Temperature dependence for anammox bacteria enriched from freshwater sediments

The anoxic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process has been regarded as an attractive alternative process to treat wastewater containing high ammonium concentrations. By the implementation of anammox process at moderately low temperatures (<25°C), the anammox process will be applied to more various industrial wastewater treatments. In this study, we established enrichment cultures of anammox bacteria from freshwater sediments by using an up-flow column reactor equipped with porous polyester nonwoven fabric at moderately low temperatures. Their nitrogen conversion rates reached 0.07-0.26kg-N/m(3)/d. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene from enrichment cultures revealed the presence of various anammox bacteria affiliated with unknown anammox bacteria as well as known anammox candidates, i.e., Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis and Candidatus Brocadia fulgida, Candidatus Scalindua wagneri. Anammox bacterial populations were influenced by enrichment conditions, i.e., seed sediments and temperature.     

Selective production of lactic acid in continuous anaerobic acidogenesis by extremely low pH operation

The selective production of lactic acid by anaerobic acidogenesis with low pH control was examined using a chemostat culture. By decreasing culture pH to 3.5 in a chemostat culture containing mixed microbial populations for anaerobic acidogenesis, heterolactic fermentation became dominant, resulting in the selective production of lactic acid and ethanol. This phenomenon was reversible between the acidic and neutral conditions, and was not affected by the dilution rate. The extremely low pH operation was effective for selective lactic acid production in anaerobic acidogenesis.     

Emissions of toxic pollutants from compressed natural gas and low sulfur diesel-fueled heavy-duty transit buses tested over multiple driving cycles

The number of heavy-duty vehicles using alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG) and new low-sulfur diesel fuel formulations and equipped with after-treatment devices are projected to increase. However, few peer-reviewed studies have characterized the emissions of particulate matter (PM) and other toxic compounds from these vehicles. In this study, chemical and biological analyses were used to characterize the identifiable toxic air pollutants emitted from both CNG and low-sulfur-diesel-fueled heavy-duty transit buses tested on a chassis dynamometer over three transient driving cycles and a steady-state cruise condition. The CNG bus had no after-treatment, and the diesel bus was tested first equipped with an oxidation catalyst (OC) and then with a catalyzed diesel particulate filter (DPF). Emissions were analyzed for PM, volatile organic compounds (VOCs; determined on-site), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and mutagenic activity. The 2000 model year CNG-fueled vehicle had the highest emissions of 1,3-butadiene, benzene, and carbonyls (e.g., formaldehyde) of the three vehicle configurations tested in this study. The 1998 model year diesel bus equipped with an OC and fueled with low-sulfur diesel had the highest emission rates of PM and PAHs. The highest specific mutagenic activities (revertants/microg PM, or potency) and the highest mutagen emission rates (revertants/mi) were from the CNG bus in strain TA98 tested over the New York Bus (NYB) driving cycle. The 1998 model year diesel bus with DPF had the lowest VOCs, PAH, and mutagenic activity emission. In general, the NYB driving cycle had the highest emission rates (g/mi), and the Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) had the lowest emission rates for all toxics tested over the three transient test cycles investigated. Also, transient emissions were, in general, higher than steady-state emissions. The emissions of toxic compounds from an in-use CNG transit bus (without an oxidation catalyst) and from a vehicle fueled with low-sulfur diesel fuel (equipped with DPF) were lower than from the low-sulfur diesel fueled vehicle equipped with OC. All vehicle configurations had generally lower emissions of toxics than an uncontrolled diesel engine. Tunnel backgrounds (measurements without the vehicle running) were measured throughout this study and were helpful in determining the incremental increase in pollutant emissions. Also, the on-site determination of VOCs, especially 1,3-butadiene, helped minimize measurement losses due to sample degradation after collection.     

Changes in the melting temperature and crystal structure of poly(vinylidene fluoride) by knotting

A significant increase in the melting temperature of knotted fibers of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) was detected by differential scanning calorimetry. The melting peak partially returned to the original peak after the fibers were unknotted. Knotted PVDF fibers were observed with an optical microscope at crossed‐nicol conditions. The knotted portions of the fibers showed birefringence even above the melting temperature of the fibers before knotting. The dependence of the physical properties of PVDF under applied stress was estimated in order to investigate the influence of knotting. The fracture temperature of PVDF fibers increased with applied stress below 1 MPa and decreased above 10 MPa because the applied stress increased the melting temperature of PVDF crystals, but strong stress mechanically broke the fibers. The X‐ray diffraction patterns of the PVDF fibers under different stress were divided into the peaks of α‐ and β‐phase crystals and amorphous. The peak area of the β‐phase crystal increased and that of the amorphous decreased with applied stress. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Candidate Biomarkers for Genetic and Clinicopathological Diagnosis of Endometrial Cancer

The recent increase in the frequency of endometrial cancer has emphasized the need for accurate diagnosis and improved treatment. The current diagnosis is still based on conventional pathological indicators, such as clinical stage, tumor differentiation, invasion depth and vascular invasion. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying endometrial cancer have gradually been determined, due to developments in molecular biology, leading to the possibility of new methods of diagnosis and treatment planning. New candidate biomarkers for endometrial cancer include those for molecular epigenetic mutations, such as microRNAs. These biomarkers may permit earlier detection of endometrial cancer and prediction of outcomes and are likely to contribute to future personalized therapy for endometrial cancer.     

Ideal-Gas Heat Capacity for 2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234yf) Determined from Speed-of-Sound Measurements

The isobaric ideal-gas heat capacity for HFO-1234yf, which is expected to be one of the best alternative refrigerants for HFC-134a, was determined on the basis of speed-of-sound measurements in the gaseous phase. The speed of sound was measured by means of the acoustic resonance method using a spherical cavity. The resonance frequency in the spherical cavity containing the sample gas was measured to determine the speed of sound. After correcting for some effects such as the thermal boundary layer and deformation of the cavity on the resonance frequency, the speed of sound was obtained with a relative uncertainty of 0.01 %. Using the measured speed-of-sound data, the acoustic-virial equation was formulated and the isobaric ideal-gas heat capacity was determined with a relative uncertainty of 0.1 %. A temperature correlation function of the isobaric ideal-gas heat capacity for HFO-1234yf was also developed.     

Lipid Vesicle Preparation Using W/O/W Multiple Emulsions Via Solvent Evaporation: The Effect of Emulsifiers on the Entrapment Yield of Hydrophilic Materials

We studied the effects of emulsifiers on the entrapment yields of a hydrophilic material, calcein, in lipid vesicles formed using the multiple emulsion method. The primary emulsion (W₁/O) was prepared via sonication while the secondary emulsification that produced the W₁/O/W₂ multiple emulsions was achieved using the microchannel (MC) emulsification technique. The emulsifiers used in the continuous (W₂) phase were Tween® 80, Pluronic® F68, and bovine serum albumin (BSA). Lipid vesicles formed via solvent evaporation of the multiple emulsion droplets had an average diameter of about 180 nm, similar to the size of the water droplets in the primary W₁/O emulsions. The entrapment yields of calcein increased with decreasing concentrations of Tween® 80 but decreased with decreasing concentrations of Pluronic® F68 and BSA. The effects of type and concentration of emulsifier were considered in relation to three possible mechanisms: (i) destabilization/solubilization of lipid bilayers by emulsifiers, (ii) reversed-micellar transport of W₁ contents from internal to external water phases through the O phase, and (iii) release of inner water (W₁) contents into the continuous (W₂) phase via the instability of W₁/O/W₂ and leakage of W₁ contents. Using the food grade emulsifier Tween® 80 at a low concentration of about 0.1 or 0.05 wt%, calcein as a model hydrophilic material could be efficiently entrapped (ca. 80%) in homogenously dispersed lipid vesicles.     

Enhanced electrical conductivity of alumina/nano-carbon ceramic composite via iodine impregnation of gel-casted alumina body and reductive sintering

In this work, we present the fabrication of alumina/nano-carbon ceramic composite displaying enhanced electrical conductivity through facile iodine impregnation of gel-casted alumina body. Following the previously developed novel fabrication process of alumina/nano-carbon composite having a highly uniform nano-carbon network and superior semi-conductive properties via reductive sintering of gel-casted alumina body under inert atmosphere, we extended the process through the facile impregnation of gel-casted body in iodine solution resulting in enhancement of the amount of nano-carbon, graphitization degree, electrical conductivity and carrier density. The effect of iodine concentration on the properties of alumina/nano-carbon as well as the mechanism for enhanced electrical performance are also systematically investigated.     

Determination of trace amounts of albumin in human bronchoalveolar lavage fluids by fluorometry with chromazurol S

Effects of altered gonadotropin and prolactin (PRL) secretion on luteinizing hormone (LH), PRL and their testicular receptors (R) were studied in neonatal and adult rats. Changes in gene expression were monitored by measurements of steady-state mRNA levels. Five-day and 90-day-old male rats received a single s.c. injection of hCG (600 IU/kg), 1 mg/kg bromocriptine (BR) twice daily, or their combination. After 2 or 8 days, the responses of LH, PRL, their testicular R, and testosterone (T) were assessed, including measurements of the appropriate mRNA levels. Vehicle-treated age-matched animals served as controls. hCG suppressed serum LH in 2 days in adult rats from 0.85 +/- 0.16 to 0.04 +/- 0.01 microg/l, and in neonates from 0.59 +/- 0.29 to levels below 0.01 microg/l (p < 0.01 for both). This was accompanied at both ages by a 60% decrease in pituitary content of the LH beta-subunit mRNA (p < 0.01), but a decrease in the alpha-chain (40%, p < 0.05) occurred only in neonates. hCG increased serum PRL in adult rats in 8 days over 2-fold (p < 0.01); this did not occur in neonates. In neonates, BR increased the LH subunit mRNAs 2-fold in 8 days (p < 0.01) without a concomitant effect on serum LH; no BR effects on the LH parameters were seen in adult animals. BR decreased pituitary PRL protein and mRNA levels at both ages (p < 0.01-0.05), but serum PRL decreased only in the adults. The homologous down-regulation of testicular LHR (near 100%) was accompanied in adults by a 30% decrease in LHR mRNA (p < 0.05). Also BR at this age decreased LHR binding (75% in 8 days, p < 0.01), but in this case no change occurred in the cognate mRNA. hCG and BR slightly up-regulated in adults PRLR binding, but only the 2-day effect of BR was accompanied by a 60% increase in PRLR mRNA (p < 0.05). In neonates, both hCG and BR increased testicular LHR and PRLR mRNA levels (p < 0.01-0.05). In adult animals, both hCG and BR suppressed testicular and serum T levels after 8 days (40-70%, p < 0.01-0.05); only BR was inhibitory to T by 8 days in the neonates (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the homologous and heterologous regulatory effects of hCG and BR on LH, PRL and their testicular R levels were only partly explained by changes in steady-state levels of the respective mRNAs. In general, the autoregulatory effects on LHR and PRLR appeared to affect steady-state levels of cognate mRNAs, whereas heteroregulation predominately involved changes at the protein level. The responses of the neonatal pituitary-gonadal axis to hCG and/or BR differed greatly from those observed in the adult, indicating that the mechanisms involved in these regulatory events in adult animals are a result of gradual postnatal development.     

Calcium Silicate Carbonation Products

calcium silicates such as C₃S, βT-C₂S, and γgM-C₂S ^† were carbonated under saturated humidity at room temperature. Carbonation products were examined by DT-TGA, gasphase mass spectroscopy, and XRD. Two types of carbonate were produced: one type, which was rather poorly crystallized, was decarbonated at a very low temperature, below 600°C; the other type was a crystalline phase such as calcite, aragonite, and/or vaterite which was decarbonated above 600°C. The data were compared to existing data for calcium carbonates and basic calcium carbonates. The results suggest that an amorphous calcium silicate hydrocarbonate was one of the carbonation products which formed during the hydration/carbonation reaction.