

77 FR 29458 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-17

... excise tax on tobacco products (TP) and cigarette paper and tubes (CP&T) removed from the factory or... collect any unpaid excise tax. Manufactures of TP or CP&T, export warehouse proprietors, and corporate...

Features of Golenkinia sp. and microbial fuel cells used for the treatment of anaerobically digested effluent from kitchen waste at different dilutions.

PubMed

Hou, Qingjie; Cheng, Juan; Nie, Changliang; Pei, Haiyan; Jiang, Liqun; Zhang, Lijie; Yang, Zhigang

2017-09-01

The aim of this work was to study Golenkinia sp. and microbial fuel cells (MFCs) for the treatment of anaerobically digested effluent from kitchen waste (ADE-KW) with different dilution factors. A dual-chamber MFC was fabricated for treating ADE-KW in the two chambers of the MFC and harvesting Golenkinia sp. All the anodic TN was removed more than 80%. COD removal efficiency increased from 48.2% to 76% when the dilution factor increased from 1 to 4. Maximum COD and TN removal rates were 3.56 and 3.71mg·L -1 ·h -1 when ADE-KW was treated without dilution in the anodic chamber. All the cathodic TN and TP removal efficiencies were approximately 90%. The highest open circuit voltage (OCV) and power density were approximately 400mV and 400mW when ADE-KW was treated directly (undiluted) in the MFC, with the highest biomass and total lipid content production of Golenkinia sp. in the cathodic chamber. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The mechanism of enhanced wastewater nitrogen removal by photo-sequencing batch reactors based on comprehensive analysis of system dynamics within a cycle.

PubMed

Ye, Jianfeng; Liang, Junyu; Wang, Liang; Markou, Giorgos

2018-07-01

To understand the mechanism of enhanced nitrogen removal by photo-sequencing batch reactors (photo-SBRs), which incorporated microalgal photosynthetic oxygenation into the aerobic phases of a conventional cycle, this study performed comprehensive analysis of one-cycle dynamics. Under a low aeration intensity (about 0.02 vvm), a photo-SBR, illuminated with light at 92.27 μ·mol·m -2 ·s -1 , could remove 99.45% COD, 99.93% NH 4 + -N, 90.39% TN, and 95.17% TP, while the control SBR could only remove 98.36% COD, 83.51% NH 4 + -N, 78.96% TN, and 97.75% TP, for a synthetic domestic sewage. The specific oxygen production rate (SOPR) of microalgae in the photo-SBR could reach 6.63 fmol O 2 ·cell -1 ·h -1 . One-cycle dynamics shows that the enhanced nitrogen removal by photo-SBRs is related to photosynthetic oxygenation, resulting in strengthened nitrification, instead of direct nutrient uptake by microalgae. A too high light or aeration intensity could deteriorate anoxic conditions and thus adversely affect the removal of TN and TP in photo-SBRs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Potential of hydrolysis of particulate COD in extended anaerobic conditions to enhance biological phosphorous removal.

PubMed

Jabari, P; Yuan, Q; Oleszkiewicz, J A

2016-11-01

The effect of anaerobic hydrolysis of particulate COD (pCOD) on biological phosphorous removal in extended anaerobic condition was investigated through (i) sequencing batch reactors (SBR)s with anaerobic hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 0.8, 2, and 4 h; (ii) batch tests using biomass from a full scale biological nutrient removal (BNR) plant; and (iii) activated sludge modeling (BioWin 4.1 simulation). The results from long-term SBRs operation showed that phosphorus removal was correlated to the ratio of filtered COD (FCOD) to total phosphorus (TP) in the influent. Under conditions with low FCOD/TP ratio (average of 20) in the influent, extending anaerobic HRT to 4 h in the presence of pCOD did not significantly improve overall phosphorous removal. During the period with high FCOD/TP ratio (average of 37) in the influent, all SBRs removed phosphorous completely, and the long anaerobic HRT did not have negative effect on overall phosphorous removal. The batch tests also showed that pCOD at different concentration during 4 h test did not affect the rate of anaerobic phosphorus release. The rate of anaerobic hydrolysis of pCOD was significantly low and extending the anaerobic HRT was ineffective. The simulation (BioWin 4.1) of SBRs with low influent FCOD/TP ratio showed that the default kinetics of anaerobic hydrolysis in ASM2d overestimated phosphorous removal in the SBRs (high anaerobic hydrolysis of pCOD). The default anaerobic hydrolysis rate in BioWin 4.1 (ten times lower) could produce similar phosphorous removal to that in the experiment. Results showed that the current kinetics of anaerobic hydrolysis in ASM2d could lead to considerable error in predicting phosphorus removal in processes with extended anaerobic HRT. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 2377-2385. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Nutrient bioassimilation capacity of aquacultured oysters: quantification of an ecosystem service.

PubMed

Higgins, Colleen B; Stephenson, Kurt; Brown, Bonnie L

2011-01-01

Like many coastal zones and estuaries, the Chesapeake Bay has been severely degraded by cultural eutrophication. Rising implementation costs and difficulty achieving nutrient reduction goals associated with point and nonpoint sources suggests that approaches supplemental to source reductions may prove useful in the future. Enhanced oyster aquaculture has been suggested as one potential policy initiative to help rid the Bay waters of excess nutrients via harvest of bioassimilated nutrients. To assess this potential, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorous (TP), and total carbon (TC) content were measured in oyster tissue and shell at two floating-raft cultivation sites in the Chesapeake Bay. Models were developed based on the common market measurement of total length (TL) for aquacultured oysters, which was strongly correlated to the TN (R2 = 0.76), TP (R2 = 0.78), and TC (R2 = 0.76) content per oyster tissue and shell. These models provide resource managers with a tool to quantify net nutrient removal. Based on model estimates, 10(6) harvest-sized oysters (76 mm TL) remove 132 kg TN, 19 kg TP, and 3823 kg TC. In terms of nutrients removed per unit area, oyster harvest is an effective means of nutrient removal compared with other nonpoint source reduction strategies. At a density of 286 oysters m(-2), assuming no mortality, harvest size nutrient removal rates can be as high as 378 kg TN ha(-1), 54 kg TP ha(-1), and 10,934 kg TC ha(-1) for 76-mm oysters. Removing 1 t N from the Bay would require harvesting 7.7 million 76-mm TL cultivated oysters.

Highly Efficient White Organic Light Emitting Diodes Using New Blue Fluorescence Emitter.

PubMed

Kim, Seungho; Kim, Beomjin; Lee, Jaehyun; Yu, Young-Jun; Park, Jongwook

2015-07-01

Two different emitting compounds, 1-[1,1';3',1"]Terphenyl-5'-yl-6-(10-[1,1';3',1"]terpheny-5'-yl- anthracen-9-yl)-pyrene (TP-AP-TP) and Poly-phenylene vinylene derivative (PDY 132) were used to white OLED device. By incorporating adjacent blue and yellow emitting layers in a multi-layered structure, highly efficient white emission has been attained. The device was fabricated with a hybrid configuration structure: ITO/PEDOT (40 nm)/PDY-132 (8-50 nm)/ NPB (10 nm)/TP-AP-TP (30 nm)/Alq3 (20 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (200 nm). After fixing TP-AP-TP thickness of 30 nm by evaporation, PDY-132 thickness varied with 8, 15, 35, and 50 nm by spin coating in device. The luminance efficiency of the white devices at 10 mA/cm2 were 2.93 cd/A-6.55 cd/A. One of white devices showed 6.55 cd/A and white color of (0.290, 0.331).

Convective removal of the Tibetan Plateau mantle lithosphere by 26 Ma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Haijian; Tian, Xiaobo; Yun, Kun; Li, Haibing

2018-04-01

During the late Oligocene-early Miocene there were several major geological events in and around the Tibetan Plateau (TP). First, crustal shortening deformation ceased completely within the TP before 25 Ma and instead adakitic rocks and potassic-ultrapotassic volcanics were emplaced in the Lhasa terrane since 26-25 Ma. Several recent paleoelevation reconstructions suggest an Oligocene-early Miocene uplift of 1500-3000 m for the Qiangtang (QT) and Songpan-Ganzi (SG) terranes, although the exact timing is unclear. As a possible response to this uplift, significant desertification occurred in the vicinity of the TP at 26-22 Ma, and convergence between India and Eurasia slowed considerably at 26-20 Ma. Subsequently, E-W extension was initiated no later than 18 Ma in the Lhasa and QT terranes. In contrast, the tectonic deformation around the TP was dominated by radial expansion of shortening deformation since 25-22 Ma. The plateau-wide near-synchroneity of these events calls for an internally consistent model which can be best described as convective removal of the lower mantle lithosphere. Geophysical and petrochemical evidence further confirms that this extensive removal occurred beneath the QT and SG terranes. The present review concludes that, other than plate boundary stress, the internal stress within the TP lithosphere could have contributed to rapid wholesale uplift and a series of concomitant tectonic events, accompanied by major aridification, since 26 Ma.

Comparison of recirculation configurations for biological nutrient removal in a membrane bioreactor.

PubMed

Bekir Ersu, Cagatayhan; Ong, Say Kee; Arslankaya, Ertan; Brown, Patrick

2008-03-01

A 12-L lab-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR), consisting of an anaerobic and anoxic compartment followed by an oxic plate-frame membrane compartment, was evaluated for carbonaceous and nutrient removals by varying the recirculation of mixed liquor and permeate. The hydraulic retention times (HRTs) for the anaerobic, anoxic, and oxic compartments were 2, 2, and 8h, respectively. The solids residence time (SRT) for the oxic compartment was 25 days. Five different recirculation configurations were tested by recirculating mixed liquor and/or permeate recirculation equal to the influent flow rate (identified as 100%) into different locations of the anaerobic and anoxic compartments. Of the five configurations, the configuration with 100% mixed liquor recirculation to the anaerobic compartment and 100% permeate recirculation to the anoxic compartment gave the highest percentage removal with an average 92.3+/-0.5% soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD), 75.6+/-0.4% total nitrogen (TN), and 62.4+/-1.3% total phosphorus (TP) removal. When the mixed liquor and permeate recirculation rates were varied for the same configuration, the highest TP removal was obtained for 300% mixed liquor recirculation and 100% permeate recirculation (300%/100%) with a TP removal of 88.1+/-1.3% while the highest TN removal (90.3+/-0.3%) was obtained for 200%/300% recirculation. TN and TP concentrations as low as 4.2+/-0.1 and 1.4+/-0.2mg/L respectively were obtained. Mass loading rates were generally low in the range of 0.11-0.22kgCOD/kgMLSS/d due to high biomass concentrations within the oxic reactor (approx. 8000mg/L). The BioWin model was calibrated against one set of the experimental data and was found to predict the experimental data of effluent TN, TP, and NO(3)(-)-N but over-predicted sCOD and NH(3)-N for various recirculation rates. The anoxic heterotrophic yield for the calibrated model was 0.2kg biomass COD/kg COD utilized while the maximum growth rates were found to be 0.45day(-1) for mu(max-autotroph), 3.2day(-1) for mu(max-heterotroph), and 1.5day(-1) for mu(max-PAO).

Understanding and improving the low optical emission of InGaAs quantum wells grown on oxidized patterned (001) silicon substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roque, J.; Haas, B.; David, S.; Rochat, N.; Bernier, N.; Rouvière, J. L.; Salem, B.; Gergaud, P.; Moeyaert, J.; Martin, M.; Bertin, F.; Baron, T.

2018-05-01

In 0.3 Ga 0.7 As quantum wells (QW) embedded in AlGaAs barriers and grown on oxidized patterned (001) silicon substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition using the aspect ratio trapping method are studied. An appropriate method combining cathodoluminescence and high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy characterization is performed to spatially correlate the optical and structural properties of the QW. A triple period (TP) ordering along the ⟨111⟩ direction induced by the temperature decrease during the growth to favor indium incorporation and aligned along the oxidized patterns is observed in the QW. Local ordering affects the band gap and contributes to the decrease of the optical emission efficiency. Using thermal annealing, we were able to remove the TP ordering and improve the QW optical emission by two orders of magnitude.

Sewage pollution: genotoxicity assessment and phytoremediation of nutrients excess with Hydrocotyle ranunculoides.

PubMed

Basílico, Gabriel; Magdaleno, Anahí; Paz, Marta; Moretton, Juan; Faggi, Ana; de Cabo, Laura

2017-04-01

The discharge of sewage effluents into low-order streams has negative effects on water quality. Macrophytes can be efficient in the treatment of this wastewater due to the removal of the main pollutants. The genotoxicity of sewage-polluted water discharging into La Choza stream was evaluated by testing with Allium cepa. Also, a phytoremediation assay with continuous recirculation of the residual water was conducted for 12 days. Three treatments were carried out. One treatment (Hr) was performed with a macrophyte (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides), and two treatments were conducted without macrophytes: with lighting (Ai) and without lighting (Ao). The wastewater was toxic according to all the evaluated indexes (mitotic index, frequency of chromosomal aberrations and micronucleus). High concentrations of ammonium, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), total (TP) and soluble reactive phosphorous (SRP) and indicators of faecal contamination were determined in the wastewater. The ammonium, DIN, SRP and TP loads at the end of the assay were significantly lower in the treatments with light (Hr and Ai). So, the nutrient removal was due to their absorption and adsorption by the periphyton and H. ranunculoides. Our results lead us to recommend the maintenance and planting of macrophytes in lowland streams subject to sewage pollution.

[Using Excess Activated Sludge Treated 4-Chlorophenol Contained Waste Water to Cultivate Chlorella vulgaris].

PubMed

Wang, Lu; Chen, Xiu-rong; Yan, Long; He, Yi-xuan; Shi, Zhen-dong

2015-04-01

Using different rations of sludge extracts and supernate from 4-Chlorophenol (4-CP) simulated wastewater's excess sludge after centrifugation to cultivate the Chlorella vulgaris to achieve the goal of excess sludge utilization together with chlorella cultivating. The experiments were performed in 500 mL flasks with different rations of sludge extracts & BG-11 and supernate & BG-11 in a light growth chamber respectively. Number of algal cells, Chlorophyll, enzyme activity, oil and water total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total organic carbon (TOC), toxicity index were investigated. Result showed that the nutrition supplies and toxicity in the excess sludge were removed efficiently via Chlorella vulgaris, the removal rates of TN and TP were at least 40% and 90% respectively; After 10 days cultivation, the density growth of 50% sludge extracts was 20 times higher of the beginning while its chlorophyll content was lower than that of the blank group. Sludge extracts could promote the proliferation of algae, but were not conducive to the synthesis of chlorophyll. The quantity of SOD in per cell showed Chlorella vulgaris gave a positive response via stimulation from toxicant in sludge extracts and supernate. The best time for collecting chlorella vulgaris was the fifth day of cultivation, taking neutral oil accumulation as the evaluating indicator for its utilization combined with the removal of supplies and toxicity.

Integrating Fenton's process and ion exchange for olive mill wastewater treatment and iron recovery.

PubMed

Reis, Patrícia M; Martins, Pedro J M; Martins, Rui C; Gando-Ferreira, Licínio M; Quinta-Ferreira, Rosa M

2018-02-01

A novel integrated methodology involving Fenton's process followed by ion exchange (IE) was proposed for the treatment of olive mill wastewater. Fenton's process was optimized and it was able to remove up to 81% of chemical oxygen demand when pH 3.5, reaction time 1 h, [Fe 2+ ] = 50 mg L -1 and [Fe 2+ ]/[H 2 O 2 ] = 0.002 were applied. In spite of the potential of this treatment approach, final iron removal from the liquid typically entails pH increase and iron sludge production. The integration of an IE procedure using Lewatit TP 207 resin was found to be able to overcome this important environmental shortcoming. The resin showed higher affinity toward Fe 3+ than to Fe 2+ . However, the iron removal efficiency of an effluent coming from Fenton's was independent of the type of the initial iron used in the process. The presence of organic matter had no significant effect over the resin iron removal efficiency. Even if some efficiency decrease was observed when a high initial iron load was applied, the adsorbent mass quantity can be easily adapted to reach the desired iron removal. The use of IE is an interesting industrial approach able to surpass Fenton's peroxidation drawback and will surely boost its full-scale application in the treatment of bio-refractory effluents.

Removal of phosphorus by the core-shell bio-ceramic/Zn-layered double hydroxides (LDHs) composites for municipal wastewater treatment in constructed rapid infiltration system.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiangling; Guo, Lu; Huang, Hualing; Jiang, Yinghe; Li, Meng; Leng, Yujie

2016-06-01

Constructed rapid infiltration systems (CRIS) are a reasonable option for treating wastewater, owing to their simplicity, low cost and low energy consumption. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs), novel materials with high surface area and anion exchange capacity, faced the problem of the application in CRIS due to the powdered form. To overcome this shortcoming, Zn-LDHs (FeZn-LDHs, CoZn-LDHs, AlZn-LDHs) were prepared by co-precipitation method and in-situ coated on the surface of the natural bio-ceramic to synthesize the core-shell bio-ceramic/Zn-LDHs composites. Characterization by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (XRFS) indicated that the Zn-LDHs were successful loaded on the natural bio-ceramic. Column tests experiments indicated that the bio-ceramic/Zn-LDHs efficiently enhanced the removal performance of phosphorus. The efficiently removal rates of bio-ceramic/FeZn-LDHs were 71.58% for total phosphorous (TP), 74.91% for total dissolved phosphorous (TDP), 82.31% for soluble reactive phosphorous (SRP) and 67.58% for particulate phosphorus (PP). Compared with the natural bio-ceramic, the average removal rates were enhanced by 32.20% (TP), 41.33% (TDP), 49.06% (SRP) and 10.50% (PP), respectively. Adsorption data of phosphate were better described by the Freundlich model for the bio-ceramic/Zn-LDHs and natural bio-ceramic, except for the bio-ceramic/CoZn-LDHs. The maximum adsorption capacity of bio-ceramic/AlZn-LDHs (769.23 mg/kg) was 1.77 times of the natural bio-ceramic (434.78 mg/kg). The effective desorption of phosphate could achieve by using a mixed solution of 5 M NaCl + 0.1 M NaOH, it outperformed the natural bio-ceramic of 18.95% for FeZn-LDHs, 7.59% for CoZn-LDHs and 12.66% for AlZn-LDHs. The kinetic data of the bio-ceramic/Zn-LDHs were better described by the pseudo-second-order equation. Compared the removal amount of phosphate by the natural bio-ceramic, the physical effects were improved little, but the chemical effects were enhanced for 112.49% for FeZn-LDHs, 111.89% for CoZn-LDHs and 122.67% for AlZn-LDHs. Therefore, the way of coating Zn-LDHs on the bio-ceramic efficiently improved the chemical effects in phosphate removal, supporting that it can use as potential substrates for the removal of phosphorus in CRIS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An evaluation of different soil washing solutions for remediating arsenic-contaminated soils.

PubMed

Wang, Yiwen; Ma, Fujun; Zhang, Qian; Peng, Changsheng; Wu, Bin; Li, Fasheng; Gu, Qingbao

2017-04-01

Soil washing is a promising way to remediate arsenic-contaminated soils. Most research has mostly focused on seeking efficient extractants for removing arsenic, but not concerned with any changes in soil properties when using this technique. In this study, the removal of arsenic from a heavily contaminated soil employing different washing solutions including H 3 PO 4 , NaOH and dithionite in EDTA was conducted. Subsequently, the changes in soil physicochemical properties and phytotoxicity of each washing technique were evaluated. After washing with 2 M H 3 PO 4 , 2 M NaOH or 0.1 M dithionite in 0.1 M EDTA, the soil samples' arsenic content met the clean-up levels stipulated in China's environmental regulations. H 3 PO 4 washing decreased soil pH, Ca, Mg, Al, Fe, and Mn concentrations but increased TN and TP contents. NaOH washing increased soil pH but decreased soil TOC, TN and TP contents. Dithionite in EDTA washing reduced soil TOC, Ca, Mg, Al, Fe, Mn and TP contents. A drastic color change was observed when the soil sample was washed with H 3 PO 4 or 0.1 M dithionite in 0.1 M EDTA. After adjusting the soil pH to neutral, wheat planted in the soil sample washed by NaOH evidenced the best growth of all three treated soil samples. These results will help with selecting the best washing solution when remediating arsenic-contaminated soils in future engineering applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydrogen and lipid production from starch wastewater by co-culture of anaerobic sludge and oleaginous microalgae with simultaneous COD, nitrogen and phosphorus removal.

PubMed

Ren, Hong-Yu; Liu, Bing-Feng; Kong, Fanying; Zhao, Lei; Ren, Nanqi

2015-11-15

Anaerobic sludge (AS) and microalgae were co-cultured to enhance the energy conversion and nutrients removal from starch wastewater. Mixed ratio, starch concentration and initial pH played critical roles on the hydrogen and lipid production of the co-culture system. The maximum hydrogen production of 1508.3 mL L(-1) and total lipid concentration of 0.36 g L(-1) were obtained under the optimized mixed ratio (algae:AS) of 30:1, starch concentration of 6 g L(-1) and initial pH of 8. The main soluble metabolites in dark fermentation were acetate and butyrate, most of which can be consumed in co-cultivation. When sweet potato starch wastewater was used as the substrate, the highest COD, TN and TP removal and energy conversion efficiencies reached 80.5%, 88.7%, 80.1% and 34.2%, which were 176%, 178%, 200% and 119% higher than that of the control group (dark fermentation), respectively. This research provided a novel approach and achieved efficient simultaneous energy recovery and nutrients removal from starch wastewater by the co-culture system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Urban non-point source pollution control by runoff retention and filtration pilot system].

PubMed

Bai, Yao; Zuo, Jian-E; Gan, Li-Li; Low, Thong Soon; Miao, Heng-Feng; Ruan, Wen-Quan; Huang, Xia

2011-09-01

A runoff retention and filtration pilot system was designed and the long-term purification effect of the runoff was monitored. Runoff pollution characters in 2 typical events and treatment effect of the pilot system were analyzed. The results showed that the runoff was severely polluted. Event mean concentrations (EMCs) of SS, COD, TN and TP in the runoff were 361, 135, 7.88 and 0.62 mg/L respectively. The runoff formed by long rain presented an obvious first flush effect. The first 25% flow contributed more than 50% of the total pollutants loading of SS, TP, DTP and PO4(3-). The pilot system could reduce 100% of the non-point source pollution if the volume of the runoff was less than the retention tank. Otherwise the overflow will be purification by the filtration pilot system and the removal rates of SS, COD, TN, TP, DTP and PO4(3-) reached 97.4% , 61.8%, 22.6%, 85.1%, 72.1%, and 85.2% respectively. The system was stable and the removal rate of SS, COD, TN, and TP were 98.6%, 65.4%, 55.1% and 92.6%. The whole system could effectively remove the non-point source pollution caused by runoff.

Influence of relaxation modes on membrane fouling in submerged membrane bioreactor for domestic wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Habib, Rasikh; Asif, Muhammad Bilal; Iftekhar, Sidra; Khan, Zahiruddin; Gurung, Khum; Srivastava, Varsha; Sillanpää, Mika

2017-08-01

Relaxation and backwashing have become an integral part of membrane bioreactor (MBR) operations for fouling control. This study was carried out on real municipal wastewater to evaluate the influence of different operational strategies on membrane fouling at equivalent water yield. Four relaxation modes (MBR 10+0, MBR 10+1 , MBR 10+1.5 and MBR 10+2 ) were tested to analyze membrane fouling behavior. For the optimization of relaxation modes, fouling rate in terms of trans-membrane pressure, hydraulic resistances and characteristics of fouling fractions were analyzed. It has been observed that cake layer resistance was minimum in MBR 10+1.5 but pore blockage resistance was increased in all relaxation modes. Moreover, high instantaneous flux contributed significantly to fouling rate at the initial stage of MBR operations. Relaxation modes were also efficient in removing irreversible fouling to some extent. Under all relaxation modes, COD removal efficiency ranged from 92 to 96.5%. Ammonium and TP removal were on the lower side due to the short solids and hydraulic retention time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In vitro evaluation of the torsional strength reduction of neonate calf metatarsal bones with Bicortical defects resulting from the removal of external fixation implants.

PubMed

Brianza, Stefano; Vogel, Susan; Rothstock, Stephan; Desrochers, Andrè; Boure, Ludovic

2013-01-01

To compare the torsional strength of calf metatarsal bones with defects produced by removal of 2 different implants. In vitro mechanical comparison of paired bones with bicortical defects resulting from the implantation of 2 different external fixation systems: the transfixation pin (TP) and the pin sleeve system (PS). Neonatal calf metatarsal bones (n = 6 pairs). From each pair, 1 bone was surgically instrumented with 2 PS implants and the contralateral bone with 2 TP implants. Implants were removed immediately leaving bicortical defects at identical locations between paired metatarsi. Each bone was tested in torque until failure. The mechanical variables statistically compared were the torsional stiffness, the torque and angle at failure, and work to failure. For TP and PS constructs, respectively, there were no significant differences between construct types for any of the variables tested. Mean ± SD torsional stiffness: 5.50 ± 2.68 and 5.35 ± 1.79 (Nm/°), P = .75; torque: 57.42 ± 14.84 and 53.43 ± 10.16 (Nm); P = .34; angle at failure: 14.76 ± 4.33 and 15.45 ± 4.84 (°), P = .69; and work to failure 7.45 ± 3.19 and 8.89 ± 3.79 (J), P = .17). Bicortical defects resulting from the removal of PS and TP implants equally affect the investigated mechanical properties of neonate calf metatarsal bones. © Copyright 2012 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Bacterial community analysis of anoxic/aeration (A/O) system in a combined process for gibberellin wastewater treatment

PubMed Central

Ouyang, Erming; Lu, Yao; Ouyang, Jiating; Wang, Lele; Wang, Xiaohui

2017-01-01

Gibberellin wastewater cannot be directly discharged without treatment due to its high concentrations of sulfate and organic compounds and strong acidity. Therefore, multi-stage anaerobic bioreactor + micro-aerobic+ anoxic/aeration (A/O) + biological contact oxidation combined processes are used to treat gibberellin wastewater. However, knowledge of the treatment effects of the A/O process and bacterial community structure in the aeration tank reactors of such systems is sparse. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the treatment effects and operation of the A/O process on gibberellin wastewater, as well as changes in the bacterial community structure of activated sludge in the aeration tank during treatment. Moreover, removal was examined based on evaluation of effluent after A/O treatment. Although influent chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH3-N and total phosphorus (TP) fluctuated, effluent COD, NH3-N and TP remained stable. Moreover, average COD, NH3-N and TP removal efficiency were 68.41%, 93.67% and 45.82%, respectively, during the A/O process. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum in all samples, followed by Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria. Proteobacteria played an important role in the removal of organic matter. Chloroflexi was found to be responsible for the degradation of carbohydrates and Bacteroidetes also had been found to be responsible for the degradation of complex organic matters. Actinobacteria are able to degrade a variety of environmental chemicals. Additionally, Anaerolineaceae_uncultured was the major genus in samples collected on May 25, 2015, while Novosphingobium and Nitrospira were dominant in most samples. Nitrosomonas are regarded as the dominant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, while Nitrospira are the main nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. Bacterial community structure varied considerably with time, and a partial Mantel test showed a highly significant positive correlation between bacterial community structure and DO. The bacterial community structure was also positively correlated with temperature and SO42-. PMID:29053751

Effects of modified clay flocculation on major nutrients and diatom aggregation during Skeletonema costatum blooms in the laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Guangyuan; Song, Xiuxian; Yu, Zhiming; Cao, Xihua; Yuan, Yongquan

2015-07-01

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) can elicit several negative effects on aquatic environment (such as depleting the oxygen, blocking the sunlight, destroying the habitats of organisms) and life health (including poisoning/killing marine mammals, birds and human). Among the various control strategies for HABs (physical manipulation needs lots of manpower and expensive equipment, chemicals treatment has some toxic byproduct and high residual, microbial agents only has limited in laboratory research), the coagulation-flocculation of HAB species by modified clay (MC) has been proven to be an effective, low-cost and environmentally friendly method that has been widely applied in the field, particularly in eastern Asia. In order to examine the long-term effects of MC treatment, this study investigated the alternations in seawater of Skeletonema costatum, a high biomass dominant HAB species along the Chinese coast, by comparing the degradation of S. costatum detritus (A1) with the application of MC treatment (A2) and MC treatment in sediment condition (A3). The low dosage of 0.25 g/L MC could efficiently remove 4×108 cells/L of S. costatum cells within 3.5 h (approximately 97% removal). In addition, the results showed that both inorganic and organic nutrients were effectively reduced from seawater by MC particles. Compared to the total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in A1 seawater, 44% of TN and 93% of TP in A2 seawater, as well as 72% of TN and 93% of TP in A3 seawater were removed during the one-month incubation period. Simultaneously, 64% of DISi in A2 and 44% of DISi in A3 significantly decreased ( P<0.001). This study demonstrated that MC treatment was able to significantly increase the downward flux of nutrients and delay the release velocity of inorganic nutrient from MC-algae matrix into the overlying seawater, particularly within sediment environment.

Microfiltration: Effect of channel diameter on limiting flux and serum protein removal.

PubMed

Hurt, E E; Adams, M C; Barbano, D M

2015-06-01

Our objective was to determine the limiting flux and serum protein (SP) removal at 8, 9 and 10% true protein (TP) in the retentate recirculation loop using 0.1-µm ceramic graded permeability (GP) microfiltration (MF) membranes with 3mm channel diameters (CD). An additional objective was to compare the limiting flux and SP removal between 0.1-µm ceramic GP membranes with 3mm CD and previous research using 4-mm CD membranes. The MF system was operated at 50°C, using a diluted milk protein concentrate with 85% protein on a total solids basis (MPC85) as the MF feed. The limiting flux for the MF of diluted MPC85 was determined at 8, 9, and 10% TP concentration in the recirculation loop. The experiment using the 3-mm CD membranes was replicated 3 times for a total of 9 runs. On the morning of each run MPC85 was diluted with reverse osmosis water to a MF feed TP concentration of 5.4%. In all runs the starting flux was 55 kg/m2 per hour, the flux was then increased in steps until the limiting flux was reached. For the 3-mm CD membranes, the limiting flux was 128±0.3, 109±4, and 97±0.5 kg/m2 per hour at recirculation loop TP concentrations of 8.1±0.07, 9.2±0.04, and 10.2±0.03%, respectively. For the 3-mm CD membranes, increasing the flux from the starting to the limiting flux decreased the SP removal factor from 0.72±0.02 to 0.67±0.01; however, no difference in SP removal factor among the target recirculation loop TP concentrations was detected. The limiting flux at each recirculation loop target TP concentration was lower for the 3- compared with the 4-mm CD membranes. The differences in limiting fluxes between the 3- and 4-mm CD membranes were explained in part by the difference in cross-flow velocity (5.5±0.03 and 7.0±0.03 m/s for the 3- and 4-mm CD membranes, respectively). The SP removal factor was also lower for the 3- compared with the 4-mm CD membranes, indicating that more membrane fouling may have occurred in the 3- versus 4-mm CD membranes. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[1,2,4]Triazolo[1,5-a]pyridine as Building Blocks for Universal Host Materials for High-Performance Red, Green, Blue and White Phosphorescent Organic Light-Emitting Devices.

PubMed

Song, Wenxuan; Shi, Lijiang; Gao, Lei; Hu, Peijun; Mu, Haichuan; Xia, Zhenyuan; Huang, Jinhai; Su, Jianhua

2018-02-14

The electron-accepting [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridine (TP) moiety was introduced to build bipolar host materials for the first time, and two host materials based on this TP acceptor and carbazole donor, namely, 9,9'-(2-([1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-2-yl)-1,3-phenylene)bis(9H-carbazole) (o-CzTP) and 9,9'-(5-([1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyridin-2-yl)-1,3-phenylene)bis(9H-carbazole) (m-CzTP), were designed and synthesized. These two TP-based host materials possess a high triplet energy (>2.9 eV) and appropriate highest occupied molecular orbital/lowest unoccupied molecular orbital levels as well as the bipolar transporting feature, which permits their applicability as universal host materials in multicolor phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices (PhOLEDs). Blue, green, and red PhOLEDs based on o-CzTP and m-CzTP with the same device configuration all show high efficiencies and low efficiency roll-off. The devices hosted by o-CzTP exhibit maximum external quantum efficiencies (η ext ) of 27.1, 25.0, and 15.8% for blue, green, and red light emitting, respectively, which are comparable with the best electroluminescene performance reported for FIrpic-based blue, Ir(ppy) 3 -based green, and Ir(pq) 2 (acac)-based red PhOLEDs equipped with a single-component host. The white PhOLEDs based on the o-CzTP host and three lumophors containing red, green, and blue emitting layers were fabricated with the same device structure, which exhibit a maximum current efficiency and η c of 40.4 cd/A and 17.8%, respectively, with the color rendering index value of 75.

Does restructuring hospitals result in greater efficiency?--An empirical test using diachronic data.

PubMed

Braithwaite, Jeffrey; Westbrook, Mary T; Hindle, Donald; Iedema, Rick A; Black, Deborah A

2006-02-01

Hospitals are being restructured more frequently. Increased cost efficiency is the usual justification given for such changes. All 20 major teaching hospitals in Australia's two most populous states were investigated by classifying each over a 5-6 year period in terms of their cost efficiency (average cost per case weighted by Australian diagnosis-related group [AN-DRG] data and adjusted for inflation) and structure, categorized as traditional-professional (TP), clinical-divisional (CD), or clinical-institute (CI). In all, 12 hospitals changed structure during the study period. There was slight evidence that CD structures were more efficient than TP structures but this was not supported by other evidence. There were no significant differences in efficiency in the first or second years following changes from either TP to CD or TP to CI structures. All four hospitals changing from CD to CI structure became significantly less efficient. This may be due to frequency rather than type of change as they were the only hospitals that implemented two structural changes. Hospitals that changed or did not change structure were similar in efficiency at the beginning and at the end of the study period, in overall efficiency during the period, and in trends toward efficiency over time. The findings challenge those who advocate restructuring hospitals on the grounds of improving cost efficiency.

Retention of mandibular advancement devices in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea: an in vitro pilot study.

PubMed

Vanderveken, Olivier M; Van de Heyning, Paul; Braem, Marc J

2014-05-01

In order for a mandibular advancement device (MAD) to be efficacious, it must remain seated on the teeth during sleep. Quantitative data on the retentive characteristics of MADs are currently unavailable. The present pilot study is the first to describe an in vitro setup testing the retentive characteristics of different monobloc MADs. A hydraulic cyclic test machine was used with MADs seated on dental casts to measure retention forces upon removal of the MADs. A custom-made monobloc (CM-mono), a thermoplastic monobloc (TP-mono), and a thermoplastic duobloc (TP-duo) configured as a monobloc were tested. Two protrusions were investigated, representing 25 and 65% of the maximal protrusion. The effects of the type of MAD, duration of the test, and amount of protrusion on removal forces were measured. The measured removal forces of all three MADs tested differed significantly, with the TP-duo showing the highest values (P < 0.0001). The effects of wear due to the repetitive cyclic loading became obvious by the production of wear particles in all MADs tested. However, only the TP-duo showed a significant reduction in time in removal forces for both protrusion positions (P < 0.0001; P = 0.0011). The effect of the amount of protrusion on the removal forces differed significantly between all three MADs tested (P = 0.0074). This in vitro pilot study reveals significant differences in retention forces for the MADs tested. The findings are consistent with clinical effects of nightly loss of MADs as reported in the literature and are within the range of reported physiological mouth-opening forces. Future research is needed to determine the key design features of MADs that explain these differences.

Enhanced reduction of excess sludge and nutrient removal in a pilot-scale A2O-MBR-TAD system.

PubMed

Ventura, J S; Seo, S; Chung, I; Yeom, I; Kim, H; Oh, Y; Jahng, D

2011-01-01

In this study, a pilot scale anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (A2O) process with submerged membrane (MBR) in the oxic tank was coupled with thermophilic aerobic digestion (TAD) reactor and was operated for longer than 600 days to treat real domestic wastewater. Regardless of the varying conditions of the system, the A2O-MBR-TAD process removed MLSS, TCOD, BOD, TN, TP, and E. coli about 99%, 96%, 96%, 70%, 83%, and 99%, respectively. The additional TP removal of the system was due to the precipitating agent directly added in the oxic reactor, without which TP removal was about 56%. In the TAD reactor, receiving MLSS from the oxic tank (MBR), about 25% of TSS and VSS were solubilized during 2 days of retention. The effluent of the TAD reactor was recycled into the anoxic tank of A2O-MBR to provide organic carbon for denitrification and cryptic growth. By controlling the flowrate of wasting stream from the MBR, sludge production decreased to almost zero. From these results, it was concluded that the A2O-MBR-TAD process could be a reliable option for excellent effluent quality and near zero-sludge production.

Shifts of system performance and microbial community structure in a constructed wetland after exposing silver nanoparticles.

PubMed

Cao, Chong; Huang, Juan; Yan, Chunni; Liu, Jialiang; Hu, Qian; Guan, Wenzhu

2018-05-01

The increasing utilization of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in industry and commerce inevitably raises its release into wastewater. In this work, effects of Ag NPs on system performance and microbial community along the way of a vertical flow constructed wetland (VFCW) were investigated, along with the removal and fate of Ag NPs within the system. Results showed that the performance of control wetland kept stable during the experimental period, and the top substrate layer (soil layer) of wetland could remove most of pollutants in the influent. The study also suggested that addition of Ag NPs did not significantly affect organic matters removal. However, adverse effects were observed on the nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Removal efficiencies of TN, NH 4 + -N and TP approximately obviously reduced by approximately 10.10%, 8.42% and 28.35% respectively in contrast to before dosing after exposing 100 μg/L Ag NPs for 94 d, while the no dosing wetland with the stable performance. It was found that Ag NPs accumulated in the upper soil layer more than in the lower soil layer, and Ag NPs could enter into the plant tissues. After continuous input of Ag NPs, removal efficiency of Ag NPs was measured as 95.72%, which showed that the CW could effectively remove Ag NPs from the wastewater. The high-throughput sequencing results revealed that Ag NPs caused the shifts in microbial community structures and changed the relative abundances of key functional bacteria, which finally resulted in a lower efficiency of biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Optimization of Energy Saving Measures with ABR-MBR Integrated Process].

PubMed

Wu, Peng; Lu, Shuang-jun; Xu, Yue-zhong; Liu, Jie; Shen, Yao-liang

2015-08-01

High energy consumption and membrane fouling are important factors that limit the wide use of membrane bioreactor (MBR). In order to reduce energy consumption and delay the process of membrane fouling, the process of anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR)-MBR was used to treat domestic sewage. The structure of the process and conditions of nitrogen and phosphorus removal were optimized in this study. The results showed that energy consumption was reduced by 43% through optimizing the structure of ABR-MBR process. Meanwhile, the process achieved a high level of COD, NH: -N, TN and TP removal, with the average removal efficiencies of 91%, 85%, 76% and 86%, respectively. In addition, the added particulate media could effectively delay membrane fouling, while the formation process of membrane fouling was changed. The extracted amount of carbohydrates increased while the amount of proteins decreased. Finally, the potential was enhanced for the practical application of MBR.

Association between Washing Residue on the Feet and Tinea Pedis in Diabetic Patients

PubMed Central

Takehara, Kimie; Amemiya, Ayumi; Mugita, Yuko; Tsunemi, Yuichiro; Seko, Yoko; Ohashi, Yumiko; Ueki, Kohjiro; Kadowaki, Takashi; Nagase, Takashi; Ikeda, Mari; Sanada, Hiromi

2015-01-01

Tinea pedis (TP) may lead to the development of foot ulcers in diabetic patients; thus, its prevention in diabetic patients is important. TP occurs after dermatophytes on the skin scales of TP patients attach to the feet. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the scales and dermatophytes, and this can be performed using various methods, including foot washing. This study aimed to objectively examine the association between the presence of TP and foot-washing habits. We included 33 diabetic patients, and, of these, 17 had TP. The presence of washing residue on the feet was determined by applying a fluorescent cream to the participants' feet, and images of the feet were captured under ultraviolet light before and after foot washing. Our results showed that diabetic patients with TP had higher levels of washing residue on their feet than those without TP. The importance of washing feet to prevent TP needs to be emphasized through educational programs for diabetic patients. Furthermore, the development of an effective foot-washing technique is essential. PMID:25793125

Harmful algal bloom removal and eutrophic water remediation by commercial nontoxic polyamine-co-polymeric ferric sulfate-modified soils.

PubMed

Dai, Guofei; Zhong, Jiayou; Song, Lirong; Guo, Chunjing; Gan, Nanqin; Wu, Zhenbin

2015-07-01

Harmful algal bloom has posed great threat to drinking water safety worldwide. In this study, soils were combined with commercial nontoxic polyamine poly(epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine) (PN) and polymeric ferric sulfate (PFS) to obtain PN-PFS soils for Microcystis removal and eutrophic water remediation under static laboratory conditions. High pH and temperature in water could enhance the function of PN-PFS soil. Algal removal efficiency increased as soil particle size decreased or modified soil dose increased. Other pollutants or chemicals (such as C, P, and organic matter) in eutrophic water could participate and promote algal removal by PN-PFS soil; these pollutants were also flocculated. During PN-PFS soil application in blooming field samples, the removal efficiency of blooming Microcystis cells exceeded 99 %, the cyanotoxin microcystins reduced by 57 %. Water parameters (as TP, TN, SS, and SPC) decreased by about 90 %. CODMn, PO4-P, and NH4-N also sharply decreased by >45 %. DO and ORP in water improved. Netting and bridging effects through electrostatic attraction and complexation reaction could be the two key mechanisms of Microcystis flocculation and pollutant purification. Considering the low cost of PN-PFS soil and its nontoxic effect on the environment, we proposed that this soil combination could be applied to remove cyanobacterial bloom and remediate eutrophic water in fields.

Performance of a pilot showcase of different wetland systems in an urban setting in Singapore.

PubMed

Quek, B S; He, Q H; Sim, C H

2015-01-01

The Alexandra Wetlands, part of PUB's Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme, showcase a surface flow wetland, an aquatic pond and a sub-surface flow wetland on a 200 m deck built over an urban drainage canal. Water from the canal is pumped to a sedimentation basin, before flowing in parallel to the three wetlands. Water quality monitoring was carried out monthly from April 2011 to December 2012. The order of removal efficiency is sub-surface flow (81.3%) >aquatic pond (58.5%) >surface flow (50.7%) for total suspended solids (TSS); sub-surface (44.9%) >surface flow (31.9%) >aquatic pond (22.0%) for total nitrogen (TN); and surface flow (56.7%) >aquatic pond (39.8%) >sub-surface flow (5.4%) for total phosphorus (TP). All three wetlands achieved the Singapore stormwater treatment objectives (STO) for TP removal, but only the sub-surface flow wetland met the STO for TSS, and none met the STO for TN. Challenges in achieving satisfactory performance include inconsistent feed water quality, undesirable behaviour such as fishing, release of pets and feeding of animals in the wetlands, and canal dredging during part of the monitoring period. As a pilot showcase, the Alexandra Wetlands provide useful lessons for implementing multi-objective wetlands in an urban setting.

Performance of different substrates in constructed wetlands planted with E. crassipes treating low-strength sewage under subtropical conditions.

PubMed

Lima, M X; Carvalho, K Q; Passig, F H; Borges, A C; Filippe, T C; Azevedo, J C R; Nagalli, A

2018-07-15

The present study aimed to assess removal potential of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), total phosphorus (TP) and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in synthetic wastewater simulating low-strength sewage by sequencing-batch mode constructed wetlands (CWs). Six CWs with three substrates (gravel, light expanded clay and clay bricks) and one CW of each substrate was planted with E. crassipes to verify the feasibility of using a floating macrophyte in CWs and verify the best optimized substrate. Results showed that the presence of E. crassipes enhanced the removal of COD for systems with gravel, increasing the removal efficiency from 37% in the unplanted system (CW G-U ) to 60% in the planted system (CW G-P ). The vegetated CW with clay bricks (CW B-P ) presented the best performance for both TKN and TAN removal, with maximum removal efficiencies of 68% and 35%, respectively. Phosphorus was observed to be efficiently removed in systems with clay bricks, both planted (CW B-U ) and unplanted (CW B-P ), with mean removal efficiencies of 82% and 87%, respectively, probably via adsorption. It was also observed that after 296days of operation, no desorption or increase on phosphorus in effluent samples were observed, thus indicating that the material was not yet saturated and phosphorus probably presents a strong binding to the media. ASA removal efficiency varied from 34% to 92% in CWs, probably due to plant uptake through roots and microbial biodegradation. Plant direct uptake varied from 4 to 74% of the total nitrogen and from 26 to 71% of the total phosphorus removed in CW G-P , CW C-P and CW B-P . E. crassipes was able to uptake up to 4.19g of phosphorus in CW C-P and 11.84g of nitrogen in CW B-P . The findings on this study suggest that E. crassipes could be used in CWs and clay bricks could significantly enhance phosphorus removal capacity in CWs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biological nutrient removal and molecular biological characteristics in an anaerobic-multistage anaerobic/oxic (A-MAO) process to treat municipal wastewater.

PubMed

Huang, Xiao; Dong, Wenyi; Wang, Hongjie; Jiang, Shilong

2017-10-01

This study aimed to present an anaerobic-multistage anaerobic/oxic (A-MAO) process to treat municipal wastewater. The average COD, NH 4 + -N, TN, and TP removal efficiency were 91.81%, 96.26%, 83.73% and 94.49%, respectively. Temperature plunge and C/N decrease have a certain impact on the modified process. Characteristics of microbial community, function microorganism, and correlation of microbial community with environmental variables in five compartments were carried out by Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing. The differences of microbial community were observed and Blastocatella, Flavobacterium and Pseudomonas were the dominant genus. Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira occupied a dominant position in AOB and NOB, respectively. Rhodospirillaceae and Rhodocyclaceae owned a considerable proportion in phosphorus removal bacteria. DO and COD played significant roles on affecting the microbial components. The A-MAO process in this study demonstrated a high potential for nutrient removal from municipal wastewater. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stable aerobic granules in continuous-flow bioreactor with self-forming dynamic membrane.

PubMed

Liu, Hongbo; Li, Yajie; Yang, Changzhu; Pu, Wenhong; He, Liu; Bo, Fu

2012-10-01

A novel continuous-flow bioreactor with aerobic granular sludge and self-forming dynamic membrane (CGSFDMBR) was developed for efficient wastewater treatment. Under continuous-flow operation, aerobic granular sludge was successfully cultivated and characterized with small particle size of about 0.1-1.0mm, low settling velocity of about 15-25 m/h, loose structure and high water content of about 96-98%. To maintain the stability of aerobic granular sludge, strategies based on the differences of settling velocity and particle-size between granular and flocculent sludge were implemented. Moreover, in CGSFDMBR, membrane fouling was greatly relieved. Dynamic membrane was just cleaned once in more than 45 days' operation. CGSFDMBR presented good performance in treating septic tank wastewater, obtaining average COD, NH(4)(+)-N, TN and TP removal rates of 83.3%, 73.3%, 67.3% and 60%, respectively, which was more efficient than conventional bioreactors since that carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus were simultaneously removed in a single aerobic reactor. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of CeO{sub 2} NPs on biological phosphorus removal and bacterial community shifts in a sequencing batch biofilm reactor with the differential effects of molecular oxygen

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

Xu, Yi; Wang, Chao

2016-11-15

The effects of CeO{sub 2} nanoparticles (CeO{sub 2} NPs) on a sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) with established biological phosphorus (P) removal were investigated from the processes of anaerobic P release and aerobic P uptake. At low concentration (0.1 mg/L), no significant impact was observed on total phosphorus (TP) removal after operating for 8 h. However, at a concentration of 20 mg/L, TP removal efficiency decreased from 83.68% to 55.88% and 16.76% when the CeO{sub 2} NPs were added at the beginning of the anaerobic and aerobic periods, respectively. Further studies illustrated that the inhibition of the specific P releasemore » rate was caused by the reversible states of Ce{sup 3+} and Ce{sup 4+}, which inhibited the activity of exopolyphosphatase (PPX) and transformation of poly-β-hydoxyalkanoates (PHA) and glycogen, as well as the uptake of volatile fatty acids (VFAs). The decrease in the specific P uptake rate was mainly attributed to the significantly suppressed energy generation and decreased abundance of Burkholderia caused by excess reactive oxygen species. The removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) was not influenced by CeO{sub 2} NPs under aerobic conditions, due to the increased abundance of Acetobacter and Acidocella after exposure. The inhibitory effects of CeO{sub 2} NPs with molecular oxygen were reduced after anaerobic exposure due to the enhanced particle size and the presence of Ce{sup 3+}. - Highlights: • CeO{sub 2} NPs (20 mg/L) had a notable toxicity effect on P removal in SBBR system. • The deteriorated SPRR was caused by the inhibited key enzyme activity (PPX). • The decreased SPUR was caused by the bacterial community shifts. • Ce ions converting and excess ROS generation are related toxicity mechanisms.« less

Performance Evaluation and Dissolved Oxygen Effect in Deep-bed Denitrification Filter: a Full-scale Plant Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Xiang; Hu, Jie; Wu, Ke; Hou, Hongxun

2018-01-01

The aims of this study were twofold. Firstly, the denitrificaion performance in deep-bed denitrificaiton filter (DBDF), serving as the advanced total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) removal technology, was evaluated. Secondly, the effect of dissolved oxygen (DO) into the DBDF on both the denitrificaion performance and the external carbon source addition was investigated. The operational results over eight months demonstrated good TN removal efficiency (87.8%) in the studied full-scale plant, in which 70.7% and 17.1% of TN were removed in the pre-denitrifation in oxidation ditch and post-denitrifation in DBDF, respectively. The DO concentration was inversely related to both the external carbon source dosage and the nitrate removed in DBDF. A dose of 3.60Kg methane (97%) was required to remove 1Kg nitrate, with approximately 26.2% of methane dosed was depleted by the DO in DBDF influent. It is suggested to take some measures to eliminate or mitigate the waterfall reoxygenation at process configurations before the DBDF, which is expected to save the cost of external carbon source.

Removal of nutrients from septic tank effluent with baffle subsurface-flow constructed wetlands.

PubMed

Cui, Lihua; Ouyang, Ying; Yang, Weizhi; Huang, Zhujian; Xu, Qiaoling; Yu, Guangwei

2015-04-15

Three new baffle flow constructed wetlands (CWs), namely the baffle horizontal flow CW (Z1), baffle vertical flow CW (Z2) and baffle hybrid flow CW (Z3), along with one traditional horizontal subsurface flow CW (Z4) were designed to test the removal efficiency of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from the septic tank effluent under varying hydraulic retention times (HRTs). Results showed that the optimal HRT was two days for maximal removal of N and P from the septic tank effluent among the four CWs. At this HRT, the Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4 CWs removed, respectively, 49.93, 58.50, 46.01 and 44.44% of TN as well as 87.82, 93.23, 95.97 and 91.30% of TP. Our study further revealed that the Z3 CW was the best design for overall removal of N and P from the septic tank effluent due to its hybrid flow directions with better oxygen supply inside the CW system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Removal of organic phosphorus and formaldehyde in glyphosate wastewater by CWO and the lime-catalyzed formose reaction.

PubMed

Xing, Bo; Chen, Honglin; Zhang, Xiaoming

2017-03-01

Glyphosate (PMG) wastewater with 40-600 mg/L organic phosphorus (OP) and 1-4% CH 2 O was treated by catalytic wet oxidation (CWO) and the lime-catalyzed formose reaction to remove total phosphorus (TP) and improve biodegradability. Activated carbons (ACs) modified by H 2 O 2 oxidation and thermal treatment with melamine were used as CWO catalysts and characterized by N 2 adsorption/desorption and XPS. The CWO experiments were performed in an autoclave reactor at 110-130 °C and 1.0 MPa. The modified AC showed higher catalytic activity than the parent AC due to the introduction of nitrogen-containing functional groups, exhibited over 90% OP removal for various real PMG wastewaters, and had good stability for 20 consecutive CWO runs. The CWO effluents were further treated by lime at 80 °C to remove TP and CH 2 O. The treated effluents, containing 0.5-12 mg/L TP and 20-60 mg/L CH 2 O, showed good biodegradability with a BOD 5 /COD ratio of 0.31-0.41. The combination of CWO and lime is an effective treatment method prior to biological treatment for solving the problems of OP and CH 2 O encountered by the glyphosate industry.

Biological floating bed and bio-contact oxidation processes for landscape water treatment: simultaneous removal of Microcystis aeruginosa, TOC, nitrogen and phosphorus.

PubMed

Su, Jun Feng; Liang, Dong Hui; Fu, Le; Wei, Li; Ma, Min

2018-06-13

The aim of this study was to identify algicidal bacteria J25 against the Microcystis aeruginosa (90.14%), Chlorella (78.75%), Scenedesmus (not inhibited), and Oscillatoria (90.12%). Meanwhile, we evaluate the SOD activity and efficiency of denitrification characteristics with Acinetobacter sp. J25. A novel hybrid bioreactor combined biological floating bed with bio-contact oxidation (BFBO) was designed for treating the landscape water, and the average removal efficiencies of nitrate-N, ammonia-N, nitrite-N, TN, TP, TOC, and algal cells were 91.14, 50, 87.86, 88.83, 33.07, 53.95, and 53.43%, respectively. A 454-pyrosequencing technology was employed to investigate the microbial communities of the BFBO reactor samples. The results showed that Acinetobacter sp. J25 was the dominant contributor for effective removal of N, algal cells, and TOC in the BFBO reactor. And the relative abundance of Acinetobacter showed increase trend with the delay of reaction time. Graphical abstract Biological floating bed and bio-contact oxidation (BFBO) as a novel hybrid bioreactor designed for simultaneous removal Microcystis aeruginosa, TOC, nitrogen, and phosphorus. And high-throughput sequencing data demonstrated that Acinetobacter sp. J25 was the dominate species in the reactor and played key roles in the removal of N, TOC, and M. aeruginosa. Proposed reaction mechanism of the BFBO.

Systemic administration of thrombin peptide TP508 enhances VEGF-stimulated angiogenesis and attenuates effects of chronic hypoxia

PubMed Central

Olszewska-Pazdrak, Barbara; Carney, Darrell H.

2015-01-01

Revascularization of chronic wounds and ischemic tissue is attenuated by endothelial dysfunction and the inability of angiogenic factors to stimulate angiogenesis. We recently showed that TP508, a nonproteolytic thrombin peptide, increases perfusion and NO-dependent vasodilation in hearts with chronic ischemia and stimulates NO production by endothelial cells. In this study, we investigated systemic in vivo effects of TP508 on VEGF-stimulated angiogenesis in vitro using aortic explants in normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Mice were injected with saline or TP508 and 24h later aortas were removed and cultured to quantify endothelial sprouting. TP508 injection increased endothelial sprouting and potentiated the in vitro response to VEGF. Exposure of control explants to hypoxia inhibited basal and VEGF-stimulated endothelial cell sprouting. This effect of hypoxia was significantly prevented by TP508 injection. Thus, TP508 systemic administration increases responsiveness of aortic endothelial cells to VEGF and diminishes the effect of chronic hypoxia on endothelial cell sprouting. Studies using human endothelial cells in culture suggest that protective effects of TP508 during hypoxia may involve stimulation of endothelial cell NO production. These data suggest potential clinical benefit of using a combination of systemic TP508 and local VEGF as a therapy for revascularization of ischemic tissue. PMID:23594718

A new installation for treatment of road runoff: up-flow filtration by porous polypropylene media.

PubMed

Lee, B C; Matsui, S; Shimizu, Y; Matsuda, T; Tanaka, Y

2005-01-01

We installed a new device on a paved road to treat runoff from a roadway surface. All the stormwater runoff was transferred into the device and the runoff equivalent to 10 mm/hr or less was treated. The treatment method consists of sedimentation and up-flow filtration with porous polypropylene (PPL) processes. The treated runoff was discharged into the existing storm drainage pipe. The average removal efficiency of the initial runoff at the beginning of rainfall which has high pollution intensity was about 90% for SS, about 70% for COD, about 40% for total phosphorus (T-P), about 80% for Pb and Cd, about 70% for Zn, Cu, Mn and Cr, and about 60% for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The overall removal efficiencies of the experiment that ran for four months remained > 60% of SS, > 40% of COD, > 60% of heavy metals, and > 40% of PAHs. The PPL is excellent for removing smaller size particulates of suspended solids, which originate basically from diesel exhaust, as well as larger size particulates from automobile tires, asphalt roads, and other accumulated source(s) of clay and sand, etc.

Continuous energy recovery and nutrients removal from molasses wastewater by synergistic system of dark fermentation and algal culture under various fermentation types.

PubMed

Ren, Hong-Yu; Kong, Fanying; Ma, Jun; Zhao, Lei; Xie, Guo-Jun; Xing, Defeng; Guo, Wan-Qian; Liu, Bing-Feng; Ren, Nan-Qi

2018-03-01

Synergistic system of dark fermentation and algal culture was initially operated at batch mode to investigate the energy production and nutrients removal from molasses wastewater in butyrate-type, ethanol-type and propionate-type fermentations. Butyrate-type fermentation was the most appropriate fermentation type for the synergistic system and exhibited the accumulative hydrogen volume of 658.3 mL L -1 and hydrogen yield of 131.7 mL g -1 COD. By-products from dark fermentation (mainly acetate and butyrate) were further used to cultivate oleaginous microalgae. The maximum algal biomass and lipid content reached 1.01 g L -1 and 38.5%, respectively. In continuous operation, the synergistic system was stable and efficient, and energy production increased from 8.77 kJ L -1  d -1 (dark fermentation) to 17.3 kJ L -1  d -1 (synergistic system). Total COD, TN and TP removal efficiencies in the synergistic system reached 91.1%, 89.1% and 85.7%, respectively. This study shows the potential of the synergistic system in energy recovery and wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Early postnatal response of the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus and target muscles to testosterone in male gerbils.

PubMed

Hadi Mansouri, S; Siegford, Janice M; Ulibarri, Catherine

2003-05-14

This study examined the response of the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) and the bulbocavernosus (BC) muscle, to testosterone in male Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) during the early postnatal period. Male gerbil pups were given testosterone propionate (TP) or vehicle for 2 days, then perfused on postnatal day (PND) 3, 5, 10 or 15. The BC and levator ani (LA) muscles were removed, weighed, and sectioned. Cross-sections of BC muscle fibers were measured and muscle fiber morphology examined. Spinal cords were removed and coronally sectioned in order to count and measure the SNB motoneurons. Following TP treatment, male pups of all ages had significantly heavier BC-LA muscles and larger fibers in the BC muscle compared to age-matched controls. The increase in muscle weight following TP treatment was greatest at PND10, while fiber size increased to a similar degree at all ages suggesting that hyperplasia as well as hypertrophy was responsible for the increase in muscle mass at this time. SNB motoneurons increased significantly in number and size with age and TP treatment. We hypothesize that the increase in SNB motoneuron number during normal ontogeny that can be augmented by TP treatment and represents an unusual means of establishing sexual dimorphism in the nervous system of a mammal through cell recruitment to the motor pool of a postnatal animal.

TP53INP2/DOR, a mediator of cell autophagy, promotes rDNA transcription via facilitating the assembly of the POLR1/RNA polymerase I preinitiation complex at rDNA promoters.

PubMed

Xu, Yinfeng; Wan, Wei; Shou, Xin; Huang, Rui; You, Zhiyuan; Shou, Yanhong; Wang, Lingling; Zhou, Tianhua; Liu, Wei

2016-07-02

Cells control their metabolism through modulating the anabolic and catabolic pathways. TP53INP2/DOR (tumor protein p53 inducible nuclear protein 2), participates in cell catabolism by serving as a promoter of autophagy. Here we uncover a novel function of TP53INP2 in protein synthesis, a major biosynthetic and energy-consuming anabolic process. TP53INP2 localizes to the nucleolus through its nucleolar localization signal (NoLS) located at the C-terminal domain. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays detected an association of TP53INP2 with the ribosomal DNA (rDNA), when exclusion of TP53INP2 from the nucleolus repressed rDNA promoter activity and the production of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and proteins. The removal of TP53INP2 also impaired the association of the POLR1/RNA polymerase I preinitiation complex (PIC) with rDNA. Further, TP53INP2 interacts directly with POLR1 PIC, and is required for the assembly of the complex. These data indicate that TP53INP2 promotes ribosome biogenesis through facilitating rRNA synthesis at the nucleolus, suggesting a dual role of TP53INP2 in cell metabolism, assisting anabolism on the nucleolus, and stimulating catabolism off the nucleolus.

A Peptide-based Vector for Efficient Gene Transfer In Vitro and In Vivo

PubMed Central

Lehto, Taavi; Simonson, Oscar E; Mäger, Imre; Ezzat, Kariem; Sork, Helena; Copolovici, Dana-Maria; Viola, Joana R; Zaghloul, Eman M; Lundin, Per; Moreno, Pedro MD; Mäe, Maarja; Oskolkov, Nikita; Suhorutšenko, Julia; Smith, CI Edvard; Andaloussi, Samir EL

2011-01-01

Finding suitable nonviral delivery vehicles for nucleic acid–based therapeutics is a landmark goal in gene therapy. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are one class of delivery vectors that has been exploited for this purpose. However, since CPPs use endocytosis to enter cells, a large fraction of peptides remain trapped in endosomes. We have previously reported that stearylation of amphipathic CPPs, such as transportan 10 (TP10), dramatically increases transfection of oligonucleotides in vitro partially by promoting endosomal escape. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate whether stearyl-TP10 could be used for the delivery of plasmids as well. Our results demonstrate that stearyl-TP10 forms stable nanoparticles with plasmids that efficiently enter different cell-types in a ubiquitous manner, including primary cells, resulting in significantly higher gene expression levels than when using stearyl-Arg9 or unmodified CPPs. In fact, the transfection efficacy of stearyl-TP10 almost reached the levels of Lipofectamine 2000 (LF2000), however, without any of the observed lipofection-associated toxicities. Most importantly, stearyl-TP10/plasmid nanoparticles are nonimmunogenic, mediate efficient gene delivery in vivo, when administrated intramuscularly (i.m.) or intradermally (i.d.) without any associated toxicity in mice. PMID:21343913

Simultaneous effective carbon and nitrogen removals and phosphorus recovery in an intermittently aerated membrane bioreactor integrated system

PubMed Central

Wang, Yun-Kun; Pan, Xin-Rong; Geng, Yi-Kun; Sheng, Guo-Ping

2015-01-01

Recovering nutrients, especially phosphate resource, from wastewater have attracted increasing interest recently. Herein, an intermittently aerated membrane bioreactor (MBR) with a mesh filter was developed for simultaneous chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN) and phosphorous removal, followed by phosphorus recovery from the phosphorus-rich sludge. This integrated system showed enhanced performances in nitrification and denitrification and phosphorous removal without excess sludge discharged. The removal of COD, TN and total phosphorus (TP) in a modified MBR were averaged at 94.4 ± 2.5%, 94.2 ± 5.7% and 53.3 ± 29.7%, respectively. The removed TP was stored in biomass, and 68.7% of the stored phosphorous in the sludge could be recovered as concentrated phosphate solution with a concentration of phosphate above 350 mg/L. The sludge after phosphorus release could be returned back to the MBR for phosphorus uptake, and 83.8% of its capacity could be recovered. PMID:26541793

A potyvirus vector efficiently targets recombinant proteins to chloroplasts, mitochondria and nuclei in plant cells when expressed at the amino terminus of the polyprotein.

PubMed

Majer, Eszter; Navarro, José-Antonio; Daròs, José-Antonio

2015-09-01

Plant virus-based expression systems allow quick and efficient production of recombinant proteins in plant biofactories. Among them, a system derived from tobacco etch virus (TEV; genus potyvirus) permits coexpression of equimolar amounts of several recombinant proteins. This work analyzed how to target recombinant proteins to different subcellular localizations in the plant cell using this system. We constructed TEV clones in which green fluorescent protein (GFP), with a chloroplast transit peptide (cTP), a nuclear localization signal (NLS) or a mitochondrial targeting peptide (mTP) was expressed either as the most amino-terminal product or embedded in the viral polyprotein. Results showed that cTP and mTP mediated efficient translocation of GFP to the corresponding organelle only when present at the amino terminus of the viral polyprotein. In contrast, the NLS worked efficiently at both positions. Viruses expressing GFP in the amino terminus of the viral polyprotein produced milder symptoms. Untagged GFPs and cTP and NLS tagged amino-terminal GFPs accumulated to higher amounts in infected tissues. Finally, viral progeny from clones with internal GFPs maintained the extra gene better. These observations will help in the design of potyvirus-based vectors able to coexpress several proteins while targeting different subcellular localizations, as required in plant metabolic engineering. Copyright © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effects of the inclusion of a mixed Psychrotrophic bacteria strain for sewage treatment in constructed wetland in winter seasons.

PubMed

Tang, Meizhen; Li, Zhengtao; Yang, Yuewei; Chen, Junfeng; Jiang, Jie

2018-04-01

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been used globally in wastewater treatment for years. CWs represent an efficient ecological system which is both energy-saving and low in investment for construction and operational cost. In addition, CWs also have the advantage of being easy to operate and maintain. However, the operation of CWs at northern latitudes (both mid and high) is sometimes quite demanding, due to the inhibitory effect of low temperatures that often occur in winter. To evaluate the wastewater treatment performance of a culture of mixed Psychrotrophic bacteria strains in an integrated vertical-flow CW, the removal rates of ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 -N), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrite nitrogen [Formula: see text], nitrate nitrogen [Formula: see text] and total phosphorus (TP) were quantified at different bacterial dosages to determine the best bacterial dosage and establish kinetic degradation models of the mixed strains. The bacterial culture was made up of Psychrobacter TM-1, Sphingobacterium TM-2 and Pseudomonas TM-3, mixed together at a volume/volume ratio of 1 : 1 : 1 (at bacterial suspension concentrations of 4.4 × 10 9  ml -1 ). Results showed that the organic pollutants (nitrogen and phosphorus) in the sewage could be efficiently removed by the culture of mixed Psychrotrophic bacteria. The optimal dosage of this mixed bacteria strain was 2.5%, and the treatment efficiency of COD, NH 3 -N, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], total nitrogen and TP were stable at 91.8%, 91.1%, 88.0%, 93.8%, 94.8% and 95.2%, respectively, which were 1.5, 2.0, 2.1, 1.5, 2.2 and 1.3 times those of the control group. In addition, a pseudo-first-order degradation model was a good fit for the degradation pattern observed for each of these pollutants.

Reproduction capacity of Potamogeton crispus fragments and its role in water purification and algae inhibition in eutrophic lakes.

PubMed

Zhou, Yiwen; Zhou, Xiaohong; Han, Ruiming; Xu, Xiaoguang; Wang, Guoxiang; Liu, Xiansheng; Bi, Fengzhi; Feng, Deyou

2017-02-15

The role of fragments in restoring eutrophic lakes remains unclear despite the importance of re-establishing submerged macrophytes via fragments. This study established a manipulative experiment using different biomass fragments of Potamogeton crispus. This approach was adapted to study the reproductive capacity, nutrient removal efficiency, and algae inhibitory effect of fragments. Results showed that fragments could grow throughout a 49-day experiment by maintaining the stable photosynthesis efficiency of leaves and lengthening the stems. These floating fragments could regenerate by producing turions for the maintenance of their species. Moreover, the increasing removal efficiency of TP, TN, NH 4 + -N, and NO 3 - -N in water with the increase of fragment biomass indicates that the fragments could effectively purify water quality. Floating fragments competed with algae for nutrients, occupied a favorable ecological niche, and reduced algae biomass. They altered the structure of algae community and shifted the dominated green algae to cyanobacteria, the green algae of phytoplankton, and benthic algae. Findings imply that the postponable regulation of fragments is necessary for the ecological restoration of eutrophic lakes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

7-Deazapurine containing DNA: efficiency of c7GdTP, c7AdTP and c7IdTP incorporation during PCR-amplification and protection from endodeoxyribonuclease hydrolysis.

PubMed Central

Seela, F; Röling, A

1992-01-01

The enzymatic synthesis of 7-deazapurine nucleoside containing DNA (501 bp) is performed by PCR-amplification (Taq polymerase) using a pUC18 plasmid DNA as template and the triphosphates of 7-deaza-2'-deoxyguanosine (c7Gd), -adenosine (c7Ad) and -inosine (c7Id). c7GdTP can fully replace dGTP resulting in a completely modified DNA-fragment of defined size and sequence. The other two 7-deazapurine triphosphates (c7AdTP) and (c7IdTP) require the presence of the parent purine 2'-deoxyribonucleotides. In purine/7-deazapurine nucleotide mixtures Taq polymerase prefers purine over 7-deazapurine nucleotides but accepts c7GdTP much better than c7AdTP or c7IdTP. As incorporation of 7-deazapurine nucleotides represents a modification of the major groove of DNA it can be used to probe DNA/protein interaction. Regioselective phosphodiester hydrolysis of the modified DNA-fragments was studied with 28 endodeoxyribonucleases. c7Gd is able to protect the DNA from the phosphodiester hydrolysis in more than 20 cases, only a few enzymes (Mae III, Rsa I, Hind III, Pvu II or Taq I) do still hydrolyze the modified DNA. c7Ad protects DNA less efficiently, as this DNA could only be modified in part. The absence of N-7 as potential binding position or a geometric distortion of the recognition duplex caused by the 7-deazapurine base can account for protection of hydrolysis. Images PMID:1738604

Performance of system consisting of vertical flow trickling filter and horizontal flow multi-soil-layering reactor for treatment of rural wastewater.

PubMed

Zhang, Yi; Cheng, Yan; Yang, Chunping; Luo, Wei; Zeng, Guangming; Lu, Li

2015-10-01

In order to improve nitrogen removal for rural wastewater, a novel two-stage hybrid system, consisting of a vertical flow trickling filter (VFTF) and a horizontal flow multi-soil-layering (HFMSL) bioreactor was developed. The performance of the apparatus was observed under various carbon-nitrogen ratios and water spraying frequencies separately. The maximum removal efficiency of total nitrogen (TN) for the hybrid system was 92.8% while the removal rates of CODCr, ammonium (NH4(+)-N), and total phosphorus (TP) were 94.1%, 96.1%, 92.0% respectively, and the corresponding effluent concentrations were 3.61, 21.20, 1.91, and 0.33 mg L(-1). The horizontal flow mode for MSL led the system to denitrifying satisfactorily as it ensured relatively long hydraulic retention time (HRT), ideal anoxic condition and adequate organic substrates supply. Also, higher water spraying frequency benefited intermittent feeding system for pollutants removal. Shock loading test indicated that the hybrid system could operate well even at hydraulic shock loadings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil infiltration bioreactor incorporated with pyrite-based (mixotrophic) denitrification for domestic wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Kong, Zhe; Li, Lu; Feng, Chuanping; Chen, Nan; Dong, Shanshan; Hu, Weiwu

2015-01-01

In this study, an integrated two-stage soil infiltration bioreactor incorporated with pyrite-based (mixotrophic) denitrification (SIBPD) was designed for domestic wastewater treatment. Benefited from excellent adsorption ability and water-permeability, soil infiltration could avoid clogging, shorten operating time and lower maintenance cost. Respiration and nitrification were mostly engaged in aerobic stage (AES), while nitrate was majorly removed by pyrite-based mixotrophic denitrification mainly occurred in anaerobic stage (ANS). Fed with synthetic and real wastewater for 120days at 1.5h HRT, SIBPD demonstrated good removal performance showing 87.14% for COD, 92.84% for NH4(+)-N and 82.58% for TP along with 80.72% of nitrate removed by ANS. TN removal efficiency was 83.74% when conducting real wastewater. Compared with sulfur-based process, the effluent pH of SIBPD was maintained at 6.99-7.34 and the highest SO4(2-) concentration was only 64.63mgL(-1). This study revealed a promising and feasible application prospect for on-site domestic wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Instream Attenuation of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Non-Point Source Dominated Streams: Hydrologic and Biogeochemical Controls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bray, E. N.; Chen, X.; Keller, A. A.

2010-12-01

Non-point source inputs of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) in rivers are the leading causes of water quality degradation in the United States (Turner and Rabalais, 2003; Broussard and Turner, 2009). Yet it remains a challenge to adequately quantify the relative role and influence of physical hydrological processes versus biogeochemical processes on the attenuation of TN and TP for individual river reaches. A watershed-scale study of instream dynamics and attenuation of TN and TP in northeastern U.S. headwater streams demonstrates that physical and hydrological processes exert greater control over nutrient removal than biogeochemical processes. To explore these interactions under various attenuation scenarios, we developed the watershed-scale model (WARMF) for 97 catchments to simulate watershed processes, hydrology, and diffuse source loads of nutrients. We simulated a hypothetical nutrient release at a rate of 1 kg/d of TN (50% as ammonium and 50% as nitrate) and TP (100% as phosphate) to predict response lengths of downstream catchments. Resulting attenuation factors are presented as the change in mean load at a given location, normalized to the change in the catchment in which the load is applied. Results indicate that for most catchments, the TN and TP load increase is attenuated from the stream within a few tens of kilometers. Fifty percent attenuation occurs across length scales ranging from a few hundreds of meters to kilometers if the load is introduced in the headwaters, indicating the most rapid nutrient removal occurs in the smallest headwater streams but generally decreases with distance downstream. There are some differences in the attenuation factors for TN and TP, although the pattern of attenuation is the same. Sensitivity analyses highlight five hydrological parameters of paramount importance to concentrations of N and P, namely precipitation, evaporation coefficients (magnitude and skewness), soil layer thickness, soil saturated moisture and soil hydraulic conductivity. These model parameters have a significant effect on the concentrations of nutrients, with TN exhibiting greater sensitivity. Further, attenuation results suggest that stream depth, flow regime, and density of agriculture in small headwater streams are potentially important controls to nutrient uptake and removal; i.e. during periods of low flow, dilution is reduced, attenuation length increases, and removal processes may be dominated by settling as opposed to biogeochemistry. Instream attenuation and model results can be used to assess 1) the scale and nature of best management practices which must be adopted to result in nutrient reductions, 2) the downstream distance at which load reductions will be effective, and 3) the hydrological characteristics of the river network which exert considerable influence on attenuation lengths and nutrient removal.

Nitrogen and Phosphorous Uptake in Plant Biomass of Experimental Bioretention Systems in Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sapkota, P.

2016-12-01

There is keen interest in implementing bioretention systems for stormwater management in an arid climate as they have proven to reduce toxicity from stormwater. Nitrogen is prevalent in urban stormwater, and plants and soil in bioretention treat stormwater before they enter natural waterways. A limited number of studies have focused on quantifying nutrient accumulation in plants. We quantified Total Nitrogen (TN), Total carbon (TC), and Total Phosphorous (TP) uptake in plants biomass of bioretention systems of semi-arid climate. The designed bioretention units housed at the University of Utah have three different vegetation types: Utah native plants (upland), no plants (control) and wetland plants (wetland grasses and reeds). The bioretention units are designed to capture 95% of the runoff from an impervious area of 220 m2. The soil is composed of 63% sand, 23% silt, and 14% clay. We compared TN, TC, and TP accumulation in plant biomass of upland and wetland systems. Two set of samples were taken for this study. For the first set, plants were completely destroyed in several upland and wetland bioretention units and TN and TP was quantified in their overall biomass. For the second set, TN and TP uptake were quantified in non-destructed samples on a monthly basis. To determine biomass of non-destructed samples, and TN, TP uptake, allometric equations were developed using plant height, crown diameter, and stem diameter measured each month from May 2015 to Dec 2015. Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) was used to quantify TN and lachat colorimetry was used to quantify TP in all plant samples. TN, TC, and TP results for the destructed showed similar trends in three upland and wetland systems .i.e. when one increased other also increased. TN, TC analysis on plant samples over a seven months period showed that TN and TC decreased in summer, but it was significantly higher during winter. TN and TC on non-destructed samples spiked towards late spring, and woody plants had lower but better-maintained biomasses, TN and TC than grasses. Overall, the results from this experiment showed which plants are more efficient in foraging nitrogen and phosphorus from soil, and which plants performed best in nitrogen and phosphorous removal from bioretention in a semi-arid climate.

Influences of iron and calcium carbonate on wastewater treatment performances of algae based reactors.

PubMed

Zhao, Zhimiao; Song, Xinshan; Wang, Wei; Xiao, Yanping; Gong, Zhijie; Wang, Yuhui; Zhao, Yufeng; Chen, Yu; Mei, Mengyuan

2016-09-01

The influences of iron and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) addition in wastewater treatments reactors performance were investigated. Adding different concentrations of Fe(3+) (5, 10, 30 and 50mmol/m(3)), iron and CaCO3 powder led to changes in algal characteristics and physico-chemical and microbiological properties. According to the investigation results, nutrient removal efficiency in algae based reactors was obviously increased by the addition of 10mmol/m(3) Fe(3+), iron (5mmol/m(3)) and CaCO3 powder (0.2gm(-3)) and the removal efficiencies of BOD5, TN, and TP in Stage 2 were respectively increased by 28%, 8.9%, and 22%. The improvements in physico-chemical performances were verified by microbial community tests (bacteria quantity, activity and community measured in most probable number, extracellular enzymes activity, and Biolog Eco Plates). Microbial variations indicated the coexistence of Fe ions and carbonate-bicarbonate, which triggered the synergistic effect of physico-chemical action and microbial factors in algae based reactors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Screening of microalgae for integral biogas slurry nutrient removal and biogas upgrading by different microalgae cultivation technology.

PubMed

Wang, Xue; Bao, Keting; Cao, Weixing; Zhao, Yongjun; Hu, Chang Wei

2017-07-14

The microalgae-based technology has been developed to reduce biogas slurry nutrients and upgrade biogas simultaneously. In this work, five microalgal strains named Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus obliquus, Selenastrum capricornutum, Nitzschia palea, and Anabaena spiroides under mono- and co-cultivation were used for biogas upgrading. Optimum biogas slurry nutrient reduction could be achieved by co-cultivating microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris, Scenedesmus obliquus, and Nitzschia palea) with fungi using the pelletization technology. In addition, the effects of different ratio of mixed LED light wavelengths applying mixed light-emitting diode during algae strains and fungi co-cultivation on CO 2 and biogas slurry nutrient removal efficiency were also investigated. The results showed that the COD (chemical oxygen demand), TN (total nitrogen), and TP (total phosphorus) removal efficiency were 85.82 ± 5.37%, 83.31 ± 4.72%, and 84.26 ± 5.58%, respectively at red: blue = 5:5 under the co-cultivation of S. obliquus and fungi. In terms of biogas upgrading, CH 4 contents were higher than 90% (v/v) for all strains, except the co-cultivation with S. obliquus and fungi at red: blue = 3:7. The results indicated that co-cultivation of microalgae with fungi under mixed light wavelengths treatments was most successful in nutrient removal from wastewater and biogas upgrading.

Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study in mice of triptolide-loaded lipid emulsion and accumulation effect on pancreas.

PubMed

Li, Xue; Mao, Yuling; Li, Kai; Shi, Tianyu; Yao, Huimin; Yao, Jianhua; Wang, Shujun

2016-05-01

Triptolide (TP) shows strong anti-tumor activities on various cancer cells, especially on pancreatic cancer. TP inhibits HSP70 expression leading to cell death in pancreatic cancer cells and induces cell death by apoptotic and autophagic pathways. In order to increase the therapeutic index of TP, a novel intravenous TP-loaded delivery system, TP-loaded lipid emulsion (TP-LE), has been developed to treat solid tumor. In the present study, the preparation and characterization of TP-LE were described. The pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution study of TP-LE in mice were also evaluated. Results demonstrated that TP-LE had an average particle size of 154.6 nm, entrapment efficiency (EE%) of 87%, zeta potential of -0.903 mV and autoclaved stability. The pharmacokinetic study showed that blood concentrations of both TP-LE and TP reached a maximum at the end of intravenous administration (1.25 mg/kg) and declined rapidly within the first 10 min with a mean residence time (MRT) of about 10 min. In the tissue distribution study, a preferential accumulation and longer residence time of drug in pancreas were found in TP-LE. The AUC0-60min of TP-LE in pancreas was 2.19 times in comparison to free TP, suggesting that the use of TP-LE conferred improvements in biodistribution, accumulation and therapeutic efficacy in pancreas. Moreover, the concentrations of TP-LE in heart, lung and kidney were lower than that of the TP group, indicating the potential for reduced toxicity of TP-LE. Together, all the results show that TP-LE appears to be a promising formulation for using TP in treating cancer, and more specifically pancreatic cancer.

Enhanced Nutrients Removal Using Reeds Straw as Carbon Source in a Laboratory Scale Constructed Wetland.

PubMed

Wang, Tong; Wang, Haiyan; Chang, Yang; Chu, Zhaosheng; Zhao, Yaqian; Liu, Ranbin

2018-05-27

The low carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio and high nitrate content characteristics of agricultural runoff restricted the nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands (CWs). To resolve such problems, the economically- and easily-obtained Phragmites Australis (reeds) litters were applied and packed in the surface layer of a surface flow CW as external carbon sources. The results demonstrated that the introduction of the reeds straw increased the C concentration as a result of their decomposition during the CW operation, which will help the denitrification in the ensuing operation of an entire 148 days. The total nitrogen (TN) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) () in the effluent reached the peak level of 63.2 mg/L and 83 mg/L at the fourth and the second day, respectively. Subsequently, the pollutants in the CW that were filled with straw decreased rapidly and achieved a stable removal after 13 days of operation. Moreover, the present study showed that the N removal efficiency increased with the increase of the hydraulic retention time (HRT). Under the HRT of four days, the CW presented 74.1 ± 6%, 87.4 ± 6% and 56.0 ± 6% removal for TN, NO₃⁻, and TP, respectively.

In-situ Adsorption-Biological Combined Technology Treating Sediment Phosphorus in all Fractions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Y.; Wang, C.; He, F.; Liu, B.; Xu, D.; Xia, S.; Zhou, Q.; Wu, Z.

2016-07-01

The removal efficiency of sediment phosphorus (P) in all fractions with in-situ adsorption-biological combined technology was studied in West Lake, Hangzhou, China. The removal amounts of sediment Ca-P, Fe/Al-P, IP, OP and TP by the combined effect of PCFM (Porous ceramic filter media) and V. spiralis was 61 mg/kg, 249 mg/kg, 318 mg/kg, 85 mg/kg and 416 mg/kg, respectively, and the corresponding removing rate reached 10.5%, 44.6%, 27.5%, 30.6% and 29.2%. This study suggested that the combination of PCFM and V. spiralis could achieve a synergetic sediment P removal because the removal rates of the combinations were higher than the sum of that of PCFM and macrophytes used separately. From analysis of sediment microbial community and predicted function, we found that the combined PCFM and V. spiralis enhanced the function of P metabolism by increasing specific genus that belong to phylum Firmicutes and Nitrospirae. Thus it can be seen the in-situ adsorption-biological combined technology could be further applied to treat internal P loading in eutrophic waters.

In-situ Adsorption-Biological Combined Technology Treating Sediment Phosphorus in all Fractions

PubMed Central

Zhang, Y.; Wang, C.; He, F.; Liu, B.; Xu, D.; Xia, S.; Zhou, Q.; Wu, Z.

2016-01-01

The removal efficiency of sediment phosphorus (P) in all fractions with in-situ adsorption-biological combined technology was studied in West Lake, Hangzhou, China. The removal amounts of sediment Ca-P, Fe/Al-P, IP, OP and TP by the combined effect of PCFM (Porous ceramic filter media) and V. spiralis was 61 mg/kg, 249 mg/kg, 318 mg/kg, 85 mg/kg and 416 mg/kg, respectively, and the corresponding removing rate reached 10.5%, 44.6%, 27.5%, 30.6% and 29.2%. This study suggested that the combination of PCFM and V. spiralis could achieve a synergetic sediment P removal because the removal rates of the combinations were higher than the sum of that of PCFM and macrophytes used separately. From analysis of sediment microbial community and predicted function, we found that the combined PCFM and V. spiralis enhanced the function of P metabolism by increasing specific genus that belong to phylum Firmicutes and Nitrospirae. Thus it can be seen the in-situ adsorption-biological combined technology could be further applied to treat internal P loading in eutrophic waters. PMID:27418242

Adsorptive Desulfurization of Model Gasoline by Using Different Zn Sources Exchanged NaY Zeolites.

PubMed

Rui, Jingwei; Liu, Fei; Wang, Rijie; Lu, Yanfei; Yang, Xiaoxia

2017-02-17

A series of Zn-modified NaY zeolites were prepared by the liquid-phase ion-exchange method with different Zn sources, including Zn(NO₃)₂, Zn(Ac)₂ and ZnSO₄. The samples were tested as adsorbents for removing an organic sulfur compound from a model gasoline fuel containing 1000 ppmw sulfur. Zn(Ac)₂-Y exhibited the best performance for the desulfurization of gasoline at ambient conditions. Combined with the adsorbents' characterization results, the higher adsorption capacity of Zn(Ac)₂-Y is associated with a higher ion-exchange degree. Further, the results demonstrated that the addition of 5 wt % toluene or 1-hexene to the diluted thiophene (TP) solution in cyclohexane caused a large decrease in the removal of TP from the model gasoline fuel. This provides evidence about the competition through the π-complexation between TP and toluene for adsorption on the active sites. The acid-catalyzed alkylation by 1-hexene of TP and the generated complex mixture of bulky alkylthiophenes would adsorb on the surface active sites of the adsorbent and block the pores. The regenerated Zn(Ac)₂-Y adsorbent afforded 84.42% and 66.10% of the initial adsorption capacity after the first two regeneration cycles.

Nitrogen and phosphorus flux from the production of Nile tilapia through the application of environmental indicators.

PubMed

Osti, J A S; Moraes, M A B; Carmo, C F; Mercante, C T J

2018-02-01

We aimed in this study utilize environmental indicators as a quantitative method to evaluate and discuss the nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP) flux by a production stage grow-out (termination) of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in fishpond. The TN and TP load, the mass balance, the input of TN and TP via feed and the converted nutrients in fish biomass are the environmental indicators applied in this study. During the production cycle (128 days), the system exported 15,931 g TN and 4,189 g TP that were related to the amount of feed supplied (r Pearson = 0.8825 and r = 0.8523, respectively), corroborated by the feed conversion ratio (1.61:1). The indicators showed that 26% TN and 45% TP were reversed into fish biomass, 62% TN and 40% TP were retained in the fishpond, and 12% TN and 15% TP were exported via effluent. The largest contribution of nutrients generated by the system and exported via effluent was observed in phase III and IV. This result is supported by the feed conversion ratio 2.14 and 2.21:1 obtained at this phase, a fact explained by the amount of feed offered and the fish metabolism. Application of environmental indicators showed to be an efficient tool to quantify flux of TN and TP produced during the grow-out period of Nile tilapia and therefore, guide management practices more sustainable. Concerning the environmental sustainability of the activity the implementation of best management practices such as the better control of the feed amount offered would lead to a smaller loss of TN and TP to the water. Furthermore, the use of better quality feeds would allow greater nutrient assimilation efficiency.

Laboratory and pilot-scale field experiments for application of iron oxide nanoparticle-loaded chitosan composites to phosphate removal from natural water.

PubMed

Kim, Jae-Hyun; Kim, Song-Bae; Lee, Sang-Hyup; Choi, Jae-Woo

2018-03-01

The aim of this study was to apply iron oxide nanoparticle-chitosan (ION-chitosan) composites to phosphate removal from natural water collected from the Seoho Stream in Suwon, Republic of Korea. Laboratory batch experiments showed that phosphate removal by the ION-chitosan composites was not sensitive to pH changes between pH values of 5.0 and 9.0. During six cycles of adsorption-desorption, the composites could be successfully regenerated with 5 mM NaOH solution and reused for phosphate removal. Laboratory fixed-bed column experiments (column height = 10 and 20 cm, inner diameter = 2.5 cm, flow rate = 8.18 and 16.36 mL/min) demonstrated that the composites could be successfully applied for phosphate removal under dynamic flow conditions. A pilot-scale field experiment was performed in a pilot plant, which was mainly composed of chemical reactor/dissolved air flotation and an adsorption tower, built nearby the Seoho Stream. The natural water was pumped from the Seoho Stream into the pilot plant, passed through the chemical reactor/dissolved air flotation process, and then introduced into the adsorption tower (height = 100 cm, inner diameter = 45 cm, flow rate = 7.05 ± 0.18 L/min) for phosphate removal via the composites (composite volume = 80 L, composite weight = 85.74 kg). During monitoring of the adsorption tower (33 days), the influent total phosphorus (T-P) concentration was in the range of 0.020-0.046 mgP/L, whereas the effluent T-P concentration was in the range of 0.010-0.028 mgP/L. The percent removal of T-P in the adsorption tower was 52.3% with a phosphate removal capacity of 0.059 mgP/g.

A soil infiltration system incorporated with sulfur-utilizing autotrophic denitrification (SISSAD) for domestic wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Kong, Zhe; Feng, Chuanping; Chen, Nan; Tong, Shuang; Zhang, Baogang; Hao, Chunbo; Chen, Kun

2014-05-01

To enhance the denitrification performance of soil infiltration, a soil infiltration system incorporated with sulfur-utilizing autotrophic denitrification (SISSAD) for domestic wastewater treatment was developed, and the SISSAD performance was evaluated using synthetic domestic wastewater in this study. The aerobic respiration and nitrification were mainly taken place in the upper aerobic stage (AES), removed 88.44% COD and 89.99% NH4(+)-N. Moreover, autotrophic denitrification occurred in the bottom anaerobic stage (ANS), using the CO2 produced from AES as inorganic carbon source. Results demonstrated that the SISSAD showed a remarkable performance on COD removal efficiency of 95.09%, 84.86% for NO3(-)-N, 95.25% for NH4(+)-N and 93.15% for TP. This research revealed the developed system exhibits a promising application prospect for domestic wastewater in the future. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Potential Water Reuse for High Strength Fruit and Vegetable Processor Wastewater with an MBR.

PubMed

Moore, Adam W; Zytner, Richard G; Chang, Sheng

  High strength food processing wastewater from two processing plants was studied to determine the effectiveness of an aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) to reduce BOD, TSS and nutrients below municipal sewer discharge limits. The MBR comprised a 20 L lab-scale reactor combined with a flat sheet, ultrafiltration membrane module. The parameters studied included the operational flux, solids and hydraulic retention times and recirculation ratio with regards to nitrification/denitrification. The MBR system provided excellent removal efficiency at 97% COD, 99% BOD, 99.9% TSS, 90% TKN, and 60% TP for both processing plants, which eliminated the surcharges, allowing the firms to stay competitive. Effluent reuse tests showed that activated carbon proved effective in removing color from the MBR permeate, while UV treatment was able to achieve a 5 log reduction in bacteriophage. Overall, these treatment successes show the potential for water reuse in the agrifood sector.

Engineered ecosystem for on-site wastewater treatment in tropical areas.

PubMed

de Sá Salomão, André Luis; Marques, Marcia; Severo, Raul Gonçalves; da Cruz Roque, Odir Clécio

2012-01-01

There is a worldwide demand for decentralized wastewater treatment options. An on-site engineered ecosystem (EE) treatment plant was designed with a multistage approach for small wastewater generators in tropical areas. The array of treatment units included a septic tank, a submersed aerated filter, and a secondary decanter followed by three vegetated tanks containing aquatic macrophytes intercalated with one tank of algae. During 11 months of operation with a flow rate of 52 L h(-1), the system removed on average 93.2% and 92.9% of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and volatile suspended solids (VSS) reaching final concentrations of 36.3 ± 12.7 and 13.7 ± 4.2 mg L(-1), respectively. Regarding ammonia-N (NH(4)-N) and total phosphorus (TP), the system removed on average 69.8% and 54.5% with final concentrations of 18.8 ± 9.3 and 14.0 ± 2.5 mg L(-1), respectively. The tanks with algae and macrophytes together contributed to the overall nutrient removal with 33.6% for NH(4)-N and 26.4% for TP. The final concentrations for all parameters except TP met the discharge threshold limits established by Brazilian and EU legislation. The EE was considered appropriate for the purpose for which it was created.

Inactivation efficiency and mechanism of UV-TiO2 photocatalysis against murine norovirus using a solidified agar matrix.

PubMed

Park, Daseul; Shahbaz, Hafiz Muhammad; Kim, Sun-Hyoung; Lee, Mijin; Lee, Wooseong; Oh, Jong-Won; Lee, Dong-Un; Park, Jiyong

2016-12-05

Human norovirus (HuNoV) is the primary cause of viral gastroenteritis worldwide. Fresh blueberries are among high risk foods associated with norovirus related outbreaks. Therefore, it is important to assess intervention strategies to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. The disinfection efficiency of decontamination methods is difficult to evaluate for fruits and vegetables due to an inconsistent degree of contamination and irregular surface characteristics. The inactivation efficiency and mechanism of murine norovirus 1 (MNV-1, a surrogate for HuNoV) was studied on an experimentally prepared solidified agar matrix (SAM) to simulate blueberries using different wavelengths (A, B, C) of UV light both with and without TiO 2 photocatalysis (TP). MNV-1 was inoculated on exterior and interior of SAM and inactivation efficiencies of different treatments were investigated using a number of assays. Initial inoculum levels of MNV-1 on the SAM surface and interior were 5.2logPFU/mL. UVC with TiO 2 (UVC-TP) achieved the highest level of viral reduction for both externally inoculated and internalized MNV-1. Externally inoculated MNV-1 was reduced to non-detectable levels after UVC-TP treatment for 5min while there was still a 0.9 log viral titer after UVC alone. For internalized MNV-1, 3.2 log and 2.7 log reductions were obtained with UVC-TP and UVC alone treatments for 10min, respectively. The Weibull model was applied to describe the inactivation behavior of MNV-1, and the model showed a good fit to the data. An excellent correlation between the steady-state concentration of OH radicals ([OH] ss ) and viral inactivation was quantified using a para-chlorobenzoic acid (pCBA) probe compound, suggesting that OH radicals produced in the UV-TP reaction were the major species for MNV-1 inactivation. Transmission electron microscopy images showed that the structure of viral particles was completely disrupted with UVC-TP and UVC alone. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the major capsid protein VP1 was degraded after UVC-TP and UVC alone. Real-time RT-qPCR analysis showed that UVC-TP and UVC alone caused a reduction in the level of viral genomic RNA. Propidium monoazide (PMA) pretreatment RT-qPCR analysis showed that UVC-TP caused damage to the viral capsid protein in addition to viral genomic RNA. UVC both with and without TiO 2 was more effective for MNV-1 inactivation than UVB and UVA. Thus, UVC-TP disinfection aimed to reduce levels of food-borne viruses can inactivate viruses present on the surface and internalized in the interior of blueberries. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Research of urban eutrophic water repair by water/sediment biological bases].

PubMed

Zhou, Hui-Hua; Song, Xiao-Guang; Wu, Ge; Xie, Xin-Yuan

2013-10-01

A micro power turbine water aeration system with a water biological base and a sediment biological base was independently developed, aimed at urban water eutrophication. The results showed that the average removal rates of COD, NH+4 -N, TP by the water biological base were 82. 33% , 98. 00% and 54. 73% , respectively; The sediment reduction rate achieved by the sediment biological base could reach 20% within 5 days, and aeration in the overlying water could relieve the nutrient releasing caused by the degradation of organic matter; The effect of nutrient removal and organic matter reduction in sediment by the combined ecological restoration technology was perfect in pilot scale. The average removal rates of COD, NH+4 -N, TP were 52. 0%, 33. 6% and 23.4%, respectively, and the organic content in sediment was reduced from 38. 20% to 12.20% .

Recycling Municipal Trees, A Guide for Marketing Sawlogs from Street Removals Municipalities, NA_TP_02_94

Treesearch

Edward Cesa; Edward Lempicki; Howard Knotts

2003-01-01

The purpose of this guide is to make officials of municipalities aware of an alternative strategy for using their street tree removals; a "recycling" strategy which can potentially turn a cost-burden scenario into an income-generating opportunity. The strategy involves merchandising sawmill-size logs from street tree removals to sawmills or other companies...

Elimination of micropollutants and transformation products from a wastewater treatment plant effluent through pilot scale ozonation followed by various activated carbon and biological filters.

PubMed

Knopp, Gregor; Prasse, Carsten; Ternes, Thomas A; Cornel, Peter

2016-09-01

Conventional wastewater treatment plants are ineffective in removing a broad range of micropollutants, resulting in the release of these compounds into the aquatic environment, including natural drinking water resources. Ozonation is a suitable treatment process for micropollutant removal, although, currently, little is known about the formation, behavior, and removal of transformation products (TP) formed during ozonation. We investigated the elimination of 30 selected micropollutants (pharmaceuticals, X-ray contrast media, industrial chemicals, and TP) by biological treatment coupled with ozonation and, subsequently, in parallel with two biological filters (BF) or granular activated carbon (GAC) filters. The selected micropollutants were removed to very different extents during the conventional biological wastewater treatment process. Ozonation (specific ozone consumption: 0.87 ± 0.29 gO3 gDOC(-1), hydraulic retention time: 17 ± 3 min) eliminated a large number of the investigated micropollutants. Although 11 micropollutants could still be detected after ozonation, most of these were eliminated in subsequent GAC filtration at bed volumes (BV) of approximately 25,000 m(3) m(-3). In contrast, no additional removal of micropollutants was achieved in the BF. Ozonation of the analgesic tramadol led to the formation of tramadol-N-oxide that is effectively eliminated by GAC filters, but not by BF. For the antiviral drug acyclovir, the formation of carboxy-acyclovir was observed during activated sludge treatment, with an average concentration of 3.4 ± 1.4 μg L(-1) detected in effluent samples. Subsequent ozonation resulted in the complete elimination of carboxy-acyclovir and led to the formation of N-(4-carbamoyl-2-imino-5-oxo imidazolidin)-formamido-N-methoxyacetetic acid (COFA; average concentration: 2.6 ± 1.0 μg L(-1)). Neither the BF nor the GAC filters were able to remove COFA. These results highlight the importance of considering TP in the evaluation of advanced wastewater treatment processes. The results further indicate that post-treatment of ozonated wastewater with GAC filtration seems to be more suitable than BF, due to the sorption of formed TP to the activated carbon. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative reactivity of TpRu(L)(NCMe)Ph (L = CO or PMe3): impact of ancillary ligand l on activation of carbon-hydrogen bonds including catalytic hydroarylation and hydrovinylation/oligomerization of ethylene.

PubMed

Foley, Nicholas A; Lail, Marty; Lee, John P; Gunnoe, T Brent; Cundari, Thomas R; Petersen, Jeffrey L

2007-05-30

Complexes of the type TpRu(L)(NCMe)R [L = CO or PMe3; R = Ph or Me; Tp = hydridotris(pyrazolyl)borate] initiate C-H activation of benzene. Kinetic studies, isotopic labeling, and other experimental evidence suggest that the mechanism of benzene C-H activation involves reversible dissociation of acetonitrile, reversible benzene coordination, and rate-determining C-H activation of coordinated benzene. TpRu(PMe3)(NCMe)Ph initiates C-D activation of C6D6 at rates that are approximately 2-3 times more rapid than that for TpRu(CO)(NCMe)Ph (depending on substrate concentration); however, the catalytic hydrophenylation of ethylene using TpRu(PMe3)(NCMe)Ph is substantially less efficient than catalysis with TpRu(CO)(NCMe)Ph. For TpRu(PMe3)(NCMe)Ph, C-H activation of ethylene, to ultimately produce TpRu(PMe3)(eta3-C4H7), is found to kinetically compete with catalytic ethylene hydrophenylation. In THF solutions containing ethylene, TpRu(PMe3)(NCMe)Ph and TpRu(CO)(NCMe)Ph separately convert to TpRu(L)(eta3-C4H7) (L = PMe3 or CO, respectively) via initial Ru-mediated ethylene C-H activation. Heating mesitylene solutions of TpRu(L)(eta3-C4H7) under ethylene pressure results in the catalytic production of butenes (i.e., ethylene hydrovinylation) and hexenes.

Knockdown of long non-coding RNA TP73-AS1 inhibits osteosarcoma cell proliferation and invasion through sponging miR-142.

PubMed

Yang, Guangling; Song, Ruipeng; Wang, Limin; Wu, Xuejian

2018-07-01

Long non-coding RNA P73 antisense RNA 1 T (lncRNA TP73-AS1) has been shown to involve in the progression of numerous tumors. Nevertheless, the expression as well as the functional mechanisms of TP73-AS1 in osteosarcoma (OS) are still largely unknown. This study aimed to explore the roles and underlying mechanism of TP73-AS1 in OS progression. In thye present study, TP73-AS1 expression was significantly increased in OS tissues and cell lines. High TP73-AS1 expression was associated with poor overall survival of OS patients. TP73-AS1 knockdown suppressed OS cells proliferation and invasion in vitro as well as tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, we identified that miR-142 could act as a direct target for TP73-AS1 and miR-142 inhibition reversed the suppression of OS cells proliferation and invasion induced by TP73-AS1 knockdown. In addition, we showed that TP73-AS1 could function as a sponge of miR-142 to positively regulate Rac1 in OS cells. Thus, our data suggested that TP73-AS1 served as an oncogenic lncRNA in OS progression, and could be regarded as an efficient therapeutic target in the treatment of OS. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Application of a constructed wetland system for polluted stream remediation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, Y. T.; Chiang, P. C.; Yang, J.; Chen, S. H.; Kao, C. M.

2014-03-01

In 2010, the multi-function Kaoping River Rail Bridge Constructed Wetland (KRRBW) was constructed to improve the stream water quality and rehabilitate the ecosystem of the surrounding environment of Dashu Region, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The KRRBW consists of five wetland basins with a total water surface area of 15 ha, a total hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 10.1 days at a averaged flow rate of 14 740 m3/day, and an averaged water depth of 1.1 m. The influent of KRRBW coming from the local drainage systems containing untreated domestic, agricultural, and industrial wastewaters. Based on the quarterly investigation results of water samples taken in 2011-2012, the overall removal efficiencies were 91% for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), 75% for total nitrogen (TN), 96% for total phosphorus (TP), and 99% for total coliforms (TC). The calculated first-order decay rates for BOD, TN, TP, NH3-N, and TC ranged from 0.14 (TN) to 0.42 (TC) 1/day. This indicates that the KRRBW was able to remove organics, TC, and nutrients effectively. The high ammonia/nitrate removal efficiency indicates that nitrification and denitrification processes occurred simultaneously in the wetland system, and the detected nitrite concentration confirmed the occurrence of denitrification/nitrification. Results from sediment analyses reveal that the sediment contained high concentrations of organics (sediment oxygen demand = 1.9-5.2 g O2/m2 day), nutrients (up to 15.8 g total nitrogen/kg of sediment and 1.48 g total phosphorus/kg of sediment), and metals (up to 547 mg/kg of Zn and 97 mg/kg of Cu). Appropriate wetland management strategies need to be developed to prevent the release of contaminants into the wetland system. The wetland system caused the variations in the microbial diversities and dominant microbial bacteria. Results show the dominant nitrogen utilization bacteria including Denitratisoma oestradiolicum, Nitrosospira sp., Nitrosovibrio sp., D. oestradiolicum, Alcaligenes sp., Steroidobacter denitrificans, Hydrocarboniphaga effuse were responsible for nitrogen removal, and the dominant carbon degrading bacteria (Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, H. effuse, Alcaligenes sp., Pseudomonas sp., Fusibacter sp., Chlofoflexi, Guggenheimella bovis, Bacillus pumilus) were responsible for carbon reduction. The denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and nucleotide sequence techniques provide a guide for microbial ecology evaluation, which can be used as an indication of contaminants removal. Results from this study show that constructed wetlands have the potential to be developed into an environmentally acceptable river water quality improvement and wastewater polishment alternative for practical application.

Study on the Enhanced Operation of Self-Ventilation-Based Coupling System for Domestic Wastewater Treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Lingwei; Wang, Lu; Zhang, Yi; Mei, Rongwu; Zhang, Yu

2018-06-01

In this study, a new coupling system of biological filter bed and subsurface-flow constructed wetland based on the self-ventilation network was proposed, and the comparative pollutant removal efficiency at low and high influent concentration of the pilot coupling system with different substrates configurations were investigated. The study found that: The comparison system (b) had better removal rates than that of the original system (a), and the removal rate when treating low influent concentration was 74.10%, 94.14%, 73.57% and 69.53%, while in high influent concentration case was 81.30%, 90.28%, 88.57% and 75.36% for CODCr , NH4+ -N, TN and TP, respectively. The removal of the above main water indexes of the comparison system (b) promoted by 11.00%, 11.55%, 2.69% and 8.09% respectively in low influent concentration case and 4.20%, 9.20%, 7.66% and 13.61% respectively in high influent concentration case when comparing to the original system (a), which showed that the optimized configuration of various kinds of substrates was significant and was more beneficial to the degradation and removal of pollutants. The adsorption and interception function of substrates in the constructed wetland was the main way of phosphorus removal. The function of self-ventilation ensured the amount of DO in the coupling system, making the phosphorus removal was less affected comparing to structure of traditional wetland.

A theoretical study of a series of water-soluble triphenylamine photosensitizers for two-photon photodynamic therapy.

PubMed

Wang, Xin; Yin, Xue; Lai, Xiao-Yong; Liu, Ying-Tao

2018-10-05

In this study, the therapeutic activity of a series of water-soluble triphenylamine (TP) photosensitizers (Ps) was explored by using theoretical simulations. The key photophysical parameters which determined the efficiency of Ps, such as absorption electronic spectra, singlet-triplet energy gaps and spin-orbit matrix elements were calculated at density functional theory and its time-dependent extension (DFT, TD-DFT). The calculated results showed that these TP photosensitizers possessed large two-photon absorption cross-section in the near-infrared region (NIR), efficient intersystem crossing (ISC) transition from the first singlet excited state to the low lying triplet excited states and sufficient energy for generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). These suitable features made these TP series holding great promise for applications in two-photon photodynamic therapy (PDT). These TP photosensitizers studied here in principle extended the application range of two-photon PDT in water solution. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nutlin‐3a selects for cells harbouring TP 53 mutations

PubMed Central

Hollstein, Monica; Arlt, Volker M.; Phillips, David H.

2016-01-01

TP53 mutations occur in half of all human tumours. Mutagen‐induced or spontaneous TP53 mutagenesis can be studied in vitro using the human TP53 knock‐in (Hupki) mouse embryo fibroblast (HUF) immortalisation assay (HIMA). TP53 mutations arise in up to 30% of mutagen‐treated, immortalised HUFs; however, mutants are not identified until TP53 sequence analysis following immortalisation (2–5 months) and much effort is expended maintaining TP53‐WT cultures. In order to improve the selectivity of the HIMA for HUFs harbouring TP53 mutations, we explored the use of Nutlin‐3a, an MDM2 inhibitor that leads to stabilisation and activation of wild‐type (WT) p53. First, we treated previously established immortal HUF lines carrying WT or mutated TP53 with Nutlin‐3a to examine the effect on cell growth and p53 activation. Nutlin‐3a induced the p53 pathway in TP53‐WT HUFs and inhibited cell growth, whereas most TP53‐mutated HUFs were resistant to Nutlin‐3a. We then assessed whether Nutlin‐3a treatment could discriminate between TP53‐WT and TP53‐mutated cells during the HIMA (n = 72 cultures). As immortal clones emerged from senescent cultures, each was treated with 10 µM Nutlin‐3a for 5 days and observed for sensitivity or resistance. TP53 was subsequently sequenced from all immortalised clones. We found that all Nutlin‐3a‐resistant clones harboured TP53 mutations, which were diverse in position and functional impact, while all but one of the Nutlin‐3a‐sensitive clones were TP53‐WT. These data suggest that including a Nutlin‐3a counter‐screen significantly improves the specificity and efficiency of the HIMA, whereby TP53‐mutated clones are selected prior to sequencing and TP53‐WT clones can be discarded. PMID:27813088

Simultaneous removal of phosphorus and EfOM using MIEX, coagulation, and low-pressure membrane filtration.

PubMed

Kim, Hyun-Chul; Timmes, Thomas C; Dempsey, Brian A

2015-01-01

The feasibility of using magnetic ion exchange (MIEX) treatment, in-line alum coagulation, and low-pressure membrane filtration was investigated for the simultaneous removal of total phosphorus (TP) and effluent organic matter (EfOM) from biologically treated wastewater. The focus was also placed on minimizing fouling of polyvinylidene fluoride and polyethersulfone membranes, which are the most commonly used low-pressure membranes in new and retrofit wastewater treatment plants. MIEX alone was effective for the removal of EfOM, and MIEX plus a small alum dose was very effective in removing both EfOM and TP. MIEX removed phosphorus, but organic acids in EfOM were preferentially removed, and the effects of competing anions on the removal of EfOM were insignificant. All the pretreatment strategies decreased the resistance to filtration. The greatest decrease in fouling was achieved by using MIEX (15 mL L⁻¹) plus a very low dose of alum (∼0.5 mg Al L⁻¹). Sweep floc coagulation using alum and without MIEX also significantly decreased fouling but did not effectively remove EfOM and produced high floc volume that could be problematic for inside-out hollow-fibre modules. The addition of these reagents into rapid mix followed by membrane filtration would provide operational simplicity and could be easily retrofitted at existing membrane filtration facilities.

Effect of vegetation type on treatment performance and bioelectric production of constructed wetland modules combined with microbial fuel cell (CW-MFC) treating synthetic wastewater.

PubMed

Saz, Çağdaş; Türe, Cengiz; Türker, Onur Can; Yakar, Anıl

2018-03-01

An operation of microcosm-constructed wetland modules combined with microbial fuel cell device (CW-MFC) was assessed for wastewater treatment and bioelectric generation. One of the crucial aims of the present experiment is also to determine effect of vegetation on wastewater treatment process and bioelectric production in wetland matrix with microbial fuel cell. Accordingly, CW-MFC modules with vegetation had higher treatment efficiency compared to unplanted wetland module, and average COD, NH 4 + , and TP removal efficiency in vegetated wetland modules were ranged from 85 to 88%, 95 to 97%, and 95 to 97%, respectively. However, the highest NO 3 - removal (63%) was achieved by unplanted control module during the experiment period. The maximum average output voltage, power density, and Coulombic efficiency were obtained in wetland module vegetated with Typha angustifolia for 1.01 ± 0.14 V, 7.47 ± 13.7 mWatt/m 2 , and 8.28 ± 10.4%, respectively. The results suggest that the presence of Typha angustifolia vegetation in the CW-MFC matrix provides the benefits for treatment efficiency and bioelectric production; thus, it increases microbial activities which are responsible for biodegradation of organic compounds and catalyzed to electron flow from anode to cathode. Consequently, we suggest that engineers can use vegetated wetland matrix with Typha angustifolia in CW-MFC module in order to maximize treatment efficiency and bioelectric production.

VPAC1 Targeted 64Cu-TP3805 kit preparation and its evaluation.

PubMed

Tripathi, Sushil K; Kumar, Pardeep; Trabulsi, Edouard J; Kim, Sung; McCue, Peter A; Intenzo, Charles; Berger, Adam; Gomella, Leonard; Thakur, Mathew L

2017-08-01

Previously, our laboratory has shown that 64 Cu-TP3805 can specifically target VPAC1 receptors and be used for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of breast (BC) and prostate cancer (PC) in humans. Present work is aimed at the formulation of a freeze-dried diaminedithiol-peptide (N 2 S 2 -TP3805) kit and it's evaluation for the preparation of 64 Cu labeled TP3805. Parameters such as pH, temperature and incubation time were examined that influenced the radiolabeling efficiency and stability of the product. Kits were prepared under different conditions and radiolabeling efficiency of TP3805 kit was evaluated for a range of pH3.5-8.5, after addition of 64 Cu in 30μl, 0.1M HCl. Incubation temperature (37-90°C) and time (30-120min.) were also investigated. Kits were stored at -10°C and their long term stability was determined as a function of their radiolabeling efficiency. Further, stability of 64 Cu-TP3805 complex was evaluated in presence of fetal bovine serum and bovine serum albumin by using SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Kits were then used for PET imaging of BC and PC following eIND (101550) and institutional approvals. Specificity of 64 Cu-TP3805 for VPAC1 was examined with digital autoradiography (DAR) of prostate tissues obtained after prostatectomy, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissue, and benign and malignant lymph nodes. Results were compared with corresponding tissue histology. Radiolabeling efficiency was ≥95% at final pH ~7.2 when incubated at 50°C for 90min. Kits were stable up to 18months when stored at -10°C, and 64 Cu-TP3805 complex exhibited excellent stability for up to 4h at room temperature. 64 Cu-TP3805 complex did not show any transchelation even after 2h incubation at 37°C in 10% FBS as well as in BSA as determined by SDS PAGE analysis. DAR identified ≥95% of malignant lesions 11 new PC lesions, 20 high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, 2/2 ejaculatory ducts and 5/5 urethra verumontanum not previously identified The malignant lymph nodes were correctly identified by DAR and for 3/3 BPH patients, and 5/5 cysts, DAR was negative. In human BC (n=19) and PC (n=26) were imaged with 100% sensitivity. Availability of ready to use N 2 S 2 -peptide kits for 64 Cu labeling is convenient and eliminates possible day to day variation during its routine preparation for clinical use. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of combined ecological floating bed for eutrophic lake remediation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Liguo; Wang, Haiping

2017-05-01

A novel combined ecological floating bed(CEFB) integrated high-density hydrophyte and aquatic animals, the wave-making equipments, water cycling automatic aerators and fluorescence inducing equipments. The water quality of a eutrophic lake was improved significantly after three months remediation of CEFB. Compared with the background value, the results showed that the removal efficiencies of total nitrogen (TN), ammonia(NH3-N), total phosphorous(TP) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the water reached 31.5%, 33%, 30.5% and 53%, respectively. CEFB could manipulate biotic interactions in the aquatic ecosystem, and then absorb eutrophic material efficiently by the co-effect of floating the sediment slowly, refreshing the static eutrophic water body, changing the photosynthetic and biochemical environment of the eutrophic water body and inducing plankton directional movement. At the same time, plants and fish grew good in CEFB,which can bring economic income to some extent.

High Efficient Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance of Cu/ZnO/rGO Nanocomposite for Decomposing of Aqueous Ammonia and Treatment of Domestic Wastewater.

PubMed

He, Shiying; Hou, Pengfu; Petropoulos, Evangelos; Feng, Yanfang; Yu, Yingliang; Xue, Lihong; Yang, Linzhang

2018-01-01

Photocatalytic removal of ammonium-nitrogen ( NH 4 + -N) from water using solar energy is an approach of high interest and applicability due to the convenience in application. ZnO has a great potential in photocatalytic decomposition of NH 4 + -N and conversion of this nutrient to under visible light irradiations. However the applicability of pristine ZnO though is limited due to its reduced capacity to utilize light from natural light. Herein, we report a two-step ZnO-modified strategy (Cu-doped ZnO nanoparticles, immobilized on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets) for the promotion of photocatalytic degradation of NH 4 + -N under visible light. UV-Vis spectra showed that the Cu/ZnO/rGO can be highly efficient in the utilization of photons from the visible region. Hence, Cu/ZnO/rGO managed to demonstrate adequate photocatalytic activity and effective NH 4 + -N removal from water under visible light compared to single ZnO. Specifically, up to 83.1% of NH 4 + -N (initial concentration 50 mg·L -1 , catalyst dosage 2 g·L -1 , pH 10) was removed within 2 h retention time under Xe lamp irradiation. From the catalysis, the major by-product was N 2 . The high ammonia degradation efficiency from the ZnO/Cu/rGO is attributed to the improvement of the reactive oxygen species (ROSs) production efficiency and the further activation of the interfacial catalytic sites. This study also demonstrated that such nanocomposite is a recyclable agent. Its NH 4 + -N removal capacity remained effective even after five batch cycles. In addition, Cu/ZnO/rGO was applied to treat real domestic wastewater, and it was found that chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiencies can reach 84.3, 80.7, and 90.3%, respectively. Thus, Cu/ZnO/rGO in the presence of solar light can be a promising photocatalyst in the field of wastewater treatment.

Nutrient capture and recycling by periphyton attached to modified agrowaste carriers.

PubMed

Wan, Juanjuan; Liu, Xuemei; Wu, Chenxi; Wu, Yonghong

2016-04-01

The reuse of periphytic biofilm from traditional wastewater treatment (i.e., active sludge process) is inefficient to recycle nutrients due to low accumulation of nutrients. Then, in this study, peanut shell (PS), rice husk (RH), decomposed peanut shell (DPS), acidified rice husks (ARH), and a commonly used carrier-ceramsite (C, as the control)-were used to support the growth of periphyton. Results showed that DPS and ARH supported significantly higher periphyton biomass and metabolic versatility than PS and RH, respectively, due to the increased presence of positive groups. The total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) captured by periphyton were enhanced by 600-657 and 833-3255 % for DPS, and 461-1808 and 21-308 % for ARH, respectively. The removal of nutrients from simulated eutrophic surface waters using periphyton attached to DPS was improved by 24-47 % for TP, 12-048 % for TN, and 15-78 % for nitrate compared to the control. The results indicate that the periphyton attached to modified agrowaste was capable of efficiently entrapping and storing N and P from eutrophic water. This study also implies that the mixture of periphyton and the modified agrowaste carriers are promising raw materials of biofertilizer.

Impact of nitrogen loading rates on treatment performance of domestic wastewater and fouling propensity in submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR).

PubMed

Khan, Sher Jamal; Ilyas, Shazia; Zohaib-Ur-Rehman

2013-08-01

In this study, performance of laboratory-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) was evaluated in treating high strength domestic wastewater under two nitrogen loading rates (NLR) i.e., 0.15 and 0.30 kg/m(3)/d in condition 1 and 2, respectively, while organic loading rate (OLR) was constant at 3 kg/m(3)/d in both conditions. Removal efficiencies of COD were above 95.0% under both NLR conditions. Average removal efficiencies of ammonium nitrogen (NH₄(+)-N), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were found to be higher in condition 1 (90.5%, 74.0%, and 38.0%, respectively) as compared to that in Condition 2 (89.3%, 35.0%, and 14.0%, respectively). With increasing NLR, particle size distribution shifted from narrow (67-133 μm) towards broader distribution (3-300 μm) inferring lower cake layer porosity over membrane fibers. Soluble extracellular polymer substance (sEPS) concentration increased at higher NLR due to biopolymers released from broken flocs. Higher cake layer resistance (Rc) contributed towards shorter filtration runs during condition 2. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental additions of aluminum sulfate and ammonium nitrate to in situ mesocosms to reduce cyanobacterial biovolume and microcystin concentration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harris, Ted D.; Wilhelm, Frank M.; Graham, Jennifer L.; Loftin, Keith A.

2014-01-01

Recent studies suggest that nitrogen additions to increase the total nitrogen:total phosphorus (TN:TP) ratio may reduce cyanobacterial biovolume and microcystin concentration in reservoirs. In systems where TP is >100 μg/L, however, nitrogen additions to increase the TN:TP ratio could cause ammonia, nitrate, or nitrite toxicity to terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Reducing phosphorus via aluminum sulfate (alum) may be needed prior to nitrogen additions aimed at increasing the TN:TP ratio. We experimentally tested this sequential management approach in large in situ mesocosms (70.7 m3) to examine effects on cyanobacteria and microcystin concentration. Because alum removes nutrients and most seston from the water column, alum treatment reduced both TN and TP, leaving post-treatment TN:TP ratios similar to pre-treatment ratios. Cyanobacterial biovolume was reduced after alum addition, but the percent composition (i.e., relative) cyanobacterial abundance remained unchanged. A single ammonium nitrate (nitrogen) addition increased the TN:TP ratio 7-fold. After the TN:TP ratio was >50 (by weight), cyanobacterial biovolume and abundance were reduced, and chrysophyte and cryptophyte biovolume and abundance increased compared to the alum treatment. Microcystin was not detectable until the TN:TP ratio was <50. Although both treatments reduced cyanobacteria, only the nitrogen treatment seemed to stimulate energy flow from primary producers to zooplankton, which suggests that combining alum and nitrogen treatments may be a viable in-lake management strategy to reduce cyanobacteria and possibly microcystin concentrations in high-phosphorus systems. Additional studies are needed to define best management practices before combined alum and nitrogen additions are implemented as a reservoir management strategy.

Experimental additions of aluminum sulfateand ammonium nitrate to in situ mesocosms toreduce cyanobacterial biovolume and microcystinconcentration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harris, Theodore D.; Wilhelm, Frank M.; Graham, Jennifer L.; Loftin, Keith A.

2014-01-01

Recent studies suggest that nitrogen additions to increase the total nitrogen:total phosphorus (TN:TP) ratio may reduce cyanobacterial biovolume and microcystin concentration in reservoirs. In systems where TP is >100 μg/L, however, nitrogen additions to increase the TN:TP ratio could cause ammonia, nitrate, or nitrite toxicity to terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Reducing phosphorus via aluminum sulfate (alum) may be needed prior to nitrogen additions aimed at increasing the TN:TP ratio.We experimentally tested this sequential management approach in large in situ mesocosms (70.7 m3) to examine effects on cyanobacteria and microcystin concentration. Because alum removes nutrients and most seston from the water column, alum treatment reduced both TN and TP, leaving post-treatment TN:TP ratios similar to pre-treatment ratios. Cyanobacterial biovolume was reduced after alum addition, but the percent composition (i.e., relative) cyanobacterial abundance remained unchanged. A single ammonium nitrate (nitrogen) addition increased the TN:TP ratio 7-fold. After the TN:TP ratio was >50 (by weight), cyanobacterial biovolume and abundance were reduced, and chrysophyte and cryptophyte biovolume and abundance increased compared to the alum treatment. Microcystin was not detectable until the TN:TP ratio was <50. Although both treatments reduced cyanobacteria, only the nitrogen treatment seemed to stimulate energy flow from primary producers to zooplankton, which suggests that combining alum and nitrogen treatments may be a viable in-lake management strategy to reduce cyanobacteria and possibly microcystin concentrations in high-phosphorus systems. Additional studies are needed to define best management practices before combined alum and nitrogen additions are implemented as a reservoir management strategy.

Total Pancreatectomy and Islet Auto-Transplantation in Children for Chronic Pancreatitis. Indication, Surgical Techniques, Post Operative Management and Long-Term Outcomes

PubMed Central

Chinnakotla, Srinath; Bellin, Melena D.; Schwarzenberg, Sarah J.; Radosevich, David M.; Cook, Marie; Dunn, Ty B.; Beilman, Gregory J.; Freeman, Martin L.; Balamurugan, A.N.; Wilhelm, Josh; Bland, Barbara; Jimenez-Vega, Jose M; Hering, Bernhard J.; Vickers, Selwyn M.; Pruett, Timothy L.; Sutherland, David E.R.

2014-01-01

Objective Describe the surgical technique, complications and long term outcomes of total pancreatectomy and islet auto transplantation (TP-IAT) in a large series of pediatric patients. Summary Background Data Surgical management of childhood pancreatitis is not clear; partial resection or drainage procedures often provide transient pain relief, but long term recurrence is common due to the diffuse involvement of the pancreas. Total pancreatectomy (TP) removes the source of the pain, while islet auto transplantation (IAT) potentially can prevent or minimize TP-related diabetes. Methods Retrospective review of 75 children undergoing TP-IAT for chronic pancreatitis who had failed medical, endoscopic or surgical treatment between 1989–2012. Results Pancreatitis pain and the severity of pain statistically improved in 90% of patients after TP-IAT (p =<0.001). The relief from narcotics was sustained. Of the 75 patients undergoing TP-IAT, 31 (41.3%) achieved insulin independence. Younger age (p=0.032), lack of prior Puestow (p=0.018), lower body surface area (p=0.048), IEQ per Kg Body Weight (p=0.001) and total IEQ (100,000) (0.004) were associated with insulin independence. By multivariate analysis, 3 factors were associated with insulin independence after TP-IAT:(1) male gender, (2) lower body surface area and the (3) higher total IEQ per kilogram body weight. Total IEQ (100,000) was the single factor most strongly associated with insulin independence (OR = 2.62; p value < 0.001). Conclusions TP-IAT provides sustained pain relief and improved quality of life. The β cell function is dependent on islet yield. TP-IAT is an effective therapy for children with painful pancreatitis that fail medical and or endoscopic management PMID:24509206

[Formation Mechanism of Aerobic Granular Sludge and Removal Efficiencies in Integrated ABR-CSTR Reactor].

PubMed

Wu, Kai-cheng; Wu, Peng; Xu, Yue-zhong; Li, Yue-han; Shen, Yao-liang

2015-08-01

Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (ABR) was altered to make an integrated anaerobic-aerobic reactor. The research investigated the mechanism of aerobic sludge granulation, under the condition of continuous-flow. The last two compartments of the ABR were altered into aeration tank and sedimentation tank respectively with seeded sludge of anaerobic granular sludge in anaerobic zone and conventional activated sludge in aerobic zone. The HRT was gradually decreased in sedimentation tank from 2.0 h to 0.75 h and organic loading rate was increased from 1.5 kg x (M3 x d)(-1) to 2.0 kg x (M3 x d)(-1) while the C/N of 2 was controlled in aerobic zone. When the system operated for 110 days, the mature granular sludge in aerobic zone were characterized by compact structure, excellent sedimentation performance (average sedimentation rate was 20.8 m x h(-1)) and slight yellow color. The system performed well in nitrogen and phosphorus removal under the conditions of setting time of 0.75 h and organic loading rate of 2.0 kg (m3 x d)(-1) in aerobic zone, the removal efficiencies of COD, NH4+ -N, TP and TN were 90%, 80%, 65% and 45%, respectively. The results showed that the increasing selection pressure and the high organic loading rate were the main propulsions of the aerobic sludge granulation.

Regulation of Lipid and Glucose Metabolism by Phosphatidylcholine Transfer Protein

PubMed Central

Kang, Hye Won; Wei, Jie; Cohen, David E.

2010-01-01

Phosphatidylcholine transfer protein (PC-TP, a.k.a. StARD2) binds phosphatidylcholines and catalyzes their intermembrane transfer and exchange in vitro. The structure of PC-TP comprises a hydrophobic pocket and a well-defined head-group binding site, and its gene expression is regulated by peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α. Recent studies have revealed key regulatory roles for PC-TP in lipid and glucose metabolism. Notably, Pctp−/− mice are sensitized to insulin action and exhibit more efficient brown fat-mediated thermogenesis. PC-TP appears to limit access of fatty acids to mitochondria by stimulating the activity of thioesterase superfamily member 2, a newly characterized long-chain fatty acyl-CoA thioesterase. Because PC-TP discriminates among phosphatidylcholines within lipid bilayers, it may function as a sensor that links metabolic regulation to membrane composition. PMID:20338778

Maximizing Aggregation of Organic Fluorophores to Prolong Fluorescence Lifetime for Two-Photon Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging.

PubMed

Hu, Wenbo; Guo, Lihong; Bai, Lei; Miao, Xiaofei; Ni, Yun; Wang, Qi; Zhao, Hui; Xie, Meng; Li, Lin; Lu, Xiaomei; Huang, Wei; Fan, Quli

2018-05-28

Two-photon fluorescence lifetime imaging (TP-FLIM) not only permits imaging deep inside the tissues with precise spatial manipulation but also circumvents tissue autofluorescence, holding tremendous promise in molecular imaging. However, the serious lack of suitable contrast agents with long fluorescence lifetime and efficient two-photon absorption (TPA) greatly limits the advance of TP-FLIM. This study reports a simple approach to fabricate water-soluble organic semiconducting nanoparticles [thioxanthone (TXO) NPs] with ultralong fluorescence lifetime and efficient TPA for in vivo TP-FLIM. The approach utilizes the aggregation of a specifically selected thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) fluorophore to prolong its fluorescence lifetime. Encapsulating the TADF fluorophore within an amphiphilic copolymer not only maximizes its aggregation but also obtains TXO NPs with efficient TPA. Importantly, as-prepared TXO NPs exhibit a considerably long fluorescence lifetime at a magnitude of 4.2 µs, which is almost 1000 times larger than that of existing organic contrast agents. Moreover, such long fluorescence lifetime is almost oxygen-inert, readily realizing both in vitro and in vivo TP-FLIM. This work may set valuable guidance for designing organic semiconducting materials with ultralong fluorescence lifetimes to fulfill the potential of FLIM. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nitrogen and phosphorus treatment of marine wastewater by a laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor with eco-friendly marine high-efficiency sediment.

PubMed

Cho, Seonghyeon; Kim, Jinsoo; Kim, Sungchul; Lee, Sang-Seob

2017-06-22

We screened and identified a NH 3 -N-removing bacterial strain, Bacillus sp. KGN1, and a [Formula: see text] removing strain, Vibrio sp. KGP1, from 960 indigenous marine isolates from seawater and marine sediment from Tongyeong, South Korea. We developed eco-friendly high-efficiency marine sludge (eco-HEMS), and inoculated these marine bacterial strains into the marine sediment. A laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system using the eco-HEMS for marine wastewater from land-based fish farms improved the treatment performance as indicated by 88.2% removal efficiency (RE) of total nitrogen (initial: 5.6 mg/L) and 90.6% RE of total phosphorus (initial: 1.2 mg/L) under the optimal operation conditions (food and microorganism (F/M) ratio, 0.35 g SCOD Cr /g mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS)·d; dissolved oxygen (DO) 1.0 ± 0.2 mg/L; hydraulic retention time (HRT), 6.6 h; solids retention time (SRT), 12 d). The following kinetic parameters were obtained: cell yield (Y), 0.29 g MLVSS/g SCOD Cr ; specific growth rate (µ), 0.06 d -1 ; specific nitrification rate (SNR), 0.49 mg NH 3 -N/g MLVSS·h; specific denitrification rate (SDNR), 0.005 mg [Formula: see text]/g MLVSS·h; specific phosphorus uptake rate (SPUR), 0.12 mg [Formula: see text]/g MLVSS·h. The nitrogen- and phosphorus-removing bacterial strains comprised 18.4% of distribution rate in the microbial community of eco-HEMS under the optimal operation conditions. Therefore, eco-HEMS effectively removed nitrogen and phosphorus from highly saline marine wastewater from land-based fish farms with improving SNR, SDNR, and SPUR values in more diverse microbial communities. DO: dissolved oxygen; Eco-HEMS: eco-friendly high efficiency marine sludge; F/M: food and microorganism ratio; HRT: hydraulic retention time; ML(V)SS: mixed liquor (volatile) suspended solids; NCBI: National Center for Biotechnology Information; ND: not determined; qPCR: quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction; RE: removal efficiency; SBR: sequencing batch reactor; SD: standard deviation; SDNR: specific denitrification rate; SNR: specific nitrification rate; SPUR: specific phosphate uptake rate; SRT: solids retention time; T-N: total nitrogen; T-P: total phosphorus; (V)SS: (volatile) suspended solids; w.w.: wet weight.

Controlled-release of tea polyphenol from gelatin films incorporated with different ratios of free/nanoencapsulated tea polyphenols into fatty food simulants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Gelatin films having controlled-release properties were developed by incorporation of different free/encapsulated tea polyphenol (TP) ratios through modifying the encapsulation efficiency (EE) of TP-loaded chitosan nanoparticles. Different EEs were obtained by adjusting the chitosan hydrochloride (C...

Growth characteristics and nutrient removal capability of eco-ditch plants in mesocosm sediment receiving primary domestic wastewater.

PubMed

Kumwimba, Mathieu Nsenga; Zhu, Bo; Muyembe, Diana Kavidia; Dzakpasu, Mawuli

2017-10-01

Eco-ditches are being explored to maximize their capability of capturing pollutants and mitigate any harmful side effects in rivers. In this study, mesocosm plastic drum sediment and field experiments were set up to screen 18 plant species found in ditches and identify those with potential for high biomass production and nutrients removal. Terrestrial plants grown in the mesocosm system were shown to be able to acclimate to aquatic conditions and to survive in primary domestic sewage. About 73-95% increase in plant biomass was recorded. Removal efficiencies for total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and ammonium-nitrogen from the sewage of 72-99%, 64-99%, and 75-100%, respectively, were recorded. Furthermore, complete removal of the applied nitrate-nitrogen load was achieved in mesocosm systems. Findings also show that all species, but especially Acorus calamus, Canna indica, Canna lily, Cyperus alternifolius, Colocasia gigantea, Eichhornia crassipes, Iris sibirica, and Typha latifolia had the highest efficiencies for nitrogen and phosphorous removal. The N and P mass balance analysis demonstrated that plant uptake and sediment N and P accumulation accounted for 41-86% and 18-49% of the total influent TN and TP loads, respectively. In addition, the amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous uptake by these plant species were influenced significantly by biomass. The field-culture experiment further identified Canna indica followed by Cyperus alternifolius as the most promising for high biomass production and nutrients uptake. Therefore, these plants may be recommended for extensive use in treating highly eutrophicated rivers. Outcomes of this work can be useful for model design specifications in eco-ditch mitigation of sewage pollution.

Accuracy, reproducibility, and uncertainty analysis of thyroid-probe-based activity measurements for determination of dose calibrator settings.

PubMed

Esquinas, Pedro L; Tanguay, Jesse; Gonzalez, Marjorie; Vuckovic, Milan; Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Cristina; Häfeli, Urs O; Celler, Anna

2016-12-01

In the nuclear medicine department, the activity of radiopharmaceuticals is measured using dose calibrators (DCs) prior to patient injection. The DC consists of an ionization chamber that measures current generated by ionizing radiation (emitted from the radiotracer). In order to obtain an activity reading, the current is converted into units of activity by applying an appropriate calibration factor (also referred to as DC dial setting). Accurate determination of DC dial settings is crucial to ensure that patients receive the appropriate dose in diagnostic scans or radionuclide therapies. The goals of this study were (1) to describe a practical method to experimentally determine dose calibrator settings using a thyroid-probe (TP) and (2) to investigate the accuracy, reproducibility, and uncertainties of the method. As an illustration, the TP method was applied to determine 188 Re dial settings for two dose calibrator models: Atomlab 100plus and Capintec CRC-55tR. Using the TP to determine dose calibrator settings involved three measurements. First, the energy-dependent efficiency of the TP was determined from energy spectra measurements of two calibration sources ( 152 Eu and 22 Na). Second, the gamma emissions from the investigated isotope ( 188 Re) were measured using the TP and its activity was determined using γ-ray spectroscopy methods. Ambient background, scatter, and source-geometry corrections were applied during the efficiency and activity determination steps. Third, the TP-based 188 Re activity was used to determine the dose calibrator settings following the calibration curve method [B. E. Zimmerman et al., J. Nucl. Med. 40, 1508-1516 (1999)]. The interobserver reproducibility of TP measurements was determined by the coefficient of variation (COV) and uncertainties associated to each step of the measuring process were estimated. The accuracy of activity measurements using the proposed method was evaluated by comparing the TP activity estimates of 99m Tc, 188 Re, 131 I, and 57 Co samples to high purity Ge (HPGe) γ-ray spectroscopy measurements. The experimental 188 Re dial settings determined with the TP were 76.5 ± 4.8 and 646 ± 43 for Atomlab 100plus and Capintec CRC-55tR, respectively. In the case of Atomlab 100plus, the TP-based dial settings improved the accuracy of 188 Re activity measurements (confirmed by HPGe measurements) as compared to manufacturer-recommended settings. For Capintec CRC-55tR, the TP-based settings were in agreement with previous results [B. E. Zimmerman et al., J. Nucl. Med. 40, 1508-1516 (1999)] which demonstrated that manufacturer-recommended settings overestimate 188 Re activity by more than 20%. The largest source of uncertainty in the experimentally determined dial settings was due to the application of a geometry correction factor, followed by the uncertainty of the scatter-corrected photopeak counts and the uncertainty of the TP efficiency calibration experiment. When using the most intense photopeak of the sample's emissions, the TP method yielded accurate (within 5% errors) and reproducible (COV = 2%) measurements of sample's activity. The relative uncertainties associated with such measurements ranged from 6% to 8% (expanded uncertainty at 95% confidence interval, k = 2). Accurate determination/verification of dose calibrator dial settings can be performed using a thyroid-probe in the nuclear medicine department.

Identification of inorganic and organic species of phosphorus and its bio-availability in nitrifying aerobic granular sludge.

PubMed

Huang, Wenli; Cai, Wei; Huang, He; Lei, Zhongfang; Zhang, Zhenya; Tay, Joo Hwa; Lee, Duu-Jong

2015-01-01

Phosphorus (P) recovery from sewage sludge is necessary for a sustainable development of the environment and thus the society due to gradual depletion of non-renewable P resources. Aerobic granular sludge is a promising biotechnology for wastewater treatment, which could achieve P-rich granules during simultaneous nitrification and denitrification processes. This study aimed to disclose the changes in inorganic and organic P species and their correlation with P mobility and bio-availability in aerobic granules. Two identical square reactors were used to cultivate aerobic granules, which were operated for 120 days with influent ammonia nitrogen (NH₄-N) of 100 mg/L before day 60 and then increased to 200 mg/L during the subsequent 60 days (chemical oxygen demand (COD) was kept constant at 600 mg/L). The aerobic granules exhibited excellent COD removal and nitrification efficiency. Results showed that inorganic P (IP) was about 61.4-67.7% of total P (TP) and non-apatite inorganic P (NAIP) occupied 61.9-70.2% of IP in the granules. The enrichment amount of NAIP and apatite P (AP) in the granules had strongly positive relationship with the contents of metal ions, i.e. Fe and Ca, respectively accumulated in the granules. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and solution index calculation demonstrated that hydroxyapatite (Ca₅(PO₄)₃(OH)) and iron phosphate (Fe₇(PO₄)₆) were the major P minerals in the granules. Organic P (OP) content maintained around 7.5 mg per gram of biomass in the aerobic granules during the 120 days' operation. Monoester phosphate (21.8% of TP in extract), diester phosphate (1.8%) and phosphonate (0.1%) were identified as OP species by Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (³¹P NMR). The proportion of NAIP + OP to TP was about 80% in the granules, implying high potentially mobile and bio-available P was stored in the nitrifying aerobic granules. The present results provide a new insight into the characteristics of P species in aerobic granules, which could be helpful for developing P removal and recovery techniques through biological wastewater treatment.

Preventive effects of ACTICOA powder, a cocoa polyphenolic extract, on experimentally induced prostate hyperplasia in Wistar-Unilever rats.

PubMed

Bisson, Jean-François; Hidalgo, Sophie; Rozan, Pascale; Messaoudi, Michaël

2007-12-01

Plant extracts are useful in the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This study investigates whether ACTICOA (Barry Callebaut France, Louviers, France) powder (AP), a cocoa polyphenolic extract, could prevent prostate hyperplasia induced by testosterone propionate (TP) in rats. Male Wistar-Unilever rats were randomly divided in four groups of 12 rats: one negative control group receiving subcutaneous injections of corn oil and treated with vehicle and three groups injected subcutaneously with TP and treated with the vehicle (positive control) or AP at 24 (AP24) and 48 (AP48) mg/kg/day. Treatments were given orally and started 2 weeks before the induction of prostate hyperplasia. The influence of TP and AP on body weights and food and water consumption of rats was examined. On day 36, rats were sacrificed, and the prostates were removed, cleaned, and weighed. The prostate size ratio (prostate weight/rat body weight) was then calculated. TP significantly influenced the body weight gain of the rats and their food and water consumption, while AP at both doses tested reduced significantly these differences. TP significantly increased prostate size ratio (P < .001), and this induced increase was significantly inhibited in AP-treated rats in comparison with positive controls (P < .001) in a dose-dependent manner. We conclude that AP can prevent TP-induced prostate hyperplasia and therefore may be beneficial in the management of BPH.

Results of a program to control phosphorus discharges from dairy operations in south-central Florida, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Havens, Karl E.; Flaig, Eric G.; James, R. Thomas; Lostal, Sergio; Muszick, Dera

1996-07-01

During 1987 1992, a mandatory program to control phosphorus discharges was implemented at dairy operations located to the north of Lake Okeechobee, Florida, USA. Thirty of 48 dairies participated in this program and implemented best management practices (BMPs), which included the construction of intensive animal waste management systems. Eighteen dairies closed their milkproducing operations under a government-funded buyout program. In this paper, we compare trends in runoff total phosphorus (TP) concentrations among the dairies that remained active and implemented BMPs. A central feature of the dairy waste management system is the high intensity area (HIA), defined as the milking barn and adjacent vegetation-free land, encircled by a drainage ditch and dike. Animal waste from the HIA is diverted into anaerobic lagoons and storage ponds, from which water is periodically removed and used for irrigation of field crops. The impacts of BMP construction on runoff TP concentrations were immediate and, in most cases, dramatic. Average TP concentrations declined significantly ( P < 0.001), from 9.0 to 1.2 mg TP liter-1 at dairies in one basin (Lower Kissimmee River), and from 2.6 to 1.0 mg TP liter-1 in another (Taylor Creek/Nubbin Slough). Some sites experienced greater declines in TP than others. To elucidate possible causes for the difference in response, a multivariate statistical model was utilized. Independent variables included soil pH, soil drainage characteristics, spodic horizon depth, and the areas of different BMP components (pasture, HIA, spray fields). The analysis significantly separated dairies with the highest and lowest runoff TP concentrations. Lowest TP occurred at dairies having particular soil characteristic (shallow spodic horizon) and certain BMP features (large HIA and small heard pastures).

The changes of bacterial communities and antibiotic resistance genes in microbial fuel cells during long-term oxytetracycline processing.

PubMed

Yan, Weifu; Guo, Yunyan; Xiao, Yong; Wang, Shuhua; Ding, Rui; Jiang, Jiaqi; Gang, Haiyin; Wang, Han; Yang, Jun; Zhao, Feng

2018-05-28

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is regarded as a promising alternative for enhancing the removal of antibiotic pollutants. In this study, oxytetracycline served as an electron donor in the anode chamber of MFCs, and after continuous operation for 330 days, the efficiency of removal of 10 mg/L oxytetracycline in MFCs increased to 99.00% in 78 h, whereas removal efficiency of only 58.26% was achieved in microbial controls. Compared to microbial controls, higher ATP concentration and persistent electrical stimulation mainly contributed to bioelectrochemical reactions more rapidly to enhance oxytetracycline removal in MFCs. In addition, the analysis of bacterial communities revealed that Eubacterium spp.-as the main functional bacterial genus responsible for oxytetracycline biodegradation-flourished starting from merely 0.00%-91.69% ± 0.27% (mean ± SD) in MFCs. High-throughput quantitative PCR showed that the normalized copy numbers of total antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements in MFCs were 1.7364 and 0.0065 copies/cell respectively, which were markedly lower than those in the microbial controls. Furthermore, there was no significant correlation between oxytetracycline concentration in the influent and abundance of ARGs in effluent from MFCs. Nevertheless, Tp614, a transposase gene, was found to be enriched in both MFCs and microbial reactors, suggesting that it may be a common challenge for different biological processes for wastewater treatment. This study therefore showed a lower probability of upregulation and transmission of ARGs in MFCs when compared to a traditional anaerobic microbial treatment. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Nitrogen and phosphorus removed from a subsurface flow multi-stage filtration system purifying agricultural runoff.

PubMed

Zhao, Yaqi; Huang, Lei; Chen, Yucheng

2018-07-01

Agricultural nonpoint source pollution has been increasingly serious in China since the 1990s. The main causes were excessive inputs of nitrogen fertilizer and pesticides. A multi-stage filtration system was built to test the purification efficiencies and removal characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus when treating agricultural runoff. Simulated runoff pollution was prepared by using river water as source water based on the monitoring of local agricultural runoff. Experimental study had been performed from September to November 2013, adopting 12 h for flooding and 12 h for drying. The results showed that the system was made adaptive to variation of inflow quality and quantity, and had good removal for dissolved total nitrogen, total nitrogen, dissolved total phosphorus (DTP), and total phosphorus, and the average removal rate was 27%, 36%, 32%, and 48%, respectively. Except nitrate ([Formula: see text]), other forms of nitrogen and phosphorus all decreased with the increase of stages. Nitrogen was removed mainly in particle form the first stage, and mostly removed in dissolved form the second and third stage. Phosphorus was removed mainly in particulate during the first two stages, but the removal of particulate phosphorus and DTP were almost the same in the last stage. An approximate logarithmic relationship between removal loading and influent loading to nitrogen and phosphorus was noted in the experimental system, and the correlation coefficient was 0.78-0.94. [Formula: see text]: ammonium; [Formula: see text]: nitrite; [Formula: see text]: nitrate; DTN: dissolved total nitrogen; TN: total nitrogen; DTP: dissolved total phosphorus; TP: total phosphorus; PN: particulate nitrogen; PP: particulate phosphorus.

Hydrologic Linkages Between Floodplain Wetlands and Adjacent Agricultural Lands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matteson, C.; Jackson, C. R.; Wilde, S. B.; Batzer, D.; Shelton, J.; Jeffers, J. B.

2017-12-01

Depending on wetland position relative to dominant flow pathways, wetlands can provide biogeochemical processing and water quality improvement in agricultural settings, particularly with respect to nutrients. Here we evaluate field-to-stream water quality gradients across a forested alluvial swamp and through a ditched wetland swale on the same site. During 2016 and 2017, water samples collected on a farm from shallow piezometers and surface water were analyzed for total oxidized nitrogen (TOxN), total phosphorus (TP), and microbial abundance. A 54-acre alluvial swamp borders the northern side of the study farm. Toeslope nutrient concentrations in shallow groundwater and surfacewater are elevated relative to background levels, with median values of 13.25 mg/l/TOxN and 47.60 µg/l/TP. Shallow groundwater and surfacewater concentrations are substantially lower only a few meters into the floodplain wetland and lower still (0.13 mg/l/TOxN and 29.67 µg/l/TP) at discharge points to an adjacent creek. Across the farm, an 18-acre wetland swale has been ditched, drained, and cropped. TOxN levels entering and exiting the ditched swale do not mitigate as efficiently, median values of 3.91 mg/l/TOxN reduce to 1.45 mg/l/TOxN, while TP input and reduction exceed the alluvial swamp by starting at 141.67 µg/l/TP at the inflow and discharging into a large river at 57.40 µg/l/TP. Microbial communities in seeps and surfacewater also vary systematically with geographic position. Higher proportions of Cyanobacteria, Turbidity indicators, and Diatom communities are observed in the ditched swale, and input areas of the alluvial swamp. ANOVA tests of TOxN (P<0.001) and TP (P=0.9) change across the alluvial swamp suggest effective processing of TOxN. While P values for TOxN and TP in the ditched swale, yield P=0.9 for TOxN and P=1.0 for TP indicating reduced efficiency of mitigation. Though values of both TOxN and TP do decrease before discharge into the river, they are not statistically significant and still greater values than the alluvial swamp. Dissipation of microbial indicators shows pollution mitigation further into the alluvial swamp. Though pollutant additions have been similar into both wetland types, water quality improvements are distinct in the alluvial swamp.

Smart Carbon Nanotubes with Laser-Controlled Behavior in Gene Delivery and Therapy through a Non-Digestive Trafficking Pathway.

PubMed

Kong, Fenfen; Liu, Fei; Li, Wei; Guo, Xiaomeng; Wang, Zuhua; Zhang, Hanbo; Li, Qingpo; Luo, Lihua; Du, Yongzhong; Jin, Yi; You, Jian

2016-12-01

Near-infrared (NIR) laser-controlled gene delivery presents some benefits in gene therapy, inducing enhanced gene transfection efficiency. In this study, a "photothermal transfection" agent is obtained by wrapping poly(ethylenimine)-cholesterol derivatives (PEI-Chol) around single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). The PEI-Chol modified SWNTs (PCS) are effective in compressing DNA molecules and protecting them from DNaseI degradation. Compared to the complexes formed by PEI with DNA (PEI/DNA), complexes of PCS and DNA that are formed (PCS/DNA) exhibit a little lower toxicity to HEK293 and HeLa cells under the same PEI molecule weight and weight ratios. Notably, caveolae-mediated cellular uptake of PCS/DNA occurs, which results in a safer intracellular transport of the gene due to the decreased lysosomal degradation in comparison with that of PEI/DNA whose internalization mainly depends on clathrin rather than caveolae. Furthermore, unlike PEI/DNA, PCS/DNA exhibits a photothermal conversion ability, which promotes DNA release from PCS under NIR laser irradiation. The NIR laser-mediated photothermal transfection of PCS 10K /plasmid TP53 (pTP53) results in more apoptosis and necrosis of HeLa cells in vitro than other groups, and achieves a higher tumor-growth inhibition in vivo than naked pTP53, PEI 25K /pTP53, and PCS 10K /pTP53 alone. The enhanced transfection efficiency of PCS/DNA can be attributed to more efficient DNA internalization into the tumor cells, promotes detachment of DNA from PCS under the mediation of NIR laser and higher DNA stability in the cells due to caveolae-mediated cellular uptake of the complexes. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Biodegradation of the artificial sweetener acesulfame in biological wastewater treatment and sandfilters.

PubMed

Castronovo, Sandro; Wick, Arne; Scheurer, Marco; Nödler, Karsten; Schulz, Manoj; Ternes, Thomas A

2017-03-01

A considerable removal of the artificial sweetener acesulfame (ACE) was observed during activated sludge processes at 13 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as well as in a full-scale sand filter of a water works. A long-term sampling campaign over a period of almost two years revealed that ACE removal in WWTPs can be highly variable over time. Nitrifying/denitrifying sequencing batch reactors (SBR) as well as aerobic batch experiments with activated sludge and filter sand from a water works confirmed that both activated sludge as well as filter sand can efficiently remove ACE and that the removal can be attributed to biologically mediated degradation processes. The lab results strongly indicated that varying ACE removal in WWTPs is not associated with nitrification processes. Neither an enhancement of the nitrification rate nor the availability of ammonium or the inhibition of ammonium monooxygenase by N-allylthiourea (ATU) affected the degradation. Moreover, ACE was found to be also degradable by activated sludge under denitrifying conditions, while being persistent in the absence of both dissolved oxygen and nitrate. Using ion chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry, sulfamic acid (SA) was identified as the predominant transformation product (TP). Quantitative analysis of ACE and SA revealed a closed mass balance during the entire test period and confirmed that ACE was quantitatively transformed to SA. Measurements of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) revealed an almost complete removal of the carbon originating from ACE, thereby further confirming that SA is the only relevant final TP in the assumed degradation pathway of ACE. A first analysis of SA in three municipal WWTP revealed similar concentrations in influents and effluents with maximum concentrations of up to 2.3 mg/L. The high concentrations of SA in wastewater are in accordance with the extensive use of SA in acid cleaners, while the degradation of ACE in WWTPs adds only a very small portion of the total load of SA discharged into surface waters. No removal of SA was observed by the biological treatment applied at these WWTPs. Moreover, SA was also stable in the aerobic batch experiments conducted with the filter sand from a water works. Hence, SA might be a more appropriate wastewater tracer than ACE due to its chemical and microbiological persistence, the negligible sorbing affinity (high negative charge density) and its elevated concentrations in WWTP effluents. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Excess sludge reduction using pilot-scale lysis-cryptic growth system integrated ultrasonic/alkaline disintegration and hydrolysis/acidogenesis pretreatment.

PubMed

Ma, Huaji; Zhang, Shuting; Lu, Xuebin; Xi, Bo; Guo, Xingli; Wang, Han; Duan, Jingxiao

2012-07-01

A pilot-scale lysis-cryptic growth system was built and operated continuously for excess sludge reduction. Combined ultrasonic/alkaline disintegration and hydrolysis/acidogenesis were integrated into its sludge pretreatment system. Continuous operation showed that the observed biomass yield and the sludge reduction efficiency of the lysis-cryptic growth system were 0.27 kg VSS/kg COD consumed and 56.5%, respectively. The water quality of its effluent was satisfactory. The sludge pretreatment system performed well and its TCOD removal efficiency was 7.9% which contributed a sludge reduction efficiency of 2.1%. The SCOD, VFA, TN, NH(4)(+)-N, TP and pH in the supernatant of pretreated sludge were 1790 mg/L, 1530 mg COD/L, 261.1mg/L, 114.0mg/L, 93.1mg/L and 8.69, respectively. The total operation cost of the lysis-cryptic growth system was $ 0.186/m(3) wastewater, which was 11.4% less than that of conventional activated sludge (CAS) system without excess sludge pretreatment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peptide-substituted oligonucleotide synthesis and non-toxic, passive cell delivery

PubMed Central

Shang, Shiying; Monfregola, Luca; Caruthers, Marvin H

2016-01-01

Chemically modified oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) are known to modulate gene expression by interacting with RNA. An efficient approach for synthesizing amino acid- or peptide-substituted triazolylphosphonate analogs (TP ODNs) has been developed to provide improved stability and cell uptake. The chemistry is quite general, as peptides can be introduced throughout the TP ODN at any preselected internucleotide linkage. These synthetic TP ODNs enter cells through endocytosis in the absence of transfection reagents and localize into perinuclear organelles. The entrapped ODNs are released into the cytoplasm by treatment with endosomal-releasing agents and several are then active as microRNA inhibitors. PMID:29263901

[Pilot-scale opposite folded plate hybrid anaerobic reactor (OFPHAR) in treatment of sewage].

PubMed

Han, Xiang-Kui; Ye, Chang-Bing; Zhuang, Jin-Peng; Bi, Dong; Wang, Lei

2008-11-01

Based on the theories of mass-transfer and two-double integrated staged multi-phase anaerobe (TSMPA), a pilot-scale opposite folded plate hybrid anaerobic reactor (OFPHAR) was designed to treat low concentration sewage. All the trial lasted 12 months and the results indicated that the optimal HRT was 6h. At this HRT, the COD, TP and TN removal rate were 78.58%, 35.15%, 39.17%, respectively, at 25 degrees C +/- 2 degrees C. The optimal rate of anaerobic section was 45%-65%. Controlled HRT = 6 h, the COD, TP and TN removal rate were 64.37%, 20.72%, 23.65%, respectively, and the specific methane production capacity were 1.85 mL/(g x h) when the temperature decreased to 7 degrees C. The results of trial indicated that apply this OFPHAR to treat low concentration sewage at low temperature in north China is feasible.

Comparative performance evaluation of full-scale anaerobic and aerobic wastewater treatment processes in Brazil.

PubMed

von Sperling, M; Oliveira, S C

2009-01-01

This article evaluates and compares the actual behavior of 166 full-scale anaerobic and aerobic wastewater treatment plants in operation in Brazil, providing information on the performance of the processes in terms of the quality of the generated effluent and the removal efficiency achieved. The observed results of effluent concentrations and removal efficiencies of the constituents BOD, COD, TSS (total suspended solids), TN (total nitrogen), TP (total phosphorus) and FC (faecal or thermotolerant coliforms) have been compared with the typical expected performance reported in the literature. The treatment technologies selected for study were: (a) predominantly anaerobic: (i) septic tank + anaerobic filter (ST + AF), (ii) UASB reactor without post-treatment (UASB) and (iii) UASB reactor followed by several post-treatment processes (UASB + POST); (b) predominantly aerobic: (iv) facultative pond (FP), (v) anaerobic pond followed by facultative pond (AP + FP) and (vi) activated sludge (AS). The results, confirmed by statistical tests, showed that, in general, the best performance was achieved by AS, but closely followed by UASB reactor, when operating with any kind of post-treatment. The effluent quality of the anaerobic processes ST + AF and UASB reactor without post-treatment was very similar to the one presented by facultative pond, a simpler aerobic process, regarding organic matter.

Phytoremediation of domestic wastewaters in free water surface constructed wetlands using Azolla pinnata.

PubMed

Akinbile, Christopher O; Ogunrinde, Temitope A; Che Bt Man, Hasfalina; Aziz, Hamidi Abdul

2016-01-01

Two constructed wetlands, one with Azolla pinnata plant (CW1) and the other without (CW2) for treating domestic wastewaters were developed. Fifteen water parameters which include: Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Suspended Solid (TSS), Total Phosphorus (TP), Total Nitrogen (TN), Ammoniacal Nitrogen (NH3N), Turbidity, pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Iron (Fe), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn), and heavy metals such as Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn) were analyzed using standard laboratory procedures. The experiments were conducted in two (dry and wet) seasons simultaneously. Results showed considerable reductions in all parameters and metals including Zn in CW1 compared with CW2 in the two seasons considered while Pb and Mn were not detected throughout the study. Zn concentration levels reduced significantly in both seasons just as removal efficiencies of 70.03% and 64.51% were recorded for CW1 while 35.17% and 33.45% were recorded for CW2 in both seasons. There were no significant differences in the removal efficiencies of Fe in both seasons as 99.55%, 59.09%, 88.89%, and 53.56% were recorded in CW1 and CW2 respectively. Azolla pinnata has proved effective in domestic wastewater phytoremediation studies.

Occurrence of iodinated X-ray contrast media and their biotransformation products in the urban water cycle.

PubMed

Kormos, Jennifer Lynne; Schulz, Manoj; Ternes, Thomas A

2011-10-15

A LC tandem MS method was developed for the simultaneous determination of four iodinated X-ray contrast media (ICM) and 46 ICM biotransformation products (TPs) in raw and treated wastewater, surface water, groundwater, and drinking water. Recoveries ranged from 70% to 130%, and limits of quantification (LOQ) varied between 1 ng/L and 3 ng/L for surface water, groundwater and drinking water, and between 10 ng/L and 30 ng/L for wastewater. In a conventional wastewater treatment plant, iohexol, iomeprol, and iopromide were transformed to >80%, while iopamidol was transformed to 35%. In total, 26 TPs were detected above their LOQ in WWTP effluents. A significant change in the pattern of ICM TPs was observed after bank filtration and groundwater infiltration under aerobic conditions. Predominately, these TPs are formed at the end of the microbial transformation pathways in batch experiments with soil and sediment. These polar ICM TPs, such as iohexol TP599, iomeprol TP643, iopromide TP701A, and iopromide TP643, were not or only partially removed during drinking water treatment. As a consequence, several ICM TPs were detected in drinking water, at concentration levels exceeding 100 ng/L, with a maximum of 500 ng/L for iomeprol TP687.

A comparative study on the enhanced operation of a BFB and SFCW coupling process for domestic wastewater treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lingwei, Kong; Lu, Wang; Rongwu, Mei; Yingyu, Tan; Yu, Zhang; Yan, Gao; Jianing, Sun; Ya, Li

2018-05-01

In this study, a new coupling process system of BFB (biological filter bed) and SFCW (subsurface-flow constructed wetland) based on the auto-ventilation network was proposed, and the comparative pollutant removal efficiency of the pilot test coupling system with different substrates configurations were investigated. The study found that: the influent concentration of the system fluctuated greatly and effluent concentration of the comparison system (b) was 20.22 ± 13.37 mg/L, 2.70 ± 2.49 mg/L, 4.40 ± 3.05 mg/L and 1.09 ± 0.62 mg/L, respectively. The comparison system (b) had better removal rates than that of the original system (a), which was 81.30 %, 90.28 %, 88.57 % and 75.36 % for CODcr, NH4 +-N, TN and TP, respectively. The removal of the above main water indexes of the comparison system (b) promoted to 4.20 %, 9.20 %, 7.66 % and 13.61 % respectively when compared to the original system (a), which showed that the optimized configuration of various kinds of substrates was significant and was more beneficial to the degradation and removal of pollutants. The adsorption and interception function of substrates in the constructed wetland was the main way of phosphorus removal. The function of auto-ventilation ensured the amount of DO in the coupling system, making the phosphorus removal was less affected comparing to structure of traditional wetland.

Sludge dewatering and stabilization in drying reed beds: characterization of three full-scale systems in Catalonia, Spain.

PubMed

Uggetti, Enrica; Llorens, Esther; Pedescoll, Anna; Ferrer, Ivet; Castellnou, Roger; García, Joan

2009-09-01

Optimization of sludge management can help reducing sludge handling costs in wastewater treatment plants. Sludge drying reed beds appear as a new and alternative technology which has low energy requirements, reduced operating and maintenance costs, and causes little environmental impact. The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of three full-scale drying reed beds in terms of sludge dewatering, stabilization and hygienisation. Samples of influent sludge and sludge accumulated in the reed beds were analysed for pH, Electrical Conductivity, Total Solids (TS), Volatile Solids (VS), Chemical Oxygen Demand, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, nutrients (Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) and Total Phosphorus (TP)), heavy metals and faecal bacteria indicators (Escherichiacoli and Salmonella spp.). Lixiviate samples were also collected. There was a systematic increase in the TS concentration from 1-3% in the influent to 20-30% in the beds, which fits in the range obtained with conventional dewatering technologies. Progressive organic matter removal and sludge stabilization in the beds was also observed (VS concentration decreased from 52-67% TS in the influent to 31-49% TS in the beds). Concentration of nutrients of the sludge accumulated in the beds was quite low (TKN 2-7% TS and TP 0.04-0.7% TS), and heavy metals remained below law threshold concentrations. Salmonella spp. was not detected in any of the samples, while E. coli concentration was generally lower than 460MPN/g in the sludge accumulated in the beds. The studied systems demonstrated a good efficiency for sludge dewatering and stabilization in the context of small remote wastewater treatment plants.

Purifying capability, enzyme activity, and nitrification potentials in December in integrated vertical flow constructed wetland with earthworms and different substrates.

PubMed

Xu, Defu; Gu, Jiaru; Li, Yingxue; Zhang, Yu; Howard, Alan; Guan, Yidong; Li, Jiuhai; Xu, Hui

2016-01-01

The response of purifying capability, enzyme activity, nitrification potentials, and total number of bacteria in the rhizosphere in December to wetland plants, substrates, and earthworms was investigated in integrated vertical flow constructed wetlands (IVFCW). The removal efficiency of total nitrogen (TN), NH4-N, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total phosphorus (TP) was increased when earthworms were added into IVFCW. A significantly average removal efficiency of N in IVFCW that employed river sand as substrate and in IVFCW that employed a mixture of river sand and Qing sand as substrate was not found. However, the average removal efficiency of P was higher in IVFCW with a mixture of river sand and Qing sand as substrate than in IVFCW with river sand as substrate. Invertase activity in December was higher in IVFCW that used a mixture of river sand and Qing sand as substrate than in IVFCW which used only river sand as substrate. However, urease activity, nitrification potential, and total number of bacteria in December was higher in IVFCW that employed river sand as substrate than in IVFCW with a mixture of river sand and Qing sand as substrate. The addition of earthworms into the integrated vertical flow constructed wetland increased the above-ground biomass, enzyme activity (catalase, urease, and invertase), nitrification potentials, and total number of bacteria in December. The above-ground biomass of wetland plants was significantly positively correlated with urease and nitrification potentials (p < 0.01). The addition of earthworms into IVFCW increased enzyme activity and nitrification potentials in December, which resulted in improving purifying capability.

Sources of black carbon to the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau glaciers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chaoliu; Bosch, Carme; Kang, Shichang; Andersson, August; Chen, Pengfei; Zhang, Qianggong; Cong, Zhiyuan; Chen, Bing; Qin, Dahe; Gustafsson, Örjan

2016-08-01

Combustion-derived black carbon (BC) aerosols accelerate glacier melting in the Himalayas and in Tibet (the Third Pole (TP)), thereby limiting the sustainable freshwater supplies for billions of people. However, the sources of BC reaching the TP remain uncertain, hindering both process understanding and efficient mitigation. Here we present the source-diagnostic Δ14C/δ13C compositions of BC isolated from aerosol and snowpit samples in the TP. For the Himalayas, we found equal contributions from fossil fuel (46+/-11%) and biomass (54+/-11%) combustion, consistent with BC source fingerprints from the Indo-Gangetic Plain, whereas BC in the remote northern TP predominantly derives from fossil fuel combustion (66+/-16%), consistent with Chinese sources. The fossil fuel contributions to BC in the snowpits of the inner TP are lower (30+/-10%), implying contributions from internal Tibetan sources (for example, yak dung combustion). Constraints on BC sources facilitate improved modelling of climatic patterns, hydrological effects and provide guidance for effective mitigation actions.

The Contribution of TP-AGB and RHeB Stars to the Near-IR Luminosity of Local Galaxies: Implications for Stellar Mass Measurements of High-redshift Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melbourne, J.; Williams, Benjamin F.; Dalcanton, Julianne J.; Rosenfield, Philip; Girardi, Léo; Marigo, P.; Weisz, D.; Dolphin, A.; Boyer, Martha L.; Olsen, Knut; Skillman, E.; Seth, Anil C.

2012-03-01

Using high spatial resolution Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 and Advanced Camera for Surveys imaging of resolved stellar populations, we constrain the contribution of thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) stars and red helium burning (RHeB) stars to the 1.6 μm near-infrared (NIR) luminosities of 23 nearby galaxies, including dwarfs and spirals. The TP-AGB phase contributes as much as 17% of the integrated F160W flux, even when the red giant branch is well populated. The RHeB population contribution can match or even exceed the TP-AGB contribution, providing as much as 21% (18% after a statistical correction for foreground) of the integrated F160W light. We estimate that these two short-lived phases may account for up to 70% of the rest-frame NIR flux at higher redshift. The NIR mass-to-light (M/L) ratio should therefore be expected to vary significantly due to fluctuations in the star formation rate (SFR) over timescales from 25 Myr to several Gyr, an effect that may be responsible for some of the lingering scatter in NIR galaxy scaling relations such as the Tully-Fisher and metallicity-luminosity relations. We compare our observational results to predictions based on optically derived star formation histories and stellar population synthesis (SPS) models, including models based on the 2008 Padova isochrones (used in popular SPS programs) and the updated 2010 Padova isochrones, which shorten the lifetimes of low-mass (old) low-metallicity TP-AGB populations. The updated (2010) SPS models generally reproduce the expected numbers of TP-AGB stars in the sample; indeed, for 65% of the galaxies, the discrepancy between modeled and observed numbers is smaller than the measurement uncertainties. The weighted mean model/data number ratio for TP-AGB stars is 1.5 (1.4 with outliers removed) with a standard deviation of 0.5. The same SPS models, however, give a larger discrepancy in the F160W flux contribution from the TP-AGB stars, overpredicting the flux by a weighted mean factor of 2.3 (2.2 with outliers removed) with a standard deviation of 0.8. This larger offset is driven by the prediction of modest numbers of high-luminosity TP-AGB stars at young (<300 Myr) ages. The best-fit SPS models simultaneously tend to underpredict the numbers and fluxes of stars on the RHeB sequence, typically by a factor of 2.0 ± 0.6 for galaxies with significant numbers of RHeBs. Possible explanations for both the TP-AGB and RHeB model results include (1) difficulties with measuring the SFHs of galaxies especially on the short timescales over which these stars evolve (several Myr), (2) issues with the way the SPS codes populate the color-magnitude diagrams (e.g., how they handle pulsations or self-extinction), and/or (3) lingering issues with the lifetimes of these stars in the stellar evolution codes. Coincidentally these two competing discrepancies—overprediction of the TP-AGB and underprediction of the RHeBs—result in a predicted NIR M/L ratio largely unchanged for a rapid SFR, after correcting for these effects. However, the NIR-to-optical flux ratio of galaxies could be significantly smaller than AGB-rich models would predict, an outcome that has been observed in some intermediate-redshift post-starburst galaxies.

Total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation in children for chronic pancreatitis: indication, surgical techniques, postoperative management, and long-term outcomes.

PubMed

Chinnakotla, Srinath; Bellin, Melena D; Schwarzenberg, Sarah J; Radosevich, David M; Cook, Marie; Dunn, Ty B; Beilman, Gregory J; Freeman, Martin L; Balamurugan, A N; Wilhelm, Josh; Bland, Barbara; Jimenez-Vega, Jose M; Hering, Bernhard J; Vickers, Selwyn M; Pruett, Timothy L; Sutherland, David E R

2014-07-01

Describe the surgical technique, complications, and long-term outcomes of total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation (TP-IAT) in a large series of pediatric patients. Surgical management of childhood pancreatitis is not clear; partial resection or drainage procedures often provide transient pain relief, but long-term recurrence is common due to the diffuse involvement of the pancreas. Total pancreatectomy (TP) removes the source of the pain, whereas islet autotransplantation (IAT) potentially can prevent or minimize TP-related diabetes. Retrospective review of 75 children undergoing TP-IAT for chronic pancreatitis who had failed medical, endoscopic, or surgical treatment between 1989 and 2012. Pancreatitis pain and the severity of pain statistically improved in 90% of patients after TP-IAT (P < 0.001). The relief from narcotics was sustained. Of the 75 patients undergoing TP-IAT, 31 (41.3%) achieved insulin independence. Younger age (P = 0.032), lack of prior Puestow procedure (P = 0.018), lower body surface area (P = 0.048), higher islet equivalents (IEQ) per kilogram body weight (P = 0.001), and total IEQ (100,000) (P = 0.004) were associated with insulin independence. By multivariate analysis, 3 factors were associated with insulin independence after TP-IAT: (1) male sex, (2) lower body surface area, and (3) higher total IEQ per kilogram body weight. Total IEQ (100,000) was the single factor most strongly associated with insulin independence (odds ratio = 2.62; P < 0.001). Total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation provides sustained pain relief and improved quality of life. The β-cell function is dependent on islet yield. Total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation is an effective therapy for children with painful pancreatitis that failed medical and/or endoscopic management.

Photochemical reflectance ratio for tracking light use efficiency for sunlit leaves in two forest types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Ting; Chen, Jing M.

2017-01-01

The estimation of maximum carboxylation rate (Vcmax)-a critical determinant of the terrestrial carbon simulation-over space remains a challenging task. Inverting the Vcmax through the sunlit gross primary productivity (GPP) is a possible solution if the key parameter sunlit light use efficiency (ɛsun) could be acquired through remote sensing approaches. Previous studies have shown that the reflectance centered at 531 nm (R531) is very sensitive to variations of ɛsun and the photochemical reflectance index (PRI, the normalized difference index using R531 and R570) can be used as an indicator of ɛsun at the leaf level though little is known about the PRI-ɛsun relationship at the canopy level due to the mixing of sunlit and shaded leaves. In this study, the photochemical reflectance ratio (PRR, defined as the ratio between R531 and R570) is proposed to enable the sunlit-shaded separation of the canopy reflectance observations acquired from a tower based multi-angular platform. The canopy PRR can be expressed as the algebraic sum of sunlit PRR and shaded PRR weighted by the visible portions of the sunlit canopy and the shaded canopy respectively. The visible portions from different angles were simulated using the 4-Scale model and the sunlit (/shaded) PRR was acquired through solving a set of equations describing the canopy PRR obtained from different angles. The relationships between the sunlit PRR (PRRsun) and ɛsun were studied for a white pine stand (TP39) and a sugar maple stand (HA). At both sites, significant correlations between PRRsun and ɛsun were obtained (R2 = 0.57 (TP39), 0.585 (HA), p < 0.001), showing the ability of PRRsun to track the variation of ɛsun. Nevertheless, differences existed in the expressions of the PRRsun-ɛsun relationship between TP39 and HA, a general expression could not be found. Further studies have shown that introducing the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to correct PRRsun (NDVI × PRRsun) largely removed such differences, suggesting the potential of the NDVI corrected PRRsun in estimating the ɛsun for different biomes.

Protective efficacy of a Treponema pallidum Gpd DNA vaccine vectored by chitosan nanoparticles and fused with interleukin-2.

PubMed

Zhao, Feijun; Wang, Shiping; Zhang, Xiaohong; Gu, Weiming; Yu, Jian; Liu, Shuangquan; Zeng, Tiebing; Zhang, Yuejun; Wu, Yimou

2012-02-01

In the present study, immunomodulatory responses of a DNA vaccine constructed by fusing Treponema pallidum (Tp) glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase (Gpd) to interleukin-2 (IL-2) and using chitosan (CS) nanoparticles as vectors were investigated. New Zealand white rabbits were immunized by intramuscular inoculation of control DNAs, Tp Gpd DNA vaccine, or Gpd-IL-2 fusion DNA vaccine, which were vectored by CS nanoparticles. Levels of the anti-Gpd antibodies and levels of IL-2 and interferon-γ in rabbits were increased upon inoculation of Gpd-IL-2 fusion DNA vaccine, when compared with the inoculation with Gpd DNA vaccine, with CS vectoring increasing the effects. The Gpd-IL-2 fusion DNA vaccine efficiently enhanced the antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferative response. When the rabbits were challenged intradermally with 10(5) Tp (Nichols) spirochetes, the Gpd-IL-2 fusion DNA vaccine conferred better protection than the Gpd DNA vaccine (P < 0.05), as characterized by lower detectable amounts of dark field positive lesions (17.5%), lower ulcerative lesion scores (15%), and faster recovery. Individuals treated with the Tp Gpd-IL-2 fusion DNA vaccine vectored by CS nanoparticles had the lowest amounts of dark field positive lesions (10%) and ulcerations (5%) observed and the fastest recovery (42 days). These results indicate that the Gpd-IL-2 fusion DNA vaccine vectored by CS nanoparticles can efficiently induce Th1-dominant immune responses, improve protective efficacy against Tp spirochete infection, and effectively attenuate development of syphilitic lesions.

Performance of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal in Petrochemical Wastewater by Zeolited Fly Ash

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zheng; Gu, Guizhou; Ji, Shenghao

2018-05-01

The zeolitized fly ash was synthesized by alkali melt hydrothermal method. The cation exchange capacity of zeolitized fly ash was far greater than the raw material fly ash. The main component was NaP1 zeolite (Na6Al6Si10O32·12H2O), followed by mullite, and a small amount of heterozygous crystals. The effect of synthetic zeolite dosage, pH value, adsorption time and reaction temperature on the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus removal in petrochemical wastewater were investigated. The results showed that when the zeolitized fly ash dosage was 9 g/L, the petrochemical wastewater pH value was 6∼8, adsorption time was 30 min and the reaction temperature was 30°C, the synthetic zeolite had the best effect on the removal of TN and TP in petrochemical wastewater, and the removal was 65.5%, 91.4% respectively. Besides, the concentrations of TN and TP in the effluent were 11.04 mg/L, 0.31 mg/L respectively. The concentrations met the sewage discharge standard in petrochemical industry of "Liaoning sewage comprehensive discharge standard" (DB21 1627-2008). This study was to realize the comprehensive utilization of solid waste and achieve the purpose of waste and waste.

Removal of pharmaceutical residue in municipal wastewater by DAF (dissolved air flotation)-MBR (membrane bioreactor) and ozone oxidation.

PubMed

Choi, Miyoung; Choi, Dong Whan; Lee, Jung Yeol; Kim, Young Suk; Kim, Bun Su; Lee, Byoung Ho

2012-01-01

Growing attention is given to pharmaceutical residue in the water environment. It is known that pharmaceuticals are able to survive from a series of wastewater treatment processes. Concerns regarding pharmaceutical residues are attributed to the fact that they are being detected in water and sediment environment ubiquitously. Pharmaceutical treatment using a series of wastewater treatment processes of the DAF (dissolved air flotation)-MBR (membrane bioreactor)-ozone oxidation was conducted in the study. DAF, without addition of coagulant, could remove COD(cr) (chemical oxygen demand by Cr) up to over 70%, BOD 73%, SS 83%, T-N 55%, NH₄(+) 23%, and T-P 65% in influent of municipal wastewater. Average removal rates of water quality parameters by the DAF-MBR system were very high, e.g. COD(cr) 95.88%, BOD₅ 99.66%, COD(mn) (chemical oxygen demand by Mn) 93.63%, T-N 69.75%, NH₄-N 98.46%, T-P 78.23%, and SS 99.51%, which satisfy effluent water quality standards. Despite the high removal rate of the wastewater treatment system, pharmaceuticals were eliminated to be about 50-99% by the MBR system, depending on specific pharmaceuticals. Ibuprofen was well removed by MBR system up to over 95%, while removal rate of bezafibrate ranged between 50 and 90%. With over 5 mg/l of ozone oxidation, most pharmaceuticals which survived the DAF-MBR process were removed completely or resulted in very low survival rate within the range of few micrograms per litre. However, some pharmaceuticals such as bezafibrate and naproxen tended to be resistant to ozone oxidation.

Contemporary Surface Seasonal Oscillation and Vertical Deformation in Tibetan Plateau and Nepal Derived from the GPS, Leveling and GRACE Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, W.; Pan, Y.; Hwang, C.; Ding, H.

2015-12-01

We use 168 Continuous Global Positioning System (CGPS) stations distributed in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and Nepal from lengths of 2.5 to 14 years to estimate the present-day velocity field in this area, including the horizontal and vertical deformations under the frame ITRF2008. We estimate and remove common mode errors in regional GPS time series using the principal component analysis (PCA), obtaining a time series with high signal to noise ratio. Following the maximum estimation analysis, a power law plus white noise stochastic model are adopted to estimate the velocity field. The highlight of Tibetan region is the crust vertical deformation. GPS vertical time series present seasonal oscillations caused by temporal mass loads, hence GRACE data from CSR are used to study the mass loads change. After removing the mass load deformations from GPS vertical rates, the results are improved. Leveling data about 48 years in this region are also used to estimate the rates of vertical movements. Our study suggests that the boundary of south Nepal is still sinking due to the fact that the India plate is crashing into the Eurasian plate. The uplift rates from south to north of TP reduce gradually. Himalayas region and north Nepal uplift around 6 mm/yr in average. The uplift rate along East TP in Qinhai is around 2.7 mm/yr in average. In contrast, the southeast of Tibetan Plateau, south Yunnan and Tarim in Xinjiang sink with different magnitudes. Our observation results suggest complicated mechanism of the mass migration in TP. This study is supported by National 973 Project China (grant Nos. 2013CB733302 and 2013CB733305), NSFC (grant Nos. 41174011, 41429401, 41210006, 41128003, 41021061).

Discoloration of various CAD/CAM blocks after immersion in coffee.

PubMed

Lauvahutanon, Sasipin; Shiozawa, Maho; Takahashi, Hidekazu; Iwasaki, Naohiko; Oki, Meiko; Finger, Werner J; Arksornnukit, Mansuang

2017-02-01

This study evaluated color differences (Δ E s) and translucency parameter changes (Δ TP s) of various computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) blocks after immersion in coffee. Eight CAD/CAM blocks and four restorative composite resins were evaluated. The CIE L * a * b * values of 2.0 mm thick disk-shaped specimens were measured using the spectrophotometer on white and black backgrounds ( n = 6). The Δ E s and Δ TP s of one day, one week, and one month immersion in coffee or water were calculated. The values of each material were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparisons (α = 0.05). The Δ E s after prophylaxis paste polishing of 1 month coffee immersion specimens, water sorption and solubility were also evaluated. After one month in coffee, Δ E s of CAD/CAM composite resin blocks and restorative composites ranged from 1.6 to 3.7 and from 2.1 to 7.9, respectively, and Δ TP s decreased. The ANOVA of Δ E s and Δ TP s revealed significant differences in two main factors, immersion periods and media, and their interaction except for Δ E s of TEL (Telio CAD, Ivoclar Vivadent). The Δ E s significantly decreased after prophylaxis polishing except GRA (Gradia Block, GC). There was no significant correlation between Δ E s and water sorption or solubility in water. The Δ E s of CAD/CAM blocks after immersion in coffee varied among products and were comparable to those of restorative composite resins. The discoloration of CAD/CAM composite resin blocks could be effectively removed with prophylaxis paste polishing, while that of some restorative composites could not be removed.

Sustainability of a constructed wetland faced with a depredation event.

PubMed

Maine, M A; Hadad, H R; Sánchez, G C; Mufarrege, M M; Di Luca, G A; Caffaratti, S E; Pedro, M C

2013-10-15

A free water surface constructed wetland (CW) designed for effluent treatment was dominated by the emergent macrophyte Typha domingensis reaching a cover of roughly 80% for 5 years. Highly efficient metal and nutrient removal was reported during this period. In June 2009, a population of approximately 30 capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) caused the complete depredation of the aerial parts of macrophytes. However, plant roots and rhizomes were not damaged. After depredation stopped, T. domingensis showed a luxuriant growth, reaching a cover of 60% in 30 days. The objective of this work was to evaluate the sustainability of the CW subjected to an extreme event. Removal efficiency of the system was compared during normal operation, during the depredation event and over the subsequent recovery period. The CW efficiently retained contaminants during all the periods studied. However, the best efficiencies were registered during the normal operation period. There were no significant differences between the performances of the CW over the last two periods, except for BOD. The mean removal percentages during normal operation/depredation event/recovery period, were: 84.9/73.2/74.7% Cr; 66.7/48.0/51.2% Ni; 97.2/91.0/89.4% Fe; 50.0/46.8/49.5% Zn; 81.0/84.0/80.4% NO3(-); 98.4/93.4/84.1% NO2(-); 73.9/28.2/53.2% BOD and 75.4/40.9/44.6% COD. SRP and TP presented low removal efficiencies. Despite the anoxic conditions, contaminants were not released from sediment, accumulating in fractions that proved to be stable faced with changes in the operating conditions of the CW. T. domingensis showed an excellent growth response, consequently the period without aerial parts lasted a few months and the CW could recover its normal operation. Plants continued retaining contaminants in their roots and the sediment increased its retention capacity, balancing the operating capacity of the system. This was probably due to the fact that the CW had reached its maturity, with a complete root-rhizome development. These results demonstrated that faced with an incidental problem, this mature CW was capable of maintaining its efficiency and recovering its vegetation, demonstrating the robustness of these treatment systems. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Optimization Study on the Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal of Modified Two- sludge System Under the Condition of Low Carbon Source].

PubMed

Yang, Wei-qiang; Wang, Dong-bo; Li, Xiao-ming; Yang, Qi; Xu, Qiu-xiang; Zhang, Zhi-bei; Li, Zhi-jun; Xiang, Hai-hong; Wang, Ya-li; Sun, Jian

2016-04-15

This paper explored the method of resolving insufficient carbon source in urban sewage by comparing and analyzing denitrification and phosphorus removal (NPR) effect between modified two-sludge system and traditional anaerobic-aerobic-anoxic process under the condition of low carbon source wastewater. The modified two-sludge system was the experimental reactor, which was optimized by adding two stages of micro-aeration (aeration rate 0.5 L · mm⁻¹) in the anoxic period of the original two-sludge system, and multi-stage anaerobic-aerobic-anoxic SBR was the control reactor. When the influent COD, ammonia nitrogen, SOP concentration were respectively 200, 35, 10 mg · L⁻¹, the NPR effect of the experimental reactor was hetter than that of thecontrol reactor with the removal efficiency of TN being 94.8% vs 60.9%, and TP removal being 96.5% vs 75%, respectively. The effluent SOP, ammonia, TN concentration of the experimental reactor were 0.35, 0.50, 1.82 mg · L⁻¹, respectively, which could fully meet the first class of A standard of the Pollutants Emission Standard of Urban Wastewater Treatment Firm (GB 18918-2002). Using the optimized treatment process, the largest amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus removal per unit carbon source (as COD) were 0.17 g · g⁻¹ and 0.048 g · g⁻¹ respectively, which could furthest solve the lower carbon concentration in current municipal wastewater.

Phosphorus loads from different urban storm runoff sources in southern China: a case study in Wenzhou City.

PubMed

Zhou, Dong; Bi, Chun-Juan; Chen, Zhen-Lou; Yu, Zhong-Jie; Wang, Jun; Han, Jing-Chao

2013-11-01

Storm runoff from six types of underlying surface area during five rainfall events in two urban study areas of Wenzhou City, China was investigated to measure phosphorus (P) concentrations and discharge rates. The average event mean concentrations (EMCs) of total phosphorus (TP), total dissolved phosphorus (TDP), and particulate phosphorus (PP) ranged from 0.02 to 2.5 mg · L(-1), 0.01 to 0.48 mg · L(-1), and 0.02 to 2.43 mg · L(-1), respectively. PP was generally the dominant component of TP in storm runoff, while the major form of P varied over time, especially in roof runoff, where TDP made up the largest portion in the latter stages of runoff events. Both TP and PP concentrations were positively correlated with pH, total suspended solids (TSS), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)/chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations (p<0.01), while TDP was positively correlated with BOD/COD only (p<0.01). In addition, the EMCs of TP and PP were negatively correlated with maximum rainfall intensity (p<0.05), while the EMCs of TDP positively correlated with the antecedent dry weather period (p<0.05). The annual TP emission fluxes from the two study areas were 367.33 and 237.85 kg, respectively. Underlying surface type determined the TP and PP loadings in storm runoff, but regional environmental conditions affected the export of TDP more significantly. Our results indicate that the removal of particles from storm runoff could be an effective measure to attenuate P loadings to receiving water bodies.

Photoassociation dynamics driven by a modulated two-color laser field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wei; Zhao, Ze-Yu; Xie, Ting; Wang, Gao-Ren; Huang, Yin; Cong, Shu-Lin

2011-11-01

Photoassociation (PA) dynamics of ultracold cesium atoms steered by a modulated two-color laser field E(t)=E0f(t)cos((2π)/(Tp)-φ)cos(ωLt) is investigated theoretically by numerically solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. The PA dynamics is sensitive to the phase of envelope (POE) φ and the period of the envelope Tp, which indicates that it can be controlled by varying POE φ and period Tp. Moreover, we introduce the time- and frequency-resolved spectrum to illustrate how the POE φ and the period Tp influence the intensity distribution of the modulated laser pulse and hence change the time-dependent population distribution of photoassociated molecules. When the Gaussian envelope contains a few oscillations, the PA efficiency is also dependent on POE φ. The modulated two-color laser field is available in the current experiment based on laser mode-lock technology.

Analysis of stiffness and stress in I-bar clasps.

PubMed

Sato, Y; Tsuga, K; Abe, Y; Asahara, S; Akagawa, Y

2001-06-01

An I-bar clasp is one of the most popular direct retainers for distal-extension removable partial dentures. However, no adequate information is available on the shape associated with biomechanics. This study aimed (1) to establish a three-dimensional (3D) finite-element modelling method of I-bar clasps, and (2) to clarify the effect of the shape on the stress and stiffness of I-bar clasps. 3D computer models of I-bar clasps were created with vertical and horizontal straight sections connected with a curved section with six parameters: thickness of the clasp tip (T), width of the clasp tip (W), radius of the curvature (R), horizontal distance between the base and the vertical axis (H), vertical dimension between the tip and the horizontal axis (V), taper (change of width per unit length along the axis)(Tp). Stress decreased as T, W, R and Tp increased, and as V decreased. Stiffness (which is proportional to retention) increased as T, W, R and Tp increased, and as H and V decreased. In both stress and stiffness, the effects of T and Tp were especially large. From the results, a systematic formula between the clasp shape and the stiffness was derived.

Synthesis and characterization of titanium dioxide-polypyrrole nanocomposites for the photodegradation of bromophenol blue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buenviaje, Salvador C.; Usman, Ken Aldren S.; Payawan, Leon M.

2018-05-01

Titania (TiO2) nanoparticles were synthesized through sol-gel method and stabilized by polypyrrole through photopolymerization. The titania-polypyrrole (TP) nanocomposites were then characterized on the basis of particle size, stability, dispersity, band gap energy, and surface morphology. Using dynamic light scattering, TP products of varied mole ratios were found to be all nano in size with bare TiO2 having 66.6 nm and the rest with ˜90 nm. These materials were also found to be stable in water with Zeta potentials all above 25 mV. The band gap energies of TP products were precise and accurate relative to the 3.52 eV of bare TiO2 using ultraviolet-visible spectra. The particles were also monodisperse enough with ˜PDI values of 0.450. The TP material was also drop-casted on mica, and found to have cone-shaped peaks at 60 nm and almost uniform surface using atomic force microscopy. Photodegradation of bromophenol blue was also optimized and found to have 97.53% efficiency in the presence of TP as photocatalyst and at pH 7.

Construction of an efficient two-photon fluorescent probe for imaging nitroreductase in live cells and tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Liyi; Gong, Liang; Hu, Shunqin

2018-06-01

Compared with traditional confocal microscopy, two-photon fluorescence microscopy (TPFM), which excites a two-photon (TP) fluorophore by near-infrared light, provides improved three-dimensional image resolution with increased tissue-image depth (>500 μm) and an extended observation time. Therefore, the development of novel functional TP fluorophores has attracted great attention in recent years. Herein, a novel TP fluorophore CM-NH2, which have the donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A)-structure, was designed and synthesized. We further used this dye developed a new type of TP fluorescent probe CM-NO2 for detecting nitroreductase (NTR). Upon incubated with NTR for 15 min, CM-NO2 displayed a 90-fold fluorescence enhancement at 505 nm and the maximal TP action cross-section value after reaction was detected and calculated to be 200 GM at 760 nm. The probe exhibited excellent properties such as high sensitivity, high selectivity, low cytotoxicity, and high photostability. Moreover, the probe was utilized to image the tumor hypoxia in live HeLa cells. Finally, using the CM-NO2 to image NTR in tissues was demonstrated.

Effect of Staged Dissolved Oxygen Optimization on In-situ sludge Reduction and Enhanced Nutrient Removal in an A2MMBR-M System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Shan-Shan; Pang, Ji-Wei; Jin, Xiao-Man; Wu, Zhong-Yang; Yang, Xiao-Yin; Guo, Wan-Qian; Zhao, Zhi-Qing; Ren, Nan-Qi

2018-03-01

Redundant excess sludge production and considerable non-standard wastewater discharge from existing activated sludge processes are facing more and more challenges. The investigations on lower sludge production and higher sewage treatment efficiency are urgently needed. In this study, an anaerobic/anoxic/micro-aerobic/oxic-MBR combining a micro-aerobic starvation sludge holding tank (A2MMBR-M) system is developed. Batch tests on the optimization of the staged dissolved oxygen (DO) in the micro-aerobic, the first oxic, and the second oxic tanks were carried out by a 3-factor and 3-level Box-Behnken design (BBD). The optimal actual values of X1 , X2 , and X3 were DO1 of 0.3-0.5 mg/L, DO2 of 3.5-4.5 mg/L, and DO3 of 3-4 mg/L. After the optimization tests, continuous-flow experiments of anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (AAO) and A2MMBR-M systems were further conducted. Compared to AAO system, a 37.45% reduction in discharged excess sludge in A2MMBR-M system was achieved. The COD, TN, and TP removal efficiencies in A2MMBR-M system were respective 4.06%, 2.68%, and 4.04% higher than AAO system. The A2MMBR-M system is proved a promising wastewater treatment technology possessing enhanced in-situ sludge reduction and improved effluent quality. The staged optimized DO concentrations are the key controlling parameters for the realization of simultaneous in-situ sludge reduction and nutrient removal.

Novel phased isolation ditch system for enhanced nutrient removal and its optimal operating strategy.

PubMed

Hong, K i-Ho; Chang, Duk; Hur, Joon-Moo; Han, Sang-Bae

2003-01-01

Phased isolation ditch system with intrachannel clarifier is a simplified novel oxidation ditch system enhancing simultaneous removal of biological nitrogen and phosphorus in municipal wastewater. The system employs two ditches with intra-clarifier, and eliminates external final clarifier, additional preanaerobic reactor, and recycle of sludge and nitrified effluent. Separation of anoxic, anaerobic, and aerobic phases can be accomplished by alternating flow and intermittent aeration. Its pilot-scale system operated at HRTs of 10-21 h, SRTs of 15-41 days, and a cycle times of 2-8 h showed removals of BOD, TN, and TP in the range of mixed liquor temperature above 10 degrees C as high as 88-97, 70-84, and 65-90%, respectively. As the SRTs became longer, the effluent TN decreased dramatically, whereas the effluent TP increased. Higher nitrogen removal was accomplished at shorter cycle times, while better phosphorus removal was achieved in longer cycle times. Optimal system operating strategies maximizing the performance and satisfying both the best nitrogen and phosphorus removals included HRTs ranged 10-14 h, SRTs ranged 25-30 days, and a cycle time of 4 h at the mixed liquor temperature above 10 degrees C. Thus, complete phase separation in a cycle maximizing phosphorus release and uptake as well as nitrification and denitrification was accomplished by scheduling of alternating flow and intermittent aeration in the simplified process scheme. Especially, temporal phase separation for phosphorus release without additional anaerobic reactor was successfully accomplished during anaerobic period without any nitrate interference and carbon-limiting.

Comparative analyses of different variants of standard ground for automatic control systems of technical processes of oil and gas production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gromakov, E. I.; Gazizov, A. T.; Lukin, V. P.; Chimrov, A. V.

2017-01-01

The paper analyses efficiency (interference resistance) of standard TT, TN, IT networks in control links of automatic control systems (ACS) of technical processes (TP) of oil and gas production. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is a standard term used to describe the interference in grounding circuits. Improved EMC of ACS TP can significantly reduce risks and costs of malfunction of equipment that could have serious consequences. It has been proved that an IT network is the best type of grounds for protection of ACS TP in real life conditions. It allows reducing the interference down to the level that is stated in standards of oil and gas companies.

Novel strategy for immunomodulation: Dissolving microneedle array encapsulating thymopentin fabricated by modified two-step molding technology.

PubMed

Lin, Shiqi; Cai, Bingzhen; Quan, Guilan; Peng, Tingting; Yao, Gangtao; Zhu, Chune; Wu, Qiaoli; Ran, Hao; Pan, Xin; Wu, Chuanbin

2018-01-01

Thymopentin (TP5) is commonly used in the treatment for autoimmune diseases, with a short plasma half-life (30s) and a long treatment period (7 days to 6 months). It is usually administrated by syringe injection, resulting in compromised patient compliance. Dissolving microneedle array (DMNA) offers a superior approach for transdermal delivery of biological macromolecules, as it allows painless penetration through the stratum corneum and generates minimal biohazardous waste after dissolving in the skin. Despite recent advances in DMNA as a novel approach for transdermal drug delivery, problem of insufficient mechanical strength remains to be solved. In this study, TP5-loaded DMNA (TP5-DMNA) was uniquely developed using a modified two-step molding technology. The higher mechanical strength was furnished by employing bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a co-material to fabricate the needles. The obtained TP5-DMNA containing BSA displayed better skin penetration and higher drug loading efficiency than that without BSA. The in vivo pharmacodynamics study demonstrated that TP5-DMNA had comparative effect on immunomodulation to intravenous injection of TP5, in terms of ameliorating the CD4+/CD8+ ratio, SOD activity and MDA value to the basal level. Only mild irritation was observed at the site of administration. These results suggest that the novel TP5-DMNA utilizing BSA provides an alternative approach for convenient and safe transdermal delivery of TP5, which is a promising administration strategy for future clinical application. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Time-course measurements of caffeine and its metabolites extracted from fingertips after coffee intake: a preliminary study for the detection of drugs from fingerprints.

PubMed

Kuwayama, Kenji; Tsujikawa, Kenji; Miyaguchi, Hajime; Kanamori, Tatsuyuki; Iwata, Yuko T; Inoue, Hiroyuki

2013-05-01

The aim of this study was to determine whether an ingested drug and its metabolites could be detected in the subject's fingerprints. Caffeine (CF) was chosen as the model drug. Three healthy subjects were asked to consume a cup of coffee (ca. 100 mL) containing 80 micro micro mg CF as the total dose, which is the normal amount in one cup of coffee. After washing hands with water to remove external contaminants, each subject pressed the index fingertip to a collecting matrix just before consuming the test cup of coffee, and then again pressed the index fingertip to the collecting matrix after 1, 3, 5, and 7 h. The time curve of the amounts of CF and its metabolites-theobromine (TB), paraxanthine (PX), and theophylline (TP)-in fingerprints and blood was determined using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS). A filter paper wetted with water (50 μL) was an efficient collecting matrix for extracting the analytes from the fingertip. With optimized sample preparation and LC/MS conditions, the total operating time, from taking the fingerprints to obtaining the analytical result, was approximately 10 min. The lower limits of quantification for CF, TB, PX, and TP were 0.5, 5, 0.5, and 5 ng/fingerprint, respectively. The amount of CF or PX determined in fingerprints obtained over 7 h after coffee intake was significantly greater than the amount determined in fingerprints taken before drinking coffee. Fingerprints were a more efficient source for drug testing than other biological samples, such as blood and sweat, because the procedures for sampling and extracting the drugs were simpler and took less time. The method could be used to prove drug intake in criminal investigations.

Push pull microfluidics on a multi-level 3D CD.

PubMed

Thio, Tzer Hwai Gilbert; Ibrahim, Fatimah; Al-Faqheri, Wisam; Moebius, Jacob; Khalid, Noor Sakinah; Soin, Norhayati; Kahar, Maria Kahar Bador Abdul; Madou, Marc

2013-08-21

A technique known as thermo-pneumatic (TP) pumping is used to pump fluids on a microfluidic compact disc (CD) back towards the CD center against the centrifugal force that pushes liquids from the center to the perimeter of the disc. Trapped air expands in a TP air chamber during heating, and this creates positive pressure on liquids located in chambers connected to that chamber. While the TP air chamber and connecting channels are easy to fabricate in a one-level CD manufacturing technique, this approach provides only one way pumping between two chambers, is real-estate hungry and leads to unnecessary heating of liquids in close proximity to the TP chamber. In this paper, we present a novel TP push and pull pumping method which allows for pumping of liquid in any direction between two connected liquid chambers. To ensure that implementation of TP push and pull pumping also addresses the issue of space and heating challenges, a multi-level 3D CD design is developed, and localized forced convection heating, rather than infra-red (IR) is applied. On a multi-level 3D CD, the TP features are placed on a top level separate from the rest of the microfluidic processes that are implemented on a lower separate level. This approach allows for heat shielding of the microfluidic process level, and efficient usage of space on the CD for centrifugal handling of liquids. The use of localized forced convection heating, rather than infra-red (IR) or laser heating in earlier implementations allows not only for TP pumping of liquids while the CD is spinning but also makes heat insulation for TP pumping and other fluidic functions easier. To aid in future implementations of TP push and pull pumping on a multi-level 3D CD, study on CD surface heating is also presented. In this contribution, we also demonstrate an advanced application of pull pumping through the implementation of valve-less switch pumping.

Fabrication of novel vesicles of triptolide for antirheumatoid activity with reduced toxicity in vitro and in vivo.

PubMed

Zhang, Li; Wang, Tengteng; Li, Qiang; Huang, Jing; Xu, Hao; Li, Jinlong; Wang, Yongjun; Liang, Qianqian

2016-01-01

Triptolide (TP) displays a strong immunosuppression function in immune-mediated diseases, especially in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. However, in addition to its medical and health-related functions, TP also exhibits diverse pharmacological side effects, for instance, liver and kidney toxicity and myelosuppression. In order to reduce the side effects, a nano drug carrier system (γ-PGA-l-PAE-TP [PPT]), in which TP was loaded by a poly-γ-glutamic acid-grafted l-phenylalanine ethylester copolymer, was developed. PPT was characterized by photon scattering correlation spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, which demonstrated that the average diameter of the drug carrier system is 98±15 nm, the polydispersity index is 0.18, the zeta potential is -35 mV, and the TP encapsulation efficiency is 48.6% with a controlled release manner. The methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide assay and flow cytometry revealed that PPT could decrease toxicity and apoptosis induced by free TP on RAW264.7 cells, respectively. The detection of reactive oxygen species showed that PPT could decrease the cellular reactive oxygen species induced by TP. Compared with the free TP-treated group, PPT improved the survival rate of the mice (P<0.01) and had no side effects or toxic effects on the thymus index (P>0.05) and spleen index (P>0.05). The blood biochemical indexes revealed that PPT did not cause much damage to the kidney (blood urea nitrogen and creatinine), liver (serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase), or blood cells (P>0.05). Meanwhile, hematoxylin and eosin staining and terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling staining indicated that PPT reduced the damage of free TP on the liver, kidney, and spleen. Our results demonstrated that PPT reduced free TP toxicity in vitro and in vivo and that it is a promising fundamental drug delivery system for rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

Push pull microfluidics on a multi-level 3D CD

PubMed Central

Thio, Tzer Hwai Gilbert; Ibrahim, Fatimah; Al-Faqheri, Wisam; Moebius, Jacob; Khalid, Noor Sakinah; Soin, Norhayati; Kahar, Maria Kahar Bador Abdul; Madou, Marc

2013-01-01

A technique known as thermo-pneumatic (TP) pumping is used to pump fluids on a microfluidic compact disc (CD) back towards the CD center against the centrifugal force that pushes liquids from the center to the perimeter of the disc. Trapped air expands in a TP air chamber during heating, and this creates positive pressure on liquids located in chambers connected to that chamber. While the TP air chamber and connecting channels are easy to fabricate in a one-level CD manufacturing technique, this approach provides only one way pumping between two chambers, is real-estate hungry and leads to unnecessary heating of liquids in close proximity to the TP chamber. In this paper, we present a novel TP push and pull pumping method which allows for pumping of liquid in any direction between two connected liquid chambers. To ensure that implementation of TP push and pull pumping also addresses the issue of space and heating challenges, a multi-level 3D CD design is developed, and localized forced convection heating, rather than infra-red (IR) is applied. On a multi-level 3D CD, the TP features are placed on a top level separate from the rest of the microfluidic processes that are implemented on a lower separate level. This approach allows for heat shielding of the microfluidic process levels, and efficient usage of space on the CD for centrifugal handling of liquids. The use of localized forced convection heating, rather than infra-red (IR) or laser heating in earlier implementations allows not only for TP pumping of liquids while the CD is spinning but also makes heat insulation for TP pumping and other fluidic functions easier. To aid in future implementations of TP push and pull pumping on a multi-level 3D CD, study on CD surface heating is also presented. In this contribution, we also demonstrate an advanced application of pull pumping through the implementation of valve-less switch pumping. PMID:23774994

76 FR 21673 - Alternative Efficiency Determination Methods and Alternate Rating Methods

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-18

... EERE-2011-BP-TP-00024] RIN 1904-AC46 Alternative Efficiency Determination Methods and Alternate Rating Methods AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of... and data related to the use of computer simulations, mathematical methods, and other alternative...

Exquisite sensitivity of TP53 mutant and basal breast cancers to a dose-dense epirubicin-cyclophosphamide regimen.

PubMed

Bertheau, Philippe; Turpin, Elisabeth; Rickman, David S; Espié, Marc; de Reyniès, Aurélien; Feugeas, Jean-Paul; Plassa, Louis-François; Soliman, Hany; Varna, Mariana; de Roquancourt, Anne; Lehmann-Che, Jacqueline; Beuzard, Yves; Marty, Michel; Misset, Jean-Louis; Janin, Anne; de Thé, Hugues

2007-03-01

In breast cancers, only a minority of patients fully benefit from the different chemotherapy regimens currently in use. Identification of markers that could predict the response to a particular regimen would thus be critically important for patient care. In cell lines or animal models, tumor protein p53 (TP53) plays a critical role in modulating the response to genotoxic drugs. TP53 is activated in response to DNA damage and triggers either apoptosis or cell-cycle arrest, which have opposite effects on cell fate. Yet, studies linking TP53 status and chemotherapy response have so far failed to unambiguously establish this paradigm in patients. Breast cancers with a TP53 mutation were repeatedly shown to have a poor outcome, but whether this reflects poor response to treatment or greater intrinsic aggressiveness of the tumor is unknown. In this study we analyzed 80 noninflammatory breast cancers treated by frontline (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy. Tumor diagnoses were performed on pretreatment biopsies, and the patients then received six cycles of a dose-dense regimen of 75 mg/m(2) epirubicin and 1,200 mg/m(2) cyclophosphamide, given every 14 days. After completion of chemotherapy, all patients underwent mastectomies, thus allowing for a reliable assessment of chemotherapy response. The pretreatment biopsy samples were used to determine the TP53 status through a highly efficient yeast functional assay and to perform RNA profiling. All 15 complete responses occurred among the 28 TP53-mutant tumors. Furthermore, among the TP53-mutant tumors, nine out of ten of the highly aggressive basal subtypes (defined by basal cytokeratin [KRT] immunohistochemical staining) experienced complete pathological responses, and only TP53 status and basal subtype were independent predictors of a complete response. Expression analysis identified many mutant TP53-associated genes, including CDC20, TTK, CDKN2A, and the stem cell gene PROM1, but failed to identify a transcriptional profile associated with complete responses among TP53 mutant tumors. In patients with unresponsive tumors, mutant TP53 status predicted significantly shorter overall survival. The 15 patients with responsive TP53-mutant tumors, however, had a favorable outcome, suggesting that this chemotherapy regimen can overcome the poor prognosis generally associated with mutant TP53 status. This study demonstrates that, in noninflammatory breast cancers, TP53 status is a key predictive factor for response to this dose-dense epirubicin-cyclophosphamide regimen and further suggests that the basal subtype is exquisitely sensitive to this association. Given the well-established predictive value of complete responses for long-term survival and the poor prognosis of basal and TP53-mutant tumors treated with other regimens, this chemotherapy could be particularly suited for breast cancer patients with a mutant TP53, particularly those with basal features.

Development of transmucosal patch loaded with anesthetic and analgesic for dental procedures and in vivo evaluation.

PubMed

Nidhi, Malviya; Patro, M Nagaraju; Kusumvalli, Somisetty; Kusumdevi, Vemula

2016-01-01

Most of the dental surgeries require preoperative anesthetic and postoperative analgesic for painless procedures. A multidrug transmucosal drug delivery system loaded with lignocaine (Lig) base for immediate release and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) of diclofenac (Dic) diethylamine for prolonged release was developed. SLNs were prepared by solvent emulsion-evaporation method with Precirol ATO 5 and Geleol as lipids and Pluronic F 68 as surfactant and optimized with Box-Behnken design for particle size and entrapment efficiency. SLNs were incorporated into the transmucosal patch (TP) prepared with hydroxypropyl cellulose-LF (HPC-LF) and with a backing layer of ethyl cellulose. Optimized SLNs and TP were characterized for Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, in vitro release, ex vivo permeation through porcine buccal mucosa, Caco-2 permeability, and residual solvent analysis by gas chromatography. The TP was also evaluated for swelling index, in vitro residence time, tensile strength, and mucoadhesive strength. Preclinical pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and histopathological studies by application of TP on the gingiva of New Zealand rabbits were carried out. Particle size and entrapment efficiency of the optimized SLN "S8" were determined as 98.23 nm and 84.36%, respectively. The gingival crevicular fluid and tissue concentrations were greater than plasma concentrations with increase in C max and area under the curve (AUC) of Lig and Dic when compared to the control group. Pain perception by needle prick showed prolonged combined anesthetic and analgesic effect. The developed TP loaded with Lig base and Dic diethylamine-SLNs exhibited immediate and complete permeation with tissue accumulation of Lig followed by controlled prolonged release and tissue accumulation of Dic at the site of application. Thus, it could be anticipated from the in vivo studies that the developed TP provides immediate initial anesthetic effect, and the analgesic effect would be prolonged for 24 hours, since optimal gingival crevicular fluid and tissue levels of analgesic would be achieved, while the tissue remains anesthetized.

Radiative effects of light-absorbing particles deposited in snow over Himalayas using WRF-Chem simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarangi, C.; Qian, Y.; Painter, T. H.; Liu, Y.; Lin, G.; Wang, H.

2017-12-01

Radiative forcing induced by light-absorbing particles (LAP) deposited on snow is an important surface forcing. It has been debated that an aerosol-induced increase in atmospheric and surface warming over Tibetan Plateau (TP) prior to the South Asian summer monsoon can have a significant effect on the regional thermodynamics and South Asian monsoon circulation. However, knowledge about the radiative effects due to deposition of LAP in snow over TP is limited. In this study we have used a high-resolution WRF-Chem (coupled with online chemistry and snow-LAP-radiation model) simulations during 2013-2014 to estimate the spatio-temporal variation in LAP deposition on snow, specifically black carbon (BC) and dust particles, in Himalayas. Simulated distributions in meteorology, aerosol concentrations, snow albedo, snow grain size and snow depth are evaluated against satellite and in-situ measurements. The spatio-temporal change in snow albedo and snow grain size with variation in LAP deposition is investigated and the resulting shortwave LAP radiative forcing at surface is calculated. The LAP-radiative forcing due to aerosol deposition, both BC and dust, is higher in magnitude over Himalayan slopes (terrain height below 4 km) compared to that over TP (terrain height above 4 km). We found that the shortwave aerosol radiative forcing efficiency at surface due to increase in deposited mass of BC particles in snow layer ( 25 (W/m2)/ (mg/m2)) is manifold higher than the efficiency of dust particles ( 0.1 (W/m2)/ (mg/m2)) over TP. However, the radiative forcing of dust deposited in snow is similar in magnitude (maximum 20-30 W/m2) to that of BC deposited in snow over TP. This is mainly because the amount of dust deposited in snow over TP can be about 100 times greater than the amount of BC deposited in snow during polluted conditions. The impact of LAP on surface energy balance, snow melting and atmospheric thermodynamics is also examined.

Submerged aquatic vegetation-based treatment wetlands for removing phosphorus from agricultural runoff: response to hydraulic and nutrient loading.

PubMed

Dierberg, F E; DeBusk, T A; Jackson, S D; Chimney, M J; Pietro, K

2002-03-01

Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) communities exhibit phosphorus (P) removal mechanisms not found in wetlands dominated by emergent macrophytes. This includes direct assimilation of water column P by the plants and pH-mediated P coprecipitation with calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Recognizing that SAV might be employed to increase the performance of treatment wetlands, we investigated P removal in mesocosms (3.7 m2) stocked with a mixture of taxa common to the region: Najas guadalupensis, Ceratophyllum demersum, Chara spp. and Potamogeton illinoensis. Three sets of triplicate mesocosms received agricultural runoff from June 1998 to February 2000 at nominal hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 1.5, 3.5 or 7.0 days. Mean total P (TP) loading rates were 19.7. 8.3 and 4.5 g/m2/yr. After eight months of operation. N. guadalupensis dominated the standing crop biomass and P storage, whereas C. demersum exhibited the highest tissue P content. Chara spp. was prominent only in the 7.0)-day HRT treatments while P. illinoensis largely disappeared. Inflow soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) (10 163 microg/L) was reduced consistently to near the detection limit (2 microg/L) in the 3.5- and 7.0-day HRT treatments, and to a mean of 9 microg/L in the 1.5-day HRT treatment. The mean inflow TP concentration (10(7) microg/L) was reduced to 52, 29 and 23 microg/L in the 1.5-, 3.5- and 7.0-day HRT treatments, respectively. Total P concentrations in new sediment (mean= 641, 408 and 459 mg/kg in the 1.5-. 3.5-, and 7.0-day HRT mesocosms, respectively) were much higher than in the muck soil used to stock the mesocosms (236 mg/ kg). The calcium content of new sediment was twice that of the muck soil (16.5% vs. 7.6%), demonstrating that CaCO3 production and, perhaps, coprecipitation of P occurred. We observed no nocturnal remobilization of SRP despite diel fluctuations in pH and dissolved oxygen. Mean outflow TP (21 microg/L) from a 147 ha SAV wetland (4-day nominal HRT) was similar to mean outflow TP in the 3.5-day and 7.0-day HRT treatments. The mesocosms adequately mimicked P removal and other important characteristics of the larger system and can be used to address research questions regarding treatment performance of full-scale SAV wetlands. Available data suggest that the incorporation of SAV communities into the stormwater treatment areas may benefit Everglades restoration.

Probing the structural and molecular basis of nucleotide selectivity by human mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ

PubMed Central

Sohl, Christal D.; Szymanski, Michal R.; Mislak, Andrea C.; Shumate, Christie K.; Amiralaei, Sheida; Schinazi, Raymond F.; Anderson, Karen S.; Yin, Y. Whitney

2015-01-01

Nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are the essential components of highly active antiretroviral (HAART) therapy targeting HIV reverse transcriptase (RT). NRTI triphosphates (NRTI-TP), the biologically active forms, act as chain terminators of viral DNA synthesis. Unfortunately, NRTIs also inhibit human mitochondrial DNA polymerase (Pol γ), causing unwanted mitochondrial toxicity. Understanding the structural and mechanistic differences between Pol γ and RT in response to NRTIs will provide invaluable insight to aid in designing more effective drugs with lower toxicity. The NRTIs emtricitabine [(-)-2,3′-dideoxy-5-fluoro-3′-thiacytidine, (-)-FTC] and lamivudine, [(-)-2,3′-dideoxy-3′-thiacytidine, (-)-3TC] are both potent RT inhibitors, but Pol γ discriminates against (-)-FTC-TP by two orders of magnitude better than (-)-3TC-TP. Furthermore, although (-)-FTC-TP is only slightly more potent against HIV RT than its enantiomer (+)-FTC-TP, it is discriminated by human Pol γ four orders of magnitude more efficiently than (+)-FTC-TP. As a result, (-)-FTC is a much less toxic NRTI. Here, we present the structural and kinetic basis for this striking difference by identifying the discriminator residues of drug selectivity in both viral and human enzymes responsible for substrate selection and inhibitor specificity. For the first time, to our knowledge, this work illuminates the mechanism of (-)-FTC-TP differential selectivity and provides a structural scaffold for development of novel NRTIs with lower toxicity. PMID:26124101

Separation of swine wastewater into different concentration fractions and its contribution to combined anaerobic-aerobic process.

PubMed

Yang, Di; Deng, Liangwei; Zheng, Dan; Wang, Lan; Liu, Yi

2016-03-01

There are two problems associated with treatment of swine wastewater, low efficiency of anaerobic digestion during winter and poor performance for aerobic treatment of digested effluent. A strategy employing unbalanced distributions of the pollutant mass and wastewater volumes in anaerobic and aerobic units was proposed. To accomplish this, swine wastewater was separated into high content liquid (HCL) and low content liquid (LCL). Three separation ratios of HCL to LCL (v/v), 1:9 (S1), 2:8 (S2), and 3:7 (S3), were evaluated. Anaerobically digestion of the HCL accounted for only 10%, 20% and 30% of the total volume of raw wastewater, but produced 63.38%, 73.79% and 76.61% of the total methane output for S1, S2 and S3, respectively. The mixed liquid of digested effluents of HCL and LCL were treated aerobically using sequencing batch reactors. S2 generated the best performance, with removal efficiencies of 96.98% for COD, 98.95% for NH3-N, 91.69% for TN and 74.71% for TP. The results obtained for S1 were not as good as those for S2, but were better than those for S3. Based on methane output from the anaerobic unit and pollutants removal in the aerobic unit, S2 was the most suitable system for the treatment of swine wastewater. Additionally, the anaerobic digestion efficiency of S2 was 282% higher than that of previous techniques employing balanced distribution. Taken together, these findings indicate that unbalanced distribution could improve the efficiency of the anaerobic unit remarkably, while ensuring good performance of the aerobic unit. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Assessing the Total Factor Productivity of Cotton Production in Egypt

PubMed Central

Rodríguez, Xosé A.; Elasraag, Yahia H.

2015-01-01

The main objective of this paper is to decompose the productivity growth of Egyptian cotton production. We employ the stochastic frontier approach and decompose the changes in total factor productivity (CTFP) growth into four components: technical progress (TP), changes in scale component (CSC), changes in allocative efficiency (CAE), and changes in technical efficiency (CTE). Considering a situation of scarce statistical information, we propose four alternative empirical models, with the purpose of looking for convergence in the results. The results provide evidence that in this production system total productivity does not increase, which is mainly due to the negative average contributions of CAE and TP. Policy implications are offered in light of the results. PMID:25625318

Assessing the total factor productivity of cotton production in Egypt.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Xosé A; Elasraag, Yahia H

2015-01-01

The main objective of this paper is to decompose the productivity growth of Egyptian cotton production. We employ the stochastic frontier approach and decompose the changes in total factor productivity (CTFP) growth into four components: technical progress (TP), changes in scale component (CSC), changes in allocative efficiency (CAE), and changes in technical efficiency (CTE). Considering a situation of scarce statistical information, we propose four alternative empirical models, with the purpose of looking for convergence in the results. The results provide evidence that in this production system total productivity does not increase, which is mainly due to the negative average contributions of CAE and TP. Policy implications are offered in light of the results.

Test procedures and instructions for single shell tank saltcake cesium removal with crystalline silicotitanate

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

Duncan, J.B.

1997-01-07

This document provides specific test procedures and instructions to implement the test plan for the preparation and conduct of a cesium removal test, using Hanford Single Shell Tank Saltcake from tanks 24 t -BY- I 10, 24 1 -U- 108, 24 1 -U- 109, 24 1 -A- I 0 1, and 24 t - S-102, in a bench-scale column. The cesium sorbent to be tested is crystalline siticotitanate. The test plan for which this provides instructions is WHC-SD-RE-TP-024, Hanford Single Shell Tank Saltcake Cesium Removal Test Plan.

A spectroscopic and molecular docking approach on the binding of tinzaparin sodium with human serum albumin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, Saleh M. S.; Fatma, Sana; Rabbani, Gulam; Ashraf, Jalaluddin M.

2017-01-01

Protein bound toxins are poorly removed by conventional extracorporeal therapies. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cancer. The interaction between tinzaparin, an inhibitor of angiotensin converting enzyme and human serum albumin, a principal plasma protein in the liver has been investigated in vitro under a simulated physiological condition by UV-vis spectrophotometry and fluorescence spectrometry. The intrinsic fluorescence intensity of human serum albumin was strongly quenched by tinzaparin (TP). The binding constants and binding stoichiometry can be calculated from the data obtained from fluorescence quenching experiments. The negative value of ΔG° reveals that the binding process is a spontaneous process. Thermodynamic analysis shows that the HSA-TP complex formation occurs via hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions and undergoes slight structural changes as evident by far-UV CD. It indicated that the hydrophobic interactions play a main role in the binding of TP to human serum albumin. In addition, the distance between TP (acceptor) and tryptophan residues of human serum albumin (donor) was estimated to be 2.21 nm according to the Förster's resonance energy transfer theory. For the deeper understanding of the interaction, thermodynamic, and molecular docking studies were performed as well. Our docking results suggest that TP forms stable complex with HSA (Kb ∼ 104) and its primary binding site is located in subdomain IIA (Sudlow Site I). The results obtained herein will be of biological significance in pharmacology and clinical medicine.

Highly sensitive oligothiophene-phenylamine-based dual-functional fluorescence "turn-on" sensor for rapid and simultaneous detection of Al3+ and Fe3+ in environment and food samples.

PubMed

Guo, Zongrang; Niu, Qingfen; Li, Tianduo

2018-07-05

Developing low-cost and efficient sensors for rapid, selective and sensitive detection of the transition metal ions in environmental and food science is very important. In this study, a novel dual-functional fluorescent "turn-on" sensor 3TP based on oligothiophene-phenylamine Schiff base has been synthesized for discrimination and simultaneous detection of both Al 3+ and Fe 3+ ions with high selectivity and anti-interference over other metal ions. Sensor 3TP displayed a very fast fluorescence-enhanced response towards Al 3+ and Fe 3+ ions with low detection limits (0.177μM for Al 3+ and 0.172μM for Fe 3+ ) and wide pH response range (4.0-12.0). The Al 3+ /Fe 3+ sensing mechanisms were investigated by fluorescence experiments, 1 H NMR titrations, FT-IR and ESI-MS spectra. Importantly, sensor 3TP was served as an efficient solid material for the highly sensitive and selective detection of Fe 3+ on TLC plates. Moreover, the sensor 3TP has been successfully used to detect trace Al 3+ and Fe 3+ in environment and food samples with satisfactory results and good recoveries, revealing a convenient, reliable and accurate method for Al 3+ and Fe 3+ analysis in real samples. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Highly sensitive oligothiophene-phenylamine-based dual-functional fluorescence "turn-on" sensor for rapid and simultaneous detection of Al3+ and Fe3+ in environment and food samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Zongrang; Niu, Qingfen; Li, Tianduo

2018-07-01

Developing low-cost and efficient sensors for rapid, selective and sensitive detection of the transition metal ions in environmental and food science is very important. In this study, a novel dual-functional fluorescent "turn-on" sensor 3TP based on oligothiophene-phenylamine Schiff base has been synthesized for discrimination and simultaneous detection of both Al3+ and Fe3+ ions with high selectivity and anti-interference over other metal ions. Sensor 3TP displayed a very fast fluorescence-enhanced response towards Al3+ and Fe3+ ions with low detection limits (0.177 μM for Al3+ and 0.172 μM for Fe3+) and wide pH response range (4.0-12.0). The Al3+/Fe3+ sensing mechanisms were investigated by fluorescence experiments, 1H NMR titrations, FT-IR and ESI-MS spectra. Importantly, sensor 3TP was served as an efficient solid material for the highly sensitive and selective detection of Fe3+ on TLC plates. Moreover, the sensor 3TP has been successfully used to detect trace Al3+ and Fe3+ in environment and food samples with satisfactory results and good recoveries, revealing a convenient, reliable and accurate method for Al3+ and Fe3+ analysis in real samples.

The influence of MAP condition and active compounds on the radiosensitization of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi present in chicken breast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacroix, M.; Chiasson, F.

2004-09-01

The efficiency of carvacrol, thymol, trans-cinnamaldehyde (Tc) and tetrasodium pyrophosphate (Tp) on the radiosensitization of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi in chicken breast was determined. Chicken breast were dipped in a bath of working cultures of E. coli or S. typhi (5×10 7 CFU/ml). Active compounds were added at the concentration corresponding to {1}/{30} of the minimal inhibitory concentration. Samples were packed under air and gamma irradiation was done at doses from 0.1 to 0.7 kGy. The efficiencies of the active compounds against E. coli were 32%, 10%, 3% and 0% for thymol, Tp and carvacrol, respectively. For S. typhi, the efficiencies in the chicken breast were 47%, 19%, 17% and 11% for Tc, Tp, carvacrol and thymol, respectively. Without active compounds, D10 values were 0.145 kGy for E. coli and 0.64 kGy for S. typhi as compared to 0.098 kGy for E. coli and 0.341 kGy for S. typhi in presence of Tc. Under modified atmospheric packaging condition and in presence of Tc, D10 values were reduced to 0.046 for E. coli and to 0.110 for S. typhi.

Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci Controlling Root and Shoot Traits Associated with Drought Tolerance in a Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) Recombinant Inbred Line Population

PubMed Central

Idrissi, Omar; Udupa, Sripada M.; De Keyser, Ellen; McGee, Rebecca J.; Coyne, Clarice J.; Saha, Gopesh C.; Muehlbauer, Fred J.; Van Damme, Patrick; De Riek, Jan

2016-01-01

Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses limiting lentil productivity in rainfed production systems. Specific rooting patterns can be associated with drought avoidance mechanisms that can be used in lentil breeding programs. In all, 252 co-dominant and dominant markers were used for Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) analysis on 132 lentil recombinant inbred lines based on greenhouse experiments for root and shoot traits during two seasons under progressive drought-stressed conditions. Eighteen QTLs controlling a total of 14 root and shoot traits were identified. A QTL-hotspot genomic region related to a number of root and shoot characteristics associated with drought tolerance such as dry root biomass, root surface area, lateral root number, dry shoot biomass and shoot length was identified. Interestingly, a QTL (QRSratioIX-2.30) related to root-shoot ratio, an important trait for drought avoidance, explaining the highest phenotypic variance of 27.6 and 28.9% for the two consecutive seasons, respectively, was detected. This QTL was closed to the co-dominant SNP marker TP6337 and also flanked by the two SNP TP518 and TP1280. An important QTL (QLRNIII-98.64) related to lateral root number was found close to TP3371 and flanked by TP5093 and TP6072 SNP markers. Also, a QTL (QSRLIV-61.63) associated with specific root length was identified close to TP1873 and flanked by F7XEM6b SRAP marker and TP1035 SNP marker. These two QTLs were detected in both seasons. Our results could be used for marker-assisted selection in lentil breeding programs targeting root and shoot characteristics conferring drought avoidance as an efficient alternative to slow and labor-intensive conventional breeding methods. PMID:27602034

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

Nexant, Inc., San Francisco, California

The first section (Task 1) of this report by Nexant includes a survey and screening of various acid gas removal processes in order to evaluate their capability to meet the specific design requirements for thermochemical ethanol synthesis in NREL's thermochemical ethanol design report (Phillips et al. 2007, NREL/TP-510-41168). MDEA and selexol were short-listed as the most promising acid-gas removal agents based on work described in Task 1. The second report section (Task 2) describes a detailed design of an MDEA (methyl diethanol amine) based acid gas removal system for removing CO2 and H2S from biomass-derived syngas. Only MDEA was chosenmore » for detailed study because of the available resources.« less

Arabidopsis and tobacco plants ectopically expressing the soybean antiquitin-like ALDH7 gene display enhanced tolerance to drought, salinity, and oxidative stress.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Simone M; Andrade, Maxuel O; Gomes, Ana Paula Soares; Damatta, Fabio M; Baracat-Pereira, Maria C; Fontes, Elizabeth P B

2006-01-01

Despite extensive studies in eukaryotic aldehyde dehydrogenases, functional information about the ALDH7 antiquitin-like proteins is lacking. A soybean antiquitin homologue gene, designated GmTP55, has been isolated which encodes a dehydrogenase motif-containing 55 kDa protein induced by dehydration and salt stress. GmTP55 is closely related to the stress-induced plant antiquitin-like proteins that belong to the ALDH7 family. Transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants constitutively expressing GmTP55 have been obtained in order to examine the physiological role of this enzyme under a variety of stress conditions. Ectopic expression of GmTP55 in both Arabidopsis and tobacco conferred tolerance to salinity during germination and to water deficit during plant growth. Under salt stress, the germination efficiency of both transgenic tobacco and Arabidopsis seeds was significantly higher than that of their control counterparts. Likewise, under progressive drought, the transgenic tobacco lines apparently kept the shoot turgidity to a normal level, which contrasted with the leaf wilt phenotype of control plants. The transgenic plants also exhibited an enhanced tolerance to H(2)O(2)- and paraquat-induced oxidative stress. Both GmTP55-expressing Arabidopsis and tobacco seeds germinated efficiently in medium supplemented with H(2)O(2), whereas the germination of control seeds was drastically impaired. Similarly, transgenic tobacco leaf discs treated with paraquat displayed a significant reduction in the necrotic lesions as compared with control leaves. These transgenic lines also exhibited a lower concentration of lipid peroxidation-derived reactive aldehydes under oxidative stress. These results suggest that antiquitin may be involved in adaptive responses mediated by a physiologically relevant detoxification pathway in plants.

Construction of an efficient two-photon fluorescent probe for imaging nitroreductase in live cells and tissues.

PubMed

Zhou, Liyi; Gong, Liang; Hu, Shunqin

2018-06-15

Compared with traditional confocal microscopy, two-photon fluorescence microscopy (TPFM), which excites a two-photon (TP) fluorophore by near-infrared light, provides improved three-dimensional image resolution with increased tissue-image depth (>500μm) and an extended observation time. Therefore, the development of novel functional TP fluorophores has attracted great attention in recent years. Herein, a novel TP fluorophore CM-NH 2 , which have the donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A)-structure, was designed and synthesized. We further used this dye developed a new type of TP fluorescent probe CM-NO 2 for detecting nitroreductase (NTR). Upon incubated with NTR for 15min, CM-NO 2 displayed a ~90-fold fluorescence enhancement at 505nm and the maximal TP action cross-section value after reaction was detected and calculated to be 200 GM at 760nm. The probe exhibited excellent properties such as high sensitivity, high selectivity, low cytotoxicity, and high photostability. Moreover, the probe was utilized to image the tumor hypoxia in live HeLa cells. Finally, using the CM-NO 2 to image NTR in tissues was demonstrated. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exquisite Sensitivity of TP53 Mutant and Basal Breast Cancers to a Dose-Dense Epirubicin−Cyclophosphamide Regimen

PubMed Central

Espié, Marc; de Reyniès, Aurélien; Feugeas, Jean-Paul; Plassa, Louis-François; Soliman, Hany; Varna, Mariana; de Roquancourt, Anne; Lehmann-Che, Jacqueline; Beuzard, Yves; Marty, Michel; Misset, Jean-Louis; Janin, Anne; de Thé, Hugues

2007-01-01

Background In breast cancers, only a minority of patients fully benefit from the different chemotherapy regimens currently in use. Identification of markers that could predict the response to a particular regimen would thus be critically important for patient care. In cell lines or animal models, tumor protein p53 (TP53) plays a critical role in modulating the response to genotoxic drugs. TP53 is activated in response to DNA damage and triggers either apoptosis or cell-cycle arrest, which have opposite effects on cell fate. Yet, studies linking TP53 status and chemotherapy response have so far failed to unambiguously establish this paradigm in patients. Breast cancers with a TP53 mutation were repeatedly shown to have a poor outcome, but whether this reflects poor response to treatment or greater intrinsic aggressiveness of the tumor is unknown. Methods and Findings In this study we analyzed 80 noninflammatory breast cancers treated by frontline (neoadjuvant) chemotherapy. Tumor diagnoses were performed on pretreatment biopsies, and the patients then received six cycles of a dose-dense regimen of 75 mg/m2 epirubicin and 1,200 mg/m2 cyclophosphamide, given every 14 days. After completion of chemotherapy, all patients underwent mastectomies, thus allowing for a reliable assessment of chemotherapy response. The pretreatment biopsy samples were used to determine the TP53 status through a highly efficient yeast functional assay and to perform RNA profiling. All 15 complete responses occurred among the 28 TP53-mutant tumors. Furthermore, among the TP53-mutant tumors, nine out of ten of the highly aggressive basal subtypes (defined by basal cytokeratin [KRT] immunohistochemical staining) experienced complete pathological responses, and only TP53 status and basal subtype were independent predictors of a complete response. Expression analysis identified many mutant TP53-associated genes, including CDC20, TTK, CDKN2A, and the stem cell gene PROM1, but failed to identify a transcriptional profile associated with complete responses among TP53 mutant tumors. In patients with unresponsive tumors, mutant TP53 status predicted significantly shorter overall survival. The 15 patients with responsive TP53-mutant tumors, however, had a favorable outcome, suggesting that this chemotherapy regimen can overcome the poor prognosis generally associated with mutant TP53 status. Conclusions This study demonstrates that, in noninflammatory breast cancers, TP53 status is a key predictive factor for response to this dose-dense epirubicin–cyclophosphamide regimen and further suggests that the basal subtype is exquisitely sensitive to this association. Given the well-established predictive value of complete responses for long-term survival and the poor prognosis of basal and TP53-mutant tumors treated with other regimens, this chemotherapy could be particularly suited for breast cancer patients with a mutant TP53, particularly those with basal features. PMID:17388661

Investigation of the potential of Cyperus alternifolius in the phytoremediation of palm oil mill effluent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sa'at, Siti Kamariah Md; Zaman, Nastaein Qamaruz; Yusoff, Suffian Mohd; Ismail, Hirun Azaman

2017-10-01

Phytoremediation is an emerging technology nowadays due to demand in environmental sustainability which requires cost-effective solutions in terms of capital and operational cost. The treatment gain attention due to their potential in wastewater treatment especially in organics, nutrients, and heavy metal removal of domestics, agricultural, and industrial wastewater treatment. Plant functions in phytoremediation make the plant selection as an essential element. The plant should have the ability to tolerate with the toxic effluent and able to uptake the contaminant. Cyperus alternifolius (umbrella grass) was chosen as aquatic plant due to the ability to tolerance in municipal and industrial effluent sources with strong and dense root systems. Thus, the objectives of this study are to determine the potential and effectiveness of Cyperus alternifolius in the palm oil mill effluent treatment especially in the removal of organics (COD), nutrients (NH3-N and TP) and suspended solid. The batch experiment was run using Cyperus alternifolius to determine their potential of aerobic pond effluent for 21 days of treatment. Cyperus alternifolius treatment shows the great removal of COD and TSS with 96% and 91%, respectively at the end of 21 days of treatment. Nutrients removal achieved the maximum removal of 92% NH3-N and 99% TP shows after 11 days of treatment and percentage slowly decrease until the end of 21 days of treatment. Cyperus alternifolius had shown potential in the palm oil mill effluent treatment and can be combined with ponding treatment to enhance to water quality prior discharge.

Water-saving analysis on an effective water reuse system in biodiesel feedstock production based on Chlorella zofingiensis fed-batch cultivation.

PubMed

Yang, Kang; Qin, Lei; Wang, Zhongming; Feng, Wei; Feng, Pingzhong; Zhu, Shunni; Xu, Jingliang; Yuan, Zhenhong

2015-01-01

The micralgae-based biofuel obtained from dairy wastewater (DWW) is considered a promising source of energy. However, this process consumes water due to the concentration of wastewater being normally too high for some micoralgae cultivation, and dilution is always needed. In this work, the cultivation of microalgae has been examined in non-recirculated water (NR) and recirculated water systems (R). The growth of Chlorella zofingiensis and the nutrient removal of DWW have been recorded. The comparison indicates the R had a little more advantage in biomass and lipid output (1.55, 0.22 g, respectively) than the NR (1.51, 0.20 g, respectively). However, the total chemical oxygen demand (COD), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), and total phosphorus (TP) removals of the R were lower than those of the NR system during the culture. The highest removal of total COD, TKN, and TP were 85.05%, 93.64%, and 98.45%, respectively. Furthermore, no significant difference has been observed in the higher heating value and lipid content of the biomass of the R and NR. The results show the R can save 30% of the total water input during the culture. All above results indicate the R system has great potential in industry.

Biofilm Attached Cultivation of Chlorella pyrenoidosa Is a Developed System for Swine Wastewater Treatment and Lipid Production

PubMed Central

Cheng, Pengfei; Wang, Yuanzhu; Liu, Tianzhong; Liu, Defu

2017-01-01

This study showed the new potential of using soluble contents and heavy metals in swine wastewater as nutrient supplements for the algae Chlorella pyrenoidosa with biofilm attached method. Algae with biofilm attached cultivation grew well in unpasteurized wastewater reaching a biomass productivity of 5.03 g m−2 d−1, lipid content of 35.9% and lipid productivity of 1.80 g m−2 d−1. Chlorella grew in BG11 medium delivered lower values for each of the aforementioned parameters. The FAMEs compositions in the algae paste were mainly consisted of C16:0, C18:2, and C18:3. Algae removed NH4+–N, total phosphorus (TP), and COD by 75.9, 68.4, and 74.8%, respectively. Notably, Zn2+, Cu+, and Fe2+ were removed from wastewater with a ratio of 65.71, 53.64, and 58.89%, respectively. Biofilm attached cultivation of C. pyrenoidosa in swine wastewater containing heavy metals could accumulate considerable biomass and lipid, and the removal ratio of NH4+–N, TP, COD, and as well as heavy metal were high. Treatment of wastewater with biofilm attached cultivation showed an increasingly popular for the concentration of microalgae and environmental sustainability. PMID:28983302

[Research of aeration with bio-film technology to treat urban landscape water].

PubMed

Song, Ying-Wei; Nie, Zhi-Dan; Nian, Yue-Gang; Huang, Min-Sheng; Huang, Jian-Jun; Yan, Hai-Hong; Zhang, Yang

2008-01-01

Research of the aeration with bio-film technology was carried out to treat scenic water of a sanatorium in Beijing. The aim of the research was improving the water habitat by increasing the transparency and reducing the concentration of N and P. The equipments were set in a 5,000 m2 water area, which combined the plug flow jet aerator with the elastic biological filler. The research indicated that the transparency increased from 25 cm to 120 cm by the technology. The removal efficiencies of NH4(+)-N, NO3(-)-N and TP were 86.6% , 90% and 73.3%, but there was only 22.4% for TN. The concentration of DO increased from 4.3 mg/L to 7 mg/L. In a word, the aeration with bio-film technology was an effective measure to improve the water habitat by increasing the transparency.

Biotreatment of Petrochemical Wastewater: A Case Study from Northern Tunisia.

PubMed

Jemli, Meryem; Zaghden, Hatem; Rezgi, Fatma; Kchaou, Sonia; Aloui, Fathi; Sayadi, Sami

2017-03-01

  A full-scale study has been conducted to assess the bioaugmentation efficiency of trickling filter process to treat petrochemical wastewater from a lubricant industry recycling waste oils. During 45 weeks, the organic loading rate (OLR) in the trickling filter was increased stepwise from 0.9 to 4 kg of chemical oxygen demand (COD)/(m3·day) at the end of the upgrading period as the flow rate (FR) reached the value of 30 m3/day. The removal, obtained in terms of percentage, for COD ranged from 60 to 84.5 and greater than 98 for total n-alkane (TNA), while those of total kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and total phosphor (TP) were about 32 and 55, respectively. The analytical profile index (API) of trickling biofilm has confirmed that 5 strains are closely related to Acinobacter junii, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio metschnikovi, Pseudomona slulzeri and Trichosporon spp2.

Naphthylacetic Acid and Tea Polyphenol Application Promote Biomass and Lipid Production of Nervonic Acid-Producing Microalgae.

PubMed

Xu, Feng; Fan, Yong; Miao, Fuhong; Hu, Guang-Rong; Sun, Juan; Yang, Guofeng; Li, Fu-Li

2018-01-01

Mychonastes afer HSO-3-1 is a potential producer of nervonic acid, which could be accumulated to 2-3% of dry cell weight. Improving the productivity of nervonic acid is critical to promote the commercialization of this product. In this study, 1-naphthylacetic acid (NAA) and tea polyphenol (TP) were selected as bioactive additives to stimulate the growth of M. afer . Supplementing NAA in the early growth stage and TP in the middle and late growth stage led to improved lipid accumulation in M. afer . The cultures supplemented with TP at the late growth stage maintained higher photosynthetic efficiency than the control groups without TP. Furthermore, the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulations in M. afer supplemented with 500 mg/L of TP was 63% lower than the control group. A linear relationship ( R 2 = 0.899) between the values of Fv/Fm and ROS accumulation was established. We hypothesize supplement of bioactive additives at different growth stage could promote the cell growth rate and nervonic acid productivity of M. afer by retrieving intracellular ROS level. Further analysis of photosynthetic system II (PSII) protein in M. afer cultured in presence of NAA and TP indicated the levels of D1 and D2 proteins, the core skeleton proteins of PSII, showed 33.3 and 25.6% higher than the control group. CP43 protein, a critical module in PSII repair cycle, decreased significantly. These implied that TP possesses the function of slowing down the damage of PSII by scavenging excess intracellular ROS.

Nutrient removal and biogas upgrading by integrating freshwater algae cultivation with piggery anaerobic digestate liquid treatment.

PubMed

Xu, Jie; Zhao, Yongjun; Zhao, Guohua; Zhang, Hui

2015-08-01

An integrated approach that combined freshwater microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus (FACHB-31) cultivation with piggery anaerobic digestate liquid treatment was investigated in this study. The characteristics of algal growth, biogas production, and nutrient removal were examined using photobioreactor bags (PBRbs) to cultivate S. obliquus (FACHB-31) in digestate with various digestate dilutions (the concentration levels of 3200, 2200, 1600, 1200, 800, and 400 mg L(-1) chemical oxygen demand (COD)) during 7-day period. The effects of the level of pollutants on nutrient removal efficiency and CO2 removal process were investigated to select the optimum system for effectively upgrade biogas and simultaneously reduce the nutrient content in digestate. The treatment performance displayed that average removal rates of COD, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorous (TP), and CO2 were 61.58-75.29, 58.39-74.63, 70.09-88.79, and 54.26-73.81 %, respectively. All the strains grew well under any the dilution treatments. With increased initial nutrient concentration to a certain range, the CO4 content (v/v) of raw biogas increased. Differences in the biogas enrichment of S. obliquus (FACHB-31) in all treatments mainly resulted from variations in biomass productivity and CO2 uptake. Notably, the diluted digestate sample of 1600 mg L(-1) COD provided an optimal nutrient concentration for S. obliquus (FACHB-31) cultivation, where the advantageous nutrient and CO2 removals, as well as the highest productivities of biomass and biogas upgrading, were revealed. Results showed that microalgal biomass production offered real opportunities to address issues such as CO2 sequestration, wastewater treatment, and biogas production.

Principal component analysis to assess the efficiency and mechanism for enhanced coagulation of natural algae-laden water using a novel dual coagulant system.

PubMed

Ou, Hua-Se; Wei, Chao-Hai; Deng, Yang; Gao, Nai-Yun; Ren, Yuan; Hu, Yun

2014-02-01

A novel dual coagulant system of polyaluminum chloride sulfate (PACS) and polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDADMAC) was used to treat natural algae-laden water from Meiliang Gulf, Lake Taihu. PACS (Aln(OH)mCl3n-m-2k(SO4)k) has a mass ratio of 10 %, a SO4 (2-)/Al3 (+) mole ratio of 0.0664, and an OH/Al mole ratio of 2. The PDADMAC ([C8H16NCl]m) has a MW which ranges from 5 × 10(5) to 20 × 10(5) Da. The variations of contaminants in water samples during treatments were estimated in the form of principal component analysis (PCA) factor scores and conventional variables (turbidity, DOC, etc.). Parallel factor analysis determined four chromophoric dissolved organic matters (CDOM) components, and PCA identified four integrated principle factors. PCA factor 1 had significant correlations with chlorophyll-a (r=0.718), protein-like CDOM C1 (0.689), and C2 (0.756). Factor 2 correlated with UV254 (0.672), humic-like CDOM component C3 (0.716), and C4 (0.758). Factors 3 and 4 had correlations with NH3-N (0.748) and T-P (0.769), respectively. The variations of PCA factors scores revealed that PACS contributed less aluminum dissolution than PAC to obtain equivalent removal efficiency of contaminants. This might be due to the high cationic charge and pre-hydrolyzation of PACS. Compared with PACS coagulation (20 mg L(-1)), the removal of PCA factors 1, 2, and 4 increased 45, 33, and 12 %, respectively, in combined PACS-PDADMAC treatment (0.8 mg L(-1) +20 mg L(-1)). Since PAC contained more Al (0.053 g/1 g) than PACS (0.028 g/1 g), the results indicated that PACS contributed less Al dissolution into the water to obtain equivalent removal efficiency.

Nutrients, Dissolved Organic Carbon, Color, and Disinfection Byproducts in Base Flow and Stormflow in Streams of the Croton Watershed, Westchester and Putnam Counties, New York, 2000-02

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heisig, Paul M.

2009-01-01

The Croton Watershed is unique among New York City's water-supply watersheds because it has the highest percentages of suburban development (52 percent) and wetland area (6 percent). As the City moves toward filtration of this water supply, there is a need to document water-quality contributions from both human and natural sources within the watershed that can inform watershed-management decisions. Streamwater samples from 24 small (0.1 to 1.5 mi2) subbasins and three wastewater-treatment plants (2000-02) were used to document the seasonal concentrations, values, and formation potentials of selected nutrients, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), color, and disinfection byproducts (DBPs) during stormflow and base-flow conditions. The subbasins were categorized by three types of drainage efficiency and a range of land uses and housing densities. Analyte concentrations in subbasin streams differed in response to the subbasin charateristics. Nutrient concentrations were lowest in undeveloped, forested subbasins that were well drained and increased with all types of development, which included residential, urban commercial/industrial, golf-course, and horse-farm land uses. These concentrations were further modified by subbasin drainage efficiency. DOC, in contrast, was highly dependent on drainage efficiency. Color intensity and DBP formation potentials were, in turn, associated with DOC and thus showed a similar response to drainage efficiency. Every constituent exhibited seasonal changes in concentration. Nutrients. Total (unfiltered) phosphorus (TP), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), and nitrate were associated primarily with residential development, urban, golf-course, and horse-farm land uses. Base-flow and stormflow concentrations of the TP, SRP, and nitrate generally increased with increasing housing density. TP and SRP concentrations were nearly an order of magnitude higher in stormflow than in base flow, whereas nitrate concentrations showed little difference between these flow conditions. Organic nitrogen concentrations (calculated as the difference between concentrations of total dissolved N and of all other N species) was the dominant form of nitrogen in undeveloped and moderately to poorly drained subbasins. High TP concentrations in stormflows (800-1,750 ug/L) were associated with well drained and moderately drained residential subbasins with high- and medium-density housing and with the moderately drained golf-course subbasin. Areas with medium to high housing densities favor TP transport because they provide extensive impervious surfaces, storm sewers, and local relief, which together can rapidly route stormwater to streams. SRP concentrations were highest in the same types of subbasins as TP, but also in sewered residential and horse-farm subbasins. The ratio of SRP to TP was typically a smaller in stormflow than in base flow. Base-flow TP and SRP concentrations were highest during the warm-weather months (May to October). The highest nitrate concentrations (3.0-4.5 mg/L) were associated with the urban subbasin and the three well drained, high-density residential subbasins. The two moderately drained lake subbasins and the two poorly drained (colored-water wetland) subbasins had consistently low nitrate concentrations despite low and medium housing densities. Nitrate concentrations were generally highest during the winter months and lowest during the autumn leaf-fall period. Organic N concentrations were highest during the leaf-fall period. Dissolved Organic Carbon. DOC concentration was consistently highest in the two poorly drained (colored-water-wetland) subbasins and lowest in the well drained subbasins. Base-flow DOC concentration increased with decreasing drainage efficiency, except in the well drained sewered subbasin with high-density housing, where slightly elevated DOC concentrations throughout the year may indicate leakage from a nearby sewer main. Seasonal changes in stormflow DOC concentrat

The influence of waterweeds in the removal of phosphor in content aquatic environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salamah, L. N.; Kurniawan, A.

2018-04-01

Over the last few decades phosphorus removal methods have increasingly been designed. One of the methods is using waterweed for uptake the phosphorus (P) from water and sediment. However, lack information of suitable waterweed for P removal. The goals of this research are to investigate the effect of waterweeds in the P removal and to find the suitable waterweeds for P removal. Five types of waterweeds (Phragmites australis, Egeria densa,, Bacupa myriophylloides, Eichornia crassipes, and Limnobium laevigatum) were collected and cultivated in pots. Water and sediment were collected from natural small pond, and sampling were perfomed at 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The result showed that P of water and sediment were reduced during the experiment. E. densa accumulated highest TP (505 mg/kg). It was suggested that E. densa is suitable for phosphor removal.

A novel bio-electrochemical system with sand/activated carbon separator, Al anode and bio-anode integrated micro-electrolysis/electro-flocculation cost effectively treated high load wastewater with energy recovery.

PubMed

Gao, Changfei; Liu, Lifen; Yang, Fenglin

2018-02-01

A novel bio-electrochemical system (BES) was developed by integrating micro-electrolysis/electro-flocculation from attaching a sacrificing Al anode to the bio-anode, it effectively treated high load wastewater with energy recovery (maximum power density of 365.1 mW/m 3 and a maximum cell voltage of 0.97 V), and achieving high removals of COD (>99.4%), NH 4 + -N (>98.7%) and TP (>98.6%). The anode chamber contains microbes, activated carbon (AC)/graphite granules and Al anode. It was separated from the cathode chamber containing bifunctional catalytic and filtration membrane cathode (loaded with Fe/Mn/C/F/O catalyst) by a multi-medium chamber (MMC) filled with manganese sand and activated carbon granules, which replaced expensive PEM and reduced cost. An air contact oxidation bed for aeration was still adopted before liquid entering the cathode chamber. micro-electrolysis/electro-flocculation helps in achieving high removal efficiencies and contributes to membrane fouling migration. The increase of activated carbon in the separator MMC increased power generation and reduced system electric resistance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bioaugmentation for treatment of full-scale diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (DGBE) wastewater by Serratia sp. BDG-2.

PubMed

Chen, Maoxia; Fan, Rong; Zou, Wenhui; Zhou, Houzhen; Tan, Zhouliang; Li, Xudong

2016-05-15

A novel bacterial strain BDG-2 was isolated and used to augment the treatment of silicon plate manufacturing wastewater that primarily contains diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (DGBE). BDG-2 was identified as a Serratia sp. Under the optimal conditions of 30 °C, pH 9 and DGBE concentration of 2000 mg L(-1), the bioaugmented system achieved 96.92% COD removal after 39.9h. Laboratory-scale technological matching results indicated that, in a biofilm process with the addition of 100 mg L(-1) ammonia and 5 mg L(-1) total phosphorus (TP), 70.61% COD removal efficiency could be obtained in 46 h. Addition of polyaluminium chloride (PAC) to the reactors during the suspension process enhanced the settleability of the BDG-2 culture. Subsequently, successful start-up and stable operation of a full-scale bioaugmented treatment facilities were accomplished, and the volumetric organic load in the plug-flow aeration tank was 2.17 ± 0.81 kg m(-3) d(-1). The effluent COD of the facilities was stable and always below 100 mg L(-1). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stormwater infiltration and surface runoff pollution reduction performance of permeable pavement layers.

PubMed

Niu, Zhi-Guang; Lv, Zhi-Wei; Zhang, Ying; Cui, Zhen-Zhen

2016-02-01

In this paper, the laboratory-scale permeable pavement layers, including a surface permeable brick layer, coarse sand bedding layers (thicknesses = 2, 3.5, and 5 cm), and single-graded gravel sub-base layers (thicknesses = 15, 20, 25, and 30 cm), were built to evaluate stormwater infiltration and surface runoff pollution reduction performance. And, the infiltration rate (I) and concentrations of suspended solids (SS), total phosphorus (TP), chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen, and total nitrogen (TN) were measured under the simulated rainfall intensity of 72.4 mm/h over duration of 60 min. The results indicate that the thickness factor primarily influences the infiltration rate and pollutant removal rate. The highest steady infiltration rate was for surface brick layer 51.0 mm/h, for 5-cm sand bedding layer 32.3 mm/h, and for 30-cm gravel sub-base layer 42.3 mm/h, respectively. The SS average removal rate was relative higher (79.8 ∼ 98.6 %) for all layers due to the interception and filtration. The average removal rates of TP and COD were for surface layer 71.2 and 24.1 %, for 5-cm bedding layer 54.8 and 9.0 %, and for 20-cm sub-base layer 72.2 and 26.1 %. Ammonia nitrogen and TN cannot steadily be removed by layers according to the experiment results. The optimal thickness of bedding sands was 5 cm, and that of sub-base gravels was 20 ∼ 30 cm.

The impact of station location on water quality characterization in the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.

PubMed

Entry, James A

2013-09-01

Water quality was monitored in the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge based on the Consent Decree (CDN), the Enhanced Refuge (ERN), the four-part Test impacted (FPTIN), and the four-part test unimpacted (FPTUN) networks. Alkalinity, dissolved organic carbon, total organic carbon, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, turbidity, pH, specific conductivity, calcium, chloride, silicon, sulfate, and total phosphorus (TP) were measured from 2005 through 2009. When the ERN was used, the 10 μg TP L(-1) Consent Decree limit would have been exceeded and would have ranged from a low of 2 months in 2009 to a high of 9 months in 2005. Based on the CDN, the limit exceeded only for 1 month in each year from 2006 through 2008. Based on the FPTIN, the 10 μg TP L(-1) limit would have been exceeded and would have ranged from a low of 1 month in 2007 to a high of 7 months in 2005 and 2008. Based on the CDN, the limit only exceeded for 1 month in each year from 2006 through 2008. Since TP is rapidly removed from canal water intruded into the Refuge marsh, one cannot expect a water quality sampling station located 2 km from the source to reliably detect violations. This may be the primary reason why there have been very few months when TP concentration has exceeded the limit since 1992 or part four of the four-part test annual 15 μg L(-1) limit since 2006.

[A laboratory and field study on the disposal of domestic waste water based on soil permeation].

PubMed

Yamaura, G

1989-02-01

The present study was conducted to get information necessary for the disposal of domestic waste water by soil permeation. The clarifying ability of soil was examined by conducting laboratory experiments using soil columns and making inquiries about practical disposal facilities based on soil permeation using trenches. In the column experiment, soil columns were prepared by packing polyvinyl chloride pipes with volcanic-ash loam, river sand, or an equivolume mixture of both, and secondary effluent of domestic waste water was poured into each soil column at a daily rate of 100 l/m2. In this experiment, loam and sand loam, both containing fine silt and clay, gave BOD removals of over 95% when the influent BOD load per 1 m3 of soil was less than 10 g/d and gave the coliform group removals of 100% when the influent coliform group load per 1 m3 soil was less than 10(9)/d. Loam and sand loam gave T-P removals of over 90%. The P adsorption capacity of soil was limited to less than 12% of the absorption coefficient of phosphoric acid. All the soils gave low T-N removals, mostly less than 50%. The trench disposal gave high removals of 90-97% for BOD, 90-97% for T-P, and 94-99% for the coliform group but low removals of 11-49% for T-N, showing a trend similar to that of the column disposal. Thus, we can roughly estimate the effectiveness of actual soil permeation disposal from the results of the column experiments. In the waste water permeation region, the extent of waste water permeation exceeded 700 cm horizontally from the trench, but the waste water load within 100 cm laterally from the trench occupied 60.3% of the total. The concentrations of T-C and T-N at almost all observation spots in the permeation region were lower than in the control region, and were not caused to accumulate in soil by waste water loading. In contrast, T-P was accumulated concentratively in the depth range from 50-100 cm right below the trench. The conditions for effective disposal of domestic waste water by soil permeation have been estimated to be: (1) the soil should contain more than 30% silt and clay, (2) the absorption coefficient of phosphoric acid should be more than 1000, (3) the permeation rate should be 1.0-1.8 mm/min, and (4) the soil volume to be permeated should be more than 6.86 m3/person.

New ultra deep blue emitters based on chrysene chromophores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Hwangyu; Kang, Seokwoo; Jung, Hyocheol; Lee, Hayoon; Lee, Jaehyun; Kim, Beomjin; Park, Jongwook

2016-09-01

Chrysene, which has a wide band gap, was selected as an emission core to develop and study new materials that emit ultra-deep-blue light with high efficiency. Six compounds introducing various side groups were designed and synthesized: 6, 12-bis(30,50-diphenylphenyl)chrysene (TP-C-TP), 6-(30,50-diphenylphenyl)-12-(3,5-diphenylbiphenyl-400-yl)chrysene (TP-C-TPB) and 6,12-bis(300,500-diphenylbiphenyl-40-yl)chrysene (TPB-C-TPB), which contained bulky aromatic si de groups; and N,N,N0 ,N0-tetraphenyl-chrysene-6,12-diamine (DPA-C-DPA), [12-(4-diphenylamino-phenyl)-chrysene-6-yl]-diphenylamine(DPA-C-TPA) and 6,12-bis[4-(diphenylamino)phenyl]chrysene (TPA-C-TPA), which contained aromatic amine groups, were designed to afford improved hole injection properties. The synthesized materials showed maxi mum absorption wavelengths at 342-402 nm in the film state and exhibited deep-blue photoluminescence (PL) emission s at 417-464 nm. The use of TP-C-TPB in a non-doped organic light emitting diode (OLED) device resulted in ultra-deep-blue emission with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 4.02% and Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage coo rdinates (CIE x, y) of (0.154, 0.042) through effective control of the internal conjugation length and suppression of the p -p* stacking. The use of TPA-C-TPA, which includes an aromatic amine side group, afforded an excellent EQE of 4.83 % and excellent color coordinates CIE x, y of (0.147, 0.077).

A two-step crushed lava rock filter unit for grey water treatment at household level in an urban slum.

PubMed

Katukiza, A Y; Ronteltap, M; Niwagaba, C B; Kansiime, F; Lens, P N L

2014-01-15

Decentralised grey water treatment in urban slums using low-cost and robust technologies offers opportunities to minimise public health risks and to reduce environmental pollution caused by the highly polluted grey water i.e. with a COD and N concentration of 3000-6000 mg L(-1) and 30-40 mg L(-1), respectively. However, there has been very limited action research to reduce the pollution load from uncontrolled grey water discharge by households in urban slums. This study was therefore carried out to investigate the potential of a two-step filtration process to reduce the grey water pollution load in an urban slum using a crushed lava rock filter, to determine the main filter design and operation parameters and the effect of intermittent flow on the grey water effluent quality. A two-step crushed lava rock filter unit was designed and implemented for use by a household in the Bwaise III slum in Kampala city (Uganda). It was monitored at a varying hydraulic loading rate (HLR) of 0.5-1.1 m d(-1) as well as at a constant HLR of 0.39 m d(-1). The removal efficiencies of COD, TP and TKN were, respectively, 85.9%, 58% and 65.5% under a varying HLR and 90.5%, 59.5% and 69%, when operating at a constant HLR regime. In addition, the log removal of Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. and total coliforms was, respectively, 3.8, 3.2 and 3.9 under the varying HLR and 3.9, 3.5 and 3.9 at a constant HLR. The results show that the use of a two-step filtration process as well as a lower constant HLR increased the pollutant removal efficiencies. Further research is needed to investigate the feasibility of adding a tertiary treatment step to increase the nutrients and microorganisms removal from grey water. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contribution of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms) grown under different nutrient conditions to Fe-removal mechanisms in constructed wetlands.

PubMed

Jayaweera, Mahesh W; Kasturiarachchi, Jagath C; Kularatne, Ranil K A; Wijeyekoon, Suren L J

2008-05-01

Severe contamination of water resources including groundwater with iron (Fe) due to various anthropogenic activities has been a major environmental problem in industrial areas of Sri Lanka. Hence, the use of the obnoxious weed, water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms) in constructed wetlands (floating aquatic macrophyte-based plant treatment systems) to phytoremediate Fe-rich wastewaters seems to be an appealing option. Although several studies have documented that hyacinths are good metal-accumulating plants none of these studies have documented the ability of this plant grown under different nutrient conditions to remove heavy metals from wastewaters. This paper, therefore, reports the phytoremediation efficiencies of water hyacinth grown under different nutrient conditions for Fe-rich wastewaters in batch-type constructed wetlands. This study was conducted for 15 weeks after 1-week acclimatization by culturing young water hyacinth plants (average height of 20+/-2cm) in 590L capacity fiberglass tanks under different nutrient concentrations of 1-fold [28 and 7.7mg/L of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP), respectively], 2-fold, 1/2-fold, 1/4-fold and 1/8-fold with synthetic wastewaters containing 9.27Femg/L. Another set-up of hyacinths containing only Fe as a heavy metal but without any nutrients (i.e., 0-fold) was also studied. A mass balance was carried out to investigate the phytoremediation efficiencies and to determine the different mechanisms governing Fe removal from the wastewaters. Fe removal was largely due to phytoremediation mainly through the process of rhizofiltration and chemical precipitation of Fe2O3 and FeOH3 followed by flocculation and sedimentation. However, chemical precipitation was more significant especially during the first 3 weeks of the study. Plants grown in the 0-fold set-up showed the highest phytoremediation efficiency of 47% during optimum growth at the 6th week with a highest accumulation of 6707Femg/kg dry weight. Active effluxing of Fe back to the wastewater at intermittent periods and with time was a key mechanism of avoiding Fe phytotoxicity in water hyacinth cultured in all set-ups. Our study elucidated that water hyacinth grown under nutrient-poor conditions are ideal to remove Fe from wastewaters with a hydraulic retention time of approximately 6 weeks.

Development of transmucosal patch loaded with anesthetic and analgesic for dental procedures and in vivo evaluation

PubMed Central

Nidhi, Malviya; Patro, M Nagaraju; Kusumvalli, Somisetty; Kusumdevi, Vemula

2016-01-01

Most of the dental surgeries require preoperative anesthetic and postoperative analgesic for painless procedures. A multidrug transmucosal drug delivery system loaded with lignocaine (Lig) base for immediate release and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) of diclofenac (Dic) diethylamine for prolonged release was developed. SLNs were prepared by solvent emulsion–evaporation method with Precirol ATO 5 and Geleol as lipids and Pluronic F 68 as surfactant and optimized with Box–Behnken design for particle size and entrapment efficiency. SLNs were incorporated into the transmucosal patch (TP) prepared with hydroxypropyl cellulose-LF (HPC-LF) and with a backing layer of ethyl cellulose. Optimized SLNs and TP were characterized for Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, in vitro release, ex vivo permeation through porcine buccal mucosa, Caco-2 permeability, and residual solvent analysis by gas chromatography. The TP was also evaluated for swelling index, in vitro residence time, tensile strength, and mucoadhesive strength. Preclinical pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and histopathological studies by application of TP on the gingiva of New Zealand rabbits were carried out. Particle size and entrapment efficiency of the optimized SLN “S8” were determined as 98.23 nm and 84.36%, respectively. The gingival crevicular fluid and tissue concentrations were greater than plasma concentrations with increase in Cmax and area under the curve (AUC) of Lig and Dic when compared to the control group. Pain perception by needle prick showed prolonged combined anesthetic and analgesic effect. The developed TP loaded with Lig base and Dic diethylamine-SLNs exhibited immediate and complete permeation with tissue accumulation of Lig followed by controlled prolonged release and tissue accumulation of Dic at the site of application. Thus, it could be anticipated from the in vivo studies that the developed TP provides immediate initial anesthetic effect, and the analgesic effect would be prolonged for 24 hours, since optimal gingival crevicular fluid and tissue levels of analgesic would be achieved, while the tissue remains anesthetized. PMID:27382279

Evaluation of new automated syphilis test reagents 'IMMUNOTICLES AUTO3' series: performance, biochemical reactivity, and clinical significance.

PubMed

Yukimasa, Nobuyasu; Miura, Keisuke; Miyagawa, Yukiko; Fukuchi, Kunihiko

2015-01-01

Automated nontreponemal and treponemal test reagents based on the latex agglutination method (immunoticles auto3 RPR: ITA3RPR and immunoticles auto3 TP: ITA3TP) have been developed to improve the issues of conventional manual methods such as their subjectivity, a massive amount of assays, and so on. We evaluated these reagents in regards to their performance, reactivity to antibody isotype, and their clinical significance. ITA3RPR and ITA3TP were measured using a clinical chemistry analyzer. Reactivity to antibody isotype was examined by gel filtration analysis. ITA3RPR and ITA3TP showed reactivity to both IgM- and IgG-class antibodies and detected early infections. ITA3RPR was verified to show a higher reactivity to IgM-class antibodies than the conventional methods. ITA3RPR correlated with VDRL in the high titer range, and measurement values decreased with treatment. ITA3RPR showed a negative result earlier after treatment than conventional methods. ITA3TP showed high specificity and did not give any false-negative reaction. Significant differences in the measurement values of ITA3RPR between the infective and previous group were verified. The double test of ITA3RPR and ITA3TP enables efficient and objective judgment for syphilis diagnosis and treatments, achieving clinical availability. Copyright © 2014 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

77 FR 32038 - Energy Conservation Program: Alternative Efficiency Determination Methods and Alternative Rating...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-31

... Determination Methods and Alternative Rating Methods AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy... proposing to revise and expand its existing regulations governing the use of particular methods as...- TP-0024, by any of the following methods: Email: to AED/[email protected] . Include EERE...

Poly(beta-amino ester) nanoparticle-delivery of p53 has activity against small cell lung cancer in vitro and in vivo

PubMed Central

Kamat, Chandrashekhar D.; Shmueli, Ron B.; Connis, Nick; Rudin, Charles M.; Green, Jordan J.; Hann, Christine L.

2013-01-01

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive disease with one of the highest case-fatality rates among cancer. The recommended therapy for SCLC has not changed significantly over the past 30 years; new therapeutic approaches are a critical need. TP53 is mutated in the majority of SCLC cases and its loss is required in transgenic mouse models of the disease. We synthesized an array of biodegradable poly(beta-amino ester) (PBAE) polymers which self-assemble with DNA and assayed for transfection efficiency in the p53-mutant H446 SCLC cell line using high-throughput methodologies. Two of the top candidates were selected for further characterization and TP53 delivery in vitro and in vivo. Nanoparticle delivery of TP53 resulted in expression of exogenous p53, induction of p21, induction of apoptosis and accumulation of cells in sub-G1 consistent with functional p53 activity. Intratumoral injection of subcutaneous H446 xenografts with polymers carrying TP53 caused marked tumor growth inhibition. This is the first demonstration of TP53 gene therapy in SCLC using non-viral polymeric nanoparticles. This technology may have general applicability as a novel anti-cancer strategy based on restoration of tumor suppressor gene function. PMID:23364678

Studying precipitation recycling over the Tibetan Plateau using evaporation-tagging and back-trajectory analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Y.

2017-12-01

Regional precipitation recycling (i.e., the contribution of local evaporation to local precipitation) is an important component of water cycle over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Two methods were used to investigate regional precipitation recycling: 1) tracking of tagged atmospheric water parcels originating from evaporation in a source region (i.e., E-tagging), and 2) back-trajectory approach to track the evaporative sources contributed to precipitation in a specific region. These two methods were applied to Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) regional climate simulations to quantify the precipitation recycling ratio in the TP for three selected years: climatologically normal, dry and wet year. The simulation region is characterized by high average elevation above 4000 m and complex terrain. The back-trajectory approach is also calculated over three sub-regions over the TP: namely western, northeastern and southeastern TP, and the E-tagging approach could provide recycling-ratio distributions over the whole TP. Three aspects are investigated to characterize the precipitation recycling: annual mean, seasonal variations and spatial distributions. Averaged over the TP, the precipitation recycling ratio estimated by the E-tagging approach is higher than that from the back-trajectory method. The back-trajectory approach uses a precipitation threshold as total precipitation in five days divided by a random number, and this number was set to 500 as a tread off between equilibrium and computational efficiency. Lower recycling ratio derived from the back-trajectory approach is related to the precipitation threshold used. The E-tagging, however, tracks every air parcel of evaporation regardless of the precipitation amount. There is no obvious seasonal variation in the recycling ratio using both methods. The E-tagging approach shows high recycling ratios in the center TP, indicating stronger land-atmospheric interactions than elsewhere.

Spatial Selectivity in Cochlear Implants: Effects of Asymmetric Waveforms and Development of a Single-Point Measure.

PubMed

Carlyon, Robert P; Deeks, John M; Undurraga, Jaime; Macherey, Olivier; van Wieringen, Astrid

2017-10-01

Three experiments studied the extent to which cochlear implant users' spatial selectivity can be manipulated using asymmetric waveforms and tested an efficient method for comparing spatial selectivity produced by different stimuli. Experiment 1 measured forward-masked psychophysical tuning curves (PTCs) for a partial tripolar (pTP) probe. Maskers were presented on bipolar pairs separated by one unused electrode; waveforms were either symmetric biphasic ("SYM") or pseudomonophasic with the short high-amplitude phase being either anodic ("PSA") or cathodic ("PSC") on the more apical electrode. For the SYM masker, several subjects showed PTCs consistent with a bimodal excitation pattern, with discrete excitation peaks on each electrode of the bipolar masker pair. Most subjects showed significant differences between the PSA and PSC maskers consistent with greater masking by the electrode where the high-amplitude phase was anodic, but the pattern differed markedly across subjects. Experiment 2 measured masked excitation patterns for a pTP probe and either a monopolar symmetric biphasic masker ("MP_SYM") or pTP pseudomonophasic maskers where the short high-amplitude phase was either anodic ("TP_PSA") or cathodic ("TP_PSC") on the masker's central electrode. Four of the five subjects showed significant differences between the masker types, but again the pattern varied markedly across subjects. Because the levels of the maskers were chosen to produce the same masking of a probe on the same channel as the masker, it was correctly predicted that maskers that produce broader masking patterns would sound louder. Experiment 3 exploited this finding by using a single-point measure of spread of excitation to reveal significantly better spatial selectivity for TP_PSA compared to TP_PSC maskers.

Water Storage Changes over the Tibetan Plateau Revealed by GRACE Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Jinyun; Mu, Dapeng; Liu, Xin; Yan, Haoming; Sun, Zhongchang; Guo, Bin

2016-04-01

We use GRACE gravity data released by the Center for Space Research (CSR) and the Groupe de Recherches en Geodesie Spatiale (GRGS) to detect the water storage changes over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). A combined filter strategy is put forward to process CSR RL05 data to remove the effect of striping errors. After the correction for GRACE by GLDAS and ICE-5G, we find that TP has been overall experiencing the water storage increase during 2003-2012. During the same time, the glacier over the Himalayas was sharply retreating. Interms of linear trends, CSR's results derived by the combined filter are close to GRGS RL03 with the Gaussian filter of 300-km window. The water storage increasing rates determined from CSR's RL05 products in the interior TP, Karakoram Mountain, Qaidam Basin, Hengduan Mountain, and middle Himalayas are 9.7, 6.2, 9.1,-18.6, and-20.2 mm/yr, respectively. These rates from GRGS's RL03 products are 8.6, 5.8, 10.5,-19.3 and-21.4 mm/yr, respectively.

Migration and transformation of different phosphorus forms in rainfall runoff in bioretention system.

PubMed

Song, Yujia; Song, Shoufa

2018-06-04

Artificial bioretention system consisting of Ophiopogon japonicus infiltration medium was used to simulate an infiltration experiment of rainfall runoff. Continuous extraction method was used to detect contents of inorganic phosphorus (P) under exchangeable state (Ex-P) and aluminium phosphate (Al-P) and iron phosphate (Fe-P) at different depths (0, 5, 15 and 35 cm) of soil infiltration medium in bioretention system. Effluent total P (TP) concentration of the system was also monitored. Results indicated that the adsorption of inorganic P, Al-P and Fe-P by soil infiltration medium was implemented layer by layer from top to bottom and gradually weakened. Moreover, Ex-P was gradually transformed into Al-P and Fe-P, whereas Al-P was gradually transformed into Fe-P; thus, Ex-P content reduced layer by layer, whereas Al-P and Fe-P gradually accumulated. The TP removal rate in runoff rainwater by the system was more than 90%, where the TP that was not used by plants was under dynamic equilibrium in water-soil-root system/biological system.

Gravitational Signal of Mass Redistribution Due to Interannual Meteorological Oscillations in Atmosphere and Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chao, B. F.; Au, A. Y.; Johnson, T.; Smith, David E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Interannual meteorological oscillations (ENSO, QBO, NAO, etc.) have demonstrable influences on Earth's rotation. Here we study their effects on global gravitational field, whose temporal variations are being studied using SLR (satellite laser ranging) data and in anticipation of the new space mission GRACE. The meteorological oscillation modes are identified using the EOF (empirical orthogonal function)/PC (principal component) decomposition of surface fields (in which we take care of issues associated with the area-weighting and non-zero mean). We examine two fields, one for the global surface pressure field for the atmosphere obtained from the NCEP reanalysis (for the past 40 years), one for the surface topography field for the ocean from the Topex/Poseidon (T/P) data (for the past 8 years). We use monthly maps, and remove the mean-monthly ("climatology") values from each grid point, hence focusing only on non-seasonal signals. The T/P data were first subject to a steric correction where the steric contribution to the ocean surface topography was removed according to output of the numerical POCM model. The respective atmospheric and oceanic contributions to the gravitational variation, in terms of harmonic Stokes coefficients, are then combined mode-by-mode. Since the T/P data already contain the oceanic response to overlying atmospheric pressure, no regards to the inverted-barometer behavior for the ocean need be considered. Results for the lowest-degree Stokes coefficients can then be compared with space geodetic observations including the Earth's rotation and the SLR data mentioned above, to identify the importance of each meteorological oscillations in gravitational variation signals.

Sensitivity studies on the impacts of Tibetan Plateau snowpack pollution on the Asian hydrological cycle and monsoon climate

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

Qian, Yun; Flanner, M G; Leung, Lai-Yung R

2011-03-02

The Tibetan Plateau (TP), the highest and largest plateau in the world, has long been identified to be critical in regulating the Asian monsoon climate and hydrological cycle. The snowpack and glaciers over the TP provide fresh water to billions of people in Asian countries, but the TP glaciers have been retreating extensively at a speed faster than any other part of the world. In this study a series of experiments with a global climate model are designed to simulate black carbon (BC) and dust in snow and their radiative forcing and to assess the relative impacts of anthropogenic COmore » 2 and carbonaceous particles in the atmosphere and snow, respectively, on the snowpack over the TP, as well as their subsequent impacts on the Asian monsoon climate and hydrological cycle. Results show a large BC content in snow over the TP, especially the southern slope, with concentration larger than 100 µk/kg. Because of the high aerosol content in snow and large incident solar radiation in the low latitude and high elevation, the TP exhibits the largest surface radiative forcing induced by aerosols (e.g. BC, Dust) in snow compared to other snow-covered regions in the world. The aerosol-induced snow albedo perturbations generate surface radiative forcing of 5-25 W m -2 during spring, with a maximum in April or May. BC-in-snow increases the surface air temperature by around 1.0°C averaged over the TP and reduces snowpack over the TP more than that induced by pre-industrial to present CO 2 increase and carbonaceous particles in the atmosphere during spring. As a result, runoff increases during late winter and early spring but decreases during late spring and early summer (i.e. a trend toward earlier melt dates). The snowmelt efficacy, defined as the snowpack reduction per unit degree of warming induced by the forcing agent, is 1-4 times larger for BC-in-snow than CO 2 increase during April-July, indicating that BC-in-snow more efficiently accelerates snowmelt because the increased net solar radiation induced by reduced albedo melts the snow more efficiently than snow melt due to warming in the air. The TP also influences the South (SAM) and East (EAM) Asian monsoon through its dynamical and thermal forcing. During boreal spring, aerosols are transported by the southwesterly and reach the higher altitude and/or deposited in the snowpack over the TP. While BC and OM in the atmosphere directly absorb sunlight and warm the air, the darkened snow surface polluted by BC absorbs more solar radiation and increases the skin temperature, which warms the air above by the increased sensible heat flux over the TP. Both effects enhance the upward motion of air and spur deep convection along the TP during pre-monsoon season, resulting in earlier onset of the SAM and increase of moisture, cloudiness and convective precipitation over northern India. BC-in-snow has a more significant impact on the EAM in July than CO 2 increase and carbonaceous particles in the atmosphere. Contributed by the significant increase of both sensible heat flux associated with the warm skin temperature and latent heat flux associated with increased soil moisture with long memory, the role of the TP as a heat pump is elevated from spring through summer as the land-sea thermal contrast increases to strengthen the EAM. As a result, both southern China and northern China become wetter, but central China (i.e. Yangtze River Basin) becomes drier - a near zonal anomaly pattern that is consistent with the dominant mode of precipitation variability in East Asia.« less

Application of subsurface vertical flow constructed wetlands to reject water treatment in dairy wastewater treatment plant.

PubMed

Dąbrowski, Wojciech; Karolinczak, Beata; Gajewska, Magdalena; Wojciechowska, Ewa

2017-01-01

The paper presents the effects of applying subsurface vertical flow constructed wetlands (SS VF) for the treatment of reject water generated in the process of aerobic sewage sludge stabilization in the biggest dairy wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Poland. Two SS VF beds were built: bed (A) with 0.65 m depth and bed (B) with 1.0 m depth, planted with reeds. Beds were fed with reject water with hydraulic load of 0.1 m d -1 in order to establish the differences in treatment efficiency. During an eight-months research period, a high removal efficiency of predominant pollutants was shown: BOD 5 88.1% (A) and 90.5% (B); COD 84.5% (A) and 87.5% (B); TSS 87.6% (A) and 91.9% (B); TKN 82.4% (A) and 76.5% (B); N-NH 4 + 89.2% (A) and 85.7% (B); TP 30.2% (A) and 40.6% (B). There were not statistically significant differences in the removal efficiencies between bed (B) with 1.0 m depth and bed (A) with 0.65 m depth. The research indicated that SS VF beds could be successfully applied to reject water treatment in dairy WWTPs. The study proved that the use of SS VF beds in full scale in dairy WWTPs would result in a significant decrease in pollutants' load in reject water. In the analyzed case, decreasing the load of ammonia nitrogen was of greatest importance, as it constituted 58% of the total load treated in dairy WWTP and posed a hazard to the stability of the treatment process.

[Results of usage of temporary prosthetics in cases of combat injuries of extremities].

PubMed

Samokhvalov, I M; Zavrazhanov, A A; Kornilov, E A

2006-09-01

The comparative analyzes of the results of usage of temporary prosthetics (TP) of injured main arteries during the war in Afghanistan (1979-1989) and counter-terrorist operations in the Northern Caucasus (1994-1996, 1999-2002) has been carried out. The development of new models of temporary prosthetics of vessels has been experimentally substantiated. In Afghanistan the two-staged usage of TP was made along with the amputation of extremities in 35,1% of cases and in the Northern Caucasus - in 15,0%. The reason for that was the considerable reduction of terms of evacuation of wounded. The average terms of presence of TP in the arteries in Afghanistan were 26,2+/-4,0 hours and in the Northern Caucasus - 18,1+/-3,4 hours. During a series of experiments on comparative testing of efficiency of three types of TP it was determined that prosthetics made of armored silicone (10,1+/-0,6 hours)and, especially made of enlarged micropored polytetraftoraethylen (11,5 +/-0,6 hours) are thrombosed slower comparing to polyclorvinil tube from the blood transfusion system (7,9+/-0,7 hours).

Effect of high hydrostatic pressure on the microbiological, biochemical characteristics of white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei.

PubMed

Li, Xiu-Xia; Tian, Xin; Li, Jian-Rong

2016-06-01

Using thermal processing (TP) treatment (100 ℃, 1-8 min) as a control, the effects of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP, 200-500 MPa, 2.5-20 min) on the microbiological and biochemical characteristics of white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei were investigated. The results showed that the efficiency of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) inactivation and log reduction of total plate count (TPC) by HHP treatment were all significantly lower than by TP treatment (p < 0.05). The rate of inactivation for TPC and PPO all increased with the increase of HHP pressure and holding time (p < 0.05). The inactivation of PPO was in accordance with a first-order kinetics with the HHP treating time. Hardness of HHP-treated samples at the pressure of 300-500 MPa was higher than TP-treated samples, while the yield loss of HHP treatment was significantly lower than with TP treatment (p < 0.05), long time and high pressure of HHP treatment turned the appearance of shrimps slightly pink. © The Author(s) 2015.

Inactivation of the ATMIN/ATM pathway protects against glioblastoma formation

PubMed Central

Blake, Sophia M; Stricker, Stefan H; Halavach, Hanna; Poetsch, Anna R; Cresswell, George; Kelly, Gavin; Kanu, Nnennaya; Marino, Silvia; Luscombe, Nicholas M; Pollard, Steven M; Behrens, Axel

2016-01-01

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive human primary brain cancer. Using a Trp53-deficient mouse model of GBM, we show that genetic inactivation of the Atm cofactor Atmin, which is dispensable for embryonic and adult neural development, strongly suppresses GBM formation. Mechanistically, expression of several GBM-associated genes, including Pdgfra, was normalized by Atmin deletion in the Trp53-null background. Pharmacological ATM inhibition also reduced Pdgfra expression, and reduced the proliferation of Trp53-deficient primary glioma cells from murine and human tumors, while normal neural stem cells were unaffected. Analysis of GBM datasets showed that PDGFRA expression is also significantly increased in human TP53-mutant compared with TP53-wild-type tumors. Moreover, combined treatment with ATM and PDGFRA inhibitors efficiently killed TP53-mutant primary human GBM cells, but not untransformed neural stem cells. These results reveal a new requirement for ATMIN-dependent ATM signaling in TP53-deficient GBM, indicating a pro-tumorigenic role for ATM in the context of these tumors. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.08711.001 PMID:26984279

Nutrient removal by Chlorella vulgaris F1068 under cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide induced hormesis.

PubMed

Zhou, Qiongzhi; Li, Feng; Ge, Fei; Liu, Na; Kuang, Yangduo

2016-10-01

Toxicants are generally harmful to biotechnology in wastewater treatment. However, trace toxicant can induce microbial hormesis, but to date, it is still unknown how this phenomenon affects nutrient removal during municipal wastewater treatment process. Therefore, this study focused on the effects of hormesis induced by cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), a representative quaternary ammonium cationic surfactant, on nutrient removal by Chlorella vulgaris F1068. Results showed that when the concentration of CTAB was less than 10 ng/L, the cellular components chlorophyll a, proteins, polysaccharides, and total lipids increased by 10.11, 58.17, 38.78, and 11.87 %, respectively, and some enzymes in nutrient metabolism of algal cells, such as glutamine synthetase (GS), acid phosphatase (ACP), H(+)-ATPase, and esterase, were also enhanced. As a result, the removal efficiencies of ammonia nitrogen (NH4 (+)) and total phosphorus (TP) increased by 14.66 and 8.51 %, respectively, compared to the control during a 7-day test period. The underlying mechanism was mainly due to an enhanced photosynthetic activity of C. vulgaris F1068 indicated by the increase in chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (the value of Fv/Fm, ΦII, Fv/Fo, and rETR increased by 12.99, 7.56, 25.59, and 8.11 %, respectively) and adenylate energy charge (AEC) (from 0.68 to 0.72). These results suggest that hormesis induced by trace toxicants could enhance the nutrient removal, which would be further considered in the design of municipal wastewater treatment processes. Graphical abstract The schematic mechanism of C. vulgaris F1068 under CTAB induced hormesis. Green arrows ( ) represent the increase and the red arrow ( ) represents the decrease.

Responses of Super Rice (Oryza sativa L.) to Different Planting Methods for Grain Yield and Nitrogen-Use Efficiency in the Single Cropping Season

PubMed Central

Chen, Song; Wang, Danying; Xu, Chunmei; Ji, Chenglin; Zhang, Xiaoguo; Zhao, Xia; Zhang, Xiufu; Chauhan, Bhagirath Singh

2014-01-01

To break the yield ceiling of rice production, a super rice project was developed in 1996 to breed rice varieties with super high yield. A two-year experiment was conducted to evaluate yield and nitrogen (N)-use response of super rice to different planting methods in the single cropping season. A total of 17 rice varieties, including 13 super rice and four non-super checks (CK), were grown under three N levels [0 (N0), 150 (N150), and 225 (N225) kg ha−1] and two planting methods [transplanting (TP) and direct-seeding in wet conditions (WDS)]. Grain yield under WDS (7.69 t ha−1) was generally lower than TP (8.58 t ha−1). However, grain yield under different planting methods was affected by N rates as well as variety groups. In both years, there was no difference in grain yield between super and CK varieties at N150, irrespective of planting methods. However, grain yield difference was dramatic in japonica groups at N225, that is, there was an 11.3% and 14.1% average increase in super rice than in CK varieties in WDS and TP, respectively. This suggests that high N input contributes to narrowing the yield gap in super rice varieties, which also indicates that super rice was bred for high fertility conditions. In the japonica group, more N was accumulated in super rice than in CK at N225, but no difference was found between super and CK varieties at N0 and N150. Similar results were also found for N agronomic efficiency. The results suggest that super rice varieties have an advantage for N-use efficiency when high N is applied. The response of super rice was greater under TP than under WDS. The results suggest that the need to further improve agronomic and other management practices to achieve high yield and N-use efficiency for super rice varieties in WDS. PMID:25111805

Responses of super rice (Oryza sativa L.) to different planting methods for grain yield and nitrogen-use efficiency in the single cropping season.

PubMed

Chen, Song; Wang, Danying; Xu, Chunmei; Ji, Chenglin; Zhang, Xiaoguo; Zhao, Xia; Zhang, Xiufu; Chauhan, Bhagirath Singh

2014-01-01

To break the yield ceiling of rice production, a super rice project was developed in 1996 to breed rice varieties with super high yield. A two-year experiment was conducted to evaluate yield and nitrogen (N)-use response of super rice to different planting methods in the single cropping season. A total of 17 rice varieties, including 13 super rice and four non-super checks (CK), were grown under three N levels [0 (N0), 150 (N150), and 225 (N225) kg ha-1] and two planting methods [transplanting (TP) and direct-seeding in wet conditions (WDS)]. Grain yield under WDS (7.69 t ha-1) was generally lower than TP (8.58 t ha-1). However, grain yield under different planting methods was affected by N rates as well as variety groups. In both years, there was no difference in grain yield between super and CK varieties at N150, irrespective of planting methods. However, grain yield difference was dramatic in japonica groups at N225, that is, there was an 11.3% and 14.1% average increase in super rice than in CK varieties in WDS and TP, respectively. This suggests that high N input contributes to narrowing the yield gap in super rice varieties, which also indicates that super rice was bred for high fertility conditions. In the japonica group, more N was accumulated in super rice than in CK at N225, but no difference was found between super and CK varieties at N0 and N150. Similar results were also found for N agronomic efficiency. The results suggest that super rice varieties have an advantage for N-use efficiency when high N is applied. The response of super rice was greater under TP than under WDS. The results suggest that the need to further improve agronomic and other management practices to achieve high yield and N-use efficiency for super rice varieties in WDS.

Evaluation of the treatment performance and microbial communities of a combined constructed wetland used to treat industrial park wastewater.

PubMed

Xu, Ming; Liu, Weijing; Li, Chao; Xiao, Chun; Ding, Lili; Xu, Ke; Geng, Jinju; Ren, Hongqiang

2016-06-01

Constructed wetlands are ecosystems that use plants and microorganisms to remediate pollution in soil and water. In this study, two parallel pilot-scale vertical flow wetland and horizontal flow wetland (VF-HF) systems were implemented to investigate the treatment performance and microorganism community structure in the secondary effluent of an industrial park wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) with a loading rate of 100 mm/day near the Yangtze River in Suzhou City, East China. Removal efficiencies of 82.3, 69.8, 77.8, and 32.3 were achieved by the VF-HF systems for ammonium nitrogen (NH4 (+)-N), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and chemical oxygen demand (COD), respectively. The VF system specialized in COD and NH4 (+)-N removal (73.6 and 79.2 %), whereas the HF system mainly contributed to TN removal (63.5 %). The effluents in all seasons are capable of achieving the "surface water environmental quality standard" (GB3838-2002) grade IV. In the VF system, the 16S gene and nirK gene were significantly correlated with depth, with the 16S gene showing significant correlations with the dissolved oxygen (DO) level (r = 0.954, p < 0.05), which was determined by real-time PCR and high-throughput sequencing. Many types of bacteria capable of biodegradation, including nitrifiers, denitrifiers, and polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degraders (improvement of the BOD5/COD ratio), were observed, and they contributed to approximately 90 % of the nitrogen removal in the VF-HF system.

Ambient iron-mediated aeration (IMA) for water reuse.

PubMed

Deng, Yang; Englehardt, James D; Abdul-Aziz, Samer; Bataille, Tristan; Cueto, Josenrique; De Leon, Omar; Wright, Mary E; Gardinali, Piero; Narayanan, Aarthi; Polar, Jose; Tomoyuki, Shibata

2013-02-01

Global water shortages caused by rapidly expanding population, escalating water consumption, and dwindling water reserves have rendered water reuse a strategically significant approach to meet current and future water demand. This study is the first to our knowledge to evaluate the technical feasibility of iron-mediated aeration (IMA), an innovative, potentially economical, holistic, oxidizing co-precipitation process operating at room temperature, atmospheric pressure, and neutral pH, for water reuse. In the IMA process, dissolved oxygen (O₂) was continuously activated by zero-valent iron (Fe⁰) to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) at ambient pH, temperature, and pressure. Concurrently, iron sludge was generated as a result of iron corrosion. Bench-scale tests were conducted to study the performance of IMA for treatment of secondary effluent, natural surface water, and simulated contaminated water. The following removal efficiencies were achieved: 82.2% glyoxylic acid, ~100% formaldehyde as an oxidation product of glyoxylic acid, 94% of Ca²⁺ and associated alkalinity, 44% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), 26% of electrical conductivity (EC), 98% of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), 80% of 17β-estradiol (E2), 45% of total nitrogen (TN), 96% of total phosphorus (TP), 99.8% of total Cr, >90% of total Ni, 99% of color, 3.2 log removal of total coliform, and 2.4 log removal of E. Coli. Removal was attributed principally to chemical oxidation, precipitation, co-precipitation, coagulation, adsorption, and air stripping concurrently occurring during the IMA treatment. Results suggest that IMA is a promising treatment technology for water reuse. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient use of historical data for genomic selection: a case study of rust resistance in wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Genomic selection (GS) is a new methodology that can improve wheat breeding efficiency. To implement GS, a training population (TP) with both phenotypic and genotypic data is required to train a statistical model used to predict genotyped selection candidates (SCs). Several factors impact prediction...

Transformation products formation of ciprofloxacin in UVA/LED and UVA/LED/TiO2 systems: Impact of natural organic matter characteristics.

PubMed

Li, Si; Hu, Jiangyong

2018-04-01

The role of natural organic matter (NOM) in contaminants removal by photolysis and photocatalysis has aroused increasing interest. However, evaluation of the influence of NOM characteristics on the transformation products (TPs) formation and transformation pathways of contaminants has rarely been performed. This study investigated the decomposition kinetics, mineralization, TPs formation and transformation pathways of antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP) during photolysis and photocatalysis in the presence of three commercial NOM isolates (Sigma-Aldrich humic acid (SAHA), Suwannee River humic acid (SRHA) and Suwannee River NOM (SRNOM)) by using UVA light emitting diode (UVA/LED) as an alternative light source. NOM isolates insignificantly affected CIP photolysis but strongly inhibited CIP photocatalysis due to competitive radical quenching. The inhibitory effect followed the order of SAHA (49.6%) > SRHA (29.9%) > SRNOM (21.2%), consistent with their •OH quenching abilities, SUVA 254 values and orders of aromaticity. Mineralization rates as revealed by F - release were negatively affected by NOM during CIP photocatalysis. TPs arising from hydroxylation and defluorination were generally suppressed by NOM isolates in UVA/LED and UVA/LED/TiO 2 systems. In contrast, dealkylation and oxidation of piperazine ring were promoted by NOM. The enhancement in the apparent formation kinetics (k app ) of TP245, TP291, TP334a, TP334b and TP362 followed the order of SRNOM > SRHA > SAHA. k app values were positively correlated with O/C ratio, carboxyl content, E2/E3 and fluorescence index (FI) of NOM and negatively related with SUVA 254 values. The observed correlations indicate that NOM properties are important in determining the fate and transformation of organic contaminants during photolysis and photocatalysis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient conversion of 3He(n,tp) and 10B(n, α7Li) reaction energies into far-ultraviolet radiation by noble gas excimers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Patrick P.; Coplan, Michael A.; Thompson, Alan K.; Vest, Robert E.; Clark, Charles W.

2011-03-01

Previous work showed that the 3He(n , tp) reaction in a cell of 3He at atmospheric pressure generated tens of far-ultraviolet (FUV) photons per reacted neutron. Here we report amplification of that signal by factors of 1000 when noble gases are added to the cell. Calibrated filter-detector measurements show that this large signal is due to noble-gas excimer emissions, and that the nuclear reaction energy is converted to FUV radiation with efficiencies of up to 30 % . Our results have been placed on an absolute scale through calibrations at the NIST SURF III Synchrotron and Center for Neutron Research. We have also seen large neutron-induced FUV signals when the 3He gas in our system is replaced with a 10B film target; an experiment on substituting 3He with BF3 is underway. Our results suggest possibilities for high-efficiency, non-3He neutron detectors as an alternative to existing proportional counters.

Improved oral absorption and anti-lung cancer activity of paclitaxel-loaded mixed micelles.

PubMed

Hou, Jian; Sun, E; Zhang, Zhen-Hai; Wang, Jing; Yang, Lei; Cui, Li; Ke, Zhong-Cheng; Tan, Xiao-Bin; Jia, Xiao-Bin; Lv, Huixia

2017-11-01

The aim of this study was to establish a paclitaxel (PTX)-loaded mixed micelle delivery system (PTX-TP-M) with vitamin E-TPGS (TPGS) and Plasdone®S-630 Copovidone (PVPS630) as carriers to improve the solubility, oral absorption, and anti-tumor activity of PTX against lung cancer. In this study, PTX-TP-M was prepared using the ethanol thin-film dispersion method followed by characterization of the binary mixed micelles system. The average size of the PTX-TP-M was 83.5 ± 1.8 nm with a polydispersity index of 0.265 ± 0.007 and the drug loading (DL%) and entrapment efficiency (EE%) were 3.09 ± 0.09% and 95.67 ± 2.84%, respectively, which contributed to a high solubility of PTX about 24947-fold increase in water (4.78 ± 0.14 mg/mL). In addition, TEM analysis showed that the PTX-TP-M appeared spherical in structure and was well dispersed without aggregation and adhesion. In vitro release studies showed that the PTX-TP-M displayed a sustained release compared to free PTX in the dialysis bag. The efflux ratio of PTX reduced from 44.83 to 3.52 when formulated as PTX-TP-M; a 92.15% reduction, studied using the Caco-2 monolayer model. The oral bioavailability of PTX also improved by 4.35-fold, suggesting that PTX-TP-M can markedly promote the absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. Using in vitro MTT assays, it was observed that cytotoxicity was markedly increased, and IC 50 values of PTX-TP-M (3.14 ± 0.85 and 8.28 ± 1.02 μg/mL) were lower than those of PTX solution (5.21 ± 0.93 and 14.53 ± 1.96 μg/mL) in A549 and Lewis cell, respectively. In vivo anti-tumor studies showed that PTX-TP-M achieved higher anti-tumor efficacy compared with PTX in Lewis bared C57BL/6 mice. Furthermore, a gastrointestinal safety assay also proved the safety of PTX-TP-M. All results demonstrated that the PTX-TP-M exhibited great potential for delivering PTX with increased solubility, oral bioavailability, and anti-cancer activity and this binary mixed micelles drug delivery system has potential to be used clinically.

[Soil fertility characteristics under different land use patterns in depressions between karst hills].

PubMed

Liu, Yan; Song, Tong-Qing; Cai, De-Suo; Zeng, Fu-Ping; Peng, Wan-Xia; Du, Hu

2014-06-01

Soil samples were collected from the depressions between karst hills by grid sampling method (5 m x 5 m), soil pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK) in surface layer (0-20 cm) under different land use patterns (burning, cutting, cutting plus root removal, enclosure, maize plantation, and pasture plantation) were measured, the main factors of influencing the soil fertility was identified by principal component analysis (PCA), and the relationships between soil nutrients and microorganisms were demonstrated by canonical correlation analysis (CCA). The results showed that the soil was slightly alkaline (pH 7.83-7.98), and the soil fertility differed under the different land use patterns, with 76.78-116.05 g x kg(-1) of SOC, 4.29-6.23 g x kg(-1) of TN, 1.15-1.47 g x kg(-1) of TP, 3.59-6.05 g x kg(-1) of TK, 331.49-505.49 mg x kg(-1) of AN), 3.92-10.91 mg x kg(-1) of AP, and 136.28-198.10 mg x kg(-1) of AK. These soil indexes except pH showed moderate or strong variation. Different land use patterns had various impacts on soil fertility: Soil nutrients such as SOC, TN, TP, and AN were most significantly influenced by land use patterns in the depressions between karst hills; Followed by soil microorganisms, especially soil actinomycetes, and the effect decreased with the increasing gradient of human disturbance from enclosure, burning, cutting, cutting plus root removal, pasture plantation, and maize plantation. CCA elucidated that considerable interactions existed in soil TP with MBP (microbial biomass phosphorus), TK with MBC (microbial biomass carbon), TN with actinomycetes in the burned area, while TN and MBC in the cutting treatment, AP and MBN (microbial biomass nitrogen) in the treatment of cutting plus root removal, pH with MBC and fungus in the enclosure treatment, TN and TK with MBP in the maize plantation, pH with fungi and actinomycetes in the pasture plantation. Land use patterns changed the soil fertility in the depressions between karst hills; therefore, in the ecological restoration and reconstruction of karst region with fragmented landforms and shallow soil, rational land use patterns should be adopted to improve the soil quality of degraded ecosystems.

Synthesis and polymerase activity of a fluorescent cytidine TNA triphosphate analogue

PubMed Central

Mei, Hui; Shi, Changhua; Jimenez, Randi M.; Wang, Yajun; Kardouh, Miramar

2017-01-01

Abstract Threose nucleic acid (TNA) is an artificial genetic polymer capable of undergoing Darwinian evolution to produce aptamers with affinity to specific targets. This property, coupled with a backbone structure that is refractory to nuclease digestion, makes TNA an attractive biopolymer system for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Expanding the chemical diversity of TNA beyond the natural bases would enable the development of functional TNA molecules with enhanced physiochemical properties. Here, we describe the synthesis and polymerase activity of a fluorescent cytidine TNA triphosphate analogue (1,3-diaza-2-oxo-phenothiazine, tCfTP) that maintains Watson-Crick base pairing with guanine. Polymerase-mediated primer-extension assays reveal that tCfTP is efficiently added to the growing end of a TNA primer. Detailed kinetic assays indicate that tCfTP and tCTP have comparable rates for the first nucleotide incorporation step (kobs1). However, addition of the second nucleotide (kobs2) is 700-fold faster for tCfTP than tCTP due the increased effects of base stacking. Last, we found that TNA replication using tCfTP in place of tCTP exhibits 98.4% overall fidelity for the combined process of TNA transcription and reverse transcription. Together, these results expand the chemical diversity of enzymatically generated TNA molecules to include a hydrophobic base analogue with strong fluorescent properties that is compatible with in vitro selection. PMID:28472363

Impact of solids residence time on biological nutrient removal performance of membrane bioreactor.

PubMed

Ersu, Cagatayhan Bekir; Ong, Say Kee; Arslankaya, Ertan; Lee, Yong-Woo

2010-05-01

Impact of long solids residence times (SRTs) on nutrient removal was investigated using a submerged plate-frame membrane bioreactor with anaerobic and anoxic tanks. The system was operated at 10, 25, 50 and 75 days SRTs with hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 2 h each for the anaerobic and anoxic tanks and 8 h for the oxic tank. Recirculation of oxic tank mixed liquor into the anaerobic tank and permeate into the anoxic tank were fixed at 100% each of the influent flow. For all SRTs, percent removals of soluble chemical oxygen demand were more than 93% and nitrification was more than 98.5% but total nitrogen percent removal seemed to peak at 81% at 50 days SRT while total phosphorus (TP) percent removal showed a deterioration from approximately 80% at 50 days SRT to 60% at 75 days SRT. Before calibrating the Biowin((R)) model to the experimental data, a sensitivity analysis of the model was conducted which indicated that heterotrophic anoxic yield, anaerobic hydrolysis factors of heterotrophs, heterotrophic hydrolysis, oxic endogenous decay rate for heterotrophs and oxic endogenous decay rate of PAOs had the most impact on predicted effluent TP concentration. The final values of kinetic parameters obtained in the calibration seemed to imply that nitrogen and phosphorus removal increased with SRT due to an increase in anoxic and anaerobic hydrolysis factors up to 50 days SRT but beyond that removal of phosphorus deteriorated due to high oxic endogenous decay rates. This indirectly imply that the decrease in phosphorus removal at 75 days SRT may be due to an increase in lysis of microbial cells at high SRTs along with the low food/microorganisms ratio as a result of high suspended solids in the oxic tank. Several polynomial correlations relating the various calibrated kinetic parameters with SRTs were derived. The Biowin((R)) model and the kinetic parameters predicted by the polynomial correlations were verified and found to predict well the effluent water quality of the MBR at 35 days SRT.

Identification of odor volatile compounds and deodorization of Paphia undulata enzymatic hydrolysate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Deke; Chen, Xin; Chen, Hua; Cai, Bingna; Wan, Peng; Zhu, Xiaolian; Sun, Han; Sun, Huili; Pan, Jianyu

2016-12-01

Unfavorable fishy odour is an inevitable problem in aquatic products. In the present study, headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) analysis of volatiles from untreated samples and three deodorized samples (under the optimal conditions) of Paphia undulata enzymatic hydrolysate revealed that the compounds contributing to the distinctive odor were 1-octen-3-ol, n-hexanal, n-heptanal, 2,4-heptadienal, and 2,4-decadienal, whereas n-pentanal, n-octanal, n-octanol, benzaldehyde, 2-ethylfuran and 2-pentylfuran were the main contributors to the aromatic flavor. The deodorizing effects of activated carbon (AC) adsorption, yeast extract (YE) masking and tea polyphenol (TP) treatment on a P. undulata enzymatic hydrolysate were investigated using orthogonal experiments with sensory evaluation as the index. The following optimized deodorization conditions were obtained: AC adsorption (35 mg mL-1, 80°C, 40 min), YE masking (7 mg mL-1, 45°C, 30 min) and TP treatment (0.4 mg mL-1, 40°C, 50 min). AC adsorption effectively removed off-flavor volatile aldehydes and ketones. YE masking modified the odor profile by increasing the relative contents of aromatic compounds and decreasing the relative contents of aldehydes and ketones. The TP treatment was not effective in reducing the odor score, but it significantly reduced the relative content of aldehydes while increasing that of alkanes. It is also notable that TP effectively suppressed trimethylamine (TMA) formation in a P. undulate hydrolysate solution for a period of 72 h.

Theoretical study on photophysical properties of three high water solubility polypyridyl complexes for two-photon photodynamic therapy.

PubMed

Liu, Ying-Tao; Yin, Xue; Lai, Xiao-Yong; Wang, Xin

2018-06-22

Two-photon photodynamic therapy (TP-PDT) is a very promising treatment that has drawn much attention in recent years due to its ability to penetrate deeper into tissues and minimize the damage to normal cells. Here, the properties of three highly water soluble Ru(ii) and Zn(ii) polypyridyl complexes as photosensitizers (PSs) were examined, including the one-photon and two-photon absorption (OPA and TPA) spectra, singlet-triplet energy gap (ΔH-L), TPA cross-section and spin-orbit coupling constant via Density Function Theory (DFT) and Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TD-DFT). Their potential therapeutic use as photosensitizers in TP-PDT is proposed, where the reasoning is as follows: first, they possess strong absorption in the therapeutic window; second, the vertical excitation energy is greater than 0.98 eV, which can generate a singlet oxygen species and the remarkable coupling between the S1 and T1 states. Moreover, the spin-orbit matrix elements are greater than 0.24 cm-1 for Ru-bpy and Zn-tpy, indicating that the intersystem spin crossing processes are efficient. It is expected that these complexes will be applied to PSs in TP-PDT, and we hope this research can serve as a guideline for the development of efficient two-photon PSs.

Macrophyte growth in a pilot-scale constructed wetland for industrial wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Hadad, H R; Maine, M A; Bonetto, C A

2006-06-01

A pilot-scale wetland was constructed to assess the feasibility of treating the wastewater from a tool industry in Santo Tomé, Santa Fe, Argentina. The wastewater had high conductivity and pH, and contained Cr, Ni and Zn. This paper describes the growth of vegetation in the experimental wetland and the nutrient and metal removal. The wetland was 6 x 3 x 0.4 m. Water discharge was 1000 l d(-1) and residence time was 7d. After the wetland was rendered impermeable, macrophytes from Middle Paraná River floodplain were transplanted. Influent and effluent quality was analyzed every 15 d. TP, Cr, Ni and Zn concentrations in leaves, roots and sediment (inlet and outlet) were measured monthly. Cover and biomass of predominant species were estimated. Also, greenhouse experiments were carried out to measure the effects of conductivity and pH on floating species. The variables measured in the influent were significantly higher than those in the effluent, except for HCO(3)(-) and NH(4)(+). TP and metal concentrations in sediment at the inlet were significantly higher than those at the outlet. Conductivity and pH of the incoming wastewater were toxic for the floating species. Typha domingensis displaced the other species and reached positive relative cover rate and biomass greater than those at the undisturbed natural environment. T. domingensis proved to be highly efficient for the treatment of wastewater. For that reason, it is the advisable species for the treatment of wastewater of high conductivity and pH enriched with metals, characteristic of many industrial processes.

Spatiotemporal changes of snow cover over the Tibetan plateau based on cloud-removed moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer fractional snow cover product from 2001 to 2011

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Zhiguang; Wang, Jian; Li, Hongyi; Yan, Lili

2013-01-01

Snow cover changes over the Tibetan plateau (TP) are examined using moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) daily fractional snow cover (FSC) data from 2001 to 2011 as well as in situ temperature data. First, the accuracy of the MODIS FSC data under clear sky conditions is evaluated by comparing with Landsat 30-m observations. Then we describe a cloud-gap-filled (CGF) method using cubic spline interpolation algorithm to fill in data gaps caused by clouds. Finally, the spatial and temporal changes of snow cover are analyzed on the basis of the MODIS-derived snow-covered area and snow-covered days (SCD) data. Results show that the mean absolute error of MODIS FSC data under clear sky condition is about 0.098 over the TP. The CGF method is efficient in cloud reduction (overall mean absolute error of the retrieved FSC data is 0.092). There is a very high inter-annual and intra-seasonal variability of snow cover in the 11 years. The higher snow cover corresponds well with the huge mountains. The accumulation and melt periods of snow cover vary in different elevation zones. About 34.14% (5.56% with a significant decline) and 24.75% (3.9% with a significant increase) of the study area presents declining and increasing trend in SCD, respectively. The inter-annual fluctuation of snow cover can be explained by the high negative correlations observed between the snow cover and the in situ temperature, especially in some elevations of February, April, May, August, and September.

Evaluation of the Lumipulse G TP-N Chemiluminescent Immunoassay as a Syphilis Screening Test

PubMed Central

Ortiz, Daniel A.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT A syphilis diagnosis is often aided by the detection of treponemal and nontreponemal antibodies. Automated treponemal antibody detection systems enable high-volume clinical laboratories to perform syphilis screening at a faster pace with lower labor costs. The Lumipulse G TP-N chemiluminescent immunoassay is an automated system that qualitatively detects IgG and IgM antibodies against Treponema pallidum antigens in human serum and plasma. To assess performance characteristics and workflow efficiency, the Lumipulse G TP-N assay was compared to the Bioplex 2200 Syphilis IgG multiplex flow immunoassay. Among the 4,134 routine and HIV samples tested by the two automated assays, the percentage of agreement was excellent at 99.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 98.6% to 99.2%; κ, 0.89), with the Lumipulse G TP-N having a shorter time to first and subsequent results. All specimens with reactive syphilis screening results were further tested by rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TP·PA) testing (n = 231). The results from the RPR-reactive samples (n = 82) showed complete concordance with the two automated assays, while the TP·PA assay displayed some discrepancies. The positive percent agreement (PPA) and negative percent agreement (NPA) between the TP·PA test and the Lumipulse G TP-N test were 98.9% and 77.3%, respectively. The Bioplex 2200 Syphilis IgG immunoassay displayed a similar PPA (100%) but a substantially lower NPA (15.9%). Patient chart reviews of discrepant results suggested that the Lumipulse G TP-N assay produced 27 fewer falsely reactive results and can reduce the amount of additional confirmatory RPR and TP·PA testing needed. The analogous performance characteristics of the two automated systems indicate that the Lumipulse G TP-N assay is suitable for high-throughput syphilis screening. PMID:28878003

Evaluation of the Lumipulse G TP-N Chemiluminescent Immunoassay as a Syphilis Screening Test.

PubMed

Ortiz, Daniel A; Loeffelholz, Michael J

2017-11-01

A syphilis diagnosis is often aided by the detection of treponemal and nontreponemal antibodies. Automated treponemal antibody detection systems enable high-volume clinical laboratories to perform syphilis screening at a faster pace with lower labor costs. The Lumipulse G TP-N chemiluminescent immunoassay is an automated system that qualitatively detects IgG and IgM antibodies against Treponema pallidum antigens in human serum and plasma. To assess performance characteristics and workflow efficiency, the Lumipulse G TP-N assay was compared to the Bioplex 2200 Syphilis IgG multiplex flow immunoassay. Among the 4,134 routine and HIV samples tested by the two automated assays, the percentage of agreement was excellent at 99.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 98.6% to 99.2%; κ, 0.89), with the Lumipulse G TP-N having a shorter time to first and subsequent results. All specimens with reactive syphilis screening results were further tested by rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TP·PA) testing ( n = 231). The results from the RPR-reactive samples ( n = 82) showed complete concordance with the two automated assays, while the TP·PA assay displayed some discrepancies. The positive percent agreement (PPA) and negative percent agreement (NPA) between the TP·PA test and the Lumipulse G TP-N test were 98.9% and 77.3%, respectively. The Bioplex 2200 Syphilis IgG immunoassay displayed a similar PPA (100%) but a substantially lower NPA (15.9%). Patient chart reviews of discrepant results suggested that the Lumipulse G TP-N assay produced 27 fewer falsely reactive results and can reduce the amount of additional confirmatory RPR and TP·PA testing needed. The analogous performance characteristics of the two automated systems indicate that the Lumipulse G TP-N assay is suitable for high-throughput syphilis screening. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Comparative study of wastewater treatment and nutrient recycle via activated sludge, microalgae and combination systems.

PubMed

Wang, Liang; Liu, Jinli; Zhao, Quanyu; Wei, Wei; Sun, Yuhan

2016-07-01

Algal-bacterial synergistic cultivation could be an optional wastewater treatment technology in temperate areas. In this study, a locally screened vigorous Chlorella strain was characterized and then it was used in a comparative study of wastewater treatment and nutrient recycle assessment via activated sludge (AS), microalgae and their combination systems. Chlorella sp. cultured with AS in light showed the best performance, in which case the removal efficiencies of COD, NH3-N and TP were 87.3%, 99.2% and 83.9%, respectively, within a short period of 1day. Algal-bacterial combination in light had the best settleability. Chlorella sp. contained biomass, could be processed to feed, fertilizer or fuel due to the improved quality (higher C/H/N) compared with sludge. PCR-DGGE analysis shows that two types of rhizobacteria, namely, Pseudomonas putida and Flavobacterium hauense were enriched in sludge when cultured with algae in light, serving as the basics for artificial consortium construction for improved wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Disinhibition of excessive volatile fatty acids to improve the efficiency of autothermal thermophilic aerobic sludge digestion by chemical approach.

PubMed

Jin, Ningben; Jin, Bo; Zhu, Nanwen; Yuan, Haiping; Ruan, Jianbo

2015-01-01

In this study, we explored a chemical approach to eliminate inhibition of excessive volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in autothermal thermophilic aerobic digestion (ATAD). Ferric nitrate, ferric chloride, potassium nitrate and potassium chloride were employed to demonstrate the combined action of ferric ion and nitrate ion. Supplementation of ferric nitrate in the sludge digestion system resulted in reducing the concentration of Total VFAs (TVFA) by round 5000mg/L and more than 2000mg/L of acetic acid at the end of digestion. Lower TVFA concentration contributed to faster sludge stabilization rate and the VS removal of ferric nitrate dosed digester achieved 38.18% after 12days digestion which was 9days in advance compared with the stabilization time of sludge in digester without chemicals addition. Lower concentrations of NH4(+)-N and SCOD in supernatant while higher content of TP in digestion sludge were obtained in digester with ferric nitrate added. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

No effect of sex steroids on compensatory muscle hypertrophy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Max, S. R.; Rance, N. E.

1984-01-01

The effects of orchiectomy and/or subcutaneously implanted testosterone propionate (TP) on the hypertrophic response of rat plantaris muscles to functional overload (induced by bilateral removal of gastrocnemius and soleus muscles) are investigated experimentally. Muscle wet weight, metabolic substrate oxidation, and cytosolic androgen-receptor binding are measured, and the results are presented in tables. Eight weeks after surgery, the plantaris muscle weight as a percentage of body weight is found to be about twice that in rats without muscle overload, regardless of the sex-hormone status. Overloading causes decreased ability to oxidize glucose and pyruvate, decreased succinate dehydrogenase specific activity, and no change in the ability to oxidize beta-hydroxybutyrate or in androgen-receptor binding. The oxidative response is unaffected by orchiectomy or TP or both. It is argued that the actions of sex hormones and functional overload are not synergistic.

Optimized Extraction of Resveratrol from Arachis repens Handro by Ultrasound and Microwave: A Correlation Study with the Antioxidant Properties and Phenol Contents

PubMed Central

Garcia, Leonardo; Garcia, Renata; Sutili, Felipe; Souza, Rodrigo De

2016-01-01

The vegetal species Arachis repens, commonly known as peanut grass, was studied and, for the first time, we detected the presence of the bioactive compound trans-resveratrol (t-RSV). We compared the efficiency of three different methodologies (conventional maceration [CM], ultrasound-assisted extractions [UAE], and microwave-assisted extractions [MAE]) concerning total phenolics (TP) and resveratrol (t-RSV) content, followed by antioxidant activity (AA) evaluation. By CM, at 1 h, the highest RSV content (1.024 ± 0.036 mg/L) and, correspondingly, the highest DPPH capture (23.90 ± 0.04%) were found. The TP contents, at 1 h, presented the highest value (27.26 ± 0.26 mg/g GAE). By the UAE, the maximum yields of TP (357.18 mg/g GAE) and RSV (2.14 mg/L), as well as, the highest AA (70.95%), were obtained by 5 min after a maceration pretreatment, on the solid-solvent ratio 1 : 40 w/v. For MAE, a central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was applied followed by the FFD design in order to evaluate the statistical effects of four independent variables on the extraction of RSV. The optimal conditions established for obtaining the highest recovery (2.516 mg/g) were 20 min; 90% MeOH aq.; 120 rpm; 60°C; and solid-solvent ratio: 1 : 35 w/v. Relevant correlations were established considering the TP and RSV contents, as well as the AA, corroborating obvious advantages of such techniques in terms of high extraction efficiency in shorter times. PMID:28116343

Optimized Extraction of Resveratrol from Arachis repens Handro by Ultrasound and Microwave: A Correlation Study with the Antioxidant Properties and Phenol Contents.

PubMed

Garcia, Leonardo; Garcia, Renata; Pacheco, Georgia; Sutili, Felipe; Souza, Rodrigo De; Mansur, Elisabeth; Leal, Ivana

2016-01-01

The vegetal species Arachis repens , commonly known as peanut grass, was studied and, for the first time, we detected the presence of the bioactive compound trans- resveratrol ( t -RSV). We compared the efficiency of three different methodologies (conventional maceration [CM], ultrasound-assisted extractions [UAE], and microwave-assisted extractions [MAE]) concerning total phenolics (TP) and resveratrol ( t -RSV) content, followed by antioxidant activity (AA) evaluation. By CM, at 1 h, the highest RSV content (1.024 ± 0.036 mg/L) and, correspondingly, the highest DPPH capture (23.90 ± 0.04%) were found. The TP contents, at 1 h, presented the highest value (27.26 ± 0.26 mg/g GAE). By the UAE, the maximum yields of TP (357.18 mg/g GAE) and RSV (2.14 mg/L), as well as, the highest AA (70.95%), were obtained by 5 min after a maceration pretreatment, on the solid-solvent ratio 1 : 40 w/v. For MAE, a central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was applied followed by the FFD design in order to evaluate the statistical effects of four independent variables on the extraction of RSV. The optimal conditions established for obtaining the highest recovery (2.516 mg/g) were 20 min; 90% MeOH aq.; 120 rpm; 60°C; and solid-solvent ratio: 1 : 35 w/v. Relevant correlations were established considering the TP and RSV contents, as well as the AA, corroborating obvious advantages of such techniques in terms of high extraction efficiency in shorter times.

Comparing isotope signatures of prey fish: does gut removal affect δ13C or δ15N?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chipps, Steven R.; Fincel, Mark J.; VanDeHey, Justin A.; Wuestewald, Andrew

2011-01-01

Stable isotope analysis is a quick and inexpensive method to monitor the effects of food web changes on aquatic communities. Traditionally, whole specimens have been used when determining isotope composition of prey fish or age-0 recreational fishes. However, gut contents of prey fish could potentially alter isotope composition of the specimen, especially when recent foraging has taken place or when the gut contains non-assimilated material that would normally pass through fishes undigested. To assess the impacts of gut content on prey fish isotope signatures, we examined the differences in isotopic variation of five prey fish species using whole fish, whole fish with the gut contents removed, and dorsal muscle only. We found significant differences in both δ15N and δ13C between the three tissue treatments. In most cases, muscle tissue was enriched compared to whole specimens or gut-removed specimens. Moreover, differences in mean δ15N within a species were up to 2‰ among treatments. This would result in a change of over half a trophic position (TP) based on a 3.4‰ increase per trophic level. However, there were no apparent relationships between tissue isotope values in fish with increased gut fullness (more prey tissue present). We suggest that muscle tissue should be used as the standard tissue for determining isotope composition of prey fish or age-0 recreational fishes, especially when determining enrichment for mixing models, calculating TP, or constructing aquatic food webs.

Forest soil CO2 fluxes as a function of understory removal and N-fixing species addition.

PubMed

Li, Haifang; Fu, Shenglei; Zhao, Hongting; Xia, Hanping

2011-01-01

We report on the effects of forest management practices of understory removal and N-fixing species (Cassia alata) addition on soil CO2 fluxes in an Eucalyptus urophylla plantation (EUp), Acacia crassicarpa plantation (ACp), 10-species-mixed plantation (Tp), and 30-species-mixed plantation (THp) using the static chamber method in southern China. Four forest management treatments, including (1) understory removal (UR); (2) C. alata addition (CA); (3) understory removal and replacement with C. alata (UR+CA); and (4) control without any disturbances (CK), were applied in the above four forest plantations with three replications for each treatment. The results showed that soil CO2 fluxes rates remained at a high level during the rainy season (from April to September), followed by a rapid decrease after October reaching a minimum in February. Soil CO2 fluxes were significantly higher (P < 0.01) in EUp (132.6 mg/(m2 x hr)) and ACp (139.8 mg/(m2 x hr)) than in Tp (94.0 mg/(m2 x hr)) and THp (102.9 mg/(m2 x hr)). Soil CO2 fluxes in UR and CA were significantly higher (P < 0.01) among the four treatments, with values of 105.7, 120.4, 133.6 and 112.2 mg/(m2 x hr) for UR+CA, UR, CA and CK, respectively. Soil CO2 fluxes were positively correlated with soil temperature (P < 0.01), soil moisture (P < 0.01), NO3(-)-N (P < 0.05), and litterfall (P < 0.01), indicating that all these factors might be important controlling variables for soil CO2 fluxes. This study sheds some light on our understanding of soil CO2 flux dynamics in forest plantations under various management practices.

Enhancing sewage sludge dewaterability by bioleaching approach with comparison to other physical and chemical conditioning methods.

PubMed

Liu, Fenwu; Zhou, Jun; Wang, Dianzhan; Zhou, Lixiang

2012-01-01

The sewage sludge conditioning process is critical to improve the sludge dewaterability prior to mechanical dewatering. Traditionally, sludge is conditioned by physical or chemical approaches, mostly with the addition of inorganic or organic chemicals. Here we report that bioleaching, an efficient and economical microbial method for the removal of sludge-borne heavy metals, also plays a significant role in enhancing sludge dewaterability. The effects of bioleaching and physical or chemical approaches on sludge dewaterability were compared. The conditioning result of bioleaching by Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans on sludge dewatering was investigated and compared with the effects of hydrothermal (121 degrees C for 2 hr), microwave (1050 W for 50 sec), ultrasonic (250 W for 2 min), and chemical conditioning (24% ferric chloride and 68% calcium oxide; dry basis). The results show that the specific resistance to filtration (SRF) or capillary suction time (CST) of sludge is decreased by 93.1% or 74.1%, respectively, after fresh sludge is conditioned by bioleaching, which is similar to chemical conditioning treatment with ferric chloride and calcium oxide but much more effective than other conditioning approaches including hydrothermal, microwave, and ultrasonic conditioning. Furthermore, after sludge dewatering, bioleached sludge filtrate contains the lowest concentrations of chroma (18 times), COD (542 mg/L), total N (TN, 300 mg/L), NH4(+)-N (208 mg/L), and total P (TP, 2 mg/L) while the hydrothermal process resulted in the highest concentration of chroma (660 times), COD (18,155 mg/L), TN (472 mg/L), NH4(+)-N (381 mg/L), and TP (191 mg/L) among these selected conditioning methods. Moreover, unlike chemical conditioning, sludge bioleaching does not result in a significant reduction of organic matter, TN, and TP in the resulting dewatered sludge cake. Therefore, considering sludge dewaterability and the chemical properties of sludge filtrate and resulting dewatered sludge cakes, bioleaching has potential as an approach for improving sludge dewaterability and reducing the cost of subsequent reutilization or disposal of dewatered sludge.

Stereochemistry-Dependent Proton Conduction in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.

PubMed

Thimmappa, Ravikumar; Devendrachari, Mruthyunjayachari Chattanahalli; Kottaichamy, Alagar Raja; Tiwari, Omshanker; Gaikwad, Pramod; Paswan, Bhuneshwar; Thotiyl, Musthafa Ottakam

2016-01-12

Graphene oxide (GO) is impermeable to H2 and O2 fuels while permitting H(+) shuttling, making it a potential candidate for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), albeit with a large anisotropy in their proton transport having a dominant in plane (σIP) contribution over the through plane (σTP). If GO-based membranes are ever to succeed in PEMFC, it inevitably should have a dominant through-plane proton shuttling capability (σTP), as it is the direction in which proton gets transported in a real fuel-cell configuration. Here we show that anisotropy in proton conduction in GO-based fuel cell membranes can be brought down by selectively tuning the geometric arrangement of functional groups around the dopant molecules. The results show that cis isomer causes a selective amplification of through-plane proton transport, σTP, pointing to a very strong geometry angle in ionic conduction. Intercalation of cis isomer causes significant expansion of GO (001) planes involved in σTP transport due to their mutual H-bonding interaction and efficient bridging of individual GO planes, bringing down the activation energy required for σTP, suggesting the dominance of a Grotthuss-type mechanism. This isomer-governed amplification of through-plane proton shuttling resulted in the overall boosting of fuel-cell performance, and it underlines that geometrical factors should be given prime consideration while selecting dopant molecules for bringing down the anisotropy in proton conduction and enhancing the fuel-cell performance in GO-based PEMFC.

Effect of intermittent operation model on the function of soil infiltration system.

PubMed

Hou, Lizhu; Hu, Bill X; He, Mengmeng; Xu, Xue; Zhang, Wenjing

2018-04-01

To enhance denitrification in a process of solute infiltration through a soil, a two-section mixed-medium soil infiltration system (TMSIS) for urban non-point pollution was developed. The artificial aerobic respiration and nitrification took place in the upper aerobic section (AES), while grass powders and sawdust were mixed in the bottom anaerobic section (ANS) to supply organic carbon source for denitrification bacteria, and the reduction was increased by iron addition in the ANS. Measured resident concentrations from the bottom of each ANS column were assumed to represent mean values averaged over the column cross-sectional area. The TMSIS with hydraulic loading rates (HLR) of 0.32, 0.24, and 0.16 m 3  m -2  day -1 and with wetting-drying ratio (R WD ) of 1.0 showed remarkable removal efficiencies for chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH 4 + -N, and TP, respectively. The hydraulic loading rate of 0.32 m 3  m -2  day -1 was selected as the optimal HLR due to the high contaminated runoff treatment efficiency. When R WD was 1.0, 0.5, or 0.2 with hydraulic loading rate of 0.32 m 3  m -2  day -1 , the TMSIS could treat synthetic urban runoff contaminants very well. The corresponding effluent water met the China's national quality standard for class V surface water. The wetting-drying ratio of 0.5 with hydraulic loading of 0.32 m 3  m -2  day -1 was selected as the optimal operation conditions for the TMSIS. Aerobic respiration and nitrification mainly took place in the upper AES, in which most of the COD and the NH 4 + -N were removed. Mixed sawdust and grass powders used as a carbon source and heterotrophic denitrification were put at the bottom of the ANS. The developed TMSIS has the potential to be applied for urban non-point pollution removal.

Enhanced deodorization and sludge reduction in situ by a humus soil cooperated anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A2O) wastewater treatment system.

PubMed

Yan, Xing; Li, Biqing; Lei, Fang; Feng, Xin; Pang, Bo

2016-08-01

Simultaneous sludge reduction and malodor abatement in humus soil cooperated an anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (A2O) wastewater treatment were investigated in this study. The HSR-A2O was composed of a humus soil reactor (HSR) and a conventional A2O (designated as C-A2O).The results showed that adding HSR did not deteriorate the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, while total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiency in HSR-A2O was improved by 18 % in comparison with that in the C-A2O. Both processes had good performance on total nitrogen (TN) removal, and there was no significant difference between them (76.8 and 77.1 %, respectively). However, NH4 (+)-N and NO3 (-)-N were reduced to 0.3 and 6.7 mg/L in HSR-A2O compared to 1.5 and 4.5 mg/L. Moreover, adding HSR induced the sludge reduction, and the sludge production rate was lower than that in the C-A2O. The observed sludge yield was estimated to be 0.32 kg MLSS/day in HSR-A2O, which represent a 33.5 % reduction compared to a C-A2O process. Activated sludge underwent humification and produced more humic acid in HSR-A2O, which is beneficial to sludge reduction. Odor abatement was achieved in HSR-A2O, ammonium (NH3), and sulfuretted hydrogen (H2S) emission decreased from 1.34 and 1.33 to 0.06 mg/m(3), 0.025 mg/m(3) in anaerobic area, with the corresponding reduction efficiency of 95.5 and 98.1 %. Microbial community analysis revealed that the relevant microorganism enrichment explained the reduction effect of humus soil on NH3 and H2S emission. The whole study demonstrated that humus soil enhanced odor abatement and sludge reduction in situ.

Solving a supply chain scheduling problem with non-identical job sizes and release times by applying a novel effective heuristic algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pei, Jun; Liu, Xinbao; Pardalos, Panos M.; Fan, Wenjuan; Wang, Ling; Yang, Shanlin

2016-03-01

Motivated by applications in manufacturing industry, we consider a supply chain scheduling problem, where each job is characterised by non-identical sizes, different release times and unequal processing times. The objective is to minimise the makespan by making batching and sequencing decisions. The problem is formalised as a mixed integer programming model and proved to be strongly NP-hard. Some structural properties are presented for both the general case and a special case. Based on these properties, a lower bound is derived, and a novel two-phase heuristic (TP-H) is developed to solve the problem, which guarantees to obtain a worst case performance ratio of ?. Computational experiments with a set of different sizes of random instances are conducted to evaluate the proposed approach TP-H, which is superior to another two heuristics proposed in the literature. Furthermore, the experimental results indicate that TP-H can effectively and efficiently solve large-size problems in a reasonable time.

A microdissection approach to detect molecular markers during progression of prostate cancer.

PubMed Central

Berthon, P.; Dimitrov, T.; Stower, M.; Cussenot, O.; Maitland, N. J.

1995-01-01

To investigate the underlying mechanisms of carcinogenesis, we have developed a technique to determine the frequency of genetic changes in prostatic carcinoma tissue. We have demonstrated that at a ratio of between 1:4 and 1:9 mutant-normal alleles, the signal from a mutant TP53 allele is not apparent after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and further direct sequencing or single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. To bypass this problem, which is inherent in the heterogeneity of the prostate tissue and of the tumour, we selected areas of graded prostate tumours (Gleason score) from cryosectioned preparations and microdissected these cells (20-100 cells). After anionic resin removal of proteins, PCR amplification of TP53 gene exons 5/6 and SSCP analysis, an abnormal SSCP band shift was observed in suspected tumour cells, compared with microdissected stromal cells used as an internal control, while (1) a crude preparation of tissue DNA carrying the tumour did not show any abnormality and (2) immunostaining by a set of monoclonal antibodies against TP53 protein remained negative. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the different bands confirmed the presence of a mutation in the TP53 gene exon 6 position 13,336 in an abnormal band for one specimen, while no mutation was detected in the normal SSCP band. By targeting recognised tumour cells we can find DNA mutations which are undetectable using the standard technique of whole-tissue DNA extraction, particularly in a heterogeneous tumour such as carcinoma of the prostate. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 PMID:7547246

Recovery of high purity phosphorus from municipal wastewater secondary effluent by a high-speed adsorbent.

PubMed

Midorikawa, I; Aoki, H; Omori, A; Shimizu, T; Kawaguchi, Y; Kassai, K; Murakami, T

2008-01-01

High purity phosphorus was recovered from municipal wastewater secondary effluent as phosphate, using a newly developed phosphorus adsorption and recovery system. A high-speed adsorbent having a unique porous structure was used in this system. The secondary effluent, showing total phosphorus (TP) of 0.1-2.1 mg P/L, was passed through an adsorbent packed column at high space velocity (SV) of 15 h(-1). The TP of the treated water was as low as 0.02-0.04 mg P/L, indicating that 97% of phosphorus in the secondary effluent was removed. The removed phosphorus was desorbed from the adsorbent by passing a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution through the column. Calcium hydroxide was added to this solution to precipitate the phosphorus as calcium phosphate. This precipitate was neutralized with hydrochloric acid aqueous solution, washed with water, and then solid-liquid separation was performed for the phosphorus recovery. The main constituent of the recovered phosphorus was apatite-type calcium phosphate, with 16% phosphorus content, which matched that of high-grade phosphorus ore. The hazardous elements content of the recovered phosphorus was exceedingly low. Therefore the recovered phosphorus can be applied to an alternative for phosphorus ore, or to a phosphate fertilizer. IWA Publishing 2008.

[Purification of eutrophic wastewater by Cyperus alternifolius, Coleus blumei and Jasminum sambac planted in a floating phytoremediation system].

PubMed

Liu, Shizhe; Lin, Dongjiao; Tang, Shujun; Luo, Jian

2004-07-01

In a greenhouse study, Cyperus alternifolius, Coleus blumei and Jasminum sambac were cultured in a floating phytoremediation system with plantation cups inserted into a polyfoam plate that floated in the upper part of a tank filled with 100 L domestic wastewater. The contents of chemical oxygen demand (CODCr), total P (T-P), total N (T-N), soluble P(S-P), ammonia-nitrogen (NH4+ -N) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3- -N) in the domestic wastewater were tested during the growth of these three plants. The results showed that Cyperus alternifolius and Coleus blumei could grow well in the floating phytoremediation system, their dry weight being 285.8% and 371.4% of the initial weight of planting, respectively, but Jasminum sambac could not grow well, being 125.0% of the initial weight of planting. The removal rate of TN by these 3 plants was 68.0%, 62.0% and 45.0%, and that of NO3- -N, CODCr and TP was 98.0%, 80.0% and 92.0%, 78.0%, 66.0% and 55.0%, and 90.6%, 90.5% and 88.0% respectively. Cyperus alternifolius and Coleus blumei had good effects on the removal of pollutants in the floating phytoremediation system.

Septic Systems Contribution to Phosphorus in Shallow Groundwater: Field-Scale Studies Using Conventional Drainfield Designs.

PubMed

Mechtensimer, Sara; Toor, Gurpal S

2017-01-01

Septic systems can be a potential source of phosphorus (P) in groundwater and contribute to eutrophication in aquatic systems. Our objective was to investigate P transport from two conventional septic systems (drip dispersal and gravel trench) to shallow groundwater. Two new in-situ drainfields (6.1 m long by 0.61 m wide) with a 3.72 m2 infiltrative surface were constructed. The drip dispersal drainfield was constructed by placing 30.5 cm commercial sand on top of natural soil and the gravel trench drainfield was constructed by placing 30.5 cm of gravel on top of 30.5 cm commercial sand and natural soil. Suction cup lysimeters were installed in the drainfields (at 30.5, 61, 106.7 cm below infiltrative surface) and piezometers were installed in the groundwater (>300 cm below infiltrative surface) to capture P dynamics from the continuum of unsaturated to saturated zones in the septic systems. Septic tank effluent (STE), soil-water, and groundwater samples were collected for 64 events (May 2012-Dec 2013) at 2 to 3 days (n = 13), weekly (n = 29), biweekly (n = 17), and monthly (n = 5) intervals. One piezometer was installed up-gradient of the drainfields to monitor background groundwater (n = 15). Samples were analyzed for total P (TP), orthophosphate-P (PO4-P), and other-P (TP-PO4-P). The gravel trench drainfield removed significantly (p<0.0001) greater TP (~20%) than the drip dispersal in the first 30.5 cm of the drainfield. However, when STE reached >300 cm in the groundwater, both systems had similar TP reductions of >97%. After 18 months of STE application, there was no significant increase in groundwater TP concentrations in both systems. We conclude that both drainfield designs are effective at reducing P transport to shallow groundwater.

Dentin-like versus Rigid Endodontic Post: 11-year Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial on No-wall to 2-wall Defects.

PubMed

Naumann, Michael; Sterzenbach, Guido; Dietrich, Thomas; Bitter, Kerstin; Frankenberger, Roland; von Stein-Lausnitz, Manja

2017-11-01

This is the first long-term randomized controlled trial to evaluate dentin-like glass fiber posts (GFPs) compared with rather rigid titanium posts (TPs) for post-endodontic restoration of severely damaged endodontically treated teeth with 2 or fewer remaining cavity walls. Ninety-one subjects in need of post-endodontic restorations were randomly assigned to receive either a tapered GFP (n = 45) or TP (n = 46). Posts were adhesively luted by using self-adhesive resin cement, followed by composite core build-up and preparation of 2-mm ferrule design. Primary end point was loss of restoration for any reason. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed, and log-rank test was calculated (P < .05). After a follow-up of 132 months, 17 GFP and 20 TP restorations survived, and 19 failed (12 GFP, 7 TP). Failure modes for GFP were root fracture (n = 4), core fracture (n = 1), secondary caries (n = 1), endodontic failure (n = 2), extraction because of tooth mobility grade III associated with insufficient design of removable partial denture (n = 1), tooth fracture (n = 1), and changes in treatment plan (n = 2); failure modes for TP were endodontic failure (n = 5), root fracture (n = 1), and 1 extraction for other reasons. Cumulative survival probability was 58.7% for GFP and 74.2% for TP. When using self-adhesively luted prefabricated posts, resin composite core build-up, and 2-mm ferrule to reconstruct severely damaged endodontically treated teeth, tooth survival is not influenced by post rigidity. Survival decreased rapidly after 8 years of observation in both groups. Copyright © 2017 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of hydrogen gas getters for TRU waste

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

Kaszuba, J. P.; Mroz, E. J.; Peterson, E.

2004-01-01

Alpha radiolysis of hydrogenous waste and packaging materials generates hydrogen gas in radioactive storage containers. For this reason, the flammable gas (hydrogen) concentration in waste shipment containers (Transuranic Package Transporter-II or TP-II containers) is limited to the lower explosion limit of hydrogen in air (5 vol%). The use of hydrogen getters is being investigated to prevent the build up of hydrogen during storage and transport of the TP-II containers (up to 60 days). Preferred hydrogen getters are solid materials that scavenge hydrogen from the gas phase and chemically and irreversibly bind it in the solid state. One proven getter, 1,4-bis(phenylethynyl)benzenemore » or DEB, belongs to a class of compounds called alkynes, which are characterized by the presence of carbon-carbon triple bonds. These carbon atoms will, in the presence of suitable catalysts such as palladium, irreversibly react with hydrogen to form the corresponding saturated alkane compounds. Because DEB contains two triple bonds, one mole of DEB reacts with 4 moles of hydrogen. The standard formulation for the 'DEB getter' is a mixture of 75% DEB and 25% carbon catalyst (5% palladium on carbon). Certain chemicals such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are known to 'poison' and reduce the activity of the catalyst. Therefore, in addition to the standard formulation, a semi-permeable barrier that encapsulates and protects the getter and its catalyst from poisons was also developed. The uncoated and polymer coated getter formulations were subjected to tests that determined the performance of the getters with regard to capacity, operating temperature range (with hydrogen in nitrogen and in air), hydrogen concentration, poisons, aging, pressure, reversibility, and radiation effects. This testing program was designed to address the following performance requirements: (1) Minimum rate for hydrogen removal of 1.2E-5 moles hydrogen per second for 60 days; (2) Sufficient getter material within the TP-II to ensure that no more than 50% of getter material is consumed during the 60 days; and (3) Adequate hydrogen removal rate from the getter reaction in the absence of the recombination reaction of hydrogen to produce water. This conservative approach provides a measure of safety for waste shipments by ensuring that sufficient getter material is present and by not taking credit for the recombination reaction. The rationale for measuring and reporting the hydrogen removal rate at 50% getter capacity is thus derived. All of the coated getters as well as the uncoated DEB performed well above the performance requirements. Coating the DEB with polymers did not significantly enhance getter performance in the presence of poisons relative to uncoated DEB. The next phase of the project is to evaluate a scaled-up getter package for performance under waste shipping conditions anticipated in the TP-II.« less

Quantum Private Comparison of Equality Based on Five-Particle Cluster State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Yan; Zhang, Wen-Bo; Zhang, Shi-Bin; Wang, Hai-Chun; Yan, Li-Li; Han, Gui-Hua; Sheng, Zhi-Wei; Huang, Yuan-Yuan; Suo, Wang; Xiong, Jin-Xin

2016-12-01

A protocol for quantum private comparison of equality (QPCE) is proposed based on five-particle cluster state with the help of a semi-honest third party (TP). In our protocol, TP is allowed to misbehave on its own but can not conspire with either of two parties. Compared with most two-user QPCE protocols, our protocol not only can compare two groups of private information (each group has two users) in one execution, but also compare just two private information. Compared with the multi-user QPCE protocol proposed, our protocol is safer with more reasonable assumptions of TP. The qubit efficiency is computed and analyzed. Our protocol can also be generalized to the case of 2N participants with one TP. The 2N-participant protocol can compare two groups (each group has N private information) in one execution or just N private information. Supported by NSFC under Grant Nos. 61402058, 61572086, the Fund for Middle and Young Academic Leaders of CUIT under Grant No. J201511, the Science and Technology Support Project of Sichuan Province of China under Grant No. 2013GZX0137, the Fund for Young Persons Project of Sichuan Province of China under Grant No. 12ZB017, and the Foundation of Cyberspace Security Key Laboratory of Sichuan Higher Education Institutions under Grant No. szjj2014-074

Bilateral wilms tumor with TP53-related anaplasia.

PubMed

Popov, Sergey D; Vujanic, Gordan M; Sebire, Neil J; Chagtai, Tasnim; Williams, Richard; Vaidya, Sucheta; Pritchard-Jones, Kathy

2013-01-01

Wilms tumor (WT) with diffuse anaplasia has an unfavorable prognosis and is often (>70%) associated with mutations in the TP53 gene. Although most WTs are unilateral, 5-10% are bilateral, and they are almost always present with nephrogenic rests. The latter are considered a precursor of WT. Two cases of bilateral WTs with nephroblastomatosis, in which anaplastic changes were detected over a period of time, were analyzed using clinical, radiological, histopathological, and molecular-genetic data. TP53 was analyzed by direct sequencing of its full coding sequence and intron-exon boundaries in 11 fragments. DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded or frozen specimens. High-resolution genomic copy number profiling was carried out by UCL Genomics on the Affymetrix Human Mapping 250K Nsp or Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0 platform. Both cases demonstrated a strong association between the appearance of anaplastic clones and TP53 mutations. Synchronous ganglioneuroma was diagnosed in one case. Our cases are unique as they represent a long disease history and demonstrate the difficulties in managing rare cases of bilateral WT with anaplasia. These cases also emphasize the practical importance of modern molecular-genetic techniques and their clinical application. Moreover, they highlight the issue of the adequate sampling needed in order to gather comprehensive, efficient, and sufficient information about genetic events in a single tumor.

Evaluation of the AnnAGNPS Model for Predicting Runoff and Nutrient Export in a Typical Small Watershed in the Hilly Region of Taihu Lake.

PubMed

Luo, Chuan; Li, Zhaofu; Li, Hengpeng; Chen, Xiaomin

2015-09-02

The application of hydrological and water quality models is an efficient approach to better understand the processes of environmental deterioration. This study evaluated the ability of the Annualized Agricultural Non-Point Source (AnnAGNPS) model to predict runoff, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) loading in a typical small watershed of a hilly region near Taihu Lake, China. Runoff was calibrated and validated at both an annual and monthly scale, and parameter sensitivity analysis was performed for TN and TP before the two water quality components were calibrated. The results showed that the model satisfactorily simulated runoff at annual and monthly scales, both during calibration and validation processes. Additionally, results of parameter sensitivity analysis showed that the parameters Fertilizer rate, Fertilizer organic, Canopy cover and Fertilizer inorganic were more sensitive to TN output. In terms of TP, the parameters Residue mass ratio, Fertilizer rate, Fertilizer inorganic and Canopy cover were the most sensitive. Based on these sensitive parameters, calibration was performed. TN loading produced satisfactory results for both the calibration and validation processes, whereas the performance of TP loading was slightly poor. The simulation results showed that AnnAGNPS has the potential to be used as a valuable tool for the planning and management of watersheds.

Effective Enrichment and Detection of Trace Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Food Samples based on Magnetic Covalent Organic Framework Hybrid Microspheres.

PubMed

Li, Ning; Wu, Di; Hu, Na; Fan, Guangsen; Li, Xiuting; Sun, Jing; Chen, Xuefeng; Suo, Yourui; Li, Guoliang; Wu, Yongning

2018-04-04

The present study reported a facile, sensitive, and efficient method for enrichment and determination of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in food samples by employing new core-shell nanostructure magnetic covalent organic framework hybrid microspheres (Fe 3 O 4 @COF-(TpBD)) as the sorbent followed by HPLC-DAD. Under mild synthetic conditions, the Fe 3 O 4 @COF-(TpBD) were prepared with the retention of colloidal nanosize, larger specific surface area, higher porosity, uniform morphology, and supermagnetism. The as-prepared materials showed an excellent adsorption ability for PAHs, and the enrichment efficiency of the Fe 3 O 4 @COF-(TpBD) could reach 99.95%. The obtained materials also had fast adsorption kinetics and realized adsorption equilibrium within 12 min. The eluent was further analyzed by HPLC-DAD, and good linearity was observed in the range of 1-100 ng/mL with the linear correlation being above 0.9990. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) and limits of quantitation (S/N = 10) for 15 PAHs were in the range of 0.83-11.7 ng/L and 2.76-39.0 ng/L, respectively. For the application, the obtained materials were employed for the enrichment of trace PAHs in food samples and exhibited superior enrichment capacity and excellent applicability.

Characterisation of raw sewage and performance assessment of primary settling tanks at Firle Sewage Treatment Works, Harare, Zimbabwe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muserere, Simon Takawira; Hoko, Zvikomborero; Nhapi, Innocent

The need for more stringent effluent discharge standards as prescribed by the Environmental Management Act 20:27 to protect the environment can be sustainably achieved with the aid of Activated Sludge Models. Thus, the researchers believe it is time to re-evaluate wastewater characteristics at Firle Sewage Treatment Works (STW) and make use of activated sludge simulators to address pollution challenges caused by the sewage plant. Therefore, this paper characterizes raw sewage and assesses settled and unsettled sewage in order to evaluate the performance of the primary treatment system and the suitability of the settled sewage for treatment by the subsequent Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) system at Firle STW. Parameters studied included COD, BOD, TKN, TP, NH3, TSS, pH and Alkalinity. Composite samples were collected over a 9-day campaign period (27 June to 6 July 2012), hourly grab samples over 24 hrs and composite samples on 6 March 2012 which were then analysed in the lab in accordance with Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater to support the City of Harare 2004-2012 lab historical records. Concentrations for unsettled sewage in mg/L were COD (527 ± 32), BOD (297 ± 83) TKN (19.0 ± 2.0), TP (18 ± 3), NH3 (24.0 ± 12.9), TSS (219 ± 57), while pH was 7.0 ± 0 and Alkalinity 266 ± 36 mg/L. For settled sewage the corresponding values in mg/L were COD (522 ± 15), BOD (324 ± 102), TKN (21.0 ± 3.0), TP (19.0 ± 2.0), NH3 (25.6 ± 11.2), TSS (250 ± 66), while pH was 7.0 ± 0 and Alkalinity 271 ± 17 mg/L. The plant design values for raw sewage are COD (650 mg/L), BOD (200 mg/L), TKN (40 mg/L) and TP (11 mg/L). Thus, COD and nitrogen were within the plant design range while BOD and TP were higher. Treatability of sewage in BNR systems is often inferred from the levels of critical parameters and also the ratios of TKN/COD and COD/TP. The wastewater average settled COD/BOD, COD/TP and TKN/COD ratio were 1.7 ± 0.5, 27.1 ± 3.1 and 0.04 ± 0.01 respectively and corresponding unsettled ratios were 1.8 ± 0.5, 30.77 ± 6.8 and 0.04 ± 0 respectively. Thus, treatability by the 3-stage BNR system appears highly feasible for nitrogen and is likely to be complex for phosphorous. Fractionation of COD, TP and TN is recommended to appropriately advise further steps to optimise the plant operations.

Lipid production of Chlorella vulgaris cultured in artificial wastewater medium.

PubMed

Feng, Yujie; Li, Chao; Zhang, Dawei

2011-01-01

Chlorella vulgaris was used to study algal lipid production with wastewater treatment. Artificial wastewater was used to cultivate C. vulgaris in a column aeration photobioreactor (CAP) under batch and semi-continuous cultivation with various daily culture replacements (0.5l-1.5l per 2l reactor). The cell density was decreased from 0.89 g/l with the daily replacement of 0.5l to 0.28 g/l with 1.5l replacement. However, C. vulgaris culture achieved the highest lipid content (42%, average value of the phase) and the lipid productivity (147 mg/ld(-1)) with daily replacement of 1.0 l. And then the nutrient removal efficiency were 86% (COD), 97% (NH(4)(+)) and 96% (TP), respectively. Analyses of energy efficiency showed that the net energy ratio (NER) for lipid production with daily replacement of 1.0 l (1.25) was higher than the other volume replacement protocols. And cost analyses showed that the algal biomass can be competitive with petroleum at US$ 63.97 per barrel with the potential credit for wastewater treatment. According to the above results, it is concluded that the present research will lead to an economical technology of algal lipid production. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reported vague symptoms and at-risk status: the case of polyvinyl chloride workers in Louisville.

PubMed Central

Sands, R G; Greenberg, R A

1987-01-01

This study concerns the frequency of visits to the dispensary by workers with vague symptoms of physical illness at a polyvinyl chloride plant in Louisville, KY, where an outbreak of hepatic angiosarcoma occurred. The illness behavior of three cohorts of workers at three levels of risk--workers removed from the chemical plant to a pallet plant (PP) because their screening results indicated liver abnormalities; workers who had some positive test results (TP); and workers whose test results were negative (TN)--was studied before (time 1) and after (time 2) the angiosarcoma crisis. It was predicted that, during time 2, the groups' visits to the dispensary would increase in relation to their levels of risk (PP greater than TP greater than TN). Although there was an overall increase in the percentage of visits because of vague symptoms during time 2, the only cohort with different behavior was the group of TP workers: they reduced their use of the dispensary. These results are similar to those in a previous study in which all symptoms of illness were included. It is speculated that social and individual factors, as well as the labeling phenomenon, explain the results. Health care providers are encouraged to follow up with workers at risk who seem to avoid monitoring their health. PMID:3112857

Joint Inversion for Lithospheric Structures: Implications for the Growth and Deformation in Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Yangfan; Li, Jiangtao; Song, Xiaodong; Zhu, Lupei

2018-05-01

Several geodynamic models have been proposed for the deformation mechanism of Tibetan Plateau (TP), but it remains controversial. Here we applied a method of joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersions with P wave velocity constraint to a dense linear array in the NE Tibet. The results show that the geological blocks, separated by major faults at the surface, are characterized by distinct features in the crust, the Moho, and the uppermost mantle. The main features include crustal low-velocity zones (LVZs) with variable strengths, anomalous Vp/Vs ratios that are correlated with LVZs, a large Moho jump, and other abrupt changes near major faults, strong mantle lithosphere anomalies, and correlation of crustal and mantle velocities. The results suggest a lithospheric-scale deformation of continuous shortening as well as localized faulting, which is affected by the strength of the lithosphere blocks. The thickened mantle lithosphere can be removed, which facilitates the formation of middle-lower crustal LVZ and flow. However, such flow is likely a consequence of the deformation rather than a driving force for the outward growth of the TP. The proposed model of TP deformation and growth can reconcile the continuous deformation within the blocks and major faults at the surface.

New insights into the transformation of trimethoprim during biological wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Jewell, Kevin S; Castronovo, Sandro; Wick, Arne; Falås, Per; Joss, Adriano; Ternes, Thomas A

2016-01-01

The antibiotic trimethoprim (TMP), a micropollutant found at μg/L levels in raw wastewater, was investigated with regard to its (bio)transformation during biological wastewater treatment. A pilot-scale, nitrifying/denitrifying Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) fed with municipal wastewater was monitored for TMP removal during a 16-month monitoring study. Laboratory-scaled bioreactors spiked with TMP were applied to identify the transformation products (TPs). In total, six TPs could be identified from TMP. However, the TP formation was influenced by the spike concentration. At an initial concentration of 500 μg/L TMP, only two TPs were found, whereas at 5 μg/L a completely different transformation pathway led to four further TPs. At low concentrations, TMP was demethylated forming 4-desmethyl-TMP, which was then quickly hydroxylated, oxidized and cleaved forming 2,4-diaminopyrimidine-5-carboxylic acid (DAPC) via two intermediate TPs. DAPC was detected in the SBR effluent in a 3-d composite sample with 61 ng/L, which accounts for 52% of the attenuated TMP. The primary degradation at low spiking levels was best modelled by a pseudo-first order kinetic. Considering the SBR, the model predicted a TMP removal of 88-94% for the reactor, consistent with a monitoring campaign exhibiting an average removal of >83%. Both the TP formation profiles and kinetic modelling indicated that only the results from the bioreactor tests at low spike concentrations were representative of the transformation in the SBR. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Characterization of nutrient, organic carbon, and sediment loads and concentrations from the Mississippi River into the northern Gulf of Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Turner, R.E.; Rabalais, N.N.; Alexander, Richard B.; McIsaac, G.; Howarth, R.W.

2007-01-01

We synthesize and update the science supporting the Action Plan for Reducing, Mitigating, and Controlling Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico (Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force 2001) with a focus on the spatial and temporal discharge and patterns of nutrient and organic carbon delivery to the northern Gulf of Mexico, including data through 2006. The discharge of the Mississippi River watershed over 200 years varies but is not demonstrably increasing or decreasing. About 30% of the Mississippi River was shunted westward to form the Atchafalaya River, which redistributed water and nutrient loads on the shelf. Data on nitrogen concentrations from the early 1900s demonstrate that the seasonal and annual concentrations in the lower river have increased considerably since then, including a higher spring loading, following the increase in fertilizer applications after World WarII. The loading of total nitrogen (TN) fell from 1990 to 2006, but the loading of total phosphorus (TP) has risen slightly, resulting in a decline in the TN:TP ratios. The present TN:TP ratios hover around an average indicative of potential nitrogen limitation on phytoplankton growth, or balanced growth limitation, but not phosphorus limitation. The dissolved nitrogen:dissolved silicate ratios are near the Redfield ratio indicative of growth limitations on diatoms. Although nutrient concentrations are relatively high compared to those in many other large rivers, the water quality in the Mississippi River is not unique in that nutrient loads can be described by a variety of land-use models. There is no net removal of nitrogen from water flowing through the Atchafalaya basin, but the concentrations of TP and suspended sediments are lower at the exit point (Morgan City, Louisiana) than in the water entering the Atchafalaya basin. The removal of nutrients entering offshore waters through diversion of river water into wetlands is presently less than 1% of the total loadings going directly offshore, and would be less than 8% if the 10,093 km2 of coastal wetlands were successfully engineered for that purpose. Wetland loss is an insignificant contribution to the carbon loading offshore, compared to in situ marine production. The science-based conclusions in the Action Plan about nutrient loads and sources to the hypoxic zone off Louisiana are sustained by research and monitoring occurring in the subsequent 10 years.

Uncovering state-dependent relationships in shallow lakes using Bayesian latent variable regression.

PubMed

Vitense, Kelsey; Hanson, Mark A; Herwig, Brian R; Zimmer, Kyle D; Fieberg, John

2018-03-01

Ecosystems sometimes undergo dramatic shifts between contrasting regimes. Shallow lakes, for instance, can transition between two alternative stable states: a clear state dominated by submerged aquatic vegetation and a turbid state dominated by phytoplankton. Theoretical models suggest that critical nutrient thresholds differentiate three lake types: highly resilient clear lakes, lakes that may switch between clear and turbid states following perturbations, and highly resilient turbid lakes. For effective and efficient management of shallow lakes and other systems, managers need tools to identify critical thresholds and state-dependent relationships between driving variables and key system features. Using shallow lakes as a model system for which alternative stable states have been demonstrated, we developed an integrated framework using Bayesian latent variable regression (BLR) to classify lake states, identify critical total phosphorus (TP) thresholds, and estimate steady state relationships between TP and chlorophyll a (chl a) using cross-sectional data. We evaluated the method using data simulated from a stochastic differential equation model and compared its performance to k-means clustering with regression (KMR). We also applied the framework to data comprising 130 shallow lakes. For simulated data sets, BLR had high state classification rates (median/mean accuracy >97%) and accurately estimated TP thresholds and state-dependent TP-chl a relationships. Classification and estimation improved with increasing sample size and decreasing noise levels. Compared to KMR, BLR had higher classification rates and better approximated the TP-chl a steady state relationships and TP thresholds. We fit the BLR model to three different years of empirical shallow lake data, and managers can use the estimated bifurcation diagrams to prioritize lakes for management according to their proximity to thresholds and chance of successful rehabilitation. Our model improves upon previous methods for shallow lakes because it allows classification and regression to occur simultaneously and inform one another, directly estimates TP thresholds and the uncertainty associated with thresholds and state classifications, and enables meaningful constraints to be built into models. The BLR framework is broadly applicable to other ecosystems known to exhibit alternative stable states in which regression can be used to establish relationships between driving variables and state variables. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Impacts of sewer deposits on the urban river sediment after rainy season and bioremediation of polluted sediment.

PubMed

Chang, Suyun; Tang, Yinqi; Dong, Lixin; Zhan, Qiang; Xu, Wei

2018-05-01

Impacts of deposits discharged from a municipal pipe on urban river sediment were investigated in the Hucang River in Tianjin, China. At the outlet of the pump station, the average concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and total organic carbon (TOC) in the sediment increased sharply from 2390, 799, and 14,600 mg/kg to 6500, 3700, and 153,000 mg/kg, respectively, and remained stable at high level after the rainy season. A portion of pollutants would migrate along the river, and the concentration was usually in a negative relationship with the distance. The average Shannon-Wiener value on the upstream section was higher than those on the downstream sections. This revealed that the deposits discharged decreased the bacterial diversity in the sediment, and high concentrations of pollutants may markedly change the bacterial community structure in the sediment. To reduce the pollution of the urban river after rainy season, four kinds of microbial consortiums A (Zhangda), B (Aiersi), C (Qinghe), and D (Inpipe) were applied to bioremediate the polluted sediment in lab scale. Bioaugmentation with microbial consortium A showed good performance on the bioremediation of the polluted sediment. The average removal efficiency of TN, TP, and organic matter reached 35.5, 43.7, and 39.1%, respectively, after 22 days of treatment. Moreover, the bacterial evenness and diversity in the sediment markedly increased, indicating that the microbial environment was more favourable after bioaugmentation and sustainable development would be guaranteed. This study improves our understanding of the impacts of deposits discharged from a stormwater drain system on urban river sediment, and explores the effectiveness of bioaugmentation for the bioremediation of polluted sediment, which will provide the basis of sewer deposit pollution control.

Reuse of drinking water treatment sludge for olive oil mill wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Fragoso, R A; Duarte, E A

2012-01-01

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) results from the production of olive oil, which is an important traditional agro-industry in Mediterranean countries. In continuous three-phase centrifugation 1.0-1.2 m(3) of OMW are produced per ton of processed olives. Discharge of OMW is of serious environmental concern due to its high content of organic matter with phytotoxic properties, namely phenolic compounds. Meanwhile, drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) is produced in high amounts and has long been considered as a waste for landfill. The aim of this work was the assessment of reusing DWTS for OMW treatment. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was carried out to determine the phenolic compounds present and to evaluate if they are recalcitrant. Treatability assays were performed using a dosage of DWTS from 50 to 300 g L(-1). Treatment efficiency was evaluated based on the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total solids (TS), total suspended solids (TSS), total volatile solids (TVS), oil and grease (OG), phenols (total phosphorous (TP) and HPLC fraction). Results from OMW HPLC characterization identified a total of 13 compounds; the major ones were hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, caffeic acid, p-cumaric acid and oleuropein. Treatability assays led to a maximum reduction of about 90% of some of the phenolic compounds determined by HPLC. Addition of 200-300 g L(-1) of DWTS reduced 40-50% of COD, 45-50% of TP, a maximum of nearly 70% TSS and 45% for TS and TVS. The OG fraction showed a reduction of about 90%, achieved adding 300 g L(-1) od DWTS. This study points out the possibility of establishing an integrated management of OMW and DWTS, contributing to a decrease in the environmental impact of two industrial activities, olive oil production and drinking water treatment.

Designing Selectivity in Metal-Semiconductor Nanocrystals: Synthesis, Characterization, and Self-Assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlopoulos, Nicholas George

This dissertation contains six chapters detailing recent advances that have been made in the synthesis and characterization of metal-semiconductor hybrid nanocrystals (HNCs), and the applications of these materials. Primarily focused on the synthesis of well-defined II-VI semiconductor nanorod (NR) and tetrapod (TP) based constructs of interest for photocatalytic and solar energy applications, the research described herein discusses progress towards the realization of key design rules for the synthesis of functional semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs). As such, a blend of novel synthesis, advanced characterization, and direct application of heterostructured nanoparticles are presented. The first chapter is a review summarizing the design, synthesis, properties, and applications of multicomponent nanomaterials composed of disparate semiconductor and metal domains. By coupling two compositionally distinct materials onto a single nanocrystal, synergistic properties can arise that are not present in the isolated components, ranging from self-assembly to photocatalysis. For semiconductor nanomaterials, this was first realized in the ability to tune nanomaterial dimensions from 0-D quantum dot (QD) structures to cylindrical (NR) and branched (TP) structures by exploitation of advanced colloidal synthesis techniques and understandings of NC facet reactivities. The second chapter is focused on the synthesis and characterization of well-defined CdSe-seeded-CdS (CdSe CdS) NR systems synthesized by overcoating of wurtzite (W) CdSe quantum dots with W-CdS shells. 1-dimensional NRs have been interesting constructs for applications such as solar concentrators, optical gains, and photocatalysis. Through synthetic control over CdSe CdS NR systems, materials with small and large CdSe seeds were prepared, and for each seed size, multiple NR lengths were prepared. Through transient absorption studies, it was found that band alignment did not affect the efficiency of charge localization in the CdSe core, whereas NR length had a profound effect. This work indicated that longer NRs resulted in poor exciton localization efficiencies owing to ultrafast trapping of photoexcited excitons generated in the CdS NR. The third chapter describes the synthesis of Au-tipped CdSe NRs and studies of the effects of selective metal nanoparticle deposition on the band edge energetics of these model photocatalytic systems. Previous studies had demonstrated ultrafast localization of photoexcited electrons in Au nanoparticles (AuNP) (and PtNP) deposited at the termini of CdSe and CdSe CdS NR constructs. Also, for similar systems, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) had been studied, for which it was found that noble metal nanoparticle tips were necessary to extract photoexcited electrons from the NR constructs and drive catalytic reactions. However, in these studies, energetic trap states, generally ascribed to surface defects on the NC surface, are often cited as contributing to loss of catalytic efficiency. Through a combination of ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and waveguide based spectroelectrochemistry on films of 40 nm long CdSe NRs before and after AuNP functionalization, we found that metal deposition resulted in the formation of mid-gap energy states, which were assigned as metal-semiconductor interface states. The fourth chapter transitions from NR constructs to highly absorbing CdSe CdS TP materials, for which a single zincblende (ZB) CdSe NC is used to seed the growth of four identical CdS arms. These arms act as highly efficient light absorbers, resulting in absorption cross sections an order of magnitude greater than for comparable NR systems. In the past, many studies have been published on the striking properties of TP nanocrystals, such as dual wavelength fluorescence, multiple exciton generation, and inherent self-assembly owing to their unique geometry. Nonetheless, these materials have not been exploited for photocatalysis, primarily owing to challenges in preparing TP from ultrasmall ZB-CdSe seed size, thus preventing access to quasi-type II structures necessary for efficient photocatalysis. In this study, we successfully break through the type I/quasi-type II barrier for TP NCs, reclaiming lost ground in this field and demonstrating for the first time quasi-type II behavior in CdSe CdS TPs through transient absorption measurements. The fifth chapter continues with the study of CdSe CdS TPs, and elaborates on a new method for the selective functionalization of the highly symmetrical TP construct. TP materials have been notoriously difficult to selectively functionalize, owing to their symmetric nature. Using a novel photoinduced electrochemical Ostwald ripening process, we found that initially randomly deposited AuNPs could be ripened to a single, large AuNP tip at the end of one arm of a type I CdSe CdS TP with 40 nm arms. The sixth chapter elaborates further on the preparation of colloidal polymers, further extending the analogy between molecular and colloidal levels of synthetic control. One challenge in the field of colloidal science is the realization of new modes of self-assemble for compositionally distinct nanoparticles. In this work, it was found that Au Co nanoparticle dipole strength could be systematically varied by tuning of AuNP size on CdSe CdS nanorods/tetrapods. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Using Gamma-Radiation for Drug Releasing from MWNT Vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jun; Sun, Hao; Dai, Yao-Dong

2010-03-01

A drug delivery system via multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) vehicle was synthesized in aqueous solution. MWNTs were first noncovalently functionalized with chitosan oligomers (CS) with a molecule weight of 4000-6000, making MWNTs water-soluble, and then a cancer ancillary drug tea polyphenols (TP) was conjugated mainly via the hydrogen bond between CS and TP molecules, making MWNTs efficient vehicle for drug delivering. The release of drug molecules can be realized by pH variation and γ-radiation, leading to new methods for controlling drug release from carbon nanotubes carrier. Due to the high penetrability of γ-rays, γ-radiation shows up new opportunities in controlled drug release, possibly facilitating the future cancer treatment in vivo.

Aspects of design, structure, performance and operation of reed beds--eight years' experience in northeastern New South Wales, Australia.

PubMed

Davison, L; Headley, T; Pratt, K

2005-01-01

Reed beds (horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands) have been employed as secondary treatment devices in on-site and decentralised wastewater management systems in the northeast of the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) for over a decade. This paper summarises some of the practical and research findings that have come to light in that time. Experience with various aspects of reed bed structure is discussed. A study of the evaporative performance of four small beds planted with Phragmites australis yielded an annual crop factor of 2.6. A total of 28 studies on reed beds treating a variety of commonly encountered wastewater streams yielded the following mean pollutant removal efficiencies: total suspended solids (TSS) 83%, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) 81%, total nitrogen (TN) 57%, total phosphorus (TP) 35% and faecal coliforms (FC) 1.9 logs. The reed bed is becoming the preferred on-site technology for removing TN and BOD and polishing TSS from primary settled domestic wastewater. Sizing beds for a residence time of approximately five days has become standard practice. A study of six reed beds found six different species of earthworm present, mainly Perionyx excavatus (Indian Blue). A mesocosm experiment subsequently showed that the worms were translocating clogging material from the substrate interstices to the surface of the bed thereby indicating a possible method for prolonging reed bed life.

Performance comparison and economics analysis of waste stabilization ponds and horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetlands treating domestic wastewater: a case study of the Juja sewage treatment works.

PubMed

Mburu, Njenga; Tebitendwa, Sylvie M; van Bruggen, Johan J A; Rousseau, Diederik P L; Lens, Piet N L

2013-10-15

The performance, effluent quality, land area requirement, investment and operation costs of a full-scale waste stabilization pond (WSP) and a pilot scale horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSSF-CW) at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) were investigated between November 2010 to January 2011. Both systems gave comparable medium to high levels of organic matter and suspended solids removal. However, the WSP showed a better removal for Total Phosphorus (TP) and Ammonium (NH4(+)-N). Based on the population equivalent calculations, the land area requirement per person equivalent of the WSP system was 3 times the area that would be required for the HSSF-CW to treat the same amount of wastewater. The total annual cost estimates consisting of capital, operation and maintenance (O&M) costs were comparable for both systems. However, the evaluation of the capital cost of either system showed that it is largely influenced by the size of the population served, local cost of land and the construction materials involved. Hence, one can select either system in terms of treatment efficiency. When land is available other factor including the volume of wastewater or the investment, and O&M costs determine the technology selection. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rise time analysis of pulsed klystron-modulator for efficiency improvement of linear colliders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, J. S.; Cho, M. H.; Namkung, W.; Chung, K. H.; Shintake, T.; Matsumoto, H.

2000-04-01

In linear accelerators, the periods during the rise and fall of a klystron-modulator pulse cannot be used to generate RF power. Thus, these periods need to be minimized to get high efficiency, especially in large-scale machines. In this paper, we present a simplified and generalized voltage rise time function of a pulsed modulator with a high-power klystron load using the equivalent circuit analysis method. The optimum pulse waveform is generated when this pulsed power system is tuned with a damping factor of ˜0.85. The normalized rise time chart presented in this paper allows one to predict the rise time and pulse shape of the pulsed power system in general. The results can be summarized as follows: The large distributed capacitance in the pulse tank and operating parameters, Vs× Tp , where Vs is load voltage and Tp is the pulse width, are the main factors determining the pulse rise time in the high-power RF system. With an RF pulse compression scheme, up to ±3% ripple of the modulator voltage is allowed without serious loss of compressor efficiency, which allows the modulator efficiency to be improved as well. The wiring inductance should be minimized to get the fastest rise time.

Synthesis and coordination chemistry of TpC*MI complexes where M=Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and Zn and TpC*=tris[3-(2-methoxy-1,1-dimethyl)pyrazolyl]hydroborate.

PubMed

Chisholm, Malcolm H; Gallucci, Judith C; Yaman, Gulsah

2009-01-14

Reactions involving MI2 where M=Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba or Zn and M'TpC* where M'=Na or Tl and TpC*=tris[3-methoxy-1,1-dimethyl)pyrazolyl]hydroborate in tetrahydrofuran are described leading to the isolation and characterization of the complexes TpC*MgI, , TpC*CaI, , TpC*SrI, , TpC*SrI(THF), , TpC*BaI, , TpC*BaI(pz*H), , where pz*H=3-(2-methoxyl-1,1-dimethyl)pyrazole, TpC*BaI.1/2toluene, and TpC*ZnI, . The compounds , , , , and have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Compounds and are isostructural and are salt-like containing kappa6-TpM+ cations and I- anions. In all other structures, the iodide is bound to the metal and TpC* is kappa6 bonded to the group 2 M(2+) ions. Reactions involving TpC*CaI, , and sodium or lithium alkoxides or amides failed to yield the amide or alkoxide calcium TpC* derivative, though related reactions involving TpC*ZnI, , and KOSiMe3 proceeded quantitatively to yield kappa3TpC*ZnOSiMe3, , which was also structurally characterized and shown to have the kappa3-TpC* bound ligand.

Reticulated Vitreous Carbon Electrodes for Gas Phase Pulsed Corona Reactors.

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-01

AFRL-ML-TY-TP-1999-4546 RETICULATED VITREOUS CARBON ELECTRODES FOR GAS PHASE PULSED CORONA REACTORS B.R. LOCKE M. KIRKPATRICK H. HANSON W.C...SUBTITLE Reticulated Vitreous Carbon Electrodes for Gas Phase Pulsed Corona Reactors 6. AUTHOR(S) B.R. Locke, M. Kirkpatrick, H. Hanson, and W.C. Finney...incorporating reticulated vitreous carbon electrodes is demonstrated to be effective for the removal of nitrogen oxides from synthetic air mixtures

Evaluation of Tp-E Interval and Tp-E/QT Ratio in Patients with Aortic Stenosis.

PubMed

Yayla, Çağrı; Bilgin, Murat; Akboğa, Mehmet Kadri; Gayretli Yayla, Kadriye; Canpolat, Uğur; Dinç Asarcikli, Lale; Doğan, Mehmet; Turak, Osman; Çay, Serkan; Özeke, Özcan; Akyel, Ahmet; Yeter, Ekrem; Aydoğdu, Sinan

2016-05-01

The risk of syncope and sudden cardiac death due to ventricular arrhythmias increased in patients with aortic stenosis (AS). Recently, it was shown that Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT, and Tp-e/QTc ratio can be novel indicators for prediction of ventricular arrhythmias and mortality. We aimed to investigate the association between AS and ventricular repolarization using Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio. Totally, 105 patients with AS and 60 control subjects were enrolled to this study. The severity of AS was defined by transthoracic echocardiographic examination. Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT, and Tp-e/QTc ratios were measured from the 12-lead electrocardiogram. Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT, and Tp-e/QTc ratios were significantly increased in parallel to the severity of AS (P < 0.001, P = 0.001, and P = 0.001, respectively). Also, it was shown that Tp-e/QTc ratio had significant positive correlation with mean aortic gradient (r = 0.192, P = 0.049). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, Tp-e/QTc ratio and left ventricular mass were found to be independent predictors of severe AS (P = 0.03 and P = 0.04, respectively). Our study showed that Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT, and Tp-e/QTc ratios were increased in patients with severe AS. Tp-e/QTc ratio and left ventricular mass were found as independent predictors of severe AS. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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

Rycyna, R.E.; Wallace, J.C.; Sharma, M.

Acetone-photosensitized UV irradiation of three thymine oligomers, d(TpT), d(TpTpT), and d(TpTpTpT), forms predominantly cis-syn cyclobutyl photodimers. C-18 reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography is used to purify the following positional isomers: d(TpT(p)T), d(T(p)TpT), d-(TpTpT(p)T), d(TpT(p)TpT), d(T(p)TpTpT), and d(T(p)TpT(p)T), where T(p)T represents the cis-syn photodimer. Conformational properties of the cis-syn dimers and adjacent thymine nucleotides have been investigated in solution by using /sup 1/H, /sup 13/C, and /sup 31/P NMR spectroscopy. These studies show that (1) the photodimer conformation in longer oligothymidylates is similar to that in the dinucleoside monophosphate and (2) the cis-syn dimer induces alterations to a greater degree on themore » 5' side than on the 3' side of the photodimer. Specifically, the photodimer distorts the exocyclic bonds epsilon (C3'-O3') in Tp- and ..gamma..(C5'-C4') in -pT(p)- on the 5' side and slightly alters the furanose equilibrium of the -pT nucleotide on the 3' side of the dimer.« less

Assessing Nutrient Removal Kinetics in Flushed Manure Using Chlorella vulgaris Biomass Production

PubMed Central

Pandey, Pramod; Shi, Jun

2017-01-01

The utilization of dairy wastewater for producing algal biomass is seen as a two-fold opportunity to treat wastewater and produce algae biomass, which can be potentially used for production of biofuels. In animal agriculture system, one of the major waste streams is dairy manure that contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. Furthermore, it is produced abundantly in California’s dairy industry, as well as many other parts of the world. We hypothesized that flushed manure, wastewater from a dairy farm, can be used as a potential feedstock after pretreatment to grow Chlorella vulgaris biomass and to reduce nutrients of manure. In this study, we focused on investigating the use of flushed manure, produced in a dairy farm for growing C. vulgaris biomass. A series of batch-mode experiments, fed with manure feedstock and synthetic medium, were conducted and corresponding C. vulgaris production was analyzed. Impacts of varying levels of sterilized manure feedstock (SMF) and synthetic culture medium (SCM) (20–100%) on biomass production, and consequential changes in total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were determined. C. vulgaris production data (Shi et al., 2016) were fitted into a model (Aslan and Kapdan, 2006) for calculating kinetics of TN and TP removal. Results showed that the highest C. vulgaris biomass production occurs, when SMF and SCM were mixed with ratio of 40%:60%. With this mixture, biomass on Day 9 was increased by 1,740% compared to initial biomass; and on Day 30, it was increased by 2,456.9%. The production was relatively low, when either only SCM or manure feedstock medium (without pretreatment, i.e., no sterilization) was used as a culture medium. On this ratio, TN and TP were reduced by 29.9 and 12.3% on Day 9, and these reductions on Day 30 were 76 and 26.9%, respectively. PMID:28798913

Historical trend of nitrogen and phosphorus loads from the upper Yangtze River basin and their responses to the Three Gorges Dam.

PubMed

Sun, Chengchun; Shen, Zhenyao; Liu, Ruimin; Xiong, Ming; Ma, Fangbing; Zhang, Ouyang; Li, Yangyang; Chen, Lei

2013-12-01

Excessive inputs of nitrogen and phosphorus (N and P) degrade surface water quality worldwide. Impoundment of reservoirs alters the N and P balance of a basin. In this study, riverine nutrient loads from the upper Yangtze River basin (YRB) at the Yichang station were estimated using Load Estimator (LOADEST). Long-term load trends and monthly variabilities during three sub-periods based on the construction phases of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) were analyzed statistically. The dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) loads from the upper YRB for the period from 1990 to 2009 ranged from 30.47 × 10(4) to 78.14 × 10(4) t, while the total phosphorus (TP) loads ranged from 2.54 × 10(4) to 7.85 × 10(4) t. DIN increased rapidly from 1995 to 2002 mainly as a result of increased fertilizer use. Statistics of fertilizer use in the upper YRB agreed on this point. However, the trend of the TP loads reflected the combined effect of removal by sedimentation in reservoirs and increased anthropogenic inputs. After the TGD impoundment in 2003, decreasing trends in both DIN and TP loads were found. The reduction in DIN was mainly caused by ammonium consumption and transference. From an analysis of monthly loads, it was found that DIN had a high correlation to discharges. For TP loads, an average decrease of 4.91 % in October was found when the TGD impoundment occurred, but an increase of 4.23 % also occurred in July, corresponding to the washout from sediment deposited in the reservoir before July. Results of this study revealed the TGD had affected nutrient loads in the basin, and it had played a role in nutrient reduction after its operation.

Therapeutic effect of ACTICOA powder, a cocoa polyphenolic extract, on experimentally induced prostate hyperplasia in Wistar-Unilever rats.

PubMed

Bisson, Jean-François; Hidalgo, Sophie; Rozan, Pascale; Messaoudi, Michaël

2007-12-01

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a non-malignant enlargement of the prostate that results in obstructive lower urinary tract symptoms. Plant extracts are frequently used to treat BPH rather than therapeutics that can cause severe side effects. ACTICOA() (Ba0rry Callebaut France, Louviers, France) powder (AP) is a cocoa polyphenolic extract, and we have shown in a previous study that oral treatment with AP prevented prostate hyperplasia. This study investigated whether AP could improve established prostate hyperplasia using the same testosterone propionate (TP)-induced prostate hyperplasia model in rats. Male Wistar-Unilever rats were randomly divided in four groups of 12 rats: one group injected with corn oil and orally treated with the vehicle (negative control) and three groups injected subcutaneously with TP and orally treated with the vehicle (positive control) or AP at 24 (AP24) and 48 (AP48) mg/kg/day. Treatments started 1 week after the start of the induction of prostate hyperplasia and lasted for 2 weeks. The influence of TP and AP on body weights, food and water consumptions, plasma polyphenolic concentration, and serum dihydrotestoterone (DHT) level of rats was examined. At completion of the study, rats were sacrificed, and the prostates were removed, cleaned, and weighed. The prostate size ratio (prostate weight/rat body weight) was then calculated. TP significantly influenced the body weight gain of the rats and their food and water consumptions, while AP reduced significantly these differences in a dose-dependent manner. AP significantly reduced serum DHT level and prostate size ratio in comparison with positive controls also dose-dependently. In conclusion, AP orally administered was effective for reducing established prostate hyperplasia, especially at the dose of 48 mg/kg/day.

Identification of transformation products during advanced oxidation of diatrizoate: Effect of water matrix and oxidation process.

PubMed

Azerrad, Sara P; Lütke Eversloh, Christian; Gilboa, Maayan; Schulz, Manoj; Ternes, Thomas; Dosoretz, Carlos G

2016-10-15

Removal of micropollutants from reverse osmosis (RO) brines of wastewater desalination by oxidation processes is influenced by the scavenging capacity of brines components, resulting in the accumulation of transformation products (TPs) rather than complete mineralization. In this work the iodinated contrast media diatrizoate (DTZ) was used as model compound due to its relative resistance to oxidation. Identification of TPs was performed in ultrapure water (UPW) and RO brines applying nonthermal plasma (NTP) and UVA-TiO2 as oxidation techniques. The influence of main RO brines components in the formation and accumulation of TPs, such as chloride, bicarbonate alkalinity and humic acid, was also studied during UVA-TiO2. DTZ oxidation pattern in UPW resulted similar in both UVA-TiO2 and NTP achieving 66 and 61% transformation, respectively. However, DTZ transformation in RO brines was markedly lower in UVA-TiO2 (9%) than in NTP (27%). These differences can be attributed to the synergic effect of RO brines components during NTP. Moreover, reactive species other than hydroxyl radical contributed to DTZ transformation, i.e., direct photolysis in UVA-TiO2 and direct photolysis + O3 in NTP accounted for 16 and 23%, respectively. DTZ transformation led to iodide formation in both oxidation techniques but it further oxidized to iodate by ozone in NTP. In total 14 transformation products were identified in UPW of which 3 were present only in UVA-TiO2 and 2 were present exclusively in NTP; 5 of the 14 TPs were absent in RO brines. Five of them were new and were denoted as TP-474A/B, TP-522, TP-586, TP-602, TP-628. TP-522 (mono-chlorinated) was elucidated only in presence of high chloride titer-synthetic water matrix in NTP, most probably formed by active chlorine species generated in situ. TPs accumulation in RO brines was markedly different in comparison to UPW. This denotes the influence of RO brines components in the formation of reactive species that could further attack DTZ/TPs and/or scavenging performed by these brine components that could limit further TPs degradation. Five plausible degradation pathways are proposed for DTZ transformation in UPW. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Purification and Characterization of a Highly Efficient Calcium-Independent α-Amylase from Talaromyces pinophilus 1-95

PubMed Central

Xian, Liang; Wang, Fei; Luo, Xiang; Feng, Yu-Liang; Feng, Jia-Xun

2015-01-01

Alpha-amylase is a very important enzyme in the starch conversion process. Most of the α-amylases are calcium-dependent and exhibit poor performance in the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process of industrial bioethanol production that uses starch as feedstock. In this study, an extracellular amylolytic enzyme was purified from the culture broth of newly isolated Talaromyces pinophilus strain 1-95. The purified amylolytic enzyme, with an apparent molecular weight of 58 kDa on SDS-PAGE, hydrolyzed maltopentaose, maltohexaose, and maltoheptaose into mainly maltose and maltotriose and minor amount of glucose, confirming the endo-acting mode of the enzyme, and hence, was named Talaromyces pinophilus α-amylase (TpAA). TpAA was most active at pH 4.0–5.0 (with the temperature held at 37°C) and 55°C (at pH 5.0), and stable within the pH range of 5.0–9.5 (at 4°C) and below 45°C (at pH 5.0). Interestingly, the Ca2+ did not improve its enzymatic activity, optimal temperature, or thermostability of the enzyme, indicating that the TpAA was Ca2+-independent. TpAA displayed higher enzyme activity toward malto-oligosaccharides and dextrin than other previously reported α-amylases. This highly active Ca2+-independent α-amylase may have potential applications in starch-to-ethanol conversion process. PMID:25811759

Evaluation of the AnnAGNPS Model for Predicting Runoff and Nutrient Export in a Typical Small Watershed in the Hilly Region of Taihu Lake

PubMed Central

Luo, Chuan; Li, Zhaofu; Li, Hengpeng; Chen, Xiaomin

2015-01-01

The application of hydrological and water quality models is an efficient approach to better understand the processes of environmental deterioration. This study evaluated the ability of the Annualized Agricultural Non-Point Source (AnnAGNPS) model to predict runoff, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) loading in a typical small watershed of a hilly region near Taihu Lake, China. Runoff was calibrated and validated at both an annual and monthly scale, and parameter sensitivity analysis was performed for TN and TP before the two water quality components were calibrated. The results showed that the model satisfactorily simulated runoff at annual and monthly scales, both during calibration and validation processes. Additionally, results of parameter sensitivity analysis showed that the parameters Fertilizer rate, Fertilizer organic, Canopy cover and Fertilizer inorganic were more sensitive to TN output. In terms of TP, the parameters Residue mass ratio, Fertilizer rate, Fertilizer inorganic and Canopy cover were the most sensitive. Based on these sensitive parameters, calibration was performed. TN loading produced satisfactory results for both the calibration and validation processes, whereas the performance of TP loading was slightly poor. The simulation results showed that AnnAGNPS has the potential to be used as a valuable tool for the planning and management of watersheds. PMID:26364642

Expression Patterns of Three Genes Under Short and Long Term Cold Exposure in Thitarodes pui (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae), A Host of Ophiocordyceps sinensis.

PubMed

Min, Q; Cheng, S Y; Xi, J F; Ma, J; Xin, T R; Xia, B; Zou, Z W

　　BACKGROUND: Thitarodes larvae are the host of the caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis. Low temperature is the main environmental limitation for larvae growth. To better understand the cold adaption process in T. pui larvae, the expression patterns of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TpTPS), heat shock protein 70 (TpHSP70), and heat shock protein 90 (TpHSP90) were investigated upon short and long-term exposure to 0°C. The 6th instar T. pui larvae were collected in July 2013. TpTPS was firstly sequenced and expression patterns of TpTPS, TpHSP70 and TpHSP90 were investigated using quantitative PCR. Full-length cDNA of TpTPS was 3,012 bp, with an open reading frame of 2,472 bp and an encoding protein of 823 amino acids. TpTPS up-regulation was induced by cold exposure. TpHSP70 expression is altered by cold exposure, but remained low. TpHSP90 expression was obviously up regulated in long-term cold stimulation. All three genes (TpTPS, TpHSP70 and TpHSP90) have likely contributed to cold tolerance in T. pui larvae, TpTPS and TpHSP90 potentially being more important.

Effect of food wastewater on biomass production by a green microalga Scenedesmus obliquus for bioenergy generation.

PubMed

Ji, Min-Kyu; Yun, Hyun-Shik; Park, Sanghyun; Lee, Hongkyun; Park, Young-Tae; Bae, Sunyoung; Ham, Jungyeob; Choi, Jaeyoung

2015-03-01

Effect of food wastewater (FW) on the biomass, lipid and carbohydrate production by a green microalga Scenedesmus obliquus cultivated in Bold's Basal Medium (BBM) was investigated. Different dilution ratios (0.5-10%) of BBM either with FW or salt solution (NaCl) or sea water (SW) were evaluated. S. obliquus showed the highest growth (0.41 g L(-1)), lipid productivity (13.3 mg L(-1) day L(-1)), carbohydrate productivity (14.7 mg L(-1) day L(-1)) and nutrient removal (38.9 mg TN L(-1) and 12.1 mg TP L(-1)) with 1% FW after 6 days of cultivation. The FW promoted algal autoflocculation due to formation of inorganic precipitates at an alkali pH. Fatty acid methyl ester analysis revealed that the palmitic and oleic acid contents were increased up to 8% with FW. Application of FW improved the growth, lipid/carbohydrate productivity and biomass recovery efficiency of S. obliquus, which can be exploited for cost effective production of microalgae biomass. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of 5-fluorouracil metabolic enzymes as predictors of response to adjuvant chemotherapy outcomes in patients with stage II/III colorectal cancer: a decision-curve analysis.

PubMed

Shigeta, Kohei; Ishii, Yoshiyuki; Hasegawa, Hirotoshi; Okabayashi, Koji; Kitagawa, Yuko

2014-12-01

The effectiveness of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based adjuvant chemotherapy is reported in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), but the usefulness of 5-FU metabolic enzymes as predictive biomarkers of the efficacy of this chemotherapy remains unclear. This study aims to verify whether 5-FU metabolic enzymes are predictive biomarkers in the clinical setting of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II/III CRC. In total, 179 patients with stage II/III CRC who were treated at our institute between 2000 and 2010 were enrolled. Messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of major 5-FU metabolic enzymes, namely thymidylate synthase, dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, thymidine phosphorylase (TP), orotate phosphoribosyl transferase, and β-actin (control) was evaluated using the Danenberg Tumor Profile method. mRNA expression and other clinicopathological data were investigated with regard to CRC relapse. A total of 78 patients underwent surgery alone, while 101 underwent adjuvant chemotherapy (5-FU plus leucovorin [LV] or tegafur plus uracil /LV) following surgery. Relapse-free survival was longer and risk of recurrence was lower in association with high TP mRNA expression than in association with low TP mRNA expression in the adjuvant chemotherapy group (hazard ratio 0.66; 95 % confidence interval 0.47-0.92; p = 0.016), but not in the surgery alone group. mRNA expression of no other enzymes was associated with relapse in both groups. In decision-curve analyses, the predictive efficiency of TP mRNA expression plus clinicopathological factors was slightly better than that of clinicopathological factors only. TP mRNA expression in tumors predicted the effects of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II/III CRC, although the beneficial effects were marginal.

Molecular Basis for the Selective Inhibition of Respiratory Syncytial Virus RNA Polymerase by 2'-Fluoro-4'-Chloromethyl-Cytidine Triphosphate

PubMed Central

Deval, Jerome; Hong, Jin; Wang, Guangyi; Taylor, Josh; Smith, Lucas K.; Fung, Amy; Stevens, Sarah K.; Liu, Hong; Jin, Zhinan; Dyatkina, Natalia; Prhavc, Marija; Stoycheva, Antitsa D.; Serebryany, Vladimir; Liu, Jyanwei; Smith, David B.; Tam, Yuen; Zhang, Qingling; Moore, Martin L.; Fearns, Rachel; Chanda, Sushmita M.; Blatt, Lawrence M.; Symons, Julian A.; Beigelman, Leo

2015-01-01

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes severe lower respiratory tract infections, yet no vaccines or effective therapeutics are available. ALS-8176 is a first-in-class nucleoside analog prodrug effective in RSV-infected adult volunteers, and currently under evaluation in hospitalized infants. Here, we report the mechanism of inhibition and selectivity of ALS-8176 and its parent ALS-8112. ALS-8176 inhibited RSV replication in non-human primates, while ALS-8112 inhibited all strains of RSV in vitro and was specific for paramyxoviruses and rhabdoviruses. The antiviral effect of ALS-8112 was mediated by the intracellular formation of its 5'-triphosphate metabolite (ALS-8112-TP) inhibiting the viral RNA polymerase. ALS-8112 selected for resistance-associated mutations within the region of the L gene of RSV encoding the RNA polymerase. In biochemical assays, ALS-8112-TP was efficiently recognized by the recombinant RSV polymerase complex, causing chain termination of RNA synthesis. ALS-8112-TP did not inhibit polymerases from host or viruses unrelated to RSV such as hepatitis C virus (HCV), whereas structurally related molecules displayed dual RSV/HCV inhibition. The combination of molecular modeling and enzymatic analysis showed that both the 2'F and the 4'ClCH2 groups contributed to the selectivity of ALS-8112-TP. The lack of antiviral effect of ALS-8112-TP against HCV polymerase was caused by Asn291 that is well-conserved within positive-strand RNA viruses. This represents the first comparative study employing recombinant RSV and HCV polymerases to define the selectivity of clinically relevant nucleotide analogs. Understanding nucleotide selectivity towards distant viral RNA polymerases could not only be used to repurpose existing drugs against new viral infections, but also to design novel molecules. PMID:26098424

Rating curve estimation of nutrient loads in Iowa rivers

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stenback, G.A.; Crumpton, W.G.; Schilling, K.E.; Helmers, M.J.

2011-01-01

Accurate estimation of nutrient loads in rivers and streams is critical for many applications including determination of sources of nutrient loads in watersheds, evaluating long-term trends in loads, and estimating loading to downstream waterbodies. Since in many cases nutrient concentrations are measured on a weekly or monthly frequency, there is a need to estimate concentration and loads during periods when no data is available. The objectives of this study were to: (i) document the performance of a multiple regression model to predict loads of nitrate and total phosphorus (TP) in Iowa rivers and streams; (ii) determine whether there is any systematic bias in the load prediction estimates for nitrate and TP; and (iii) evaluate streamflow and concentration factors that could affect the load prediction efficiency. A commonly cited rating curve regression is utilized to estimate riverine nitrate and TP loads for rivers in Iowa with watershed areas ranging from 17.4 to over 34,600km2. Forty-nine nitrate and 44 TP datasets each comprising 5-22years of approximately weekly to monthly concentrations were examined. Three nitrate data sets had sample collection frequencies averaging about three samples per week. The accuracy and precision of annual and long term riverine load prediction was assessed by direct comparison of rating curve load predictions with observed daily loads. Significant positive bias of annual and long term nitrate loads was detected. Long term rating curve nitrate load predictions exceeded observed loads by 25% or more at 33% of the 49 measurement sites. No bias was found for TP load prediction although 15% of the 44 cases either underestimated or overestimate observed long-term loads by more than 25%. The rating curve was found to poorly characterize nitrate and phosphorus variation in some rivers. ?? 2010 .

Biochemical Characterization of the Active Anti-Hepatitis C Virus Metabolites of 2,6-Diaminopurine Ribonucleoside Prodrug Compared to Sofosbuvir and BMS-986094

PubMed Central

Ehteshami, Maryam; Tao, Sijia; Ozturk, Tugba; Zhou, Longhu; Cho, Jong Hyun; Zhang, Hongwang; Amiralaei, Sheida; Shelton, Jadd R.; Lu, Xiao; Khalil, Ahmed; Domaoal, Robert A.; Stanton, Richard A.; Suesserman, Justin E.; Lin, Biing; Lee, Sam S.; Amblard, Franck; Whitaker, Tony; Coats, Steven J.

2016-01-01

Ribonucleoside analog inhibitors (rNAI) target the hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase nonstructural protein 5B (NS5B) and cause RNA chain termination. Here, we expand our studies on β-d-2′-C-methyl-2,6-diaminopurine-ribonucleotide (DAPN) phosphoramidate prodrug 1 (PD1) as a novel investigational inhibitor of HCV. DAPN-PD1 is metabolized intracellularly into two distinct bioactive nucleoside triphosphate (TP) analogs. The first metabolite, 2′-C-methyl-GTP, is a well-characterized inhibitor of NS5B polymerase, whereas the second metabolite, 2′-C-methyl-DAPN-TP, behaves as an adenosine base analog. In vitro assays suggest that both metabolites are inhibitors of NS5B-mediated RNA polymerization. Additional factors, such as rNAI-TP incorporation efficiencies, intracellular rNAI-TP levels, and competition with natural ribonucleotides, were examined in order to further characterize the potential role of each nucleotide metabolite in vivo. Finally, we found that although both 2′-C-methyl-GTP and 2′-C-methyl-DAPN-TP were weak substrates for human mitochondrial RNA (mtRNA) polymerase (POLRMT) in vitro, DAPN-PD1 did not cause off-target inhibition of mtRNA transcription in Huh-7 cells. In contrast, administration of BMS-986094, which also generates 2′-C-methyl-GTP and previously has been associated with toxicity in humans, caused detectable inhibition of mtRNA transcription. Metabolism of BMS-986094 in Huh-7 cells leads to 87-fold higher levels of intracellular 2′-C-methyl-GTP than DAPN-PD1. Collectively, our data characterize DAPN-PD1 as a novel and potent antiviral agent that combines the delivery of two active metabolites. PMID:27216050

Alignment efficiency and esthetic performance of 4 coated nickel-titanium archwires in orthodontic patients over 8 weeks: A multicenter randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Ulhaq, Aman; Esmail, Zaid; Kamaruddin, Anis; Meadows, Sarah; Daus, Jill; Vitale, Maddalena; Perillo, Letizia; Sherriff, Martyn; Bister, Dirk

2017-12-01

The objective of this 4-arm parallel study was to evaluate the alignment efficiency and esthetic performance of 4 coated nickel-titanium archwires over an 8-week period. Patients in the permanent dentition requiring maxillary and mandibular fixed orthodontic treatment with a preadjusted edgewise appliance were eligible for inclusion. Patients attending 4 hospital departments (United Kingdom and Italy) were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 treatment interventions: (1) BioCosmetic (Forestadent, Pforzheim, Germany), 0.017 in; (2) Titanol (Forestadent), 0.016 in; (3) TP Aesthetic (TP Orthodontics, La Porte, Ind), 0.014 in; and (4) Tooth Tone (Ortho Organizers, Calsbad, Calif) 0.016 in. Block randomization with block sizes of 4 and 8 was used to ensure an allocation ratio of 1:1:1:1. The primary outcome was alignment efficiency determined by the reduction in Little's irregularity index (mm). Secondary outcomes were color change using the Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage L*a*b* system and percentage of coating loss. Blinding was only applicable to outcome assessment of alignment efficiency. Regression models with Sidak's multiple comparison of means were used to analyze the data. One hundred fifty patients (300 dental arches) were allocated to the treatment interventions, including 61 male and 89 female subjects with a mean age of 16.60 years. The average duration of follow-up was 63.65 days. Baseline characteristics for the archwire groups were similar. One patient was lost to follow-up. Five percent (n = 15) of the archwires fractured: BioCosmetic, 5.3% (n = 4); Titanol, 6.8% (n = 5); TP Aesthetic, 5.3% (n = 4); and Tooth Tone, 2.7% (n = 2). We analyzed 283 dental arches for alignment efficiency. There was no statistically significant difference for mean reduction in irregularity between the archwire groups (P = 0.627): BioCosmetic (n = 71), 3.86 mm (95% CI, 3.31-4.41); Titanol (n = 69), 4.51 mm (95% CI, 4.00-5.02); TP Aesthetic (n = 71), 4.13 mm (95% CI, 3.49-4.78); and Tooth Tone (n = 72), 4.21 mm (95% CI, 3.89-4.46). There was a statistically significant difference between archwire groups for color change (P = 0.001) and percentage of coating loss (P = 0.001), with BioCosmetic performing best in both parameters. There was no difference between the archwires for alignment efficiency. BioCosmetic performed statistically significantly better than did the other groups for both color change and coating loss. This trial was registered with the East Midlands NHS Research Ethics Committee (12/EM/0190). The protocol was not published before trial commencement. Copyright © 2017 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genome-wide characterization reveals complex interplay between TP53 and TP63 in response to genotoxic stress

PubMed Central

McDade, Simon S.; Patel, Daksha; Moran, Michael; Campbell, James; Fenwick, Kerry; Kozarewa, Iwanka; Orr, Nicholas J.; Lord, Christopher J.; Ashworth, Alan A.; McCance, Dennis J.

2014-01-01

In response to genotoxic stress the TP53 tumour suppressor activates target gene expression to induce cell cycle arrest or apoptosis depending on the extent of DNA damage. These canonical activities can be repressed by TP63 in normal stratifying epithelia to maintain proliferative capacity or drive proliferation of squamous cell carcinomas, where TP63 is frequently overexpressed/amplified. Here we use ChIP-sequencing, integrated with microarray analysis, to define the genome-wide interplay between TP53 and TP63 in response to genotoxic stress in normal cells. We reveal that TP53 and TP63 bind to overlapping, but distinct cistromes of sites through utilization of distinctive consensus motifs and that TP53 is constitutively bound to a number of sites. We demonstrate that cisplatin and adriamycin elicit distinct effects on TP53 and TP63 binding events, through which TP53 can induce or repress transcription of an extensive network of genes by direct binding and/or modulation of TP63 activity. Collectively, this results in a global TP53-dependent repression of cell cycle progression, mitosis and DNA damage repair concomitant with activation of anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic canonical target genes. Further analyses reveal that in the absence of genotoxic stress TP63 plays an important role in maintaining expression of DNA repair genes, loss of which results in defective repair. PMID:24823795

76 FR 65631 - Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Microwave Ovens

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-24

... Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Microwave Ovens AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable... (DOE) has initiated a test procedure rulemaking to develop active mode testing methodologies for... Federal Register a final rule for the microwave oven test procedure rulemaking (July TP repeal final rule...

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

Weber, Thomas J.; Markillie, Lye MENG.

The thromboxane A{sub 2} (TXA{sub 2}) receptor (TP) is represented by two alternatively spliced forms, termed the platelet/placental (TP-P) and endothelial (TP-E) type receptors. Experimental evidence suggests that TP isoforms may be regulated by novel ligands termed the isoprostanes, which paradoxically act as TP agonists in smooth muscle and TP antagonists in platelet preparations. Here we have investigated whether prototypical isoprostanes (8-iso-PG{sub 2{sub {alpha}}} and 8-iso-PGE{sub 2}) regulate the activity of TP isoforms expressed in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells using activator protein-1 (AP-1)-luciferase activity as a reporter. AP-1-luciferase activity was increased by a TP agonist (U46619) in CHO cellsmore » transfected with the human TP-P and TP-E receptors and this response was fully inhibited by TP antagonists (ISAP, SQ29,548). AP-1-luciferase activity was potently (nM) increased by 8-iso-PGE2 in CHO TP-P and TP-E cells, and this response was partially inhibited by cotreatment of cells with TP antagonists, while 8-iso-PGF{sub 2{sub {alpha}}} was without effect. Cyclooxygenase inhibitors did not abolish 8-iso-PGE{sub 2} mediated AP-1-luciferase activity, indicating that this response is not dependent on de novo TXA2 biosynthesis. Interestingly, 8-iso-PGE{sub 2}-mediated AP-1-luciferase activity was near maximal in naive cells between 1-10 nM concentrations, and this response was not inhibited by TP antagonist or reproduced by agonists for TP or EP1/EP3 receptors. These observations (1) support a role for novel ligands in the regulation of TP-dependent signaling, (2) indicate that TP-P and TP-E couple to AP-1, (3) provide further evidence that isoprostanes function as TP agonists in a cell-type specific fashion, and (4) indicate that additional targets regulated by 8-iso-PGE{sub 2} couple to AP-1.« less

Low Earth orbit thermal control coatings exposure flight tests: A comparison of U.S. and Russian results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tribble, A. C.; Lukins, R.; Watts, E.; Naumov, S. F.; Sergeev, V. K.

1995-01-01

Both the United States (US) and Russia have conducted a variety of space environment effects on materials (SEEM) flight experiments in recent years. A prime US example was the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), which spent 5 years and 9 months in low Earth orbit (LEO) from April 1984 to January 1990. A key Russian experiment was the Removable Cassette Container experiment, (RCC-1), flown on the Mir Orbital Station from 11 January 1990 to 26 April 1991. This paper evaluates the thermal control coating materials data generated by these two missions by comparing: environmental exposure conditions, functionality and chemistry of thermal control coating materials, and pre- and post-flight analysis of absorptance, emittance, and mass loss due to atomic oxygen erosion. It will be seen that there are noticeable differences in the US and Russian space environment measurements and models, which complicates comparisons of environments. The results of both flight experiments confirm that zinc oxide and zinc oxide orthotitanate white thermal control paints in metasilicate binders (Z93, YB71, TP-co-2, TP-co-11, and TP-co-12), are the most stable upon exposure to the space environment. It is also seen that Russian flight materials experience broadens to the use of silicone and acrylic resin binders while the US relies more heavily on polyurethane.

Water quality improvements of wastewater from confined animal feeding operations after advanced treatment.

PubMed

Vanotti, Matias B; Szogi, Ariel A

2008-01-01

Current trends of animal production concentration and new regulations promote the need for environmentally safe alternatives to land application of liquid manure. These technologies must be able to substantially remove nutrients, heavy metals, and emissions of ammonia and odors and disinfect the effluent. A new treatment system was tested full-scale in a 4360-swine farm in North Carolina to demonstrate environmentally superior technology (EST) that could replace traditional anaerobic lagoon treatment. The system combined liquid-solids separation with nitrogen and phosphorus removal processes. Water quality was monitored at three sites: (i) the treatment plant as the raw manure liquid was depurated in the various processes, (ii) the converted lagoon as it was being cleaned up with the treated effluent, and (iii) an adjacent traditional anaerobic lagoon. The treatment plant removed 98% of total suspended solids (TSS), 76% of total solids (TS), 100% of 5-d biochemical oxygen demand (BOD(5)), 98% of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and NH(4)-N, 95% of total phosphorus (TP), 99% of Zn, and 99% of Cu. The quality of the liquid in the converted lagoon improved rapidly as cleaner effluent from the plant replaced anaerobic lagoon liquid. The converted lagoon liquid became aerobic (dissolved oxygen, 6.95 mg L(-1); Eh, 342 mv) with the following mean reductions in the second year of the conversion: 73% of TSS, 40% of TS, 77% of BOD(5), 85% of TKN, 92% of NH(4)-N, 38% of TP, 37% of Zn, and 39% of Cu. These findings overall showed that EST can have significant positive impacts on the environment and on the livestock industries.

Cultivation of newly isolated microalgae Coelastrum sp. in wastewater for simultaneous CO2 fixation, lipid production and wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Mousavi, Shokouh; Najafpour, Ghasem D; Mohammadi, Maedeh; Seifi, Mohammad Hasan

2018-04-01

Cultivation of microalgae in wastewater is a promising and cost-effective approach for both CO 2 biofixation and wastewater remediation. In this study, a new strain of Coelastrum sp. was isolated from cattle manure leachate. The isolated microalgae were then cultivated in wastewater. Effects of different sCOD concentrations (600, 750, 900, 1050 mg L -1 ) and light intensities (1000, 2300, 4600, 6900 and 10000 Lux) on biomass production, CO 2 consumption rate and nutrient removal from wastewater were investigated. The results showed that maximum cell growth and CO 2 consumption rate were 2.71 g L -1 and 53.12 mg L -1 day -1 , respectively, which were obtained in the wastewater with 750 mg L -1 sCOD and under the light intensity of 6900 Lux. The microalgae were able to completely consume all CO 2 after incubation period of 4 days. The highest sCOD, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrate and total phosphorous (TP) removal at such conditions were 53.45, 91.18, 87.51 and 100%, respectively. The lipid content of microalgal biomass was also measured under different light intensities; maximum amount of lipid was determined to be 50.77% under illumination of 2300 Lux. Finally, the CO 2 consumption rate and biomass productivity of microalgae in semi-batch culture with continuous gas flow (CO 2 6%:N 2 94%) were investigated. The rate of CO 2 consumption and biomass productivity were 0.528 and 0.281 g L -1 day -1 , respectively. The TKN, nitrate, TP and sCOD removal rate of microalgae were 83.51, 80.91, 100, 41.4%, respectively.

Enhanced immune response and protective efficacy of a Treponema pallidum Tp92 DNA vaccine vectored by chitosan nanoparticles and adjuvanted with IL-2.

PubMed

Zhao, Feijun; Wu, Yimou; Zhang, Xiaohong; Yu, Jian; Gu, Weiming; Liu, Shuangquan; Zeng, Tiebing; Zhang, Yuejun; Wang, Shiping

2011-10-01

In this study, the immune-modulatory and protective efficacy of using an interleukin-2 (IL-2) expression plasmid as a genetic adjuvant and chitosan (CS) nanoparticles as vectors to enhance a Tp92 DNA vaccine candidate were investigated in a Treponema pallidum (Tp) rabbit challenge model. CS vectoring of pTp92 or pIL-2 were both demonstrated to augment anti-Tp92 antibody levels induced by pTp92 DNA vaccines. Interestingly, the combination of CS vectored Tp92 and pIL-2 led to the greatest enhancements of anti-Tp92 antibodies and T-cell proliferation (p < 0.05). At week 10 after the first immunization, 15 of the 18 rabbits in each group were challenged with Tp Nichols strain and monitored for skin lesions and ulcer lesions. Ratios of positive skin lesions and ratios of ulcer lesions in groups immunized with pTp92 were significantly lower than those of the empty vector or PBS groups (p < 0.05), demonstrating that pTp92 immunization elicited significant protective efficacy against the Tp Nichols strain challenge. CS vectored and pIL-2 adjuvanted pTp92 immunized animals exhibited the lowest rates of positive skin and ulcer lesions. Male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly assigned to groups (n = 18/group) and immunized intramuscularly with pTp92 based plasmid DNA constructs (100 μg of DNA/rabbit/immunization). Two weeks before Tp challenge (Week 8), three rabbits from each group were used to determine cytokine measurements and fifteen rabbits from each group were used for Tp challenge studies. Intramuscular injection of pTp92 induced strong humoral and cellular immune responses and conferred protection from Tp challenge in rabbits. The use of CS as a pTp92 vector or pIL-2 as an adjuvant achieved a superior level of protective efficacy against Tp challenge, however CS vectored, IL-2 adjuvanted pTp92 immunization conferred the highest level of protective efficacy.

Tracking the origins and drivers of subclonal metastatic expansion in prostate cancer

DOE PAGES

Hong, Matthew K. H.; Macintyre, Geoff; Wedge, David C.; ...

2015-04-01

Tumour heterogeneity in primary prostate cancer is a well-established phenomenon. However, how the subclonal diversity of tumours changes during metastasis and progression to lethality is poorly understood. Here we reveal the precise direction of metastatic spread across four lethal prostate cancer patients using whole-genome and ultra-deep targeted sequencing of longitudinally collected primary and metastatic tumours. We find one case of metastatic spread to the surgical bed causing local recurrence, and another case of cross-metastatic site seeding combining with dynamic remoulding of subclonal mixtures in response to therapy. By ultra-deep sequencing end-stage blood, we detect both metastatic and primary tumour clones,more » even years after removal of the prostate. As a result, analysis of mutations associated with metastasis reveals an enrichment of TP53 mutations, and additional sequencing of metastases from 19 patients demonstrates that acquisition of TP53 mutations is linked with the expansion of subclones with metastatic potential which we can detect in the blood.« less

Tracking the origins and drivers of subclonal metastatic expansion in prostate cancer.

PubMed

Hong, Matthew K H; Macintyre, Geoff; Wedge, David C; Van Loo, Peter; Patel, Keval; Lunke, Sebastian; Alexandrov, Ludmil B; Sloggett, Clare; Cmero, Marek; Marass, Francesco; Tsui, Dana; Mangiola, Stefano; Lonie, Andrew; Naeem, Haroon; Sapre, Nikhil; Phal, Pramit M; Kurganovs, Natalie; Chin, Xiaowen; Kerger, Michael; Warren, Anne Y; Neal, David; Gnanapragasam, Vincent; Rosenfeld, Nitzan; Pedersen, John S; Ryan, Andrew; Haviv, Izhak; Costello, Anthony J; Corcoran, Niall M; Hovens, Christopher M

2015-04-01

Tumour heterogeneity in primary prostate cancer is a well-established phenomenon. However, how the subclonal diversity of tumours changes during metastasis and progression to lethality is poorly understood. Here we reveal the precise direction of metastatic spread across four lethal prostate cancer patients using whole-genome and ultra-deep targeted sequencing of longitudinally collected primary and metastatic tumours. We find one case of metastatic spread to the surgical bed causing local recurrence, and another case of cross-metastatic site seeding combining with dynamic remoulding of subclonal mixtures in response to therapy. By ultra-deep sequencing end-stage blood, we detect both metastatic and primary tumour clones, even years after removal of the prostate. Analysis of mutations associated with metastasis reveals an enrichment of TP53 mutations, and additional sequencing of metastases from 19 patients demonstrates that acquisition of TP53 mutations is linked with the expansion of subclones with metastatic potential which we can detect in the blood.

Use of Bio-Amp, a commercial bio-additive for the treatment of grease trap wastewater containing fat, oil, and grease.

PubMed

Tang, Hao L; Xie, Yuefeng F; Chen, Yen-Chih

2012-11-01

This research investigated the application of Bio-Amp, a commercial bio-additive for the treatment of fat, oil, and grease (FOG) in a grease trap, and evaluated potential impacts of treated effluent on downstream collection system and treatment processes. Results show that after Bio-Amp treatment, FOG deposit formation was reduced by 40%, implicating a potential reduction of sewer line blockages. Chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and total fatty acids were reduced by 39%, 33%, 56%, and 59%, respectively, which represents an overall loading reduction of 9% COD, 5% TN and 40% TP received by the treatment plant from all the dining halls. On the other hand, readily biodegradable COD fractions significantly increased, which implies a potential improvement on Bio-P removal. Overall, the results showed that application of Bio-Amp in grease trap provides potential reduction of sewer line blockages, and can also alleviate downstream treatment burden. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Involvement of Atm and Trp53 in neural cell loss due to Terf2 inactivation during mouse brain development.

PubMed

Kim, Jusik; Choi, Inseo; Lee, Youngsoo

2017-11-01

Maintenance of genomic integrity is one of the critical features for proper neurodevelopment and inhibition of neurological diseases. The signals from both ATM and ATR to TP53 are well-known mechanisms to remove neural cells with DNA damage during neurogenesis. Here we examined the involvement of Atm and Atr in genomic instability due to Terf2 inactivation during mouse brain development. Selective inactivation of Terf2 in neural progenitors induced apoptosis, resulting in a complete loss of the brain structure. This neural loss was rescued partially in both Atm and Trp53 deficiency, but not in an Atr-deficient background in the mouse. Atm inactivation resulted in incomplete brain structures, whereas p53 deficiency led to the formation of multinucleated giant neural cells and the disruption of the brain structure. These giant neural cells disappeared in Lig4 deficiency. These data demonstrate ATM and TP53 are important for the maintenance of telomere homeostasis and the surveillance of telomere dysfunction during neurogenesis.

Theileria parva antigens recognized by CD8+ T cells show varying degrees of diversity in buffalo-derived infected cell lines.

PubMed

Sitt, Tatjana; Pelle, Roger; Chepkwony, Maurine; Morrison, W Ivan; Toye, Philip

2018-05-06

The extent of sequence diversity among the genes encoding 10 antigens (Tp1-10) known to be recognized by CD8+ T lymphocytes from cattle immune to Theileria parva was analysed. The sequences were derived from parasites in 23 buffalo-derived cell lines, three cattle-derived isolates and one cloned cell line obtained from a buffalo-derived stabilate. The results revealed substantial variation among the antigens through sequence diversity. The greatest nucleotide and amino acid diversity were observed in Tp1, Tp2 and Tp9. Tp5 and Tp7 showed the least amount of allelic diversity, and Tp5, Tp6 and Tp7 had the lowest levels of protein diversity. Tp6 was the most conserved protein; only a single non-synonymous substitution was found in all obtained sequences. The ratio of non-synonymous: synonymous substitutions varied from 0.84 (Tp1) to 0.04 (Tp6). Apart from Tp2 and Tp9, we observed no variation in the other defined CD8+ T cell epitopes (Tp4, 5, 7 and 8), indicating that epitope variation is not a universal feature of T. parva antigens. In addition to providing markers that can be used to examine the diversity in T. parva populations, the results highlight the potential for using conserved antigens to develop vaccines that provide broad protection against T. parva.

IFNγ Enhances CD64-Potentiated Phagocytosis of Treponema pallidum Opsonized with Human Syphilitic Serum by Human Macrophages

PubMed Central

Hawley, Kelly L.; Cruz, Adriana R.; Benjamin, Sarah J.; La Vake, Carson J.; Cervantes, Jorge L.; LeDoyt, Morgan; Ramirez, Lady G.; Mandich, Daniza; Fiel-Gan, Mary; Caimano, Melissa J.; Radolf, Justin D.; Salazar, Juan C.

2017-01-01

Syphilis is a multi-stage, sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum (Tp). Considered broadly, syphilis can be conceptualized as a dualistic process in which spirochete-driven inflammation, the cause of clinical manifestations, coexists to varying extents with bacterial persistence. Inflammation is elicited in the tissues, along with the persistence of spirochetes to keep driving a robust immune response while evading host defenses; this duality is best exemplified during the florid, disseminated stage called secondary syphilis (SS). SS lesions typically contain copious amounts of spirochetes along with a mixed cellular infiltrate consisting of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, NK cells, plasma cells, and macrophages. In the rabbit model, Tp are cleared by macrophages via antibody-mediated opsonophagocytosis. Previously, we demonstrated that human syphilitic serum (HSS) promotes efficient uptake of Tp by human monocytes and that opsonophagocytosis of Tp markedly enhances cytokine production. Herein, we used monocyte-derived macrophages to study Tp–macrophage interactions ex vivo. In the absence of HSS, monocyte-derived macrophages internalized low numbers of Tp and secreted little cytokine (e.g., TNF). By contrast, these same macrophages internalized large numbers of unopsonized Borrelia burgdorferi and secreted robust levels of cytokines. Maturation of macrophages with M-CSF and IFNγ resulted in a macrophage phenotype with increased expression of HLA-DR, CD14, inducible nitric oxide synthase, TLR2, TLR8, and the Fcγ receptors (FcγR) CD64 and CD16, even in the absence of LPS. Importantly, IFNγ-polarized macrophages resulted in a statistically significant increase in opsonophagocytosis of Tp accompanied by enhanced production of cytokines, macrophage activation markers (CD40, CD80), TLRs (TLR2, TLR7, TLR8), chemokines (CCL19, CXCL10, CXCL11), and TH1-promoting cytokines (IL-12, IL-15). Finally, the blockade of FcγRs, primarily CD64, significantly diminished spirochetal uptake and proinflammatory cytokine secretion by IFNγ-stimulated macrophages. Our ex vivo studies demonstrate the importance of CD64-potentiated uptake of opsonized Tp and suggest that IFNγ-activated macrophages have an important role in the context of early syphilis. Our study results also provide an ex vivo surrogate system for use in future syphilis vaccine studies. PMID:29051759

Petrologic evidence that most ocean islands derive from thermally driven mantle plumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Putirka, K. D.

2006-12-01

Perhaps the most crucial test of the mantle plume hypothesis concerns whether hot spots are indeed hot. To conduct this test, olivine-liquid equilibria are used to estimate mantle potential temperatures (Tp) for 15 putative plume localities (using the GEOROC database). Ocean islands (OIB) were selected on the availability of rocks that attain olivine control (where olivine addition/removal alone controls rock composition) so that primitive FeO contents could be estimated. Several other variables in addition to FeO must also be known: Except at Iceland and Hawaii, where large numbers of olivine analyses allow individual estimates for the maximum forsterite contents (Fomax) of olivines, a single Fomax value, 91.5, is adopted for all OIB (and MORB; determined from a global database of olivine compositions); as a null hypothesis, MORB-like values for oxygen fugacity (QFM-1; Bezos and Humler, 2005) and the Fe-Mg exchange coefficient between olivine and liquid (0.31; calculated from Toplis, 2005, Herzberg and O'Hara, 1998) are adopted. Generalized differences in water contents between OIB and MORB (Dixon et al., 2002) are also accounted for. All temperatures are calculated at 1 GPa, using averages of existing (Beattie, 1993) and new (Putirka et al., 2006) olivine geothermometers. Except for Galapagos, primitive OIBs have nearly uniform FeO contents that are higher compared to MORB (at MgO>10 wt. %, mean OIB FeOt = 11.6 wt. %). These high FeO contents require higher mean temperatures of olivine-liquid equilibration for OIB, by an average of 150±20°C compared to MORB. Olivine equilibration temperatures do not depend on mantle source composition, so are independent of whether eclogite-type components occur in the mantle. If a peridotite bulk composition is assumed (to estimate melt fraction from partial melting experiments) olivine equilibration temperatures can be converted to Tp; OIB (Galapagos excepted) yield a mean Tp of 1583°C, compared to 1397°C for MORB. When inter- island compositional variation is accounted for, all OIB except Galapagos yield excess temperatures (Tp^{OIB} - Tp^{MORB}) of 133-280°C, with a mean of 186± 36°C. Galapagos lavas yield an excess temperature of 16°C; perhaps mixing has diluted its thermal signal, but in any event, its Tp is essentially identical to MORB. Nevertheless, most OIB (93% in this sample) exhibit large excess temperatures. Thermally driven mantle plumes, as proposed by Morgan (1971), thus appear to be common, not rare. A second implication, less certain than the first, involves the narrow standard deviation of ±36°C for Tp at OIB, which almost certainly reflects a lower limit to actual thermal variability. This narrow range indicates that all hot spots derive from a single thermal boundary layer.

Nutrient removal from swine lagoon effluent by duckweed

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

Bergmann, B.A.; Cheng, J.; Classen, J.

2000-04-01

Three duckweed geographic isolates were grown on varying concentrations of swine lagoon effluent in a greenhouse to determine their ability to remove nutrients from the effluent. Duckweed biomass was harvested every other day over a 12-day period. Duckweed biomass production, nutrient loss from the swine lagoon effluent, and nutrient content of duckweed biomass were used to identify effluent concentrations/geographic isolate combinations that are effective in terms of nutrient utilization from swine lagoon effluent and production of healthy duckweed biomass. When Lemna minor geographic isolate 8627 was grown on 50% swine lagoon effluent, respective losses of TKN, NH{sub 3}-N, TP, OPO{submore » 4}-P, TOC, K, Cu, and Zn were 83, 100, 49, 31, 68, 21, 28 and 67%.« less

Hypoxia increases pulmonary arterial thromboxane receptor internalization independent of receptor sensitization.

PubMed

Fediuk, J; Sikarwar, A S; Lizotte, P P; Hinton, M; Nolette, N; Dakshinamurti, S

2015-02-01

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) is characterized by sustained vasospasm and an increased thromboxane:prostacyclin ratio. Thromboxane (TP) receptors signal via Gαq to mobilize IP3 and Ca(2+), causing pulmonary arterial constriction. We have previously reported increased TP internalization in hypoxic pulmonary arterial (PA) myocytes. Serum-deprived PA myocytes were grown in normoxia (NM) or hypoxia (HM) for 72 h. TP localization was visualized in agonist-naïve and -challenged NM and HM by immunocytochemistry. Pathways for agonist-induced TP receptor internalization were determined by inhibiting caveolin- or clathrin-mediated endocytosis, and caveolar fractionation. Roles of actin and tubulin in TP receptor internalization were assessed using inhibitors of tubulin, actin-stabilizing or -destabilizing agents. PKA, PKC or GRK activation and inhibition were used to determine the kinase responsible for post-agonist receptor internalization. Agonist-naïve HM had decreased cell surface TP, and greater TP internalization after agonist challenge. TP protein did not sort with caveolin-rich fractions. Inhibition of clathrin prevented TP internalization. Both actin-stabilizing and -destabilizing agents prevented TP endocytosis in NM, while normalizing TP internalization in HM. Velocity of TP internalization was unaffected by PKA activity, but PKC activation normalized TP receptor internalization in HM. GRK inhibition had no effect. We conclude that in hypoxic myocytes, TP is internalized faster and to a greater extent than in normoxic controls. Internalization of the agonist-challenged TP requires clathrin, dynamic actin and is sensitive to PKC activity. TP receptor trafficking and signaling in hypoxia are pivotal to understanding increased vasoconstrictor sensitivity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Milrinone attenuates thromboxane receptor-mediated hyperresponsiveness in hypoxic pulmonary arterial myocytes

PubMed Central

Santhosh, KT; Elkhateeb, O; Nolette, N; Outbih, O; Halayko, AJ; Dakshinamurti, S

2011-01-01

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Neonatal pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) is characterized by pulmonary vasoconstriction, due in part to dysregulation of the thromboxane prostanoid (TP) receptor. Hypoxia induces TP receptor–mediated hyperresponsiveness, whereas serine phosphorylation mediates desensitization of TP receptors. We hypothesized that prostacyclin (IP) receptor activity induces TP receptor phosphorylation and decreases ligand affinity; that TP receptor sensitization in hypoxic myocytes is due to IP receptor inactivation; and that this would be reversible by the cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor milrinone. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We examined functional regulation of TP receptors by serine phosphorylation and effects of IP receptor stimulation and protein kinase A (PKA) activity on TP receptor sensitivity in myocytes from neonatal porcine resistance pulmonary arteries after 72 h hypoxia in vitro. Ca2+ response curves to U46619 (TP receptor agonist) were determined in hypoxic and normoxic myocytes incubated with or without iloprost (IP receptor agonist), forskolin (adenylyl cyclase activator), H8 (PKA inhibitor) or milrinone. TP and IP receptor saturation binding kinetics were measured in presence of iloprost or 8-bromo-cAMP. KEY RESULTS Ligand affinity for TP receptors was normalized in vitro by IP receptor signalling intermediates. However, IP receptor affinity was compromised in hypoxic myocytes, decreasing cAMP production. Milrinone normalized TP receptor sensitivity in hypoxic myocytes by restoring PKA-mediated regulatory TP receptor phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS TP receptor sensitivity and EC50 for TP receptor agonists was regulated by PKA, as TP receptor serine phosphorylation by PKA down-regulated Ca2+ mobilization. Hypoxia decreased IP receptor activity and cAMP generation, inducing TP receptor hyperresponsiveness, which was reversed by milrinone. PMID:21385177

Prolonged Tp-e Interval in Down Syndrome Patients with Congenitally Normal Hearts.

PubMed

Kucuk, Mehmet; Karadeniz, Cem; Ozdemir, Rahmi; Meşe, Timur

2018-03-25

Heterogeneity of ventricular repolarization has been assessed by using the QT dispersion in Down syndrome (DS) patients with congenitally normal hearts. However, novel repolarization indexes, the Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio, have not previously been evaluated in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio in DS patients without congenital heart defects. Twelve-lead surface electrocardiograms of 160 DS patients and 110 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were used to evaluate and compare the Tp-e interval, Tp-e dispersion, and Tp-e/QT ratio. Heart rate, Tp-e interval, Tp-e dispersion, Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/QTc ratios were significantly higher in DS group than in the controls. Myocardial repolarization indexes in DS patients with congenitally normal hearts were found to be prolonged compared to those in normal controls. Further evaluation is warranted to reveal a relationship between prolonged repolarization indexes and arrhythmic events in these patients. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

TP53 mutations, expression and interaction networks in human cancers

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiaosheng; Sun, Qingrong

2017-01-01

Although the associations of p53 dysfunction, p53 interaction networks and oncogenesis have been widely explored, a systematic analysis of TP53 mutations and its related interaction networks in various types of human cancers is lacking. Our study explored the associations of TP53 mutations, gene expression, clinical outcomes, and TP53 interaction networks across 33 cancer types using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We show that TP53 is the most frequently mutated gene in a number of cancers, and its mutations appear to be early events in cancer initiation. We identified genes potentially repressed by p53, and genes whose expression correlates significantly with TP53 expression. These gene products may be especially important nodes in p53 interaction networks in human cancers. This study shows that while TP53-truncating mutations often result in decreased TP53 expression, other non-truncating TP53 mutations result in increased TP53 expression in some cancers. Survival analyses in a number of cancers show that patients with TP53 mutations are more likely to have worse prognoses than TP53-wildtype patients, and that elevated TP53 expression often leads to poor clinical outcomes. We identified a set of candidate synthetic lethal (SL) genes for TP53, and validated some of these SL interactions using data from the Cancer Cell Line Project. These predicted SL genes are promising candidates for experimental validation and the development of personalized therapeutics for patients with TP53-mutated cancers. PMID:27880943

TP53 mutations, expression and interaction networks in human cancers.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaosheng; Sun, Qingrong

2017-01-03

Although the associations of p53 dysfunction, p53 interaction networks and oncogenesis have been widely explored, a systematic analysis of TP53 mutations and its related interaction networks in various types of human cancers is lacking. Our study explored the associations of TP53 mutations, gene expression, clinical outcomes, and TP53 interaction networks across 33 cancer types using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We show that TP53 is the most frequently mutated gene in a number of cancers, and its mutations appear to be early events in cancer initiation. We identified genes potentially repressed by p53, and genes whose expression correlates significantly with TP53 expression. These gene products may be especially important nodes in p53 interaction networks in human cancers. This study shows that while TP53-truncating mutations often result in decreased TP53 expression, other non-truncating TP53 mutations result in increased TP53 expression in some cancers. Survival analyses in a number of cancers show that patients with TP53 mutations are more likely to have worse prognoses than TP53-wildtype patients, and that elevated TP53 expression often leads to poor clinical outcomes. We identified a set of candidate synthetic lethal (SL) genes for TP53, and validated some of these SL interactions using data from the Cancer Cell Line Project. These predicted SL genes are promising candidates for experimental validation and the development of personalized therapeutics for patients with TP53-mutated cancers.

The Golgi localization of phosphatidylinositol transfer protein beta requires the protein kinase C-dependent phosphorylation of serine 262 and is essential for maintaining plasma membrane sphingomyelin levels.

PubMed

van Tiel, Claudia M; Westerman, Jan; Paasman, Marten A; Hoebens, Martha M; Wirtz, Karel W A; Snoek, Gerry T

2002-06-21

Recombinant mouse phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (PI-TP)beta is a substrate for protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent phosphorylation in vitro. Based on site-directed mutagenesis and two-dimensional tryptic peptide mapping, Ser(262) was identified as the major site of phosphorylation and Ser(165) as a minor phosphorylation site. The phospholipid transfer activities of wild-type PI-TP beta and PI-TP beta(S262A) were identical, whereas PI-TP beta(S165A) was completely inactive. PKC-dependent phosphorylation of Ser(262) also had no effect on the transfer activity of PI-TP beta. To investigate the role of Ser(262) in the functioning of PI-TP beta, wtPI-TP beta and PI-TP beta(S262A) were overexpressed in NIH3T3 fibroblast cells. Two-dimensional PAGE analysis of cell lysates was used to separate PI-TP beta from its phosphorylated form. After Western blotting, wtPI-TP beta was found to be 85% phosphorylated, whereas PI-TP beta(S262A) was not phosphorylated. In the presence of the PKC inhibitor GF 109203X, the phosphorylated form of wtPI-TP beta was strongly reduced. Immunolocalization showed that wtPI-TP beta was predominantly associated with the Golgi membranes. In the presence of the PKC inhibitor, wtPI-TP beta was distributed throughout the cell similar to what was observed for PI-TP beta(S262A). In contrast to wtPI-TP beta overexpressors, cells overexpressing PI-TP beta(S262A) were unable to rapidly replenish sphingomyelin in the plasma membrane upon degradation by sphingomyelinase. This implies that PKC-dependent association with the Golgi complex is a prerequisite for PI-TP beta to express its effect on sphingomyelin metabolism.

78 FR 75961 - Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Electric Motors

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-13

... Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Electric Motors; Final Rule #0;#0;Federal Register / Vol. 78 , No... CFR Part 431 [Docket No. EERE-2012-BT-TP-0043] RIN 1904-AC89 Energy Conservation Program: Test.... ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is amending the energy efficiency test...

Synthetic Biology Parts for the Storage of Increased Genetic Information in Cells.

PubMed

Morris, Sydney E; Feldman, Aaron W; Romesberg, Floyd E

2017-10-20

To bestow cells with novel forms and functions, the goal of synthetic biology, we have developed the unnatural nucleoside triphosphates dNaMTP and dTPT3TP, which form an unnatural base pair (UBP) and expand the genetic alphabet. While the UBP may be retained in the DNA of a living cell, its retention is sequence-dependent. We now report a steady-state kinetic characterization of the rate with which the Klenow fragment of E. coli DNA polymerase I synthesizes the UBP and its mispairs in a variety of sequence contexts. Correct UBP synthesis is as efficient as for a natural base pair, except in one sequence context, and in vitro performance is correlated with in vivo performance. The data elucidate the determinants of efficient UBP synthesis, show that the dNaM-dTPT3 UBP is the first generally recognized natural-like base pair, and importantly, demonstrate that dNaMTP and dTPT3TP are well optimized and standardized parts for the expansion of the genetic alphabet.

Milrinone attenuates thromboxane receptor-mediated hyperresponsiveness in hypoxic pulmonary arterial myocytes.

PubMed

Santhosh, K T; Elkhateeb, O; Nolette, N; Outbih, O; Halayko, A J; Dakshinamurti, S

2011-07-01

Neonatal pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) is characterized by pulmonary vasoconstriction, due in part to dysregulation of the thromboxane prostanoid (TP) receptor. Hypoxia induces TP receptor-mediated hyperresponsiveness, whereas serine phosphorylation mediates desensitization of TP receptors. We hypothesized that prostacyclin (IP) receptor activity induces TP receptor phosphorylation and decreases ligand affinity; that TP receptor sensitization in hypoxic myocytes is due to IP receptor inactivation; and that this would be reversible by the cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor milrinone. We examined functional regulation of TP receptors by serine phosphorylation and effects of IP receptor stimulation and protein kinase A (PKA) activity on TP receptor sensitivity in myocytes from neonatal porcine resistance pulmonary arteries after 72 h hypoxia in vitro. Ca(2+) response curves to U46619 (TP receptor agonist) were determined in hypoxic and normoxic myocytes incubated with or without iloprost (IP receptor agonist), forskolin (adenylyl cyclase activator), H8 (PKA inhibitor) or milrinone. TP and IP receptor saturation binding kinetics were measured in presence of iloprost or 8-bromo-cAMP. Ligand affinity for TP receptors was normalized in vitro by IP receptor signalling intermediates. However, IP receptor affinity was compromised in hypoxic myocytes, decreasing cAMP production. Milrinone normalized TP receptor sensitivity in hypoxic myocytes by restoring PKA-mediated regulatory TP receptor phosphorylation. TP receptor sensitivity and EC(50) for TP receptor agonists was regulated by PKA, as TP receptor serine phosphorylation by PKA down-regulated Ca(2+) mobilization. Hypoxia decreased IP receptor activity and cAMP generation, inducing TP receptor hyperresponsiveness, which was reversed by milrinone. © 2011 The Authors. British Journal of Pharmacology © 2011 The British Pharmacological Society.

Tp-e Interval, Tp-e/QTc Ratio, and Fragmented QRS Are Correlated with the Severity of Liver Cirrhosis.

PubMed

Akboga, Mehmet Kadri; Yuksel, Mahmut; Balci, Kevser Gulcihan; Kaplan, Mustafa; Cay, Serkan; Gokbulut, Volkan; Yayla, Cagri; Ertem, Ahmet Goktug; Ayhan, Meral Akdogan; Topaloglu, Serkan; Aras, Dursun

2017-01-01

Arrhythmias and electrocardiographic changes are reported in several noncardiac diseases, including liver cirrhosis (LC). We intended to evaluate the interval from the peak to the end of the electrocardiographic T wave (Tp-e), Tp-e/QTc ratio, and fQRS as presumed markers of arrhythmias in LC. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 88 consecutive patients with LC according to clinical, biological, ultrasonographic, or histological criteria and 73 control subjects were enrolled. The severity of cirrhosis was classified according to Pugh-Child's classification and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score. Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QTc ratio, and fQRS rates were measured from the 12-lead electrocardiogram. Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QTc ratio and fQRS rates were significantly increased in parallel to the severity of LC (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.003, respectively). In correlation analysis, Pugh-Child stage showed a significantly positive correlation with Tp-e interval (r = 0.462, P < 0.001), QTc interval (r = 0.373, P < 0.001), Tp-e/QTc ratio (r = 0.352, P < 0.001), and fQRS (r = 0.407, P < 0.001). Furthermore, Tp-e interval (r = 0.414, P < 0.001) and Tp-e/QTc ratio (r = 0.426, P< 0.001) had significant positive correlation with MELD score. Our study demonstrated that Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QTc ratios, and fQRS rates were significantly increased in parallel to the severity of LC. Thus, these findings may implicate that Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QTc ratio, and fQRS may be novel and useful indicators for prediction of arrhythmias in LC. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

MO-F-CAMPUS-T-02: An Electronic Whiteboard Platform to Manage Treatment Planning Process

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

DiCostanzo, D; Woollard, J; Gupta, N

2015-06-15

Purpose: In an effort to improve patient safety and streamline the radiotherapy treatment planning (TP) process, a software based whiteboard had been developed and put in use in our facility Methods: The electronic whiteboard developed using SQL database (DB) and PHP/JavaScript based web interface, is published via department intranet and login credentials. The DB stores data for each TP process such as patient information, plan type, simulation/start dates, physician, dosimetrist, QA and the current status in planning process. Users interact with the DB per plan and perform status updates in real time as the planning process progresses. All user interactionsmore » with the DB are recorded with timestamps so as to calculate statistical information for TP process management such as contouring times, planning and review times, dosimetry, physics and therapist QA times. External beam and brachytherapy plans are categorized according to complexity (ex: IMRT, 3D, HDR, LDR etc) and treatment types and applicators. Each plan category is assigned specific timelines for each planning process. When a plan approaches or passes the predetermined timeline, users are alerted via color coded graphical cues. When certain process items are not completed in time, pre-determined actions are triggered such as a delay in treatment start date. Results: Our institution has been using the electronic whiteboard for two years. Implementation of pre-determined actions based on the statistical information collected by the whiteboard improved our TP process. For example, the average time for normal tissue contouring decreased from 0.73±1.37 to 0.24±0.33 days. The average time for target volume contouring decreased from 3.2±2.84 to 2.37±2.54 days. This increase in efficiency allows more time for quality assurance processes, improving patient safety. Conclusion: The electronic whiteboard has been an invaluable tool for streamlining our TP processes. It facilitates timely and accurate communication between all parties involved in the TP process increasing patient safety.« less

The investigation of paper mill industry wastewater treatment and activated sludge properties in a submerged membrane bioreactor.

PubMed

Erkan, Hanife Sari; Engin, Guleda Onkal

2017-10-01

The paper mill industry produces high amounts of wastewater and, for this reason, stringent discharge limits are applied for sustainable reclamation and reuse of paper mill industry wastewater in many countries. Submerged membrane bioreactor (sMBR) systems can create new opportunities to eliminate dissolved substances present in paper mill wastewater including. In this study, a sMBR was operated for the treatment of paper mill industry wastewater at 35 h of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and 40 d of sludge retention time (SRT). The chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH 3 -N and total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiencies were found to be 98%, 92.99% and 96.36%. The results demonstrated that sMBR was a suitable treatment for the removal of organic matter and nutrients for treating paper mill wastewater except for the problem of calcium accumulation. During the experimental studies, it was noted that the inorganic fraction of the sludge increased as a result of calcium accumulation in the reactor and increased membrane fouling was observed on the membrane surface due to the calcification problem encountered. The properties of the sludge, such as extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and soluble microbial products (SMP), relative hydrophobicity, zeta potential and floc size distribution were also monitored. According to the obtained results, the total EPS was found to be 43.93 mg/gMLSS and the average total SMP rejection by the membrane was determined as 66.2%.

Study of the Antimicrobial Activity of Tilapia Piscidin 3 (TP3) and TP4 and Their Effects on Immune Functions in Hybrid Tilapia (Oreochromis spp.)

PubMed Central

Pan, Chieh-Yu; Tsai, Tsung-Yu; Su, Bor-Chyuan; Hui, Cho-Fat; Chen, Jyh-Yih

2017-01-01

To address the growing concern over antibiotic-resistant microbial infections in aquatic animals, we tested several promising alternative agents that have emerged as new drug candidates. Specifically, the tilapia piscidins are a group of peptides that possess antimicrobial, wound-healing, and antitumor functions. In this study, we focused on tilapia piscidin 3 (TP3) and TP4, which are peptides derived from Oreochromis niloticus, and investigated their inhibition of acute bacterial infections by infecting hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) with Vibrio vulnificus and evaluating the protective effects of pre-treating, co-treating, and post-treating fish with TP3 and TP4. In vivo experiments showed that co-treatment with V. vulnificus and TP3 (20 μg/fish) or TP4 (20 μg/fish) achieved 95.3% and 88.9% survival rates, respectively, after seven days. When we co-injected TP3 or TP4 and V. vulnificus into tilapia and then re-challenged the fish with V. vulnificus after 28 days, the tilapia exhibited survival rates of 35.6% and 42.2%, respectively. Pre-treatment with TP3 (30 μg/fish) or TP4 (20 μg/fish) for 30 minutes prior to V. vulnificus infection resulted in high survival rates of 28.9% and 37.8%, respectively, while post-treatment with TP3 (20 μg/fish or 30 μg/fish) or TP4 (20 μg/fish) 30 minutes after V. vulnificus infection yielded high survival rates of 33.3% and 48.9%. In summary, pre-treating, co-treating, and post-treating fish with TP3 or TP4 all effectively decreased the number of V. vulnificus bacteria and promoted significantly lower mortality rates in tilapia. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of TP3 and TP4 that were effective for treating fish infected with V. vulnificus were 7.8 and 62.5 μg/ml, respectively, whereas the MICs of kanamycin and ampicillin were 31.2 and 3.91 μg/ml. The antimicrobial activity of these peptides was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), both of which showed that V. vulnificus disrupted the outer membranes of cells, resulting in the loss of cell shape and integrity. We examined whether TP3 and TP4 increased the membrane permeability of V. vulnificus by measuring the fluorescence resulting from the uptake of 1-N-phenyl-naphthylamine (NPN). Treating fish with TP3 and TP4 under different pH and temperature conditions did not significantly increase MIC values, suggesting that temperature and the acid-base environment do not affect AMP function. In addition, the qPCR results showed that TP3 and TP4 influence the expression of immune-responsive genes, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-8. In this study, we demonstrate that TP3 and TP4 show potential for development as drugs to combat fish bacterial infections in aquaculture. PMID:28085905

Combination of granular activated carbon adsorption and deep-bed filtration as a single advanced wastewater treatment step for organic micropollutant and phosphorus removal.

PubMed

Altmann, Johannes; Rehfeld, Daniel; Träder, Kai; Sperlich, Alexander; Jekel, Martin

2016-04-01

Adsorption onto granular activated carbon (GAC) is an established technology in water and advanced wastewater treatment for the removal of organic substances from the liquid phase. Besides adsorption, the removal of particulate matter by filtration and biodegradation of organic substances in GAC contactors has frequently been reported. The application of GAC as both adsorbent for organic micropollutant (OMP) removal and filter medium for solids retention in tertiary wastewater filtration represents an energy- and space saving option, but has rarely been considered because high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and suspended solids concentrations in the influent of the GAC adsorber put a significant burden on this integrated treatment step and might result in frequent backwashing and unsatisfactory filtration efficiency. This pilot-scale study investigates the combination of GAC adsorption and deep-bed filtration with coagulation as a single advanced treatment step for simultaneous removal of OMPs and phosphorus from secondary effluent. GAC was assessed as upper filter layer in dual-media downflow filtration and as mono-media upflow filter with regard to filtration performance and OMP removal. Both filtration concepts effectively removed suspended solids and phosphorus, achieving effluent concentrations of 0.1 mg/L TP and 1 mg/L TSS, respectively. Analysis of grain size distribution and head loss within the filter bed showed that considerable head loss occurred in the topmost filter layer in downflow filtration, indicating that most particles do not penetrate deeply into the filter bed. Upflow filtration exhibited substantially lower head loss and effective utilization of the whole filter bed. Well-adsorbing OMPs (e.g. benzotriazole, carbamazepine) were removed by >80% up to throughputs of 8000-10,000 bed volumes (BV), whereas weakly to medium adsorbing OMPs (e.g. primidone, sulfamethoxazole) showed removals <80% at <5,000 BV. In addition, breakthrough behavior was also determined for gabapentin, an anticonvulsant drug recently detected in drinking water resources for which suitable removal technologies are still largely unknown. Gabapentin showed poor adsorptive removal, resulting in rapid concentration increases. Whereas previous studies classified gabapentin as not readily biodegradable, sustained removal was observed after prolonged operation and points at biological elimination of gabapentin within the GAC filter. The application of GAC as filter medium was compared to direct addition of powdered activated carbon (PAC) to deep-bed filtration as a direct process alternative. Both options yielded comparable OMP removals for most compounds at similar carbon usage rates, but GAC achieved considerably higher removals for biodegradable OMPs. Based on the results, the application of GAC in combination with coagulation/filtration represents a promising alternative to powdered activated carbon and ozone for advanced wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Valuable Tool in Predicting Poor Outcome due to Sepsis in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: Tp-e/QT Ratio.

PubMed

Ozdemir, Rahmi; Isguder, Rana; Kucuk, Mehmet; Karadeniz, Cem; Ceylan, Gokhan; Katipoglu, Nagehan; Yilmazer, Murat Muhtar; Yozgat, Yilmaz; Mese, Timur; Agin, Hasan

2016-10-01

To assess the feasibility of 12-lead electrocardiographic (ECG) measures such as P wave dispersion (PWd), QT interval, QT dispersion (QTd), Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/QTc ratio in predicting poor outcome in patients diagnosed with sepsis in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Ninety-three patients diagnosed with sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock and 103 age- and sex-matched healthy children were enrolled into the study. PWd, QT interval, QTd, Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT, Tp-e/QTc ratios were obtained from a 12-lead electrocardiogram. PWd, QTd, Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT, Tp-e/QTc ratios were significantly higher in septic patients compared with the controls. During the study period, 41 patients had died. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, only Tp-e/QT ratio was found to be an independent predictor of mortality. The ECG measurements can predict the poor outcome in patients with sepsis. The Tp-e/QT ratio may be a valuable tool in predicting mortality for patients with sepsis in the PICU. © The Author [2016]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Comparative studies of two methods for miRNA isolation from milk whey.

PubMed

Jin, Xiao-lu; Wei, Zi-hai; Liu, Lan; Liu, Hong-yun; Liu, Jian-xin

2015-06-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) from milk whey have been considered for their potential as noninvasive biomarkers for milk quality control and disease diagnosis. However, standard protocols for miRNA isolation and quantification from milk whey are not well established. The objective of this study was to compare two methods for the isolation of miRNAs from milk whey. These two methods were modified phenol-based technique (Trizol LS(®) followed by phenol precipitation, the TP method) and combined phenol and column-based approach (Trizol LS(®) followed by cleanup using the miRNeasy kit, the TM method). Yield and quality of RNA were rigorously measured using a NanoDrop ND-1000 spectrophotometer and then the distribution of RNA was precisely detected in a Bioanalyzer 2100 instrument by microchip gel electrophoresis. Several endogenous miRNAs (bta-miR-141, bta-miR-146a, bta-miR-148a, bta-miR-200c, bta-miR-362, and bta-miR-375) and an exogenous spike-in synthetic control miRNA (cel-miR-39) were quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to examine the apparent recovery efficiency of milk whey miRNAs. Both methods could successfully isolate sufficient small RNA (<200 nt) from milk whey, and their yields were quite similar. However, the quantification results show that the total miRNA recovery efficiency by the TM method is superior to that by the TP method. The TM method performed better than the TP for recovery of milk whey miRNA due to its consistency and good repeatability in endogenous and spike-in miRNA recovery. Additionally, quantitative recovery analysis of a spike-in miRNA may be more accurate to reflect the milk whey miRNA recovery efficiency than using traditional RNA quality analysis instruments (NanoDrop or Bioanalyzer 2100).

Comparative studies of two methods for miRNA isolation from milk whey*

PubMed Central

Jin, Xiao-lu; Wei, Zi-hai; Liu, Lan; Liu, Hong-yun; Liu, Jian-xin

2015-01-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) from milk whey have been considered for their potential as noninvasive biomarkers for milk quality control and disease diagnosis. However, standard protocols for miRNA isolation and quantification from milk whey are not well established. The objective of this study was to compare two methods for the isolation of miRNAs from milk whey. These two methods were modified phenol-based technique (Trizol LS® followed by phenol precipitation, the TP method) and combined phenol and column-based approach (Trizol LS® followed by cleanup using the miRNeasy kit, the TM method). Yield and quality of RNA were rigorously measured using a NanoDrop ND-1000 spectrophotometer and then the distribution of RNA was precisely detected in a Bioanalyzer 2100 instrument by microchip gel electrophoresis. Several endogenous miRNAs (bta-miR-141, bta-miR-146a, bta-miR-148a, bta-miR-200c, bta-miR-362, and bta-miR-375) and an exogenous spike-in synthetic control miRNA (cel-miR-39) were quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to examine the apparent recovery efficiency of milk whey miRNAs. Both methods could successfully isolate sufficient small RNA (<200 nt) from milk whey, and their yields were quite similar. However, the quantification results show that the total miRNA recovery efficiency by the TM method is superior to that by the TP method. The TM method performed better than the TP for recovery of milk whey miRNA due to its consistency and good repeatability in endogenous and spike-in miRNA recovery. Additionally, quantitative recovery analysis of a spike-in miRNA may be more accurate to reflect the milk whey miRNA recovery efficiency than using traditional RNA quality analysis instruments (NanoDrop or Bioanalyzer 2100). PMID:26055915

Glucagon-Secreting Alpha Cell Selective Two-Photon Fluorescent Probe TP-α: For Live Pancreatic Islet Imaging.

PubMed

Agrawalla, Bikram Keshari; Chandran, Yogeswari; Phue, Wut-Hmone; Lee, Sung-Chan; Jeong, Yun-Mi; Wan, Si Yan Diana; Kang, Nam-Young; Chang, Young-Tae

2015-04-29

Two-photon (TP) microscopy has an advantage for live tissue imaging which allows a deeper tissue penetration up to 1 mm comparing to one-photon (OP) microscopy. While there are several OP fluorescence probes in use for pancreatic islet imaging, TP imaging of selective cells in live islet still remains a challenge. Herein, we report the discovery of first TP live pancreatic islet imaging probe; TP-α (Two Photon-alpha) which can selectively stain glucagon secreting alpha cells. Through fluorescent image based screening using three pancreatic cell lines, we discovered TP-α from a TP fluorescent dye library TPG (TP-Green). In vitro fluorescence test showed that TP-α have direct interaction and appear glucagon with a significant fluorescence increase, but not with insulin or other hormones/analytes. Finally, TP-α was successfully applied for 3D imaging of live islets by staining alpha cell directly. The newly developed TP-α can be a practical tool to evaluate and identify live alpha cells in terms of localization, distribution and availability in the intact islets.

Significant improvements of electrical discharge machining performance by step-by-step updated adaptive control laws

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Ming; Wu, Jianyang; Xu, Xiaoyi; Mu, Xin; Dou, Yunping

2018-02-01

In order to obtain improved electrical discharge machining (EDM) performance, we have dedicated more than a decade to correcting one essential EDM defect, the weak stability of the machining, by developing adaptive control systems. The instabilities of machining are mainly caused by complicated disturbances in discharging. To counteract the effects from the disturbances on machining, we theoretically developed three control laws from minimum variance (MV) control law to minimum variance and pole placements coupled (MVPPC) control law and then to a two-step-ahead prediction (TP) control law. Based on real-time estimation of EDM process model parameters and measured ratio of arcing pulses which is also called gap state, electrode discharging cycle was directly and adaptively tuned so that a stable machining could be achieved. To this end, we not only theoretically provide three proved control laws for a developed EDM adaptive control system, but also practically proved the TP control law to be the best in dealing with machining instability and machining efficiency though the MVPPC control law provided much better EDM performance than the MV control law. It was also shown that the TP control law also provided a burn free machining.

Protein Production Through Microbial Conversion of Rice Straw by Multi-Strain Fermentation.

PubMed

Jia, Jinru; Chen, Huayou; Wu, Bangguo; Cui, Fengjie; Fang, Hua; Wang, Hongcheng; Ni, Zhong

2018-06-20

Multi-strain mixed fermentation can provide a relatively complete lignocellulosic enzyme system compared with single-strain fermentation. This study was firstly to screen strains which have a strong ability to hydrolyse rice straw (RS) enzymatically and enrich true protein (TP). Then, the conditions in the process of SSF, including the optimum inoculum size of mixed strains, inoculation ratio, and different inoculation time of N. crassa 14-8, were optimized. The experimental results showed that the highest TP content could be obtained by using N. crassa 14-8, C. utilis, and P. chrysosporium as mixed strains, and 5 mM Mn 2+ and 50 mM veratryl alcohol were used as inducers of lignin peroxidase (LiP) to improve the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis. When N. crassa 14-8 was inoculated 1 day later than P. chrysosporium, the total inoculum size was 10%, and the optimum ratio of N. crassa 14-8 to P. chrysosporium was 1:2, the maximum TP yield (8.89%) was obtained, with 123.37% of its increase rate. This work proposed a technique with potential application in large-scale feedstuff protein conversion.

Evaluation of Tp-Te Interval and Tp-Te/QT Ratio in Patients with Coronary Slow Flow Tp-Te/QT Ratio and Coronary Slow Flow.

PubMed

Tenekecioglu, Erhan; Karaagac, Kemal; Yontar, Osman Can; Agca, Fahriye Vatansever; Ozluk, Ozlem Arican; Tutuncu, Ahmet; Arslan, Burhan; Yilmaz, Mustafa

2015-06-01

Coronary slow flow (CSF) phenomenon is described by angiographically normal coronary arteries with delayed opacification of the distal vasculature. Several studies have suggested that the interval from the peak to the end of the electrocardiographic T wave (Tp-Te) may correspond to the transmural dispersion of the repolarization and that increased Tp-Te interval and Tp-Te/QT ratio are associated with malignant ventricular arrhythmias. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ventricular repolarization by using Tp-Te interval and Tp-Te/QT ratio in patients with CSF. This study included 50 CSF patients (40 male, mean age 48.6±12.5 years) and 40 control individuals (23 male, mean age 47.8±12.5 years). Tp-Te interval and Tp-Te/QT ratio were measured from the 12-lead electrocardiogram. These parameters were compared in groups. Baseline characteristics of the study groups were comparable. In electrocardiographic parameters analysis, QT and corrected QT were similar in CSF patients compared to the controls (357±35.2 vs 362±38.0 milliseconds and 419±25.8 vs 430±44.2 milliseconds, all p value >0.05). Tp-Te interval, Tp-Te/QT and Tp-Te/QTc ratio were significantly higher in CSF patients (85±13.7 vs 74±9.9 milliseconds and 0.24±0.03 vs 0.20±0.02 and 0.20±0.03 vs 0.17±0.02 all p value <0.001). Our study revealed that QTd, Tp-Te interval and Tp-Te/QT ratio are prolonged in patients with CSF.

Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio in patients with celiac disease.

PubMed

Demirtaş, K; Yayla, Ç; Yüksel, M; Açar, B; Ünal, S; Ertem, A G; Kaplan, M; Akpinar, M Y; Kiliç, Z M Y; Kayaçetin, E

2017-11-01

Celiac disease is a chronic immune-mediated disease of the small intestine. It has been known that dilated cardiomyopathy and ischemic coronary artery disease have become more frequent in patients with celiac disease. The aim of the study was to assess Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio in patients with celiac disease. This study was conducted at a single center in collaboration with gastroenterology and cardiology clinics. Between January 2014 and June 2015, a total of 76 consecutive patients were enrolled (38 patients with celiac disease and 38 control subjects). Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/QTc ratio were measured from the 12-lead electrocardiogram. Tp-e interval (64.2±11.0 vs. 44.5±6.0; p<0.001), Tp-e/QT ratio (0.18±0.02 vs. 0.13±0.02; p<0.001) and Tp-e/QTc ratio (0.16±0.02 vs. 0.11±0.01; p<0.001) were significantly higher in patients with celiac disease than control subjects. There was a significant positive correlation between Tp-e/QTc ratio and disease duration in patients with celiac disease (r=0.480, p=0.003) and also there was a significant positive correlation between Tp-e/QTc ratio and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r=0.434, p<0.001). Our study showed that Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/QTc ratios were increased in patients with celiac disease. Whether these changes increase the risk of ventricular arrhythmia deserve further studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Medicina Interna (SEMI). All rights reserved.

Platelet dysfunction associated with the novel Trp29Cys thromboxane A₂ receptor variant.

PubMed

Mumford, A D; Nisar, S; Darnige, L; Jones, M L; Bachelot-Loza, C; Gandrille, S; Zinzindohoue, F; Fischer, A-M; Mundell, S J; Gaussem, P

2013-03-01

Genetic variations that affect the structure of the thromboxane A2 receptor (TP receptor) provide insights into the function of this key platelet and vascular receptor, but are very rare in unselected populations. To determine the functional consequences of the TP receptor Trp29Cys (W29C) substitution. We performed a detailed phenotypic analysis of an index case (P1) with reduced platelet aggregation and secretion responses to TP receptor pathway activators, and a heterozygous TP receptor W29C substitution. An analysis of the variant W29C TP receptor expressed in heterologous cells was performed. Total TP receptor expression in platelets from P1 was similar to that of controls, but there was reduced maximum binding and reduced affinity of binding to the TP receptor antagonist [(3) H]SQ29548. HEK293 cells transfected with W29C TP receptor cDNA showed similar total TP receptor expression to wild-type (WT) controls. However, the TP receptor agonist U46619 was less potent at inducing rises in cytosolic free Ca(2+) in HEK293 cells expressing the W29C TP receptor than in WT controls, indicating reduced receptor function. Immunofluorescence microscopy and cell surface ELISA showed intracellular retention and reduced cell surface expression of the W29C TP receptor in HEK293 cells. Consistent with the platelet phenotype, both maximum binding and the affinity of binding of [(3) H]SQ29548 to the W29C TP receptor were reduced compared to WT controls. These findings extend the phenotypic description of the very rare disorder TP receptor deficiency, and show that the W29C substitution reduces TP receptor function by reducing surface receptor expression and by disrupting ligand binding. © 2012 International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

Utilizing Anaerobically Digested Dairy Manure for the Cultivation of Duckweed for Biomass Production, Nutrient Assimilation, and Sugar Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruger, Kevin C.

Nutrient management methods are needed to provide sustainable operation to livestock production that balance the costs of operation and maintenance. Cultivating duckweed on dairy wastes is considered an effective way of nutrient uptake and cycling. Duckweed cultivation has been implemented on nutrient management systems, such as constructed wetlands and waste stabilization ponds that use both domestic and swine wastewater. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify a nutrient concentration and duckweed strain that rapidly produces biomass, (2) removes nutrient content from anaerobically digested dairy manure, and (3) produces starch from nutrient starvation. To complete these objectives, this study targeted estimating growth and nutrient rate constants as well as starch yield of duckweed under different cultivation conditions. The strains of duckweed, Landoltia punctata 0128, Lemna gibba 7589, and Lemna minuta 9517 were identified as the promising candidates for their high levels of nutrient uptake, starch accumulation, and biomass production. The growth rate of the duckweed strain was assessed based on the effects of temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, light intensity, nutrient concentration, and biomass accumulation. The nutrient uptake through duckweed cultivation on the anaerobically digested (AD) dairy manure, characterized by the changes of total nitrogen (TN), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total phosphorus (TP), and ortho-phosphate-phosphorus (o-PO 4-P), was assessed in four nutrient dilution ratios 1:5, 1:13, 1:18, and 1:27 v/v at two light intensities of 10,000 and 3,000 lux to model seasonal variation. The duckweed strain that exhibited the best biomass production, nutrient removal and starch accumulation was Landoltia punctata 0128 at a dilution ratio of 1:27 at a light intensity of 10,000 lux. The growth rate constant established from zero order kinetics for Landoltia punctata 0128 was 13.3 gm-2d-1. The rate constants for nutrient recovery were 0.122 d-1 of TN, 0.136 d -1 of TKN, 0.145 d-1 of TP, and 0.173d-1 of o-PO4-P. The batch efficiency of cultivation for Landoltia punctata 0128 on dilution ratio 1:27, in terms of nutrient uptake was 38% m/m in relation to the total nitrogen removed. The starch yield was measured at 30% w/w for Landoltia punctata 0128 after the nutrient starvation process. Due to its ability to reduce nutrients from AD dairy manure, accumulate biomass at a rapid growth rate, and accumulate a high yield of starch, Landoltia punctata 0128 has great potential to become a preferred choice for nutrient recovery and biomass and bioethanol production.

Smoking Cessation among Low-Socioeconomic Status and Disadvantaged Population Groups: A Systematic Review of Research Output.

PubMed

Courtney, Ryan J; Naicker, Sundresan; Shakeshaft, Anthony; Clare, Philip; Martire, Kristy A; Mattick, Richard P

2015-06-08

Smoking cessation research output should move beyond descriptive research of the health problem to testing interventions that can provide causal data and effective evidence-based solutions. This review examined the number and type of published smoking cessation studies conducted in low-socioeconomic status (low-SES) and disadvantaged population groups. A systematic database search was conducted for two time periods: 2000-2004 (TP1) and 2008-2012 (TP2). Publications that examined smoking cessation in a low-SES or disadvantaged population were coded by: population of interest; study type (reviews, non-data based publications, data-based publications (descriptive, measurement and intervention research)); and country. Intervention studies were coded in accordance with the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care data collection checklist and use of biochemical verification of self-reported abstinence was assessed. 278 citations were included. Research output (i.e., all study types) had increased from TP1 27% to TP2 73% (χ²=73.13, p<0.001), however, the proportion of data-based research had not significantly increased from TP1 and TP2: descriptive (TP1=23% vs. TP2=33%) or intervention (TP1=77% vs. TP2=67%). The proportion of intervention studies adopting biochemical verification of self-reported abstinence had significantly decreased from TP1 to TP2 with an increased reliance on self-reported abstinence (TP1=12% vs. TP2=36%). The current research output is not ideal or optimal to decrease smoking rates. Research institutions, scholars and funding organisations should take heed to review findings when developing future research and policy.

Evaluation of Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

PubMed

Acar, Gurkan; Yorgun, Hikmet; Inci, Mehmet Fatih; Akkoyun, Murat; Bakan, Betul; Nacar, Alper Bugra; Dirnak, Imran; Cetin, Gozde Yildirim; Bozoglan, Orhan

2014-03-01

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic multi-systemic inflammatory rheumatic disorder. Several studies have suggested that the interval from the peak to the end of the electrocardiographic T wave (Tp-e) may correspond to the transmural dispersion of repolarization and that increased Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio are associated with malignant ventricular arrhythmias. The aim of this study was to evaluate ventricular repolarization by using Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio in patients with AS, and to assess the relation with inflammation. Sixty-two patients with AS and 50 controls were included. Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio were measured from a 12-lead electrocardiogram, and the Tp-e interval corrected for heart rate. The plasma level of high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) was measured. These parameters were compared between groups. In electrocardiographic parameters analysis, QT dispersion (QTd) and corrected QTd were significantly increased in AS patients compared to the controls (31.7 ± 9.6 vs 28.2 ± 7.4 and 35.8 ± 11.5 vs 30.6 ± 7.9 ms, P = 0.03 and P = 0.007, respectively). cTp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio were also significantly higher in AS patients (92.1 ± 10.2 vs 75.8 ± 8.4 and 0.22 ± 0.02 vs 0.19 ± 0.02 ms, all P values <0.001). cTp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio were significantly correlated with hsCRP (r = 0.63, P < 0.001 and r = 0.49, P < 0.001, respectively). Our study revealed that Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio were increased in AS patients. These electrocardiographic ventricular repolarization indexes were significantly correlated with the plasma level of hsCRP.

Evaluation of Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

PubMed

Acar, Gurkan; Yorgun, Hikmet; Inci, Mehmet Fatih; Akkoyun, Murat; Bakan, Betul; Nacar, Alper Bugra; Dirnak, Imran; Cetin, Gozde Yildirim; Bozoglan, Orhan

2013-04-12

OBJECTIVES: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic multi-systemic inflammatory rheumatic disorder. Several studies have suggested that the interval from the peak to the end of the electrocardiographic T wave (Tp-e) may correspond to the transmural dispersion of repolarization and that increased Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio are associated with malignant ventricular arrhythmias. The aim of this study was to evaluate ventricular repolarization by using Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio in patients with AS, and to assess the relation with inflammation. METHODS: Sixty-two patients with AS and 50 controls were included. Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio were measured from a 12-lead electrocardiogram, and the Tp-e interval corrected for heart rate. The plasma level of high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) was measured. These parameters were compared between groups. RESULTS: In electrocardiographic parameters analysis, QT dispersion (QTd) and corrected QTd were significantly increased in AS patients compared to the controls (31.7 ± 9.6 vs 28.2 ± 7.4 and 35.8 ± 11.5 vs 30.6 ± 7.9 ms, P = 0.03 and P = 0.007, respectively). cTp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio were also significantly higher in AS patients (92.1 ± 10.2 vs 75.8 ± 8.4 and 0.22 ± 0.02 vs 0.19 ± 0.02 ms, all P values <0.001). cTp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio were significantly correlated with hsCRP (r = 0.63, P < 0.001 and r = 0.49, P < 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio were increased in AS patients. These electrocardiographic ventricular repolarization indexes were significantly correlated with the plasma level of hsCRP.

Evaluation of Electrocardiographic T-peak to T-end Interval in Subjects with Increased Epicardial Fat Tissue Thickness.

PubMed

Kaplan, Ozgur; Kurtoglu, Ertugrul; Nar, Gokay; Yasar, Erdogan; Gozubuyuk, Gokhan; Dogan, Cem; Boz, Ahmet Ugur; Hidayet, Sıho; Pekdemir, Hasan

2015-12-01

The association between periatrial adiposity and atrial arrhythmias has been shown in previous studies. However, there are not enough available data on the association between epicardial fat tissue (EFT) thickness and parameters of ventricular repolarization. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the association of EFT thickness with indices of ventricular repolarization by using T-peak to T-end (Tp-e) interval and Tp-e/QT ratio. The present study included 50 patients whose EFT thickness ≥ 9 mm (group 1) and 40 control subjects with EFT thickness < 9 mm (group 2). Transthoracic echocardiographic examination was performed in all participants. QT parameters, Tp-e intervals and Tp-e/QT ratio were measured from the 12-lead electrocardiogram. QTd (41.1 ± 2.5 vs 38.6 ± 3.2, p < 0.001) and corrected QTd (46.7 ± 4.7 vs 43.7 ± 4, p = 0.002) were significantly higher in group 1 when compared to group 2. The Tp-e interval (76.5 ± 6.3, 70.3 ± 6.8, p < 0.001), cTp-e interval (83.1 ± 4.3 vs. 76±4.9, p < 0.001), Tp-e/QT (0.20 ± 0.02 vs. 0.2 ± 0.02, p < 0.001) and Tp-e/QTc ratios (0.2 ± 0.01 vs. 0.18 ± 0.01, p < 0.001) were increased in group 1 in comparison to group 2. Significant positive correlations were found between EFT thickness and Tp-e interval (r = 0.548, p < 0.001), cTp-e interval (r = 0.259, p = 0.01), and Tp-e/QT (r = 0.662, p < 0.001) and Tp-e/QTc ratios (r = 0.560, p < 0.001). The present study shows that Tp-e and cTp-e interval, Tp-e/QT and Tp-e/QTc ratios were increased in subjects with increased EFT, which may suggest an increased risk of ventricular arrhythmia.

Insight into Flufenamic Acid Cocrystal Dissolution in the Presence of a Polymer in Solution: from Single Crystal to Powder Dissolution.

PubMed

Guo, Minshan; Wang, Ke; Qiao, Ning; Fábián, László; Sadiq, Ghazala; Li, Mingzhong

2017-12-04

Effects of three polymers, polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and copolymer of vinylpyrrolidone/vinyl acetate (PVP-VA), on the dissolution behavior of the cocrystals of flufenamic acid with theophylline (FFA-TP CO) and nicotinamide (FFA-NIC CO) were investigated at multiple length scales. At the molecular level, the interactions of crystal surfaces with a polymer were analyzed by observing etching pattern changes using atomic force microscopy. At the macroscopic scale, dissolution rates of particular faces of a single crystal were determined by measurement of the physical retreat velocities of the faces using optical light microscopy. In the bulk experiments, the FFA concentration in a dissolution medium in the absence or presence of a polymer was measured under both sink and nonsink conditions. It has been found that the dissolution mechanisms of FFA-TP CO are controlled by the defect sites of the crystal surface and by precipitation of the parent drug FFA as individual crystals in the bulk fluid. In contrast, the dissolution mechanisms of FFA-NIC CO are controlled by surface layer removal and by a surface precipitation mechanism, where the parent drug FFA precipitates directly onto the surface of the dissolving cocrystals. Through controlling the dissolution environment by predissolving a polymer, PVP or PVP-VA, which can interact with the crystal surface to alter its dissolution properties, improved solubility, and dissolution rates of FFA-TP CO and FFA-NIC CO have been demonstrated.

Modeling actual evapotranspiration with routine meteorological variables in the data-scarce region of the Tibetan Plateau: Comparisons and implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Ning; Zhang, Yinsheng; Xu, Chong-Yu; Szilagyi, Jozsef

2015-08-01

Quantitative estimation of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) by in situ measurements and mathematical modeling is a fundamental task for physical understanding of ETa as well as the feedback mechanisms between land and the ambient atmosphere. However, the ETa information in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) has been greatly impeded by the extremely sparse ground observation network in the region. Approaches for estimating ETa solely from routine meteorological variables are therefore important for investigating spatiotemporal variations of ETa in the data-scarce region of the TP. Motivated by this need, the complementary relationship (CR) and Penman-Monteith approaches were evaluated against in situ measurements of ETa on a daily basis in an alpine steppe region of the TP. The former includes the Nonlinear Complementary Relationship (Nonlinear-CR) as well as the Complementary Relationship Areal Evapotranspiration (CRAE) models, while the latter involves the Katerji-Perrier and the Todorovic models. Results indicate that the Nonlinear-CR, CRAE, and Katerji-Perrier models are all capable of efficiently simulating daily ETa, provided their parameter values were appropriately calibrated. The Katerji-Perrier model performed best since its site-specific parameters take the soil water status into account. The Nonlinear-CR model also performed well with the advantage of not requiring the user to choose between a symmetric and asymmetric CR. The CRAE model, even with a relatively low Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) value, is also an acceptable approach in this data-scarce region as it does not need information of wind speed and ground surface conditions. In contrast, application of the Todorovic model was found to be inappropriate in the dry regions of the TP due to its significant overestimation of ETa as it neglects the effect of water stress on the bulk surface resistance. Sensitivity analysis of the parameter values demonstrated the relative importance of each parameter in the corresponding model. Overall, the Nonlinear-CR model is recommended in the absence of measured ETa for local calibration of the model parameter values.

Bullae

MedlinePlus

Habif TP. Principles of diagnosis and anatomy. In: Habif TP, ed. Clinical Dermatology . 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 1. Habif TP. Vesicular and bullous diseases. In: Habif TP, ed. ...

Development of a Highly Efficient Hybrid White Organic-Light-Emitting Diode with a Single Emission Layer by Solution Processing.

PubMed

Wu, Jun-Yi; Chen, Show-An

2018-02-07

We use a mixed host, 2,6-bis[3-(carbazol-9-yl)phenyl]pyridine blended with 20 wt % tris(4-carbazoyl-9-ylphenyl)amine, to lower the hole-injection barrier, along with the bipolar and high-photoluminescence-quantum-yield (Φ p = 84%), blue thermally activated delay fluorescence (TADF) material of 9,9-dimethyl-9,10-dihydroacridine-2,4,6-triphenyl-1,3,5-triazine (DMAC-TRZ) as a blue dopant to compose the emission layer for the fabrication of a TADF blue organic-light-emitting diode (BOLED). The device is highly efficient with the following performance parameters: maximum brightness (B max ) = 57586 cd/m 2 , maximum current efficiency (CE max ) = 35.3 cd/A, maximum power efficiency (PE max ) = 21.4 lm/W, maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE max ) = 14.1%, and CIE coordinates (0.18, 0.42). This device has the best performance recorded among the reported solution-processed TADF BOLEDs and has a low efficiency roll-off: at brightness values of 1000 and 5000 cd/m 2 , its CEs are close, being 35.1 and 30.1 cd/A, respectively. Upon further doping of the red phosphor Ir(dpm)PQ 2 (emission peak λ max = 595 nm) into the blue emission layer, we obtained a TADF-phosphor hybrid white organic-light-emitting diode (T-P hybrid WOLED) with high performance: B max = 43594 cd/m 2 , CE max = 28.8 cd/A, PE max = 18.1 lm/W, and CIE coordinates (0.38, 0.44). This B max = 43594 cd/m 2 is better than that of the vacuum-deposited WOLED with a blue TADF emitter, 10000 cd/m 2 . This is also the first report on a T-P hybrid WOLED with a solution-processed emitting layer.

Assessment of the Spatial and Temporal Variations of Water Quality for Agricultural Lands with Crop Rotation in China by Using a HYPE Model

PubMed Central

Yin, Yunxing; Jiang, Sanyuan; Pers, Charlotta; Yang, Xiaoying; Liu, Qun; Yuan, Jin; Yao, Mingxing; He, Yi; Luo, Xingzhang; Zheng, Zheng

2016-01-01

Many water quality models have been successfully used worldwide to predict nutrient losses from anthropogenically impacted catchments, but hydrological and nutrient simulations with limited data are difficult considering the transfer of model parameters and complication of model calibration and validation. This study aims: (i) to assess the performance capabilities of a new and relatively more advantageous model, namely, Hydrological Predictions for the Environment (HYPE), that simulates stream flow and nutrient load in agricultural areas by using a multi-site and multi-objective parameter calibration method and (ii) to investigate the temporal and spatial variations of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP) concentrations and loads with crop rotation by using the model for the first time. A parameter estimation tool (PEST) was used to calibrate parameters. Results show that the parameters related to the effective soil porosity were highly sensitive to hydrological modeling. N balance was largely controlled by soil denitrification processes. P balance was influenced by the sedimentation rate and production/decay of P in rivers and lakes. The model reproduced the temporal and spatial variations of discharge and TN/TP relatively well in both calibration (2006–2008) and validation (2009–2010) periods. Among the obtained data, the lowest Nash-Suttclife efficiency of discharge, daily TN load, and daily TP load were 0.74, 0.51, and 0.54, respectively. The seasonal variations of daily TN concentrations in the entire simulation period were insufficient, indicated that crop rotation changed the timing and amount of N output. Monthly TN and TP simulation yields revealed that nutrient outputs were abundant in summer in terms of the corresponding discharge. The area-weighted TN and TP load annual yields in five years showed that nutrient loads were extremely high along Hong and Ru rivers, especially in agricultural lands. PMID:26999184

Mass spectrometry of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) adducts with the dinucleosidemonophosphates d(ApG), d(GpG) and d(TpC) in an ion trap.

PubMed

Hagemeister, Timo; Linscheid, Michael

2002-07-01

The detection and fragmentation behaviour of adducts of the chemotherapeutic cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (cisplatin) with the dinucleosidemonophosphates d(ApG), d(GpG) and d(TpC) as model compounds for DNA adducts in an ion trap with electrospray ionization were studied. Mainly the monofunctional adduct, the bifunctional adduct and the bifunctional adduct with platinum bridging two dinucleosidemonophosphates were detected. In addition, several more complex adducts were seen resulting from reactions among these species. Adduct formation was low in the case of d(TpC). Fragmentation could be controlled strongly by varying the temperature of the transfer capillary; furthermore, tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) experiments on both the monofunctional and the bifunctional adducts were performed. For the adducts of d(ApG) and d(GpG) losses of NH(3) and HCl were the most dominant reactions, followed by the losses of one, then another two units of 98 amu from the sugar-phosphate backbone, whereas d(TpC)-Pt predominantly forms the dinucleosidemonophosphate. In the gas phase, the conversion of the monofunctional into the bifunctional adducts through binding to another site in the dinucleotide accompanied by loss of NH(3) or HCl could also be observed. The removal of a ligand from the coordination sphere of the square-planar platinum complexes appeared to be the crucial step for the induction of further fragmentation of the dinucleotide ligand. MS(n) experiments of the bifunctional adducts of d(ApG) and d(GpG) revealed different fragmentation pathways involving the loss of phosphoric acid, metaphosphoric acid, deoxyribose units (intact or dehydrated) and the nucleobases in different orders, leaving characteristic binding site-determining fragments. Fragmentation of these ions was also performed, mainly resulting in fragmentation of the bases. The study confirmed the remarkable stability of the platinum-guanine bond compared with other nucleobases. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Performances of the Poseidon-2 altimeter instrument onboard Jason-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carayon, G.; Steunou, N.; Courrière, J. L.; Thibaut, P.; Zanife, O. Z.; Vincent, P.

Since July 2003, Jason-1 is providing sea-level and sea-state altimetric data in a routine way, including near-real time and fully validated off-line geophysical products. The main mission of Jason-1 is to maintain the high accuracy altimeter service, provided by TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) since 1992, insuring the continuity in observing and monitoring the Ocean Dynamics (intra-seasonal to inter-annual changes, mean sea level, tides...). Successfully launched by a Boeing Delta 2 rocket from the Vandenberg site (CA, USA) on December 7, 2001, Jason-1 has been designed to follow on from T/P: its instruments and data processing systems have drawn extensively on the lessons learned from its predecessor. The Jason-1 altimetric payload is composed with four main elements: satellite tracking systems (a laser retro-reflector array, DORIS, and a Turbo-Rogue GPS receiver), a three-frequency water vapor radiometer and a dual-frequency altimeter that is named POSEIDON-2. The POSEIDON-2 altimeter inherits many characteristics from the experimental POSEIDON-1 that has been successfully operating since mid-1992 onboard T/P. This new generation altimeter radar is provided in full redundancy: It comprises high reliability components in order to achieve the 5 years expected lifetime. Ionospheric delay is removed through the introduction of an additional C-band measurement channel interleaved with Ku-band measurements. Each altimeter instrument exhibits a mass of 25 kg and a power consumption of 70 W. After summarizing the POSEIDON-2 design : technical characteristics, main operating modes, onboard algorithms, in flight performances will be presented more extensively: results from instrument internal calibrations, estimations of noise on the measured parameters. As a conclusion, more global results dealing with the calibration and validation of the Jason-1 altimetric measurements will be presented, and performance comparisons with T/P will be illustrated.

Degradation of trans-polyisoprene after root filling with thermoplasticized techniques.

PubMed

Maniglia-Ferreira, C; Bönecker, G; Silva, J B A; de Paula, R C M; Feitosa, J P A; Souza-Filho, F J

2008-04-01

To evaluate ex vivo degradation of gutta-percha following six thermoplastic obturation techniques. Ninety human-extracted mandibular premolars were selected and divided randomly into nine groups for filling. Group 1: thermomechanical compaction for 3 s with Konne gutta-percha points (Konne Ind. e Com. de Mat. Odontol., Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil); Group 2: thermomechanical compaction for 3 s with Dentsply TP gutta-percha points (Dentsply Indústria e Comércio Ltda, Petrópolis, R.J. Brazil); Group 3: thermomechanical compaction for 10 s with Konne; Group 4: thermomechanical compaction for 10 s with Dentsply TP; Group 5: warm vertical condensation using System B (EIE/Analytic, Richmond, WA, USA) with Konne; Group 6: warm vertical condensation using System B with Dentsply TP; Group 7: vertical condensation with Konne; Group 8: vertical condensation with Dentsply TP; Group 9: Microseal cone (Analytic Endodontics, Glendora, CA, USA). A further four groups were assessed without using teeth, Group 10: Microseal microflow (Analytic Endodontics); Group 11: Obtura (Obtura Corporation, Penton, MO, USA); Group 12: Obtura flow (Obtura Corporation); Group 13: Thermafil (Dentsply Maillefer, Tulsa, OK, USA). The filling material was removed from the root canal and trans-1,4-polyisoprene isolated by solubilization of the root filling remnants in chloroform followed by filtration and centrifugation. By gel permeation chromatography and infrared spectroscopy, the occurrence and degree of degradation were assessed. The results were analysed statistically using the Kruskal-Wallis test. With differential scanning calorimetry, the thermal behaviour of the gutta-percha was determined. A significant decrease in polymer molar mass and the production of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups in the polymer were observed with thermomechanical compaction used for 10 s and vertical condensation filling techniques (P = 0.0001 and P = 0.0005, respectively). Other techniques caused no polymer degradation. Polyisoprene degrades with high temperature. Thermomechanical compaction for 10 s and vertical condensation were associated with the greatest degradative process.

Septic Systems Contribution to Phosphorus in Shallow Groundwater: Field-Scale Studies Using Conventional Drainfield Designs

PubMed Central

Mechtensimer, Sara

2017-01-01

Septic systems can be a potential source of phosphorus (P) in groundwater and contribute to eutrophication in aquatic systems. Our objective was to investigate P transport from two conventional septic systems (drip dispersal and gravel trench) to shallow groundwater. Two new in-situ drainfields (6.1 m long by 0.61 m wide) with a 3.72 m2 infiltrative surface were constructed. The drip dispersal drainfield was constructed by placing 30.5 cm commercial sand on top of natural soil and the gravel trench drainfield was constructed by placing 30.5 cm of gravel on top of 30.5 cm commercial sand and natural soil. Suction cup lysimeters were installed in the drainfields (at 30.5, 61, 106.7 cm below infiltrative surface) and piezometers were installed in the groundwater (>300 cm below infiltrative surface) to capture P dynamics from the continuum of unsaturated to saturated zones in the septic systems. Septic tank effluent (STE), soil-water, and groundwater samples were collected for 64 events (May 2012–Dec 2013) at 2 to 3 days (n = 13), weekly (n = 29), biweekly (n = 17), and monthly (n = 5) intervals. One piezometer was installed up-gradient of the drainfields to monitor background groundwater (n = 15). Samples were analyzed for total P (TP), orthophosphate-P (PO4–P), and other–P (TP—PO4-P). The gravel trench drainfield removed significantly (p<0.0001) greater TP (~20%) than the drip dispersal in the first 30.5 cm of the drainfield. However, when STE reached >300 cm in the groundwater, both systems had similar TP reductions of >97%. After 18 months of STE application, there was no significant increase in groundwater TP concentrations in both systems. We conclude that both drainfield designs are effective at reducing P transport to shallow groundwater. PMID:28107505

Imaging Thromboembolism with Fibrin-Avid 99mTc-Peptide: Evaluation in Swine

PubMed Central

Aruva, Mohan R.; Daviau, Judy; Sharma, Shubh S.; Thakur, Mathew L.

2006-01-01

A pentapeptide, Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro-Pro, with high affinity for α-chain-fibrin was labeled with 99mTc (99mTc-TP850) and evaluated in swine to image experimental venous thromboembolism (deep vein thrombosis [DVT]) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods Scatchard analysis was performed to determine fibrin affinity for TP850 and the number of binding sites (receptors) per milligram of fibrin. DVT was induced in the left jugular vein and PE was induced by introducing a preformed autologous blood clot into the right atrium using a 7-French introducer sheath inserted into the right jugular vein. 99mTc-TP850 was injected at 4, 24, 48, 72, 96, or 120 h later. Animals were imaged for up to 4 h after injection, heparinized, and sacrificed. Lungs were extirpated, radiographed, and imaged, and the PE was removed. Other tissues, including blood and normal lungs, were harvested and, concomitantly, 99mTc was counted for determination of target-to-tissue ratios and the percentage injected dose per gram of tissue. Results The affinity for human fibrin was 10−9 mol/L and there were >1015 receptors per milligram of fibrin. DVT and PE were visualized for up to 4 h after injection with high DVT/blood (7.9–22.6), DVT/muscle (31.1–89.4), PE/blood (1–155), and PE/lung (0.8–245) ratios. Thereafter, the PEs fragmented spontaneously below the spatial resolution of the γ-camera and, despite the high associated radioactivity, could not be localized in vivo. The fragmented clots were detectable by scintigraphy on excised lungs and provided excellent concordance with radiograms. Conclusion 99mTc-TP850 with its modest affinity (10−9 mol/L), rapid blood clearance, and high DVT and PE uptake is a promising agent for imaging vascular thrombosis. PMID:16391200

Performance, carotenoids yield and microbial population dynamics in a photobioreactor system treating acidic wastewater: Effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and organic loading rate (OLR).

PubMed

Liu, Shuli; Zhang, Guangming; Zhang, Jie; Li, Xiangkun; Li, Jianzheng

2016-01-01

Effects of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and influent organic loading rate (OLR) were investigated in a photobioreactor containing PNSB (Rhodopseudomonas palustris)-chemoheterotrophic bacteria to treat volatile fatty acid wastewater. Pollutants removal, biomass production and carotenoids yield in different phases were investigated in together with functional microbial population dynamics. The results indicated that properly decreasing HRT and increasing OLR improved the nutrient removal performance as well as the biomass and carotenoids productions. 85.7% COD, 89.9% TN and 91.8% TP removals were achieved under the optimal HRT of 48h and OLR of 2.51g/L/d. Meanwhile, the highest biomass production and carotenoids yield were 2719.3mg/L and 3.91mg/g-biomass respectively. In addition, HRT and OLR have obvious impacts on PNSB and total bacteria dynamics. Statistical analyses indicated that the COD removal exhibited a positive relationship with OLR, biomass and carotenoids production. PNSB/total bacteria ratio had a positive correlation with the carotenoids yield. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nutrient removal by up-scaling a hybrid floating treatment bed (HFTB) using plant and periphyton: From laboratory tank to polluted river.

PubMed

Liu, Junzhuo; Wang, Fengwu; Liu, Wei; Tang, Cilai; Wu, Chenxi; Wu, Yonghong

2016-05-01

Planted floating treatment bed (FTB) is an innovative technique of removing nutrients from polluted water but limited in deep water and cold seasons. Periphyton was integrated into FTB for a hybrid floating treatment bed (HFTB) to improve its nutrient removal capacity. To assess its potential for treating nutrient-polluted rivers, HFTB was up-scaled from 5L laboratory tanks to 350L outdoor tanks and then to a commercial-scale 900m section of polluted river. Plants and periphyton interacted in HFTB with periphyton limiting plant root growth and plants having shading effects on periphyton. Non-overlapping distribution of plants and periphyton can minimize the negative interactions in HFTB. HFTB successfully kept TN and TP of the river at less than 2.0 and 0.02mgL(-1), respectively. This study indicates that HFTB can be easily up-scaled for nutrients removal from polluted rivers in different seasons providing a long-term, environmentally-friendly method to remediate polluted ecosystems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of amino acids on lipid production and nutrient removal by Rhodotorula glutinis cultivation in starch wastewater.

PubMed

Liu, Meng; Zhang, Xu; Tan, Tianwei

2016-10-01

In this paper, the components of amino acids in mixed starch wastewater (corn steep water/corn gluten water=1/3, v/v) were analyzed by GC-MS. Effects of amino acids on lipid production by Rhodotorula glutinis and COD removal were studied. The results showed that mixed starch wastewater contained 9 kinds of amino acids and these amino acids significantly improved the biomass (13.63g/L), lipid yield (2.48g/L) and COD removal compared to the basic medium (6.23g/L and 1.56g/L). In a 5L fermentor containing mixed starch wastewater as substrate to culture R. glutinis, the maximum biomass, lipid content and lipid yield reached 26.38g/L, 28.90% and 7.62g/L, with the associated removal rates of COD, TN and TP reaching 77.41%, 69.12% and 73.85%, respectively. The results revealed a promising approach for lipid production with using amino acids present in starch wastewater as an alternative nitrogen source. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of nitrogen and phosphorus purification effects of different wetland plants on eutrophic water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Junzhong; Qi, Yong; Li, Hongyuan; Xu, Guangyao

2018-02-01

Using hydroponic, 13 plants were selected from 2 type (aquatic plants, hygrophytes) of new varieties and common varieties of wetland plants in Tianjin to explore the differences of purification effect of nitrogen and phosphorus in water. The result shows that the plants on the removal rate of total nitrogen was significantly higher than control group, but the differences were small. Among them, yellow iris, Siberia iris, Cyperus alternifolius, aquatic Canna and Miscanthus sinensis had the best effect on TN, and the removal rate was above 99%; The removal rates of total phosphorus in plants were significantly higher than those in control group (except for M.sinensis cv. ‘Variegatus’), and the differences among the groups were relatively significant. Among them, Irispseudoacorus, Cyperus alternifolius, iris pseudacorus, Scirpus tabernaemontani, Iris siberian, C.glauca and M.sinensis cv. ‘Gracillimus’ had the best effect on TP, and the removal rate was more than 70%. Therefore, Irispseudoacorus, Cyperus alternifolius, iris pseudacorus, Scirpus tabernaemontani, Iris siberian, C.glauca and M.sinensis cv. ‘Gracillimus’ can be used as an alternative plant for eutrophic, wetlands or landscape water.

Nutrient removal and lipid production by Coelastrella sp. in anaerobically and aerobically treated swine wastewater.

PubMed

Luo, Le; He, Huijun; Yang, Chunping; Wen, Shan; Zeng, Guangming; Wu, Mengjie; Zhou, Zili; Lou, Wei

2016-09-01

Coelastrella sp. QY01, a microalgae species isolated from a local pond, was identified and used for the treatment of anaerobically and aerobically treated swine wastewater (AnATSW). Microalgal growth characteristics, nutrient removal and lipid accumulation of QY01 cultivated in the initial concentration of AnATSW ranged from 63 to 319mg NH3-N/L were examined. The specific growth rate of QY01 cultivated in cultures ranged from 0.269 to 0.325day(-1) with a biomass productivity from 42.77 to 57.46mgL(-1)day(-1). Removal rates for NH3-N, TP and inorganic carbon in AnATSW at the various nutrient concentrations ranged from 90% to 100%, from 90% to 100% and from 74% to 78%, respectively. The lipid content of QY01 ranged from 22.4% to 24.8%. The lipid productivity was positive correlation with the biomass productivity. 40% AnATSW was optimal for QY01 cultivation, in which nutrient removal and productivity of biomass and lipid were maximized. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cardiopulmonary responses of intratracheally instilled tire particles and constituent metal components

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gottipolu, R.R.; Landa, E.R.; Schladweiler, M.C.; McGee, J.K.; Ledbetter, A.D.; Richards, J.H.; Wallenborn, G.J.; Kodavanti, U.P.

2008-01-01

Tire and brake wear particles contain transition metals, and contribute to near-road PM. We hypothesized that acute cardiopulmonary injury from respirable tire particles (TP) will depend on the amount of soluble metals. Respirable fractions of two types of TP (TP1 and TP2) were analyzed for water and acid-leachable metals using ICP-AES. Both TP types contained a variety of transition metals, including zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), aluminum, and iron. Zn and Cu were detected at high levels in water-soluble fractions (TP2 > TP1). Male Wistar Kyoto rats (12-14 wk) were intratracheally instilled, in the first study, with saline, TP1 or TP2 (5 mg/kg), and in the second study, with soluble Zn, Cu (0.5 ??mol/kg), or both. Pulmonary toxicity and cardiac mitochondrial enzymes were analyzed 1 d, 1 wk, or 4 wk later for TP and 4 or 24 h later for metals. Increases in lavage fluid markers of inflammation and injury were observed at d 1 (TP2 > TP1), but these changes reversed by wk 1. No effects on cardiac enzymes were noted with either TP. Exposure of rats to soluble Zn and Cu caused marked pulmonary inflammation and injury but temporal differences were apparent (Cu effects peaked at 4 h and Zn at 24 h). Instillation of Zn, Cu, and Zn+ Cu decreased the activity of cardiac aconitase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, cytochrome-c-oxidase and superoxide dismutase suggesting mitochondrial oxidative stress. The observed acute pulmonary toxicity of TP could be due to the presence of water soluble Zn and Cu. At high concentrations these metals may induce cardiac oxidative stress. Copyright ?? Informa Healthcare USA, Inc.

An Aggressive Surgical Approach Leads to Improved Survival in Patients With Gallbladder Cancer

PubMed Central

Dixon, Elijah; Vollmer, Charles M.; Sahajpal, Ajay; Cattral, Mark; Grant, David; Doig, Christopher; Hemming, Al; Taylor, Bryce; Langer, Bernard; Greig, Paul; Gallinger, Steven

2005-01-01

Objective: To determine if an aggressive surgical approach, with an increase in R0 resections, has resulted in improved survival for patients with gallbladder cancer. Summary Background Data: Many physicians express a relatively nihilistic approach to the treatment of gallbladder cancer; consensus among surgeons regarding the indications for a radical surgical approach has not been reached. Methods: A retrospective review of all patients with gallbladder cancer admitted during the past 12 years was conducted. Ninety-nine patients were identified. Cases treated during the 12-year period 1990 to 2002 were divided into 2 time-period (TP) cohorts, those treated in the first 6 years (TP1, N = 35) and those treated in the last 6 years (TP2, N = 64). Results: Disease stratification by stage and other demographic features were similar in the 2 time periods. An operation with curative intent was performed on 38 patients. Nine (26%) R0 resections were performed in TP1 and 24 (38%) in TP2. The number of liver resections, as well as the frequency of extrahepatic biliary resections, was greater in TP2 (P < 0.04). In both time periods, an R0 resection was associated with improved survival (P < 0.02 TP1, P < 0.0001 TP2). Overall survival of all patients in TP2 was significantly greater than in TP1 (P < 0.03), with a median survival of 9 months in TP1 and 17 months in TP2. The median 5-year survival in TP1 was 7%, and 35% in TP2. The surgical mortality rate for the entire cohort was 2%, with a 49% morbidity rate. Conclusions: A margin-negative, R0 resection leads to improved survival in patients with gallbladder cancer. PMID:15729060

Smoking Cessation among Low-Socioeconomic Status and Disadvantaged Population Groups: A Systematic Review of Research Output

PubMed Central

Courtney, Ryan J.; Naicker, Sundresan; Shakeshaft, Anthony; Clare, Philip; Martire, Kristy A.; Mattick, Richard P.

2015-01-01

Background: Smoking cessation research output should move beyond descriptive research of the health problem to testing interventions that can provide causal data and effective evidence-based solutions. This review examined the number and type of published smoking cessation studies conducted in low-socioeconomic status (low-SES) and disadvantaged population groups. Methods: A systematic database search was conducted for two time periods: 2000–2004 (TP1) and 2008–2012 (TP2). Publications that examined smoking cessation in a low-SES or disadvantaged population were coded by: population of interest; study type (reviews, non-data based publications, data-based publications (descriptive, measurement and intervention research)); and country. Intervention studies were coded in accordance with the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care data collection checklist and use of biochemical verification of self-reported abstinence was assessed. Results: 278 citations were included. Research output (i.e., all study types) had increased from TP1 27% to TP2 73% (χ² = 73.13, p < 0.001), however, the proportion of data-based research had not significantly increased from TP1 and TP2: descriptive (TP1 = 23% vs. TP2 = 33%) or intervention (TP1 = 77% vs. TP2 = 67%). The proportion of intervention studies adopting biochemical verification of self-reported abstinence had significantly decreased from TP1 to TP2 with an increased reliance on self-reported abstinence (TP1 = 12% vs. TP2 = 36%). Conclusions: The current research output is not ideal or optimal to decrease smoking rates. Research institutions, scholars and funding organisations should take heed to review findings when developing future research and policy. PMID:26062037

TP53 dysfunction in CLL: Implications for prognosis and treatment.

PubMed

Te Raa, Gera D; Kater, Arnon P

2016-03-01

Despite the availability of novel targeted agents, TP53 defects remain the most important adverse prognostic factor in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Detection of deletion of TP53 locus (17p deletion) by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) has become standard and performed prior to every line of treatment as the incidence dramatically increases as relapses occur. As monoallelic mutations of TP53 equally affect outcome, novel methods are being developed to improve detection of TP53 defects and include next-generation sequencing (NGS) and functional assays. TP53 defects highly affect outcome of immunochemotherapy but also alter response durations of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Although BCR-targeting agents and Bcl-2-inhibitos have achieved durable responses in some patients with TP53 defects, long-term follow-up is currently lacking. In this review biological and clinical consequences of TP53 dysfunction as well as applicability of currently available methods to detect TP53 defects are described. In addition, proposed novel therapeutic strategies specifically for patients with TP53 dysfunction are discussed. In summary, the only curative treatment option for TP53-defective CLL is still allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Other treatment strategies such as rationale combinations of agents with different (TP53 independent) targets, including kinase inhibitors and inhibitors of anti-apoptotic molecules but also immunomodulatory agents need to be further explored. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SCPS-TP: A Satellite-Enhanced TCP

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, Keith; Torgerson, Leigh

2004-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the Space Communications Protocol Standard Transport Protocol (SCPS-TP) which is a satellite enhanced Transport Control Protocol (TCP). The contents include: 1) Purpose; 2) Background; 3) Stressed Communication Environments; 4) SCPS-TP Features; 5) SCPS-TP Performance; 6) Performance Enhancing Proxies (PEPs); and 7) Ongoing and Future SCPS-TP Work.

Temperature Regimes Impact Coral Assemblages along Environmental Gradients on Lagoonal Reefs in Belize

PubMed Central

Townsend, Joseph E.; Courtney, Travis A.; Aichelman, Hannah E.; Davies, Sarah W.; Lima, Fernando P.; Castillo, Karl D.

2016-01-01

Coral reefs are increasingly threatened by global and local anthropogenic stressors such as rising seawater temperature, nutrient enrichment, sedimentation, and overfishing. Although many studies have investigated the impacts of local and global stressors on coral reefs, we still do not fully understand how these stressors influence coral community structure, particularly across environmental gradients on a reef system. Here, we investigate coral community composition across three different temperature and productivity regimes along a nearshore-offshore gradient on lagoonal reefs of the Belize Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS). A novel metric was developed using ultra-high-resolution satellite-derived estimates of sea surface temperatures (SST) to classify reefs as exposed to low (lowTP), moderate (modTP), or high (highTP) temperature parameters over 10 years (2003 to 2012). Coral species richness, abundance, diversity, density, and percent cover were lower at highTP sites relative to lowTP and modTP sites, but these coral community traits did not differ significantly between lowTP and modTP sites. Analysis of coral life history strategies revealed that highTP sites were dominated by hardy stress-tolerant and fast-growing weedy coral species, while lowTP and modTP sites consisted of competitive, generalist, weedy, and stress-tolerant coral species. Satellite-derived estimates of Chlorophyll-a (chl-a) were obtained for 13-years (2003–2015) as a proxy for primary production. Chl-a concentrations were highest at highTP sites, medial at modTP sites, and lowest at lowTP sites. Notably, thermal parameters correlated better with coral community traits between site types than productivity, suggesting that temperature (specifically number of days above the thermal bleaching threshold) played a greater role in defining coral community structure than productivity on the MBRS. Dominance of weedy and stress-tolerant genera at highTP sites suggests that corals utilizing these two life history strategies may be better suited to cope with warmer oceans and thus may warrant protective status under climate change. PMID:27606598

HPV-negative penile squamous cell carcinoma: disruptive mutations in the TP53 gene are common.

PubMed

Kashofer, Karl; Winter, Elke; Halbwedl, Iris; Thueringer, Andrea; Kreiner, Marisa; Sauer, Stefan; Regauer, Sigrid

2017-07-01

The majority of penile squamous cell carcinomas is caused by transforming human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. The etiology of HPV-negative cancers is unclear, but TP53 mutations have been implicated. Archival tissues of 108 invasive squamous cell carcinoma from a single pathology institution in a low-incidence area were analyzed for HPV-DNA and p16 ink4a overexpression and for TP53 mutations by ion torrent next-generation sequencing. Library preparation failed in 32/108 squamous cell carcinomas. Institutional review board approval was obtained. Thirty of 76 squamous cell carcinomas (43%; average 63 years) were HPV-negative with 8/33 squamous cell carcinomas being TP53 wild-type (24%; average 63 years). Twenty-five of 33 squamous cell carcinomas (76%; average 65 years) showed 32 different somatic TP53 mutations (23 missense mutations in exons 5-8, 6 nonsense, 1 frameshift and 2 splice-site mutations). Several hotspot mutations were detected multiple times (R175H, R248, R282, and R273). Eighteen of 19 squamous cell carcinomas with TP53 expression in immunohistochemistry had TP53 mutations. Fifty percent of TP53-negative squamous cell carcinomas showed mostly truncating loss-of-function TP53 mutations. Patients without mutations had longer survival (5 years: 86% vs 61%; 10 years: 60% vs 22%), but valid clinically relevant conclusions cannot be drawn due to different tumor stages and heterogeneous treatment of the cases presented in this study. Somatic TP53 mutations are a common feature in HPV-negative penile squamous cell carcinomas and offer an explanation for HPV-independent penile carcinogenesis. About half of HPV-negative penile cancers are driven by oncogenic activation of TP53, while a quarter is induced by loss of TP53 tumor suppressor function. Detection of TP53 mutations should be carried out by sequencing, as immunohistochemical TP53 staining could not identify all squamous cell carcinomas with TP53 mutations.

Prediction of utilizable true protein of mixed rations for sheep using an in vitro incubation technique.

PubMed

Li, Yuan-Xiao; Zhao, Guang-Yong

2007-04-01

The objective of the present experiment was to study the relationship between in vitro utilizable true protein (uTP) and in vivo-uTP of sheep rations by regression analysis. A further aim was to analyse if in vivo-uTP of mixed rations could be predicted by regression analysis between in vitro-uTP and in vivo-uTP, using N-retention of sheep as important evaluation criteria of protein value. Three adult male sheep (body weight [BW] 46 + 1.3 kg) fitted with rumen cannulas and simple T-type duodenal cannulas were fed with twelve typical rations with graded levels of crude protein and true protein in four experiments according a 3 x 3 Latin square design. Each experimental period included an adaptation (7 days), a N balance trial (4 days) and a collection of duodenal digesta (3 days). During collection of duodenal digesta, polyethylene glycol and chromium oxide were used as dual markers for the measurement of duodenal digesta flow and calculation of the in vivo-uTP of duodenal digesta. The in vitro-uTP of the rations was determined using the in vitro incubation technique of Zhao and Lebzien (2000). It was found that both in vitro-uTP intake and in vivo-uTP intake were significantly correlated with N-retention (p < 0.001) and that there was a significant linear relationship between the content of in vitro-uTP and in vivo-uTP in rations (p < 0.001). Therefore, it was concluded that the used in vitro incubation technique is suitable for the determination of in vitro-uTP of mixed rations for sheep, and that the amount of in vivo-uTP can be predicted by regression between in vitro-uTP and in vivo-uTP.

Evaluation of inhomogeneities of repolarization in patients with psoriasis vulgaris

PubMed Central

İnci, Sinan; Aksan, Gökhan; Nar, Gökay; Yüksel, Esra Pancar; Ocal, Hande Serra; Çapraz, Mustafa; Yüksel, Serkan; Şahin, Mahmut

2016-01-01

Introduction The arrhythmia potential has not been investigated adequately in psoriatic patients. In this study, we assessed the ventricular repolarization dispersion, using the Tp-e interval and the Tp-e/QT ratio, and investigated the association with inflammation. Material and methods Seventy-one psoriasis vulgaris patients and 70 age- and gender-matched healthy individuals were enrolled in the study. The severity of the disease was calculated using Psoriasis Area and Severity Index scoring. The QTd was defined as the difference between the maximum and minimum QT intervals. The Tp-e interval was defined as the interval from the peak of the T wave to the end of the T wave. The Tp-e interval was corrected for heart rate. The Tp-e/QT ratio was calculated using these measurements. Results There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to basal clinical and laboratory characteristics (p > 0.05). The Tp-e interval, the corrected Tp-e interval (cTp-e) and the Tp-e/QT ratio were also significantly higher in psoriasis patients compared to the control group (78.5 ±8.0 ms vs. 71.4 ±7.6 ms, p < 0.001, 86.3 ±13.2 ms vs. 77.6 ±9.0 ms, p < 0.001 and 0.21 ±0.02 vs. 0.19 ±0.02, p < 0.001 respectively). A significant correlation was detected between the cTp-e time and the Tp-e/QT ratio and the PASI score in the group of psoriatic patients (r = 0.51, p < 0.001; r = 0.59, p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions In our study, we detected a significant increase in the Tp-e interval and the Tp-e/QT ratio in patients with psoriasis vulgaris. The Tp-e interval and the Tp-e/QT ratio may be predictors for ventricular arrhythmias in patients with psoriasis vulgaris. PMID:27904512

Temperature Regimes Impact Coral Assemblages along Environmental Gradients on Lagoonal Reefs in Belize.

PubMed

Baumann, Justin H; Townsend, Joseph E; Courtney, Travis A; Aichelman, Hannah E; Davies, Sarah W; Lima, Fernando P; Castillo, Karl D

2016-01-01

Coral reefs are increasingly threatened by global and local anthropogenic stressors such as rising seawater temperature, nutrient enrichment, sedimentation, and overfishing. Although many studies have investigated the impacts of local and global stressors on coral reefs, we still do not fully understand how these stressors influence coral community structure, particularly across environmental gradients on a reef system. Here, we investigate coral community composition across three different temperature and productivity regimes along a nearshore-offshore gradient on lagoonal reefs of the Belize Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS). A novel metric was developed using ultra-high-resolution satellite-derived estimates of sea surface temperatures (SST) to classify reefs as exposed to low (lowTP), moderate (modTP), or high (highTP) temperature parameters over 10 years (2003 to 2012). Coral species richness, abundance, diversity, density, and percent cover were lower at highTP sites relative to lowTP and modTP sites, but these coral community traits did not differ significantly between lowTP and modTP sites. Analysis of coral life history strategies revealed that highTP sites were dominated by hardy stress-tolerant and fast-growing weedy coral species, while lowTP and modTP sites consisted of competitive, generalist, weedy, and stress-tolerant coral species. Satellite-derived estimates of Chlorophyll-a (chl-a) were obtained for 13-years (2003-2015) as a proxy for primary production. Chl-a concentrations were highest at highTP sites, medial at modTP sites, and lowest at lowTP sites. Notably, thermal parameters correlated better with coral community traits between site types than productivity, suggesting that temperature (specifically number of days above the thermal bleaching threshold) played a greater role in defining coral community structure than productivity on the MBRS. Dominance of weedy and stress-tolerant genera at highTP sites suggests that corals utilizing these two life history strategies may be better suited to cope with warmer oceans and thus may warrant protective status under climate change.

TP53 mutation and survival in aggressive B cell lymphoma.

PubMed

Zenz, Thorsten; Kreuz, Markus; Fuge, Maxi; Klapper, Wolfram; Horn, Heike; Staiger, Annette M; Winter, Doris; Helfrich, Hanne; Huellein, Jennifer; Hansmann, Martin-Leo; Stein, Harald; Feller, Alfred; Möller, Peter; Schmitz, Norbert; Trümper, Lorenz; Loeffler, Markus; Siebert, Reiner; Rosenwald, Andreas; Ott, German; Pfreundschuh, Michael; Stilgenbauer, Stephan

2017-10-01

TP53 is mutated in 20-25% of aggressive B-cell lymphoma (B-NHL). To date, no studies have addressed the impact of TP53 mutations in prospective clinical trial cohorts. To evaluate the impact of TP53 mutation to current risk models in aggressive B-NHL, we investigated TP53 gene mutations within the RICOVER-60 trial. Of 1,222 elderly patients (aged 61-80 years) enrolled in the study and randomized to six or eight cycles of CHOP-14 with or without Rituximab (NCT00052936), 265 patients were analyzed for TP53 mutations. TP53 mutations were demonstrated in 63 of 265 patients (23.8%). TP53 mutation was associated with higher LDH (65% vs. 37%; p < 0.001), higher international prognostic index-Scores (IPI 4/5 27% vs. 12%; p = 0.025) and B-symptoms (41% vs. 24%; p = 0.011). Patients with TP53 mutation were less likely to obtain a complete remission CR/CRu (CR unconfirmed) 61.9% (mut) vs. 79.7% (wt) (p = 0.007). TP53 mutations were associated with decreased event-free (EFS), progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) (median observation time of 40.2 months): the 3 year EFS, PFS and OS were 42% (vs. 60%; p = 0.012), 42% (vs. 67.5%; p < 0.001) and 50% (vs. 76%; p < 0.001) for the TP53 mutation group. In a Cox proportional hazard analysis adjusting for IPI-factors and treatment arms, TP53 mutation was shown to be an independent predictor of EFS (HR 1.5), PFS (HR 2.0) and OS (HR 2.3; p < 0.001). TP53 mutations are independent predictors of survival in untreated patients with aggressive CD20+ lymphoma. TP53 mutations should be considered for risk models in DLBCL and strategies to improve outcome for patients with mutant TP53 must be developed. © 2017 UICC.

Reduction potential, shadow prices, and pollution costs of agricultural pollutants in China.

PubMed

Tang, Kai; Gong, Chengzhu; Wang, Dong

2016-01-15

This paper analyses the reduction potential, shadow prices, and pollution costs of agricultural pollutants in China based on provincial panel data for 2001-2010. Using a parameterized quadratic form for the directional output distance function, we find that if agricultural sectors in all provinces were to produce on the production frontier, China could potentially reduce agricultural emissions of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) by 16.0%, 16.2%, and 20.4%, respectively. Additionally, our results show that the shadow price of TN increased rapidly and continuously, while that of COD and TP fluctuated for the whole period. For the whole country, the average shadow price of COD, TN, and TP are 8266 Yuan/tonne, 25,560 Yuan/tonne, and 10,160 Yuan/tonne, respectively. The regional shadow prices of agricultural pollutants are unbalanced. Furthermore, we show that the pollution costs from emissions of COD, TN, and TP are 6.09% of the annual gross output value of the agricultural sector and are highest in the Western and lowest in the Eastern provinces. Our estimates suggest that there is scope for further pollution abatement and simultaneous output expansion for China's agriculture if farmers promote greater efficiency in their production process. Policymakers are required to dynamically adjust the pollution tax rates and ascertain the initial permit price in an emission trading system. Policymakers should also consider the different pollution costs for each province when making the reduction allocations within the agricultural sector. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Antioxidant capacity and polyphenolic content of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) leaf infusions.

PubMed

Piljac-Zegarac, J; Belscak, A; Piljac, A

2009-06-01

Antioxidant capacity and polyphenolic content of leaf infusions prepared from six highbush blueberry cultivars (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), one wild lowbush blueberry cultivar (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), and one commercially available mix of genotypes were determined. In order to simulate household tea preparation conditions, infusions were prepared in water heated to 95 degrees C. The dynamics of extraction of polyphenolic antioxidants were monitored over the course of 30 minutes. Extraction efficiency, quantified in terms of the total phenol (TP) content, and antioxidant capacity of infusions, evaluated by the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging assays, were compared with cultivar type and extraction time. The 30-minute infusions exhibited the highest TP content and antioxidant capacity according to all three assays. Wild blueberry infusion had the highest TP content (1,879 mg/L gallic acid equivalents [GAE]) and FRAP values (20,050 microM). The range of TP values for 30-minute infusions was 394-1,879 mg/L GAE with a mean of 986 mg/L GAE across cultivars; FRAP values fell between 3,015 and 20,050 microM with a mean of 11,234 microM across cultivars. All 30-minute infusions exhibited significant scavenging capacity for DPPH(*) and ABTS(*+) radicals, comparable to different concentrations of catechin, gallic acid, and 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchromane-2-carboxylic acid. Overall, tested infusions showed significant reducing capacity as well as radical scavenging potential, which places blueberry leaf tea high on the list of dietary sources of antioxidants.

Evaporative cooling over the Tibetan Plateau induced by vegetation growth.

PubMed

Shen, Miaogen; Piao, Shilong; Jeong, Su-Jong; Zhou, Liming; Zeng, Zhenzhong; Ciais, Philippe; Chen, Deliang; Huang, Mengtian; Jin, Chun-Sil; Li, Laurent Z X; Li, Yue; Myneni, Ranga B; Yang, Kun; Zhang, Gengxin; Zhang, Yangjian; Yao, Tandong

2015-07-28

In the Arctic, climate warming enhances vegetation activity by extending the length of the growing season and intensifying maximum rates of productivity. In turn, increased vegetation productivity reduces albedo, which causes a positive feedback on temperature. Over the Tibetan Plateau (TP), regional vegetation greening has also been observed in response to recent warming. Here, we show that in contrast to arctic regions, increased growing season vegetation activity over the TP may have attenuated surface warming. This negative feedback on growing season vegetation temperature is attributed to enhanced evapotranspiration (ET). The extra energy available at the surface, which results from lower albedo, is efficiently dissipated by evaporative cooling. The net effect is a decrease in daily maximum temperature and the diurnal temperature range, which is supported by statistical analyses of in situ observations and by decomposition of the surface energy budget. A daytime cooling effect from increased vegetation activity is also modeled from a set of regional weather research and forecasting (WRF) mesoscale model simulations, but with a magnitude smaller than observed, likely because the WRF model simulates a weaker ET enhancement. Our results suggest that actions to restore native grasslands in degraded areas, roughly one-third of the plateau, will both facilitate a sustainable ecological development in this region and have local climate cobenefits. More accurate simulations of the biophysical coupling between the land surface and the atmosphere are needed to help understand regional climate change over the TP, and possible larger scale feedbacks between climate in the TP and the Asian monsoon system.

Evaporative cooling over the Tibetan Plateau induced by vegetation growth

PubMed Central

Shen, Miaogen; Piao, Shilong; Jeong, Su-Jong; Zhou, Liming; Zeng, Zhenzhong; Ciais, Philippe; Chen, Deliang; Huang, Mengtian; Jin, Chun-Sil; Li, Laurent Z. X.; Li, Yue; Myneni, Ranga B.; Yang, Kun; Zhang, Gengxin; Zhang, Yangjian; Yao, Tandong

2015-01-01

In the Arctic, climate warming enhances vegetation activity by extending the length of the growing season and intensifying maximum rates of productivity. In turn, increased vegetation productivity reduces albedo, which causes a positive feedback on temperature. Over the Tibetan Plateau (TP), regional vegetation greening has also been observed in response to recent warming. Here, we show that in contrast to arctic regions, increased growing season vegetation activity over the TP may have attenuated surface warming. This negative feedback on growing season vegetation temperature is attributed to enhanced evapotranspiration (ET). The extra energy available at the surface, which results from lower albedo, is efficiently dissipated by evaporative cooling. The net effect is a decrease in daily maximum temperature and the diurnal temperature range, which is supported by statistical analyses of in situ observations and by decomposition of the surface energy budget. A daytime cooling effect from increased vegetation activity is also modeled from a set of regional weather research and forecasting (WRF) mesoscale model simulations, but with a magnitude smaller than observed, likely because the WRF model simulates a weaker ET enhancement. Our results suggest that actions to restore native grasslands in degraded areas, roughly one-third of the plateau, will both facilitate a sustainable ecological development in this region and have local climate cobenefits. More accurate simulations of the biophysical coupling between the land surface and the atmosphere are needed to help understand regional climate change over the TP, and possible larger scale feedbacks between climate in the TP and the Asian monsoon system. PMID:26170316

[Evaluation of the Performance of Two Kinds of Anti-TP Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay].

PubMed

Gao, Nan; Huang, Li-Qin; Wang, Rui; Jia, Jun-Jie; Wu, Shuo; Zhang, Jing; Ge, Hong-Wei

2018-06-01

To evaluate the accuracy and precision of 2 kinds of anti-treponema pallidum (anti-TP) ELISA reagents in our laboratory for detecting the anti-TP in voluntary blood donors, so as to provide the data support for use of ELISA reagents after introduction of chemiluminescene immunoassay (CLIA). The route detection of anti-TP was performed by using 2 kinds of ELISA reagents, then 546 responsive positive samples detected by anti-TP ELISA were collected, and the infections status of samples confirmed by treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) test was identified. The confirmed results of responsive samples detected by 2 kinds of anti-TP ELISA reagents were compared, the accuracy of 2 kinds of anti-TP ELISA reagents was analyzed by drawing ROC and comparing area under curve (AUC), and precision of 2 kinds of anti-TP ELISA reagents was compared by statistical analysis of quality control data from 7.1 2016 to 6.30 2017. There were no statistical difference in confirmed positive rate of responsive samples and weak positive samples between 2 kinds of anti-TP ELISA reagents. The responsive samples detected by 2 kinds of anti-TP ELISA reagents accounted for 85.53%(467/546) of all responsive samples, the positive rate confirmed by TPPA test was 82.87%. 44 responsive samples detected by anti-TP ELISA reagent A and 35 responsive samples detected by anti-TP ELISA reagent B were confirmed to be negative by TPPA test. Comparison of AUC showed that the accuracy of 2 kinds of anti-TP ELISA reagents was more high, the difference between 2 reagents was not statistically significant. The coefficient of variation (CV) of anti-TP ELISA reagent A and B was 14.98% and 18.04% respectively, which met the precision requirement of ELISA test. The accuracy and precision of 2 kinds of anti-TP ELISA reagents used in our laboratory are similar, and using any one of anti-TP ELISA reagents all can satisfy the requirements of blood screening.

A specific pilot-scale membrane hybrid treatment system for municipal wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Nguyen, Dinh Duc; Ngo, Huu Hao; Kim, Sa Dong; Yoon, Yong Soo

2014-10-01

A specifically designed pilot-scale hybrid wastewater treatment system integrating an innovative equalizing reactor (EQ), rotating hanging media bioreactor (RHMBR) and submerged flat sheet membrane bioreactor (SMBR) was evaluated for its effectiveness in practical, long-term, real-world applications. The pilot system was operated at a constant flux, but with different internal recycle flow rates (Q) over a long-term operating of 475 days. At 4 Q internal recycle flow rate, BOD5, CODCr, NH4(+)-N, T-N, T-P and TSS was highly removed with efficiencies up to 99.88 ± 0.05%, 95.01 ± 1.62%, 100%, 90.42 ± 2.43%, 73.44 ± 6.03%, and 99.93 ± 0.28%, respectively. Furthermore, the effluent quality was also superior in terms of turbidity (<1 NTU), color (<15 TCU) and taste (inoffensive). The results indicated that with providing only chemically cleaned-in-place (CIP) during the entire period of operation, the membrane could continuously maintain a constant permeate flux of 22.77 ± 2.19 L/m(2)h. In addition, the power consumption was also found to be reasonably low (0.92-1.62 k Wh/m(3)). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Can terraced pond wetland systems improve urban watershed water quality?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, S.; Ho, M.; Flanagan, N. E.; Richardson, C. J.

2017-12-01

Properly built constructed wetlands are a more economic and efficient way of wastewater treatment compared with traditional methods, although their mechanisms are far from completely understood. As part of the Stream and Wetland Assessment Management Park (SWAMP), which is aimed to improve the water quality of downstream and thereby enhance watershed ecosystem services, a terraced three-pond wetland system was created near Duke University in 2014. This project is expected to promote the retention and settling of pollutants and sediment before runoffs enter downstream flow. The goal of this study is to examine: (1) whether a terraced pond wetland system improves water quality, during both baseline (low flow) and storm events (high flow), which increases pollutant inputs; and (2) how this system functions to remove pollutants, namely what components of this system (plant, soil or water) increase or decrease the level of pollutants. By analyzing a dataset consisting of more than four-year monthly samplings from Pond 1 (first pond in the system) and Pond 3 (last pond in the system), we found that the pond system has reduced total suspended solids (TSS) but only when elevated inputs occur. Dissolved oxygen (DO) is closely related to temperature and macrophytes growth; whereas acidity (pH), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) did not show retention in the early stages of the system development. This system reaches its optimum for reducing TSS at the second pond, but the third pond has important effects on DO, pH, TN and TP. A monitoring in 2017 shows this pond system significantly reduces TSS while increasing dissolved oxygen and neutralizing pH after a storm event; although greater variations incurred within the system as time progresses after storm, overall retention function remained valid. Retention of the pollutants is primarily accomplished by the settling process, which occurs in stilled waterbody of the ponds and by the filtration of macrophytes. We expect more quantitative soil/plant uptake relations to be explored as the system ages.

Effects of thymidine phosphorylase on tumor aggressiveness and 5-fluorouracil sensitivity in cholangiocarcinoma

PubMed Central

Thanasai, Jongkonnee; Limpaiboon, Temduang; Jearanaikoon, Patcharee; Sripa, Banchob; Pairojkul, Chawalit; Tantimavanich, Srisurang; Miwa, Masanao

2010-01-01

AIM: To evaluate the role of thymidine phosphorylase (TP) in cholangiocarcinoma using small interfering RNA (siRNA). METHODS: A human cholangiocarcinoma-derived cell line KKU-M139, which has a naturally high level of endogenous TP, had TP expression transiently knocked down using siRNA. Cell growth, migration, in vitro angiogenesis, apoptosis, and cytotoxicity were assayed in TP knockdown and wild-type cell lines. RESULTS: TP mRNA and protein expression were decreased by 87.1% ± 0.49% and 72.5% ± 3.2%, respectively, compared with control cells. Inhibition of TP significantly decreased migration of KKU-M139, and suppressed migration and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. siRNA also reduced the ability of TP to resist hypoxia-induced apoptosis, while suppression of TP reduced the sensitivity of KKU-M139 to 5-fluorouracil. CONCLUSION: Inhibition of TP may be beneficial in decreasing angiogenesis-dependent growth and migration of cholangiocarcinoma but may diminish the response to 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy. PMID:20355241

Recombinant Treponema pallidum Protein Tp0965 Activates Endothelial Cells and Increases the Permeability of Endothelial Cell Monolayer

PubMed Central

Zhang, Rui-Li; Zhang, Jing-Ping; Wang, Qian-Qiu

2014-01-01

The recombinant Treponema pallidum protein Tp0965 (rTp0965), one of the many proteins derived from the genome of T. pallidum subsp. pallidum, shows strong immunogenicity and immunoreactivity. In this study, we investigated the effects of rTp0965 on the endothelial barrier. Treatment of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with rTp0965 resulted in increased levels of ICAM-1, E-selectin, and MCP-1 mRNA and protein expression. These increases contributed to the adhesion and chemataxis of monocytes (THP-1 cells) to HUVECs preincubated with rTp0965. In addition, rTp0965 induced reorganization of F-actin and decreased expression of claudin-1 in HUVECs. Interestingly, inhibition of the RhoA/ROCK signal pathway protected against rTp0965-induced higher endothelial permeability as well as transendothelial migration of monocytes. These data indicate that Tp0965 protein may play an important role in the immunopathogenesis of syphilis. PMID:25514584

[Characterization and optimization of the NaOH-EDTA extracts for solution 31P-NMR analysis of organic phosphorus in river sediments].

PubMed

Zhang, Wen-Qiang; Shan, Bao-Qing; Zhang, Hong; Tang, Wen-Zhong

2014-01-01

Optimization and mechanism of NaOH-EDTA extraction solutions were studied in phosphorus (P) pollution river sediments, which were Fe, Al-rich sediment, by solution 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-NMR). Different proportions of NaOH and EDTA showed different extraction efficiency on total P (TP) and organic P (Po) in the sediment. The concentration of Po in NaOH + EDTA extract was higher than that in NaOH extract. The mechanism was that the TP and Po were released under the conditions of EDTA chelating with Fe and Al. The concentration of TP and Po were the highest in 1.00 mol x L(-1) NaOH +75 mmol x L(-1) EDTA extract and 0.25 mol x L(-1) NaOH + 50 mmol x L(-1) EDTA extract, which were 3.88 mg x g(-1) and 0.24 mg x g(-1), respectively. The extractions of Fe, Mn, Ca, Mg, Al were increasing as the EDTA increased under the same NaOH concentration. Extraction efficiency of Fe, Mn, Ca showed negative correlation with the pH of the extracting solution (P < 0.01). Exponential relationship was found between the extraction of Al and the pH of the extraction solution (P < 0.01) because of the AlO2- and EDTA-Al complex. The quality of spectra of NaOH-EDTA extract was better than that of NaOH extract. Six P species were detected in different extractions, including phosphonates, orthophosphate, pyrophosphate, orthophosphate monoesters, phospholipids and deoxyribonucleic acids. Therefore, 0. 25 mol x L(-1) NaOH + 50 mmol x L(-1) EDTA was the optimization extraction solution for Po analysis in Fe and Al-rich river sediment by 31P-NMR.

Influence of hydraulic retention time on indigenous microalgae and activated sludge process.

PubMed

Anbalagan, Anbarasan; Schwede, Sebastian; Lindberg, Carl-Fredrik; Nehrenheim, Emma

2016-03-15

Integration of the microalgae and activated sludge (MAAS) process in municipal wastewater treatment and biogas production from recovered MAAS was investigated by studying the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of semi-continuous photo-bioreactors. An average total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency (RE) of maximum 81.5 ± 5.1 and 64.6 ± 16.2% was achieved at 6 and 4 days HRT. RE of total phosphorous (TP) increased slightly at 6 days (80 ± 12%) HRT and stabilized at 4 days (56 ± 5%) and 2 days (55.5 ± 5.5%) HRT due to the fluctuations in COD and N/P mass ratio of the periodic wastewater. COD and organic carbon were removed efficiently and a rapidly settleable MAAS with a sludge volume index (SVI_10) of less than 117 mL g(-1) was observed at all HRTs. The anaerobic digestion of the untreated MAAS showed a higher biogas yield of 349 ± 10 mL g VS(-1) with 2 days HRT due to a low solids retention time (SRT). Thermal pretreatment of the MAAS (120 °C, 120 min) did not show any improvement with biogas production at 6 days (269 ± 3 (untreated) and 266 ± 16 (treated) mL gVS(-1)), 4 days (258 ± 11(untreated) and 263 ± 10 (treated) mL gVS(-1)) and 2 days (308 ± 19 mL (treated) gVS(-1)) HRT. Hence, the biogas potential tests showed that the untreated MAAS was a feasible substrate for biogas production. Results from this proof of concept support the application of MAAS in wastewater treatment for Swedish conditions to reduce aeration, precipitation chemicals and CO2 emissions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Observed and model-calculated NO2/NO ratios in tropospheric air sampled during the NASA GTE/CITE-2 field study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chameides, W. L.; Davis, D. D.; Bradshaw, J.; Sandholm, S.; Rodgers, M.; Baum, B.; Ridley, B.; Gregory, G.; Torres, A.; Condon, E.

1990-01-01

Airborne measurements of NO2/NO ratios in the free troposphere, obtained using two-photon LIF (TP-LIF) and chemiluminescence (CL) detectors during the NASA Global Tropospheric Experiment Chemical Instrumentation Test and Evaluation 2 (CITE 2) program in summer 1986, are analyzed and compared with the predictions of a photochemical model. The derivation of the model is outlined, with an emphasis on the role of peroxy radicals in the fast photochemical cycling of NO and NO2 and the production of O3; the CITE 2 instruments and flight protocols are described; and the results are presented in extensive tables and graphs and discussed in detail. It was found that on three CITE 2 flights the CL data were systematically greater than the TP-LIF data; when these data were removed, the averaged values of the two instruments agreed to within 1 percent. The NO2/NO ratios predicted by the model are shown to be consistent with the measurements, although usually 20-25 percent lower.

First flush of storm runoff pollution from an urban catchment in China.

PubMed

Li, Li-Qing; Yin, Cheng-Qing; He, Qing-Ci; Kong, Ling-Li

2007-01-01

Storm runoff pollution process was investigated in an urban catchment with an area of 1.3 km2 in Wuhan City of China. The results indicate that the pollutant concentration peaks preceded the flow peaks in all of 8 monitored storm events. The intervals between pollution peak and flow peak were shorter in the rain events with higher intensity in the initial period than those with lower intensity. The fractions of pollution load transported by the first 30% of runoff volume (FF30) were 52.2%-72.1% for total suspended solids (TSS), 53.0%-65.3% for chemical oxygen demand (COD), 40.4%-50.6% for total nitrogen (TN), and 45.8%-63.2% for total phosphorus (TP), respectively. Runoff pollution was positively related to non-raining days before the rainfall. Intercepting the first 30% of runoff volume can remove 62.4% of TSS load, 59.4% of COD load, 46.8% of TN load, and 54.1% of TP load, respectively, according to all the storm events. It is suggested that controlling the first flush is a critical measure in reduction of urban stormwater pollution.

Panobinostat plus bortezomib and dexamethasone: impact of dose intensity and administration frequency on safety in the PANORAMA 1 trial.

PubMed

San-Miguel, Jesús F; Hungria, Vania T M; Yoon, Sung-Soo; Beksac, Meral; Dimopoulos, Meletios A; Elghandour, Ashraf; Jedrzejczak, Wieslaw W; Guenther, Andreas; Na Nakorn, Thanyaphong; Siritanaratkul, Noppadol; Schlossman, Robert L; Hou, Jian; Moreau, Philippe; Lonial, Sagar; Lee, Jae-Hoon; Einsele, Hermann; Salwender, Hans; Sopala, Monika; Redhu, Suman; Paul, Sofia; Corrado, Claudia; Richardson, Paul G

2017-10-01

Panobinostat in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone demonstrated a significant and clinically meaningful progression-free survival benefit compared with placebo, bortezomib and dexamethasone in the phase 3 PANORAMA 1 (Panobinostat Oral in Multiple Myeloma 1) trial. Despite this benefit, patients in the panobinostat arm experienced higher rates of adverse events (AEs) and higher rates of discontinuation due to AEs. This PANORAMA 1 subanalysis examined AEs between 2 treatment phases of the study (TP1 and TP2), in which administration frequency of bortezomib and dexamethasone differed per protocol. The incidences of several key AEs were lower in both arms following the planned reduction of bortezomib dosing frequency in TP2. In the panobinostat arm, rates of thrombocytopenia (grade 3/4: TP1, 56·7%; TP2, 6·0%), diarrhoea (grade 3/4: TP1, 24·1%; TP2, 7·1%), and fatigue (grade 3/4: TP1, 16·3%; TP2, 1·8%) were lower in TP2 compared with TP1. Dose intensity analysis of panobinostat and bortezomib by cycle in the panobinostat arm showed reductions of both agent doses during cycles 1-4 due to dose adjustments for AEs. Exposure-adjusted analysis demonstrated a reduction in thrombocytopenia frequency in TP1 following dose adjustment. These results suggest that optimization of dosing with this regimen could improve tolerability, potentially leading to improved patient outcomes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Higher energy intake at dinner decreases parasympathetic activity during nighttime sleep in menstruating women: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Tada, Yuki; Yoshizaki, Takahiro; Tanaka, Izumi; Kanehara, Rieko; Kato, Misao; Hatta, Naoko; Hida, Azumi; Kawano, Yukari

2018-06-09

Previous studies have found more frequent increases in dietary intake and nonrestorative nocturnal sleep during the luteal phase than in the follicular phase, but few studies have investigated how increased energy intake at dinner influences sleep by considering the correlation between female hormone and cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. This study examined the effects of energy intake at dinner on ANS activity during nighttime sleep in order to evaluate restorative sleep in healthy women. We also examined whether ANS activity is associated with female hormone dynamics. Twenty-four healthy collegiate women participated in this randomized crossover trial. Each was assigned to receive a High Energy Dinner (HED) or Low Energy Dinner (LED) treatment. Energy ratios of each test meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) to total energy intake were 1:1:2 and 1:2:1 for HED and LED treatments, respectively. Each participant wore an ECG recorder before dinner and removed it upon waking the next morning. Power spectral analysis of heart rate variability was used to calculate low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and total spectral power (TP). Cardiac sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PNS) nervous system activity were evaluated as LF/HF and HF/TP, respectively. Mean HF/TP for the entire sleeping period was lower with HED treatment compared to LED treatment (41.7 ± 11.4 vs. 45.0 ± 12.13, P = .034). Intergroup comparisons of the initial 3-h sleeping period revealed that LF/HF (0.87 ± 0.82 vs. 0.66 ± 0.82, P = .013) and HF/TP (45.6 ± 13.9 vs. 51.5 ± 11.8, P = .002) were higher and lower, respectively, with HED treatment compared to LED treatment. Progesterone levels were positively correlated with LF/HF with LED treatment, and negatively correlated with HF/TP with both HED and LED treatments. Higher energy intake at dinner increases and decreases SNS and PNS activities, respectively, resulting in nonrestorative nocturnal sleep. In addition, a negative correlation was observed between progesterone and PNS activity, highlighting the difficulty of increasing PNS activity during sleep in the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Detecting elevation changes over mountain glaciers in Tibet and the Himalayas by TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-2 radar altimeters: comparison with ICESat results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, C.; Cheng, Y. S.

2015-12-01

In most cases, mountain glaciers are narrow and situated over steep slopes. A laser-based altimeter such as ICESat has a small illuminated footprint at about 70 m, thus allowing to measure precise elevations over narrow mountain glaciers. However, unlike a typical radar altimeter mission, ICESat does not have repeat ground tracks (except in its early phase) to measure heights of a specific point at different times. Within a time span, usually a reference digital elevation model is used to compute height anomalies at ICESat's measurement sites over a designated area, which are then averaged to produce a representative height change (anomaly) in this area. In contrast, a radar altimeter such as TOPEX/Poseidon (TP; its follow-on missions are Jason-1 and -2), repeats its ground tracks at an even time interval (10 days for TP), but has a larger illuminated footprint than ICESat's (about 1 km or larger), making it difficult to measure precise elevations over narrow mountain glaciers. Here we demonstrate the potential of TP and Jason-2 radar altimeters in detecting elevation changes over mountain glaciers that are sufficiently wide and smooth. We select several glacier-covered sites in Mt. Tanggula (Tibet) and the Himalayas to experiment with methods that can generate precise height measurements from the two altimeters. Over the same spot, ranging errors due to slope, volume scattering and radar penetration can be common between repeat cycles, and may be reduced by differencing successive heights. We retracked radar waveforms and classify the surfaces using the SRTM-derived elevations. The effects of terrain and slope are reduced by fitting a surface to the height measurements from repeat cycles. We remove outlier heights and apply a smoothing filter to form final time series of glacier elevation change at the selected sites, which are compared with the results from ICESat (note the different mission times). Because TP and Jason-2 measure height changes every 10 days, clear annual and inter-annual oscillations of glacier heights are present in the resulting time series, in comparison to the unevenly sampled height changes from ICESat that do not show such oscillations. The rates of glacier elevation change from T/P and Jason-2 are mostly negative, but vary with locations and heights.

Two-stage soil infiltration treatment system for treating ammonium wastewaters of low COD/TN ratios.

PubMed

Lei, Zhongfang; Wu, Ting; Zhang, Yi; Liu, Xiang; Wan, Chunli; Lee, Duu-Jong; Tay, Joo-Hwa

2013-01-01

Soil infiltration treatment (SIT) is ineffective to treat ammonium wastewaters of total nitrogen (TN) > 100 mg l(-1). This study applied a novel two-stage SIT process for effective TN removal from wastewaters of TN>100 mg l(-1) and of chemical oxygen demand (COD)/TN ratio of 3.2-8.6. The wastewater was first fed into the soil column (stage 1) at hydraulic loading rate (HLR) of 0.06 m(3) m(-2) d(-1) for COD removal and total phosphorus (TP) immobilization. Then the effluent from stage 1 was fed individually into four soil columns (stage 2) at 0.02 m(3) m(-2) d(-1) of HLR with different proportions of raw wastewater as additional carbon source. Over the one-year field test, balanced nitrification and denitrification in the two-stage SIT revealed excellent TN removal (>90%) from the tested wastewaters. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient phosphorus management practices in the Everglades Agricultural Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhadha, J. H.; Lang, T. A.; Daroub, S. H.; Alvarez, O.; Tootoonchi, M.; Capasso, J.

2016-12-01

In the 450,000 acres of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) of South Florida, farming practices have long been mindful of phosphorus (P) management as it relates to sufficiency and efficiency of P utilization. Over two decades of P best management practices have resulted in 3001 metric-ton of P load reduction from the EAA to downstream ecosystems. During the summer, more than 50,000 acres of fallow sugarcane land is available for rice production. The net value of growing flooded rice in the EAA as a rotational crop with sugarcane far exceeds its monetary return. Soil conservation, improvement in tilth and P load reduction are only some of the benefits. With no P fertilizer applied, a two-year field trial on flooded rice showed improved outflow P concentrations by up to 40% as a result of particulate setting and plant P uptake. Harvested whole grain rice can effectively remove a significant amount of P from a rice field per growing season. In parts of the EAA where soils are sandy, the application of using locally derived organic amendments as potential P fertilizer has gained interest over the past few years. The use of local agricultural and urban organic residues as amendments in sandy soils of South Florida provide options to enhance soil properties and improve sugarcane yields, while reducing waste and harmful effects of agricultural production on the environment. A lysimeter study conducted to determine the effect of mill ash and three types of biochar (rice hulls, yard waste, horse bedding) on sugarcane yields, soil properties, and drainage water quality in sandy soils showed that mill ash and rice hull biochar increased soil TP, Mehlich 3-P (M3-P), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) compared to the control. TP and M3-P content remained constant after 9 months, CEC showed a significant increase over time with rich hull biochar addition. Future projects include the utilization of aquatic vegetation, such as chara and southern naiad as bio-filters in farm ditches to reduce P load. This will be achieved by circulating high P concentration farm canal water through the ditches prior to being discharged off site. Optimizing the flow through the ditches will allow the aquatic vegetation to uptake P. The vegetation will ultimately be harvested and incorporated back on to the fields.

Nuclear TP53: An unraveled function as transcriptional repressor of PINK1.

PubMed

Checler, Frédéric; Goiran, Thomas; Alves da Costa, Cristine

2018-05-11

The tumor suppressor TP53/p53 is a key protein in both neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Thus, TP53-linked cell death appears exacerbated in several age-related neuropathologies, while TP53 mutation-associated phenotypes indicate a loss of function accounting for approximately half of cancers. Thus, TP53 plays a pivotal role in these phenotypically distinct pathologies, a hypothesis reinforced by recent epidemiological studies suggesting an opposite risk to develop one type of pathology relative to the other. Dysfunctions in mitophagic processes also occur in both types of pathologies and again, TP53 has been proposed as one of the regulators of this cellular process. The consensus view postulates that TP53 exerts both anti- and pro-autophagy functions that are directly driven by a specific subcellular localization. Thus, TP53 positively modulates autophagy via the transcriptional control of several genes while it is acknowledged that its anti-autophagy phenotype is exclusively linked to a transcription-independent cytosolic control of an AMPK-MTOR cascade. Our study indicates that TP53 can also downregulate the specialized autophagy-related mitophagy response via the transcriptional repression of PINK1. This is the first demonstration of an anti-mitophagic control by nuclear TP53.

TP53INP1 is a novel p73 target gene that induces cell cycle arrest and cell death by modulating p73 transcriptional activity.

PubMed

Tomasini, Richard; Seux, Mylène; Nowak, Jonathan; Bontemps, Caroline; Carrier, Alice; Dagorn, Jean-Charles; Pébusque, Marie-Josèphe; Iovanna, Juan L; Dusetti, Nelson J

2005-12-08

TP53INP1 is an alternatively spliced gene encoding two nuclear protein isoforms (TP53INP1alpha and TP53INP1beta), whose transcription is activated by p53. When overexpressed, both isoforms induce cell cycle arrest in G1 and enhance p53-mediated apoptosis. TP53INP1s also interact with the p53 gene and regulate p53 transcriptional activity. We report here that TP53INP1 expression is induced during experimental acute pancreatitis in p53-/- mice and in cisplatin-treated p53-/- mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs). We demonstrate that ectopic expression of p73, a p53 homologue, leads to TP53INP1 induction in p53-deficient cells. In turn, TP53INP1s alters the transactivation capacity of p73 on several p53-target genes, including TP53INP1 itself, demonstrating a functional association between p73 and TP53INP1s. Also, when overexpressed in p53-deficient cells, TP53INP1s inhibit cell growth and promote cell death as assessed by cell cycle analysis and colony formation assays. Finally, we show that TP53INP1s potentiate the capacity of p73 to inhibit cell growth, that effect being prevented when the p53 mutant R175H is expressed or when p73 expression is blocked by a siRNA. These results suggest that TP53INP1s are functionally associated with p73 to regulate cell cycle progression and apoptosis, independently from p53.

Activation of heteroallenes by coordinatively unsaturated nickel(ii) alkyl complexes supported by the hydrotris(3-phenyl-5-methyl)pyrazolyl borate (Tp(Ph,Me)) ligand.

PubMed

Abubekerov, Mark; Eymann, Léonard Y M; Gianetti, Thomas L; Arnold, John

2016-10-07

Activation of sulfur containing heteroallenes by nickel(ii) alkyl complexes supported by the bulky hydrotris(3-phenyl-5-methylpyrazolyl)borate (Tp(Ph,Me)) ligand is described. Exposure of Tp(Ph,Me)NiCH2Ph (1a) and Tp(Ph,Me)NiCH2Si(CH3)3 (1b) to CS2 resulted in formation of the insertion products Tp(Ph,Me)Ni(η(2)-CS2)CH2Ph (2a) and Tp(Ph,Me)Ni(η(2)-CS2)CH2Si(CH3)3 (2b) in moderate yields. Reaction of 1a and MeNCS produced two species in a 1 : 1 ratio, identified as Tp(Ph,Me)Ni(η(2)-MeNC)CH2Ph (3) and Tp(Ph,Me)Ni(η(2)-MeNCS)SCH2Ph (4). Isolation of the unexpected insertion product (3) prompted an investigation into the activity of 1a-b in the presence of isocyanides (i.e.(t)BuNC), which resulted in isolation of Tp(Ph,Me)Ni(η(2-t)BuNC)CH2Ph (5a) and Tp(Ph,Me)Ni(η(2-t)BuNC)CH2Si(CH3)3 (5b). Similarly, reaction of 1a with OCS led to the isolation of a rare example of a Ni(i) carbonyl species Tp(Ph,Me)NiCO (6). Alternatively, complex 6 was also formed by exposure of 1a-b to an atmosphere of CO. Isolation of the intermediate species (Tp(Ph,Me)Ni(η(2)-CO)CH2TMS (7b) and Tp(Ph,Me)Ni(CO)(C(O)R, (8a-b) with R = Ph, TMS)) shed light on the formation of such species.

Significance of TP53 Mutation in Wilms Tumors with Diffuse Anaplasia: A Report from the Children's Oncology Group.

PubMed

Ooms, Ariadne H A G; Gadd, Samantha; Gerhard, Daniela S; Smith, Malcolm A; Guidry Auvil, Jaime M; Meerzaman, Daoud; Chen, Qing-Rong; Hsu, Chih Hao; Yan, Chunhua; Nguyen, Cu; Hu, Ying; Ma, Yussanne; Zong, Zusheng; Mungall, Andrew J; Moore, Richard A; Marra, Marco A; Huff, Vicki; Dome, Jeffrey S; Chi, Yueh-Yun; Tian, Jing; Geller, James I; Mullighan, Charles G; Ma, Jing; Wheeler, David A; Hampton, Oliver A; Walz, Amy L; van den Heuvel-Eibrink, Marry M; de Krijger, Ronald R; Ross, Nicole; Gastier-Foster, Julie M; Perlman, Elizabeth J

2016-11-15

To investigate the role and significance of TP53 mutation in diffusely anaplastic Wilms tumors (DAWTs). All DAWTs registered on National Wilms Tumor Study-5 (n = 118) with available samples were analyzed for TP53 mutations and copy loss. Integrative genomic analysis was performed on 39 selected DAWTs. Following analysis of a single random sample, 57 DAWTs (48%) demonstrated TP53 mutations, 13 (11%) copy loss without mutation, and 48 (41%) lacked both [defined as TP53-wild-type (wt)]. Patients with stage III/IV TP53-wt DAWTs (but not those with stage I/II disease) had significantly lower relapse and death rates than those with TP53 abnormalities. In-depth analysis of a subset of 39 DAWTs showed seven (18%) to be TP53-wt: These demonstrated gene expression evidence of an active p53 pathway. Retrospective pathology review of TP53-wt DAWT revealed no or very low volume of anaplasia in six of seven tumors. When samples from TP53-wt tumors known to contain anaplasia histologically were available, abnormal p53 protein accumulation was observed by immunohistochemistry. These data support the key role of TP53 loss in the development of anaplasia in WT, and support its significant clinical impact in patients with residual anaplastic tumor following surgery. These data also suggest that most DAWTs will show evidence of TP53 mutation when samples selected for the presence of anaplasia are analyzed. This suggests that modifications of the current criteria to also consider volume of anaplasia and documentation of TP53 aberrations may better reflect the risk of relapse and death and enable optimization of therapeutic stratification. Clin Cancer Res; 22(22); 5582-91. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

Significance of TP53 Mutation in Wilms Tumors with Diffuse Anaplasia: A Report from the Children’s Oncology Group

PubMed Central

Ooms, Ariadne H.A.G.; Gadd, Samantha; Gerhard, Daniela S.; Smith, Malcolm A.; Guidry Auvil, Jaime M.; Meerzaman, Daoud; Chen, Qing-Rong; Hsu, Chih Hao; Yan, Chunhua; Nguyen, Cu; Hu, Ying; Ma, Yussanne; Zong, Zusheng; Mungall, Andrew J.; Moore, Richard A.; Marra, Marco A.; Huff, Vicki; Dome, Jeffrey S.; Chi, Yueh-Yun; Tian, Jing; Geller, James I.; Mullighan, Charles G.; Ma, Jing; Wheeler, David A.; Hampton, Oliver A.; Walz, Amy L.; van den Heuvel-Eibrink, Marry M.; de Krijger, Ronald R.; Ross, Nicole; Gastier-Foster, Julie M.; Perlman, Elizabeth J.

2016-01-01

Purpose To investigate the role and significance of TP53 mutation in diffusely anaplastic Wilms tumor (DAWT). Experimental Design All DAWTs registered on National Wilms Tumor Study-5 (n=118) with available samples were analyzed for TP53 mutations and copy loss. Integrative genomic analysis was performed on 39 selected DAWTs. Results Following analysis of a single random sample, 57 DAWT (48%) demonstrated TP53 mutations, 13(11%) copy loss without mutation, and 48(41%) lacked both (defined as TP53-wildtype (wt)). Patients with Stage III/IV TP53-wt DAWTs (but not those with Stage I/II disease) had significantly lower relapse and death rates than those with TP53 abnormalities. In-depth analysis of a subset of 39 DAWT showed 7(18%) to be TP53-wt: these demonstrated gene expression evidence of an active p53 pathway. Retrospective pathology review of TP53-wt DAWT revealed no or very low volume of anaplasia in 6/7 tumors. When samples from TP53-wt tumors known to contain anaplasia histologically were available, abnormal p53 protein accumulation was observed by immunohistochemistry. Conclusion These data support the key role of TP53 loss in the development of anaplasia in WT, and support its significant clinical impact in patients with residual anaplastic tumor following surgery. These data also suggest that most DAWTs will show evidence of TP53 mutation when samples selected for the presence of anaplasia are analyzed. This suggests that modifications of the current criteria to also consider volume of anaplasia and documentation of TP53 aberrations may better reflect the risk of relapse and death and enable optimization of therapeutic stratification. PMID:27702824

Five Different Piscidins from Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus: Analysis of Their Expressions and Biological Functions

PubMed Central

Peng, Kuan-Chieh; Lee, Shu-Hua; Hour, Ai-Ling; Pan, Chieh-Yu; Lee, Lin-Han; Chen, Jyh-Yih

2012-01-01

Piscidins are antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that play important roles in helping fish resist pathogenic infections. Through comparisons of tilapia EST clones, the coding sequences of five piscidin-like AMPs (named TP1∼5) of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, were determined. The complete piscidin coding sequences of TP1, -2, -3, -4, and -5 were respectively composed of 207, 234, 231, 270, and 195 bases, and each contained a translated region of 68, 77, 76, 89, and 64 amino acids. The tissue-specific, Vibrio vulnificus stimulation-specific, and Streptococcus agalactiae stimulation-specific expressions of TP2, -3, and -4 mRNA were determined by a comparative RT-PCR. Results of the tissue distribution analysis revealed high expression levels of TP2 mRNA in the skin, head kidneys, liver, and spleen. To study bacterial stimulation, S. agalactiae (SA47) was injected, and the TP4 transcript was upregulated by >13-fold (compared to the wild-type (WT) control, without injection) and was 60-fold upregulated (compared to the WT control, without injection) 24 h after the S. agalactiae (SA47) injection in the spleen and gills. Synthesized TP3 and TP4 peptides showed antimicrobial activities against several bacteria in this study, while the synthesized TP1, -2, and -5 peptides did not. The synthesized TP2, -3, and -4 peptides showed hemolytic activities and synthesized TP3 and TP4 peptides inhibited tilapia ovary cell proliferation with a dose-dependent effect. In summary, the amphiphilic α-helical cationic peptides of TP3 and TP4 may represent novel and potential antimicrobial agents for further peptide drug development. PMID:23226256

Discordant Syphilis Immunoassays in Pregnancy: Perinatal Outcomes and Implications for Clinical Management.

PubMed

Mmeje, Okeoma; Chow, Joan M; Davidson, Lisette; Shieh, Jennifer; Schapiro, Jeffrey M; Park, Ina U

2015-10-01

The reverse sequence algorithm is often used for prenatal syphilis screening by high-volume laboratories, beginning with a treponemal test such as the chemiluminescence immunoassay (CIA), followed by testing of CIA-positive (CIA(+)) specimens with the rapid plasma reagin test (RPR). The clinical significance of discordant serology (CIA(+)/RPR(-)) for maternal and neonatal outcomes is unknown. From August 2007 to August 2010, all pregnant women at Kaiser Permanente Northern California with discordant treponemal serology underwent reflexive testing with Treponema pallidum particle agglutination assay (TP-PA) and were categorized as "TP-PA confirmed" (CIA(+)/RPR(-)/TP-PA(+)) or "isolated CIA positive" (CIA(+)/RPR(-)/TP-PA(-)). Demographic variables and clinical data were abstracted from the medical record and compared by TP-PA status. Of 194 pregnant women, 156 (80%) were CIA(+)/RPR(-)/TP-PA(-) and 38 (20%) were CIA(+)/RPR(-)/TP-PA(+). Among the 77 (49%) CIA(+)/RPR(-)/TP-PA(-) women who were retested, 53% became CIA(-). CIA(+)/RPR(-)/TP-PA(+) (n = 38) women were more likely to be older, have a prior history of sexually transmitted infections, and receive treatment for syphilis during pregnancy than women who were CIA(+)/RPR(-)/TP-PA(-) (all P < .005). Most pregnancies (189/194 [97.5%]) resulted in a live birth; there was no difference in birth outcomes according to TP-PA status and no stillbirths attributable to syphilis. Most pregnant women with discordant serology were CIA(+)/RPR(-)/TP-PA(-); more than half who were retested became CIA(-). CIA(+)/RPR(-)/TP-PA(-) serology in pregnancy is likely to be falsely positive. Reflexive testing of discordant specimens with TP-PA is important to stratify risk given the likelihood of false-positive results in this population. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

WNT activation by lithium abrogates TP53 mutation associated radiation resistance in medulloblastoma.

PubMed

Zhukova, Nataliya; Ramaswamy, Vijay; Remke, Marc; Martin, Dianna C; Castelo-Branco, Pedro; Zhang, Cindy H; Fraser, Michael; Tse, Ken; Poon, Raymond; Shih, David J H; Baskin, Berivan; Ray, Peter N; Bouffet, Eric; Dirks, Peter; von Bueren, Andre O; Pfaff, Elke; Korshunov, Andrey; Jones, David T W; Northcott, Paul A; Kool, Marcel; Pugh, Trevor J; Pomeroy, Scott L; Cho, Yoon-Jae; Pietsch, Torsten; Gessi, Marco; Rutkowski, Stefan; Bognár, Laszlo; Cho, Byung-Kyu; Eberhart, Charles G; Conter, Cecile Faure; Fouladi, Maryam; French, Pim J; Grajkowska, Wieslawa A; Gupta, Nalin; Hauser, Peter; Jabado, Nada; Vasiljevic, Alexandre; Jung, Shin; Kim, Seung-Ki; Klekner, Almos; Kumabe, Toshihiro; Lach, Boleslaw; Leonard, Jeffrey R; Liau, Linda M; Massimi, Luca; Pollack, Ian F; Ra, Young Shin; Rubin, Joshua B; Van Meir, Erwin G; Wang, Kyu-Chang; Weiss, William A; Zitterbart, Karel; Bristow, Robert G; Alman, Benjamin; Hawkins, Cynthia E; Malkin, David; Clifford, Steven C; Pfister, Stefan M; Taylor, Michael D; Tabori, Uri

2014-12-24

TP53 mutations confer subgroup specific poor survival for children with medulloblastoma. We hypothesized that WNT activation which is associated with improved survival for such children abrogates TP53 related radioresistance and can be used to sensitize TP53 mutant tumors for radiation. We examined the subgroup-specific role of TP53 mutations in a cohort of 314 patients treated with radiation. TP53 wild-type or mutant human medulloblastoma cell-lines and normal neural stem cells were used to test radioresistance of TP53 mutations and the radiosensitizing effect of WNT activation on tumors and the developing brain. Children with WNT/TP53 mutant medulloblastoma had higher 5-year survival than those with SHH/TP53 mutant tumours (100% and 36.6%±8.7%, respectively (p<0.001)). Introduction of TP53 mutation into medulloblastoma cells induced radioresistance (survival fractions at 2Gy (SF2) of 89%±2% vs. 57.4%±1.8% (p<0.01)). In contrast, β-catenin mutation sensitized TP53 mutant cells to radiation (p<0.05). Lithium, an activator of the WNT pathway, sensitized TP53 mutant medulloblastoma to radiation (SF2 of 43.5%±1.5% in lithium treated cells vs. 56.6±3% (p<0.01)) accompanied by increased number of γH2AX foci. Normal neural stem cells were protected from lithium induced radiation damage (SF2 of 33%±8% for lithium treated cells vs. 27%±3% for untreated controls (p=0.05). Poor survival of patients with TP53 mutant medulloblastoma may be related to radiation resistance. Since constitutive activation of the WNT pathway by lithium sensitizes TP53 mutant medulloblastoma cells and protect normal neural stem cells from radiation, this oral drug may represent an attractive novel therapy for high-risk medulloblastomas.

Probing the Carbon-Hydrogen Activation of Alkanes Following Photolysis of Tp'Rh(CNR)(carbodiimide): A Computational and Time-Resolved Infrared Spectroscopic Study.

PubMed

Guan, Jia; Wriglesworth, Alisdair; Sun, Xue Zhong; Brothers, Edward N; Zarić, Snežana D; Evans, Meagan E; Jones, William D; Towrie, Michael; Hall, Michael B; George, Michael W

2018-02-07

Carbon-hydrogen bond activation of alkanes by Tp'Rh(CNR) (Tp' = Tp = trispyrazolylborate or Tp* = tris(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate) were followed by time-resolved infrared spectroscopy (TRIR) in the υ(CNR) and υ(B-H) spectral regions on Tp*Rh(CNCH 2 CMe 3 ), and their reaction mechanisms were modeled by density functional theory (DFT) on TpRh(CNMe). The major intermediate species were: κ 3 -η 1 -alkane complex (1); κ 2 -η 2 -alkane complex (2); and κ 3 -alkyl hydride (3). Calculations predict that the barrier between 1 and 2 arises from a triplet-singlet crossing and intermediate 2 proceeds over the rate-determining C-H activation barrier to give the final product 3. The activation lifetimes measured for the Tp*Rh(CNR) and Tp*Rh(CO) fragments with n-heptane and four cycloalkanes (C 5 H 10 , C 6 H 12 , C 7 H 14 , and C 8 H 16 ) increase with alkanes size and show a dramatic increase between C 6 H 12 and C 7 H 14 . A similar step-like behavior was observed previously with CpRh(CO) and Cp*Rh(CO) fragments and is attributed to the wider difference in C-H bonds that appear at C 7 H 14 . However, Tp'Rh(CNR) and Tp'Rh(CO) fragments have much longer absolute lifetimes compared to those of CpRh(CO) and Cp*Rh(CO) fragments, because the reduced electron density in dechelated κ 2 -η 2 -alkane Tp' complexes stabilizes the d 8 Rh(I) in a square-planar geometry and weakens the metal's ability for oxidative addition of the C-H bond. Further, the Tp'Rh(CNR) fragment has significantly slower rates of C-H activation in comparison to the Tp'Rh(CO) fragment for the larger cycloalkanes, because the steric bulk of the neopentyl isocyanide ligand hinders the rechelation in κ 2 -Tp'Rh(CNR)(cycloalkane) species and results in the C-H activation without the assistance of the rechelation.

Effect of CO2 Enrichment on Synthesis of Some Primary and Secondary Metabolites in Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe)

PubMed Central

Ghasemzadeh, Ali; Jaafar, Hawa Z. E.

2011-01-01

The effect of two different CO2 concentrations (400 and 800 μmol mol−1) on the photosynthesis rate, primary and secondary metabolite syntheses and the antioxidant activities of the leaves, stems and rhizomes of two Zingiber officinale varieties (Halia Bentong and Halia Bara) were assessed in an effort to compare and validate the medicinal potential of the subterranean part of the young ginger. High photosynthesis rate (10.05 μmol CO2 m−2s−1 in Halia Bara) and plant biomass (83.4 g in Halia Bentong) were observed at 800 μmol mol−1 CO2. Stomatal conductance decreased and water use efficiency increased with elevated CO2 concentration. Total flavonoids (TF), total phenolics (TP), total soluble carbohydrates (TSC), starch and plant biomass increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) in all parts of the ginger varieties under elevated CO2 (800 μmol mol−1). The order of the TF and TP increment in the parts of the plant was rhizomes > stems > leaves. More specifically, Halia Bara had a greater increase of TF (2.05 mg/g dry weight) and TP (14.31 mg/g dry weight) compared to Halia Bentong (TF: 1.42 mg/g dry weight; TP: 9.11 mg/g dry weight) in average over the whole plant. Furthermore, plants with the highest rate of photosynthesis had the highest TSC and phenolics content. Significant differences between treatments and species were observed for TF and TP production. Correlation coefficient showed that TSC and TP content are positively correlated in both varieties. The antioxidant activity, as determined by the ferric reducing/antioxidant potential (FRAP) activity, increased in young ginger grown under elevated CO2. The FRAP values for the leaves, rhizomes and stems extracts of both varieties grown under two different CO2 concentrations (400 and 800 μmol mol−1) were significantly lower than those of vitamin C (3107.28 μmol Fe (II)/g) and α-tocopherol (953 μmol Fe (II)/g), but higher than that of BHT (74.31 μmol Fe (II)/g). These results indicate that the plant biomass, primary and secondary metabolite synthesis, and following that, antioxidant activities of Malaysian young ginger varieties can be enhanced through controlled environment (CE) and CO2 enrichment. PMID:21541046

Mononuclear Sulfido-Tungsten(V) Complexes: Completing the Tp*MEXY (M = Mo, W; E = O, S) Series.

PubMed

Sproules, Stephen; Eagle, Aston A; George, Graham N; White, Jonathan M; Young, Charles G

2017-05-01

Orange Tp*WSCl 2 has been synthesized from the reactions of Tp*WOCl 2 with boron sulfide in refluxing toluene or Tp*WS 2 Cl with PPh 3 in dichloromethane at room temperature. Mononuclear sulfido-tungsten(V) complexes, Tp*WSXY {X = Y = Cl, OPh, SPh, SePh; X = Cl, Y = OPh; XY = toluene-3,4-dithiolate (tdt), quinoxaline-2,3-dithiolate (qdt); and Tp* = hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)borate} were prepared by metathesis of Tp*WSCl 2 with the respective alkali metal salt of X - /XY 2- , or [NHEt 3 ] 2 (qdt). The complexes were characterized by microanalysis, mass spectrometry, electrochemistry, and infrared (IR), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electronic absorption spectroscopies. The molecular structures of Tp*WS(OPh) 2 , Tp*WS(SePh) 2 , and Tp*WS(tdt) have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The six-coordinate, distorted-octahedral W centers are coordinated by terminal sulfido (W≡S = 2.128(2) - 2.161(1) Å), terdentate facial Tp*, and monodentate/bidentate O/S/Se-donor ligands. The sulfido-W(V) complexes are characterized by lower energy electronic transitions, smaller g iso , and larger A iso ( 183 W) values, and more positive reduction potentials compared with their oxo-W(V) counterparts. This series has been probed by sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), the spectra being assigned by comparison to Tp*WOXY (X = Y = SPh; XY = tdt, qdt) and time-dependent density functional theoretical (TD-DFT) calculations. This study provides insight into the electronic nature and chemistry of the catalytically and biologically important sulfido-W unit.

UPLC/ESI-QTOF-MS-based metabolomics survey on the toxicity of triptolide and detoxication of licorice.

PubMed

Wang, Zhuo; Liu, Jian-Qun; Xu, Jin-Di; Zhu, He; Kong, Ming; Zhang, Guo-Hua; Duan, Su-Min; Li, Xiu-Yang; Li, Guang-Fu; Liu, Li-Fang; Li, Song-Lin

2017-06-01

Triptolide (TP) from Tripterygium wilfordii has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and anticancer activities. TP is specially used for the treatment of awkward rheumatoid arthritis, but its clinical application is confined by intense side effects. It is reported that licorice can obviously reduce the toxicity of TP, but the detailed mechanisms involved have not been comprehensively investigated. The current study aimed to explore metabolomics characteristics of the toxic reaction induced by TP and the intervention effect of licorice water extraction (LWE) against such toxicity. Obtained urine samples from control, TP and TP + LWE treated rats were analyzed by UPLC/ESI-QTOF-MS. The metabolic profiles of the control and the TP group were well differentiated by the principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis. The toxicity of TP was demonstrated to be evolving along with the exposure time of TP. Eight potential biomarkers related to TP toxicity were successfully identified in urine samples. Furthermore, LWE treatment could attenuate the change in six of the eight identified biomarkers. Functional pathway analysis revealed that the alterations in these metabolites were associated with tryptophan, pantothenic acid, and porphyrin metabolism. Therefore, it was concluded that LWE demonstrated interventional effects on TP toxicity through regulation of tryptophan, pantothenic acid, and porphyrin metabolism pathways, which provided novel insights into the possible mechanisms of TP toxicity as well as the potential therapeutic effects of LWE against such toxicity. Copyright © 2017 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterizing genomic differences of human cancer stratified by the TP53 mutation status.

PubMed

Wang, Mengyao; Yang, Chao; Zhang, Xiuqing; Li, Xiangchun

2018-06-01

The key roles of the TP53 mutation in cancer have been well established. TP53 is the most frequently mutated gene, and its inactivation is widespread among human cancer types. However, the landscape of genomic alterations in human cancers stratified by the TP53 mutation has not yet been described. We obtained somatic mutation and copy number change data of 6551 regular-mutated samples from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and compared significantly mutated genes (SMGs), copy number alterations, mutational signatures and mutational strand asymmetries between cancer samples with and without the TP53 mutation. We identified 126 SMGs, 30 of which were statistically significant in both the TP53 mutant and wild-type groups. Several SMGs, such as VHL, SMAD4 and PTEN, showed a mutation bias towards the TP53 wild-type group, whereas ATRX, IDH1 and RB1 were more prevalent in the TP53 mutant group. Five mutational signatures were extracted from the combined TCGA dataset on which mutational asymmetry analysis was performed, revealing that the TP53 mutant group exhibited substantially greater replication and transcription biases. Furthermore, we found that alterations of multiple genes in a merged mutually exclusive network composed of BRAF, EGFR, PAK1, PIK3CA, PTEN, APC and TERT were related to shortened survival in the TP53 wild-type group. In summary, we characterized the genomic differences and similarities underlying human cancers stratified by the TP53 mutation and identified multi-gene alterations of a merged mutually exclusive network to be a poor prognostic factor for the TP53 wild-type group.

Solvo-thermal synthesis of a unique alkaline earth-transition Ba-Cd micro-porous coordination framework as hetero-metallic luminescent sensor for Cu2+ and real-time detection of benzaldehyde

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Bin; Ma, Dian Xue; Zhang, Hui Min; Meng, Xin; Qiu, Rong Rong; Ren, Rong; Wu, Jie; Wu, Xiang Xia; Huo, Jian Zhong; Liu, Yuan Yuan; Shi, Xue Fang

2018-06-01

In this work a unique hetero-metallic alkaline earth-transition Ba-Cd luminescent micro-porous metal-organic framework {[BaCd(μ6-tp)1.5(μ2-Cl)(H2O) (DMF)2]·0.75H2O}n (H2tp = terephthalic acid) (1) has been prepared under solvo-thermal conditions. In 1 infinite 1D {Ba-X-Cd} (X = O, Cl) inorganic chains are linked via these full de-pronated tp2- ligands forming a unique 3D I1O2 type micro-porous coordination framework. PXRD patterns of 1 have been determined confirming pure phases of 1. Luminescence investigations suggested that 1 exhibits highly selective and sensitive sensing for trace amounts of benzaldehyde in ethanol, which provides a facile method for real-time detection of benzaldehyde. Meanwhile 1 also exhibits highly selective and sensitive sensing for Cu2+ over other cations with high quenching efficiency Ksv value 1.15 × 104 L·mol-1. As far as we know, 1 represents the first example of alkaline earth-transition hetero-metallic Ba-Cd micro-porous coordination framework as bi-functional luminescent probes for Cu2+ and benzaldehyde.

Water Level Monitoring on Tibetan Lakes Based on Icesat and Envisat Data Series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, H. W.; Qiao, G.; Wu, Y. J.; Cao, Y. J.; Mi, H.

2017-09-01

Satellite altimetry technique is an effective method to monitor the water level of lakes in a wide range, especially in sparsely populated areas, such as the Tibet Plateau (TP). To provide high quality data for time-series change detection of lake water level, an automatic and efficient algorithm for lake water footprint (LWF) detection in a wide range is used. Based on ICESat GLA14 Release634 data and ENVISat GDR 1Hz data, water level of 167 lakes were obtained from ICESat data series, and water level of 120 lakes were obtained from ENVISat data series. Among them, 67 lakes contained two data series. Mean standard deviation of all lakes is 0.088 meters (ICESat), 0.339 meters (ENVISat). Combination of multi-source altimetry data is helpful for us to get longer and more dense periods cover water level, study the lake level changes, manage water resources and understand the impacts of climate change better. In addition, the standard deviation of LWF elevation used to calculate the water level were analyzed by month. Based on lake data set for the TP from the 1960s, 2005, and 2014 in Scientific Data, it is found that the water level changes in the TP have a strong spatial correlation with the area changes.

Solvo-thermal synthesis of a unique alkaline earth-transition Ba-Cd micro-porous coordination framework as hetero-metallic luminescent sensor for Cu2+ and real-time detection of benzaldehyde.

PubMed

Ding, Bin; Ma, Dian Xue; Zhang, Hui Min; Meng, Xin; Qiu, Rong Rong; Ren, Rong; Wu, Jie; Wu, Xiang Xia; Huo, Jian Zhong; Liu, Yuan Yuan; Shi, Xue Fang

2018-06-15

In this work a unique hetero-metallic alkaline earth-transition Ba-Cd luminescent micro-porous metal-organic framework {[BaCd(μ 6 -tp) 1.5 (μ 2 -Cl)(H 2 O) (DMF) 2 ]·0.75H 2 O} n (H 2 tp=terephthalic acid) (1) has been prepared under solvo-thermal conditions. In 1 infinite 1D {Ba-X-Cd} (X=O, Cl) inorganic chains are linked via these full de-pronated tp 2- ligands forming a unique 3D I 1 O 2 type micro-porous coordination framework. PXRD patterns of 1 have been determined confirming pure phases of 1. Luminescence investigations suggested that 1 exhibits highly selective and sensitive sensing for trace amounts of benzaldehyde in ethanol, which provides a facile method for real-time detection of benzaldehyde. Meanwhile 1 also exhibits highly selective and sensitive sensing for Cu 2+ over other cations with high quenching efficiency K sv value 1.15×10 4 L·mol -1 . As far as we know, 1 represents the first example of alkaline earth-transition hetero-metallic Ba-Cd micro-porous coordination framework as bi-functional luminescent probes for Cu 2+ and benzaldehyde. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fractionation of wastewater characteristics for modelling of Firle Sewage Treatment Works, Harare, Zimbabwe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muserere, Simon Takawira; Hoko, Zvikomborero; Nhapi, Innocent

Varying conditions are required for different species of microorganisms for the complex biological processes taking place within the activated sludge treatment system. It is against the requirement to manage this complex dynamic system that computer simulators were developed to aid in optimising activated sludge treatment processes. These computer simulators require calibration with quality data input that include wastewater fractionation among others. Thus, this research fractionated raw sewage, at Firle Sewage Treatment Works (STW), for calibration of the BioWin simulation model. Firle STW is a 3-stage activated sludge system. Wastewater characteristics of importance for activated sludge process design can be grouped into carbonaceous, nitrogenous and phosphorus compounds. Division of the substrates and compounds into their constituent fractions is called fractionation and is a valuable tool for process assessment. Fractionation can be carried out using bioassay methods or much simpler physico-chemical methods. The bioassay methods require considerable experience with experimental activated sludge systems and associated measurement techniques while the physico-chemical methods are straight forward. Plant raw wastewater fractionation was carried out through two 14-day campaign periods, the first being from 3 to 16 July 2013 and the second was from 1 to 14 October 2013. According to the Zimbabwean Environmental Management Act, and based on the sensitivity of its catchment, Firle STW effluent discharge regulatory standards in mg/L are COD (<60), TN (<10), ammonia (<0.2), and TP (<1). On the other hand Firle STW Unit 4 effluent quality results based on City of Harare records in mg/L during the period of study were COD (90 ± 35), TN (9.0 ± 3.0), ammonia (0.2 ± 0.4) and TP (3.0 ± 1.0). The raw sewage parameter concentrations measured during the study in mg/L and fractions for raw sewage respectively were as follows total COD (680 ± 37), slowly biodegradable COD (456 ± 23), (0.7), readily biodegradable COD (131 ± 11), (0.2), soluble unbiodegradable COD (40 ± 3), (0.06), particulate unbiodegradable COD (53 ± 3) (0.08), total TKN (40 ± 4) mg/L, ammonia (28 ± 6), (0.68), organically bound nitrogen (12 ± 2), (0.32), TP (15 ± 1.4), orthophosphates (9.6 ± 1.4), (0.64), and organically bound TP (5.4 ± 1.4), (0.36), soluble unbiodegradable TP (0.4 ± 0), (0.03), particulate unbiodegradable TP (0.05 ± 0), (0.003). Thus, wastewater at Firle STW was found to be highly biodegradable suggesting optimisation of biological nutrient removal process will generally achieve effluent regulatory standards compliance. Thus, opportunities for plant optimisation do exist of which modelling with the use of a simulator is recommended to achieve recommended effluent standards in addition to reduction of operating costs.

Occurrence of phosphorus, iron, aluminum, silica, and calcium in a eutrophic lake during algae bloom sedimentation.

PubMed

Li, Guolian; Xie, Fazhi; Zhang, Jin; Wang, Jingrou; Yang, Ying; Sun, Ruoru

2016-09-01

Phosphorus (P) in a water body is mainly controlled by the interaction between surface sediment and the overlying water column after the complete control of external pollution. Significant enhancement of P in a water body would cause eutrophication of lakes. Thus, a better understanding is needed of the occurrences of P between the sediment and water column in eutrophic lakes. Here, we measured total phosphorus (TP) and major elements (Fe, Al, Ca, Mn, Si) in the water column, and total nitrogen, organic matter, TP and major oxides (Fe 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 , CaO, SiO 2 ) in surface sediment of Chaohu Lake, a continuously eutrophic lake. The results showed that the rank of TP levels was western lake > eastern lake > southern lake. There were significantly positive correlations between TP (including water TP and sedimentary TP) and Fe, Al, Mn, while the correlation coefficients between water TP and sedimentary TP were -0.43, -0.41 and 0.18 for the western, eastern and southern lake respectively. The negative and significant correlations of water TP and sedimentary TP may indicate that the risk of sedimentary P release was great in the western and eastern lake during algae bloom sedimentation, while the southern lake showed weak P exchange between the sediment and water column.

Acute effects of Red Bull energy drink on ventricular repolarization in healthy young volunteers: a prospective study

PubMed Central

Elitok, Ali; Öz, Fahrettin; Panc, Cafer; Sarıkaya, Remzi; Sezikli, Selim; Pala, Yasin; Bugan, Övgü Sinem; Ateş, Müge; Parıldar, Hilal; Ayaz, Mustafa Buğra; Atıcı, Adem; Oflaz, Hüseyin

2016-01-01

Objective: Energy drinks (EDs) are widely consumed products of the beverage industry and are often chosen by teenagers and young adults. Several adverse cardiovascular events and malignant cardiac arrhythmias following consumption of EDs have been reported in the literature. Several studies have suggested that the interval from the peak to the end of the electrocardiographic T wave (Tp-e) may correspond to the dispersion of repolarization and that an increased Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio are associated with malignant ventricular arrhythmias. This study investigated the acute effects of Red Bull ED on ventricular repolarization as assessed by the Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio. Methods: A prospective, open-label study design was used. After an 8-h fast, 50 young, healthy subjects consumed 355 mL of Red Bull ED. The Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QTc ratio, and several other electrocardiographic parameters were measured at baseline and 2 h after ingestion of Red Bull ED. Results: No significant changes in the Tp-e interval or Tp-e/QTc ratio were observed with Red Bull ED consumption. Red Bull ED consumption led to increases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressures, which were associated with an increased heart rate. Conclusion: Although ingestion of Red Bull ED increases the heart rate and diastolic and systolic blood pressures, it does not cause alterations in ventricular repolarization as assessed by the Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QTc ratio. PMID:25868042

Acute effects of Red Bull energy drink on ventricular repolarization in healthy young volunteers: a prospective study.

PubMed

Elitok, Ali; Öz, Fahrettin; Panc, Cafer; Sarıkaya, Remzi; Sezikli, Selim; Pala, Yasin; Bugan, Övgü Sinem; Ateş, Müge; Parıldar, Hilal; Ayaz, Mustafa Buğra; Atıcı, Adem; Oflaz, Hüseyin

2015-11-01

Energy drinks (EDs) are widely consumed products of the beverage industry and are often chosen by teenagers and young adults. Several adverse cardiovascular events and malignant cardiac arrhythmias following consumption of EDs have been reported in the literature. Several studies have suggested that the interval from the peak to the end of the electrocardiographic T wave (Tp-e) may correspond to the dispersion of repolarization and that an increased Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio are associated with malignant ventricular arrhythmias. This study investigated the acute effects of Red Bull ED on ventricular repolarization as assessed by the Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio. A prospective, open-label study design was used. After an 8-h fast, 50 young, healthy subjects consumed 355 mL of Red Bull ED. The Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QTc ratio, and several other electrocardiographic parameters were measured at baseline and 2 h after ingestion of Red Bull ED. No significant changes in the Tp-e interval or Tp-e/QTc ratio were observed with Red Bull ED consumption. Red Bull ED consumption led to increases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressures, which were associated with an increased heart rate. Although ingestion of Red Bull ED increases the heart rate and diastolic and systolic blood pressures, it does not cause alterations in ventricular repolarization as assessed by the Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QTc ratio.

Impact of mine wastewaters on greenhouse gas emissions from northern peatlands used for mine water treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palmer, Katharina; Ronkanen, Anna-Kaisa; Klöve, Björn; Hynynen, Jenna; Maljanen, Marja

2015-04-01

The amount of wastewaters generated during mining operations is increasing along with the increasing number of operation mines, which poses great challenges for mine water management and purification. Mine wastewaters contain high concentrations of nitrogen compounds such as nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+) originating from remnant explosives as well as sulfate (SO42-) originating from the oxidation of sulfidic ores. At a mine site in Finnish Lapland, two natural peatlands have been used for cost-effective passive wastewater treatment. One peatland have been used for the treatment of drainage waters (TP 1), while the other has been used for the treatment of process-based wastewaters (TP 4). In this study, the impact of mine water derived nitrogen compounds as well as SO42- on the emission of the potent greenhouse gases methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) from those treatment peatlands was investigated. Contaminant concentrations in the input and output waters of the treatment peatlands were monitored which allowed for the calculation of contaminant-specific retention efficiencies. Treatment peatlands showed generally good retention efficiencies for metals and metalloids (e.g. nickel, arsenic, antimony, up to 98% reduction in concentration) with rather low input-concentrations (i.e., in the μg/l-range). On the other hand, retention of contaminants with high input-concentrations (i.e., in mg/l-range) such as NO3-, NH4+ and SO42- was much lower (4-41%, 30-60% and -42-30%, respectively), indicating the limited capability of the treatment peatlands to cope with such high input concentrations. NO3- and NH4+ concentrations were determined in surface and pore water from TP 4 in July 2013 as well as in surface water from TP 1 and TP 4 in October 2013. Up to 720 μM NO3- and up to 600 μM NH4+ were detected in surface water of TP 4 in July 2013. NO3- and NH4+ concentrations in surface waters were highest near the mine wastewater distribution ditch and decreased with increasing distances from the ditch. NO3- concentrations were lower in pore water than in surface water, and the peak in NO3- concentration shifted further away from the distribution ditch with increasing depth. On the contrary, NH4+ concentrations were generally higher in pore water than in surface water, and peak concentrations increased with increasing depth. Highest NH4+ concentrations were detected in 30 to 60 cm depth near the outlet at the south end of TP 4. Fluxes of the greenhouse gases CH4 and N2O from 4 sampling points (2 from TP 4, 1 from TP 1, 1 from reference area) were measured on 7 different occasions 2013 and 2014. CH4 emissions were in the same range as measured in other northern pristine peatlands in the reference area, which is not influenced by mine wastewaters. Treatment peatlands showed only very minor CH4 emissions or even CH4 uptake. On the other hand, treatment peatlands showed high N2O emissions, which were in the same range as N2O emissions observed from northern peat soils used for agriculture. Highest emissions were generally observed near the wastewater distribution ditch of TP 4. N2O emissions from the reference area were negligible or even negative. NO3-, NH4+ and SO42- concentrations were determined from surface waters from each sampling point and sampling occasion. N2O emissions were positively correlated with NO3- concentrations, indicating denitrification-derived N2O production in treatment peatlands. On the other hand, CH4 emissions were negatively correlated with SO42- and NO3- concentrations, indicating that the presence of alternative electron acceptors in large amounts suppresses CH4 production in treatment peatlands. In conclusion, the study revealed that (i) treatment peatlands receive high loads of NO3-, NH4+ and SO42- which are not well retained in the peatlands, (ii) mine wastewaters positively and negatively affect N2O and CH4 emissions, respectively, (iii) N2O emissions are positively correlated with NO3- concentrations, and (iv) CH4 emissions are negatively correlated with NO3- and SO42- concentrations. This study thus illustrates the pronounced impacts of mine wastewaters on processes involved in greenhouse gas turnover in peatlands ecosystems.

Beta-trace protein in ascites and pleural effusions: limits of CSF leakage detection.

PubMed

Dietzel, Joanna; Krebs, Alexander; Böttcher, Dominique; Sieb, Manuela; Glocker, Michael O; Lüdemann, Jan; Roser, Markus; Dressel, Alexander

2012-06-10

Rhino- and/or otoliquorrhea can be diagnosed by detecting beta-trace protein (β-TP) in nasal or ear secretions, as β-TP is found in high concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) but not in serum. CSF fistulae following trauma or surgery can also occur at other anatomical sites, resulting in CSF leakage into the thoracic and abdominal cavities. By analogy, determination of ß-TP has also been used to diagnose CSF admixture in pleural effusions and ascites. However, no systematic study has yet evaluated the concentrations of β-TP in such fluids in the absence of CSF. To determine the validity of β-TP determination as a marker for the presence of CSF, we investigated β-TP concentrations in pleural effusions and ascites without CSF admixture. Patients from whom samples of ascites or pleural effusion and a paired plasma sample were available were investigated. One hundred sixty-four patients were prospectively recruited. ß-TP concentrations were determined by nephelometry. Mass spectrometric proteome analysis confirmed the presence of ß-TP in the samples. Median β-TP concentrations detected in ascites and pleural effusions (range, 0.014-26.5 mg/L, median 2.29 mg/L) exceeded the corresponding plasma concentrations 2.6-fold. According to cutoffs published to diagnose rhino- and otoliquorrhea, between 6.1% and 95.7% of the specimens would have been erroneously rated CSF-positive. Protein analysis confirmed the presence of β-TP in pleural effusion and ascites. Ascites and pleural effusion contain high concentrations of β-TP that exceed the levels in corresponding plasma. Therefore, β-TP is not a specific marker for the presence of CSF in these fluids.

Confocal raman microspectroscopy and imaging study of theraphthal in living cancer cells.

PubMed Central

Feofanov, A V; Grichine, A I; Shitova, L A; Karmakova, T A; Yakubovskaya, R I; Egret-Charlier, M; Vigny, P

2000-01-01

Binary systems combining a transition metal complex and ascorbate have been proposed recently for catalytic therapy of malignant tumors. The killing effect on tumor cells is achieved by production of free radicals in the course of accelerated oxidation of ascorbate by dioxygen in the presence of transition metal complexes. Further progress in the development of binary catalytic systems (BCSs) requires a special method for their investigation in cells and tissues, because neither component of BCSs fluoresces. Here a resonance Raman confocal spectral imaging (RR CSI) technique was introduced as a unique approach to monitor quantitatively the transition metal complexes within living cells. Intracellular accumulation, localization, and retention of theraphthal (TP), a catalyst of the advanced TP/ascorbate BCS, were investigated in A549 cells with the RR CSI technique. The cellular analysis was complemented with the detailed study of molecular interactions of TP in solution and environmental factors affecting the RR spectrum of TP. TP does not penetrate into membranes, it binds very weakly to DNA and RNA, but it readily forms complexes with proteins. Binding with Ca(2+) cations and decreasing pH below 6 induce aggregation of TP. By analyzing RR spectra recorded from every point within a TP-treated cell, three states of the agent were discriminated, namely, monomeric TP in polar environment, TP bound to proteins, and aggregated TP. Their cytoplasmic and nuclear distributions were mapped at different stages of uptake and efflux. By introducing organelle-selective fluorescent probes into drug-treated cells and measuring intracellular localization of both the probe and the drug, compartmentation of TP was revealed. Cell growth suppression by the TP/ascorbate system was measured, and probable molecular and organelle targets of radical damage were characterized. PMID:10620313

Evaluation of Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio in patients with non-dipper hypertension.

PubMed

Demir, Mehmet; Uyan, Umut

2014-01-01

Non-dipper hypertension is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Several studies have suggested that the interval from the peak to the end of the electrocardiographic T wave (Tp-e) may correspond to the transmural dispersion of repolarization and that increased Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio are associated with malignant ventricular arrhythmias. The aim of this study was to evaluate ventricular repolarization by using Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio in patients with non-dipper hypertension. This study included 80 hypertensive patients. Hypertensive patients were divided into two groups: 50 dipper patients (29 male, mean age 51.5 ± 8 years) and 30 non-dipper patients (17 male, mean age 50.6 ± 5.4 years). Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio were measured from the 12-lead electrocardiogram. These parameters were compared between groups. No statistically significant difference was found between two groups in terms of basic characteristics. In electrocardiographic parameters analysis, QT dispersion (QTd) and corrected QTd were significantly increased in non-dipper patients compared to the dippers (39.4 ± 11.5 versus 27.3 ± 7.5 ms and 37.5 ± 9.5 versus 29.2 ± 6.5 ms, p = 0.001 and p = 0.01, respectively). Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio were also significantly higher in non-dipper patients (97.5 ± 11.2 versus 84.2 ± 8.3 ms and 0.23 ± 0.02 versus 0.17 ± 0.02, all p value <0.001). Our study revealed that QTd, Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio are prolonged in patients with non-dipper hypertension.

Evaluation of Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Acar, Gu Rkan; Akkoyun, Murat; Nacar, Alper Bugra; Dirnak, Imran; Yıldırım Çetin, Gözde; Nur Yıldırım, Makbule; Zencir, Cemil; Karaman, Kayıhan; Cetin, Mustafa; Sayarlıoğlu, Mehmet

2014-01-01

Several studies have suggested that the interval from the peak to the end of the electrocardiographic T wave (Tp-e) may correspond to the transmural dispersion of repolarization and that increased Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio are associated with malignant ventricular arrhythmias. The aim of this study was to evaluate ventricular repolarization by using the Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to assess the relation with inflammation. Ninety-six patients (72 females, 24 males; mean age 43.8±11.8 years) with RA and 50 controls (35 females, 15 males; mean age 44.2±11.1 years) were included. From the 12-lead electrocardiogram, Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio were measured. Blood samples were taken for erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). These parameters were compared between groups. The relationship between ventricular repolarization and inflammation was assessed by Pearson correlation coefficients. Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratio were increased in RA patients compared to the controls (72.6±8.2 vs 66.4±8.5 ms, 0.20±0.02 vs 0.18±0.02; p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). The Tp-e interval was significantly correlated with CRP, ESR, and disease activity score (DAS-28) (r=0.56, p<0.001, r=0.57, p<0.001, and r=0.29, p=0.02, respectively). The Tp-e/QT ratio was also correlated with CRP, ESR, and DAS-28 score (r=0.43, p<0.001, r=0.53, p<0.001, and r=0.25, p=0.03, respectively). In RA patients, the increased frequency of ventricular arrhythmias may be explained by increased indexes of ventricular repolarization and their relationship with inflammation.

TP53 Germline Variations Influence the Predisposition and Prognosis of B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Children

PubMed Central

Qian, Maoxiang; Cao, Xueyuan; Devidas, Meenakshi; Yang, Wenjian; Cheng, Cheng; Dai, Yunfeng; Carroll, Andrew; Heerema, Nyla A.; Zhang, Hui; Moriyama, Takaya; Gastier-Foster, Julie M.; Xu, Heng; Raetz, Elizabeth; Larsen, Eric; Winick, Naomi; Bowman, W. Paul; Martin, Paul L.; Mardis, Elaine R.; Fulton, Robert; Zambetti, Gerard; Borowitz, Michael; Wood, Brent; Nichols, Kim E.; Carroll, William L.; Pui, Ching-Hon; Mullighan, Charles G.; Evans, William E.; Hunger, Stephen P.; Relling, Mary V.; Loh, Mignon L.

2018-01-01

Purpose Germline TP53 variation is the genetic basis of Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a highly penetrant cancer predisposition condition. Recent reports of germline TP53 variants in childhood hypodiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) suggest that this type of leukemia is another manifestation of Li-Fraumeni syndrome; however, the pattern, prevalence, and clinical relevance of TP53 variants in childhood ALL remain unknown. Patients and Methods Targeted sequencing of TP53 coding regions was performed in 3,801 children from the Children’s Oncology Group frontline ALL clinical trials, AALL0232 and P9900. TP53 variant pathogenicity was evaluated according to experimentally determined transcriptional activity, in silico prediction of damaging effects, and prevalence in non-ALL control populations. TP53 variants were analyzed for their association with ALL presenting features and treatment outcomes. Results We identified 49 unique nonsilent rare TP53 coding variants in 77 (2.0%) of 3,801 patients sequenced, of which 22 variants were classified as pathogenic. TP53 pathogenic variants were significantly over-represented in ALL compared with non-ALL controls (odds ratio, 5.2; P < .001). Children with TP53 pathogenic variants were significantly older at ALL diagnosis (median age, 15.5 years v 7.3 years; P < .001) and were more likely to have hypodiploid ALL (65.4% v 1.2%; P < .001). Carrying germline TP53 pathogenic variants was associated with inferior event-free survival and overall survival (hazard ratio, 4.2 and 3.9; P < .001 and .001, respectively). In particular, children with TP53 pathogenic variants were at a dramatically higher risk of second cancers than those without pathogenic variants, with 5-year cumulative incidence of 25.1% and 0.7% (P < .001), respectively. Conclusion Loss-of-function germline TP53 variants predispose children to ALL and to adverse treatment outcomes with ALL therapy, particularly the risk of second malignant neoplasms. PMID:29300620

Evaluation of FlaB1, FlaB2, FlaB3, and Tp0463 of Treponema pallidum for serodiagnosis of syphilis.

PubMed

Jiang, Chuanhao; Xiao, Jinhong; Xie, Yafeng; Xiao, Yongjian; Wang, Chuan; Kuang, Xingxing; Xu, Man; Li, Ranhui; Zeng, Tiebing; Liu, Shuanquan; Yu, Jian; Zhao, Feijun; Wu, Yimou

2016-02-01

Syphilis is a multistage disease caused by the invasive spirochete Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum, and accurate diagnosis is important for the prevention and treatment of syphilis. Here, to identify appropriate diagnostic antigens for serodiagnosis of syphilis, 6 recombinant proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified, including flagellins (FlaB1 [Tp0868], FlaB2 [Tp0792], and FlaB3 [Tp0870]), Tp0463, Tp0751, and Tp1038. The sensitivities were determined by screening sera from individuals with primary (n=82), secondary (n=115), latent (n=105), and congenital (n=65) syphilis. The specificities were determined by screening sera from uninfected controls (n=30) and potentially cross-reactive infections including Lyme disease (n=30), leptospirosis (n=5), and hepatitis B (n=30). Our data showed that FlaB1, FlaB2, FlaB3, Tp0463, and Tp1038 exhibited higher overall sensitivities and specificities for detecting IgG antibody, with 95.4% and 98.9%, 92.6% and 95.8%, 95.1% and 95.8%, 92.6% and 97.9%, and 95.9% and 98.9%, respectively. In contrast, Tp0751 demonstrated only an overall sensitivity of 39.2%. For comparison, the sensitivity and specificity of Architect Syphilis TP were determined to be 98.1% and 93.7%, respectively. In addition, FlaB1, FlaB2, FlaB3, and Tp0463 demonstrated excellent performance for detecting IgM antibody in primary and congenital syphilis, with sensitivities of 76.8% and 83.1%, 72.0% and 87.7%, 74.4% and 89.2%, and 64.6% and 75.3%, respectively. These results indicate that FlaB1, FlaB2, FlaB3, and Tp0463 could be as novel diagnostic candidates for serodiagnosis of syphilis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

RITA displays anti-tumor activity in medulloblastomas independent of TP53 status.

PubMed

Gottlieb, Aline; Althoff, Kristina; Grunewald, Laura; Thor, Theresa; Odersky, Andrea; Schulte, Marc; Deubzer, Hedwig E; Heukamp, Lukas; Eggert, Angelika; Schramm, Alexander; Schulte, Johannes H; Künkele, Annette

2017-04-25

Current therapy of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor of childhood, achieves 40-70% survival. Secondary chemotherapy resistance contributes to treatment failure, where TP53 pathway dysfunction plays a key role. MDM2 interaction with TP53 leads to its degradation. Reactivating TP53 functionality using small-molecule inhibitors, such as RITA, to disrupt TP53-MDM2 binding may have therapeutic potential. We show here that RITA decreased viability of all 4 analyzed medulloblastoma cell lines, regardless of TP53 functional status. The decrease in cell viability was accompanied in 3 of the 4 medulloblastoma cell lines by accumulation of TP53 protein in the cells and increased CDKN1A expression. RITA treatment in mouse models inhibited medulloblastoma xenograft tumor growth. These data demonstrate that RITA treatment reduces medulloblastoma cell viability in both in vitro and in vivo models, and acts independently of cellular TP53 status, identifying RITA as a potential therapeutic agent to treat medulloblastoma.

RITA displays anti-tumor activity in medulloblastomas independent of TP53 status

PubMed Central

Gottlieb, Aline; Althoff, Kristina; Grunewald, Laura; Thor, Theresa; Odersky, Andrea; Schulte, Marc; Deubzer, Hedwig E.; Heukamp, Lukas; Eggert, Angelika; Schramm, Alexander; Schulte, Johannes H.; Künkele, Annette

2017-01-01

Current therapy of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor of childhood, achieves 40–70% survival. Secondary chemotherapy resistance contributes to treatment failure, where TP53 pathway dysfunction plays a key role. MDM2 interaction with TP53 leads to its degradation. Reactivating TP53 functionality using small-molecule inhibitors, such as RITA, to disrupt TP53-MDM2 binding may have therapeutic potential. We show here that RITA decreased viability of all 4 analyzed medulloblastoma cell lines, regardless of TP53 functional status. The decrease in cell viability was accompanied in 3 of the 4 medulloblastoma cell lines by accumulation of TP53 protein in the cells and increased CDKN1A expression. RITA treatment in mouse models inhibited medulloblastoma xenograft tumor growth. These data demonstrate that RITA treatment reduces medulloblastoma cell viability in both in vitro and in vivo models, and acts independently of cellular TP53 status, identifying RITA as a potential therapeutic agent to treat medulloblastoma. PMID:28427187

Involvement of Cot/Tp12 in bone loss during periodontitis.

PubMed

Ohnishi, T; Okamoto, A; Kakimoto, K; Bandow, K; Chiba, N; Matsuguchi, T

2010-02-01

Periodontitis causes resorption of alveolar bone, in which RANKL induces osteoclastogenesis. The binding of lipopolysaccharide to Toll-like receptors causes phosphorylation of Cot/Tp12 to activate the MAPK cascade. Previous in vitro studies showed that Cot/Tp12 was essential for the induction of RANKL expression by lipopolysaccharide. In this study, we examined whether Cot/Tp12 deficiency reduced the progression of alveolar bone loss and osteoclastogenesis during experimental periodontitis. We found that the extent of alveolar bone loss and osteoclastogenesis induced by ligature-induced periodontitis was decreased in Cot/Tp12-deficient mice. In addition, reduction of RANKL expression was observed in periodontal tissues of Cot/Tp12-deficient mice with experimental periodontitis. Furthermore, we found that Cot/Tp12 was involved in the induction of TNF-alpha mRNA expression in gingiva of mice with experimental periodontitis. Our observations suggested that Cot/Tp12 is essential for the progression of alveolar bone loss and osteoclastogenesis in periodontal tissue during experimental periodontitis mediated through increased RANKL expression.

Hybrid constructed wetlands for highly polluted river water treatment and comparison of surface- and subsurface-flow cells.

PubMed

Zheng, Yucong; Wang, Xiaochang; Xiong, Jiaqing; Liu, Yongjun; Zhao, Yaqian

2014-04-01

A series of large pilot constructed wetland (CW) systems were constructed near the confluence of an urban stream to a larger river in Xi'an, a northwestern megacity in China, for treating polluted stream water before it entered the receiving water body. Each CW system is a combination of surface-and subsurface-flow cells with local gravel, sand or slag as substrates and Phragmites australis and Typha orientalis as plants. During a one-year operation with an average surface loading of 0.053 m(3)/(m(2)·day), the overall COD, BOD, NH3-N, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) removals were 72.7% ± 4.5%, 93.4% ± 2.1%, 54.0% ± 6.3%, 53.9% ± 6.0% and 69.4% ± 4.6%, respectively, which brought about an effective improvement of the river water quality. Surface-flow cells showed better NH3-N removal than their TN removal while subsurface-flow cells showed better TN removal than their NH3-N removal. Using local slag as the substrate, the organic and phosphorus removal could be much improved. Seasonal variation was also found in the removal of all the pollutants and autumn seemed to be the best season for pollutant removal due to the moderate water temperature and well grown plants in the CWs. Copyright © 2014 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

TpUB05, a Homologue of the Immunodominant Plasmodium falciparum Protein UB05, Is a Marker of Protective Immune Responses in Cattle Experimentally Vaccinated against East Coast Fever

PubMed Central

Dinga, Jerome Nyhalah; Wamalwa, Mark; Njimoh, Dieudonné Lemuh; Njahira, Moses N.; Djikeng, Appolinaire; Skilton, Rob; Titanji, Vincent Pryde Kehdingha; Pellé, Roger

2015-01-01

Introduction East Coast fever, a devastating disease of cattle, can be controlled partially by vaccination with live T. parva sporozoites. The antigens responsible for conferring immunity are not fully characterized. Recently it was shown that the P. falciparum immunodominant protein UB05 is highly conserved in T. parva, the causative agent of East Coast fever. The aim of the present investigation was to determine the role of the homologue TpUB05 in protective immunity to East Coast fever. Methods The cloning, sequencing and expression of TpUB05 were done according to standard protocols. Bioinformatics analysis of TpUB05 gene was carried out using algorithms found in the public domain. Polyclonal antiserum against recombinant TpUB05 were raised in rabbits and used for further analysis by Western blotting, ELISA, immunolocalization and in vitro infection neutralization assay. The ability of recombinant TpUB05 (r-TpUB05) to stimulate bovine PBMCs ex-vivo to produce IFN-γ or to proliferate was tested using ELISpot and [3H]-thymidine incorporation assays, respectively. Results All the 20 cattle immunised by the infection and treatment method (ITM) developed significantly higher levels of TpUB05 specific antibodies (p<0.0001) compared to the non-vaccinated ones. Similarly, r-TpUB05 highly stimulated bovine PMBCs from 8/12 (67%) of ITM-immunized cattle tested to produce IFN-γ and proliferate (p< 0.029) as compared to the 04 naїve cattle included as controls. Polyclonal TpUB05 antiserum raised against r-TpUB05 also marginally inhibited infection (p < 0.046) of bovine PBMCs by T. parva sporozoites. In further experiments RT-PCR showed that the TpUB05 gene is expressed by the parasite. This was confirmed by immunolocalization studies which revealed TpUB05 expression by schizonts and piroplasms. Bioinformatics analysis also revealed that this antigen possesses two transmembrane domains, a N-glycosylation site and several O-glycosylation sites. Conclusion It was concluded that TpUB05 is a potential marker of protective immunity in ECF worth investigating further. PMID:26053064

TpUB05, a Homologue of the Immunodominant Plasmodium falciparum Protein UB05, Is a Marker of Protective Immune Responses in Cattle Experimentally Vaccinated against East Coast Fever.

PubMed

Dinga, Jerome Nyhalah; Wamalwa, Mark; Njimoh, Dieudonné Lemuh; Njahira, Moses N; Djikeng, Appolinaire; Skilton, Rob; Titanji, Vincent Pryde Kehdingha; Pellé, Roger

2015-01-01

East Coast fever, a devastating disease of cattle, can be controlled partially by vaccination with live T. parva sporozoites. The antigens responsible for conferring immunity are not fully characterized. Recently it was shown that the P. falciparum immunodominant protein UB05 is highly conserved in T. parva, the causative agent of East Coast fever. The aim of the present investigation was to determine the role of the homologue TpUB05 in protective immunity to East Coast fever. The cloning, sequencing and expression of TpUB05 were done according to standard protocols. Bioinformatics analysis of TpUB05 gene was carried out using algorithms found in the public domain. Polyclonal antiserum against recombinant TpUB05 were raised in rabbits and used for further analysis by Western blotting, ELISA, immunolocalization and in vitro infection neutralization assay. The ability of recombinant TpUB05 (r-TpUB05) to stimulate bovine PBMCs ex-vivo to produce IFN-γ or to proliferate was tested using ELISpot and [3H]-thymidine incorporation assays, respectively. All the 20 cattle immunised by the infection and treatment method (ITM) developed significantly higher levels of TpUB05 specific antibodies (p<0.0001) compared to the non-vaccinated ones. Similarly, r-TpUB05 highly stimulated bovine PMBCs from 8/12 (67%) of ITM-immunized cattle tested to produce IFN-γ and proliferate (p< 0.029) as compared to the 04 naїve cattle included as controls. Polyclonal TpUB05 antiserum raised against r-TpUB05 also marginally inhibited infection (p < 0.046) of bovine PBMCs by T. parva sporozoites. In further experiments RT-PCR showed that the TpUB05 gene is expressed by the parasite. This was confirmed by immunolocalization studies which revealed TpUB05 expression by schizonts and piroplasms. Bioinformatics analysis also revealed that this antigen possesses two transmembrane domains, a N-glycosylation site and several O-glycosylation sites. It was concluded that TpUB05 is a potential marker of protective immunity in ECF worth investigating further.

Optimization of ultrasound-assisted aqueous two-phase system extraction of polyphenolic compounds from Aronia melanocarpa pomace by response surface methodology.

PubMed

Xu, Yan-Yang; Qiu, Yang; Ren, Hui; Ju, Dong-Hu; Jia, Hong-Lei

2017-03-16

Aronia melanocarpa berries are abundant in polyphenolic compounds. After juice production, the pomace of pressed berries still contains a substantial amount of polyphenolic compounds. For efficient utilization of A. melanocarpa berries and the enhancement of polyphenolic compound yields in Aronia melanocarpa pomace (AMP), total phenolics (TP) and total flavonoids (TF) from AMP were extracted, using ultrasound-assisted aqueous two-phase system (UAE-ATPS) extraction method. First, the influences of ammonium sulfate concentration, ethanol-water ratio, ultrasonic time, and ultrasonic power on TP and TF yields were investigated. On this basis, process variables such as ammonium sulfate concentration (0.30-0.35 g mL -1 ), ethanol-water ratio (0.6-0.8), ultrasonic time (40-60 min), and ultrasonic power (175-225 W) were further optimized by implementing Box-Benhnken design with response surface methodology. The experimental results showed that optimal extraction conditions of TP from AMP were as follows: ammonium sulfate concentration of 0.324 g mL -1 , ethanol-water ratio of 0.69, ultrasonic time of 52 min, and ultrasonic power of 200 W. Meanwhile, ammonium sulfate concentration of 0.320 g mL -1 , ethanol-water ratio of 0.71, ultrasonic time of 50 min, and ultrasonic power of 200 W were determined as optimum extraction conditions of TF in AMP. Experimental validation was performed, where TP and TF yields reached 68.15 ± 1.04 and 11.67 ± 0.63 mg g -1 , respectively. Close agreement was found between experimental and predicted values. Overall, the present results demonstrated that ultrasound-assisted aqueous two-phase system extraction method was successfully used to extract total phenolics and flavonoids in A. melanocarpa pomace.

The Effect of Teaching Search Strategies on Perceptual Performance.

PubMed

van der Gijp, Anouk; Vincken, Koen L; Boscardin, Christy; Webb, Emily M; Ten Cate, Olle Th J; Naeger, David M

2017-06-01

Radiology expertise is dependent on the use of efficient search strategies. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of teaching search strategies on trainee's accuracy in detecting lung nodules at computed tomography. Two search strategies, "scanning" and "drilling," were tested with a randomized crossover design. Nineteen junior radiology residents were randomized into two groups. Both groups first completed a baseline lung nodule detection test allowing a free search strategy, followed by a test after scanning instruction and drilling instruction or vice versa. True positive (TP) and false positive (FP) scores and scroll behavior were registered. A mixed-design analysis of variance was applied to compare the three search conditions. Search strategy instruction had a significant effect on scroll behavior, F(1.3) = 54.2, P < 0.001; TP score, F(2) = 16.1, P < 0.001; and FP score, F(1.3) = 15.3, P < 0.001. Scanning instruction resulted in significantly lower TP scores than drilling instruction (M = 10.7, SD = 5.0 versus M = 16.3, SD = 5.3), t(18) = 4.78, P < 0.001; or free search (M = 15.3, SD = 4.6), t(18) = 4.44, P < 0.001. TP scores for drilling did not significantly differ from free search. FP scores for drilling (M = 7.3, SD = 5.6) were significantly lower than for free search (M = 12.5, SD = 7.8), t(18) = 4.86, P < 0.001. Teaching a drilling strategy is preferable to teaching a scanning strategy for finding lung nodules. Copyright © 2017 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In-time source tracking of watershed loads of Taihu Lake Basin, China based on spatial relationship modeling.

PubMed

Wang, Ce; Bi, Jun; Zhang, Xu-Xiang; Fang, Qiang; Qi, Yi

2018-05-25

Influent river carrying cumulative watershed load plays a significant role in promoting nuisance algal bloom in river-fed lake. It is most relevant to discern in-stream water quality exceedance and evaluate the spatial relationship between risk location and potential pollution sources. However, no comprehensive studies of source tracking in watershed based on management grid have been conducted for refined water quality management, particularly for plain terrain with complex river network. In this study, field investigations were implemented during 2014 in Taige Canal watershed of Taihu Lake Basin. A Geographical Information System (GIS)-based spatial relationship model was established to characterize the spatial relationships of "point (point-source location and monitoring site)-line (river segment)-plane (catchment)." As a practical exemplification, in-time source tracking was triggered on April 15, 2015 at Huangnianqiao station, where TN and TP concentration violated the water quality standard (TN 4.0 mg/L, TP 0.15 mg/L). Of the target grid cells, 53 and 46 were identified as crucial areas having high pollution intensity for TN and TP pollution, respectively. The estimated non-point source load in each grid cell could be apportioned into different source types based on spatial pollution-related entity objects. We found that the non-point source load derived from rural sewage and livestock and poultry breeding accounted for more than 80% of total TN or TP load than another source type of crop farming. The approach in this study would be of great benefit to local authorities for identifying the serious polluted regions and efficiently making environmental policies to reduce watershed load.

Performance of serological tests for syphilis in sexually transmitted diseases clinics in Guangxi Autonomous Region, China: implications for syphilis surveillance and control.

PubMed

Yin, Yue-Ping; Wei, Wan-Hui; Wang, Hong-Chun; Zhu, Bang-Yong; Yu, Yan-Hua; Chen, Xiang-Sheng; Peeling, Rosanna W; Cohen, Myron S

2009-03-01

China is experiencing a growing syphilis epidemic. Individuals are currently screened and cases are confirmed using traditional serological testing methods. A total of 11 558 serum specimens from patients at 14 sexually transmitted diseases (STD) clinics at provincial, prefecture and county levels in Guangxi Autonomous Region were tested at local clinics using the toluidine red unheated serum test (TRUST) and the SD Bioline Syphilis 3.0 Treponema Pallidum (SD-TP) test and then transported to the National STD Reference Laboratory for TRUST and confirmatory Treponema pallidum particle assay (TPPA) testing. In local clinics, 13.2% of specimens were TRUST positive and 12.8% were TRUST and SD-TP positive. At the Reference Laboratory, 15.4% of specimens were TRUST positive and 11.8% were TRUST and TPPA positive. Local clinics showed a significantly higher prevalence of active syphilis compared with results from the Reference Laboratory (12.8 v. 11.8%, chi(2) = 4.59, P = 0.03). The local TRUST tests had consistent results with Reference Laboratory tests qualitatively among 96.2% of the specimens and quantitatively among 95.5% of the specimens. The algorithm of TRUST screening and then SD-TP confirmation among positive TRUST specimens at local STD clinics had 96.6% sensitivity and 99.3% specificity in diagnosing active syphilis compared with the 'gold standard' based on TRUST and TPPA positivity at the Reference Laboratory (positive predictive value 95.1% and negative predictive value 99.5%). The TRUST screening and SD-TP confirmation in combination can be used at local STD clinics for the efficient diagnosis of serologically active syphilis. However, continuing capacity building and quality assurance remain critical in ensuring the quality of syphilis diagnosis at local clinics.

Automatic user customization for improving the performance of a self-paced brain interface system.

PubMed

Fatourechi, Mehrdad; Bashashati, Ali; Birch, Gary E; Ward, Rabab K

2006-12-01

Customizing the parameter values of brain interface (BI) systems by a human expert has the advantage of being fast and computationally efficient. However, as the number of users and EEG channels grows, this process becomes increasingly time consuming and exhausting. Manual customization also introduces inaccuracies in the estimation of the parameter values. In this paper, the performance of a self-paced BI system whose design parameter values were automatically user customized using a genetic algorithm (GA) is studied. The GA automatically estimates the shapes of movement-related potentials (MRPs), whose features are then extracted to drive the BI. Offline analysis of the data of eight subjects revealed that automatic user customization improved the true positive (TP) rate of the system by an average of 6.68% over that whose customization was carried out by a human expert, i.e., by visually inspecting the MRP templates. On average, the best improvement in the TP rate (an average of 9.82%) was achieved for four individuals with spinal cord injury. In this case, the visual estimation of the parameter values of the MRP templates was very difficult because of the highly noisy nature of the EEG signals. For four able-bodied subjects, for which the MRP templates were less noisy, the automatic user customization led to an average improvement of 3.58% in the TP rate. The results also show that the inter-subject variability of the TP rate is also reduced compared to the case when user customization is carried out by a human expert. These findings provide some primary evidence that automatic user customization leads to beneficial results in the design of a self-paced BI for individuals with spinal cord injury.

Drainage water management combined with cover crop enhances reduction of soil phosphorus loss.

PubMed

Zhang, T Q; Tan, C S; Zheng, Z M; Welacky, T; Wang, Y T

2017-05-15

Integrating multiple practices for mitigation of phosphorus (P) loss from soils may enhance the reduction efficiency, but this has not been studied as much as individual ones. A four-year study was conducted to determine the effects of cover crop (CC) (CC vs. no CC, NCC) and drainage water management (DWM) (controlled drainage with sub-irrigation, CDS, vs. regular free tile drainage, RFD) and their interaction on P loss through both surface runoff (SR) and tile drainage (TD) water in a clay loam soil of the Lake Erie region. Cover crop reduced SR flow volume by 32% relative to NCC, regardless of DWM treatment. In contrast, CC increased TD flow volume by 57 and 9.4% with CDS and RFD, respectively, compared to the corresponding DWM treatment with NCC. The total (SR+TD) field water discharge volumes were comparable amongst all the treatments. Cover crop reduced flow-weighted mean (FWM) concentrations of particulate P (PP) by 26% and total P (TP) by 12% in SR, while it didn't affect the FWM dissolved reactive P (DRP) concentration, regardless of DWM treatments. Compared with RFD, CDS reduced FWM DRP concentration in TD water by 19%, while CC reduced FWM PP and TP concentrations in TD by 21 and 17%, respectively. Total (SR+TD) soil TP loss was the least with CDS-CC followed by RFD-CC, CDS-NCC, and RFD-NCC. Compared with RFD-NCC, currently popular practice in the region, total TP loss was reduced by 23% with CDS-CC. The CDS-CC system can be an effective practice to ultimately mitigate soil P loading to water resource. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Core Mass Growth and Stellar Lifetime of Thermally Pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalirai, Jason S.; Marigo, Paola; Tremblay, Pier-Emmanuel

2014-02-01

We establish new constraints on the intermediate-mass range of the initial-final mass relation, and apply the results to study the evolution of stars on the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB). These constraints derive from newly discovered (bright) white dwarfs in the nearby Hyades and Praesepe star clusters, including a total of 18 high signal-to-noise ratio measurements with progenitor masses of M initial = 2.8-3.8 M ⊙. We also include a new analysis of existing white dwarfs in the older NGC 6819 and NGC 7789 star clusters, M initial = 1.6 and 2.0 M ⊙. Over this range of initial masses, stellar evolutionary models for metallicity Z initial = 0.02 predict the maximum growth of the core of TP-AGB stars. By comparing the newly measured remnant masses to the robust prediction of the core mass at the first thermal pulse on the AGB (i.e., from stellar interior models), we establish several findings. First, we show that the stellar core mass on the AGB grows rapidly from 10% to 30% for stars with M initial = 1.6 to 2.0 M ⊙. At larger masses, the core-mass growth decreases steadily to ~10% at M initial = 3.4 M ⊙, after which there is a small hint of a upturn out to M initial = 3.8 M ⊙. These observations are in excellent agreement with predictions from the latest TP-AGB evolutionary models in Marigo et al. We also compare to models with varying efficiencies of the third dredge-up and mass loss, and demonstrate that the process governing the growth of the core is largely the stellar wind, while the third dredge-up plays a secondary, but non-negligible role. Based on the new white dwarf measurements, we perform an exploratory calibration of the most popular mass-loss prescriptions in the literature, as well as of the third dredge-up efficiency as a function of the stellar mass. Finally, we estimate the lifetime and the integrated luminosity of stars on the TP-AGB to peak at t ~ 3 Myr and E = 1.2 × 1010 L ⊙ yr for M initial ~ 2 M ⊙ (t ~ 2 Myr for luminosities brighter than the red giant branch tip at log (L/L ⊙) > 3.4), decreasing to t = 0.4 Myr and E = 6.1 × 109 L ⊙ yr for stars with M initial ~ 3.5 M ⊙. The implications of these results are discussed, especially with respect to general studies aimed at characterizing the integrated light output of TP-AGB stars in population synthesis models.

Treponema pallidum western blot: comparison with the FTA-ABS test as a confirmatory test for syphilis.

PubMed

Backhouse, J L; Nesteroff, S I

2001-01-01

We developed a Treponema pallidum Western blot and compared the results with Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-ABS) tests. The Western blot was deemed reactive if the serum reacted with at least three major antigenic bands (TpN47, TpN44.5, TpN17, TpN15). The sensitivities of the Western blot, TPPA and FTA-ABS, were all 100% and the specificities of the Western blot, TPPA and FTA-ABS were 100%, 100% and 94.5% respectively. In 52 problem sera, reactive in only one treponemal test, the agreement between the Western blot and TPPA (61.5%) was significantly better than between Western blot and FTA-ABS (38.5%). The individual sensitivities and specificities of TpN47, TpN44.5, TpN17, TpN15 were 100%, 100%, 96%, 100% and 20%, 96%, 100%, 100% respectively. We conclude that the Western blot is a useful additional confirmatory test or alternative to the FTA-ABS and that a more sensitive and specific criterion for the Western blot would be reactivity with TpN15 and two of the three other major antigens.

Evaluation of a fully automated treponemal test and comparison with conventional VDRL and FTA-ABS tests.

PubMed

Park, Yongjung; Park, Younhee; Joo, Shin Young; Park, Myoung Hee; Kim, Hyon-Suk

2011-11-01

We evaluated analytic performances of an automated treponemal test and compared this test with the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test (VDRL) and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption test (FTA-ABS). Precision performance of the Architect Syphilis TP assay (TP; Abbott Japan, Tokyo, Japan) was assessed, and 150 serum samples were assayed with the TP before and after heat inactivation to estimate the effect of heat inactivation. A total of 616 specimens were tested with the FTA-ABS and TP, and 400 were examined with the VDRL. The TP showed good precision performance with total imprecision of less than a 10% coefficient of variation. An excellent linear relationship between results before and after heat inactivation was observed (R(2) = 0.9961). The FTA-ABS and TP agreed well with a κ coefficient of 0.981. The concordance rate between the FTA-ABS and TP was the highest (99.0%), followed by the rates between FTA-ABS and VDRL (85.0%) and between TP and VDRL (83.8%). The automated TP assay may be adequate for screening for syphilis in a large volume of samples and can be an alternative to FTA-ABS.

Synthesis, characterization, and electrochemistry of cis-oxothio- and cis-bis(thio)tungsten(VI) complexes of hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)borate.

PubMed

Eagle, A A; Tiekink, E R; George, G N; Young, C G

2001-08-27

The complexes TpWO2X react with sulfiding agents such as B2S3 or P4S10 to give the oxothio- and bis(thio)tungsten(VI) complexes TpWOSX (X = Cl(-)) and TpWS2X [X = Cl(-), S2PPh2(-); Tp = hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)borate]. The reaction of TpWS2Cl with (i) PPh3 in pyridine and (ii) dimethyl sulfoxide affords TpWOSCl in good overall yield. The chloro complexes undergo metathesis with alkali metal salts to yield species of the type TpWOSX and TpWS2X [X = OPh(-), SPh(-), SePh(-), (-)-mentholate]. The diamagnetic complexes exhibit NMR spectra indicative of C(1) (TpWOSX) or C(s) (TpWS2X) symmetry and IR spectra consistent with terminal oxo and thio ligation (nu(W=O), 940-925 cm(-1); nu(W=S) or nu(WS2), 495-475 cm(-1)). Crystals of (R,S)-TpWOS[(-)-mentholate] are monoclinic, space group P2(1), with a = 11.983(2) A, b = 18.100(3) A, c = 13.859(3) A, beta = 91.60(2) degrees, V = 3004.6(8) A(3), and Z = 4. Crystals of TpWS2(OPh)-CH2Cl2 are orthorhombic, space group Pbca, with a = 16.961(4) A, b = 33.098(7) A, c = 9.555(2) A, V = 5364(2) A(3), and Z = 8. The mononuclear, distorted-octahedral tungsten centers are coordinated by a tridentate Tp ligand, an alkoxy or aryloxy ligand, and two terminal chalcogenide ligands. The average W=O and W=S distances are 1.726(7) and 2.125(2) A, respectively, and the O=W=S and S=W=S angles 102.9(3) and 102.9(1) degrees, respectively. The tungsten and sulfur X-ray absorption spectra of TpWOSCl and TpWS2Cl are consistent with the presence of terminal pi-bonded thio ligands in both complexes. The thio complexes generally undergo a reversible one-electron reduction at potentials significantly more positive than their oxo analogues. The chemical, spectroscopic, and electrochemical properties of the complexes are heavily influenced by the presence of W=S pi frontier orbitals.

Redox interplay of oxo-thio-tungsten centers with sulfur-donor co-ligands.

PubMed

Thomas, Simon; Eagle, Aston A; Sproules, Stephen A; Hill, Jason P; White, Jonathan M; Tiekink, Edward R T; George, Graham N; Young, Charles G

2003-09-22

The oxo-thio-W(VI) complexes TpWOS(S(2)PR(2)-S) and TpWOS(pyS-S) (Tp = hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)borate, R = OEt, Ph; pyS = pyridine-2-thiolate) have been prepared and characterized by microanalytical, spectroscopic, and structural techniques. Crystals of the 1,2-dichloroethane hemisolvate of TpWOS(S(2)PPh(2)-S) belong to the triclinic space group Ponemacr; with a = 10.732(6) A, b = 16.91(1) A, c = 10.021(4) A, alpha = 104.40(4) degrees, beta = 107.52(3) degrees, gamma = 96.09(5) degrees, V = 1647(1) A(3) for Z = 2. The complex exhibits a distorted octahedral structure featuring a facial tridentate Tp ligand and mutually cis terminal oxo (W-O(1) = 1.712(7) A), terminal thio (W-S(1) = 2.162(3) A), and monodentate dithiophosphinate ligands. X-ray absorption and extended X-ray absorption fine structure results support a related oxo-thio formulation for TpWOS(pyS-S). The complexes are reduced to the corresponding oxo-thio-W(V) anions, [TpWOS(S(2)PR(2)-S)](-) and [TpWOS(pyS-S)](-), which exhibit highly anisotropic EPR spectra. They are oxidized to form the EPR-active (dithio)oxo-W(V) cations, [TpWO(S(3)PR(2)-S,S')](+) and [TpWO(pyS(2)-N,S)](+) (pyS(2) = pyridine-2-dithio). Green [TpWO(pyS(2)-N,S)]BF(4), formed in the reaction of TpWOS(pyS) and NOBF(4), has been isolated and spectroscopically and structurally characterized. Crystals of [TpWO(pyS(2)-N,S)]BF(4) belong to the monoclinic space group Cc with a = 16.007(5) A, b = 14.091(4) A, c = 13.608(4) A, beta = 124.525(4) degrees, V = 2528.8(13) A(3) for Z = 4. The cation exhibits a distorted octahedral structure featuring facial tridentate Tp, terminal oxo (W-O(1) = 1.632(12) A), and bidentate pyridine-2-dithio-N,S (W-S(1) = 2.317(7) A, S(1)-S(2) = 2.037(9) A) ligands. The structures and redox behavior of the complexes are compared and contrasted with those of the related molybdenum complexes, TpMo(VI)OS(S(2)PR(2)-S) and TpMo(IV)O(pyS(2)-N,S) (Hill, J. P.; Laughlin, L. J.; Gable, R. W.; Young, C. G. Inorg. Chem. 1996, 35, 3447).

[Induction chemotherapy with docetaxel plus cisplatin (TP regimen) followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy with TP regimen versus cisplatin in treating locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

PubMed

Xie, Fang-Yun; Zou, Guo-Rong; Hu, Wei-Han; Qi, Shu-Nan; Peng, Miao; Li, Ji-Shi

2009-03-01

Clinical trials on docetaxel plus cisplatin (DDP) (TP regimen) in treating nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) are still uncertain due to limited samples. This study was to compare the short-term efficacy and toxicity of induction chemotherapy with TP regimen followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy with TP regimen versus DDP in treating locally advanced NPC. Fifty-seven patients with stage T3-4N2-3M0 NPC diagnosed pathologically from December 2005 to December 2006 were randomized into TP group (30 patients) and DDP group (27 patients). Both groups received TP regimen as induction chemotherapy with docetaxel (70 mg/m(2)) on Day 1 and DDP (80 mg/m(2)) on Day 2, repeating every 21 days for 2 cycles. For concurrent chemotherapy, TP group were administered docetaxel (60 mg/m(2)) on Day 1 and DDP (80 mg/m(2)) on Day 2; DDP group were administered DDP (80 mg/m(2)) on Day 1. Both schedules were repeated every 21 days for 2 cycles. Linear accelerator was used as radioactive source. Irradiation field was designed with CT-simulation and conventional fractions. The 57 patients received 111 cycles of induction chemotherapy, and 53 of them received 103 cycles of concurrent chemotherapy; four patients ceased induction chemotherapy and three ceased concurrent chemotherapy. All patients completed radiotherapy. The major toxicity of induction chemotherapy was hematologic toxicity; the main toxicities of concurrent chemoradiotherapy were hematologic toxicity and mucositis. The occurrence rates of Grade 3-4 leucopenia and Grade 3-4 neutropenia were significantly higher in TP group than in DDP groups (p <0.05). In concurrent chemoradiotherapy, the application rate of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) was significantly higher in TP group than in DDP group (100% vs. 72.0%, p<0.05). After concurrent chemoradiotherapy, the complete remission (CR) rates of the nasopharynx and regional lymph nodes were 93.3% and 92.9% in TP group, and were 96.3% and 91.3% in DDP group (p>0.05). The short-term efficacy of induction chemotherapy with TP regimen followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy with TP regimen on locally advanced NPC is similar to that of TP regimen followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy with DDP. The toxicity of the former schedule is severer than that of the latter, but it is tolerable with the use of G-CSF. The long-term efficacy of induction chemotherapy with TP regimen followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy with TP regimen need to be further studied.

Prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism in elderly patients with multimorbidity.

PubMed

Marcucci, Maura; Iorio, Alfonso; Nobili, Alessandro; Tettamanti, Mauro; Pasina, Luca; Djade, Codjo Djignefa; Marengoni, Alessandra; Salerno, Francesco; Corrao, Salvatore; Mannucci, Pier Mannuccio

2013-09-01

Pharmacological thromboprophylaxis (TP) is known to reduce venous thromboembolism (VTE) in medical inpatients, but the criteria for risk-driven prescription, safety and impact on mortality are still debated. We analyze data on elderly patients with multimorbidities admitted in the year 2010 to the Italian internal medicine wards participating in the REPOSI registry to investigate the rate of TP during the hospital stay, and analyze the factors that are related to its prescription. Multivariate logistic regression, area under the ROC curve and CART analysis were performed to look for independent predictors of TP prescription. Association between TP and VTE, bleeding and death in hospital and during the 3-month post-discharge follow-up were explored by logistic regression and propensity score analysis. Among the 1,380 patients enrolled, 171 (15.2 %) were on TP during the hospital stay (162 on low molecular weight heparins, 9 on fondaparinux). The disability Barthel index was the main independent predictor of TP prescription. Rate of fatal and non-fatal VTE and bleeding during and after hospitalization did not differ between TP and non-TP patients. In-hospital and post-discharge mortality was significantly higher in patients on TP, that however was not an independent predictor of mortality. Among elderly medical patients there was a relatively low rate of TP, that was more frequently prescribed to patients with a higher degree of disability and who had an overall higher mortality.

Full-length mutation search of the TP53 gene in acute myeloid leukemia has increased significance as a prognostic factor.

PubMed

Terada, Kazuki; Yamaguchi, Hiroki; Ueki, Toshimitsu; Usuki, Kensuke; Kobayashi, Yutaka; Tajika, Kenji; Gomi, Seiji; Kurosawa, Saiko; Miyadera, Keiki; Tokura, Taichiro; Omori, Ikuko; Marumo, Atushi; Fujiwara, Yusuke; Yui, Shunsuke; Ryotokuji, Takeshi; Osaki, Yoshiki; Arai, Kunihito; Kitano, Tomoaki; Kosaka, Fumiko; Wakita, Satoshi; Tamai, Hayato; Fukuda, Takahiro; Inokuchi, Koiti

2018-01-01

TP53 gene abnormality has been reported to be an unfavorable prognostic factor in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, almost all studies of TP53 gene abnormality so far have been limited to mutation searches in the DNA binding domain. As there have been few reports examining both mutation and deletion over the full-length of the TP53 gene, the clinical characteristics of TP53 gene abnormality have not yet been clearly established. In this study, TP53 gene mutation was observed in 7.3% of the total 412 de novo AML cases (33 mutations in 30 cases), with mutation outside the DNA binding domain in eight cases (27%). TP53 gene deletion was observed in 3.1% of 358 cases. All cases had monoallelic deletion with TP53 gene mutation on the opposite allele. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that TP53 gene mutation in the DNA binding domain and outside the DNA binding domain was an independent poor prognostic factor for overall survival and relapse-free survival among the total cohort and it is also an unfavorable prognostic factor in FLT3-ITD-negative AML cases aged 70 years or below with intermediate cytogenetic prognosis. In stratified treatment, full-length search for TP53 gene mutation is therefore very important.

Convolutional Neural Networks as Feature Extractors for Data Scarce Visual Searches

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

50 Figure C.16 TP for the Ferrari Logo (layer=FC7). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Figure C.17 TP for the Kia Logo (layer=FC6...51 Figure C.18 TP for the Kia Logo (layer=FC7). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Figure C.19 TP for the Liege Logo (layer=FC6...represent results for test samples from the Ferrari class for k=1, k=3, and k=5. 50 Figure C.17. TP for the Kia Logo (layer=FC6). The x-axis represents

Thymidine Phosphorylase is Angiogenic and Promotes Tumor Growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moghaddam, Amir; Zhang, Hua-Tang; Fan, Tai-Ping D.; Hu, De-En; Lees, Vivien C.; Turley, Helen; Fox, Stephen B.; Gatter, Kevin C.; Harris, Adrian L.; Bicknell, Roy

1995-02-01

Platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor was previously identified as the sole angiogenic activity present in platelets; it is now known to be thymidine phosphorylase (TP). The effect of TP on [methyl-^3H]thymidine uptake does not arise from de novo DNA synthesis and the molecule is not a growth factor. Despite this, TP is strongly angiogenic in a rat sponge and freeze-injured skin graft model. Neutralizing antibodies and site-directed mutagenesis confirmed that the enzyme activity of TP is a condition for its angiogenic activity. The level of TP was found to be elevated in human breast tumors compared to normal breast tissue (P < 0.001). Overexpression of TP in MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells had no effect on growth in vitro but markedly enhanced tumor growth in vivo. These data and the correlation of expression in tumors with malignancy identify TP as a target for antitumor strategies.

A time to be stressed? Time perspectives and cortisol dynamics among healthy adults.

PubMed

Olivera-Figueroa, Lening A; Juster, Robert-Paul; Morin-Major, Julie Katia; Marin, Marie-France; Lupien, Sonia J

2015-10-01

Perceptions of past, present, and future events may be related to stress pathophysiology. We assessed whether Time Perspective (TP) is associated with cortisol dynamics among healthy adults (N=61, Ages=18-35, M=22.9, SD=4.1) exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). TP was measured according to two profiles: maladaptive Deviation from Balanced TP (DBTP) and adaptive Deviation from Negative TP (DNTP). Eight salivary cortisol samples were analyzed using area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg) and to increase (AUCi). Statistic analyses involved partial correlations controlling for depressive symptoms. Results for both sexes showed that higher DBTP scores were associated with lower cortisol AUCg scores, while higher DNTP scores were associated with higher cortisol AUCg scores. These novel findings suggest that maladaptive TP profiles influence hypocortisolism, whereas adaptive TP profiles influence hypercortisolism. Thus, TP profiles may impact conditions characterized by altered cortisol concentrations. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Nutrient recovery from swine waste and protein biomass production using duckweed ponds (Landoltia punctata): southern Brazil.

PubMed

Mohedano, R A; Velho, V F; Costa, R H R; Hofmann, S M; Belli Filho, P

2012-01-01

Brazil is one of the most important countries in pork production worldwide, ranking third. This activity has an important role in the national economic scenario. However, the fast growth of this activity has caused major environmental impacts, especially in developing countries. The large amount of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds found in pig manure has caused ecological imbalances, with eutrophication of major river basins in the producing regions. Moreover, much of the pig production in developing countries occurs on small farms, and therefore causes diffuse pollution. Therefore, duckweed pond have been successfully used in the swine waste polishing, generating further a biomass with high protein content. The present study evaluated the efficiency of two full scale duckweed ponds for the polishing of a small pig farm effluent, biomass yield and crude protein (CP) content. Duckweed pond series received the effluent from a biodigester-storage pond, with a flow rate of 1 m(3)/day (chemical oxygen demand rate = 186 kg/ha day) produced by 300 animals. After 1 year a great improvement of effluent quality was observed, with removal of 96% of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and 89% of total phosphorus (TP), on average. Nitrogen removal rate is one of the highest ever found (4.4 g TKN/m(2) day). Also, the dissolved oxygen rose from 0.0 to 3.0 mg/L. The two ponds produced together over 13 tons of fresh biomass (90.5% moisture), with 35% of CP content, which represents a productivity of 24 tonsCP/ha year. Due to the high rate of nutrient removal, and also the high protein biomass production, duckweed ponds revealed, under the presented conditions, a great potential for the polishing and valorization of swine waste. Nevertheless, this technology should be better exploited to improve the sustainability of small pig farms in order to minimize the impacts of this activity on the environment.

The prevalence of transpancreatic common hepatic artery and coexisting variant anatomy.

PubMed

Ishigami, Kousei; Nishie, Akihiro; Asayama, Yoshiki; Ushijima, Yasuhiro; Takayama, Yukihisa; Okamoto, Daisuke; Fujita, Nobuhiro; Yoshizumi, Tomoharu; Harimoto, Norifumi; Ohtsuka, Takao; Nakata, Kohei; Honda, Hiroshi

2018-05-01

We studied the prevalence of the transpancreatic common hepatic artery (tp-CHA) and coexisting variant anatomy. The study group comprised 788 consecutive liver transplant donor candidates who had undergone thin-section multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) studies to investigate vascular anatomy. Multiplanar reformatted (MPR) images obtained from the arterial phase were retrospectively reviewed to assess the presence/absence of the tp-CHA. Five cases of tp-CHA with pancreaticobiliary tumors were also included in an investigation of the presence/absence of variant hepatic arteries, celiac stenosis, and circumportal pancreas. Three of the 788 (0.38%) donor candidates had a tp-CHA. Overall, eight tp-CHA cases were assessed for coexisting variant anatomy. Seven of these eight cases had a hepatomesenteric trunk, six had celiac stenosis, and two had a circumportal pancreas. The prevalence of the tp-CHA was 0.38% (approx. one in 260 in normal populations). A tp-CHA can commonly be associated with a hepatomesenteric trunk and celiac stenosis. A circumportal pancreas can also coexist with a tp-CHA. Clin. Anat. 31:598-604, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Metabolic fate of fenetylline in rat and man.

PubMed

Yoshimura, H; Yoshimitsu, T; Yamada, H; Koga, N; Oguri, K

1988-08-01

1. Metabolic fate of 7-[2-(alpha-methylphenylethylamino)ethyl]theophylline hydrochloride (fenetylline) was investigated in male Sprague-Dawley rats and three male volunteers. 2. Six metabolites were identified in the rat urine as amphetamine(AP), p-hydroxy-AP, acetylaminoethyl-theophylline(TP), aminoethyl-TP, hydroxyethyl-TP and carboxymethyl-TP by comparison of their spectral properties and h.p.l.c. and g.l.c. characteristics with those of authentic samples. All these metabolites was also detected in the urine of humans receiving fenetylline. 3. Quantification of these metabolites using h.p.l.c. and g.l.c. showed that carboxymethyl-TP, p-hydroxy-AP and acetylaminoethyl-TP were the major metabolites in 0-24 h rat urine at 13.7%, 11.2% and 9.3% of dose, respectively. In men, carboxymethyl-TP(39-43% dose) and AP(23-33% dose) were the major metabolites in 0-48 h urine. 4. These results suggest that fenetylline metabolism proceeds via oxidative cleavage at two different sites to produce aminoethyl-TP and AP, respectively. The pathway producing AP predominates, in both man and rat, but is more predominant in the former.

TP53 copy number expansion is associated with the evolution of increased body size and an enhanced DNA damage response in elephants

PubMed Central

Sulak, Michael; Fong, Lindsey; Mika, Katelyn; Chigurupati, Sravanthi; Yon, Lisa; Mongan, Nigel P; Emes, Richard D; Lynch, Vincent J

2016-01-01

A major constraint on the evolution of large body sizes in animals is an increased risk of developing cancer. There is no correlation, however, between body size and cancer risk. This lack of correlation is often referred to as 'Peto's Paradox'. Here, we show that the elephant genome encodes 20 copies of the tumor suppressor gene TP53 and that the increase in TP53 copy number occurred coincident with the evolution of large body sizes, the evolution of extreme sensitivity to genotoxic stress, and a hyperactive TP53 signaling pathway in the elephant (Proboscidean) lineage. Furthermore, we show that several of the TP53 retrogenes (TP53RTGs) are transcribed and likely translated. While TP53RTGs do not appear to directly function as transcription factors, they do contribute to the enhanced sensitivity of elephant cells to DNA damage and the induction of apoptosis by regulating activity of the TP53 signaling pathway. These results suggest that an increase in the copy number of TP53 may have played a direct role in the evolution of very large body sizes and the resolution of Peto's paradox in Proboscideans. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.11994.001 PMID:27642012

Phosphatidylcholine transfer protein interacts with thioesterase superfamily member 2 to attenuate insulin signaling.

PubMed

Ersoy, Baran A; Tarun, Akansha; D'Aquino, Katharine; Hancer, Nancy J; Ukomadu, Chinweike; White, Morris F; Michel, Thomas; Manning, Brendan D; Cohen, David E

2013-07-30

Phosphatidylcholine transfer protein (PC-TP) is a phospholipid-binding protein that is enriched in liver and that interacts with thioesterase superfamily member 2 (THEM2). Mice lacking either protein exhibit improved hepatic glucose homeostasis and are resistant to diet-induced diabetes. Insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2) and mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) are key effectors of insulin signaling, which is attenuated in diabetes. We found that PC-TP inhibited IRS2, as evidenced by insulin-independent IRS2 activation after knockdown, genetic ablation, or chemical inhibition of PC-TP. In addition, IRS2 was activated after knockdown of THEM2, providing support for a role for the interaction of PC-TP with THEM2 in suppressing insulin signaling. Additionally, we showed that PC-TP bound to tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC2) and stabilized the components of the TSC1-TSC2 complex, which functions to inhibit mTORC1. Preventing phosphatidylcholine from binding to PC-TP disrupted interactions of PC-TP with THEM2 and TSC2, and disruption of the PC-TP-THEM2 complex was associated with increased activation of both IRS2 and mTORC1. In livers of mice with genetic ablation of PC-TP or that had been treated with a PC-TP inhibitor, steady-state amounts of IRS2 were increased, whereas those of TSC2 were decreased. These findings reveal a phospholipid-dependent mechanism that suppresses insulin signaling downstream of its receptor.

Long noncoding RNA TP73-AS1 promotes non-small cell lung cancer progression by competitively sponging miR-449a/EZH2.

PubMed

Zhang, Lin; Fang, Fengqi; He, Xin

2018-08-01

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a type of noncoding RNA transcript that are characterized by lack of protein-coding capacity. The vital role of lncRNAs in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is attracting increasingly more attention. In the present study, we investigate the role of lncRNA antisense RNA of the TP73 gene (TP73-AS1) in NSCLC carcinogenesis. The results demonstrate that TP73-AS1 is markedly upregulated in NSCLC tissues, and functional experiments revealed that TP73-AS1 is significantly increased in NSCLC tissue and cell lines, indicating a possible oncogenic role. In loss-of-function assays, the knockdown of TP73-AS1 inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation, tumor growth and cycle progression in vivo and in vitro. Bioinformatic tools predicted that miR-449a both targeted the 3'-UTR of TP73-AS1 and EZH2, which was confirmed using luciferase reporter assay and AGO2-dependent RNA immunoprecipitate (RIP). TP73-AS1 and miR-449a were in the same RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). In summary, the results indicate an explicit oncogenic role of TP73-AS1 in the NSCLC tumorigenesis, suggesting a TP73-AS1-miR-449a-EZH2 axis and providing new insight for NSCLC tumorigenesis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Low-burden TP53 mutations in chronic phase of myeloproliferative neoplasms: association with age, hydroxyurea administration, disease type and JAK2 mutational status

PubMed Central

Kubesova, B; Pavlova, S; Malcikova, J; Kabathova, J; Radova, L; Tom, N; Tichy, B; Plevova, K; Kantorova, B; Fiedorova, K; Slavikova, M; Bystry, V; Kissova, J; Gisslinger, B; Gisslinger, H; Penka, M; Mayer, J; Kralovics, R; Pospisilova, S; Doubek, M

2018-01-01

The multistep process of TP53 mutation expansion during myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) transformation into acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been documented retrospectively. It is currently unknown how common TP53 mutations with low variant allele frequency (VAF) are, whether they are linked to hydroxyurea (HU) cytoreduction, and what disease progression risk they carry. Using ultra-deep next-generation sequencing, we examined 254 MPN patients treated with HU, interferon alpha-2a or anagrelide and 85 untreated patients. We found TP53 mutations in 50 cases (0.2–16.3% VAF), regardless of disease subtype, driver gene status and cytoreduction. Both therapy and TP53 mutations were strongly associated with older age. Over-time analysis showed that the mutations may be undetectable at diagnosis and slowly increase during disease course. Although three patients with TP53 mutations progressed to TP53-mutated or TP53-wild-type AML, we did not observe a significant age-independent impact on overall survival during the follow-up. Further, we showed that complete p53 inactivation alone led to neither blast transformation nor HU resistance. Altogether, we revealed patient's age as the strongest factor affecting low-burden TP53 mutation incidence in MPN and found no significant age-independent association between TP53 mutations and hydroxyurea. Mutations may persist at low levels for years without an immediate risk of progression. PMID:28744014

Performance Evaluation of a Novel Chemiluminescence Assay Detecting Treponema Pallidum Antibody as a Syphilis Screening Method.

PubMed

Chen, Qixia; An, Jingna; Rao, Chenli; Wang, Tingting; Li, Dongdong; Feng, Shu; Tao, Chuanmin

2016-01-01

Syphilis is a major concern to global public health with increasing incidence. So its screening test should have sufficient sensitivity and specificity. We evaluated the performance of the Lumipulse G TP-N assay detection for syphilis screening and compared it with the InTec ELISA test kit for TP, which is widely used. Samples of several patient groups including 133 clinical and serologically characterized syphilitic sera, 175 samples containing potentially interfering agents, and 2290 unselected samples submitted for routine screening were detected by both the Lumipulse G TP-N assay and the InTec ELISA test kit for TP. Inconsistent samples were confirmed by RecomLine Treponema IgG, IgM immunoblot. Coefficient of variations of the Lumipulseo G TP-N assay at both levels were below 5% and of the InTec ELISA test kit for TP both over 5%. The sensitivity of the Lumipulse G TP-N assay and the InTec ELISA test kit for TP were 100% for all stages of syphilis. The two methods had consistent analytical specificity of 100% (95% CI: 97.21 - 100.00), while the clinical specificity was 100% (95% CI: 99.79 - 100.00) and 99.82% (95% CI: 99.51 - 99.94), respectively. Between them, Spearman's correlation coefficient was 0.455 and kappa value was 0.986. The overall sensitivity and specificity of the Lumipulse G TP-N assay was higher than the InTec ELISA test kit for TP (sensitivity: 100.0 versus 99.5, specificity: 100.0 versus 99.8). The automated Lumipulse G TP-N assay demonstrated excellent diagnostic sensitivity and specificity when evaluated as a screening test for syphilis. Thus, it can be an alternative to the treponemal screening test.

Effect of Vanadium and Tea Polyphenols on Intestinal Morphology, Microflora and Short-Chain Fatty Acid Profile of Laying Hens.

PubMed

Yuan, Z H; Wang, J P; Zhang, K Y; Ding, X M; Bai, S P; Zeng, Q F; Xuan, Y; Su, Z W

2016-12-01

Vanadium (V) is a trace element which can induce dysfunction of gastro-intestine and egg quality deterioration of laying hens. This study was conducted to determine the effect of tea polyphenols (TP) on intestinal morphology, microflora, and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) profile of laying hens fed vanadium containing diets. A total of 120 Lohman laying hens (67-week-old) were randomly divided into 4 groups with 6 replicates and 5 birds each for a 35-day feeding trial. The dietary treatments were as follows: (1) control (CON), fed a basal diet; (2) vanadium treatment (V10), CON +10 mg V/kg; (3) TP treatment 1 (TP1): V10 + 600 mg TP/kg; (4) TP treatment 2 (TP2): V10 + 1000 mg TP/kg. Fed 10 mg V/kg diets to laying hens did not affect the cecum flora diversity index (H), degree of homogeneity (EH), and richness (S), but hens fed TP2 diet decreased the H, EH, and S (P < 0.05). The cecum butyrate acid concentration was lower in V10 treatment and higher in TP2 treatment (P < 0.05). Addition of 10 mg/kg V resulted in an increased (P < 0.01) duodenal cell apoptosis rate, and 1000 mg/kg TP supplementation overcame (P < 0.01) this reduction effect induced by vanadium. The results indicated that supplementation of 10 mg/kg vanadium increased duodenal cell apoptosis and reduced cecum butyrate acid content. Addition of 1000 mg/kg TP increased the SCFA production to affect cecum flora ecology and protected the duodenal cell from excess apoptosis caused by vanadium.

Quantitative identification of moisture sources over the Tibetan Plateau and the relationship between thermal forcing and moisture transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Chen; Zhu, Bin; Gao, Jinhui; Kang, Hanqing; Zhu, Tong

2018-02-01

Despite the importance of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) to the surrounding water cycle, the moisture sources of the TP remain uncertain. In this study, the moisture sources of the TP are quantitatively identified based on a 33-year simulation with a horizontal resolution of 1.9° × 2.5° using the Community Atmosphere Model version 5.1 (CAM5.1), in which atmospheric water tracer technology is incorporated. Results demonstrate that the major moisture sources differ over the southern TP (STP) and northern TP (NTP). During the winter, Africa, the TP, and India are the dominant source regions, contributing nearly half of the water vapour over the STP. During the summer, the tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) supplies 28.5 ± 3.6% of the water vapour over the STP and becomes the dominant source region. The dominant moisture source regions of the water vapour over the NTP are Africa (19.0 ± 2.8%) during the winter and the TP (25.8 ± 2.4%) during the summer. The overall relative contribution of each source region to the precipitation is similar to the contribution to the water vapour over the TP. Like most models, CAM5.1 generally overestimates the precipitation over the TP, yielding uncertainty in the absolute contributions to the precipitation. Composite analyses exhibit significant variations in the TIO-supplied moisture transport and precipitation over the STP during the summer alongside anomalous TP heating. This relationship between moisture transport from the TIO and the TP heating primarily involves the dynamic change in the TIO-supplied moisture flux, which further controls the variation in the TIO-contributed precipitation over the STP.

The Long Noncoding RNA TP73-AS1 Interacted with miR-124 to Modulate Glioma Growth by Targeting Inhibitor of Apoptosis-Stimulating Protein of p53.

PubMed

Xiao, Shuai; Wang, Rensheng; Wu, Xiangwei; Liu, Wen; Ma, Shanshan

2018-02-01

P73 antisense RNA 1T (non-protein coding), known as TP73-AS1 or PDAM, is a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), which may regulate apoptosis by regulation of p53-dependent antiapoptotic genes. An abnormal change of TP73-AS1 expression was noticed in cancers. The effects of TP73-AS1 in brain glioma growth and the underlying mechanism remain unclear so far. In this study, the effect of TP73-AS1 in human brain glioma cell lines and clinical tumor samples was detected so as to reveal its role and function. In this study, TP73-AS1 was specifically upregulated in brain glioma cell lines and promoted glioma cell growth through targeting miR-124. TP73-AS1 knocking down suppressed human brain glioma cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis in vitro. The inhibitory effect of TP73-AS1 knocking down on glioma cell proliferation and invasion could partly be restored by miR-124 inhibition. In addition, miR-124-dependent inhibitor of apoptosis-stimulating protein of p53 (iASPP) regulation was required in TP73-AS1-induced brain glioma cell growth. Data from this study revealed that TP73-AS1 inhibited the brain glioma growth and metastasis as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) through miR-124-dependent iASPP regulation. In conclusion, we regarded TP73-AS1 as an oncogenic lncRNA promoting brain glioma proliferation and metastasis and a potential target for human brain glioma treatment.

Neural correlates of auditory recognition memory in the primate dorsal temporal pole

PubMed Central

Ng, Chi-Wing; Plakke, Bethany

2013-01-01

Temporal pole (TP) cortex is associated with higher-order sensory perception and/or recognition memory, as human patients with damage in this region show impaired performance during some tasks requiring recognition memory (Olson et al. 2007). The underlying mechanisms of TP processing are largely based on examination of the visual nervous system in humans and monkeys, while little is known about neuronal activity patterns in the auditory portion of this region, dorsal TP (dTP; Poremba et al. 2003). The present study examines single-unit activity of dTP in rhesus monkeys performing a delayed matching-to-sample task utilizing auditory stimuli, wherein two sounds are determined to be the same or different. Neurons of dTP encode several task-relevant events during the delayed matching-to-sample task, and encoding of auditory cues in this region is associated with accurate recognition performance. Population activity in dTP shows a match suppression mechanism to identical, repeated sound stimuli similar to that observed in the visual object identification pathway located ventral to dTP (Desimone 1996; Nakamura and Kubota 1996). However, in contrast to sustained visual delay-related activity in nearby analogous regions, auditory delay-related activity in dTP is transient and limited. Neurons in dTP respond selectively to different sound stimuli and often change their sound response preferences between experimental contexts. Current findings suggest a significant role for dTP in auditory recognition memory similar in many respects to the visual nervous system, while delay memory firing patterns are not prominent, which may relate to monkeys' shorter forgetting thresholds for auditory vs. visual objects. PMID:24198324

TLR4 has a TP53-dependent dual role in regulating breast cancer cell growth

PubMed Central

Haricharan, Svasti; Brown, Powel

2015-01-01

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death, and it is important to understand pathways that drive the disease to devise effective therapeutic strategies. Our results show that Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) drives breast cancer cell growth differentially based on the presence of TP53, a tumor suppressor. TP53 is mutationally inactivated in most types of cancer and is mutated in 30–50% of diagnosed breast tumors. We demonstrate that TLR4 activation inhibits growth of TP53 wild-type cells, but promotes growth of TP53 mutant breast cancer cells by regulating proliferation. This differential effect is mediated by changes in tumor cell cytokine secretion. Whereas TLR4 activation in TP53 mutant breast cancer cells increases secretion of progrowth cytokines, TLR4 activation in TP53 wild-type breast cancer cells increases type I IFN (IFN-γ) secretion, which is both necessary and sufficient for mediating TLR4-induced growth inhibition. This study identifies a novel dichotomous role for TLR4 as a growth regulator and a modulator of tumor microenvironment in breast tumors. These results have translational relevance, demonstrating that TP53 mutant breast tumor growth can be suppressed by pharmacologic TLR4 inhibition, whereas TLR4 inhibitors may in fact promote growth of TP53 wild-type tumors. Furthermore, using data generated by The Cancer Genome Atlas consortium, we demonstrate that the effect of TP53 mutational status on TLR4 activity may extend to ovarian, colon, and lung cancers, among others, suggesting that the viability of TLR4 as a therapeutic target depends on TP53 status in many different tumor types. PMID:26063617

TLR4 has a TP53-dependent dual role in regulating breast cancer cell growth.

PubMed

Haricharan, Svasti; Brown, Powel

2015-06-23

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death, and it is important to understand pathways that drive the disease to devise effective therapeutic strategies. Our results show that Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) drives breast cancer cell growth differentially based on the presence of TP53, a tumor suppressor. TP53 is mutationally inactivated in most types of cancer and is mutated in 30-50% of diagnosed breast tumors. We demonstrate that TLR4 activation inhibits growth of TP53 wild-type cells, but promotes growth of TP53 mutant breast cancer cells by regulating proliferation. This differential effect is mediated by changes in tumor cell cytokine secretion. Whereas TLR4 activation in TP53 mutant breast cancer cells increases secretion of progrowth cytokines, TLR4 activation in TP53 wild-type breast cancer cells increases type I IFN (IFN-γ) secretion, which is both necessary and sufficient for mediating TLR4-induced growth inhibition. This study identifies a novel dichotomous role for TLR4 as a growth regulator and a modulator of tumor microenvironment in breast tumors. These results have translational relevance, demonstrating that TP53 mutant breast tumor growth can be suppressed by pharmacologic TLR4 inhibition, whereas TLR4 inhibitors may in fact promote growth of TP53 wild-type tumors. Furthermore, using data generated by The Cancer Genome Atlas consortium, we demonstrate that the effect of TP53 mutational status on TLR4 activity may extend to ovarian, colon, and lung cancers, among others, suggesting that the viability of TLR4 as a therapeutic target depends on TP53 status in many different tumor types.

DOR/Tp53inp2 and Tp53inp1 constitute a metazoan gene family encoding dual regulators of autophagy and transcription.

PubMed

Sancho, Ana; Duran, Jordi; García-España, Antonio; Mauvezin, Caroline; Alemu, Endalkachew A; Lamark, Trond; Macias, Maria J; DeSalle, Rob; Royo, Miriam; Sala, David; Chicote, Javier U; Palacín, Manuel; Johansen, Terje; Zorzano, Antonio

2012-01-01

Human DOR/TP53INP2 displays a unique bifunctional role as a modulator of autophagy and gene transcription. However, the domains or regions of DOR that participate in those functions have not been identified. Here we have performed structure/function analyses of DOR guided by identification of conserved regions in the DOR gene family by phylogenetic reconstructions. We show that DOR is present in metazoan species. Invertebrates harbor only one gene, DOR/Tp53inp2, and in the common ancestor of vertebrates Tp53inp1 may have arisen by gene duplication. In keeping with these data, we show that human TP53INP1 regulates autophagy and that different DOR/TP53INP2 and TP53INP1 proteins display transcriptional activity. The use of molecular evolutionary information has been instrumental to determine the regions that participate in DOR functions. DOR and TP53INP1 proteins share two highly conserved regions (region 1, aa residues 28-42; region 2, 66-112 in human DOR). Mutation of conserved hydrophobic residues in region 1 of DOR (that are part of a nuclear export signal, NES) reduces transcriptional activity, and blocks nuclear exit and autophagic activity under autophagy-activated conditions. We also identify a functional and conserved LC3-interacting motif (LIR) in region 1 of DOR and TP53INP1 proteins. Mutation of conserved acidic residues in region 2 of DOR reduces transcriptional activity, impairs nuclear exit in response to autophagy activation, and disrupts autophagy. Taken together, our data reveal DOR and TP53INP1 as dual regulators of transcription and autophagy, and identify two conserved regions in the DOR family that concentrate multiple functions crucial for autophagy and transcription.