Abnormal hepatic mitochondrial respiration and cytochrome C oxidase activity in rats with long-term copper overload

BACKGROUND: Dietary copper overload in the rat is associated with morphological abnormalities and lipid peroxidation of hepatic mitochondria. This study was designed to determine if copper hepatotoxicity was associated with functional alterations in mitochondrial respiration in conjunction with lipid peroxidation. METHODS: Weanling male rats were pair-fed for 8 weeks on diets containing normal or high levels of copper in combination with sufficient vitamin E. Serum and liver samples were obtained, and hepatic mitochondria were isolated by differential centrifugation. RESULTS: Oxidant injury (decreased levels of hepatic glutathione and alpha tocopherol and increased levels of mitochondrial thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances) was present in the copper-overloaded rats. Serum aminotransferase levels correlated with concentrations of mitochondrial copper and thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances. Copper overload caused a decrease in state 3 respiration and the respiratory control ratio in hepatic mitochondria when several electron donors were used. Analysis of the oxidoreductase activities of the four mitochondrial electron transport protein complexes showed that complex IV (cytochrome C oxidase) activity was reduced by 60% in copper overload. CONCLUSIONS: Functional abnormalities of mitochondria accompany lipid peroxidation and the morphological alterations caused by copper overload, supporting the hypothesis that the mitochondrion is one of the major intracellular targets in copper hepatotoxicity.     

Temporal coordination and adaptation to rate change in music performance.

People often coordinate their actions with sequences that exhibit temporal variability and unfold at multiple periodicities. We compared oscillator- and timekeeper-based accounts of temporal coordination by examining musicians' coordination of rhythmic musical sequences with a metronome that gradually changed rate at the end of a musical phrase (Experiment 1) or at the beginning of a phrase (Experiment 2). The rhythms contained events that occurred at the same periodic rate as the metronome and at half the period. Rate change consisted of a linear increase or decrease in intervals between metronome onsets. Musicians coordinated their performances better with a metronome that decreased than increased in tempo (as predicted by an oscillator model), at both beginnings and ends of musical phrases. Model performance was tested with an oscillator period or timekeeper interval set to the same period as the metronome (1:1 coordination) or half the metronome period (2:1 coordination). Only the oscillator model was able to predict musicians' coordination at both periods. These findings suggest that coordination is based on internal neural oscillations that entrain to external sequences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting hydrocarbon removal from thermally enhanced soil vapor extraction systems. 1. Laboratory studies.

Conventional soil vapor extraction (SVE) systems have a limited effectiveness at removing semi-volatile chemicals from soil. Raising chemical vapor pressures by heating soil in-situ can decrease remediation time and help remove semi-volatile chemicals that otherwise would not be removed by conventional SVE. The increased compound removal rate that results from use of thermally enhanced SVE was investigated in laboratory studies. Increased soil temperatures (50-150 degrees C) increased both the rate of removal of the compounds studied and the range of compounds that were removed in column studies. The column studies indicated that if soil temperatures are raised enough to elevate the vapor pressure of a compound above 70 Pa, SVE will remove most of the compound from the soil. Thermally enhanced column study hydrocarbon removal rate constants were shown to have a definable relationship with vapor pressure. The relative removal rate constants also demonstrated an Arrhenius relationship with temperature. Laboratory studies can be used to develop these relationships and the results can be extrapolated within certain temperature ranges and compound types for a given soil.     

SCALING IN SITU BIOREMEDIATION PROBLEMS BY APPLICATION OF MULTIPHASE, MULTICOMPONENT TRANSPORT THEORY

A methodology for scaling in situ bioremediation problems is presented. This methodology is based on multiphase, muiticomponent transport theory and employs inspectional analysis and numerical sensitivity studies. A general mathematical model that describes subsurface aerobic biotransformation of organic chemical species in a multiphase setting is first presented. This general model is applied to the specific case of microbial enhanced vapor-vacuum extraction (MEVVE) in a one-dimensional zone of immobile liquids. The resulting simplified MEVVE model considers rate-dependent interphase mass transfer, a flowing gaseous phase, a single hydrocarbon pseudo-component, and either oxygen or hydrocarbon limited microbial activity. By inspectional analysis a set of dimensionless groups are derived that represent the various model parameters. A scries of numerical sensitivity studies are presented that examine the impact of selected dimensionless groups on overall system biotransformation rates. This analysis demonstrates that overall biotranformation rates can be significantly limited not only by insufficient transport of oxygen in the gaseous phase, but also by interfacial mass transfer resistance between nonaqueous phase liquid globules and adjacent fluids. Finally, an examination of the selected dimensionless groups reveals the parameter requirements for properly scaled MEVVE tests. These results indicate the need for further investigation of the importantance of fluid distributions in the pore space and their impact on the design of laboratory and field tests.     

Analysis of microcavity VCSEL lasing modes using a full-vectorweighted index method

Presents a semi-analytic full-vector method for calculating the spatial profile, optical confinement factor resonant frequency, absorption loss, and mirror loss of lasing modes in cylindrically symmetric microcavity vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL's). It can be shown that this method gives the best separable approximation for the electric and magnetic vector potentials. Our technique can model the entire VCSEL structure and can treat complex media. We apply the method to etched-post and oxide-apertured VCSEL's designed for 980-nm emission and find a blueshift in cavity resonance as the cavity radius shrinks. We also find a minimum optical cavity radius below which radially bound lasing modes cannot be supported. This radius depends on the device geometry and lies between 0.5 and 1 μm for the devices studied. Once this model is augmented to include diffraction losses-the dominant loss mechanism for conventional small aperture lasers-it will provide a complete picture of lasing eigenmodes in microcavity VCSEL's     

In situ optical monitoring of AlAs wet oxidation using a novellow-temperature low-pressure steam furnace design

To reproducibly define small features by oxidizing AlGaAs layers, it is essential to have good control over the oxidation reaction. We have integrated a glass viewport into a low-pressure (5 torr) cold-walled oxidation chamber to enable in situ optical monitoring of the sample during oxidation. To gain additional control, we reduced the oxidation temperature to 325°C, consequently slowing the oxidation rate to 2 μm/h. Real-time in situ optical measurements of AlAs oxidation rates were performed using this system and the results were compared with a standard model. Oxide-semiconductor distributed Bragg reflectors (DBR's) were also fabricated and measured, yielding highly reflective mirrors suitable for vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) fabrication     

Effects of strain on the high speed modulation of GaAs- andInP-based quantum-well lasers

A small-signal numerical analysis of pseudomorphic GaAs- and InP-based Fabry-Perot quantum-well lasers using calculated optical gain spectra with strain effects included is reported. Examination of the effect of lifetime broadening shows that the resonance frequency increases at a rate of ~250-MHz/meV reduction in the lifetime broadening for a GaAs-based strained layer laser. The modulation speed is limited by either device heating or facet damage. If the limitation is imposed by the optical power then the modulation speed increases as the laser cavity becomes shorter and the number of quantum wells increases. If the limitation is imposed by the injection current density, however, then the modulation speed decreases for the laser with shorter cavity length. The highest modulation speed is given by an optimum well number. A resonance frequency of ~16 GHz is predicted for a pseudomorphic GaAs-based laser with 30% excess In and average output power of ~5 mW     

Treatment of poultry manure wastewater using a rotating biological contactor

A pilot scale, six stage rotating biological contactor was used to evaluate the feasibility of this process for the stabilization of liquid animal manures. Total disc surface area was approx. 16.7 m². Treatment efficiencies were determined at various waste strengths and influent flow rates.With loading rates of 14.7–322 g m⁻² day⁻¹, the average COD reduction was 61%. With loading rates of 4.88-24.4 g m⁻² day⁻¹, the average BOD₅ reduction was 87%. Total nitrogen removal averaged approximately 30% for the entire study. Mixed liquor oxygen uptake rates were generally in excess of 80 mg 1⁻¹ h⁻¹.Clarified effluent was non-odorous and suitable to be reused for manure flushing or spray irrigation. Treatment was not sufficient to permit effluent discharge to surface waters.     

Kinetics of microbial nitrification: nitrite-nitrogen oxidation

The kinetics of nitrite-nitrogen oxidation by enriched Nitrobacter cultures were examined under various temperatures (9°–35°C), pH (6.0–8.5), and microbial concentrations. For the substrate concentrations examined (100–1100 mg N1⁻¹) the reaction was zero order and correlations between temperature, pH, microbial concentrations and reaction rates were formulated. Inhibition by free ammonia and nitrous acid is discussed. This study of enriched cultures of nitrobacter organisms also provide some insight into the growth characteristics of this fastideous organism under conditions of dense population and severe environmental conditions (temperature and pH).     

Current-induced guiding and beam steering in active semiconductorplanar waveguide

We propose a novel method of achieving beam steering in active GaAs-AlGaAs materials. Carrier-induced refractive index change effect is applied to form a channel waveguide in a slab structure. Current injection is used as a means to control, guide, and steer an optical beam between two active stripes. In a structure that was 710 μm long, we have experimentally demonstrated waveguiding of an externally coupled optical beam and electrically induced steering of the beam over a 17-μm lateral distance at the output facet. The results of theoretical analysis and modeling of the beam shift fit the experimental data well