Ozonation of oil sands process-affected water accelerates microbial bioremediation

Ozonation can degrade toxic naphthenic acids (NAs) in oil sands process-affected water (OSPW), but even after extensive treatment a residual NA fraction remains. Here we hypothesized that mild ozonation would selectively oxidize the most biopersistent NA fraction, thereby accelerating subsequent NA biodegradation and toxicity removal by indigenous microbes. OSPW was ozonated to achieve approximately 50% and 75% NA degradation, and the major ozonation byproducts included oxidized NAs (i.e., hydroxy- or keto-NAs). However, oxidized NAs are already present in untreated OSPW and were shown to be formed during the microbial biodegradation of NAs. Ozonation alone did not affect OSPW toxicity, based on Microtox; however, there was a significant acceleration of toxicity removal in ozonated OSPW following inoculation with native microbes. Furthermore, all residual NAs biodegraded significantly faster in ozonated OSPW. The opposite trend was found for ozonated commercial NAs, which are known to contain no significant biopersistent fraction. Thus, we suggest that ozonation preferentially degraded the most biopersistent OSPW NA fraction, and that ozonation is complementary to the biodegradation capacity of microbial populations in OSPW. The toxicity of ozonated OSPW to higher organisms needs to be assessed, but there is promise that this technique could be applied to accelerate the bioremediation of large volumes of OSPW in Northern Alberta, Canada.     

Storage and behavior of As, Sb, Pb, and Cu in ombrotrophic peat bogs under contrasting water table conditions

Concentration depth profiles and inventories of solid-phase As, Sb, Pb, and Cu were determined in 21?Pb-dated cores from an ombrotrophic peat bog in northwest England. Cores were collected from the peat dome and adjacent to an eroding gully. Down-core distributions of As, Sb, Pb, and Cu in the dome core are almost identical. The water table is close to the dome surface with only short-term draw-down. Under these conditions, As, Sb, Pb, and Cu are immobile, allowing the reconstruction of trends in historical contaminant deposition. The peak in atmospheric deposition of As, Sb, Pb, and Cu (4.59, 2.78, 147, and 26.7 mg m?2 y?1, respectively) occurred during the late 19th century. Stable Pb isotope ratios reveal that Pb deposition during this period was from indigenous and foreign sources. The mean water table is much lower at the gully edge, and there are pronounced interannual fluctuations. These conditions have not affected the integrity of the Pb and Cu records but have caused postdepositional mobilization and redistribution of As and Sb. Cumulative inventories show significant loss of As and Sb at the gully edge site. Long-term water table draw-down in ombrotrophic peat bogs has the potential to alter the geochemistry and fate of previously deposited As and Sb.     

A simple, valveless microfluidic sample preparation device for extraction and amplification of DNA from nanoliter-volume samples

A glass microdevice has been constructed for the on-line integration of solid-phase extraction (SPE) of DNA and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on a single chip. The chromatography required for SPE in the microfluidic sample preparation device (muSPD) was carried out in a silica bead/sol-gel SPE bed, where the purified DNA was eluted directly into a downstream chamber where conventional thermocycling allowed for PCR amplification of specific DNA target sequences. Through rapid, simple passivation of the PCR chamber with a silanizing reagent, reproducible DNA extraction and amplification was demonstrated from complex biological matrixes in a manner amenable to any research laboratory, using only a syringe pump and a conventional thermocycler. The muSPD allowed for SPE concentration of DNA from 600 nL of blood coupled to subsequent on-chip amplification that yielded a detectable amplicon; this simple device can be applied to a variety of routine genetic analyses without the need for sophisticated instrumentation. In addition, the applicability of these developments to nonconventional thermocycling was demonstrated through the use of noncontact, IR-mediated heating. This was exemplified with the isolation of DNA from an anthrax spore-spiked nasal swab and the subsequent on-chip amplification of target DNA sequences in a total processing time of only 25 min.     

A method for measuring tissue-equivalent dose using a pin diode and activation foil in epithermal neutron beams with EN < 100 keV

Silicon (Si) pin diodes can be used for neutron dosimetry by observing the change in forward bias voltage caused by neutron induced displacement damage in the diode junction. Pin diode energy response depends on Si displacement damage KERMA (K(Si)). It is hypothesised that tissue-equivalent (TE) neutron dose could be expressed as a linear combination of K(Si) and foil activation terms. Monte Carlo simulations (MCNP) of parallel monoenergetic neutron beams incident on a cylindrical TE phantom were used to calculate TE dose, K(Si) and Au, Cu and Mn foil activations along the central axis of the phantom. For spectra with neutron energies <100 keV, it is possible to estimate the TE kerma based on silicon damage kerma and Cu or Mn foil measurements. More accurate estimates are possible for spectra where the maximum neutron energy does not exceed 30 keV.     

Quantitative T 2 * assessment of acute and chronic myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice

Object

Imaging of myocardial infarct composition is essential to assess efficacy of emerging therapeutics. T ₂ ^* mapping has the potential to image myocardial hemorrhage and fibrosis by virtue of its short T ₂ ^* . We aimed to quantify T ₂ ^* in acute and chronic myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice.

Materials and methods

I/R-injury was induced in C57BL/6 mice (n?=?9). Sham-operated mice (n?=?8) served as controls. MRI was performed at baseline, and 1, 7 and 28?days after surgery. MRI at 9.4?T consisted of Cine, T ₂ ^* mapping and late-gadolinium-enhancement (LGE). Mice (n?=?6) were histologically assessed for hemorrhage and collagen in the fibrotic scar.

Results

Baseline T ₂ ^* values were 17.1?±?2.0?ms. At day 1, LGE displayed a homogeneous infarct enhancement. T ₂ ^* in infarct (12.0?±?1.1?ms) and remote myocardium (13.9?±?0.8?ms) was lower than at baseline. On days 7 and 28, LGE was heterogeneous. T ₂ ^* in the infarct decreased to 7.9?±?0.7 and 6.4?±?0.7?ms, whereas T ₂ ^* values in the remote myocardium were 14.2?±?1.1 and 15.6?±?1.0?ms. Histology revealed deposition of iron and collagen in parallel with decreased T ₂ ^* .

Conclusion

T ₂ ^* values are dynamic during infarct development and decrease significantly during scar maturation. In the acute phase, T ₂ ^* values in infarcted myocardium differ significantly from those in the chronic phase. T ₂ ^* mapping was able to confirm the presence of a chronic infarction in cases where LGE was inconclusive. Hence, T ₂ ^* may be used to discriminate between acute and chronic infarctions.     

Liver microcirculation analysis by red blood cell motion modeling in intravital microscopy images

Intravital microscopy has been used to visualize the microcirculation by imaging fluorescent labeled red blood cells (RBCs). Traditionally, microcirculation has been modeled by computing the mean velocity of a few, randomly selected, manually tracked RBCs. However, this protocol is tedious, time consuming, and subjective with technician related bias. We present a new method for analyzing the microcirculation by modeling the RBC motion through automatic tracking. The tracking of RBCs is challenging as in each image, as many as 200 cells move through a complex network of vessels at a wide range of speeds while deforming in shape. To reliably detect RBCs traveling at a wide range of speeds, a window of temporal template matching is applied. Then, cells appearing in successive frames are corresponded based on the motion behavior constraints in terms of the direction, magnitude, and path. The performance evaluation against a ground truth indicates the detection accuracy up to 84% TP at 6% FP and a correspondence accuracy of 89%. We include an in-depth discussion on comparison of the microcirculation based on motion modeling from the proposed automated method against a mean velocity from manual analysis protocol in terms of precision, objectivity, and sensitivity.     

Effect of concentrate feeding pattern in a grass silage/concentrate beef finishing system on performance, selected carcass and meat quality characteristics

Steers were offered grass silage ad libitum and 6.4 kg concentrates daily for 126 days or silage ad libitum for 35 days, followed by concentrates ad libitum (Experiment 1). Steers were offered grass silage ad libitum and 6 kg concentrates daily for 154 days, concentrates ad libitum or grass silage ad libitum for 112 days followed by concentrates ad libitum (Experiment 2). All treatments received the same total concentrate allowance. In Experiment 1, there was no difference in any measurement of meat quality. In Experiment 2, ad libitum concentrate feeding per se, decreased redness and increased shear force of muscle at 2 days post-mortem. Delaying concentrate feeding decreased fat yellowness, decreased shear force at 7 and 14 days post-mortem and increased muscle redness at 14 days post-mortem. Modifications of the beef production system examined had minor effects on beef quality which are unlikely to be of commercial significance.     

Fatty acid composition of M. Longissimus dorsi from Holstein-Friesian steers of New Zealand and European/American descent and from Belgian Blue×Holstein-Friesian steers, slaughtered at two weights/ages

Our objective was to determine the effect of breed (B) and slaughter age/weight on the fatty acid composition, particularly the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) concentration of beef. Two strains of a dairy breed [Holstein-Friesian (HF) (n=16 steers/strain)] and a late-maturing breed [Belgian Blue×Holstein-Friesian (BB) (n=16 steers)] were used. The HF strains were either of New Zealand (NZ) or European-American (EU) descent (selected in a grazed grass or a high concentrate nutritional environment, respectively). Animals were grown from calves to either a light (L; 560kg) or heavy (H; 630kg) target slaughter weight. Samples of M. longissimus dorsi were collected post-slaughter, lipids were separated into neutral (NL) and polar (PL) fractions, and fatty acid composition determined by gas-chromatography. The total fatty acid concentration and the concentrations of cis9, trans11 CLA, total CLA, MUFA and SFA in total intramuscular lipids were lower and the P:S ratio higher for BB than NZ or EU which did not differ. These differences largely reflected the changes in NL. The C18 desaturase index was higher for NZ than EU but EU did not differ from BB. Increasing slaughter weight/age increased the total fatty acid concentration and the concentrations cis9, trans11 CLA (P=0.06), total CLA (P=0.06), trans11 C18:1, MUFA and SFA and the C18 desaturase index and decreased the P:S ratio. The n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio was similar at the lighter slaughter weight/age for the three breeds/strains but increased for NZ and EU with increasing slaughter weight/age but was not affected in BB. It is concluded that the CLA concentration largely reflected muscle fatness but that increasing slaughter weight/age differentially affected the n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio of beef from early and late-maturing cattle.     

Transmission electron microscopy study of Listeria monocytogenes treated with nisin in combination with either grape seed or green tea extract

The objective of this study was to use transmission electron microscopy to investigate the morphological changes that occurred in Listeria monocytogenes cells treated with grape seed extract (GSE), green tea extract (GTE), nisin, and combinations of nisin with either GSE or GTE. The test solutions were prepared with (i) 1% GSE, 1% GTE, 6,400 IU of nisin, and the combination of these dilutions with nisin or with (ii) the pure major phenolic constituents of GSE (0.02% epicatechin plus 0.02% catechin) or GTE (0.02% epicatechin plus 0.02% caffeic acid) and their combinations with 6,400 IU of nisin in tryptic soy broth with 0.6% yeast extract (TSBYE). Test solutions were inoculated with L. monocytogenes at approximately 10(6) CFU/ml and incubated for 3 or 24 h at 37 degrees C. After 3 h of incubation, cells were harvested and evaluated under a transmission electron microscope (JEOL-100 CX) operating at 80 kV (50,000X). Microscopic examination revealed an altered cell membrane and condensed cytoplasm when L. monocytogenes cells were exposed to a combination of nisin with either GSE or GTE or to pure compounds of the major phenolic constituents in combination. After 24 h of incubation at 37 degrees C, the combinations of nisin with GSE and nisin with GTE reduced the L. monocytogenes population to undetectable levels and 3.7 log CFU/ml, respectively. These observations indicate that the combination of nisin with either GSE or GTE had a synergistic effect, and the combinations of nisin with the major phenolic constituents were most likely associated with the L. monocytogenes cell damage during inactivation in TSBYE at 37 degrees C.     

Regulating the geological sequestration of CO2

Governments worldwide should provide incentives for initial large-scale GS projects to help build the knowledge base for a mature, internationally harmonized GS regulatory framework. Health, safety, and environmental risks of these early projects can be managed through modifications of existing regulations in the EU, Australia, Canada, and the U.S. An institutional mechanism, such as the proposed Federal Carbon Sequestration Commission in the U.S., should gather data from these early projects and combine them with factors such as GS industrial organization and climate regime requirements to create an efficient and adaptive regulatory framework suited to large-scale deployment. Mechanisms to structure long-term liability and fund long-term postclosure care must be developed, most likely at the national level, to equitably balance the risks and benefits of this important climate change mitigation technology. We need to do this right. During the initial field experiences, a single major accident, resulting from inadequate regulatory oversight, anywhere in the world, could seriously endanger the future viability of GS. That, in turn, could make it next to impossible to achieve the needed dramatic global reductions in CO2 emissions over the next several decades. We also need to do it quickly. Emissions are going up, the climate is changing, and impacts are growing. The need for safe and effective CO2 capture with deep GS is urgent.