Degradation of chlorpyrifos contaminated soil by bioslurry reactor operated in sequencing batch mode: bioprocess monitoring

Bioslurry reactor (SS-SBR) was studied for the degradation of chlorpyrifos contaminated soil using native mixed microflora, by adopting sequencing batch mode (anoxic-aerobic-anoxic) operation. Reactor operation was monitored for a total cycle period of 72 h consisting of 3 h of FILL, 64 h REACT, 2 h of SETTLE, and 3 h of DECANT with chlorpyrifos concentrations of 3000 micrpg/g, 6000 microg/g and 12000 microg/g. At 3000 microg/g of chlorpyrifos concentration, 91% was degraded after 72 h of the cycle period, whereas in the case of 6000 microg/g of chlorpyrifos, 82.5% was degraded. However, for 12000 microg/g of chlorpyrifos, only 14.5% degradation was observed. The degradation rate was rapid at lower substrate concentration and 12000 microg/g of substrate concentration was found to be inhibitory. Chlorpyrifos removal rate was slow during the initial phase of the sequence operation. Half-life of chlorpyrifos degradation (t0.5) was estimated to be 6.3 h for 3000 microg/g of substrate, 17.5 h for 6000 microg/g and 732.2 h for 12000 microg/g. Process performance was assessed by monitoring chlorpyrifos concentration and biochemical process parameters viz., pH, oxidation and reduction potential (ORP), dissolved oxygen (DO), oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and microbial count (CFU) during sequence operation. From the experimental data obtained it can be concluded that the rate-limiting step with the bioslurry phase reactor in the process of chlorpyrifos degradation may be attributed to the concentration of substrate present in either soil or liquid phase. Periodic operations (SBR) by varying individual components of substrate with time in each process step place micro-organisms under nutritional changes from feast to famine and maintains a wide distribution in the population of micro-organisms resulting in high uptake of the substrate in the bioslurry reactor.     

Unique reduced graphene oxide as efficient anode material in Li ion battery

Unique reduced graphene oxide named solar reduced graphene oxide (SRGO) was found to be an excellent anode material in Li ion battery. SRGO exhibited first cycle discharge- and charge-capacities as high as 1480 and 880 mAh \(\hbox {g}^{-1}\), respectively. Moreover, the columbic efficiency was found to be >95% and the specific capacity retention even after 60 cycles was >500 mAh \(\hbox {g}^{-1}\).     

Metabolic Pathways for Observed Impacts of Crop Load on Floral Induction in Apple

The triggers of biennial bearing are thought to coincide with embryonic development in apple and occurs within the first 70 days after full bloom (DAFB). Strong evidence suggests hormonal signals are perceived by vegetative apple spur buds to induce flowering. The hormonal response is typically referred to as the floral induction (FI) phase in bud meristem development. To determine the metabolic pathways activated in FI, young trees of the biennial bearing cultivar ‘Nicoter’ and the less susceptible cultivar ‘Rosy Glow’ were forced into an alternate cropping cycle over five years and an inverse relationship of crop load and return bloom was established. Buds were collected over a four-week duration within 70 DAFB from trees that had maintained a four-year biennial bearing cycle. Metabolomics profiling was undertaken to determine the differentially expressed pathways and key signalling molecules associated with biennial bearing. Marked metabolic differences were observed in trees with high and low crop load treatments. Significant effects were detected in members of the phenylpropanoid pathway comprising hydroxycinnamates, salicylates, salicylic acid biosynthetic pathway intermediates and flavanols. This study identifies plant hormones associated with FI in apples using functional metabolomics analysis.     

Reduced VDAC1, Maintained Mitochondrial Dynamics and Enhanced Mitochondrial Biogenesis in a Transgenic Tau Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common forms of neurodegeneration, defined by reduced cognitive function, which is caused by the gradual death of neurons in the brain. Recent studies have shown an age-dependent rise in the levels of voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) in AD. In addition, we discovered an aberrant interaction between VDAC1 and P-TAU in the brains of AD patients, which led to abnormalities in the structural and functional integrity of the mitochondria. The purpose of our study is to understand the protective effects of reduced VDAC1 against impaired mitochondrial dynamics and defective mitochondrial biogenesis in transgenic TAU mice. Recently, we crossed heterozygote VDAC1 knockout (VDAC1^+/−) mice with transgenic TAU mice to obtain double-mutant VDAC1^+/−/TAU mice. Our goal was to evaluate whether a partial decrease in VDAC1 lessens the amount of mitochondrial toxicity in transgenic Tau (P301L) mice. We found that mitochondrial fission proteins were significantly reduced, and mitochondrial fusion and biogenesis proteins were increased in double-mutant mice compared to TAU mice. On the basis of these discoveries, the current work may have significance for the development of reduced-VDAC1-based treatments for individuals suffering from AD as well as other tauopathies.     

Cyclic stretch down-regulates calcium transporter gene expression in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes

Abnormal intracellular Ca2+ handling in hypertrophied and failing hearts is partly due to changes in Ca2+ transporter gene expression, but the mechanisms responsible for these alterations remain largely unknown. We previously showed that intrinsic mechanical load (i.e. spontaneous contractile activity) induced myocyte hypertrophy, and down-regulated SR Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA2) gene expression in cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM). In the present study, we examined whether extrinsic mechanical load (i.e. cyclic stretch) also induced NRVM hypertrophy, and led to down-regulation of SERCA2 and other Ca2+ transporter genes which have been associated with cardiac hypertrophy and failure in vivo. NRVM were maintained in serum-free culture medium under control conditions, or subjected to cyclic mechanical deformation (1.0 Hz, 20% maximal strain, 48 h). Under these conditions, cyclic stretch induced NRVM hypertrophy, as evidenced by significant increases in total protein/DNA ratio, myosin heavy chain (MHC) content, and atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) secretion. Cyclic stretch also induced the MHC isoenzyme "switch" which is characteristic of hemodynamic overload of the rat heart in vivo. Cyclic stretch significantly down-regulated SERCA2 and ryanodine receptor (RyR) mRNA and protein levels, while simultaneously increasing ANF mRNA. In contrast, Na+-Ca2+ exchanger and phospholamban mRNA levels were unaffected. Load-dependent SERCA2 and RyR down-regulation was independent of Ca2+ influx via voltage-gated, L-type Ca2+ channels, as cyclic stretch down-regulated SERCA2 and RyR mRNA levels in both control and verapamil-treated NRVM. These results indicate that extrinsic mechanical load (in the absence of other exogenous stimuli) induces NRVM hypertrophy and causes down-regulation of Ca2+ transporter gene expression. This in vitro model system should prove useful to dissect the intracellular signaling pathways responsible for transducing this phenotype during cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure in vivo.     

Blood and tissue compatibility of modified polyester: thrombosis, inflammation, and healing

OBJECTIVE: The effects of BRL-32872, azimilide and a selective blocker of the delayed rectifier potassium current, E-4031, were measured at two different basic cycle lengths (BCL), 300 and 1000 ms. Calcium channel antagonists of sarcolemmal (verapamil and nitrendipine) and sarcoplasmic reticulum (ryanodine) membranes were used to investigate whether the inhibition of the calcium current or the calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum could alter the reverse-rate dependence of E-4031 on action potential duration (APD). METHODS: Guinea pig isolated papillary muscles were superfused with a Tyrode solution maintained at 37 degrees C and stimulated at a BCL of 300 or 1000 ms. The standard microelectrode technique was used to record action potential parameters and to study the effects of azimilide, BRL-32872 and E-4031. E-4031 was superfused at increasing concentrations (0.01, 0.03, 0.1 and 0.3 microM) in the absence or in the presence of verapamil (0.3 microM), nitrendipine (0.03 microM) or ryanodine (0.1 microM). RESULTS: BRL-32872 and azimilide induced a self-limited concentration-dependent increase in APD. The effect of BRL-32872 was not dependent on the stimulation frequency whereas the effect of azimilide was significantly reduced at the shorter BCL. E-4031 induced a concentration-dependent increase in APD at both stimulation BCL. The increase in APD was significantly more pronounced in fibres stimulated at a BCL of 1000 ms than in fibres stimulated at a BCL of 300 ms, characterising the reverse-frequency dependent effect of class III antiarrhythmic agents. The reverse-frequency dependence in action potential prolongation induced by E-4031 was significantly reduced in the presence of a low concentration of verapamil (0.3 microM), nitrendipine (0.03 microM), or ryanodine (0.1 microM. CONCLUSION: The results show that BRL-32872, in contrast to azimilide, does not induce the reverse-rate dependency of action potential prolongation typically produced by class III antiarrhythmic agents such as E-4031. Our results also show that reverse-rate dependency induced by E-4031 can be reduced by the simultaneous administration of a low concentration of a calcium channel antagonist or an inhibitor of the release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. It is thus suggested that compounds with a suitable balance of potassium and calcium antagonistic activities may have less adverse effects than purely selective potassium channel blockers.     

Design and implementation of a planar helix for traveling wave tubes based on package compatible ball grid array technology

In this article, a novel planar helix traveling wave tube structure is proposed for S/X-band amplification. The planar helix structure is developed between two printed circuit boards such that they utilize solder balls to connect each other. This technique which comes originally from microelecronic packaging technology called ball grid array. To evaluate the performance of the proposed structure, one period of its geometry is modeled and the cold test parameters are calculated in CST microwave studio^TM. The fundamental space harmonic mode overlaps well with the beam-line in the dispersion diagram for both bands. The in- and out-coupler ports are also designed in the form of coplanar waveguides having good matching. For 150 periods of the planar helix, the 15 dB gain is obtained in particle-in-cell simulations for both bands. Finally, the fabrication process is implemented and the cold test is done.

     

Nonlocal nonlinear bending and free vibration analysis of a rotating laminated nano cantilever beam

In this article, we present the nonlocal, nonlinear finite element formulations for the case of nonuniform rotating laminated nano cantilever beams using the Timoshenko beam theory. The surface stress effects are also taken into consideration. Nonlocal stress resultants are obtained by employing Eringen’s nonlocal differential model. Geometric nonlinearity is taken into account by using the Green Lagrange strain tensor. Numerical solutions of nonlinear bending and free vibration are presented. Parametric studies have been carried out to understand the effect of nonlocal parameter and surface stresses on bending and vibration behavior of cantilever beams. Also, the effects of angular velocity and hub radius on the vibration behavior of the cantilever beam are studied.     

Vibration and Acoustic Characteristics of Aluminium Silicon Carbide Metal Matrix Composite Under Uniform and Non Uniform Thermal Environment

Silicon - Vibration and acoustic characteristics of metal matrix composite - (MMC) of aluminium Silicon carbide is compared with aluminium in lower frequencies. The free and forced vibration...     

Evaluation of mechanical properties of hybrid Al7009 nanocomposite

ABSTRACT

Hybrid nanocomposites are prepared by Al7009 aluminum alloy as base material,graphite and nano magnesium oxide (MgO) as reinforcements. Stir casting processes are used for preparation of hybrid nanocomposite, the percentage of graphite is fixed at 1 wt.% and nano magnesium oxide is varied for 1%, 2%, and 3% by weight and the specimens are named as A (pure), B (1% graphite and 1% MgO), C (1% graphite and 2% MgO), and D (1% graphite and 3% MgO). Evaluation of mechanical properties such as compressive strength, hardness, density, and impact strength behavior of hybrid Al7009 nano aluminum composites are analyzed. From the experimental results, the compressive strength and hardness of hybrid nanocomposite increases up to 2% wt of nano MgO particles and then the value decreases for 3% wt of nano MgO particles. Density increases from the specimens A to C with an increase in percentage of reinforcement in the matrix phase and then it decreases for specimen D. With respect to toughness highest value of 4.4 Jis obtained for sample D and the increase in percentage was 62.9 when compared to sample A, it was 37.5% when compared to specimen B and 12.8% when compared to specimen C.