Bacterial community structures in MBRs treating municipal wastewater: relationship between community stability and reactor performance

Bacterial community structures in pilot-scale conventional membrane bioreactors (CMBRs) and hybrid MBRs (HMBRs) which were combined with pre-coagulation/sedimentation were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques. The results were compared with the community structure in a full-scale activated sludge (AS) process treating the same municipal wastewater. The Dice index (Cs) of similarity analysis of DGGE banding patterns demonstrated that the microbial community in AS was more similar to those in CMBR1 and CMBR2 than HMBR1 and HMBR2. This suggested that influent wastewater composition had a larger impact on bacterial community structures. Long-term community structure changes in the HMBRs and CMBRs were monitored and analyzed over 240 days by Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis of DGGE banding patterns. The NMDS analysis revealed that both HMBRs and CMBRs had marked changes in community structures during the first about 100 days. Thereafter the perpetual fluctuations of bacterial community structures were observed in both HMBRs and CMBRs, even though the stable MBR performances (the performance was measured as membrane permeability and removal of dissolved organic carbon, DOC) were achieved. These results suggest that not only the stability, but also the adequate dynamics ("flexibility") of the bacterial community structure are important for the stable performance of the MBRs treating complex municipal wastewater.     

Development of high-rate anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) biofilm reactors

To promptly establish anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) reactors, appropriate seeding sludge with high abundance and activity of anammox bacteria was selected by quantifying 16S rRNA gene copy numbers of anammox bacteria by real-time quantitative PCR (RTQ-PCR) and batch culture experiments. The selected sludge was then inoculated into up-flow fixed-bed biofilm column reactors with nonwoven fabric sheets as biomass carrier and the reactor performances were monitored over 1 year. The anammox reaction was observed within 50 days and a total nitrogen removal rate of 26.0 kg-Nm(-3)day(-1) was obtained after 247 days. To our knowledge, such a high rate has never been reported before. Hydraulic retention time (HRT) and influent NH(4)(+) to NO(2)(-) molar ratio could be important determinant factors for efficient nitrogen removal in this study. The higher nitrogen removal rate was obtained at the shorter HRT and higher influent NH(4)(+)/NO(2)(-) molar ratio. After anammox reactors were fully developed, the community structure, spatial organization and in situ activity of the anammox biofilms were analyzed by the combined use of a full-cycle of 16S rRNA approach and microelectrodes. In situ hybridization results revealed that the probe Amx820-hybridized anaerobic anammox bacteria were distributed throughout the biofilm (accounting for more than 70% of total bacteria). They were associated with Nitrosomonas-like aerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AAOB) in the surface biofilm. The anammox bacteria present in this study were distantly related to the Candidatus Brocadia anammoxidans with the sequence similarity of 95%. Microelectrode measurements showed that a high in situ anammox activity (i.e., simultaneous consumption of NH(4)(+) and NO(2)(-)) of 4.45 g-N of (NH(4)(+)+NO(2)(-))m(-2)day(-1) was detected in the upper 800 microm of the biofilm, which was consistent with the spatial distribution of anammox bacteria.     

Improving the spectral unmixing algorithm to map water turbidity Distributions

In this paper we evaluate the suitability of the spectral unmixing algorithm to map the turbidity in the Curuai floodplain lake and enhance its applicability using autocorrelation modelling. The Spectral Unmixing Model (SMM) was applied to a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) surface reflectance (MOD09) image, taking in-situ measurements close to the acquisition date. Fraction images of inorganic matter-laden water, dissolved organic matter-laden water, and phytoplankton-laden water were generated by SMM, using 4 MODIS spectral bands (blue, green, red, and near infrared). These endmembers were selected based on the dominance of these components, which affect water turbidity. These fraction images allowed assessing the turbidity distribution in the study area but showing only places with high or low turbidity. The kernel estimation algorithm was then used to verify the spatial correlation among the in-situ measurement data. The occurrence of clusters suggests that there are different spatial water regimes. One spatial regression model was then compiled for each water regime, each of which presented a better turbidity estimation as opposed to the one derived from the Ordinary Least Square (OLS). The methodology applied was hence useful to analyze the spatial distribution of turbidity in the Curuai floodplain lake.     

Effect of Components upon the Surface Area of Woodceramics

The surface area of woodceramics, a novel porous material, plays an important role in catalysis, water treatment and air filtration etc. In the present study, the effect of components of the woodceramics, i.e., cellulose, lignin and phenolic resin, upon the surface area of woodceramics was investigated. The experimental results showed that cellulose, lignin and phenolic resin represented quite different carbonization ratios and surface areas during the carbonization. The results also indicated that lignin and phenolic resin were prone to carbon precipitation during heat treatment, compared with cellulose. It was deduced that the surface area of the woodceramcis depended on the amounts of the cellulose, lignin in the raw woody material, the amount of the phenolic resin and the carbonization temperature.     

Appearance Sampling of Real Objects for Variable Illumination

The appearance of an object greatly changes under different lighting conditions. Even so, previous studies have demonstrated that the appearance of an object under varying illumination conditions can be represented by a linear subspace. A set of basis images spanning such a linear subspace can be obtained by applying the principal component analysis (PCA) for a large number of images taken under different lighting conditions. Since little is known about how to sample the appearance of an object in order to correctly obtain its basis images, it was a common practice to use as many input images as possible. In this study, we present a novel method for analytically obtaining a set of basis images of an object for varying illumination from input images of the object taken properly under a set of light sources, such as point light sources or extended light sources. Our proposed method incorporates the sampling theorem of spherical harmonics for determining a set of lighting directions to efficiently sample the appearance of an object. We further consider the issue of aliasing caused by insufficient sampling of the object's appearance. In particular, we investigate the effectiveness of using extended light sources for modeling the appearance of an object under varying illumination without suffering the aliasing caused by insufficient sampling of its appearance.     

Insulation properties and degradation mechanism of insulating spacers in gas insulated switchgear (GIS) for repeated/long voltage application

Gas insulated switchgear (GIS) has been increasingly being used in recent years and high reliability and rational insulation design are required. This research provided V-N characteristics (the dielectric breakdown voltage versus number of repetitions characteristics) regarding the internal insulation and creeping insulation of the epoxy spacer, which are the main insulation elements of GIS, in order to help set LIWV (lightning impulse withstand voltage) and SIWV (switching impulse withstand voltage). The insulation strength decreased the most when the lighting impulse voltage was applied to internal insulation of the spacer, however, taking the absolute values into consideration, it turned out that the impact of frequent surges is slight. In the experiment in which alternating current voltage is applied for a long period of time, it was found that there is no decline in the insulation properties even after the voltage is applied for the equivalent of 30 years when the electric field intensity is 12 kVrms/mm or less although the combination with the multiple lightning impulse application may bring about damages to the spacer insulation. The degradation mechanism caused by generation of micro-pits was also understood through simultaneous microscopic observation of the surface and of the interface between the electrode and epoxy     

Propagation properties of electromagnetic wave through T-branch in GIS

To investigate the transmission of electromagnetic waves excited by partial discharge through T branch section and L-shaped sections of a gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) bus structure, electromagnetic fields were numerically simulated. The modes of the simulated electromagnetic wave were found to transform to different modes, e.g., from TE11 to TE21, after transmission and reflection through T branch or L-shaped sections of a GIS. These characteristics found in the simulation, mode transformation and dependence of resonance frequency on excitation direction of partial discharge, were also confirmed experimentally. In the case of 90-degree bent direction, the characteristics of mode transformation in a T branch and those in an L shaped section are similar. In an obliquely angled tank although electromagnetic-wave propagation behavior becomes similar to that for the L shaped section, the ratio of mode transformation becomes smaller, and the transmitted component of the input mode tends to increase, as the tank shape becomes closer to straight     

NMDA receptor-mediated differential laminar susceptibility to the intracellular Ca2+ accumulation induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation in rat neocortical slices

Slices of somatosensory cortex taken from immature rats on postnatal day (P)7-14 were labeled with fura-2. Intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) was monitored in identified pyramidal cells as the ratio of fluorescence intensities (RF340/F380) during oxygen-glucose deprivation. The RF340/F380 ([Ca2+]i) of individual pyramidal cells was monitored in each of the cortical layers II-VI simultaneously. Neurons in all neocortical layers exhibited significant increases in [Ca2+]i that varied with the duration of oxygen-glucose deprivation. Individual neurons responded to oxygen-glucose deprivation with abrupt increases in [Ca2+]i after various latencies. The ceiling level of the [Ca2+]i increase differed from cell to cell. Neurons in layer II/III showed significantly greater increases in [Ca2+]i than those in layers IV, V, or VI. Kynurenic acid, a nonselective glutamate receptor antagonist, and bicuculline, a selective gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor antagonist, suppressed the intracellular Ca2+ accumulation induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation in all neocortical layers examined. After kynurenic acid, but not after bicuculline, there was no longer a differential [Ca2+]i increases in layer II/III. Both 2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (AP5), a selective N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, and 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX), a non-NMDA receptor antagonist, strongly suppressed the intracellular Ca2+ accumulation induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation in all layers. The laminar difference in terms of the [Ca2+]i increases was abolished by AP5, but not by CNQX. These results indicate that layer II/III cells are the most prone to oxygen-glucose deprivation-induced intracellular Ca2+ accumulation, and that this is primarily mediated by NMDA receptors. Thus, layer II/III neurons would be more likely to suffer cellular Ca2+ overload and excitotoxicity during ischemia than layer IV-VI cells. Such a differential laminar vulnerability might play an important role in determining the pathological characteristics of the immature cortex and its sequelae later in life.     

Voltage-time and voltage-number characteristics of insulation elements with large scale oil-immersed transformers under field-use conditions

In order to attain reduction in insulation test voltages, voltage-time (V-t) characteristics for ac voltage and voltage-number (V-N) characteristics for lightning impulse voltage were experimentally investigated on the turn-to-turn insulation model, coil-to-coil insulation model and barrier-oil-duct insulation model of core- and shell-type transformers under non-standard of field-use conditions. The conditions used for experiments on insulation characteristics in view of field-use consisted of "clean oil" and "hot oil" as the conditions for insulating oil, "trapezoidal waves", "alternate applications of positive and negative voltages", and "steep front waves" as the conditions for applied voltages, and "low dielectric constant pressboards" as an insulating object in experiments. Although the measured V-t and V-N characteristics varied depending on the conditions, the total evaluation in terms of insulation coordination showed that results under standard conditions were satisfactory in almost all the cases and some cautionary points in a few cases were recognized